“You are really starting to piss me off!” Centurion decreed.
He then immediately pulled her felinoid head towards him as he delivered a nasty headbutt to her nasal region. Niña Gata’s cat-like nose was smashed, and the severe pain caused the were-feline to back away. Severely stunned, she covered her face with both hands. Blood could be seen spewing out the gaps between her hirsute fingers.
“Time to end this!”
Centurion took advantage of his foe’s debilitated state by rushing forward and delivering a powerful reverse punch to her jaw that sent the ochre-coated cat-girl flying across the alley. The shaggy she-beast slammed into the wall on the opposite tenement building that framed the lane, with three ribs cracking upon impact.
After the cat-girl fell to the filthy ground of the alley, Centurion rushed her again. He lifted Niña Gata as if she were a hairy rag doll and slammed her up against the wall, making sure to brace his right arm against her throat, both to exert a choking pressure on her trachea and to keep her from biting at his face again. The felinoid hissed and struggled furiously but was still too stunned to make good use of her free claws.
Centurion was not about to give her time to recover and inflict another injurious attack on him, though. As he held her against the wall with strength that exceeded her own, he began concentrating on summoning the extraordinary Odic energies flowing through his cellular composition. His eyes began taking on a bright glow, with his entire body quickly becoming surrounded by a radiant nimbus of a whitish hue.
The end result of this energy build-up was an omni-directional pulse of extraordinarily brilliant white light that flared from every cell in Centurion’s body, displaying a sufficient candela to illuminate the entire section of the neighborhood for a split second.
Niña Gata’s sensitive pupils reacted to the incredible pulse of pure light as if a phosphorous flare was blown up directly in front of her face. She howled in both surprise and agony, feeling as if her retinas were scorched by miniature flashes of fire. This caused her to suspend her struggle against her opponent’s grip.
Centurion had once again unwittingly utilized an entirely new manifestation of his power: pure blinding light.
Having temporarily blinded his bestial foe, Centurion pummeled the light-dazzled Niña Gata in the side of her somewhat elongated face. The force of his superhuman blow cracked the felinoid’s jaw and sent her sliding across the alley.
Despite her injuries and temporary blindness, the once-human beast was a noble creature who refused to go down. The creature once known as Tabbie Morales fluttered her eyelids repeatedly in an instinctual attempt to shake off the effects of the light burst and restore her full visual acuity. While doing so, she began violently lashing out with the talons of all four limbs in the general direction her keen hearing sensed the movements of her adversary.
Centurion charged the she-beast again but was forced to block one of her frenzied slashes, which tore three deep gashes in the flesh of his stomach.
“Graah!” he shouted in defiance once more. “You are so going down!”
At this point Centurion again began summoning forth the powerful energies flowing within his cellular matrix. His eyes released their distinctive azure luminescence as sparks of energy began visibly coruscating from his clenched fists. He didn’t want to risk projecting a beam of his deadly energies at such close range of his opponent, so this concern prompted him to resort to an entirely different type of attack.
Centurion noted that his foe’s vision appeared to be rapidly returning, so he realized that he needed to press whatever advantage he still possessed. After he noticed that the sparks of his flowing energies seemed to be greatly unnerving the cat-girl, who began swinging her claws around much more erratically in response, he rushed towards her a third time.
“Don’t like the light, huh?” he said aloud. “That is really useful to know."
Centurion’s charge broke through the cat-girl’s defenses and smashed her up against the wall with staggering force, the impact of which stunned her for a moment.
Then, upon firmly gripping her shoulders he released paralyzing jolts of his cellular energies directly from his hands into her body. This he appeared to do more instinctually than with full intention, as if he was allowing his anger to unlock more aspects of his potential.
In response, Niña Gata’s greenish-colored eyes rolled back in her head as her nimble form was aglow from the painfully searing energies that sent her into spasms. Her dislocated jaw was partially forced open as dribbles of foamy saliva streamed out of one side of her maw; every strand of her thin coat of ochre-colored fur seemed to stand on end for a moment as a result of this horrendous energy assault.
Using his own judgment, Centurion forced himself to quell his rage from going any further, and he succeeded in “powering down” his energy flow in concert with his will. The youthful champion then moved back from his foe, and watched her limp form slide down to the garbage-encrusted ground in a state of unconsciousness.
Wisps of smoke could be seen billowing off Niña Gata’s furry body and out of her partially open gullet, due to the sizzling effect of the energy he poured into her. However, the steam soon dissipated and the cat-thing appeared otherwise fully intact despite a broken jaw and a trio of cracked ribs.
Just a split second later, Donovan and Sasheen rushed into the driveway, where they stood beside the triumphant young hero with taze rifles at the ready.
“Too late, leader-man,” Centurion said with nervous gumption. “You didn’t get here in time to help me do what I was able to do on my own.”
“Ha!” Sasheen grimaced, as he patted the teen on the shoulder.
Donovan gave the unconscious Niña Gata a quick once-over before turning back to his youthful charge. “You did good, kid. Minimal damage to your foe, and minimal damage to property. And those gashes on your face and gut are already closing up; you barely lost any blood. Your bio-mimetic suit should self-meld as your wounds heal.”
“Thank the gods for small favors,” Centurion said, actually sounding exhausted. “Though I think my guts almost fell out of my stomach when this thing slashed me there. I’m just lucky she didn’t go just half an inch deeper. Come to think of it, this is the second time I almost lost my guts in as many field missions.”
“Colonel, we need to get whatever the hell this creature is into the van and get out of here,” Sasheen reminded the grizzled veteran of war. “Thankfully the people who heard all this were smart enough to stay in their houses, but at least one of them is bound to have called the police.”
“I’m no rookie, Agent Kahn,” Donovan snapped back. “That’s why you’re calling me ‘colonel’ instead of the reverse. Let’s pick this beast girl up and get her back to the Institute before the boys in blue show up.”
While moving quickly but cautiously, the three men had the cat-girl secured in the back part of the van designed for holding metahumans. They then headed away from the grubby neighborhood several minutes before the police arrived on the scene.
I actually did it, Centurion told himself as he helped shackle his defeated adversary. I mean, I really actually did it! But don’t make an ass out of yourself by shouting “woo hoo!” or something like that. Otherwise, you will totally deserve the lecture you’d receive from Donovan about not getting too cocky. I have to show him I can keep proper perspective without his iron hand around my neck 24/7.
When the police did finally arrive, the citizens who witnessed the events outside of their windows recognized the description of the new hero from the recent article that appeared in The Buffalo News.
The next day, Centurion’s code name would again appear in the headlines, where witnesses gave him due credit for ridding the area of a dangerous creature apparently spawned by the Warp Event. His reputation as a hero had begun. But where would it lead? This was a question both he and Donovan were secretly asking themselves with just a smidge of trepidation.
Okay, perhaps more than just
a smidge.
Chapter 16: Back to School
As noted, Benny’s return to school had to be carefully planned by The Institute, and what ensued when he did is recorded in this chapter. Consider it a flashback if you prefer! By the way, this is the Omniscient Author speaking *waves to the readers*.
***
A look of unease permeated Benny Lonero’s plain features as he entered the halls of Buffalo Historical School for the first time since what he had been referring to as “The Incident.” He thought long and hard about the lessons imparted to him by Donovan and the rest of the Valis Institute staff. These lessons were, of course, in regard to the importance of controlling his baser inclinations now that he was a metahuman of such formidable power.
He knew that Mick Judge and Jeff Wolfe would not be returning to school for at least another month; and he also knew that Marissa Robbins was being treated for “shock” at the local hospital and would not be back for at least a week.
Nevertheless, the familiar corridors looked strangely narrow and bleak to him considering the history they had accumulated in his mind. It was quite unpleasant for him to go back to the school. But he understood the necessity of acquiring a diploma, and he had to attend school in order to help allay any suspicions being directed towards his complicity with The Incident.
Benny’s new resolve was about to be put to the test immediately, however. No sooner did he stride towards his locker than he happened to simply look up and catch the gaze of Leah Stanton, who was passing him on the way to her own locker.
“Ewwww, it’s Lonero,” she said to Rick Kelley, a friend and frequent co-conspirator walking alongside her. She made a point to say it loud enough for Benny to hear, and the look of disgust on her face was palpable.
Benny walked past her without uttering a word, but he gave into the temptation to respond by lifting his middle finger in her direction.
“Yo, douchebag! Did you just give Leah the bird?” Rick said loudly.
Benny continued to walk, and this time he forced himself to pay his tormentors no heed. It didn’t work, however, as both Leah and Rick ran over to him. The two clearly had a lot of anxiety to work out of their system due to the emotional tumult of what happened to their friends, even though they would never suspect that Benny could have been responsible. Rick caught up to their target and shoved him from behind.
“Hey, I’m talking to you!” Rick shouted. “Don’t you ever give the finger to Leah again, you hear me?”
“I don’t need your help kicking his ass, Rick!” Leah stated boldly.
Now irritated beyond measure, Benny turned and angrily confronted his duo of aggressors.
“I’ll give the finger to anyone who deserves it,” he said.
“Oh, really, you little dickhead?” Rick rebuffed as he took an angry step towards the schoolmate whom he despised.
But before Benny could react, a large beefy hand clasped Rick’s shoulder from behind.
“Do you have a problem, young man?” said the deep voice of a tall and muscular African-American man with movie star good looks and dressed in a school security shirt.
“Huh?” Rick reacted with clear intimidation.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the tall man said, never releasing his painfully tight grip on the boy’s shoulder blade. “I’m Al Garrison, and I had the pleasure of starting my job as a security guard here today. And no sooner did the first minutes of my first day on the job start than two troublemakers made a point to identify themselves to me.”
“What do you mean?” Leah asked with faux incredulity. “Lonero gave me the finger! Rick was only sticking up for me…”
“No, you made a comment to him first, which provoked him,” Al said, making his witnessing of the event quite clear. “There’s been enough trouble at this school lately, and I’ve been hired to help prevent more of the same from going down. So, you can bet that I’m not going to tolerate any bullying. Whatever was going on here before stops on my watch. And my watch extends to the same five days and eight hours that you attend class here. Both of you report to the office and stay there until I show up.”
“Seriously?” Leah replied, throwing her hands in the air.
“Yes, seriously,” Al said with strong emphasis. “This business ends now. You had best never let me see either of you do something like this again, or you will be looking for a new school to attend classes. Now get to the office, and don’t make me have to tell you again.”
“Man!” was the last thing Leah said in protest as she and Rick began heading towards the dreaded domain of the principal.
One of the other security guards who was friends with these students looked on from the end of the hallway with an expression of surprise. But he knew that Rick and Leah started the whole thing, as usual. Hence, he wasn’t about to come to their defense at that moment, or his favoritism to them might become obvious to the new security man on the team.
“Thank you, Mr. Garrison,” Benny said with a sincere smile. “I’m glad you were hired.”
“Don’t thank me, Mr. Lonero,” Al replied with a hint of anger. “The ‘they’ who hired me to get hired by the school was the Valis Institute.”
“Say what?” Benny said, obviously taken aback.
“And I saw what you were clearly considering doing to those two,” Al continued.
“I hate to reiterate what Leah said, but… ‘seriously?’” Benny queried, while throwing up his arms in mock imitation of the girl.
“And I’ll reiterate what Al said in response to that irksome young lady: ‘yes, seriously’,” came a gravely female voice from behind the boy.
Benny turned towards the source of the voice, only to find a statuesque, lanky woman just a few years short of middle age with curly blonde hair standing before him. She was dressed in professional business attire with her hands clamped on her hips.
“I’m Tatti Lawson,” the woman said, in answer to the obvious question on Benny’s mind. “But that’s Mrs. Lawson to you, young man. I’m the new guidance counselor here, and you are wanted in my office several minutes ago. Don’t worry if you forgot where it is, as I’ll be pleased to escort you there.”
Aw, crap… Benny thought to himself as he followed the Institute agent to the office where she would now be working. Donovan, I am soooooo gonna kill you!
***
Benny didn’t like the gaze that Tatti Lawson focused on him from across her desk. He saw that her counter was adorned with a bare minimum of personal items, as if she had no actual life, just the role she was playing here. This seemed to put light years of cold distance between the two. Something about the woman greatly unnerved him, however, and he knew she was no average agent of the Institute.
“Donovan seriously placed agents here in the school?” Benny asked through slightly gritted teeth. “To babysit me?”
“Damn straight he did, little boy,” Tatti said. “Agent Garrison was hired as a security guard. He’s a veteran of as many wars as Donovan, and he will do his considerable part to see that the bullying that drove you over the edge will be kept to a minimum. I’m here to keep an eye on you, and everyone around you. And you can rest assured that nothing escapes my eye. That is the reason I was so valued as a spy for a government ops unit I won’t mention. Nothing gets past my notice, which is why I was so often called ‘The Noticer’ by those who worked with me and secretly feared me.”
“Oh, come on now…” Benny stated with one hand over his face.
“I’m just glad you’ve been getting your anger out of your system by pummeling the walls of the recreation room in the Institute’s third floor instead of people you dislike.”
“What? How did you know that? Were you spying on me there too?”
“No, I didn’t start spying on you until today, and only in and around the grounds of this school. I do have a life and career apart from you. I know you’ve been doing a number on those walls because I just noticed those creases on your knuckles. They so happen to resemble th
e distinct shape of the ridges which I previously noticed as the texture of the cinderblocks from the wall on the third floor recreation room at the Institute.
“I further noticed that the same cinderblocks have mysterious cracks in them indicative of the pattern that punches would make on such a surface. I knew right away that it was either you or Brick that was doing the mystery angst-relieving pummeling, because only you two are strong enough to get away with that sans any serious hand injuries. But those ridges sure as hell imbed themselves in the skin!”
“I don’t believe this…”
“Says the kid who projects funky blue beams of energy from his hands and snatches numbers out of the ether. I just want to make it clear to you that The Noticer is watching you. So, don’t do anything stupid. Because if you do, then it will get noticed. Are you capable of behaving like a meta-gentleman, Benny?”
“In other words, I no longer have any privacy here. Great.”
“Benny, you’re still under lock and key for what you did. You have to continue attending school if you don’t want suspicion for that to enter the minds of the police, students, and staff of this school. That would ultimately take your punishment out of the hands of the Institute and into the hands of the state apparatus. So, don’t forget for a second that you’re under Institute custody. Worry not, though, since I’ll be here to constantly remind you of that.”
“How did the Institute manage to do this?”
“Oh, we have our ways.”
“I’d like to know exactly what those ways are, and how the Institute comes by its very impressive resources.”
“I’m sure you’d like to know what half the girls in this school look like naked too, but that also ain’t gonna happen, kid. Anyway, I’m going to write you a pass now and you’ll go attend the remainder of your first class and keep out of trouble. Agent Garrison and I will do our best to see to it that you do. And our best is pretty damn good.”
Centurion- Dark Genesis Page 19
