With that decided, Benny nonchalantly walked up to Carolyn as she dug through her locker for her next class’ textbooks and required supply of flash drives. As he did so, the meta-teen immediately became aware that Al Garrison stood watch at the far end of the corridor. The burly guard’s arms were folded in an “at ease but ready for anything” stance, and he made a point to establish eye contact with the young metahuman.
Benny felt simultaneously relieved that Al would keep the usual suspects from interrupting a conversation with Carolyn, and uneasy that his every move was being scrutinized. Nevertheless, he was put more at ease when Al gave him a genuinely kind smile, as if wishing him a sincere bit of luck with the girl whom the young man had now set his eyes upon.
Of course, Benny was also aware that should he ever start dating Carolyn (or any other girl, for that matter) he would be under more intensive scrutiny than ever. He knew he would have to do something about that if the time ever came, but right now he needed to focus on the task at hand.
Geez, I wonder if Apollo ever got such a swarm of gastro-intestinal butterflies when he approached the most amazing forest nymph he ever met. Then again, there’s no way I can be the only demi-god, or whatever the hell I’ve now become, who ever got nervous in this situation, right? Still, it’s not like I have Zeus’s ability to shape-shift into a form resembling Adonis, or Brad Pitt. I still look like, well… me.
Benny began feeling quite irritated with his reticence to take the plunge. Just get over the damn fear and do this, Benny. You’re Centurion, dammit! This can’t be as bad as facing down Niña Gata!
“Hey,” Benny said in a casual but friendly manner to Carolyn.
“Hey yourself,” the girl replied in her characteristically spunky fashion.
“So, what’re you up to?”
“Oh, just dealing with split ends, new shoes that don’t fit properly, a new cell phone that only receives texts when it feels like it. In other words, the usual. How have you been? Has the usual crew been giving you grief again lately?”
Benny pretended to react well to the girl’s good-intentioned query with a forced smile. In actuality, though, he was determined to downplay how much he disliked being reminded of the fact that he was so often defined as the hated and besieged social outcast, especially by a girl whose respect and approval he wanted so much.
“Things have been totally copacetic lately. Especially now that we have better security.”
“Oh, yea, because of what happened a few weeks ago to Mick and Jeff, right? That really scared me. I hope they catch the lunatics who would do something like that.”
Benny forced himself not to frown in shame over Carolyn’s comment. He also thought better of giving into the temptation to make critical comments about Mick and Jeff, let alone providing his educated opinion that “The Incident” wasn’t a one-sided altercation.
Don’t you dare, Lonero! She doesn’t share your opinion of them, because they never did to her what they did to you and Craig, and she’s very upset about the whole thing. She also doesn’t know you well enough yet. This isn’t the time to confide in her like that.
“Yeah, no doubt. But don’t worry, I’ll protect you if danger ever rears its ugly head while I’m around. I promise.” He topped that comment off with a pleasant and sincere smile.
Carolyn’s returning smile was one of the most beautiful things Benny had ever laid his dark brown eyes upon. “Awwww. My hero. Anyway, I’m off to class now. I’ll see you in sixth period?”
C’mon, Lonero, don’t chicken out! You’re not that little wuss any longer. Act like what you’ve since become, not what you used to be.
“Cool! But before you go, I was sort of wondering… well, since we do have lunch during the same period, and Craig will be off to the Skills Center for the second half of the day, and I have no one to sit with that I actually care to sit with… um, would you like to have lunch with me? I enjoy your company a lot, and it just so happens I accidentally packed an extra can of Dr. Fizz. Like those annoying TV adverts say, it’s made from real fruit, and it tastes awesome!”
Carolyn gave another genuine smile. “Aww, that’s really sweet of you, Benny. I like talking to you also. But since I always sit with Jane and our friends, why don’t you come and sit with us? They’re as fun to talk to as I am, and I think they would really appreciate that sense of humor you’re so ‘infamous’ for.” This was followed by another sincere smile from the plucky and good-humored girl.
Benny tried hard not to visibly frown. “Well, yeah, I’d like that, but you know, I was hoping you might like to sit with just me, so we can talk about stuff we may rather… you know, talk about privately.”
The full-faced girl patted his arm soothingly. “Benny, don’t be so shy. You can say anything in front of them that you might ordinarily say to me when we’re talking alone. They’re a cool group of peeps! My crowd likes the intelligent type of person, one who actually knows that ‘two’ is not just a number, but is also represented as, well, two different grammatical variants. As in, T-O and T-O-O. They like talking about funky but brainy stuff like that. So please don’t hesitate to join us. I’ll see you there, but I have to get to third period now, ‘kay?”
Benny managed to cover the fact that he was gritting his teeth. “Yeah, no problem. I’ll see you later, Carolyn. It was nice to talk to you.”
Carolyn shined her very pretty beam at the young man, which made his heart flutter several times, and scampered off towards her next class. Benny clasped his right fist tightly as a strong feeling of dismay began rapidly morphing into rage. It took every iota of willpower not to utter the words that blazed through his mind aloud.
Damn it all! Would she be so quick to reject me if she knew what I really was? What I can do is far superior to what any of those stupid jocks who’re so popular can do. I can actually save the entire world! I can protect her from anything! Can they do that?
It was then that Benny felt the dramatic tingling surge of powerful Odic energies building up in his cellular matrix like water boiling in a heated pot. In response, he clenched his fist harder and fought to keep the building energy flow from surging into a visible manifestation. He was doing this successfully when he was startled by a sudden hand on his shoulder.
“Benny, are you okay?” came the too-familiar voice of Tatti Lawson. “You seem a little… tense. And this was after you talked to Carolyn, whom I noticed seems to be quite nice to you.”
“Huh?” Benny jumped with a start. Damn it, why didn’t my cosmic awareness let me know I was being observed by The Noticer? I need to figure out exactly how this power of mine works. “Um, Mrs. Lawson, what are you doing here?”
“My job,” she firmly stated. “What are you doing in the middle of the hallway watching Carolyn going to class instead of walking her there yourself? Especially since your own class is located on the same corridor.”
“Well, I hated to see her go, but I loved to watch her leave, yanno what I mean?”
“Funny, Mr. Lonero. Real funny. Now get to class, you have an education to pretend you’re serious about getting.”
“Right. Wouldn’t want to neglect such a life-affirming pretense.”
As Benny strode towards his class, Tatti turned and headed to the opposite side of the hallway where Al still stood a watchful guard.
“Al, we have another possible problem, and a big one at that,” she told the muscular guard and fellow covert agent of the Valis Institute. “Did you notice what I just did?”
“Um, if you’re referring to our boy, then yes, I noticed that Benny was talking to that girl,” the bogus security officer said. “He seemed cool about it, and she’s always seemed cool with him. Why? Was there more to it than that? Something that may be of concern?”
“Her name is Carolyn Marsden, and she’s a very nice and level-headed girl, not part of the ‘in crowd’ at all. I don’t think she would ever hurt Benny. At least not on purpose, that is. The point of concern was what happened at the end
of their conversation. I noticed the expression Benny had on his face, as well as the way he clenched his fist, as she walked away. I think he likes her as more than a friend. She seems happy to welcome him into her life and crowd, but only as a friend.”
“So, our boy done got himself stuck in the friend zone. And you don’t think Benny is going to take that well?”
“No. I don’t. Not after all he’s been through, with his present state of mind. Keep a tighter eye on him during the coming days, especially when you see him interacting with Carolyn, her niece Jane—that’s the much taller girl she always hangs with—and anyone else you identify as part of Carolyn’s circle. If she ever gives him her phone number, do not authorize his calling or texting her, save for under extenuating circumstances that are first cleared with me or Donovan. Is this understood?”
“Perfectly, Tatti. But, he’s been coming along so well, and I would hate to ruin the possibility of his making another friend. And if he never learns to deal with the normal types of disappointment that all people have to face at one time or another…”
“Yes, I get that, Al. But Benny is not a normal kid anymore. He’s got the power of a demi-god. And his emotional wounds are very deep. He has a good soul and a sincere desire to be a hero, but that goodness is currently buried under the emotional equivalent of scar tissue. Let’s not forget what he’s capable of if he loses it; and let’s also not forget that he is under our custody for doing exactly that once already.”
Al fidgeted with his baseball cap for a moment before resuming eye contact with Tatti. “I hear you. And I’ll keep a careful eye on things as they develop.”
“Please do that, Al. None of us at the Institute can forget what may be at stake here. For both Benny, and the world.”
***
The Osmos Exploration building stood a regal bearing over the other constructions on Waverly Street. It represented power and prestige to those who controlled it and hopes and dreams of upward mobility for those who managed to secure even entry-level jobs within its laboratories.
Little did the many pedestrians who walked or drove past its outward façade realize that it was about to spawn power of a far more visceral form when the exterior mortar of its walls suddenly exploded outward. The cinderblock debris flung from the shattered edifice acted as hardened shrapnel that smashed vehicles and people alike.
The front section of the building continued to explode outward as intense beams of multi-colored radiance shattered the remaining portions of the structure’s front entrance as if they were composed of sugar cubes.
The severed head of one of the company’s security guards, still wearing its distinctive helmet, lay on the front lawn emitting steam from its emaciated stump. A human-shaped glow soon penetrated through the sooty dust that surrounded the area and stepped into the morning sunlight. Rutger Kaiser, a.k.a., Light-Lord, looked upon his bloody handiwork and couldn’t help but smile as he prepared to shift his assault to the surrounding neighborhoods.
“The power I wield in this suit is extraordinary!” he shouted to the sky with shimmering upraised arms that made him resemble an azure statue of some dark deity. “I am now controller of the divine light and lord of all I survey! I am… Light-Lord!”
Having now officially christened himself, the wannabe deity of devastation projected searing orange-yellow beams of pure destructive force at the two nearest parked automobiles, reducing them to shards of shattered aluminum and plastic steel while igniting the gasoline in their tanks. The resulting explosions immediately immolated the traumatized family of three which attempted to hide within one of the vehicles’ back seats. Not enough of them remained to be identified.
“I cannot wait until the police arrive so I can crush them!” the raving scientist bellowed. “Let them come, so I can show them who is now king of the proverbial mountain!”
It was when he looked around the devastated streets before him with rage-riddled pride that the scientist turned cosmic realized what was located but a few blocks away on Masten Avenue.
A school! It’s called Buffalo Historical School, I believe. Filled with the same type of students who first made my life a living hell; who first made me into what I am now. Holy Christ School many now be long gone, but Buffalo Historical resembles it well enough.
That shall be my first target. I’ll show the young fools and their arrogant overseers within exactly what the cruelty of their kind has wrought. They will now receive exactly what they are always so eager to deliver to anyone they deem unworthy of their respect.
With that course of action decided upon, the being called Light-Lord began casually strutting the short distance towards the school. His haughty gait and the multi-hued energy cascading around his clenched fists made him appear to be daring anyone to try and obstruct his unholy goal.
Chapter 19: More Consequences Are a Bigger Bitch
“We’ll talk about this more in the TV room tomorrow,” Craig Minkel said to Benny as they stood in front of Buffalo Historical School’s front exists following fourth class. “I think by tomorrow I’ll have… taken all of this in better. Geez, how am I going to be able to keep my mind on things at the Skills Center?”
“Well, you told me that you’re always distracted by Beth Hemsford anyway,” Benny replied with a grin. “Just try thinking of your future hot date with her instead of the fact that your best friend is a metahuman demi-god. Should be no difficulty if Beth’s butt is half as awesome as you say!”
“Yeah, right. On all counts! Well, I’m off now. I decided to walk to the Center today rather than take the shuttle bus. It’s only a few blocks away and I think a stroll is just what I need to clear my head. And speaking of which, good luck with Carolyn at lunch today.”
“You mean, good luck with me and Carolyn and all of her friends at lunch today.” Benny released an exasperated sigh. “Well, have fun ogling Beth at the Skills Center, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
As Craig exited the glass doorways, Benny gave a forlorn look towards the corridor leading to the lunch room. He gritted his teeth and resolved to try and convince Carolyn to speak to him in a more private setting.
Maybe she isn’t trying to avoid talking to me alone; maybe she just didn’t “get” what I was getting at by asking her to eat with me in private. It’s possible, right? Or am I just rationalizing now? Damn, I have to give it another shot, because she’s totally worth it.
His mind made up, Benny strolled towards the lunch room with purpose. What he didn’t notice trailing several feet behind him and watching his every move was Al Garrison, faux security guard and soldier extraordinaire. Please prove us wrong, Benny. I have faith in you, man. Or at least, I really want to.
***
Donovan Jakes sat sipping his orange zinger tea in the break room while enjoying the solitude typically present here at this time of the morning. His somber relaxation period was not to last, however, as a very anxiety-ridden Claire Boone suddenly burst through the doors a mere three minutes into his R & R session. Had the soldier’s nerves not been hardened to metaphorical steel after so many combat experiences, he would have been startled enough to involuntarily fling his tea cup across the room at the intruder.
“Donovan!” Claire screamed.
“Jesus shit, woman!” the war veteran shouted back after losing the tea in his mouth. “You’re lucky I don’t have an itchy trigger finger…”
“Emergency! There’s been an enormous expenditure of cosmic energy in the Masten Avenue area, followed by a news report of horrible destruction! The terror I experienced with the people caught in the crossfire is overwhelming, it’s horrible horrible…”
Upon hearing the words “cosmic” along with the location, Donovan dropped his tea cup to shatter on the table. He leapt to his feet less than an instant later.
“Did I hear you say ‘Masten Avenue area?’”
Claire nervously nodded her head.
Donovan gritted his teeth. “Benny, you son of a bitch! Tatti and Garrison were s
upposed to be keeping eyes on that kid!”
“No, it’s not from Benny! Donovan, it’s not him! It’s some other mind, one far more scarred and bitter than Benny’s; but the power he’s using is similar! He emerged from the Osmos Exploration building on Waverly, which is near Masten. And… he’s been blowing everything to pieces, killing wantonly, and… and…”
Donovan pushed Claire aside, as he couldn’t concern himself with helping her calm down this time. The situation appeared far too dire, and he had to mobilize his team on the spot. He hit the emergency beacon on his multi-purpose wrist communicator and headed for the nearest planning area.
Within a minute, the trio of Gail Parker, Brett Silver, and Sasheen Kahn were at his side, armed and in full body armor. It was his metahuman-pacifying unit that he began referring to as his “Mega-Force.” The planning room they convened had numerous HD television screens linked to local news stations, all of which were recording the one-man wreaker of havoc as he was in the process of plowing through the feeble attempts of the local police to hamper his progress towards Buffalo Historical School.
“We have no idea who the hell this guy is, or how he got that power,” Donovan informed his team. “However, it’s clearly connected in some way to that Osmos Exploration company. Our investigation of that place will have to wait until we deal with the problem it created. Agent Bauer is out on a mission elsewhere, so the four of us are all there is on the Mega-Force team.
“This unidentified metahuman hostile is clearly as dangerous as they come, and he obviously plays for keeps. He need to call in all available forces, which includes our metahuman agents. And since Agent Lonero, a.k.a., Centurion, is a student at the school that maniac is heading towards, I’m calling on him to guard the building.”
“Donovan, are you serious?” Gail angrily interjected. “You’re going to unleash Lonero on that guy, when he’s every bit as dangerous and crazy?”
Centurion- Dark Genesis Page 22