“Well, obviously we need to find somewhere to set up camp. Hopefully we won’t have to go too far to find somewhere suitable.”
“Does Doug have his computer equipment with him?” I asked, turning to look at Samantha.
“Uh-huh,” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her left ear. “He sleeps with the essentials in a bag next to his bed, so he was ready to go.”
“That’s good. Anything other than that?”
Samantha shook her head. “Just keeping tabs on you and Selena. I’ll be in your head for most of the important bits.”
“Well, it’s good knowing I’ve got somebody watching my back,” I said, turning my attention to the ground below me. “You know how you have to have a connection, or know a lot about the person, or stuff like that, in order to use your powers on them?”
Samantha nodded. “Yeah, I know that pretty well,” she said, throwing me a teasing look.
“Yeah, I figured you were an expert. Back at the beginning of all this, when I was fighting Richter in the desert, how did you get into my head? We’d never met before that, had we?” I asked.
Samantha didn’t answer right away. I could tell she was trying to figure out how to answer the question. “No, we’d never met, obviously,” she said finally. “I guess…well…” I could see in her eyes that her wheels were turning, trying to figure out how to best articulate what she was trying to say. “It’s going to sound kind of dumb, but here goes. Doug was obviously all over you—Tempest—whatever. Anyway, he was a part of all these online forums, trying to figure out who you were and stuff. Plus I’d seen you all over the news 24/7. I didn’t know what you looked like or who you were, obviously, but I had a pretty clear mental image.”
“Be honest,” I said, unable to pass up asking her my next question. “When you saw me for the first time, did I live up to your mental image, or were you disappointed?”
Samantha sighed and shook her head, trying not to laugh. She pressed her hand on my back, and with a good shove, pushed me off the roof of the building.
I fell down a few feet before stopping myself mid-air. I floated back up to the roof and sat down next to her, trying to hold back a laugh.
“I’m going to push you off every time you interrupt my serious story with a dumb question,” she said, pointing a finger at me with a goofy, adorable smile on her face.
I raised my hands in defense. “Alright, alright. Continue.”
She cleared her throat. “Anyway, I had a pretty clear mental image. But…hope is a powerful thing. I mean, there wasn’t a lot of hope before you were around, when it was just Richter. We weren’t sure if it was the end of the world or not, but it was looking like that was our new reality. And then you showed up, and you brought us—brought me—hope. That’s a pretty powerful connection.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what to say, afraid that whatever was going to come out of my mouth next would ruin the moment. “I don’t really know what to say. Thanks for believing in me, I guess.”
“No problem, Tempest.”
“I’m sorry I let you down,” I said, and I wasn’t sure why.
“What do you mean?” Samantha asked, furrowing her brow.
“You have to admit, things are much worse now than they were when it was just me and Richter. If you weren’t sure it was the end of the world before, it definitely seems that way now. At least, the end of the world as we know it.”
“Kane, it was the end of the world as we knew it the second Richter showed up. And, yeah, things are much different now, but you couldn’t have done anything about that. You don’t know what you’re going to find on your trip. You gotta remember, we’re just a bunch of teenagers. If you can get the help of the most powerful and smartest people in the world? We’ll be able to figure something out. I’m sure.”
“You really think so?” I asked, leaning back on my hands. “They saw what happened to our government. I’m not so sure they’d be eager to help us.”
“You heard Doug, England has Supers working for the government. They’re obviously open to the idea.” Samantha paused for a moment. “I still believe in you, Kane. I still have hope. You can do this.”
I took in her words, believing every one of them. “Alright. If you do, then I guess I do too.”
Samantha smiled and leaned back on her hands like me. “Good. Besides, like I said, I’ll be right there with you.”
“Front row seats,” I said with a chuckle.
“That’s right. Although hopefully you won’t be so far away that I can’t get a clear connection with you,” she said nervously.
“Why wouldn’t you be?” I asked.
“You’re going to be on the other side of the planet. I’ve never connected to someone that far away. What if there’s something with the Earth that blocks my signals, or whatever it is that allows my powers to work?”
I shook my head. “Samantha, you’ve connected with me while I was in space.”
“Yeah, but low orbit isn’t that far away, miles-wise. The other side of the Earth is thousands of miles,” she said, her voice picking up speed as she let out her anxieties.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “If for some reason you’re not able to connect, I’ll come right back and we’ll figure something out. It’ll be fine.”
“I sure hope you’re right.”
“Hey,” I said, looking right at her. “Believe in me.”
Samantha rolled her eyes, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “God, you’re really going to make me regret telling you that, aren’t you?”
I shrugged and chuckled. “I’ll consider it my birthday present from you.”
Samantha’s eyes lit up, and she punched me playfully on the arm. “You didn’t tell me it was your birthday!”
“I just did!” I exclaimed. “The big one-eight.”
“Well,” Samantha said. “Happy birthday. Welcome to adulthood. We’re all glad you’re here.”
“Thank you,” I said, bowing my head with a smirk. “It’s good to be here.” A yawn crept up my throat, and I let it out with a stretch. “I’m getting tired. Come on, let’s go get some sleep.”
Samantha nodded. “Yep, I’m feeling it too.”
I picked her up and carried her down to the ground, ending our final night together for quite some time.
13
TEA TIME
“Okay, I think we’re all set,” I said as I finished adjusting my backpack. I looked up to see the faces of the people who counted on me the most.
“When you get to London, go to the Ford Cafe near Piccadilly Circus. My guy will find you,” Doug said. “But try not to draw too much attention to yourself, okay?”
I smiled to thank Doug for his diligence, then turned to Selena. “You ready to do this thing?”
“Let’s do this,” she said.
I turned to Drew, my thoughts lingering on the fight we’d had a couple days before. “I’ll see you soon.”
He nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll hold down the fort.”
“Thanks.” I then turned to Samantha, unsure of what to say. The rising sun had lit up the night sky behind her in beautiful shades of red.
Then, without warning, Samantha stood on her tiptoes and planted a quick innocent peck on my lips.
“That didn’t mean anything,” she said as she pulled away, her cheeks flushing.
I didn’t know what to say. I felt as if I had to inject some comedy to defuse the situation. “Don’t worry, I’m used to hearing that one.”
Everybody else looked at us with wide eyes. Samantha stammered over her words as she tried to explain her reasoning to the group. “It’s just that my powers require a strong connection with the person, and the last thing we want at this time is for something to go wrong and for us to lose connection with Selena and Kane,” she said, appealing to the group. “So, it didn’t mean anything. I just need a strong physical connection and a memory to call on.”
“Don’t worry, Samantha,” I said, shrugging off
the situation with a sly smile. “We understand.”
Everyone seemed to agree with that except for Selena, who looked at me with a sly, knowing smile. I ignored her body language and moved on.
“Anyway, we really need to hurry up and go. It’s almost four o’clock in London.” I turned and stood next to Samantha. “You ready to do this?” I asked her.
Samantha turned her eyes skyward.
I took one last glance at the people I was leaving behind before taking off into the sky, heading towards the ocean.
* * *
Selena and I stepped through the doors of the Ford Cafe a little over an hour later. Its warmth was a nice change from the cold London air outside. We each ordered a coffee and sat down with our drinks in the nearly empty cafe. I looked out the window to my right, watching a city that seemed to be hanging on to life by a thread. Hardly anyone was walking along the street, but compared to the States, seeing anybody at all on the street who wasn’t looting a store or trying to kill somebody was amazing.
“This is pretty crazy,” Selena said as she looked out the window as well.
“Yeah, it’s so…normal.”
We continued to watch in silence as the few people who were out carried on with their days, albeit a bit faster than was probably normal. I couldn’t believe how relatively unfazed the city seemed to be. I imagined that most people in business or in the government were freaking out and preparing for what could possibly be the end of the world. But the civilians still had errands to run. There was still bread to buy, coffee to drink, dates to go on, and plays to see. I could easily understand why some business owners would want to keep things going as normally as possible. Now, more than ever, people needed a morale boost.
“It reminds me of things I’ve seen and read about the World Wars,” Selena said, turning away from the window to take another sip of her coffee. “Most of Europe was a war-torn hell. People were terrified, dying every day. Bombs were being dropped on cities. But that didn’t mean that everything stopped in the States, and other places in the world where the fighting wasn’t going on. The day-to-day parts of life were still happening.”
“Yeah, except there were Allies to fight the Axis. Right now it’s pretty much just the Legion doing whatever they want,” I said.
Selena shrugged. “Maybe. But not for long, at least if this trip goes well.”
I looked around the coffee shop. “Yeah, if this guy ever shows up,” I said, searching for anyone who even looked a little government official-like. Other than a couple quietly chatting in the corner and the baristas behind the counter, there was nobody in the store. “You listening, Samantha?” I asked, making sure she was there.
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m relaying everything you’re saying to Doug and Drew. They say hi.”
A bell jingled as the door opened. I turned and watched a guy around my age step in. He had blond hair cut short, and a little bit of scruff on his cheeks. He was wearing a blue button-down shirt with a light tweed blazer, a pair of dress slacks, and polished shoes. He scanned the room, and when his eyes met mine, he let out a grin.
“I think Doug’s guy is here,” I told Selena.
She looked behind her as the guy came walking over to our table.
“Kane? Selena?” he asked as he pulled out his chair.
We nodded, and he clapped his hands together. “Excellent. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve been following your work ever since that whole Richter situation,” he said to me. He spoke with a very light, almost unnoticeable, British accent.
“Thanks. If only our current situation was as easy as that one—and that one wasn’t easy by any means,” I said with a smile.
He nodded and leaned back in his chair. “Well, hopefully we’ll be able to work something out and we’ll be able to get a better grip on the situation. I’m sure we’ll be able to come up with something that’ll be beneficial for us all.” Our new government friend stood up from his chair. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’m going to go order a cup of tea.”
Selena leaned closer to me once he had left to go order at the counter. “What do you think?”
I smiled. “I have a really good feeling. With their help, we might actually stand a fighting chance.”
Selena sighed as she leaned back. “I can’t believe this is actually happening.”
We sat there alone for a few moments longer before our friend returned to the table sans tea. “Now, I understand you just came from the States a little over an hour ago?” he asked, engaging in small talk while we waited for his tea order to be finished.
I nodded. “Yeah, we haven’t even been awake for two hours.”
“That’s incredible,” he said with a laugh. “Having powers like that must be quite amazing.”
“It definitely doesn’t get old,” I said, glancing over at Selena, who shrugged in agreement.
The barista came to our table with a glass of tea in hand. “Here’s your order, Leo.”
“Thanks, dear,” he said as he took his glass from her hand with a smile.
“So, that’s your name? Leo?” I asked.
Leo tapped himself on his head. “Duh, I’m so sorry. I got so caught up in meeting you, I forgot to introduce myself.” He stretched his hand out for me to shake. “My name is Leopold Renner. It’s nice to meet you.”
II
THE WORLD OF THE SUPERS
14
MAKING LUCK
Selena and I shook Leopold’s hand, and he returned to his tea. He took a sip from it before setting the glass back down on its small plate.
“Now,” he began. “I should tell you about my group, and why someone so young is working with the British government. When everything started going terribly wrong for you all in the States, the government acted quickly to keep something like that from happening over here. Anybody who discovered they had powers had to turn themselves over to the government or else be marked as a fugitive. Of course when I discovered my powers I went straight to the government. Not just because I wanted to obey the law, but because I wanted to help keep my country safe.”
“When you say ‘turn themselves over,’ what do you mean by that?” Selena asked.
“I don’t mean they’re arrested or anything. You just have to make yourself known. Tell them who you are, what your powers are, where you live, and so on. Then you’re free to go about your normal, everyday life, as long as you don’t do anything bad with your powers.”
“What’s keeping these people accountable, though? What’s the incentive for turning yourself in?” I asked.
Leopold took another sip of his tea. “Well, you’ll be a fugitive and lose all your benefits as a citizen.” He cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair. “You see, we don’t have as much of a problem with bad Supers over here as you do in the States. The main reason for that is, well, you guys. Most of the bad Supers here flock to the United States to join Atlas and the Legion of Richter. They get over there in a number of ways. They fly, have other Supers fly them, teleport—pretty much any way possible. Which leaves all the Supers here the level-headed, less evil type.”
“Lucky you,” Selena said.
“Well, yes, we do consider ourselves quite lucky. We only wish you and your people could’ve been so lucky,” he said, and his sorrow seemed to be genuine.
“I think there still may be hope for us. What do you say we make our own luck?” I asked Leopold, wanting to hurry up and get to the part where we came up with a plan.
Leopold smiled. “Yeah, of course we shall. Before we go and meet the people I work with, I should fill you in a bit.
“The team I am a part of is a group of Supers working for the British government. We make sure there are no uprisings within our borders, and that the threat of Atlas and the Legion stays in the United States. In order to keep the threat from spreading, however, we’ve determined it’s necessary to go on the offensive and travel to the States to take care of the threat. We’re hoping you can help us
out. Fill us in on the situation over there. That would go a long way toward getting a head start.”
“Well, any help you can provide, we’d be grateful for,” I told him. “It’s just a few of us in Texas. I’m sure there are other good Supers around the country willing to help us, but we’re having trouble finding them, and it doesn’t exactly seem like we’re the winning side. If we were to have your people on our side, it would go a long way on morale alone. Not to mention the strategic military advantage.”
“Yes, we believe the same,” Leopold agreed. “However, I’ve been asked by my superiors to tell you that while your help would go a long way, you’re not vital to our operations. They’re thankful for what you’ve done with Richter and the steps you’ve taken to keep Atlas and the Legion occupied, but they’re completely capable of operating on their own.”
I glanced over at Selena, whose face was sour. Leopold’s words had definitely rubbed me the wrong way as well.
“I can see by the look on your face that you don’t agreed,” he said. “Again, that’s my superiors speaking. I think that the insight you’d provide would be invaluable. But they aren’t going to listen to a nineteen-year-old, even if I do have superpowers.”
I sighed. I might not like the mindset Leopold’s superiors had, but it wasn’t like I could just walk out on them. They held all the power. We needed them, and they didn’t seem to need us. Sure, we could give them a bit of a head start, plus they’d have our powers at their disposal. But they seemed to be doing just fine without us.
“Okay, whatever,” I said finally. “I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.”
“As am I,” Leopold said with a sparkling smile.
“So, when are we going to be able to meet with these people?” Selena asked, obviously annoyed at how much talking was happening. She wanted to make some real progress, and I couldn’t blame her.
“Yes, we’d like to speak to them as soon as possible,” I said.
The War of the Supers (The First Superhero Book 3) Page 6
