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He leaned forward, trying to see what Seth saw. Jazz and Gibby came over to them, a question on both their faces. They crowded around them, looking down at Seth’s phone. Gibby took off her hat, holding it at her side.
Simon Burke appeared on the screen, standing in front of a row of microphones. Cameras shuttered and flashed, casting dancing shadows behind him against a familiar glass building. Simon Burke was giving a press conference in front of Burke Tower. On his left stood a white man and to his right a white woman, so eerily similar in appearance that they had to be related. Perhaps they were twins. They both looked severe, wearing black suits and heavy coats, staring straight ahead, hands clasped behind them. The man’s head was shaved. The woman’s dark hair was cut short and slicked back. Nick felt a twinge of recognition, but he couldn’t place when he’d seen them. Had he met them when he was dating Owen?
“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Burke said gravely. “When I announced our new initiative to Save Our Children a few weeks ago, we never anticipated the level of communityinvolvement it would inspire. While many provided information on our website that turned out to be inaccurate, we were able to parse through the bluster and noise, and as of today’s date, we have received at least seven credible reports of Extraordinary activity from concerned citizens. This list will not be disseminated, nor will it be exploited for nefarious purposes.”
“You know,” Gibby muttered, “when someone tells you they’renotgoing to be nefarious, chances are they’re going to be exactly that.”
“—while it’s a start, and it’s my hope we can help these people, should they ask for it, we need to take care with how we proceed. Nothing is more important to the future of our city—and our country as a whole—than for us to understand what exactly these people are capable of. Which is why it’s my pleasure to announce that we now have the support of the mayor’s office, and that of the Nova City Police Department.”
“What?” Nick growled. “Dad never said anything about—”
“With me now,” Burke continued, “is Nova City Police Chief, Rodney Caplan. Chief Caplan, if you please.”
Cap stepped into view, pushing by the man next to Burke, who didn’t seem inclined to move. Cap was irritated, that much was clear; his mustache was twitching dangerously, a sure sign to anyone that knew him that he wasn’t pleased. The cameras flashed again, Cap holding up his hands to ward off questions being shouted at him. “Quiet!” Cap barked, glaring out at the reporters gathered before him. “I won’t be speaking for long, and I won’t be taking any questions. I have been asked by Mayor Stephanie Carlson to provide resources to the Burke initiative. I have made my objections known, telling her that my officers shouldn’t be at the beck and call of a private business owner to act as his personal guard dogs. Trust is paramount between the police and the communities they patrol. I will remind everyone watching and listening that I have zero tolerance for anything that causes harm to the people of Nova City, which includes Extraordinaries. We live with them. They are our friends. Our loved ones, even if we might not know what they’re capable of. Remember that as you’reanonymously submitting private information about your neighbors to the wealthiest local business owner in Nova City. And an additional reminder to every single officer who makes up the Nova City Police Department: you donotanswer to Simon Burke. Any officer acting outside of my orders will immediately be suspended pending an investigation. Good day.”
Cap stalked offstage, ignoring the reporters shouting after him.
Burke stepped forward once more, a hint of a smile on his face. “Thank you, Chief Caplan. Your years of service are appreciated, and we’re lucky we have someone such as yourself on our side. And he’s right: wedolive with Extraordinaries, and theycouldbe our friends and loved ones. But until there are protections in place for those of us whodon’thave superpowers, we must do what we have to in order to Save Our Children.”
He glanced left, at the man. Right, at the woman. He faced forward once more, leaning down toward the microphones. “And to show you how serious I am, I’d like you to introduce you to two associates of mine. They are part of a new outreach program to help Extraordinaries come to terms with who they are. With the cooperation of the Nova City School District, we will be sending them out to all the schools in the city to meet with your children, acting as ambassadors to meet with anyone—with or without powers—who would like to discuss things they’ve seen or what they can do in a safe, nonjudgmental environment. See something, say something, because that is the only way we’ll be able to understand our superpowered brethren. Christina, Christian—a demonstration, if you please.”
The man and woman stepped forward. They raised their hands as one, palms toward the sky. From the hands of the woman rose a thick column of billowing smoke, moving as if it were sentient. From the hands of the man, ice, snapping the air around it until it froze. Frozen particles swirled around as the reporters gasped.
“It’s them,” Seth snarled, hands tightening around his phone so hard, Nick heard the case creak. “They’re the ones who attacked us. Smoke. Ice. What the hell is going on?”
Burke stepped forward to the podium once more as Smokeand Ice dropped their hands, clasping them behind themselves. “Christina and Christian were involved in the recent altercation with the Extraordinary known as Pyro Storm. Before that, they came to me, seeking my help. Given my extensive history of philanthropic endeavors, along with the fact that I was unknowingly raising a son with preternatural abilities, they knew I was and am in a position to offer assistance. At my request, they went to meet with Pyro Storm in the spirit of peace, to extend an invitation to meet and discuss participating in the Save Our Children initiative, only to be viciously attacked. They tried to deescalate the situation, but Pyro Storm would not listen to reason. People were hurt as a direct result of his actions. That cannot be allowed to happen again, which is why I am now offering one million dollars to anyone who can identify the Extraordinary known as Pyro Storm.” His smile widened. “Please don’t misunderstand me; this isnota call for vigilante justice. If you possess verifiable knowledge as to the identity of Pyro Storm, we’re asking that you call the hotline number we’ve set up. Operators are standing by to take down all tips, which will be vetted until the truth comes out.”
Across the screen, a chyron scrolled with the hotline number.
“Safety first,” Burke said. “Because the emerging generation of extraordinary members of our society deserve to have better role models and options than Pyro Storm.”
Burke pulled back slightly, cameras flashing, reporters once again shouting at him. He looked as if he were basking in the attention.
Burke leaned forward again, raising his voice above those of the reporters. “And finally, a message to Pyro Storm: You think yourself alone, but I can assure you that’s far from the truth. I am here for you. Christina and Christian are here for you. Nova City is here for you, and together, we can make our home the shining jewel of this great country of ours. Make yourself known before someone does it for you. Thank you, and good day.”
The video ended, Burke raising his hands above his head, as if in victory.
Nick looked at Seth. His jaw was twitching as he ground his teeth together. Seth lowered his phone, closing his eyes.
“What do we do now?” Jazz asked in a small voice.
Seth shook his head. “I don’t know. Cap didn’t seem too happy about it, but what can he really do if he’s being ordered into this?”
Nick scowled. “Cap isn’t the biggest fan of the Extraordinaries, but he wouldn’t do anything that put us in jeopardy. Even if he’s being told to do something, he’s not going to make things easy for Burke.” He wished he could believe that more than he did, but he didn’t know what, if anything, they were holding over Cap. Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. “It’s not like he knows about Seth.”
Gibby looked perturbed. “Unless you think … Nick, could your dad have told him?”
Jazz and Seth turned their heads slowly to look at Nick.
Nick took a step back, suddenly unsure. “He—he said he didn’t. I know he’s been a jerk, but that’s not him.”
Seth nodded. He looked around at all three of them. “We have to be careful. Anything seems off, we’ll deal with it together. As a team.”
“Hell yes,” Gibby said. “We’re not gonna let something like a million-dollar bounty stop us from doing the right thing.”
Nick wished he had their optimism. “What do we do now?”
“We need to meet with Miss Conduct and TK,” Seth said. “Strength in numbers. I’ll reach out, see if they’ll talk to us.”
