On the field, the kids were told to line up at the start of the course. A referee was giving them instructions. Ruby started to bounce her legs so quickly the whole bench was trembling. Without warning, she cupped her hands over her mouth and screamed, “Come on, Sterling! You’ve got this!”
Danna flinched, covering an ear.
A horn blared and the race started. The contestants bounded forward and started scaling a faux brick wall. Ruby leaped to her feet, screaming at the top of her lungs. Oscar joined her, hollering just as loud. One of the kids scampered to the top shockingly fast—a dark-skinned girl with a gold capelet on her shoulders, reminiscent of Lady Indomitable’s costume.
Adrian’s throat tightened at the sight of her. She would have been too young to remember his mom when she was still alive, and it warmed him to think that her legacy was living on. That she could still serve as an inspiration to today’s kids.
He wanted that too. To be a role model. Like his mom and his dads and all the superheroes who had come before him.
But as the girl pulled into the lead, swinging across a series of monkey bars with Sterling trailing behind, he heard Oscar lean over and whisper to Ruby, “Do you want me to blind her with a smoke arrow?” He pointed his finger toward the course as a curl of smoke erupted from its tip. “Just a small one. No one would have to know.”
“Don’t you dare,” Ruby hissed, pushing his hand down. “Sterling will catch up on the barrel roll, you’ll see.” Still squeezing Oscar’s wrist, she set her carton of fries on the bench so she could lift her other fist in the air, cheering wildly.
Oscar looked down once at her hand, then over at Adrian with a giddy yet panicked expression.
Adrian flashed him a thumbs-up that he hoped was encouraging.
Leaning back on the bench, Adrian devoured a handful of fries. He offered his carton to Nova, but she shook her head.
“Are you okay?” he asked, noticing that her expression was as serious now as it had been when he arrived.
“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered distractedly.
“Nova?”
She glanced at him, then back at the field. “I just … have a lot on my mind.”
Adrian’s mouth twitched. He didn’t want to say I know the feeling, but … well, he totally knew the feeling. “You had your first day in the artifacts department, right? How’d it go?”
Her posture stiffened and she seemed to be debating something, watching as Ruby’s brothers bounded down a long trampoline, then scurried through a maze of transparent pipes. All obstacles that were incredibly relevant to real-life heroics, Adrian noted.
Nova leaned toward him, her voice lowering. “Did you know that Ace Anarchy’s helmet is down there?”
Adrian turned to her, startled. “Um … actually, I think it’s on display up in the Council offices.”
Nova shot him a clearly marked you’re-not-fooling-anyone glare.
He smiled sheepishly. “Oooh. You mean the real helmet.”
“Yes, the real one,” she whispered emphatically. “How many people know about it?”
“I don’t know. It’s not a secret, exactly, but it’s not something that gets talked about much either. It’s simpler to let people believe the one upstairs is the real thing.”
“And that it was destroyed,” said Nova. “Except it wasn’t destroyed.”
“Not for lack of trying.” He cocked his head to one side. “You seem concerned.”
“Of course I’m concerned. It’s dangerous!” Her voice dropped again and Adrian found himself tucking his head close to hers to listen, so close that a lock of her hair brushed against his shoulder. “And it’s just sitting there, completely unprotected. Do you know who they have running that department? A seventy-year-old woman with minor psychometry, and this guy who’s not even a prodigy. And they are supposed to provide security for one of the most powerful objects of all time? Anyone could just walk in there and take it.”
Adrian held up both hands to pacify her. “It’s not as bad as that.”
Nova folded her arms. “Why? Because of a big metal cube?”
He laughed. “Yeah, exactly. You know who made that cube, right?”
“Yes, and while Captain Chromium himself might be invincible, I don’t think we should rely on his handiwork alone to protect the helmet. In fact, I’d like to talk to your dad about it. If he could clarify any potential weaknesses, then I could work on setting up a more comprehensive security system.”
“It’s indestructible,” said Adrian. “It doesn’t have any weaknesses.”
“Indestructible,” Nova repeated, her gaze searing into him. “But not unopenable?”
Adrian hesitated. Could it be…?
No. He shook his head. “Unopenable to anyone who would ever want to use it for evil again.”
Something seemed to kindle in Nova’s expression and she scooted closer to him, until their sides were pressed together from shoulder to knee. He gulped.
“So it can be opened,” she said. “By who?”
“Uh—that’s not what I—no one can open it. I mean, I’m sure my dad could, if he ever wanted to. But he wouldn’t. Why would he?”
She licked her lips, drawing his gaze toward them. In that same moment, the crowd erupted in a cheer and Adrian lurched instinctively to his feet. The carton of fries toppled from his lap, spilling across his and Nova’s shoes. “Ah—I’m sorry!”
Ignoring the fries, Nova stood, too, and then her hand was on his elbow. Adrian’s heart palpitated in his chest. On Nova’s other side, he heard Ruby screaming—Go! Go! Go!
His eyes darted toward the field where he saw that both Sterling and the girl in the Lady Indomitable cape were more than halfway through the course, neck and neck as they swung across a series of knotted ropes.
“Adrian.”
He looked back at Nova, his cheeks burning.
“Are you sure he didn’t leave it vulnerable somehow?” she prodded, and the intensity of her expression made him realize just how important this was to her. Her earnestness surprised him. He never would have thought to doubt the security of the helmet. If Captain Chromium said it was taken care of, then it was taken care of. But clearly, Nova didn’t share that confidence. “I need to make sure there isn’t some unknown vulnerability. Now that I’m working in the artifacts department, it’s my job to keep the objects there safe, you know? And that helmet … we can’t let it fall into the wrong hands.”
“There’s never going to be another Ace Anarchy, Nova. You’re overthinking this.”
“You don’t know that. I just need to be sure. Maybe Captain Chromium installed some sort of backup—a way to get to the helmet, in case it was ever needed again and he wasn’t able to open the box himself. A … key, of sorts. Or is there some other way that someone could open it? Even hypothetically?”
Adrian heaved a long breath and tried to take the question seriously. “I don’t know. My dad could get into it easily enough by manipulating the chromium. And maybe…” He dropped one hand to his pocket and pulled out his marker. He turned it over in his fingers, considering. “Maybe I could?”
“You?” said Nova, and he tried not to be offended at her tone of disbelief.
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried to draw anything using my dad’s chromium before. But I don’t see why it would be any different from drawing on glass or concrete or Ruby’s gems.”
Her grip tightened on his arm. “What would you draw to get into the box?”
His mouth quirked to one side. “A door?”
Nova’s brow tensed, and Adrian’s teasing smile faded. “But it’s still safe, Nova. I would never open that box, and I don’t even know for sure it would work. Besides, there are no other prodigies like me—at least, not that I’ve ever heard of.”
Nova hummed thoughtfully and, to his disappointment, pulled her hands away. “You might be right, but there are new prodigies every day. We don’t know what sort of powers will be uncovered next. Who knows? Maybe your dad’s chromium won’t always be invincible.”
Ruby, Oscar, and Danna let out simultaneous groans. Adrian looked up. Sterling had reached the final obstacle—a large, above-ground swimming pool full of nets, buoys, and robotic sharks. Though Sterling was a fast swimmer, the girl was quickly pulling ahead.
“If you think of anything else,” said Nova, “any possible weakness that box might have … will you let me know?”
“I will,” he said, smiling. “I promise.”
The girl climbed out of the pool and darted across the finish line. Sterling followed seconds later.
Jade, trailing a ways behind, came in seventh.
“Second place,” said Ruby. “That’s not bad.”
“Are you kidding?” said Oscar. “Any Renegade worth their alter ego would be proud to have that kid as a sidekick. Jade too. In fact…” He rubbed his chin. “I could use a couple sidekicks. Think your brothers would be interested?”
“What, to make food runs for you?” said Ruby.
“Among other important sidekicky things. It would really help clear my schedule for more damsel-saving work.”
Ruby snorted. “I helped save that barista too.”
“Yeah, but she was clearly thanking me, and I plan on milking it forever and ever. It’s like a constant reminder of the risks and rewards that come with true heroism.”
“The struggle is real,” said Danna, leaning across Ruby to steal one of Oscar’s fries.
The bleachers began to clear as the obstacle course was reset for the next group.
“We have an hour before Jade’s wrestling match, and then they both have archery,” said Ruby, checking the schedule on a flyer. She lifted her head, beaming. “Anyone want to go get matching face paint?”