by Simon Archer
“Oh, one more thing.” He stopped and turned to me, putting both hands on my shoulders when I did the same. “Number three, I promise that we are going to hunt down those Carter bastards, find out every hole they wriggle into, and burn their villainous asses into so much fine ash. They hurt you, they tried to hurt me and my people here, and they hurt one of the girls you love.” While the words were like many he said in full on evil emperor mode, the tone and the look weren’t that twisted crazy I saw in him often. No, this was different. This was a father genuinely angry at the people who hurt his family. “I think how you kids put it is… Fuck. Those. Guys.”
I thought about what he said for a long moment, then said, “Can you make me one more promise about this, Dad?” I slipped back a step out of his grip and instead raised my hands towards him as if to shake it. “Take my hand and promise me that when we hunt down Carter, you try to do it by the book this time. Remember that old mantra: heroes arrest and villains kill?”
He rolled his eyes at that, and though I thought I might be losing him, I had to try. Triton was right, this could be the start of a new age if I could just start to bend him back to our side.
“I know you think it’s corny and wrong and stupid,” I argued, “but this isn’t anyone asking you to try this last time.” I smiled honestly up at him and held my hand up a little higher. “This is me. We’re finally starting to… well… find a way to have a relationship that isn’t a disaster. Can you try one more time? For me… and for Mom.”
Dad’s expression hardened for a moment at the mention of Mom… but then it softened. He gave me a long, appraising look, then took my hand in his.
“Okay, kiddo,” he relented. “You’re the guy who led his team to victory in the World’s Finest, the kid who broke my record to enter Valcav Academy… and most importantly, you’re the best son a dad could ever want. So… if you’re asking it, I’ll try… once.” As he finished shaking my hand, Dad stepped back and raised a single finger. “Once. If these Carter fuckers look like they’re going to get away or justice isn’t served, I’m toasting them.”
“That’s a deal.” I smiled as I opened my arms and gave my father a hug. “Thank you, Dad.”
“You’re welcome, Junior,” he replied as he hugged me fiercely. “Yanno, I always thought I’d be the one to save the world, but I’m thinking… I’m thinking it might be you.”
As we stepped apart, happy together for the first time in a long time, I thought about what my dad just said, about what Triton had said before, and started to believe, for the first time, that maybe they were right.
Maybe I really could save the world with a little help from my friends.
32
Mother
The fucking bitch… another perfectly good body gone, one I had grown to rather enjoy. My phantasmal form felt stretched and worn as I pulled it through the earth and stone underneath the Imperial Colosseum. And fuck the Gateon boy as well… thanks to him and Amazoness, most of our plan had gone tits up.
Without being aware of the assault, Triton would have been killed, being no more invulnerable than a normal man without his water powers active, and the blessed ash shavings mixed with the explosive, well, Judgment’s dark powers would have simply gone piffle at that. Inferno’s death would have been more… iffy… but we were also taking over his son, his true weak point, at the same time. It wouldn’t have mattered either way.
But Amazoness, that giant immortal pain in my neck, the dean hadn’t thought to ensure the payload could kill her. Said it would be too bulky, too hard to conceal. We had a spatial warper, and he was worried about bulk.
Maybe now, the dean would actually listen to me when I tell them not to underestimate my nemesis.
When she intercepted the concealed missile the moment I fired it, I knew it was only a matter of mere moments before I would be caught, so I ditched the body I had been so happy in. Better Ms. Elaine Crawford than me, that was how I saw it. Now, it would take me a week of body-hopping and minor possessions to get my ectoplasmic self back to the real Carter Academy.
But I supposed it wasn’t a total loss. The countless reams of data we had on the eleven heroic academies would allow us to bring up the next class of villains right. Not a single one of us was captured thanks to my foresight of having Switch evacuate everyone before the final match, and by the time our students were graduates, we would lead them forward in a crime wave the likes Terra had never seen… and our old foes?
There wouldn’t be a thing they could do to stop us… assuming, of course, we could figure out a way to stop Nick Gateon before he realized his full potential and that… was going to be tricky.
Author Note
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