Mod Superhero

Chapter 4.43 - Waiting for the Drop

On Saturday afternoon, May 31st, the Summit of Heroes called for an emergency muster of all forces at their designated staging areas.

Mod and Arsenal suited up and boarded a heavy drone, then flew to meet the rest of their group at the northern station. The two supers rode there in silence, hand-in-hand. The drone set down a block away. Mod slung his fusion rifle over his shoulder, then the pair jogged the rest of the way to the station.

Every other time, the staging area had been bustling with activity—guards and trainees milling about, and shifts of patrols coming and going.

But this afternoon, the station was swarmed. Capes filled the parking lot and spilled out into the nearby street. Most of the mass was packed together, a bright mix of veteran capes and new recruits waiting for orders. Some capes flew above the mass, directing people and forming them into teams.

The sky was completely clouded over, and an unease hung over the entire place. Despite how many people were gathered, the staging area was much quieter than usual.

It took Mod a moment to realize that their group were probably the only ones that knew what was going on. The plans for the nuclear strike weren't made public. The only reason Dr. Venture knew was because he had connections with the Binary Brotherhood and high-ranking members of the Summit.

Did Serenity and the other squad leaders know what was about to happen?

Mod said into his comms, "McGuire, Cherry... We're in the back if you guys can find us."

Cherry's laugh came abruptly. "We see you."

Arsenal nudged Mod and pointed out their friends. McGuire, Cherry, Krystal, and Larian jogged over from across the block.

"There you guys are," McGuire said, wrapping his knuckles against Arsenal. He turned to Mod and added, "Nice suit. What took you so long?"

Cherry added, "McGuire was just worried that they were going to stick us with a bunch of rando's."

Krystal leaned an arm on Cherry's shoulder and added, "We can't break up the band now."

Larian stepped up somberly. "Is this it?"

Mod had been cautiously vague the last time they'd all talked, but he'd mentioned the upcoming strike. He nodded. "It's happening soon."

McGuire said, "Yeah, the military's been bringing convoys through the last two days non-stop. They're evacuating the shelters. Moving everyone even more inland. They blamed it on water levels."

Arsenal said, "They're being cautious. Between the Deep Ones controlling the tides and the psychic crystals, there's no telling how bad it would be for civilians to be around."

Mod asked, "Did your folks say anything about you guys not going with them?"

McGuire shrugged and elbowed his former roommate. "Mom's not too happy, but I told her I'll stick close to you."

Emmett was glad he had a mask to hide his face. It was only a couple weeks ago that Marlene had told Emmett to keep her son safe. Emmett swore that he would. And it felt even more daunting now.

"We'll stick together," Emmett said decisively. "We've got each other's backs."

Cherry nudged McGuire's and Krystal tousled his mask.

"No worries," Cherry said. "We've got you, too."

Larian added, "So does Indovu."

McGuire startled and looked around for the shadow cat. He took a deep breath. "Oh, you meant metaphorically."