Friend and Foe

Chapter Sixteen

Justin held the chip up in the moonlight. I realised, as it glinted in the light, that it was less chip and more capsule. It was a short metal cylinder. The ends were the size of the tip of my pinkie finger and roughly a centimetre or two in length. It was slick with blood and was disgustingly warm when Justin dropped it into my palm. I held it to my eye, studying it closer. It was simple looking – smooth and plain – with a pinprick hole on one end.

"This is what makes me different?"

"That has been under your skin for the past two years?" Justin looked repulsed by the idea.

"Over." I tore up some grass to wipe it, but it did little to clear the mess.

I took the damp cloth from the back of my neck and wrapped the cylinder in it. Justin's gloved fingers came back to my neck. After a moment of probing at it he decided what he wanted to do.

"I'm going to stitch it. Be warned I've never stitched anything in my life."

"Then I don't want you on my zombie apocalypse team," I joked.

"Stitching is a requisite to survive the zombie apocalypse?" He asked, "I legally carry a weapon. Am I back on the team?"

"We'll have to weigh your merits."

He distracted me with conversation as he slowly and painfully stitched the cut closed. Once it was closed, he wiped it with a disinfectant that stung a little and put am adhesive bandage over it. I tugged my hair out of my ponytail to hide the bandage.

"You need to make friends with a doctor or something," he said, "because I'm not doing that again."

I stood up, fingers on the back of my neck, feeling the bandage. "There won't be an again."

I unzipped the backpack I'd been sitting on, knowing what I was going to find. Sure enough, there on the very top was a new Companion. Metal and shiny it was a newer model than my last Companion. I opened it to find a note pressed inside. There was a message written on it just for me.

I have child-proofed this so the next time you have a temper-tantrum, this will, at least, survive.

There was more than a temper-tantrum heading her way the next time I saw her.

"What's that?" Justin was eyeing the Companion.

"My Companion." Not wanting to go through a whole detailed explanation, I just said, "A super ready phone."

"Cool." He looked like he wanted to ask more questions but instead he just closed the first-aid kit. "I should get going."

"Yeah. Sorry for dragging you out here so late. I just needed it out."

"That's okay," he smiled. "I'm just glad you didn't try it yourself."

Once he was gone, I crept back inside. The back door let into the kitchen, but I was so busy being quiet that I didn't notice the form standing by the sink.

"Romantic interlude?"

I was fairly sure my heart stopped as I jumped. I slammed my hand on the light switch and light flooded the room.

"Jesus," I hissed, "you gave me a heart-attack."

Dad shrugged. "How do you think I felt when I saw two people standing in my backyard? I nearly called the police on you two."

"You know," I told him, leaning against the bench, "for people who told me I was a free woman when I turned eighteen, you and Mum don't give me much space."

Dad filled a glass with water and offered it to me. "Your mother is worried."

"I don't care," I told him.

"Parker."

"God. You guys. Go fret over something else. Let me deal about me for once."

I didn't let him respond before I rushed out of the kitchen and locked myself in my room.

***

I woke up to a message on my Companion the next morning. From none other than Gwen herself. Apparently gone where the days of dealing directly with Handlers. Gwen used to be a shadowy higher power nobody knew.

You've disappointed me, Parker.

***

Two days following the removal of the chip – capsule – I made the news. It was a Saturday and I was on the couch eating Weet-bix and watching weekend news. I wasn't paying much attention, just there for headlines to get the gist of things. What caught my attention was my picture on screen with the heading 'Whisper: Hero or Villain?' Swearing I turned the volume up on screen.

"In recent decades, the superhero presence in major cities around our countries had grown to unmissable proportions," the presenter said in way of introduction.

"Parker," Mum hollered from the kitchen, "turn the volume down, please!"

I dropped the volume two points as the woman on-screen went on, "We found superheroes to be something of a gift. Crime rates across the country went down. Their acts of heroism inspired everyday people to be neighbourhood heroes. But- a recent incident in Western Australia has us questioning if giving these powered beings unrestricted access to our cities."

I was vaguely aware of Mum wondering into the room and propping her elbows on the back of the couch.

"Now we are going to our Perth studio to talk to Phil Arnotts. Phil, tell me what the public reaction to the incident has been?"

"Thank you, Emily. The incident that occurred this past Thursday seems to be a drug bust gone wrong. The police had been working for months to uncover a drug operation working out of Midland in the city's east. A bust was scheduled for Thursday but when authorities arrived, they were in for a bit of a shock. It was alleged that local superhero, Whisper, was the culprit for multiple homicides. Citizens of Perth have taken to social media to express their concerns at the events. The general atmosphere following the incident is that perhaps we've given superheroes in our city too much power and it's frightening."

"It does sound scary, Phil," Emily sympathised. "Maybe Western Australia government should think about a Super Act like New South Wales and Queensland."

Phil nodded sombrely, "That could be our future. It has been voiced but people online, but some argue that it's too late and the superheroes will keep on as they have. Now we'll go to our correspondent on the scene on the incident."

Another face joined Phil and Emily on screen. A woman standing on the street in front of a house blocked off with police tape. She lifted her microphone to her mouth and offered the camera a serious smile.

"It was on this quiet residential street that earlier this week the residents were disturbed but commotion coming from this house behind me. Most were afraid to leave their homes, unused to this kind of violent dispute. Of the few to come to the resident's aid was an elderly man who has requested to remain anonymous. He arrived on scene with just enough time to witness local superhero, Whisper, fleeing what turned out to be a multiple homicide."

They rolled footage of cop cars lined on the street, flashing lights casting light on onlookers. More footage showed ambulances pulling away from the curb.

"It's a grim sight. Residents are still being questioned and the police have opened an inquiry into the involvement of officers after the appearance of a note left at the crime scene. The big question is, 'are our city's superheroes – Whisper in particular – going to be held accountable?'"

They went back to the studio but I wasn't paying any attention. I was focused on 'Whisper.'

I did what?