Born a Queen (Lilith's Shadow Book 1)

by Benjamin Medrano

  Swearing, Galvanic Action ducked behind a car and ground his teeth in frustration. It was always frustrating to him that his ability to corrode Black Harbinger’s equipment was nonexistent, and Pyroclasm didn’t have any equipment to screw up. He was at his best against villains in power armor, which was probably why they avoided the area most of the time. While he could rust away Pyroclasm’s armor eventually, it required far closer proximity than was safe with the man’s pyrokinetics. That meant he was reduced to taking out the mooks, rather than the villains themselves.

  The only good thing at the moment was that taking out the mooks was going well. As he popped out of cover, Galvanic Action concentrated on two of their guns, and in seconds the two men were holding useless bricks. He had to wonder where the villain got the cannons from, as they weren’t terribly common. Still, with Morgan down for the count, and possibly fatally, Galvanic Action was beginning to wonder if they’d survive the day. If Ocean Spirit didn’t get here soon, she might show up to confront both a class A and a class S villain on her own, and that would go… badly.

  Just as the thought ran through his head, Galvanic Action suddenly paused as he saw both Morgan and Warden ascend back into the air. He’d seen Morgan get heavily injured, which was why the sight of her startled him, and for a moment he thought the one who was hit had been an illusion. That suspicion vanished as he saw her back, where her cloak had been almost entirely burnt away, and where magical straps were holding her dress together.

  Galvanic couldn’t help the surge of emotions that flooded him. Confusion at Morgan’s sudden recovery, relief that she was alright, and hope that with her and Warden it would turn the tides of their battle all surged through him, but he managed to shove them to the side. The important thing was that they were back, and he could ask them what had happened later.

  Invigorated by the hope their appearance granted, Galvanic corroded the weapons of another henchman, noticing that Warden had created a shield around herself and Morgan, and oddly enough, around the location she’d just risen from. He didn’t worry about it, ducking another blast instead.

  “That hurt, Pyroclasm.” Morgan’s voice rang out over the battlefield, savage as she spoke in a glacial tone, her hands wreathed in her power. “I wonder how a coward like you will handle a fair fight?”

  “Bring it on! I fried you once, I can do it again!” Pyroclasm laughed, sneering as he surrounded himself in a cloud of dense flames that forced Black Comet away from him.

  The other hero flashed away and landed next to Galvanic Action, and he didn’t look good. Black Comet’s suit was scorched in several places and he was breathing hard, sweat beading on his exposed skin. Galvanic paused, then asked in concern, “Comet, are you alright?”

  “Got a couple of minor burns, but nothin’ too bad,” Black Comet gasped, shaking his head. “He wouldn’t let me get close to him, though. All I was doing was distracting him, and he knew it. I need a breather, though, I’ve been going full speed for too long.”

  “Right, well…” Galvanic let his voice trail off, then smiled and nodded upward. “Well, it looks like Morgan’s a bit pissed off, so I think you’ve got one.”

  “Holy shit,” Black Comet murmured, his eyes wide. “Since when could Warden block that much fire?”

  “I have no idea,” Galvanic replied softly, just as stunned.

  Above them Morgan was weaving her magic as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Warden’s barrier surrounded them in azure-veined gold light, blocking the massive waves of fire Pyroclasm was hurling at them. The villain’s face betrayed a great deal of strain as he added more and more fire to the conflagration, but it seemed almost useless. All the while, Morgan was slowly condensing her magic into dozens of arrowheads of ice, each glowing a deep, deep purple.

  Normal ice didn’t worry Pyroclasm, but from the anxiousness in his attacks, Galvanic Action could tell that these were different, and he smiled. “Couldn’t happen to a better guy.”

  Instinct made Galvanic duck just as a henchman circled the car and took a shot at him. Swearing, this time he didn’t just corrode the man’s gun, he also bounded forward and took the man down, hard. A lot of people seemed to forget he was a decent martial artist, but the attack also got him to check on Crimson Bull and Black Harbinger.

  Harbinger was taking a beating, and his armor was starting to come apart. That was good and bad, considering how Harbinger always tried to detonate at that point. The thought made Galvanic pale, remembering how the villain had nearly killed him the last time around. Worse, the area they were in was heavily populated this time.

  At Pyroclasm’s scream of rage, Galvanic looked up and suddenly felt like more of a spectator than a participant in the battle. Morgan’s arrowheads of ice were chasing Pyroclasm through the sky, and the villain was both trying and failing to melt them as he ran. While he’d managed to destroy a couple, the vast majority of the arrows were barely touched, and Galvanic felt a surge of satisfaction as one hit the villain’s right shoulder, spreading purple ice across his body as he flew around a corner of the building, Morgan in close pursuit.

  “Foolish heroes! If I’m to lose, all of you shall die with me!” Black Harbinger suddenly boomed, his armor lighting up with bright red symbols.

  “Everyone get back, he’s going to blow!” Galvanic Action yelled, his pupils contracting as he remembered when he’d nearly died, and Crimson Bull suddenly veered off, swearing loudly.

  “Not this time, Harbinger!” Warden called out, a spherical barrier suddenly surrounding the villain as she focused her powers on him. “My powers have grown, and this time I can contain you!”

  “You shall… pay for your arrogance…!” Black Harbinger replied, his voice strained and his body bulging as the runes grew brighter, and then howled, “DIE!”

  Galvanic Action instinctively ducked as the villain’s body lit up like a second sun, exploding in a terrific blast of shrapnel and energy. However, this time the shock wave never came, and the explosion was merely noise. Everyone watched speechlessly as Warden’s barrier expanded with the force of the explosion, nearly tripling in size, then contracted as the power of the villain’s explosion dissipated. He could tell that it had been a near thing, but that she’d stopped it was astonishing.

  The ground that Harbinger had been standing on was reduced to a glass indentation, and there was no sign of the villain. Warden shook her head, then looked at the henchmen, her voice frosty. “I suggest you surrender. Now.”

  With their leader dead for the moment, most of the henchmen promptly dropped their weapons. The one who didn’t was taken out by Black Comet in a blur of motion. With the danger mostly past, the emergency personnel rushed forward to try to help, and to put out the fires.

  Galvanic almost jumped when Morgan returned, scowling as she floated down to land and reported unhappily, “Pyroclasm used a portal grenade to escape. I did hit him three times, so he shouldn’t recover quickly. How’re things here?”

  “We’re fine now, it looks like all the villains are dealt with. Let’s go check on Lilith,” Warden replied with a firm shake of her head.

  “What? Lilith? Isn’t that the lady you’ve been meeting with?” Crimson Bull asked, a hand on the char marks crisscrossing his body. “The one who crippled Blue Impulse, right? What was she doing here?”

  “I have no idea, but she healed me, then collapsed. I’m taking her to the HQ to get looked over,” Morgan explained quickly, jogging over to where she’d fallen earlier. She quickly picked up a woman bigger than she was, and Galvanic couldn’t help but recognize Lilith Carpenter, after as many times as she’d come up. The woman was unconscious and extremely pale.

  “Alright, we’ll clean up here. See you there?” Galvanic Action asked automatically, feeling stunned as Morgan and Warden nodded, then took flight with the woman, heading toward their headquarters.

  Chapter 30

  Thursday, December 19th, 2030

  Ocean Shield HQ, San Francisco

&
nbsp; “What in the name of the gods is she?” Blooming Orchid asked, looking at the readouts in stunned amazement.

  “Hmm? What’s wrong?” Ocean Spirit asked, looking up from helping the nurse treat Crimson Bull’s injuries. “Is Ms. Carpenter in any danger?”

  “Oh no, she’s fine. She’s suffering from severe exhaustion, and it seems like she hasn’t eaten for a few days, but that’s likely just from overextending newfound powers. You know how it is with that sort of thing,” Blooming Orchid replied, shaking her head. “No, I’m talking about her body. I’ve never seen anything like this. She’s just… I have to wonder if she’s human, honestly. That’s why I asked what she is.”

  “Lilith was an experiment at the ‘next stage of the human race,’ according to her explanation,” Rachel replied, looking at them, then at the sleeping woman on the bed. She’d changed into a simple dress, and had ditched her mask for the time being. “She grew up in a lab without any human contact, since her creator disappeared before she was born, and was raised by a low-end AI. I know her physical abilities are fairly high, but not the particulars.”

  “Ahh, that explains much of this. Her body is…” Blooming Orchid paused, then stepped away from the console, shaking her head in wonder. “Her natural abilities come close to matching my enhanced ones, and her nervous system is almost a form of fiber-optic network. I can’t imagine how quickly she can react. With the rest of her body… I’d guess that she has eight to ten times the capabilities of a mundane of her apparent build. Maybe a bit more.”

  “That’s more impressive than I thought it was,” Gina spoke up softly, shaking her head slowly. “She tried to explain, but I don’t think she really understood what normal was to begin with.”

  “It’s pretty damned scary if you ask me. What does she want, and what’re her goals?” Black Comet asked, pausing for a moment from almost inhaling a series of energy bars to recover from his efforts. Of everyone in the battle, he’d done the most, while taking the least damage. He’d always been one of the members that Rachel admired the most, even if she disagreed with his opinion at the moment.

  “That’s a very good question, and the answer is fairly simple. Her only goal was to leave the lab, and now that she has? She has no idea what to do. She has a hard time relating to people, and most of what others want in life just baffles her,” Rachel explained, smiling. “We’ve been helping her a lot, apparently, so she’s been slowly settling down, trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life.”

  “So, how long have you known about all of this?” Ocean Spirit asked, sounding concerned. “I don’t believe she told us about this healing power before, which is worrying.”

  “She told us about her origin last night, since she didn’t want to hide it after what Gina had been through. As to her powers… I don’t think even she knew about them, and when she offered to heal me, she wasn’t certain if she could. She did mention that she thought she felt a new power stirring after the encounter with Blue Impulse,” Rachel explained, as she looked at Lilith. “At a guess, her power has some form of requirement to its use, and it does more than just heal. The power was invigorating, and my magic surged in strength for a little while after being healed.”

  “That seems very odd to me, and worrying,” Ocean Spirit murmured, frowning at Lilith. “Are you sure she’s telling the truth?”

  “Yes,” Gina interjected, her voice flat as she stared at the team’s leader. Even Rachel was startled by her friend’s tone, but Gina didn’t seem to care as she continued. “Lilith had no idea what she was walking into, but saved me with significant personal danger, and when I refused to go home, she chose to house me without asking for anything in return. Instead of keeping it to herself, she told Rachel and me about her origin, even though she fears the secret getting out. Beyond any of that, she ran onto a battlefield with Black Harbinger to try to help Rachel. Rachel was dying, Spirit! If you’d seen what I did at the time, you would’ve known that without a doubt! Lilith pushed herself until she fell unconscious to heal her, leaving her on the same battlefield and completely helpless. I understand your suspicion, but can’t we at least judge her by her actions?”

  “That… well, you may have a point,” Ocean Spirit admitted, glancing at Rachel as she asked, “Morgan, were you really that badly hurt? No one but Warden really got a good look at you before you were healed, and you don’t look like you were injured at all, aside from the way your clothing was burnt.”

  It took Rachel a few moments to respond, as she chewed on her lower lip, thinking. She couldn’t keep her eyes off Lilith easily, and it probably wasn’t just because of the captivation field. As she watched, Blooming Orchid checked the IV providing nutrients to the unconscious woman.

  “I can’t be certain, but I think I was. The attack… I remember a searing pain, and everything went hazy,” Rachel spoke softly. “I suspect I was in shock. Everything snapped into focus when Lilith ordered me to look at her, and it felt like she was using her power on me to hold my attention. I couldn’t look away if I’d wanted to, and her eyes were glowing as she looked at me. She told me that I was dying, and that she could heal me, but only if I truly trusted her and let her in. I felt like I was dying, and I’ve already mostly trusted her, so I agreed. She told me that she wouldn’t let me die, and then…”

  Rachel’s voice trailed off at the memory and she smiled gently. “It was like slipping into a warm bath, really. The gentle warmth enveloped me, and one by one, all of my injuries vanished as though they’d never existed. While I never saw my injuries, I looked in the mirror earlier, and several small scars aren’t there anymore. I don’t even feel sore or tired, and I only got about five hours of sleep last night.”

  “That’s amazing,” Blooming Orchid murmured, looking Rachel over with obvious curiosity. “Do you mind if I give you an exam? I’d like to see if I can spot any changes.”

  “That’s fine with me. Still, do we have any idea what Black Harbinger was trying to do?” Rachel asked, looking around the room.

  “I promise to reserve judgement where Ms. Carpenter is concerned for the moment. As for Harbinger… Hypergizmo? Do you care to chime in?” Ocean Spirit asked, looking over to a speaker on the wall.

  “Of course, Spirit,” Hypergizmo replied, sounding exhausted. “We don’t have all of the details yet, but Harbinger’s minions were planting bombs across the city, and he was going to start detonating them in sequence to cause as much devastation as they could. The Oakland Bridge is going to be out of service for a few weeks from the explosion there, but we’re fairly lucky that there were surprisingly few close to the blast, and the other bombs have been located and disarmed. The problem is that Pyroclasm, was not part of their plan or contacts. None of Harbinger’s minions knew anything about him, and his appearance surprised them.”

  “Do we have any idea why he showed up, then?” Black Comet asked, sitting back in his chair. “Pyroclasm has always been a destructive menace, but this was unusual for him. He doesn’t usually ambush people, he usually just attacks head-on.”

  “I think he was another distraction. While we were busy, someone hit a military hospital in San Mateo. No one I can get in touch with knows much, but the damage seems to be consistent with supers. It’s being hushed up, but…” Hypergizmo paused, then continued. “Anyway, I can’t say much there. If there are any survivors, the military isn’t saying. Not much I can do about it.”

  “That figures. We won’t find out anything from them until it’s already bitten us in the ass,” Black Comet muttered balefully.

  “Dammit, I was in San Mateo!” Crimson Bull rumbled, patting one of the bandages. Rachel knew that he’d probably be fine by the next day, despite how nasty the wounds looked. “Do you think they deliberately drew me out of the area?”

  “That’s what it looks like. I really think we need more intel on who’s pulling the strings in our area. The problem is that they’re hiding too well,” Hypergizmo replied grimly. “I’m working on it, an
d so are the police. As an aside, the police sent their thanks for the help, and Sky Defender has volunteered to help reconstruct the bridge, since he couldn’t get to the battlefield in time.”

  “Don’t take it too hard, Crimson, they chose a damned impressive distraction,” Galvanic Action interjected, shaking his head. “I just wish I’d been more useful, and that my powers worked on Harbinger, the psycho.”

  “Acknowledge the police like usual, and relay my thanks to Sky Defender as well,” Ocean Spirit replied, smiling slightly at Galvanic Action. “All of you did great work under the circumstances. Good job, everyone. Hyper? Get some sleep, would you? You’ve been up for a day, I think.”

  “Fine, boss.” Hypergizmo laughed, then the speaker went dead.

  “Since all of that’s done, onto a bed, Rachel. I want to see that back of yours,” Blooming Orchid said, smiling as she gestured at an examination bed.

  “As you say.” Rachel sighed, moving to comply obediently.

  “…think she’s waking up.” Someone was speaking as Lilith snapped conscious, and immediately regretted waking up. She’d never regained consciousness so suddenly, not even when she’d woken the first time, and with how her head was aching, Lilith wasn’t terribly happy about it.

  “I… am awake, yes. Though I somewhat wish I wasn’t,” Lilith murmured, slowly opening her eyes to avoid blinding herself.

  Standing over her was a beautiful woman with Asian features, flawless skin, and black hair, wearing a doctor’s scrubs. Blooming Orchid had been distinctive on the team’s website, so Lilith recognized the woman easily. Also in the room were Gina and Rachel, along with Galvanic Action on another bed, laying back and watching her.

  “Welcome back to the land of the living,” Blooming Orchid replied, frowning as she asked, “I didn’t think you were injured, so what hurts?”