Alright, enough, I thought. I gritted my teeth, and once the remains of the pool table were back in the air, I got my feet beneath me and lunged backwards, and the pool table came down on the bare floor. It shattered into pieces.
I scrambled against the wall behind me, searching for the rack of pool cues I knew were there, not taking my eyes off my attacker. My hands felt the smooth wood, and I gripped it tight. I ran to the big guy, and with a shout, smacked the pool cue across his face.
It shattered, and while he did stumble for a moment, it didn’t seem to faze him any more than that.
I swung at his face with a punch hard enough to kill a normal man—something it was evident this person wasn’t. He grabbed my fist before it could reach its target and held it in his giant hands. He smiled, and then squeezed as hard as he could.
The bones in my hand practically exploded beneath the pressure. I let out a shout, and the pain lingered there for longer than normal. My hand couldn’t heal itself while it was being crushed in the grasp of my attacker.
I lifted my right foot, and as hard as I could in my state of pain, I kicked the man in the chest. He went flying backwards and slammed into the bar. My hand popped back into place, totally repairing itself before the man who had crushed it even hit the bar.
To my left, I saw Selena in a fight with a guy who was moving at incredible speeds. He and Selena were both practically a blur.
Out of the corner of my eye to the right, I saw a purple light begin to appear. I knew instantly what it was, and instinct took over.
I ran to Selena so fast the world around me moved in slow motion. Her battle with the Super now seemed to be taking place at normal speed, instead of the blur it had been just moments ago. I brought her down to the floor, the world returning to normal around us.
The purple light slammed into the speeding Super instead of Selena, and sent him to the floor in a convulsing heap.
I pushed myself off the floor, looking for the source of the blast. In the back of the bar, I saw a scrawny-looking man holding an Eximus blaster. He aimed at me, the gun glowing brighter as it prepared to launch another Eximus blast.
I crossed the room and kicked the gun from his hand, and it exploded into pieces from the force of my kick. I grabbed the man by his shirt and pulled him close, his feet dangling off the floor. “Where did you get that weapon?” I shouted at his face, inches from mine.
“I—I—didn’t—I—” he stammered, unable to speak.
“Selena!” Samantha yelled in my head.
I threw the man to the floor and turned. Selena barely dodged a hard punch to the face thrown by the big man who’d crushed my hand. An instant later, a hard right hook was coming at her, which she blocked, but it clearly took all her might for her to stand her ground.
She couldn’t see the left hook that was coming in fast. I ran to her side and blocked the punch just in time. The hit was a hard one, causing me to take a couple of steps back. The man grabbed Selena and threw her backwards towards the bar. She slammed through it and collided with the wall.
Because I was distracted by Selena, the man was able to get the jump on me. He slammed his fists into my side, sending me across the room, where I landed right next to Selena.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have destroyed that Eximus blaster so soon,” Selena said with a cough.
“Yeah, that was a little short-sighted,” I said as practically every bone in my body healed itself.
We jumped up, our bodies totally repaired, and began our assault on the man.
I ran forward and landed a punch to his chest, which caused him to slide back a bit. Selena came in right behind me, blocking a punch.
While he was incredibly strong, he was nowhere near as fast as I was. I launched a flurry of punches at incredible speeds to his torso. My fists slammed against him hard and fast, and he began to stumble backwards, his incredible strength unable to match my strength and speed. When he swung his fists, Selena easily blocked him.
My fists moved fast and hard, and he continued to stumble backwards. I reached back, and with one final hard punch, I slammed my fist to his chest. His feet came off the floor as he went flying backwards. He slammed into the wall went straight through it, and flew across the street before slamming into a parked car. The vehicle exploded, sending a fireball high into the streets of London, causing all the nearby cars alarms to begin their screech for help.
“Well,” Samantha said in my head, sarcasm dripping from her tone, “that was subtle.”
Half-Truths
I turned around and walked to the back of the bar.
“Kane, what are you—”
Selena stopped talking when she saw me grab the man with the Eximus gun I’d kicked earlier. I picked him up by his shirt and pinned him against the wall. I didn’t have much time, and I wanted answers.
“Where did you get the Eximus weapon?” I growled in his face.
The man whimpered, holding his hands up in defense. “Please, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
I pressed him harder against the wall. “Tell me!” I shouted in his face.
There were many reasons the weapons could be in England: Atlas already expanding his borders, or the STF working with the government, which would be something Leopold had failed to mention. “You’re running out of time.”
“Okay, okay, listen. I know Atlas’ plans for England, okay? The b-big guy, he was working for Atlas,” he said, his words coming out fast and filled with fear. “He was bringing us the weapon. He said we could have lots of them if we joined the Legion. He said that he wanted us to take control of England. But I haven’t done anything yet. No one has, I swear! He’s still recruiting people here. Nothing’s happened! There’s moles, though. Oh, yes, lots of moles. Atlas has eyes everywhere!”
“Kane!” Leopold shouted from behind me.
Shit—I was out of time. I dropped the man and turned to face Leopold. He was standing framed in the broken doorway, with black smoke from the burning car pluming behind him.
“Look, I’m sorry about the car,” I told him.
“It’s not me you have to answer to,” he said. “My people are right around the corner. They’ll be here in a second—and they’re not happy.”
SELENA AND I WERE SITTING on a plush couch in a large office. There were no windows; the only light came from multiple fixtures in the ceiling and a group of computer monitors sitting on a desk up against the wall.
We’d been sitting there for half an hour, after being brought in by Leopold before he ran off to take care of the mess Selena and I had made.
“How long is this going to take?” Samantha asked, echoing the question on my mind.
“I have no idea. Maybe they’re just making us sweat or something?” Selena asked.
I stood up, my anxiety not allowing me to sit any longer. “I have no idea. Do you think we really screwed up that bad?”
“You did blow up a car in the middle of London—a city that’s already on edge,” Samantha said.
“That’s definitely a strike against us,” Selena agreed.
A thought popped into my mind, one I realized I had to voice out loud if I wanted Samantha to hear it. “So, Samantha, you’re able to talk to both Selena and me at the same time?”
From Samantha’s hesitation to answer, I could tell she knew exactly where I was going. “Yes.”
I made eye contact with Selena, who smirked. “That’s interesting. Your powers must be working really well.”
Before Samantha had the chance to answer, the door swung open and seven people piled in.
“Thanks for waiting here,” Leopold said as he shut the door behind him.
“No problem,” I said.
Selena said nothing.
“I’d like to introduce you to my team,” Leopold said. He was standing in front of an Asian girl. “This is Ellie—or Brio, as the people of England know her.” He moved on to a boy with bright red hair and freckles. “This is Thomas.”
“Hello, there. A pleasure to meet you,” Thomas said with a slight nod.
“Likewise,” I replied.
“Then, we’ve got Nathan,” Leopold said, pointing to a young, dark-skinned guy who was wearing a suit even nicer than Leopold’s. “And, finally,” he said, pointing to Middle Eastern girl, “we’ve got Avery.”
“It’s nice to meet you all,” I said. I turned to an older-looking man and woman with stone-cold faces who were standing at the end of the group. “And what are your names?”
“This is Mr. Auder and Ms. Ava,” Leopold said, taking a step towards them. “They are our direct superiors.”
“And we’re very disappointed,” Mr. Auder said in thick British accent.
Without saying a word, Ms. Ava did her best to let us know that she did not approve.
“Somebody get this lady a drink. Sheesh,” Samantha said.
I wanted to tell her to lay off the color commentary for a few minutes, but I didn’t want the others in the room to think I was crazy.
“Well,” I said, placing my hands behind my back. “I apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused.” I made sure to make eye contact with Ms. Ava for that last part. “However, had we been given a bit of warning, we may have been able to better prepare for the situation.” I did my best to sound as smart and prepared as possible.
“What a shame. Our team knows how to adapt and prepare for any situation. I would’ve assumed that the great Tempest would be able to do that, at least,” Mr. Auder said.
Anger flashed through me, but I held it down.
“Yes, Tempest and—” Ms. Ava looked Selena up and down. “Whoever this young lady is.”
“ I assumed you’d be a little bit of a bitch. I guess you’re a lot of one,” Selena said, not hiding her annoyance.
“Hey, at least she called you a lady,” I said, joining in on the fun.
Ms. Ava’s face grew red, and Mr. Auder jumped in. “My apologies for my colleague’s behavior,” he said. “We’d actually like to offer our condolences for what has happened in the United States. We’re very sorry for the way things have turned out. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep the same thing from happening here.” Mr. Auder turned to the rest of the group. “If you all will excuse us—except for you, Leopold. It’s a bit crowded.”
Leopold nodded. “I’ll meet up with you guys later,” he said to his group.
Ellie and the rest of them left the room, leaving just me, Selena, Leopold, his superiors, and Samantha, who was watching from inside my head.
“Despite our pleasantries,” Mr. Auder began, “we’re very disappointed at the way things turned out at the pub.”
“You should never have put us in that situation,” I said. Mr. Auder and Ms. Ava looked at me, taken aback. “We came here to ask for your help. We’re in a dire situation, and you had us run your errands. That’s very inappropriate.”
Ms. Ava let out a condescending laugh. “You have to understand, of course, that we weren’t going to work with somebody we weren’t absolutely sure could operate without putting the public at risk.”
“We did our best, but things got a little out of hand. Which is something that normally happens when you’re dealing with Super-on-Super combat—something you should know,” Selena said.
They let her words bounce right off them. “In any case,” Mr. Auder said, “you still caused a threat to get out of hand and put our citizens at risk. You’ve caused quite the PR nightmare—one we’re handling, for your information.”
“I don’t give a shit—for your information,” Selena spat back.
“I think what Selena is trying to say,” I said, jumping in before things could get worse, “is that there’s really no need to test us, or whatever the hell you’re doing, when we’re going to be spending ninety-nine percent of our time in the United States.”
Mr. Auder and Ms. Ava exchanged a glance before looking at Leopold, whose gaze didn’t meet theirs.
“That’s something that should’ve been discussed with you,” Ms. Ava said, her gaze lingering on Leopold before turning to mine. “We believe that it would not be advantageous for us to launch an offensive in the States. If you were to join us, you’d have to relocate here—to England.”
I looked at Leopold, confused. He just stood there, not letting any of his emotions show. “That’s funny, because we were told the exact opposite by Leopold,” I said.
“Well, my apologies for what you may have been led to believe.”
“We were told that this would be a partnership, not that we would be working for you,” Selena said.
Mr. Auder crossed his arms and cleared his throat. “We here have deemed the United States a lost cause. We think it would be best for Atlas and the Legion to come to us, instead of the other way around. We’re sure that with your knowledge, power, and insight on their operations, we’ll be able to repel his attacks, keeping our people safe. Then, possibly at some point in the future, we could look into launching an offensive in the United States. But that’s only if we believe we can do so without an incredible loss of life. That time would come much sooner if we were to have your cooperation.”
I stood there in stunned silence, with absolutely no idea what to say. I couldn’t believe what they were asking me. Leave the United States behind and join the British? I couldn’t just leave all the people still in the States behind.
“I don’t know what you’re expecting me to say,” I said. “There are hundreds of millions of people in the United States, and you want us to just abandon them? Right now the Legion is making its way through the Northeast. There are pockets spread throughout the States, but that’s where the main group of them are. That leaves the rest of the States filled with people who have no clue what’s going on, or what they should do. They’re sitting ducks for the Legion.” My voice grew louder the more I went on. Mr. Auder and Ms. Ava just stood there staring at me, unblinking.
Leopold took a small step forward. “Kane, I understand—”
“No, you don’t,” I said, interrupting him. “You do not get to talk after you lied to us.”
“I knew you wouldn’t come if I told you the truth,” he said.
“So, you thought lying was the right way to do this?” Selena snapped at him. “I don’t work with people I don’t trust. And I do not trust you.”
“What are you saying?” Ms. Ava said. “That you won’t work with us?”
The choices spread out before me like branches on a tree. I had no idea which one to pick, and my mind scrambled to figure out the right path to take. “You know you’re asking us to make an impossible decision. We can’t just leave our people—our country—behind. If you could just help us, give us some of your resources to fight of the Legion, it’d go a long way. Please.”
“Mr. Andrews, we are already giving you an option,” Mr. Auder said. “All of our resources are devoted to the protection of our country and her people. We must be ready for when the Legion makes its way east. As you saw during your disastrous altercation earlier today, members of the Legion and their Eximus weapons have already made their way to our borders. It’s only a matter of time before the war is at our doorstep, and we can’t be caught with our pants down on the bloody other side of the world!”
“Kane, we can’t just abandon our people. There’s an entire country out there counting on us,” Samantha said in my head.
“I know,” I said, looking down at the floor.
“What was that?” Ms. Ava asked.
I sighed and shook my head. “I’m sorry. We can’t retreat and leave millions of people to die.”
I thought back to what Samantha had said the other night on the roof, how I was like a sign of hope to her. Well, all over America, there were other Samanthas looking to me for hope. Probably not as many as there once had been, but I was sure they were out there. I couldn’t let them down.
“If you can’t help without having us leave our home, then I’m afraid we can’t help you,” I said.
Mr. Auder and Ms. Ava looked to each other, both obviously very frustrated. Leopold looked at us like we’d just kicked his dog.
“That is unfortunate,” Mr. Auder said finally. “But I appreciate your loyalty. That same loyalty you feel for your people is what we feel for ours. The same loyalty that tells us we can’t leave any part of our country vulnerable to attack from an enemy we do not fully understand.”
I nodded. “Yes, of course. I understand.”
“Well,” Ms. Ava said, taking a step towards the door, “I guess our business here is finished.”
“We will have two rooms prepared for you to stay in tonight. In the morning, I expect the two of you will be on your way,” Mr. Auder said, following Ms. Ava to the door.
“Thank you. We appreciate the generosity,” I said, doing my best to bite my tongue. I really wanted to give them a piece of my mind, but I knew it’d be of no use.
The two of them left, but Leopold lingered.
“Shouldn’t you be joining them?” I asked. I had no time for someone who had so blatantly lied to me. Especially someone who had given me false hope.
“Kane, you have to understand that I did what I thought had to be done,” Leopold said.
“Well, you thought wrong,” I told him, the frustration within me not holding itself back as much as it had for his superiors.
“I’m sorry,” he said, looking away. “I’ll go oversee the room preparations.”
Leopold left the room, leaving Selena and me standing there in stunned silence.
A New Plan
The room they had for me was small. A twin-sized bed sat in one corner, and a desk in the other.
I walked to the dresser that sat opposite the bed and pulled open the drawers. Inside lay neatly folded t-shirts of varying colors, some sweats, and clean socks and underwear.
Next to the dresser was a plain gray door. I opened it, and the motion sensor lights flicked on, revealing a bathroom. I felt like leaping for joy at the thought of a shower as I turned and grabbed some clothes from the dresser.
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