Chapter 3: Restless Action

Jake realized he had yet to see the housekeeper and wondered if Veronica had given her the day off. He remembered the penthouse as feeling warmer and more welcoming on his other visit, Dominick’s reception aside. Looking more closely, he thought Veronica must have replaced all the furniture and decorations after the divorce, as nothing looked familiar. The replacements felt lifeless, like staged show-pieces from an architecture magazine. Once he started looking, he realized there wasn’t a single personal photo in sight. What did that mean?

Jake rolled the mystery around in his head, but the mental image of his wife draped over another man in their bed kept intruding. He turned on the TV. What if it wasn’t some sort of illusion? He used Hellcat’s weight room. What if Terri had been drugged? He took a shower. What if she had been mind-controlled? He turned on the stereo. What if ... what if she had been seduced? He paced the penthouse living room, which had seemed cavernous before but now felt entirely too small.

What if she didn’t love him anymore?

He shook his head. This was crazy. He couldn’t stay cooped up in here. He needed to get out and clear his head. Take a drive. Get some perspective. No, wait. His car was still at the condo. He’d take a walk. Mid-town park wasn’t far from here.

Jake started for the front door, then paused before returning to his bedroom. It was only a walk in the park—literally—but he wanted his uniform. Not for protection. If it wasn’t for his power extending to his clothing he’d be replacing it every week. It just felt reassuring. Jake felt vulnerable, but nothing could hurt Reflector.

Jake stopped again at the front door. He didn’t have a key so once he left he’d be locked out. With a mental shrug, he decided he could wait for Veronica at the building’s entrance. He closed the door and let it lock behind him.

On the street, Jake found the day cool and gusty. He only had two “civilian” patterns programmed in his smart threads and in deference to his surroundings he’d picked the least casual of the two—pressed khakis and a white button-down shirt. It took him a moment to reorient himself before heading toward the park two blocks away.

Even though the street stank of exhaust fumes and things far less pleasant, Jake found himself enjoying being back outside and congratulated himself on the decision. The euphoria lasted a full city block.

Stopped at a crosswalk, Jake looked to the opposite side and saw Terri holding hands with another man. For several seconds his head spun as all the worry and heartache he’d been holding at arm’s length came crashing back down. He steadied himself and was thankful he hadn’t stumbled into anyone. Looking around the busy sidewalk, he saw he stood in an empty bubble at least six feet in every direction and guessed that his expression matched his mood.

Terri still hadn’t noticed him yet. The crossing signal turned white and he stalked across the street. Jake’s world contracted to a tunnel with the asshole holding his wife’s hand at the end. Before the pair had reached more than a few steps off into the crosswalk, Jake had blocked their path. He gave the piece of trash a two-armed shove to the chest that sent him flying several feet away from Terri.

He turned to his wife ... but it wasn’t Terri. The tunnel dissolved and the world around him snapped back into place. Her haircut and coloring were similar but her face was nothing like Terri’s. The woman who was not his wife turned in shock from Jake to look back at her companion laying on the ground and screamed.

A few minutes of pandemonium followed. Luckily the man was only bruised. In the state of mind he’d been in, Jake was thankful he hadn’t thrown the guy into a brick wall. It took a hundred apologies and a guilty lie about mistaking him for a wanted criminal to prevent a call to the police. Finally, Jake gave them money for a cab so they wouldn’t have to keep walking.

He was losing it. This whole thing was driving him crazy. He couldn’t afford to wait. He needed answers now.

What had Veronica said? Bishop’s thugs would be getting their bail hearing today. Only the Central precinct was rated to hold supers, so at least he had a location. As a federally deputized Powered Agent, he could arrange to question Smackdown. Armed with a plan, he hailed a taxi of his own and directed the driver to the Central precinct.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t Jake’s day for successful plans. Like his walk to the park, this trip was interrupted by a traffic jam two blocks from the police station. Jake paid the driver and stepped out into the street, at which point he realized the reason for the traffic. He knew the sound of a powered battle when he heard one. Jake pulled on his uniform’s hood and switched the smart thread to hero mode. Reflector was ready to work out some frustrations.