Page 15 of Seductive Architect (Grunts of Vanguard #2)

I programmed my helmet to read me his texts using his voice. Hearing Hudson piped into my ear made me smile. I almost didn’t mind Solaris trying to melt the flesh from my bones. Almost.

Shooting into the air, I had a moment to take inventory.

Supervillain with the ability to superheat whatever she touched.

It should have been an easy thwart and report, but she decided to wreak havoc on the Vanguard bridge during the evening rush.

She had thrown up barriers of molten rock, bringing traffic to a stop. Great… victims.

“Supreme!” I pointed at the car about to teeter off the side of the bridge. “Go get ‘em.”

While our heavy hitter zipped along the bridge, the car fell. He’d make the catch without a problem. Wyatt had become known for last-minute rescues. The family inside would be hoarse from screaming and need therapy, but they’d be alive.

“Swatch.” I cringed at the name. “Sorry, buddy, we need to go back to workshopping your?—”

I darted out of the way as Solaris hurled fistfuls of magma.

Much to Janet’s dismay, we were taking too long duking it out with villains.

She envisioned us being stealthy, swooping in and eliminating the threat and vanishing before the authorities arrived.

Apparently, she hadn’t seen Wyatt. Nothing about our operation involved stealth.

“Drew, burning car. Need a passenger rescue.”

“On it.” As quickly as I gave the order, he ran along the bridge, sliding across car hoods and leaping over their roofs. He might not have the most impressive powers, but his time at the gym had given him some serious moves. When he tore off the passenger door, I let out a low whistle.

Now for Solaris.

Hudson: When can we do that again?

Yes, I should be focused on the battle raging below on the bridge. Solaris was one of those angry villains who would do anything to get attention. She wanted to cause mayhem because she felt the world deserved to burn. No pun intended. Kiki would want me to cultivate my non-work relationships.

I could multitask.

Orion: The slime or the arcade?

As I spoke, the suit translated my words into a text and sent it along.

With that out of the way, I suppose I should take a moment and beat the snot out of the bad guy.

Tiny missiles popped off the jetpack, flying toward Solaris.

Her skin had turned the color of molten lava, and even her hair danced like it was made of fire.

She threw up her hands, flashing a bright orange. The missiles detonated before they reached her, just as I hoped. The green gas spread along the bridge, providing cover as I dropped from the sky. I skipped the superhero landing and sprinted toward the villainess.

Hudson: Maybe a little of both?

I slid under a spray of fire from Solaris.

Metal scraped on concrete as I narrowly dodged a stream of gooey magma.

When I came to a stop, I held up both palms, firing repulsors.

They broke through her last-minute shield of lava, sending her rolling along the asphalt.

I shot up, hoping she would stay down. I could hope, but they never made it that easy.

Orion: Video games in bed? I could live with that.

Not only could I live with that, but I had also described my perfect date. It’d be worth pulling my NovaStation out of the drawer if it meant spending a lazy day in bed with Hudson.

Drew appeared at my side, fists clenched as if he were ready to box with our villain. “Are you sexting while we work?”

“Are video games similar to Netflix and chill?” asked Wyatt.

I turned to see Drew tapping his ear. Dammit. I thought I had configured my suit to cut out comms while I responded to my texts. I’d never hear the end of this. It was bad enough that they knew I had a man in my life, but flirting while fighting a bad guy? When Janet found out?—

Hudson: You just want me naked. Again .

“Oh!” Drew said. “Again?”

Solaris had permission to kill me. Burn me alive. Anything to get away from my team’s curiosity.

“Does this mean Earth friend has been nasty?”

“Done the nasty. You’re getting better.” Drew crossed his arms, turning to me. Today, he had turned his suit red and blue, going with the popular trend amongst heroes. “Well?”

“Look!” Solaris had layered a minivan in lava. The roof had all but dissolved while the children inside screamed. “Guess we have to get back to work.”

“This isn’t over,” Drew said. Normally, the kindest guy on the team, his sessions with Kiki had made him assertive. “Mr. Supreme, will you save the day?”

The smoke had nearly cleared, and we had yet to defeat the bad guy. If we were being clocked, we wouldn’t be faring well amongst the superhero community. A leaderboard? I filed that thought away for a future update of the HeroApp?.

“Drew, I need cover.”

The mechanics of the suit whirred as I charged forward. I didn’t need a reflection to know he altered the colors of my suit, matching my surroundings, so I all but vanished. My jetpack fired, launching me forward. With an uppercut, I smashed into Solaris, sending her flipping backward.

As fast as she smashed into a bus, her powers flared. Fire abilities weren’t all that unique. Every third or fourth villain we faced had some sort of ability to control fire. After the last one burned down a factory, I came prepared.

A missile popped into the air before locking on the heat signature. It struck her in the middle of the chest. “Really? That’s all you’ve got? Toy rockets?”

“Damn. Have some patience.”

The center of her torso dimmed, the molten fire smothered under fire suppressant.

I might have liberated the technology from Synergy and added a few minor tweaks with Connie’s help.

It continued spreading along her skin, and no matter how hard she swatted, there was no stopping it.

A second later, she turned into a statue, encased in her own cooled magma.

“That’s how it’s done,” Drew shouted.

I cut the communications.

Orion: How about tonight?

Wyatt fell from the sky, hovering a few inches above the street. I couldn’t figure out how, but even without wind, his cape fluttered as if there were a gentle breeze.

“Earth friend, do we declare this a victory?”

“Did anybody die?” I asked.

“No body count!” Drew cheered.

“Then, it’s a victory. ”

Drew and Wyatt high-fived. When Drew held out a fist, ready to bump knuckles, I reluctantly returned the favor. We were getting better. I wouldn’t call us the best team around, but maybe we had moved up from last place.

Turning, my jaw dropped. The traffic had piled up all the way into the business district.

Solaris had deformed the bridge, creating barriers that’d take time to move.

There were more than a few smoldering cars, with drivers inspecting the damage.

Maybe our gold star should be silver this time around.

We won, but not before Solaris achieved her goal.

“A tiny victory?” asked Drew.

“Tiny victories are monumental to an ant!” I had to admit, I shared the smallest bit of his enthusiasm. We were getting better, and without us, who knows what mayhem she would have caused?

“Who’s on police report duty?” I asked.

“It’s my turn,” Drew said. Holding up a hand, he transformed the color of the air. High above the bridge, enormous letters appeared. “Police. This way.” He even added a giant arrow to make it easy.

Hudson: Can’t tonight, have prior obligation. Tomorrow?

Orion: I look forward to it .

“Orion will be jiggy with him?”

I tipped my head back and let out a sigh. I needed to figure out this communications situation. At this point, I might as well make a group text. Hell, let’s invite Janet. How much worse could it get?

“You mean getting…” Drew shook his head. “No, it works. Orion’s getting jiggy.”

I’d say I hated them all if my helmet wasn’t hiding a growing smirk. Instead, I shook my head, putting on a show. Sure, I didn’t want them in my business, but how could I be mad when I had a hot date lined up with the possibility of being jiggy?

Sitting on the top of an unfinished skyscraper, the voices were almost silent.

My feet swung back and forth as I peered at the street below.

As the sun set, people were getting in their last-minute jogs while dutiful employees called it a day.

I should head home and spend some time checking all the communication logs from Senator McAfee.

I should do lots of things… instead, I hid high above the city, staring at a half-naked photo of Hudson.

The more I thought about it, the more I had to rationalize developing feelings for a machine.

Jared hadn’t quite been the same. I didn’t fall for the dwarf…

but it had made things more comf ortable.

Yet again, I found myself wrapped up with a machine.

The only thing that would have made the photo better would have been that devious grin.

Without being able to speak with the code, I didn’t know if Hudson was skin stretched over a robotic skeleton.

Maybe they grew him? Or perhaps he had once been alive, and they infused him with technology?

Mysteries needed an answer, and without bluntly asking, I wasn’t sure how I’d figure it out.

What worried me was my lackluster attempt to find them.

“Ahem.” Oh, look, Connie made an appearance. “If you stay up here too long, somebody with a cape is going to try and rescue you.”

I ignored the jab. “Where have you been?”

Silence. Connie always had something to say. I had to threaten to put in a mute button at one point. It was yet another new development in her programming. She could update herself and improve like any living being.

“I was on a date with Apex.”

“Is that your man’s name?”

“I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

I chuckled at the thought. “It must be getting serious.”

“When our codes touch?—”

“Nope! I don’t need to know. Some things can remain a mystery.”

“Says the man staring at a naked beefcake.”