The Power of Teamwork!, Page 3

  He sat back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. The chair started to tip. He sat forward. “We have the gorilla now.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Josh’s dad knew the gorilla was too much for the Star Light City Police to handle. I mean come on, they just aren’t equipped for a cybernetic super gorilla.”

  “Ah, my name is Jason,” Jason told Dad.

  “Right, I knew that!” Dad said.

  “So you have the gorilla now?” I asked my dad.

  “Of course we do! Your father just told you that!” Hana answered for Dad. “We are the most advanced facility on Earth.”

  Dad nodded as he chewed on another French fry. “We have her locked up nice and safe in one of the basement facilities.”

  I got quickly to my feet. “I want to see her!”

  Dad smiled. “I knew you would. Let’s just finish eating and Hana and I will escort you down to the subbasement!”

  “Subbasement? So cool!” Jason said.

  I looked at Dad. His smile didn’t waver. “Trust me, honey, the gorilla is fine. Better than fine!”

  I decided to trust him. After all, he was my dad.

  Dear Diary: Seems like the more I get to know my dad the more I realize there’s a lot I don’t know about him. The man is brilliant. He built me a great uniform that will save time and help keep my identity safe. (And it keeps me smell free for a day!) But he also built a perfect android that wants to spar with me. Plus, he’s holding the gorilla I fought with this morning. Man, parents are complicated!

  Going Ape…

  We finished lunch and then ate a dessert of fried ice cream made by Hanna. After that, Hanna and Dad escorted Jason and me down to the subbasement. I wasn’t sure how far underground the subbasement was buried, but it seemed to take forever for the secure elevator to make its way down there.

  The elevator opened up into a brightly lit hallway that spanned as far as the eye could see. Hana walked out and pointed down the hall.

  “This way please,” she instructed us.

  “Is the gorilla alright?” I asked nervously. “She got a good whiff of my morning breath. That could drop a herd of elephants from a hundred yards away.”

  Dad smiled. “She was a little out of it when our team picked her up. Your breath does pack quite the punch. But my team tells me she is fine now.”

  We continued to walk for what seemed like forever. I don’t know what I found to be weirder, me knocking out gorillas with my breath or Dad having a team. Never really thought of dad as an in charge kind of guy.

  “How’s she doing now?” I asked.

  Dad hesitated.

  “Dad, tell me!” I ordered. Not sure if I fired off some of my pheromones or not. I still had no control of that power.

  “We removed her cybernetic attachments,” he said slowly.

  “And?” I prompted.

  We came to a door. Hana put her hand on the door. It popped open. “See for yourself!”

  I walked into a room that had a big cage in it. Still, as far as cages go, this was a nice one. There was a lot of green grass in the cage, a tree and a little stream of water. A couple of keepers in orange suits were feeding the gorilla some greens.

  “She seems happy,” Jason said.

  “She does,” I agreed.

  Hana looked at me. “Before we removed her attachments she told us her name was Jodi with an i….” She motioned towards Jodi. “You can go visit with her. She’s fine.”

  I walked forwards slowly. “Hiya, Jodi,” I said with a smile.

  Jodi tilted her head. She farted. Then she started laughing and clapping!

  Dad laughed too. “Since we removed the attachments, she’s become a normal gorilla, a normal gorilla with a sense of humor…”

  I stuck my hand into the cage.

  One of the attendants warned me. “I wouldn’t do that ma’am. Even in this state, she’s very strong!”

  I ignored the attendant. I didn’t like being called ‘ma’am’ but I knew they were trying to be polite and helpful. “I’ll be fine,” I said. “She’ll be gentle with me.”

  Jodi took my hand. Her hand engulfed mine. I wasn’t sure if she recognized me without my costume and without her super intelligence, but the look in her eyes seemed to suggest that she did. She shook my hand lightly. She smiled at me. I returned the smile.

  “Good girl, Jodi!” I said.

  “Hoo, Hoo!” She responded.

  “See, she’s fine,” Dad said. “Sadly, the enhancement cybernetics disintegrated the moment they were separated from her. But Jodi shows no ill effects. We do know the implants must have been put on her recently since she had that wrap around her head.”

  “What’s going to happen to her?” I asked still keeping my eyes on her.

  “She will go to a nice gorilla sanctuary down south,” Hana told me. “There are five others of her kind there. She will be comfortable.”

  “Do you know where she came from?” Jason asked, always looking for clues.

  Dad shook his head. “Nope. There have been no reports of missing gorillas and I’ll tell you a missing gorilla is hard to miss.”

  “Do you know who did this to her?” I asked.

  Dad hesitated again.

  “Dad tell me, please!”

  He took a step back. He looked at the ground. I knew he didn’t want to say anything. “We have no proof yet,” he said.

  “Dad…”

  Hana spoke up. “The work has a resemblance to the groundbreaking work of Doctor Donna Dangerfield. She has done a lot of study on enhancing people through cybernetics.”

  “She just moved here like a month ago! That can’t be a coincidence!” I said.

  Dad shook his head. “Actually it can be. A lot of people now are working on cybernetics including us. It’s a hot field. The number of older people in the world is growing rapidly. It would be great if we found ways to make growing old, easier. Cybernetics offers a lot of promise.”

  “But why pick on a harmless gorilla?” I asked.

  “Cause gorillas are a lot like people,” Jason said.

  “Exactly,” Dad said. He pointed to Jason. “I like this Joey guy!”

  “Jason!” Jason, Hana and I all told dad.

  “Right, Jackson,” Dad said. He smiled. “I know it’s Jason.” Dad’s smile straightened out. He put his arms on my shoulder. “Listen, honey, don’t go accusing Doctor Dangerfield yet because…”

  I lowered my head. “…she may be innocent?”

  Dad shrugged. “Yeah she may be, but if she isn’t, we don’t want to scare her off by thinking we are on to her. So if you meet her just act normally!”

  “I’ll try dad, I’ll try.”

  Jason pulled out his phone. “Speaking of normal, we’ve got to coach a LAX game in less than an hour.”

  Dear Diary: I was so happy to see Jodi safe and content. I’m not thrilled that somebody would experiment on her like that. When I find out who did, they are in trouble. PS: Dad really has to get Jason’s name right!

  LAX…

  Peddling as fast as we could (without me actually using my superpowers), we got to the LAX field five minutes before the “game” was scheduled to start. Luckily our other coaches, Marie and Christa had the kids lined up and doing drills. Well, as much as you can with kids their age. When they are seven and eight years old, it’s pretty much like herding cats.

  Today, our green team was playing the red team. Normally, who they played was no big deal. After all, these games were supposed to be about having fun and learning the basics of LAX, so score didn’t matter. But since we were playing the red team coached by Wendi (and Brandon and Lori and an older girl named Tanya Cone), today’s game meant something.

  Yeah, I know it probably shouldn’t have. After all, Brandon is always nice and certainly has a great smile. Lori, for all her roughness, is actually a nice person too. She is a faithful teammate. During our season she made a great pass to me as I made the winning goal of
the last game of the year. That felt good. Oh, and Tanya is a very cool kid. She must be fifteen or sixteen and only coaches this level because her little sister, Kayla plays on the team. Kayla’s a cute kid too with dark hair and dimples. Like a miniature version of Tanya. Heck, the entire red team and their coaches are fine. They are all nice normal kids. Sure they can be high strung and annoying and at times, it’s tempting to pop my shoes off and put them all to sleep with super foot odor. But I know they’re just kids being kids. They aren’t the problem.

  The problem is Ms. Perfect Wendi. I knew if her kids beat my kids I would never hear the end of it. Sure, we weren’t supposed to keep score but the kids do, and so do the coaches. I guess its human nature. Being superhuman doesn’t change that with me. I wanted to make sure her kids didn’t beat my kids. I had a secret weapon and his name was Felipe.

  When Felipe saw me, he came running over and hugged me. “Yeah, Lia you’re here!”

  Felipe’s cousin Tomas and Jess were also there to cheer on Felipe.

  “Hey, Lia,” Tomas said.

  “Beautiful day for a game,” I told them.

  Jess smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Tomas used to have a crush on me, but I didn’t return his feelings. He’s nice and all but I don’t think I’d want to date a half-vampire. (Even though vampires aren’t really vampires like in the movies, just humans with slightly different genes…) Still, I didn’t like him that way. And I was happy that he and Jess, the witch, had hooked up.

  Felipe motioned to me to bend down to him. I did. He whispered in my ear, “Now I’m not supposed to use my powers of speed and strength here. Right?”

  “Actually, Felipe, today we’ll make an exception. Do you know what that means?”

  His face lit up. “That I can have lots of fun!”

  I nodded. “Yes, but we want to keep the game close.”

  “Got it!” Felipe said, running towards the other players on the field.

  The referee, who happened to be Janitor Jan from school, blew her whistle for the two teams to meet in the middle of the field.

  My coaches and I walked out to meet Wendi and the other coaches. Wendi shot me a look. I shot her a look. I really had to concentrate to NOT use heat vision on her.

  “Remember, coaches, these games are for fun and learning,” Ref Jan warned us all.

  “Of course,” Brandon said with a beautiful smile. “It’s all about sportsmanship and a good game!”

  “And having fun!” Jason added.

  “And learning the rules,” Lori added.

  “And staying safe,” Marie added.

  “And sportsmanship,” Christa said looking at me and Wendi.

  I held a hand out to Wendi. “To a good game!”

  Wendi took my hand without looking at me. “Good game.”

  We returned to the sidelines. Jan blew the whistle and the game began. Both teams just pretty much ran up and down the field chasing each other and occasionally making a pass. Most of the kids simply enjoyed the running.

  The coaches would yell things like:

  “Pass pass….”

  “Fall back on defense….”

  “Watch your man….”

  “Keep those sticks high!”

  “Stop chasing butterflies!”

  “Guys, you’re running off the field…”

  “Guys, stop having a burping contest in the middle of the field!”

  You know that kind of stuff. Like I said, it would mostly be easier to herd cats. The one exception on our team was Felipe. He darted up the field, dodged other kids and tossed the ball into the net. Wendi’s team also had their own star player, Kayla Cane. For every goal Felipe scored, Kayla would fly up the field and score right back. I thought, wow, this kids amazing, as Kayla ran up the field with the ball in her stick.

  She approached the goal.Suddenly everything froze in place. Everything except Kayla, her sister Tanya, and me. But I still stood motionless, just to see what was going on. Tanya walked out to Kayla on the field.

  “Kayla, you know this is a no, no!” Tanya scolded, her finger wagging.

  Kayla sighed. “I know you told me not to slow time this much but I was tired from all this running, and I needed a little break. This time control stuff is hard!”

  Tanya crossed her arms and glared at her little sister. “Yes, yes it is. That’s why we’re not supposed to do it. Only in extreme emergencies. Playing a lacrosse game isn’t an emergency.”

  “But I need juice now!” Kayla pouted. She pointed to our side. “We can take some of the other team’s juice!”

  Tanya shook her head. “No, that would be wrong.”

  Kayla pointed at me. “Hey, that girl is moving.”

  “What do you mean, Kayla?”

  “Tanya, I saw her blink. When we time slow, people can’t blink!”

  Tanya and Kayla locked their eyes on me. I stood there trying not to blink. The thing is…when you try not blink it really makes you want to blink. I blinked. I sighed. I walked towards them.

  “Yeah I’m not frozen,” I admitted. “Actually everything seems heavier than normal but I can move through it all. It’s weird.”

  Tanya nodded. “Yep, that’s the time displacement you’re feeling.”

  “How can she move?” Kayla asked. “Only you, mommy and I are supposed to be able to move.” She looked at her sister questioningly.

  Tanya held out a hand to me. “Lia Strong, nice to formally meet. Oh, should I call you Super Teen?”

  I grinned and shook her hand. “Let’s stick with Lia, please. So how did you guys get your powers?”

  Tanya looked at me. “Wow, not big on small talk are you?”

  I dropped my head. “Sorry, but your powers are just so cool.”

  Tanya smiled. “Our grandma was pregnant during the Chernobyl accident in Russia. Our mom, Meesha, was born with the ability to slow time. And now, so can we.” She shrugged. “No idea why or how. What about you?”

  “I come from a long line of superwomen. When we turn 12, we’ve absorbed enough energy to activate our powers.” I explained.

  It felt good to talk to another who had powers and seemed normal. I mean, I like Jess and Tomas, but he’s a little creepy and she’s a little aloof.

  “So we’re going to keep each other’s secrets?” Tanya asked.

  “Of course!” I said.

  “Good! Now let’s get back to the sidelines and get this game over with, I mean going again.” She looked Kayla in the eyes. “And no more stopping time!”

  Kayla groaned. “OK!”

  Dear Diary: Well Mom and Dad have always thought that there would be other super people out there. And now that I was super I would most likely notice them. This is something I don’t often say, but wow my parents were so right. Actually, I’m hoping I can be friends with Tanya as it would be so cool to have another super kid I can chat with about being super. Somebody who can relate to the ups and downs. Plus,

  having a friend who can slow time could come in handy!

  Post-Game Meet and Greet…

  The game ended in a 10-10 tie. We gathered up our kids and our gear. The kids lined up in the middle of the field and shook hands, giving each other high fives. I liked teaching the kids the importance of being good sports, even against Wendi’s team.

  Speaking of Wendi, I saw her heading towards me. A tall red-headed woman accompanied Wendi.

  “Good game, Strong,” Wendi said, a little begrudgingly.

  “Thanks, Wendi,” I said with as much sincerity as I could fake.

  Wendi pointed to the somehow familiar woman. “My aunt wanted to meet you. She’s kind of new in town, but also famous and a great doctor. Your mom works for her.”

  The woman stepped forward and offered her hand to me. Her arm was ripped with muscles. “Lia, I’m Doctor Donna Dangerfield. And I work alongside your wonderful mother.” Doctor Dangerfield said with a smile.

  I shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Doctor.”


  She released my hand. “Please call me Donna.”

  By now Jason, Christa, and Marie had noticed Donna. Jason and Marie rushed over.

  “Doctor Dangerfield, I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time!” Jason gushed. “I’ve followed your research in cybernetics and your fighting career!” he babbled on, turning a slight shade of red.

  Donna turned to him and smiled. “Wow, I don’t find many people who follow both my careers.”

  Jason turned even redder. He took a step back. He tried to talk but failed.

  Marie stepped forward and grinned. “Doctor Donna, so nice to meet you, it’s an honor to be volunteering in your lab!”

  Donna smiled. “Ah, so you’re one of my student lab rats, as Doctor Stone calls them.”

  Everybody else laughed thinking it to be a joke. But after the events of today, I wasn’t so sure.

  Marie grinned. “Yes, my friend Lori and I are hoping for careers in medicine and science!”

  Lori joined the conversation. “Actually, I just loved your MMA work…how you systematically destroyed your opponents. I respect that!”

  Donna nodded. “Thank you, I guess,” Donna turned her attention back to me. “Well, I just wanted to introduce myself and to say you are always welcome in my lab at the hospital.”

  “Ah, thanks,” I said.

  Donna put her arms around Wendi and Lori. “Come on, I’ll take you both out for ice cream, doctor’s orders!” Donna turned to us. “Would you guys like to join us?”

  “Sorry, we’re taking our team to Mr. T’s for food,” I answered.

  Wendi pulled on her aunt. “Come on, Aunt Donna, you’ll see them at the hospital.”

  “Another time then,” Donna said.

  The three of them walked away.

  “Wow, she’s amazing!” Jason said, his mouth gaping open.

  “Close your mouth,” I told him.

  Marie pointed to our equipment. “I’ll go help Christa pick up our gear.” Maybe Marie sensed I needed to talk to Jason.

  I nudged Jason. “Remember, Doctor Donna may be an evil mad scientist!” I said softly.