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Chapter 18
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Walter found Jeff directing some construction work. He waited for the opportunity to arise to approach his friend. Years ago, when they had met, trying anything of the sort was deemed suicidal, and a good way to end up cleaning toilets and floor tiles alike with only a toothbrush. Oddest of all, those were simpler times, Walter recalled.

“I haven’t seen you around Striga Island all that often,” said Jeff.

“Oh yes,” Walter said, “I’ve been meaning to see this place for some time. You don’t mind me being here, do you?”

“Not at all, as long as you stand back and wear a helmet.”

“Good, good. Does anyone in your company know what you can do?”

“Some do. They’re grateful enough for the lifesaving to keep my secret, even though I never really asked for it.”

“That’s always good to hear. It’s almost as good as the truth, for those ready to hear it.”

Jeff called out to his crew that it was break time for those who needed a few minutes. He oversaw the tools being set aside safely, and then he walked with Walter.

“That’s some timing on my part,” Walter said.

“Uh-huh.” Jeff’s tone was easy for him to read. If Walter had told him that coming here when he did was an accident, Jeff would have called him out on it, with or without words depending on his mood.

“I think the last time I was in this area was before I left. It appears that this whole island is doing better since you’ve come here.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t alone. There are plenty of good men and women here keeping the peace now that they know they stand a chance.”

“Does the local family still give you trouble?”

“Always, but we can manage. What’s with the social call, Walter?”

“Oh, just that, just that. I’d hate to see you become distant because everyone in the League is just now learning about where your powers come from, but most of all you’re my best friend since our military days.”

“Friends tell each other when we’re going to disappear for a few years.”

“That one’s on me. I dropped contact from everyone out of shame for all that happened the moment I left, and I thought sticking to my guns was the best course of action. I don’t think there was a right in that, but I made it worse.”

“Walter, stop. It’s all behind us now. Like you said, we’ve been friends since our military days. You covered for me when I first showed signs of having powers. If you hadn’t suggested we come home and try new lives as both civilians and superheroes, I might have been shunned, used as a weapon, or worse. Instead, we’re here.”

Walter’s phone went off. Judging by the raised brow his friend was giving him, it was time to change the ring tone. What a shame, he liked this song.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Hi, Walter?” said a young woman.

“Speaking.”

“Oh good. I don’t know who else to call. It’s Judy. Something’s happened to her.”

“What’s happened to her? Wait. Jeff, can your shadow portals take me back to the mainland in a hurry?”

Mortar Mage walked through the convention center at a gathering for scientific theorists and promising inventors. These sorts of things often amused him, but he wasn’t here for the show. He was looking for someone.

These conventions sometimes had booths belonging to the most harmless mad scientists to have ever scienced in the name of science. As such, they also drew in crowds of people looking to do grunt work for scientists who could pay them for experiment-related labor.

He passed wild theories about the recent boost in birth rates, a model of a device that boiled the filthiest water and caught the vapor, and more before he found the man he sought facing away from him.

Once he was within earshot, Mortar said, “Tunnel Hound.”

The low-ranking villain turned, and said, “I should have expected you to be coming along sooner or later.”

“You’ve been making yourself a hard man to find.”

“A man’s got to look out for himself. Some crazy chick’s out to get us less-than-stellar mutants if we get too close to Paragon.”

“Yet, here you are.”

“A man’s also got to find work. You got something for me?”

Mortar nodded. He pulled out some cash and a note folded together with a clip, and he handed it to Tunnel Hound. The man separated the note from the money, and held up the latter.

“Call it an advance bonus,” Mortar said. “There’s more waiting if you finish this project no later than tomorrow night. Easy money, I figure.” As the villain reviewed the note and nodded, Mortar added, “I would also appreciate it if you kept your job quiet.”

“Is this cleared with the city council or whoever?” Tunnel Hound asked.

“It will be, if everything’s followed to a ‘T.’”

Tunnel Hound examined Mortar for a time. Then he showed his toothy smirk. “Awight.”

Not long after that, they parted ways, and Mortar casually looked at the many displays on the floor before leaving himself. The few months of searching for someone to carry out his plan had come to an end.

Wyatt pounded open the bedroom door, the sound of Walter’s footsteps trailing from the stairs. He found Judy on the bed with her eyes closed, her body twitching, and words coming out of her mouth that he didn’t understand if they weren’t in mumbles.

“Good, you’re here,” said Jackie, who was in the room. It looked like she was patting Judy’s head with a cool, damp cloth. “I didn’t know what else to do. She was just watching the television, and then she convulsed and passed out. I had never seen lights flicker like that.”

He rushed to Judy’s side. Something was missing. “She was wearing a necklace yesterday. Kyra and Warren both said something about it when talking about her. Where is it?”

“I don’t know.”

Walter, who had just gotten to the door, let out a grunt and fled back to somewhere else in the mansion.

Wyatt took this chance to examine her vitals.

“Oh, her heart rate was twenty b-p-m when I checked it after calling you both,” Jackie said. Wyatt glanced her way briefly, but returned to his patient to confirm it.

“Good work, and thanks for letting us know what happened. Did you contact her mother?”

“I found her cell number and called it, but she must have left it here by accident.”

Seconds later, Walter ran in joined on the other side of the bed with the necklace in his hand. “Here, help me get this over her head, like this . . . thank you. I found it in one of Warren’s charging jars.”

The mumbling stopped. Wyatt raised his hand to silence everyone for a moment.

Then, Judy’s eyes shot open, and she sat up. She said something else, louder and more clearly, but also in another language. She collapsed on the bed with eyes closed. Judy was breathing next to normally again.

“Dear, oh dear,” said Walter. “I had no idea she spoke Rhakian.”

“Rhakian?” Jackie asked.

“One of the alien races always sending dignitaries and invaders our way.”

“She’s an alien?”

“Don’t be silly.”

“Judy was speaking another language when I came in here,” said Wyatt.

“Japanese, probably. I heard a bit of it while we were getting her necklace on.”

“I can hear what you’re all saying, you know,” groaned Judy. She shivered.

A portal blasted open outside the door. Mortar Mage stormed in, and wasted no time getting to the bed.

“How is she?” he asked.

“Warren,” Judy said, “don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I feel like death, but I’m fine.”

“What happened?”

Walter said, “She didn’t have her necklace on. She was catatonic and mumbling about something. She started to get better when we got the necklace back on her.”

“Good thinking. Still, what happened? Even if the necklace was off, Judy, you had to have experienced something traumatic to have declined in health, for a lack of a better word. For that matter, why did you have it off?”

Judy said, “I thought it was low on its charge when I woke up this morning. Normally, I can feel something from it. It’s peaceful, and touching my being gently. I woke up feeling much better than I have been, but that feeling from the necklace was weak.”

“You probably absorbed a majority of it while your mind and body went through your sleep cycles. If you hadn’t, I hate to think what would have happened to you.”

“I left the necklace in the jar, and went to watch TV while I waited for my mom to get here with breakfast.”

“In the future, Judy, you only need to wait five minutes for the necklace to fully charge.”

“Oh.”

In the main entry of the house, Mai walked in. “Hello?”

“We’re up here, Mom!”

“Sorry I took so long. I had to take half a dozen detours, and someone tried to rob the UHOW I went to. It’s crazy some of the places these burglars try to rob.” She joined everyone, who were all waiting silently. “What’s going on?”

“I fainted again. Don’t worry about it.”

“You know, I had a little surprise for you, but if you’re going to lie to me I might just chuck it.”

“Oh, Mom.”

“Out with it.”

“OK. While this necklace was charging, I watched the news. I saw something that looked important, and recorded it.”

“Good girl,” everyone but Jackie interjected.

“Those people who came out of the Library, it’s them. They’re the ones behind this. The one in the spider mask has my body. I’m sure it’s her. And that’s not all.”

Everyone stared at her, waiting for her to finish.

“You all might want to sit down for this.”

They looked around at one another. Walter said, “We’ll take our chances.”

“Well, OK. How do I put this? They’re a group. One of the men standing next to me, her . . . ugh, the one with my body! The one of them was hiding from view on both channels, but I saw his face. It was him, I know it. You must think I’m mad. He couldn’t have been there.”

“Who was it?” Jackie asked, when no one else would.

“Harvey Stone.”

Mai dropped the bag of food in her hand.