Chapter 16 week 14

Glory waited for the newscast to appear about her ill-fated rescue, but it never did, which almost made it even worse. The must have killed the story, meaning the league knew she was involved. Normally she visited Memorial Hall at least once a day to spend time with KP or steal food from the kitchen, but she avoided it completely, not wanting to run into Stone or Valkrie by accident.

But Tuesday she had to go to her training session with Romeo Avenger, and as soon as he stepped into the room he called her up to the front of the class. “Valkyrie wants to see you in her office,” he told her. “You are excused from class today.”

Glory trembled. “Is she very mad?” she asked in little more than a whisper.

“Well, yes,” he admitted.

“You would have done it, wouldn’t you?” she continued, not wanting to leave. “You couldn’t stand by and let him kidnap someone.”

“You have super-speed,” Romeo told her. “How many seconds would it have taken you to find a phone booth and change?”

“I didn’t think about it,” she admitted, suddenly less frightened and more sheepish. She always kept her costume with her--why hadn’t she thought of that?

“You’d better get up there. No sense prolonging the inevitable.”

Glory nodded and left, the entire class watching her. Only KP and Torch knew what had happened. She wondered if they would tell the others.

Valkyrie’s office was on the second floor. Glory had never been there--she’d never needed Valkyrie outside of class. The door was standing open and Glory knocked on the door frame before entering. She gave an unnecessary announcement. “I’m here.” The room was simply furnished with a few paintings in cool blues, a desk, and a chair on either side. She wasn’t sitting in the high backed desk chair turned away from Glory. Valkyrie was standing at the window with her hands behind her back. There was frost on the inside of the window even though the room was well heated, suggesting that Valkrie’s ice powers were reflecting her mood.

“America. I don’t even know where to begin with you,” Valkyrie said as she turned around. “Do you know how many rules you’ve broken?”

“Two?”

“The two most important rules in this program. Don’t try to fight crime alone while you are in training, and don’t let the public see you display your powers without your costume.”

“But Dark Lothario--”

“Dark Lothario!” Valkyrie said, her voice chilling Glory. “You have no right to be confronting and making an enemy out of someone so powerful--”

“I was fine,” Glory countered. “I think I can handle some over-weight middle aged--”

“Stop right there, America,” Valkyrie demanded. “I want you to understand, Dark Lothario is no one to be trifled with. He’s more powerful than you think he is.”

Glory wasn’t so sure about that. “I can handle myself.”

“That’s what I thought too, when I first faced him.” This time it was Valkyrie’s words, not her tone, that made Glory’s blood run cold. “I used to be like you, you know that? Full of confidence, certain that I could handle anything. But I couldn’t handle him. I tried to fight against him--and I lost.”

Glory winced. “I didn’t know that.”

“It’s not something I share with just anyone. I’m sharing it with you because I want you to understand that he is not someone to take lightly. You can’t resist him. You don’t want to. If you had been caught, if you had looked into his eyes, it would have been over for you. Do you understand? Men could buy videos of you for twenty-nine, ninety-five.” Was Valkyrie in one of the Dark Lothario Presents movies? Glory felt sick at the very idea of being on one of his videos, losing her virginity to such a vile and creepy person, and even worse, liking it.

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking down at her feet. “I didn’t mean to break the rules, but I couldn’t let him do that to anyone else if I could stop him.” She looked back up at Valkyrie, meeting her gaze. “It was worth getting kicked out of the program. Thank you for teaching me.”

“You’re not being kicked out of the program.” Glory jumped at the sound of another woman’s voice, and the desk chair spun around, revealing a woman in a black half-mask and a black suit. She wore her black hair in a short bob.

“Who’re you?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” the woman said, standing up. She was very tall. “I’m Ms. X.” The head of the training program always seemed like such a ghost to Glory. She could hardly believe the woman had a face at all.

“I’m not being kicked out of the program?”

“Valkyrie has argued in your favor, and I agreed to let you stay on probation.” Glory’s heart flooded with relief, and it was all she could to do stop from hugging the foreboding figure. “I want to make it very clear, the opportunity we’re giving you,” she continued. “We had to gag the local news station to keep them from running your story, which was a lot of trouble, and frankly I’m not sure you’re worth it. You have a disregard for authority, and you don’t respect the rules of this institution--”

“He was kidnapping--”

“I’m not talking about Dark Lothario,” Ms. X snapped. “I’m fully aware that you told your parents about joining the league, something you were expressly forbidden to do.”

“I haven’t,” Glory said, her voice losing some of the indignation it held. Ms. X glanced at Valkyrie, who shook her head, and Glory knew she had better shut up and thank God that she was still in the program. “Okay--I was excited, I couldn’t help it. Were you people watching my house or something?”

“Just a little. The point is, you’re not shaping up to be the best candidate for the League. Valkyrie as assured me that you have the strength and character to become a good hero--a great one even. But you have to follow protocol, and keep your trap shut. Understand?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“If you screw up again you’re out of the program.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t make me regret this decision.”

“Never.”

Ms. X walked past her before she left, making her feel even smaller, leaving her alone with Valkyrie, who focused her (literall) icy stare back on Glory. “Don’t screw this up. I put my ass on the line for you,” she informed her.

“Why?”

Valkyrie smiled a little. “Because you remind me of me at your age. I know you were just trying to help, and you’ve been frustrated with all this theory we’ve been throwing at you. Next semester we’ll be going out into the field.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Now get out of here. Behave yourself over break.”

“I will.”

******

Lawrence hit the floor hard as Torch took him down towards the end of their training session, knocking the wind out of him. He’d been having a hard time with all the physical stuff involved with being a super hero, but knowing America was upstairs getting kicked out of the program wasn’t exactly helping. “Dude, I’m kicking your ass,” Torch said, offering a hand and pulling Lawrence to his feet. Torch was much better at this game than he was.

“Whatever.” He coughed air back into his lungs.

Romeo wandered over to check on him. “You okay?”

“Fine. Can I be excused a few minutes early? America’s been gone a long time. I’d like to check on her.”

“Go ahead,” Romeo said. “Okay Torch, let’s see if you can take me down.”

Lawrence hurried out of the room before anything could catch on fire.


He found America sitting on the floor in the hallway right outside of the gymnasium, eyes red from crying. “They kicked you out.” He dropped to the floor beside her. “America, I am so sorry.”

“No, I’m okay,” she said. “I’m just on probation.”

He laughed a little. “Then why are you crying?”

Lawrence nearly got the wind knocked out of him again when America threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. “I was so scared I was going to have to leave.”

“But you’re not. You’re fine.”

“I didn’t want to go home with things still weird between us.”

“Weird?”

“C’mon, KP. Ever since Thanksgiving break you’ve been weird. Is it something I did?”

“No, America. It’s me. And I’m over it. I promise.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” She kissed him again. “I’m coming back next semester. Let’s celebrate.”

******


Lola sat at a table in the Red Door club, holding a drink but not sipping it, watching the club. She was determined not to let her nerves get the better of her a second time, but perhaps there was no need. It was getting late, and Dark Lothario had yet to make an appearance.

She couldn’t imagine the trouble Glory was in for thwarting his latest kidnapping. According to the Acropolis Crime Watch website, in the five years he had spent in the city (two of them locked up in the Gorram Asylum for the Criminally Insane) he had only been thwarted once before by Romeo Avenger, and on further speculation someone named Captain Honor had put him away for several years in Miami in the mid-eighties. He had never done hard time. Many of his victims refused to press charges, and he always had perfect behavior as an inmate at the two mental institutions, being let out early both times. No woman had ever beaten him before, and now Glory had done it, in full daylight, dressed as an average teenager instead of a hero. Dark Lothario had been beaten by a little girl. Lola could only imagine how much that probably burned him.

Could she protect her best friend against Dark Lothario? Should she? She loved Glory and all, but she was a hero, and Lola never could be. She knew that. She had the soul of a fascist dictator, deep down. Eventually she wouldn’t be able to hide it any more, and it would be all over between them. She didn’t want Glory to be hurt by Dark Lothario, but she didn’t want to make an enemy of him either.

Lola had never made real friends easily. The thought of losing one was
depressing.

Staring at the tabletop, Lola looked up when a pink drink with an umbrella slid across it’s surface. She looked up and saw Ratface. “Your drink looked like it was getting warm in your hand like that,” he offered. “Are you planning our next evil endeavor? I think it needs to be big, you know? Maybe we could rob a bank!”

Lola slapped the pink glass away. Ratface caught it before it could hit the floor, impressive reflexes for someone with no super powers. “I’m not in the mood, Ratface.”

“We’ve gotta strike while the iron’s hot, you know? We should come up with some sort of calling card, so people know we’ve been there.”

“I don’t think so,” she replied.

The club went strangely silent except for the music, and Lola looked around. Dark Lothario had decided to grace the club after all. The couches she had seen him sitting before were suddenly empty of people to make space for him and the dozen or so people around him.

“Why do you want to go in with his lot?” Ratface asked her, following her gaze. She let her eyes fall back to the surface of the table. “I just want to meet him, that’s all.”

“You and every other woman. The man is a god. He doesn’t need to use that super-charisma-mind-control-pheromone-whatever-the-hell he has. Women fawn all over him just because of his reputation. Wish women would do that to me.”

While he spoke his eyes had been slowly traveling down until they rested on Lola’s cleavage. “Ratface.” He brought his attention back to her eyes. “Throw your drink into your face.” He promptly tossed his half-full mug of beer into his eyes.

“Dammit, boss!” He reached blindly for some napkins. “Do you know how much that stings?”

“Not as much as hitting you would.”

She turned to request a towel from the bartender and almost tripped over Mysterious Ted, her juvenile admirer from her last trip to the club. “Mistress,” he said like and over-eager puppy. “This is my brother, the Trapdoor Spider.”

The man standing behind him was in his mid-twenties, had longish, curly hair, and wore large silver spider pin in the lapel of his jacket. “Dark Lothario would like a word with you,” Spider said.

Lola stood up. “C’mon,” she said to Ratface, who tripped over his chair as he stood up, wiping the beer off his face with his sleeve. He wasn’t much of a henchman, but he was better than nothing going to meet the most powerful super villain in the city. Lola drew herself up to her full height (not that tall) and sucked in her gut a little (not that much).

Mysterious Ted apparently hadn’t been invited because he fell away from the group without a word, fading into the crowd without a word. When they approached Dark Lothario he stood up and offered his hand.

Lola wasn’t sure what to expect. She felt no paternal recognition as they shook hands, nor did she get the urge to jump him like so many other women did. “Welcome to my city,” Dark Lothario said, and settled back into his seat, one of the women with him slithering across his lap. He ignored her, so Lola did too and sat down in a chair offered to her by Spider. Ted’s brother moved to stand behind Dark Lothario, and Ratface stood at her side, hands behind his back and looking too serious.

“Thank you,” Lola said. “I’ve been here a few months.”

“A student, am I right?”

“Yes.”

“Good for you. I never went to college myself. So, little miss ingénue. You are under the impression that you can come into my city and play with my police department?”

Lola felt a shiver of fear, but she hoped it didn’t show. “I guess so.”

Dark Lothario laughed. “You’ve got sass, little girl. So, mind control. Let me guess. You’re the reason our Mr. Wyler buggered off to Taiwan to become a monk, right? We were business partners you know. It irked me something awful.”

“Is that so?”

“What is it you want, little girl?”

“Stop calling me that,” she ordered, but he only laughed again.

“That’s not going to work on me,” he said. “You might be able to order around weak minds well enough, but mine is sharp and double edged.”

“Fine. I want to be at the top.”

“Of Acropolis? Never going to happen.”

“Of the world.” She really wished he would stop laughing. “I know I’m young. I don’t expect it to happen overnight, and I know I have a lot to learn. Maybe I’m not strong enough yet, but I will be.”

“Is that so? Well. If you want to learn from the best I’m sure we could arrange something.”

“Thank you,” she said, not sure what she was accepting.

*****


Lola felt a little dazed as she traded out cars and outfits and headed home in her BMW. Dark Lothario given her permission to sit with him in the club, and he hadn’t tried any funny business with her, to her great relief. She wasn’t sure how to breech the subject of paternity. At the moment she was just grateful to be at his side while she figured out what came next.

As she pulled into their driveway she slammed on the breaks. Lawrence’s truck was parked in her space. She glanced up--the only light on in their apartment was Glory’s bedroom. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she whispered to herself, not wanting to believe what she was seeing.

Lawrence’s other girl. Wholesome and everything she wasn’t. As she watched at the window she could see a shadow too large to be one person. Lawrence and Glory, together. No. Not Lawrence. As though Glory ever stopped talking about him. The Kinetic Professor.
7
*****

A/N: Sorry about the lateness. It was the first week of class, and it was a bitch. I'm taking 5 classes, and on wednesdays I leave the house at 7:45 AM and get home at 9:15 PM. So updates are being moved to Friday to give me proper time to write. On the up side I'm graduating in May, so this is the last time I'll ever do this. I've been going to school on and off for ten years now, so you have no idea what a relief this is.

I didn't plan on Lola finding out about Lawrence here. It just sort of happened. This chapter ends the first half of the book, and we are officially at the 40,000 word mark. Exciting stuff.