“Why control him, when we can remove him? There would be no one left to tell either of us what to do. We could make our own empire, mother. We could make our own rules.”
Magda looked at her son with disappointment. “And what do you think the other domains will say when we not only announce the imperator's death, but also his next in succession? Do you really think any of the domini would fall into line? Your grandfather was barely holding this world together. And he did that through tradition, through rules, through a history of working with these people. You can't upset the entire way of things and hope everyone follows along because you have a shiny crown on your head.”
Azakor breathed heavy, searching his mind for any other answer. There had to be another way, a way to move forward without coddling his uncle.
His mother stepped up to him, touched the star-shaped crest on his armor and said, “You are my Morningstar. I need you. This family needs you. We will hold this world together, no matter what it takes. And one day, you will sit upon that throne, but you will do so when it is right. When it is just.”
He looked down at the star-shaped crest on his chest plate. It was his Guardian symbol, and it reminded him of who he was. He was the sword and the book, the warrior and the diplomat. He would need both his fists and his mind if he was going to make this empire as great as he knew it could be.
“I will do as I'm told, mother. I will swear fealty, but know that when I do so, I'm swearing it to you, not him.”
Magda leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead as she said, “That's my good boy.”
6
ANDRE
Most people thought a fresh blanket of snow made the city look more beautiful, more pure and clean. But that's what Andre hated about it. It was a cover. A lie to hide the dirt and grime that laid underneath. Patriot City was disgusting, a conglomeration of every North and South American refugee that managed to survive the Super Power War, shoved into a mega-city that spread across the American Republic. It was a nest of high-rises trying to escape the scum below, encompassed by a web of highways trying to find a way out, only to wrap back around the clogged arteries and intersections.
Andre couldn't stand it. He wanted to get out of his neighborhood and find a better life, but it felt like the world was always teasing him, making him think there might be a way to be happy, only to rip it away from him at the last second.
As the snow continued to fall from the night sky, big fluffy flakes that danced and twirled on the breeze, Andre stared across the street at the brownstone home where Carmen lived. It wasn't far from his neighborhood, but it felt world's away. The people on that street never worried about money like the people on his street. Carmen was lucky, at least financially.
On the third floor, there was one light still on. He knew it was her room. He had been there many times before. But that night, he wasn't sure why he was there. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, he just knew Carmen would have it.
Andre shook the snow from his jacket and bounded across the street in three leaps. On the last step, he launched himself into the air. He grabbed onto the window sill of the second story window and dug his boots into the brick. With a single lunge upward, he managed to grab onto the third story window sill and lift himself enough to peek inside.
Carmen was sitting in a beanbag chair on the floor, reading a book. He heard the quiet beat of the music coming from her stereo as she reached up and touched the tip of an unlit stick of incense sitting on her nightstand. The tips of her fingers turned red and the incense flared to life, filling the room with a stream of scented smoke. Andre smiled, wishing there were more quiet moments like that in his own life. It felt like he was always moving, chasing the next guy that owed money to his boss.
Carmen jumped a bit when he tapped on the window, her eyes glowing with a red energy as her gaze shot toward him. When she recognized Andre, she let out a sigh, folded the corner of her paperback, and got up off the beanbag chair. She walked toward the window with hesitation, as if she were contemplating turning back around, but she eventually unlocked the latch and opened the window.
“What are you doing here, Andre?”
He glanced down at the street below him and said with a smirk, “Oh, you know. Just hanging out.”
“Funny,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.
“Can I come in already? It's cold out here.”
She rolled her eyes. “You're invulnerable.”
“Barely,” he said. “And it's really cold.”
She waved her hand in the air and walked away from the window as she mumbled, “Fine. Whatever. Just be quiet. My mom's asleep.”
Andre crawled inside and dropped onto the floor. When Carmen shot him an angry look, he laughed.
“She's not asleep, Carmen. She's passed out. The amount of painkillers she eats every day will do that to a person.”
“You should talk,” she said, plopping back down into her beanbag chair. “I can smell the beer on your breath from here.”
He slid the window shut and shrugged his shoulders. “What can I say? It's been a long day. And Cleo doesn't let a glass sit empty.”
“You had a long day of beating people up for money? Poor thing. Your knuckles must be so tired.”
Andre sat down on the edge of her bed and leaned back. “Yeah. Maybe I should retire.”
“Oh yeah?” Carmen flashed a sly smile. “And here I always thought you looked like shit for your age, but if you're old enough to retire...”
Andre rubbed his chin. “Must be that crappy invulnerability of mine.”
Carmen rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “If you think you're going to look like the Zharkovs when you're older, keep dreaming.”
“You just wait. When you're old and gray and everything is sagging down below your belt, you're gonna be wishing you paid more attention to me.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe. But until then, I'll be happy I don't have to put up with your cocky attitude.”
Andre slid his jacket off and leaned forward, rubbing his eyes. When he looked up at her, he knew the strength and bravado had left his face. He was too tired to keep it up.
“Seriously, Andre. Why'd you come here tonight? What's going on?”
He ran the palm of his hand across his hair, closely-clipped into a fade. “I just wanted to, you know, see how you're doing.”
“Bullshit. The only time you show up here is when something is wrong. Either your Mom said something to you or a girl treated you bad or-”
“Or I'm just not sure what I'm doing with my life?” he said, staring down at the floor.
“And you decided you needed to figure that out tonight. Here. With me.”
He stood up from her bed and paced around her room. “Why you always gotta be like that? Why are you so cold to me all the time? I'm having a bad day, alright? And I was hoping maybe my friend would talk to me and help me through this.”
Carmen watched him for a moment, trying to gauge his sincerity before she said, “Alright. I'm sorry. Calm down. I thought we were... I don't know.”
“I mean,” Andre continued, as if he didn't hear her, “you're always so calm, you know? So collected. Like you have everything figured out.”
“I do not have everything figured out. Far from it. You think I have a five year plan or something? I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow. You're not the only one who gets lost.”
“Yeah, I mean, you say that, but what do you have to worry about? Your dad left you all kinds of money. You didn't have to register your powers or go through the academy. You don't even have a job.”
“Whoohoo! Look at me!” Carmen waved her hands in the air. “I'm the lucky one with the dead dad and the mom who won't let me leave the house in case I use my powers in public!”
Andre stopped pacing and lowered his voice. “I didn't mean it like that.”
“No? Maybe you should explain how you did mean it. I'm curious.”
He let out a heav
y sigh and dropped back down on her bed. The springs in the mattress squeaked. He remembered that sound. He remembered being so afraid her mom would hear them. Naked. Sweaty.
“Andre? Hello?” Carmen asked, snapping her fingers in front of him, causing a spark of super-powered flames to strike between them.
“Did you hear about Lucy?”
Carmen's face scrunched up with confusion. “Lucy Grae? Yeah. I mean, my mom said she heard some rumor that the Alliance is looking into her powers.”
Andre's eyes got big. “I can bend steel, but the kid who can see a street sign three blocks away is gonna be a superhero.”
“Is that what this is about? You're jealous of some girl that might, maybe, if the rumors are true, get a job with the Alliance?”
“Of course not. I've never wanted to be a superhero. But at least someone recognizes some potential in her. People just seem to ignore mine.”
“Oh, poor you. You're faster, stronger, and tougher than 99% of the world, but nobody told you how great you are today? Give me a break, Andre.”
“That's not what I'm saying. I mean, here you are, sitting on an SPMD, and you're doing nothing with it. You could be one of the greats, Carmen.”
“I can heat things up with my hands. Great. Maybe the academy could have placed me at Cleo's as a fry cook.”
“You know you're stronger than that.”
She shrugged. “Do you have any idea how illegal it was for me to hide my power? If I came out now? I don't think they'd hand me a costume and ask me to be a part of the Alliance. Pretty sure they'd throw me in the Pit and watch me rot.”
Andre sat there, nodding his head as if he agreed with her, but then after a few seconds he said, “Only if you get caught.”
“Only you would think that's a plan.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Andre asked, looking offended.
“Because, Andre, you've always wanted an SPMD. More than anyone I've ever known. You want to be rich and famous. You used to design costumes in your notebooks instead of listening to the teachers. You made a list of all the names you'd use if your powers ever increased. Do you remember?”
Andre smiled, deep and genuine, as the nostalgic dreams of his childhood came flooding back.
Carmen leaned forward and slapped his leg. “Omega Man? Superior Man? Marvelous Man? So gender specific.”
He laughed, embarrassed that she remembered all those names.
“Then you went all dark on me for a year,” Carmen continued. “Shadow Smasher and Grave Digger and Doctor Death Dealer. I mean, you didn't care that you weren't actually a doctor, did you?”
Andre shrugged his shoulders, still chuckling. “It just sounded cool.”
“My point is: I feel like you'd be willing to do just about anything to get an SPMD. Because it means that much to you. But for me? Not really.” Carmen glanced around her room and smiled. “I'm happy just being normal.”
“How?” Andre asked with a strained voice. “You're happy rotting away in this house like your mom? Are you gonna start popping pills too?”
“You need to lay off my mom. Seriously.”
“Carmen, I'm sorry, but she couldn't even manage to start her little flower business. She got as far as buying a delivery truck. Pretty sure that's still sitting in the alley behind your house, isn't it? Even with all your dad's money, she couldn't manage to drag herself outta the gutter.”
“The gutter?” Carmen leaned away from him, the smile falling from her face. “Why is everything so black and white to you? For you, there's only two options: Either become famous and run around on the news with a costume, or die alone without anyone ever knowing your name. That's ridiculous, Andre. You need to stop listening to what they say on TV. You could live a normal life, full of friends and family who love you. Full of memories and experiences that are quiet and special. And you don't need super powers to do it.”
He shook his head. “I want more than that. I need more than that.”
Carmen let out a sigh. “I know, Andre.”
“I just... I feel like I'm supposed to do more than this,” he said, staring down at his own hands. “Like I'm supposed to... I don't know. Shake up the world or something.”
“There are smaller battles, you know.” Carmen looked down at her feet like she was embarrassed to say anymore, but her mouth kept talking. “There are people that need saving, and all they need is you. No powers. Just you.”
Andre looked up. She wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were searching the floor, as if whatever she needed was right there, in the room. He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her, to tell her everything would be okay. But he knew he didn't deserve her. He wasn't good enough for someone as smart and beautiful and kind. Not yet.
He stood up from the bed and grabbed his jacket.
His sudden movement to leave startled Carmen. “What are you doing?”
“I don't know,” Andre said, walking toward the window. “That's what I need to figure out.”
“Andre...” she said his name like she used to, soft and kind, with a sort of yearning to it, but it drifted off and she said nothing more.
“Have a good night, Carmen,” he said as he opened the window and crawled out, dropping to the snow-covered pavement below.
As he crossed the street in the blowing flakes, he couldn't help himself. He glanced over his shoulder at the window, hoping she was watching him, hoping she'd yell out his name and beg him to come back inside. But all he saw was a closed window, and after a few moments, her light shut off. He turned away from her home and shuffled his feet through the snow, wishing he could see the truth under all that white.
7
LUCY
There was a constant murmur from the other kids as she walked up the steps to the main entrance into the Academy of Super Powers. Most of them giggled and laughed after she had passed. Some of them did it right to her face. She already knew what everyone's opinion of the rumor was. The entire school thought it was all a joke. A prank of some kind. There was no way that “Super Eyes” was going to be part of the Alliance.
Lucy was doing her best to keep her expectations in check, but it was impossible. The idea that there was even a slight possibility she'd become a superhero one day was the greatest thing she'd ever heard. It was everything she ever wanted, yet never thought possible. How could anyone think the Alliance would choose her over the kid that could spit acid? Or the girl who could turn into a wolf? Those powers were so much cooler than hers.
As she walked into her first class and set her books down on her desk, a group of girls approached her. There were four of them, girls that had never talked to Lucy before, but their leader was Jenny Black, a girl that everyone knew. Jenny was the girl you didn't make eye contact with, and if you saw her walking toward you, you kept to the other side of the hallway. Calling her a bully didn't scratch the surface. She was a nightmare.
Eight solid, black eyes covered her head. Hard, thick hairs ran down the length of her arms, and most likely the rest of her body. She always wore sleeveless shirts to show off her muscular arms, and when she smiled, you could see her fangs. Spider powers. Lucy couldn't think of anything more terrifying. Why wasn't the Alliance courting her? Certainly she'd be more useful in a fight.
“Hey, Lucy,” Jenny said, her throat clicking like a monstrous purr. “Heard the big news. Just wanted to come over here and congratulate you. You think I could get an autograph? You know, before you get all famous.”
The other three girls laughed behind her, throwing each other knowing glances.
“Come on, Jenny,” Lucy said, staring down at her own feet. “You know it's probably not true.”
“Probably not true? Oh, I know it isn't true. No one is going to make you anything but a glorified telescope. But then I figured maybe you got a rich uncle or something. Is that it? Did someone pay off the Alliance to let you in?”
Lucy shook her head.
“What's that?” Jenny yelled, shoving Lucy's books off the
desk. “I didn't hear you? I'm asking you how you got the Alliance to notice you.”
Lucy looked around the room, hoping someone would step in. The rest of the class was watching, but no one was brave enough to stand up to Jenny Black. Who knows what she would do to them? Even the kid standing in the corner with minor super strength just watched in silence.
Jenny gave Lucy a shove with one hand. Lucy almost fell over, but she caught herself on a desk.
“Answer me!”
“I didn't... I didn't do anything.”
Jenny grabbed the front of Lucy's shirt and shoved her against the wall. She slammed her elbow into Lucy's chest and pressed down hard.
“Is this how you're going to fight Omnivore? How do you expect to fight Cortex if you can't handle little old me?” Jenny hissed, baring her fangs inches from Lucy's face. “Maybe I should do the Alliance a favor and kill you right here and now? I could save them from making the mistake of hiring you. Then maybe they'd take notice of me.”
“We already took notice of you, Ms. Black.”
Everyone turned toward the doorway, and there was a series of gasps throughout the room. Lucy opened her eyes when she felt Jenny's elbow release her from the wall, and for the first time in her life, she didn't believe who her super-powered eyes were looking at. Standing in the doorway was the one and only Mermaid.
That woman helped take down King Krieg and end the Second World War. She defended the United States in the Super Power War. She sat on the council for the Alliance of Heroes. And there she was, standing in Lucy's classroom.
“M-M-Mermaid. I was just... I was...” Jenny stammered, at a loss for words like everyone else.
Mermaid, in all her statuesque glory, took three long strides toward Jenny Black and stared down at her. Lucy couldn't believe how powerful she looked. She towered over the room as if her mere presence could crush any one of them.
“I know exactly what you were doing, Ms. Black. And that is why you will never be a part of the Alliance. Your juvenile delinquency has only garnered you a place on our potential supervillain list. Prepare yourself for a life of wiretaps and constant surveillance, young lady. That is all you have achieved. In fact, if I were you, I would start pricing the cost of a ticket to Therian, because that is the only place in the empire where you will be welcome. And pray that we don't meet again, because outside this school, I have every right to put you over my knee and spank you until all eight eyes fly out of your head.”
The Super Power Saga (Book 1): Super Powers of Mass Destruction Page 6
