by Ekeke, C. C.
Hugo was hovering on his back atop billowy white clouds when he heard the collision. Metal crunched against metal, as loud as if Hugo stood a few feet away.
He floated upright, frowned beneath the purple mask covering his face from hood to nose, and listened. Thanks to more training, he could hear farther than twenty miles.
One car had been slammed through the bridge’s outer barricade, wobbling on the edge. Inside, two kids screamed while their terrified mother tried calming them.
And Hugo dove.
Everything briefly fogged over before he burst through the clouds.
The City of Wonder sprawled out below him. Sunlight spilled across glittering skyscrapers buzzing with employees at work. Construction scaffolding still covered several downtown buildings a month after Black Wednesday. Veins of morning traffic clotted city streets and windy freeways. The Rio Timoteo was a sparkly blue coil populated by sailboats and ferries, snaking through San Miguel.
Hugo focused on the car pileup at Wonder Way Bridge.
That car teetered halfway over the bridge barrier. The family cried for help.
Catching the car from above was riskier, Hugo pondered. Coming below is safer. Lady Liberty’s teachings still guided him, animosity aside. He dropped several miles down in seconds, arms thrown back. He halted a few feet over the Timoteo and rocketed forward, foam ripples trailing him.
The car tipped over and fell.
Hugo’s heart leaped. But he bottled up his fears, racing to intercept.
He flew up toward the falling car and slowed in front of its downward trajectory. The family’s screams reached a heartbreaking crescendo. They’d given up.
Hugo wouldn't. Onlookers at the bridge had seen him. Dread became hope.
He raised his hands, silently praying not to screw up, and caught the car. He recoiled just enough to lessen the impact against his durable body. The disheveled mother was reaching for her kids in the back seat. Realizing the car wasn't falling, she turned to the windshield and gawked. “A-Aegis?”
Hugo coughed back laughter at her reaction. ‘Aegis’ wasn’t a smiler, despite Mom’s dumb suggestion. But Hugo always tried making those he rescued feel safe. “I have you.” He floated up.
The woman kept staring. “But…but who has you?”
Once he landed on an empty spot on the packed bridge, the woman leaped out to check on her kids. She confirmed they were unhurt, then whirled and embraced Hugo. “Thankyouthankyou!” she sobbed.
Hugo awkwardly patted her back. He had to pry her off so he could check on other victims. Some car doors needed yanking. Only four serious injuries and many minor ones. No deaths.
Now Hugo’s presence created more traffic in both directions of the bridge. While many honked their displeasure, several left their cars for a look at the shiny new superhero.
That’s what I am, Hugo understood. Currently, the public loved Aegis. But like any other hero, he was always one screwup away from being hated. A sobering thought.
Once all victims were rescued, he hovered above the bridge and this sea of people reaching and screaming for his attention. Many snapped photos or recorded video. Gaining more and more fans was weird these last few weeks. Yet Hugo enjoyed the rock star status in doses.
Less than a mile out, wailing ambulances drew nearer. Two other vehicles followed, all noise from their insides muted.
Hugo seethed. The OSA. They’d been attempting to make contact the last two weeks. Hugo had strong feelings about that agency—strong and decisively against. Once flashing ambulance lights were visible from one end of the bridge, he blasted skyward. The teen weaved around the city for a while, to shake any drones possibly tailing him. And Hugo loved flying.
Constant vigilance…Hugo recited, another Lady Liberty mantra.
A few hours after his patrol, he was exiting Paso Robles High with several students. Junior year started in a month, with today and tomorrow set for onsite registration. Plus, Hugo was checking to ensure his gear stash location remained intact.
He’d swapped his suit for mustard-yellow boardshorts and a green cutoff hoodie, San Miguel Outlaws baseball cap on backwards. His ‘work’ clothes were in a spare safehouse in Shell Beach that Geist had gifted before leaving town. Hugo considered it a safer lair than home.
On the way to downtown Paso, he listened for trouble nearby while browsing his phone’s news apps. Reading on Newsworthy how Paxton-Brandt was still eating shit for Black Wednesday gave him great pleasure. As more leaks revealed the megacorp's superhuman experiments, stock prices plunged and lawsuits rose.
“Dr. Michelman,” Hugo suspected. The teen would rather the doctor be in jail, but Michelman was helping him locate supers in Paxton-Brandt’s black sites across the globe. Therefore, Hugo and the scientist had a tentative alliance. He never asked Michelman about Spencer. Thinking of her was like touching a red-hot stove. He shook away the hurt, crossing the street. He swiped past irrelevant hero news, like Tomorrow Man flying around the world twice for charity. Hugo then found breaking news: The Vanguard officially disbanding.
He read the article, already knowing. Still, it gutted him. Vanguard had defined his childhood. The media had debated for weeks if the government would replace them, given rumors of stricter laws around superheroes. He shivered at the thought, then skimmed the surprising volume of articles and think pieces about Aegis. He’d declined interview requests yet saw himself everywhere. Quinn’s nickname, The Shield of Justice, was heavily used. He smiled, remembering their farewell chat yesterday.
“Speaking of…” Hugo stopped at a shaded street corner before finding another Newsworthy exposé.
SLOCO DAILY’S AD SALES STEALING FROM SPONSORS
By Helena Madden
Hugo grinned. “Quinn did it.” A parting shot to SLOCO Daily’s owner, Paxton-Brandt. With Clint’s help, this exposé was on every major news site worldwide.
Satisfied, he pocketed his cell as Simon walked up. His BFF looked extra happy, looking beach bum-chic on shorts and a Justice Jones T-shirt. “Nice save this morning,” he praised after they’d exchanged a handshake/side hug.
“People in San Miguel suck at driving,” Hugo griped. “That family could’ve died.”
Simon sized him up. “But they didn’t. Thanks to you.”
His friend’s awestruck look was unsettling. Hero worship from strangers was one thing. But from those who knew his secret worried Hugo. “Just doing the work.”
The friends headed toward Apple Farms, where Hugo had planned a gathering. He’d been so busy with superheroics this summer, he’d barely seen anyone. Don’t let Aegis consume Hugo Malalou, Geist had warned. Hugo had taken those words to heart.
During the walk, he cringed at a new building mural of Aegis looking over his shoulder like a badass, smoke rising from his costume. The words ‘The Shield of Justice Is Watching’ were painted below.
Simon burst out laughing. Hugo almost slapped him into next week. This was an homage to the picture that had circulated everywhere after Hugo had defeated The Elite.
“Can Lady Liberty help?” Simon suggested as they discussed the OSA reaching out.
“A flush warmed Hugo's ears. "No." They hadn’t spoken in weeks. Too much vitriol.
Simon frowned. He knew about the Titan thing but didn’t understand. “You forgave your mom.”
“Because she’s my mom,” Hugo retorted, tired of this topic.
Awkward silence lasted for a block. “What about Zelda?” Simon asked.
Hugo’s resolve cracked. The guilt over distancing himself from his half-sister wasn’t pleasant. “What do I say? Hey, sissy, let’s discuss the dad I never knew was my dad.” He gave a helpless shrug.
Simon shrank away. “When you put it that way…”
Hugo eyed him and softened. Simon was trying to help. And they’d only been discussing his drama. How exhausting. Hugo touched Simon’s shoulder. “I know things have been very me-centric. And you had to hide stuff from G-Mama.” He rolled his eyes.
“If it’s too much, tell me.”
Simon pushed shaggy hair from his face. “I’m good, Bogie,” he replied gladly. “We’re a team.”
A smile gushed out of Hugo. “We...and her.” He nodded to the benches outside Apple Farms.
'Team Aegis’s' third member sat texting blithely. Jen Thomas looked cute as hell today in a frilly green top and short-shorts showing off her slender legs, wavy red hair in a side part. Her pale, freckled skin sported a tan from a recent family vacation to Mexico.
J-Tom looked up from her cell. “Hey, boys!” She rose to hug Simon, standing two inches taller. Then she scurried to Hugo and squeezed his waist, nuzzling his neck as usual. Her lengthy hugs always felt amazing.
Hugo pecked her forehead, and J-Tom squealed in delight.
Simon glowered at them. “Get a room, you two."
Hugo scoffed. “Relax, we're just flirty friends now.”
“And Bogie gives great…” J-Tom paused long enough for both Hugo and Simon to grow wide-eyed. “…hugs!” She raised her brow teasingly.
Hugo relaxed and laughed. “You should talk, Huglord.”
Simon grumbled in disgust and trudged inside. Hugo and J-Tom grinned at each other before following, arms around each other. Simon would always be Hugo’s ride-or-die. But J-Tom brought a refreshing, can-do optimism to the team. Plus, she’d leaned heavily on Hugo after Spencer’s treachery. Supporting Aegis had helped the healing.
“I wanted to discuss something,” J-Tom stated once they were seated and the waiter had left. Her stare grew intense. “Helping more.”
Hugo and Simon glanced at each other, confused. “Jen, you’ve been great,” Hugo admitted in low tones. “Helping Simon on the police scanner and comms.”
“Sprucing up the new lair,” Simon whispered. Jen had made the sparse safehouse feel homier.
“I can do more.” J-Tom flinched from Hugo’s warning look and lowered her voice. “Like, will you start selling Aegis merchandise? What about philanthropy?”
Simon smacked Hugo’s chest, startling him. “I told you about the merch."
“Urgh,” Hugo grumbled. There were so many annoying things about superheroing that he’d never considered. “I just wanna save lives and beat up bad guys.”
J-Tom arched an eyebrow. “You’re in the big leagues now, Bogie.”
Simon nodded. “If you stay ready, you ain’t got to get ready.”
Hugo folded his arms, considering this. Merchandise could generate cash for better training equipment in the lair. “You’re both right,” he admitted grudgingly. “We’ll discuss at my house.”
J-Tom clapped, eyes alight with possibilities. “I can research the merch and charity stuff.” She sobered when reaching her next point. “Also…remember that restaurant attack in Paso during Fall Fling?”
Hugo’s cheeks burned. Fall Fling again. “Vaguely,” he commented.
J-Tom leaned in, oblivious to his aversion. “Okay. Two of those Dynamo androids from the attack landed in my backyard. My dad and I shut off the tracking beacons and started tinkering.” J-Tom grew more girlish. “Now I’ve built something kinda amazing.” She eagerly toyed with her phone again.
Hugo eyed Simon, who seemed just as lost yet intrigued.
J-Tom slid her phone over to Hugo, bouncing in her seat.
Hugo picked up the phone, unsure what to expect. The image onscreen showcased a sleek red-white-and-blue-armored suit with a featureless helmet.
Swiping left revealed another shot with J-Tom in the armor sans helmet.
“Jennifer Lyndon Thomas!” Hugo whisper-yelled as Simon snatched the phone. “Does it work?”
J-Tom’s smile split her face. “Flight’s janky. But the weapons work. I also need a new power source.”
Hugo struggled to find his voice. J-Tom wanted to be a hero.
Simon returned J-Tom’s phone, eyes bulging. “You wanna become the next Dynamo?”
J-Tom chewed the question over. “I think I’d rather be the first me—whatever I’m calling myself.” She covered her mouth, failing to contain her delight.
The dangers around superheroics sped through Hugo’s mind in choppy fragments. Chiefly J-Tom’s lack of training and how that suit was Ramon Dempsey’s property.
“Jen…” Hugo held her gaze. “You seriously want this?”
J-Tom still smiled but with steel behind her eyes. The kind of steel that wouldn’t be discouraged. “Fighting supers, gods, and monsters is absurdity wrapped in a tornado of insanity.” Her grin turned mischievous. “Which, full disclosure, is precisely the kinda shit that I’m into. So, let me help.”
Hugo leaned away, his objections retreating before J-Tom’s enthralling magnetism.
Simon began to respond. “Later.” Hugo said, nodding toward familiar faces approaching the table.
J-Tom hastily closed the images on her phone.
“Party people!” Grace Misawa greeted, her wacky summer outfit sporting a color collage. Marin and Karin Stanley flanked her with identical smiles.
Simon’s demeanor brightened. “G-Mama!”
“Numbah One Stunnah.” Grace kissed him eagerly.
Hugo hugged both Stanleys. He’d missed their twin magic.
Grace exchanged greetings with J-Tom, who eyed her with clear interest.
“Hey, Hugo,” Grace said stiffly, not hugging or waving. The coldness stung. According to Simon, she was still hurt by his secrecy and abruptly leaving the Phenoms.
Hugo would have to fix things eventually. “That seat’s taken,” he chided before Karin almost sat directly opposite him. Both Stanleys huddled with J-Tom while Grace cuddled beside Simon. By the restaurant’s growing boisterousness, Apple Farms was filling quickly for lunch.
As the waiters brought menus, more people arrived.
“Bogota!” Jordana sashayed over, her insane curves emphasized by a lacy bustier top and figure-hugging pants. Her curly hair spilled over one shoulder in liquid black waves.
Hugo’s heart sang. “Jodie!” He did a double take. “And company!” She arrived with an entourage.
Hugo stood, greeting her with a lingering kiss. Jordana’s hands slid up his chest as she responded single-mindedly, drawing catcalls.
“You’re looking like a five-course meal, sexy,” Hugo murmured in her ear.
Jodie shivered and cackled in his chest. “You, too, papi!” She pulled back, gesturing to her friends. “My softball friends, Keisha, Chandra, and Lou.” Jodie bit her lip. “Hope that’s cool.”
Hugo shrugged, seeing no problem besides seats. “Your friends are my friends.”
Grace snorted. “He means that!”
Hugo glared at her. “Fuck you very much, Grace!”
Simon mouthed, “I’ll talk to her.”
Jodie exchanged giggly hellos with J-Tom before sitting beside Hugo, where she belonged. After many long talks and fun hookups, they were finally moving toward boyfriend and girlfriend territory. This next step felt natural for Hugo, and so good.
Rafael arrived next, big as a boulder with a growing afro. The table erupted. “The Caribbean was a dream, y’all.” Rafael looked rested and happy. “But San Miguel is home. I brought my boy, Tyson.” He gestured to the lanky black boy behind him.
Strangely, everyone deferred to Hugo.
“The more the merrier,” he stated.
Wale, Groban, and JT’s arrivals required more seats.
“Seat’s taken,” Hugo said when Wale almost sat across from him.
“By who?” the dreadlocked boy snapped.
“Not you,” Hugo replied firmly.
Brent Longwell arrived next, sunburnt from his Florida vacation.
“Lefty!” J-Tom cried. “C’mon down!”
“Who saw Aegis’s save this morning?” Brent asked while sitting down.
Hugo glanced at J-Tom’s and Simon’s amusement. “You, obviously.” His friends laughed. Everyone knew Brent was Aegis’s biggest fan.
Brent ignored the teasing. “I hope Aegis gets so
me merch. I’d buy the hell out of it.”
“We missed you, Brent!” Hugo gushed, ignoring J-Tom’s pointed stare. Almost everyone was here. The vibe was happy.
Conversations overlapped and merged while people ordered food and shared their summers. He basked in his friends' stories and nearness. J-Tom flirted with Jodie’s friend, Keisha, who flirted back. That made Hugo smile. Interest in other girls meant J-Tom was moving on.
"Ever wondered what’s missing in your life?" Brent asked Karin Stanley, guiding her through Apple Farms’ new menu. "The answer is Japanese fluffy pancakes." And by Karin’s giggly reaction, Brent’s charm barrage was working.
Jodie kissed Hugo’s throat, her fragrance distracting. “Last night! Talk!”
Wale frowned at Jordana. “What happened last night?”
“My boy, Carter,” Hugo began. “He’s a backup dancer for Simon’s friend L.U.N.A.” Laughter sounded as Simon shot daggers at him.
“His birthday party was at 805 club.” Hugo had almost no-showed due to chasing two violent supers in Atascadero. Jodie had canceled to spend time with Quinn before she’d left town. Hugo had found another plus-one, the same one who hadn’t arrived. With everyone watching, he discussed the crowd, the music, and a dance-off with some random in a jabberwocky mask.
“It’s a back-and-forth battle,” Hugo recited, reliving the dance-off. “The dancer kept one-upping me. I’m getting so mad, I nearly angry-danced like Wale.” More laughs, even from Wale himself. “It ends with a tie and the dancer removes their mask.” Hugo scanned his audience, giddy at what came next.
“Who?” Grace, Jodie, and several others demanded.
“L.U.N.A!”
The table's uproar was deafening. Hugo still couldn’t believe he’d met L.U.N.A. She was short, about five-foot-three-ish, and a huge fan of the Phenoms and Hugo himself based on Simon’s videos. His best friend looked annoyed by the L.U.N.A fandom.
"Wish I’d gone." Jordana pouted. “Who did you go with?”
Familiar, nervous breaths pricked at Hugo’s ear. “A friend,” he remarked, smirking coyly.
Grace spotted them first. “Oh my God.” She elbowed Simon.
“What?” His expression curdled. “Aw, Jesus.”