by S. J. Delos
She tried to turn her face away, but I grabbed her chin and twisted it back around. The sudden change in direction caused her neck to crack loudly.
“Rocket just crashed right through the house, destroying a couple of load-bearing walls. His recklessness brought the whole damned house down on top of us.” I clenched my jaw, tightening my grip on Phantasm’s chin. “But it was Omega-Girl’s plasma blasts that ignited the ruptured gas lines and turned the place into a fucking bomb.”
She tried to pull her face loose from my grip. “That wasn’t me. That wasn’t most of us here. We didn’t kill your family.”
“Maybe not. However, I like to think I’m sparing someone else the horror I’ve endured.” I released her chin, then stood up, staring down at her. After a few seconds, I reached out toward her with one hand.
Maybe she thought she was getting a reprieve. Maybe she felt that by listening to my tale of sadness and woe, she wouldn’t die. That she would get a chance to heal. Live to fight crime another day. Or maybe she hoped I was done murdering for one evening.
Whatever she thought, I doubt she expected the high-energy gamma blast that leapt from my fingertips, crossing the space between my hand and her forehead in less than a millisecond. Her breath hitched in her lungs as her brain boiled in its bone container. Then, Phantasm, Member of the Justice Brigade, Guardians of Chicago, fell over dead.
“Ready, darling?”
I nudged the body with my toe to make sure she was dead. Then I walked back over to Martin. “Ready, my love.” We linked arms as we strolled over an incredibly undamaged bay window overlooking the city.
I raised my hand to release another blast, this one composed of superheated plasma. The pristine window shattered outward, little gleaming slivers of omni-plex flying into the night.
“Did you have a good time?” Martin asked.
I smiled, moving my arm down around his waist to hold him close against me as we drifted up from the floor. I carefully maneuvered us through the jagged opening and into the open air outside. Down below, I could see six fire trucks and more than a dozen police cars ringing the building. Since we knew the EAPF wouldn’t be far behind the civilian authorities, Martin insisted that we be long gone before they arrived.
“Yes, I did. Think we can do this again next year?”
He laughed and embraced me. “I have a feeling that this was the last Enhanced Heroes’ Banquet there will ever be.”
I nodded in agreement, then rocketed us into the sky, back toward our home, where I suspected a little red-headed girl was already sound asleep. As the city fell away, I turned us on a southern trajectory, I savored the deliciously warm feeling of knowing that we had done what we could to keep the world safe.
Not just for our daughter, but for her little brother growing inside me.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
S.J. Delos lives in Greensboro, North Carolina with his patient, non-nerdy wife, Kim, and their two fortunately-nerdy offspring. He has been an aficionado of all things Geek since childhood, particularly superheroes and comic books.
Visit him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sjdelos
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Some Kind of a Hero was a book that took a long time in creating. I wanted to thank the people behind the scenes who helped me get the second story of Kayo into your hands.
To my wife, Kim, who went out of her way to give me the time I needed to write without distractions and kept encouraging me to continue working when I felt like I wasn’t ever going to be able to finish. It was your belief in me that helped me believe in myself.
To my Beta Readers, Jon and Sue, thanks for being big fans of Kayo and her world. Your suggestions helped make this a better story for everyone.
To Emily, for putting up with my constant PMs with ideas, questions, and random thoughts. I always know you’ll give my words thought and help me work through the blocks.
To my editor, Karmin, for taking a hot mess and helping me to spin it into something good. Your input was worth more than its weight in gold.
And to the fans of Kayo and The Good Guys, for all your comments about So Not a Hero and your constant eagerness at the prospect of this sequel. Your patience was incredible, and I’m happy to be able to provide you with a next installment I hope was worth the wait.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Also by S. J. Delos
Dedication
CHAPTER 1: Six Months a Hero
CHAPTER 2: The Public Idol
CHAPTER 3: AN Unexpected Nomination
CHAPTER 4: First World Hero Problems
CHAPTER 5: A Mother’s Touch
CHAPTER 6: No Good Deed
CHAPTER 7: Quarantine is a Ten Letter Word
CHAPTER 8: Unwanted Exposure
CHAPTER 9: Museum Throwdown
CHAPTER 10: Collateral Fallout
CHAPTER 11: A Friendship Shattered
CHAPTER 12: Visiting Hours
CHAPTER 13: Drinks with a Madman
CHAPTER 14: Problems All the Way Down
CHAPTER 15: A Bigger Conspiracy
CHAPTER 16: The End of the Line
CHAPTER 17: A Funeral
CHAPTER 18: Meeting the press
CHAPTER 19: A Cold Day in Charlotte
CHAPTER 20: The Thick Begins to Plotten
CHAPTER 21: Advice from Beyond
CHAPTER 22: Matters of the heart
CHAPTER 23: A Windy City Welcome
CHAPTER 24: American Idols
CHAPTER 25: One on One with Major Freedom
CHAPTER 26: Harbinger Hoedown
CHAPTER 27 It’s All in Your Head
CHAPTER 28: The Last Resistance
CHAPTER 29: Party Time
CHAPTER 30: Cocktail Hour
CHAPTER 31: Ballroom Massacre
CHAPTER 32: Nightfall
CHAPTER 33: Rooftop Rumble
CHAPTER 34: Aftermath
EPILOGUE 1 Doctor Maniac Captured
EPILOGUE 2 Meanwhile, on a Parallel Earth
About the Author
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS