Zack got to his apartment in less than five minutes. He thanked God there was no traffic in his way; otherwise, the temptation to use his abilities would've been too much to bear.
Luckily, his—or Paulina's, if he was being honest—car was enough.
He slammed his apartment door down with such fury it woke his sleeping neighbors a few rooms to the left.
Once he got inside, he scanned the area for Paulina.
Nothing. She wasn't around, but the room had been extremely cleaned up. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Until he checked the fridge.
There was a sticky note on it with a simple message: "THE ROOF. NOW."
Paulina usually leaves sticky notes lying around with extreme detail in her messaging. Hell, it was rare to have less than five paragraphs in one note.
This was odd.
Zack bolted out of the room, forgetting to even shut the door. He was sweating. What kind of message was it? Why so short?
Why the roof?
Was she in danger?
Zack's mind was racing with possibilities as he ascended the stairs. The more he thought about what the message was, the more his body shook.
Finally, he got to the roof, and...
Nothing.
There was nothing but concrete and old building materials lying around. And bird poop. Can't forget about the bird poop.
And the ripple effect on the ground. Can't forget...
"What?" Zack exhaled. He approached the ripple in the ground that looked like water.
Only one person was capable of that.
"Stacya?"
Suddenly, the Atlantean girl leaped out of the ripple and tackled Zack to the ground, licking him across the face.
A typical Atlantean greeting. At least that's what she told him it was.
"Ah! Zack! How I've missed you!"
Zack tried his best to push her off. After several unbearable seconds, he finally shoved her aside and got back up.
"Ugh... seems Jake's strength boost, or whatever it was, hasn't worn off."
"Yes... one of the many things we have Jake to thank for."
There was a short moment of silence.
"So... uh... why are you here?" Zack asked, wanting to break the ice.
"Same reason as you. Paulina called me here."
"I didn't know you had a phone."
"I don't. She appeared at my lake home and asked me to come here. What's weird is she was wearing her old Diamond Light costume."
"What? W... why would she...?"
"Because she wants to be a hero again."
Zack turned at the sound of another voice. More calm. More imposing. A voice that invoked respect and admiration.
There was no other who made Zack feel this way since Captain Rocket. No one who has pushed him so close to getting him on his knees as well.
No one but Canman.
"Hello, Zack. Atlantean girl," Canman said with a smile as he hovered above the two on his Can-hoverboard.
"C... C... Canman?!" Zack shouted, nearly stumbling to the ground.
"Yeah. It's me. We only met a week ago. You don't need to act shocked to see me," he said with a chuckle.
Zack was too shocked to talk. To see him here. Now. Even after the incident at Super Island, he still couldn't get over himself. His hand started to shake even more violently now.
"What the hell is going on?"
"What are you doing, Mr. Canman?" Stacya said flatly.
Zack turned towards her and gasped when he saw her expression.
Nothing.
No shock. No fear. No reverence. It's like she was talking to a normal man and not the greatest super of their generation.
Canman gave her an inquisitive look, one she responded with a small but noticeable smirk.
Canman chuckled. A rare sight indeed.
"Well, your girlfriend called me, Zack. She used my can phone," Canman said, pulling a can from his left shoulder and revealing a hidden set of phone keys on its surface.
"No one other than the president himself could use this phone. Well, and the Danger Squad too."
"Danger Squad? Weren't they criminals in your eyes?"
"They were vigilantes, but they were still heroes. I've even worked with them from time to time. No one knows of this, however."
"T... then why are you telling us? What is all this about? Why are we here? Why did Paulina call you?"
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
Suddenly, Zack felt a cold, near-robotic hand touch his shoulder.
Once he turned, he saw Stacya with her mouth agape and Paulina standing right behind him.
Fully covered in her cybernetic exoskeleton.
"Paulina?! Why are you not cloaking? W... what is this?! Why are we here? Why..."
She placed her hand on his lip.
Canman laughed.
"Back at the Animal Farm, I was inspired to use these powers again. When you gave all this up, I followed through because I respect your decision. Now I see it's something we've both come to regret."
"What? I don't regret giving up fighting crime. I..."
"You do, Zack!" Paulina shouted in a tone that made Stacya gasp a little.
"I see it in your eyes. Ever since we engraved Jake's name in that memorial, you've not been the same. You look depressed, like something is missing in your life. This is your life, Zack. You are a hero!"
"No, I'm not! I almost doomed us all! I was weak! Jake saved us! Not me!"
"And would Jake be happy if you gave up like this?"
Zack opened his mouth to speak, but after a short pause, he remained silent and looked away. Paulina hugged him, but he didn't hug her back. He still looked away in shame.
Canman was about to speak, but his shoulder can vibrated, catching everyone's attention.
"Odd... two calls in one day?" he said as he answered the can-phone.
"Canman. The president needs you." A feminine voice said over the phone.
"Who is this?"
"You remember me. This is Agent A of the Alpha Force."
Canman's brow raised.
"Why are you calling me?"
"Are you deaf? The president needs to see you."
"What does he want?"
"Classified till you see him."
"Then why didn't he call me on his own?!"
Canman shouted, startling Zack and Paulina.
Stacya tried to listen in with her Atlantean hearing but couldn't decipher what the caller was saying.
"Such insolence! Just because you're the leader of those costumed freaks doesn't mean you hold any weight over Alpha Force. Remember that, you fool."
Canman remained silent. Sadly, he had the lower rank here. He desperately wished to speak his mind, but he knew the consequences.
"Where am I meeting him?"
"The coordinates will be sent shortly after this call ends."
"OK then. I'm on my way."
"Oh, and Cammy."
She used his real name.
"Yes?"
"Know your place."
The line cut then and there.
Canman lowered his head and put the can back on his shoulder. Suddenly, he felt a hand touch his helmet, and Zack giving a loud yell of disapproval.
Canman looked up to see Stacya patting him on the head.
"There, there. I don't know what that was all about, but it's fine. No need to beat yourself up over a simple call."
Zack quickly rushed towards them and pushed Stacya away. "Sorry, C-Canman! She doesn't know w-what she's saying! She's kinda crazy," Zack assured him with a nervous smile.
Canman chuckled and brought them both in for a hug.
"You're a pretty confusing man, Zack! Aren't you the one who stood up to me only a week ago? What is this?"
Zack looked away and blushed.
"Pardon my intrusion, Canman, but what was that call about?"
Canman's shoulder-can vibrated again.
"Oh, well, why don't you follow me and find out?"
"W-what?" Zack asked.
"Consider this the first mission of the new Danger Squad!" Canman shouted.
"What?!" Zack shouted back.
Paulina then came between Zack and Canman, surprising both.
"Well, if we're a team of heroes, we're gonna need costumes."
"Wha?"
Before Zack could finish his sentence, Paulina shot a synthetic, cloth-like material right at Zack, covering him head to toe.
Then, just as quickly, the cloth morphed to fit his body and create a new suit. One for a new and improved Expander.
It was a flexible green spandex with a lighter green crest on his chest and dark green lines detailing his torso. His arms and legs were bare, but his head wore a pair of green goggles.
"Wow. I like the look!" Canman said while patting Zack on the back.
"Uh... t-thanks, sir," Zack said awkwardly smiling. He hadn't felt this way since Captain Rocket.
"Well then. Let's get going." Canman said and summoned his Can-hoverboard. After jumping on it, it flew away at incredible speed.
Zack and Stacya looked at Paulina for a moment and smiled.
"No. I haven't fixed my thrusters," she said to them condescendingly.
"Looks like we'll have to catch up the old-fashioned way," Stacya said as she dived into the ground.
Paulina jumped on Zack's back, nudgung him to move.
Zack looked at jer and she smiled at him. That smile. That calm reassuring smile...
Maybe she was right.
Maybe he should keep being a hero.
Its what Jake wouldve wanted.
Zack then jumped off the apartment, elongating his feet to their size before he hit the ground. He then used his extremely long feet to walk across the street and even over buildings, trying his best to catch up to Canman.
And as much as he hated to admit it, it felt natural using his abilities again.
He even smiled.
Paulina smiled too...
Canman, however, wasn't smiling.
He hated meetings with the president.
Especially ones like these...
To be continued...