Hold Me Down (Peterick) ➳ Book 3

Seven

"Where are they?" Ryan asked the minute he stepped inside Pete's office.

Both Patrick and Pete looked up from the map spread out across the desk, but Patrick turned his attention away from Ryan, assuming he was speaking to Pete.

"Where the hell is he?"

"Hey, there's no reason to yell at him," Pete snapped. "Besides. He doesn't really know. Your best bet is the Killjoys."

Ryan sighed. "At least tell me he's okay."

Patrick nodded. "Brendon's perfectly fine. Probably hates me by now, but I can live with that."

"I probably would too if you had left me like that," Ryan muttered.

Pete was halfway out of his chair when Patrick placed a hand on his shoulder. He watched as Patrick stepped around the table and right up to Ryan. Despite the fact that Patrick was obviously the shorter of the two, his glare had Ryan almost cowering in fear.

"I left to keep all of them safe. So I don't care if he hates me as long as he's still alive."

"Why didn't you just bring them back?"

"They wouldn't understand," Patrick said. "And it's best to keep them away from all this. People know I'm back, and I have no doubt Billie Joe and the rest of them won't attack soon."

Ryan glanced at Pete with a raised eyebrow to which Pete replied with a proud smile. "So what do we do, Patrick?"

"We wait. Let them make the first move. We can get an idea of how they attack and just how super their abilities are. Until they do, we should probably set up safe location for citizens to go."

As Patrick rambled on Pete watched how he came to life. His hands moved energetically as he talked, emphasizing the point he was trying to make. He eyes glowed with hope, and Ryan's comments only added to it.

Maybe they could defeat the super humans and maybe they could rebuild the world.

*

Kobra Kid watched as the blonde named Taylor struggle to keep the baby from wiggling in her arms. The tall one who she addressed as Gabe was laughing at her since the newborn he held was sleeping away. Kobra could hear her pleas of desperation, and considered stepping it.

He had strict instructions from Patrick to make sure Taylor was safe, and them standing outside with two babies was making them completely vulnerable. But what would he do? As a robot he had an extensive knowledge on children, but he couldn't handle them like a human could.

"He's not feeling well," Kobra said as he stepped into their line of sight. "I can feel his temperature from here."

Taylor adjusted the boy in her arms and observed Kobra Kid carefully. "What's your name?"

"Kobra Kid."

"No. Your real name. Patrick told me about you, how you were human before. If you want us to trust you I'd suggest you tell us," she added.

He sifted around in his memories for a moment, trying to recall it, but every turn he made came up blank. He was ready to give up, telling them he couldn't remember when a scrap of a memory of him and his brother surfaced.

They were completely different from how they were now Party Poison's hair had been black and somewhat greasy; his own having been a light brown.

"Give them back, Gee," he could hear himself saying. Gee, short for Gerard. His brother's name was Gerard.

"Make me Mikey." And he was Mikey.

He looked up to see Taylor and Gabe watching him closely.

"My name was Mikey."

Taylor smiled brightly and held out the baby. "So he's sick, Mikey. Have any suggestions?"

Carefully Mikey took the baby and looked him over. His mind shuffled through illness possibilities, cataloging symptoms experienced to narrow down the results.

"It's the flu," he concluded forty-three seconds later. "A simple injection should take care of it. Though he'll be sleeping for a few hours."

Taylor looked apprehensive to agree, and when Mikey asked why she gestured towards a building, saying they should stop for the night.

"You're not going to turn him into some alien right? I promised Dallon I'd keep him safe," she said once they were settled down for the night.

"No. It's an injection of a genetically enhanced form of white blood cells to fight of the infection faster. I promise."

"Okay."

*

Vic Fuentes watched as his sort of, kind of boyfriend Kellin Quinn cuddle up on the tiny sofa with their friend Alan Ashby. The teenagers were a part of a larger group, but had condensed themselves to individual rooms as they traveled. Most couples shared, but Alan usually found his way to Kellin and Vic's room during the night, taking Kellin hostage until morning.

Most of the time it didn't bothered Vic since he knew Alan was alone, but occasionally he wished Alan and Kellin weren't so close.

Leaving the two to sleep, Vic opted to roam the streets for a while. Nothing happened in this small town, and no one had passed through in months. However, he still armed himself on the off chance someone decided to make an unfriendly visit.

He was passing a rundown movie theater when a long shadow passed across the ground.  He could barely make out the sound of footsteps as the scavenger navigated through the debris inside. Vic turned towards the noise and advanced, his weapon at the ready.

At the sound of a twig breaking the scavenger inside the building turned. It crept through the building on sure feet, waiting for an attack. However, the small man at the doorway didn't appear to be a threat, so the scavenger took aim and rendered the man unconscious with a single hit.

Gathering up the man and supplies, the scavenger hurried down the street in case the man slung over his shoulder had companions lurking about. He slowed his pace to a walk as he realized no one was after him. He adjusted the man onto the other shoulder, his red leather jacket crunching as he did so.