covered the mouthpiece. “It’s my little brother. He hates me.” She turned back to the radio. “What’s shakin’?”
“ There’s this girl. Um, she’s in my class. I was wondering if maybe I could bring her to your headquarters sometime? ”
Irlene’s eyes widened. “A girl, Harlan? You? That’s great news!”
“ So I was wondering, uh, if you could get me a couple of passes to come in .”
“I guess so,” said Irlene. “Or you could just come when I’m there and I’ll show you around.”
“ No, that’s no good. She’ll be more impressed if it’s just me .”
“That makes sense,” said Irlene. She turned to Faith. “Is there some kind of entry pass?”
Faith nodded. She always carried a few with her. It was good public relations to pass them out. Everyone on the team did, although most of those passes wound up in the hands of party guests. She pulled two passes out of her pouch and handed them to Irlene. “Give him these.”
“Okay, Harlan, I’ve got a pair for you.”
“ Could you give them to me now? I’m, uh, at school. ”
Irlene glanced over at Faith. “He’s in Harlem. I can be there and back in less than an hour.”
Faith shrugged. “Why not?”
Irlene grinned. “Thanks. This is a pretty cool gig, being a superhero.” She tucked the passes into her own pocket and shrank back down to the size of a bird.
“Since you don’t have a radio yet, meet me back at headquarters.”
“Roger wilco.” Irlene laughed and zipped off into the summer sky like a pink and white hummingbird.
Faith’s radio beeped again. “Pony Girl.”
“ Babe, it’s me ,” said Bobby. “ You better get back here on the double. The Feds are here about your mystery parahuman killer .”
Faith couldn’t even see where Irlene had gone anymore. She made a mental note to make sure Lionheart issued her a radio as soon as possible. “I’m on my way. Irlene’s taking care of a family thing, then she’ll meet us back at headquarters.”
She lit out for Manhattan.
#
Harlan lurked by the pay phones outside the school, keeping one eye out for truancy officers and the other for any of the kids who liked to bully him. Most of the worst offenders were also in summer school like him—no great surprise there. During the school year, he’d gotten used to the humiliation. However, fantasies about getting his revenge kept him warm on cold nights.
As he waited, Harlan’s thoughts turned to Gretchen. He needed to get her away from the Con Ed jerk. Because of how excited she’d been to see his wind-up carousel, he knew she’d be beyond words when he showed her his giant robot. He wondered if he could hold the passes at his junkyard, so she’d have to come there to pick them up. Then he frowned. A beautiful, small-town girl like her wouldn’t want to come to an inner-city junkyard in Harlem of all places. It occurred to him that the only way he could get her there would be through a trick of some sort. He would have to stall. Gretchen was tied to the Con Ed truck. If he could keep it around, she’d have to stay too. He knew he could keep the Con Ed guy working in the area. All he needed was a few minutes in Gonsalvo’s Parts Room to build the device, which formed in his mind.
“Hi, Harlan.”
He turned to see a pigeon-sized Irlene perched atop the phone. The sight startled him enough that he jumped back and uttered one of the words his mother had forbidden him ever to let pass his lips. “Shit, Irlene! How long have you been there?”
She pirouetted neatly in midair. “I just got here. Traffic is pretty light twenty feet over the ground.”
“Oh. Hey, don’t tell Momma I just said you-know-what .”
Irlene smiled from behind her raspberry-colored mask. “I won’t. I promise.” She looked around at the empty grounds around the school. “Where is everybody?”
“Half-day today,” said Harlan.
Irlene shook her head. “You didn’t get that filthy in class today. Harlan, when
“ There’s this girl. Um, she’s in my class. I was wondering if maybe I could bring her to your headquarters sometime? ”
Irlene’s eyes widened. “A girl, Harlan? You? That’s great news!”
“ So I was wondering, uh, if you could get me a couple of passes to come in .”
“I guess so,” said Irlene. “Or you could just come when I’m there and I’ll show you around.”
“ No, that’s no good. She’ll be more impressed if it’s just me .”
“That makes sense,” said Irlene. She turned to Faith. “Is there some kind of entry pass?”
Faith nodded. She always carried a few with her. It was good public relations to pass them out. Everyone on the team did, although most of those passes wound up in the hands of party guests. She pulled two passes out of her pouch and handed them to Irlene. “Give him these.”
“Okay, Harlan, I’ve got a pair for you.”
“ Could you give them to me now? I’m, uh, at school. ”
Irlene glanced over at Faith. “He’s in Harlem. I can be there and back in less than an hour.”
Faith shrugged. “Why not?”
Irlene grinned. “Thanks. This is a pretty cool gig, being a superhero.” She tucked the passes into her own pocket and shrank back down to the size of a bird.
“Since you don’t have a radio yet, meet me back at headquarters.”
“Roger wilco.” Irlene laughed and zipped off into the summer sky like a pink and white hummingbird.
Faith’s radio beeped again. “Pony Girl.”
“ Babe, it’s me ,” said Bobby. “ You better get back here on the double. The Feds are here about your mystery parahuman killer .”
Faith couldn’t even see where Irlene had gone anymore. She made a mental note to make sure Lionheart issued her a radio as soon as possible. “I’m on my way. Irlene’s taking care of a family thing, then she’ll meet us back at headquarters.”
She lit out for Manhattan.
#
Harlan lurked by the pay phones outside the school, keeping one eye out for truancy officers and the other for any of the kids who liked to bully him. Most of the worst offenders were also in summer school like him—no great surprise there. During the school year, he’d gotten used to the humiliation. However, fantasies about getting his revenge kept him warm on cold nights.
As he waited, Harlan’s thoughts turned to Gretchen. He needed to get her away from the Con Ed jerk. Because of how excited she’d been to see his wind-up carousel, he knew she’d be beyond words when he showed her his giant robot. He wondered if he could hold the passes at his junkyard, so she’d have to come there to pick them up. Then he frowned. A beautiful, small-town girl like her wouldn’t want to come to an inner-city junkyard in Harlem of all places. It occurred to him that the only way he could get her there would be through a trick of some sort. He would have to stall. Gretchen was tied to the Con Ed truck. If he could keep it around, she’d have to stay too. He knew he could keep the Con Ed guy working in the area. All he needed was a few minutes in Gonsalvo’s Parts Room to build the device, which formed in his mind.
“Hi, Harlan.”
He turned to see a pigeon-sized Irlene perched atop the phone. The sight startled him enough that he jumped back and uttered one of the words his mother had forbidden him ever to let pass his lips. “Shit, Irlene! How long have you been there?”
She pirouetted neatly in midair. “I just got here. Traffic is pretty light twenty feet over the ground.”
“Oh. Hey, don’t tell Momma I just said you-know-what .”
Irlene smiled from behind her raspberry-colored mask. “I won’t. I promise.” She looked around at the empty grounds around the school. “Where is everybody?”
“Half-day today,” said Harlan.
Irlene shook her head. “You didn’t get that filthy in class today. Harlan, when
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