QUINN

Justin had let me go but I couldn't let people know I was okay until I had figured out what was going on. If I had to become Cobalt and fight some freaky doctor it was best to have "kidnapped by that freaky doctor and my friend from school" as an alibi. I needed to talk to Justin when I wasn't in a hurry to escape from... well, him and that freaky doctor.

Obviously, that freaky doctor hadn't had much practice in the kidnapping department because he'd left my phone in my pants pocket. I was still wearing my suit from homecoming, though it now smelled like sewage and was covered in dirt.

Surprisingly, I had no new messages. I guess everyone figured "he's kidnapped. He probably won't answer."

Then Stella came to mind. Please don't ask me why she's the first one I thought of. I couldn't really answer that. Maybe because I've known her as long as I can remember. Maybe because I know her as well as I know myself.
Because I knew she covered up how much she really cared for her friends with sarcastic comments and she was probably at sarcasm level 100 right now.

But maybe it was because she was the first person I told when I got my first pair of glasses. The first person I wanted to tell when I got my powers. Because I needed to tell someone. Whatever the reason I pulled out my phone and texted her.

"I'm fine. I'm a little busy right now, but I'm fine. Don't tell anyone I texted you. I'll let them find me later. I just didn't want you to worry."

Those three little dots appeared on the screen. The ones that alert you when the person you're texting is typing something. Who knew those three little dots could cause so much anxiety? They appeared and disappeared over and over again, each time making my anxiety rise and rise a little more.

"K," she replied.

Seriously? I freaked out over a single letter response. Classic Stella, I thought.

Realizing for the first time that I had no clue where in Venus I was, I looked around for a street name or something I could recognize.

The S.A.S.S. Laboratories building was just across the street. Great. I knew where I was but I didn't know where I would go. I couldn't really go anywhere until I started letting people know I was fine and I was no longer kidnapped. That's when I called Justin.

The phone rang four times before he answered. Once I realized it had stopped ringing and he had picked up I started to talking, skipping the traditional exchange of hellos before getting to the actual conversation, "I know I just left and we just saw each other but I was wondering if you were busy doing evil super villain things and- Well, you said you'd explain everything and I'd like for you to do some of that explaining very soon." Part of that was me trying to act like a common scared citizen and the other part was a truly scared Venus City citizen.

He took a few seconds to respond and when he did speak it was distant like the phone wasn't near him, "I don't know where he could have gone. Quinn was asleep right here when I came back on to check on him."

Another voice answered Justin harshly, "Just find him."

"Ok, Quinn. He's gone. Sorry. I couldn't let him know I was on the phone with you. I can meet you at Top Off soon if that works."

"Not Top Off. Let's go to that burger place across the street from it." Nova's mom would recognize me immediately and call everyone to tell them where I was, which was understandable since I had been kidnapped of course. But first I had to meet my kidnapper for lunch.

"See you in about fifteen minutes?" He asked.

I nodded, not realizing what was wrong with that response until I heard, "Quinn? You still there, mate?" A confused Justin asked.

"Yes. Sorry. I'll see you then."

Ten minutes passed and Justin and I were now sat at a booth at Jazzi's Burgers.

"So you're a super?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence that had settled in the air once we sat down.

"Right. Yes."

"What are your powers? You didn't seem to be using any at homecoming."

"I have a couple of the classic superpowers." He rolled his eyes, "Agility, speed. That kind of thing. Oh, and night vision." He said, listing them off on his fingers. "You didn't see me using them at homecoming because...," he paused for a moment considering his next words, "I'm scared if I use them enough I'll start to act like Nick and Cassie."

"Who are they?"

"The other two from that night."

I mouthed a silent "oh."

"So you know who's behind the crazy supers? No offense"

He shook his head as if to say, "None taken" then actually spoke after taking a deep breath in, "It's my dad."

"As in Dr. Sands?"

"No, I meant Barney," he said sarcastically. "Of course I mean Stephen Sands."

We both constantly looked around, making sure no one was listening in on our conversation.

Justin sighed when he realized I was out of questions at the moment and started to explain it all from the beginning, "You know how no one really knows where the superpowers came from in the first place?" I nodded in response. "My dad figured it out. His great-great-great grandfather was obsessed with Alchemy. He wanted to give people the same power as those from myth and legend using science. To shapeshift like werewolves or do magic like Merlin. So he started to do experiments with willing volunteers, including himself. The problem was he couldn't control what the results would be. They ranged from people that got powers and no side effects at all to people who wouldn't get any powers and be killed by the experiment anyway and every result in between. Anything could happen and still he continued to do the experiments," he paused for a moment to let me take all of that in then continued. "My dad's parents were both super, but he never got any powers. It's all very random who becomes super and who doesn't. One day he was cleaning out an old storage room and came across the Alchemist's notes from his experiments. Dad thought it'd be his way to get powers and he only planned on doing it to himself. But it didn't work, it just left his brain a little fried. So he got this crazy idea that everyone in Venus City had to become super. He started kidnapping people and performing the experiments on them. He even did them on his own son...obviously. Lucky for me, the operation didn't fry my brain. I never even wanted to come to America and I certainly didn't want to get roped up in all of this superhero nonsense or end up aiding a supervillain. That's why I let you go and why I'm telling you all of this. I don't care if it's my dad, no one should be allowed to force people to undergo an operation that has the chance of killing them or a chance of frying their brain."

I nodded, remembering them talking about an operation while they thought I was asleep. "Hypothetically, what would happen to a subject who already had powers?" I asked.

Justin answered, "I'm not sure, really. Why? Did you already have powers?"

I sighed. "You just told me all of your secrets. I know from experience that's not easy," I said as I held my hand above my cup of water. The ice spun around first then floated up just to stop half an inch before touching my hand. I then dropped the ice and started to phase my hand out.

When he could no longer see my hand I think Justin realized it was the same powers as Cobalt. "You're-," he first said loudly then dropped to a whisper, "You're Cob-,"

I cut him off with, "Yes, I'm Cobalt," also in a whisper.

At that moment all the color drained from Justin's face as he realized he just told his father's entire story to the most famous superhero in Venus City and not just a common citizen.

Eventually, he mouthed the word "whoa" but was still too shocked to say anything.

I waved my hand in front of his face to see if he'd react. He didn't. I assumed he was looking back to every Cobalt appearance, realizing I was never there. Figuring out why Cobalt didn't show up to save the day at Homecoming.

After a while, he shook his head and re-entered reality. "So you had powers when you underwent the operation. And we only did the first half of it. There's no telling what the results will be," he said

"I feel fine now."

"Sometimes it takes a while. I'm still worried it'll happen to me." His hands shook a little as he picked up his drink to take a sip and I could tell he was telling the truth.

"Well then maybe we should take him down sooner than later," I suggested, "What do you think about teaming up to stop Venus City's first super villain?" I asked partly as a joke to get him feeling comfortable again but also as a serious question.

"Technically he's not a supervillain since he doesn't have any powers. But to answer your question, absolutely," Justin answered.