Van Terra

Chapter Five ~ Life in the Fast Lane

Three people waited for Grace and Jasper on the roof.

"Great, everyone's here," Jasper said as she and Grace walked to meet them. "Grace, you already met Holly, but that's Thea Smith and Jax Cho. And everyone already knows who you are."

Holly and Jax were in the process of taking off fumigator jumpsuits. Underneath hers, Holly's clothes were entirely black, except for a purple stripe running down her pants, a red jacket, and red boots.

The outfit sparked recognition. Grace shifted her attention to Thea and recognized her, too. Dark brown skin, tight curls of black hair, eyes that glinted gold in the sun, and the outfit: a black jacket with a yellow lightning bolt across the front, along with yellow pants and black sneakers.

"Wait," Grace said. "Red Holly? Jolt?"

Holly rolled her eyes. Thea didn't lift her gaze from her tablet screen.

"Oh, good, you know them already." Jasper slid her gloves off and shoved them into her coat.

"I know of them," Grace said. "They work for you?"

Holly appeared genuinely offended by the statement. "Work for her?"

"We're a team," Jasper said.

"Who's that guy?" Grace asked, looking at Jax, a pale kid with cropped black hair who wore simple black pants and a blue shirt. "I don't recognize him."

"Jax isn't a well-known villain like the rest of us. He has healing abilities. Code name Remedy."

"You're the only one who calls me that," Jax said.

Jasper waved a hand. "Well, you're a real villain in my heart."

"Thanks?"

"You're welcome." Jasper pulled a white smartsphere from her coat—Grace wondered just how much stuff she had in her pockets at any given time—and held it up. "Mia, summon the car."

The sphere answered with a gentle, feminine voice. "Calling the car."

"No, don't call it, summon it."

"Summoning the car."

Jasper sighed. "Thank you."

"Mia?" Grace asked.

"It's a nickname," Jasper told her, as if that were a thorough explanation.

"What is she?"

"An A.I. that does everything I say." Jasper shoved the sphere back into her coat. "At least, she's supposed to."

An engine revved nearby. Grace whirled around.

The sleek, black vehicle sailed over the edge of the building next to them and landed on the roof. A glowing pink stripe ran along each side. Jasper grinned as the car screeched to a stop in front of her.

"Could you please obey traffic laws for once?" Holly asked.

"Where's the fun in that?" Jasper replied. She pointed to the other side of the car. "Shotgun, Angel."

Grace frowned. "What?"

"She wants you in the front," Holly muttered.

The interior of the car was as black as the outside, illuminated only by the neon lights of the dashboard and what little sun that made it through the deeply tinted windows. Jasper flipped a few switches and grabbed the steering wheel. "Seat belts, everyone!"

Grace clicked her belt into place. "Where are we going now?" Somewhere safe? All she wanted was to sit down and process the past few hours of her life.

"Bibi's," Jasper answered.