Ive been waiting for you to report for work, Dani. You must have encountered a problem I dont know about.
Report for work, my ass. I dont answer to anyone. The way he says that last part makes it sound like hes been keeping major tabs on me and knows every problem I have and dont have. Ill say this one more time. Never going to happen.
You dont understand. Im not giving you a choice.
You dont understand. Im taking it. Youre not the boss of me.
You better hope I am, kid, because youre a risk in my city. And there are only two ways I deal with uncontrolled variables. One of them is to offer you a job.
The look he gives me makes it clear I dont want to know what the second option is. I wipe more blood from my nose and puff myself up. Thought it was Barronss city, I say.
He ignores my jibe. A risk I wont take. Youre too fast, too strong, and too stupid.
Theres nothing stupid about me. I am fast and strong, though. I preen. Best of the best. Dani Mega OMalley. Thats what they call me. The Mega. Nobodys got nothing on me.
Sure they do. Wisdom. Common sense. The ability to differentiate between a battle worth fighting and the posturing of adolescent hormones.
Gah! I dont posture! I dont have to! Im the real thing, one hundred percent superhero! Ryodan knows just how to get under my skin but Im not giving him the satisfaction of showing it. Hormones dont interfere with my thought processes, I say coolly. And as fecking if my adolescent hormones are any different than yours. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. After my clandestine visit last week, I know a thing or two about Ryodan.
Youre human. Hormones will undermine you at every turn. And youre way too young to know shit about me.
Im not too young to know anything. I know you and the other dudes are all sex all the time. I saw those women you keep I clamp my mouth shut.
You saw.
Nothing. Didnt see nothing. I dont slip often. At least I didnt used to. But things are weird lately. My mood changes like a chameleon in a kaleidoscope. I get touchy and end up saying things I shouldnt. Especially when someone keeps calling me kid and ordering me around. Im unpredictable, even to myself. It bites.
Youve been on level four. His eyes are scary. Then again, this is Ryodan. His eyes are scary a lot.
Whats level four? I say innocently, but hes not buying it for a minute. Level four is like something out of a porn movie. I know. I was watching a lot ofthem until recently, until somebody who doesnt give one little tiny ounce of crap about me read me the riot act, like TP cared. Its stupid to think just because somebody yells at you like they worry about how youre growing up and who youre becoming that they care about you.
He smiles. I hate it when he smiles. Kid, youre flirting with death.
Youll have to catch me first.
We both know its empty bravado. He can.
He locks gazes with me. I refuse to look away even though it feels like hes sifting through my retinal records, reviewing everything Ive seen. Long seconds pass. I notch up my chin, shove a hand in my jeans pocket and cock my hip. Jaunty, flippant, bored, my body says. Case hes not getting the message from the look on my face.
I felt a breeze in the private part of my club last week, he says finally. Somebody passing by fast. I thought it had to be Fade not wanting to be seen for some reason, but it wasnt. It was you. Not cool, Dani. Way not cool. Am I speaking your language well enough to penetrate that rock-hard, suicidal, adolescent head of yours.
I roll my eyes. Gah, old dude, please dont try to talk like me. My earsll fall off! I flash him a cocky, hundred-megawatt grin. Its not my fault you cant focus on me when I pass. And whats with all this adolescent bunk? I know how old I am. You the one needs reminding? Is that why you keep throwing it at me like some kind of insult? It isnt, you know. Fourteen is on top of the world.
The next thing I know hes in my space, swallowing it up. Barely leaving me room to be. Im not about to stick around for it.
I freeze-frame around him.
Or I try to.
I crash, full frontal into him, smacking my forehead on his chin. Not hard either. Freeze-framing into him should have split my head again, not tickled like a stumble.
I slam it into Mega-reverse.
I succeed in backpedaling a pansy foot or two. I dont even make it out of arms reach.
What the feck?
Im so discombobulated by failure that I just stand there like an idiot. Until this precise moment, I wasnt even sure I knew how to spell the F-word, much less do it. Fail, with a big fat F. Me.
He grabs my shoulders and starts pulling me to him. I dont know what he thinks hes doing but Im not getting anywhere near close to Ryodan. I explode into a Dani-grenade, all fists and teeth, and ten kinds of you-dont-want-to-hold-me-when-the-pin-is-out.
At least I try to.
I noodle off one limp punch before I stop myself so I wont telegraph any more catastrophic news to a dude that doesnt miss a trick and wont hesitate to use any weakness against me.
Report for work, my ass. I dont answer to anyone. The way he says that last part makes it sound like hes been keeping major tabs on me and knows every problem I have and dont have. Ill say this one more time. Never going to happen.
You dont understand. Im not giving you a choice.
You dont understand. Im taking it. Youre not the boss of me.
You better hope I am, kid, because youre a risk in my city. And there are only two ways I deal with uncontrolled variables. One of them is to offer you a job.
The look he gives me makes it clear I dont want to know what the second option is. I wipe more blood from my nose and puff myself up. Thought it was Barronss city, I say.
He ignores my jibe. A risk I wont take. Youre too fast, too strong, and too stupid.
Theres nothing stupid about me. I am fast and strong, though. I preen. Best of the best. Dani Mega OMalley. Thats what they call me. The Mega. Nobodys got nothing on me.
Sure they do. Wisdom. Common sense. The ability to differentiate between a battle worth fighting and the posturing of adolescent hormones.
Gah! I dont posture! I dont have to! Im the real thing, one hundred percent superhero! Ryodan knows just how to get under my skin but Im not giving him the satisfaction of showing it. Hormones dont interfere with my thought processes, I say coolly. And as fecking if my adolescent hormones are any different than yours. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. After my clandestine visit last week, I know a thing or two about Ryodan.
Youre human. Hormones will undermine you at every turn. And youre way too young to know shit about me.
Im not too young to know anything. I know you and the other dudes are all sex all the time. I saw those women you keep I clamp my mouth shut.
You saw.
Nothing. Didnt see nothing. I dont slip often. At least I didnt used to. But things are weird lately. My mood changes like a chameleon in a kaleidoscope. I get touchy and end up saying things I shouldnt. Especially when someone keeps calling me kid and ordering me around. Im unpredictable, even to myself. It bites.
Youve been on level four. His eyes are scary. Then again, this is Ryodan. His eyes are scary a lot.
Whats level four? I say innocently, but hes not buying it for a minute. Level four is like something out of a porn movie. I know. I was watching a lot ofthem until recently, until somebody who doesnt give one little tiny ounce of crap about me read me the riot act, like TP cared. Its stupid to think just because somebody yells at you like they worry about how youre growing up and who youre becoming that they care about you.
He smiles. I hate it when he smiles. Kid, youre flirting with death.
Youll have to catch me first.
We both know its empty bravado. He can.
He locks gazes with me. I refuse to look away even though it feels like hes sifting through my retinal records, reviewing everything Ive seen. Long seconds pass. I notch up my chin, shove a hand in my jeans pocket and cock my hip. Jaunty, flippant, bored, my body says. Case hes not getting the message from the look on my face.
I felt a breeze in the private part of my club last week, he says finally. Somebody passing by fast. I thought it had to be Fade not wanting to be seen for some reason, but it wasnt. It was you. Not cool, Dani. Way not cool. Am I speaking your language well enough to penetrate that rock-hard, suicidal, adolescent head of yours.
I roll my eyes. Gah, old dude, please dont try to talk like me. My earsll fall off! I flash him a cocky, hundred-megawatt grin. Its not my fault you cant focus on me when I pass. And whats with all this adolescent bunk? I know how old I am. You the one needs reminding? Is that why you keep throwing it at me like some kind of insult? It isnt, you know. Fourteen is on top of the world.
The next thing I know hes in my space, swallowing it up. Barely leaving me room to be. Im not about to stick around for it.
I freeze-frame around him.
Or I try to.
I crash, full frontal into him, smacking my forehead on his chin. Not hard either. Freeze-framing into him should have split my head again, not tickled like a stumble.
I slam it into Mega-reverse.
I succeed in backpedaling a pansy foot or two. I dont even make it out of arms reach.
What the feck?
Im so discombobulated by failure that I just stand there like an idiot. Until this precise moment, I wasnt even sure I knew how to spell the F-word, much less do it. Fail, with a big fat F. Me.
He grabs my shoulders and starts pulling me to him. I dont know what he thinks hes doing but Im not getting anywhere near close to Ryodan. I explode into a Dani-grenade, all fists and teeth, and ten kinds of you-dont-want-to-hold-me-when-the-pin-is-out.
At least I try to.
I noodle off one limp punch before I stop myself so I wont telegraph any more catastrophic news to a dude that doesnt miss a trick and wont hesitate to use any weakness against me.
