Secret Super (Book 1)

28. Smokescreen

"Six-three-seven. And five-two-four. Come in."

It was still strange for Kara to walk into this room and not be greeted by Harrison. She couldn't pester him about missions, couldn't pretend to get offended by his teasing, couldn't hear his reassurances, couldn't make him laugh at a stupid joke.

Harrison, Zadia, the rest of the S.S.S.— everyone she cared about was nowhere to be found.

Instead it was Eva who greeted her. With that smug look still in her eyes. It took everything Kara had not to hurl her into the ceiling with a force-field.

Jace, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind that their handler had been replaced by a demon. She smiled politely at Eva as they entered the room, which Eva acknowledged with a nod, ignoring Kara's glare.

"You two are familiar with the supervillain test, I assume?"

"Yes, we are," Jace said.

Eva raised her eyebrows at Kara. "And you?"

"What did you do with Harrison?" Kara shot back.

It was more reflexive than anything at this point. Kara had asked the same question of Eva every day since Harrison's disappearance, but it hadn't yielded anything more than Eva's annoyance. Still, the small act of rebellion was the least she could do for Harrison.

Eva sighed and tapped her fingers against the desk. Harrison's desk. "Very well, I'll review the protocol. The two of you have been assigned a supervillain."

At any other time in her life, Kara would have been thrilled. Being assigned a superpowered arch-enemy was second only to going on her first mission and getting a sidekick.

"Your arch-enemy is to be a relatively new supervillain, but one who has flaunted all the Council's values, terrorized the planet, and proved a threat to the superheroes." Eva spoke the words with venom.

Kara was starting to like this new supervillain. Anyone who caused Eva so much pain couldn't be all bad.

"Your sidekick, five-two-four," Eva said, nodding at Jace, "has already managed to attach a tracker to the supervillain."

That forced Kara to snap out of her sullen silence. She looked at Jace. "What? You've been on solo missions?"

Jace looked away, her face red.

"Don't be ridiculous. Sidekicks are not dispatched to solo missions. She undertook this assignment on her own. I would have preferred to discipline her for the breach in protocol, but the Council decided to let it slide in light of this . . . impressive accomplishment, and its benefit to the mission." She let out a small sigh.

Jace still wouldn't meet Kara's eyes.

Eva continued speaking. "The supervillain will be lured to a chosen location tomorrow night--"

"Wait, did you say tomorrow?" Kara interjected. "You're giving me a day before the fight? We're supposed to get two weeks at least!"

"The situation is urgent, and you two are the next qualified supers in line for an arch-nemesis. And do not interrupt me!" Eva snapped. "As I was saying, she will be tracked to a location where you two will initiate a fight. There is a lot resting on this duel. Everyone will be there. Reports, camera crews, civilians. Do not disappoint me." Her eyes narrowed.

It was Kara's dream. Or had been. The crowds, the fight, the glory-- it felt weirdly hollow to her now. She clenched her jaw and nodded mutely.

"There will be supers disguised as civilians interspersed in the crowd in case something goes wrong. But be sure it does not. The civilians must have faith in their superheroes. If anything causes that image to change, I don't need to remind you there will be consequences."