by Nathan Howe
“Wake up.” James rolled over, next to the bed Doctor Ramstein stood his face with a sly grin. “Are you ready? The board approved to let you go into testing by the Ardents here. They reviewed the data we gave them they want to see your full potential. The nanobots worked faster than anticipated, one hundred percent.”
That can't be. Only a few days had passed since James leaped and they didn't employ any powers to heal him. Even if they had, it still shouldn't have been this fast. But he did feel great, the best ever really. “So what is the plan doctor?”
“Follow me.”
Doctor Ramstein led James out of the room for the first time. The rest of the hospital floor was sterile and stark white, with very few people around. One woman sat behind a counter, while a few other people walked around, the doors closed on the rooms. “How many people are here?”
“A few, Ardents hurt fighting,” Doctor Ramstein said depressingly. “Too many, but most will be fine. But it doesn't make it any better.”
James nodded. It doesn't. Getting hurt because a person with powers wanted more or just to cause others pain wasn't right. It was why he wanted to be a hero. To aid in the battle of evil or uninformed Ardents hurting people. To save David.
They paused in front of the elevators. They stood in silence while James tried to think about the tests that they might do. David and Petrice never told him much about the training and testing they did here at the main headquarters in downtown. They didn't say much about being an Ardent. They kept it to themselves, James hated being left out. They had a club, and he wasn't invited. He was now.
“How high up are we?” James asked. The wait for the elevator to arrive was the longest he'd ever experienced. “This is taking forever.”
“The hospital takes up the top few levels,” doctor Ramstein said. That meant they were on the hundredth or higher.
The ride down was even worse. James and the doctor traveled to the sub-basement several stories below ground. Once they arrived, James exploded out of the elevator, cramped and uncomfortable. James was raring to go for the testing.
James stood in a giant arena. Larger than any stadium he'd ever seen, so large he couldn't see the other side, “Good luck,” doctor Ramstein said from behind him. He hadn't left the elevator.
“You're not coming?”
“Afraid not,” he said. “This area is for Ardents only.”
Petrice
Across town Petrice still fretted over James and the trip last night to see him. He thanked her for saving him, but part of him wasn't happy. It worried her. Petrice promised herself that she'd check in on him later today and make sure he was all right.
Petrice was leaving her apartment in midtown, not far from the Hero Coalition headquarters, when her communication device, a special cell phone, highly encrypted, went off. She quickly answered, hoping it would be news on either James or David. All morning she tried to contact David with no luck. And she wouldn't admit that he was gone.
“Mortal,” Petrice said using her code name.
“Mortal, Valiant Rush. I hope you'd meet me this morning at the site that your brother was abducted. I require a telepath. You have the strongest connection to him. And you're free.”
Petrice smiled. “Thanks, Valiant Rush. You sure make me feel special.”
He snorted. “Meet me at HQ in twenty.”
“Roger that.” Petrice quickly flew over and ran to her locker to retrieve her temporary uniform, a form-fitting red and pink one with light Kevlar pads for protection. You didn't earn a permanent one until you completed your training. Petrice hoped the combat training part would be quick for her.
Petrice exited the building, and Valiant Rush lingered outside with a hero-sanctioned vehicle that many of the heroes used who didn't have a means to travel on their own.
“Just in time,” Valiant Rush said. “I worried you'd be late.”
Petrice shook her head. “Never.”
Valiant Rush smiled. “Good. Let's go.” He hopped into the driver's seat, and Petrice sat next to him. A large car, specially made for members of the coalition, could take a beating too. Most of the vehicles were large trucks or SUV's but not this one.
Midtown made up a large part of Cynosure. This made the drive slow and painful, Petrice had gotten used to flying most places, it was much faster. The roads of Cynosure were a giant congestion of cars and people.
It was a relief when they arrived at the campus, it meant they were close, and the traffic let up. At times traffic thickened around campus when classes started and ended. A few minutes later Valiant Rush pulled the car over. “Wait here,” he said.
“I see civilians, I think it's safe,” Petrice said.
“Never assume,” Valiant Rush said. “Let me check.”
“Okay.” Petrice didn't like it. How could it not be safe? People are walking around, and it's been two nights since the ambush of David and James. Little chance of anything crazy still being here or anything bad happening. However, Petrice bit her lip. Valiant Rush was a senior member of the Hero Coalition. He recently left his training post to take up working patrols again.
Valiant Rush left the car and walked around it. He stood right in the middle of the sidewalk forcing people to avoid him. People stared in awe of a large Ardent, while others scolded him. None of it mattered to him. At least that was the impression Petrice had, his eyes darted back and forth. He circled in place. Taking it in. “It's safe,” he said after a few minutes.
“Finally,” Petrice said. She jumped out of the car and stood next to Valiant Rush on the sidewalk. There was little left to show that anything had occurred here. Only a faint scent of rotting flesh lingered. The sidewalk had been cleaned up immediately, and by the cleaning crew, the heroes used and trained.
Valiant Rush's nostrils flared. “You smell that?”
Petrice nodded. The scent of rotting flesh not only lingered in the area, but it also increased. Valiant Rush went tense. Reaching into himself, activating his powers, he tapped into his inner will to gather his strength and resilience, making quite a sight. He grew even bigger, his arms were already mammoth increased and now bigger than her waist.
A mist formed then the dead rose. Zombies. The pictures and descriptions didn't do them justice. Petrice's stomach clenched. She barely held down her breakfast. Not only did they invoke panic with their scary looks, but the smell was gut-wrenching. Worse than week-old meat laying out in the sweltering sun.
“Watch out,” Valiant Rush said. He took a defensive posture next to Petrice. “This is dark magic. Netherworld craziness.”
Petrice wasn't sure what went on. The zombies surrounded them. She gagged again at the scent they permeated. It had no effect on Valiant Rush. His inner will let him ignore anything. Petrice wished she had the ability to shut out bad scents too.
Valiant Rush attacked them. He made it seem easy. They were no match for his size and strength. His willpower also made him faster than most people, especially for his bulk. An impressive sight for Petrice.
A punch to the head pulverized the zombie, nothing but dust remained, that’s all it took. Once the zombies realized they were outmatched, several of them swirled on the spot and ran from Valiant Rush.
Petrice reached out to them as they fled the same way they arrived, slowing into the ground. She felt nothing, yet everything. Each didn't have a mind of their own. As if they belonged to one mind. She pressed her hands against her head it throbbed. One mind that she couldn't locate in the mess. Her legs weakened under her. The world spun. Impossible to differentiate. Too much to take in. The prolonged connection of it caused her to lose her own mind. If she continued, she'd never free herself. At that moment she let go. “Ahhhh!” she screamed in pain and fell to the ground.
Valiant had caught her before she landed face first. “You all right?” he asked.
Petrice shook her head. Once clear she answered. “I'm fine. I tried to connect to them, scan their minds.”
“Too much I take it.” Va
liant lifted her to her feet and let her stand on her own. “Did you learn anything?”
“Nothing. Sorry. Just a big mess. It's hard to explain, but it's a hive mind, and I couldn't handle it.” She had never been so overwhelmed in her life. It terrified her.
“I wonder . . .” Valiant Rush said. “They didn't show up until you left the car. They ambushed your brother and cousin. And your other brother went missing too.”
“What?”
“They are out to smite your family, your closest relatives.”
“I guess, but why?”
“No clue Mortal. I'll figure it out. Keeping you safe is a priority and the rest of your family. I'll talk to Invincible and the others to set up a protection detail and figure this out.”
Spector
Spector gazed into David's terrified eyes. David fought him, but for naught. Eventually, Spector would convert him. It's only a matter of time before he succeeded and when he did. It would be glorious.
Attacking the Harden family wasn't anything personal. Spector hated happy families and heroes. Twisting a whole family of Ardents to the evil side to be his minions was the ultimate show of power. He'd earn the respect of the others. They'd fear him, too. Make them worry their family would be next. Yes. To show them he was the strongest, most ruthless and teach everyone what real fear was.
The Netherworld leaked from Spector, he forced it into David, corrupting him. Soon he'd do whatever Spector wanted. Spector smiled at the thought.
Now he focused on David who writhed on the ground in pain, yet he still fought against Spector. More Netherworld was required. He reached deeper into the Netherworld using his natural connection to it, not like most of those others who relied on cheap magic. The ones he had used in Djinn Park. They failed him miserably. They didn't discover the location of his desire and they allowed a halfwit PI to take them out.
If they hadn't been killed or locked up, Spector would have taken them out himself. If they ever spoke of him, he'd make sure it was the last thing they ever said. They'd wish the PI killed them instead of letting the Hero Coalition take them in.
Luckily he learned of the location with the help of another. One that he hadn't expected to aid him. When they learned of his defection, it would be another great moment. It's a shame he won't be able to witness it first hand. His plan required the reveal with him not present.
Spector brought forth more and more of the Netherworlds, the darkness of it. The corruption of it, and he poured the foulness into David. He forced him to see the darkness of the world. David screamed, shrieked. Spector had won. He stood over him, staring into his eyes. He could see the defeat in them. The torture of it all, the fact his spirit was gone now and belonged to Spector. A smile formed on Spector's face. He imprinted this moment in his mind so he wouldn't forget it.
With David, he'd be able to retrieve Petrice. They wouldn't be able to protect her from his zombies, David and Super. He'd finish his collection. It was just a matter of time. Spector went back to his throne. He wanted to take in his victory over David. To bask in the glory of it. Spector never tired of converting a person to this side of the law. Even if in the end they failed like the minions he lost.
His brow furrowed as he sat on his throne. He tapped his fingers in front of his face. The world around him dissipated as he thought about his plan. Cynosure under his control and the coalition bowing to him. People around the world fearing him. Recognizing him as the powerful person he is and not the weak, tiny person they thought they saw.
James
James rode down to the training facility again. The past few weeks had been the same every morning. Travel down to the training area in the basement of the building. They wouldn't let him leave, they barely let Petrice venture out. She was now training with him. They feared for both of them, a freak out to harm them using magic and the Netherworld. Whatever that was. Petrice told him that the zombies he saw manifested from there. A world many people confused with Hell, the Hero Coalition said it had nothing to do with the old concepts. They were just two distinct planes of existence.
The worst part of the whole ordeal, his family had been sent away from Cynosure. Petrice said they sent most of them to a small city on the west coast, Amaranthine. A safe town and they sent a few members of the Hero Coalition with them. James sighed.
The ride down was excruciating with the building being so large and the underground level was big too. It amazed James that one building could be so massive. He stepped off into the large area where his testing occurred. That day felt like it was yesterday and a lifetime ago. Since then they have been pushing him to his limit. Showing him how to manipulate his body in ways he didn't think possible. To utilize the nanobots in him to maneuver and react faster than any person, better than anyone here. Colby, the head trainer, told him only Super had better reflexes in recent memory.
The younger Ardents in training which he had spent the first few days with, sparred on the left with Pixie. She was a trainer who happened to be a Fey and talked your ear off if you let her. James learned to shut her out quickly. On the right, Petrice stood with Colby, both talking. James approached them silently as possible.
“Hello James,” Colby said without peeking behind to see him. Every time James snuck up, Colby knew he was there. He was a tall, beefy man with short black hair. Colby wore a black and yellow uniform with a large C on the front, wearing his sunglasses even indoors.
“How do you do that?” James asked once he came up beside him.
“Years of training and awareness of my surroundings. Being able to discern when people are behind you is the difference between life and death.”
James nodded. “I understand.” James' nanobots and new eye let him see behind him. But he wanted to be as good as Colby. “What is the plan for today?”
Colby studied James. “You've progressed faster than expected. In fact, one of the fastest ever.”
James smile. “Thank you.” It honored James to hear Colby say that.
“Today I want you and Mortal to battle.”
James' eyes widened. That wouldn't be a fair fight. “That won't be fair. I'm way faster than her.”
Colby tilted his head and folded his arms over his broad chest. “If you think so.”
“What?” James asked.
“It will be a challenge for both of you.” Colby headed to the wall and leaned against it. “Whenever you want to begin to inform Mortal.”
James wasn't worried. Over the weeks he improved his speed. “I'm ready.”
Petrice nodded. James ran at her as fast possible. She somehow avoided him. She flew to the back of the room. James gave chase. Just as he neared her, she flew up into the air and reversed directions. She maneuvered as if she had the super reflexives, as though she read his thoughts and intentions. Of course, she did, James hated it when she did, and she did it now.
About time you remembered.
It's not that I forgot. Was just focused on what I could do now.
And that is why we are training together. You're tough to read because you rely on the nanobots, but you still think about what you're going to do or what you are planning.
James did his best to clear his head. Letting the nanobots operate with no influence, but no matter what, he couldn't. Petrice avoided him. Over the course of the day, he got closer and closer to her before she reacted, but he never caught her.
“Good work today,” Colby said. He watched the whole thing, never taking his eyes off of the pair. Not once the entire day did Colby’s attention wander from the siblings.
James hung his head. “I didn't catch her.”
Colby patted him on the shoulder. “You almost did. And you might never be able to snag a telepath. Most are taken with the support of another, bombarding their minds or with a large number of people swarming them, not letting them focus, overwhelming them. Taking one alone is almost an impossible task unless you're a robot.”
“Then why do it?” James didn't like not catching her.
It burned him that she slipped away. And the fact he might never didn't sit well with him.
“To test both of you.”
“Well?” Petrice said as she joined him. “Did we pass?”
Colby nodded. “You both did well today.”
Pixie flew over to them, the kids had been sent home already. She was tiny as her code name indicated and with small wings, her bright blond hair added to her angelic appearance. All these marked her as Fey. James heard of the different people but never met one until Pixie. Apparently, there are Phoenixes and Elves too. “Impressive today,” she said in one breath. She spoke faster than any human.
“Thank you,” James said.
The next morning James stepped off the elevator, “Turn around,” Colby said. “You're done here. Time to decide on a weapon.”
Colby had introduced James to every weapon they had. The list was so extensive James couldn't remember them all. But each of them came naturally to him now. He rarely missed with the shooting weapons, guns, and bows. The swords were more fun. He latched on to those. When he used his new arm, he could deflect and slash his target, and it didn't take much effort.
“I'll use a sword,” James said as the elevator door closed.
“Figured you would,” Colby said. He leaned against the back wall. James still spent almost every day down here. Colby noticed him staring. “You'll be sitting in a session with the younger ones while they attend a lesson from Cynosure Police.”
James rolled his eyes. One of the few things David talked about his training was the days with the police. Always about how boring they were. James hoped to avoid it, but it must be important. They do have to work with Police as heroes, and the better they understand each other, the smoother the job will be. “I can't wait,” James said sarcastically.