Sunny Daze (5 page)

Yeah, they’ll be found sooner or later.

***

“What, exactly, is your boy doing in my territory?”  The question is a bit too loud for this early in the morning, Nico thinks, pulling the phone away from his ear.  “Not only is he running around unmasked, but he’s hanging people off of giant vines!”

“He what?” Nico asks, wondering if he’s still sleeping.  “How do you know it’s my boy?”

“Short kid, black hair, capable of growing massive vines with just a seed?  The poor norms he left hanging were all extremely helpful in their descriptions.”

“There could be any number of black haired super teens with plant powers,” Nico says, quite proud of the fact he said it with a straight face.

“He emptied their wallets.”

“Who need a little spending cash,” Nico finishes.  “Can you tell me, why, exactly, they wound up that way?”

“From what they say, he assaulted them and stole their cash!”

“Have you asked the super teen what his side of the story is?” Nico asks.

“He had the word ‘Sunshine’ written on his back,” Century drawls.  “He’s not just ‘the super teen.’”

Max, Nico thinks dryly.  Sunny probably never even thought to look.  “And your point is?”

“It’s really hard to NOT know who it was, Technico.  I’ve heard all about the kids in your school--Jimena is my niece, as far as we’re all concerned.  She checks in regularly.”

“I’m going to have to have a chat with that girl,” Nico mutters.  “Look, it’s not what you think--I sent Panther off with my villains and Sunny to do a bit of specialized training.  More likely your norms tried to mug my kid--go ask him, if you want.  I’d like to hear that story, myself.  But they aren’t there to cause trouble.  They’re there for a super villain summer camp.”

“All the way down here.”

“Pan said it’d be best if they were away from everything they knew.  He thought it’d add to the challenge.”

“And it has nothing to do with the Ginger Hanks issue,” Century drawls.

“Would you send a super villain and four teenage boys to deal with that?” Nico asks.  “They’re just there for training--I thought Mastermental already went through the red tape for that.”

He hears a few papers rattling and Century mutter a curse.  “That man,” he mutters.  “’Wilderness exploration for scouts and camp leader,’” he reads in a disgusted tone.  “How is that an adequate description for a super villain summer camp?  Now tell me who the other three boys are.”

“Have they drawn attention to themselves?” Nico asks.

“Not yet, but I doubt they’ve been here long.”  Nico hears him sigh and can practically imagine him rubbing his temple.  “I’ll go talk to them--but you’d better not be lying to me about this.  I don’t want any random acts of super villainy going on.”

“Now I can’t promise they won’t be doing acts of villainy,” Nico says, “but it’s more likely they’ll be doing it against each other.  Panther is a big fan of competition.”

“Fine,” Century says.  “You’d best be telling the truth, son.”

“Have a good day Century,” Nico says, hanging up on him.  He dials up Pan.  Someone needs to warn him.

“So I left them hanging,” I say over breakfast.  “So no more laughing over my getting mugged, got it?” I say, munching on my frosted honey bun.  What?  They might have had cereal in the convenience store, I just didn’t get past the junk food section, okay?  At least Panther took Cubby after looking at our breakfast--he’d only snorted at the thought of us eating it.

“But still--it’s that baby face of yours,” Max says, grinning, “people think you’re an easy mark.”

“Do you still have the acorn?” Ace asks curiously.  “And would it have killed you to get some coffee?”

“I forgot,” I admit, downing my coke.  I would be asleep right now, but there’d been another little episode with freezing cold marbles.  Thus, we’re lounging around the fire-pit in our tree house as I tell them all about last night.  “But since Cubby’s with his dad, you’re welcome to go get it yourself.”

“Sure, after breakfast,” Ace says, yawning hugely.  “So what’s going to happen during this camp, anyway?”

“Super villain training, right?  Specialized classes on impressive entrances and exits--” Max starts out.

“SUNNY!” Panther bellows from the ground.

“You’re so busted, man, it’s not even funny,” Jack says with a grin that belies his words.

“Um, yes?” I ask, going to the door and looking down.  “I have more honey buns if you want one--”

“Century is coming here, thanks to you and your little encounter last night,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest.  “If you’re going to do things like that, really, don’t wear the shirt, Sunshine.”

The other three start snickering, looking far too amused for my own good.  “Um… they tried to mug me first!” I say, hopping down from the tree house.  “It was self defense!”

“So you mugged them in return?” Pan asks, his expression turning thoughtful.  “I’d say that’s worth ten extra points.”

“So I’m in the lead, right?” I ask, grinning widely.  “Suck on that, sunshine boys!” I yell up at the trio.

“Teacher’s pet,” Jack yells back.  “And you’re the sunshine boy, or haven’t you looked at your shirt?”

“Wait, what?” I ask, trying to look at the back of my shirt.  Obviously it doesn’t work.  I shrug it off and turn it, looking at the back.  Sure enough, “Sunshine” is written across the back.

I’m about to yell at Max for that when I notice everyone looking in the sky.  I glance over, watching with an inward sigh as the blue, white and red clad hero lands in front of us.  Century is huge.  I bet he’s a little taller than Dad and Grandpa Superior.  I know his jaw is a lot squarer.  I bet you could shovel with that jaw.

“I’m here to hear what you have to say for yourself,” he says.  Wait.  I think I missed part of what he was saying while looking at his jaw.  Whoops.  “So what, exactly, happened?” he demands, looking straight at me.

“They were trying to mug me.  I bent that one guy’s gun, by the way.  Him having a gun proves my point, right?  I tossed it in the dumpster next to the gas station.”

“I see,” Century says.  “They pulled a gun on a fifteen year old boy, huh?”

“And told me to hand over my wallet,” I say in my most injured tone.  “We’d just gotten here, we were kicked out of the RV and had no food--it was the middle of the night, you know?  So I got stuck going for groceries!”

“You tossed a fifteen year old out of the RV without food in the middle of the forest?” Century asks Panther.

“He’s the child of Lady Rose and Technico,” Pan says, “I really doubt he’s going to die.”

“Lady Rose?” Century repeats, looking a bit surprised.  “I should have known that was where you got your powers from.  But don’t think you’re off the hook, son.  If we don’t find the gun, I’ll be back,” he tells me.

“Well I can’t swear it’ll still be there, I mean someone might have found it between now and then.  Of course it’d probably explode, wouldn’t it?” I say.  “So if you find someone dead from an exploding gun, that’s it, got it?”

He just looks at me and I can practically see him biting his tongue.  “I see,” he says instead.  “I’ll inform the suits of that fact.  Now--where are the other three?” he asks Pan.  “I want to know who to blame for any unscheduled villainous acts.”

“I will be keeping them far too busy for that,” Pan says, “but fine--boys, time to come out.”

“We’re not sure we should,” I hear Ace call from the tree house.  Century takes to the air, floating up to the tree house.

“You brought Maximum AND Cold Steel?” Century asks Pan incredulously.

“And Dragon--seriously, people, do I have to wear the dragon head all the time just to get recognized?” Ace complains.

“I had requests to bring Falconess’s daughter, as well, but she’s not come into her powers enough--she’ll be joining us next summer,” Pan says.  “Now, if you’re finished with your interrogation, these boys need to get cleaned up and ready for their day of training.”

“Yeah, I need to shave,” I hear Jack say.

“How do you do that, anyway?” Ace asks.

“I’ve got a grinder,” Jack says.  “It’s got a full set of attachments, including buffers--I, unlike you, have a girlfriend to look good for.”

“Don’t lie, you’re a total narcissist,” I call up to him, “you just like to look shiny!”

“Shut up, Sunshine!”

“I’m watching you, boys,” Century says.  “If one of you steps out of line in my territory, you’re going to be on the nastiest duty I can think of for the rest of your life, got it?”

“He’s going to make us clean Jack’s room, man--NOT cool,” Ace says.

“You might be joking now, but you won’t be when it happens,” Century says before flying off.

Pan lets out a whistle.  “ASSEMBLE!” he yells.  “Line up in front of me in one second or Century’s threat will sound like a vacation.”

We line up.  Even Cubby appears next to me, still eating a piece of toast.  “Side by side,” Pan says after just staring at us for a second.  We move, standing side by side and waiting for him to speak.  He starts pacing in front of us, his hands behind his back like a military general.  “I am not here to give you merit badges,” he starts out.  “I am not here to teach you to canoe and wrap your boo-boos.  This is a super villain camp.  You will learn to be proper, accomplished, and entertaining super villains or you will be forced to go hero.”

I see the color leave their faces from the corner of my eye.  “Permission to speak, sir?” Max asks.

“You will speak when I tell you to speak, Maximum.”  Max lowers his hand.  “And while I have not said anything about your precious tree house yet, it does not mean I will allow you to keep it.”

“What?  But we--” Jack starts out, only to slam his mouth shut as Pan looks at him.

“The point of this exercise is to take you out of your comfort zones.  When you are super villains, you will rely on only yourself!  Your base will be made by you!  It will be guarded by you!  And the first one to say something about minions gets an automatic ten points off,” he says before anyone can open their mouth.  “Now, on to the point system--points will be rewarded for style, class, and deviousness.  I expect each of you to reach at least one hundred points.  You might think that’s easy, but remember, points can--and will be deducted.  If I don’t like the expression on your face, I will take away points.”

He walks down the line, taking a moment to look each of us in the eyes.  “You can steal points from others,” he says when we just watch him with blank expressions.  “This is where your real bases come in.  If you manage to break into someone else’s base, you will earn five points.  If you have your base broken into, you will lose those five points.  And while villain alliances are allowed, you’ll be splitting whatever points you get among the alliance, so I suggest you keep them small--and short.  Cubby, you, too, will be building a fort.  Don’t underestimate my son.  Of all of you, he’s by far the stealthiest in the group.”  He looks at me, as if I’m going to argue.  I don’t say a word, but I do nod in agreement.  “Now, I will allow questions, and then you will begin your base building.”

Max holds up his hand, earning a nod.  “What will happen to the tree house?” he asks.

“I suggest you strip it for material,” Pan replies.

“How big do our bases have to be?” Ace asks.

“Big enough that you can sleep and keep your things in them.  Oh, and I almost forgot,” Pan says, heading into the RV.  He comes out a few seconds later with five boxes.  “These are your booty, your stolen goods, or whatever you wish to call them.  They will be a way of proving you’ve earned your points from others.”  He hands a box to each of us, and we look inside.  “Each is worth five points–Sunny, you have two more than the others, thanks to the little trip in town.”

“So... does that mean Sunny’s the best super villain in the group?” Ace asks.

“Sadly, yes.  The rest of you are starting out with five tokens, so you’ll have to earn the other seventy five points from me, or steal them from each other.  You will need to obtain and keep twenty tokens by the end of the two weeks.  These were created by Nico, so I’ll know exactly who has them, and who they belonged to first.”

This actually sounds like a TON of fun.  I know the others are thinking the same, because they’re grinning like idiots.  Even Ace looks excited.  “If you manage to break into their base, you can only steal one token,” Pan goes on, “regardless of how tempting it might be.  To cut down on that temptation, I suggest you hide the majority of your tokens somewhere safe and keep only one in base at a time.”

“Can we use our powers?” Jack asks.

“Yes.  Don’t destroy the trees or start any fires, though, the last thing we want is Century showing up again.  Keep away from norms, as well.  If we get found out, we’ll have to cut the exercise short.  There will be a cease-fire three times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I don’t trust any of you to make sure Cubby’s fed properly.”

“How can we build a fort without trees?” Max asks.

“Use the stuff on the floor or go out and do some shopping, just don’t draw attention to yourself.  If you get mugged, well, they approached you first,” Pan says.  “Just change your shirts before doing it,” he adds with a pointed look at me.

“I didn’t know it had that on it!” I say, even though I’ve slipped the shirt back on.  I like it, “Sunshine” or not.  I feel like a part of the group!  And I might sound like a nerd--I would NEVER admit it to the other guys, but I really think they’re the coolest group in the school.  Just for a little bit I get to be a part of it, you know? 

Then again, who would have thought my bully not so long ago would classify as “one of the cool guys”?  I glance over at them, see them glance at each other--and then blink as they all turn and look at me and Cubby, the same expressions on their faces.

“It’s good to see you all realize who the biggest threat is,” Pan says mildly.

Wait, what?  “Who, me?” I ask a bit blankly.

“In a forest, who would you think is most dangerous in the group, Sunny?” Max asks pointedly.

“Um, still Ace.”

“City boy, born and bred,” Ace says, raising a hand.  “I don’t know anything about trees, and what I don’t know shows.”

“I was born and bred city,” I say.

“But you’re an elementalist,” Max says, “surrounded by--”

“Hey, if he’s too stupid to realize it, don’t tell him,” Jack says.  Pan is just watching us with amusement. 

I shrug, feeling a little sheepish about admitting this, but I’m a bit too honest, sometimes, “I’m still getting used to them.  I mean, I can barely cover a thousand acres--that’s pretty small in farms nowadays, you know?”

“A thousand acres… that’s a LOT of football fields, isn’t it?” I hear Ace whisper to Jack.

“Close to a thousand?” Jack offers, “Not exactly… but close.”

“I want to work with Sunny!” Ace says, raising a hand.  “You said we could have temporary alliances, right?”

“He’s my future brother-in-law,” Max says, shoving Ace back, “I get him.”

“Um, actually--” I start out.

“We used to be foster brothers, I get him,” Jack says.

“Actually--” I try again, glancing down at the little boy clinging to my leg silently.  Nobody seems to notice, I think with an inward sigh.  I lean down, picking Cubby up.  He crawls onto my shoulders, wrapping his arms around my forehead.

“I believe he’s already picked his alliance,” Pan says with a slight smile.  The other three look at me sharply--before assuming the same sheepish expression.

“Well… that sucks,” Max drawls.  “Who wants to be my ally?”  The other two look at him and promptly laugh.

“Yeah, right!” Jack says.

“The guy that is STILL selling memberships to my fan-club?  I don’t think so,” Ace says.  Jack looks at Ace, who just stares at him.  I can see him thinking for a long moment, and can almost read his mind as he holds out his hand.  “A temporary truce,” he offers.

“A ‘You scratch my back I’ll scratch yours’, huh?” Jack asks.

“Exactly.”

“I am feeling distinctly left out here,” Max complains.  “Panther, can we pair up with you?”

“I am the judge for this game.  I need to stay impartial.”

“If I fly back to KC and get the little blonde, can I use her?” Max asks a bit desperately.