Atomic: Rebooted

37. Clothes

MIRA

"So you have a friend that can help me?"

"Yeah, but first, you should borrow these, from my mom," Henry handed me a change of clothes, a loose pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt that dwarfed me. "Can't do much about the boots, but you can put that on over the suit."

I quickly did so—and Henry turned his back, even though I wasn't removing anything. Except for my mask, that is.

"I don't know where to put this," I admitted, as I pulled the sleeves so that they covered the gauntlets.

"I'll carry it for you." He stuffed the mask in his backpack.

I fiddled with the hem of my shirt as I looked Henry up and down.

Of course I knew the independent heroes were civilians and people, and weren't always in the costumes, just like we Sentinels weren't. But it was also strange to see him in just a set of baggy black sweats advertising the North Kingsbury High's theatre department.

"Thanks." I joined him as we departed from the rooftop, taking the fire escape down.

"It's no problem, really," he assured me. "I'd do this to help anyone."

"That does track with your record."

"You checked my records, then?" He sounded surprised—and a little winded, but that was probably from climbing down the surprisingly rickety ladder.

"Of course I did." I'd used the terminal of files back at the compound earlier this morning to do some research on Warlock and the records Atomic Energy had compiled on him and his heroism. "I try to know as much as I can about who I'm working with."

"That's fair, I can't say I blame you." He paused, while we continued to climb down. "Decided that I'm still worth working with, then?"

"You're my only choice," I admitted. "You're the only other person who cares about Verity."

He went quiet for a long time. I even glanced down, once or twice as we continued to climb, to make sure that he was still there.

I mean, he probably would've been fine if he fell off.

Henry had a wide array of powers—likely a result of what had happened to him as a child at the hands of Dr. Electra.

It was interesting, however, that the article had said that the child never did get superpowers, that Heretic had stopped her before it went that far.

Obviously, that had been a lie.

But why?

Why would they cover up that Henry had gotten powers?

"You care, so of course I care," Henry finally said. "You loved her—so of course I want to help you."

His naïveté and empathy, I'd learned it as a weakness, first saw it as one because of that battle with Heretic.

But I wondered if maybe I'd had the same, if I would've been able to stop Verity from leaving, if I could have saved her before Kade killed her.

Furthermore, it was admirable, heroic. We'd been trained all our lives, to regard our job as the Sentinels as a sacred duty.

But here was a kid who wasn't even born with some lucky Mutations who did the same job just because it was right, because he wanted to.

Part of the reason I did it, I realized, was because that was all I knew, it was what I had to do.

My motives weren't nearly as pure as his were. And I had no idea what to do with that realization.

Before long, we made it to the ground, safe and sound, and we took the tram to Riverview Heights, one of the suburbs of New Kingsbury.