Redemption

This story is a work of Fan-Fiction based upon the world created by Marion G. Harmon

For every action, there must be, and inevitably always is an equal and opposite Reaction.

-The opening line in “Redemption” An unauthorized biography of a hero

Chapter 1.

I stared up at the facade of Citadel’s, the ubiquitous Supers hang-out, with it’s upper level landing platform for the flying super set. It’s cliche rope line of beautiful norms wanting a shot at rubbing bodies with the living gods inside. Citadel, a.k.a Gideon Foster had been the countries premiere Ajax class cape. Upon his retirement from active status he opened up his “joint” for his friends. That quickly grew to this monstrosity. It was all just fucking silly, if the charlie foxtrot’s had had a tour or two in China or Israel and had to wash the living gods blood out of their socks or stand at attention as the cape of a bro was hung from a guidon right next to a soldiers cross they wouldn’t worship these peacocks like they do. But what the hell, sometimes a delusion, any delusion at all is better then dealing with what was. I could relate to that at least. Dillon stop stalling jackass, so the bastard had his little breakthrough life sucks who gives a shit.

I walked up to the door an arched an eyebrow at the bouncer, he hesitated but jerked his head balanced on a thick, almost non-existent neck towards the door. I nodded at him and walked in. The guy knew who I worked for, and while Manny wouldn’t, condone me starting trouble inside, Citadel’s he’d damn sure would expect me to pursue the mark into the place. Not that Manny’s or his bosses or his bosses bosses, or hell for that matter even God his self’s expectations meant a damn. It was just a job. As my eyes acclimated to the pulsing lights and my ears to driving beats of the coordinated chaos inside, wondered if it was time to tell Manny to attempt aerial fornication with an ambulatory breakfast pastry.

The dance floor was a riot of colors and cape costumes that could double for lingerie, it all just slid off me like fog. Not much seemed to touch me anymore. Sexy women slipped past me without notice, and good food might as well be ash for all the flavor it seemed to hold for me. I knew I wasn’t right in the head, hadn’t been in a long long time. Probably wouldn’t ever be again. But boohoo one night I’d find destiny in some back alley, and I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. I wasn’t likely going to die of old age in a bed somewhere and that suited me just fine. Finish this job move to the next was my mantra, Marine Corps taught me as long as I could keep moving I was fine. wonder how I’m  going to find the jackass, never mind there he was center stage of course. Where else would you expect to find the newest and dumbest D class Atlas type? Was he really doing the running man mid air above the dance floor? That is just wrong, to quote Garth.. “Live in the now..”.

D class was the lowest tier of “super” it ranged from just above peek human performance to the lowest echelons of phenomenal. But still for a norm like me, this could and was likely to go sideways fast. The outfit would normally send a pair of higher rated super humans to slap this jackass back into line. But given that Manny was a nickle and dime player, and the outfit now had a healthy distrust/respect for supers, it was understandable that I’d be offered up as a sacrifice first before contracting the job out. Whatever time to make contact, walking over to the bar I ordered a martini with two olives from the little female bartender. When the drink came I slid one of the olives off the plastic sword, took a quick swallow of the drink before I lobbed the olive at the back of Cap’n Jackasses head. It hit, he rubbed the back of his head and looked around in my direction with a very confused very dumb look on his mug. He saw me and paled for a second, then smiled a shit eating grin at me. Moron. Damn I hoped this isn’t going to hurt too much death was fine, pain was annoying. I jerked my head at the side door, he nodded back.

Flying down to the door he made it outside first, as I worked my terrestrially bound way to the back exit. For all the pomp of Citadel’s front facade its alley was just a dingy alley with all the alley smells of urine and trash enhanced by the bar smells of old vomit and stale beer. The ballast of the yellow sodium light buzzed annoyingly over head adding a counterpoint to the dull thump of bass that vibrated through the walls of the club. I looked the guy over, he was dressed in loud red and blue pleather pants and a canary yellow silk shirt. First, as a rule breakthroughs didn’t get body makeovers so the belly overlapping the pleather waist band was disturbing, second they didn’t instantly get style either so the jackass was grating on my corneas. “Manny sent me, he Says you owe 50 large plus juice by next Friday, or I gotta comeback and break something.” yeah I hadn’t figured out how exactly I was gonna do that just yet.

“Really? You and what army boy?” Could the guy get more Jr. high?

“Micheal, you don’t want to do this. You had a breakthrough yay for you. I’m just the messenger, super powers or not a bets a bet, debt is debt. Now pay up.”

The Jackass just grinned cruelly at me. Normally it’d be funny I was 6’3” and fit.. he was 5’8” of flabby dough. But then he was a breakthrough like my dad was, only dad was an A class cape. And this flubber based life-form couldn’t of carried his cape. But dad was dead, this guy was probably going to be dead too. Not tonight of course, might not even be able to do much more then hurt him a little. D’s weren’t all bulletproof but then I’m not supposed to kill the guy either just tune him up. Yeah right the likely hood of me coming out of this fully functional was slim and oh hell.. But a jobs a job, and I’d never been picky.

“Hows about we do this then, I smash you up and send you back to Manny with your balls in your throat? And you be sure to tell him what he can do with that debt of mine humm?”

“I knew you were gonna say that.” I had one chance please let this guy be as dumb as I think he is.

The guy flew straight at me perfect, trying to grab me I deflected his hands to the side and spun past him kicking him in the butt as he passed. As he smashed faced first into the backdoor of the club I kicked him in the groin as hard as I could and jerked a device out the back of my coat, slapping it on his back. He grabbed his boys and spun on me listing forward a bit as he cradled the jewels. I pulled the keychain remote to the “tag” I’d slapped on his back out of my pocket and prayed the verne I bought it off of hadn’t been shitting me. The moron spit and cursed then launched himself at me head on again and I hit the button. Arcing blue electrical pulses crawled all over his body and he fell face first to the alley pavement.

“Now lets discuss the generous payment plan, Manny is offering.”

“Fuck you, norm-puke”

I hit the button again and new arcs of blue agony crawled all over his body. I didn’t like my job, but I was a scumbag dealing with scumbags, I never muscled ordinary folk only dealt with the dirt-bags that crossed other dirt-bags. And I wasn’t sadistic, but still, if I gave this ape half a chance he’d be bouncing my head off the asphalt like the worlds ugliest basketball.

“Want to try again?” and that is when the plan went to hell.

The flubber-ape rolled over onto his back and ‘flew’ into the ground crushing the tag with an audible crunch. Oh hell…

I backed up a few steps glancing around for a plan B as he staggered to his feet spiting angry invocations at me. As my brain parsed the problem I registered, oddly enough that a few of his strings rhymed. DAMN it, nothing immediately useful around and it was time to focus on flubber-ape again. Fighting skill would only get you so far against an opponent that had all the physical and tactical advantages. I’d done okay in round one because I was written off as a J.A.N(Just Another Norm), I’d played my ace and came up short. Round two wasn’t likely to go as well for me. He launched himself at me again and I braced myself to parry him into another pivot move again, when my field of view was suddenly blocked by a red flannel shirt. My ears registered a grunt of pain from the ape, and a tsking sound from in front of me.

“Sugar, I think you need to head on home now. IT’d be a shame if I had to cut my night short t’book you into the tank wouldn’t it? Big strong atlas type like you picking on a normal would get you sent up for a long time.” The southern belle dripped from her accent like sweet nectar.

Cradling his hand Micheal “flubber-ape” Discotti flew off. Apparently his new odds didn’t look so good to him. My “savior” turned around to face me. I glanced at her taking her in from head to toe. She landed in front of me and looked me straight in the eye so she was 6’3” too or close to it. Very tall. Toned everywhere that I could see and I could see quite a bit as it were. She was stunning up close, Tilted at a cocky angle on her forehead was a brown leather cowgirl hat, with a silver star and black leather band. Her red hair was in a thick braid down her back. Her sleeveless red flannel shirt was tied in knot below her breasts. And her cutoff shorts exposed more long legs then most women could lay claim to. Her peaches and cream skin showed her muscles were just impressive but not masculine. And I could see in her hazel eyes that she was appraising me as well.

She spoke first. “Boy you either gotta be suicidal or dumb, jacking with even a piss poor Atlas type like him.” She smirked at me her Hazel eyes dancing her full lips quirked crookedly on her face. “And since your shoes are on the right feet I’m guessing you ain’t dumb Sugar so what gives.”

Whatever, I don’t have time for this.. “You arresting me cape?”

“I could, I heard enough of the scuffle to know your no angel Sugar.”

“Arrest me or move..” I was under no illusion I could ‘move’ this one she was Silver-Star. A female Texas Ranger before her breakthrough now she was a trouble shooter for Super Groups a free agent of sorts. Maximum B low A class Atlas type, known for her hotness and willingness to do photo spreads, and fighting above her weight class with a recklessness that would be admirable if it wasn’t going to get her killed one day. She seemed to love life and live it very loudly.

She dropped her arms over my shoulders and locked laced her fingers behind my head putting us chest to chest, face to face, eye to eye. “Now Sugar, is that anyway to thank your savior?”

“I didn’t ask to be rescued, so what makes you think you deserve any thanks?” I was being an ass part of me knew it. But I just didn’t care much. She was exactly the type of woman though who once upon a time stirred my blood. And I could feel it in the background still trying to breakthrough. But there just wasn’t enough left of me to care.

She dropped her hands from my shoulders and backed up a little stunned looking, “Naw you can go, don’t let me catch around here again… Be a shame to have to bust you.” She looked at me another a second and flew off

Whatever, I’d have find flubber-ape again.

Most breakthroughs that come from a background like his, become super-villains. Its just a fact that holding onto a moral compass is exceedingly difficult when every support structure is brutally ripped away one at a time. Compound that with his Marine Crops service record and it’s amazing we didn’t end up with a vicious mad dog. Instead of a savior all be it a slightly darker savior then most are comfortable with

–From “Redemption” An unauthorized biography of a hero

Chapter 2

I texted Manny from the fleabag I was staying in and left the prearranged code phrases for “Made contact am on the job.” Manny was convinced the cops would love to bust his two bit ass. Personally I didn’t think they gave two farts and a giggle about him. Tossing my phone down on the unused twin I stripped my clothes off before heading into the shower. Silver-Star still foremost in my mind, it sucked being a shit to the woman, I felt guilty about it now. But it was best, I was broken and attachments ended badly. Least for me, people that get tangled up with me usually end up dead while I linger on remembering their faces long long past the point of wanting to bleach them out of my mind. I’d track down flubber-ape once more try to get the juice he owed on the marker then get the fuck out of dodge. Let Manny contract outside talent to collect the rest. Besides even if what she seemed to be offering was only one night, why torture myself with her for the rest of my life right?

Was the dream again, I always knew when it started but could never seem to wake myself up once the briefing started. You’ll proceed to from F.O.B. Thundercloud in a pave low helicopter and heilocast into the river at point xray. From point xray you’ll proceed at best speed consistent with stealth to OP able. Recon the enemy locate same and subdue prisoners higher ranking the better. Special-Forces supers Captains Wallace and Forescythe will be with you to exfiltrate your captures back to base while you continue on with your patrol. Even though technically they are officers and of higher rank you have operational command of the patrol. S2 estimates the enemy forces in the area as negligible but use cation just the same Dillion a live marine is worth a hundred dead heroes get me?

“I get you sir.” I gave the perfunctory response as I loaded the mission profile into my data pod.

I jerked awake the phone saving me from a replay of events I’d sooner forget. It was was late afternoon the long shadows coming through the blinds saying it was after four at least. I got up rubbing my face feeling the rough stubble scrape over my palms as I tried to push away the tingle of adrenalin and fear from the edge of mind a panic attack is the last thing I needed now. Exhaling hard I grabbed the water bottle from the bedside table and took deep pull at the bottles’ neck. Most people like me where alcoholics or dope fiends. Me, I lived clean I didn’t want to run from the pain. I didn’t like the pain of the memories I carried but at least it was something REAL. One of the few things in this world I could claim I owned, besides running from the pain only means it’ll snap at your heels all the more anyway. I walked into the bath room flipping the seat up to relieve myself before checking the message. It was only Manny he’s the only one that had the burnners number.

Waking the device up I read the tiny screen,  deleted the message and shoved the cheap p.o.s. Into my back pocket before finding a dive I could eat at before resuming my hunt. I walked down the street thinking about my flubber problem. D class, formidable opponent but new untrained and stupid. It was hard to plan an operation when you didn’t have accurate intelligence if I even just had a list of known associates I be in a better position then I am now. Manny said the guy was a talker and an organizer before his breakthrough flubber-ape a people person go figure. I needed to make sure the guy was alone, last thing I wanted to do was get caught around his friends then, I’m going to have enough of a hassle with him.

I came to a dinner that at least looked clean, and went in. Taking a booth at the back I waited for the waitress to bring me my coke. I didn’t bother looking at the menu, didn’t need to I already knew what I was going to get. Double cheeseburger rare, pickles and ketchup only w/ fries. It was a universal constant, screwing up a cheeseburger was though. Though some highbrow fake dinners tried real hard with stuff like blue cheese or goat cheese. But really it’s a fricken cheeseburger sear it flip it slap some cheddar on it call it done. My middle age waitress tried to make some idle chatter at me that I predictable ignored before she drifted away she was only trying to chat up her tip anyway not like she gave a damn what I thought about the weather or whatever it was she was going on about. I found a news paper under my hand that someone had left in the booth next to me, I unfolded it and their was Silver-Star in her silver cowgirl hat and silver spandex suit. It looked good on her, it was hard to rock spandex just ‘decent’ bodies need not apply. She was apparently in town as a temporary augment to Citadel’s old group The Enforcers a new mob of super-villains was apparently stirring up trouble and doing the do quietly which meant smart masks. Trouble in river city boys and girls. Well, I’d be out of dodge before I had to make nice with these guys. I hate negotiating with masks and real black-hats you never got away clean, ever.

My burger came as I read the paper quietly at my booth, I ate and thought about the job. It wasn’t bad at all simple to the point and enough calories I could run on it the rest of the night if need be. As I finished up full night had fallen, I tipped my waitress a five, and paid my bill at the counter before I went off in search of flubber-ape again still no closer to workable plan that didn’t end with me in ICU or the morgue. Citadel’s was burned he’d not go back there, if it was just me maybe but Silver-Star had spanked his pee-pee but good and he didn’t strike me as the type of guy secure enough in his self to shrug that off easily. So that meant back alley dives where he could still delude himself that he was the man. Great.

The night had progressed from one stink hole to the next. Each one dirtier than the next, I was gonna squeeze something extra out of Manny for this. The shoe leather alone was eating into my profits now. It was about eleven at night, and you couldn’t see the stars for the city’s light pollution but the moon hung swollen and low near to full bloom bathing even the darkest alleys in a silver glow. My mind lingered on the thought of ‘silver’, remembering Silver-Star in her spandex work gear. Nice. I walked on towards my next destination through a part of town cops locked their car doors when passing through. When I heard the unmistakable sounds of a beating in progress, male jeering, boxes and bags crashing about and female groans of pain. Motherfucker this was all I needed to screw my night up. I hustled around the corner taking a peek when I saw her laid out on the ground her silver spandex shining in the moonlight as flubber drew back his foot and kicked her in the head hard enough I wondered how I did hear her neck snapping. How the hell? Then I saw how, six others chuckling in the glow of the moon. One on one I’d put money on her being able to deal with any of them maybe even three on one. Six on one well, even ants can bring down a lion if there are enough of them.

Flubber walked back to a old ghetto cursing bucket and grabbed what looked like a sledge hammer from where it rested against the buckets quarter panel. “Now lets see if we can fix that face of yours Sugar …” The chuckles of the assholes around flubber made my decision for me before I realized I’d made it myself. I chose to die…

When I stepped into that choice past the point of turning back, something broke inside me and roiled about my guts searing me changing me, flubber was now five feet from the woman and I wasn’t going to let him get a step closer while I breathed. Between one blink and the next between his moving his weight from one foot to next as he walked I stood between them. How I didn’t know I was slightly disoriented as not only did I seem to teleport but also change my orientation in relation to them mid teleport, so that she was to my back and I faced them.

To flubber’s credit he didn’t hesitate when I appeared only charged faster bringing the sledgehammer down towards my head in a high fast arc like I was a nail to be driven into the ground. I crossed my arms over my head expecting to be crushed. I had no expectations of saving her or of winning this fight. And honestly I couldn’t tell you why I chose now to die, or why it’d be for her, but that is where I was. I flinched as the hammer fell, but all I felt was a tap, I could tell it hit me but there was no explosion of blinding pain or well death. Flubber looked flabberghasted I took great joy in realizing as I threw an overhand right. His head exploded in a red mist before his body hit the ground. By instinct I threw all my strength behind it, problem was there seemed to be a bus load more strength behind it then there used to be. Three of flubbers new “buddies” took off flying away without so much as pausing to glance at their fallen friend. But two thought it was a good time to play, Lightning arced down from a blown out street lamp to one weasel faced guy, then arced through him to me I felt the tingle of it dancing on my skin felt it burning my clothes but it didn’t phase me at all. I wanted to get to him fast and suddenly I was in front of him with my elbow in his face. I managed to pull back on the power enough that it didn’t kill him. That was when I suddenly felt the sticky ‘energy’ webs wrapping around my neck and legs holding me in place. I could of pulled free I felt but instead I teleported again behind the wanna be webber. I kicked him in the ass hard enough to put him face first through the buckets front window. And just like that I realized that like my other siblings in my family I’d had my breakthrough. I wondered if it’d kill me like it killed them.

Silver-Star moaned, and stirred in her bed of trash bags and discarded boxes. Enough worthless thoughts I had shit to do. I walked over to where she lay my brain pulling up what little I’d read about this cape Kara Michelle Mitchel, aka Silver-Star, and… that was it besides the Texas Ranger back story and her charity bikini modeling for men’s magazines. I checked her vitals they were strong, the only visible damage was a deep red angry welt that was spreading from temple to jaw line. Probably from where flubber had kicked her, I had a sudden irrational urge to rip his leg off even though he was very dead. I knelt down beside her and scooped her upper body up into a sitting position and gently tried to wake her. “Silver wake up woman, come on now..”

She groaned and stirred a little in my arms

I encouraged her more firmly, “Thats’ it come on you aren’t dead yet off your ass cape.. MOVE IT”

She jerked in my arms and shot up fifteen feet in the air. As if looking for her enemies. Seeing the clear signs of carnage and no threat she sagged in the air before descending back to street level. “What the hell happened?”

“I’d say in your parlance, ‘you got your ass stomped.’”

She gave me a sour look, “Yeah, but  how’d I live through it? And who wrecked dough boy and the others here.”

“That’d be me seems, I joined the super power club and that your gonna have to arrest me after all.” I wasn’t happy about this development at all.. Not only did it put me in whole other class of laws professionally, well it screwed with my head opening up things that were better left where they were, in the past in a box marked, “don’t even think of opening.”

“You did that,” She pointed at flubber’s corpse.. “What’d you hit him with?” She looked down at the spotless sledgehammer.. “An anti-tank rocket?”

I held up my bloody fist and forearm. “This..”

“When did you get your breakthrough?” She wobbled and I steadied her

“About the time flubber kicked you in the face.”, She touched the side of her head winched, “I’d come looking for him and found your beatdown in progress and well.. I teleported I was Ajax tough and strong. Only the energy manipulators powers just rolled off me. I thought that was one of Ajax, Atlas’s weaknesses? What the hell am I?” Not that I cared really but seemed a valid question if we where gonna stand around and gab.

“We’ll find out sugar, now why am I arresting you again? Sorry still a bit out of it.”

“I assaulted two men and killed one with superpowers isn’t that go right to supermax do not pass go never see 200 dollars again?”

“Naw it was stopping a crime in progress against an agent of the state. Plus your first use of super powers against people after your breakthrough is largely free since it happens out of the clear blue. And you have no clue how to control them. And even if it was a serious crime right now my give a damn is busted. Let me get my head straight and I’ll fly us to the Outpost that little electrical freak fried my ear wick.” She smirked a crooked grin at me.

On impulse I grabbed her shoulders and pictured the Outpost it was what the enforcers called their HQ and it served as the hub for the city’s dispatch system that routed supers and law enforcement officers around the city. She swayed disoriented for a second before finding her metal again.

“Well aren’t you just a handy one sugar.” she patted my hand weakly on her shoulder

I flagged the door guards down waving them over, “Whatever you say..” They stood there, their thumbs metaphorically up their asses just gawking at our arrival.. I put my middle finger and thumb to my mouth and whistled shrilly, and in my best Marine noncom voice, “Move your lollygagging asses, She’s hurt…” That got the ball rolling, they quickly whisked us inside what I was gonna do now i didn’t know. but at least it’d be interesting.

“The first few days after my breakthrough where a charlie foxtrot’s nightmare.. I was all over the place.”

-Excerpt from Dana Stalarts Interview with Dillion “Reaction” Mhartagan

Chapter 3

As we walked through the large marble hall I took stock of security, it looked casual but it wasn’t. I saw motion detectors, inferred cameras, cameras set to coordinated random rotation sweeps. And that was just what I could see. If the common everyday ‘peoples’ business area was this tight I didn’t want to know what the precautions in acted below were like. Except for that little bit outside Silver-Star didn’t hang on to me even though she was still a little unsteady on her feet. I think it was important that the people here see her as ‘strong’. Whatever that was worth let Dexter over there get kicked in the skull by flubber and see if he still had one, she survived. And sometimes when that is the best you can do you call it a victory and put it behind you. But hey if that is her bag, let her roll with it.

Silver, and our two escorts whom I’ve designated as thing 1 and and thing 2, hereafter simply 1 and 2 piled into the elevator and took a ride up the tower, apparently medical was above us. I’d of thought that all mission critical areas would be down below. Not that with the power of breakthrough that anything was really safer underground then it was above now days. It’s always been a problem, now it was more critical, mobility vs. defensive fortifications. Mobility is great for small covert units, not so great for high visibility symbols such as super heroes. “So, 1 and 2 did they have a 2 for sale on those suits or something? Or does the Outpost get a bulk deal? How you keep the ladies off you?” They didn’t say anything, didn’t even glance over at me. Silver gave me an elbow to the ribs. Whatever I thought it was funny.

We traveled about fifteen floors up, which normally wouldn’t be a huge cause for concern only hears the thing, the Outpost building supposedly only had 8 above ground floors. I cut a glance over at Silver, then back to 1 and 2. “So someone want to clue the new guy in with what gives?” Before anyone could answer the elevator stopped dead, and the doors opened up and a shimmering curtin of velvet black hung in front of us.

1 and 2 stepped out of the elevator car vanishing right into the black. Silver smirked and said “Come on you where Billy Badass back in that alley don’t tell me your scared now.” She stepped out into…. nothing?

I swallowed deep and stepped into the unknown, there was an odd stretching sensation at first, then the stretching stopped and I “snapped” like a rubber band into a high-tech medlab. And by high-tech I mean next level no clue what was up tech. Data displace seemed to project in open air opening and closing where ever a medical staffer was standing. I could see that it was some kind of alert system because all the technicians where looking at Silver. Though it couldn’t of been too bad because no one was in a hurry. Silver sighed “That system creeps me out every damn time..”

“What system?”

“Our doc, Is a vern type.. Anytime someone steps through the inter dimensional portal into the lab they are scanned they get a run down on whats wrong.. even before they actually enter the lab. Some sort of quantum voodoo. They actually receive updates a second or two before your even in the lab. Though your only in a state of quantum flux for micro seconds.” she shook her head slowly, “It’s voodoo I tell you..”

I arched my eyebrow at her as a man that was impossibly skinny walked over, virtual displays hovering around him like seagulls around a fishing boat, flashing information so fast that it wasn’t possible that he could be getting it all. “Silver-Star brought in a new Breakthrough I see? Good good, Are you injured?” his voice pinched and very nasal as he looked over the technical displays.

“Don’t you know Doc?”

“It shows a minor contusion to your head that is well on it’s way to healing. But the I.D. Scanners seem to me malfunctioning at the moment. We can’t get a lock on our friends here class. He seems to be in a state of flux…”

“Flux?” I asked flux wasn’t good did I get scrambled up in that damn portal?

“Yes, one moment you exhibit Atlas qualities, next millisecond Pyrokinetic, Aerokinetic, Flight pulses ranging in from low D class to top A, the only aspect that remains constant is Ajax durability in the top ninety-five percentile, even the strength is in flux from non breakthrough to A class. MUST be an error.”

“My powers are exhibiting schizophrenia?” Huh, makes a kind of sense….

“Nonsense, technical error to be sorted out shortly…” he sounded affronted..

“Doc you got a aspirin or something?”

The doctor didn’t even look up from his displays, he pulled a Flash Gordon looking ray gun from the holster at his belt and zapped her in the face with it. Her knees sagged for a second before she caught herself and stood firm again. “Better humm, yes good.” He banished what must have been her virtual display after answering his own question.

“Damn it Doc! I hate it when you do that…”

“Aspirin pah, my neuro-ray is much more effective at targeting and neutralizing pain receptors then mere aspirin.” His face took on a pinched look..

“Her scans are right… my scans are right.. the lab tech’s scans are right.. your a mess.. Impossible simply impossible..”

I wanted to argue that nothing was “impossible” since the Event, high school sized cheerleaders tossing cars like frisbees’ was once upon a time “impossible” now you see it as a matter of course. I started to offer my opinion when Silver-Star beat me to it.

“Doc, hun nothing is impossible these days, our HQ is in a pocket dimension that you created through tech that you imagined up. At best things are only, improbable right?”

“I suppose,” He grumbled on, “But things should be classifiable, quantifiable, ordered..” the agitation breaking through his voice

“Look Doctor, I didn’t mean to step all over your OCD and if you have some magic tech that turns a breakthrough off, then by all means get to beaming me up and I’ll get out of your hair quick, fast, and in a hurry if not let me go on my way.. I gotta break it to a pocket sized megalomaniacal punk that I screwed up.. and probably pay back seventy-five to ninety K depending on how the miserable shit calculates up the debt, so got things to do people to piss off.” Getting it ripped bloody for probably close to a hundred large is what can happen when you play the game so it was all on me. Didn’t mean I was happy about it but I played the cards I was dealt and lost.

Silver-Star looked confused.. “Really hows that work?”

I sighed hell, whats it matter now right? “Our newly headless friend, by the way we just gonna leave him in the ally like that?”

“Containment is on it.. I signaled for back up and pick up on our way up with the guards.. Go on, you where saying?”

I hadn’t noticed any signals, but then I wasn’t paying that close of attention to her in the building I shrugged, “Well ol brother Micheal, bet fifty-thousand dollars on a sporting event that sadly he didn’t know squat about it seems, with said megalomaniacal punk. Three days later some other unrelated and even more unsavory types got tired of trying to collect his promises to pay and decided to make an example of him. You see after a period of time deadbeats become a liability others might start thinking they don’t have to pay up either and it just becomes one big mess for the unsavory types so at that point it’s time to cut losses and by losses read ‘throats’. Things get unpleasant for or dear brother Micheal now, real scary real painful and that’s when he had his breakthrough which while trashing his debt collectors and thinking he’s become untouchable he really screws up… So when my former employer tries to politely collect on the fifty large, our now overly cocky and deservedly dead brother Micheal tells my former employer to attempt an anatomically improbable act of sodomy on himself, ‘I’m not paying, you nothing I’m an Atlas now..’ Soo boys and girls this is where our intrepid hero, ‘me’ gets the call to go council brother Micheal on the error of his ways and steer him back to the path of righteousness, I’m not a bone breaker personally though I intimate as much. I’m a negotiator and facilitator the bone breakers are ugly pieces of work.. I am however more expendable, and less likely to bring heat down on my old boss. So I’m always offered first. But anytime your on one of these jobs your supposed to ‘protect’ the investment until it’s time for him to not be protected anymore. I killed the investment so now, the whole debt is on me plus the accrued juice or ‘interest’ plus a small finance charge for shifting the debt to me.. very sensible right?” Okay, so I was a little bitter about it.

The Doctor focused his eyes on me be for the first time.. “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard…”

“Hey I don’t make the rules, and I’m not dumb enough to think I can skate on them just because I got widdlebitty special gold star tonight. If they say I owe I owe..” I didn’t want to think about how they’ll try to make me pay.. I’d probably end up in the “Tank” supermax for the rest of my natural life. Why couldn’t that sledgehammer of cracked my nut open like a over ripe tomato?

Silver-Star spoke looking at me with the emotionless expression of an interrogator “Why do you say your former employer..” She tried to give nothing away, and damn it I was ever going to play poker with her because she didn’t.

“Because dear sister Silver, I’ve been blessed by the superpower fairy.. though we don’t know what I am.. or what I can or can’t do.. It’ll place me into a whole other league, a league in which there are two ways out. The prison cell, or the morgue.. While I don’t really care either way I still have the option of not going down either of those roads where one day I’ll have to decide if I want to be taken down by a cape or put down by a cape. I’m sure both parties would like to avoid either hassle. Yes?”

Her face had been getting darker and darker since my condescending little rant began. But really I didn’t care. I didn’t know how I was going to pay back that huge sum of money. Knowing Manny he’d make it high enough that I couldn’t ever pay it back to loop me into some super-powered scheme that would eventually get me dead. “If class is over boys and girls I’d like to find food and a liquor store, for some reason I’m hungry enough to eat cow though I don’t know why shouldn’t have an apatite at all. And then I want to get straight up slammed.. and deal with this BS tomorrow when I’m properly hungover.”

She smirked at me, “Can’t let you do that partner sorry. We can get you food we will provide shelter but the bender is going to have to wait for a couple of months, till we sort out your skills and get you trained to use them. Your a walking disaster of unknown scale.”

It pissed me off, it really did.. But I was nothing if not practical, because what could I do about it? Go to war with a whole building full of capes get them pissed off at me and end up in the jail cell anyway chained down or sedated for the rest of my days? “Great… whatever just get me the damn food then..”

We walked back the elevator/weird portal when the doors open it wasn’t there I didn’t even ask I just got in. The realities of my new situation settling in on me and the more I realized the darker my thoughts got. As we rode up higher into a tower that didn’t exist to sleeping quarters that weren’t really there. I had the strange thought, I should regret not letting her get pounded into cape-paste but I don’t. I really don’t think that would of made this any better if she was whether or not she is my catalyst or not the worlds better with her in it. Don’t go soft in the head jackass just don’t really.

She was the one that was responsible for putting back together; at least as much as I am, before that I wasn’t someone you wanted to meet. Ever.

-Excerpt from Dana Stalarts Interview with Dillion “Reaction” Mhartagan

Chapter 4

Silver-Star gave him a cheeky “Good night sugar, sweet dreams.” Just before sealing him in his room. The simple statement had carried enough innuendo to render a normal man an insensible goober. Hell her just leaning languorously against the wall the way she had in her tight silver cat suit was enough. He shrugged it off, it wasn’t something he could have, even if it appeared to be offered. Besides Silver’s whole public persona was that of a shameless flirt. Odds that she’d be into low level mob goon and fixer was probably lower than a nun shooting a porn flick for charity it just doesn’t happen.

Putting the gorgeous atlas type firmly out of his mind he examined his cell. As cells go it wasn’t half bad. Central to the room was a small sitting area two slick leather arm chairs with an small oval coffee table between them and a loveseat. Past the conversation slash reading area to the right was a queen sized bed, on closer inspection it turned out to be one of those adjustable air ride numbers with deep black comforter and sheet set. On the wall facing the foot of the bed was 55” plasma TV at the perfect height and angle for watching it in bed. Past the bed on the left was a generous walk-in closet across from the closet on the right was what he thought of as a “girly” bathroom.

The bathroom had the standard gear for the serious business. On one side of the bathroom sat the toilet nothing really fancy that wasn’t tacky to do with them so it was the standard porcelain affair. Sink and mirror with fancy hardware to the left of the toilet. Across the bathroom was the girly part, in a small alcove there was a short platform with a tub within a tub, on the right wall and the back wall was like tendrils of ivy hanging down the wall. And on the left wall facing the tub was a water fall that flowed into the outer the tub. Recessed into the ceiling above the tub was a fancy full spectrum light panel for those that wanted to bath in simulated sunlight.

I stripped down to my altogether, and found the right nobs to make the four panel rainfall shower head in the ceiling work, it was kind of an odd sensation. But what tonight hadn’t been a freaking mind twist? Flubber had gone off his rocker attacking a cape. Worse she’d been a Texas Ranger, and he was a lousy D class. There are just somethings you don’t do, attacking any kind of cop is strictly speaking dumb, attacking a fed is worse, but maybe even worse than that is attacking and killing a Texas Ranger. Even a former one, as much beloved as she was by her home state and nearly everyone in it I wouldn’t of put ten cents on Micheal’s life. They know the rules as well as we do, even if Micheal had any connections worth damn after a stunt like that he’d of found no help, and probably depending how hard they were willing to push the issue been turned over to the Rangers with a bow around his neck to smooth things out. No one wanted undue heat, which was why most outfit dealings with law enforcement was kept strictly speaking cordial, the outfit ran their games and tried not to get caught and law enforcement tried to catch them at it if they got caught ninety-nine percent of the time it was just a case “cost of doing business.”

I killed the shower and grabbed the obscenely fluffy, fresh smelling, and warmed towel out of it’s rack between the tub and stall, and started drying off when I realized the only articles of clothing that I had not stained with blood was my socks. I didn’t even have any boxer shorts, “Well won’t this be a conversation stopper at the breakfast table.” I quipped to the empty room. Further investigation found a clean and equally fresh smelling, and fluffy white robe hanging on the back side of the door, “That just about sums this place up alright.. Fluffy.”

As I walked out of the room I was struck by the scent of freshly seared meat. On the coffee table I discovered a still steaming steak, some covered dishes that probably held sides, and a tall glass of beer in a mug that was still frosty. Though shanghaied and locked into a room in a place I didn’t want to be by a woman I didn’t want to think about in a situation that was probably going to get me killed? I smiled, because in my book a hot steak and cold beer erases a multitude of sins.

….

This dream again, why can’t I ever get away from this one at least? I knew it was a dream like my others and I couldn’t ever escape it. Tommy’s funeral. Tommy like our dad dead in the line just as he had things worth living for. Sarah crying her new born clutched to breast like a life preserver, that image haunted him nearly as much as he being handed a folded American flag symbolically wrapped in a heroes cape in the same color scheme as Tommy’s costume. All the costumed heroes and local police that knew Tommy wearing arm brassards in Tommy’s gold and orange with his stylized fire bolt on it instead of the traditional black. In the dream I was still the thirteen year old kid I’d been.

Suddenly there was a shadow over me, hands pressing my shoulders down my heart slammed into action and I reacted to the situation how training and experiences I’d like to forget taught me. I jerked the body close to mine and rolled us in a quick movement, I was just going to drive my elbow down in their throat when a sliver of light glinted off of red hair, and my sleep addled brain caught to where I was which instantly lead to who my attacker must be.

“Whoa, Sugar.” Silver said from under me my left arm penning her upper chest down and left bunched up in the front of her red flannel pajama tops. “Umm this might have been a probable outcome the first night we met, but lets face it slick even with the whole saving my life thing you’re going to have to kiss some major butt and grovel a bit before anything like this is happening…” She trailed off teasing like I hadn’t been half a heartbeat from trying to end her. Then a normal thought broke in and I realized I was naked man penning her to the bed. It snapped me out of that go state that anyone who’s lived a violent life understands.

I turned her loose and spun from her sit on the edge of the bed breathing labored as I fought to push the ghosts back into the dark one more night. Head resting in my hands I tried to slow my breathing, tried to bring my galloping heart rate down. With her atlas abilities she could hear it plain as bass in an obnoxious teens car. I might of actually killed her, or hurt her badly, I wasn’t just human any longer. “Don’t ever touch me while I’m asleep…” I got out as my pulse faded from my ears and the after wash of the adrenalin spike left me cold and shaky inside. “Make noise, call out.. Just don’t touch me. What the hell you doing in my room anyway?”

“Medical monitoring AI said you were in distress, I came to check on you, since your breakthrough is of yet undetermined type. I rushed in to make sure you weren’t hurting yourself. It’s rare that a breakthrough can hurt themselves with their own power but it happens. And I..” she trailed off, she didn’t have to say more. She found him having a nightmare and tried to wake him a common first reaction.

“I get it, you were following protocol and all that. Just don’t touch me while I’m asleep, it can go bad.”

“Safety lesson learned, don’t touch, poke with a stick gotcha” She said as she sat on the foot of the bed facing his back. She got points for not trying to touch him right now. Even her silky touch would been like sandpaper across his nerves right now. “So you going back to sleep?”

“Getting a shower..” I got up not caring I was nude. She’s seen all the parts I’ve got before and one thing I was not was bashful. I walked past her to the bathroom hoping she didn’t see the fine trembles still running through me.

The day had an early start, most of mine do.