The EMT that rode in the back of the ambulance with him briefly lifted the oxygen mask to hear what he was trying to say. “Niña Gata,” was all that was uttered.
Being of Latino lineage himself, the EMT realized these Spanish words translated into English as “cat-girl.” They would be the last words ever spoken by Ernesto before he mercifully drifted into a coma.
***
“Look, I never said I was going to let you control me completely, Donovan!” Benny protested from within the confines of his detention-cell-cum-quarters. “I tried to do the right thing! It’s not like I targeted former classmates who bullied me this time. These were gang members who were assaulting an innocent victim.”
The deep red pallor on Donovan’s face didn’t fade in the slightest at the metahuman youth’s statement of defense.
“First of all, Benny-boy, this is not about taking fascist control over you. Like it or not, you are still my prisoner for your actions upon acquiring your powers, not because I’m some black ops general looking to conscript metahumans in the service of war! You need to be put under some measure of lock and key until you can be properly trained and healed of the emotional scars that caused you to become a public menace!”
“I know, but…”
“I wasn’t finished! Don’t interrupt my disciplinary spiel again, kid. Especially not when I’m on a roll.”
Benny lifted his hands in an “okay, fine” gesture and remained silent.
“Secondly, because you’re under detention right now, you can’t just slip out of here! And considering how Claire let me know that you were likely telling the truth about how you obtained the special pass code, because of you this entire facility will be on complete lock-down over night. No code will be capable of opening that door until then; it can only be opened by a special electronic key that has no code with symbols that you can pull out of the ether, or wherever-the-hell you snatched them out of! And only two people on this planet have such an electronic key, one of whom isn’t anywhere in New York State.
“As for your attempt to play hero without proper training, you not only severely injured those gang members, but you also injured the kid you were trying to save just as badly! And that’s not to speak of the property damage you caused that’s going to come out of the city’s already strained budget.”
Benny looked down and clamped his eyes shut. “Okay, okay, I done messed up. I know that. But I was just a bit eager to make up for what I did…”
“You will pay off your debt to society on my frigging time table, not yours! Do you realize the trouble you caused? The media already reported a new ‘hero’ in their midst, and Commissioner Frakes is having a pissing fit over it.”
“Didn’t you mean ‘hissy fit?’”
“Shut up! I’ll use whatever terminology I please to make my points, kid! You’re now under more severe detainment! A less comfortable room, as well as all cell phone, Internet, computer, TV, and video game privileges removed! And no writing outside of your school assignments until I say different.”
“Donovan, I understand you’re quite peeved right now, and that I brought it on myself again. But I’m hoping to make a living off my writing…”
“You don’t have to worry about making a goddamned living while you’re a prisoner of the Institute! We pay the bills for your upkeep right now! Do you dig it?”
“Okay, okay. I dig it. And I’m sorry, alright?”
“Not nearly as sorry as you’ll be if you even consider committing another infraction of any sort! If I find out that you so much as left the toilet seat up, you’ll be going into third level detainment!”
“Donovan, what difference does it make if I leave the toilet seat up when the only toilet I can use right now is in the detention cell with me? And besides, I don’t even seem to really need to use the bathroom anymore…”
“Shut up! It’s bad enough I have to let you return to the school tomorrow to avert suspicion from your involvement in this. But you will be returning there with a few hidden escorts.”
“You seriously mean…?”
“I was never more serious! You messed up, so you’re getting babysat until I’m confident that you will trust me enough to play things my way.”
“Look… I know I messed up. I’ll follow your lead from now on in terms of timetable. I really want to use my power for the right reasons. But my principles and autonomy will always come first, as soon as I’ve served my ‘sentence’ or whatever words you would use to describe it.”
“I think ‘sentence’ fits your situation just fine. But I have to grant you the equivalent of ‘school release’ during the morning and early afternoon hours. Then you come directly back here, and here you stay until I say different. And that will be your routine until after you’ve completed a lot more training to control those powers and received a good deal more counseling to control those damaged emotions. Understand?”
Benny stood at a mock “at ease” position. “Sir, yes, sir!”
Donovan glowered. “You’re in no position to be a wise ass right now, kid.”
***
The training chamber was momentarily filled with a bright blue incandescence as Benny utilized one of his energy beams to punch a small hole in a huge cinderblock. It was projected from the tip of his extended right index finger.
He then immediately turned and released another bolt of azure energy from his outstretched hand, this one much greater in width but packing less of a punch. That second beam knocked a duo of weighted human-shaped mannequins off a platform where they were situated.
“Excellent work, kid,” the supervising Donovan Jakes said with genuine approval. “You successfully focused your first beam to do only very precise, localized damage to the cinderblock. That means you’re capable of busting a lock on a door without blowing it off its hinges and taking the surrounding wall with it.
“As for the second target, you knocked those specially weighted mannequins down without smashing them to pieces or punching holes through them. That means, based on the empirical lack of damage and the degree of force measured by the computer, you’re fully capable of hitting a pair of humans with just enough force to knock them silly without causing serious harm or death.”
“Go me!” the teen self-cheered with a raised fist.
“Don’t get too cocky, Benny-boy. You still have a long way to go before you can even begin to feel secure in the control of those powers. For instance, you still haven’t figured out how to project different forms of electromagnetic energy despite managing to let loose those ocular heat beams while under extreme emotional duress during your unauthorized night out.
“And then there’s the full extent of those strange ESP-like abilities you refer to as ‘cosmic awareness’ to contend with. This power appears similar in some ways to those of our own espers, but also dissimilar in other ways; not to mention covering a far wider range of potential uses. It somewhat resembles a form of psychic surveillance referred to as ‘remote viewing.’”
“I spent the past six days in constant training for eight hours at a time, starting immediately after returning from school. That was followed by twelve hours throughout the day on weekends with no personal time allotted to me. I’m trying to put forth a real effort to make amends and finish serving my ‘time.’”
“Did that statement include a veiled insinuation that you would like to know when you’re going to be released from your ‘grounding?’”
“That’s a fair assumption to make, Donovan.”
“And I answered that question more than once already: When I feel you have both acquired sufficient training to control those powers effectively and healed enough that your mind is no longer filled with thoughts of hatred and revenge. Then there’s the matter of your much-deserved punishment being fulfilled to my satisfaction.”
“You’re just loving this power trip, aren’t you, dude?”
Donovan literally raised his left eyebrow and anxiously scratched his goatee. “I beg yo
ur pardon, kid? As in… excuse me?”
“I just want you to be upfront with me about whether or not I’ll ever be free to operate as a hero according to my own volition. I told you, I’ll graciously accept the punishment and training, but I won’t accept being lied to, or controlled indefinitely.”
“And I told you that I won’t lie to you, kid. You’re just going to have to trust me on this.”
“Donovan, for cripe’s sakes! You’re not accountable to anyone, including any laws that may guarantee me a finite amount of time in confinement if I fulfill the obligations and pay my debt to society. ‘When Donovan Jakes feels like letting you off’ doesn’t sound like any form of due process to me.”
“But you’re going to have to accept it as the way things are. Because that is the way things are, Benny. Your debt will be paid in accordance with my discretion and judgement.”
“I think it’s at least time you told me where all the funding for this very elaborate Valis operation is coming from. And how we can both be sure that it’s not actually about conscripting and controlling metahumans as involuntary soldiers or corporate-controlled mercenaries for the U.S. war machine.”
“I’ve seen no sign of suspicious activity or foul play in this set-up so far, Benny. I give you my word on that.”
“But you have suspicions that this whole operation may not live up to what it purports to be, right? I can sense those doubts in your mind, Donovan. Don’t give me any bullshit.”
“You’re claiming to be empathic now?”
“Yes. I was straight with you about this, so don’t lie to me about the Valis Institute.”
Donovan paused and took a loud exhalation of frustrated acquiescence. “Okay, look, kid. What I just told you was the truth. You have my word on that. I too have some questions about where the funds are coming from, though I assure you that I’ll look into the matter every spare moment I have. Alright?”
“Slight amendment to that: We’ll look into the matter during our spare time. Do not expect me to be passive about the whole thing while you play Sherlock Holmes on your own. I plan to earn your trust, but you and Valis need to do the same in return.”
Donovan paused while gritting his teeth. “Fine, kid, but we pursue this thing my way. Investigations also require finesse and training. So, if you even think of going into this half-cocked…”
Suddenly, the familiar screech of the facility-wide intercom beeper reverberated through the training chamber. Donovan looked on his watch-shaped wrist communicator, which identified the call as coming from Claire. He knew she wouldn’t interrupt these training sessions unless the matter was urgent.
The soldier tapped the button on his communicator, which was disguised as the crown of the stop-watch. “What’s going on, Claire?”
“Donovan, there’s been an incident in the city that I believe involves a rogue metahuman. And it’s nasty enough to require your immediate attention.”
Donovan shook his head. Like I need another one of those right now, he thought. “All right, I’ll meet you in the tactics chamber. Donovan out.”
“Let me come and help,” Benny practically pleaded. “If you’re serious about letting me become a bona fide super-hero, and happy with the progress of my training, then at least let me attend the briefing. Let’s hear what Claire has to report, and you can determine if I might be of some help.”
“Benny…”
“Donovan, please don’t ‘Benny…’ me. I need to know you were serious. And I need to know you believe I can be of help. I both want and need to make those amends we talked about.”
The young metahuman’s tone was both calm and impassioned, with no hint of rudeness or demand. And its high level of sincerity washed over Donovan like a spilled bucket of warm water.
“Come with me, kid.”
The veteran soldier walked out of the training chamber with a smiling Benny Lonero tagging close behind. The teen’s first mission against a metahuman threat was soon to commence.
***
“This is a pic of the victim acquired from the crime scene,” Claire Boone said in a somber tone. “He slipped into a coma while en route to the hospital. His injuries appeared to have been inflicted by some wild animal with claw and tooth marks somewhat resembling a cougar, or some other big cat. In fact, according to the EMT who rode in the back of the ambulance with him, the last thing he was heard to say before going comatose was ‘Niña Gata,’ which is Spanish for ‘cat-girl.’”
Benny looked over the grotesque digital photos of Ernesto Gutierrez’s injuries displayed on the screen in front of them with a combination of intrigue and revulsion. The young hero-in-the-making was both nervous and excited about the prospect of pitting his newfound powers against the might of whatever could wreak such horrific damage upon a human being. And he prayed his own power and training would be up to the task, lest he end up the same way as the unfortunate Mr. Gutierrez.
“Are you saying this is the work of an out of place animal that’s currently loose in the city?” Donovan queried. “There have been reports of strange teleportations of that nature in areas struck by the Warp Events, and…”
“No, I’m pretty sure that’s not the case here, Donovan,” Claire politely interjected. “The impressions I received upon concentrating was that of, well, a big feline of some sort that was once… well, human.”
“You mean like a were-cat?” Benny asked.
“I mean, like a metahuman whose metamorphosis following exposure to the Odic energies of the Warp Event took an extreme bestial form,” Claire replied. “There are also reports of a runaway teen girl last seen in that area just before the Warp Event, and I get the strong impression this ‘Niña Gata’ creature may be… well, her.”
“Have there been any unusual cryptid sightings fitting your given description in the designated area over the past few weeks?” Donovan asked.
“I looked through all the databases that collect such reports,” Claire responded, “and the answer to that is ‘yes.’ But the reports are very furtive, as the creature in those sightings appears to be as stealth-capable as the typical cryptid. But I doubt this formerly human creature is an etheric entity that engages in temporary quasi-corporeal manifestations, as many cryptids actually are. I think she is fully biological and permanently corporeal in nature.”
“You’re correct on that, Claire,” Benny said with full confidence.
Both Donovan and Claire turned their heads from the data appearing on the large flat screen monitor mounted to the wall before them.
“What makes you think that, Benny?” Donovan inquired.
“I just focused my own degree of concentration into this situation,” the young fledgling hero said. “It’s not as effective as when I go into a full meditative trance, but I did receive the, I dunno, the impression that this is a biological creature resulting from a human being mutated—or whatever you want to call it—by the Warp Event energies.”
“Oh God…” Claire muttered. “Donovan, we need to bring this girl in and help her. I know what she did was horrible, but I don’t think it was out of malice or mental instability. The thought impressions I get from her are so primal, as if she is operating on the level of a particularly cunning animal. But taking her in without killing or severely injuring her will be exceedingly difficult, not to mention incredibly dangerous for any agents you may send out.”
“Not all my agents, Claire,” Donovan said as he turned to the boy sitting beside him. “Benny, do you think ‘Centurion’ is ready for a serious field mission?”
“Just point me in the right direction,” Benny replied with forced self-assurance. “I totally got this.”
Chapter 15: Centurion vs. Niña Gata
It was a damp Friday evening as the first sign of the bitter Buffalo winter to come had chilled the air. It was this same evening that Donovan Jakes had decided Benny would be up for his first metahuman confrontation, albeit one carefully monitored by the Institute.
The sight of the y
oung metahuman in his costume, along with the mission commander and fellow soldier Sasheen Kahn attired in his discrete combat raiment, had caught the eye of Gail Parker as she passed them in the corridor.
“Um, out for a stroll this evening, are we?” she remarked with a bitter tone. “I see the kid’s detention turned out to be short after all.”
“At ease, Parker,” Donovan said. “This isn’t a night on the town for him. He’s going to make himself useful by dealing with our problem down in the Virginia Street area.”
Gail huffed loudly. “Seriously, Donovan? After what this little prick did to Eddie? What he did to those other kids? And after the way he recently broke out of custody and wounded a civilian while haphazardly trying to play ‘hero?’ You’re letting him out and trusting him to do this?”
“Whoa, Gail,” Sasheen reacted with instinctive concern. “That was a bit harsh, don’t you think? He’s trying to make amends…”
“Bullshit!” Gail exclaimed. “Eddie has a hole the size of a fist in the side of his abdomen thanks to this little bastard!”
Centurion wisely kept his mouth shut, but his countenance still took on an angry expression. Small arcs of energy began forming around his now tightly clenched fists. This did not escape Gail’s notice. She immediately brandished her taze rifle and pointed it at the young man.
“Go ahead and raise a hand to me, you son of a bitch!” she hollered. “Do it!”
Donovan quickly stepped between the two and shoved Gail’s hand down. “Parker, let’s step into the office over there. Now!”
The tough brunette agent forced herself to withhold uttering any further statements in the corridor and took an angry stride into the nearest office her commanding officer pointed to. Donovan followed her in and shut the door behind them, but not before he turned to the two young men standing outside.
Centurion- Dark Genesis Page 17