Chapter Six: Yellow Bricks
"Alright, so you guys remember the message you should tell your boss?" I asked the honking crowd of penguins.
"Any more business offers will be met with extreme prejudice," the twelve avian bastards obediently repeated. "Worse than being turned into talking, flying penguins for a week."
"Perfect, now shoo. Go back to Gotham."
With one last resentful glare, the head henchpenguin directed his flock away from me, toddling about the sidewalk until they reached their gateway car. They exchanged looks, and after a brief moment of panics, spread their tiny wings.
I took a second to contemplate the majestic flight of birds that really ought not to fly. No, not even allowing them to flap their wings faster than hummingbirds should have worked. Not with those bodies. But what was one more violation of the laws of physics at this point? One might call me Physics' pimp.
Oh God, no one must ever know I made that joke.
"Can we get a pet penguin, Mama?" Alf's voice brought me out of my thoughts.
"Alvaro Martinez, what did we say about pets?"
The little boy hung his head sullenly. "That I can't get one until I stop forgetting my chores."
Poor Alf. Maybe I could make him some sort of virtual pet, something that wouldn't require too much attention and wouldn't cause too much trouble whilst our road trip continued.
"Alright, sorry about that." I clapped and rubbed my hands. "These gentlemen really didn't want to take 'no' for an answer."
A frown marked Maria's forehead. "The nerves of some people. No manners at all."
Scoffing like she wanted to chase back after twelve hardened criminals and bend them over her knees, Maria instead pushed the button on her remote starter. The orange suvy on the side of the road blared to life. Alvaro took it as a signal to jump inside, throwing the door open and climbing the step. Then, he walked past the seats and seemingly disappeared into the trunk.
Okay, that part might be misinterpreted.
Uninteresting sight.
The few people walking by all blinked, their eyes glazed over. Their expression blank.
"Crisis averted," I mumbled. Granted, if no one had commented on me turning some of Penguin's goons into penguins, the risks were slim to begin with.
Maria patted my cheek, fond and exasperated at the same time. The twinkle in her eyes was something I couldn't decipher.
I was just about to get in the car when my eyes caught sight of the sign two buildings down the road.
"Oh, Maria, can we delay for a few minutes?" I raised a finger, smiling nervously.
The look she sent me redefined 'dubious'. It was like she could see through me, like I was made of particularly stubborn glass.
"Just a few minutes, promise," I reiterated.
"Now, where have I heard that one before?" Maria drawled, rubbing her chin exaggeratedly.
"Oh, oh, I know, Mama!" Alf jumped in his seat with a malicious smirk. "It was back in Star City! We stopped at the youth center and Jesús stayed there for an hour."
I huffed, betrayed. "I could not just let those kids spiral deeper into juvenile delinquency. They needed that little extra 'oomph' to get back on track."
"And you, Mister," – she punctuated that with a finger on my chest – "need to look up the definition of the word 'vacation'."
"… Five minutes?"
Maria facepalmed.
Yeah, that said it all. Alvaro laughing just made the point twice over.
"In five minutes," she began with something approaching a growl, "I will get inside that charity and drag you out by the ears. Do not think I won't do it. I shall traverse through your holy mojo jojo or whatever devilries they're called, but you are not going to overwork yourself into another breakdown on my watch!"
My mouth dried up. I… I hadn't really considered her in all this, had I? Just running around like a headless chicken and acting drained and dumping my problems on her doorsteps. Urgh. I was such a dumbass. But… I liked the bubbling warmth her threats created inside me. Knowing she cared. Knowing the miracles didn't change a thing. And knowing that, despite how it made me crash and burn in Gotham, she'd still let me try.
I had to. Because I wouldn't be able to look in the mirror if I ignored it all. If I never stopped to help, then what good was I?
On impulse, I leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Thank you, Maria."
"Four minutes and fifty-nine seconds," she warned jokingly.
Message received. And I hurried up inside.
It was drab, simply put. Blank and desolate if you wanted to get a bit more descriptive. And a dull waiting room, walls an uninspiring beige lined with plastic black chairs, spotty, flickering white LED neons on the ceiling to cast it all in unpleasant sterile light, if you would ever want to spend more than three seconds taking in the scenery.
At the other end of the room, a white-haired woman made the only noise to counteract the neons' buzzing: scratches on paper. Not one soul in the waiting room. Could be a good sign…
"Ma'am," I called out gently. "Sorry, I won't take long. I'm not here to ask for anything."
She pursed her lips slightly, but did not look up from the paperwork she was filling. A faint hum was all that encouraged me to go forward.
"Call me Deus Ex." I pushed down a faint blush. I'd get used to it eventually. "I'm a meta." Or something.
"Yes?" She seemed only politely curious, not really nervous. Probably saw a few metas pass these doors before. "Do you need help contacting adequate facilities?"
"No, no, see, I do miracles."
The lady's flat look complemented her general lack of distinctive features. "Miracles?" she repeated, readjusting her square glasses on her nose.
You'd think people would be less disbelieving in a world of aliens and magicians, but no, not really. Scams and conmen had the singular distinction of maintaining skepticism's life-expectancy up and running every year.
With barely a sigh, I walked up to the water fountain and created a paper cup. I very visibly filled it. Then, snapped my fingers.
The lady leaned over her desk as she spotted the very different texture of the liquid in my cup. "Creamy chicken soup?"
Beats red wine. Her tone made me blush a little. "Figured it could be donated? Plus, it's my favorite, sooo… Yeah! Anyway, I wanted to help. Maybe restock your shelves or something like that. I can just magic up anything you're missing, no strings attached, promise."
Someone else would have likely frowned at that last part. Maybe showed themselves more resistant to the idea. But she was doing charity work. Some part of her had to believe in the good of people.
"I'm not supposed to. But we might be closing soon." There was something dangerously resigned in her voice. She stood up slow, and opened up the drawers slow. "Come with me."
She led me away from the hallway which I suspected led to rooms for the night. Instead, she pulled me towards a door with a 'Do not enter' sign and a heavier looking lock. Even with the key, it took a few more seconds than comfortable to open.
Inside was… wow. Bare. Five rows of shelves that went up to the ceiling. It probably was the problem. Only the two middle rows could be considered full. Stable foods, perishables. The rest were despairingly empty. Seriously? Okay, no judging. This was a world where supervillains existed and wrecked havoc all the time. It was probably murder on charities to keep up with this.
"What are you missing?" I asked with a surprisingly even voice.
"Anything you could give. Fresh vegetables and fruits, meat in the freezer if that's possible. Cooking oils, sugar, pastas, sauces, cereals, coffee. Ingredients for soup would be marvelous." The longer the list went on, the less her expression showed life. "Toiletries, toys for children, blankets, toothbrushes. Anything, really. The bombing last month axed our resources."
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and…
She yelped in shock. "Goodness!"
The shelves were bursting with boxes and bags, Some so full the old shelves looked like they would strain under the weight. Except those were metallic, wide and solid. They could hold more. So much more. But it was good for one time. I wasn't going to come back. If I wanted to make an impact at all, then it needed a little more… magic.
Nonperishable. Renewable resources. Self-duplication once taken out.
Shimmering light covered the packages now, the change a bit more obvious than my usual fanfare.
"This… this is almost too much," she whispered, her lips quirking up.
"I'd say this is what it should have been in the first place."
And… good fortune for every employee or volunteer. Good health as well. General repellent against ill-intentioned individuals. Nosy government workers avoid the place. No questions asked. Attracting the needy.
This time, the gasp was softer, with a tinge of disbelief. The lady held out her hand and turned it over. Her skin looked softer, almost glowing. Slowly, she brought both hands to her face, and felt the unmarred skin. She turned up her head to me, fringes of light blonde mixing with the white.
"Did you…?"
I winked. "Have a nice day, Ma'am."
And because the theatrics felt too good to waste, I warped out of the building, appearing on the sidewalk next to the car.
"Done," I said, grinning as I leaned through the driver's window.
A quick glance at the back of the RV insides (bigger on the inside reference!) showed Alf engrossed in his new video game at the dinner table. His wide grin made me glad I'd convinced Maria to let him have just this one. He had to do something when we were doing this road trip. And better that than him bugging her all throughout, right? Right?
Also, damn, sometimes I needed a break. He was giving me a messiah complex, but in a cute way.
"Well, come in, Corazòn." She motioned to the other side, and I warped again. Too lazy to walk around. "Alvaro is never going to stop calling you Jesús. And you have no one to blame except yourself. Between this and the daily miracles, you've been made us stop at every charity we've come across."
"He is only doing it to annoy me. I know he is."
No, that did not constitute denial.
***
"That car has been following us for fifteen minutes, Corazòn."
I turned my head slightly, just enough to see the black car in the rearview mirror. It was more of a vague shape on the horizon though. Too far to really make out the details, but unmistakable as the one black spot on an open countryside highway.
People shouldn't be able to recognize us. I'd taken a bunch of precautions to make sure that our car would be as ordinary and unnoticeable as possible. Well, not completely because Maria had had to swerve out of the way of distracted drivers twice before we realized the issue here. After she had cussed a storm at me, rightfully, I toned it down for other drivers, but only them.
"Are you sure?"
"I slowed down to below the speed limit just to check." There was a faint trace of worry in her hard tone. "I'm ten below now. They didn't get any closer. Not even a little."
Okay. That's a little suspicious. Better safe than sorry here.
I checked back on Alf, who was reading one of the books I had gifted them. His brows were pulled together in concentration. If things went well, he wouldn't even notice something had happened.
Alright. I had to think this one through. One chance to make this unfold with zero complications. And as extra insurance…
Time dilation.
The car lurched, and my seatbelt suddenly compressed my chest. Right. Everything except me just slowing down to a halt. In other words, the equivalent of a deceleration from my perspective. Should give me a clue at how strong I'd made the ratio this time around.
I could just beat them up and make them spill their guts. Force them to back off. Send them back to whatever criminal dispatched them and as good as sign their death sentence for inflicting a humiliating defeat on them.
Aaaand, I'd just ruined it. Thinking of it like that made it too real. Made echoes of Ivy's sobs ring to my ears. Nope. Not in the mood to fight anymore. Besides, better not tip off my hand too early.
Perfect illusion.
Nothing changed.
Invisibility.
Nothing changed, again, and I grinned. Staring, I placed both my hands over my eyes. I knew I did. But I still saw only 'my' arms crossed over 'my' chest. The ridge of my glasses were pulling up on my nose.
Alright. It worked. Now, a couple of extras, just in case. Notice me not. Plausible deniability. Intangibility. Anchored location. True sight.
The view of the road disappeared behind my palms. Putting them down, I was pleased to notice the transparent afterimage still stuck in my seat.
Aaaand go.
Acceleration pulled me into my seat. Maria eyed me with suspicion, her brows lowering. She noticed all the little details that had gone wrong.
"Hey!" came Alf's voice from the back. "What's wrong with my Triple DS? The screen froze. Jesús? Are you playing a prank on me?"
"Nope. Sorry, I'll restore your file in a couple of minutes, okay? Just be quiet for a minute," I called out, before leaning to whisper at Maria: "Pull over, and make sure we're well out of the way."
There was a second during which she did not respond, her gaze focused on the illusion moving just ahead of us on the road. "Is that…?"
"Yeah. We'll see if it works."
Despite her whitened knuckles, Maria expertly pulled the car off the road. She wasn't even distracted as an afterimage of our trafficked car continued on like nothing had changed.
I pulled out my phone and started a timer. They had been outside my range. They had deliberately kept outside my range whilst following us. One. Which meant those people had not intended to make contact right away. Two. They might not have definitive data on my range. I hadn't really shared the details with many. They could be working for any faction with a desire for power. Could be Penguin or Luthor, or maybe even Waller. No, wait, Waller wasn't the head of the Suicide Squad in this universe. She was a prison warden. Five. Would Cobblepot be this insistent? What would the dude even have to wish for? Seven. The reflection in the rear view mirror let me make out a number. Four, in close proximity. Definitely a formation for something.
Ten.
The first car zoomed past us. All black tinted windows, too dark for it to be legal, I was certain.
Thirteen.
Three more cars, in rapid succession. Distantly, I heard Maria's muttered prayer. I heard Alf's quiet gasp, and I felt him tremble as I brought him against my side.
The sight projected me back to the movie theater. Sitting, watching through a screen, as nameless, faceless goons gave chase to the brave heroes. Villains, monsters, missing the heroes by that much.
Piercing sight. Photographic memory. The car's exterior became see-through. My heart had time to skip a beat as I took notice of the complex equipment occupying half the van's back. Circuitry and beeping lights that illuminated four stoned-faced agents in black with sunglasses. Two had guns in hand. At least one complex wiring thing was hidden in the trunk. If I had had any illusions… Pursuers' detailed profiles.
I flinched at the sudden influx of information. Memories flooded my brain. Scenery upon scenery came and went in the blink of an eye. Voices, laughter, screams, ringing and fading. Smells, sometimes. Texture, in the moments of greatest intensity that I definitely hadn't wanted.
The only saving grace was that I was not living any of it. It was more of a very vivid cinema experience.
"Corazòn?" Maria asked, placing a soothing hand on my temples. "What's wrong?"
"Sorry, gave myself a headache." I would definitely remember to soften up my mind before cramming that much information in there next time.
Should have willed that one more carefully. Detailed, in this case, meant lifestories for all four agents I'd checked.
Alf's little hand pulled at the hems of my hoodie. "J-Jesús. Who were they?"
Governmental agents with the explicit task to find me and 'invite' me to a chat with the Ministry of Defense. Except for one. Yeah, the brunette is a double-agent in service of Lex Luthor. Or The Light. She wasn't sure of the distinction herself.
"Bad people. After me."
I wasn't putting them in danger, was I? Like, okay, targeting them would be a common strategy, but I could definitely protect them against, more or less, everything.
Tiny arms squeezed my ribs. "We won't let them get you!" Alf looked over his shoulder, pretending his eyes were not glinting with tears. "Right, Mama?"
"Of course, mi ángel, and nobody would be stupid enough to believe we would." She directed that last part at me so hard I feared the windows would crack under the pressure.
I wasn't stupid enough to voice an objection. Besides, I could use that time much more productively if I thought of the next step instead of repressing a giant grin.
The illusion would last for as long as they didn't make contact. We would have to be far from here by then. A different state would be nice. Heck, maybe we could move back to Canada. There weren't as many stupid villain plots up there, were they?
Hmm, heroes do cross the borders when they think it's important, don't they? What was the line again 'Batman has no juridiction, he'll find that guy and bring him back'? Something like that.
Still.
"How do you guys feel about jet planes?"
***
About flying, I would only say this: thank the stars I could summon up a competent pilot on demand.
My fear of heights had a nasty habit of pushing intrusive thoughts in my brain, and this was bad enough without being on the reins of the jet. Maria, however…
I shot her a worried look from my seat in the middle row. She had decided to lie down an hour or two ago and had spent most of that time since sleeping off her nerves. Attempting to reassure her had ended up with me swearing not to miracle up anything. She was an adult and had long since learned to deal with her own problems.
"If you only ever magick your problems away, Corazòn, you'll never learn to face them," she'd told me, weight in her words pressing on my shoulders. "It's only a little stress. I've dealt with worse. I'll sleep for a bit."
Such wisdom, however, did not prevent her from shrieking when the robopilot performed an inside loop and a barrel roll back to back. Courtesy of a now very grounded Alvaro.
"Get us down here," she growled in my ears.
"We're almost there, Maria."
Her hands clenched on my sofa's armrest so hard it squeaked. Her knuckles turned a pale, bony white. For some reason, my mind easily imagined them around my throat if I so much dared protest a little longer. She would never. Definitely never. But I still got us down right away.
Her legs wobbled dangerously as she climbed down the ramp.
"Enough flying for today. You are turning the jet back into a car."
"But it's safer th-"
"A car." Maria growled. "That moves on the ground. That does not shake in the wind. That does not require a sudden turn to avoid a flock of birds. A car, you hear me, young man?"
"Yes, Ma'am," I said, loud and clear, desperately not meeting Alf's eyes behind his mother's back. It was already hard enough not to laugh. He was definitely grounded, and I needed not share his punishment. "Car. Coming right up."
The jet imploded. Metal twisted and crunched and winced, until it was all a big grey ball. Then, with a cartoonish 'wonk', it reshaped itself into a much more inconspicuous red car. That somehow would leave no tire marks anywhere.
The robopilot pitifully extirpated itself from the trunk, because, yeah, I might have forgotten about it.
"I will drive," Maria said. "This way I know for sure mi pequeño diablo won't try to give me another heart attack."
Alf sunk a little lower, head pulled into his shoulders. "It wasn't even scary."
While I ended the robopilot's suffering with a swipe of my hand, my stomach took this moment to interject with a growl that had nothing to envy to the average bear. Effectively distracting the Martinez from their little argument. They both turned to me knowingly.
"Or maybe we could take a break and then leave," Maria said.
No wild animals, no pets, comfy blanket, drinks that remain cool under the sun, a parasol that doesn't only cover one corner of the blanket and leave everyone else holding a hand over their forehead to see their food. Portable TV that shares interesting news and excellent songs.
Maria examined the white and red blanket that spread out over the ground carefully and moved to sit on the corner directly beneath the parasol. Alf plopped down a little to the side, eying the large soda bottle none too subtly.
And I took my place on the last corner with a long sigh of relief.
"Alright, lunchboxes catering to your taste of the moment," I said as I distributed the colored plastic boxes to the Martinez.
We dug in. For a couple of minutes, we just stayed silent. No moving. No running around. Just... just eating under the sun, listening to music and watching the scenery.
"Hmm," Maria chewed thoughtfully, "so that's what a lobster quiche tastes like. Not bad. I'd have one of these again."
Another quiche materialized at her feet within a cloud of pink smoke.
"Not right now," she protested, holding up her half-eaten meal. "How do you expect me to eat that much?"
"It's not that big of a dish," I grumbled. Was it a universal thing about moms that they piled everything on your plate and only ever got a third of that on theirs? "What about you, Alf? Do you like your superhero chicken nuggets?"
Alf looked up just as he bit off Batman's head. I was not going to read anything into that.
Wiping his mouth with the back of his mouth, he nodded and gave me another starry-eyed look. "Can you make them act like the real superheroes?"
"Do not play with your food, Alvaro Martinez." The subconscious message warning me not to encourage him, for once.
Yes, yes, I was a terrible influence, and I indulged him too much, but what could I say? I liked spoiling him. Little guy deserved it after spending the last few years in poverty. And, well, helping me despite that.
"So what did you get?" Alf asked, snapping a Superman in half.
"A soft-shelled crab sandwich with fondue Parmesan instead of bread, dusted with garlic salt."
If this were a cooking manga, I would have stripped metaphysically to illustrate how orgasmic this food was. Every single bite near made me moan. I had only ever gotten to indulge it once before at a gourmet restaurant event a few years ago, and I still hadn't found another place that did anything like it.
"Jesús!" Alf pulled on my arm, giggling. "You're drooling."
I blinked and wiped the side of my mouth. Both Martinez were looking at me like I'd done something either bizarre or amusing. Probably both at the same time.
"I'm guessing it's one of your favorites?" Maria said, smirking slily.
I sunk three feet into the ground. Blushing to the root of my hair, I decided the only way to survive the shame was to hit my head against the rocky ground and pass out. I pulled my head back and…
"You never reacted like this to any of my food, mi grande diablo."
I sunk six feet underground. Damn it!
Alf hung halfway over the hole, snickering. "Buuuusted."
"Brat!" I called out, shaking my fist at him. "A curse upon your lunch! Your worst nightmare come true! Broccoli! Broccoli everywhere!"
His eyes went wide as saucers. "What? No, no, no." He disappeared from view, rummaging through his lunchbox from the sound of clashing silverwares and velcro.
"Corazòn, get out of that hole right now, you haven't finished eating your lunch."
Sighing, I pulled myself up and restored the terrain to its original shape. Still, the crab sandwich had slightly less appeal now… Actually, no. They still tasted bitching good.
I finished it rather quickly and decided that moderation was the better part of valor at the moment. I could always get some more later. With only a vague, formless gesture, I switched the channel on the portable TV. So, what was going on on this charming planet always on the verge of exploding?
On the screen, a familiar blond news anchor read up her file with a reassuring smile.
"Wayne Enterprise's surprise announcement of a press conference concerning breakthroughs in their pharmaceutical research department is taking the world of medicine by storm. Let's recall that the last conference of this magnitude by Wayne Enterprises led to major engineering advancements that contributed to the construction of the former League headquarters' Mount Justice."
I paused. Words in the rolling banner at the bottom of the screen didn't give any additional detail. Besides guests from Queen Industries and S.T.A.R. Labs. Had Bruce's team already cracked the cure I'd given him? Heck, had he even confirmed if it would have worked?
And if it did, how much money was I giving him? Would he bankrupt every other pharmaceutical company in the US? No, surely not. What would the pushback against a new cure be? They'd call him a fraud.
Or he was going to become so much more powerful than before.
That was fine. I could trust Batman to do what he considered right and his moral code was far more rigid than mine. He would not go mad with power, because he was already insane and insanely powerful, so a bit more wouldn't be the thing to push him over the edge. Hopefully. And yes, he might monetize it, but there were like, dozens of charities with Wayne Enterprises' name on their front door. I'd checked.
A plastic fork hit me on the nose. Maria?
"You start thinking like that again, and we will be dragging you into one of those devils' dens, Maxime. You know I'll do it. Don't tempt me."
I judiciously did not point out that we could always avoid any of those dangerous sinner holes if she hated them so much. But, really, that was inviting her to ask me if I thought she did not care at all. And boy, did I not want to go through that one again.
"Mama, I'm thinking like Jesús. Can we go?"
"No, eat your broccoli. They are a gift from above."
Cue the holy choir and the halo of light surrounding Alf's plate of broccoli.
"Why am I the only one that has to eat some?"
"Growing boys need better food. Now, Alvaro Martinez, you will eat what is in your plate or you will not get to eat dessert."
Alf, reaching desperation, turned back to me. "It was just a joke, right? Please, please, please, make them disappear. Or taste good!"
"Nah, broccoli is fine," I said, dipping one in ketchup-mayonnaise dipping sauce.
"I don't know you anymore!" he shouted, but he did pick up a broccoli and ate it.
All the while making exaggerated face. You'd think we were torturing him. Unfortunately for him, Maria was well immune to his antics, and I particularly enjoyed a little payback.
Wiping my hands on my pants, I stood up and cracked my shoulders and neck. "Well, since I am done with lunch, I wanted to stretch my legs a bit. Wanna play some soccer?"
Alf's pouting face faltered.
"Just us two?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.
Maria made the universal Mom sign of 'go ahead, I'll watch' whilst mentally wondering where she left her one good book in her purse.
"Well…" I trailed off.
Nonchalantly, I whirled a finger in a circle.
Right next to our blanket, a small soccer field sprouted from the ground like some insane instant growth plants. Maria jumped right out of her skin and hurled the first thing that fell in her hand – a water bottle – right at my head. "Warn me before you work your holy spirit magic, Maxime! I swear, all you boys are animals!"
Chuckling, I wiped the water off my face. Refreshing. And for good measure, I created another one for her. It was a hot day, after all. "Sorry, sorry, Maria. I could not help it."
The peace restored, I turned back to the brat, who remained clearly immobile. Alf's higher brain functions had ceased all operations. Constellations had sparked in his eyes. Give or take a few more seconds, drool would drip from the corner of his mouth.
I pretended to pick at my nails. "Still don't know me?"
"Yes! Yes, I know you, I love you, you're like my big brother and I love you very much! Can we go play, pretty please with cherry pancakes?"
I let my smirk remain just a few seconds longer. Poor little squirt was squirming with barely restrained desire for the magnificent sports field I'd conjured up. Obviously, I was going to let him use it. But it was so much fun making him sweat for a little bit.
God, I might have just understood years of my childhood.
I lifted my hand and pulled a contraption out of the ether. "Did I mention the jetpacks?"
Oh man, if I hadn't already been akin to a god in Alf's eyes, that would have changed right here and there.
"I call the yellow and black shirts!" Alf yelled, sprinting for the team containing all his favorites roboplayers.