Changing Plans

By Cay Reet

Jessica Blake is a villain, even by her own understanding. She builds robots and extorts money from government — while she's not in jail, that is. Starflame is a hero whose job it is to make sure Jessica is in jail, but there's more to it.
When strange robots turn up on earth and wreak havoc, things begin to shift, then a court sentence forces Jessica to change her plans severely. Yet, changing plans are not the worst for a villain — they're good at dealing with them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cay Reet
• Release date: Sep 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223033516

Book preview

One

Jessica Blake leaned against the wall by the barred window and glanced out. Not that there was much to see — parts of the courtyard and the opposite side of the jail. The high-security cells faced the inside of the complex as to be harder to reach. Well, she didn’t have plans to stay as long as she was supposed to — ‘life’ was such a long time.

Her glance wandered from the window to the table in her cell. Half of it was taken up by an array of different bits and pieces. None of them electrical, of course — as a technically-gifted villain, Jessica could have used a simple radio to escape from jail. Yet, she’d used a few simple plastic cups and other odds and ends to synthesise some chemicals from her meals. She was still missing one key ingredient, though, and it was driving her up the wall.

Apart from her, the high-security tract held two female murderers, each of whom had killed at least five people. At that moment, the two women who were closer to the entrance where whistling and giving some catcalls. Jessica stepped up to the bars at the front of her cell — privacy was no longer an option for her, not as a high-ranking supervillain. She smirked at the obvious discomfort of her nemesis as he made his way towards her cell.

Starflame, she greeted him with a grin, making a social call?

He failed at keeping a straight face — his face was too expressive for that. Not exactly a social call, no. With one hand, he scratched the nest of strawberry-blond curls on his head. Do you get the news in here?

Jessica glanced back at her table. The half not taken up by her chemistry work currently held a three-day-old newspaper. In a manner of speaking. No radio, no TV, no internet, but I do get the newspaper … eventually.

One of the other inmates gave a whistle and added ‘nice ass’ to it. Starflame flushed a little and Jessica chuckled. He did have a nice ass — he was well-built in general. For a hero who’d been working for years already, he also was surprisingly naive at times.

There’s something I wanted to ask you… he said, the flush retreating slowly.

She glanced at the newspaper again. Those robots? That’s what you want to ask about? It was a legit suspicion. Robots were Jessica’s bread and butter, after all, she was the only human technician who regularly built and used them.

Yeah… He scratched his head again.

She folded her arms in front of her chest. "Why should I help you, Starflame? You’re the reason why I’m in here, after all. Not to mention you destroyed a lot of material and the work of several hundred hours last time you visited me…"

Starflame squirmed visibly. You were demanding money from several governments under a threat!

Why, yes, so I was. She pretended to look him over — not that he wasn’t worth looking at, he was hot in every possible meaning of the word. Starflame wasn’t just build like a true superhero, he was also a mutant who controlled fire. That’s what I do for a living … most of the time. Give me a good reason why I should help you…

It would be the right thing to do!

She glanced down at her nails — a manicure would have been nice. "Supervillain … I don’t do the right thing."

The robots are becoming a real problem. They constantly rob places here on earth!

Jessica shrugged. Not my problem … they’re not going to come here and cause trouble in my cosy little cell.

He shot her a suspicious glance. Are they yours?

Sure … I give them orders with my blanket every night… She grinned at the wide-open, disbelieving stare. That was a joke, Starflame. Do you really think I’d still be in here if I had an army of robots at my command?

Then why don’t you help me? You must have an opinion on them.

She did, of course. There was little to do in the cell — which was worse than being locked up in the first place. As a supervillain, Jessica was used to stays in prison every now and then. As a technician without inborn superpowers, she was used to spending that time in regular jail cells, if in high-security ones. In her current situation, every kind of distraction was welcome and analysing the robots from the information she could gain from the newspapers had provided several enjoyable hours spent in the comfort of her own head.

Make me a deal, Starflame, she suggested, returning to the study of her nails.

You know that no piece of information will get you out of here, he countered.

Yes, I do.

He bit his lower lip for a moment, thinking. It was … endearing.

When it came to body language, Starflame was an open book to her, as they’d been each other’s nemesis for years. They knew each other very well after nine years of enmity. Starflame would never resort to threats or violence, that was not his way. Just as Jessica would never endanger civilians if it could be avoided, as that wasn’t hers. She dealt with governments, the average person on the street didn’t even know she existed.

Alright, he finally said, what is it you want?

She smirked. A can of coke.

A … what?! He stared at her again.

A can of coke. I haven’t had any since you caught me last time … I just want to enjoy some sparkling soda for a change. She shot him a grin. Second thoughts about that?

He shook his head. A can of coke has no technology in it, so it won’t help you with any nefarious plans.

It would, in fact. From a can of diet coke, she’d be able to distil the last ingredient she needed for her escape plan. So, do we have a deal?

We do.

You can get me a can without leaving this charming place?

There’s a vending machine in the guards’ break room, yes.

Good, then you’re getting your information as soon as I get that can. Diet coke, please, I’m watching my figure…

He looked her over for a moment, almost as if he were interested in her figure. Jessica pretended not to notice, but took the chance to watch him walk down the hallway between the cells. Starflame’s tight costume did not come with a cape and he did, indeed, have a very nice ass.

He returned with the can within a few minutes, simply having had to pick it up at the break room. As he handed it through the bars, the can was still cool — only a few years earlier, it would have been heated up by his higher-than-average body temperature, but he had more control over his powers now. He was growing — as she was.

Jessica put the can on her table and took the newspaper from it. Now, my newest information is three days old, as I only get newspapers after that time, but I do have a few ideas about the robots based on what I’ve been reading about them those last few weeks.

Go ahead. He leaned against the wall next to the bars.

The first thing I noticed from a picture about a week ago is that they’re not human in build.

Come again? They look pretty human to me!

She shot him a grin. The joints in their arms and legs bend further than those of a human. You can only bend your elbow or knee in one direction, doing it in the other isn’t healthy. Same for me and every human out there. The robots are capable to ‘overstretch’ their joints, move them at angles higher than one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. That means they’re humanoid in build rather than human. It’s likely they weren’t built by a human.

An alien, then? There were several choices in that case, not to mention a possible new-arrival who might not have been seen so far.

Likely. Either that or someone exceedingly good at thinking outside the box. They also don’t behave like they’re familiar with the details of human life. Several of them have flown into high-energy overland lines which have done damage to them. Any human programming robots would teach them to stay away from those lines.

He nodded in understanding — Starflame was naive, not stupid. What else?

They’re very heavy … meaning there is a lot of energy going into simple movement and their jet packs.

You know that why exactly?

She shrugged. That robbery in Minnesota. They ran right into a car on their way out, thrashed it thoroughly without taking visible damage. They must be considerably heavier than the car and cars are anything but light-weight. To make something of that weight fly demands a lot of energy.

What’s your overall impression?

They’re a solid construction, clearly not the first try at robots. Their designs are interesting and they’ve probably not been built by a human. Yet, I can see several aspects of them I would have done differently to make them more efficient. I’d have lowered their weight and studied earth longer to make their programming better. Well … I wouldn’t have had to study earth, naturally, being a human. Their creator should have done so, though. The only reason I could think of for not giving them all available information would be to give them a learning algorithm instead to save yourself some time and let them figure it all out. She shrugged. Some people prefer that approach, but I prefer instilling as much knowledge as possible from the get-go. Of course, it’s still a good idea to let them learn, but that doesn’t mean they should start at zero.

They’re dangerous?

They have a powerful ray gun they can modify as needed, using whatever wavelength serves them best in any given situation, so I’d say they are. Their weight and speed, the ability to fly and to learn from a situation all make them something to reckon as a threat. She smirked. Have fun with them, Starflame. Next time we go up against each other, my robots will definitely be even more of a threat to you.

I’ll beat them, he answered with a grin. I always do.

One day you won’t…

Never. His boyish grin transformed into a smile. Thank you, Jessica. You’ve helped me.

I had nothing better to do…

She watched him leave, then she returned to her table and prepared to distil the last ingredient. In a few days, she’d be out of jail. It was easy enough — she was merely going to have to die…

* * *

In front of the jail, Starflame glanced up at the sky, focused, and pushed off the ground. Flying was an outlier in his powers — all others were closely connected to using, producing, or handling heat and open fire, yet the fire in his body also allowed for him to get airborne.

Starflame rarely used other forms of transport, unless it was necessary. Soaring through the sky came with a feeling of freedom he enjoyed immensely. He made his way back to the headquarters half a continent away, floating on the air currents, piercing clouds, and passing by many birds and several planes.

The first colleague he met upon landing on the tower’s roof was Flowpoint. The team’s technician gave him a friendly smile. You went to see Miss Blake? he guessed.

There had been a heated argument about it earlier — half of the team didn’t approve of asking a villain for help. Flowpoint had been on his side, so Starflame nodded. Yes, I did.

What did she say?

Later … I don’t want to tell it several times. I’d probably get something confused. Starflame scratched his head. He’d always had a habit of doing so, even as a small child. Why did you approve of me asking her?

Flowpoint shrugged. Miss Blake is a specialist on robots. She’s a grade A technician and her small gadgets are impressive, but she really has a knack for robot technology. Her designs are elegant, practical, and efficient. If she simply marketed them instead of using them for her nefarious plans, she could already be a billionaire several times over. Instead, she’s in jail…

She is.

How did you get the information from her? I doubt she’s just given it to you from the goodness of her heart.

She hasn’t … we made a deal.

Flowpoint’s brows rose. About what?

A can of diet coke.

At that, the other man laughed softly. Diet coke? She must be going soft, then.

She claimed she’d not had any since she was locked up. I got her a can and she gave me the information.

She probably was just playing with you, then…

Probably, yes.

While talking, they’d walked to the meeting room where the second half of the team was waiting for them. Starflame glanced at the two women in the team. Hulda, whose power was magic, was still scowling. She’d been the more outspoken one against asking Jessica. Was it really just her not liking technology? She got on well enough with Flowpoint, although they did often argue about the advantages and disadvantages of their specialities. Serenity, a cyborg looking like an angel, had disapproved of it, too, claiming that Jessica would not give them any truthful answers. Why had she thought so? Did she suspect Jessica Blake of being behind the robots? Jessica’s argument against that had been sound — why should she stay in jail when her robots could easily have freed her?

You got something out of her? Hulda asked.

Yes, she gave me quite some answers. Starflame took his usual seat.

Tell us, then, Serenity said. Perhaps there’s some truth to what she said.

Starflame gave them the facts as Jessica had given them to him. After he was done, both Flowpoint and Serenity fell silent, thinking things through. Hulda simply leaned back in her seat and glanced at the ceiling as if she could read something interesting off it.

I think she told us the truth about not being behind the robots, Serenity finally broke her silence. The probability that she would still stay in jail when those robots could easily free her is too low to consider. There is a slight chance that she would stay for an alibi, but it is not her regular modus operandi, so I would discard this option.

Flowpoint nodded. I agree there. Jessica Blake could do more if she weren’t in jail, so if she controlled the robots, she would have them break her out and return to her regular life in one of her lairs. I think her analysis of the robots is sound as well. The construction of the joints and their behaviour points towards a non-human creator. I haven’t noticed it before, but then, robots aren’t my speciality. They’re hers, though, so it would only be natural for her to notice that.

I think there is a high chance for the creator of the robots being non-human, but I disagree with her analysis of their efficiency. They are highly efficient, even I couldn’t stop one of them and I should be on their level. Serenity frowned as much as her partially metal face allowed.

They could be more efficient, Flowpoint disagreed. Their weight is a liability, demanding more power production in them or, alternately, quicker loading cycles. If they were more light-weight, they’d be more manoeuvrable in the air and would need less energy for movement which they could invest in weaponry instead. Did Miss Blake say anything about their ray guns?

Starflame shrugged. Only that they can change the wavelengths.

Yes, I had noticed that. It makes them dangerous, especially together with the learning algorithm.

Why? The guns were dangerous, but then, they were guns.

Because they can experiment with optimal wavelengths and then use what does most damage. Sometimes, a small shift in a laser’s wavelength can change the effect on specific materials a lot.

Ah. Starflame nodded, understanding. What can we do with the new knowledge, then?

Nothing right away, Flowpoint admitted. We have a better insight in their construction now, but since Miss Blake couldn’t give us a name, we still don’t know who is behind them.

Hulda snorted. I told you it was useless to ask her…

I didn’t say that, Hulda. I never expected for Miss Blake to give us a name … even if she knew, she’s still playing for the other team … but her insight might help us with fighting those robots, if nothing else. They do not have a full understanding of life on earth, so it would be possible to lure them into traps at least once or twice by using things they’re not familiar with. They are exceedingly heavy, so a direct attack by Serenity is not going to help us, but I might be able to construct a weapon that lowers their energy, forcing them to give up on their weaponry or bringing them down. Electricity on a high level seems dangerous to them, so I could work with that.

Too bad we have nobody who slings lighting around, Starflame said. He could do fireballs, but those weren’t overly dangerous to the robots — he’d tried.

Yes, that would be helpful. Flowpoint glanced at Serenity. Can you generate enough energy for such a lightning bolt?

She shook her head. Negative. My system isn’t built for generating more energy than it needs.

Too bad, but we’ll find something else.

Starflame glanced at Hulda, who glared back at him, then got up and left the room, breaking the meeting up. Flowpoint followed her — no doubt he was going to his workroom to figure out a way to build a lighting gun or something like that.

Serenity was still in the room and turned to Starflame. How did you manage to make Miss Blake cooperate? You are neither someone for threats nor is she easy to scare.

No, Jessica Blake wasn’t easy to scare. She’d faced him every time with nothing but confidence in her skills and creations. We made a deal.

About what? There was alarm in Serenity’s voice.

A can of diet coke.

Oh… She calmed down visibly, all alarm forgotten. "She wanted a can of diet coke for that information? It can’t have been important to her, then. I’m still not completely convinced she was telling the full truth. She is on the highest tier of supervillains herself. She knows a lot of others. She must be aware who is behind the robots."

Perhaps she is. He couldn’t completely rule it out. Yet, those high up the ladder are well-known and Jessica is the only technician on the top tier. The others have different powers at their disposal. Making it to the top rank wasn’t easy and technicians usually lacked the power to do so. Jessica’s robots were the main reason why she ranked so high.

True. It could be a newcomer who hasn’t shown their face yet. Even other villains wouldn’t know in this case.

With those words, Serenity left as well and Starflame stayed behind in the meeting room. He wondered about the can of coke and about Jessica’s willingness to cooperate with him. He was, when all was said and done, her nemesis and she was a villain. She did indeed not do the right thing normally…

Two

Jessica woke slowly, but she woke up at all. One big danger all believable methods of faking one’s own death came with was that one could end up very dead for real. Yet, by the look of it, her plan had worked out. She opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling of a mourning room, laid out in a casket in a simple set of clothes she’d specified in her will alongside absolutely forbidding any form of autopsy. For a while, staring up at the ceiling was very much the only thing she could do. All automatic processes in her body were running, but it would take a little longer before her limbs, stilled by the poison for three days, were operational again.

Yet, even if she couldn’t do anything physically, she could still plot. Like many supervillains on the higher tiers, Jessica had a super-active mind which was plotting every second of the day anyway. It was time she got some use out of it.

If she was outside jail — and she had to be, there was no mourning room inside —, she had removed the biggest obstacle in her plan to return to her usual life. Still, she needed to lie low for a while. The plan was to ditch her current clothes as soon as possible, commit a bit of petty theft here and there for some money and new clothes, and get to a place as far from the jail as she could safely go. Some small place in the middle of the states, perhaps.

So, first she needed the clothes and some money for a bus ticket. No names on bus tickets, so she couldn’t be followed, and she needed no ID to get one. Important people didn’t use the Greyhound bus, nobody would look for her in one. Once she had reached some small town in the middle of nowhere, she’d have to get a job. There would be something, Jessica wasn’t choosy about a short-time job she could hold for a few weeks while she got her feet back under her.

She tested her arms and found she could move them a little. Not enough to get up, not enough to do anything, but life was returning to her limbs — good.

Once the heat had died down a little — naturally, someone would notice that her body was missing and realise she’d slipped through the net —, she could get into touch with a colleague from her tier, ask around for a possible new-arrival. A newcomer might not show their face to the heroes right away, but they would need some help from other villains, if only to get in touch with the right sources, and thus would make contact. She’d not heard anything, but they might have arrived after she’d been jailed. San Francisco would be a good choice after that town somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Li Yang, who ruled most of the west coast, should be aware — he always knew, his net of spies and informants spanned the globe.

Her limbs were reacting again. She’d still be slow and stumbling, but she could get out of the place now. She had a lot to do until she could retreat to one of her lairs again and build her next army. Everything would happen in due time…

* * *

Sandy! one of the regulars called, waving his hand.

Jessica smiled in his direction and came over after topping off another guest’s water glass. Need to get back to work, Hank? she guessed.

Yeah … a lot to do today.

Good for you.

She handed him the bill and he paid, leaving a generous tip for her. Jessica pocketed her tip and added the regular money to her waitress’ wallet. She turned back, pivoting easily in her flat slippers. Luckily, her boss didn’t demand high heels, knowing that a waitress, being on her feet all the time during her shift, would be much more efficient in more comfortable footwear. She spied another guest with a wish and went over to see to him.

Jessica could have done worse — after escaping from the undertaker’s place, she’d stolen a few pieces of laundry from a line and picked the pockets of a few drunken late-night stragglers. As planned, she’d boarded a bus and had left it two stops from the one on her ticket — just to be on the safe side.

The old-fashioned diner right next to the bus stop had had a ‘help wanted’ sign in the window and it had taken Jessica no time at all to get hired. She was young enough in her late twenties, had good manners, prior experience during her time at college, and was willing to work for a low wage plus tips. Her new boss had put her in contact with a woman down the main street who rented out a room in her house and so she’d also found a place to stay right away. ‘Sandy’ had been the first name to come to her mind when her boss had asked, so she was ‘Sandy’ to the guests at the diner and the people in town in general. She didn’t mind it the least — she’d be gone again soon enough.

The pink uniform with its white apron and accents had come with the job, a few pieces of clothing had been easy to buy with her first wages. Since then, Jessica had left a considerable amount of money in the local radio shack and focused on building some small gadgets for the unlikely case that someone found her in her current hiding place. She was getting somewhere, even if it was a slow process. Yet, one didn’t get to become a high-level villain without enormous amounts of patience.

Crossing the diner again, Jessica nodded to her colleague and stepped up to a table freshly filled with workers on their lunch break. Right, guys, she greeted them with a bright smile, what can I get you today?

They all smiled back. With her brown hair and eyes, Jessica was a pretty average-looking woman, yet attractive