With the woman out of sight, Martin’s terror dulled, but only slightly. A few of his neighbors had quieted down on hearing his reaction, but when the two guards stopped in front of the cell opposite his own, Martin groaned loudly. “Oh, you’ve gotta be fuckin’ with me!”
“Is something the matter, Mart?” Edward asked, the guard looking slightly amused as he glanced into Martin’s cell. While he spoke, Martin’s eyes were fixed on the female guard and her prisoner, who was carefully being transferred to the cot. He could see a dozen tiny metal spots embedded in the skin around her skull, and suddenly Martin hated his own power.
“Hell yes! I dunno who that is, but what the fuck is she doin’ on this floor?” Martin demanded, gesturing at the woman. “You know how my power works! The stronger someone is, the worse my reaction is. The warden knows that, and you put her across the goddamn hall from me?”
“Sorry, Mart, but it isn’t my choice. I’m not much happier than you are, either,” Edward replied with a shrug, frowning. The man was a super himself, with enough strength to toss around any of the minor villains or minions in their block. Fortunately, the man was pretty reasonable most of the time. “We can’t put her down lower, since she wouldn’t last a day, and if she somehow breaks loose, you lot are the least dangerous. I can’t say that I’m happy to be anywhere near her myself.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Who’s the broad?” one of Martin’s neighbors asked, and all around them more prisoners quieted down.
Ed’s partner, Gerrine, smiled thinly as she stepped out of the cell, then spoke flatly. “That’s Shadowmind, so shut it.”
For a moment Martin couldn’t believe what they were saying, he was so incredulous. After he realized they weren’t about to laugh it off as a joke, he stepped forward, spitting out, “What the ever-living fuck? She could mindfuck everyone here in seconds!”
“Nope, she can’t at the moment. They’ve reduced her to little more than a vegetable, so she can’t use her powers at all right now. Still, I hear she can probably remember just fine,” Ed retorted unhappily, shaking his head firmly. “Keep that in mind before you decide you want to touch her. If she gets out, just think about what she’ll do to you.”
“Oh, come on! Can’t you move her down the hall or put up a curtain or something?” Martin begged, ignoring the nervous laughter from the other inmates. “This’ll kill me if she’s right there constantly!”
“Look, I’ll talk to the Warden about it. She kind of fell into our lap, so we don’t have her room fully set up yet,” Edward conceded, glancing at his partner. “I’m not sure what he’ll do, but maybe he’ll take pity on you, Martin. In the meantime, just deal with it. This isn’t a vacation home.”
Martin groaned loudly as the two guards headed back down the hallway. Flopping onto his bunk, the man tried to ignore the gibbering terror in the back of his mind. If the Warden didn’t move the villain across the way or get her out of sight, it was going to be a long year.
Shadowmind Utah Lair Alpha-Three
Just Lilith’s physical training would likely have killed most humans in a handful of days, if they could even manage it. She quickly settled into her routine, deliberately avoiding any records of what normal human limits were, as Lilith didn’t want to self-impose limits. Not content with just physical training or martial arts, Lilith took weeks’ worth of math and science courses every day, trying to catch up. Holographic simulations to help her cope with others were perhaps the hardest lessons for her, but even there she did her best.
Each time Lilith thought she’d found her limits, she realized there was another step she could take, and pushed herself even harder. Amber’s estimates were left behind, and all of it without superpowers boosting her body. Lilith pushed herself to the breaking point, almost to the point of actually harming herself before she realized she’d found a true limit to her strength. Even so, she didn’t react the way most others would have. Instead of arrogance or superiority, she felt simple satisfaction that she’d found where her limits were. For her it was simply another benchmark as she tried to find a place for herself in the world.
After all, Lilith knew she wasn’t normal, and the usual expectations for a person didn’t apply to her. She’d been created to perform at the limits of what Amber believed a physical body could manage, and Lilith knew it. As conflicted as she was about Amber’s beliefs and attitude, a small part of Lilith would not, could not, allow herself to do less than excel.
Chapter 3
Monday, July 15th, 2030
San Francisco
Glancing up from his computer, Henry saw the woman stepping into the hotel lobby and froze, almost forgetting to breathe for a moment. The woman was a little taller than he was, almost six feet in height, and she was the most beautiful woman he’d seen. In fact, he almost thought that he was seeing things and took a moment to close his eyes and clear his head.
The woman didn’t vanish when Henry opened his eyes, confirming that she wasn’t a figment of his imagination. She had long, wavy black hair with crimson highlights to the middle of her back, full crimson lips, and as she removed her sunglasses, he saw brilliant emerald eyes glancing around coolly. She moved gracefully, her impressive figure highlighted by the simple white t-shirt and black jacket and jeans that she wore. Most encouraging to him, though, was that while she had a simple silver necklace with a tiny ankh on it, she wasn’t wearing any rings.
Every other person in the lobby was staring at the woman as well, from the other employees to the guests waiting for the shuttle to return from a trip. The woman hardly seemed to notice the attention, calmly putting her sunglasses away before strolling toward the desk at a sedate pace, pulling a small suitcase behind her.
“Hello, ma’am, how may I help you?” Henry asked, standing up straight and forcing himself to keep his eyes on hers. Fortunately enough, that wasn’t too difficult with the brilliant spark of intelligence her eyes held.
“I believe I have a reservation. It is late enough to check in, I hope?” the woman asked, her voice a gentle purr, and the slight smile she gave made Henry swallow hard, falling back on his routine to keep his thoughts in order. Even so, he couldn’t help but smile widely in return.
“Yes, of course! What name is your reservation under?” Henry asked, opening the appropriate window to look it up.
Nodding, the woman spoke calmly, but clearly. “It should be under Lilith Carpenter.”
“Excellent, one moment…” Henry murmured, thankful that his job allowed him to ask the woman’s name without feeling awkward. The reservation popped up, and he nodded, asking, “It looks like you had a queen suite reserved for one. Is that correct?”
“It is,” Lilith confirmed, and Henry could see the tension in her shoulders ease slightly. He had to wonder why she’d been so concerned about the reservation, but it really wasn’t any of his business, no matter how much he wanted to ask.
“Very good. Now, if I could see your ID, and a credit card for any incidentals?” Henry asked. “Also, do you have a car? If so, I’ll need the make and model.”
“Here you are,” Lilith murmured, pulling out the two cards and sliding them across the counter, smiling slightly. “As for a vehicle, I do not.”
“If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll have everything ready for you,” Henry told her, and got to work. As he prepared things, he couldn’t help but churn through ideas of some way to get closer to the stunning woman on the other side of the desk. Even so, he knew that his chances were low. Such was the life of a hotel attendant.
It was difficult to ignore the attention she was getting, but Lilith was managing it well enough. While the other guests made her uncomfortable, Lilith did her best to pretend they didn’t exist, inwardly thankful for the training programs Circe had inflicted on her. What she was experiencing explained why the training had emphasized acting, and avoiding overreactions to personal discomfort. Originally, she’d thought that the simulations had been annoying and ridiculous, especi
ally when the simulated people had talked behind her back, but this explained a lot. Still, she could tolerate it now, and she shouldn’t have to deal with it constantly.
“This is your room key, Ms. Lilith. Your room is number 407, located on the fourth floor,” Henry told her politely, his eyes filled with obvious longing but staying professional despite that. Making a mental note to comment about his helpful attitude once her stay was up, Lilith took the cardboard packet with the key as he continued. “The pool area closes at 11 each night, and there’s a complimentary shuttle service to a number of local restaurants and the airport. If you have any questions or need anything, please call the front desk.”
“Thank you, Henry. I’ll keep that in mind,” Lilith replied, smiling as she did so. She ignored the beaming smile on the young man’s face and turned away to find the elevator.
The city was much louder and dirtier than she’d expected from the pictures she’d seen. Certainly, the pictures were mostly promotional material, but she’d still expected something more like the hideout she’d been living in, where everything was kept spotless. Public transit was much louder than descriptions had indicated, too, and a few people had refused to leave her alone, while those who’d tried to ‘rescue’ her had almost been worse in their own way. A part of Lilith could understand why Amber had wanted to take everything over, now. On the other hand, people had also wanted Amber dead, so her approach obviously had significant downsides.
Pressing the call button, Lilith looked into the burnished metal thoughtfully for a moment, then suppressed a sigh. The tall man in a polo shirt sidling toward her was reasonably attractive, but he had the same look to him as some of the men from the subway. His voice was deep and friendly as he spoke. “Hello, miss. Are you just visiting San Francisco?”
“As a matter of fact, yes I am,” Lilith replied politely, barely giving the man a glance. His eyes bothered her somehow, which was strange, considering their perfectly normal shade of blue.
Her suspicion was somewhat borne out as he smiled broadly and offered, grinning, “Well, if you’d like someone who knows the area and can show you around, I’d be happy to. I heard you don’t have a ride, and I’d love to help.”
“Thank you, but no,” Lilith replied bluntly, not looking at the man again as the elevator sounded. The doors opened to reveal a half-dozen tourists, who quickly filed out of the elevator. Lilith stepped in as soon as they were out of the way, pushing the button for the fourth floor. The man followed, prompting a flicker of annoyance. Hopefully he would take no for an answer, but she doubted that he would.
“Oh, don’t be that way… I just—” the man began, but she gave him a cold, angry look.
“I have to ask, are your ears merely for show? Or, perhaps, you’re mostly deaf? I believe that I told you no quite clearly,” Lilith cut him off, her voice perfectly calm and level as the doors closed. Her irritation increased at his sudden glower, and she continued flatly. “Perhaps you should see a doctor to have your ears checked. In the meantime, let me be perfectly clear with you. There’s no chance under the sun of me willingly choosing to associate with you. Leave me alone.”
It took several long moments for the man to respond, the anger on his face obvious as he did so, and just as the doors to Lilith’s destination were opening, he spoke hotly. “Now see here, you jumped up tart, I was just trying to be nice! Don’t you dare walk—”
Lilith had started for the door as he spoke, but the moment she felt his hand brush her shoulder, she spun around so fast that she saw his eyes lose focus, knocking his hand away from her shoulder. It’d taken her a few weeks to realized just how much faster than a normal human she could move, or just how strong she was, but at the moment she was thankful for it. Her hand snapped out to grab his wrist firmly, carefully controlling her strength so she didn’t break anything.
Looking the man in the eyes, Lilith’s voice was soft and deadly as she lost her patience with him. “You will either leave me alone, or I’ll ensure you’ll be seeing a doctor. It’s entirely your choice, and there’s a camera in the elevator. I sincerely doubt that anyone would blame me for overreacting.”
The door dinged, starting to close before opening again. The man swallowed hard, then gasped out angrily, “F-fine, you freak!”
“Good,” Lilith replied shortly, letting go of the man’s wrist and watching him cradle it as the doors slid closed in front him. Once she was certain he was gone, she turned to find her room, murmuring sardonically under her breath, “Welcome to San Francisco.”
Putting the unpleasant encounter out of her mind, Lilith found her room and opened it, trying to regain her sense of equilibrium. The suite was nice enough, with a small living room that included a television, sofa, desk, and easy chair. The main reason she’d chosen the room was the kitchenette, though, and it was nicer than she’d feared it might be. There was a full-size fridge, as well as a half-sized stove and dishwasher, with a microwave on the counter. She’d have to look over the dishes in the cabinets, but it’d be far less expensive than eating out every night. The bedroom and bathroom were separate, and both were nice enough to help her relax.
Setting her luggage aside, Lilith opened the curtains to look out on the city, and smiled, murmuring softly, “Well, it’s certainly a different experience, being in a city. Still, everyone has to start somewhere. We’ll see how I feel in a few months.”
Chapter 4
Monday, July 15th, 2030
San Francisco
In the months since Shadowmind’s defeat, the villain and her creation hadn’t quite been forgotten by Warden or the rest of Ocean Shield’s members, but with no activity from either of them, they had faded from the team’s immediate concerns. The work of a hero was never truly finished; there were merely lulls in the battle to protect others. There simply wasn’t time to worry about an incarcerated villain when other opponents were causing problems, no matter how dangerous someone like Shadowmind might be. Warden’s current opponent was a perfect example of that.
Blue Impulse snarled as he slashed his hand through the air, sending a crescent-shaped blade of blue light shrieking across the sky at Warden, frustration evident in his voice. “Eat this, you bitch!”
“You really have no self-control, do you?” Warden asked calmly, focusing her mind as she manipulated the shields of golden light around her, deflecting the villain’s attack into the sky. “Why is it that you take every attempt to stop you so personally?”
The problem for her was that her opponent’s power set was particularly difficult for her to deal with. Despite his range of quick attack spells, Blue Impulse couldn’t get through her shields. That was the good part. The bad part was that he was so incredibly agile that she couldn’t catch him, not without destroying everything in the area, and she was right over the rail yard. Blue Impulse could fly quickly and teleport, which had been immensely frustrating during their previous encounters with one another.
Fortunately, Warden had also gotten an idea of the villain’s attitude from those encounters, which allowed her to manipulate him a little. The calmer and harder to annoy she appeared, the more it seemed to enrage Blue Impulse. It was almost as though he took her attitude personally, and he definitely didn’t appreciate how effortlessly she shrugged off his attacks. Anything that kept him distracted from doing too much damage to the city helped.
“I do what I want, unlike a caged bird like you! What do you do for fun, huh? All I ever see is you out here, trying to be a paragon of virtue,” the villain taunted Warden, laughing as he flickered in and out of existence in a series of short-range teleports. With each teleport he sent another azure blade flashing through the air at her, so rapidly that for a few moments it almost looked as though he was in a dozen places at the same time. “Why, I bet you don’t even know how to enjoy life properly! That’s a damned shame, with the figure under that suit of yours. I’ve got an idea, why don’t you just give up and I’ll show you what a really good time is?”
�
�Hmm… I don’t think so. I’d probably have better luck picking someone up at a bar. I doubt you’d know what to do with a woman, anyway,” Warden retorted, her shield compressing into a sphere around her body to block the attacks from every direction. Just a few more minutes, and Black Comet would arrive. The speedster’s help should tip the scales in her favor, with how incredibly fast her ally was. She just had to keep the villain talking and distracted until that point. With that in mind, she flicked her fingers to send a spray of golden spears flying from her barrier at the villain, smiling as she taunted him. “Actually, considering how much you talk, I have to assume you’re compensating for something. In that case, I definitely have to pass. I have some standards, after all.”
“What’re you… why, you bitch! I’m gonna tear you apart for that!” Blue Impulse’s face distorted in sudden rage, and from the sheer strength of his reaction Warden knew she must’ve struck a nerve. The villain vanished in yet another teleportation, and a sudden rain of blue bolts made her abandon her attack and focus on defending as she smiled thinly.
“Was I a bit too accurate?” she called out, happy to be gaining a little time, even as the villain let out a frustrated scream of anger.
“Comet is inbound, ETA thirty seconds. Just keep him busy for a few seconds longer, and we’ll be there. I—” Hypergizmo’s voice crackled to life in Warden’s earpiece, only to suddenly cut off, followed an instant later by a bright flash of light and the echo of an explosion from the port.
Spinning to look in the direction of the explosion, Warden’s horrified gaze came to rest on the dockyards. The explosion had come from one of the yards unloading a pair of container ships, and smoke was just beginning to billow upward ominously. The shock of what she was seeing was a dangerous distraction, and Warden’s shield had weakened with her lost concentration. In that moment a particularly strong blast punched through the shield and slammed into the left side of her chest mercilessly.
Born a Queen (Lilith's Shadow Book 1) Page 4
