A Call

## **The Big Team Base, 9:27 PM, 2/13/2019**

“I have to make a call.”

Minutes later Alex is pacing in the workout room. Door closed. Her mind is racing, and her phone is slipping in her sweaty grip as it sits unused in her hand.

She takes a seat on a rowing machine and stares at the screen.

*There's no time for this. One day. One. Day.*

She presses her third speed dial.

*Ring.*

*Ring.*

*Ring.*

“Yo asshole, what’s up?” Her line was silent for a while. Indistinct yelling is heard in the background on Adria’s end. Before she added on. “Did you finish the Calc homework I am having trouble with it?”

She takes a shaky breath and lets the floodgates open. “I need your help. Or, like. I mean- Sorry. It’s. I’m in deep shit right now and I don’t know who to talk to about it because like. Well- I can’t talk about it with- you were *there* and you know how to get him, I just-.” She takes in a big breath of air that sounds a bit more emotional than she’d think is necessary.

“Can you help me?”

Adria paused for a moment trying to analyze all that had been thrown at her. “It is okay. Yeah. Whenever you need me. I am there dude.” Adria stopped and yelled something in Portuguese with an `Alex` thrown in. “So where and when do you need me? I can come right now. We can just talk if that is what you need but just tell me what’s wrong?”

Alex rushes out a “Thank you.” And takes a few seconds to pull herself together.

“Well,” she starts “We’ve been given 24 hours by a GREY A.I. to release and give back Rodriguez in a specific spot. If not, I might go to prison for aggravated assault with a weapon, kidnapping, and well whatever else. My mom will also lose her career. And probably most importantly we will not receive the necessary information to neutralize a weapon of mass, or uh Halcyon, destruction.”

A beat later she adds. “And I’m sorry. For… dumping all this. On the team. And you.”

“This is my problem as well, Alex. We will sort this out together”

There was some adjusting as she heard a door shut and the squeaking of a bed. “So I don’t think you want your mom to suffer the consequences of us being teenagers. I also have no clue how Rodriguez’s rehabilitation is going but I think we at least need to pretend to comply for you mom’s sake right? Give her PR team some time or something? The WMD information is more important than Rodriguez but we need assurance.”

“Okay, okay. You’re right, the WMD information is the most important. If they weren’t offering the locations in return I’d have just asked my mom to disown me and then fled to Greece.” She tries to laugh at her own joke but its melancholy.

“Nah dude, why not lean in to the whole criminal thing and we become revolutionary anarchists in Greece and all over? Y’know be gay, do crime.” She gave a soft laugh slightly more genuine than Alex’s.

Alex sincerely snorts, which turns into giggles, and promptly must reel herself back in.

In the most serious voice she can muster she says. “Oh yeah for sure. We can wear masks and tear down the capitalist governments you’ve been telling me about. Buy an island, or claim one, and make a gay utopia together. Revolutionist vagabonds.”

Adria snorted but then gave a semi-serious response. “Damn fucking rights, we can. Probably not buy though. Isn’t really my schtick. But we should get back on track”

Alex huffs as the reprieve fades. “If we turn in Rodriguez there’s no guarantee they won’t keep blackmailing us. There’s also no guarantee they’ll give us the information they’re promising. And I’m not sure which is the selfish thing to do or the right thing to do…” She gets up and begins pacing again.

Adria’s voice echoed her grim smile through the phone. “There is no guarantee, but we need to try to do the right thing. It’s what makes us heroes right? Saving the city from dastardly threats and villains.  And like I did with Rodriguez, we can always just lie and give them nothing and get everything.”

“I don’t know if we can have our cake and eat it too but by gosh, I’d try. That said… there’s a lot at stake. We need the right people on this, whatever it ends up being, too, I don’t think this is a two-person thing. Though we’re a great duo.” Alex hesitates on adding more and falls silent.

“I mean I’ll force feed you the cake if you hold Rodriguez down but I agree we need the technologically inclined. Maybe like Zip? Tatum? Is Rekken good with computers? I know she is a robot but I don’t want to stereotype.” Adria said thinking aloud. “Oh and I really appreciate you saying that Alex… you can be a really great partner.”

“Mm. Technologically inclined would be good, but it depends on what we’re going to do. If we are going to fully comply or half comply or eat cake.” Alex pauses pacing to lay on the ground, something she learned is therapeutic from Rescue.

Alex continues, swallowing the feeling of guilt. “I… if we plan on working with them. Or on their terms. We can’t let some people get involved. There’s a reason I didn’t ask El or Gwen for help on this, and it’s *not* because you’re a super reliable friend and we could *totally* do this by ourselves. I just don’t know if they’d agree to letting Rodriguez go.”

“I think it best to leave Rekken out then. She was hesitant to let Rodriguez live… I don’t think we want his blood on our hands especially after that clip. Gwen is a little too hot-headed for this mission, I agree. El is reliable and would go along with it but they don’t really get the whole “don’t maim” thing, I don’t think. I also think giving up Rodriguez would hang heavy on their knightley morals.” Adria said adding in her agreement.

“We need level-headed peeps and maybe even some thinkers. We need constants not variables for this operation. No matter what plan we go with.”

Alex lets out a sigh as the stress and guilt builds up in her throat again.

“I’m not saying they can’t be involved. I mean Rekken at risk here too, probably, being on the tape. And I trust all of them sincerely. Gwen’s my best friend, El’s… I l- I mean. I like them a lot. They want to help. Um.” She shakes her head to focus. “I trust them... *all* implicitly I just know they have a lot of bad history, traumas, *anger* with GREY and asking them to let that scheming, child manipulating-douche nozzle-bastard go… seems selfish. For other team members too.”

“Yeah, they deserve this fight I agree… It’s hard though and we will just have to see. Time is short. We will probably just take who we can get. They are good friends and they will trust us to do what is right... Just we are looking at our options.” Adria’s voice was steady but she seemed a little shook underneath it all as if she was thinking about something else.

“Take who we can get is right. We just got back from a mission and people are already exhausted, I am at least. I’ve got like 200 chinchilla bites and scratches on my bod and never got the healing I wanted because of this. Not to mention the pink cloud of gas in the air.” Alex groans with frustration, at herself and the situation.

“Missions have been such shit lately, I guess. Like today I had a piece of shrapnel stuck in my leg for a little bit and that stings didn’t even notice it with all the adrenaline but the school staff sure did.  Also got punched by that ice lady, Freya Winters, like last Friday. My jaw stills feel loose.” Adria lamented.

“But the teams good. Most of ‘em. Whoever’s with us. We’ll get this done right… with a little more planning. Um. If I can come over? I don’t want to talk to… or I probably can’t lie to my mother right now is what I am saying.” Alex asks sheepishly.

Adria let out a long sigh. “Yeah sure come on over. I can patch you up a little bit. Plus I think Uncle Leo’s been kidnapped again and Vovo went out to get him, so we’d be alone. Also I can order some food or make something your choice. No guarantees of quality though”

Alex takes a moment to recall the meal Adria made them when they were high, as well as roll her eyes at Uncle Leo’s newest kidnapping.

“Uh. I’ll… cook. Yeah. Also, I’m the one with medical knowledge so if anything I should be patching you up *shrapnel leg*.” She chides. “Ugh. This is the worst week ever. By the end of it we’ll either be anarchist criminals or like actually good heroes if the team does save Halcyon. If we do. And in both cases I’m pretty sure people are gonna’ be mad, and shits gonna’ be fucked. Just generally speaking.”

She gets up and moves to pick up her helmet with the minimized chinchilla sleeping in it.

“Um. Alright, dick face. I’m coming over- get the flow charts ready for a supreme thinking session… And… thank you a lot Adria. For being here for me.”

Adria let her speak. She seemed to just want to listen for a while but when Alex finished her voice came through soft and quiet. “Alex, I am here for you. Anytime you need it. You are there for me. I… Remember that time you basically narrated Shafree’s show at that Drag event. We were really um… close. I think that’s a good way of saying it. I think I still feel close to you and I just wanted to let you know that.”

“I’ll see you when you get here.” The line went dead.

Helmet held against her chest in one hand and the other grasping the phone, staring at it owlishly, Alex stands in the gym doorway.

Her face goes through a journey, before she reminds herself.

*Think about this later. Mission now. Oh gosh oh gosh. Okay, calm.*

She walks through the door.

## The Portuguese District, Vovo’s Apartment, 12:59 AM, 2/14/2019

The apartment seemed to be more orderly than normal. The carpeted floor though was covered in various discard notes. The range hood fan and some quiet classical string music contested each other for dominance of the soundscape of the apartment. It was a small space after all and the connection living and kitchen area were spacious enough but it was difficult to hide noise. Adria had fixed some of the furniture and put up the cork board that had been previously been dedicated to Vovo’s writings and investigations but were now covered in all the connections that the two had sussed out with each other.

Adria stretched standing her arms going wide. She walked into the kitchen where Alex had been for a while. “Everything good? I had been staring at that board for like half an hour and no matter how hard I tried nothing changed on it when I stared even harder.”

Alex’s face is scrunched in concentration as her eyes flit from chopping peppers to looking at the flowchart of possible choices and outcomes that they’ve made. She gives a distracted hum in response and her cutting pace picks up.

“I don’t think it’ll work for you either, Alex.” The girl teased waving her hand between Alex and the flowchart. ” We need to take a bit of break get something to eat and rearrange our thinking also maybe finish my calc homework.”

In response Alex sighs and lifts her hands to rub the tiredness out of them. Before she could Adria had taken both of Alex’s hands into hers. Adria blushed slightly looking down and away from the other girl. “Pepper oil…wash your hands before rubbing your eyes.”

Alex blinks slow and pulls her hands away to push the peppers into the pan of ingredients. She mumbles a thank you and pushes the sizzling stir fry around with a spatula.

“I am making us something to eat.” she glances at the cutting board she had been overusing for a solid half hour. Deep cuts running into it from too much pressure. “Um. Soon. What have you thought of? I’m… blank. We could work on your calc I guess but… the time.”

Adria leaned over the counter looking at the pan. “Well that bait and switch idea might be something but we might need help from someone else with portals… just in case we are separated” She ran a hand along her arm following the vines of her tattoo.

“I don't want to bring Vovo into this though. I don't want her to see that I made that kind of choice…” Adria put her hand on the back of her head and scratched her neck. “So since Portability is too easy to pay off we need to probably get… *her*.”

Alex shuffles to the side and reaches into a cupboard for some bowls, which she cannot reach. She climbs onto the counter as she listens. “Who is *her*?” She asks, flashing Adria an inquisitive look.

“My mother dearest, of course.” The youngest Orixa’s snide tone conveyed her view of her disowned elder. “We share most our power set. My senses being the exception.”

Back on the floor she starts portioning the food. “And who are we going to bait and switch, and with what powers. Because well. I could ask Freeds but if he’s not available- or doesn’t want to bait someone to GREY- we’re assed out.”

“Freedo could work but I think we do it with the real Rodriguez and make him think he has won so he monologues a little bit then portal him away when we have all the info” Adria gave a small tired smirked to Alex. “Y'know a set up within a set up”

Alex clicks her tongue. “I like the idea. It’ll be less dangerous with an adult hero, probably. Though somehow I feel like they’ll want a guarantee of Rodriguez’s protection- then again maybe having the video to release is big enough guarantee. If we get the locations, I’m… willing to risk that.” She hands a bowl to Adria. But before she lets go she fixes Adria with a look.

“Are you going to be okay with asking for *her* help?”

Adria put her hand on the bowl to grip it waiting for Alex to release after she responded. “I am not going to give you any speech about duty or obligation or whatever. I will ask for her help because I know she’ll keep some of you more safe…”

The girl looked down at the food she had been handed. “I just want it all to work out and I don’t want you left hurt after this… I can ask my mother because I need this to work out and she’s my only option.”

Alex nods and lets go, grabbing her own bowl and heading towards the living room.

“I think things are bigger than me now. My mom, even. Though I’ll do my best to… shield her from my mistakes. The most important thing is getting those locations and stopping these doomsday devices, and grey, and the fall out of Rooster’s revolution, and… yanno’ tons of other stuff.”

Alex takes a big breath. “Still. I really appreciate your willingness to do that, after everything you’ve told me about your mom- I understand that it’s going to be hard.”

Adria followed close behind eventually sitting down on the couch. Setting the bowl of food on her lap her jean covered legs getting warm from the heat of the food. Her face was somber. “GREY, Rooster, doomsday devices, and whatever else is about to go down is all going to be stuff that will define Halcyon for years to come but this needs to be GREY’s last stand. Their final gambit. We need to stop GREY forever. Destroy them in front of the public with this move. The Orixa makes hard choices like this all the time but… I have never wanted to so absolutely destroy something as I do GREY. Everything it touches, it corrupts. I question whether it is moral for me to not kill Rodriguez… I know I wouldn’t, I don’t have the stomach for it. The thought still troubles me, I question whether I really believe in redemption and if I am a hypocrite.”

Sitting across from her Alex seems shocked but nods in understanding.

Adria paused a moment poking at the food with her fork not eating anything quite yet. “That is why I will take my mothers’ assistance. She is fairly popular in the UK which should give us access to the media there where they can blast GREY to no end and not have anyone try to stop them because they are beyond the reach of the cat’s paw.”

“So, we should carry recording devices, non-internet connected. At least get Rodriguez to go into one of his spiels… admit he's a dick again. If his organization doesn’t go down in whatever these fights are going to amount to then at least we’ll have leverage after.”

Adria gave a brief smile. “Yeah, exactly. Makes their blackmail a lot weaker when he admits he is an asshole villain. Still problematic but not as bad.”

Leaning back into the couch she taps at the rim of her bowl. Nervously Alex lists “We have the plan, the backup, the fall back, a time frame, and a general idea of how this could end- in both directions. Now we just need… to figure out who's going to help us. Should we just send a text to the group? Put it on the board? We must do it soon cause’ there's no time.”

“We are teenagers, dude. I check the board in the base once a week at most. A text is the best way to get a hold of anyone.” Adria let out a small sigh mixed with a smile setting down the food. “You need to at least take a nap after we eat. You were practically falling asleep making the food. I will contact everyone and will inform them of what plans they need to know. We can then maybe get to steal the rest of the sleep we can”

Alex pauses from shoveling her food into her face and gives Adria a grunt in agreeance.

They both finish their food in relative silence, save for the music and humming of the kitchens stove fan.

One girl continues to be pensive and zones out into the table. Consequences, the state of the city, and her loved ones jumbling around in her head.

Adria groaned slightly as she started writing texts to different people. She glanced over noticing the spacey look on her friend’s face. “Earth to Alex, are you okay?”

Standing suddenly Alex nods. “Yes, I should go home and go to bed. Sleep… a few hours. Not too many especially because the commute will take time from what we have left which is…” She squints at her phone. “19 hours and 24 minutes.”

“Take my bed, I can use the couch. Time is precious.” Adria gives a grim smile. “We can see your mother in the morning, I can portal us part of the way there or fully if you want we’ll see then.”

Alex sighs tiredly but picks up the empty dishes and drops them off in the sink. “Alright that’s fine. I won’t take your bed, you’re helping me whats worth a life debt right now.”

“You aren’t taking anything. I am just sharin-” Adria blushed realizing that probably wasn’t the best way to say that.

Alex laughs a bit at that. She returns to the living room and starts taking off her hero suit but pauses to question, “You wouldn’t happen to have an extra pair of silk pajamas would you?”

Adria’s face flushed more than it had previously been but she maintained eye contact. “I don’t think I even have proper pajamas. There is probably something that would fit… It might be a bit big on you though.”

Too sleepy to notice her friends flustered state she just smiles with a “A blankets fine, sorry I’m a little spoilt. I could just sleep in my undershirt and boxers though- for what I will singularly allow to be a two-hour nap.”

Adria’s attention returned to the phone where she continued typing out various texts and sending them. “There should be two blankets on the bed. I want you to sleep longer than that. At least 6 hours. I will fight you if you try to get up earlier.” She chided a slight smirk on her face.

The other hero laughs a little as she flops back onto the couch. “You could *try*. I still have to get up and like call El to say sorry for bouncing earlier, call my mom to say sorry for- uh well yeah, do pre-mission yoga...?”

Alex snuggles into a pillow “Two hours.”

Adria stands and goes into her room then returning with two blankets and lays them across the other girl. “Six hours.”

Adria paused having to respond to a text but added. “You need the sleep. We need you at one hundred percent tomorrow.”

Alex was already dozing off. She mumbles something that sounds either like *fight me* or *sure ok*. But she reaches out to grab at her friends’ hand, giving it a small squeeze.

Then passes the heck out.