by Stan Lee
“I’ve learned not to ask,” Jasmine said.
“Sometimes I play Plants vs. Zombies on it, too,” Carlos admitted.
“This magic Zodiac energy,” Ms. LaFleur said slowly. “You say it’s inside my daughter?”
“It’s inside everyone, to one degree or another.” Carlos snapped off the analyzer. “But it’s not magic. It’s based on elemental forces, the relationship between stellar positions and the earth’s electromagnetic field. And yes, there’s no doubt. Your daughter now possesses an enormous concentration of Zodiac power.”
“She was born in the Year of the Rooster, wasn’t she?” Jasmine asked.
Ms. LaFleur shrugged and looked at her daughter.
Roxanne sighed. “Yeah, I was. We did that Chinese Zodiac thing back in school.” She turned toward Jasmine with a challenging look. “I hated school.”
“You’re probably not gonna love this either,” Jasmine replied. “But—”
“No. Wait. Hold on a moment.” Ms. LaFleur stepped in front of Roxanne. “This is absurd. My daughter is not some superpowered person like in those Steel Aardvark movies—”
“Mongoose,” Steven muttered. “Steel Mongoose.”
“—she is normal,” Ms. LaFleur continued. “Why are you here, anyway? What do you want from us?”
Jasmine leaned forward. “We want to help your daughter, Ms. LaFleur. What happened tonight could happen again, at any time. Back at our headquarters in Greenland, we can train her to use her power safely.”
“And,” Steven added, “we can keep her safe from this dude called Maxwell. He wants to lock us all up and train us to be super soldiers, or something.”
“No. Absolutely not.” Ms. LaFleur stared at them. “I may not approve of Roxanne’s clothes, or her style of music, or the fact that she left university after one semester. Or the makeup she slathers onto her face, or the causes she latches onto seemingly on a daily basis, or the career path she seems intent on pursuing despite all rationality and sanity—”
“Maman,” Roxanne said. “The point?”
“But,” Ms. LaFleur continued, “I support her right to do these things. To find her own path in life, to follow her dreams. And no fairy tales about magic Zodiac powers are going to stop her from doing that.”
There was an awkward silence. Then a sudden light caught Steven’s eye. Jasmine stood up, glowing brightly once again. The Dragon energy surrounded her, coiled around her body like a serpent, its jaws gaping wide. When she spoke, her voice was like an amplified hiss.
“The Zodiac power is real.”
Roxanne’s eyes widened. Her mother froze.
“Jasmine,” Steven said. He rose to his feet, alarmed.
But Jasmine just reached out a hand to him, glowing with Zodiac fire. Before Steven could even formulate a thought, the Tiger within him reacted. He leapt to his feet and loped over to join her.
Then he turned to face Roxanne and her mother. The Tiger energy glowed all around him now, its fierce jaws whipping back and forth, its roar rising up to fill the small room.
“What,” Ms. LaFleur said, “what is that?”
Carlos just sat on the sofa, a worried look on his face. “No more property damage,” he said softly. “Please?”
Together, Steven and Jasmine—the Tiger and the Dragon—stared at their new recruit. Slowly they began to walk toward Roxanne, their energy forms whipping around the room, snarling and roaring.
Steven felt like he was in the grip of something huge, something he could barely control. The Zodiac energy was still new to him, still overwhelming. Jasmine was only using a fraction of her Dragon power, he knew; he’d seen her flare up much brighter than this. But it was still enough to fill the room with light.
Roxanne seemed to shrink back into her chair, watching Jasmine and Steven with terrified eyes. “Mothers don’t care,” Roxanne whispered. “Mothers don’t care…”
Steven recognized the lyrics of one of her songs. He stepped out in front of Jasmine. “This is real,” he said. “I know you don’t want it. I’m not sure if I want it either. But…” He held out a hand to Roxanne.
“Fathers don’t care,” she continued. “Children don’t KNOW!”
The sonic blast struck Steven like a truck, slamming him backward into Jasmine. He bounced right off of her powerful Dragon energy and slammed sideways into an end table. His elbow struck a lamp, shattering it in a shower of sparks. Then he toppled to the ground.
The Tiger roared.
Roxanne leapt to her feet, fists clenched, knocking over her chair. Zodiac energy surrounded her, rising up to form the unique shape of the fierce-winged Rooster. Its beak snapped and pecked at the air.
“Oh, no,” she said. “Maman, help me…”
Roxanne turned toward her mother—who stood perfectly still. She stared at her daughter with a look of utter terror.
Then she backed up into a table, sending it tumbling to the floor. “Stay away,” she said. “Stay away from me!”
“Maman?”
Ms. LaFleur’s eyes were wide. “Your music,” she said. “Your clothes, the makeup, the causes—I can live with all that. But not this.” She shook her head in panic. “Not this.”
“No,” Roxanne said. “You can’t give up on me. You can’t. I’ve always had you. I’m—I’m so LUCKY!”
The sonic blast struck the wall just above her mother’s head, smashing a hole in the plaster. Ms. LaFleur looked up, cast one final terrified glance at her daughter, then turned and sprinted out the door.
Roxanne watched her mother go. She didn’t move, but the Rooster energy form raised its head and let out a long, mournful crowing noise.
Then the energy faded, and Roxanne slumped to her knees. Steven rushed forward to catch her. And then, for a moment, the Rooster was just a normal person again. A confused, semiconscious girl.
“I was lucky,” Roxanne whispered.
“Music is my life,” Roxanne said sadly. “But that part of my life is gone.”
“Not gone,” Jasmine replied. “You may have to put it on hold for a while.”
They sat in a nearby cafe, sipping hot drinks. Carlos had suggested they get out of the hotel room before anyone came to investigate the noise.
Steven turned to watch Roxanne. She stirred a spoon listlessly in her coffee, swirling the milk around.
“I cannot sing anymore,” she said. “Not without hurting people.”
“We can help you with that.” Jasmine took the girl’s hand. “We can train you to control your power.”
Roxanne squeezed Jasmine’s hand. The girl closed her eyes tight and let out something that might have been a sob. “Maman,” she said. “She was always there for me. And then…the way she looked at me when…”
“You were right,” Steven said. “You’re lucky to have a mom like that. Not everyone does.”
Roxanne looked at Steven, squinting as if she were noticing him for the first time.
“She’ll come around,” he added. “Your mom, I mean.”
Something odd crept into Roxanne’s eyes. “They are training you, too?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Steven replied.
“They will train you to dress better? Not that you aren’t rocking that cargo pants look.”
Steven stared at her for a moment, shocked. Then Jasmine let out a loud laugh. Roxanne burst out laughing—the first time they’d seen her do that. Even Carlos chuckled.
Steven smiled back.
Man, he thought. Are all the recruits gonna be like this?
“I KNOW THIS might be difficult to accept,” Steven said. “But there’s this thing called the Chinese Zodiac—”
“Aye, sure, I get it,” the newcomer interrupted. “Crazy energy, ancient power, an’ for some reason it chose me. All good so far.”
“Well,” Jasmine said, smiling. “At least somebody’s not freaking out about this.”
The newcomer, Liam, wasn’t at all what Steven had expected. He was a few years older than Steven but
about Steven’s height, with thick glasses and a round physique. He didn’t look like someone who’d been infused with Zodiac power, or any other power for that matter. And he seemed utterly unconcerned about the whole situation.
But Carlos had confirmed it: Liam was the one they’d come to find. So while Roxanne traveled back to Jasmine and Carlos’s hideout, the rest of them headed to find the Ram.
Carlos made a noise, and Jasmine turned to him. “What?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” Carlos studied his handheld analyzer closely. “I’m getting some sort of new reading. Might be nothing.”
Liam waved to a woman, who was just closing up shop for the day. “Oi, Millie,” he said. “How’s business?”
Millie gave him a sour look, then a quick smile. She turned away.
They were walking down the winding main road of Liam’s village, in Northern Ireland. The houses were built low—one or two stories—and a lot of the stores seemed to have gone out of business. The sun had just set, and a light mist was rolling in.
Steven realized that most of the cars parked along the road were compact models. In America, he thought, there’d be a lot more SUVs.
“This place feels peaceful,” he said.
“Peaceful?” Liam turned to him. “Aye, that’s one word. Hey, Angus. Crops comin’ in?”
“You seem to know everyone here,” Jasmine commented.
“I’ve lived here all my life.”
“So,” Steven said, “like we were saying. The Zodiac—”
“Mate!” Liam grinned. “I believe ye. I already knew something happened to me, you just put the words to it. Here, I’ll show ye.” He turned to a very large, muscular man, a giant walking by in a T-shirt and jacket. “Mal. Hit me in the stomach, aye? Hard as ye can?”
The giant, Mal, smiled and nodded. He whipped his fist down and slammed it up into Liam’s gut. Without a sound, Liam flew up off the ground, soaring several feet through the air. For just a moment, a Zodiac energy form appeared in the air around his body: a raging, charging Ram with sharp, curled horns.
Steven gasped.
Liam slammed into the side of a boarded-up storefront, chipping several bricks on its facade. As he slumped to the ground, the Zodiac energy faded.
Before Steven could make a move, Liam was on his feet, dusting off his stomach. He walked back to the giant, grinning. “Good one, Mal!” Liam said. “You been workin’ out, aye?”
Mal nodded, smiling shyly. “Whenever Downton’s not on,” he said.
Jasmine, Carlos, and Steven converged on Liam. Carlos ran the analyzer across his body, excited. “No damage at all,” Carlos said. “But, yes, a considerable discharge of Zodiac energy.”
“See you, Mal!” Liam called.
Mal waved and walked off.
Steven felt a sudden sadness, a kind of envy for Liam’s life. This man knew who he was and where he belonged. He had friends, routines, and probably family who cared about him. Since Steven’s horrible conversation with his mother, since learning that his grandfather had passed away, he felt rootless, unsure where he belonged.
He sure didn’t feel as comfortable with the Zodiac power as Liam did.
Steven looked at Liam’s gently smiling face. Is it right for us to take him away from here? he wondered.
As if she’d read Steven’s thoughts, Jasmine began to speak. “Liam,” she said. “We were worried that our Zodiac recruits would need training, but I can see that’s not a problem with you. You obviously know how to use your power.”
Liam shrugged. “I’ve been brawling since I was six years old. It’s just easier to get back up again, now.”
“But that’s not the only reason we’re here.” She frowned. “You’re in danger. There’s a man called Maxwell—he’ll stop at nothing to get hold of the power inside you. He, or his agents, are probably on their way right now.”
“Aye, so ye say. But nothing can stop me, right? I’m indestructible. So why should I go with…” Liam turned as a man staggered by. “Hey, Glenn,” Liam said. “You all right there?”
“Right as summer rain, Liam.”
Liam watched, an odd look in his eyes, as Glenn shambled off into the sunset. “‘Right as summer rain,’” Liam repeated. “You know something? I’ve had the same conversation with that man, every night for the last ten years.”
Then Liam turned abruptly to Steven. “Tell you what, mate,” Liam said. “If you can beat me in a fight, I’ll go with you.”
Steven blinked. “What?”
“In a fight. Fair fight, Zodiac to Zodiac.” Liam smiled. “What do you say?”
Steven turned to Jasmine and Carlos, looking for help. But Carlos was engrossed in his analyzer again, tapping at its touchscreen.
Jasmine just shrugged. From the smile tickling at her lips, Steven had the feeling she was looking forward to seeing them fight.
“It…it seems like a weird way to decide something important,” Steven said.
“Like I said, I’ve been fightin’ all my life.” Liam’s smile took on a nasty tinge. “Unless you’re afraid?”
Steven clenched his fists. Inside him, the Tiger roared. As always, it couldn’t resist a challenge.
“Where?” Steven asked.
Liam stopped and gestured at a building with chipped blue paint and a flickering neon sign in the window.
Liam strode forward, pushed open the door, and disappeared inside. Steven hesitated for just a moment.
“Hey,” Jasmine said. “Check it out.”
He followed her pointing finger to the sign hanging over the pub’s awning. In faded, chipped letters, it read: THE RAVEN AND THE TIGER.
Jasmine shrugged. “It’s fate.”
She held open the door. Steven grimaced and walked inside.
The pub’s insides were as rundown as its exterior. Pictures of old men hung on the walls, above tables with missing legs. A couple of bored-looking men and an old couple sat at the bar. Above, a second-story balcony looked like it was about to collapse.
“Not exactly the Four Seasons,” Jasmine said.
Steven frowned. “Where’s Carlos?”
“Said he’d be along. He wanted to take a few more readings first.”
Liam was already clearing tables out of the large central area. The bartender, a wiry middle-aged man, looked on in amusement. “Liam,” he said. “Should I be sellin’ tickets?”
“I dunno,” Liam said, gesturing at Steven. “You think this lad’s gonna put up a fight?”
The bartender snorted and started back toward the bar. “I think you’ll eat ’im for breakfast,” he said. “With maple syrup.”
Again, Steven felt the Tiger snarl. He forced it down and walked up to Liam. “Look,” Steven said. “I really don’t think this is gonna—”
“What’s your Zodiac sign, now? The Tiger?” Liam smirked. “That sounds like a right cute little kitty cat.”
Steven gritted his teeth.
The bartender stood by the door now, motioning people inside. The townspeople started to troop in, watching the confrontation expectantly.
Liam just kept smiling at Steven. “In fact,” Liam continued, “I almost feel sorry for ye. Soft little boy like you wouldn’t last ten minutes growin’ up around here—”
Steven leaned forward and jabbed his fist twice, very fast, into Liam’s face. Liam’s head snapped backward, like a bobblehead doll. Then he shook his head, as if he were throwing off water.
“Awww, that’s cute, mate,” Liam said. “Like a kiss from Grandma.”
Steven clenched his fists again. The Tiger energy rose up all around him, forming its familiar energy shape in the air. When he saw Liam’s grinning face, the Tiger roared.
Steven charged. He reached out and grabbed both of Liam’s shoulders, slamming the Irishman’s body against the wall. A picture frame shattered, and a stuffed fish fell from its hanger to the floor.
“That’s more like it!” Liam said.
The two of them grappled for a mo
ment. Out of the corner of his eye, Steven saw Jasmine eyeing the battle. More people were crowding into the pub now, gathering behind her to watch.
Liam freed one arm from Steven’s grip and punched him in the stomach. Steven gasped and doubled over. He took a step back.
“Are ye gettin’ it yet?” Liam asked.
Steven roared again, a deep, primal sound. Enraged, he ran toward Liam, headfirst. His charge was clumsy, uncoordinated. But when his head struck Liam’s stomach, the two of them tumbled down to the floor.
Liam huffed and rolled over on top of Steven. Steven’s head struck the floor, and he felt broken glass cut into his ear. He cried out.
When he looked up, Liam was sitting on top of him. Liam wasn’t scratched, injured, or even breathing hard.
“I’m trying to show you,” Liam said, “there’s no way you can beat me. Ye might as well give up.” His voice was almost kindly now. “Nothin’ stops the Ram.”
Steven’s vision was blurry. He looked up, past Liam’s looming face, searching for Jasmine. He couldn’t see her, but other people were watching. Dozens of local residents, looking to see whether he was tough enough to beat their champion.
“Give up?” Steven spat blood. “Never.”
Even as he said the words, he knew they sounded foolish. Steven—the Tiger—was strong, fast, and unnaturally agile. He didn’t know the extent of his power yet; this was the first time he’d really been in a fight. But he knew he could hold his own against any normal enemy.
Not Liam, though. The Irishman was right: the Ram was unstoppable. That was the very essence of its power.
Liam shrugged. “Suit yerself.” And he reared back.
Steven braced himself for the head-butt, but it still hurt. A lot.
THE IRISH TOWN’S winding streets made Josie dizzy. She trotted down the main road, around sharp turns, stopping every now and then to check her target’s location on her holographic wrist-computer. She had to keep pulling up a street-map overlay in order to find her way.
Once, a man staggered up to her, identified himself as Glenn, and mumbled something unintelligible. She frowned and pushed him away. He reeled back, sneered, and clenched a fist at her.