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“Teleportation,” Cruz mused under her breath. She thought, but did not say, That would be a cool power for a writer: observe anyone, anywhere, anytime.
“The government has to stop you, Shade, they have no choice,” Malik said.
“Thank God we have the brilliant Malik to tell us the obvious.” It was a bit snide, even for Shade, but Malik was used to her.
“You say your house is bugged, which means they suspect you, or at least your dad, so it’s only a matter of time,” Malik said.
Shade shifted uncomfortably and, looking more defensive than Cruz had ever seen her, said, “It’s a fait accompli.”
Cruz raised her hand like she was in school. “What is ‘fate accomplee’?”
“It’s French,” Shade and Malik said at the same time.
“It means, accomplished fact, something that’s done and can’t be undone,” Shade said. “Like stealing ASO-Three. Like eating it. Like becoming”—she waved a hand—“whatever it is I’ve become. Fait accompli.”
“I helped steal the rock,” Cruz said. “So I’m in trouble, too. So I think I have a right to, you know . . .”
Shade shared a glance with Malik, who shook his head. “Don’t look at me, I am not interested. So far I’m just an accessory after the fact. And I am not interested in becoming super anything.”
“You already have super-condescension,” Shade said.
“Yeah, totally unlike you, Shade.”
“That YouTube of the plane crash? That creature?” Shade said, almost plaintive. “Come on, we all know it’s the ASO, that flight was coming from Iowa. Someone else already got hold of some of the rock.”
“Proving what?” Malik demanded. Then he crinkled his nose. “This shirt smells. Sorry, I haven’t changed since my run.” He rolled off his bed, went to his closet, chose a T-shirt from among about a million, and stripped off his sweat-stained shirt with no sign of modesty.
Cruz turned a disbelieving look to Shade as if to say, You broke up with that? Beautiful, smart, and rich is not good enough for you?
Shade’s look was a mix of amusement and perhaps a little regret, an acknowledgment that yes, Malik was a very fine specimen indeed, a sculpture to rival any in his parents’ house, and smart to boot.
Cruz silently mouthed, You are a moron.
Shade smiled and gave Cruz the finger in a subtle, underhand way.
“Proving,” Shade said belatedly, “that there may be more out there, more like him. Like me. The government can try to put the toothpaste back in the tube, but I don’t think it’ll work.”
Malik sighed. “Maybe. Maybe we are on the verge of a total rearranging of life, maybe Chicago is about to become Gotham and New York is going to be Metropolis. There are three types of supers, Shade: Hero, Villain, and Monster. Superman is a hero and Batman is an antihero, which is a subset of hero. Magneto or Lex Luthor are villains. Hulk and, say, the Punisher are monsters, people dangerously out of control.”
“Yeah, and who stands up to Magneto?” Shade demanded. “Heroes, that’s who. This character who killed the people on that plane is a bad guy. There will be others. Who stops them?”
“The government, if they aren’t busy chasing you,” Malik said, exasperated. “Why are you doing this, Shade?”
Shade stood up suddenly, nervous energy getting the better of her. “And what if the government becomes the villain?”
Malik leaned back and frowned.
Shade, sensing an opening, paced back and forth, glancing now at Malik, now at Cruz, like a TV lawyer making her case to the jury. “You don’t think the government is going to use the rock for their own purposes? You don’t think someone at the Pentagon is thinking, ‘Oh, cool: Super soldiers? Super cops? Super spies’?”
Malik’s silence was acknowledgment. But he rallied. “Now you’re like a gun nut arguing we need guns to overthrow the government.”
Shade shook her head, thinking out loud, on a roll, looking at the floor. “This is the same government that set off a nuke next to the dome, the PBA, because it was blocking the highway. I’m not saying they’re evil, just saying that the temptation is there and—”
“The temptation is there partly because they need to find ways to stop people like you!” Malik insisted.
Shade talked right over him. “—I guarantee you they’re looking for ways to use the ASOs. So are other governments. The ASO is one big, unpredictable weapon. We’re going to have government supers and individuals like the plane guy. The world is changing, Malik. I didn’t make it happen, I’m just saying since it is happening I don’t want to be standing there doing nothing while . . .” She stopped suddenly, knowing she’d said too much. She switched gears. “What if there had been no Sam Temple or Dekka or Brianna to fight back against Caine and Drake and Penny? Not to mention that . . . that creature . . . Gaia?” Shade demanded.
Cruz did not immediately recognize the names, but she understood what Shade meant. What if only the bad people had powers?
