The group talked for a bit more, agreeing on who would bring masks for everyone and who would bring shovels. When everything was settled, Cleo locked up the store and they called for a cab. Cleo took a separate taxi home, but the rest of the group rode together, dropping each person off in order. At the end, only Carmen and Andre sat in the back of the cab, awaiting their turns.
“You'd better be right about all this,” Carmen said as she stared out the window.
“I am right. This is a good deal.”
“Maybe.”
“You're still worried?”
“Of course I am. You should be too. You'd be stupid not to.”
“Fine,” Andre said with a roll of his eyes. “I'm worried. You happy?”
“Of course not, Andre. You're putting everyone at risk. These are our friends, not your henchmen. I'm afraid you're doing this all to satisfy some childish fantasy of becoming a supervillain.”
Andre turned toward her in the seat and said, “You still think that's what this is all about? You think I'm just being selfish? You don't think I'm trying to help out my friends?”
Carmen paused and let out a weak sigh. “Andre, I think you're a good person. I do. I think that you do a lot of things to help out your friends. But I think this obsession you have always trumps that. I think that the choices you make always lead back to your goal of achieving some kind of notoriety.”
“So, if I can help myself while I help my friends, then I'm not being a good friend? Wow, Carmen. I mean, am I ever gonna be good enough for you?”
He didn't regret what he said, but he regretted how he said it as soon as he saw her head droop down low. She closed her eyes and bit her lip.
“Carmen, I-”
She shook her head and turned back toward the window. When Andre looked past her, he saw snowflakes start to fall around them, making the cab feel like a snow globe turned inside out. It felt comforting, like being swaddled by a blanket. He wanted to stay there, in the back seat, just the two of them. They could watch the chaos outside happen through the safety of their window. But soon enough, the cab pulled up to the sidewalk in front of his apartment building.
As he stepped out into the snow bank, he mumbled, “See you tomorrow night.”
Carmen turned to him and stopped him with her words. “You were always good enough for me, Andre. That was never the problem.”
“Then what was?”
Carmen smiled at him, but there was no happiness in her eyes. It was the saddest smile he ever saw, as if the smile were only there to hold her up and stop her from crumbling into pieces. She closed her eyes as she spoke, unable to face her own words.
“I'm worried that you're never going to be good enough for yourself.”
She reached over and closed the door as he stared past her, trying to make sense of her words. The cab pulled away from the curb and he watched the taillights disappear in the flurry of white that fell from the sky, leaving him alone, outside, in the chaos.
27
LUCY
The halls of Power Tower were bustling as she jogged her way to the training room for he scheduled workout. She was enjoying the daily exercise, but she still wondered when she would actually start her power training. She still couldn't imagine what was in store for her. She envisioned every scenario, but other than searching for clues or maybe hunting down supervillains, she didn't see a use for her enhanced vision in the field. As much as she wanted to, picturing herself saving lives next to someone like Stiletto didn't seem realistic.
As she passed through the entrance hall of the tower, she stopped when she saw Rainfall stumble out of the room of doorways that Voyager used to teleport the team. His fringe jacket and leather pants were torn in several places, exposing his bruised skin underneath. He glanced at her with his swollen eyes and smiled, showing off his bloodied teeth. He leaned against a wall as Stiletto, Replica, and Everlast walked out after him.
Everlast slapped him on the shoulder and said, “You did good out there, kid. Holding your own next to the likes of a legend like myself? You should be proud.”
The group continued on their way, most of them looking only slightly marred by whatever they had encountered. Rainfall held one arm close to his body as he slid down the wall and onto the floor.
A small robot flew over next to him and said, “You appear to require medical assistance. Is this correct?”
Rainfall spit blood on the floor and said, “Sure. Why not?”
The robot floated off down a hallway as Lucy rushed over to his side.
“Rainfall? What happened?”
He smirked and said, “You know, there's a reason I told you my real name.”
She blinked.
He coughed as much as he laughed and said, “The reason was so that you could call me by my real name.”
She shook her head, feeling like an idiot. “Sorry. Connor. What happened?”
He shrugged his shoulders and winced at the pain that the slight movement caused. “Tangled with some women who had SPMDs. They call themselves the Silicon Sisters.”
“Nice name. What are their powers?”
“They're a group of technopaths. They can control technology with their minds.”
“So their technology did this to you?”
“Robots for days.”
“I guess the ability to summon lightning bolts would come in handy against stuff like that.”
“That's what the team thought.” Connor wiped the blood that was trickling down his chin and said, “But, as you can see, robots come in handy against fleshy people like me, too.”
She focused her eyesight to scan his injuries, examining how bad his bone fractures were.
“Nothing's broken,” she said as she rubbed her eyes, trying to get them to dilate back to her regular vision. “I'm no doctor, but I think you're going to live.”
“Oh good. Wouldn't want to disappoint my fans.”
“You have fans?”
“I was joking.”
Lucy slapped her head. “Oh. Yeah. Duh.”
“What? You don't think I could have fans?”
“I didn't mean it like that!” she said, sitting up straighter. “Of course you could have fans. You probably do! Have you ever like... searched on the internet? I bet there's tons of girls who, I mean, whatever. I'm sure people like you.”
“Maybe,” he said before coughing some more. “But all the adoration in the world isn't worth this.”
“But you saved people, right? I mean, you stopped supervillains who-”
“Who were hiding out from the Alliance. That's all they were doing. Trying to stay under the radar so their powers wouldn't be exploited.”
Lucy scrunched up her face. “Come on. It must have been more than that. They were criminals, right?”
“Oh sure. They had a few hacking crimes under their belt. When you can tell an ATM to give you as much money as you want, I'm sure that's hard to resist. But their big crime was the fact that they weren't registered. Or at least, they wiped their registration from the system.”
“But they tried to hurt you.”
“Yeah. After Stiletto went off on one of her berserker rage fits. She tore into their hideout like she was going to murder the whole place. I can't blame them for reacting the way they did.”
“Sounds like you're taking their side.”
“Their side?” Connor pushed one of his blood-stained dreadlocks out of his face. “They didn't have a side, Lucy. They weren't a part of whatever it is we're doing. They were just trying to live their lives.”
“But if they hadn't broken the law-”
“Then they'd be like me,” he said before having another coughing fit. “They'd be forced to use their powers to further whatever agenda the Zharkovs tell the Alliance we have.”
“What are you saying? You don't like... believe in what you're doing? You don't want to be a superhero anymore?”
He spit a large glob of blood on the floor, splattering it against the pristin
e plastic and steel. “I'm not a superhero, Lucy. There haven't been any superheroes for a long, long time.”
She stared into his eyes for a moment. She didn't need super vision to see the pain and regret he held there. There was a darkness in him, but it only existed between the light that was broken in him. His idealism was starving. His hope was drowning. He was defeated, a slave to the reality of his life. She reached out to touch him, to offer him some of her faith, some of her optimism, but a shadow fell over the both of them. When she turned to see what was blocking the light, Mermaid stood tall behind her, flanked by a medical staff.
“Get this boy to the medical wing, now!” Mermaid commanded, and the medical staff rushed to help Connor.
Lucy stood up, brushing off her newly delivered clothes, trying to look as proper and superhero-like as she could in front of Mermaid. Mermaid watched intently as the medical staff tended to Connor's wounds. Once he was on the gurney and wheeling away, Lucy gave him a small wave and a smile, which he returned with his last ounce of energy.
“That boy has great potential,” Mermaid said. “He's going to be a powerful member of the Alliance one day.”
“I think he already is,” Lucy said, lost in her own thoughts as she watched the medical staff disappear around a corner.
Mermaid smiled down at her. “You two have grown close?”
“No! I mean, I barely know him. He's been nice to me and stuff, but I wouldn't say, I mean, we're just like... friends.”
“Good,” Mermaid said as she walked away, but motioned for Lucy to follow her, “I'm glad you're acclimating to your new environment.”
“Oh, yeah. I mean, who wouldn't, right? This place is amazing. The food is good and the training rooms are fun and my quarters are like... super nice. There's so many movies on that huge TV. I don't think I could ever watch them all.”
Mermaid chuckled. “Yes, well, sometimes there are long periods of downtime between missions. We don't want our Alliance members to grow bored. If there's anything else you require. Music, books, or those video games you kids play. You can order them from the screen in your quarters. We have an extensive library of media that's yours to access.”
“Thanks. But I haven't even had a second to consider being bored since I got here. Robots are like... flying down the halls and people are using their super powers in the training rooms and I couldn't be happier, to tell you the truth.”
Mermaid stopped walking when they reached the hallway that overlooked the training rooms. Lucy looked down through the bulletproof glass and watched a cannon fire tennis balls at two people. A man was flipping and rolling across the floor, practicing his ability to dodge the incoming fire, while a woman was blowing a powerful gust of wind out of her mouth, knocking the tennis balls to the side. The man's grace was captivating, the way he curled and contorted his body to change direction. Lucy wondered how long it took him to become that good.
“I know you have scheduled time in the training room, but I wanted to take a moment to talk with you,” Mermaid said.
“Oh?” Lucy said, nervous that she had done something wrong. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine, dear. I just wanted to keep you up-to-date on where we're at with your membership. We'd like to start your power training next week.”
Lucy perked up. “Really? That's awesome! I'm like... totally ready. I promise.”
“Good. I'm glad to hear so much enthusiasm. Most of our new recruits are so nervous that they end up psyching themselves out.”
Lucy felt panic rise up from her stomach. Was there something she didn't know? Was there a reason she should be nervous? Was the training more difficult, more dangerous than she thought?
“I, uh, just want to get started, you know?” Lucy said, trying to keep her composure. “I want to know where I'm going to fit into your organization. I guess I still don't know how my power could be of any use to you out in the field.”
Mermaid smiled and Lucy could see every wrinkle in her face as her cheeks were pushed to the side. Lucy knew that woman had seen more in her life than most, and yet she was still proud to be where she was, who she was. Connor was wrong. Superheroes still existed and Mermaid was one of them. She didn't doubt that for a second.
“I'm going to tell you the truth, dear. I didn't know how you fit in either. When I first passed over your records, your scores were impressive, but your power is normally the type we use in the private sector. Medical or science, perhaps.”
Lucy tried not to speak, but she wondered if this was all a big mistake. Maybe they mixed up their files or called the wrong name. Maybe Mermaid was there to tell her to go back to the academy and get a real job. She thought it was at least nice of Mermaid to let her down in person.
“It was one of my colleagues that saw your true potential,” Mermaid said, lifting Lucy right back into her excitement. “He saw a use for you in his corner of the Alliance.”
“What corner is that?”
Mermaid smiled again, but this time it didn't feel as genuine. Lucy thought it looked like the kind of smile her mother would use while telling her that another one of her goldfish died while she was away at the academy. It was there to soften the blow.
Mermaid walked down the hall again as she spoke. “When most people think of the Alliance, they see two sides. They see our superheroes, battling in the skies, saving them from the menace of supervillains and dangerous SPMDs that could cause them harm. That's the side they see on the news at night. That's the side that gets talked about the most. But they know the other side too, the side that doesn't get talked about, the side that houses the people who are energy creators to power our city, or the super translators that know every language, or any number of non-combat oriented super powers that we use to benefit our world.”
“Is there a third side?” Lucy asked as they reached the end of the hall where the transport tubes were.
Mermaid nodded. “Every military organization throughout history has found a need for a more specialized group of individuals that could work in the shadows instead of the battlefield. A group who could gather intelligence, sabotage enemy forces, and perform general espionage behind enemy lines. The Alliance of Heroes is no different.”
Lucy looked down at the floor, trying to let Mermaid's words sink in, but the frantic excitement that was stirring in her kept everything bouncing around in her mind.
“Are you telling me you want me to be a spy?”
Mermaid glanced down the hall, and when she saw that it was empty, she said in a hushed tone, “I don't think the Shadow Operations department would care to use a term like that, but-”
“There's a Shadow Operations department?” Lucy giggled with anticipation.
“There is. And the man that convinced me to recruit you runs it.”
“What's his name?”
“You've never heard of him. No one but the council knows he exists.” Mermaid smiled and placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder. “But you're going to meet him. You're going to train with him. And if everything works out, you're going to join his department. You won't be a public member, but I didn't get the impression you were joining us for the fame.”
“I didn't! Of course not. I just wanted to be-”
“A superhero.”
Lucy nodded. “Yeah.”
“That word can encompass many forms. You will be doing superheroic things, even if no one ever hears about them.”
The smile on Mermaid's face was slight, but Lucy could tell she was doing everything she could to summon one that big.
“If the Shadow Operations department recruits you, no one on the outside will know. They will create a cover story. Something nice and boring. No one, not your friends, not your family, will ever know what you do, the sacrifices you make for the American Republic and the empire will be kept secret. No bright costumes, no statues or action figures, no posters on the walls of children's bedrooms. You won't be inspiring anyone. But don't misunderstand, you'll still be saving their
lives.”
Lucy glanced down at the floor. It wasn't exactly what she had in mind. She wanted the costume, she wanted to inspire people, she wanted to see the look on a little girl's face when she saved her. Mermaid must have been able to see the disappointment in her eyes, because the tall woman reached out and grabbed both her shoulders, squeezing them with a confident energy.
“But you will find your new family, here in Power Tower. You will gain friends and allies, people you can trust your life with. People who will know exactly what you've done, what you've accomplished. They will be proud of you, and soon, that's all that will matter. The mundane life you left behind will be just a memory among the thousands you create here.”
Lucy could tell that most of that speech was rehearsed. It sounded too generic, too much like a recruitment video than anything personal or heartfelt.
“You're asking me to lie to my parents. They're good people. They-”
“They want what's best for you. Do you really want them to lie awake at night, worrying about what dangerous mission you're on? Do you really want them to know every secret, every piece of information that could put their lives in danger?”
“Of course not.”
“Lucy, let me tell you something. The only reason I said yes when I was asked to recruit you, was because I think you're the type of person who's meant to be here with us. You're the type of person who's willing to make sacrifices to save lives. You're the type of person who is willing to do whatever it takes to be a superhero.”
Lucy looked up at the woman who was one of her idols. A woman that before a few days ago, didn't feel real. None of the superheroes did. They were always off in the distance, or high above her in the sky, fighting beings of incredible power with as much awe-inspiring wonder as any little girl could hope for. They were as unreal as the cartoons she watched on her television screen. And yet, on that day, Lucy found herself standing alone with the one and only Mermaid, in the hallway of Power Tower, being asked if she had what it took to be a superhero. That moment was everything she had wanted since she was four years old and her mom first explained who those people on the news were with the bright costumes and the flowing capes. That dream was always a delusion, a naive notion that was unreachable by her pitiful excuse for a super power. But there it was, the moment she always dreamed of, and it was staring her in the face, waiting for her to say yes.
The Super Power Saga (Book 1): Super Powers of Mass Destruction Page 23