I nodded, that was just prudent.
“Harmony, contact Prisma for Angel’s location, and get me there. Please.”
Champion said, “Me too. Never leave your partner behind. I might not be able to help with this, but I can watch your backs.”
I smiled, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
We both blinked out, and I appeared in an emergency room gone mad.
The stench was awful. The press of bodies in the vast overfilled room was intense, and I could see there was a large group of people outside the emergency room doors. It wasn’t hard to find Angel, I could see the bright white glow from across the room as she healed another sick person. That person looked almost fine, but very sleepy, as they walked out and further into the hospital, guided by security. Probably so they could use another exit, it’d be too hard to push through the crowd to the ER doors.
I turned perpendicular to the ten-foot ceiling, and I flew over all their heads to reach Debra.
She looked up in shock, “What are you doing here.”
I held down my hand, “Heal me, I want to try something.”
Debra frowned, but to her credit she trusted me and didn’t ask any questions. Her hand started to glow as she reached up and grabbed mine.
My golden shield turned to a glowing white light, that was almost blinding. Everyone in the room closed their eyes and looked away, but they didn’t cry out in pain. I not only multiplied Debra’s healing energy by thousands of times, I also sent it out into the room, and outside through the open doors.
I felt a lump in my throat as everyone hit by that light showed immediate signs of improvement, sores disappeared, noses stopped running, and they all stood a little taller.
Debra looked up at me in shocked amazement, as I said, “Test was successful, I just enhanced Angel’s power and healed everyone in the ER.”
It’d taken a lot out of me too, but I was already regaining my strength.
Debra asked, “What’s the plan?”
I replied, “Get everyone in the streets, then the two of us light up the sky. I figure it’ll take about ten passes over the city, to get them all, given my half mile range.”
Debra frowned, “Won’t that be a strain on you?”
I shrugged, “Worth it to save tens of thousands of lives and prevent another wave from taking millions, and Champion won’t let us fall if I run out of gas. I just wish we could get the rest of the cities too, but I’ll probably be wiped out for hours after this, and it’ll be too late for the third wavers elsewhere.”
Debra nodded, “We’re all so proud of you, you know.”
That felt really good to hear, but it was hardly the time.
I smiled, “Let’s get it done, then you can thank me. The more you can feed me, the less of my power it will take to enhance it and send it out.”
Solar Wind said, “Harmony hijacked the emergency system, and is ordering everyone into the streets to be healed, even if they’re not displaying any symptoms. I’d say start in… fifteen minutes, it’ll take time for people to get out.”
That sounded fine, it might take us that long to get out of the building ourselves, though the room was clearing quickly, and the crowd that had been outside was already dispersed and no longer blocking the door.
I’d also imagine the city would never be healthier, since it would heal everything. I was proud of my idea, and the unexpected way to use my power, but all the millions that would end up dying anyway, worldwide, kept my head on straight and my pride in check. I wasn’t a goddess, I could only do what I could do, but I could save my city. It wasn’t enough, yet it was still huge.
I just… needed to focus on what I could do, and the people I could save. That’s what made it worth it, not the losses, but the wins. If it wasn’t for me, a lot more people would’ve died that night. Even saving one, would make all the training worth it.
All the deaths wouldn’t be my fault, or because I wasn’t strong enough, they’d be because there was a madman on the loose fighting a war against progress, against the natural evolution of the human race. The deaths would be on him, and god help his soul if I ever got my hands on him.
Still, despite that intellectual certainty, my emotions were a bit more split on the idea. I didn’t feel helpless, but it still didn’t seem like enough to my heart.
When we got outside, I grabbed Debra and she held on as I launched myself into the sky. I flew about a quarter mile high, my powers reaching almost three fifths of a mile meant I could cover several blocks in every direction from that height, moving across the city like a zigzagging spotlight until we’d covered it all. I just hoped my power would last long enough to get to them all.
Angel said, “This is surreal. Anyone we hit will be immunized against it too, there’s bound to be a few people that will stay inside despite the emergency order to fill the streets.”
I nodded, hoping she was wrong, but knowing she wasn’t.
We wound up waiting for twenty minutes, hovering over the city as the city streets were packed with people pouring out of buildings. It was only when Harmony indicated over ninety nine percent of the city’s population had obeyed the emergency order that we got started.
Debra hit me with a much more powerful stream of healing energy than she had in the hospital, and I enhanced it the best could and sent it down into the crowded streets. My personal shield expanded greatly to make sure I got them all on the side blocks, almost like glowing white wings.
I poured my heart into it, and my power. I refused to stop, until it was done.
Champion flew above us both, on overwatch to make sure a supervillain didn’t take advantage of the situation. The healing energy wouldn’t protect me at all, and I was extremely vulnerable in that moment. Of course, we were joined by others. Solar Wind, my mother as Death’s Mistress, and Stacey showed up to escort us as well. A supervillain would have to have a death wish, to attack me just then.
The people below cheered as we passed, and my sense of pride warred with the duty and sadness in me that I couldn’t do more. Yet, I recognized what my power was capable of, to heal a whole city, not fight, but to protect. It made it one of the most amazing moments of my life.
I didn’t grieve or celebrate though, I just focused on Debra’s power hitting my shield, and sent it out a thousand-fold as we flew over the city. It started to become a strain halfway through, and my forehead started to sweat, but I kept going. If I didn’t finish, half the city could die because we’d put them all in one big contiguous group on the city streets.
I had no choice.
My mind was numb, and my power felt weak and thready. It actually started to hurt on the last two passes, as if my power was telling my mind I was at my limits, but I didn’t falter or give in to it, too many lives were at stake.
Darkness clouded my vision at the very end, and my head felt like it was in a vise while someone stirred my brain matter with an ice pick, but I did it. The last thing I remember was Champion catching me as the bright white light blinked out, while my mother caught Debra who couldn’t fly and looked as exhausted and overextended as I felt. Then nothing.
Chapter Fourteen
Consciousness came quickly, and my eyes popped open, just like it always did as a super. Thank god for super healing. Except… when I looked at my watch it was nine in the morning. I’d slept twelve hours. I was actually close to panic for a second, thinking I’d overslept for my first double shift in the command center.
Well, I had, but all the memories from last night had also rushed back into my head, and it calmed me. No one was going to fire me for sleeping late, when I’d overextended trying to heal the whole city. I grinned, still not quite believing that’d worked, then made an effort to grab a shower, dress in my super-suit and I put my hair in a simple ponytail. Then I wolfed down some blueberry muffins for breakfast, and what I mean by some was that it was a whole tray of them. I also chowed down on a banana, and a jar of yogurt.
I’d been starving.
Lastly, was the four glasses of water, and a coffee which I carried toward the command center while I sipped.
Champion turned around as I walked in, and gruffly said, “You’re late.”
I considered sticking my tongue out, but I was an adult, so I rolled my eyes with a grin, “I suppose I am. What happened last night?"
He frowned, “You don’t remember?”
I giggled as I took the seat next to him, “I meant, after I passed out and you caught me. Thanks for that by the way.”
Relief crossed his face, “Oh. Well no one else died here in Excelsior, thanks to you and Angel. They’re estimating you saved just over two million lives in the long run.”
“How could they know that?”
He grimaced, “Because other cities with a population of five million or so lost that many. A few other cities saw what you did, and repeated it, but reactive shielding is rare and your strength is even rarer.”
I shivered, not sure I wanted to know the answer even as I asked, “How many?”
He said, “Six hundred million, worldwide, before it burned itself out. Estimated. They think eight hundred million of first and second generations that lived through it are now homo-sapiens. So, the old humanity is going to be around for quite a bit longer. It’s the largest mass murder in the history of the world.”
Not to mention stealing a longer and healthier life from eight hundred million people, and their progeny if their partner isn’t a super. Their true potential would never be reached, how many dreams had been squashed last night? I tried to imagine what I would’ve felt, if it’d happened to me, and selfishly it was too horrific to contemplate for long.
I didn’t even feel horror yet. It was too big, the numbers so large it was hard to even quantify it, all the lives lost. The tragedy so great, I couldn’t comprehend it. I think I was in shock. I couldn’t even be grateful to the fact that he’d meant to murder over two billion, and transform over three, his plan had obviously fallen far short of his goal.
“The terrorist?” I asked, hating to call him that, but no one knew who he was.
He shook his head, “Every A.I. is working on it, in concert. He can’t have fouled immunity shots all over the world without leaving some kind of trail. But nothing yet. There’s one other thing, you’re kind of famous now. Not just here in our city, but worldwide. They’re lauding you for saving the city, and for being a bright light of hope on the darkest night in history. I can’t tell you how many times the news has played that last moment, when your light went out, body turned limp, and you started to fall.”
I blushed.
Harmony unhelpfully said, “Three thousand two hundred and eighteen… make that nineteen times, on all the various networks around the world.”
He smirked at my expression, but his heart obviously wasn’t in it, “Anyway, they’ve named you. Lady Aegis.”
I felt a little sick, and I worked to keep down the tray of muffins. It was pretentious, and it made me sound like… I didn’t even know. Superhero royalty?
His face softened a little, “I know what you’re feeling, but it was for them, not you. Plus, you do deserve it, that was a hell of a job last night, and there are several million people happy to still be alive in our city because of it.”
I nodded, “So, what’s going on right now,” as I scanned the status monitors. It looked like as planned, both partner groups James and Stacey, and Jonathan and Chad were out there right now, on opposite sides of the city.
He shrugged, “It’s been quiet, maybe even the supervillains are horrified by what happened and are taking the day off. But then, it’s still early, and we need to stay sharp.”
Yeah, if I could focus through this grief and horror which was slowly building in me at that point, nothing would stop me from doing my duty. It was still half surreal though, it really hadn’t sunken in yet at all. Six hundred million dead, what a meaningless number, at least in my gut.
As for the instant fame, that wasn’t even on my radar, yet, and it was the least of my worries.
A blur entered the command center, then I was being hugged fiercely by Janna.
Janna said, “Glad to see you up and about.”
I smiled, as she backed off and stood, “I’m fine, feel normal.”
That also reminded me to tell mom I was okay. I’d been too overwhelmed before that for such things to occur to me. Still was really, but Janna’s presence and the worry on her face reminded me others would be worried too. It wasn’t normal for a super to sleep twelve hours, and if I could help it, I’d never exhaust myself so thoroughly again.
Of course, I would, if our lives or innocent lives were on the line.
“You working today?”
What a banal change of conversation. Six hundred million people were dead. I felt guilty for not saving them, and my stomach was roiling. I knew that wasn’t reality, it was the terrorist’s fault, and I had saved more than my share which was a good thing. My mind was a mess. It’d been easier to focus when I was still in shock, now that my emotions were returning, I felt muddled and on the edge of a breakdown.
It was like three weeks ago, times a hundred, but all I could do was go on. It was what heroes did, and the city needed me. Thad and Stacey needed me to watch their backs, I couldn’t let myself fall apart and let Champion deal with it alone.
She nodded, “Sally and I are taking second shift in here to give you two six hours off, then we’re all sharing third shift for night patrol. Remember?”
I frowned, vaguely. Maybe I wasn’t at a hundred percent after all. Or maybe I was just in shock from all the news that morning.
“I do now, still trying to absorb the news.”
Janna looked pretty damned miserable herself, once the relief at seeing me up and about had worn down. Perhaps in part because of it, the guilt in joy at a friend being fine, when so many others… weren’t. The same guilt I felt, for feeling joy that my little brother had been healed and his destiny as a future super hadn’t been changed, in the wake of so many deaths and people whose destiny and life had been irrevocably altered.
Enough about that, I’d get through it eventually, and it was a struggle, but I don’t want to overly bog down these pages with how much emotional suffering I’d endured for that night. It was bad, but I was strong enough to get through to the other side. I had no doubts about who I was, what I wanted to be, and my ability to carry it out. Oh, some, everyone doubted themselves at one time or another, everyone feared failure especially with the lives of innocents on the line, but not because of that horrific night.
Maybe the supervillains felt it too, because nothing at all happened that day, and almost every A.I. on the planet was working in concert trying to find the terrorist and figure out how he pulled off what he did. Three weeks didn’t seem like nearly long enough, and many suspected he’d had this ready as plan B for quite a while, but it would be some time before we discovered the truth.
The next day was humid, with a persistent raining drizzle. My shields kept me and Champion dry, and I imagined Solar wind was dry too under her shield, but Janna must’ve been miserable patrolling in this weather. Of course, her full body super-suit would keep most of her dry and comfortable.
It was close to noon, which didn’t mean much more than us starting our second shift and staying out for another six hours, after a quick lunch, when Harmony came online.
Harmony said, “I have a line on the mad scientist, I tracked him through the dark web, and I got a location by bugging the buyer’s money drop with an insect drone. So, someone will have to pick up the other supervillain as well before he gets to use his new toys.”
Solar Wind said, “We’ll get the buyer, Champion and Lady Aegis can pick up the mad scientist.”
The split made sense to me. A mad-scientists lair would be booby trapped by god knew what, and my shields were projective and stronger than Solar Wind’s, and I could protect Champion too.
A flight path appeared on my hub, which end
ed at a warehouse on the south side of the city.
Harmony said, “His lair is beneath another warehouse two blocks south from there, but the entrance to his lair is in that one, most likely an underground tunnel. You’ll have to find it because my drones can’t. All I can say is it’s somewhere in the basement. I’ve already secured warrants on both locations.”
“Thanks, Harmony.”
Champion took off on the flight path, and I was right behind him as we headed south toward the warehouse. There were several cars in the parking lot, and the large rolling warehouse doors were open and they were loading and unloading several trucks. Obviously, it was a valid business, and they might not even be aware that they were hosting the entrance to a mad scientist’s lair.
As we landed and walked inside, an angry foreman approached us, but stopped when Champion flash transferred the warrant to his phone watch. He opened it and read it, the look on his face not happy at all. He had short dark brown hair that was partially graying, and brown eyes.
It was really the holographic emitters that made the phone watch so mainstream to the point everyone had one. It could project a much larger screen than the tiny LCD square on the old kinds. Up to and including monitor sized for full sized web browsing.
He looked up, “This is ridiculous. I run an honest operation, one that’s losing money right now because all my men are staring at her cute backside instead of working.”
Of course, he didn’t really say backside, but a three-letter word. Still trying to keep it PG.
I considered punching him in the face, and reluctantly discarded it. So much for being the city’s universally adored superheroine. I also discovered he wasn’t wrong, when I looked over at the dock doors almost all of them were checking me out. As usual, I felt a little self-conscious, but there was a part of me that wanted to put an extra swish in my walk.
Which was beside the point, and his little speech set off alarms in my mind. No one honest ever said they ran an honest operation. He might as well have jumped up and down declaring himself a crook. A quick exchanged glance with Champion told me his thoughts were in agreement.
Lady Aegis: Origins of Supers: Book Two Page 13