Reunion: Supervillain Rehabilitation Project by H. L. Burke

Author:H. L. Burke [Burke, H. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: H. L. Burke
Published: 2021-08-03T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Aiden jogged down the stairs into the secret lab to find both his mother and Tanvi standing over a hyperventilating Final Hour. The man clutched something in his hand that hung from a chain around his neck.

“He okay?” Aiden asked.

“He blinked out again while you two were gone,” Tanvi said. “Did you, Maria?”

“For a minute. It didn’t affect me like this, though.” Maria furrowed her brow at the supervillain.

Aiden tilted his head to one side. “Is he hurt or just freaking out?”

“The latter.” Final Hour gave a bitter laugh. “This is wrong. This is happening too fast. I can’t focus like this. There’s too much noise, too much pressure, and I’m hungry—”

Tanvi and Maria exchanged a glance.

“I’ll go get some food.” Tanvi led Maria and Aiden a few feet away and dropped her voice. “Maybe we should leave him alone for a while.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Aiden frowned. “What if he tries to escape? Or worse?”

“Well, I still am going to make a chow run.” Tanvi put out her hand. “Keys?”

Aiden passed her his car keys.

“Anyone who wants to can come with me,” Tanvi then added.

“I will. I’m feeling restless, and I wouldn’t mind some time to get to know the woman in my son’s life.” Maria shot Tanvi a warm smile.

Tanvi brightened. “Oh, man, I have so many stories to tell you about this idiot.”

“I need quiet!” Final Hour snapped.

Tanvi wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, let’s get away from evil Doc Brown.”

Maria grinned. “That’s what I called him—”

As the two women disappeared up the stairs, Aiden found a folding chair which he set up near the room’s only exit. He then sat, phone in hand.

Final Hour glared at him.

“I can be very quiet,” Aiden said. “You won’t even know I’m here.”

“Too late.” Final Hour stood, still fiddling with the pendant around his neck.

Aiden focused on it. “What do you have there?”

Final Hour opened his hand, revealing a small, silver medal.

Aiden arched his eyebrows. “St. Thomas Aquinas, huh?” He thought for a moment. “For scholars, right?”

Final Hour studied Aiden. “Are you Catholic?”

“No, but my grandmother was.” Aiden pulled out his keys from his pocket and exhibited a similar silver circle hanging from his key chain. “She gave me this when she heard I was entering EMT training. St. Michael, which is also apparently where I got my middle name.” He slipped the keys back in his pocket. “My dad used to say that as a Protestant he didn’t hold with there being any power in the things, but he always thought it was amusing how I seemed to grow into being named after the Patron Saint of First Responders.”

“Yeah, we choose our heroes, I suppose.” Final Hour tucked the medallion beneath his shirt.

“So I’m assuming you are Catholic, then?” Aiden rested his ankle on the opposite knee.

“Lapsed.” Final Hour shrugged. “I kept the medal for nostalgia, but once I got deep into academia and the hard sciences, there just didn’t seem to be a need for the supernatural.

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