by Simon Archer
“I’ll do it,” I said with a grimace, not at all comfortable with the idea of playing a bad guy again. “The sooner I get that over with, the better I’ll feel.”
“Eh, it’s not so bad,” Kara tsked with a click of her tongue. “Adelaide's in no real danger, you know that. It’s like Saturday morning cartoons. Let loose, embrace the crazy. It’s kinda fun, to be honest.”
“Sure, but I don’t want playing a villain to be fun.”
That was apparently Matt’s cue to show up again. I didn’t even notice him leaving the course, apparently already done with both runs between him and Jack. He slid up to me like we were best friends and clapped me on the back a bit too harshly.
“Why not?” he said with false friendliness. “It’s in your blood, Gateon.”
I glared at him, fist ready to punch his obnoxious little grin, but instead of taking the bait, Gemma’s words echoed through my head, and I backed off. I forced the tension in my shoulders to ease a bit and shrugged at Matt like he had nothing of importance to say.
Jack, who stood behind him with a relatively blank expression, couldn’t quite understand why we were both getting along all of a sudden.
“The adults were having a private conversation,” Kara sassed, hand on her hip. Apparently, she was just as sick of his bullshit as I was. “Go play elsewhere like a good little boy and leave us alone.”
Matt had his moments when his inner douchebag would come out to play, but for the most part, it was reserved only for me. The girls of the class especially saw his sweeter side, as many seemed to remind him of his reclusive twin sister. In fact, many were friends with said sister and didn’t appreciate his little games. Had I said something like that, he would have fumed and probably struck me right there in front of everyone, but to Kara, Matt simply ducked his head and stepped to the side to let her pass.
“You’re right, Kara. I’m sorry.”
Kara glanced over to Kristen, who was busy arguing quietly with Andie about some finer detail of their future match. The girls had some secret language that I didn’t understand, but it was clear that most who shared that dorm respected each other on a deeper level than Matt or I could manage.
Kara smiled Matt’s way and then passed him by like he was hardly worth the soil under her shoes.
It was incredible. For a girl who often hid behind her gadgets, Kara held an inner fire that I longed to see more of. She gestured towards the door to the course and motioned for me to get on with it.
“I like it when you’re bossy,” I told her with a grin. “Reminds me of all those times you forced me to sit at a tea party when we were six.”
She blushed, cleared her throat, and then gestured towards the door again. “I still haven’t forgiven you for murdering Stacy,” she muttered. Her favorite Barbie, and that one I took great pleasure in torturing one day out of a jealous tantrum. At the time, I was convinced that she loved her dolls more than me. I was too young and stupid to realize the exact reason why she’d demanded I play house with her so many times.
Every Barbie needed a Ken, after all.
“Time to get your revenge, then,” I told her as I entered the course to set up.
I wanted to go easy on her. It was a fairly simple run this time, without the illusion magic from before to make it look like a home. At the end of the run, there was a large lava pit where Adelaide dangled in her cage, and only a few vaults and barriers stopping the path toward her. The traps were varied and hidden in the walls and floors on the way to Adelaide. One involved huge spikes shooting up with deadly force which I thought was a bit too extreme, especially since Kara wasn’t exactly invulnerable or immortal or any of that.
In the end, I didn’t set any traps at all and decided that I’d fight her as a distraction. Thing is, when the door opened, she didn’t step through it. The door closed, and there wasn’t anyone there.
This threw me off completely. I was too used to fighting Matt and didn’t realize that she’d somehow made herself completely invisible until Adelaide’s cage door swung open behind me. Adelaide giggled with delight and kissed Kara wetly on the cheek as she appeared again alongside Adelaide in the cage over the lava pit. There was an odd-looking gadget on her belt beeping happily, no doubt a cloaking device or a light-bending force field projector or some other amazing invention of hers.
I whistled, very impressed. “I was expecting a fight.” I laughed. “That was brilliant.”
Kara shook her head and snorted lightly. “We don’t have to fight the villains, we just need to save the innocents,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone. “You’re too strong to take on, so I decided to slip by unnoticed.”
“Well, it was effective,” I agreed with a smile. “I underestimated you, Kara. That’s not gonna happen again.”
She tossed her vibrant red hair over her shoulder and looked me up and down. “We’ll see, Nick.”
Ten minutes later, I was the one walking through the door. As before with Matt, I immediately powered up, only to be struck with a powerful bolt of electricity. It stunned me and brought me to my knees. I looked around for Kara, but I only heard insane giggling from the shadows.
“You’ll never save the princess, Sir Longbottom!” she cackled. “Give up now!”
I laughed, despite the pain she’d put me through. She was talking about a game we used to play when we were little. Sir Longbottom was a valiant hero I invented who was a super genius that could fly. His nemesis was the cruel Lord Maxian, Kara’s invention, whose primary personality trait was his habit of stealing the young Princess Pea from her tall tower. Kara never played Princess Pea. She liked being the mastermind who guided me along fantastic adventures that we’d roleplay in our minds for hours at a time.
I stood up and dusted my knees. Planting my hands on my hips, I cried out, “You’re not gonna get away this time, Lord Maxian! I’m here to save the princess!”
“Again?” Kara cried back in her best villain voice. “Well, she’ll be a fine roast when I’m done with her!”
The cage holding Adelaide swung dangerously over the lava pit, but she didn’t really seem to notice her own imminent danger. With all the grace of a soap opera actress, Adelaide tossed her head back and crooned, “Help me, Sir Longbottom! I don’t want to be a roast!”
With a snicker, I floated up into the air, but another bolt of electricity slammed through me with enough force that it left me stunned and flung me to the floor. I hadn’t expected Kara to use this kind of force, but she must have known I was going to power up. Bracing myself with a knee, I panted a little as I caught my breath.
“Flight won’t save you, Sir Longbottom! Nothing will!” Kara’s evil cackle bounced off the walls all around me, but still, I couldn’t see any trace of her. She had to be invisible, and she must have installed the same technology into the traps and devices she was using to blast me.
With gritted teeth, I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath as I pulled more power inside of me. It flew through me in a hot rush, and I channeled it deep into my muscles.
“You underestimate me, Lord Maxian!” As I stood, I tipped my head back in a mighty laugh, hands on my hips again.
I overestimated the speed I’d increased to, and I zipped across the entire obstacle course in a mere blink to wind up on the opposite side of the lava pit. Behind me, another bolt of electricity snapped far too late to catch me.
From the shadows, Kara pretended to be distressed. “What’s this? You are fast now, Sir Longbottom?”
“I invented super speedy boots,” I called with pride. “They can also jump!”
I demonstrated by jumping high into the air and catching Adelaide's cage over the pit. With one easy motion, I broke it open, snatched her, then flew her to safety. Then I set her down by the doorway.
“My hero!” Adelaide pinched my cheek, then kissed me wetly.
I bowed to her. “Only doing my duty, Princess Pea.”
“Electricity stuns you,” Kara said as she finally reappeared a f
ew feet away and grinned. “I noticed that back on the beach. Good to know.”
“That kind of voltage could stun anyone,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, but you’re not just anyone when you’re powered up. You’re almost invulnerable, so knowing a potential weak point means we can protect you from it. Lucky for you, Eric’s on our side.” She smirked. “This was his idea. Glad to know it didn’t seriously hurt you. I was... I was a little concerned when you took a knee.”
I closed the distance between us and took her hands in mine while Adelaide headed back to the cage for the next round.
“You’d never hurt me,” I told her with earnest wide eyes. “I promise.”
Kara’s own didn’t seem to agree. Her blue gaze settled to the floor like it had so many times since our reunion, and she shook her head. “You’re so confident about that.”
“I am,” I insisted.
I expected her to pull away as she had so many times before, but this time, Kara looked me deep in the eyes and held my gaze with confidence.
“I miss being six,” she confessed quietly. “I miss all the games we’d play. It was easier back then.”
“Hey.” I caught her chin and forced her eyes back to me when they wavered to the floor again. Her scarlet hair spilled from her shoulder, falling behind her like a red river. “We’re not that old. I can be six in spirit if you’ll stop tripping over invisible demons.”
She snorted. “You’re one to talk.”
“That’s why I need you,” I said as I squeezed her hand still in mine. “You and Andie both. You’ll slap me every time I start moping like a moron.”
“You can be a bit of a moron.” She grinned, suddenly chipper at the idea. “But you’re.... you’re my moron. Well. I’m willing to share with Andie, I know she’s got a claim too.”
My heart fluttered at the idea. She smiled up at me. “C’mon, Nick. Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 18
The sun bathed Triton’s classroom in a soft golden light. It brought out the aging lines that surrounded the older hero’s eyes as he scanned each of his students with a mysterious expression. While he seemed to be well after the confrontation on the beach, I noticed that he moved a bit slower than usual, even days after the attack. His bones seemed to creak as he settled down into the chair behind his desk.
I couldn’t help but frown. Alexandria sorely needed his ability in defense of her borders, but it was quickly becoming evident that he was just one aging man with his eyes fixated on retirement. It was troubling to see him so close and notice age creeping up to him. To me, Triton had always been this monolith of a human being, a man who towered above the rest of society and defended it from all harm. He’d always lingered on the fringes of my life, influencing the world at large. He was... Triton. A hero for heroes.
When his eyes finally settled to me, I wanted to shrink from underneath that scrutiny and fly off into the ether somewhere. I wasn’t ashamed of whatever he saw in my ability, but I didn’t like the way his gaze lingered. I couldn’t tell whether it was pride for the way I’d handled what had happened on the beach, or disappointment that I’d decided to go after her on my own in response to the provocation. Either way, I knew that I’d done what I could. I stared back at him with a level gaze.
Whatever thoughts swirled around in Triton’s head, he kept them closely guarded. His gaze scrolled over the class again as the students settled into their seats and eventually drew attention with a clear of his throat. Every eye swerved to him.
“As you have learned thus far, sacrifice is quite common in a hero’s line of work,” Triton began as he folded his hands on the desk. “It is very easy to become complacent with it. You will lose certain battles against your foes, and lives will be torn asunder in the chaos. Getting used to the idea of loss and accepting it is an effective coping measure, but we should never be content to sacrifice an innocent life, even if it is done in trade for others.
He raised a finger. “However, there are times when choice seems removed from us, and to that end, I have a scenario I would like to discuss with each of you. Imagine, if you will, that someone you love a great deal is in terrible danger at the hands of a villain. Naturally, you’d want to rescue your loved one, but the villain delivers an ultimatum before you can act. There are several bombs set up and hidden around a local school.”
Triton then opened his palms and held them up as if they were the scales of justice. He rose up the right hand first.
“If you decide to save the school, your loved one dies.” He then lowered his right and raised his left palm at the same time. “If you save your loved one, the bombs are activated, and the people within the school die instead. The clock is ticking, and the villain is keen to remind you of this as he mocks you while you try to find a loophole around your current predicament. You do not have time to warn the school and evacuate everyone, and the police won’t be fast enough to act in your stead. What do you do?”
It was Matt who answered first. He wore a troubled expression as he glanced down at his hands where they twisted anxiously on his desk.
“Judgment wouldn’t let a villain manipulate him like that,” he began. “If I make a choice and the other side dies, he says that I shouldn’t carry the guilt of that loss with me.”
Triton nodded, and while he looked pleased, he didn’t look quite convinced. “He is correct, of course, but that does not stop the situation at hand. If you do not make a choice, both will die regardless.”
“So I save the school,” Matt barked as he slashed with frustration at the air. He didn’t look comfortable with the choice, but he was firm when making it.
“You prioritize children over your loved one?” Triton’s tone wasn’t judgmental, but he glanced to Kristen with a pointed look, who shrank underneath the gaze. “Your sister?”
“No, that’s stupid.” Matt shook his head, a stubborn light in his eyes. “All life is important. It’s just... you know, one over the many. You save more lives with the school.”
“What do you think, Ms. Barbur?” Triton gestured for Kristen to speak, who was not at all content with the notion.
“To be honest, I’d... I’d save my loved one,” she confessed quietly. She was ashamed, and Matt twisted to look at her with a surprised lift of his brow. She sank down even further into her chair and avoided looking back at him. “If I really loved them, I’d want to put them above the whole world. Even... even others. It may not be right, but emotions are what they are. I can’t feel bad about it. It’s just... that’s how it works.”
“Of course not,” Triton soothed. His eyes were gentle, and he smiled to ease some of her tension. “Your honesty is really quite enlightening, my dear. Love is a powerful motivator. There aren’t many who would willingly make such a trade.”
Elianna lifted her hand, and Triton nodded for her to speak.
“But what about another way?” she asked. “Like, what if the bombs could be disabled remotely? An EMP, maybe? And what if—”
“It’s a hypothetical exercise, my dear,” he pointed out. “There is a correct answer to this problem, but you’re looking in the wrong place.”
Elianna crossed her arms in disgust, and Triton gestured for an explanation at the sudden sullen attitude.
“It just seems weird that you can’t save them both.” She sighed. “That doesn’t seem fair.”
Triton smiled mysteriously, and I read it plain as day: Whoever said you couldn’t?
This expression flew right over her head, and she ticked her fingers quietly while she considered various ways of disabling the bomb from afar or saving the loved one while sparing the school. Triton’s expression was patient when he gestured at Aylin, who blushed at the sudden attention placed on her.
“I... I do not know,” she confessed. “I wish to think on this.”
Kara nodded to her right and added, “Me too.”
Andie, of course, had another tactic in mind. “I’d go in guns blazing!” She grinned as
she sent a wink my way. “Is the trigger on him? I bet I could stop him before he sets off the bombs.”
“Yeah!” Eric bounced in his seat and pumped his fist in the air like we were discussing a trip to a theme park instead of death and mayhem. “I bet I could too! One big zap, and bam!”
“Bam?” Triton lifted a brow at that phrasing.
“Yeah! Hit ‘em right in the smacker. Andie and I got it right.” Eric crossed his arms, fully confident they would win.
But Triton shook his head. “A frontal assault is the most dangerous option, and one your villain would be planning on. You threaten the person holding the trigger to the bombs, the school may explode in the chaos... and that is assuming he is even controlling that trigger in the first place. Just as you have your allies, so to do villains have theirs. It could be just as likely that one is hiding in the shadows far from your position, waiting for some sort of signal that you are not privy to.”
Andie and Eric weren’t satisfied with this answer, and both seemed convinced they could stop it by brute force alone. I had to roll my eyes, though the smile I wore was an affectionate one. They would be the type to ignore all nuance and attack the impossible head-first. When Triton’s gaze settled back to me, I shrugged in response.
“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
“It would not seem so, Mr. Gateon.” Triton shook his head and gestured at the rest of the class, still stumped as to the answer he was looking for. “Do you have an answer?”
“This isn’t something you can do alone,” I said as I glanced between Kara, Aylin, and Andie. “As you said, every hero has their allies, and I’d have mine too. I’d send the fastest of my team to deal with the bombs in secret while I distracted the villain with a back-and-forth banter. Because I’m used to dealing with my team, I’d probably already be wearing some kind of communication device, and no doubt they’d tell me when the bombs were cleared. So I just stall the villain, wait for the others to take care of the school, then attack once I get the signal that it’s clear. I save my loved one, I save the kids, job done.”
