King of Superheroes 3, page 13
Abby always wore her blonde hair thrown up in a messy ponytail that bobbed up and down as she walked. She, like all the other trainers, wore a skintight red jumpsuit detailed with silver stitching and a long zip down the middle. Every time I’d seen her around the Academy, she was always sporting a friendly smile, and today was no exception.
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “I’ve only been working on it for a week since I acquired it, so I’m still getting used to it. Hannah’s guiding me.”
“Impressive.” Abby nodded and shot me her signature easy smile. “Keep it up, you two.”
Then she turned on her heel and left us to it.
Although her name wasn’t in the folder we found at the Antis base, I still felt wary of telling her too much. For all I knew, any of the trainers could have been moles, and even if they weren’t, they still might have some affiliation with the Antis, even in a smaller way. It was better to err on the side of caution until Mori had figured things out.
“Terrible timing,” I said out loud.
Hannah pressed a finger to her lips.
No outside voices in my lessons, thank you, she teased and smiled at me.
Sorry, I said mentally. Do you think it’s a good idea for me to train out in the open like this?
I think the Antis already have enough information on you that you shouldn’t sweat it. She shrugged. Even if there are more moles.
Yeah, I guess you’re right, I said.
I was definitely feeling paranoid since our trip and was starting to empathize with Eddie’s choice to go full hermit. There was something truly sinister that accompanied power, especially when it fell into the wrong hands. I guess Uncle Ben was right when he told Peter Parker that with great power comes great responsibility.
Of course, Abby was probably entirely innocent, and I’d just put my guard up since the folder we retrieved revealed a lot of people, some I wouldn’t have suspected, cannot be trusted.
Let’s get back to business. Hannah slapped her knees. Can you pick up on any other minds?
I paused for a moment and looked around the vicinity, and when I spotted a Conduit nearby, I honed in on him.
There’s no way, his inner voice said while he watched another Conduit fledgling disintegrate a mannequin just by looking at it.
I turned to the guy next to him and tuned in.
So fucking cool, he mentally narrated.
“I’m picking up--” I started to say before Hannah pressed her fingers to her lips again.
Sorry, I said. I’m picking up on people pretty easily.
That’s good, she said. Now try it again while you’re invisible.
I focused with a lot less concentration than I usually had to muster, and to my surprise, I activated with complete ease.
You’re getting the hang of that, she noted.
Thanks for noticing, I said, and I smiled even though she couldn’t see me.
Then I looked around the room and began dipping in and out of people’s minds. Before I knew it, I was sifting through the connections as though I was flipping through radio stations, and the whole time I was holding my state of invisibility without it faltering at all.
It suddenly felt like everything had fallen into place. Almost like I’d accessed another part of my brain that was previously lying dormant.
The new feeling sent me into overdrive as I was reminded of when I’d first acquired the power and the high that coursed through me and tried to lead me astray. It felt like there were remnants of that same high in what I’d just unlocked.
But I felt clearer, like I’d gained the mental equivalent of laser eye surgery.
I spent the next ten minutes exploring the new sensation. Then, after finishing up my session with Hannah, I joined Rhiannon and the Tempest pillar’s training session.
Rhiannon was mid-flight when I approached, and she swooped down and landed in front of me.
“Hey.” She smiled sweetly.
“Hey, you,” I said. “I was hoping you’d help me with some training.”
“Of course,” she said. “Let’s go over here.”
We moved away from the other training Tempest fledglings and headed toward the area that was lined up with an assortment of random objects for those telekinetically inclined to practice on.
“Let’s start with the easy stuff and work our way up,” she suggested. “I’m gonna go grab something, wait here.”
She scurried away to a nearby cabinet, pulled something out, and then hid it behind her back.
“Close your eyes,” she said.
“Okay…” I obediently followed her instructions.
“Now open them,” she ordered.
I opened my eyes and saw she was proudly holding a spoon out in front of her.
“Really?” I chuckled.
“What?” She cocked her head. “There’s nothing there.”
“Ha ha. Very funny,” I teased and rolled my eyes.
“Okay, you got me,” she laughed. “But we are gonna do something with it, just not bend it. And for the record, there is definitely a spoon.”
I chuckled with her and felt a twinge in my chest as I marveled at how adorable she was.
“What’s the plan?” I asked.
“Okay, so,” she began, “first, I want you to try and take it from me, but I’m going to grip it as tight as possible. Then, once you’ve released it, I want you to try and hold it up for as long as you can.”
We went back and forth for a while before I’d decided I was ready to take it a step further and try something out.
“I think I’m gonna get Hannah over here,” I said. “Maybe if you tag team me, I’ll be able to engage with it better.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Rhiannon seemed to shock herself with the quickness of her remark, and she blushed and lowered her eyes.
It was safe to say Rhiannon was well and truly coming out of her shell, and the more time she spent with Hannah, the more similar I realized they were. I had no complaints at all, it just meant I got to have double the fun.
I called out to Hannah, and she promptly skipped over to us.
“What’s up?” the blonde Dreamer asked.
“I need an extra set of hands,” I said.
“Well, I’m always a willing participant when it comes to hand stuff.” Hannah smirked.
“Are you guys in heat?” I laughed. “You’re both full of it today.”
They shared a look and fell into fits of laughter, but I’d already guessed what they were going to say.
“Okay, okay,” Hannah chuckled and made an animated display of composing herself. “What are we doing?”
“I’m gonna activate,” I said, “and when I do, I want to see if I can use my other powers while I’m invisible. Rhiannon, can you grab some stuff for me to move?”
As soon as Rhiannon had returned, I disappeared from view and began tuning into my multiple streams of power.
First, I made mental contact with Hannah and assured her that I knew what I was doing. Then I turned to Rhiannon and began trying to channel my telekinesis.
She held out a singular red apple in her hand, and as I attempted to move it, I telepathically walked Hannah through what I was doing to keep the mental connection going.
All at once, I was invisible, reading Hannah’s mind, and telekinetically lifting the apple into the air, and as I balanced the three powers, it almost felt like I’d tapped into a new reality or a new way of being. A feeling of happiness spread through me, but it somehow didn’t feel like my own. Then I made eye contact with Hannah, and when her smile grew, so did the feeling inside me.
Suddenly, it all made sense.
“It’s all connected,” I said as it clicked. “It’s almost like I’m tapping into a mental control center, and it’s allowing me to hone multiple areas of power at once.”
I paused for a moment before continuing to voice my train of thought, and my girlfriends watched on curiously.
“It feels almost… limitless,” I added.
I rematerialized in front of Hannah and Rhiannon, and as I did, I realized I’d attracted a crowd of awestruck fledglings and trainers. A few onlookers clapped at the performance I didn’t know I’d even been putting on. The sudden attention took me aback, and as my cheeks flushed, I wished I was invisible again.
Thankfully, once they’d realized my tricks were up, everyone returned to their training.
“I think we should go out to visit Sim,” I said to my girlfriends. “He’ll be able to help me make sense of this.”
It was already approaching late afternoon, but I didn’t want to wait, so we rallied up the boys and headed to the underground parking lot. Then we drove an hour outside of the city to the Everglades.
Eventually, we arrived in the wetlands, and I’d memorized the area where the Omega mansion was cloaked and identified it by a large rock that lay nearby.
We parked and got out of the car, and I didn’t realize I’d missed Sim’s appearing-acts until he suddenly popped up and stood in front of our borrowed car’s bumper.
“Jesus,” Frank gasped as he jumped and clutched at his chest. “A little warning next time, dude.”
“What a pleasure to see you all again,” Sim said and seemed to ignore Frank. “Do come in.”
The hairless man turned on his heel and unlocked the invisible door, and as the mansion appeared in front of us, we followed him inside.
“Let me fix you some refreshments,” Sim said before he gestured around. “Please make yourselves at home. It is yours, after all.”
“Thanks, Sim,” I replied.
We headed across the entrance hall, entered into the living room, and flopped on the ginormous couches.
“Oh, it is so good to be back here,” Hannah sighed as she kicked her feet up on the coffee table.
“I’m not gonna wanna leave,” Danny added and relaxed into his seat, and his eyelids drooped. “It’s been a long day, I might actually pass out here.”
Hannah yawned in commiseration, but Frank and Rhiannon were curiously poking around the mantlepiece and seemed to be enthralled by an intriguing-looking bit of taxidermy.
“What brings you here?” Sim asked once he reappeared with a tray of freshly made lemonade and placed it on the table.
Frank and Rhiannon rejoined us, and we all helped ourselves to a tall glass of the zingy goodness.
“It’s about my invisibility,” I said and took a sip of my drink.
“How has it been treating you?” the hairless man asked.
“It’s been temperamental, for the most part,” I admitted. “I’m getting the hang of it after training with a few other Supers. But I still had some questions I hoped you could answer.”
“I will try,” Sim said with a nod.
“Whenever I’m invisible, my telepathy is heightened,” I explained. “I’m starting to get the hang of it and balance the two, but I wanted to know more. I understand its invisibility of the mental variety, but this feels like something more. It’s like a deeper connection, like I can get deeper into people’s brains, if that makes sense.”
“Ah, yes,” Sim said. “I do apologize, I should have mentioned this before I sent you on your way. As you mentioned, your invisibility is of the Dreamer variety, and as such, it strengthens your connection to Dreamer-derived powers. It seems you might have awakened a minor power on your own.”
“What kind of power?” I asked with a frown.
“You tell me,” Sim said as he studied me with his gray eyes.
“Well…” I began and looked at Hannah. “When I was balancing three powers, I started to feel this sense of happiness. But somehow it didn’t feel like my own. Then I saw you smiling, and the sensation grew.”
“It must have been my happiness,” the blonde said with a similar smile. “I was so happy watching you succeed.”
“So… my new minor power is empathy?” I raised an eyebrow and turned back to Sim. “I didn’t think it would take becoming an Omega to get to grips with that.”
“In a sense, yes, but it is more nuanced than just empathy as you’re already familiar with,” he said. “It is important for a King to understand those he rules over. Thus, you must let this power help guide you to do what is right by your people and not lead you to betray them.”
“Is that what the last Omega did?” I asked. “Did he have a similar ability?”
“Yes, and it aided in his personal goals, for a time,” Sim admitted. “But eventually, your predecessor opted to rid himself of this power. He insisted that he didn’t care to know the minds of those who were beneath him, and I am in no position to deny Omegas of their wishes.”
“So, it connects me to people?”
“Yes, exactly.” He nodded. “That’s why you feel like your telepathy is stronger, it’s allowing you to connect to your people in a unique way. A good ruler is one who understands everyone’s perspectives, who understands what it is to rule and be ruled.”
“You’re a smart guy, Sim,” my redheaded conduit friend interjected.
“Thank you,” he said flatly. “But I am not a guy.”
“Oh, yeah, my bad… uh, Sim,” Frank corrected himself.
“I still don’t understand how I’m expected to rule over a whole population of Supers,” I pondered listlessly.
“Well, you are the King of Superheroes, aren’t you?” Hannah asked and grinned at me.
I smiled at my girlfriend’s question. She was damn right I was.
The more I learned about the last Omega, and the more my power’s developed, my title started to feel natural. I was destined to do this, to do right by my people and ensure they knew I’d be a good ruler.
As the conversation shifted back to the last Omega, my phone rang, so I answered the call and raised my cell phone to my ear.
“We need you back at the academy,” Dahlia said without preamble. “Now.”
Chapter Ten
The sun was just starting to set by the time we arrived back at the Academy. We made our way to the common area and immediately ran into our dark-haired mentor.
“You’ve got a call out,” Dahlia announced as she marched toward us.
“Already?” Frank groaned. “We’ve been running around since before the sun rose today.”
“I’m sorry,” our mentor said with an apologetic wince. “But this is the nature of being a Super.”
“Is it Anti-related?” Hannah asked.
“No, don’t worry, this is a lower tier mission,” Dahlia assured us. “If all goes according to plan, you should be in and out. It’s been fully vetted by the authorities, and there looks to be no room for error or Antis. Having said that, there will be a squad car tailgating us, just in case there are any impromptu showdowns.”
“Better safe than sorry.” I shrugged. “What’s the mission?”
“The vice squad needs help busting a drug operation,” Dahlia said. “They’ve been chasing this lead for months now but have been unable to pin him down. He’s just your run-of-the-mill criminal, but they just got wind of a hot new lead that could help bring him in.”
It was strange to feel relieved that I was ‘only’ going to be dealing with criminals, but at this point, I’d much rather bust a drug dealer than anything the Antis had up their sleeves.
Hell, I’d rather come face to face with Pablo Escobar himself if it meant I didn’t have to look at another Anti for at least another twenty-four hours.
But now that I’d gotten my invisibility and telepathy locked down, I was confident this would be an absolute breeze. In comparison to terrorist attacks and bomb threats, a drug bust felt like child’s play.
“Do we know who the guy is?” I asked.
“His name is Anton,” Dahlia said. “They’ve been building a case on him for years now but haven’t been able to capture him.”
“He must be pretty stealthy, then,” I said.
“Well, he’s a Corps, and he’s able to shift his physical form,” our mentor explained. “Which means he can take on new appearances at the snap of his fingers, so you can imagine he’s pretty impossible to track down when no one knows what he looks like at any given time.”
“So, how are we going to know if we see him?”
“Yeah… that’s the thing.” Dahlia rubbed the back of her neck. “You probably won’t. The last time there was a reported sighting, he’d transformed himself into a senator’s son as a political statement. Anyway, don’t worry too much. The cops are only hoping you can bug the place they received intel on.”
“Seems simple enough.” Danny shrugged.
“If it’s so simple, why can’t another fledgling group handle this?” Frank grumbled and stifled a yawn.
“Well, the chief of police has requested your help specifically, Mark,” Dahlia added.
“Why?” I asked as I narrowed my eyes.
I felt rightfully suspicious that I’d been personally called upon after the last time. Although I trusted that Dahlia had vetted the mission as she said she had, the Antis were getting creative, and it felt like we were getting closer and closer to doomsday.
Maybe I was just being paranoid, but after seeing the folder filled with Supers who were potential Anti members, I couldn’t help but feel extra vigilant.
“Well, after the… incident at the mansion, the mayor and the chief of police are really singing your praises,” Dahlia said with a faint smirk. “You were their first thought when they got this new bit of intel. They know how incredible you are, and you are the Omega after all. Everyone is going to want to get a piece of you.”
“Well, it’s nice to have some recognition,” I said. “It’s also good to have endorsement as well, my public relations were getting a little shaky for a minute. But why’s the mayor so invested in this case?”
“Like I said, Anton’s been around a long time,” Dahlia continued. “He’s the leading drug dealer in Miami, so he’s calling the shots around here and is the biggest contributor to the city’s crime rate. But they’ve finally tracked down a location to where he’s been distributing his drugs.”
“So, the mayor is trying to make a good name for himself by getting rid of this guy?” Hannah deduced with a cocked eyebrow.
