A Tale of Two Masks

The sound of Ashton’s heartbeat pounded in his chest as he waited for Summer. He must have lost his mind. What was he meant to do about an actual threat? Other than report it to the authorities, which he had most certainly already done. Despite the thrill of fear rushing through his veins, his thoughts were as clear as always.

Summer left the bathroom shortly after, looking a nervous wreck. It had been a bad idea to come here after all. There was no avoiding the situation now, so he just needed to figure a way out of it.

“What do we do now?” Summer asked.

“Before we go out there, we need to find out as much as we can,” Ashton replied, “All we know so far is that we are dealing with a woman with wind powers.”

As he spoke he noticed an odd look of recognition on Summer’s face. Had she noticed something he hadn’t? Just in case, he asked her.

“It’s just a hunch,” she replied, “and it’s probably unlikely. RefRain’s mother had wind powers. Just not like this.”

RefRain again? What was his real name again? Wasn’t it Collin Mcshay. Mcshay. That last name sounded oddly familiar in a different way. Ashton had been too busy to think much of it before, but in this situation, it might be best to figure out what about it was bothering him. More importantly, Ashton knew best not to underestimate powers just because people kept them under wraps. Especially true forces of nature like this one.

“She never had a reason to before,” he pointed out, sharing his opinion on the matter.

The winds were getting stronger at a carefully controlled rate. As careful and controlled as one could be with a sudden windstorm. The windows rattled and the cracks in the automatic doors whistled and howled as stray wisps of wind forced their way through.

“Maybe we could try talking to her?” Summer suggested.

“How?” Ashton asked, “We won’t even be able to get close enough for her to hear us.”

“Do we just wait and hide like cowards until the professionals arrive then?” she asked. Summer’s dislike of the idea seeped into her tone.

Normally, hiding or running were Ashton’s favorite options. It was always best to stay away from the conflict. To be careful so no one even notices someone there. Unfortunately, it was far too late for that. Once the wind picked up enough to form something on the scale of a tornado, professionals or not, there would be no stopping it.

“We can’t afford to do that either,” Ashton replied as he shook his head, “The glass won’t last long, and the storm doors have already blocked access to the rest of the building.”

SI’s emergency procedures must have kicked in when he called in the threat. It was annoying having nowhere to retreat to and take cover. He watched the storm’s rise and fall, looking for any possible openings they could take advantage of.

“If we can’t fight, talk, or hide, do we have to run?” Summer asked.

Run? That was it! That was why the name Mcshay had bothered him so much. Back when he had been at the mercy of the government, he had been told the secret to escaping. One of their fellows had succeeded at it once, though the government had always told them she ran away. The truth was, she married a Mr. Mcshay. Like everyone there, she had been desperate for a normal life.

“Actually, talking might work if we can draw her attention,” Ashton said, confident he could use his realization to his advantage, “I think she is holding back. That must mean she wants to avoid making more victims like her son.”

“Let’s do it.”

There was no more time to waste with chatter, so Ashton pressed forward. He could find out whatever else Summer intended to say later. The winds were just as fierce as they had looked from inside, but it was impossible to hear or be heard inside it. He was glad Summer had tied her hair back before stepping outside.

As Ashton struggled forward through the heavy currents, he found himself missing Shadow Phoenix’s weighted boots. They would have kept his footing far easier than the cheap tennis shoes he had on now. There was no use regretting it now. He had disposed of the whole outfit once and for all.

Summer pushed past him, her eyes locked on the guest parking lot. There stood the woman Ashton had spotted earlier. The winds around her were calmer. A perfect center to the storm. Since he had been moving in the wrong direction, he arrived to the center behind Summer. The woman, most certainly Mrs. Mcshay, locked eyes with him and frowned. She knew.

In that case, his only option now was to provoke her. But how? The things he had discovered were riddled with state secrets Summer could not overhear. He would start with something simple that he was allowed to say in the open.

“Mrs. Mcshay,” Ashton called out, “Do you know of F7?”

She jerked back and let out a heavy gust of wind that felt like a whip as it struck Ashton. He was able to hold his ground, but Summer had been sent back into the building storm around them.

“How dare you mention that accursed place?” Mrs. Mcshay hissed, “Do you have any idea how much I sacrificed to be free of it? And just when my life finally became perfect, SI stole my son from me! Why do you stand on their side?”

“I have no choice,” Ashton replied, “SI was my out. It’s better here than there.”

She was unable to argue with that, but the anger in her eyes had not faded. “Then what about my son?! Why could they not save him? Why did they kill him like that?”

“I won’t pretend to defend them. They are a sham with every right to be destroyed,” Ashton told her, “but this isn’t the right way. If you unleash your power here, SI won’t be the only thing that falls. How many innocents will you sacrifice for your revenge?”

Mrs. Mcshay faltered, and Ashton took advantage of her momentary hesitation to close the distance between them. Back in F7, the horrible facility he had been raised, he had been trained on how to use his power to incapacitate an opponent instantly without causing lasting harm. It involved some quick math, and physical contact, but it was very effective.

The shock left his fingertips the moment Ashton touched her, and she collapsed into his arms. Summer ran over as he was carefully lowering Mrs. Mcshay to the ground. Had she seen it?

“Ashton,” she panted once she got close, “What happened?”

“She passed out,” Ashton replied, “The stress on her must have been too much.”

Summer seemed to be a bit suspicious, but not certain. Good. She must have missed it.

“Ashton,” Summer called again. He tensed, waiting for her awkward questions. “My car…” As she said those two words she broke into sobs.

What? His eyes landed on her car turned wreck. Oh. He had forgotten she had parked so close to the scene of the incident. How was he going to explain this to Mr. Aster? Did the car count as any part of Summer getting hurt? For now, he should comfort her.