by Nolan Fury
The segment cut to a clip of the councilman in front of the podium, addressing reporters at a press conference. “We must take back our city. So long as one of these supers roams the streets, we are at risk. We’ve seen how easily these freaks can change their loyalty. I’m sorry to use such harsh terminology, but that’s what they are.”
Zyrco turned off the display before the segment could annoy him any further.
"That's complete bullshit!” Surge protested. "The cops didn't do anything! Now they're taking all the credit?"
"My bigger concern is the attitude of the public towards supers." Zyrco said. "It's growing increasingly hostile."
"I don't think these people realize how much trouble they're going to be in if they ban supers completely,” Ranger grumbled. “There will be no one around to save them!”
"Titus and his henchmen are only going to continue their reign of terror," Zyrco said. “It's going to get much worse."
"The only thing they took from the vault was a crystal," I said.
"Part of the tri-stone," Zyrco said. "I had heard rumors that one had been acquired by a collector and was brought to the city.” A regretful sigh billowed from his lips. “Titus must not be allowed to acquire the other two stones."
"Where are the other two?" I asked.
"One is safeguarded in the temple of Kravva on Cygnus Reticuli 3. The other is here at the Academy."
Eyes widened with surprise.
“You mean part of the tri-stone has been here all along?" Surge said.
“It only recently came to the Academy,” Zyrco said.
"What exactly does this crystal do?" I asked.
"If the stones should ever become united, the wielder will have the ability to neutralize the power of other supers."
Gasps filled the room. For a super, that was a fate worse than death.
"Permanently?" I asked.
"That remains to be seen," Zyrco said. He paused. “There is no doubt in my mind that Titus will attempt to recover the other shards. I want you to recover the stone from the temple. It is no longer safe there.”
“Why don’t we just destroy one of the shards?” I asked.
“Because the stones can’t be destroyed,” Zyrco said.
“Don’t worry, Professor,” Surge said. “We’ll get the stone.”
“Find Ja Ni Vu at the temple,” the professor commanded. “He will assist you.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Ranger asked. “Let's get going.”
The professor called to me as we headed toward the door. “Ben, I heard you performed admirably today, despite your lack of experience.”
“I didn’t do much. These guys deserve all the credit.”
“You acquired new powers. You’ve already leveled up. You need to continue to build your strength. I have full confidence in you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
I only leveled up because I had hooked up with Surge. He was basically telling me to get as much ass as I could get. That didn’t sound like such a horrible thing to me.
Jealousy filled Surge’s eyes. Getting her to go along with the professor’s recommendation was going to be an interesting task.
I followed the others to the StarHawk, and we climbed aboard. I strapped into my safety harness and prepared for takeoff. Zepha powered up the craft and went through a series pre-fight checks. Within moments, the roof opened, and we lifted from the tarmac. And electromagnetic portal in the station’s dome allowed ships to come and go, provided they received clearance from air traffic control.
We flew through the glowing portal shield, and my ass lifted from the seat. The safety harness dug into my hips, restraining me as we entered the weightlessness of space. The sensation was almost as cool as flying. My eyes widened, staring out the window at the vast expanse. I had never been in space before.
Zepha angled the craft around, and we circled the station. The massive structure flickered with lights, and I caught a glimpse of Under-Vega. From this view, I saw just how large the floating city in space was.
Zepha fiddled with the nav computer.
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Ranger asked.
Zepha sneered at him. “I’ll get us there. Trust me.”
She programmed in the coordinates, and the nav computer made its calculations.
“Is everybody ready?” Zepha asked.
“You’ve never traveled through quantum subspace, have you?” Surge asked.
I shook my head.
“Don’t worry. The discomfort passes momentarily.”
I wondered what discomfort she was talking about. My eyes narrowed at her curiously. But before I could ask any questions, Zepha engaged the quantum drive.
My stomach twisted in knots. Time dilated. My body felt like it was stretched in all directions--pushed and pulled and squeezed and twisted. Then everything snapped back into place as we completed the transition into quantum space.
My face grew pale, and I had to admit I was a little queasy from the transition.
"Don't feel bad,” Surge said. “I puked my first time."
“That was intense,” I mumbled.
Surge chuckled. “You haven’t seen intense yet."
Ranger angled his seat back, closed his eyes, and nodded off to sleep within minutes. He snored, and his sinuses rattled with each breath. It was already starting to grate on my nerves. Was he going to do that for the entire trip?
Chrome took advantage of the down time to recharge. She kicked her feet up on the dash and leaned back.
"You really shouldn't have come with us today," Surge said.
"Careful, I might think you're worried about me."
"Not worried about you." She was totally lying. "I just think you need more experience before you go up against the likes of Scar, or God forbid, Titus."
"That really sounds like worry to me."
She shrugged, sheepishly. "Maybe a little."
I grinned.
"You should get some rest. You need to recharge. Using your superpower is draining. Without rest you'll grow weak."
"I can think of a few ways to recharge my power," I said in a lecherous tone.
Surge's eyes narrowed at me. "Is that all you think about?"
"No. I'm just following the professor's advice."
"You don't really think that we're going to get busy on this flight, do you?"
"Would this be considered the million-mile high club?"
"Not if you don't get any action."
I frowned at her.
She turned away and settled into her seat. She hit a button on the armrest, reclining the seat. She closed her eyes. "You may not need to recharge, but I do."
I figured she was probably right. I closed my eyes and tried to get some rest, but my mind was racing a million miles an hour. My veins were still overloaded with adrenaline from the fight at the bank, and now traveling across the galaxy. How was I supposed to sleep through this?
My mind drifted back to Earth. I thought about Curtis, Mark, and Bill. They'd shit their pants if they could see me now. I thought about my step-dad. I'd like to see him try to hit me now.
All the time growing up, I had so many questions about my real parents. And there were never any answers. As strange and fantastical as this all seemed, I felt like I belonged here. I only wish I could have learned the truth sooner.
I drifted into a semiconscious state. As I was about to nod off, I felt Surge's gentle hands slide up my thighs. I peeled open my eyes to see her on her knees, in between my legs. She put a finger to her pillowy lips and shushed me.
I glanced around—the rest of the crew were fast asleep. Ranger sawed logs in a staccato rhythm. Chrome's eye’s were shut. I couldn't see Zepha's face from where I was seated, but she wasn't moving. I assumed she was crashed out as well while the autopilot did its work.
Surge ran her hand up my thigh and over my package. It grew in her hand. Desire burned in her eyes as she caressed me. Her full lips glistened.
Hormones searched through my body. My cheeks flushed, and a wave of heat overcame me.
Surge unbuttoned my pants and her fingers tugged at my zipper. The fabric went slack, and she dug her hands inside my underwear, pulling out my joystick. She licked her lips and plunged toward my pelvis. From then on out, all I saw was the top of her head. I felt her hot breath against my shaft, and her velvety tongue trace over the ridges and veins. She swirled her tongue around my helmet, then her full lips wrapped around me. Her wet lips slid up and down, and her moans vibrated my shaft. Her ability to manipulate energy gave the experience an otherworldly quality.
Amazeballs!
Her purple hair enshrouded me. Her head bobbed. I knew I was probably getting some type of power up from this, but it felt like she was sucking the life force out of me. In a good way.
I was quite confident that there was no other woman in the galaxy that could make me feel the way Surge did.
I leaned back, put my hands behind my head and enjoyed the ride. I looked through the front windshield as we blazed through quantum space.
Now this is what I call flying first class.
15
Lights flickered on the dash. Alarms sounded the moment we emerged from quantum space. Zepha pulled hard at the controls, trying to avoid the unavoidable.
The StarHawk barreled toward a large chunk of space debris.
The twisted hunk of metal looked like it could have been from the bulkhead of a star destroyer.
Impact was imminent.
My heart leapt into my throat.
Zepha engaged the forward navigational thrusters as she attempted to evade the debris. But the ship clipped the space junk with the port wing.
The bulkheads rattled.
A secondary explosion rumbled through the tiny craft.
My safety harness dug into my hips and shoulders. Both Chrome and Ranger snapped out of their nap.
The collision sent us spiraling toward the planet. Another alarm sounded—we’d lost our port-side engine.
It was a good thing Surge and I weren’t engaged in oral activities, or the results could have been catastrophic. I knew a guy in high school who had gotten into an accident while his girlfriend was blowing him and things didn’t turn out too well.
Zepha couldn’t get the StarHawk under control. Tension creased her face as she frantically pulled at the controls, flicking switches and pressing buttons.
The ship spiraled into the upper atmosphere. The hull glowed orange from the heat. The uncontrolled descent created too much drag, and there was less thermal protection on the sides and rear of the ship. The StarHawk wasn’t meant to enter the atmosphere this way. We were going to burn up.
Even as a super, that had me worried.
My teeth chattered in my skull as the craft rumbled and shook through the turbulent atmosphere. The bulkheads were moments away from ripping apart.
Zepha wrestled with the controls, and activated navigational thrusters. Panic strained her voice, “I can’t break out of the spiral!”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m jumping out of this mother fucker,” Ranger said.
“I second that notion,” Zepha said.
Ranger unbuckled his safety harness and staggered to the bulkhead. He opened the side door. Air rushed out of the compartment, almost sucking him into the stratosphere. He held onto the bulkhead until the pressure stabilized. “See you on the other side!”
He leapt out of the craft and disappeared into the swirl of atmosphere.
The thin atmospheric pressure and low oxygen had me concerned. I didn’t know how long any of us would survive at this altitude. Not to mention the fact that Chrome couldn’t fly. At least, not in the same manner that the rest of us could. “Do you need help getting to the ground?”
“I think I can make it.” Chrome unbuckled her safety harness and staggered toward the door.
Wind whipped around the cabin, flailing her hair in all directions. I was curious as to how she was going to get to the ground, but I figured she knew what she was doing.
Surge followed after her.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Zepha asked.
“Ladies first.”
“I’m the captain of the ship, I’ll be the last one off.”
I wasn’t going to argue with her.
Heat filled the vehicle. Sweat dripped down my brow. I climbed to the door and grabbed a handle on the bulkhead to steady myself. The air coming off the fuselage felt like a furnace. I sprang into the sky, flying away from the tumbling debris. I let myself fall toward the ground naturally. I watched the blazing StarHawk plummet down like a brick.
Zepha materialized beside me.
We both angled ourselves down, diving through the air. We caught up to the others. But there was a problem.
I was feeling light-headed due to the lack of oxygen. My eyes glanced to Chrome—she had passed out from the thin air. Her limp body was at the mercy of the wind.
I flew toward her and scooped her in my arms. Then I plunged toward the surface of the planet, trying to get her below 15,000 feet as fast as I could. I knew that back on Earth, altitudes above 15,000 feet required supplemental oxygen. Commercial airlines mandated that pilots take supplemental oxygen above 8000 feet. But we were a long way from Earth, and I didn’t know what the makeup of the atmosphere was on this planet.
The wind rushed through my hair, and the ground raced up to greet me. I landed gently on the dirt and set Chrome down. She still hadn't regained consciousness.
After a moment, her eyes fluttered, and her curious gaze found my face. "What happened?"
"You passed out from hypoxia.”
"Oh. I guess my plan didn't work out so well."
"What was your plan?”
"I was going to transform into a glider, but I must have blacked out before I had the chance." Her brow crinkled. "My head is killing me.”
“Lack of oxygen. Next time you jump from an airborne vehicle, have a better plan.”
She smiled. "I guess you saved my life."
“I guess I did."
A sultry glimmer flickered in her eyes. "What can I ever do to repay you?"
"I'm sure you'll think of something."
"I could think of a few things." Her sexy voice dripped with naughtiness.
Surge and the others landed beside us. I could see the jealousy in her eyes.
I helped Chrome to her feet. "Your boyfriend’s a keeper. Hang on to him."
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“You keep saying that, but I’m not sure I believe you.”
Black smoke billowed into the sky from the StarHawk’s flaming wreckage.
"Sorry about that, guys," Zepha said.
"It wasn't your fault," Surge replied. "Shit happens."
“The professor is going to be so pissed. That ship was brand-new!” Zepha deflated.
"What are we going to do now?" Ranger asked.
"We're just going to have to get to the temple the old-fashioned way," Zepha said. She turned into mist and flew through the air.
Chrome held her thumb out like she was hitchhiking. Her eyes stared into me. "Can anybody give me a lift?"
"Uh, yeah, sure," I said.
Surge’s jealous eyes narrowed at me.
I shrugged. What was I supposed to do? The girl couldn't fly on her own.
“You can fly with me,” Surge said.
Chrome flung her arms around Surge’s neck and hopped into her arms. Chrome winked at me just before Surge leapt into the air. “Maybe next time.”
The sight of the two of them together made my mind spin. Thoughts of a threesome flooded my synapses. I knew it was never going to happen, but a guy could dream.
I launched into the air and ascended several hundred feet. From this altitude, I had a spectacular view of the planet. Verdant fields covered the land. Snowcapped peaks stabbed at the sky. A sprawling metropolis shimmered on the horizon, nestled in the valley between the rocky peaks.
Perched amid the craggy peaks, the ancient temple sat 8000 feet above sea level. But the black smoke wafting from the venerable structure indicated that something was wrong.
I had the distinct feeling that we were too late to the party. I raced through the sky with the others, and we circled the stone temple. Bodies lay strewn across the ground, dotting the white snow with crimson blood.
We touched down and got a firsthand look at the carnage. Limbs had been ripped from bodies. Torsos had been eviscerated, exposing bone and fascia. Intestines spilled out of thoracic cavities. The tinny metallic smell of blood and entrails filled the air.
The grim faces of my companions stared at the mangled corpses with horror.
“I’ve never seen supers do this kind of damage to civilians before,” Surge said.
“How could they do this?” Zepha asked.
Snow crunched under my boots as I marched toward the temple steps. In the main hall, amber flames flickered from wall sconces. More bodies lined the floor. I stepped over the fallen corpses as I pushed deeper into the structure. The place smelled of death. I moved cautiously into the next antechamber and found more of the same. The final chamber was a large rotunda that housed the crystal. It had set upon a pedestal in the center of the room.
The sullen eyes of my compatriots fell upon the empty pedestal. It meant that Titus was one step closer to having a devastating power. And the carnage here was evidence of what he was willing to do to non-supers.
A frail moan echoed from the far side of the chamber. I rushed through the darkness in the direction of the sound. The dim wall sconces barely illuminated the area. I knelt beside a wounded guardian of the temple. Blood painted his armor. It had been punctured in multiple sections. Crimson goo flowed from the wounds. His labored breath rattled with fluid as blood seeped into his lungs.
There was nothing I could do for the man, besides hold his hand—be there for him as he drew his last breath. He choked out a few weak, scratchy words, “They took the stone. You must get it back.”
