“We can’t go,” Kayla refused immediately, “This is exactly what he wants.”

  “If I don’t, he will do things his way and Claudia is as good as dead,” Summer argued, “Just like you said, if she dies it will be my fault. I am the one who dragged MysteriousMaskz into things this time. I need to take responsibility for my actions.”

  Kayla grimaced. "Okay, fine," she gave in, "But I am going with you. If he gave permission that must mean we are going somewhere dangerous."

  "Not exactly dangerous," Summer replied, "It is an exclusive club with a ridiculous name. I met him there once before."

  "So it is basically his territory," Kayla concluded, "Is there any way we can let someone know where we are?"

  "I can let my dad know I was invited. It should be fine as long as we don't mention who invited us," Summer considered, "It doesn't even feel like Maskz, or Ned, is trying to hide anymore."

  Kayla agreed with that plan, and Summer quickly sent a text to her father, trying not to feel the embarrassment of admitting she was going to a place called The Golden Club. Was he continuously choosing to meet at that place to mock her for her old hero name?

  “Where exactly are we meeting him?” Kayla asked suddenly, “My security is asking.”

  Oh, right. The security. Ned would know about them, hopefully. If he didn’t, she could only see this being a problem. She couldn’t risk putting Kayla in danger again, but the chances of Ned letting her security in to see him was incredibly slim.

  “The Golden Club,” Summer replied, “I didn’t even think about your bodyguards. Maybe you should wait outside.”

  “Not a chance. If he won’t let them in, we won’t go in at all,” Kayla declared firmly.

  That was such an obvious option, Summer felt silly for not thinking of it. This was an opportunity. Since she had been the one to initiate this time, he wouldn’t be as prepared as usual. He also might be more forgiving if she went against his words. At least, she hoped he would be.

  It turned out that she had nothing to worry about. She pulled up to that building with the shining golden sign just like last time, and the two guards pulled up right beside her. The ground of four was admitted without question by the front desk and guided to the same private room she had first met Ned in. Everything felt exactly the same as before.

  Well, almost the same. Instead of the casually dressed Ned she had seen both times before, he was decked out in costume complete with a mask. He even grinned at Summer’s startled reaction, like a child who had just pulled off a prank.

  “You didn’t actually expect me to show my face to perfect strangers, did you?” Ned asked, as if it were obvious.

  Summer didn’t know how to respond to that. Wasn’t she still a perfect stranger when he had first met him? Then again, they had technically conversed over messages before. “Why did you invite us here?” she asked instead.

  “To help you, of course,” he replied, “Just like you said, I am grateful so I should repay you. I figured I should start with bringing you to a place the reporter cannot follow you. It might be a temporary measure, but I know you have a weak stomach. I have to be careful and use more gentle methods when returning favors to you.”

  The way it almost made Summer want to thank him for his consideration was kind of annoying. “I’ve never had any trouble getting in here,” she pointed out.

  “Of course not. You have always been a specially invited guest,” Ned assured, motioning for the two of them to take a seat, “Would you like a meal while we chat? I know that reporter ruined your lunch date.”

  “I don’t think we would be able to eat comfortably with you around,” Kayla snapped.

  “Then I will just have them bring in some snacks,” Ned continued, not missing a beat, “There is no need for you to be so tense. Neither of us are working right now so we aren’t enemies. I have always thought of myself as an ally with different values, but I am sure your employers disagree.”

  “What kind of ally constantly blackmails and threatens those in his alliance?” Summer demanded, a bit fed up with his attitude. Sure she had been the one to call him out this time, but Ned had been a constant presence in her life from their first meeting.

  “If it’s just words and actions that never lead to anything real, didn’t Shadow Phoenix do the same for two years?” Ned compared, “Think about it, Summer. I may have gotten rid of some obstacles, and gave a scare or two, but have I ever actually done anything to harm you?”

  “Didn’t you try to have me killed before?” Summer reminded. She definitely hadn’t forgotten the way he had lured her right into a trap.

  Ned’s smirk faded for a moment as he recalled. “I suppose I did,” he admitted, “Back then I really despised you. I have never been a fan of damsels in distress. Whether it is a hero or a villain, they drag everyone down with them for the sake of some lame romance plot. You were weak and pathetic, with no survival skills. The perfect damsel in distress. That is why I thought you needed to go. Since then, you have proved to me over and over again that you aren’t satisfied with being some mere damsel, so there is no reason for me to harm you.”

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  What kind of reasoning was that? While she was struggling to survive he was judging her every move on some bizarre scale of cliche movie plots? What he had clearly meant as assurance only served to make her more frustrated.

  “I am so glad to have passed your little test,” she snapped sarcastically, “Do I get a prize other than my life being spared?”

  “A prize? Now that is a fun idea,” Ned mused, his grin coming back in full force, “How about this? I will tell you both the secret method I used to perfectly master my power.”

  Summer hadn’t actually expected him to offer a prize. She glanced over at Kayla to see her equally surprised, as well as wary. The security guards were in the room, too. Was he really just going to spill his secret here?

  “Knowing this isn’t going to come with any drawbacks, right?” Summer checked, greedy despite herself.

  “This is why I grew to like you, Summer,” Ned told her, “You aren’t afraid to do what it takes to get what you want. I can even swear it, if you would like. No harm will come to you for knowing my secret technique.”

  “Let’s hear it, then,” Summer decided after sharing another glance with Kayla. Kayla seemed far more uneasy, but this was an opportunity Summer couldn’t just let pass by.

  Ned shifted as he positioned himself as if to give a grand speech. “You are the source of light, so all you need to do is master all of the ways to create light without using your power at all.”

  That was not what she expected to hear. “What does that mean?” Summer asked.

  “The best way to master any ability is to be able to do what your power does without using your power,” he explained, “For example, light comes from the sun, or a lightbulb, or even a candle. The more ways you know of to create light, the better you will become at recreating them. Sure, scientific theory helps, but practice, seeing it, feeling it, and even being it are all far more effective.”

  “What about my power, then?” Kayla asked, “It seems like an important part of this method is understanding what your core ability is.”

  “That is true,” Ned confirmed, “It is also exactly why your ability is so unstable. I don’t know what your power really is, but I guarantee whatever everyone thinks right now is wrong. If it was just being able to grant random abilities to others, you wouldn’t be having such a hard time. They would have been able to find more of a pattern during the endless testing at the facilities.”

  “So even you don’t have all the answers,” Kayla noted.

  Ned leaned forward. “I might be able to tell you more if you use that ability of yours on me.”

  ==========

  Claudia Jones was very confused. She had left the restaurant a bit later than the girls and was relieved to find their car still in the parking lot. They spent a while just parked there, likely talking, before speeding off to a completely different part of town. Caudia followed closely, her senses tingling. There was definitely something suspicious about those two, whether it had anything to do with Golden Reign or not.

  After they reached their destination, Claudia did a quick loop just to make sure she hadn’t lost them and that was actually their car parked there. After all, why would a girl suspected of being Golden Reign who knew she was being followed by a reporter go to a conspicuous looking place called The Golden Club?

  Things only got more confusing after Claudia entered the building. The reception looked like what one would expect for the usual ritzy rich club, but the exclusive kind. As expected, she was immediately asked to present her membership ID before she could continue.

  “I was hoping to become a member. Is there no way for me to buy one?” she asked.

  “Do you say that while knowing what kind of place this is?” the bouncer asked back, his voice grave and threatening.

  Was this scoop worth getting herself involved in something dangerous? For a moment, Claudia hesitated. After all, there might not be any real scoop to get with those two girls. Most people found reporters uncomfortable. This club, on the other hand, might turn out to be something incredible.

  “Of course,” she lied.

  That lie was enough for them to lead her through the membership process and Claudia was finally allowed to pass beyond the front desk. There were three major areas to the club according to the flier they gave her. Pool, fencing, and golf. It was hard to imagine those girls doing any of those things, but Claudia checked pool first.

  She entered a large room full of pool tables. Literal pool tables. The light blue tables were set at a height low enough for children to excess them with six inch indents filled with water. Each table had various toy boats and a selection of other floating toys available for interaction. The room was full of children and adults alike, splashing around with the pool tables.

  Claudia quickly backed out. How about golf? Golf could only mean one thing, right? Wrong. Claudia stepped into an indoor miniature golf course with glowing neon obstacles and glow in the dark gold balls. The room was dark, but she could still tell the clientele was far from the exclusive rich crowd she had anticipated.

  Curiosity took hold of her. Then what was fencing like? What could possibly hidden behind those doors? The reporter found herself again stunned by the sight that met her eyes. The room was decorated to look like a garden with a maze of lightweight plastic fences that could be put together and taken apart like puzzle pieces. Just what was this Golden Club?

  “Have you enjoyed your sightseeing?” a tall gentleman asked. Now this was the vibe she had expected. Filthy rich and dangerous.

  “I have,” she replied.

  “We won’t stop you from coming here, but I do hope you understand that if any private information about this place is leaked we know where to find you,” he warned her, “Consider this Checkmate.”

  The whiplash of these events was intense, but Claudia couldn’t back off here. What was the deeper meaning behind the word checkmate? Completely sidetracked from her original goal, Claudia returned to her office to do some research. The results for that single word that popped up were beyond her expectations. This was the scoop of her lifetime, but was she willing to risk her life to publish it?