Dad Talk

***October 6th, 2018***

Cyclone is alone in his office, a desk light and a standing floor lamp illuminating the room as he diligently attends to paperwork. The top right drawer in his desk is left partly open to where one can see the interior filled with trail mix. He occasionally reaches in for a few pieces and pops them into his mouth, no sound in the room but quiet crunching and papers shuffling. Memorabilia (mostly from his active hero days) lines the walls and open surfaces. A noticeable dent is in the plaster directly behind the desk where earlier that week a heated exchange had caused Rhiannon to be punched across the desk and into Cyclone before they both slammed into the wall. It hasn’t been fixed yet. Two empty chairs sit across from him to encourage visitors.

A gentle knock comes on the doorframe even though the door is open and Cyclone looks up to see Rhiannon standing there uncertainly. Her day-to-day glamor is down, revealing the white hair and pale skin of her true appearance. The dim lighting makes the slight glow of her eyes and the runes lining her skin more obvious. It also accentuates the dark bags under her eyes and general look of exhaustion - she clearly hasn’t been getting enough sleep. Rhiannon’s eye and face on the left side still have the pink and greenish tinges of healing bruises. It’s a bit jarring to see her like this since even just the day before he’d seen her looking happy and healthy in class. But then… it seems her glamor isn't the only illusion she can maintain.

“Um, Mr... Cyclone- sir? Uh I don’t- I’m not quite sure what to call you…” The teen trails off.

“Oh, um. Rhiannon, yeah uh, Cyclone’s fine. Please sit down, you do *not* look well.” Cyclone says kindly with a bit of a chuckle, trying to put her at ease. “It’s kinda late, normally you’re home at this hour. What brings you over here?”

“Wha? Oh. I didn’t realize I walked out of the house without my glamor up… One second.” Rhiannon looks almost ashamed. As she speaks, color seems to slowly begin to spread across her like liquid filling a container. Tan unblemished skin starts to conceal the runes and paleness, while black creeps across the white of her hair.

“You don’t have to do that here.” Cyclone speaks up before she finishes. “This is a safe place. You can relax if you want to.”

“Oh, uh, alright.” The color stops spreading then eventually drains back to how it was. “But really, I’m- I’m fine.” She attempts to give him a reassuring smile and moves into the office to take a seat on one of the chairs. Fiddling with the hem of her shirt and mostly avoiding his gaze, she continues. “I’m sorry again about the other day. I hope you don’t judge her reaction too harshly…?”

“No... She has a lot to be upset about.” He looks somber. “She has some right to be angry. But it’s my duty to keep her safe. This is probably the best thing for her.”

“I understand you’re doing what you think is best in regards to Gwen seeing Uncle Lance, but... as you’re the one who called our family -and really the reason I’m back in Halcyon at all- I feel it’s only fair that I know the full story? I mean, how am I supposed to help my cousin if I have no idea what’s happened? Talk about being useless…” Rhiannon gives him a rueful smile.

Cyclone looks thoughtful for a short time. “Okay, yeah, just a moment.” He takes off his reading glasses (an amusing addition when he’s wearing his super suit) and puts them on the desk. “Very well. You do deserve some right to know. While Gwen does know the details of it, you should as well. Lancelot, or Mr. Lance Ottersby really, his past has always been a struggle. Since Gwen was taken by GREY, he lost a little piece of himself... and he stopped being the man that we knew- probably the man that *you* knew.” It’s clear that he’s being very careful with his words but there’s no sense of deception in them. “While we had been friends for a while, he’s not who he used to be. He slowly stopped caring about what mattered in our work, which is not just finding the goal... Not saving the day, not beating the bad guys, but - saving the people. And he lost sight of that.”

“I’ve been trying to read up on it myself and really the info out there isn’t very complete or probably entirely factual… What- what did he do?” It’s clear that she’s determined to know, but is fearful of the answer.

“He saw GREY as more than the people that were in it, and he was- killing anyone who would try to stop him from finding Gwen. He attacked poor Valor when he was first created before trying to find out more about him. He killed a whole lab full of scientists to get at their experiments. He’s- not quite who he used to be…” The older hero’s tone is soft but deliberate and frank as he keeps eye contact.

As soon as he confirms her biggest fear - that her dear, honorable uncle, one of her childhood heroes had been *murdering* people - Rhiannon’s eyes go wide with shock and horror. One might question how someone with such white skin could go pale, but the change is obvious. The poor girl looks like she’s been sucker-punched.

“He- he was killing people?”

“I’m afraid so. It’s not something I normally like to talk about, but- if you are going to be here, you do have the right to know.”

“I just- it doesn’t sound- it doesn’t sound like him at all…”

“Life changes us... In ways we’d never expect.”

“I suppose that’s the truth.” She says with a hint of bitterness. “Now, you said- when you called my family- My parents only told me that Gwen had been kidnapped but that she was back safe… But it sounds to me like you’re saying it was... more than that. Gwen was taken by GREY? Those people who attacked the city and turned people into transformed?”

“Indeed. Much of their early research involved taking children with enhanced abilities or that had lineage of superheroes, or other powered beings, and kidnapping them for themselves. They were experimenting on them and taking their DNA to see if they could replicate it, and eventually they were able to come to what I *hope* is the end of it - Permutation Pink.”

Silence hangs in the air. “How- how long was she taken?”

“Gwen has been missing for the past two years… We’ve only recently found her.”

“What??” She almost didn’t let him finish. “Two years? And- and nobody told us?”

“I feel it would have been Lance’s job to tell you and, I can’t say for certain I know what was in his head, but I feel like he felt so much shame out of losing her that he couldn’t face anyone left in the family until he found her.”

“You’re right. He’s the one who should have told us. I suppose if he didn’t even report her missing nobody would have known, I just-” Tears begin to form in Rhiannon’s eyes, her voice breaking from emotion as her shoulders slump. “I thought she was- with friends this whole time, like- you know, growing up like a normal person, I mean I was- I was too busy- I should have tried to get in touch with her…” Her rambling trails off and her head lowers to stare down at her hands. She’s barely keeping it together.

“No, no, come here…” Cyclone stands up and moves around the desk to stop by her chair, kneeling down and putting his hands gently but firmly on the shoulders of the hurting girl. “No, don’t- this had nothing to do with you. This was something going on with GREY and there’s nothing you could have done. All that matters now is you’re there for your cousin, and that you do your best to look out for her and- be a part of this team. This team needs you as much as she does.”

“I don’t- I don’t know about that, but… I am trying.” Her voice still breaks a bit, but his comforting seems to have calmed her for the most part.

“Try-? You have done... more than you realize. Now, look at me- ” He repeats it softly a couple more times, waiting patiently for her to lift her gaze and look at him. “You are a very special lady. You have a lot of power and- a surprising amount of discipline for someone your age. That’s what this team needs. This team needs you to be their rock. You can do that.”

When he calls her ‘special’ a very obvious blush creeps up her neck, though it’s unclear if she realizes. Needless to say, the kind words from her all-time favorite hero leave Rhiannon quite flustered. She tries to nod with confidence (only somewhat succeeding).

“I mean I’ll- I’ll try, I- I really want to make this work.”

Cyclone appears to ponder her response before posing a question.

“Why do you think I asked you to come here?”

“You mean… to join the Team?”

“Right. And I’ll tell you now it’s not just because you’re Gwen’s cousin.”

“Uh… Honestly? You’ve got me stumped on that one. So far I haven’t done a whole lot- except, I dunno, turn one section of the pier into a new animal habitat.” Rhiannon gives a sheepish smile.

“You know what? Let’s go for a ride. Come on.” He gets to his feet and pats her hand reassuringly.

“Oookay?”

Rhiannon follows Cyclone out to an area of the warehouse (that she did not know existed) where a spiffy blue 4-door sedan with a white stripe running along the top sits waiting. It’s very classy and decked out but also somehow can’t help giving off the impression of - a SuperDad car.
It’s a quiet night in the city as they drive along the streets - occasional groups of people waiting for the last bus; some just walking and chatting as they head out for a bite to eat; even a few groups looking like they’re about to hit the Saturday night party scene. Rhiannon notices the time on the car’s display and is surprised to see it nearing 11PM. She clearly hadn’t been paying attention when she left home.

“Oh I’m- I didn’t realize it was so late. I’m sorry that I bothered you.” Her tone is extremely apologetic.

“Trust me, I would’ve been here for another few hours. There’s always more paperwork to do. Running a team of teenagers is-”

“Terrifying?” Rhiannon accidentally interrupts with a grin when he pauses. “I feel like it would be terrifying…”

“It’s- it’s worth it. We’ll go with that.” Cyclone gives a genuine smile in return. “There’s a lot of stress to it sometimes, but I think each of you brings something that I want to see- blossom in the world in the future.”

“Sounds to me like I’m not the only one who needs to be getting some more sleep though…”

“Um, thank you, but I will be fine.”

“Mhmmm…” Rhiannon responds in a tone that clearly says ‘I’ll let it slide but you’re not fooling me’ as she gives him a side glance with narrowed eyes, still grinning slightly.

Eventually they arrive at the SuperUltraMegaMan Mall and Rhiannon looks around curiously but also confused. It’s clearly closed - as evidenced by the empty dead parking lot. The place is never open this late. Cyclone leads the way to the sliding door and pulls out a key, unlocking it easily.

“That’s unexpected.” She comments with amusement.

“Key to the City.” He says over his shoulder.

“I didn’t realize it was a *literal* key.” Rhiannon actually laughs out loud.

Putting the key back in his pocket, the two make their way through the abandoned mall. It’s only dimly lit at the moment and the only sound is their feet clicking along on the hardwood floor. They go by a few shops, including Histotea (the knockoff competition to her friends’ favorite tea shop), but she has yet to figure out where Cyclone is leading them. Until finally they come to a stop in front of the indoor roller rink. Rhiannon immediately becomes obviously nervous.

“Do you remember what you did here?” The mentor asks quietly, eyes fixed on the rink.

“Uh… Well I mean- Yes, I remember.” She responds awkwardly with a nervous laugh, looking up at him out of the corner of her eye and trying to get a read. “I spose the question is- how did *you* find out?” She pauses then sighs. “That’s probably a dumb question…”

“It’s not a dumb question, but- I get to keep my secrets.” He smiles.

“A trade secret, I see. A magician never reveals his tricks.” Rhiannon taps her temple conspiratorially with a smirk.

“Something like that.” Cyclone chuckles but then returns to a more serious expression. “There were at least twenty people that you saved that day, that were here, and their families *can’t* thank you enough. And if you wanna tell me that all you’re good for is causing trees to grow in the docks then you’re underselling yourself... way too far.”

“There’s always a risk though… I got lucky here, I- managed to keep it all under control, which-” Rhiannon’s face has grown serious as well, her voice quiet until she cuts off and ends with a sigh.

“The best things are always worth the risk.”

Cyclone turns and gently wraps his arms around her in a comforting hug. At first Rhiannon freezes up, unprepared for the sudden physical show of affection from the man she admires. His contact earlier may have been a token gesture (who *doesn’t* feel obligated to comfort a crying teenager?), but this is undeniably just because he cares. She relaxes into it and hugs him back. For a moment the tears are threatening to return.

They stay that way for a few moments, neither of them feeling rushed or uncomfortable. It just feels… right. Eventually he lets her go and straightens back up to full height.

“So you- you really think I could belong? Here?” Rhiannon looks up at him with hope, her dark green eyes giving off a mild eerie glow in the darkened mall.

“I do. And I know you will.” He pauses. “There’s actually someone who’s struggling that I think I’d like you to meet. He’s been going through a rough patch. He was unlucky, and has been going through a lot of the same stuff that a lot of people in the city have. And he’s been staying away from the Team for a while, though there are a lot of people that miss him. I want you to see if you can convince him to come back.”

“Who is it?” She asks curiously.

“His name is Jake. Jake Mansick.”

“I mean- I can try? I’d love to help. I don’t like to see people hurting...”

“I think you’ll know what to do when you meet him. Let me see your phone?” When Rhiannon does so, he (very slowly) adds a number to it from his own phone before handing it back. “I’ve added his number into your phone.”

“You don’t think he’ll be kind of weirded out with some random person getting a hold of him out of the blue…?” The teen asks nervously.

“He usually handles change pretty well, though sometimes it’s gotten a little too quick for him… If you see him at school I’d say you can talk to him there first.”

“What’s he look like?”

“Oh. He looks like this.” Cyclone pulls up a picture on his phone of a large group of teens all posing and smiling for the photo, pointing at one standing next to Jackson while they both make goofy faces. Rhiannon only recognizes a couple of them, but makes note of the one he points out.

“Alright. Is there anything specific I should know or like- I dunno, things *not* to say?”

“You’re right, I should tell you a little about what’s going on… During Transformation Day Jake’s mother was hit with the gas. She has had some trouble adjusting. Jake’s been doing his very best to try to take care of her, but I think he’s realizing it’s more than one person should handle. I want to help him but I don’t think he would accept my help…”

“Buuut you think he’ll accept mine?” Rhiannon tilts her head questioningly.

“I think you can reach out to him in a way that I can’t.”

“That makes sense.” She nods. “I’ve always tended to get along really well with adults but not everyone does. I’ll- I’ll see what I can do. There are, it seems, a lot of broken people around these days. Either from that event or for other reasons...”

“The greatest people sometimes have to overcome the greatest struggles.”

“It’s a nice perspective.” She says wistfully. “Not entirely comforting, but… hopeful at least. Sometimes it might be easier to be a little less ‘great’ and have a little fewer struggles.”

“Maybe there’s another world out there where things aren’t as gray all the time.”

“Oh they’re not gray all the time, Cyclone.” Rhiannon’s voice takes on a light, positive tone.

“I know that.” He smiles.

“Good.” She gives him a bright smile in return.

“I believe that we make our own sunshine.”

“Well I don’t know about making my own sunshine... *But* I do enjoy making it for others.”

“I’m pretty sure you could cast a light spell.” His dry response elicits another laugh from Rhiannon.

“Alright, fine, you got me! I can *literally* make my own ‘sunshine’ but that was not really the point we were going for I don’t think.” There’s a bit of a sparkle back in her eyes now.

“Eh, close enough."