Mod Superhero

Chapter 4.1 - Signing Up

The heavy drone rumbled as it left the lab. Mod and Arsenal held on tight. They were sitting on the cold metal bench that lined the outer wall of the drone. Mod had opted to wear his combat suit and helmet. Arsenal was in her normal exosuit.

Despite all the times Mod had ridden in Dr. Venture's Fast-Response drones, this felt wholly different. Not only were the smaller drones built to cocoon the rider and protect them from harm, they felt smaller—there was an urgency and swiftness to their movement. Even when secure and snug inside, Mod could still feel the drone in all its dips and dives and hard accelerations.

Meanwhile, the heavy drone moved like a cruise ship or a flying building, which wasn't far from the truth. It moved with steady power. Arsenal asked for TINA to bring up a view of the outside as they flew. Outside, the waves were whipping up into swells ten feet high and winds ripped shattered glass from buildings.

The heavy drone didn't lurch or bob in the storm. Even with Mod's enhanced senses, he didn't feel the drone so much as sway in the breeze.

Arsenal said, "When we get there, don't give them any more information than necessary. Just codenames and codenames for McGuire and the others—that way they'll stick us in a group together."

"Got it," Mod replied. He wasn't particularly keen about talking to anyone at the Summit or about being enlisted, but these were desperate times.

He thought briefly about Athena. She'd been the first contact he'd made since becoming a super. Mod had no idea how long the forcefield-wielding super had been a mask, but he couldn't imagine her signing up with the Summit of Heroes. Even if she didn't join up officially, Athena would still help defend the city. She'd been instrumental in taking down the mutagen manufacturing warehouse a few weeks ago.

But Mod hadn't heard from her since then.

At first, he'd been worried, but Athena could take care of herself. If anything, she was probably taking care of something personal. She would contact them if she needed something.

"Are you good?" Arsenal asked. She turned her exosuit helmet so she was looking directly at him. "I know what kind of experience you've had with capes so far."

Mod scoffed a laugh. At the moment, he was more tired than anything. They'd only gotten four hours of sleep last night between dealing with The Freakshow and the tsunamis. Despite the coffee, he felt somewhere between irritable and delirious.

"As long as they don't stick me on a team with Hunter Nine, I'll manage."

Any of the Hunters, for that matter...

"Don't worry. I'll hold you back," Arsenal replied.

~

The heavy drone set down in a parking lot on the outskirts of the Northern outskirts of Belport, near where it dropped off McGuire, Cherry, Larian, and Krystal only a few hours ago. Mod and Arsenal disembarked, and the heavy drone flickered as its stealth camouflage reengaged. The enormous blocky outline vanished and a wind blasted across the lot as the drone departed.

Mod and Arsenal jogged toward the Summit staging area—a massive office building buzzing with small helicopters and flying supers. A barbed wire fence had been erected around the block. Across the street, white tents dotted a department store parking lot. Many of their family members would be there, including Mod's.

He knew that he should go see his family. His mom would want to put eyes on him, but text messages would have to do for now.

Besides, he wasn't really up for seeing his folks at the moment. Not only was most of Belport underwater, but he hadn't even had time to process the events with The Freakshow.