The girls wandered into the classroom. Hats and blazers went to the hooks. Maple waited at the podium to start the year’s first Notice to Heroes meeting. She glossed over regular business and announcements. Anyone interested already saw it online. Maple covered the local Police and Heroes call blotter in detail. She skipped the State and National blotters made the news. Today’s daily hero safety tip is to lift with your legs instead of your back. Then she got to the patrol schedule.

“The School Board and the Charlotte P A H A office have decided to return us to service. We will patrol in force. We need to be visible. Everyone is out on ride-alongs for the rest of this month. Your to be in school uniform at all times not tac gear, except for the police and fire cadets. And Florida if you can try to work the E.R. so you can be seen that would be great.”

“All the third and fourth year girls are going out with a Hero, Police, Fire, or E.M.S. department, regardless of workstudy. We need you out on the streets. Plan your days accordingly. And Puddles is now a Mean Girl,” Maple said.

“I’m nice,” Puddles said.

“No you put Rudy to his knees, your mean. Also in promotions, Crested’s paper work came in. She is now a registered vampire hunter. Guess who gets all the vamp calls? If she needs help mark it on the schedule when your out with her.”

“I’ll take Flat,” Crested said.

“Noted. All extracurricular activities are now moved to the weekends.”

“So much for going to state,” Gyaru said.

“That’s right. The N A H A did have plans for the hero schools. After our Homecoming, they canceled the tournament. In summary, everything sucks, and stay safe,” Maple said.

The school year moved forward into a slow grind as the girls settled into the daily rhythm, except for Go-Go. Twice in class, she became lost in her thoughts and sleep debt.

“Jenny Cooper,” The teacher said.

Go-Go jolted out of half sleep. In the moments she had to answer, Go-Go accelerated her mind to have time to think. Both times she pulled an answer out of thin air with the extra time.

I need to get to Friday, and I’ll be fine. I can catch up on sleep then. I can’t take the NoNap and pain medicine simultaneously, Go-Go thought.

Sleep was as important as breathing for a speedster, and it was the only way for her to recover from the accumulated fatigue of zipping.

After lunch Flat waited in the corner of the ring as Go-Go pulled the denture out to replace it with a mouthguard. She climbed under the ropes. The bell rang. Flat and Go-Go came out of their corners. The girls traded punches for a round. Flat was still standing.

Why am I so slow today? Go-Go decided to take it up a notch before Fly said something. Then Flat threw a hook at Go-Go’s face, and she flinched with a jittery step back. Flat came at Go-Go with jabs, slow sloppy new boxer jabs. Go-Go stepped back from the punches.

“Hold it! Go-Go you can slip any punch Flat could throw.” Fly climbed under the ropes.

“Go-Go?” Flat said reaching out to the girl.

Go-Go pulled out the jaw protector. “What? I’m a little off today.” Her lip drooped.

“No. You flinch when a punch is near your face,” Fly said.

“I’m not flinching.”

“Flat,” Fly said. Flat threw a straight punch. Go-Go zipped back to the ropes. Her lip made her snarl.

“I’m having an off day.” Go-Go ducked through the ropes to leave the ring.

“An off day?” Fly said as Go-Go walked out. “You think the Ring or the streets care if you have an off day?”

Flat waited in her corner unable to decide what to do. Fly waved for her to go to the locker room. Inside, hand wraps and the hair ribbon hung on the drying rack. Go-Go stood in the shower under the running water. She still wore the gym uniform. Her fist hammered into the wall tile.

“Go-Go?” Flat said. Go-Go looked at her through the water. The denture was out.

“This isn’t right,” Flat said.

“Shut up! What do you know about anything?”

“But—” Flat said.

“But? You’re invulnerable. You’ll ignore gunfire. Just let me deal with my problems,” Go-Go said.

“I…”

“Getout!”

Flat left Go-Go in the shower. Crested waited outside the locker room. The two walked back to the ring.

“Maybe…Hunter should talk with her,” Flat said.

“Hunter’s not a Mean Girl, she doesn’t deal with super humans. Except by accident. Go-Go wont listen to her. Really she doesn’t have friends outside of Room six,” Crested said.

Flat sighed. “I’m failing.”

“Gyaru is the only one that can talk with her,” Crested said.

“I guess.”

“Get cleaned up, we have work this afternoon with the county,” Crested said.

Misty fidgeted with her bag. During the break between the fourth and fifth periods, Misty had to walk down the middle school’s main hallway for her next class. The walk ended near the Grand Atrium that connected the two schools. Together Misty and Margret made the long walk. Misty looked over her shoulder. Her eyes moved over everyone.

“Melissa, are you OK? You seem…” Margret said.

“I’m OK. I talked to Principle Coy about things already. I’m still on edge.”

“Everyone has been after the Homecoming,” Margret said.

“I’m glad no one got hurt,” Misty said.

“I heard one of the Mean Girls got stabbed, and another punched in the face,” Margret said.

“I meant seriously hurt.”

“Let’s be happy my dad wasn’t at the game. He would’ve been mad,” Margret said.

“Mine too. Dad would have done something,” Misty said.

Misty’s thoughts came back to the Homecoming game almost every day.

I betrayed South to impress the goombah’s at C.O.D. For What?

“I worry about my dad getting hurt,” Margret said.

Misty snapped back into the conversation. “I worry about my brother.”

“You Dare to Come Here?” Doctor Enamel held the Arc-Duke by the throat. The Atomic Scaler crackled as the hooked tip glowed green with atoms. Arc’s toes dangled off the floor. Rage had turned the man’s green eyes to flint. It would be the small details Arc would remember.

How did this go so wrong? Arc would think later.

The backup team entered the mobile office from both doors. Joel led the front stack, Phil the back. The goons in black padded corrections armor rushed the Doctor. The heavy padding fit like velcroed medieval armor. Joel raised the China Lake, and with two quick thumps, low powered bean bag rounds slammed into the Doctor’s lower back. The older man spasmed with each hit before falling to the floor. A goon sprayed the Doctor in the face. The vomit taste of C.N. gas filled the office.

“What the hell’s with that old man?” Arc said as he rubbed his neck.

“Nothing like the last job,” Joel topped off the China Lake and closed the dust cover.

“Find the Rolodex,” Arc said.

The goons looked in the cabinets, and Joel and Arc walked to the reception desk. No one paid attention to the Doctor. He pulled two auto-injectors from his belt. As the goons looked elsewhere the needles punched into his leg, and the drugs coursed through his body. Then he got up.

A plain white van drove up to the burned-out Mobile Dentist’s office. Police tape marked off the area. Rudy, Flat, Maple, Florida, and Puddles got out. Each girl carried a black case. Go-Go and Gyaru stayed outside. The medics on the scene treated the Doctor’s wife. Her head held back as saline poured into her chemical-burned eyes. The Charlotte Crime Scene Unit had already started to work.

At the door to the burned RV, Rudy looked at the girls.

“When we go in, hold off on an opinion until Flora’s done. I want an unbiased vision,” Rudy said.

A few burnt teeth remained of the body. The atomic Scaler lay on the floor cracked. It leaked green slime that looked to have been the cause of the fire. The crime scene techs collected the dental evidence for the state lab. Maple dropped the teeth into a glass tube.

Go-Go and Gyaru stayed near Kimberly. The three sat on the back steps of the burned-out office, Gyaru talked with her writing down notes.

The Dark Barista arrived, a tall, portly man in chef’s whites, followed by a small mob of scruffy men. Many of them Gyaru remembered as toothy henchmen, undernourished homeless but with perfect smiles.

“Barista?” Gyaru said. She watched the growing crowd.

“Kim. I’m so sorry,” The Barista said.

“Yuri. Thank you. What do I do now?”

Gyaru watched the growing crowd. The Barista noticed and smiled at Gyaru.

“Emmanuel had many patients. He never turned anyone away,” The Barista said.

“Find who did this. We’ll take care of it,” a man said. The crowd grumbled in agreement. Gyaru had arrested or fought with the henchmen in the past. A few were former super soldiers or military baselines, and everyone owed the Doc. And there were too many to fight.

“I’m very tempted,” Gyaru said. The Barista could read the crowd.

“Come on lads. Let’s pay our respects over a cup of coffee. I’m buying,” The Barista said. Gyaru watched them leave.

“Whoever did this is going to have hell to pay,” Gyaru said. Go-Go rubbed her face at the denture.

“Go-Go!” Gyaru said. The speedster jittered for a second, then looked at Gyaru. “Hey! I need you here and now.”

“What? I’m here.”

“If you want to nap, go back to the van,” Gyaru said.

“Honey, I’m fine.”

Flat walked about the crime scene, hands in her pockets, and she noticed the crossed lines of electrical damage. Same as the catwalk. Was this the Arc-Duke?

Florida’s eyes rolled back in her head. She knelt over the ashes of the burned body.

“The Arc-Duke! He’s stealing the...Rolodex,” Florida said.

The Sibyl fainted, caught by Flat, to be laid on the floor.

“What’s a Rolodex?” Florida said as her eyes fluttered open.

“I saw it here with Go-Go,” Flat said. Maple helped Florida back to the van. Flat looked around at the fire damage.

“It’s not here.” Flat said. Rudy lowered his head.

“The patient Rolodex? With our names in it?” Rudy said as he rubbed his eyes.

“Yeah. Hold on.” Flat went outside. “Kim, did you get the patient Rolodex out?”

“I couldn’t see after getting sprayed,” Kim said.

“Did you see the Arc-Duke?” Flat said.

“I never saw the fight in the back of the office. Emmanuel would never have given up the Rolodex,” Kim said.

“Emmanuel?” Flat said.

"Doctor Emmanuel Molar. Doctor Enamel is our D.V.A.,” Kim said.

"Doing-Villainy-As,” Gyaru said.

Rudy stepped out of the lab. on his cell phone.

“It’s missing…Yes, I understand,” Rudy said, then pocketed the phone. Flat and Gyaru looked at Rudy.

“Kim. I’m sorry,” Rudy said.

“Thank you Rudy. I know this has caused you trouble.”

“Trouble? The P.A.H.A President, Doug Avalanche, has given us three days to find it. Or he’ll roll in here with the Atlanta crew and find it himself.”

“Atlanta? They can do that?” Flat said.

“Bull in a china shop,” Gyaru said.

Rudy nodded in agreement. “Super Scientists can be the most disruptive of advanced humans. Rules get very loose when dealing with them. And Doug’s name is in the Rolodex.”

The girls returned to Room Six to drop off their gear in the laundry baskets. The sun was going down. Flat changed into her clubbing clothes. Tight jeans, and a loose shirt with no bra, not that she needed one. Gyaru sat on the couch and bit her thumb as Go-Go started dinner.

“Going out again?” Gyaru grabbed at the shirt as Flat passed.

“I need to get out of here for a while. Kimbell gave me some No-nap for tomorrow,” Flat said.

“Go-Go, you should go with them,” Gyaru said. Flat slapped at Gyaru’s head. She ducked it with a smile.

“I’m that much of a bother to you?” Go-Go said.

“No. Your a dancer. You like dance clubs,” Gyaru said.

“Honey. The pain meds make me sleepy.”

“You had a nap earlier,” Gyaru said.

The frying pan raised back. Gyaru’s face locked to a stern look. Go-Go stopped herself. Flat grabbed her purse and left as the frying pan dropped into the sink.

“How many pills are you taking?” Gyaru got up from the couch.

“I’m following the prescription,” Go-Go said.

“The swelling went down weeks ago,” Gyaru said.

“It’s just until I get use to the denture.”

“Doc was a good Dentist but a bad person…” Gyaru said.

“Leave the dead out of this, it’s disrespectful…Honey if you want dinner make it yourself.” Go-Go walked to her room.