Chapter 19: Lucia

He careen toward the HGHQ, flying at his top speed. As he approaches, everything appears to be normal—there doesn't seem to be a raging battle like he expected.

Though he does make out the glint of something bright on one of the upper residential terraces, so he head there and land with a thud.

Then his eyes bulge as he see that there are flames raging inside the apartment. Through the thick plumes of smoke.

She must be trapped inside.

But how? He thought Black Magic could do anything with her Powers. And where's the rest of the Group? The only thing he can think of is that someone very Powerful found a way to contain Black Magic…and if that's the case, Travis may be way out of his league here.

Wrapping himself in a black energy cocoon and hoping there's enough oxygen enclosed to keep him breathing, he crashes into the apartment. He can barely see through all the smoke and flames, but he manages to work his way deeper inside.

He finds himself in what he thinks is a bedroom when suddenly, he hear a massive explosion pound from somewhere nearby.

He braces himself for impact…until he realize that the explosion isn't one of fire. Instead, it's a technological explosion as the room begins to twist and distort. The flames vanish, the smoke clears, and the room grows temperate, the intense flash of heat cooling.

Before he can process this, however, he spots Black Magic on the bed. She wears black-and-gold lingerie, modeled after her costume. She looks like she belongs in an underwear ad, curved in all the right places….

What is going on here?

"Thanks Processor," Black Magic says, "your little show worked like a charm."

"You're most welcome," Processor responds through the walls. "I can sense Gravitate's presence, so I am initiating privacy settings, level red."

Then it all clicks—Processor is capable of controlling all of the HGHQ's systems. She must have put on a holographic show and altered the room's temperature, making it appear as if a fire was raging inside Black Magic's apartment to lure him in….

He's distracted from this thought, however, as his eyes settle on the beads of sweat accumulating on Black Magic's chest.

"My eyes are up here," Black Magic says, standing up.

"I know exactly where your eyes are…"

"I've been thinking about you all night," Black Magic says, approaching. Travis forces himself to blink, unable to focus on anything but the fact that his biggest fantasy is coming true right in front of his eyes.

"I wanted to thank you for saving my life," Black Magic continues, drawing her finger across your arm. "What do you think about that?"

Black Magic grabs Travis waist and pushes him onto the bed, her fingers pulling at the zipper to his costume….

Then Black Magic kisses him.

And it feels more perfect than he could possibly imagine.

"By the way," Black Magic starts, her lips impossibly close to his, "I can make the room look like anything you want with a simple illusion charm. So where do you want to be?"

"The real thing is perfect."

Black Magic just smiles—she wasn't expecting that.

Travis and Black Magic lock eyes for a few moments, then lean in for another kiss. It's so good, it makes them shiver uncontrollably.

Travis feels Black Magic soft skin press against his and hear her begin to breathe heavier. Feeling himself getting turned on, he slid his hands down Black Magic's bare back and kiss her harder, deeper.

And then they both lose themselves.

Travis lies in Black Magic's enormous bed, staring out of her window, watching the sunset. He feels dizzy with happiness, like he's in a dream.

His encounter with the Wisp seems like ages ago, despite the dull ache still lingering from all the bone-breaking and healing.

Right now, Black Magic is off in the kitchen, whipping up he favorite junk food. Travis try his hardest to soak up this moment, to freeze time for as long as possible—a task Black Magic might actually be capable of, come to think of it.

When Black Magic does finally return, a tray of amazing food hovers beside her (including pancakes and french fries). She also pulls a present out from under the bed and hands it to Travis.

"I bought this for you," Black Magic says, "just in case my first thank you didn't go over as expected…."

Not quite sure what to say, he unwraps the present to find a top-level flight enhancer, the Cruise Pro Twin-Grav Bracelets. This costume upgrade will allow him to access his flight powers more efficiently, which is unbelievable.

Especially because this upgrade also happens to cost tens of thousands of dollars.

"This is incredible. Thank you so much!"

"Like I said, I owed you," Black Magic says with a smile. "Hope you enjoy it."

Travis looks down at the box, thinking that he can't wait to test the bracelets out and see how they look with his costume….

"Oh, I also got you a H-Chip personality bundle," Black Magic says, sitting back down on the bed. "Aphrodite will have new look options and…"

But Travis is distracted from what she is saying as Black Magic's H-Chip, Kadabra, appears holographically in Travis mind. She's a gorgeous golden retriever who currently holds a package in her mouth, which H-Chip Aphrodite promptly appears to accept.

"Hot damn, that Magic really knows how to hook a lady up!" H-Chip Aphrodite shouts, suddenly wearing a brand-new DVF wrap dress. "This look is serving up so much ferocity!"

H-Chip Kadabra barks and winks at Aphrodite, then runs out of sight.

"Thank you so much," Travis says to Black Magic, beside himself with gratitude. It seems she can give him the things he always dreamed of having, in every way…a notion he finds as terrifying as he do exciting.

"Oh, don't get all weepy on me," Black Magic says. "It was nothing compared to what you did for me."

Three hours later...

He's still in bed with Black Magic, talking about anything and everything. He can't remember the last time he spent this much time with someone—and still it has felt like only a few minutes have gone by. Lying here with Black Magic, he feel oddly…at home.

It's not a feeling he's used to.

"I don't know," Travis start to say. "What do I want most in life? That's a really tough one…."

"Well I certainly know my answer," Black Magic says, playing with Travis's hair.

"Fine then, let's both say it on the count of three. One, two…"

"To help others," Black Magic and Travis says at the same time.

They start to laugh. Of course they would say the same thing. It's almost sickeningly sweet, but the two just seem to understand each other….

"This has been…nice," Black Magic starts. "Ever since I became a celebrity, it's been really hard to find people to trust. Everyone seems to want something from me, instead of just wanting me…."

Travis just smiles at Black Magic, afraid he might say the wrong thing.

"By the way, I've been wanting to ask you this," Travis says, rolling on to his side. "Hopefully I'm not prying, but… When I revived you back at Ace's High, I heard your thoughts…."

"Oh, you don't want to hear about that," Black Magic says, sitting up.

Travis eyes drop—clearly she doesn't want to tell him about this.

"But hey," Black Magic says, able to read him perfectly, "how would you like to know what my first name is?"

"Really? You'd tell me that?"

"Only if you tell me yours, that way neither of us can go tattling the other," Black Magic says, holding out her pinky.

"Deal," Travis says, extending his own pinky for a swear. "On the count of three again?"

"Fine. One, two…" Black Magic starts.

"Travis," he say, just as Black Magic says, "Lucia."

"That's really pretty," Travis say, "Lucia. I like it."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Black Magic says, changing the subject quickly. "I've been meaning to tell you this, but it kept slipping my mind. You have to thank your friend for me, the one who wears that kevlar bodysuit."

"What?" Travis ask, freezing.

"She wouldn't tell me her name, but she's the one who approached me and told me to come looking for you on the Static case. Obviously that worked out very well…."

Travis stand up, beginning to pace. "Why didn't you tell me that sooner?"

"I told you, it slipped my mind," Black Magic says, defensive. "Why? Who is she?"

"Some nut named Veta, she's the one who destroyed The Gravitas. I thought she might have a thing for me—this definitely confirms it."

"Wait, what?" Black Magic says. "She seemed like she was a friend of yours, like she knew you really well. I didn't even think to question her."

"I just…I need a second," Travis say, walking toward the bathroom before Black Magic can say anything else.