King of Superheroes 3, page 3
Ghost marched past me with purposeful strides to the far end of the training facility allocated to the Dreamers and their training.
The Dreamer corner had a calm atmosphere compared to the rest of the facility, and it was decked out with several stations designed to test the powers of the mind.
I followed quickly behind him until we stopped by a wall with a series of full-length mirrors next to the sensory deprivation tank.
“So,” Ghost began, “the kind of invisibility I possess is one of the mind, which is why I’m a Dreamer and not in the Corps pillar. Technically, when you do not see me, I am not invisible.”
“How does that work?” I asked and cocked my head.
“Well, really what is at play here is an illusion,” Ghost admitted. “I am warping your reality so I do not exist in it. That way, you cannot see me. But I can still interact with physical objects. My body still exists as you see it now.”
“I see.” I nodded. “So, it’s not really, technically, invisibility?”
“Yes and no,” Ghost said as he moved his head from side to side. “True bodily invisibility belongs to the Corps pillar. That kind of invisibility allows you to pass through objects as you can essentially make your bodily form cease to exist while your non-physical form continues on.”
“That makes sense,” I said. “So, my power is a mind connection.”
“Exactly,” Ghost said. “It’s better known as telepathic invisibility. You’re influencing the mind and the senses of your target.”
“Does it have a particular range?” I asked.
“Not that I know of,” Ghost said. “You should also note you’re still governed by the laws of physics when you’re presenting this way, unlike the invisibility the Corps pillar demonstrates.”
“What’s the difference?”
“That kind of invisibility doesn’t extend to regular objects and clothes, each Super has to wear their specially designed supersuit to ensure they won’t be seen. Or their empty clothes walking around would definitely give them away.”
“And there’d be a lot of naked Supers.” I laughed at the thought.
“Exactly.” Ghost chuckled. “By default, given the nature of your power, everything you carry or is on your person will also be invisible.”
“Is there anything else I should know?” I asked.
“There are some limits to this power,” Ghost continued. “Because you are still abiding by the laws of physics, you may still be detected by other senses. Someone may hear you or you may leave footprints behind, for instance.”
I nodded along so the stocky Dreamer knew I was taking in the information.
“And as I mentioned, it’s a telepathic connection, so it is only effective on minds,” Ghost added. “Which means you could still be detected by surveillance cameras.”
“That makes sense.” I rubbed my chin. “How long can you keep it up?”
“I’ve never had to use it consecutively for more than an hour,” Ghost said as his expression grew thoughtful. “But when I was first starting out, it required a lot of concentration for me to uphold, and I’d only manage minutes at a time. As with most powers, it’ll take some practice to build up your stamina.”
“I see,” I said and pursed my lips. “I’m struggling to activate it without relying on a rush of adrenaline.”
“That’s actually not to do with your adrenaline levels and really because you need to focus on the target you want to be concealed from,” Ghost explained. “Do you have any other Dreamer abilities?”
“Mind reading,” I replied. “But I’m still working on it.”
“Good.” Ghost nodded. “So you should have a handle on the basics.”
“Where do we start?” I asked.
“First, you’ll need to pick your target,” Ghost said. “Just like when you exercise your mind reading, focus on the wavelength that connects you to other people’s thoughts. Imagine that it is appearing in front of you.”
“Do I need to be able to see the target or be in range of them?” I questioned.
“No, not at all,” Ghost replied. “You should be able to sense the mind you are trying to shield from. Try it with me.”
I focused intently on Ghost’s face and searched for something to latch onto, just as I’d done when Hannah trained me.
“I like to think of it as pulling the wool over someone’s eyes,” Ghost encouraged.
“Okay…” I took a deep breath as I processed his suggestion.
There was a brief silence as I attempted to tap into a connection, and I imagined extending my mind out to the stocky man.
Then a tingling sensation started to travel down my spine.
“I think I’m sensing something…” I murmured and furrowed my brow in concentration. “A wavelength, almost.”
“Embrace it.” Ghost leaned closer. “Don’t let it go.”
Suddenly, I felt the familiar icy wave begin to wash over my body.
The glint in Ghost’s eye suggested I had succeeded, and I put an arm out in front of me for further confirmation. Excited nerves filled my stomach as I saw straight through my now transparent arm right through to the springy floor of the training facility.
I wondered why I was invisible to myself, but maybe the brain could only deal with so much.
“Keep your mind on the connection,” Ghost prompted.
I refocused on the face of the stout Dreamer and attempted to strengthen the wavelength.
The longer I sat in the feeling, the more it felt as though I had tapped into his mind, and I was now connected to him by some kind of magnetic force.
Focus…
The volume of the word made me jump, like it was being blasted out of earphones that were maxed out. The shock of the noise caused me to lose focus and break the connection, and I felt my body rematerialize in front of Ghost.
“What happened?” Ghost asked as I reappeared in front of him.
“I don’t know,” I sighed and shook my arms out. “I heard your voice telling me to focus, but it was so loud that it made me lose the connection.”
“I didn’t say anything.” Ghost shrugged. “But you can read minds, in case you’d forgotten.”
“I know, it was definitely your thoughts, but this was different somehow,” I admitted. “It was so much clearer, and I didn’t put any effort into the connection at all.”
“Interesting,” Ghost said as he studied me. “I wouldn’t know, but the powers belong to the same pillar, so it makes sense, I guess. You’re getting stronger, so your abilities are probably refining themselves.”
“Huh, you’re probably right,” I agreed, and a grin spread across my face. “I’m going to try again, think of some happy thoughts for me.”
Ghost nodded in response, and I focused on reestablishing the connection. My eyes had started to sting from the mental exertion of flitting between a physical and non-physical state, but it was quickly relieved as the familiar icy wave spread throughout my body.
I routinely glanced at my outstretched arm to confirm my efforts had been successful, and I was relieved to see it had worked.
I was getting the hang of it.
Omega…
The word blasted against my eardrum, and a shockwave rushed through my body. I felt the icy wave falter slightly, but I ensured I retained my focus so the connection wasn’t broken.
Omega…
“Keep going,” I said, but as I did, the cold sensation dissipated, and I felt my body rematerialize in the training facility with a warm rush.
“Did something happen?” Ghost asked.
“No,” I admitted. “I think that might be my limit. It’s difficult to keep track of the two connections. It’s like they’re competing with each other and overlapping.”
“Let’s keep testing it and see if there are any other limitations,” Ghost suggested. “As the Omega, you have multiple powers at your disposal, so I want you to see if you can track me down using your telepathy while we are both invisible.”
“Okay.” I nodded.
Ghost swiftly disappeared from view, and with a bit of effort, I followed suit.
Follow my voice…
The sound of Ghost’s words flooded my head once again. They were still just as loud as before, but I had a sense that they were no longer coming from in front of me. Instead, it was like they were coming from behind me.
I swung my transparent body around and scanned the area to see if I could sense where the Dreamer was by tuning further into the connection.
Follow my voice…
My legs moved automatically in the direction of the sound.
Over here, Omega…
As I heard the words, a faint, fuzzy outline appeared around Ghost’s silhouette that immediately gave way to his location. The outline almost vibrated as he moved across the room, and as I got closer to the Dreamer, my body suddenly rematerialized again.
I reached out and put my hand on Ghost’s transparent shoulder.
“Good job, Omega.” the Dreamer asked as he regained his opacity, and his face was surprised. “How did you find me?”
“Your voice was pretty loud, and it seemed to be directional,” I explained. “I just followed it, and as I got closer, I could kinda see you, but not completely. There was a faint outline around you, like the connection was weakened.”
“Interesting.” Ghost rubbed his chin. “It seems your telepathy is becoming more sophisticated as you’re getting stronger.”
“How does that explain how I can see your outline?” I asked.
“That sounds like a question for someone well versed in all things Omega,” Ghost said with a shrug.
“I think I know a guy who can give me some answers, if you can call him a guy,” I chuckled. “Let’s leave it here for today, I’m going to go and check back in with Mori. I think this has solved one of our problems.”
“No problem,” Ghost said. “I’m sure the Omega has a lot on his plate.”
“You have no idea.” I smirked and held out a hand. “But thanks for this.”
“Pleasure’s all mine,” Ghost said before he pulled me into a one-armed hug.
I thanked the kind man again and headed to the elevators, and I was excited to fill Mori in on my discovery.
Although Hannah definitely would have helped us get the answers we needed, it was good to know I was able to exercise the same power without having to rely on someone else.
I headed to the basement where I knew Mori was keeping watch over the hacker until we needed to hand the asshole over to law enforcement, and I practically fell out of the opening elevator and beelined for the interview room.
Then I opened the door and saw Mori sitting in one of the metal chairs observing the hacker, but he quickly turned to face me as I walked into the room.
“Hey,” I said. “Sorry to turn up unannounced, but I have an idea.”
“I’m all ears.” Mori folded his arms inquisitively and leaned back in his seat.
“I just came from my training session with Ghost,” I began. “And I found that when I’m invisible, my mind reading abilities are so much stronger and clearer than when I’m not.”
“What do you propose?” Mori asked and looked at me curiously.
“I want to try questioning him again,” I said with a curt nod. “I think I’ll be able to get a read on him this time.”
“Be my guest.” Mori gestured toward the glass and then pressed the intercom button before leaning into the mic. “You have a visitor.”
The hacker absently glared at the glass and remained unfazed.
“I’ll be outside.” Mori rose out of his seat and left the interview room, so I took a seat, activated my invisibility for the added mental boost, and pressed the intercom button.
“I’m gonna give you one more chance to cooperate with us,” I said sternly, “and if you do, then the deal I offered you earlier is still on the table.”
“I’m not interested in making any damn deals with you,” he spat.
I can’t believe this kid calls himself an Omega…
The hacker’s thoughts were accompanied by a faint image of Pyro that flashed across my mind’s eye.
How interesting. Was this another added quirk to my telepathy?
“You’re not making this any easier for yourself, buddy,” I said.
What a fucking tool…
“I don’t need your advice,” he hissed out loud.
“I promise you’re gonna regret not taking it.”
The only thing I regret is not shooting you myself…
“What does Pyro want?” I pressed.
Does he think I’m some kind of an idiot?
“I know you’re a smart guy,” I said. “So you’ve gotta know there’s no point in protecting him, he doesn’t give a shit about you. If he did, you wouldn’t be here.”
“You don’t know anything.” His body tensed, and his face hardened.
I opened my mouth to retort, but I could feel my extremities start to tingle.
The timer on my invisibility was running out. It was hard to activate two powers at once, let alone having a conversation with this asshole. I needed answers, fast.
“I know you’re facing some serious charges,” I countered.
Not once my brother and his team get their hands on you…
A brother? Now, that was interesting.
“Who else is involved?” I demanded as I filed that tidbit away for later.
You have no idea what you’re up against…
Suddenly, warmth washed through my body, and the hacker’s voice faded as I became visible once again.
“Fine.” I sighed and decided I’d heard enough of his shit. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Then I rose from my seat and promptly joined Mori in the hallway.
“What did you find out?” he asked.
“Pyro is definitely behind this,” I said and sighed again as I ran a hand through my hair. “And others.”
“Others?” Mori’s eyebrows shot up his forehead.
“That’s what I heard.” I nodded before I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “And this guy’s not just some random kid who took a job for some petty cash, either.”
“What are you saying exactly?” Mori asked, and his eyes darkened with concern.
“I think he’s Pyro’s brother,” I said and pursed my lips.
“What makes you think that?” Mori’s expression became visibly disgruntled.
“Just from his protests against me being the Omega, and something I heard in his head…” I said. “And I saw a flash of Pyro’s face.”
“That changes things.” Mori nodded.
“Is this enough confirmation to initiate our confrontation?” I asked.
“It confirms what we need to know, but we still shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves.” Mori folded his arms across his chest. “Especially if we’re about to get involved in a rivalry between brothers. Things could get ugly, and fast.”
“So, what do we do now?” I asked.
“I need to reconvene with Somnia,” Mori said. “I’d like you to join me so we can tell her what we’ve found out.”
“Of course,” I said.
“I’ll have her meet us here.” Mori pulled out his phone. “I’ll give her a ring.”
Then Mori disappeared back into the interview room as he dialed Somnia’s number. I stayed out in the hallway to give him some privacy and also so I could take a moment to process what was happening.
My mind buzzed with countless questions.
What had I done to Pyro and the Antis for them to not even give me a chance? If they’d been paying attention, they would’ve seen that I was only interested in being a super and minding my own business. Anyway, why would they want to live under the duress that came with upkeeping the last Omega’s ideology? It sounded fucking exhausting.
I’d hoped by now everyone had seen that my potential rule promised a future full of safety and hope. But maybe I was simply wasting my energy trying to convince the wrong people who didn’t want to be convinced.
Mori was still on his call, so I pulled out my phone and began scrolling on social media.
My feed was mostly filled with posts from old high school friends I hadn’t spoken to in years, and a few status updates from my Mom gushing over how proud she was of her son. I made sure to press ‘like’ on the few I saw, and then I scrolled to see someone had shared a link to a group that had been joined nearly fifty thousand times.
‘Not my Omega’ the title of the group read. Curiosity got the better of me, and I clicked on the link to see what the members of the group were saying.
As lifelong residents of Miami, we have lived our whole lives without a tyrannical super. We refuse to accept that we must start now. We have seen what such power does to our community and wider society, and we will not watch history repeat itself!
To show your support for this cause and your fellow residents, join our picket line as we protest outside of the Training Academy of Potential Superheroes in Miami, FL this upcoming Friday.
Holy shit, even some civilians were against me?
The post had garnered a hundred thousand likes and had only been up a day.
I scrolled to the top of the page and clicked on the host’s profile. His profile picture was of an elderly gentleman who looked to be in his seventies. I asked myself if he had anything better to do but quickly answered my own question.
Maybe I was going to have a much tougher time winning over the older generation than I’d initially anticipated. It made sense that they were the most apprehensive considering they were the closest to those who lived under the last Omega’s ruling. Which meant they would have lived through the repercussions of his power trip, so I couldn’t really blame them. But they had to see I was different, and I’d make sure of it.
But man, I needed to catch a break. And I needed a PR assistant.
Mori exited the interview room before I could ruminate any further.
“Somnia is on her way down here,” Mori said before I could tell him about the protest. “But I’ll let her know what we’ve found, and we’ll take it over from here. You have more pressing matters to attend to.”
“Where am I going?” I asked with suspicion.
“You, my friend, have got your first mission.” Mori grinned. “Solo.”
