Death's Mistress: Origins of Supers: Book One

by D. L. Harrison

Some of the tests were painful. They used energy attacks to encourage a superspeed response for instance, which of course failed so it hurt like hell to get to the other side of the room through an array of weapons. I was however a very fast flyer, the first time through that room I crossed three quarters of the large room in flight in under a second. They made me do it again, and focus on being fast, which of course didn’t work.

  A cynical side of me, and I didn’t really have a cynical side back then, made me think all these tests were merely so the government would know how to take us out. Of course, the statistics didn’t support that. Since, either I’d survive and leave, or die on the premises if my powers went haywire. I wasn’t too sure about that last part as well, and I’d wondered more than once how many supers died in testing. Point being, no super that was released from government testing and registration had ever gone bad, but I supposed it was still possible the tests were done that way anyway, in paranoia.

  The doctor, I never did learn his name, and Raymond continued to argue about my powers in a professional and detached way almost all the way through. The doctor was almost convinced I had some kind of telekinetic power to explain my strength and durability despite still having a normal human musculature and bone structure. While Raymond continued to harp on the counter evidence that said something else was going on.

  Neither of them discussed the possibility that my five powers, six with fast healing, had disparate sources to fuel them. Which made me wonder if that was impossible. It seemed logical to me at the time, but I decided then that perhaps there was a third common source explanation.

  I did learn a couple of more things about my power. My power of flight, even with my feet solidly on the ground and under gravity, automatically assisted when I needed leverage to lift or push something from impossible angles. Lifting a solid block of stone for instance, from handles on the side of it. My ninety-pound body should’ve just tipped toward the thing no matter how strong I was, since leverage and physics was still a thing, but I barely moved a millimeter when I picked it up off the ground like lifting a mug of coffee off the kitchen table.

  I was in the last room which was a test to see if I had influence over the elements, which I failed. I knew it was the last room because Raymond had told me. I was waiting to be released at that point. They told me it would be a few minutes before the results were compiled and I’d be escorted to the med center for a physical.

  I felt excited that it was the end, merely because I was that much closer to seeing my daughter again. I was barely even paying attention to their arguing anymore, most of the words going right through me without being processed even as I continued to listen with my sonic power picking up the sound vibrations off the mirror.

  At least I ignored them, until the doctor said, “I have concerns about the viability of this subject.”

  Wait, what? Viability? Subject? I controlled the instinct to glare at the window and did my best to control my breathing, which had hitched slightly. They didn’t seem to notice.

  Raymond replied cautiously, “In what way? She seems stable enough.”

  The doctor said, “She’s dangerous. She completed all the tests in one go without rest, and the readings say she’s as fresh as when she started. We’ve not been able to classify her abilities, and worst of all she shows signs of rage and mental instability.”

  There was a long pause, before Raymond answered carefully, “Doctor. I’d wonder if she was a psychopath if she didn’t display upset emotions right now. Her husband was crushed right in front of her, and she’s obviously worried for her kid. Not to mention the trauma of the incident itself and finding herself with fantastic powers.”

  The doctor replied, “Powers she has uncanny control over. If she loses that temper out there, then she could kill thousands before we could stop her. No one on our roster can equal her either.”

  A shiver went down my spine, and I wondered if the crazy conspiracy theorists weren’t right after all. Was the government putting down seven out of ten supers because they were considered too dangerous? I also regretted snapping at them, but I’d challenge anyone not to under the same circumstances.

  Wondered? His words were pretty clear. Viability, dangerous, if I lost my temper out there. What else could that possibly imply, other than killing or at best containing me. I felt my rage reignite in my chest at the thought. Just how many had they killed merely on the fear they might turn supervillain?

  I also felt disbelief. I was still the naïve girl in the library, and there was a part of me that was sure I was misinterpreting what was being said. I like to think I’m still that girl, still had discipline and integrity even now, but back then I still hadn’t lost that naivety.

  Raymond grunted, “We don’t have to match her strength, any of our energy wielders could take her down easily. We should recruit her and raise the bar.”

  The doctor said, “Are you willing to pin your career on that? A young woman, angry at the world, with powers we can’t classify, and reportedly has a thing against supers. Her online posts indicate she would never let us recruit her. Add that to her instability and we’re looking at an explosion waiting to happen.”

  Silence answered the doctor’s question.

  My stomach dropped, were they really putting that ahead of a life, my life?

  The doctor said, “I thought so. Take her to medical. Maybe our scientists can answer our questions about her power with a little blood and DNA. Once she’s back in her room and contained, initiate the final protocol.”

  That didn’t sound good. I almost snorted, when I considered the final protocol could just mean releasing me to go see my daughter. I still didn’t want to believe our government was killing supers that were merely potential threats. National security type stuff and conspiracy theories from the movies. That stuff wasn’t real, was it?

  The rest of me of course, imagined those guest rooms with the vault doors were containment rooms with several deadly weapons and options available. Like the energy weapons in the testing rooms, just far more powerful.

  The emotions in my chest had my heart beating too fast. It was all mixed up and I had no idea where one thing started and the other took over. The list was long. Rage at the supervillain and superhero fight that had caused this, devastation over my husband’s death, and worry for my daughter and what would happen to her if I disappeared. No doubt I’d be reported as my powers going wrong and killing me, and after the last several hours of testing I knew that was bullshit viscerally in my gut.

  And of course, the fear, disgust, and shock at the idea that the government really was killing supers.

  All doubt was removed with Raymond’s next words, even in my naivety. Although they were reluctant and filled with defeat, I would never forgive him for his moral cowardice.

  “We should get some of our energy wielders downstairs, just in case. Her healing index is incredibly high, and I’m not sure if sixty tons of force wouldn’t pop one of the security doors before the sanctioning weapons could finish her off.”

  The doctor grunted, “See to it, but only one. Lady Mistral should do, and she’s already aware of the final sanction.”

  Lady Mistral was a wielder of air on an elemental level, and quite famous as a superhero. That almost made no sense to me at first, because wind was physical harm. But she didn’t have to harm me physically, no matter how powerful I was, there was one undeniable fact.

  I still needed to breathe.

  While she couldn’t hurt me she could probably contain me long enough to finish the job by asphyxiation.

  Worse, I kind of liked her, or I had until that moment when I realized she was a murderous bitch and an assassin for the government. Point was, her fights very rarely ended with any collateral damage in lives or property, so she was one of the few superheroes I had actually admired.

  I frowned. How many of the heroes that worked for the government had no idea of the truth? Most of them, if what the doctor’s words implied were to be b
elieved. I got up and stretched, which felt kind of good, since I actually felt the muscle resistance of it, then I started to pace. My heart was definitely sped up, and I needed to cover for that before they noticed. I knew they were monitoring my vitals with some remote scanning technology. They’d talked about them several times over the tests.

  The concern in Raymond’s voice made me want to strangle him, “Are you alright, Ms. Moore?” because that concern had to be false. Either false, or the man had zero integrity or steel in his spine to stand up for his beliefs, and he would sacrifice his self-respect and was a murderer for his career.

  I said lightly, “Just a little anxious, and looking forward to seeing my daughter. I also… have a lot to do in regard to my husband’s death. Arrangements to be made.”

  Raymond replied, “It won’t be long, I’ll be there in a minute. After medical you just need to spend the rest of the twenty-four hour wait period in the guest room to be sure the homo-potens energy is stable.”

  I nodded at the window, “I understand. Any chance I could call and talk to my daughter?”

  Raymond replied, “I’ll see what I can arrange when you’re back in your room.”

  Lying bastard. He’d just put me off until I was dead. I just had to keep up my own deception until he brought me back to my room on the lobby level. I wasn’t sure what kind of automated weapons this place had, but the elevator at the ground floor would put me closest to the exit. I’d have to run for it from there, since it was closer to the front door than my room was. The steel door to the lobby was also a lot less thick than the containment rooms, and I was sure I could tear it open like tissue paper.

  I was almost positive the ceiling in here would be extremely thick reinforced steel, no point in breaking a nail trying to get through it when he’d be escorting me most of the way out with a lying smile on his face.

  “Thanks,” I almost choked on the word, but I managed to be just as good a liar as he was.

  In my mind I was already out of the building, and I was planning how to find and reclaim my daughter, and then what? I wasn’t sure how I’d hide us from the government, but there had to be a way, and I’d think of it. I had to.

  I wasn’t thrilled about giving them anymore information on myself, but the medical room was on sublevel one and I needed to play my cards close to my chest for the moment. That would turn out to be one of my first and major mistakes as a super on the run from the government, besides turning myself over into government hands in the first place that is. To be fair to me, I’d been in shock and my emotions were all over the place at the time.

  In hindsight, it was pretty obvious that giving a vial of blood to the government that had superpowered psychics in their employ was an incredibly stupid decision. There’d also be another wrinkle that would show it’s face far sooner than that one did.

  Despite the pretty solid proof in my mind that they were killing those supers they feared and couldn’t fully evaluate, there was still a surreal feeling to all of it in that moment. The government didn’t do those things. I wasn’t totally naïve. I knew the government could be corrupt, but them killing their own citizens out of fear seemed a bit… crazy to me.

  The medical room itself looked more like an ER or perhaps an intensive care unit than anything else. It was a large room with many smaller rooms surrounding the main room with a large station in the center. Despite the expansive facilities, Raymond, myself, a male nurse, and a female doctor were the only four people in there at the time.

  How I knew that for sure was kind of cool. I could only hear four heartbeats when I called all soundwaves toward my ears.

  The nurse had black hair and gray eyes, and he looked like he may have smiled some years ago, perhaps once. I wasn’t all that surprised by his emotionless equanimity, given the horrors I imagined took place in this building. He must’ve been a credit to the human race. And by that, I mean not. It was the doctor that surprised me, she was a lithe and bubbly redhead with a wide smile. Her badge read Doctor Loise Thurman, and not punching her in the face for her garrulous and cheery greeting should’ve won me an award for best actress.

  The room was done in that same muted and brighter silver that the first floor and second sublevel were. The doctor that entered the room I waited in and took a cheek swab, gave me a urine sample container, and calmly discussed how she had to extract blood from the blood vessels in my mouth to get around my immunity to purely physical kinetic force.

  She ended her happy speech with, “You may feel a small sting and sense of discomfort, please don’t move.”

  I shook my head, “Try my arm first,” as I rolled up the sweatshirt sleeve.

  She raised an eyebrow at that, but she agreed with a disbelieving expression on her face. Perhaps merely to humor me.

  What she didn’t know was what I did. I could turn off all my other abilities with a little focus. It wasn’t hard to focus on allowing the needle to penetrate the kinetic field layered over my very human skin. Or whatever it was that protected me from damage. The doctor thought it was kinetic, but I trusted the weasel’s opinion more. Raymond had made some good points. I also didn’t care what it was, since my curiosity had limits in my shock, and in the end it didn’t matter. My abilities were my abilities, and as I’d said before it would be a while before I found out the truth of it.

  Years even.

  I managed not to smirk when the needle stung the inside of my elbow, and it dove right into the vein.

  Once she’d filled the vials she said, “There’s a rest room two doors over, and once you’ve filled the cup you’re done.”

  “No examination?”

  She shook her head, “I’ve looked over the test results, that has all the other information I need.”

  I went to take care of it, and when I left the bathroom with the sample, I picked up a fifth heartbeat. My heart sank as I saw Lady Mistral in her light blue skintight suit the color of a clear sky, with slightly darker blue boots and elbow length gloves. She also wore an eye mask that did little more than cover her cheekbones and part of her forehead. She was petite, just an inch taller than I was, with black hair and clear blue eyes.

  I took a deep breath. This complicated matters, but I wasn’t dead yet. I worried that I'd ruined my chances by waiting, but we were about to be on the elevator which was an extremely closed in space and an excuse to get close. I reminded myself she was here to kill me only if I escaped my room.

  Unless I’d done something to tip them off about my suspicions, then she shouldn’t be expecting me to attack her.

  She also had a friendly light smile on her face, and I suppressed a shudder. How could these people be so nice and cordial with a woman they were about to kill? Were they dead inside? I calmly handed the sample to the doctor, who gave me one last smile and left quickly with the nurse. It made me wonder if the doctor was truly in the know, but she had to be. She more than anyone would know that runaway powers killing supers was total bullshit.

  Raymond said, “Lady Mistral will join us for the trip back to your room. She volunteered and likes to meet the new supers. I answer what I can of course, but she’s someone who’s been through what you’re going through.”

  Right, perfectly reasonable explanation. If I didn’t know what I knew, I’d have fallen for it hook line and sinker. Assholes.

  She said, “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Moore.”

  I didn’t even try to smile, for once my grief was working in my favor.

  “Mistral, I’ve always been a bit of a fan.”

  Or had, until ten minutes ago.

  I decided to ask again, it would be what I’d be doing if I was staying, if that made sense.

  “Any chance I can call my daughter, and I’m also getting hungry. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

  It was close to four in the afternoon.

  Raymond replied, “I can make that happen once your back in the room. There’s no phone, but I should be able to dial out and conference you through the
intercom system.”

  Well, la di da. He’d thought through his lie a little better since the first time I’d asked.

  I attempted a smile and thanked him. It wasn’t perfect, but it wouldn’t be under the weight of shock and grief anyway.

  He said, “Let’s go.”

  We started for the elevator.

  Mistral pushed her hair out of her face, “A fan?”

  I nodded, “Your takedown record is impressive, with very little collateral damage. I could wish you were on that bridge earlier, maybe my husband would still be alive.”

  Mistral sighed, “It’s an unfortunate and harsh fact of life. We do the best we can. Ignoring it and not taking down the dangerous criminals would be worse.”

  Oh, so that’s how she justified murder in her mind. I hadn’t done anything to earn my death.

  Yet.

  But I’d like to believe I never would’ve either, if they’d let me go home with my daughter instead of trying to kill me.

  We got on the elevator to the ground floor, and my whole body felt tense. I’d never once been in a fight. I’d been that bookworm and geek, despite my looks. I’d always abhorred violence, even as I knew Mistral wasn’t completely wrong, evil men and women did need to be stopped. I just hated that there wasn’t a better way.

  It’d been easy to blame them for it.

  Point being, I had no training, and no idea how to fight. Still, how hard was it throw a punch?

  The elevator dinged, and as the doors started to open, I made my move. A part of me almost wouldn’t mind losing, joining my husband wherever he’d gone to, but my desire to get back to my daughter and my survival instinct wouldn’t let me just give up and die. I had no choice.

  I also had the dim idea I could just knock her out and flee, I had no intention of killing anyone.

  My body and arm spun around, aimed right at her chest. I think I took her totally by surprise, but she was ready for it regardless, her power was I mean. Just like mine protected me at all times, unless I willed it not to.

  My hand slammed into air. That was the only word I could use to describe it, about an inch before fist met flesh. The air was springy like a cushion, and also deflected my blow to the side. At the same time, there was plenty of momentum left over to knock her off her feet and slam her body back against the elevator wall.