CHAPTER12
Sadie tried not to spin in a circle to take in the large lobby at Superhero headquarters. She’d always wondered what it looked like behind the concrete arches. She never thought she’d be allowed inside with her ex-Villain girlfriend, but here they were, waiting for the arrival of Amazing Woman.
The design was Art Deco meets fortress: bold rectangular shapes, a large crystal chandelier, pale blue walls, high windows to let in light but not prying eyes. Even the broad marble staircase said both opulence and fortification. It smelled cold, like when Mark used his icy abilities.
Joan reached for her hand so they could follow Ward upstairs. Sadie had never actually met him before he’d let them into the garage. He was polite but clearly frazzled and distracted.
“Are your powers being suppressed?” she murmured to Joan.
“Yup.” She was also distracted by all the things.
For the past twenty-four hours, Joan had stuck to her like glue. Industrial strength, could adhere a bumper to a car glue. Last night, Sadie had not-so-jokingly asked permission to use the bathroom alone in their own home. It didn’t help that Joan had a terrible nightmare about Sadie being in danger and not being able to get to her.
She adjusted the handles of the rainbow-striped tote hanging on her shoulder. Joan had said she wanted Sadie there to provide better coffee, but everyone knew it was to keep her safe. Which was thoughtful, and she wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to observe a Superhero meeting otherwise—another dream come true. Still, it’d be nice to have a say in it rather than someone else deciding what was best for her.
At the top of the staircase, Ward held out a hand at a huge painting of Flight with his fists on his waist, red cape flapping. “This is our Gallery of Heroes.”
Opulent portraits ran the full length of the second floor. The current Supers were in the middle. As they headed to the left, they passed a painting of Atomic Man looking off in the distance in his blue-and-red ensemble. Stretch Boy’s noodle-y arms were extended like he was protecting Vector City. The were all classic oil on canvas, like something in an old manor home.
“I think we finally found art Perry won’t want to steal,” Sadie said.
Joan cracked a small smile. Her fingers tightened around Sadie’s as Ward led them into a pretty nondescript conference room. Mark and Perry were already there, standing by a credenza with a coffeemaker, a selection of bottled drinks, and trays of Mexican food. Kade was busy taking a huge bite out of a burrito. Darlene and Otis toyed with a touchscreen TV.
Wow.This was surreal. She’d seen all of them at the food truck, but this was different. This was Lunk, Catch and Flight. Even in their civilian clothes, they were Superheroes.
Otis tapped the red-and-yellow SuperWatch icon to no avail. Shortly after the cell tower went down yesterday, Squawk took a chunk out of the building that housed SuperWatch’s servers at their corporate campus. The app was down not just in Vector City, but all across the country.
“Now we’re being blamed for this,” Otis grumbled, waving at the screen.
Kade noticed the newcomers and grinned. “Hi, Sadie.”
“Hi, Kade. Er, Lunk? I’m not sure what I’m supposed to call you here.”
“Whatever you want. Just don’t call me late for dinner.”
She laughed at how goofy he was. The huge Hero with the friendly baritone was a golden retriever in human form.
Darlene narrowed her eyes at Sadie and Joan. She didn’t think she’d ever seen Darlene smile. Catch did when justice prevailed or she was dealing with children, but Darlene…did not.
On the flip side, Mark was jazzed about this meeting. “It’s a big day,” he said, doing a little butt-wiggling dance.
Sadie untangled her hand from Joan’s and went to Perry. He looked his usual calm, cool and collected, but she asked anyway, “Are you nervous or excited for this?”
“This isn’t going to give anyone what they want,” Perry said.
She didn’t know what he’d said to make Amazing Gus agree to come (she was thinking of her as Amazing Gus). He kept insisting it wasn’t a magic solution.
Ward shoved his tablet under his arm and struggled to organize the plates and silverware. “Mr. Flight, are you sure you don’t want me to wait downstairs to escort Ms. Amazing Woman?”
“She still has access,” Otis said. “Get your laptop and take good notes. Every suggestion.”
The sidekick glanced between his handful of spoons and the open laptop on the table.
“Can I lend you a hand?” Sadie said. “I brought freshly ground coffee. Food and beverage is what I do best.”
“Oh thank god,” Ward breathed with heavy relief. “I mean, thank you. That would be a big help.” He leaned in and added, “There are so many people in these meetings now.”
“I’m a temporary sidekick,” she joked. Her heart fluttered.Sidekick Sadie.
