Emmett pulled his hood up and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked outside. The night air was cool and still. Streetlights glowed and patrols walked around the parking lot. Flying capes buzzed through the sky and glowed like fireflies in Emmett’s vision. 

He suppressed a shiver. It was eerie seeing the city so quiet. Almost worse than seeing it underwater. 

Despite the state of things, there wasn’t a curfew. Not exactly. There were still signs recommending against civilians leaving the shelter at night. Emmett wondered if the lax rules had anything to do with undercover capes staying in the shelter and needing to leave without being questioned. 

Emmett had no intention of leaving the shelter, but he did want to go somewhere quiet. So he snuck around the side of the building, found the section with the fewest windows, then leapt up four stories to the roof. 

He stepped over the short wall as casually as possible, then eyed his surroundings. The roof immediately reminded him of his old college apartment. Emmett walked between rows of humming AC units, making sure that he was truly alone. He walked around the other side of the roof and looked out toward the South, but he couldn’t quite see the flooding from his vantage point. 

When Emmett was satisfied that he was alone, he breathed a sigh of relief and peered up at the UV lit stars above. 

It was hard to believe how much things could change in a few months—in a few weeks, even. If Emmett from before the accident could see him now, would he even recognize himself?

Of course he would—all his cybernetics and prosthetics were underneath the surface. Still, Emmett knew intrinsically that he carried himself differently now. He’d always been a wallflower, content to see the world from the sidelines, but he didn’t do that anymore—

Not as a super. 

Emmett thought back to riding the bus back and forth from his college apartment to the lab, hoping to catch a glimpse of a super hopping across the rooftops. 

Maybe past-Emmett wouldn’t recognize himself anymore. Now, he ran across the rooftops and wore a mask. 

“There he is!”

Emmett whirled around at the sound of Max’s voice to find Max, Cherry, Larian, and Krystal walking across the roof. 

“How did you guys get up here?”

“Stairs,” Larian replied plainly, and gestured toward the other end of the roof.

Krystal said jokingly, “And you’re not exactly original. What is it with you and roofs, anyway?”

TINA replied from Emmett’s pocket, “I helped them locate you.”

Cherry said, “Yes, TINA. You were very helpful.”

Max scoffed. “Suck up.”

“What? I, for one, am going to be nice to our AI overlord.”

Most of the group shared an awkward laugh, but not Emmett or Max. 

“Anyway,” Max said. “We thought a rooftop hangout sounded like a good idea.”

Larian nodded to the distant capes flying over the city. “Do you think they’ll care if we’re up here?”

TINA said, “I can cloak the rooftop.”

Max chuckled uneasily. “I don’t think that’s necessary, TINA. They’ve got a lot bigger problems than a couple delinquents on the roof.”

Emmett sat on the gravel and the rest of the group followed, arranging themselves in a loose circle. 

Krystal asked, “So, where’s Arsenal tonight?”

Max had laid down and sprawled out with an arm behind his head. “Probably oiling her joints.” The girls gave him a cross look. “What? She would’ve thought that was funny.”

Emmett glanced at the gravel between them. “Training. Resting, maybe. I’m, uh, not sure.”

Krystal tossed a rock in his direction. “So, call her.”

Cherry added, “She’s part of the group too.”

Emmett smirked. “Fine. TINA, can you—”

Krystal tossed another rock at him. “No. You call her.”

Emmett rolled his eyes. “What’s the—”

“Patching you through.”

Emmett fished his phone out of his pocket, managing to get it out just as Clara’s voice came through on speakerphone. 

“Hey, you.”

Before Emmett could respond, cackles and snorts erupted from the group. 

“Am I on speakerphone?”

“Yep,” Emmett replied.

“Is that McGuire, Cherry, Krystal, and Larian?”

“Yep.”

“Sounds like you guys are having fun.”

Krystal tossed another rock at Emmett and mouthed, “Go on.”

“We were wondering if you wanted to come hang out with us on the—”

“I’ll be there in ten.”

Emmett wasn’t even sure the line went dead before his friends started giggling like children. 

~

It was a long time before the laughter died down.

Emmett just shook his head. “I still don’t get what’s so funny.”

Max replied, “Absolutely nothing, Romeo.”

Cherry asked, “TINA, what do you want to talk about tonight?

“The increasing prevalence of rogue and malevolent AI’s in film and other media.”

“Oh boy…” Max said.

Cherry said, “No, no. That’s a good one. It doesn’t sit well with me either. I mean, it’s downright speciesist.”

Everybody turned toward Cherry with a mix of eye rolls and raised eyebrows.

“Hear me out—it’s like saying all aliens are bad, right? Imagine an intelligent species coming all the way to Earth, and then wanting to exterminate or invade us for resources… Why? There’s plenty of stuff out there. It never made any sense to me.”

Max replied, “Maybe they’re conquerors. Look at us—humanity, in general.”

Cherry wagged a finger. “You’re assuming they’ll be like humans.”

Larian spoke up. “But so are you. It’s the same mistake people make with animals. Eye contact is a good example. Eye contact between humans is a sign of respect and intimacy. But for most animals, eye contact is a threat. This is true even for dogs and cats—supposedly domesticated. An animal does not think like us.”

Krystal nudged Larian’s arm. “Be honest. Which one told you that?”

“Ha, ha, ha… They don’t speak. And even if they did, they don’t need to tell me they don’t like eye contact. I can see it.”

“In their eyes,” Max added. 

The group shared a laugh. Even Larian partook. When it finally died down, Emmett’s curiosity got the better of him. 

“How do your powers work?”

Larian smiled meekly. “They’re not my powers. They’re not my animals…” His voice trailed off and his smile faded. For a moment, it almost looked like he was listening for something.

Or to something.

“Maybe one day they’ll confide in you, just like they’ve confided in me.”

Emmett glanced toward Eastside, searching the sky for Arsenal. He could just make out the sheen of her cloaking in the distance. 

Krystal asked coyly, “What are you smiling at?”

Max groaned. “Probably his girlfriend.”

“Nuh uh!” Krystal’s eyes went wide and she looked toward Eastside. “…I don’t see anything.”

“He’s got special eyes,” Max sniggered. 

A moment later, Arsenal set down on the rooftop. The cloaking of her exosuit shimmered as she climbed out and then reengaged to hide it from view. She wore her bodysuit, but wasn’t wearing her mask. 

Before Emmett could ask why, Krystal and Cherry jumped up to greet her with a hug. 

Clara hugged them back, chuckling. “It’s nice to see you guys too.”

Cherry said, “I love your hair.”

Then the girls sat back down in the circle, but Clara walked over and sat in front of Emmett. Clara greeted Max and Larian, then she leaned against Emmett’s chest. 

Krystal and Cherry were all smiles. 

“So,” Krystal said, “when did it happen?”

Max nodded to Larian. “This is good.”

The girls giggled and Clara proceeded to tell the story about going to Java Haven together. Emmett wrapped his arms around her and tried not to cringe when his infamous line came. 

“...Then he said, without you, it’s just coffee.”

The line elicited a mixture of aws and a groan from Max. 

Larian asked, “Did TINA give you that line?”

“Mod came up with it all on his own.”

Emmett winced. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

“It’s not a bad line,” Clara replied, trying to reassure him.

Krystal said, “It’s a good line.”

Max rolled his eyes. “I’ll die on this hill.”

Krystal ignored him and eyed Emmett. “Look. It worked, right? If it worked, then it was a good line.”

Clara squeezed Emmett’s hand in agreement.

Finally, Emmett smiled. It had worked, hadn’t it? That was all that mattered. 

Thankfully, the group’s conversation moved on after that.

~ ~ ~