Powerless Against You

by Elizabeth Gannon

  “I’ll leave you be for now, little hero,” she said. The barest touch of a crystal hand glided through my hair. “Demise will not bother you for now.” Her voice now sounded like snow, bitter and cold, and I knew she was furious that something like this had happened in her territory, ex-girlfriend or no ex-girlfriend.

  A prism of rainbows dazzled me, and just like that, she was gone. Bot was still beside me, and while my eyes were trying to readjust to the relative darkness, I groped across the dirty asphalt to hold her hand.

  “That was—”

  “Scary,” she finished, grinning at me.

  “Have you met her before?”

  “Once or twice,” Bot said. “She’s pretty decent for a villain. She tries to keep the peace in the area and mostly succeeds. The only trouble I have to deal with here is caused by regular humans, and she doesn’t want to deal with them.”

  Her fingers squeezed around mine. “But you’re not a regular human, are you?”

  I looked down to the skull that had come back with us, clutched in my left hand. The coldness of it finally shocked me into letting go, but it sat on the ground, denying my wish that I could be normal again and pretend all of this hadn’t happened. It didn’t vanish back into Demise’s realm of shadows and skulls.

  It seemed to glower up at me, and I glowered right back. “What do we do about this?” I asked.

  “I made a scan of everything within reach,” Bot said. “So as soon as I can load it into a holographic projector, I should be able to go through most of the skulls and see who was there and who is listed as missing or dead. Chances are it isn’t only heroes in there.”

  I shivered, thinking of the dozens of skulls we’d seen. If her light had gone further, would there have been more? Would there have been a mountain of skulls, human, hero, and villain?

  Her arms were suddenly around me, and the heat of her motorized body warmed me a little.

  “Thanks,” I said gratefully.

  “Don’t thank me yet,” she said. “I can’t leave you for a while. You’re a witness to the depravity Demise has in that little dimension of hers, and you’re a new power. Whether you go Guild or join Glass’s court or the Rogues, you’ll need to be evaluated, though I don’t think you’ll be joining Demise anytime soon.”

  “Mmm, preferably not,” I said. “There are other things I’d rather be doing.”

  I reached up to frame her hard chrome face in my hand, and she leaned down.

  “My name is Olivia.” She kissed me, lingering. “Are you sure this is what you want? To be dating me? She’s still out there.”

  “I’ll deal,” I said. “We’ll deal.”

  Olivia chuckled. “Now, where were we?” she asked, backing me against a tree and leaning in to kiss me.

  About the Author

  Jade Black lives and works in Florida, where she works in the field of private security and has also worked as a body snatcher. She has a degree in criminal justice and has spent time on a body farm.

  A Lesson in Secret Identities

  ME McLaughlin

  I never meant for it to go this far. Really, I mean, I know I get carried away sometimes, but holding a gun to some guy’s head was not in my plans. I never wanted to hurt anyone. My only goal was to get Captain Awesome’s attention. Problem was I’d always had a hard time toeing the line. This wasn’t really my fault, though. It was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just my luck.

  The captain’s on his way though, so I guess I got what I wanted.

  ***

  “Jake, you gotta get a load of this. Some guy is running around Boston in spandex calling himself a superhero!” As per usual, I was on the internet. Tumblr to be specific. My dash was blowing up with pictures and news articles about this guy. He was muscled, had a nice jaw, and there was already a fan club for his ass. I couldn’t blame them either. The spandex really showed everything off. My roommate-slash-best friend was getting ready for class, but I could never resist distracting him.

  “I thought that shit only happened in movies.” Jake leaned over my shoulder to watch the YouTube clip I had pulled up.

  The guy in the video was dressed up in red, white, and blue, with what looked like a trashcan lid strapped to his arm. It would be hilarious if he didn’t look so damn badass. The recording was shaky, but it showed him taking down two muggers who’d cornered a chick. I’d heard about this guy a few times in the past week, but I thought people were playing a prank. I figured it was a practical joke, and Aaron Michaels does not fall for practical jokes. That’s me by the way. Aaron. Pretty average name but whatever.

  “Is he gonna get arrested for being a vigilante? Like in those Spiderman movies?” Jake reached forward and clicked on another thumbnail featuring the new superhero.

  “I doubt it. I did some research and a few months ago someone started being all super in New York or something. I’ve just never seen it in Boston.” I shrugged.

  I tried to act nonchalant, but there was something about that superhero. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. The science part of me wanted to experiment on him, the sociologist part of me wanted to interview him, and the red-blooded male part of me wanted to well, you know. Do him.

  It didn’t help that wherever I went, people were talking about him. This was probably the most exciting thing to happen on the MIT campus. Sure, news articles paint us all as geniuses creating the future of science and technology, but that was the everyday stuff to us. It became mundane after a semester.

  But a superhero? That was news.

  ***

  “Tell me you’re not gonna talk about this superhero all evening.” Gavin sighed at me after probably my twelfth mention of the unnamed hero. Gavin and I had met through a mutual friend. He was an art student at Boston U. Usually we joined up with our other friends, Carolina and Jake, but today they’d been busy. It was just me and Gavin. He was a stupidly nice guy; honestly, I didn’t know why he hung out with me.

  “Why not? He’s super awesome.” I shot back defensively.

  “He’s not so awesome.” Gavin grumbled, but he let me go on to explain all the things the hero had done during the week. It was a long list. Broke up drug rings, found kidnapped kids, and stopped a ton of muggings. I didn’t know how he was doing it because it seemed like almost every crime in the city was interrupted by him.

  “Jeez, are you stalking him?” Gavin said when I took a gulp of my beer. I didn’t think I’d been talking that much, but my mouth was parched.

  “No!” I was… a little. Just on social media sites and news outlets. I wasn’t stalking him in person. That would be weird.

  Gavin narrowed his eyes at me, but didn’t push. He started talking about his art and getting together outside the bar. I wasn’t really paying attention, but agreed anyway. I couldn’t start hiding out in my apartment just to stalk a hero who’d probably be dead in a few weeks. I mean, some gang or something was gonna have it out for him.

  ***

  By the end of the week I had to admit I was full blown obsessed. If there was a mention of this new Captain Awesome on the news, I was in front of the TV so fast Jake swore I was gaining super powers of my own. The hero’s name had come out; it was kinda cheesy. He called himself Captain Awesome or the Awesome Liberator, but to be fair, coming up with a superhero name was probably hard.

  There was live coverage showing Captain Awesome apprehending some criminals. It seemed like he was actually working with the police. I couldn’t tear myself away from the television. I was online at the same time, keeping tabs on the reactions to the coverage. It seemed like everyone was glued to their TVs. Everyone except Jake. He was going about his business like a normal person.

  “You know you have class in an hour. And you smell,” Jake said pointedly. I felt like he meant something by his comment. Probably something along the lines of take a shower, you bum, but I was not going to move from the couch until all the guys in the drug ring were taken down.

  “Thanks
for letting me know.” I waved a hand with no intention of moving. I could pass this physics class with my eyes closed. Idly, I saved a picture of Captain Awesome’s butt to my computer.

  “Are you kidding me?” Jake stood in front of the TV, arms crossed. I loved the man dearly, but I was not afraid of a big black guy.

  “No, I’m not kidding. Physics is boring, and Captain Awesome is taking down baddies.” I motioned at him frantically to get out of the way. He didn’t budge.

  Jake snorted and rolled his eyes. “So you’re gonna skip class because some hot guy is on television?”

  “Pretty much. Now move your ass. It’s pretty good, but Capsome’s is better.”

  “Capsome?” Jake raised an eyebrow but finally stepped out of the way of the screen. There wasn’t much happening actually, just some cops having a standoff with the bad guys. Captain Awesome wasn’t even on screen anymore. He was supposedly inside the house bartering for some hostages.

  I logged onto the fan club website, already half ignoring Jake. “Hmm? Oh, yeah, it’s quicker than saying Captain Awesome. Just mush it together.” I waved a hand, scrolling through the forums.

  “Whatever, I’m not your mom.” Jake huffed and left some time later. I only noticed because when I asked him to grab me some pretzels, I didn’t get a flippant reply.

  The forums were abuzz with questions. They’d agreed Capsome must have a police scanner he listened to, but I didn’t think they were right. Capsome knew what was happening as it happened. I figured it was probably a combination of a police scanner and him just knowing things. Maybe he was telepathic. I couldn’t rule it out. The man had super powers, so why not telepathy? An eruption of noise from the TV startled me, and I looked up just in time to see Cap coming out of the house with two hostages in his arms and another holding onto him while following. The police and assembled TV crews cheered and clapped. He’d gotten everyone out alive, which was apparently really touching and exciting. The cameras zoomed in on him as he talked with the police chief, but when they tried to get closer to get an interview Cap gave a jaunty wave to the cameras and jogged away before taking to the air.

  I sat back with a disappointed sigh. I’d been hoping he’d make some sort of statement to the public or the police – something so I could hear his voice but no such luck. Cap looked familiar. It felt like I knew his smile from somewhere.

  ***

  “People are going crazy for this guy. I don’t really get it.” Carolina was definitely not a Capsome fan. She wouldn’t be; she was too practical for things like obsessions and crushes. Her anti-Cap tirade was starting to get on my nerves, though.

  “You don’t have to understand to be nice about it, C.” I huffed and crossed my arms. The bar was getting crowded, but we had our own little booth. C was the friend who’d introduced me to Gavin. They both went to Boston U, though I wasn’t sure how they’d even met because Carolina was a business major, and Gavin was in art.

  Jake grinned, and I knew something embarrassing was going to come out of his mouth. “Yeah, C, don’t be mean to Aaron’s imaginary boyfriend.”

  I put a hand over my face and groaned dramatically. As long as I played along with a sarcastic note, they wouldn’t take his accusations seriously. Even though they kinda should. I’d spent half the morning trying to find the real Capsome facebook page instead of just the fan pages. It turned out he probably didn’t have one.

  Jake was exaggerating when he said I was constantly checking out the fan pages. And the way he talked about how I’d skipped class to watch live coverage made it sound way worse than it was. I did check out the fan pages a lot, but it wasn’t constantly. Gavin seemed pretty amused by Jake’s tales, and Carolina wasn’t particularly surprised to hear I was skipping classes. I’d done the same thing in high school.

  They spent the rest of the evening making jokes at my expense, but I was used to it. I knew they were all in good fun. Going along with their jokes also made sure they weren’t really worried about my obsession. Which was good for me. It meant they wouldn’t try to interfere.

  ***

  “Hey, are you still going out tonight?” Jake plopped down next to me on the couch. He stole the remote and changed the channel before I could protest. Didn’t matter much. I was on my computer, too.

  “Going out where?” I frowned. I didn’t remember making any plans or having any guest lectures to attend.

  “Aren’t you going to some art party with Gavin? Apparently he’s been talking C’s ear off about it.” Jake wiggled his eyebrows.

  “Shit, when was I supposed to meet him?” I jumped to my feet, setting my laptop on the table. I didn’t want to stand him up. He was a good friend. He’d probably invited me because everyone else he wanted to take had said no. I don’t remember why I said yes but whatever.

  “Why are you asking me? Text him.”

  “Right, right, text.” I fumbled with my phone and sent him a quick text. Gavin usually replied within minutes, so I figured I could wait to hop in the shower. Pulling out some clothes appropriate for a party and something a little more formal, I rushed around and got everything ready while Jake laughed at me. When I checked my phone I expected a reply, but there wasn’t one.

  “The hell is he doing that’s more important than texting me back?”

  “Don’t pout about it,” Jake said. He snorted, flipping through the channels. “Oh, hey, your boyfriend’s on TV.”

  “Which one?” I said absently. Jake just gave me an annoyed look. He didn’t get my humor sometimes. So many good jokes had gone to waste on him.

  “Who do you think? Captain nice butt.”

  “So you agree he’s got a nice butt?” I grinned and leaned over the back of the couch, watching as the traffic copter filmed Captain Awesome flying through the sky.

  “No, I just knew you’d know who I was talking about,” Jake said smugly. I hit him in the back of the head, but he only laughed. We watched the footage for a few minutes, but of course, Jake had to bring me back to reality. “Don’t you have a date?”

  “It’s not a date,” I said instinctively and checked my phone. There was no answer. This wasn’t like Gavin. I briefly contemplated calling C, but she probably didn’t have any more information than I did.

  Two hours passed before my phone vibrated. Relief washed through me when Gavin’s name came up on my phone. I was ready to call the police by then. I’d already caved and called Carolina, but she didn’t know where Gavin was and didn’t get a reply when she messaged him either. So when I finally got a reply that just said “sorry, running late, dinner?” I wanted to reply with a massive note about not scaring his friends and texting us back in a timely manner. Being the eloquent bastard I am, I replied, “Sure. Where?”

  I figured I could give him a talking to when we were face to face.

  ***

  “Hey, sorry, I know I invited you to a party, but something came up and I just… you don’t mind if we do dinner instead?” Gavin asked as he slid into the booth across from me. He was out of breath like he’d run here, but he wasn’t sweaty. His perfect blond hair was as perfect as ever. The only blot on his perfect exterior was a huge-ass bruise on his cheekbone, like he’d been punched.

  “What happened to you?” I raised an eyebrow, gesturing at his face.

  Gavin touched his cheek and winced, looking comically panicked. “Oh, uh, I got in a fight. You should see the other guy.” He gave a stupid half smile. “It’s no big deal. Sorry for being late, though.”

  “I wouldn’t mind the lateness if you hadn’t given me and C a heart attack. Why didn’t you reply to our texts?”

  “My phone died, and I didn’t realize it until I got home. I’m really sorry.” Gavin turned those big blue eyes on me, and I couldn’t really stay mad at him. Not when he was so pitiful looking, with his bruise and puppy eyes. Damn him.

  “Yeah, alright. You’re forgiven.” I rolled my eyes and smiled.

  Dinner was fun. I forgot how much I liked Gavin. He had
a good sense of humor. And he was hot. So damn hot. Too bad he was straight. I, personally, thought labeling yourself gay or straight limited your options, but if he really wasn’t into sex with other dudes, I couldn’t push him. I could be disappointed, though. Especially after a pseudo date with the man.

  “This was really fun.” Gavin said as we stood next to my car. I kinda didn’t want to go yet. It was nice talking to someone who wasn’t Jake.

  “Yeah, I had a good time.” I played with my keys in my pocket. Something weird was happening, and it was making me nervous.

  “So, um, would you be, uh, into doing this again?” Gavin rubbed the back of his neck and ducked his head. I’d never seen such a hottie be so unsure. It was like he didn’t even realize how good he looked. Then again, he looked even better with a blush, so who was I to tell him he couldn’t be shy?

  “You act like this was a date or something,” I joked, unable to stand the weird tension gathering in my stomach. It might have been dread. Or the beef I just ate was bad. Only time would tell.

  Gavin looked up at me, those gorgeous eyes wide, and his eyebrows up in surprise. That was the exact moment I realized I was an idiot.

  “I… well… it was supposed to be a date, but… it probably doesn’t count if you didn’t realize it.” Gavin sighed softly and looked away, his hand still resting on the back of his own neck. Yeah, the feeling in my stomach was definitely dread mixed with some guilt. Gavin shrugged and his stupid charming grin returned. “Well, hey, um, then I guess, would you like to go on a date with me? One we both know is a date?”

  “I thought you were straight?” I blurted. Okay, I half blurted half wanted to avoid giving a real answer. Gavin was hot, right? I mentioned how hot he was, but he was sweet. Too sweet for a relationship with me. I’d probably ruin him. Carolina would get mad at me if we broke up. It could destroy our group of friends. Not to mention my raging boner for Captain Awesome. There was no way Gavin could compete. Was it really fair to make him?