Twinepathy (Part 36): Finch And Anvil

Hullo, everyone! For those of you who were interested in Finch… you’ll get a better look at him in this part! And… we get to meet one of my FAVORITEST characters. *rubs hands gleefully* I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on them… oh, and look out for a special post some time this week with big news… Speaking of news, if you’re new, check out Part One.

The Finch looks at us and gives us a polite nod. He looks disinterested, but I can see the truth in his eyes – pain. I feel a pang for him. Maddie lost just eight, nine, ten years… how old is she?… due to the amnesia, but he lost so much more, probably over twenty years. I’m sure it’s changed him, hurt him. And he might never get that back. Maddie might not get her years back, either, and then what of her relationship with Keller? They were clearly close before, and yet I’ve seen Keller’s pain, too. And what of The Finch’s siblings, parents, family… girlfriend? “Nice to meet you,” he says, his voice flat.

Jen motions to some chairs that I know weren’t here the last time. They must have been brought in just for this occasion. We all sit down, and I notice Keller watching Maddie, her expression pained. “Now all we need is Anvil,” Jen says.

Blaze noticeably perks up at that. “Really? I get to meet the mysterious, elusive, efficient Anvil?”

Jen gives him a withering glare. “Don’t start, Blaze.”

Blaze leans forward, interest sparking in his eyes. “But I haven’t even seen this guy, Data! I haven’t! He’s been here for how long?”

“Three years,” Jen says tiredly.

“Exactly!” Blaze waves a hand in the air. “And I haven’t seen him once. Neither have any of the other agents I’ve talked to.”

“Blaze.” Jen’s voice is tight with warning.

“I just don’t get why this guy’s so special and secret,” Blaze continues, ignoring Jen. “I mean, it’s not like his powers are that different from other manipulators…”

“Hello, Anvil. Have a seat,” Jen says politely, tossing Blaze something between a glare and a smirk.

We all turn. Behind us stands a tall guy, probably close to Jen’s age, his posture forced casual and his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. I get the feeling he’s uncomfortable, but his face is a mask, not giving anything away. His eyes, though, have a spark of… danger. It makes me glad that Keller and Jen are here, in spite of Keller’s hostility and Jen’s secrets.

“I’ll stand,” he says, his voice quiet but strong.

This is probably the first time I’ve ever seen Blaze embarrassed, but he definitely is. Jen nods at Anvil. “All right.”

“That’s definitely him,” Keller speaks up, eyeing Anvil suspiciously.

“I assumed so,” Jen says with a small smile. “Ca… Anvil, why don’t you go ahead and report on that mini-assignment I gave you last week, so everyone here can know what happened?”

Anvil gives us all a suspicious once-over. “Trav dropped me off, and I headed over to the house. I noticed I was being followed. It was her,” he adds as an afterthought, nodding at Maddie. “She didn’t seem like much of a threat, so I stopped her and asked her to deliver the ‘package’. I watched her go up to the house and then slipped off to a safe observation point and saw her,” he motions toward me, “take it inside, so I figured the girl had dropped it there…”

“You?!” Blaze exclaims incredulously. “You’re the one who messed this up?”

Anvil‘s eye’s flash, but a warning look from Jen is enough to subdue both of them, at least temporarily. “No one messed anything up. In fact, this has turned out better than I could’ve hoped, except for Maddie.” Jen gives Maddie a sympathetic look and receives a shy look in return. She turns to Keller. “Does this satisfy you?”

Keller crosses her arms. “It explains how L… Maddie ended up where she is, but it still doesn’t convince me that you’re not responsible for her amnesia.”

Twinepathy (Part 22): Genesis Fabel

Hullo, everyone! I hope you’re enjoying your MLK Day! If you’re a homeschooler who doesn’t have the day off… I’m so sorry. I’m one of the lucky ones who does have the day off… Enjoy this post, my friends! Check out part one here if you’re new.

Blaze takes us home a few minutes later, not the least bit suspicious as he waves to us before leaving. Since Mom’s at the café, no one’s at home except Denver, who’s in the bathroom showering. I’m guessing his first class starts in half an hour. The three of us go into our bedroom, closing the door behind us. Hopefully Denver won’t notice we’re home, but if he does, we can tell him the truth, sort of. At least, the truth about school being closed.

I go onto my computer – I may not be at Denver’s level of expertise, but I’m okay with computers – and head to the school’s website. Sure enough, the school was evacuated and closed due to “an emergency.” I find a news clip of the place swarming with police and other people. Brooklyn sighs. “Well, that’s a mess. Do you think they’ll have school tomorrow?”

I shrug. “I have no clue. I hope not.”

There’s a knock at the door, which makes me jump. Brooklyn goes over and opens it while Maddie hides, just in case Denver knows she’s supposed to be at daycare. “What are you guys doing here?” Denver asks. “Are you skipping school?”

I shake my head and point to the news clip on the computer screen. “No. The school’s closed.”

Denver watches the clip, then turns to us, looking almost panicked. “Are you guys all right? Do you know what happened?”

We give a blabbered, confused explanation, rambling until Denver realizes that he’s going to be late. He leaves, and we’re finally alone.

“Well, I’m hungry,” Brooklyn says. “Anyone want lunch?”

It’s past time, and I suddenly realize how hungry I am. “Sure. Can you get me something? I have something I need to work on.”

She shrugs. “Sure. Want to help me, Maddie?”

Maddie nods and follows Brooklyn downstairs to the kitchen. I sit down in front of the computer. I didn’t get a chance to see Genesis Fabel’s address on Jen’s computer, but with her age and a vague reference for her appearance, I can try to find that out without hacking into the CIA database. After all, it’s not like Genesis Fabel is a common name, right?

Not common, certainly. In fact, I don’t find anyone when I search. I lean my chin on my hand, frowning. She obviously exists. She’s in the CIA database. Could she have married since then, and have a different name? If so, this could become impossible. And if she’s changed her name on purpose, this’ll be even more impossible.

Then I do the obvious: I search “how to find a person.” And I had no clue there were so many sites that are dedicated to finding people. It takes me a while, but I finally find a site that has people’s addresses and property records. Bingo. One Genesis Fabel. I write down the address. The door to the room opens, and I instantly shut down the website, spinning and smiling at Brooklyn. She hands me a sandwich, giving the blank computer desktop a suspicious look. “There you go. What’re you working on?”

“Not much,” I say. “I was just thinking about looking up some stories with superheroes. I think it would be interesting to read some different theories and get different ideas about how powers like Maddie’s can be used.”

Brooklyn nods. “That’s a good idea! I’ll go get Maddie, and we can work on that.”

She leaves, and I quickly pull up the browser. I type in the address and study the results. It’s in a small-ish town about forty-five minutes away by car, called White Bluff. I close the browser and pull up another search for superhero books. I have no clue how I’ll get to Fabel’s house, but I’ll find a way. I have to. Alone.

Ohhh, Albany… What think you, friends?

Twinepathy (Part 21): WHAT?!?!

Hullo, everyone! Another part for you on this wonderful Monday, and I remembered! Last time we found out that Ezra’s an IDIA agent… So let’s see what’s going on. If you missed the Random Twinepathy Wednesday, check it out, and read Part One if you’re new!

The first word out of my mouth is akin to a screechy, indistinguishable “WHAT?!?!”

Ezra looks at me with huge eyes, and both Jen and Blaze look confused and mildly surprised. Brooklyn rolls over enough to get a good look at Ezra, and her eyes get as big as the older girl’s, but she manages a squeak.

“But – what are you – you guys are…” Ezra’s so shocked that she can’t even get out a coherent sentence.

“You’re… a superhero?” I half-screech.

“You know each other,” Jen observes calmly.

“Yes, of course we know her! She’s dating our brother!” I exclaim.

Calm. If anyone should be freaking out right now, it should be Brooklyn, and here she is, telling me to be calm. And Ezra’s so confused that she’s speechless.

Jen moves over next to Ezra. “We can talk about this later. Right now, Ezra, we need you to hack into the CIA database.”

Ezra goes over to the computer self-consciously. She knows she has an audience. Jen moves next to her and gives her specific instructions on how far in and where in the database she wants her to go. Ezra starts hacking away, hesitantly at first, but she speeds up as she get in the zone.

“There,” she says, leaning back five minutes later. Jen smiles and nods towards a chair for Ezra as she sits down at the computer.

I move over to stand behind Jen as she clicks through pictures. “The CIA has a lot of records on a lot of major and minor criminals, and some ‘people of interest’ who haven’t actually committed any crimes. Some of those end up being enhanced.”

“So you’re hoping one of the people from her brain will be on their database?” I ask.

Jen nods. “Exactly.” She continues flipping through the pictures, and I notice that most of the pictures are of young-ish women. She pauses on a picture of a girl with dark blond hair. “That’s her,” Jen says immediately. She clicks on the picture, which brings up the information. Name: Genesis Fabel; Age: 20; Location… I quickly file away the information in my head as Jen minimizes the window and stands up.

“Well, I guess you’re wanting to chat now,” she says, pulling her chair around her desk so that we’re in a sort of circle. A very misshapen circle. “Yes, Ezra is enhanced, and Ezra, yes, the twins are enhanced as well. Does that cover everything?”

I glare at her – surprising myself; I didn’t think that I was that brave – and turn to Ezra. “So… what do you do?”

Ezra looks at Jen like she’s asking for permission. She receives a nod from Jen and turns back to me. “I can manipulate electricity.”

“Along with being a wonderful hacker,” Jen adds. “She comes in handy when we need our computers fixed, since I can’t do it.” She looks down at her hands.

“What about you two?” Ezra asks. She looks towards Brooklyn and spots Maddie. “And her! She was at your house last night!”

I look over at Maddie. “Erm. Yes, she was. Brooklyn and I are… telepaths. Sort of. In a very limited way.”

Ezra’s eyes widen a little. “Telepaths? That… I think that explains a lot.” She turns to Jen. “But what’s going on? Why are they here? If I’m allowed to know.” Is it just me, or is there a bit of protectiveness in her voice? I must be imagining it.

Jen leans forward. “It seems we’ve run into a bit of a mystery, and they’ve been dragged into it.” She looks at me. “But you and Brooklyn’s part in this is over now. Blaze will take you two and Maddie home. Your school’s probably closed or swarming with police now.”

“Wait,” I say, frowning. “We’re… done? You’re just going to make us go home?”

Jen nods. “Until we need you again. There’s not much else you can do.”

I open my mouth to protest, but then close it and nod. If I comply, Jen’ll be less suspicious and won’t worry about me going off on my own. Because I will. I’m not letting this drop. Not until I know who did this.

Next Part –>

Twinepathy (Part 16): Normal

Hullo, everyone! Is it Monday? I guess it is. I nearly forgot about a post today! Whoops… but, luckily, I remembered… and I also remembered to post Jen’s interview! Click here to check it out, and if you’re new to Twinepathy, check out Part 1! Enjoy, my friends!

Antarctica.

What. In. The. World.

“What?” Brooklyn squeaks. She’s about as shocked as I am, but when she’s shocked, she can speak. Or… squeak.

Blaze grins. “Antarctica. You know, that giant continent at the bottom of the earth that’s ruled by penguins and seals?”

Sarcasm helps me recover from shock, I know from experience. I glare at him and gaze up at the ceiling. “How?” I ask Jen.

She nods. “We have a guy here with powers that fit the climate.”

“Frosty,” Blaze says, holding in a laugh.

“He keeps the place from melting or shifting or anything like that. He also made it so we could keep it heated and not freeze.” Jen gives us a wry smile.

“Why here, though?” Brooklyn asks, blinking.

“The privacy.” Jen motions around. “It’s – mostly – a secret organization. This makes it even more secret. We have enough teleporters that it’s easy for us to get in and out. And the only things we have to deal with are the research stations and the penguins.”

Makes perfect sense. Not really.

Jen takes Maddie’s hand. “Well, let’s get started on our projects. Blaze, you can take them to school. Remember, land in an isolated spot.” She gives him a pointed look.

Blaze nods. “Yes, ma’am.” He looks passive and obedient. But of course that doesn’t last long. He turns to us with a grin. “Well, let’s go, girls.” He grabs our hands, and the next instant we’re in the middle of a shady, deserted alley.

Brooklyn shivers from the creepy atmosphere, and even I feel uncomfortable here, but Blaze leads us through several alleys and out onto the street, right next to our school. “Have a good day,” he says, smiling. “Contact me when you’re ready to pick up Maddie, and I’ll come get you.”

“What will you be doing?” Brooklyn asks curiously.

He tilts his head with a hint of a smile. “I’ve got school, too, you know.” He ducks down the street, and I have a feeling that if we headed that direction, we wouldn’t see him. I look at the school, then at Brooklyn. I open my mouth to say something, but then her eyes widen.

“Our homework!” she yelps.

I moan. “Great. Do you have the contact thingy?”

Brooklyn shakes her head. “It’s at home.”

Perfect. Brooklyn’s an amazing student and pretty much every teacher’s favorite, but while I’m good, I’m not that good. They might let her get away with no homework, but they won’t be letting me, I’ll bet. With this and everything else that’s happened, how are we supposed to act normal?

Well, that might be trouble. How are they going to get out of this? Guess we’ll have to wait to find out… And yes, we’re building up to something BIG. Next part… 😉

Next Part –>

Twinepathy (Part 9): Lava Java Coffee Shop

Hullo, everyone! Excited for the next part? It’s a nice long one, too! Today we get some answers, and we get to know Blaze and Data better. Yay! Like the new banner? If you missed the cover reveal, you can check it out here, and if you’re new, you can find the first part here. Enjoy!

The Lava Java coffee shop is always busy, even when it seems like no one should be there. Today is no exception. Data leads us to a corner booth that’s mostly secluded. We all slide in, but she heads over to the counter and orders. Minutes later, our coffee comes out, fresh. She hands Brooklyn and me our favorites, and she gives Maddie an ice water. How in the world does she know that Brooklyn only drinks fat-free lattes, and I love peppermint hot chocolate? She hands Blaze something that just looks like a ton of caffeine and sugar, and she sits down next to him, in a spot where she can see everything that’s going on in the coffee shop.

“We definitely owe you an explanation,” Data begins, stirring her iced mocha. “You see, I’m the head of a top-secret superhero organization. The details are complicated, but we’ll get to that later. My power is complicated, too, but to put it simply, I’m a mind reader that works through physical contact.”

Blaze chokes on his drink and looks at us. “Trust me, it’s way more complicated than that, and way bigger.”

Data gives him a look, and he backs off. “I brushed against you, Albany, two days ago, when I was on a jog. Because of your connection to your sister, I was able to read both of you. I couldn’t turn around and talk to you then, but—”

“Are you saying you know everything about us?” I interrupt, abandoning my peppermint goodness.

She nods. “Pretty much.” Brooklyn and I exchange glances. “Everything from before I touched you, that is, not since,” she amends, glancing at Maddie. “Anyway, part of my job is to catalogue superheroes and give them a way to contact us in case of emergency. That’s what the volleyball with the button was for. I knew about Brooklyn’s little volleyball and decided this would be a good hidden contact device. I sent someone to give it to you.” She takes a sip of her iced mocha.

“Who?” Blaze asks. “Who made this royal mess?”

Data gives him a fierce glare. “That is confidential information.”

“Why?” Blaze taps his fingers on the table. “Because you know that I’ll harp on them when I get back?”

“No. You don’t even know this person,” Data says, giving him an angry look before turning back to us. “Obviously, something went wrong, and they simply left it on your porch with no explanation.”

I frown. “So you’re trying to recruit us to work for your top-secret superhero thingy?”

She smiles. “Pretty much.”

“Then we’ll need more details,” Brooklyn hints. Good for her, actually speaking up.

“And since you know our real names, I think it’s only fair that you tell us your real name,” I put in.

Data focuses on me, and I squirm. Usually I can handle a stare, but her stare… she already knows so much about me. I feel like that earthworm in biology class. A simple, easy dissection. “My name’s Jenna,” she says, leaning back. “Everyone calls me Jen now.”

That seems to fit her, somehow. But was that a touch of sadness in her voice when she said “now”?

She sips her coffee. “The organization is called IDIA, the International Defense and Intelligence Agency. To outside observers, we seem to be just like the CIA or the FBI, but on the inside, we’re a superhero recruiting and freelancing operation.”

“Freelancing?” I ask.

Jen nods. “When someone – say the FBI – has a case or a situation they can’t handle, they’ll send someone to me. I look at the situation objectively, unlike them, and then decide what kind of powers or abilities would be most useful in the situation. Then I put everyone in contact with whoever – using our superheroes’ code names, like Data or Blaze, to protect their true identity. It’s very efficient and safe. We also provide support, counseling, and protection, even for people who aren’t on working status.” She pauses. “I also help put together superhero groups on occasion, too, but that doesn’t happen very often.”

I exchange glances with Brooklyn. The two of us have been on our own for a long time, not trusting anyone with our secret. For us, it’s been easy to keep it under wraps and pretend it’s normal. Some others might not have it so easy. And this… this could help us.

“What do you mean by people who aren’t on working status?” Brooklyn asks cautiously.

Jen leans forward. “We allow members to choose whether they want to go on missions. Some empowered people want to live quiet, normal lives, without the chaos of missions or world-saving fiascos. So they go in ‘dormant’ status – they have code names and contact devices, in case of trouble, but they don’t go on missions. We could always start you two off on that level if you’d like?”

Again, Brooklyn and I exchange glances. Yes, I say.

Brooklyn pauses, her brain whirring. “Yes,” she says quietly. “We’ll do it.”

Whoa, what are the twins getting themselves into??? What do you think of Jen? Enjoying this? Comment below!

Next part –>