Zero Shift: Second Gear: A Superhero Academy LitRPG, page 5
Her hands were everywhere – in my hair, on my face, sliding down my chest. I backed her against the wall, my own hands finding the hem of her sweater, sliding underneath to touch the warm skin beneath.
She gasped when I touched her, arching against me. “Evan...”
“We shouldn’t be doing this here.”
“I don’t care where we are.” Her fingers found the button of my jeans. “I need you.”
The rational part of my brain was screaming that this was insane. We were in an airplane bathroom, for Christ’s sake. Anyone could knock on the door. The flight attendants could need to get in here. We could get arrested when we landed.
But then Madeline’s hands were on my skin, and rational thought became impossible.
I lifted her onto the tiny counter, her legs wrapping around my waist. She was wearing a skirt that had ridden up, and when I touched her thigh, she made a sound that drove me completely over the edge.
“God, Madeline...”
“I know. I know.”
We moved together with desperate urgency, trying to be quiet, trying to be quick, trying not to think about anything except the heat building between us. Her breath was hot against my neck, her fingers digging into my shoulders.
And then something strange happened.
I felt my nullification field activate, but not the way it usually did. Instead of the broad, unfocused suppression I was used to, it became precise, targeted. I could sense Madeline’s power – her ability to absorb energy through touch – and instead of shutting it down completely, I... redirected it.
Her power flowed into me, but instead of being absorbed, it was transformed. Enhanced. I could feel it mixing with my own abilities, creating something new.
“Evan,” Madeline gasped. “Something’s happening.”
I could feel it too. A rush of sensation that was part physical, part psychic. Like our powers were connecting, merging, becoming something greater than the sum of their parts.
The lights in the bathroom flickered.
Then the plane shuddered.
For a moment, everything went dark. The engines seemed to stutter, and I heard surprised voices from the cabin outside. Emergency lighting kicked in, bathing everything in an eerie red glow.
“Mais… quoi ?!” Madeline whispered.
I didn’t know. But I could feel something new in my head – a presence that hadn’t been there before. Like a voice, but not quite. More like an interface.
[CEREBRAL INTERFACE ACTIVATED]
The words appeared in my mind like text on a screen, accompanied by a sensation I’d never experienced before. It was like having a computer in my head, but organic. Alive.
[POWER EVOLUTION DETECTED: Intimate neural connection established. Nullification field now selective - can target specific individuals while sparing others. Range: 20 feet. New capability: Energy redirection and enhancement.]
“Evan?” Madeline’s voice was concerned. “Your eyes...”
“What about them?”
“They’re glowing. Just a little, but...”
The plane’s systems came back online with a hum, and the normal lighting returned. Whatever had happened, it was over. But I could still feel the new presence in my mind, like a constant low-level awareness of my abilities and their potential.
“We should get back,” I said, though the last thing I wanted was to leave this tiny space where it was just the two of us.
“Yeah.” But she didn’t move. Instead, she cupped my face in her hands, studying my eyes. “Are you okay? You look different.”
“I feel different.”
“Good different or bad different?”
“I don’t know yet.”
She kissed me again, softer this time. “Whatever just happened, we’ll figure it out together. All of us.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
We straightened our clothes and tried to make ourselves look presentable. Madeline went first, slipping out of the bathroom with the same casual confidence she’d entered with. I waited another minute, then followed.
The cabin was buzzing with quiet conversation about the power fluctuation. Flight attendants put dinner away and were moving through the aisles, reassuring passengers that everything was fine, just a minor electrical issue.
“Where were you?” Rey asked when I slid back into my seat.
“Bathroom,” I said, which was technically true.
“You missed the excitement. All the lights went out for like thirty seconds. Scared the hell out of everyone.”
“Weird,” I said, trying to sound casual.
Madeline was already back in her seat, reading her magazine like nothing had happened. But when she glanced over at me, there was a small smile on her lips that made my pulse quicken all over again.
[EMOTIONAL RESONANCE DETECTED: Connection with Madeline Dubois strengthened. Power stability increased. New neural pathways established.]
The voice in my head was getting clearer, more defined. It wasn’t unpleasant, exactly, but it was definitely going to take some getting used to.
“You okay, man?” Jason asked from across the aisle. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Just tired,” I said.
“Yeah, well, we’ve got like six more hours of this. Might as well try to sleep after they serve dinner.”
Dinner. Right. Like that was going to happen with this new awareness buzzing in my head and the memory of Madeline’s hands on my skin.
They spooned the cardboard slop onto our trays. I poked around, picking at the bits that weren’t just another pile of overworked, reheated starch. The minutes dragged by while we ate, the taste as bland and unavoidable as everything else here. Forty-five minutes later, they wiped us down and swept away the trays, as if nothing had happened at all.
I closed my eyes and tried to relax, but every time I started to drift off, the interface would chime with some new piece of information about my abilities or my emotional state or the enhanced individuals around me.
[PROXIMITY ALERT: Multiple enhanced individuals detected within nullification range. Rey Volkov - emotional distress elevated. Jason Ducard - elevated heart rate, possible anxiety. Amara Kim - REM sleep cycle initiated.]
It was like having a constant readout of everyone around me. Useful, maybe, but also overwhelming.
“Evan,” Madeline whispered, so quietly I almost didn’t hear her.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For trusting me. For... this.”
I reached over and took her hand, squeezing gently. “Always.”
The rest of the flight passed in a haze of half-sleep and constant mental chatter from the interface. By the time we started our descent into Heathrow, I felt like I’d been awake for days.
But I also felt... different. Stronger, maybe. Smarter? More aware of my abilities and their potential. The encounter with Madeline had unlocked something in me, something that felt both exciting and terrifying.
[ARRIVAL IMMINENT: London Heathrow Airport. Local time: 07:42. Enhanced individual registration required upon entry. Recommendation: Maintain low profile during customs inspection.]
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re beginning our final descent into London Heathrow,” the captain announced. “Local time is 7:42 AM, and it’s a lovely cloudy morning in London. Temperature is 12 degrees Celsius, or about 54 Fahrenheit for our American passengers.”
“Lovely and cloudy,” Jason muttered. “That’s British weather for you.”
“At least it’s not raining,” Sophia said.
“Give it time.”
I looked out the window at the gray landscape below, dotted with the lights of early morning traffic. Somewhere down there was the British Academy, where I’d be spending the next six weeks having my abilities studied and tested.
The thought should have terrified me. Instead, I felt... ready.
Whatever they wanted to learn about my powers, whatever tests they had planned, I’d face them with this new awareness, this enhanced understanding of what I was capable of.
And I wouldn’t be facing them alone.
[MISSION PARAMETERS UPDATED: Objective - Survive six weeks of enhanced individual research and testing. Secondary objective - Maintain team cohesion and emotional stability. Tertiary objective - Investigate British enhanced individual protocols and potential security threats.]
“You ready for this?” Rey asked as the plane touched down with a gentle bump.
I looked around at my friends, my family, my partners. Jason was already bouncing in his seat with excitement. Amara was stretching and yawning. Sophia was checking her phone for messages. Madeline was watching me with those dark eyes that promised more adventures to come.
“Yeah,” I said, and meant it. “I’m ready.”
[ARRIVAL CONFIRMED: Welcome to London. New phase initiated.]
The interface fell silent as we taxied toward the gate, but I could still feel it there, waiting. A new part of me that I was only beginning to understand.
CHAPTER FIVE
Heathrow Airport was exactly what I’d expected from British efficiency – organized chaos with a side of barely contained irritation. The customs line moved like molasses, and every official we encountered looked like they’d rather be literally anywhere else.
“Passports and documentation,” the customs officer said without looking up. He was maybe fifty, with the kind of mustache that suggested he took himself very seriously.
We handed over our paperwork – passports, Academy documentation, and what looked like a small novel’s worth of forms that Dr. Farnsworth had sent ahead.
“Enhanced individuals,” he said, finally glancing up at us. “Educational exchange program.”
“That’s right,” Sophia said in her most polite voice.
“Duration of stay?”
“Six weeks.”
“Purpose of visit?”
“Cultural and educational exchange between enhanced individual institutions.”
He stamped our passports with the enthusiasm of someone stamping death certificates. “Welcome to the United Kingdom. Try not to cause any international incidents.”
“We’ll do our best,” I said.
“See that you do.”
The arrivals area was a sea of people holding signs and looking generally miserable. It took me a minute to spot the woman who was obviously waiting for us – partly because she looked like she’d stepped out of a different century, and partly because she was the only person in the entire airport who looked genuinely happy to be there.
Dr. Penelope Farnsworth was exactly what you’d get if Mary Poppins had a PhD in enhanced individual studies and a budget for really expensive clothes. She was tall, elegant, and carried herself with the kind of authority that made you want to stand up straighter just by looking at her.
“Mr. Grey and company, I presume?” she said, approaching us with a smile that was both warm and slightly terrifying. “I’m Dr. Farnsworth. Welcome to England.”
“Thank you for having us,” Sophia said, because of course she’d appointed herself our unofficial spokesperson.
“The pleasure is entirely mine. I do hope the flight wasn’t too dreadful?”
“It was fine,” I said, trying not to think about what had happened in the airplane bathroom. The new interface in my head was still buzzing with information, and being around Dr. Farnsworth was making it go haywire.
[ENHANCED INDIVIDUAL DETECTED: Dr. Penelope Farnsworth. Power classification: Unknown. Threat level: Indeterminate. Recommendation: Maintain respectful distance.]
“Excellent. Now then, we have a car waiting to take you to the Academy. I thought we might do a brief tour before settling you into your accommodations.”
The “car” turned out to be a luxury coach that looked like it cost more than most people’s houses. The interior was all leather and polished wood, with seats that were more comfortable than my bed back home.
“Jesus,” Jason muttered as we climbed aboard. “This is how the other half lives.”
“The other half of what?” Rey asked.
“The half that doesn’t have to worry about student loans.”
Dr. Farnsworth settled into the seat across from us with the grace of someone who’d been riding in luxury vehicles her entire life. “I trust you’re all excited about the next six weeks?”
“Very excited,” Amara said. “Though I have to admit, I’m a little nervous about the food.”
“Ah yes, British cuisine. I’m afraid our reputation is somewhat... deserved. But I promise we’ll do our best to keep you properly fed.”
The drive from Heathrow to Cambridge took about an hour, and Dr. Farnsworth spent most of it giving us a running commentary on British enhanced individual history. Apparently, they’d been studying and training enhanced individuals since the 1800s, which explained why their Academy looked like something out of a gothic novel.
“The original buildings date back to 1847,” she explained as we pulled through massive iron gates. “Though we’ve added considerably to the facilities over the years.”
The British Academy was stunning in a way that made our Academy back home look like a community college. Ancient stone buildings covered in ivy mixed with sleek modern structures of glass and steel. Students in dark uniforms moved across manicured lawns, and everything had that timeless quality that only came with centuries of tradition.
“Tres magnifique,” Madeline said, and she was right.
“We’re rather proud of it,” Dr. Farnsworth said. “Now then, shall we begin the tour?”
The next two hours were a whirlwind of lecture halls, training facilities, and dormitories that looked like they belonged in a luxury hotel. Dr. Farnsworth introduced us to faculty members whose names I immediately forgot and students who looked at us with the kind of polite curiosity reserved for exotic animals.
“And this,” she said, leading us into what looked like a high-tech laboratory, “is where we conduct our enhanced individual research. We’re particularly interested in power suppression and amplification technologies.”
[ALERT: Research facility detected. Multiple scanning devices active. Recommend maintaining defensive posture.]
The interface was getting more insistent, and I was starting to get a headache from all the information it was feeding me.
“Power suppression?” Sophia asked.
“Indeed. With the recent... unpleasantness in Europe, governments worldwide are very interested in developing methods to safely contain enhanced individuals who might pose a threat to public safety.”
“You mean like collars?” Rey asked, and there was something sharp in her voice.
“Among other things, yes. We’ve developed some rather promising prototypes that can temporarily suppress enhanced abilities without causing permanent harm.”
“And you want to test them on us,” I said.
“With your permission, of course. Mr. Grey your particular abilities make you an ideal test subject. Your nullification field could help us understand how power suppression works on a fundamental level.”
[WARNING: Potential threat detected. Research facility designed for enhanced individual containment and study. Recommend extreme caution.]
“We’ll think about it,” I said.
“Of course. There’s no pressure. Though I should mention that participation in our research program comes with certain... benefits.”
“What kind of benefits?” Amara asked.
“Access to advanced training facilities, one-on-one instruction with our most experienced faculty, and the opportunity to work with some of the most cutting-edge enhanced individual technology in the world.”
It sounded impressive, but something about the way she said it made my skin crawl. Like we were being offered a deal that was too good to be true.
“Speaking of our students,” Dr. Farnsworth continued, “I’d like you to meet one of our most promising pupils.”
She led us to a common area where a guy about our age was sitting alone, reading what looked like a technical manual. He was tall, lean, and had the kind of pale blue-ish complexion that suggested he didn’t spend much time outdoors. When he looked up at us, his eyes were the palest blue I’d ever seen, but had an eerie golden shimmer.
“This is Marcus,” Dr. Farnsworth said. “Though most people call him DuskRunner.”
“DuskRunner?” Jason asked.
“A nickname,” the guy said, standing up. His voice had that crisp British accent that made everything sound more intelligent. “Based on my particular abilities.”
“Which are?” Rey asked.
“Teleportation, primarily. Though I prefer to think of it as stepping between shadows.”
[ENHANCED INDIVIDUAL DETECTED: Marcus “DuskRunner” - Teleportation abilities confirmed. Threat level: Moderate. Note: Unusually controlled power signature.]
“That’s incredible,” Amara said. “How far can you teleport?”
“Depends on the circumstances. Line of sight, about half a mile. Familiar locations, considerably farther.”
“DuskRunner will be serving as your liaison during your stay,” Dr. Farnsworth said. “He’ll help you navigate the Academy and answer any questions you might have about British enhanced individual culture.”
“Lucky me,” DuskRunner said with a slight smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
After the tour, we were shown to our accommodations – a series of connected rooms in one of the newer dormitory buildings. The rooms were nice, nicer than anything we had back home, but there was something sterile about them. Like they were designed more for observation than comfort.
“Dinner is served in the main hall at seven,” Dr. Farnsworth said. “I do hope you’ll join us. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet more of our students.”
After she left, we gathered in the common area of our suite to decompress.
“Well,” Jason said, flopping down on one of the couches. “That was... intense.”
“She’s hiding something,” Rey said immediately. “All that talk about power suppression and research programs. This isn’t just an exchange program.”
