CHAPTER 54
JET
I look at what Corp is unleashing on the world, and I know that the world will tremble and fall if no one stands against them.
Arclight, in an interview with Underground magazine
The Academy main pavilion was filled with the sounds of grunts, of blasts, of bodies hitting bodies. Not to mention whoops and shouts, and more than a little scolding and outright belligerence. If not for the harsh wind stealing the smells, the place would have reeked of sweat, and ozone, and dirt. Paired heroes trained under the watchful eyes of their instructors, with the exception of the Fifth Years; they worked unsupervised.
Which bothered Jet immensely. How would she know if she was going too slow, or if her form was off, or any host of things, if no one was watching? Palming her hair out of her eyes, she said, “Once more.”
“Enough already.” Iri’s breath misted with the late February chill. “We’ve done it ten times. We’ve got it down cold.”
Jet rubbed her hands to keep them warm. Maybe her Squadron skinsuit should have gloves—no, gauntlets, like Night’s. They’d protect her skin and keep her warm. “I just want to be sure.”
“Well, I’m sure. We’re done.” To prove her point, Iri yanked the comlink from her ear and tucked it into one of her belt pouches. “Christo, I hate that thing.”
“But the field test is tomorrow,” Jet said. “We have to make sure it’s perfect.”
“It is. If we keep doing it, we’re going to get tired, and that means getting sloppy. And then … boom.” Iri popped a strobe in her hands.
Jet’s goggles irised to shield her from the sudden burst of light. “Hey! Quit it!”
“We’re done,” Iri said. “And that means it’s time to relax. Come on, Squad House is on in fifteen minutes.”
“Fine, maybe I’ll spar with one of the others, or offer to ref the Fourth Years, or—”
Iri hooked an arm around Jet’s shoulders. “You, girl, are going to relax if it kills you. We’re popping popcorn and watching Squad House. I’m betting Girl Power goes all slutty on Screamer.”
Jet groaned, but she allowed Iri to steer her back into the Academy. She was constantly proving to Iridium that they were really friends again, after making up during Fourth Year. So for Jet, that meant hanging out and, among other things, watching Squad House, even though she’d rather pluck out her eyeballs.
Jet wasn’t about to risk their friendship again. Not for the Academy, or Corp.
Or Night.
He was too busy for her, anyway. Between the close of Fifth Year and all that entailed and some proctor project he’d been working on, her mentor had been horribly scarce as of late. And he was curt to her when they did see each other. Rude … and distracted. The one time she’d seen his face before he’d adjusted his cowl, his eyes had a wild sheen—almost feverish. Whatever had captured his attention, it had nothing to do with Jet.
She pretended that didn’t hurt. Or that she didn’t worry about him.
Because everyone knew what happened to Shadow powers. Eventually.
But here, at the Academy, surely someone would notice if Night started acting … in a way he shouldn’t act.
Thinking of her father, Jet glanced at Iri—who was grinning broadly, looking for all the world like she’d just won a tremendous victory.
Maybe Night cutting her off was a good thing. If anything, she and Iri had been closer this year than they were even back in Second Year—before Jet had gotten her earpiece and her confidence. She remembered that day, saw Dawnlighter’s face twisted into a snarl of utter hatred, just before she’d tried to kill Jet.
“Jet! Wakey wakey.”
Jet blinked. “Sorry. Lost in thought.”
“There’s a news flash.”
“I can’t believe you’re making me watch some extrahuman reality show.”
“Come on, it’s good for you. Builds character.”
Well, maybe it wouldn’t be a total waste of time. She could think more about what her postgraduation battlesuit should look like. Maybe take a cue from Night on more than just the gauntlets. He’d like that, wouldn’t he? She could go for the whole intimidation motif. If people were afraid of her, then that fear would do most of the fighting for her.
The thought made her smile.
She was still a little thin, and not exactly tall. So she’d need to make up for the lack of physical presence with other things. Add padding to the battlesuit, both for protection and for more of a figure. A hood or a cowl to shroud her face, turn it from something vaguely pretty into something secretive. And a cape, definitely, she thought, picturing how Night’s cloak swirled around his legs. Maybe she’d even add height to her boots—ugh. She should have taken Femme Fatale as an elective to help her learn how to balance in high heels …
“What’re you groaning about?”
Jet laughed. “Fashion. Picturing me in heels.”
“Holy Jehovah, now there’s a sight!” Iri snorted laughter. “Let me guess, you’re considering a halter top and steel bracelets.”
“Me? Light, no. I don’t want to have to shave my underarms before going into battle.”
“I’m telling you, heels and a halter top. Maybe a leather bikini to distract men with your womanly charms.”
“Great,” Jet said. “Code name: Bikini.”
“Yeah. No battlesuit for you. Just acres of flesh.”
“Acres? Now I look fat in the bikini?”
“Or maybe a PVC skinsuit …”
“Worse than leather,” Jet said primly, biting back her giggles. “Way too stiff. Too restrictive.”
“So ‘Bondage Girl’ is out. Fine, you’ll go the body-stocking route instead of a unikilt. Between that and the heels, there’d be nothing left to the imagination.”
“Uh-huh, right. Code name: Spandex.”
Iri beamed. “Exactly! I love it.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Nope, I’m the criminal. You’re the kook.”
Giggling, they went into the common-room annex and made some popcorn—with Iri grumbling as they waited the three minutes for it to finish nuking; by the third minute of Iri’s impatient pacing, Jet was fervently wishing that Power Plant would stroll in and zap the corn with a touch of her hand. After, they walked into the Fifth Year common room with five minutes to go before the show started. A number of students had already converged, laying claim to the three sofas and scattered chairs, which meant floor room only for Jet and Iri.
“Hey,” Steele said from the far corner chair, waving. “It’s Yin and Yang!”
“With popcorn,” Firebug declared. “Our heroes!”
A bunch of the students said their “heys” to them; the rest ignored them, other than casting a disinterested glance their way. Jet and Iri maneuvered their way to the back corner and grabbed some floor by Steele’s seat, then passed the bowl of popcorn around. Over them, Firebug sat scrunched on the sofa by the chair, and squeezed by her were Windfall, Were, Colossal Lad, and Stealth. Someone nudged Jet’s shoulder with a foot; she didn’t have to look up to know it was Were, already chortling.
“Hey, Jetster, you hear the one about the Shadow and the Light?”
Her cheeks heated as she turned to look up at him. Damn it. Yeah, she’d definitely get a cowl for her battlesuit. Something to help her mask her embarrassment.
“Christo, not that one again,” Windfall groaned. “You going to tell that same stupid joke every time Jet and Iri walk in together?”
“Aw, it’s a good joke.”
“If you define ‘good’ as making you want to rip your ears off and eat them so you don’t have to hear it again, then sure.”
Jet hid her smile behind her hand.
“You’re no fun,” Were grumbled. “Tell him, Stealth.”
Stealth, silent as ever, shrugged.
“Yeah, what he said!” Were nodded, satisfied.
Stealth rolled his eyes.
“You guys ready for tomorrow?” asked Steele, and Jet pivoted to face her.
“Oh yeah.” Iri slammed her fist into the open palm of her other hand. “We’re going to blow through the field test. Dazzle them with style. Impress them with elegance.”
“Bore them with a monologue,” Colossal Lad said.
Iri elbowed his shin.
“We’re ready,” Jet said firmly. And they were. Iri had been right, of course. They had their maneuvers down cold. All that was left was to perform for a live audience.
“Me, I’m so freaking nervous, I should bring a barf bag,” Firebug said.
“I keep telling you, you’re terrific.” Steele smiled at her partner. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“I know we know our stuff,” Firebug said, “but there’s so much riding on this.” She gulped. “I don’t want to get expelled if we fail.”
Were said, “You know, if you keep worrying about it, you’re going to mess up.”
Windfall bopped him on the head. “Shut it, Were! The rest of us don’t get an autopass because our partner got killed. Oh.” He cleared his throat, muttered, “Sorry, Jet.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “It’s okay.”
“You’re going to be fine,” Steele said, her eyes glinting like her armored flesh did when she powered up. “You’ll see. As long as we go by the book, nothing can go wrong.”
“Because Jehovah knows,” Iri mumbled, “the bad guys always go by the book.”
“Not now,” Jet told her.
“It’s true.” Iri shrugged. “It’s stupid for us to follow expected patterns. Repetition leads to predictability, which leads to ambush.”
“Repetition leads to getting the moves perfect,” Steele insisted. Jet nodded. Thank the Light, at least Jet wasn’t alone in that belief.
“Hero Philosophy later, ladies,” Windfall said. “The show’s about to start. Hey, Were, quit wolfing down all the popcorn!”
They watched the insipid show, and by the end of the hour, Jet wanted to claw her eyes out. But she laughed along with the others, and she followed their group out of the common room when the show ended. The room slowly cleared out.
She was hanging by the door for almost a full minute when she realized that Iri was inside, talking to someone. Poking her head in, she saw her roommate seated in the far front corner … next to Frostbite. They were the only two left in the room.
Oh boy. She hadn’t known Derek was inside—hadn’t known that he was out of Therapy. Pasting a smile on her face, she walked in to say hello.
Frostbite regarded her with cold, haunted eyes. His face was gaunter than she remembered, and his shock of blue hair was buzzed close to his scalp. He was far too thin. “Jet,” he said.
“How’s it going, Frostbite?”
“Same old,” he replied. “Mind still works, if that’s what you mean.”
Uncomfortable, Jet looked at her boots.
“Anyway, you need anything,” Iri said to him, rising, “you let me know.”
“I will, Callie. Thanks.”
Iridium grinned at him, then strode out of the room.
Jet wanted to follow, but her feet were rooted to the spot. “She missed you,” she said quietly.
He stared at her with those haunted eyes. “She’ll get over it,” he said. “I can’t hang with her anymore. With anyone anymore.” His voice faded, as if he saw something that Jet couldn’t see.
“Maybe if we talk to the Superintendent …”
“You stay out of it,” he growled. “You don’t want any part of this, Jet.” His gaze fixed on hers. “You just stay close to Iri. Make sure you two pass tomorrow. Don’t f*ck up.”
“We won’t.”
“Good.” He nodded, once. “You know, they kept telling us to make sure you’re okay, to stay close to you. But they’ve got it wrong.”
“What? Who said that?”
“Everyone. Instructors. Proctors.” His blue eyes held her dark ones. “Since First Year, it’s been about looking out for Jet, making sure the Shadow power was protected.”
She whispered, “What on the scorched earth are you talking about?”
He laughed mirthlessly. “Can’t make the newest Shadow go crazy too soon.”
Jet swallowed thickly. “That’s ridiculous.”
“I agree,” he hissed. “We shouldn’t have been coddling you. Because you’re the worst of them.”
“Derek …”
He motioned at her, a lazy flip of his wrist. “You parrot everything. You’re all about rah, rah Academy, rah, rah Corp. You’re so impressionable that there’s no Joan left. Just what they made you. Just Jet.”
It’s the Therapy, she told herself sadly. It’s made him crazy.
“I promise you, Just Jet, if Iri gets expelled tomorrow, or worse, because she’s too busy protecting you to remember to follow procedure, I’ll find you. And I’ll make you pay.” He delivered the threat perfectly—quiet, assured. Stating simple truth.
“There’s nothing for you to worry about,” she said, feeling sorry for him, for what he’d lost. “I promise, we’ll be fine.”
“You better.” With that, he turned to face the blank vid screen, dismissing her.
Outside of the room, Jet let out a shaky breath. Iri said softly, “You okay?”
“Yeah. That was just … hard.”
“I know,” Iri said, her voice tight. “It’s not our Derek anymore.”
But Jet had a feeling that it was the real Derek, just stripped of his mask.