Soda supreme, p.12
Soda Supreme, page 12
Kate noticed the observation and went stone faced. Hannah felt that way, but tried to smile, since it didn’t really matter. Except that she didn’t want to have food banks that were an insult to anyone. The lady started to nod, after about a minute.
“This is incredible. You both know that, right? That contagion put a lot of people back, and both of you have actually done something to keep families from suffering. You should both be very proud.” The words weren’t gushing, exactly.
It was more as if the woman held actual admiration for them, over the project.
The kids, Reese and Gregory, had both gone upstairs with Jaime and a woman who looked far too hard, and large, to be working at a food pantry. The woman was at least six-eight and had muscular definition showing through her blue jeans. That wasn’t what normal people did. She also had a horrible case of man face, thanks to being way too lean.
Tits though, and the woman had been called Erica, so that was enough for Hannah. Plus, she felt like a woman. That was strange, but it was there. Hannah could sense that from her, pretty strongly.
Kate smiled, seeming relieved that June liked what they were doing. As if her opinion mattered more than that of any girl who had walked in. It was nice to hear pleasant things, but if she’d trashed the idea, while Hannah would have been a bit disappointed, it wouldn’t mean that much to her.
A little. About the same as if Greg, an annoying kid, had said the same thing. Possibly as much as if Lara had said it. Only, all of them had been okay with the whole thing.
There were people there, both getting food and working the floor. Some of those, clearly, were from the neighborhood. She recognized a few of the younger ones, for instance. One of those walked up, to her, then looked at Kate and nodded. She was a young girl, being about thirteen or so, and pretty, in an average way. She bothered with makeup and was thin, without it being a psychological condition. At least that wasn’t showing on her body or anything.
Hannah grinned and put her arms out for a hug.
“Kara! Keeping the place together for us?”
She was held back, if briefly, and seemed shocked when Kate gave her a hug, too. That was probably because she didn’t know the woman at all, and Katherine Sinclair was actually famous, just then. Both from having a show and a recent special and being part of the news over the last months.
June didn’t jump in for that, but she smiled at the scene.
Hannah waved at her.
“This is June. We brought some guys to help out here. They’re interviewing upstairs, right now. With Jaime and Erica?”
The girl’s nostrils actually flared, and she looked around, as if being covert. Then she whispered.
“They’re... Special?”
That said a lot, in a single word. Hannah nodded. It was true, of course.
“In so many ways. Special bus, special school... Actually, they’re decent guys. Both boys. Both single, as far as I know? So, pick which girl here is dating them first? I’ll leave that to you. They’re just here to work the Food Bank. Also, clearly, don’t mention the other stuff? I take it everyone in the neighborhood knows already?”
She shrugged.
“Yeah, well, Tinner has patrols and is taking down drug dealers, and lives here. Giant metal beasts kind of stand out. Plus, people fly away from the roof, about fifteen times per day. It’s kind of a giveaway. Also, everyone knows that Jaime is Linear and he’s running the place.” She grinned a bit. “Life of Kate Foundation... And Kate is Wisp... So, not so secret, really. No one talks about it that much. It isn’t in the news or anything.”
Kara, who was clearly intelligent enough, looked around then. There was a conniving air to it.
“Oh, hey, can we get more baked goods in? The shelves have a good amount of stuff. Canned goods and we always have milk and even almond juice, which is popular, for some reason. The donuts and cakes, not so much. They run out. Kids have birthdays and... We mainly don’t have anything for them at all. Not even box cake mixes.” She looked at her feet, as if asking for things like that was out of turn.
It probably was, being an emergency food operation, not a store, but Hannah could see it. It had been started as a way to get Alistair’s family enough money to save their family bakery. It was working, but doing more that way couldn’t hurt. Besides, kids had birthdays and deserved a cake.
“We could have a sign-up for that, so we can order some things ahead of time? Decorated cakes for birthdays and weddings? Other parties, too. Set that up with Jaime. We’ll need that at all the food banks. There are fourteen of them, so work up a template here and give me a call when you have it? Get some candles in, too?”
Kara stared at her, then shook her head.
“I can’t do that kind of thing. I’m just some girl.”
June chuckled, very lightly.
“Are you? It looks to me like you were just handed a real job. What you do with it will tell us a lot, won’t it? Are you just some girl... Or are you a person who makes a difference in the world? We’ll be watching, to see what you do, Kara.”
It was a bit mean, but Kate nodded, and Kara changed the topic, looking at Hannah’s splint. That and the bruises on her face.
“Those guys kicked your behind, didn’t they?”
Kate shook her head.
“Not really. She broke her own wrist, getting her hands free from the duct tape. Then she put them all in the hospital. I had to teleport them to the ER. Four to one, in the back of a van. So, that was pretty much a win. If you fight, you get hurt. You have to keep that in mind, in case it ever comes up for you.”
That seemed a bit over the top, but June nodded, as if that, Kara having to fight for her life, or someone else’s, was a real possibility. Hannah had felt pretty mean setting her up to do the cake stuff for birthdays and parties, but that felt like way too much to dump on some kid. Then, it was clear that helping people get ready for hard things was better than leaving them unarmed.
A lot of what she’d been doing in the last months herself had been about doing almost exactly that, after all.
Jaime came into the room, leading the others, with the giant woman in the back and the boys in the middle. He was speaking, the whole time.
“This is the main area. The store rooms need to be scrubbed out and any insects or mice removed. Rats, too, but we’ve been lucky that way so far. At the end of the day, we stock the shelves. Oh, Kara! These two are going to be working in here, about once per week. Mainly in the back, but if we need to scrub the front down, they’re doing that, too. Reese and Greg. Good guys, so far. This is Kara. She helps out around here.”
The man, fit and with chiseled features, had a good face. He was gay, but carried himself like a fighter, not a dancer. Not that being homosexual meant that he could dance. Hannah hadn’t checked that one, yet. Regardless, Kara looked up at his tan face like she kind of wanted to hit that. Then she smiled at Reese, and glanced over at Gregory for a bit, sizing them up. She went back to Reese, who was taller and a bit less jumpy seeming. Better looking too, but Hannah realized that Greg wasn’t exactly bad looking, even standing next to the other guys there. It was mainly his demeanor that had tricked her before. That and the kids Halloween costume he’d been wearing.
He shifted uneasily.
June grimaced, seeming to get the idea. Hannah figured it was that he needed to get out and run soon, in order to be comfortable.
So she clapped.
“Jaime, do you have a cheap mask we can borrow? One of us gets to run home. Training. No map, so see you at midnight, Greg? Learn the directions here too, Reese. One of these days, you’ll be the one doing that.”
Jaime glanced at Kara, seeming shocked that they were openly talking about masks.
The girl simply raised a finger, pointing at the ceiling, and seemed excited.
“Oh, I asked about the birthday cakes? Hannah said that we can do that. Other types, too. Weddings and other parties. I’m supposed to be in charge? For, like, the whole thing? All the food banks? Candles and stuff. The whole thing.”
Hannah nodded.
“Exactly. So, let me get you my number. Call if you need hints or tips? I have contact data for the right places, too. At home, not off the top of my head. Now, we need to get that going. All of it. The cakes... Run a plan by Jaime, first, then, if he thinks it sounds workable, call me?”
Numbers were traded, the old-fashioned way, on slips of paper, since, as she’d mentioned, Kara wasn’t a drug dealer, so didn’t really need a cell phone yet. It was funny, but also spoke of living in a different neighborhood than Hannah was used to. Both Reese and Greg had that kind of thing. On them, even.
Gregory asked for Kara’s number, too. She gave the same one, which probably meant the kid would have a shot at a date, if he played his cards right. Erica walked off, coming back with a mask about two minutes later. It was just a plastic party thing, in black.
As soon as the boy had it on, he blurred out of the place, anxious to stretch his muscles, it seemed.
Everyone pretended not to notice. Kara looked in that direction, toward the door, but even she didn’t speak on the topic. They moved to another room, still on the ground floor, and chatted, as Kate teleported people away. That had Jaime swallowing, as if he thought Kara wasn’t up on everything. The girl played it cool. It was impressive, really.
Hannah gave Jaime a hug.
“You need to come over for dinner soon. With Nate? We’ll order in, so you can survive the night and not choke on my cooking. Call it... When is good for you?”
That got a grin.
“Who knows? Tuesday, next week? The weekend is actually busy, here.”
Kara nodded, as if the man wasn’t talking about patrols and crime. It was probably true for both things. Friday and Saturday were when people did stupid things, but also got their other, more sensible, stuff done. At least Hannah thought so. Her life experience was different that way, over the last years.
“Oh, Kara, I want a report on how you’re doing, school wise. This stuff is cool, but you have to do your homework and all that, too. It’s a deal breaker, so, you know, call and tell me when you have that done, each day? Don’t make me call first.” Hannah had no right to do that to her, but Reese smiled, and reached out, gently tapping the girl on the arm.
“She isn’t kidding. I have to check in with her or she really will call, so take it seriously. Worse, she flat out admits having been a bad student, so we can’t even use that against her. She claims it means she knows what not to do... It’s kind of annoying. My grades are better though, I have to admit.”
Kara grumbled a bit, looking honestly pissed.
“I hate school.”
Reese nodded.
“I know, right? I don’t think that’s the point.”
She glared, at Hannah, but then sighed.
“So, you and my mom are going to be on my ass. Great. Wonderful.” She smiled, as Kate came back.
June laughed, but this time gave the girl a small hug. There was one for Jaime, as well.
“We need to coordinate, Linear. I’ll call in the next few days? We recently had a lot of useful information come in. More than we can handle. The Underdogs can do part of it, perhaps?”
She vanished then, with Kate, making a soft pop.
Jaime made a face.
“I’m missing something... Who is she?”
Hannah waved a bit.
“June? Liberty... I think? From The Society. She’s important there, I know that. I don’t really do the whole code name thing. I mean, I know yours, and of course, Cake Girl here, but not everyone doing that kind of thing.”
Jaime glanced at Cake Girl then and nodded.
“Kara isn’t... You know, she works downstairs?”
That just made sense.
“So? She can’t have a cool code name, too? Anyway, Cake Girl, call each day. Make up that plan for the birthday cake orders, and all the sign-ups needed. Be plain and official about it, so it looks adult. If you need anything, well, ask Jaime, first, then call me?”
She nodded.
“Wait, I really have to do my homework? That doesn’t seem to relate with the rest of this.”
“Exactly. If I’m covering your college, you’re doing your best to pull straight A’s and all that. The same with the other kids who work here. Jaime, pass the word on that?”
She was grabbed and taken away, the room suddenly being her apartment. She grinned.
“There we go. I have meddled enough today to feel good about not moping in a dark room, huddled over and crying. This... I hate being kidnapped. You might have noticed that about me?”
She looked at her arm, which was aching again and shook her head.
“I also hate being injured. So, friend of mine, what am I screwing up, so far?”
She got a hug, since Katherine was sweet that way, and after a minute, her curly dark-haired friend stood back.
“What are you messing up? Well...” She was using her voice to signal a bit of playing was about to happen, Hannah grinned, but waited.
“You could make plans to go out with Terry, Lara and me, on Saturday? Dinner and some dancing? A party... I was invited, and so were the others. It’s at Brian Warthin’s? I don’t know if you were asked, but...”
Hannah hadn’t been, which got her to smile.
“I wasn’t, in fact. Which I’m taking as either an oversight, or Brian planning to ask me as his date. You know, to be his beard?” She put a hand in front of her chin, but grinned. She wasn’t actually hurt by the lack, but there was going to be drinking at the party. Terry needed to avoid that, or at least have people around to protect her from herself.
“Let me see what he says? If we’re fighting, I should at least know about it.”
Kate cleared her throat.
“Lost in the mail, maybe? Still, I have a plus one, so if you aren’t going to be arguing the whole night, I can get you in? I didn’t mean to make this awkward. We just, you know, Terry’s been working on Lara, to cut back, and Brian’s parties aren’t that bad, while still being fun enough?”
Hannah got that, so smiled.
“I’ll see what I can work out, here. Now, are we hanging here tonight, or...”
Kate looked wistful, but then shook her head.
“Not today. I have to go and help Cry Diamond for a bit. Now that everyone knows we’re sisters, she’s suddenly asking for me to take her everywhere. For missions? It wouldn’t be so bad, but she always hits on me, when we’re alone. I mean, asking for me to go down on her, and things like that? I get that she literally can’t help it, but it’s freaking creepy.”
There was a bit of mock shuddering then, which didn’t seem totally fake, and an over the top grin, before she wisped the heck away from the conversation that might have come up over the words. They were a bit troubling, since she liked Veronica, and Kate was her best friend.
Plus, both of them had been abused, in the past, which could mess people up. The genetic alterations to turn Veronica into a sex fiend didn’t help, either. Like Kate had mentioned, the woman honestly couldn’t help herself.
Which didn’t make her a bad person, but also didn’t keep her out of trouble, in a lot of ways.
Dropping into a trance, trying to hold to that, as much as possible, Hannah moved to her phone, which was in the couch cushions for some reason. She didn’t have to search for it, a line of movement, her own, guiding her directly to the thing. It was more of a shadowy wave, a sense rather than a vision, but it got her to the right place. Then, without thinking about it, she awkwardly held the black cell, trapping part of it under her splint and working carefully to tap the right name into being.
It was under Brian Warthin. He wasn’t actually a friend of hers, directly. She’d been invited to his parties for a long time, being in the right social circles, and the man being known as a bit of a playboy. The kind who always had women around, but once it was pointed out, never seemed to be dating anyone.
That was because he was also Chiropter, the superhero.
Probably the most famous of the unpowered people who did that kind of thing. Even if he did have a stupid name. Also, he dressed like a bat. It was cute, in a furry, fetishy sort of way, she supposed. When the line picked up, she heard his normal voice.
Not the fake, distorted one that he used for his alter ego.
“Hello?”
“Brian? Hannah here. De Peyser?”
“Hannah! Is... everything all right? I heard you ran into some rather nasty business, a few days ago. Again, I also heard that you handled it. Rather well, in fact. Do you need my help, with something?” He wasn’t being sly, really, but was being sort of vague. Then, it still wasn’t safe to talk on the phone.
“Um, after a fashion? You’re having a party and didn’t invite me? That’s because you wanted me as your date, right? If not, then you better have a good reason for us to be fighting.” She grinned. “Imagine I’m putting my hands on my hips? I’m not. The splint would get in the way.”
There was an honest chuckle, then.
“See, I was thinking you’d be too worked up to go out in public yet. Now, we have a date for that? Excellent. I invited Katherine Sinclair, and worked out that she thinks that I’m dating myself? Unless you told her?”
Hannah grinned.
“Not a word. She might have it anyway, but if so, she’s playing along. Good. Still, fake date or not, I expect at least a bit of sex out of this. Just so you get me here? Unless... Um, I never asked, are you into guys? It’s one thing for me to claim that, to keep you all to myself with Kate, but throwing myself at you when you aren’t into the perfection that is me is a bit rude...”
There was a clearing of the throat then.
“I’m straight. I’m just not really what the press thinks I am that way. I don’t get to date a lot. Things, you know?”
