Agent Rosenfield.” A pause. “Understood. Put me through to whoever’s taken over the operation.” There was another, longer pause. “Colonel Morgan? This is Paragon. I’m approaching your position from the southeast. ETA one-zero-zero seconds. Paragon out.”
Lance hit the switch again, and Paragon dropped even closer to the ground—Lance didn’t want to know how near they were to the treetops, but he could imagine the branches and leaves brushing the soles of his sneakers. When they were close enough for Lance to make out individual people, Paragon slowed almost to a stop, and drifted down.
Lance felt the asphalt under his feet. His knees buckled and he would have collapsed if Paragon hadn’t been holding on to him.
“You OK?” Paragon asked.
Lance nodded. They had landed between two covered army trucks and were now surrounded by soldiers.
A middle-aged man in uniform came running. “Paragon? Colonel Morgan.” He looked briefly at Lance, then turned back to the armored hero. “Good news is the situation here has been dealt with.”
“So I just flew hundreds of miles for nothing?” He didn’t sound happy.
“Not exactly. Come with me—I want to fill you in on the latest development. You’re not going to like it.” He looked at Lance once again. “Did someone forget to tell me it’s Bring Your Kid to Work Day?”
“How old do you think I am ?” Paragon asked. “No, he’s not mine. He’s a stray I picked up along the way. Long story.” To Lance, Paragon said, “Stay put. Touch nothing. Talk to no one. Got that?”
“OK. . . . Only, how am I going to get home? My folks have no idea where I am. And they’re sick. They need me.”
“Should have considered the consequences before you decided to go breaking and entering, shouldn’t you?”
“Then someone has to let them know where I am!”
Paragon leaned closer. “That’d be a lot easier if you told me your real name. Now stay put.”
Lance watched him follow the officer into a large, dark, unmarked truck. Now what do I do? He stopped a passing soldier. “Is there anywhere I can make a phone call?”
“I look like a tour guide or something?” The man pointed back over his shoulder. “Ask one of those cops back there. Most of them are local.”
Great. More cops. Like I haven’t spoken to enough of them already today. Lance started toward the police officers when he spotted a trio of people who were much more approachable: teenagers.
They were walking down the hill from the power plant, and from the look of their clothing Lance could see that they were superheroes. Or wanted to be, at least.
The pale-skinned girl stopped in front of him. “You’re the one who came in with Paragon?”
“That’s right.”
The boy gestured toward the jetpack on Lance’s back. “You his sidekick or something?”
Lance resisted the temptation to pretend that he and Paragon were equal partners. “Not really. Do you know where I can find a phone?”
“Try a phone booth,” the boy said. “They’re famous for that.”
“Yeah, very helpful,” Lance said. He turned to the girls in the hope that they’d be more friendly. “Where would I find a phone booth?”
The shorter, dark-skinned girl said, “Nearest one I can think of is on the edge of town. About ten miles away. But if it’s an emergency, you could ask one of the cops to put a call through on his radio.”
“Thanks. I’ll . . . Maybe I’ll wait.”
Then she said, “Hey, can you fly me back to town? I’m kind of in a hurry. The colonel told me to get a lift from one of the army trucks but they can’t turn around ’cos the road is so narrow.”
“Out of gas,” Lance said. “Sorry.”
“Thanks anyway.”
As they moved on, the girl smiled at Lance and he felt his knees weaken. Wow. . . . He ran after them. “Hey, hold up. Why don’t you get the guy on the motorbike to give you a lift? He’d be able to get through the traffic no problem.”
The girl looked
Lance hit the switch again, and Paragon dropped even closer to the ground—Lance didn’t want to know how near they were to the treetops, but he could imagine the branches and leaves brushing the soles of his sneakers. When they were close enough for Lance to make out individual people, Paragon slowed almost to a stop, and drifted down.
Lance felt the asphalt under his feet. His knees buckled and he would have collapsed if Paragon hadn’t been holding on to him.
“You OK?” Paragon asked.
Lance nodded. They had landed between two covered army trucks and were now surrounded by soldiers.
A middle-aged man in uniform came running. “Paragon? Colonel Morgan.” He looked briefly at Lance, then turned back to the armored hero. “Good news is the situation here has been dealt with.”
“So I just flew hundreds of miles for nothing?” He didn’t sound happy.
“Not exactly. Come with me—I want to fill you in on the latest development. You’re not going to like it.” He looked at Lance once again. “Did someone forget to tell me it’s Bring Your Kid to Work Day?”
“How old do you think I am ?” Paragon asked. “No, he’s not mine. He’s a stray I picked up along the way. Long story.” To Lance, Paragon said, “Stay put. Touch nothing. Talk to no one. Got that?”
“OK. . . . Only, how am I going to get home? My folks have no idea where I am. And they’re sick. They need me.”
“Should have considered the consequences before you decided to go breaking and entering, shouldn’t you?”
“Then someone has to let them know where I am!”
Paragon leaned closer. “That’d be a lot easier if you told me your real name. Now stay put.”
Lance watched him follow the officer into a large, dark, unmarked truck. Now what do I do? He stopped a passing soldier. “Is there anywhere I can make a phone call?”
“I look like a tour guide or something?” The man pointed back over his shoulder. “Ask one of those cops back there. Most of them are local.”
Great. More cops. Like I haven’t spoken to enough of them already today. Lance started toward the police officers when he spotted a trio of people who were much more approachable: teenagers.
They were walking down the hill from the power plant, and from the look of their clothing Lance could see that they were superheroes. Or wanted to be, at least.
The pale-skinned girl stopped in front of him. “You’re the one who came in with Paragon?”
“That’s right.”
The boy gestured toward the jetpack on Lance’s back. “You his sidekick or something?”
Lance resisted the temptation to pretend that he and Paragon were equal partners. “Not really. Do you know where I can find a phone?”
“Try a phone booth,” the boy said. “They’re famous for that.”
“Yeah, very helpful,” Lance said. He turned to the girls in the hope that they’d be more friendly. “Where would I find a phone booth?”
The shorter, dark-skinned girl said, “Nearest one I can think of is on the edge of town. About ten miles away. But if it’s an emergency, you could ask one of the cops to put a call through on his radio.”
“Thanks. I’ll . . . Maybe I’ll wait.”
Then she said, “Hey, can you fly me back to town? I’m kind of in a hurry. The colonel told me to get a lift from one of the army trucks but they can’t turn around ’cos the road is so narrow.”
“Out of gas,” Lance said. “Sorry.”
“Thanks anyway.”
As they moved on, the girl smiled at Lance and he felt his knees weaken. Wow. . . . He ran after them. “Hey, hold up. Why don’t you get the guy on the motorbike to give you a lift? He’d be able to get through the traffic no problem.”
The girl looked
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