Summary: When Cole takes a strong liking to the pretty girl at the gym, Brooke suspects something’s amiss.
Ben Park, a California-based comic book artist, hunches over the desk in his studio, muttering to himself as he quickly sketches out the first few panels of his new comic: LoveHacker. “Six friends endowed with super abilities face love, laughter, and wild shenanigans all while fighting the good fight and trying to keep the city of San Francisco safe from dangers seen and unseen.”
“And what does this app do exactly?” Mark asks Cole, as they stand in line for a bite to eat at a new food truck. He is suddenly reminded of a different day with similar circumstances and shakes his head at the memory. “I’ll have you know it’ll be greatly successful and you’ll be sitting here wishing you’d been the one to come up with it,” Cole huffs as he moves up in line. Mark smirks in reply. “Yeah, but what is it?” Cole tips his phone screen so he has a better view. “I call it, Chirper! The newest way to keep up with your friends, challenge them in games for points, and use the earnings for cool prizes!”
Mark takes the phone and scrolls through the beta app. “Well I’ll be damned, Cole. I think you might be on to something. Everyone loves free stuff.” Cole frowns, snatching his phone back. “Of course I’m on to something! You insult me, Collins.” Just then, Mark’s phone goes off, and Cole checks his own in case Keo or someone else has sounded the alarm. Mark’s sudden grin and haste to respond via texts relaxes Cole, and gives him reason to smirk. “Mevi has a nice ring to it. Ooh! Dark doesn’t sound too bad either,” Cole quips while Mark looks up long enough to frown at his friend.
“Didn’t you say you were supposed to be meeting with Brooke soon?” They’re finally at the front of the line, but before he orders, Cole grins back at Mark. “Soon, but not right now, so I guess I’ll have to endure your adorable puppy-dog faces a little longer.”
At Solstice, Cole finds Brooke dressed in her gym uniform, perky and ready to go. “Personal trainer at your service!” Cole knows as well as anyone that one of the main perks of being a superhero is the image. His sleek, tailored suit is only as good as the physique underneath…and he may or may not have been in secret competition with Horatio to bench press the most weight without enhanced abilities.
While Brooke sets up a station for them, Cole changes in the locker room, emerging a few minutes later. Before he can make it back to Brooke, a pretty brunette with thick brows and an even thicker braid catches his eye. She blushes, and looks away, fiddling with the exercise bicycle. After a short moment, her eyes wander back to Cole, who hasn’t looked away. “Hello,” he walks over and introduces himself, causing the girl to blush a deeper shade of pink. “Cole,” he shakes her hand before bringing it to his lips to kiss. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of seeing your face around here before, and trust me, I don’t forget a gorgeous face like yours.”
“Oh! I’m Nadine,” the girl smiles, easily enchanted by Cole’s flirty nature. “I usually just come to rock climb on the weekends.” Cole opens his mouth for a witty retort, but is promptly cut off by an angry, short blonde clearing her throat. Nadine exchanges numbers with him, before he makes his way over to Brooke who’s far from amused.
“Are we gonna train or what?” Her fists rest on her hips as she watches Cole saddle up next to her.
“I think someone has exceeded your sphere of prettiness,” Mark grins cheekily. Brooke leans over Cole’s shoulder, scanning for Nadine. Her nose wrinkles.
“Nadine? Cole, all she does is come here to scope out the hot guys.”
“Aww I’m flattered! You think I’m hot!” Brooke smothers a grin as she motions for Cole to stretch with her. “What happened to the dashing app developer you were talking to?” Cole stiffens then relaxes quickly, but not quick enough to allude Brooke. He searches for the right response. “It’s…complicated.” Brooke nodded in understanding. With the exception of possibly Devi and Mark, she was the only one who didn’t have to keep her identity as HeartRate a secret from the one she loved. It definitely kept her conscious clear while saving San Francisco.
“So I guess that means the double-date later this week is off? Saving the city, notwithstanding?” Brooke steps onto the tredmill beside her. Cole does the same, but his attention trials away from Brooke. “Not necessarily.” His friend rolls her eyes, upping the speed on her treadmill. “Somebody moves fast. Didn’t you just meet her?”
Cole barks out a laugh, upping his speed as well. “You’re one to talk, Mrs. Williams-Partra.” He raises an eyebrow to which Brooke ignores.
“Not the same thing. He saved my life.”
“Well, the moment I walked into this gym, Nadine saved mine.”
Later that week, Brooke and Keo meet Nadine and Cole at El Grullense Taqueria, all four of them knee deep in a shared platter of tacos.
“These are so good,” Nadine swoons, as she bites into the crunch shell. “Told you this was the best Tex-Mex in San-Fran,” Cole grins, offering her a napkin. She took it gratefully, wiping off the corner of her mouth. The movement causes her shirt to shift, revealing the butterfly-shaped mark below her neck. Brooke’s next remark falters, as she stares. Nadine notices her stare, and quickly hides the mark with her shirt.
“So, Cole’s told me he’s an entrepreneur, and of course I know Brooke from Solstice, but,” Nadine’s eyes travel to Keo, “I don’t have the pleasure of knowing what you do…?”
“Keo,” Keo supplies, “and I’m just a firefighter.”
“And my husband,” Brooke cuts it. Cole frowns, mouthing for her to calm down. But if Nadine is offended, she doesn’t show it. “Compared to teaching, I doubt that’s a mundane job,” she says smoothly, taking a sip of her margarita. “Ah, what do you teach?” Keo asks, as it’s clear that Brooke is done with pleasantries. “Twelve grade bio. I’m fascinated with the origins of life, ya know? Animal behavior and the structure of plants, and all that. Then there’s the being around seventeen and eighteen-year-olds five times a week,” she laughs a tinkling laugh that only Keo and Cole join in on. A phone goes off, and all three except Nadine, quickly check their phones. “It’s just me, guys,” Cole waves his phone in the air sheepishly after a beat. He turns to Nadine. “We should go, if we don’t wanna be late for the movie.”
Nadine nods, and pulls out her wallet. “No, it’s on me,” Cole gives his charming smile, winning one back from Nadine. Keo places a calming hand on Brooke’s shoulder, not sure what’s set her off. When their dinner guests leave, Brooke turns on Keo, a fire in her eyes. “Did you see that tattoo or mark or whatever it was?” Keo narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Did I what now?”
Brooke demonstrates on her own body, pointing where the mark was on Nadine. “Her shirt slipped, and it revealed the shape of a butterfly.” She lowers her voice, even though there are many conversations going on in the restaurant. Keo shakes his head. “Baby, you’re trying to tell me that Cole’s date is the guy we locked up months ago?” But Brooke won’t be deterred. “The same guy who somehow escaped and took Electric Shriek with him? Keo, when the reports came in, there was a woman with him, that’s why the police were so slow to put two and two together.”
Brooke crosses her arms. “Why leave Mad-Man, your boss, for someone you don’t know.” She stands suddenly. “Oh no! We have to warn Cole!” But Keo stops her with a hand on her arm. “I think you’re jumping to conclusions. And even on the slim chance it happened to be Metamorphis, we shouldn’t be too worried.” Keo grins. “Captain Hustler can handle himself.” Brooke smiles back, leaning against Keo, but she’s far from pacified. She pulls out her phone and sends a quick text to Devi.
Later that evening, the two meet. “Hmmm,” Devi bites her lip, legs curled up underneath her as she sits on what used to be Brooke’s bed before she moved out. “It’s been pretty quiet on our end, but we should all keep our eyes and ears out,” she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, blonde highlights matching Brooke’s blonde strands. “I just feel like he could be walking into a trap.” Brooke passes back the tub of ice cream to Devi in her hands, giving her a side-long glance. “Funny seeing you here.” Devi takes a bite of ice cream. “Well, I do live here,” she laughs. “When? Serena’s mentioned how you’re more of Cole and Mark’s roommates now.” Devi hides her flustered expression with the carton. “I plead the fifth,” she mumbles. Brooke doesn’t bother hiding her smile. While Mark’s feelings for her were clear as day, Devi had been a mystery up until Cole had drunkenly confessed on Mark’s behalf. It was the spark needed to ignite the ever slow burning flame between Mark and Devi.
That Saturday, instead of joining Brooke for another session at the gym, Cole and Nadine enjoy each other’s company at the park. A bulletin comes up Nadine’s phone, a photo of Sergeant Techie and Lady Revolution from the showdown at the Golden Gate Bridge from a few weeks ago. “I’ve always wondered about the science behind superpowers,” she begins. Cole shrugs, used to playing the double-life card. “Do you now?” She nods, suddenly serious. “I do. Is it something in their DNA that leads to a mutation that’s readily receptive by the host body? Was the potential already there, and the right amount of stress triggered a chemical reaction?”
Cole chuckles. “You seem to have a special interests in supers. Fangirl?” Nadine’s eyes darken “Not really. They may be seen as heroes in the eyes of some people, but does the good they accomplish outweigh the damage they’ve caused.”
Cole can’t help himself from retorting, “Well, if the bad guys would stay in their lanes, maybe the heroes wouldn’t accidentally cause so much damage.” Nadine tilts her head, studying Cole with interest. “I’m sorry that’s how you feel, Captain,” she says finally, and Cole leans back before it dawns on him. He sits up, startled, as Nadine’s form begins to shift, a perfect copy of him in his super suit.
“Metamorphis!” he gasps, pushing himself away from Nadine. As Cole, she flips her open palm upwards, releasing a single monarch butterfly. “Commander Madness says ‘hello’.”
To be continued…