The Stupendous Springer

Episode 2: Detour, Chapter 2

"You know all their names and powers and stuff, right, Sophie?" Nicole asked her daughter, turning around in the front passenger seat of Rita's SUV to meet her daughter's gaze.

Sophie, who had been gazing out the window watching Hamilton, Ontario pass her by, started and turned to face her mother. "Ah! What? Oh, uh, no. I know some of them, but . . . "

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Sophie, I asked you to do a little bit of research on the very unique people we're going to meet today. What did you do last night instead?"

Flashes of the dumb videos Sophie had binged the night before flashed though her mind. "Study for exams," she said.

Nicole's eyes narrowed to bladelike slits. "Sure," she grunted. "Well, I guess you'll find out soon enough, anyway."

"I can fill you in if you want!" Holly exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her seat as if she was trying to land in Sophie's lap. "Anything you want to know, just ask!"

"Do they have good bathrooms at the facility?" Sophie asked smugly, genuinely curious, yet also trying to throw Holly for a loop.

"Oh yes," Holly replied, not missing a beat. "They're even reinforced, in case of--"

"Okay, okay, I'm gonna stop you right there," Sophie interrupted, holding up her hand with a wince. "I really don't want to talk about that level of detail right now."

Holly nodded. A moment passed, then she asked, "Do we need to reinforce our bathroom? Are we good?"

Sophie turned to look at her very slowly. "No. I'm just elastic, not nuclear. We're good. Can we drop it?"

Holly frowned. "Hey, I'm just asking! Any kind of adjustment or extra equipment we need, we should get it. You're family, Super or not, and we need to help you be as comfortable as possible."

Sophie sighed. "Yeah, you're right," she agreed. "Sorry, I guess I'm still bummed about losing my lessons with Gabe yesterday."

Holly leaned over and gave her friend a squeeze, Sophie's plush body accepting the gesture readily. "Well, how about a stretchy suit?"

"You know what?" Sophie replied, her energy returning. "That sounds awesome."

"Really?" Holly asked. "Last time you were very 'eh' about it when I asked."

Sophie nodded. "Yeah, but now I'm ready to give that a shot. Always having to adjust everything when I retract gets annoying."

Holly nodded back. "Okay! I'll ask Lenny if he knows a way we can make that happen."

"If you find a way," Sophie told her, "take it. I'm ready for it now."

Holly pumped her fist in triumph as the conversation moved on to more mundane things, like what the provided lunch might be, and how Holly's science project had turned out.

The audio texture of the road changed as their car continued along Queen Elizabeth Way onto Burlington Bay Skyway, the massive bridge across the water between Hamilton Harbor and Lake Ontario. The iconic CN Tower drove its spearlike tip deeper into the partly cloudy sky as they approached. The skyline that served as a shadowy backdrop for Hamilton's lakeside view took on increasingly apparent depth as it drew near, the suburbs of Western Hamilton taking on the role of shadow in its place as they receded. The upcoming structures dwarfed anything from Sophie's hometown, their unmoving enormity speaking volumes about what one might find within. Perhaps when she visited, Sophie thought, she might find a new direction for her life.

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A confused trip down the busy streets, a quick hunt for the right parking structure, and a short walk from the structure's elevator to a skyway-accessible entrance to the facility - these were the only obstacles in the family's way on their way to meet Canada's designated National Enhanced Response Team. It was a bit incredible, to the point that all four of them were having their doubts when, after ten minutes of waiting for a team representative to meet them like the voice on the audio system had said they would, they began to think it would not happen at all. At just past the tenth minute, however, a rush not unlike a rocket thruster was heard, quickly followed by a thump from behind the sealed doors, and finally, at the sound of a strange whistle, they slid aside, revealing a man in his mid-twenties with medium complexion and a very clearly hastily assembled attire. He was wearing a collared shirt with no tie, with an unbuttoned jacket over it, but no formal pants. Instead, his legs were clad in red-and-green-accented armor that was both sleek and chunky at the same time, somehow. Even his hair was a mess, but he flipped a stay bang out of his face as he smiled and greeted them with outspread hands.