Lafferty, Mur Read Online Free Page A

perfectly shaped body up and down, “I really can’t respect anyone who names himself after moonshine."
    Her audience laughed and White Lightning clenched his fists.
    “I offered you my services once,” Keepsie said to Timson. “You said no. I moved on. No takebacks. Now, are you going to order a drink or am I going to have to ask you to leave?”
    “Keepsie, the object belongs to us,” Timson said. “You can’t keep it.”
    Keepsie slammed her hand flat on the bar. “That is where you are one hundred percent wrong, Dr. Timson. You said it yourself, keeping something safe is the only thing I do well, and if keeping it makes life tough for you, then I will be proud to keep it. Thanks to my ‘useless’ talent, there is no way you can take it.”
    The heroes stood uncomfortably as she stepped out from behind the bar, walked over the door, and put the CLOSED sign in the window. She opened the door and waited.
    “There are ways we can make you give it to us,” White Lightning growled.
    “No, there aren’t.”
    “Kinda losing your ‘hero’ routine there, aren’t you, dude?” Ian said. He got off his bar stool and started rolling up his sleeves. Peter put his hand on Ian’s arm as White Lightning stepped forward.
    “Try it, little man,” he said.
    “Don’t,” Peter said. After a pause, Ian sat down again. Dr. Timson put her hand out as well to stop White Lightning. She gave Keepsie a long look and then motioned the heroes to leave.
    Keepsie had only heard such applause in her dreams.

Chapter 3
     
    Peter watched Keepsie down drink after drink, at first celebrating with her, and then, as she got drunker, becoming more concerned.
    Peter, Ian, Keepsie, Michelle and Samantha sat at the bar in relative quiet. Most of the customers had left, each pounding Keepsie on the back or hugging her. "Give 'em hell, girl!" said Barry as he left.
    Hell indeed. While it had been quite cathartic to watch Keepsie use her minor talent (that of allowing no one to take what she owned) to confound the pompous heroes, it seemed to be a bad idea to make enemies of the strongest people in the city, possibly the world. Peter didn't like the look that the heroes had given Keepsie on their way out.
    Peter hoped Keepsie was done drinking; Patricia, the waitress with the power to sober people up, had the night off. Peter had assumed he'd left his dragging-drunken-friends-home days back in college.
    Ian and Samantha were no help. They had kept up with their host, matching her drink for drink. Michelle had slowed down after a few drinks.
    “This feels so weird,” Keepsie said. “It’s not like I’m evil. I never wanted to be evil. It’s like we’ve always been told that heroes are good and the people that fight the heroes are bad. Am I evil? Do I need a laugh now? An evil laugh?”
    Ian snickered. “I don’t think so, Keepsie. Not letting the heroes fuck you like a drunk prom date isn’t a bad thing.”
    “So what were they after, anyway?” Samantha asked.
    Keepsie didn't respond. “It was just so cool to see them grovel. They've been so -” she groped for a word, screwing up her face with effort, "superior for so long."
    Samantha didn't pursue her question. “Well, they are stronger than we are. Do you really hate them so much?”
    “I didn't have high hopes for the Academy,” Keepsie said, pouring more vodka into her glass and spilling a bit on the bar. “My talent is passive, after all. But sheesh, what Third Waver didn’t dream of joining the Academy on the off chance they say, ‘Why yes, we do have a large stash of doubloons to guard, here’s your costume, welcome to the Academy!’”
    They all nodded.
    "When Michelle and I talked about opening this bar," Keepsie said, frowning, "we just wanted a place to go where we could get away from them. I was really pissed off, guess I still am, but I didn’t figure I’d end up evil.”
     
    “I had a hunch,” Michelle said, grinning at Keepsie. “You have those dark