TCR 37) Family Plans

My name wasn’t showing up on any forums as being outed as Orpheus. Not on the dark web either, or even on the darker Ganduss net.

Whoever decided to go after my family because they identified me as Orpheus either was keeping it to themselves or…

Manifest figured it out first. “Or they just going after you because you’re the Mice’s listed caretaker and the one whose name is on the case for their recognition. These people may legitimately have no idea who they're messing with.”

Fable was once again in her fortune teller's outfit. This time with the colors matching the purple sweat pants and white hoodie she had been wearing under her illusion of a purple business suit. Did she always use the same colors as her clothes for her illusionary image?

And why can’t I see her illusions when I’m riding a corpse, but they do show up on camera?

Not the time.

Standing here in my real body, without a helmet muffling my hearing I can understand the words she tries to softly mutter as she waves her hands over the basketball sized crystal ball.

The magic words that must have got stuck in her head as a kid from a Dad joke. "Owa. Tagu. Siam.”

It still works. Lights inside the crystal ball show my grandparents sitting on an old couch in what looks like someone’s basement. There is even a stack of taped together old cardboard boxes with the top one labeled X-max lights.

There are two people in light shirts with flu masks on in the basement with them. One of them was standing by some wooden stairs with a shotgun in hand, the other one, a slightly build woman, held a baseball bat and looked to be berating my Grandfather.

Grandpa just sat there holding Grandma in his arms while glaring at the woman with the bat. Grandma looked more bored than anything else as she calmly answered something the woman said.

Manifest took a few pictures with his phone. "I can open a portal right into the room. But none of us are Quicks so if they don't freeze up when they see us… “He hesitated and glanced at me.

I nodded. "Yeah, they might shoot. Can you get up a barrier fast enough Shimmer?"

She opened her mouth for a second and then shook her head. "The guy with the shotgun isn’t an issue, I can snap up a barrier between him and your grandparents as quickly as Mani opens the portal, but that leaves the batter. If I try to shield your grandparents from both her and the shotgun guy, I might end up leaving an opening for her. She'll only have a second or two to take a swing, but if she hits..." She shook her head. "Your grandparents are too old to take a hit. Not when they're already stressed out."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

I looked at the camera on my helmet sitting on the pile of armor in the kitchen corner. "There can't be all that many houses in Florida with a basement. You got anything guys."

We got a group text.

[ Clovis has us in the state government computers. We are comparing the images Manifest sent up with building codes, construction techniques, and how the sunlight was coming in the basement windows.]

[More importantly, we have found social media posts, texts, and emails from the people who were arrested trying for your parents. They are members of a group named Earth Free. An anti non human rights organization.]

[ Your sister has entered the address of one of their local chapter compound in her dashboard navigator. None of the buildings there have basements. She is currently fourteen minutes away at the speeds she is driving at.]

I sighed. “Dam it Aug.”

Standing up, I began to pace. “I know all of you want to help, and I appreciate it. But having the Royals be involved is only going to risk my secret identity… “I had to stop as I said the fact that I had a secret identity out loud for the first time. "...even more than it already is. I need to head off my sister, and deal with these idiots."

Turning around I saw some looks that wanted to argue, but T-Rex cut them short. "If they leave your grandparents alone in the basement, we will pull them out. That's our call to make now that we know people are in danger."

I took a deep breath to argue, then realized I agreed. So I just nodded instead. “Manifest? Can you put me on the road ahead of my sister, near somewhere she can see me up ahead where she'll have to slow down anyways?"

He nodded and began looking at a map for a good spot with a turn and an image from the roadside, I turned around to go to my bedroom to put on some normal clothes rather than the fancy workout gear I had been wearing under the armor.

To find Scorn standing in front of my door. Her arms crossed and a stubborn look on her face.

“No.”

She shook her head at my denial. “Are we together, or not?”

I tried to come up with something. She shook her head again. “You aren't riding a corpse in some Superhero fight. I’m strong and my mother, the Rank 5 Brute, you may have heard of her? She taught me to fight. I’m going. Get dressed.”

Sighing, I went and got dressed. "Yes, Honey." That got me a Brute 1 slap on my ass.

Captain, Marine Corps rank. Augusta, first name, Jones, married name. Was a little surprised to see her older brother on the road ahead of her with his thumb out, accompanied by a young woman with a rifle, and a tiger, all waiting for her on the side of the road.

I was surprised by the tiger too. No one had ever mentioned that Scorn was a projective Empath as well as a receptive one.

Khan had run up to the other side of the portal Manifest had opened, using it for cover to get close and jump through without anyone seeing him until after it closed and my woman turned around to begin petting and telling her striped boyfriend what a fine cat he was.

I’m not jealous. Even if she had never used that tone of voice on me.

My sister pulled over in her truck, and then got out of her car, her right hand concealed behind the truck door as she stepped out. "Scott?" Then she looked at Scorn and just knew. "You got a girlfriend!"

She holstered her pistol as Scorn gave me a questioning look. “She’s real good at body language, Part of her combat Genius.”

Then I had five foot six of fighting fit Marine slamming into and squeezing me tight as she lifted me into the air and spun me around.

“Hi, call me Aug. Why haven’t I heard about you? What’s your name? You know I’ll have to kill you if you hurt him right? Wait, why are you here Scotty? Let alone how did you get here?”

I looked down at her. “We’re still figuring out what Us is to each other. Brenda, but call her Scorn. Don’t try it, she has a tiger. For Grandma and Grandpa. Called in a favor from a guy whose father I work with.”

“Now put me down brat.”