Empowered Academy 1985
Page 19
“I wouldn’t mind keeping Baxter at the Academy,” Ramsey said. “I honestly don’t know how he’s managed to survive this long with a power that useless.”
“It must be pretty good for hide-and-seek though,” I said, and then we all laughed before digging into our food again.
“By the way, I heard it’s possible to get into the bell tower of the Mission Chapel,” Edgar said, nodding to the tall basilica standing at the other end of the park’s lawn. “Maybe we could... ya know.”
During the past few months, Ramsey, Edgar and I had become more and more adventurous, and recently our favorite thing to do was find exciting places to make love. So far we’d done it on a hill overlooking Sausalito, at the SF Zoo, in the dressing room of a J. C. Penney, and on a houseboat docked at Fisherman’s Wharf while the owner was gone. I had changed a lot from the girl who was scared to watch a movie at the Academy a few months ago, but there was something about being emancipated from my father, from the Academy, and even from the east coast in general that brought out the real me, who happened to be quite the wild little thing.
Just as I was busting open my chopsticks and getting ready to do some serious damage to a batch of unsuspecting California rolls, the pager in my back pocket started vibrating. I took it out and read who it was from.
“It’s Hugo,” I said. “We better get back to the Mission.”
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The Mission was bustling with activity when we arrived. Our base took up the entire four floors of a huge abandoned warehouse in the southern part of the Mission District. It looked unassuming from the outside—totally derelict, in fact—but once you punched in the passcode on the door outside and took the old industrial elevator up to the second floor, you were greeted by a level of facility only matched by perhaps the Academy itself.
Since the three of us were the only ones that had actually been at the Academy, Hugo met with us often to brainstorm ideas on how to take down the Bureau. On some level, it was an entire civil war within the government, where the Empowered Bureau had carved out its own resources and personnel that they employed to their benefit, while the Mission had the support of other groups within the government like FEMA and most of the FBI. Most of that flew over our heads though, and we were mainly concerned with planning strike operations and interfering with the Academy’s plans around the world.
Ramsey, Edgar and I walked into the big, open room where Hugo held most of his meetings. Hugo was standing at the big conference table looking over some documents and Vera was there beside him. Her hair had grown into a cute pixie cut, similar to the way Lizzy liked to style her hair, and as part of the process of undoing the damage caused by her time in the Soviet program, she generally accompanied Hugo anywhere he went because he was the only person she really trusted. As for me, as my relationship with Edgar and Ramsey grew more intense, my feelings for Hugo faded over time, and I came to see him as more of an older brother now. It was also a point of pride for me that I was one of the only other people besides Hugo that Vera would interact with.
“Big news,” Hugo said as we came in. He picked up one of the pieces of paper he was looking at and slid it our way.
I took a brief look at it. It was a list of supplies meant to be shipped by a freight train from Connecticut to New York the next day.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“The Academy’s next mission,” Hugo replied. “They’re intercepting laboratory supplies being shipped from Yale to Brookhaven National Lab.”
“Jesus,” Edgar said. “So they’re basically doing out-and-out terrorist operations now?”
“Pretty much,” Hugo sighed. “But that’s not the important part. The important part is that we found out who the Academy is sending on that mission: Lizzy.”
My eyes lit up. “Lizzy!” I exclaimed.
Hugo smiled, knowing I’d be happy.
“Think you can do it?” he asked. “A lot of time has passed since you two last saw each other. She might have changed, or the Academy might have tried to brainwash her—”
“Most definitely,” I said. “Lizzy is my best friend. I’ve known her since I was like two. There’s nothing the Academy could do to erode our friendship. And besides, we could really use her here. She’d love San Francisco.”
Though they had never gotten to know Lizzy as close as I would have liked, Ramsey and Edgar shared my enthusiasm. They smiled back at me and rubbed my shoulders.
Hugo cleared his throat. “That’s not all though... I want you to take Vera with you.”
“Vera?” I repeated, a look of surprise showing on my face.
“Yeah. I think it will be good for her to get out there and maybe even practice using her power a bit,” Hugo explained. “You’ve used her power yourself before, so I thought she should go with you.”
Vera looked sheepishly at me and gave a cute, shy smile. It felt like Hugo was asking me to take my annoying little sister with me to the movies or something.
“Of course,” I said. “I think the four of us will make a great team actually.”
“Great,” Hugo said. “Now, let’s do some planning for the mission tomorrow.”
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Later that night, as Ramsey, Edgar and I were settling into our king-sized bed in our apartment in Nob Hill (paid for by the Mission, of course), I was reflecting on how much my life had changed in only a few short months. From the people I spent time with to how I viewed myself to what I was doing—everything was different.
But as I looked into the eyes of my beautiful boyfriends on either side of me, I knew that I didn’t want things to be any other way. We promised we wouldn’t try to seduce each other because we had to be fresh for the big operation the next day, but as Ramsey and Edgar slid into the covers naked and I felt their smooth limbs pressing up against mine, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get any sleep unless I thoroughly satisfied the desire rising up within me.
Before I could do anything about this growing desire, however, Edgar took out a long jewelry box and laid it on the covers over my lap without saying anything.
Ramsey and I looked confused.
“What is this?” I asked. “My birthday’s not for another four months.”
“It’s not a birthday gift,” Edgar said. “It’s for us.”
When he said “us,” I assumed he meant him and me, but when I opened the box, I saw that inside were not just two, but three rings. They were simple and elegant, but there was something unspeakably beautiful about how refined they were. One of them was embedded with a disk-shaped design similar to the pendant on my mom’s necklace.
“That one’s for you,” Edgar said.
It might have been impossible for the three of us to marry, but this—this small yet infinitely thoughtful gesture—would bind the three of us together even more, solidifying our relationship and strengthening our commitment to one another. We put the rings on our wedding fingers, and for some reason, the sensation of that metal circlet around my finger filled me with more love and security than I’d ever felt before. Trailing shortly behind this romantic warmth, however, was a carnal flame.
“Remember how we said no sex tonight?” I asked.
“We’re way ahead of you,” Ramsey said, and then he and Edgar began inching toward me in the bed, the warmth under the covers rising as I prepared for another night of passionate lovemaking with them.
Yeah, I think I could get used to this life.
The End
Find out what happens to Vera in Empowered Academy: 1986
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