Chapter 4: The Spy

"Good news, no broken ribs, just two sprains," a doctor told Sarah, who sat alongside her caretaker and his secretary. "As long as you rest up a bit, no fast activities for a while, and take these painkillers..." The doctor handed a bottle to Miss Shaw, who stood next to the mayor, with a look of a concerned, yet frustrated mother. "Then you should be fine within the next few weeks."

"Thank you, doctor," said the mayor, annoyed. With a friendly and understanding nod, the doctor left the room.

"Well... Care to explain how you got two sprained ribs last night?" asked Miss Shaw, an annoyed tone in her voice.

"I'd rather not," Sarah muttered under her breath, avoiding eye contact. Despite this, however, Maroo and Miss Shaw heard it.

Maroo coughed, wanting to interject, "Uh, it's my fault. I shouldn't have left roller skates out," he snorted.

Sarah rolled her eyes at his excuse, but quickly decided to go with it. "It was just a bit of exercise, and I tripped on his skates."

"Exercise," Sophia complained. "Sarah, you know you're not the most athletic girl around..."

"Clearly," Sarah remarked as she rubbed her hand over her aching side.

"And you," Sophia turned to the young boy. "You keep anything with wheels away from her, is that clear?" She pointed at him, to which he agreed.

"Well, I'm just glad you're alright, but it doesn't excuse you from your studies," remarked Mr. Drake. "Go on; your first class at college starts at noon, giving you plenty of time to pack up and move into your friend's place. I need to discuss some... office work with Miss Shaw, and be careful driving Maroo to school will you? I don't want to see you in here twice."

"I can drive myself to school," Maroo groaned.

"Just because you know how doesn't mean the law allows it," his mother sighed as she set her hands on her hips. "Much like any child would do," he snorted at that, grumpily. "I should have never let you drive my car. That one time," his mother complained to herself. "Look, I'll let you drive the car when I pick you up okay." She said before placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Now have a good day," she smiled. With that Maroo cheered up, replying with a childish grin of his own before running out the door. Sarah slowly followed him, trying not to wince at the pain.

Once they were gone, Sophia turned to her boss. "Is this about the mutant attack last night?" she asked, concerned.

"No, but that is something to be aware of," Mr. Drake replied. "I just... I just made that up because I didn't want to discuss this in front of Sarah."

"Let me guess," Sophia replied with an eye roll. "You're second-guessing your decision to let her find her own apartment in town and attend the university."

"She has no friends and sits all day in her room!" Mr. Drake raised his voice.

"Yeah, well, maybe that's because you homeschooled her, and she lives with us at City Hall," Sophia remarked frantically. "I understand why you didn't send her to high school, but she's been dreaming of being in this college since she was in middle school. She's close to being a top politician already, and she only turned eighteen a month ago."

"I know, I know," he groaned, crossing his arms. "She's an adult; let her make her own choices!" Sophia told him with a raise of her own volume.

"I just don't want to see her get hurt," Mr. Drake told her with a wave of his arms. "When her father was killed and her mother went missing... I had to do everything I could to take care of her; it's the only thing he asked me to do in his will." He paused before continuing. "You and I are the only family she has left! And with the rise in mutant attacks... he shrugged... Her being on her own scares me."

"Eh, she has Maroo," Sophia snorted.

"That boy of yours is barely a teenager," the mayor remarked, causing a laugh from her. "And I have to thank you; you've been like a mother to Sarah," he added, with a rub on his forehead. "You're like a mother to me too, you know. Tell me, what was it that made you adopt him?"

With a smirk, she answered, "Simple, it's the same reason you took on Sarah."

At that, the mayor let out a short laugh. "Different circumstances, same reason, huh?" he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear.

Noticing the faraway look in his eye, Sophia smiled softly before calling him back to reality. "Hey," she said, sounding like a sweet mother putting her kid to sleep. "It's going to be okay, Sarah's a strong girl. Now come on; let's get to work." She shook her head and gestured outside before heading to the door herself.

With a nod, Mr. Drake agreed. Yet he couldn't hide the feeling of worry that was written all over his face. "I didn't know you knew him before," he said, catching her attention and making her stop in her tracks, as she remembered their meeting last night.

Keeping her back turned to her boss, she let her fear show on her face as the mere thought of him made her spine run cold. "Believe me, Mr. Drake..." A flash of hatred flashed through her eyes. "I wish I didn't,"

...

"Roller skates, seriously?" complained Sarah as she drove.

"Come on, it was a good excuse," Maroo smirked.

She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the smile on her face or the snort of laughter that escaped as she shook her head.

"So your first day in college, congratulations," he said in a sing-song voice, taunting her.

"Yes, once I'm done dropping you off, I'm heading over to pick up the girls. They said they're willing to help me pack and then show me around campus. Ray offered me to roommate with her since her room is huge for one person in an apartment. There should be plenty of room to keep my experiments safe, and besides, I was worried about finding a suitable roommate anyway. These two both being mutants like me just works out, I guess. She said it nonchalantly."

"Experiments like your time machine?" He asked with a snarky grin, gaining an annoyed groan from her.

That's just a science fair project from when I was little. I'm not actually serious about it anymore.

"Uh huh, then why do you keep tinkering with it?" He asked with the same look as before.

She twitched her eyebrow but gave no further response.

Seeing exactly what the boy wanted to see, Maroo let the teasing go. His lips shifted to a frown before speaking in a lower tone, "So you're really moving out?"

Hearing the sadness in his voice, Sarah glanced over at him for a moment before looking back at the road. "Oh don't worry; you can come and visit all the time you want. Hell, it's just a subway ride away; nothing too bad. She shrugged. Okay, your mom might have a problem with it but—your getting older now—and with your phone, you can find my address. I'll talk to her about it okay."

He smiled softly before replying, "It's just—you're like a big sister to me and—"

She slowed down the car as they entered his school's drop-off zone. "Hey, my first class isn't till noon; I can still pick you up and take you to school." She reminded him.

Besides Team Spector right; I can't be a hero without my sidekick right?" She told him as she held up her fist.

"Yeah," he laughed before giving her a fist-pumped back; "Team Spector." He replied before heading out of the car.

Sarah smiled warmly as she watched him leave; giving a giggle before heading off by herself.

As she left she rolled up to a stop sign...

...

A few cars behind Sarah's sat two teenagers on a motorcycle who were watching her carefully.

"So sis, what's the plan?" asked the teenage boy.

The one driving answered him with a flip of her hair. "Simple; we'll follow her till we find him."

"She's bound to notice us," he said looking away trying not to be obvious.

"By then it was already too late," replied the young woman with a grin.

…

"Okay, Sarah, welcome to the main campus!" Ray shouted excitedly as they entered the main building of their college.

"Are you okay, you keep scratching?" Sarah asked, tilting her eyebrow.

"You try to keep a pair of wings secret," Ray replied, scratching the side of her jacket. "God, even with this coat, I can't keep these things hidden."

"You know, that's a good question. Why don't you have wings?" asked Sky.

"Quiet, you two," Sarah complained, trying to yell quietly. "No one is supposed to know we're mutants. Now, as for your question, I have no idea. Neither of you can spit fireballs or ice. Now, no more talk about this until we're safe. Ray, if you need to stretch your wings, just go to the bathroom or something," Sarah said before she began to walk down the hall.

As they walked, Sarah heard someone yell out. "Watch out!" a man riding on a flying hoverboard cried as he smashed into Sarah, knocking her to the ground. He jumped to his feet, flinging his arm around Sky, who grew a nervous smile.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"What's up, Sky? Haven't seen you in a few weeks," he said.

With a scowl on her face, Ray grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him away from Sky.

At her response, his lips twitched into a nervous smile. "Still hanging out with the violent one, I see," he told Sky.

"You want to see violence?" asked Ray, tightening her grip on his clothes.

Amongst the chaos, a voice from below was heard. "Umm, hello, still on the ground over here," complained Sarah, rubbing the bump on her head. Sky wasted no time lending her a hand. "Mind explaining who this is?" Sarah asked with annoyance.

"Nothing but trouble; get outta here," Ray warned him with a toss, letting go of his shirt in the process and sending him stumbling backward before he caught himself.

His eyes widened for a moment at her strength but quickly put on a cocky and smooth smirk. "I knew you liked me," he replied sarcastically, much to Ray's annoyance.

"Names are Eddie Crush and you," he said, sticking his hand out to Sarah.

"Sarah Stone; nice hoverboard; you'd get more control of it if you reversed the back magnet though," she said, handing him his contraption and shaking his hand.

Once in hand, Eddie flipped the board to its bottom to take a look, clearly impressed with Sarah's knowledge. "Know anything about magnetic fields?" he asked her while adjusting a large magnet.

"Only the basics; I'm more into biology than mechanics; however, I know my way around," Sarah shrugged as she crossed her arms.

"That's awesome; we should definitely hang; I mean we're all friends," Eddie smirked almost evilly.

In response, Ray growled at him, sounding like a grumpy dog.

"Well, most of us; Sky didn't tell you; you should keep your pets on a leash," he grinned almost evilly.

In response, Ray only gave another growl.

"Now Edd that's not nice," Sky finally spoke up. "Ray, calm down; will you two ever get along?"

Ray and Eddie simultaneously answered "no."

With her friends arguing settled for now, Sky sighed and turned to Sarah. "Sorry; I should have warned you about these two," she told her as they headed into the classroom.

As they entered, Sarah couldn't help but chuckle at the scene before them, surprising even herself. "Hmm that's a first when was the last time I did that?" she wondered in her mind.

Taking their seats, a middle-aged woman with hair in a ponytail and a look of age and wisdom in her green eyes greeted them with a welcoming smile. "Hello; I'm Professor Thompson; welcome to Casper College. I say that because I see we have a few new faces that have arrived."

Sarah gave a light nervous wave around the room before settling in.

"Three new students it seems," Professor Thompson pointed out as two figures took their seats in the back. "Even though this is clearly college and not high school; I do want all of us to get to know each other and become friends; some of my very best friends came from college; you see; I have some of the best memories from when I went here myself actually."

She started with a swing of her arm. "So let's go around the room and see what we're here trying to accomplish in our lives. What are our goals? And dreams? What are we all trying to learn here? Edward start with you."

Eddie shrugged. "I'm just here because my dad thought it would be good for me." He smirked as most of the class laughed. "If not, I'd already be a physicist; and that's what I'm going to be once I get out of here; going straight to NASA." He said confidently.

"Skyler."

Sky had the smallest voice in the room but spoke with a smile. "I'm going to be a veterinarian; we don't have one in my hometown; so I'm going to be the first."

"Rachel."

"I'm just here to get my engineering license, because apparently, the Air Force requires it. I'm going to be a pilot like my old man," Steve said.

"Good, Steve," Miss Thompson went through the class before asking the new students.

“Names are junior, umm Charlie, me and my sister are just here for the lessons,” he said with a bored expression.

“What he said, names are Wendy,” grumbled the woman beside him, who was barely paying attention.

"Hmm, it seems not all of us know what we want to do in life, but that's okay," Miss Thompson noted with a tilt of her head. "Forgive me, but you two look a little young. How old are you?"

"Sixteen, we're just genius twins," boasted Wendy.

A few members of the class laughed, and even Sarah and Mrs. Thompson smiled. "And finally, last but not least," the professor said sweetly.

"Sarah Stone, I'm here because I'd like to be an investigator for the police force, using science to solve crime," Sarah said innocently.

But when she saw the teacher's face, a look of confusion and concern struck hers as Miss Thompson looked shocked if not terrified. "Uh, is something wrong, Miss Thompson?" Sarah asked.

"Oh no, no I uh," the woman tapped her fingers nervously against each other as she seemed to shrink. "It's just I know that name well...and—"

She took a step back. "That's impossible," Miss Thompson spat in disbelief. "Their daughter died with them."

Sarah leaned her elbow on the table and set her head on her hand. "Yeah, I was taken to the doctor, woke up from a coma, and luckily my dad's business partner Mr. Drake took me in and raised me. To keep me safe, the mayor kept me on the down low; no reporter ever allowed to come near me."

She gave a high-pitched chuckle as she crossed her arms, looking uncomfortable. "I'd rather not go through my entire childhood trauma on my first day in college, but here we are," she said sarcastically.

With a shaky voice, the professor turned half away and quickly changed the subject. "Okay, class, open your books to page thirty-two. We start with our lecture, Miss Stone, and the new students. I tend to call everyone by their first names to create a friendly atmosphere."

"Oh no, that's fine," Sarah replied, sensing the awkwardness in the room.

“Whatever,” the two in the back muttered loud enough to be heard.

"I must start the lecture," Miss Thompson said. "Sarah, you'll just have to catch up."

Sarah agreed, but she couldn't help but feel awkward now and wondered why her teacher would have such a reaction to her.

At the stroke of five, the college doors opened, revealing Sarah and her new friends heading out.

"I'm so tired," complained Ray, who looked like she was already about to pass out.

"Ha you world," muttered Eddie.

"What was that?" Sarah asked.

In response, he gave a high-pitched "Nothing" before continuing normally. "Hey, why don't we get some dinner and hang out at my place? My dad doesn't get home till late, so we can grab a pizza and chill."

"Yeah, sorry no can do; I just moved into their place and still have a lot of unpacking to do," Sarah replied.

Before she got a strange sense that someone was watching her, she looked around and saw Wendy from before a ways behind her. She gave Wendy a nod hello.

Wendy turned her head to her brother next to her, acting as if Sarah never saw her.

"Really can I come?" Eddie asked.

"No, you're not," Ray announced.

The last thing she wanted was for him to know where they lived.

Sky giggled a bit, catching Eddie's attention.

"Something funny?" he asked with a grin.

She shook her head at his antics. "I'm sorry to say, but I unfortunately have something I have to do."

"Oh yeah, it's Tuesday; you got that study thing don't you?" sighed Ray.

"You study late huh?" asked Sarah.

Sky with a nervous twitch of her smile replied, "Well, I gotta go; bye." She rushed off, leaving Sarah with a raised eyebrow.

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Fine; fine; I guess I'm on my own."

He smiled trying to make the girls feel bad for him. "My dad's never around; always at work; I don't have a mom or a girlfriend or anything soooo."

"GET OUTTA HERE!" yelled Ray who wasn't falling for it.

Sarah laughed at her new friend's antics before heading to her car. Ray followed her but kept an eye on Eddie as he jumped on his hoverboard and headed home before it got dark out

…

Little did they know that they were being watched from the window. The dark figure slowly raised her cell phone to her ear, the color ID unknown.

"Hello," said a familiar voice on the other end.

"Crush, this is Thompson. She's alive," said Miss Thompson, her voice trembling.

"Who?" asked Crush.

"Sarah Stone, that's who," replied Miss Thompson, her words rushing out in a panic. "I saw her with my own eyes, I saw her parents die, and now she's just... alive. It's impossible!"

"I don't know. The mayor didn't say anything. I know he had adopted someone, but he never said who. Probably just protecting her," said Crush.

"And...! This is serious. If she is a monster, then—"

"And what if she isn't?" Crush interjected. "Did she resemble any features?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Then she's probably fine. However, you and I both know she'll never be safe as long as he's out there. So do your job, Agent Shadow," Crush said sternly.

Agent Shadow bit her lip, but put down her phone. She swallowed her shock and pain away, taking in a deep breath, closing her eyes. When she reopened them, there was a sharp determination within her voice, which was no longer held the worry and frightful tone she had earlier. Now it held a serious tone.

"Yes, sir," she replied.

"Good. Now, the Reaper is dormant, however he sent his messenger pigeon loose. We're tracking the car as we speak. I'm sending coordinates. Follow that car and see what he's up to," said Crush.

With her orders clear, Mrs. Tompson hung up the phone and got to work, grabbing her FBI badge as she headed out the door.

...

Agent Shadow drove until she saw an old, orange, slightly rusty two-door car parked in a back alleyway. To make sure she wasn't seen, she kept her van's lights off and parked a ways away from it, keeping her eye out for its owner. Though she saw no driver in the vehicle, she expected him to be near.

...

Halfway across town, Eddie walked into his and his dad's old apartment, located on the third floor. "I really need to get my own place," he moaned to himself as he fumbled with his keys trying to find the right one. Under his right arm, his hoverboard, and in his left hand, a pizza. Once he was inside, he turned on the lights, and tossed the pizza on the coffee table, before heading to his room to put up his board.

Tossing off his shoes and returning to the living room, he grabbed the TV remote as he sat down. Not even bothering to grab a plate, he took a slice, only to realize he didn't grab a soda, and quickly placed it back down, before getting up and heading to the fridge.

Being so preoccupied, he never noticed the dark figure who was currently climbing up the fire escape just outside his window.

"In other news, there have been no sightings of the latest mutants that attacked the other night. So there are at least two still on the move. Be sure to keep safe at all times, and stay alert. If you see anything strange, report it immediately and run for your life," said Tom Doofenshmirtz from the night news.

Eddie smirked at that, stifling a laugh, as he returned to his dinner, changing the channel to the Justice League cartoon, as he finished off a few more slices of pizza. He never noticed the figure breaking into his home, behind him.

Once inside, the figure quietly opened a gun case, holding a sniper's weapon, a silencer, and a pistol. But instead of bullets, he took out a blow dart and slid it down a tube before jumping out at the young man and blowing the dart right into his arm.

OUCH! HAY! Shouted Eddie, as he got to his feet, only to feel dizzy and unoriented. Despite this, he threw a punch at his attacker. Dressed in all black including a motorcycle helmet, the intruder took a fighting stance and caught him by the arm.

The man then swiftly stepped behind Eddie and held him into a headlock.

The door opened revealing Agent Crush on his phone, dropping it immediately when he saw what was going on. Wasting no time, Eddie's father pulled out his firearms. The intruder held up Eddie as a body shield, forcing his father to stop before he could pull the trigger.

"Let my son go!" Shouted the officer.

The intruder grabbed hold of him and pulled him over to the open window, keeping the young adult between himself and Agent Crush.

"Dad," Eddie pleaded terrified.

"Don't worry," His father tried to calm his scared son. "Look, take whatever you want, you got it ok... Look!" He raised his voice and placed his weapon on the ground before pleading, "Let the boy go."

The intruder nodded before kicking Eddie to the ground and jumping out the window.

"EDDIE!" His father ran to him.

Crush immediately called out for backup, knowing his phone was still on call.

"What happened?" asked Agent Shadow's voice from the other line.

"My son!!!! He's... He's been attacked!"