by Jamie Hawke
I laughed. “You’re fitting into this team more and more by the day.”
“Hey, I’m a quick learner. And it’s fun.”
Taking her hand again, we walked to the living quarters.
“Where were you just coming from?” she asked.
“Checking in on Sam.” At her suspicious look, I waved my hand. “Nothing like that.”
“Yeah, I know. But doesn’t not having her make you want her more?”
“Check,” I replied, making sure my mind was open to our connection.
After a moment, she nodded. “Unless you’ve learned how to mask your feelings and thoughts from me.”
“From you? Never. From Laurel, though, I’m starting to wonder.”
“She’s still acting off?”
“It would seem.” We reached the living quarters and Andromida was outside, speaking with several local supers. She turned to join us, having overheard, apparently.
“But we checked with them, and Charm,” Aegriss pointed out. “Whatever weird thing happened on the ship, whatever that was… couldn’t have been them.”
Andromida licked her lips and glanced back as the rest of my team joined us then said, “I’ve been thinking more about it, and maybe… maybe we should wake up Muerta. Interrogate her.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” I admitted, and Twitch nodded in confirmation.
“Can it wait until after the ceremony?” Aegriss pointed past me.
I turned to see a very beaten up, but excited-looking Drew jogging over, hands outstretched ready to greet me. I met him in an embrace. As he laughed and pretended to tackle me to the ground, then let up, I saw his team of ladies coming up behind him. Other supers emerged from the tall building as well.
“Damn, it’s good to see you in person again,” Drew said. “So soon, yet so much accomplished.”
“On both sides,” I said, nodding to the sky.
“Yeah, I was talking about me. What, did you do something big, too?” He winked, laughed, and added, “Joking, bro. Good work down there. I mean it. I just need five minutes to clean up, and then let’s get this show on the road. You’ve waited long enough to become an Elder.”
“True.” I was about to tell him I’d see him at the dais, when it struck me. “Hold on—dude, congratulations!”
His smile went even wider. “You heard? Navani and Threed?”
I gave him another hug, clapping him on the shoulder as we parted, and then my ladies were congratulating him as well, telling him how huge this was among supers. They even asked about names, but he admitted he hadn’t even begun to consider that.
The ladies started catching up, telling each other about the crazy events that had happened since we all had last met. Charm gave Threed a hug, ignoring the looks of interest at her multiple tails.
“I just wish I could’ve seen Cheri again before they left,” Charm said.
Threed clucked her tongue. “That crazy bitch?” She laughed, winking my way. “Yeah, too bad they had to head off so soon. Word of a traitor or something, and some price on a head of one of our own. Something about Ezra going undercover, I think they were saying.”
“Damn.” Charm shook her head, looking really let down. “I’d hoped to have a chance for the three of us to sit down together again.”
“Someday,” Threed said.
“And as for us,” Drew said, eyeing us all with a grin. “After the ceremony, we’re all getting together. We’ll show you what this place is all about.”
The angelic-looking one named Sacrada grinned, eyeing my team, and said, “I’d personally like to see how they hold up in the training ring.”
“Oh, shit,” her sister, Sakurai said, arms crossed. “Challenge thrown down.”
“Hold your challenges until after the ceremony,” Gale said, stepping up and poking Sacrada in the shoulder, playfully. “Then we’ll see what’s up.”
“After, then,” Drew said, giving me a look that said we were in for a treat. I couldn’t help but agree—this was going to be fun.
“Go on,” Drew said to his ladies, then gave my team a look. “Just… want a second to talk to my brother alone.”
They all agreed and went to get ready, while he put an arm around my shoulders, gesturing out to the Citadel.
“You believe this is our home now?” he said.
“Honestly, I’m not sure I do. Not yet.”
He nodded. “It takes a while to sink in. And, while we’re being honest, dad isn’t here—busy saving the galaxy or universe or whatever it is we all do.” He chuckled. “But it’s a great place to be, I can tell you that much.”
“And now it’s safer, so that’s a plus.”
“Sure.” He looked troubled, but nodded. “We beat back the enemy, for now. But… Lamb tells me the prophecy is still in effect, because someone has to ultimately go into the enemy’s territory and defeat them.”
“But I thought we were doing that. Especially now, with the Per-Neters—”
“I don’t think so.” He stepped away, frowning, and started to pace. “If it were that simple, great. Let’s do it, but… the supervillains here need dealing with, and more will pop up to fill the hole we’ve created. And with the true enemy still out there trying to find a way over, there will always be something.”
“So, it never ends, huh?”
“Never.” He stared at me, no longer moving. “But maybe that’s a good thing?”
“Because we like the action?”
“Because we like the action,” he repeated as he rubbed his chin, considering that, then laughed. “Fuck, I sure as hell do. And I don’t know, I have to wonder if these ladies would be so frisky if not for all the life and death stuff. You know?”
“Frisky?” I chuckled. “Dude, I’m your brother, in the exact same situation as you. No need to be careful with your language.”
“Fine. Horny as hell. These ladies like to fuuucckk, and it might not be so if we were all sitting around, bored.”
“I get that feeling too, sometimes,” I admitted. “But don’t go looking for trouble where there isn’t any.”
“Trust me,” he replied, “in this universe I don’t think there’s ever really a shortage.”
“Damn.” I looked over the metal domes of the Citadel, the spiked towers, too, and shrugged. “Fuck it, I’m ready. Whatever’s after this… I’m ready.”
“You’re going to fit right in.” He thrust out a hand, taking mine and shaking it. “Well done, Chad. Bro.”
“Breaker will do.”
“Elder Breaker will do better.” He winked, then let go of my hand and waved as he walked away.
14
After a quick stroll to see the place, I entered the room to find Shimmer and Gale there. Both were grinning in that sexy way right before we got down to business.
“Think we have time?” I asked, starting to undress.
Gale laughed. “Keep undressing, but not for sexy times, Mr. Elder.”
“That’ll have to wait until after,” Shimmer added, gesturing to the wall to my right.
I hadn’t even noticed the ceremonial Elder robes there. Black with gold patterns, almost like something from the wizard movies back home.
With my shirt halfway off, I frowned, then pulled it back on to wear the robes over. As fancy as the getup was, it wasn’t exactly my style.
Shimmer stepped forward, pulled the robes off the hanger, and helped me into them. Gale was there smoothing them out, a hand moving down my back, before she gave me a playful slap on the ass.
“You better wear these later, too. At least, until I tear them off you.”
I chuckled. “For you, anything.”
“Actually,” Shimmer bit her lip, looking me up and down, “she’s right. You look damn good.”
“On the topic of role play,” Aegriss said, as she stood in the doorway, “both of you can do illusions. Why have we not played around with that more?”
Shimmer and I shared a look. Clearly, neither of us had pu
t much thought into this idea before. I had little ideas here and there, but mostly boring stuff like making my cock larger, which they all hadn’t wanted, oddly enough.
“I’ve actually considered it,” Shimmer said, giving me a playful look. “Thing is, we all seem to have enough fun as it is. If we start introducing crazy stuff into the mix, will that cheapen the regular stuff? Like… in some parts of the Oram system, they eat pasta without sauce or anything, to taste the pasta. Others, they love pasta with sauce, garlic, all that goodness.”
“Oh, like Italy,” I said, intrigued.
She looked at me, confused, then shrugged. “Point is, after you have all that other stuff, do you still want the regular pasta?”
“I’d say it depends on your tastes that day,” Gale offered. “Sometimes for dessert I want apple pie, sometimes I just want a peach or some melon.”
“Good points all around,” I said, trying not to imagine Gale naked, peach juice dripping down her chin and onto her full breasts, me licking it up. How I could possibly still be horny after all of the recent action was beyond me.
“I’d be open to it,” Shimmer said with a shrug. “Maybe you’re right, maybe something to have fun with sometimes, others not.”
“After the ceremony, then.” Aegriss smiled, wide. “I’m excited.”
“Maybe some sleep, first?” Gale countered. “I don’t know about you all, but… I could use it.
“That’s for sure.” Shimmer yawned, confirming it.
Gale looked my way, proud. “Not too tired to enjoy this ceremony, though. By Oram, this is a big moment.”
“I still can’t believe it,” I admitted.
“We’ve been through a lot,” Shimmer said, stepping up. Her hand moved along my collar and stopped at my chest. “You’ve earned this.”
“And she’s not just saying that because you give her multiple orgasms,” Gale added with a wink.
The ladies laughed, making me blush.
“Don’t cheapen the moment,” Shimmer said playfully.
Gale held up her hands. “Sorry, just… can’t get over how hot this is. Our man, an Elder of the Citadel!”
“I know we came by before, briefly,” I said. “But now that we’re here… how’s it feel? Like home?”
“Like I never left, only three thousand times better.”
I nodded, appreciating that, and we turned to make our way out.
In the doorway, I saw more of the team waiting, forming lines on either side of the door. All but Charm, who I figured would meet us on the way. Or maybe she was checking on her friends… again. Either way, I stepped out and started toward the dais, my team following behind. Others were watching, mumbling to each other, and smiling. It wasn’t every day someone was made an Elder, and today they were getting two.
We made our way toward the dais. My chest was pounding and warm tingles moved through me. In part, I was able to fight off the nerves with curiosity, wondering where the hell Charm was. She was the only one not present in my escort.
A scent like freshly-brewed coffee hit me, filling me with a new alertness. I glanced around, wondering if there was coffee here somewhere. If so, I was going to find a cup when this was over and make sure I had the chance to get to know as many supers as I could before passing out.
Speaking of supers, they were looking at me, whispering, nodding with respect. I nodded back, waved to some younger ones—I hadn’t realized there would be younger ones here, although I had a thought on that.
“How old are they?” I whispered to Gale.
“Who?”
“The ones who look like children. Are they actually children, or… how’s that part of the ageing process work for supers?”
She chuckled, shaking her head. “They would be children, yes. That one,” she indicated a young boy who reminded me of myself when I was a child, “probably ten or eleven. It’s when they get close to adulthood that the aging slows, which I suppose makes the most sense, after all. We reach our prime fighting and training age, and our bodies basically stay that way for a long time.”
“Nothing to complain about,” I replied with a grin. “If I had that—”
“Wait, Breaker,” Shimmer interrupted. “Have you looked in a mirror, lately?”
Now that she mentioned it, I couldn’t remember the last time I had. “No, why?”
“You look like you’re about nineteen, or maybe younger. Seriously, it’s… interesting. I feel for the man you were, and that’s still you in there, but it’s taken me a bit of getting used to.”
“Excuse me?” I glanced around. “Nobody thought to mention this to me before we were surrounded by supers and I became the center of attention?”
“It’s sensical,” Gale countered. “We figured you knew. I mean, you were healing yourself left and right, which already was countering the ageing process to a degree, and as you grew as a super, yeah, you sort of aged back.”
“Great, I can’t wait until I heal myself back into my preteens.”
Shimmer laughed. “Aren’t you listening? You won’t—this is your prime. This is the ultimate you, healed as much as can be.” Her finger reached up as we walked, running along my scar near my eye. “Odd, that you still have that.”
“Can’t heal scars,” I said. “That’s something I learned early on.”
She nodded, and there was no more time to talk because we had reached the platform just before the dais. Hadrian stepped forward from the crowd, standing tall and strong. He gripped me by the hand and motioned to the dais.
“You will go first,” Hadrian said, “followed by Sam. And when it’s… Breaker? Are you with me?”
I was vaguely aware of what was being said, but no, I was not in the moment anymore. Instead, my eyes and mind had turned their attention to the sight of Charm approaching.
Not just Charm, but red-dress Charm. She had removed her superhero suit completely, walking barefoot with those beautiful legs of hers on display, leading my gaze up to a pleated red skirt. It swirled around her knees with each step she took, her movements as graceful as a, …well, as a fox? And the way she held her hands behind her back, almost shy, uncertain—it made me want to run to her, pick her up, spin her around and tell her how beautiful she was.
Only, I couldn’t. All I could do was stand there dumbfounded, in awe of her beauty. The dress was low cut, revealing the curve of her breasts without a bra beneath, cleavage too, but neither in an amount that took away from her classiness. Her eyes sparkled blue and green, her hair seemingly a deeper shade of pink than normal.
When she had almost reached me, I broke out of my stupor. “I’ll have to go second,” I muttered, and then ran to her as I had wanted to all along, lifted her, and spun.
She laughed, hands out like she was flying, body arching, and I had to bring her back down for an embrace, to tell her how beautiful she was, to kiss her.
“You mean it?” she asked between kisses.
I held her face, staring into those gorgeous eyes. “Even without the dress—”
“Perv.”
“I didn’t mean—shut up, you know I mean that, dress or anything else, you’re stunning. But I love this packaging on you.”
She laughed, pinched me slightly, and then shrugged. “A pinch and you didn’t wake up. Yup, I’m real and all yours.”
I chuckled. “If you weren’t… I’d die. Just… die.”
“Here’s to a long life.” She kissed me again, then motioned to the dais. “Don’t we have a ceremony to do?”
“Indeed, but…” I turned to Hadrian. “I’m going to need a moment. Have Sam go first.”
Hadrian nodded. “If you wish.”
Each of my ladies smiled at me in turn as I took my spot beside Hadrian, waiting for Sam to arrive. I stood there in my fancy robes, all eyes in my direction. The characters there were something out of this world, I thought, only to remember that I was in this other system. In this system, these characters were completely normal. The Citadel was quite full com
pared to when I had left. Some of the supers were huge, others had horns or tails. Some wore long robes and hoods, looking more like a cult than anything else, and others were practically nude. Apparently, I was the only one who seemed to find that odd. Another Earth hang-up, apparently.
I wondered how different life would have been had I grown up out here, or lived back when the early colonists first arrived. What about those first days when powers were being discovered? I couldn’t imagine how that would have played out, being the first to wake up one day with superpowers.
“Here we go,” Shimmer whispered, and at my glance, she nodded to the path forming in the crowd.
Sam walked toward us, looking elegant and powerful with her Elder robes flowing around her. A glisten to her eye and her curious grin made me wonder if something had happened to her in the short time since we had spoken.
When we made eye contact, I motioned for her to go first. My heart was still thundering at the sight of Charm in the red dress, and honestly, there was action going on downstairs that I hoped would subside before I had to stand in front of a crowd as the main source of attention. So far, the robes were doing a good job of concealing that, but I hoped my soldier would stand down before it was my turn.
Sam was all smiles as she took her spot on the dais, central to the crowd. Hadrian stepped up beside her, hands out. I glanced over to see my brother staring at me, proud, and I nodded. My mind was still spinning with the idea that I would finally get a chance to spend time with him, and with my parents. To have some down time with my ladies, and for them to make friends with the others up here.
It was a whole new world, a whole new life. And I was ready for it.
“You stand at the center of the universe, as we see it,” Hadrian began, “and you stand in a position of power. One that will lead you to delivering justice and the rule of law to the people of this universe. Do you accept this responsibility?”
“I do,” Sam replied.
“You will stand against tyranny, will fight all enemies of truth and justice. You will serve the universe as a guardian, an Elder tasked with keeping the peace. Do you confirm this?”