by Simon Archer
“Look, Dougie,” I whispered back, “you’re all big on the ‘save the innocents’ thing, so you do that and keep them calm. I’m big on the ‘overwhelming firepower’ shtick, so let me do my job.”
While Dougie had a stick up his ass made of fucking super-alloy, he also wasn’t an idiot. He saw what I was laying down and nodded.
“Very well,” he acquiesced.
With that, I moved to clap him on the shoulder, something he warded off with a hard glance. The old man still had steel, I’d give him that. “Knock ‘em dead, Dougie.”
Despite his best efforts, Triton bristled just a hair at that, something I considered a win on my part as he turned toward the front of the stage. By the time he took his place for the announcement, he was back to his usual smile though, as he moved to calm the crowd with his speech. Me, I rocketed up off the stage and angled for the deep sea signal that was rapidly rising to the surface.
“People of Terra,” Triton began, his deep voice rolling over the entire deck of the carrier as all eyes focused on him. “For decades, our world has been embroiled in a war that has fallen into a long, grim stalemate. Though the free city-states have remained, well, free, the Brand has never relented. Many have been lost on both sides, both powered and non-powered alike, and first and foremost, let us take a moment of silence for their sacrifices.”
Triton was keeping it classy. I could respect that, and thankfully, I was glad my people went along with it. After all, being polite was one of the tenets of my glorious society, and let’s just say that if any of my troops or diplomats had broken the silence, well, I hadn’t fed the crocodiles lately.
Meanwhile, I got a clear visual sight of our ‘little problem’ as it finally burst out of the water’s surface. So, yeah, maybe I’d been exaggerating a teensy bit when I said it was a small thing because it wasn’t. Not at all. It was an honest-to-God, larger-than-life, Super-Sized Value Meal of a giant squid. A veritable kraken, and one that I recognized because I had fought it decades ago, back before I came to my senses and made sure bad things went away for good.
It was fucking Captain Kraken, Scourge of the Nine Seas. Some super-smart shitbag thought it would be a really ‘good idea’ to imbue a giant squid with sentience and a bad attitude. Then he got eaten, and the Captain here had been sinking ships, eating boaters, and ruining beach time for everyone ever since.
Now, I was going to end him, once and for all.
Meanwhile, while I was getting ready to do the hard work, the old man kept on. “Today, we will hopefully change that endless cycle of attack and defense and the loss of life that accompanies it,” Triton pronounced as he spread his arms wide. “Today, through the hard work of diplomats and leaders in both Alexandria, leading the negotiations for the free states, and the Brand, an agreement has been reached, a year-long cease-fire under which all sides can recover and negotiate a real and lasting peace.”
Red-and-white tentacles the size of a monorail train rose up out of the water as one of the kraken’s big, golden eyes breached the waves and focused on me. His immense black beak, big enough to eat an oil tanker for breakfast, clacked open to let out one of his patented kaiju screeches of challenge…
And then I simply unloaded everything I had. I might have been the guy to strut for the camera or put on a big spectacle when lives weren’t on the line, but if Captain Kraken made it to the ship, people were in danger. So I didn’t speechify or monologue, or even let the crazy monster let out one screech. I simply unloaded my entire payload of hand-made plasma missiles as I unleashed a beam of my own pure hellfire down on his pointy head.
See, here’s the thing about me. I’m not just a fire user or a super-genius. I’m THE fire user and THE super-genius. I don’t call my fire blasts hellfire just for drama. Okay, well, I do partly, but the truth is my fire blasts transcend mere heat… I can create so much heat that I turn the air into plasma. Pure heart of a star shit… and not only do I project that with my own powers, but I also have the brains to pack that hellfire into my own armaments.
The fight was over before it started. A blue-white beam of plasma the size of my body lanced out of my hands, and dozens of missiles created a beautiful blossom of explosions across the monster’s body. I’d say I was making sushi, but that fish was flash-fried before being turned into so much ash.
Of course, there was a tiny little problem. So, yes, I have a tendency to overcompensate… and all that firepower, literally, had a bit of a negative reaction on the ocean around the thing. As in all that unleashed plasma kind of sort of turned all the water around Captain Kraken into so much boiling steam… and now the water was about to displace back into the open space, enough water that it was pretty likely that it would capsize the aircraft carrier in just a few moments.
Oops… but it was okay. I had a fix for that. I launched myself back to the carrier, landing beside Dougie on stage. The speech had stopped at about the point the massive series of detonations had gone off, and Triton eyed me suspiciously. With a mental command, my helmet pulled back and retracted into my power suit as I stepped forward to stand beside Triton.
“So, gonna have to tag team this one, Triton,” I said with a smile on my lips. I clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re up, buddy!”
The pro that he was, Dougie managed to resist rolling his eyes. “Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, let me allow Lord Inferno to finish our presentation.” With that, he conjured up a spout of water underneath him, launching him over the side of the ship right when we began to list badly.
I raised my hands. “No worries, people. The threat’s been neutralized, and Triton’s got the clean-up handled.” As the ship immediately began to level out, the people seemed content enough with that and turned their focus back to me. “So… I know most of you guys will want to spin this as some kind of scheme or something, but some of you, the old guard who remembers how things used to be, you know that the one thing I stand for is the protection of innocent life. Alexandria is sick of war, the Brand’s sick of war, everybody’s sick of war, right?”
The vets and the more well-informed of the press actually nodded at what I said. They knew the old me, and more importantly, they knew the facts of the matter. Maybe I wasn’t the hero they wanted, but they knew I was still a hero. That was a fact.
“So, not only did we work out this cease-fire,” I continued, “but in the hopes to forge something bigger and better, me and Dougie talked to the other ten powered academies throughout Terra, and let me tell you, we worked out something incredible.”
My natural showmanship took over, one thing I had over Triton, as I worked up the crowd. The smarter boys and girls were already putting it together, but before they could shout out questions, I kept the build going.
“That’s right! This year’s World’s Finest is going to live up to that name… because not only will the free states be participating, but so will the Brand. And, in a magnanimous show of goodwill from Alexandria, hosting duties will be shared between them and Phoenix, my beloved capital. That’s right, folks! The world’s first cross-national World’s Finest!”
And bless his heart, Triton took that as his cue to show back up, water trailing off his lean form as he landed back on deck, suspended on top of a waterspout. He leaped off the top, still pretty damn sprightly for his advanced years, and landed right next to me on the stage. I didn’t even give him a chance to get his bearings before turning to Triton and thrusting out a hand. “And here it is, the moment you all wanted to see… Let’s shake on it, Triton.”
Dougie met me eye to eye, and though he kept his face smiling, I could see the caution in his eyes as he took my hand.
“Of course, Inferno.” He took my hand, and the flashes went off like stars as we shook hands, a historical, momentous occasion.
With that, the clock was starting, the clock to convince Nick that the best place for him was with me, back at home.
5
“I don’t trust it,” Kristen muttered as the
news continued.
“The ceasefire, the World’s Finest thing, or the fact that Inferno totally owned Captain Kraken on live television?” Eric asked.
Even past the shock of the announcement, the sight of seeing Dad and Triton shake hands on the screen had stunned me into momentary silence. As the woman in charge of things took over and started explaining changes to the tournament’s format, I tried to take it in, and by the end, I was shaking my head.
“I thought the World’s Finest was hosted by twelve different academies?” I frowned. “You know, one for each month of the year?”
“Normally, the World’s Finest does last all year,” Eric nodded, “but this is part of the ceasefire. The two cities want to celebrate peace after over a decade of war, and the world is… well, generally hoping that this means incidents like Otevale are long behind us.”
The reminder of the city that my father destroyed in his feud with Ice Bringer did not bring me joy.
“One week is a lot less than twelve months,” I muttered, deciding to drop that last comment for now. “No doubt the competition will be even more hectic because of it.”
“Yeah, we’re not sleeping once this thing starts,” Kristen added. “Since we’ll all be competing.”
“Well,” I said with a nod. “At least this leaves little time for the competition to adjust to the new rules, and we have the home field advantage because Alexandria will host the first round.”
Aylin was deep in thought. “This competition traditionally goes on for an entire year?”
“Generally,” Eric confirmed. “I know, it seems like a really long time to be fighting, but the World’s Finest only happens like once a decade, and most events are condensed to a few weeks each month. The rest of the time is fanfare. Propaganda, you know. ‘My City is the best ever.’”
“I… see,” she said carefully.
“Normally, the twelve best hero academies in the world all compete for prestige,” Eric continued to explain, “and they each get a chance to host in order to celebrate what their city has to offer. It honestly comes down to money, really. The best academies get the best heroic potentials, and they train the best heroes, which grants the best draw to a city…” He trailed off.
“Which means that city makes more money,” Kristen finished with a sigh, “and has more resources. Alexandria’s been the reigning champ for some time.”
Aylin frowned. “So this is why Alexandria is so advanced compared to other areas of the world?”
“Not the only reason,” Eric shook his head, “but one of them, sure. Anyway, this World’s Finest will be pretty unique. It’ll only go on for one week, and that entire time will be spent in harsh competition. The hosting will be shared between Alexandria and Phoenix.”
“What is…” Aylin frowned at the world, wondering how to repeat it. “... Phoenix?”
“My father’s capital,” I spoke up. I wasn’t happy at the reminder of his sprawling empire, and I certainly wasn’t eager to go back there. Sure, it was filled with beautiful cities with clean infrastructure and booming economies… and on the surface, they might even enjoy deceptive freedoms.
But it was an empire, not a democracy, and it was run by a crazed man who would bathe the world in fire to protect me from a paper cut. That empire would be mine, someday. I didn’t want it, but there it was.
“You’d think the capital is his island, but that’s just where he likes to hang out,” I explained. “His empire is called the Brand, and Phoenix is his biggest city. It’s not too far from here, really. An hour’s flight, give or take.”
Aylin was troubled. “This… Brand is that close?”
“Pheonix is that close,” I corrected. “It sits near water, just like Alexandria. The Brand extends far beyond it and spreads every time Dad takes a city. Admittedly, the ceasefire is supposed to stop that, but who the fuck knows if he’s taking that seriously.”
“Oh,” Aylin frowned at my bitter tone. “I see.”
Kara pulled my head to her shoulder. I followed the pressure of her hand. A woman was on the television announcing that she was the best in the world, and anyone who dared oppose her would face her personal wrath, but I barely heard her. Instead, I turned my attention to Kara’s neck and kissed her softly. Her hand settled into my hair, and she began combing it in little soothing scratches.
Before I realized it, I was imagining the world on fire all around me, and I was sitting in a throne made of ash and bones. The smoke didn’t affect my breathing. Then I realized that I wasn’t breathing at all.
I didn’t need to. I was fully powered. The energy trailed down my spine, flooding along my veins and arteries to unlock potential in every cell of my body. I looked down and found my father was dead at my feet. His skin was pale and clammy. His throat was slit. There was a pool of blood underneath him.
He stared off at nothing with listless eyes and asked, “Have you read my other letters yet?”
“No,” I said calmly. “I haven’t.”
“Am I like Brad, then?”
“What?”
“You said that Brad was unforgivable. That he felt truly evil. You said that he couldn’t be redeemed. Am I like that?”
“I don’t remember saying that.” I frowned. “When did I say that?”
My father’s corpse ignored the question and asked, “Do you hate me?”
“No, Dad. Of course not.”
“Then why don’t you read my letters?”
I jolted upright and found myself in Andie’s bedroom. The morning light filtered in through the curtains as I looked around frantically. It was the next morning. I wasn’t sure how that happened, but the two girls were wrapped around me from either side. I ran a hand through my hair and cursed softly. That woke Andie who was always a much lighter sleeper than Kara.
Her arms crept around my waist, and she laid her head on my shoulder. “Another one?”
It took me a moment to attempt the old ‘I’m fine’ routine, but I was breathing just a little too hard, and there was a tremble in my hands that said the opposite.
“Nick.” Andie snatched them both with concern and looked me deep in the eye. “Please talk to me.”
“It’s nothing,” I said dismissively. “Just my continued daddy issues, you know how it is.”
“Ha.” She snorted at that but kissed my fingers all the same. “Whatever that means.”
“Yeah, well, I think it has to do with the fact he kind of killed me.” I nodded and glanced down to the splash of Kara’s bright red hair. I ran my hand through it and gently pulled her into my lap. Andie took my hand back after I did so and kissed it again.
“Oh,” she said softly. “Then you need to talk to him somehow, maybe write him a letter. You’re the only one that might get through to him.”
“I…” I didn’t want to admit that the idea of that frightened me, not rationally, of course. I knew he wouldn’t purposefully hurt me… but who knew when the next time he overreacted would happen again. “I will, but … I need time.”
Andie lost her patience a little and sighed. “It’s been weeks, Nick--”
“I know, I know.” I sighed back as I ran a hand through my hair again and glanced down at Kara. She made a little happy noise of contentment and nuzzled my thigh like it was the most comforting pillow in the whole world.
I couldn’t help but smile at that. Instantly, the world was a bit brighter again.
Andie smiled too, then kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll drop it for now,” she whispered, “but eventually, you’ve got to talk to him.”
My mind drifted for a moment to Dad’s letters. I’d hidden them inside of a box and then buried it deep in the closet of my old dorm. I wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. This last time, the attack on the twins, had been… different. I didn’t want to justify what could be the sign of a new change in my father, where he was so focused on the idea of vengeance against his old partner that he was willing to kill their children over a trifling matter and pretend it
was about protecting me.
“They’re not always the same,” I explained as I came back into the moment. “The nightmares, I mean, and they’re not that frequent. This one was just… weird, that’s all.”
“Weird, how?”
I thought about it, but even now, the details were hazy. The only thing I could remember for certain was...
“He mentioned Brad.” Which was strange. That did seem really random. “And… the letters. He wanted to know when I’d open them.”
Andie lifted a brow. “When are you?”
“I dunno. Eventually. Anyway…” I struggled for a new topic to latch on to, then found it in the hue of Kara’s hair. It matched the color of the sunset outside Andie’s dorm window. “I squared away everything with Gemma, so we can move Kara today if you guys are game. If we do, I have plans.”
Andie grinned and kissed me gently on my ear. “Naughty ones?”
“Only if you want them to be,” I huffed. “No, I want to get Sleepy Head that puffer she keeps mentioning. I figure we could surprise her by setting up the fish tanks ahead of time. Maybe we could get Eric to distract her for a few hours.”
“Oooh. She does like surprises.”
I nodded and began combing Kara’s hair again. “I’m… really happy,” I admitted softly. “Like, ridiculously so. Waking up to the sight of the two of you has been incredible.”
“And yet you keep having nightmares,” Andie muttered. She kissed me again, however, and held my gaze with her knowing amber eyes. “I love you, Nick.”
“I love you too. I love you both.” That should have been the end of it, but I ended up explaining, “I really am sorry that I haven’t been around much. Matt’s been a huge pain in my ass, and with the World’s Finest coming up--”
She snatched my chin and pulled me into a kiss. I sighed into her mouth, deepening it. Arousal surged up my spine, and it was a waking force better than coffee. When we finally parted, we were both breathless, and Kara was looking up at us with wide, intense eyes.