by S. J. Delos
Spotting a CPD cruiser rolling up the street, I walked out into the road to get the driver’s attention. The vehicle stopped at the curb, dispatching an officer who actually looked to be younger than the would-be mugger. The policeman glanced all around, hand on the butt of his pistol, before finally looking back at me.
“Kayo?” he asked, though I was pretty sure he didn’t mean it as a question. “Is something wrong?”
I pointed at the amusing scene over on the sidewalk nearby. “Some guy tried stealing a couple of purses. You might want to arrest him before those two hurt more than just his pride.”
The officer stared at the commotion for a moment before looking back at me. “Are any of them … you know, Enhanced?” It was clear he was curious if he needed to call in for backup.
I shook my head. “Not from what I can tell. Just a run of the mill purse snatcher.” I shrugged, giving the peace officer a wide smile. “I didn’t do anything more than land in front of him to get him to stop. He surrendered to those ladies all on his own.”
“Oh,” he said. “Okay then. Guess I better take him in.” He smiled an uneasy grin back at me, then hurried over to rescue the criminal.
As he was putting the cuffs on the thief, the two ladies walked over to me, each clutching her purse tightly in her grip. I nodded my head toward the policeman and his suspect.
“Everything okay now?” I asked them.
The shorter of the two adjusted her thick glasses. “Thank you, Miss Kayo. If you hadn’t stopped him, we wouldn’t have been able to catch up.”
I held up my hands. “I didn’t do anything, ma’am.” I glanced over to make sure the officer wasn’t having trouble with the punk. “I just landed to take a break. I guess your assailant knew he wasn’t going to get away from a couple of feisty women like you two.”
Before the woman could protest my version of the events, her friend touched her lightly on the arm.
“Bernice,” she said. “I think the dear girl is saying that she would prefer to say that she didn’t do anything.”
“Oh,” Bernice said, covering her mouth with her hand. “I didn’t know that.”
“It’s okay,” I said, smiling. “Just trying to cut down on the paperwork. Besides, from what I saw from you two, it was all under control. Maybe the next time we have an opening on The Good Guys, you two should apply.”
Both of the old women laughed. Bernice’s friend reached into her purse. At first, I thought she was going to offer me a piece of candy or something. You know, like grandmas are wont to do, but she pulled out a notepad instead.
“My granddaughter thinks you are simply the best,” she said, handing the pad to me as her other hand dove back into her purse to retrieve a pen. “Could I get your autograph for her? Otherwise, she’ll never believe I actually met you.”
I felt my cheeks warm as I nodded. “My pleasure. What’s her name?”
“Karen,” she answered. “Just like you.”
I started to scribble my signature when my head jerked up to stare at the woman. “Really?” I asked.
“Oh, yes. She has pictures of you all over her room.” Her tiny shoulders shrugged. “Some of them are from your less-heroic days, you know as Crushette. But only some. She cuts them out of magazines or prints them off the Internet.”
I just blinked at her for a few moments, unable to express anything more substantial than vapidity. I couldn’t believe that someone would have images of me all over their room.
Not-Bernice continued. “There’s also a huge poster over her bed. I think you’re either flying or maybe starting to fly. I’m not sure. Your hair is longer in it.”
I handed her back the pad and pen, then reached up to run my fingers through the still-too-short pixie cut.
The woman continued talking. “She keeps telling me, ‘Grandma, I hope I Activate soon. Then I can join The Good Guys. I want to be a hero. Just like Kayo.’”
I forced the smile to remain on my face. “Oh. Well, that’s … nice.” From my experience, becoming Enhanced was something to be dealt with. Not something one aspired to achieve. “Of course, she can do lots of good deeds without becoming a superhero.”
The woman shook her head. “I’ve tried telling her that. She’s only fifteen, but she’s got her heart set on being a superhero.” She took a step closer, her voice lowering to just above a whisper. “Do you have any advice on how to help her?”
“Help her do what?”
“Activate.”
“Activate? Like, make her Enhanced?” I never considered if someone could be forced into Activation. I was pretty sure not even Martin could do it.
She nodded. “Is there anything special you did to get your powers to start working?”
My expression must have turned into something other than a cheesy smile because Bernice reached over, touching her friend on the arm. “Stop badgering the poor girl, Diane. She probably needs to get back to keeping the city safe.”
I nodded in agreement so rapidly it nearly sent my head flying across the street. “As a matter of fact, I do need to continue my patrol.” I stepped back several paces, putting a little distance between me and the women. “You ladies, uh, have a nice day.” Before either of them could respond, I jumped skyward as fast as I could. I didn’t even bother to look down as I turned to head toward the Paulus Building.
As the giant “P” came closer, I relished the warm sensation in my gut. Was that pride? I knew there were magazine articles written about me. Alexis made sure to mention it each time a new one appeared on the newsstands. The story about Crushette’s metamorphosis into Kayo still showed up occasionally. I just never considered that someone might actually cut out the pictures to decorate a wall. I mean, I wasn’t a rock star, Hollywood celebrity, or fashion mega-model. I was just a former felon trying to make amends. Not really worthy of praising.
I mean, it wasn’t like I was Major Freedom or anything.
I circled around the building once, mostly out of habit before gliding down to the pebble-strewn rooftop. My boots landed with a nearly inaudible thump. Since I no longer weighed almost half a ton, I didn’t need to worry if the reinforced supports beneath the surface would hold. I gave the seemingly quiet cityscape around me a final glance then went toward a set of nearby metal doors, the scanner above the entrance recognizing my bio-signature.
A set of durasteel steps led to another set of doors that opened into the building’s hangar/storage area. Two hoverships took up the majority of the cavernous room’s open space. One craft was a loaner borrowed from a group based in Atlanta. It was a bit smaller than we were used to, but since our other vehicle got trashed trying to stop our former mechanical genius from his attempt to destroy the East Coast, we couldn’t really complain.
Fortunately, some of us on the team could fly on our own, thus reducing the number of sweaty bodies needing to cram inside the dark gray ship.
The second craft, currently under construction, was larger by almost half and nearly ready for active duty. It was composed of a combination of the salvageable pieces of our original with lots of newly-purchased parts.
“Welcome back,” a feminine voice said from beneath the ship as I walked past.
I bent over to peer at the woman under the hull. “Thanks. How’s it coming?”
She slid into the open on a hovering mechanic’s creeper. “The cross supports are in place. So, I guess we’re ready to attach the wing.” Her eyes glowed up at me, emitting a soft white light. “Still willing to provide some muscle power?”
Luminosity—aka Sonya Toomes—was another new addition to the team.
However, unlike Zip, Sonya wasn’t an ex-con, but a renowned hero in her own right as one of the founding members of the Miami Protectors. She and Omega-Girl had known each other for years, so when Daniel’s little scheme cost us two able bodies, Sonya happily agreed to join the team.
At first, I wasn’t super excited about extending a warm welcome to someone who was a “friend” of Darla�
�s. The last thing I needed was another superficial bimbo prancing around. However, Sonya was nothing like that. Not only was she very down to Earth and super friendly, she also exhibited a natural inventive aptitude that bordered on Enhanced.
Oh, she also brought with her a mean set of poker skills. By last count, I was in the hole for at least fifty bucks.
Sonya’s Enhancement allowed her to absorb solar neutrinos which she could then convert into various light effects. Anything from generating high-intensity lasers from nearly every part of her body to creating realistic-looking holograms.
As was often the case, her appearance post-Activation was a physical reflection of her abilities: shining platinum blonde hair, porcelain skin, and eyes that never stopped glowing like a pair of permanent pen lights.
“Can we do it after lunch?” I pleaded, pouting as much as my lower lip would let me. “I’m all dirty and tired. But not in the fun way.”
She cracked a grin up at me and nodded. “I hear you. After lunch works.” She started to slide back under the ship, stopping halfway. “Maybe you should probably tell that hunky detective to quit keeping you up all night. Then you wouldn’t be so tired.” She gave me a wink, then vanished under the ship.
I tapped her leg with the toe of my boot. “If I do that, I’ll be even grumpier.”
I heard her laugh as I left the hangar. Cutting down the hall, I bypassed the corridor leading to the living areas to make a beeline straight toward the kitchen. There was a cup of badly-needed coffee in my future. Woe to anyone in my way.
The room was empty, but the smell of not-exactly-fresh-brewed beans called out to me from the pot on the counter. I poured myself a steaming mug as Greg’s exasperated voice came from one of the adjoining rooms.
“No. That’s the part the EAPF fills out,” the team’s second in command said. “Slow down, Joseph. You can’t start the next file until you get confirmation that the first one has processed.”
Seems someone was having to help Zip with his report.
I smirked and shook my head. Zip’s heart might be hero material already, but his inability to focus was really going to take some work.
“Okay. Now, you fill out the top part down to there, okay? I’ll be right back,” Greg said over his shoulder as he came through the door into the kitchen.
The door swung shut behind him as he turned to see me grinning. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the other room.
“Maybe a mild tranquilizer would help that kid sit still long enough for the computer to work,” he said, leaning against the counter. “He’s already broken two keyboards because he’s typing too fast.”
Greg Reeves, also known by the hero moniker of Mister Manpower, had been a high school counselor before becoming a superhero. A past that probably served him well as the second-in-command of The Good Guys. Officially.
Unofficially, he was the one who really lead the team, serving as the glue that held this odd crew of diverse personalities and temperaments together.
It was his understanding attitude and positive personality which convinced me to trade in my past as a super-villain for a future as a hero. If not for him going out of his way for someone he’d just met, who knew where I would have ended up?
“You should try dealing with him in the field,” I said, taking another sip of coffee. “He operates on about ninety-nine percent impulse.”
“I have, remember?” Greg responded. “I think you and Sonya are the only ones who are amused enough to handle working with him.”
“Well, I think he’ll eventually calm down. Right now, he’s as bouncy as a new puppy.” I turned to leave. “I’ll let you get back to walking him through the EAPF paperwork. There’s a bed calling my name.”
A frown formed on his face. “If you have a moment, we need to talk about a few things.”
Uh oh. That was his “authority” voice. The one usually reserved to either tell me I’d done something wrong or to ask me to do something I wasn’t going to like.
The last time Greg used that tone, it was to reprimand me for throwing Killer Quake through the side of the mayor’s limousine. Despite the fact the vehicle had been empty. Or that the criminal in question was about to kill the politician and her entourage.
Since I was too tired to deal with being chastised or saddled with additional work, I didn’t bother to turn around as I continued out the door.
“It’ll have to wait,” I said, as I held up my cup without stopping. “I’m not discussing anything more important than this cup of coffee until after a hot shower and a long nap.”
To my surprise, he didn’t argue. “Fine,” he said. “We’ll talk after you’ve rested.”
“It’ll be the first thing I do.” I didn’t give him a chance to change his mind. I fled out of the kitchen down the hallway leading to the team’s quarters.
When I joined The Good Guys, most of the rooms in this section had been unoccupied. Only Greg, Alexis, and I had used our assigned spaces on a regular basis, making the area usually as silent as a morgue.
Now, with the team back up to full capacity, plus some relationship changes, it was a rare occurrence to travel down the passageway and not run into someone coming or going from their room.
Just as I reached my own door, the one across the hall opened.
“Hey, Karen,” Omega-Girl said when she spotted me. “Greg’s looking for you. I think he wants to talk to you about something.” There was a little smirk on her otherwise pretty face I didn’t like. As if she already knew what Greg wanted with me and was rather pleased to be in on the secret.
“Yeah, I know.” I nodded toward the closed door. “He’s just going to have to wait until later.”
“Oh,” she said, the amused grin faltering a bit. “Well, I wouldn’t wait too long. It might be something important.”
“I’m sure it can wait.” I glanced down at her attire. “New suit?”
She nodded, unable to resist striking a bit of a pose in response. “Sonya wanted me to try it out to see if she got the bleed calibrations right.”
Darla Jameson had been on her way to being just another “here today, gone tomorrow” fashion model when her life took a wild turn, gifting her with flight, partial invulnerability, plasma generation, and self-sustenance. All derived from solar radiation. So it only made sense for her to wear an outfit that provided her with the maximum amount of sunlight-to-skin contact.
Her hero debut attire, a pair of bright pink and blue spandex running shorts with a matching tank top, made her look like a member of a girls’ college volleyball team. After she was recruited to The Good Guys, she fell victim to one of Richard’s lust-driven “suggestions”. The sporty All-American look was ditched for something a bit more risqué.
I remember sitting in my cell, watching the television as the media went crazy over Omega-Girl’s new “uniform”, which to me seemed to be just a one-piece thong bathing suit and knee-high boots. Darla insisted to the press multiple times that the purpose of the more revealing costume was to allow her to keep her sunlight-fueled powers fully charged. However, a good many female heroes (and some of us villains) figured she was just pandering for male attention.
Especially since subsequent video footage of her exploits constantly focused on her nearly-exposed ass.
When Power Brain betrayed the team six months ago, he purposefully altered Darla’s ability to regulate the amount of energy she absorbed, then locked her in an artificial sunlight chamber. By the time we were able to rescue her, the formerly petite blonde’s body had ballooned to well over three hundred pounds.
The sudden increase in size had put an incredible strain on her heart. Only by releasing a massive plasma discharge, destroying half the lab, was she able to avoid a massive cardiac event.
Doctor Maniac, my notorious super-villain ex-boyfriend, managed to repair her damaged powers. Mostly She might not blow up like a Thanksgiving Day turkey just by stepping outside, but she still experienced accelerated w
eight gain the longer she spent in direct sunlight.
Omega-Girl’s new look was a more modest-looking dark blue bodysuit covering everything except her face, neck, and arms.
I arched a brow. “Bleed calibration?”
She shrugged. “Sonya added some kind of special circuitry on the inside that’s supposed to drain off the excess energy. It’s supposed to keep me from gaining any, uh, extra …girth.” Her face turned a dark scarlet hue as she looked down, picking at the bodysuit with her fingers. “If it works, she said she would install the same circuits in the rest of my clothing.”
“That’s wonderful,” I said. “Let me know how it works.” Then I reached out to tug on one of the uniform’s short sleeves. “Look on the bright side. Even if it doesn’t handle the energy problem, the material seems stretchy enough to cover a bigger you.” I grinned with a wink and stepped into my room.
“Bitch,” she spat right before the door slid shut between us. I half-expected the sound of a plasma bolt impacting the metal to follow her assessment of my character.
I drained the rest of the coffee in one swallow as I cut through my messy bedroom to the adjoining bath. It didn’t take long for the shower to get steaming hot and even less time for me to shuck out of my own dirty uniform to get under the skin-melting spray. At least, it would have been skin-melting for a non-invulnerable person.
That was the problem with being tough. Unless the water was near boiling, it only felt lukewarm.
As I stood under the water, I felt a twinge of guilt about what I’d said to Darla.
The animosity between us went back years. To when she was just a fledgling hero while I was busy trying to be the world’s number one bad girl. Being on the same team wasn’t enough to completely bury the hard feelings between us.
Still, as much as she still annoyed me, I didn’t have to make fun of her problem. I mean, it wasn’t that long ago that unwanted additional mass was my own problem. I was the last person who should be throwing stones. Or insults.
When I finally turned off the water and climbed out of the bath, I traveled the most direct route from the bathroom to the bed. Along the way to the beckoning bed, I dropped towel next to a pile of laundry that really needed to be done.