Prehistoric Kid looks at the burnt photograph of Eric Silverline, then looks to an untouched frame. He picks it up and gazes at it, Eric and his family, Doctor Nicholas Brown included.

  “I knew my hunch was right.” PK sets it back down and steps over old police tape marking off scorched flooring as evidence, then unlocks the front door.

  Lance walks in, a simple black mask covering his face, his drone following after him. PK follows closely behind, extending his hearing to the entire neighborhood to make sure no one’s paying close attention to them. For now, a few curious minds are noting the van to their significant others, but nothing else.

  Lance opens the door to the workshop and practically glides in, it's crazy how quiet he can pull off being, but he isn’t surprised. You probably need to be pretty quiet if you’re messing with evil government sects as a hobby.

  “So, the electricity doesn’t come from—”

  “The silver and purple flash? Amongst anomalous phenomena it is... commonly responsible for granting people abilities during high stress or life threatening phenomena.”

  “How many times have you seen it?”

  “Many, though the first was from my cousin.”

  “You mentioned he was my fellow anomaly. What are his powers?”

  “The simplest way to describe them,” Lance gazes at some blueprints, flipping through them, “Hmm, the simplest way to describe them is highly specialized eye beams.”

  “Specialized for what?”

  “Things that I do not wish to discuss.”

  PK groans, “Man, this again?”

  “Yes. Hmm, Doctor Brown should not have focused on his ‘Tesla Pads,’ many of his other ideas are brilliant and would have saved him his job.”

  “I respect him for sticking with it, even with how things turned out.”

  “He’s likely been driven mad, Prehistoric Kid, I know we discussed trying to reach him, but even if we do learn anything more here? He may be physically unable to see reason, if I'm right about the damage he caused to himself.”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Ah, yes, I suppose it doesn’t.” Lance puts a hand on PK’s shoulder. “You are a good friend.”

  “Huh? What do you mean? Because I wanna save some old guy?”

  “Precisely.”

  Weird but Tim will take it, he was worried Lance was going to try and ‘talk some sense into him,’ or something. With how smart he is Tim figures he might approach most things with logic, good to know Lance is almost as much of an idealist as he is.

  “Well, we know what his targets will be, Eric and anything he feels was stolen.” PK says as Lance pulls out a flash drive with a yellow stripe.

  “It's got a stripe like your drone.” Tim points.

  “Yes.”

  “IIs yellow your favorite color?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you like bees?”

  “Not particularly.”

  “Aw, why?”

  “My sister was allergic.”

  Was?

  “Oh, I’m sorry dude...”

  Lance shakes his head, “Sorry, she’s alive, but she was taken.”

  “Please don't leave it at that man.”

  “A bad habit, I know. The stressful event that caused my cousin to go through the silver and purple flash, it was a house fire. While everything burned around us, my sister was kidnapped.”

  “Oh... The House Burners?”

  Lance shakes his head, “They caught my attention originally because I thought there may be a connection. But no, they’re unrelated.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Perhaps one day, but for now we should focus on the task at hand.”

  “Right, would be easier to fight Brown if I wasn’t weak to electricity for some reason.”

  “It's odd isn’t it?” Lance ponders. “Perhaps your powers are a manifestation of the ancient past, and so can be suppressed with what is, essentially, the symbol of modernity?”

  “Why do I absorb it then?”

  “We lack the instruments to do anything else but speculate, and as I said, we should focus on the task at hand.”

  “Any luck finding him?”

  Lance shakes his head as he unplugs his flash drive. “Not yet, but I’ll keep searching.”

  “Wanna do the usual then? Hunt down some weapons, maybe hit a meth lab?”

  “We could likely destroy a few before we get Arch’s attention.”

  “Nice, time to make drugs extinct.”

  ***

  “Ugh, you guys are like cockroaches.” PK says as he snaps an AK in half and tosses the pieces at the head of two men, knocking them out. “Really, you all should be thankful I’m the one taking you all down.”

  He tilts his head as a phone begins to dial, then reaches his hand into the floor and rips out a piece of rebar. He launches it in the direction of ringing, and nods in satisfaction as he hears a scream and the shattering of a smartphone.

  “Zero fatalities across the board? With how often I knock all you idiots out? You know how easily your brain can hemorrhage from blunt force trauma to the head?”

  What remains of the conscious men drop their weapons, and PK smiles smugly. They’re finally getting the point that there’s nothing they can do to him.

  He claps his hands and rubs them together, “Alright, raise your hands if you want to help burn the place—” A crack of thunder interrupts him. “Down?”

  The windows of the simple storage house flash blue, the lights high above burn brighter and brighter until they shatter from an enormous power surge. PK’s and the dealer's hair stand on end as the air changes with static, and a wall explodes.

  “Ah, there you are.” Tesla cackles as he steps through the hole, lightning stealing off of him and leaping to any nearby metal, melting it into red hot puddles.

  “Uh...”

  “What is it, Prehistoric Kid? Didn’t expect to be proactive in removing the single greatest threat to my goals?”

  “It... wasn’t on my bingo card, no.” PK glances to the dealers and motions for them to run. “But, it certainly saves me some time.”

  “Good! You were looking for me too, good. Tell me, my friend, does this not all feel like destiny to you?” Tesla steps closer, arms outstretched, gauntlets pouring branches of lightning that makes the shadow he casts look like a tree. “Two beings, one of nature and the ancient past, one of technology and the future, arising at the same time, just to—”

  “Ok, love the monologue.” PK puts both of his hands up, “but, Doctor Brown, we don’t have to do this.”

  Tesla looks caught off guard, thrown off his rhythm. His lightning stutters, his arms start to drop, he takes a hesitant step forward, then back.

  “It's... rude to use real names in our line of work, young man.”

  “To be fair, your face is on just about every new channel.” PK takes a step forward, and goes to take another until Tesla’s lightning flames up, and takes it back. “I looked into you, Doctor Brown, as much as I possibly could. I want to help you.”

  Tesla scoffs, “I’ve looked into you as well, not a single one of your enemies dead, as you were just boasting. How do you expect to help me get justice—”

  “Not what I meant, Doctor Brown, Nick, I—”

  “Don’t call me that!” Tesla screams, a bolt of lighting blasting off his gauntlet and blowing apart the floor next to PK.

  “Got it, got it, sorry.”

  “It is Doctor Tesla.”

  “Of course, Tesla, I don't want to help you get revenge, that isn’t who you are.”

  “Ah, a classic.” Tesla chuckles, “Well then, Mr. Prehistoric Kid, let's go through the motions, tell me who I am.”

  “Telling?” PK shakes his head. “Reminding, you’re a visionary, an inspiration. Even before you ever suffered from chronic pain you spent your life working to solve the entire problem. You love people, you want to help them, save them.”

  Tesla almost nods, almost, but he’s still defensive. His finger still twitches, sparks flying off it and singing the ground.

  “But you’re not going to be able to if... If you stay on this path. If you kill Eric, if you let that hate consume you? There’s no going back, Doctor Brown.”

  Tesla’s arm lower to his sides, good, PK takes it as a signal to begin approaching.

  “You don’t want to hurt anyone Doc, especially not Eric. He’s practically your adopted son, you guys have a real, important bond. I get being mad at him, I do, but let's work through that rage.” PK stands in front of Doctor Nicholas Brown, and offers him a hand. “Work through it together, if you want, past and future.” PK winks.

  Tesla chews on the inside of his cheek, staring at the hand. “What about Kenneth’s arm?”

  “I'm sure you can get past those charges once you build him a better one.”

  Tesla gauntlet slowly rises up and reaches the height of Tim’s arm, the metal fingers of his gauntlet clink together as he nearly takes the hand, stops, and then finally grasps.

  “You... are something straight off the pages my boy. A true hero.”

  “Well, I—” Tim goes to his knees, his muscles clenching, his cells on fire.

  “And every hero, needs a good villain.” Tesla drops PK’s hand, it cramping in on his chest like a child pretending to be a T.Rex. The world’s first super villain raises his gauntlet up, its palm glowing as it changes, and fires a blast.

  PK smashes through tables and glass, into a wall, and then it crumbles around him, buries him as he can’t command his own muscles.

  “You are right of course my friend, Eric was like family to me.” Tesla calls out as lightning rips through the rubble, PK recovering and rising from it. “But what you don’t understand, is just how much more it makes the betrayal hurt.”

  “Ok.” PK rolls his eyes and transforms—

  ***

  “If she has any brain cells she’ll tell you no.” Jane plunges a straw into her Slurpee cup to break up the ice at the bottom.

  Tim and Alex look to each other as they approach a green box by a 7-Eleven parking lot.

  “You’re such a hater.” Rowan rolls his eyes.

  “You don’t even like her anyways, you just don’t want to look like a loser when all your fake rich friends have a date to that party and you don’t.” Jane rolls her eyes. “What kind did you get?”

  “Banana.” Tim says.

  “Lemme have some.”

  Tim shrug and hands his drink over,

  “I... like her enough. She’s pretty!” Rowan defends.

  “Uh huh.”

  “Speaking of pretty, your hair looks nice today Jane.” Alex nudges Tim’s elbow.

  Tim blinks and turns, glaring at Alex.

  “Aw thanks, I'm trying a new shampoo.”

  “That’s what smells different.” Tim snaps his fingers. “Now give me back my drink.”

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  “Oh, you noticed?” She hands the cup over. “I... picked something I thought you’d like, since we have to share a bed and all.”

  Rowan opens his mouth to make a comment but coughs, as Jane’s fist is already in his gut.

  “I... yeah, it's good.” Tim sticks the straw into his mouth and starts slurping, looking away to find Alex’s damn smug smile.

  Tim is about to threaten him, when a large crack bursts from across the street, a large plume of fire rising from a bank. Tim extends his senses, zooms in his vision, and—

  “Shit, it's that crazy guy from the news!” Rowan says while zooming in with his phone's camera. “This video is definitely going to go viral.”

  “We need to get out of here! The mall isn’t far, let's go hide out there!” Jane calls out, and a lot of their kids wandering the streets after school get the same idea. Luckily for Tim, it makes getting lost in the crowd easy enough.

  “Ah! There you are! I was hoping you’d come!” Tesla mwuhahas as he spots PK land on the bank’s sign.

  PK’s heat rate accelerates as he gets ready for a fight. “You did this to lure me here? Surely there’s better ways to get my attention Tesla.”

  “But none more classic than a bank robbery!”

  “Ok... stopping one is on my bucket list.”

  “And testing my new! Upgraded! Suit on you is on mine! Plus the extra capital won’t hurt!” Tesla rubs his fingers together. “Now, Prehistoric Kid, prepare for—”

  The bank sign smashes into Tesla, flattening him into the ground. PK lands on the end of it, transforms to make it pop up like a seesaw, then catches it one hand.

  “Upgraded suit means I get to hold back less, zappy,” and PK swings—

  ***

  Between the patrols, dodging the Phantasmaraptor, and dealing with seemingly endless Tesla shenanigans, Tim has not had the time to study for his math test. It's only thanks to Jane’s help that he thinks he has any hope of passing at all, and if he doesn’t? Goodbye to that 3.8 GPA he’s so proud of.

  A third of the way into the test, his wristband vibrates, and he needs to excuse himself to the bathroom.

  “Don’t tell me—”

  “It's Tesla, he’s attacking Silverline’s main distribution center.”

  “Motherfucker—”

  ***

  Beth and Delilah fire at PK as he holds a ripped piece of ship hull over himself and an old Hispanic woman. Apparently a hostage that the Cartels are using to blackmail some politician, Robert having smuggled her to the states.

  “Don’t worry mam, I’m going to get you out of here safe and sound.” PK promises, now, how to deal with his mother and sister without hurting them?

  Lightning cracks and thunder booms, as Tesla cashes through the ceiling.

  “Hello Mr. Prehistoric Kid! As you can see, I have another upgrade for you to test!” Tesla says from his now eight feet tall exoskeleton.

  “You serious right now man? This situation is kind of delicate!”

  “So it would seem—”

  ***

  Tim slams shut the bedroom door, barely not ripping it from the hinges.

  “Why didn’t you lock it!” He yells.

  “I thought you were out with Lance again!”

  “Always lock it when you’re changing Jane!” Tim runs his hand down his face, and his wristband vibrates.

  “Please tell me it's Tesla,”

  “I... yes, but I am confused.” Lance answers.

  “I’ll tell you later—”

  ***

  A white and black inferno rages, the flames licking at pools of green blood, devouring them until they're nothing but ash on the wind.

  PK slides across the ground, crushing the Phantasmaraptor’s blaster in his hand and tossing it aside. The dinosaur hisses, flinching as pieces of its armor crack, spark, and fall to the floor. It approaches nevertheless, its tail swishing, cutting through the air.

  Then there’s a lightning crack.

  “Oh? What’s this? Caught in infidelity?” Tesla chuckles from yet another hole in a wall.

  The Phantasmaraptor looks at PK, then to Tesla, then back to PK, stepping in place, unsure what to do.

  “Dude—”

  ***

  “He’s like a rat!” PK says as he bangs his head against the Silverline factory wall.

  Lance finishes collecting whatever’s worth scavenging from the fight, “We should leave before the police arrive.”

  “Every time I have him, every goddamn time!” PK turns and closes his fingers together. “I get this close, this fucking close, and he gets away!”

  “We should leave before the police arrive.”

  “I just want him to be dealt with! But no! I swear to god he’s single handedly responsible for dropping my GPA and Jane getting closer and closer to figuring out my identity!”

  “We should leave before the police arrive.”

  “Actual rat, actual ratman!” PK throws his arms in the air, ready to continue renting, when he hears sirens in the distance. “Ugh, come on, the cops are almost here.”

  Lance sighs and follows PK to the van, starting it up and speeding off right before the police come into unzoomed view.

  “If he shows up at, or during the fair, I’m going to eat him.” Tim retracts his suit and rubs a temple. “It won’t even count as cannibalism! I’ll be a T.rex when I swallow!”

  “That raises some interesting ethical questions regarding any anomaly that can transform.”

  “I'm supposed to have villain of the week Lance, of the week.” Tim claps the back of his hand into his palm over and over. “Not the same obsessive lunatic for almost two!”

  “Would it be more socially acceptable to, say, transform into another species to eat cloned human meat?”

  “What? What are you talking about man?” Tim shakes his head, Lance can be so weird sometimes.

  “Hopefully things will be quiet this weekend.” Lance gets off whatever subject he was on about. “You did significant damage to his suit this time. Even with the material he’s collected, he’s sure to need time to get back to full strength.”

  Tim leans the passenger chair back, sighing, “I'm glad Silverline had the sense to pull out of the fair, if they hadn’t, I’d need to think of an excuse to not go, and make sure my friends didn’t either.”

  “Or get it cancelled.”

  “And get it cancelled.” Tim corrects. “I almost wish he was more anomalous, that way the House Burners would show up to kidnap him and I can take care of them both. All? Whatever.”

  “His tech is non-anomalous—”

  “So it's not in their, assumed, mission statement, yeah yeah.” He sighs. “Sorry Lance, you’re a good friend for letting me rant like this.”

  “It is a frustrating situation Tim, I’m also quite irked.”

  “I know.” Tim sighs.

  “I am excited for the fair though, even without Silverline. The fact that Rebecca Jones will be there, and of course, your friends.”

  “Not still worried you’ll fumble the first impression.”

  “The more I get to know you, the more unlikely I find that I have anything to worry about.”

  “I... That sounds backhanded.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Man, you’re funny on Saturdays.”

  “Thank you.”

  Tim re-activates his suit as Lance pulls in behind a cheap motel not far from his home. Tim opens the door and offers a fist bump before heading home.

  He hears Jane awake as he lands on the rooftop, which means he’s going to have to use one of the actual entrances. Luckily, his mother and Delilah aren’t home, and with only a small spattering of tweakers left in the living room, he’s able to make his way in without any drama.

  “So, do you not just sleep anymore or what?” Jane asks him as he slips into the room,

  “I could ask the same to you.”

  Jane shrugs, not moving out from the middle of the bed when Tim climbs on.

  “Get out of my waaaaay.”

  “Don’t want to.”

  “Are you mad at me?” Tim furrows his brow. “You sound mad.”

  “Kinda.”

  “I promise Lance isn’t my new best friend, it’ll always be you.” Tim pats her thigh, then pushes her to the side.

  “Hey!”

  “I asked you to move.” Tim shrugs and lies down.

  Jane looks at him, a cheek puffed out as she thinks about something. It's far too cute a face for when she’s clearly considering something important.

  “Tim, you know you can tell me anything right?”

  Any butterflies in his chest get swallowed by the pit in his stomach then.

  “I know...”

  “We... we don’t keep secrets from each other right?”

  Fuck.

  “Right.” The fact that the answer comes out so quick and clean makes him feel sick to his stomach.

  He almost decides to screw it, tell her right then and there, but with Tesla and the Phantasmaraptor around? Knowing is just going to make her worried sick when he’s out every night. As much as lying sucks, for the both of them, it's better this way.

  “Come here.” He pulls her down and puts his forehead against hers. “Let’s get some sleep, ok? Don’t want to get up late and put that itinerary to waste.”

  “Ok.” She scoots down, and buries her face in his chest, but doesn’t go to sleep, not for a long time.

  ***

  “What’s the five person version of quartet?” Tim asks Jane as they get out of the car and begin to walk to the showroom, Delilah waving them off.

  “Uh, quintet right? It’d have to be.”

  “Makes sense to me.”

  “You’re really pushing for Lance to be our new best friend huh?” Jane huffs.

  “You’re cute when you’re jealous.” Tim teases.

  “Shut up.” Jane grumbles. “It's... just him, right?”

  “What? I would’ve mentioned if I was hanging out with anyone else dude.”

  “I'm just checking, making sure I know what to expect.” She mutters, almost pouting.

  “Nothing I haven’t already told you about.” Tim pats her shoulder.

  Lance’s brand of weird should fit in just fine with the others, though, admittedly there’s probably a fifty fifty shot that he’ll annoy the hell out of Jane. He definitely has some quirks that take getting used to after all.

  As they approach the door, Tim braces himself, not for the sound of Rowan’s footsteps rapidly approaching them, but for something much louder.

  He looks back and forth, no thunder, no sonic booms. There’s no fresh holes in any walls or ceilings, no one’s hair is standing up on end, there isn’t any lightning to be found.

  Tim sighs in relief as Rowan collides with Jane, forcing them both into Tim’s side.

  “Asshole!” Jane laughs and shoves Ro off her.

  “This is revenge for pinching me the other day !” Rowan shoves back.

  “Not for when I stomped on your foot?”

  “When did—“

  Jane lifts her foot and slams it down, making Rowan yelp and hop backward on one foot as he holds the other one.

  Alex shakes his head and walks by the both of them to stand by Tim, “I'm excited to meet your friend.”

  “Good, here he comes now.” Tim gestures to Lance and waves him over.

  Lance strides over, hand behind his back. “Hello,” he smiles and nods to the group.

  “You look like such a scientist when you walk like that.” Tim winks.

  “Thank you.”

  “Woah! You’re our age? Someone call Professor X, cause we got a freak over here.” Rowan looks Lance up and down.

  He raises an eyebrow to Tim, who smacks Rowan in the back of the head.

  “Ow!”

  “He means how tall you are.” Tim shakes his head. “You’re almost the same height you freak.”

  Rowan just shrugs in response.

  Tim rolls his eyes, “That’s Rowan, this is Jane, and this is Alex.” Tim gestures to each one. Jane giving a small wave while Alex offers a hand, Lance eagerly shaking.

  “A pleasure to meet you all.”

  “Let’s head in, guide the way Jane.” Tim falls behind Jane as they walk through the entrance.