When Lightning Strikes

Chapter 22 -- Falling pretty hard

Mason and Ash were bickering even when I reached the den. They hardly saw each other, yet this is what they do when they're in the same room?

"Move over, you don't know what you're looking for!" Ash bumps Mason out of the desk chair, causing him to hit the floor with a loud thud.

"Excuse me but I think I know a little more about super powers than you!" Mason hollers at her, but he doesn't bump her out of the chair like she did to him. He pulls up a rose covered, cushioned chair instead.

Ash is typing furiously, researching faster than I ever had the motivation to. Mason watches her intently, finally giving my ears a break.

"Do you even know who we're contacting? You can't just search 'how to get super powers'. There's a system-"

"That I just hacked." Ash sits back, a satisfied smirk playing on her face. Mason's jaw drops.

"Yup. That's him. Richard Banks. He's the one who trained me." Mason states, his chin lifting a little higher since he recognized the man.

"And who is he?" I finally speak aloud. For some reason they both jump out of their skin. Ash brings her hand up to her chest, like she just had a heart attack.

"Richard Banks is Black Light." Mason says, eyes glued to the laptop screen once again. It's a wonder he has super vision; I'd think he'd have eye problems if anything.

"This helps us how?" Jonas enters the room, startling me now.

Ash huffs, "He's the oldest villain alive. He trained Steel Hawk. He can tell us anything we want to know."

"Why would he?" I squint my eyes in their direction.

Mason and Ash are both nerds. They don't usually have to explain themselves to people of lesser brain capabilities, I suppose. But could they be a smidge more patient?

"Because he loves me like a son. He doesn't have to know I'm a good guy now. I just have to be willing to play villain for a while in order to coax the information I need out of him." Mason finishes his sentence with a 'duh' look, as if I had 'stupid' tattooed on my forehead. I clench my fist, ready to fight my older brother. I may not have been a freaky genius, but I made A's and B's in school.

Ash pipes up, "And if he doesn't, Jonas can read his mind." Jonas smirks and leans back against the beige wall.

Jonas was an only child and his parents were pretty wealthy. His parents seemed to always be on business trips. Their house was elegantly decorated, with simple, wine colored walls. They were rich, not gaudy. One would think Jonas would dress nicer, drive a sports car, or be more popular. While he wore decent clothes and was good looking, he drove a beat up truck so he wouldn't get special treatment or popularity by association.

Perhaps I've been staring at him for too long. Mason and Ash have already started discussing something else and Jonas is grinning like a fool in my direction. Abort mission, abort!

Just as I look away, Ash and Mason are back to bickering over the laptop, pulling on it and pushing each other. Seriously, can Ash get along with anybody? First Jonas, now my brother?

Mason yells at her, "I have to be the one to contact him! He can't know of any trace to another person. I have to see him in person!" He lets go, just as Ash pulls back. She topples over in the chair and Jonas lets out a hoot. I would've thought Mason did it intentionally and would be laughing with Jonas, but his eyes light up in fear instead. Mason reaches down to help her up. To my surprise, she lets him. Zero to one hundred real quick.

"Okay here's the plan," I try to break the awkwardness I'm feeling, "Tomorrow, while we're at school, Mason will go to see this Richard Banks guy-"