It wasn't a normal meal, by any means. Any event featuring a guest list as eclectic as the dinner at Ten Towers between Caishen, Skip, Lightning Bug, Lincoln and Joselyn Chambers, Elena and Sterling Evans, and Paintball was never going to be anything approaching normal. however, it was, at least, proceeding smoothly, even pleasantly. The group around the table exchanged polite, even amusing small talk. Now and then, they passed a bit of food from the table to one of Bug’s enlarged friends when they got curious enough to come closer. Generally, the meal simply continued with (mostly) casual conversation punctuated by the quiet ting of utensils against plates. It seemed as though, for all of the potential there was for things to go wrong at this powderkeg of a dinner, they would all get through it unscathed and unbothered.
Unfortunately, when they were about three-quarters of the way through their meal, one thing happened to ensure that the rest would not proceed normally. It was a shift that began when Sterling Evans set down his fork and turned his attention toward the far end of the table, where Lightning Bug sat in her booster seat, happily picking at the food on her plate in between whispering promises to her insect friends that they would definitely have plenty of treats later.
“So, Miss Bug,” Sterling began. “How’re you doing down there, kid?”
As the man spoke, Paintball immediately turned his own head that way to quickly glance between Sterling himself and the little girl he was addressing. It was impossible to make out any details of the boy given the vision-distorting forcefield around his area and the fact that he had only lifted the front of his helmet and tugged up the mask enough to uncover his mouth. But it was quite clear that he was suddenly giving the interaction between the other two his full and complete attention.
Shifting a little in her seat, the red-skinned, white-haired girl with too-large bright blue compound eyes turned that way. “Oh, hi, Mr. Evans!” She raised the hand that wasn't holding her fork and waved cheerfully. “It’s really good. Are you having a nice meal, sir?” The five-year-old’s voice was perfectly polite, clearly a product of her mother’s coaching. Behind her chair, Cinnamon the giant praying mantis made a soft chittering sound as though echoing the same sentiment.
With a soft chuckle, Sterling nodded. “Oh yes, it’s fantastic, thank you. Some of the best I’ve had. And some of the best company too.” Winking as the little girl giggled, he continued. “In fact, I feel so welcome here, it’s probably only fair if…” He trailed off, glancing past the girl to her mother before adding, “Sorry, you don't mind if I tell her, do you? We’re just both very excited.” That was said as he put one hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Isn’t that right?”
Elena, in turn, offered a beautiful, welcoming smile of her own and gave a slight nod. “Very much so. We’ve been waiting a long time for this.”
“Waiting a long time for what?” That was, of all people, Paintball. It sounded as though the boy had blurted the question without even thinking about it. His expression was still hidden behind the mask and forcefield, but there was a certain tone in his voice that made everyone glance that way briefly.
“Yes,” Lincoln abruptly put in, taking the attention away from the young independent Star-Touched. “I think we'd all like to know what's going on. Because it sounds like you all have some sort of secret plan?” His voice was gently teasing, though his eyes were clearly busy taking in and analyzing the reactions of everyone around the table. “Starting to feel left out. I do enjoy secret plans so much.”
Sounding amused by the man’s joke, Caishen gave a simple, agreeable nod. “Go ahead,” she replied to Sterling and Elena. “I was going to tell her, but maybe you should.”
The Evanses exchanged glances then, looking as though they were considering which of them would speak. In the end, it was Elena who took the lead, focusing on the little girl at the end of the table. A little girl who looked very confused about what was going on. Speaking gently, Mrs. Evans asked, “Dear, do you remember when you told your mother you wanted to go somewhere else sometimes? When you said you wanted to see a new place and new people instead of being stuck here at Ten Towers all the time.”
After a very brief pause, Lightning Bug nodded hesitantly. She glanced to her mother, then back to the woman who was addressing her. “Uh huh. I--I like it here. We like it here.” That was added as the trio of transformed bugs made their own sounds of agreement, clearly not wanting to be left out. “Everybody’s really nice, and we get lots of treats. But… but we have to be careful. Like, really careful, cuz there’s bad guys and it’s not safe to go lots of places.”
From where she was sitting directly next to her niece and between her and the Evans, Skip put in, “Going anywhere else requires a lot of preparation.” As always, her voice betrayed no actual emotion. “There are bad people out there.”
Bad people, in this case, would want to take Lightning Bug for very obvious reasons. She was, even at her young age, a very powerful and potentially useful Touched. Not only could she create her intelligent, gigantic insect minions, but the bolts of ‘electricity’ she used to transform her bugs would also hurt people she didn’t like and heal those she did. That last bit was what made her such a tempting target, of course. A Touched who could actually, legitimately heal people, even if she was limited to bodily injuries and couldn’t actually do anything about specific diseases, was almost invaluable. Coupled with how young and therefore malleable she could be, and it was no wonder there were so many threats targeting her. As much as her family and friends tried to give her as normal of a life as she could possibly have, there was only so much they could do. It was no wonder that the kid felt cooped up, despite the size of the compound she had to play around in. Not being able to go to a normal kindergarten with other students, run around on the playground at a park any time she wanted, or simply eat at a restaurant in town had to take its toll on someone as outgoing and friendly as the kid was.
Joselyn spoke up then, after the group had exchanged glances that conveyed their own feelings about that situation. “You’re right, there are very bad people out there. But there are a lot of good people too. More than bad.”
“Yes,” Caishen confirmed. “And we don't want to put those good people in danger from the bad ones. So we have to be careful. Thankfully, we have some good, very secure friends who can help with that.”
Taking that as a cue, Elena nodded. “That’s right. And we absolutely love to do it. So, Bug, how would you like to start visiting our home? It’s not the same as going out in public, but it would be a different place for you to be around. You could see our son and daughter. They’re older than you, but I’m sure they’d love to have you visit. And there’s Izzy too. I’m sure she’d like to have someone else besides us and the staff around sometimes.”
As her already large eyes widened even further, Lightning Bug blurted a clearly surprised, “Really? I could really come over to your house?” Behind her, the girl’s three enlarged bug friends were making their own sounds of curiosity and even excitement at the possibility.
Sterling smiled at their reaction. “That’s right. We’ve been talking to your mother for awhile, and we have our own extensive security to keep you safe. As my lovely wife here said, it wouldn’t be the same as going out in public. But it would be someplace new and exciting. You could visit a few days a week if you want to. You know, hang out, see Cassidy and Izzy, even Simon if he’s not pretending to be too cool to spend time with his family. Actually, as cool as you are, Bug, I’m pretty sure it’d outweigh how uncool my son thinks we are. Maybe you can lure him in to being around more.” He winked when the little girl giggled at that. “So, what do you say? You wanna pop over and spend some time at our house a few times a week? Your mother said we could even have a sleepover with Cassidy and Izzy if you want to try it.”
Eyes as wide as saucers by that point, Lightning Bug’s head bobbed up and down so fast and enthusiastically it looked as though it might pop right off. “Uh huh!” she blurted quickly, voice loud from excitement. “Mama, can I really go there? Really really?” She had practically lifted herself out of the booster seat, head snapping back and forth between looking at the Evanses and staring eagerly at her mother. It was clear to everyone watching that the kid was almost ready to explode from elation at the possibility.
Clearly smiling fondly, Caishen nodded to her daughter. “That’s right, Buggy. I hear they might even be able to get some kids your own age there sometimes.”
“Yes,” Elena confirmed. “Several of our household staff have their own young children they’d be willing to bring over for some playtime.”
“Just like when we have our friends here bring their kids over,” Caishen noted before looking at the young girl once more. “So, if you want to, you can go spend some time over at the Evans’ house a few times a week, as much as they’ll have you. Do you think you’d like that, Bugs? Would you like to spend a lot of time with Mr. and Mrs. Evans?”
Once again, the girl bobbed her head rapidly. “Yeah!”
That, of course, was completely expected. The girl had been so excited through the entire discussion and revelation that no one was surprised by her enthusiastic agreement. They were, however, surprised when that single word was instantly followed by another, from the opposite side of the table.
“No!” That was Paintball, who had been mostly silent throughout that entire exchange, almost forgotten by most (though not all) of the other people at the table. The boy had risen to his feet, the chair kicked backward before it fell to the floor behind him with a loud bang as he shouted that denial. Despite the incredible brevity of the shout, there was a clear flood of very strong emotion within it. The shout was filled with anger, denial, even terror.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“Paintball? Is something wrong?” Elena’s voice was tinged with the same confusion everyone else at the table was feeling just then. Yet, the confusion didn't reach her eyes, which were staring intently at the boy as though analyzing everything about him and reappraising. There was an intensity to her gaze that had not been there before. It was clear to anyone paying attention and with the proper skills to read it that, while her voice and most of her body language portrayed nothing but pure bafflement, there was something far more intense just below the surface.
Sterling, by contrast, turned to humor. Waving a hand toward Paintball, the man faux-casually remarked, “Well, if you really want to visit too, I'm sure we could keep a place open for you.” He gave an easy wink then, while sipping from his glass. “No need to be jealous of poor little Bug.”
Caishen started to say something as her eyes moved between the Evanses and Paintball. But before any words could come out, the young Star-Touched suddenly slammed both of his hands down on the table hard enough to knock over several of the glasses, and shake everything else. “No!” His voice was loud, a blurted shout filled with more emotion than any at the table had seen from the boy. “Not this time! You’re not taking her. You’re not making her one of your little projects! Not her! Not her!” He was pointing toward Bug, who had already scrambled from the booster seat, across Skip’s lap, and into her mother’s. The three enlarged insects had formed a quick protective guard around them even as Paintball continued. “You already think you can change Izzy, make her one of your--your soldiers, your toys! But you’re not taking Bug! She’s not going anywhere near you anymore! Not now, not ever.” The last bit came not in a shout, but in a low growl as he glared down to that end of the table. The front of his helmet was still up from eating, his mask tugged out of the way of his mouth. But it was still impossible to make out most of his features. One thing that was clear, however, was the fact that he was furious, completely and utterly livid. And all of that anger, all that rage, was directed to the other end of the room, straight at Elena and Sterling. But there was more there. He was angry, that much was completely obvious. Yet, the boy was also afraid, panicked. He’d acted without thinking, emotions driving him forward and now he had no way to back up, no way to erase those actions even if he’d wanted to. The moment his outburst had begun, Paintball had been committed.
“Paintball,” Elena spoke carefully, her own voice very deliberately measured. “If you have something to say about my husband and I, perhaps it would be better to speak in private. Those sorts of personal grievances are best kept between us. And I assure you, we mean nothing but the best for Lightning Bug. She is the daughter of one of our very closest friends. We don’t--”
While the woman was still in mid-sentence, Paintball himself suddenly moved. His hands snapped out, shooting twin bursts of red. One splatter of paint hit the wall near the door, while the other flew toward what appeared to be empty air about halfway between where Paintball was and where the Evanses were. That paint, however, stopped in mid-air, splattering against something that seemed to be invisible. An instant later, there was a grunt as Sterling suddenly appeared there just before being yanked off the floor to fly into the wall where the second bit of paint had been sent.
“Sterling?!” That was Caishen, on her feet as she moved a couple steps around the table on Paintball’s side. Her gaze had already moved to where the man had appeared to still be sitting when the real, apparently invisible one had been hit with paint. That sitting figure had vanished at the same instant that the actual Sterling had been revealed.
“No.” Elena had risen to her own feet as well. There was a small pistol in her hand, though it looked far different from a normal gun. There were electric-blue lines along it, and both the magazine and the last third of the barrel appeared to be made of some sort of solid green energy. This was a Touched-Tech gun, and probably a very advanced one at that. “How?” she demanded, voice actually shaking just a bit. “How did you see through that? It’s impossible.”
“Elena!” Caishen was suddenly beside Paintball, one hand on the boy’s shoulder, though it was unclear whether she was being protective or making sure he didn’t do anything else. “What the hell are you doing? Put the gun down.” Her voice was firm, while she gave a quick glance back to ensure that her daughter was safe. The young girl was cowering in a corner, surrounded by her three bugs while Skip stayed directly in front of her as a human shield. A very effective one at that, given her own powers.
Satisfied that her child was as safe as she could be, Caishen continued. “Everyone calm down.”
“She’s right.” That was Joselyn, who had stood up as well from her place on the opposite side of the table from where Paintball and Caishen were. She also had her own pistol in her hands, pointed toward Elena. “Listen to me, Mrs. Evans. I don’t know what’s going on yet, but you need to put that weapon down right now. No one is going to do anything crazy.”
With a grunt at that, Sterling picked himself up and carefully brushed off his suit. He seemed unconcerned about being hurled into the wall. Eyes narrowing slightly, he focused on Paintball and took a step that way.
That single step was as far as he got before Joselyn turned her aim from Elena to him. “Mr. Evans, do not move.”
Moving her weapon away from the woman who was still holding her own might have been a mistake for most people. But even as Joselyn was doing that, Lincoln had risen from his chair, a gun of his own in his hands to take over covering Elena. It was a motion so smooth, Joselyn shifting to cover a second threat while Lincoln took over the first, that the two of them had to have done something of its like many times.
If he was impressed by their teamwork, however, Sterling didn't show it. Instead, he simply regarded the weapon pointed to him briefly before his entire body was encased in a silvery liquid metal that soon hardened into the familiar armored costume of Silversmith. While the others reacted to that, he glanced toward his wife, lamenting, “Looks like we’re going to have to call Kent in after all.”
The other adults at the table had no idea what he was talking about. And most were still reeling from the sudden revelation of his powers. But Paintball blurted, “Are you?!” His voice cracked from powerful, almost staggering emotion. It almost sounded as though something within the boy had broken in that moment. “Are you gonna do it again?”
With that, and before anyone in the room could react, Paintball jerked the helmet off his head in one smooth motion, tossing it to the side. With his other hand, he jerked the mask the rest of the way off, clutching that in his hand while glaring across the room.
And then, in that single, utterly unexpected moment, so much of the past few minutes made sense. It explained so many of his actions. Because they weren’t his actions. They were hers.
“Cassidy.” That single word came from Elena. The gun had already fallen from her hand to bounce on the floor, while she stared that way. Shock and disbelief filled her voice. “You… it’s… you.” Raising one hand to her mouth, the woman made a noise deep in her throat that sounded as though her heart was cracking apart. “No. No, not like this. It’s not right. It--”
“Are you gonna do it again, Mom? What about you, Dad?” Cassidy Evans snapped, gaze moving back and forth between them. “Who wants to hold me down and let Mr. Jackson erase my memory? You wanna flip a coin for it? How about this, one of you can hold me down while Tomas’s dad tears his way into my fucking mind, and the other one can make up the new story to tell me. That’s fair, right? That way both of you get the chance to fucking violate me and neither of you has to miss out on the fun!”
Her words appeared to have a physical effect on both her parents. Elena and Sterling recoiled, shaking their heads. Her mother found her voice first, though it shook a bit. “Cassidy, my principessa--”
“Don’t call me that!” Cassidy, filled with a sort of anger that was clearly her only defense against the rush of despair and emotional agony slamming itself against her own heart, blurted loudly. “You--you’re both… you’re…” Tears were streaming down the girl’s face, her entire body shaking violently while her voice cracked, an audible representation of the way her very soul was quickly shattering. “You’re the bad guys. You… you’re the fucking bad guys.”
Sterling, looking like he had been physically struck, shook his head. All of his attention was on his daughter, as though he had forgotten everyone else in the room. “Cassidy,” he managed in a weak voice. “I don’t know what you… what you know, but it’s more complicated than that.” He reached out toward his daughter, only to stop as she flinched away from him. In that instant, it looked as though the man would rather have been shot in the gut and left to die than see his daughter react that way to him.
“Okay…” Caishen spoke carefully. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on here, but I think it’s pretty clear that--” That was as far as she got before the woman’s eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed to the floor next to Cassidy. Across the table, Lincoln and Joselyn both hit the floor around the same time, falling out of sight. Meanwhile, back in the rear corner, Lightning Bug, her insects, and even Skip were all similarly unconscious.
“Wha--what?!” Looking from one fallen form to another, Cassidy backed up another few steps, voice rising. “What did you do?! What did you do?!”
In answer, Elena calmly held up what appeared to be a metal vial with the cap off. “It’s alright, dear. It’s only an odorless, invisible sleep vapor. They’ll be just fine. What Skip doesn’t know about, she can’t make herself immune to. In a few hours, they’ll wake up. And by then, they won’t have any memory of this.”
“But--but I’m awake,” Cassidy stammered in clear confusion.
“A friend of ours mixes the vapor,” Sterling quietly informed her. “He ensures that our family is immune to it. That includes you.”
“Cassidy,” Elena began, clearly taking everything she had to keep her voice steady, “obviously, we need to talk.”
“Do we?” Cassidy’s own voice was high with near-hysteria. “Do we really? Cuz like I said, you could always just erase my memories. That’s what you just said you’re gonna do to all these guys. What’s one more? It’d be more convenient for you if I was too stupid to know what was going on.”
“Oh baby… that’s not true.” Speaking through clear emotional pain, Sterling shook his head. “I know it’s easy to be upset. You have every right to be. But we’re not going to hurt you. We’re not erasing your memory, I promise. We’ll talk this out. We--”
In mid-sentence, the man was suddenly interrupted by a blinding flash of light. It filled the room, making all three of them stagger. Elena called her daughter’s name, while Sterling started to move that way. But as the flash cleared, the two found empty space where Cassidy had been. She was nowhere in the room.
Only belatedly did they realize that their daughter was not the only one missing.
*******
Jerking back so fast she almost fell over, stumbling in what turned out to be a small alley blocks away from where they had been, Cassidy blurted, “Wh-what the fuck?!”
“Cassidy, it’s okay.” The gentle voice made her gaze snap that way, only to find Lincoln there with his wife, hands raised as though to calm her down.
Seeing them did nothing to explain things or to lessen Cassidy’s confusion. “Wait--you--you were unconscious. The vapor, you--”
Joselyn spoke flatly. “They’re hardly the first people to use odorless gas. We have our own early warning system and protection.”
“And ways of escaping trouble,” Lincoln added, holding up a small, pipe-shaped device about six inches long. There was smoke coming out of one end, as if it was severely overheated. “Including an emergency teleporter and flashbangs. But ahh… speaking of getting out of trouble, it sounds like you could use some help with that yourself.”
With a nod to her husband’s words, Joselyn focused on Cassidy. “Indeed. So why don’t you tell us exactly what’s really going on around here.
“Start from the beginning.”