The Dinner Treaty

Chapter 15 - Hotspot

I wake up to sunlight streaming through the blinds that cover my window, casting shadows and highlights over my floor. Looking at my clock, I can see it's almost 11 o'clock, which makes this morning the biggest sleep in I've quite possibly ever had. I'm not surprised, considering I was up at Midnight,  traipsing all over the city tacking posters to walls and fliers to poles - fliers I broke into the print shop to create. 

All of my advertisements bear the same message, and by lunch there won't be a person who's oblivious to the city's latest tourist attraction - The SuperDen, Home of the city's resident Superhero Siblings. All ages welcome, the perfect fun family outing: Today Only!

My brother's secret sanctuary is about to be over-run by tourists and curious city-goers, who may just be treated to a performance by yours truly, just in case the swarms of people don't grab their attention. I've even installed a mask-cam to capture the moment they find out PinK is alive. 

I hop out of bed and throw my covers on my bed in an attempt to make my room seem tidier. The last thing I need is Mum nagging me when I'm celebrating my awesome victory. I slip into my form-fitting outfit and braid my hair back into a plait-ponytail. Then, I press my newly modified mask over my eyes and I'm set. Carefully I open the window and jump out, landing in a crouch. Let Mum believe I'm still sleeping for a while longer. 

I make my way into town, carefully navigating the maze of office blocks and keeping a wary eye out for my brothers. I'm not going to reveal anything before I'm ready, and I want to see the crowds before I make my debut. 

Sure enough, there are already dozens of people lining up. I sneak around the back of the building and enter through the air conditioning vent I also loosened early this morning. The bunker-like building is abandoned, but I can hear the people chattering outside. I stride up to the keypad and enter the passcode, which disables the alarm system. Then, I wait until I'm back in the air-ducts to open the doors. I can see everything from here, including the first clue I've left for my brothers if they show up early. A gargantuan pile of Pink Cookies on the counter. 

I didn't have to do much to turn their boy-cave into a tourist attraction, I just put all of their costumes and accessories on display and put up a huge poster advertising a performance at 12:00. I can see the people ooh and aah over every little thing, and the cookies are soon eaten. Probably should have thought that through better, but oh well. It's 12 and my brothers still haven't shown up which means its time for the promised performance. 

I shimmy my way out of the air vents and check everything is in order before launching myself into the skies. I already have a classic pink dust bomb in hand, and once I'm hovering high above the street I throw it high and shoot it using my favorite engraved gun.  The 'bang!' makes everyone look up at the spray of pink floating down. Today the mix is harmless, just pigment and flour. The spectators are useful to me right now, and if I used my more sinister chili-blinding mix they wouldn't be able to see me evade my brothers once more. 

I do a loop-de-loop upside down, mostly for the benefit of the onlookers as I wait. I don't have to wait long, within seconds I can see my brothers racing towards the cloud of pink slowly fading away. Their stunned faces are just as priceless as I anticipated. Mike and Luke look like they've been slapped, with mouths gaping and blinking eyes. Carter doesn't bother with emotion though, which is a pity. Instead, he just launches himself at me, arms outstretched to grab me or knock me out of the skies. I don't wait long enough to find out, dodging out of the way in a rather spectacular somersault. Not to be deterred, he grabs my boot and yanks it off, throwing it down to the street in an attempt to strip me of my flight powers. It lands amidst the crowd in a huge puff of pink smoke, no doubt ruined beyond repair. 

I don't bother mourning my creation, not when Luke and Mike have recovered from their shock. I quickly grab a signature chili-grenade from my belt and throw it at them. They swerve out of the way and it sails down into the packed streets. Oops. Mike and Carter are slowly moving around in an attempt to surround me, showing they haven't learned from our previous encounters at all.  I rocket up into the sky, banking left into the maze of skyscrapers and office buildings in the heart of the city. I weave through the narrow streets, little more than a blur of color racing past to the civilians watching through office windows. I can't see my brothers, which worries me. 

I'm disrupted from my thoughts and flight by an intense pain radiating from my left shoulder, accompanied by a deafening bang. I can't believe it, not from my brothers. It's not their style to fight dirty at all! Nevertheless, one of them just shot me. 

I shake my head, trying to clear the fog that suddenly clouded my vision when I'm tackled from the side. It's Luke, and he's grabbed me by my last booted leg. With one deft movement, he pulls off my boot and throws me into a building so hard the impact shatters the glass. I tumble through the broken pane and roll into the hall. Disorientated, I push my way into a random room which appears to be a bathroom. Futile as it may be, I lock the door and slide to the floor. 

In my arrogance, I'd completely forgotten to pack a medkit. Luckily my suit shielded me from the shards of glass that would have shredded my back like paper and the bullet that hit me from behind, but it did little to protect me from the bruises that blossomed all over my face and torso. A thin trickle of blood runs down the side of my face, and I pat it away with a folded piece of toilet paper.  I wait in the stall for 5 whole minutes, catching my breath and assessing the situation. I had no boots, no bombs left and only a revolver to use against bulletproof enemies. If I want to survive, let alone win, I'll have to use the one weapon left in my arsenal. 

PinK's true identity.

I leave my mask hanging on the door, hoping it will survive until I can collect it again. Then, I walk past the cowering workers and jump out of the broken window. I see my brothers straight away, combing the city for PinK. I shoot at Mike, knowing the effort is futile, but I see it hit his rear and send him spinning. It takes him a moment to orient himself, but in that time Luke and Carter have flown up to my location. Carters brows have furrowed in confusion and Luke's jaw has dropped down in utter bewilderment.  It only takes Mike a minute to reach us and now it's just us four flying high above the city. 

"The gaping fish look is good on you, Luke," I say, clutching my shoulder. "and Mike - I thought shooting people was beneath you. Apparently not." I sigh with a look at the gun clutched in his hand. 

"Aelia?" Carter begins, starting to recover from his surprise. "You're PinK? But how? You can't fly!" I snort, rising a little. "You sure about that bro?" I smirk. "The better question is, PinK, why?" asks Luke, his face like stone. 

I shrug, rotating my shoulder a little and wincing at the pain that small motion brings. "I guess I got sick of waiting to be accepted as a hero. I might not be bulletproof, but I'm far from powerless. You guys just weren't around enough to see it." I state, my voice lacking emotion. Luke's face softens a little, and the expression makes Mike see red. "Who cares? She's PinK! She turned our home into a tourist hotspot, used nature against us time and time again and stained the whole darn city pink." He turns to face me, arms dropping to his sides. "You're evil, and sister or not we're taking you in." He turned to face my brothers once more, calming slightly. "Right guys?"

Lukes' face reflects how torn he is, while Carter has obviously made up his mind. "Right." He confirms, arms folded across his chest. Only Luke remains undecided. I decide to make his mind up for him. "I want a 10-minute headstart" I sigh.  Mike barks out a laugh and Carter looks thoughtful. "5 minutes" he bargains and I shrug. "Deal," I say, and turn towards home. "Time's ticking" yells Mike and I shoot off, the wind playing with my hair. My secret's out, and honestly? I couldn't be happier. No more sneaking around, no more masks. "See you on Wednesday!" I yell into the wind at the three fading figures in the sky. I doubt they'll be late.