Overpowered

But I can trust Evan. I know I can.

“Did you find out if the humans are using drugs?” Nova asks.

“Maybe,” I say. “Be there in a minute.” My stomach may be twisting into knots but at least my voice is confident.

Spark hops into my lap on Evan’s black leather couch, eager for a scratch behind the ears. I wonder if he knows how lucky he is to be the dog that was randomly assigned to me. He could have easily been assigned to Nyx, had fate worked out a little differently. My stomach tightens and I drop my hand. Spark licks it.

Evan brings me a Gatorade. “Really?” he says a few seconds later when I don’t complain about the flavor. He shakes his head and then gives another bottle to Nova. She thanks him with her stupid little sweet smile and I almost make a gagging sound but all the repressed emotions I have over Nyx’s poor police dog keep me from spilling my pent up sarcasm.

“Details!” Nova says, leaning toward the very edge of the armchair. Evan plops next to me on the couch. “I would also like details. Nova told me that you guys are suspecting some kind of drug use that’s making humans stronger than usual?”

“She suspects it,” I say. “It was her idea.” I don’t know why I give her the credit because it just makes me feel like crap to admit my weaknesses in front of Evan. I reach into my sleeve pocket and slide the metal tube out. Only it isn’t metal at all. It’s glass.

I recount the mission to them, making sure to include every detail I can remember. Anything that might be important. “He jabbed this into his arm and then he fought me.” I twirl it between my fingers. “It made him way stronger than any middle-aged human ought to be. I’ve never seen anything like it though, have you?” Evan reaches for the vial but Nova slips in between us and snatches it out of my hands before he’s even close.

“It’s an injector.” She rubs her thumb over the smooth bulbous end of the vial and a needle the length of a thumbtack pops out of the other end.

“You know what this is?” Evan asks. She nods. “Felix made tons of them.”

“You know Felix?”

She shrugs. “Yeah. How do you know him? He hung out in the underground.”

Evan bolts up from the couch, hands twisting into his hair. “No, Felix hangs out here. He was my partner in Research. My mentor.”

“Really?” Nova laughs. “Did he try to bring you over to the villain world?”

“Hell no. I wouldn’t have even if he did try.” Nova looks a little taken aback by the absoluteness of his answer. She sets the glass vial on the coffee table. “Well it’s his. I can assure you of that. There’s a little F insignia in the middle of the tube. That’s how I know it for sure.”

I pick up the tube and examine it, finding the mark like she described. “Why would Felix be selling drugs to humans? What could he possibly gain from that?”

“Money?” Nova offers.

Evan shakes his head. “Villains have ways of getting money and they’ve never stooped this low. Maybe humans have stolen it or something.”

“Can you test the tube and find out what the drug is?” I ask.

He takes the tube and rolls it around under the overhead light. “There’s nothing left. I’d need a sample if I were to test it.”

I stand, putting my hands on his shoulders. “I’ll go get it.” I smile, hoping it looks as sincere as Nova’s stupid smile. “We can solve our first mission together. And bonus, Central will love my initiative.”

“I’ll come too.” Nova pops up and puts her arms around mine and Evan’s shoulders.

“That could work,” Evan says, glancing at Nova. “I’m sure you could do some kind of twin switch-er-roo to confuse people and steal the drug.”

My jaw clenches together. “No.”

Nova’s shoulders fall. “I just wanted to help.”

“Well you can’t. You’re a fugitive. I can’t risk ruining my mission because I have a wanted villain tagging along.”

Spark rubs his head on my leg until I look down at him. Then he looks outside and barks. “You need to pee?” I ask. He cocks his head to the right. Pee isn’t the correct police dog word to use. “I’m going to take him outside for minute,” I tell Nova and Evan. “Do you mind looking out for him just a little bit longer? I don’t want him with me when I’m searching for the drug. And I’m not ready for him to go back to the station.” I ruffle the fur behind his ears. “Not yet.”

“Sure thing,” Evan says. He wraps his arm around my back and I lean into the hug for a brief moment. I can tell from Nova’s energy that I’ve hurt her feelings by calling her a villain. I’m not sure if the truth would make her feel any better.

That I don’t want her to come with me because I’m afraid she’ll do a better job than I will.

“Is it true that dogs align themselves with the Earth’s magnetic field when they poop?” I ask. Spark ignores me as he sniffs around the sand behind the Research facility. “Fine, I’ll give you some privacy,” I say, turning around and folding my arms across my chest.