Her opinion was immediately challenged by Pennington, sitting right next to her, who pointed out the problems associated with me using their intelligence while being politically sovereign.
Needless to say, it turned into a shitstorm in one-second flat.
And I felt totally lost.
A lot of my preparations had gone toward trying to argue with them to give me access to my evaluation, even though it was supposedly off the table. I never expected this to be a major issue, or otherwise I would have researched it a lot more.
Granted, I had researched it, and there was virtually no information on the subject, but still.
I just never thought this would be a point that was flat out rejected.
Unexpectedly, my hand jerked from an invisible force, causing me to shove the stylus off the table. Before I could even react, Liz bent down to pick it up for me, only for the room to fall completely silent again, despite the raging shitstorm.
“Don’t react. Don’t respond to me. Once they shut up, mention Section 105 of the Grimoires Act. Do not admit that I told you, but also don’t deny it. Connolly is a human lie detector.”
All sound immediately returned to the world then as she stood up, dropping the stylus on the table.
I would have assumed that her actions would have gone unnoticed, but apparently everyone was well aware of who she was, because the room immediately fell silent, for real this time, all eyes on her.
She pretended not to notice for half a second, before scanning the room. “There a problem?” she asked seriously.
“What was that just now?” General Burnham demanded.
Her thin blonde eyebrows shot up like she was staring at an idiot. “I picked up his stylus. There a problem with that?”
“Don’t give me that shit!” he snapped, only to almost get cut off by Connolly.
“Did you say something to him?” she hissed, her pink eyes narrow, her dark brow furrowed.
Liz rolled her blue eyes. “Why even bother asking? Even if I tell you no, you’re just going to believe whatever you want, since your ability doesn’t work on me.”
“You little–” She abruptly stopped mid-sentence, focusing on me. “Did she say something to you?” she demanded.
Shit! I had to think fast. I couldn’t say no, because she’d know it was a lie.
Dammit!
I decided to play dumb.
“Okay, seriously. What in the world is going on right now? I accidentally knock the stupid thing off the table, and now you’re asking if she said something to me? How in the hell is she even supposed to say something when all of you are practically screaming at the top of your lungs?”
Would that kind of a question be seen as a lie? Obviously I knew how, but I wasn’t directly saying I didn’t know.
I quickly continued. “And while you’re all arguing, you didn’t even give me a chance to speak. I’m well aware I have options here.”
“You’re deflecting,” Connelly accused.
The General abruptly held up his hand to silence her. “What options?” he asked skeptically.
I crossed my arms. “I did a lot of research on this subject, and also talked to my fiancé about it, Freya Rosetti.” Shit! I couldn’t lie! All that was true so far, but I was walking on thin ice. I cleared my throat. “In the end, after all the research I’ve done up until now, I determined that there is an important piece of legislation that affects this decision. The Grimoires Act.”
Instantly, everyone started cursing and making accusations at once, both at each other, as well as directing some of their frustrations at Liz, who largely ignored them, assuming she truly had mentioned something.
I decided to try to yell over them before this got too out of hand. “I would have spoken up sooner!” I shouted, causing everyone to quiet down some. “But I couldn’t even get a word in when the topic was brought up.”
That was all true. I wouldn’t have known about the Grimoire Act if I’d spoken sooner, but I didn’t actually have to say that.
Everyone looked at Connelly.
“What he’s saying is true, but–”
I cut her off. “Look, we don’t have all day to debate this. I know some of you have places to be,” I added, focusing on Burnham. “So stop trying to deny me something you can obviously offer, because I’ve got another topic I want to bring up.”
“And what is that?” Pennington demanded seriously, leaning forward, with his thick fingers interlaced.
I looked him dead in the eye. “My superpower evaluation.”
“Absolutely not,” Burnham retorted.
“That’s completely off the table,” Moulton agreed.
“I thought we made it clear that wasn’t an option,” Mrs. Dolan surprisingly countered, seeming pissed that I’d even bring it up.
“Correct,” Jackie finally chimed in. “Mr. Archer, I believe I’ve made it clear that access to your evaluation was never up for negotiation.”
I leaned forward again, resting my elbows on the table. “Look, I get why you’re hesitant–”
“No, you don’t,” Fairbanks snapped, the woman in the lab coat speaking up for the first time. “You haven’t got a clue.”
“Actually, I do!” I retorted harshly. “But let me just present you with the facts. I’m sure you’re all aware of James Willard? Now imagine the nine million people that would be alive right now if he just knew what he was capable of!”
“That’s hardly relevant,” Fairbanks tried.
I quickly continued, before she could. “Yes, it is relevant! Very relevant! Just look at my eyes!” I snapped. “I was in my fiancé’s body for twenty-one hours! And now look at my eyes! Am I going to develop pyrogenesis? Because that’s kind of a big problem! What if I accidentally ‘get upset’ and start a bonfire while I’m holding my little baby girl!”
The thought was infuriating.
The idea of her dying in a fire again was horrible enough, but the idea that I might be the source of that fire?
It was unforgivable.
I continued. “And if it’s true that I can copy powers like that, then I need to know that! Because I don’t want my other fiancé’s power! It’s been nothing but a curse for her, and it would definitely be a curse for me!”
“Freya Rosetti?” Moulton scoffed. “How has her power been a curse?”
I glared at him, prompting Jackie to speak up.
“Didn’t you read her updated evaluation?”
He shrugged. “There wasn’t a lot ‘new’ that we didn’t already know. She has a third eye that can sense violence, as well as a severe case of killer’s remorse, and she drinks blood, in addition to immortality, top-tier regeneration, and heightened senses. Don’t see how that’s a curse when she can just drink from blood bags.”
Jackie smacked her forehead into her hand, looking sincerely embarrassed and disappointed. “Then I guess you missed the part where she can also read the entirety of a person’s memories in a matter of seconds, OR that she has an uncontrollable bloodlust tied to her state of arousal.”
I was still glaring at him. “You ever had an urge to bite the person you were sleeping with, Mr. Moulton? Or maybe just to be a little rough?”
Instantly, he looked both flustered and pissed at the same time. “Umm, I…that’s–”
I cut him off. “Try multiplying that by a hundred thousand . She can’t control it, which means if I had her power, then I’d accidentally kill anyone I tried sleeping with. And I don’t want that problem.”
Pennington immediately spoke up on the other side of the table. “Are you suggesting she’s committed homicides we aren’t aware of?”
I focused on him. “I’m suggesting that she was a three-hundred-and-fifty-year-old virgin when–”
“Enough,” Burnham snapped, cutting me off. “I’m on a schedule here, as I’m sure all of you are as well. We don’t have time to debate the hardships associated with Ms. Rosetti’s ‘cursed’ superpower.”
Nope, I needed
to make this point, so that they would finally get the picture.
“Actually, I’ll just make it crystal clear for everyone,” I snapped. “She rips out my throat. Every. Single. Time.” I focused to my right on Pennington. “And no, there are no arousal-related homicides you aren’t aware of, because she was a virgin when I met her. After over three centuries , she was still a virgin. Because she wants to be good , even though she was cursed with a heinous superpower.” I looked the other way at Moulton. “And yeah, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that problem.” I then met Connelly’s pink gaze. “And since you appear to have some ability to detect whether I’m lying or not, why don’t you confirm what I’m saying, so they understand the gravity of the situation.”
They were all silent, all of them appearing to be disturbed on various levels, with Moulton resting his chin on his intertwined fingers like he was attempting to discreetly avoid passing out, his eyes unfocused now.
Satisfied that I’d made my point, I cleared my throat.
“Obviously, I can switch bodies, but I don’t want to switch bodies. Obviously, I might have some capacity to copy other people’s superpowers, but I don’t want to end up with someone’s curse! And obviously there might be something else that makes me really dangerous, but refusing me that information might actually be even more disastrous! What if I kill someone I love because you wouldn’t tell me what I was capable of! What if I accidentally destroy an entire city because you wouldn’t tell me!”
I took a deep breath, staring at Connelly again since she was the human lie detector. “I’m not a bad guy. I don’t want to take over the world, I have zero desire to be in power, and I don’t want a different body from my own. I just want to live my life in peace, and keep my family safe. That’s all! Am I lying?” I demanded.
She hesitated, glancing at the others briefly, before shaking her head.
“So, if I have a dangerous ability, one that could potentially massacre thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people, then I need to know. Because not telling me is basically turning me into another James Willard.”
Still silence.
Suddenly, another idea hit me then.
“And here’s another thought,” I added. “All of you want to refuse me my evaluation, because you’re afraid of what I’ll do if I turned out to be a villain. But the problem is, what happens when a true villain comes along and succeeds in destroying us all, when I could have defeated him if I’d just known what I was capable of!” I scoffed. “I’m not your enemy. Even if I’m Politically Sovereign, I’m still not your enemy. I just want to live my life peacefully and keep my family safe. That’s it. I’ve already lost my family once before, so it shouldn’t be difficult to imagine that those are my absolute core priorities.”
Silence.
“I don’t care about money,” I pressed. “I don’t care about fame or power. I just want to keep my family safe, and I will fight to the death , and beyond , and use every ounce of strength I have to keep them safe. That’s the kind of person you should want to wield apocalypse-level power, especially if an equally powerful threat one day shows its ugly head.”
Silence.
Damn, now they were seriously making me nervous, because I was just upping the scale of destruction I might be capable of causing, and they weren’t even blinking an eye.
Like, shit! What in the hell was I capable of? Seriously?!
Unexpectedly, the man sitting by the wall – the one with heavily wrinkled reddish skin, who came in with General Burnham – the guy who sat down with his tablet, away from the table, and hadn’t spoken a single word thus far…he finally spoke up, keeping his eyes on his device.
“Ms. Fowler, I’d like your opinion.”
Everyone in the room immediately turned to look at him, only to shift their gazes to Winter.
Shit, who in the hell was this guy?
I just assumed he was a nobody. Just Burnham’s lackey or something, but suddenly it was like everyone’s boss had unexpectedly stepped up to the figurative podium.
I turned in my seat to look at her too, seeing that her expression was impassive, her goth chick ‘I couldn’t care less’ look in full force, as she stared at the person addressing her.
“That’s very nice of you to ask,” she said evenly.
He didn’t even bother looking up at her as he responded, his tone almost somber. “Is your assessment inconclusive? Or have you simply decided not to lend us your invaluable opinion?”
She didn’t respond, her gaze remaining steady, ignoring me completely.
Shit.
‘Winter, you aren’t going to screw me over, are you? Or maybe you sincerely just don’t trust me with this information? Shit, I think I can accept that, as much as I hate it. But please don’t let this be some kind of political refusal, where you don’t want to share based on some arbitrary principal. If you trust me, then please tell them the truth.’
Her eyes narrowed slightly, still focused on the mystery guy.
Pennington began to speak up, but ‘the boss’ immediately told him to shut up, still holding Winter’s seafoam gaze.
‘Shit. Winter, I don’t even know if you care about this, but if your opinion is really so important to the outcome of this situation, then I’ll bargain with you afterward. Or owe you one. A favor, or whatever. Not sure there’s anything I can offer you, but I’d be more than happy to try.’
Unexpectedly, she looked at me with a strange expression, some mix of surprise and vulnerability appearing, before it vanished altogether – it all happened so quickly, that I felt like I might have imagined it.
Winter cleared her throat, finally breaking the silence. “If it were up to me, then I would have already told him what he wanted to know,” she replied evenly. “Because what he said is true. You’re basically afraid of enhancing your ally’s nuclear technology, for fear that they might turn on you one day, when really you should be helping to arm your ally. Because, at the end of the day, your enemies will be his enemies, since you foundationally have the same goals.”
“Thank you,” the man replied unconvincingly. “But you know what I’m really asking.”
That vulnerable look appeared in her pale green eyes again, prompting her to turn her head away from us all entirely.
It was again completely silent for a long few seconds.
“Yes,” she finally said. “I trust him.”
The man abruptly stood with a sigh. “Then, that’s good enough for me. Hendricks, I trust that you’ll take care of the details. Let’s get this done so we can prepare for what’s next.”
Jackie looked shaken. “O-Of course, sir.”
He nodded, beginning to walk toward the exit. “General, time to go.”
Burnham got up without another word, and followed the man out of the room.
Shit.
What in the hell just happened?
5: Meeting New People
Heidi Stockton
April 10, 2735 – Current Day – Late Morning
Heidi hesitated, staring at her phone for a long time, her thumb trembling as she debated if she was really going to do it. She knew it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. The action she was about to take wasn’t anything serious, and any sane person would think she was being ridiculous for making it seem like some momentous thing. Not to mention, she’d already done the hard part of putting in her basic information.
And yet, she felt like everything would change the moment she did it.
Frustrated, she threw the phone on the bed next to her, and flipped over to bury her face in the pillow, groaning in annoyance and frustration.
A small part of her knew she wasn’t being fair to herself, but she couldn’t help the crushing depression threatening to suffocate her.
She was worthless.
She had no value.
Rose still needed her, at least a little, but the little girl had been fine before Heidi came into her life, and she would be fine even if Heidi wasn’t aroun
d all the time. Plus, once Rose was in school, she’d make normal friends, and probably wouldn’t have much time for the person she currently considered to be her best friend.
And as for Sam?
She now had nothing to offer him.
Sure, she’d been hesitant to use her abilities to keep Lily alive, but she never really had a problem with just healing her in general, in the event she ever got seriously hurt. And honestly, Heidi knew that she took comfort in that fact, even though she was resistant to using her power. She liked it that everyone knew she could fix people if they got broken.
But not now.
If Lily could really self-heal, which Heidi knew must be the case since Freya made a big deal about it just a little bit ago, then not now.
Heidi had no purpose in this family anymore. She didn’t have a superpower that could defend others like her older sister did, and now her capacity to heal was no longer needed either.
She was worthless.
Feeling like she was going to drown in her depression and spiraling thoughts, she unexpectedly had a rush of irritability that prompted her to groan in frustration as she flopped onto her side and grabbed her phone.
Staring at the image displayed with anger, she held up her finger, and just did it.
She just did it.
Just like that, it was done.
And she suddenly felt a lot better afterward too. It really wasn’t so hard after all. Just a single swipe of her finger.
She swiped right.
❖ ❖ ❖
Sam Archer
April 10, 2735 – Current Day – Late Morning
The moment the mystery man left the room, the General hot on his heels, Jackie collected herself and focused on me. “Very well. That ends the meeting for today, Mr. Archer. If you have any additional concerns, we can discuss them in my office later this week. In the meantime, I’ll let Ms. Stockton know to come get you, assuming you have no further reservations regarding signing with us.”
I was confused as hell. She’d mentioned only minutes ago that she couldn’t have me sign if I was Politically Sovereign, but now that obstacle had mysteriously vanished?
The Powerful Pride of an Immortal (Immortal Supers Book 4) Page 8
