Games of Chance

Twenty Four- II

"Oh, uh..." Chase paused, uncertain. "That sounds great." This was certainly unexpected, but what could he say? There was something oddly inspiring about being granted a 'superhero name' of his own. Even though he would never see battle anytime soon, even though his role kept him as far away from the field as possible, it made him feel like a real part of the team. Some part of him wondered if that had been Juliana's intention.

"Alright everyone, let's get down to the lab. Meg, since you're not old enough for a Supplement, you'll be staying here. I'd recommend that you get some practice with your new PW," Juliana said.

"Gotcha!" Meg squeezed her right eye shut in the cheesiest wink possible before pulling two black pins out of her hair, watching in wonder as they transformed into elaborately engraved twin daggers. Meg had a much easier time selecting her Principal Weapon than Chase had- she'd only spent twenty minutes or so in the Vault before emerging victoriously with two inconspicuous hairpins in hand.

According to the Order history Chase had been so ardently studying, the last person to wield them was Queen Anne I, the first woman to ever lead the Order and have a Principal Weapon of her own. He wasn't sure what the near-sentient weapon of one of the world's first real feminists had seen in his decidedly average twelve-year-old sister, but he decided not to voice that thought. Meg had already been through way too much, and he had no right to add to her burden. Besides, they were both here together in a country and, in a lot of ways, a new world. If there was ever a time for them to set aside their differences and rebuild their relationship, this was it.

As the four Heirs walked out of the Royal Academy's main campus and toward the car that would take them to Juliana's lab in the heart of Order headquarters, Roy began to give his daily update on PROB's situation.

"So I talked to Commander Dev this morning. Her team's been working on preliminary surveillance for our mission to the Jackers' island- which, by the way, is scheduled for this Saturday. Their drones captured many aerial images, but they had a very narrow window of time to get in and out without the Eagle's security systems picking up on them, so most of the pictures are useless. What they did find is that the island's defensive layout looks simple enough. Basically, it's a dartboard."

"A what?"

"A dartboard. You know, with a bunch of concentric rings. Here- I'll show you the map I drew based on the pictures and Dev's description." As he pulled up an image on his tablet, Roy waited for the others to file into the backseat of the car. Juliana pressed a button on the dashboard, probably to indicate their destination, and the car pulled away from the Royal Academy, driving itself toward the city center.

"So, this is the outer circumference of the island. It's naturally rocky, but the Jackers have augmented that over the years, adding sharp stones and shards of glass that make it impossible to dock a ship. That means in order to get to the island, you either fly in or you get out of your boat and swim, making you vulnerable to shooters on the shore. Obviously, the former is the better option for us."

"What about these?" Juliana pointed to a few of the large green patches that covered the map.

"Those are swatches of forest, stocked with every venomous species imaginable. I'm guessing the vials we always find in dead Jackers' pockets are the antidotes to those. Too bad we never kept any of them."

"Ah, that makes sense," Juliana nodded. "The Eagle's predecessor's wife- what's her name- Rose Eadley was obsessed with poisons. She was notorious for administering them to her husband's rivals while they slept. Some reports even say she fed them to her children in small doses to build their immunity- that's how they survived the Eagle's first attempt to kill them."

"Wow... so the whole family was nuts, then. Not that the Eagle's any better," Roy scratched the back of his head before zooming in on the center of the map and pointing at the large gray rectangle that occupied it. "Speaking of the Eagle, we're pretty sure this is where he and his mysterious cyborg spend most of their time. It's the most heavily guarded area on the island, and it looks like some kind of modified warehouse. If the Hewkins are still on the island, this is where they are."

"So we bypass all the defenses, land the PROBJet on the warehouse roof and go to town?" Chase asked.

"I wish it were that simple, but the Jackers have got insane aerial detection tech. They'd spot us from a mile away," Roy sighed as the car pulled up in front of Nader V. Hesche. As soon as they were within sight of the building, the Heirs reached for their Maskeys. Chase found that he no longer had to watch the others for the cue to do so- despite his initial reservations, he was beginning to form some Order habits.

They passed through the usual security procedure in record time, walking through the lobby, into the breakroom, down the chute and into the elevator that would take them down into the lab. A palpable nervous tension hung in the air- all four members of Project PROB knew that with their next mission coming up so soon, they had no time to waste.

The lab itself was also abuzz with many more people than usual. Commander Dev and a young assistant looked at a 3D holographic projection of Roy's map, pinpointing coordinates and speaking in hushed whispers. Commander Chu put down some new experimental weapon she was testing to give Chase a measured nod. She'd stopped publicly insulting him and had even started to give him the courtesy of a greeting. It didn't look like much, but any expression of approval from Chu, no matter how subtle, made Chase grin with pride.

Juliana slid back the panel that led to the suit chamber, leading the other members of Project PROB into the familiar octagonal room. It looked no different from the first time she had revealed it to them: the three suits hung in their familiar glass cases as small robotic cleaners flitted around them, dusting and polishing them to a brand-new sheen.

Chase expected her to open the cases so the others could collect their suits, but instead, she clasped her hands in front of her stomach and turned around to face the other Heirs. "Before we get started today, I want to address an issue that I know some of you have been extremely concerned about: the Academy's Midyear Social."

At this, Roy and Hayley grew quiet, exchanging argumentative looks.

"For Chase, the Social is an annual Royal Academy tradition where the middle school, high school, and college students come together for a semi-legal midnight party on the rooftops of a few campus buildings. This year, it happens to be scheduled for this Friday night. The day before our mission."

"We absolutely cannot go," Roy shook his head firmly. "What's more important to you: saving the Hewkins or showing up at some stupid party we've been to a million times already?"

"Chase hasn't been a million times already," Hayley pointed out, crossing her arms. "And don't you think people would get suspicious if all four Heirs decided to ditch? All logic aside, it's the Midyear Social."

"Chase, what do you think?" Juliana asked. "After all, this would be your first Social. You're the one who'd be most affected by not attending." Chase froze, feeling like the whole world was watching him. This was the first time he had ever been asked to make a decision for Project PROB as a whole, and he hadn't the slightest idea of what to say.

Come on, Chase, just say no! You've never even been to a high school party before, much less one with the most powerful kids to the world. All you're going to do is humiliate yourself. Then again, you work with superheroes now... You've changed... You're better. Will one party really make or break the mission?

And with that, Chase said something he never dreamed of saying. "Um... yeah. Actually, I'd like to go."

"Well, then, the decision's made," Juliana nodded curtly, her lips curling into a small smile. Chase couldn't tell if it was just his imagination, but she looked almost proud.