They were nearly to the double doors that led to the boardwalk where the stage had been set up and everyone would be gathered. Mr. Awesome slowed his steps and looked around quickly. There was a backpack sitting right in front of the double doors - one of the school backpacks with the team logo that you could buy in the team’s gift shop. It was out of place - and he heard something, an electronic buzz that was climbing in pitch. “Meltdown!” he started to say, but it was too late.
The explosion was massive. There was a flash of light, warmth, burning, pain, a hard impact, and then screams and the smell of burning flesh. He tried to look, but he couldn’t see, only his ears were working but the noise was quickly fading with his mind.
“Costume…popsicle,” he said with his last breath and then the world went dark for him, forever.
Chapter 6
6:22 p.m., Thursday, March 28th, 2013
Bradley Arena
Milwaukee, WI
It was 2003 all over again, Seawolf thought, as she sat frozen in the same chair she’d been in over 4 hours ago when everything went horribly wrong. Gabrielle had configured the television in the team box for a video conference and Seawolf could see what remained of the core leadership of West Pacific Supers assembling at the secure meeting room at HQ. The assistant deputy PR director, Stacey Noble, was having trouble getting sound to come through on their side and Gabrielle was screaming directions at her over the phone, which clearly wasn’t helping. Seawolf dimly realized that they were both shell-shocked; she could barely feel anything herself. It was just like when Sarah had died. Back then, Seawolf had felt as if she was surrounded by a deep fog whereas Circe had been like Gabrielle was now – spewing outrage and angry revenge schemes, a cover for the grief and hurt she wasn’t allowing herself to feel. Actually, Dr. Hodges had taught Seawolf to recognize the stages of grief back at the Academy. He had also taught her that grief was a perpetual ache. It’s always worse for those left behind, he had once said. Whatever happens to us when we go, it’s got to be worse for the survivors.
She saw Dr. Hodges now, looking older and greyer than he had even last week, and decades older than he had looked when she had first met him as a new student at the Academy. Next to him was Dr. Annie Sterling, the team’s operations director, and across the table was Matteo, the team’s legal counsel. This was it then; this was what they had left. And all for a damn Costume Launch, she couldn’t help thinking, even though she knew it was an unreasonable connection. Why did people always feel compelled to change things just for change’s sake? She supposed it was part and parcel of the Industry; at least that’s what Mr. Awesome always said, ‘if you can’t make things better, at least make a change.’ That was what he had told her back in 2003 when Sarah died and they changed the whole look of the team. It seemed disrespectful to her, but Awesome said it was necessary to prove that the team was still viable, that West Pacific City was still protected. Idiots. Like picking new costume colors was ever going to make up for the loss of Supersonic Cat. And now Mr. Awesome – dead in blue and white swirls. She shuddered and then the sound on the television suddenly came through, cutting short Gabrielle’s tirade.
“Thank you Stacey,” said Dr. Hodges in his quiet way, waiting for the young woman to take a seat before he continued. Seawolf saw her brushing away tears as she sat. They all turned to look at Dr. Hodges, their team president, the one who had founded West Pacific Labs, the Hodges Institute and Academy, and West Pacific Supers itself, the one who had seen them through so many storms. He was staring at the papers in front of him as if he couldn’t understand what the words meant anymore; there was a heavy silence and then he spoke.
“We have five confirmed deaths,” he said softly. “We lost Mr. Awesome, Jason - I mean Meltdown, and Matt Ruhl in the attack, as well as two support staff: Tracy Morgan and Kevin Benson. We also suffered staff and bystander causalities from the explosion … There are 22 injured, many of those in critical condition, including Starfish.” He looked down again, his shoulders sagging, and Seawolf thought of how each one of those numbers meant a life gone or changed forever, a whole network of surviving lives disrupted - the pain and loss stretched out like a spider’s web across the city, the State, probably the world.
“Why isn’t Starfish recovering quicker?” she asked, breaking into the mournful silence. Dr. Sterling answered.
“When Meltdown died,” she said briskly, “he released a burst of ionizing and infrared heat radiation, which caused those in the immediate area to experience thermal burns, acute radiation sickness, and deep gamma penetration. It was probably this secondary explosion, if you will, that was responsible for the deaths of Mr. Awesome and Matt. Starfish, whose regenerative abilities are usually able to heal most damage, is suffering from severe radiation poisoning – vomiting, bloody stools, and the like. The doctors, however, are mostly concerned with the likely stochastic effects, such as cell-cycle gene mutation, tumor growth, genetic damage… ”
Dr. Hodges, wincing, patted Dr. Sterling’s arm to signal for her to stop and Seawolf let out the breath that she hadn’t even been aware she was holding. Dr. Sterling’s description of Starfish’s condition might have been accurate, but it didn’t feel appropriate, especially given the image that was still burned in her mind: the doors to the Boardwalk center blowing open and body parts flying out. That was Annie all over though – incredibly intelligent yet emotionally insensitive. Everyone else must have felt the same way because there was silence for a moment until Dr. Hodges said, “The doctors will know more in a few days.”
Gabrielle cried out, “Do we have any idea who the hell did this?”
“It’s too soon to know yet,” said Dr. Sterling, “not to mention that we are too short on resources at the moment to start an investigation.”
“What about White Knight? Isn’t he looking into things?” Seawolf demanded.
Dr. Hodges looked at her blankly for a moment before saying, “He is, of course. That’s why he’s not here. We’ll get everyone involved as soon as we can. We’re all still adjusting.”
Gabrielle broke in angrily. “And Keystone? You can’t tell me that he’s still sitting out after this happened!”
Dr. Hodges shook his head. “We haven’t heard from him yet. I think he’s out of town.”
Silence fell again over the group.
Dr. Hodges absentmindedly shuffled through the papers in front of him; Stacey Noble was continuing to cry quietly to the side. Next to Seawolf, Gabrielle stared dully at the screen, her anger spent and a heavy misery blanketing her usual energy. Matteo looked up, curious at the pause in conversation. “Well, I think what we’re here to figure out is the best course of action to restore the team’s strength,” he prompted.
Gabrielle nodded. “We’re going to get the top pick at the Draft,” she said. “I talked to Bayou Brigade about an hour ago. Saint Charles himself called and we worked out a deal. We get their #1 pick this year in exchange for our #5 pick this year and our #12 pick next year. So that means we can get Paradigm Shift, Flash Freeze, or Cosmic Kid, who are all highly rated. I think we take Flash Freeze or Cosmic Kid. They’ve both got outstanding power sets and good reputations for being solid performers. Paradigm Shift is interesting, but we don’t need interesting right now.”
“We agreed on Neo-Mermaid,” protested Seawolf, finally mustering the energy to speak. Gabrielle had explained this whole matter of switching Draft picks to her but she simply couldn’t believe that they were really going to pass on Danny Chase. The girl had real potential, not to mention that she had her heart set on joining the team. It would be terrible if they let their tragedy become her disappointment.
“We already have two water mutants on the team,” said Dr. Sterling, “or at least we will once Starfish gets back in action. As Mr. A told the team when he voted against picking her, we’re not the West Pacific Swimmers.” She smiled wistfully and then shook her head and continued. “Plus we already have one power armor suit in White Knight. As I’ve said
before, Neo-Mermaid is redundant.”
Seawolf felt desperate. “Dr. Hodges, you said that I could have her,” she said, not caring that her voice was on the edge of breaking. “She’s supposed to be my replacement.”
Dr. Hodges shook his head slowly. “I know, Seawolf, I’m sorry. It’s just that – well, with Mr. Awesome gone, the situation has changed.” He regarded her heavily. “We’re all going to have to make sacrifices this year to keep the team functional. You can pick a replacement next Draft.”
Seawolf sank back in her chair, feeling utterly demoralized. Next year. There wouldn’t be Danny Chase next year, and maybe no water-based supers at all. And if they could push her off one year, they could push her off again. Her dream of hand-selecting her own replacement had been shattered and Danny Chase would have to learn early on that in the Super Industry, your career plans could change completely in a matter of minutes.
“I know Mr. Awesome wanted a flyer,” Dr. Sterling continued briskly, “but Gabrielle has convinced me that there’s problems with all of the flyers in this year’s Draft. Regardless, we need a speedster.”
Gabrielle nodded. “Cosmic Kid is actually pretty fast – he clocked 262 miles per hour at the speed trials – and he comes from Teen Ultimate, which has one of the best teen programs out there. I’d be happy with either him or Flash Freeze because they’re both ready to hit the Season running, or at least as ready as any teen can be.” She paused for a moment, and then added, “Either one of them would also give us something else we lost today – a young charismatic male. The young adult male and middle-aged women demographics are huge when it comes to product tie-ins.”
Seawolf scowled. She hated the whole publicity side of being a professional superhero, but she didn’t have the energy to argue with them. She knew the harsh reality that Gabrielle was always harping on: the team depended on the revenue raised through product sponsorships and appearances to afford the expensive equipment and large staffs that made their jobs easier. Jason had been a media darling; he would pose anywhere with anything and sponsors loved him, even if his power set was a bit gruesome. Usually supers with radiation powers were considered, well, radioactive – not just because of the inevitable comparisons to nuclear weapons, but also due to Seneschal X, a major supervillain and right-hand man of Lord Morte of the Evolved Coalition, which wanted a global revolution to install mutants as the dominant ruling class. Not a good set of associations for a superhero. Nevertheless, people adored Jason; he just had that kind of personal magnetism. And now he was gone. Seawolf shuddered to think that he had been dead for only 4 hours and they were already discussing how to make up for his lost publicity value.
“Personally, I vote for picking Cosmic Kid,” said Dr. Sterling. “He reminds me a lot of Mr. Awesome and he has the potential to be our franchise super.”
“They have a similar power set,” Gabrielle agreed. “That’s fine with me.”
“Alright, that’s decided then,” said Dr. Hodges. “But we lost a lot of depth today. Cosmic Kid may have similar powers, but he’s only a teen and he’s going to need time to even be able to fill in for Meltdown. And with Starfish injured and Keystone sitting out, we need someone experienced.”
Matteo spoke up quickly. “That’s why I think we should hire a local vigilante. Someone who already knows the city, and doesn’t need any lessons in heroics. Far less of a learning curve.”
Seawolf shook her head. “Vigilantes are trouble. Sure, White Knight has worked out, but that’s a risk we can’t afford to take again. Vigilantes may know the city, but they don’t know how to play well with others. We’ve worked too hard over the years to build up a solid, respectable team to risk that at the hands of some creep in a cape.”
Matteo laughed. “I’m not suggesting we pick up a kid in a dollar store costume,” he said. “There are long-term experienced vigilantes in West Pacific - like Midnight… ”
“Not Midnight.” Dr. Hodges said abruptly. “We can’t hire Midnight,” he repeated with a note of finality. “It’s out of the question.” Matteo looked confused, but Seawolf instantly understood. Not everyone here knew that Midnight was Mr. Awesome’s daughter. Patricia had just lost her husband; Dr. Hodges wasn’t about to put her daughter in danger too.
“Okay, then,” said Matteo, looking curious but thankfully not pushing the point. “What about Nightprowler then?”
Gabrielle snorted. “You have got to be kidding me! Nightprowler is a total slut. She’s the last thing we need from a PR perspective.”
“Someone sounds jealous,” laughed Matteo.
Gabrielle glared at him. “There are different classes of vigilantes. Seawolf has a point. We can’t afford to hire someone who is going to threaten the integrity of the team’s reputation. There are reasons some people hide behind masks,” she added darkly.
“I don’t know,” said Matteo, shrugging his shoulders. “Supersonic Cat started out as a vigilante and so did Mr. Awesome and they both kept secret identities.”
“I don’t think there is anyone running around West Pacific today who is in the same league as those two,” Seawolf retorted. She was annoyed because a solution had just occurred to her that was perfect from a team perspective yet almost intolerable from a personal one.
“Well, what would you suggest?” asked Dr. Sterling.
Seawolf kept her voice calm though her stomach was churning. “We should hire a real super, someone with experience on a super team, who knows the city, and has a top tier power set.”
“That sounds great,” said Matteo with a hint of sarcasm. “And where do you suggest we go to find this ‘real super’ who is going to be willing to jump teams at the beginning of the Season?”
“Canada,” said Seawolf. She was looking right at Dr. Hodges. He of all people should know where she was going with this.
Dr. Hodges started. “Camille!” he exclaimed, a smile spreading across his face for the first time. “Yes, we hire Camille!”
“Who’s Camille?” asked Gabrielle.
“She used to be Nova Girl,” said Seawolf, her lip curling a little as she thought of her old rival. God, I can’t believe that I’m the one suggesting that we bring her back, she thought. Talk about irony.
Matteo chuckled. “The one who got fired because she wouldn’t wear a miniskirt any longer? Didn’t she become Nova Woman or something?”
“Yes, that’s her,” said Dr. Hodges. “She joined the Infinity Team after the Board refused to see reason.” He sighed. “It was a terrible loss.”
“You know, we actually studied her in one of my media classes,” commented Gabrielle. “An example of how not to change with the times. But if she went to Chicago, what’s she doing in Canada?”
“She was put on the Injured Reserve list one too many times,” said Seawolf bluntly. “She’s a flyer and quite arrogant; she arrived too quickly at some major crises and engaged too early, no doubt thinking she could handle the situation. Infinity cut her after the second year. Last I heard she’d joined some sort of Canadian super league.”
“Do they even have supers in Canada?” asked Matteo.
“Quite a few from what I’ve heard - if you can call them supers,” said Seawolf dryly. “Of course, you’ll have to keep her on a short leash, Gabrielle. Camille is undeniably powerful, but she’s a born publicity hound.”
Dr. Hodges gave her a pained look and Seawolf grimaced. She and Camille had a long and rather tortured history dating back to when they both had been at the Academy, all of which Dr. Hodges knew. He should be pleased that she had even suggested her, not annoyed that she, as usual, was one of the few to see Camille for what she really was.
“That might work,” admitted Gabrielle. “IF she even wants to come back given all of the bad feelings from the last time she was on the team. She would give us the flyer we need.”
“It’s an excellent idea,” said Dr. Sterling. “Seawolf, you can fly directly from Milwaukee up to Canada to hire her.”
Seawolf stared
at her in disbelief. “Oh, no – I don’t think that’s a good idea. Gabrielle should go.”
“Don’t be silly,” said Dr. Sterling dismissively. “You suggested her, you can hire her. Plus, we need Gabrielle back right away in the city to take over public relations. There are press conferences to hold and the funerals will be on Sunday. Stacey here will fly out to Milwaukee to represent the team at the Super Draft.”
“Fine,” said Seawolf, feeling a tinge of guilt at her own pettiness when there were funerals to arrange. “I’ll get Camille.”
“Good,” said Dr. Sterling, “but adding a teen and Nova Woman still isn’t going to make up for everything we lost today, especially if Keystone jumps to another team, which seems increasingly likely. Let’s face it: we’ve pissed off some big-time supervillains in the past who are going to see this as the perfect opportunity for payback. And that’s not even taking into account whoever was behind the attack. It’s entirely possible that they are intent on finishing the job. We’re going to have to pull together quickly, and we’re still short a team leader.”
Dr. Hodges broke in. “I think I have that covered: Blue Star.”
Gabrielle gasped. “Oh my god, Blue Star is still alive?”
“Mostly,” Seawolf said. “He’s in Portland last I heard.”
“The graveyard for old supers,” said Matteo with a chuckle. “You know what they say, old supers don’t die - they move to Oregon.”
“Wow,” said Gabrielle. “That’s amazing. My mom was such a big fan of his!” She frowned as Seawolf raised an eyebrow at her. “Seriously, I thought he was dead. “
“Not dead,” Dr. Hodges confirmed. “He’s team leader of the Legends, but I hear he’s bored in Portland. He’s got decades of experience, so even the Governing Board should be happy with the choice. When Gabrielle gets back in town, Annie and I can head to Portland to talk to him.”
West Pacific Supers: Rising Tide Page 8