Death's Mistress: Origins of Supers: Book One

by D. L. Harrison

  I’d kicked him so hard, that I wasn’t sure when he would land, much less where. He had no flight, and no leverage against the momentum I’d just imparted. He was just gone, far down the block and up into the sky, and he drifted and disappeared over the buildings along the left side of the street. I’d have to work on that, the drift I mean, I’d meant to kick him straight.

  Solar Wind dropped an F-bomb and looked really nervous.

  I whispered, “Behind you,” and projected it just behind her ear, then snickered all around her from every direction when she spun wildly toward the initial direction of my voice.

  Yeah, so I wasn’t perfect, and I was probably feeling cocky. I was still extremely pissed in my rage, and especially after being called a crazy bitch.

  Turning her around also gave me the opening to kick Bane in the head, really hard, without worrying about her stupid flames. The sound of it and the feel of it was deliciously satisfying. He grunted weakly and passed out, but his heartbeat was still steady and strong. Then I grabbed him by the back of the neck, expanded my invisibility around him, and took off into the sky. I didn’t give Solar Wind a second look, and she actually seemed like one of the more reasonable ones.

  Despite the fiery attempt to hit me when I was invisible.

  Sentinel? He was either like Mistral, a stone-cold killer, or he was just a special type of macho asshole. He’d also be fine. I’d just wanted him out of the way, and he had pissed me off. Maybe I was a crazy and arrogant bitch, but he sure as hell wasn’t allowed to call me that.

  Debra said, “You need to take him to SAB, no one is in danger from him right now.”

  I snorted, “He’s a sadistic bastard who loves to kill. We have proof of that.”

  Yeah, it was shaky logic, but I wasn’t exactly thinking straight.

  Prisma argued, “There were no casualties at the bank, so he hasn’t violated your ultimatum. I believe you promised to deliver them to jail instead of death, if they did that.”

  Shit.

  I knew it was wrong. I can’t really express the level of frustration and rage I felt in that moment. But between my friends back at the lair, and even the distractions of Solar Wind’s attack and Sentinel’s words, I slowly came out of that insane rage and felt a deep sense of conflict about what I’d been planning to do in my insane rage. I was still enraged, still wanted to kill him more than I could say, but I knew then that I’d lose my soul if I did.

  So far, I’d only broken both his shoulders and knocked his ass out. Perhaps a bit over the top, but not too much worse than I’d have needed to subdue him anyway. Plus, he’d heal.

  As for Sentinel, I wasn’t sorry at all, he’d be fine. Once he landed.

  “Fine, how the hell am I supposed to do that without having every hero strafing for me? They’ll probably let him escape with their focus on me.”

  Or more specifically, their focus on the fact I was there and invisible. I supposed that was a good reason for it, it’d make anyone feel vulnerable.

  The world flashed a bright white, and there was a pair of those cuffs. I managed to scoop them up before they fell all that far.

  Prisma said, “I’ll teleport the cuffs back here once he’s secured. Just cuff him and drop him at the front door.”

  I snickered, “Won’t that make them paranoid, teleporting things out of containment cells at the SAB?”

  Prisma replied mischievously, “Why yes, I do believe it might.”

  I cuffed him, and then dropped him on the SAB’s front stoop so to speak. I only felt a little regret at doing so. I also felt pride in my integrity, because doing that was the last thing I’d wanted to do. Honestly, I hated doing it, but it was what it was. No one was perfect.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The take down video I watched later on YouTube was highly edited for content, specifically anything that made me look crazy was withheld, which was mostly the argument I’d had with the others while flying away with my prize and dark thoughts on my mind. Although, there was a really good shot of my field goal style kick into Sentinel’s jaw. Which was quite a trick since I’d been invisible at the time. There was even a disclaimer on the video, saying it was put together by my GPS positions and after-action description, and I’d been dubbed in using special effects.

  I grinned as I rewound it thirty seconds, and then wondered if watching that asshole sail off and disappear over the skyline would ever get old. The video ended when I dropped the supervillain off at the SAB building.

  Debra asked, “Are you alright?”

  I sighed, “I still want to crush his throat, but I will be. He’ll get the justice my husband and who knows how many others deserve. I’ll have to be happy with that.”

  Debra said, “I’m sorry, I can’t even imagine what it must be like.”

  Thinking of Germaine, I replied soberly, “I hope you never find out.”

  Germaine said, “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Maria interjected, “You should keep being careful. I have a feeling their scientists are looking for a way to find you. There’s more than thermal and vision to worry about.”

  I snarked playfully, “When did you become the voice of reason?”

  Maria giggled, “Since it’s one of my friends in danger.”

  I couldn’t argue with that.

  I braved the comment section. The comments were about a quarter crude, noting how hot I was in my suit, and several even cruder than that focused on exactly what they wanted to do to me. I ignored those. The important ones were the ones I focused on. Some were saying I needed to be hunted down and killed myself, and I was a danger to everyone in the city. But for every one of those there were those that lauded me, and a few that even suggested the superheroes in the city should work with me in situations like that, since I obviously wasn’t crazy and had no intentions of killing them.

  I wasn’t holding my breath for either of those things to happen, though the first was a risk and the more likely to happen, but not if I stayed vigilant.

  I got up and walked into the kitchen with Wynn on my hip, it was my turn to cook that night and as usual I was starving after a fight and then afternoon training.

  Chapter Eighteen

  They say humans can get accustomed to just about anything. The next day my patrol went even better. People were still clearing the street when I appeared, but I got the idea that was more about the potential for fighting with the superheroes when they converged more than any fear.

  People waved, called out my name, and otherwise didn’t look all that fussed about my presence. There were exceptions of course, on both sides of the fence. Some few asked questions about my experience and loitered, and a few were obviously scared, but the majority of them looked inured to my presence. Part of that was the videos I was sure. Another part was simply the fact I hadn’t done anything to them yet.

  I was in for a surprise visitor when Prisma teleported me back to the lair.

  Glenn said, “Hey, Bell.”

  I turned my head toward the relaxed and confident voice, and I saw Glenn for the first time since that night of hell. He sat between Germaine and Debra who as usual were watching over me during my patrols. Prisma also stood nearby in her holographic form, she was in a red business skirt suit with glasses this time. He was six foot one, medium build with light brown hair and hazel eyes. He was much better looking than I remembered, although I’d been a bit of wreck that first night on the day of hell when I’d quickened.

  My stomach actually fluttered with attraction, and it was the first time that happened since my husband died, just a little less than a month ago. There was also gratefulness wrapped up in it, not that he hadn’t had his own selfish reasons for helping me too. There was guilt wrapped up in there as he measured me with his warm hazel eyes, and I enjoyed it. There was admiration and respect in them at the same time.

  I pushed it all down, not sure I could deal with any of it in that moment.

  “Glenn, good to see you, but is this safe?”


  He waved that away, “I’ve always avoided the safe house so I wasn’t connected to it, but this should be fine since they can’t find it.”

  Maybe, but it would give them a reason to come after him.

  “So, what brings you by?”

  He laughed, “Straight to the point? We have two problems. We need to hurry things up, I’ve had quite a few visions lately and I’m sure the government super psychics have as well.”

  Prisma said, “My boss still isn’t sure, Glenn. Doing as you request will likely lead to a civil war, riots, and perhaps the collapse of the government. It’s why we haven’t done so before now.”

  I frowned, “I get the feeling this meeting started without me,” as I sat down in one of the command chairs.

  Prisma looked at me, “He wants me to release all the data we have.”

  It took me a minute to make the connection, and I felt like an idiot for not even thinking of it before. I felt like my whole world collapsed inward for a moment, overwhelmed by the obvious.

  “You have access to SAB’s data, so you have the proof that they’ve been killing supers.”

  Prisma nodded, then shrugged, “Proof is relative. We’ve never released it because proof and videos can be faked. I can produce video proof that it was really you in the theatre that shot Lincoln, but no one would believe it. Data can be falsified. There’s also the matter of results as opposed to intentions. The most likely result is people will go on disbelieving the truth when the data is doubted and pulled apart in the news, and the government will merely stonewall. No one will want to think that’s possible.

  “That’s why we were going with this plan, we need to slowly sway the people, and get the government to do a true audit. Only then will it be believed and dismantled. The next likeliest result is arguably worse, the country would be polarized, and civil war and government collapse might result. We need the government to keep running. We just need to clean the cancer out of it and put the men and women in charge of it in jail for the rest of their lives.”

  I shook my head, I could kind of see it, but at the same time while they were hoping for a better result thousands of citizens were being executed because the government feared their loyalty and the possibility that they might go bad and cause mass destruction.

  I frowned at Glenn, “So what changed?”

  Glenn said, “Our visions rarely go out more than a few days, a week at most. That can make them dangerous, often changing something just leads to an unknown future that could be even worse. But in this case, I think we have to try. In nineteen-ninety the first generation of homo-potens was born, there’s about four million of us just in the U.S. alone. In the last thirty years that adds up to around a hundred and twenty million. The important part though is teen pregnancy, which sharply rose among our first generation twelve years ago. The second generation of homo-potens are about to start to quicken.”

  He paused and took a breath, “I’m pretty sure all of them will.”

  “How is that possible?”

  He shrugged, “I don’t know the science behind it, but I suspect Maria’s evolution theory is right. Our first generation is caught up in-between somewhere, and only quicken under certain circumstances, perhaps even certain emotional and mental states. The second generation is going to quicken at puberty.”

  Prisma argued in her usual chipper voice, “You can’t know that.”

  He frowned, “The point of all that was I’ve seen a lot of young teens right here in the city the last two days, visions of them quickening under no stress at all that I could determine. They’re also more powerful. Not more powerful than you, or Debra or Germaine, but of all the ones I saw they were all in your league. I’m not sure what else can explain that. I firmly believe our race will be a race of supers, and there won’t be a single unpowered human left in our world in a hundred years. No, I can’t prove it, but I feel it in my gut.”

  Right, the second generation would still be coming for another ten to twenty years. I imagined the first generation would have a few late arrivals as well, thirty was hardly too old to have a baby.

  “So there’ll be no weak powers like in the first generation?”

  He nodded, “I believe that to be true. We believe the weak powers are those of the first generation that don’t fully reach their potential. There might be some, but they’re already in the twenty percent minority and that will go lower. There will also be those like me I assume, and others that are powerful but with a non-violent power like Debra’s healing.

  “So we’re looking at the start of the government not only killing kids in their young teens, a lot of them, but even more than ever. That twenty percent that’s been getting a free pass for weak powers won’t exist anymore, so I’d expect they’ll start killing eighty-five to ninety percent of them in a panic. Perhaps more, because they’ll all be quickening in their teens, and none of them will be police officers, fireman, or military yet. And it will take time to stop it, we need to go after them harder. If it takes a damned civil war, let it, my conscience can’t take what’s coming.

  “Either way, the world is about to change in a significant way, and it’s time our generation takes control of our destiny away from the terrified homo-sapiens that are still in charge of the world’s governments. A world of supers will change everything, the old ways won’t work anymore.”

  Debra said, “You’re talking about revolting.”

  Glenn frowned, “We’ll still need the government, but we need to force them to accept us in it while coming up with policies that aren’t kill what we can’t control. We need to handle our own, and likely all emergency, police, and military matters. I’d like to do that under a system and a set of rules we can all agree on, but how likely does that sound? I just know I can’t stand by and allow our children to be slaughtered while they panic and try to figure it out for themselves. We need to start working on real solutions, not reactionary fear. If that many of the teens die, then all of them will eventually start revolting, and our country will be run by fourteen-year-olds. No one will turn themselves in, if the death rate gets that high.”

  Prisma said, “It’s likely if you’re correct, that they’ll quicken between fourteen and seventeen years of age, the usual spread of completing puberty. This batch your seeing are probably just the early ones. Of course, I’m still not convinced yet that you’re right, and will wait for the data to come in.”

  It was all too big and hard to wrap my mind around. What would a world like that even look like? All I could think about was Wynn. She’d be a super in twelve to fourteen years, in a greatly changed world. That was just too young. Even I was kind of freaked out by the idea of a kid with superpowers. Maybe like the old west, where everyone walked around armed, except most supers would be armed with the ability to destroy buildings.

  Still, there’d be ways to handle it. Most of them wouldn’t use their power, only a small percentage wanted to be superheroes and do good, and an even smaller percentage of crime.

  Crime might even go down, since a criminal could never know if a person that they were about to mug had the power to counter their own.

  Even discounting all that, what about population? If the energy kept us young looking for a normal human lifespan, then we aged quickly and died, that wouldn’t change all that much. But what if we lived for hundreds of years? We’d also be eating a lot more.

  “You said two problems?”

  He nodded, and said casually, “You’re about to be killed, in just about twenty minutes.”

  Oh. Well, that wasn’t good news. An understatement perhaps, but it was all a bit surreal after the grim picture he’d just painted.

  “Seriously?”

  He said, “Not if I can help it, here’s what’s going to happen…”

  The flashing red light on the main screen told me it was time. My heart pounded in my chest already, and I felt more than a bit nervous. Knowing the future didn’t mean I could avoid it, and it could actually mak
e things worse. The plan he’d given me to counter it made sense, but only if I could actually pull it off, which wasn’t guaranteed.

  Prisma said, “Seven supervillains are holding a stadium hostage. All the exits were collapsed with energy blasts. They’re making demands for fourteen million dollars to let the crowd go. There are superheroes in route but they have orders to hold back and negotiate. They also taunted you, Bell. Specifically daring you to come face them.”

  Maybe I was growing cynical, but there was a reason for those orders to hold back. The government wanted me dead badly enough to let the vision play out, and they’d let several hundred others die just for the pleasure of taking me out of the picture.

  Cynical and arrogant interpretation, not everything was about me, but none of us could imagine that their psychics hadn’t seen it. That many deaths was almost sure to be seen. It was the only explanation that made sense, given what kills me.

  I closed my eyes, that wasn’t the only thing on my mind. I’d thought my threat might be a bit arrogant, that it would come back and bite me in the ass, and here it was. This wouldn’t even be happening if it wasn’t for my threat. I was being called out by seven supervillains. A lot of humans as well as I had died in the vision, but we were going to change that, if we could.

  Debra looked pretty fantastic in a white skintight suit, and I hadn’t even known she had one.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  She nodded, “I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t.”

  Prisma said, “I’ll set you in the parking lot, so they don’t see the flash, good luck.”

  Germaine kissed Debra and told her good luck as he stepped back, then turned to me, “You too.”

  Glenn looked nervous, that didn’t help calm me either.

  “Let’s go, or we’ll be dealing with the heroes too. All of them, I mean.”

  We disappeared in a flash of light, and when we arrived, I gently grabbed Debra and took off into the sky while invisible. We flew over the huge wall and into the stadium, and I lowered down into the crowd filled stands and dropped her off.