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“We’re going to be busier than usual,” she said, as if he hadn’t spoken at all. “How long is it going to be before Nick suits up himself? And with all the new tech we have, it’s going to be more important than ever to have someone here. Multiple someones. Jazz can’t handle it on her own. Martha and Bob have done it for years. They deserve a break.”
“What are you saying?” Jazz asked.
She tilted her head back, looking up at her girlfriend. Jazz smiled down at her, confused. Gibby grinned back. “I’m saying that you all can’t do this without me. You’ll probably end up dead or captured or arrested, and I can’t have that.” She looked at Seth, then Nick. “I’m going to stay in the city next year for school. Howardis a good school. Agreatschool. But I want to help change things here in Nova City, and I can’t do that if I’m hundreds of miles away. This isn’t just about Extraordinaries. It’s about making sure people have a voice, someone fighting for them who doesn’t have to wear a mask. And I can be that someone. I know I can.”
Guilt rolled through Nick, grating and harsh. Even as Jazz squealed and Seth squeezed Gibby’s hand, Nick said, “Gibby, you can’t make decisions about your future based on us. That’s not fair to you.”
Gibby frowned. “That was uncharacteristically mature of you, Nicky. I don’t like it.”
Jazz didn’t either, if the way she glared at Nick was any indication, but he had to get this out, even if he couldn’t believe what he was saying. “I love you. Nothing would make me happier than if you stayed in the city next year. But is this what you really want?” He shook his head. “Paths diverge. Seth, remember when you said you didn’t know if you wanted to do this forever?”
Seth nodded slowly. “I still haven’t made up my mind.”
“I know,” Nick said. “And whatever you decide, I’ll support it. But we don’t even know what I can do, and Seth doesn’t know what hewilldo. What if I’m just a fluke, and Seth decides to hang up his suit? What if Team Pyro Storm disbands, and Lighthouse isn’t needed anymore?” He was getting worked up again, but he couldn’t stop. “Won’t you hate us for taking this opportunity away from you?”
She didn’t say anything for a long moment, giving Nick enough time to squirm uncomfortably. He was about to push more when she lunged at him, wrapping him in a tight hug and lifting him off the ground, feet dangling. His back cracked, and he laughed as she spun him around. She set him back down, hands on his shoulders. They were almost eye-level, and Nick was hit square in the chest by how much he cared for these ridiculous people. They were his, and no one could take that away from him. Maybe things would change in the future, but here, now, they were together.
Gibby said, “I could never hate you. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, longer than any of you know. I’m doing itfor me. We’re growing up. We need to start making decisions for ourselves. It’s what I want, and no matter what happens, I know I’m making the right choice. I can help. And more than that, I can be a voice for change. Besides, my parents always wanted Howard more than I ever did. I’m doing this for me.”
Jazz sniffled. “I love us. We’re the best.”
“We really are,” Seth said quietly.
And because she was Gibby, she punched Nick gently on the shoulder. “And seriously, you really think I’m gonna leave right when you’re becoming an Extraordinary? Like I would miss you doing stupid shit like exploding streetlights or getting attacked by cups.”
“It wasn’tthatfunny,” Nick muttered.
“It was,” Jazz said. “You and I were running screaming down the street. I’m sure it was hysterical to many, many people. Including me.” She jumped down from the washing machine and pushed her way between Gibby and Nick. She cupped Gibby’s face, thumbs brushing the skin underneath Gibby’s eyes. “You sure?”
“Completely,” Gibby said.
Jazz kissed her sweetly. Well, itstartedsweet, and then Gibby grunted and lifted Jazz, who wrapped her legs around her waist without breaking the kiss, and Nick groaned. He loved his girls, but he really didn’t need to hear the way Jazz gasped as Gibby mauled her face.
“What do we do now?” Seth asked him, sounding amused.
“Now?” Nick said. “Research. We need to find out everything we can about Smoke and Ice, and what Burke is up to.” He also needed to find out as much as he could about Miss Conduct and the Extraordinary only known as TK, but he kept that to himself. He couldn’t take the chance they were villains.
And then there was the matter of Guardian …
One thing at a time.
“Sounds like a plan,” Seth said as Gibby did this thing with her tongue that looked wet and disgusting, but that Jazz apparently found quite agreeable. “We also need to see what you can do.”
Nick nodded. “I like the way you think, Gray. Especially since it’ll most likely involve a montage in which I attempt to use mypowers in increasingly hysterical set pieces where I try to lift a Buick or jump from the top of a building to see if I can catch myself before I hit the ground.”
Seth sighed. “That’s not what I meant at all. I swear to god, if you try and jump from a building, I’m going to—”
The basement door opened. Gibby set Jazz on her feet as Bob called down, “We have a problem.”
Martha stood in the living room, hand pressed against her throat. She looked up at them as they filed in, crowding around her, Bob bringing up the rear.
Steve Davis ofAction Newssmiled aggressively at them from the television. “And now, to our top story tonight. A short time ago, violence erupted in the streets of Nova City with the Extraordinary known as Pyro Storm at its center. We go to Rebecca Firestone, live at the scene. Rebecca, what can you tell us about this latest attack?”
The screen switched to Rebecca Firestone standing on a sidewalk, flurries falling around her. Behind her, police vehicles lined the street, lights flashing. Beyond them, a familiar alley. Rebecca Firestone nodded solemnly. “Thank you, Steve. Earlier tonight, Pyro Storm found himself in the middle of yet another brawl that caused thousands of dollars in property damage, as well as injuries to people in Nova City. We have exclusive footage of what took place, provided to us by a concerned citizen who wishes to remain anonymous, fearing reprisal from the superpowered denizens that stalk our streets.”
Rebecca Firestone disappeared, her high-definition evil replaced by grainy cell phone video. It’d been taken from the mouth of the alley. Bright flashes of fire and ice burst across the screen, followed by billowing smoke. Pyro Storm was clear. Smoke and Ice were clear. The fourth figure, hood raised over his head, wasn’t.
Not until he raised a trash can above his head, preparing to hurl it.
