by S. J. Delos
We left Phantasm’s room and journeyed further down the hallway into the complex. We passed by door number 8 and the teen pointed at it without stopping. “That used to be Denise’s room,” she said. There was a note of sadness in her words, probably due to the absence of her teammate.
Gigantica’s death had been huge news in the Max. Even some of her former enemies had grieved the passing of their foe. Would anyone care if I died saving the city? Probably only Martin. I could understand Rocket’s anger.
His teammate had given her life to stop one of Martin’s schemes.
At the end of the corridor, Alexis pushed a button beside a closed set of double doors that whooshed open in opposite directions like something out of Star Trek. Inside was a huge room with multiple video screens on one wall and a large, round table in the center. There were eight dura-steel chairs arranged around the table and the Double-G symbol of the group was embossed on the backs of the seats and on the middle of the table.
“Welcome to the Inner Sanctum,” Phantasm said with a wave of her arm.
“Really? That’s what you call it?”
“No. That’s what Captain Awesome calls it. The rest of us just refer to it as the Briefing Room.”
A door on the opposite side of the room slid open and Manpower walked in with two other members of the team: Power Brain and Omega-Girl.
Power Brain was thin and gangly, with a greasy shock of black hair over a forehead that protruded outwards. According to the article that had appeared in last year’s People, he had an I.Q. of 410 and was also blessed with Inventive Aptitude. He was the Good Guy’s strategist and tinkerer, supposedly able to understand and create any type of mechanical construct he could imagine.
Martin had almost the same ability, only with Enhanced biology.
Omega-Girl was as beautiful in person as she was on the multiple magazines and posters she graced. Lithe and blonde with the body of a supermodel, she was the darling eye-candy of the group. If there was a picture to be had of the Good Guys, the camera focused on her over any other member.
That’s not to say she didn’t have more going on than a pretty face. From past experiences, I knew that she also possessed the powers of flight, durability, and energy projection. While not as indestructible as myself, she could still take a hit or three. She was also blessed with the rare Enhancement of self-sustenance, getting all her nutrients from solar radiation. Probably helped her to look great in her uniform without having to constantly diet.
Manpower led them over to Lexi and I. “Daniel, Darla. This is Karen Hashimoto.”
Power Brain and I had never met and he stuck out his hand with a wide smile that showed a bit of something green stuck between two of his upper teeth. “Hi. I’m Daniel. Or you can call me Power Brain. You know, if … if you want.” His cheeks reddened a little and I gave his hand a quick shake, resisting the urge to recoil from the clamminess of his palm. “So,” he continued. “The former Crushette is going to be a Good Guy? Have you picked out a new name?”
I blinked, caught off guard by the question. Why did everyone seem so sure that I was going to agree to join? I wasn’t even completely sure myself. “Uh, not yet.”
He nodded, head bouncing up and down in an overly enthusiastic gesture. “Sure, sure. If you want some suggestions or need help trolling the ENCA database, just let me know.” He smiled in a way that reminded me of someone who wasn’t used to smiling to other people.
“For God’s sake, Daniel. Stop mooning over her and go back to your lab.” Omega-Girl closed the distance between us, nearly shoving Power Brain aside. “I didn’t think Manpower was telling the truth, but damned if you aren’t really standing right here.”
“Hello, again, Darla.” I kept my hands to my sides and actually placed them against my legs, fingers spread. I didn’t doubt that if I made a fist, there would be a fight. Rocket and I might have tangled once, but the animosity between Omega-Girl and me went back years. “You’re looking well.”
The blonde hero crossed her arms over her chest and regarded me coolly. “How was the Max? Did you enjoy your stay?” Her voice dripped with venom.
“Darla,” Manpower said with a warning tone. “Do I need to treat you like Robert and tell you to go cool off? Karen is a guest and potential teammate. I expect you to treat her as such.”
“It’s okay, Greg,” I gave Darla my most insincere smile. “I don’t expect her to warm to me immediately. Getting thrown through a building is enough to sour anyone.” I finished with a round of batted eyelashes at Omega-Girl.
She shook her head and refused to be baited. Not surprising. She had far more self-control than Rocket, not to mention that we’d thrown down several times, always to a near-draw. It had been over two years since we’d been face to face. I’d been ripping up chunks of concrete to throw at her and she’d been zapping and dodging them. “Decided to try things from the other side of the law, huh?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.” I pointed at Manpower. “All I did was give him a hand with rounding up some bad guys and all of a sudden, he’s signing me up for truth and justice.”
One perfectly arched brow slipped upwards a tic. “Oh? That should be interesting to see. I don’t exactly share his view on rehabilitation so be assured that if you revert back to being Crushette, I will beat you down.”
“That would be a first.” I sighed and looked over at Manpower. “See? No beating on the heroes. I was listening, you know.”
Alexis defused the situation by speaking up as she looked at Manpower. “How’s Robbie?”
The hero shrugged. “He went for a flight. Said he needed it to calm down.”
Darla looked at me. “I take it he’s still pouting because he flew into you and knocked himself out?”
The teen’s head whipped around to us. “How come everyone knows this story but me?”
“You were still un-Activated when it happened,” I said.
The door behind me whooshed again and when I turned around, I was greeted with the presence of one of the planet’s richest men.
Richard Paulus wore a pair of black slacks and a light gray silk shirt with an open collar. Dark brown hair perfectly coiffed and a grin on his face that said he’d just thought of something extremely pleasing. Probably just learned he’d made another million. I had to admit, he was a very handsome individual. When the door closed behind him, he drifted over to the five of us, hands shoved into his front pockets.
Everyone but Daniel got a nod of acknowledgement.
He looked at me, lingering longer below my neck than I’d preferred before turning to Mister Manpower. “Greg, who’s your new friend?”
Manpower gestured in my direction. “Richard, this is Karen. Our new recruit. Karen, this is our leader, Richard Paulus.”
I stuck out my hand but the billionaire arched a brow. He looked me up and down again before walking in circle around me. One hand came out of his pocket to tap lightly on his lips in contemplation. I felt like a piece of meat on display in the butcher’s window. When he faced me again, his gaze rested on the chest of the tight pink t-shirt for a few seconds.
He finally looked at my face and smiled before turning back to Manpower. “Okay, she’s definitely hot. I thought you said you were bringing some Japanese chick here. Moshimoto or something like that.”
Over his left shoulder, I saw Power Brain roll his eyes and Omega-Girl face-palm. Alexis giggled and Greg just looked uncomfortably embarrassed.
I crossed my arms over my chest to block any further ogles and glared at him. “It’s Hashimoto. And I’m only a half-Japanese chick.”
The leader of the most renowned super team on the East Coast turned back to me and gave me a wink that practically begged me to black his eye. “It’s got to be the bottom half because the top is all-US of A.”
And that’s how I met Captain Awesome.
CHAPTER 5: A BRAND NEW START
The team debated for a half hour before finally deciding to give me a chance to prove I coul
d be a hero.
Even though they had me wait in a locked room with a TV I couldn’t find the remote for, the raised voices carrying through the closed door let me know some of the Good Guys thought my induction would be the worst idea since Particle Man’s run for President. Giving up on being able to turn the channel to something other than MSNBC, I removed a rather ugly piece of modern art from its spot on the wall and put it in front of the screen to block both the images and the obnoxious reporter. Then I went over to stand next to the door with my ear pressed against the dura-steel.
“I’m completely shocked that we’re even considering adding her to the team.” Rocket’s opposition to my recruitment was no surprise at all. “Are we all forgetting who she used to work for?”
“She’s a good person inside,” Manpower responded. “She just needs to chance to show everyone.”
“Robbie does have a point, Greg.” Omega-Girl’s voice went up in volume. “She was Doctor Maniac’s right hand girl. How do we know this isn’t some evil plan of his? Or that we can even trust her?”
I shrugged to the empty room around me. I couldn’t argue Omega’s point. Hell, even I didn’t fully trust me.
“She might have been associated with Doctor Maniac in the past,” Manpower continued. “But you also need to consider that she’s been in the Max for the past two years. She was paroled because she cooperated with the EAPF to give them information against Doctor Maniac’s operations. Information, might I add, that we’ve used to foil more than one of his nefarious schemes.”
“I think we should give her a chance,” Phantasm said. “I mean, just because she used to be a bad person doesn’t mean she still is. People can change, you know, Robbie. Plus, she seems kind of cool.”
“She’s got Class Four strength and Class Five invulnerability,” Captain Awesome added. “That’s a power set we could really stand to have on our side. Not to mention, she’s got that whole ‘smoking hot and exotic flair’ thing going on.”
“Oh. My. God.” Omega shouted. “Seriously, Richard? You’re basing your decision on how she looks?”
“Not entirely, Darla. Her powers would really add to our roster. However, nobody admires an ugly superhero. Being pretty helped you make the cut during your recruitment, too.”
The heavy thud that followed had to be Omega slamming her fist on the table. Or possibly the Captain’s head. I had a feeling they’d both sound the same.
“So, we should let her join because she’s pretty? And cool?” Rocket yelled. “Her appearance hasn’t changed since she was smashing through walls and bank vaults on Doctor Maniac’s behalf. So I can’t even see the appeal there. And she’s not cool, Alexis. She’s a convict.”
“Ex-convict, Robert,” Manpower said. “Legally released.”
“She never killed anyone.” Phantasm chimed in. “Never really hurt anyone badly either.”
“Her boss killed Denise.” Rocket was practically screaming now. “And you propose replacing her with his number one girl? Un-fucking-believable!”
“Robert, Karen was in the Max when Denise died. You can’t hold that against her. She’s reformed.”
“Oh, yeah?” Rocket laughed sarcastically. “Is that why she beat the crap out of Mechanix less than an hour ago? In our lobby, no less. He left in an ambulance.”
“Mechanix attacked her first. And that cannon of his would have done a lot of collateral damage if she hadn’t taken the brunt of it.” Manpower actually sounded proud of me.
“He attacked her because she’s a villain.” Rocket protested. “What is so hard to understand about that?”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, Greg,” Power Brain said. Until now, his voice had been curiously silent on the matter. “But Karen had an appointment, didn’t she?”
“She did.”
“See, Robbie?” Awesome gloated. The amusement in his voice was that of someone who’d just won an argument with a cat. “She was supposed to be here. Mechanix stepped over the line when he blasted her in our lobby. Never liked that armor-headed moron anyways.”
Wow, there was the pot calling the kettle stupid.
I didn’t listen to much more. The way I saw it, Mister Manpower, Captain Awesome, Phantasm, and Power Brain wanted to give me a chance, Omega-Girl was on the fence with a lean towards ‘no’, and Rocket was flat-out against it. Needless to say, the 4-1-1 score meant that I was going to get the opportunity to prove that you can teach an old villain new tricks.
I put the painting back in its spot and sat down on the floor–the couch in the room wasn’t reinforced–and waited for the “official decision”. As I sat there, I thought about the events that had led me from where I’d been to where I was. Could I be a hero? A few of the people on the other side of the door thought so. I wasn’t quite so sure.
Regardless of the things I’d done for Martin, I’d never considered myself “evil”. I just didn’t know if I could be “good”.
The door slid open as Manpower and Phantasm walked into the room. There was a very slight grin on Greg’s face, but Alexis was practically floating. The excited energy radiated out and I could see it was all she could do not to phase right through the floor.
“Well?” I asked, arching a brow. I was willing to let the results be a surprise.
“We have decided that you deserve the chance to prove you can be a Good Guy.” His grin widened a bit more, but the hero kept it together.
“Oh my god, Greg.” Alexis rolled her eyes and then looked at me. I swear the already huge smile doubled in width. “You can join!” The teen clapped her hands and sank a few inches into the floor.
I didn’t have the fortitude that Manpower possessed, so I was unable to hide my grin. Someone was willing to take a chance on me. Several someones, actually. Damn if it didn’t feel good.
Manpower looked at the teen and shook his head before his eyes-and the stern look within them-turned back to me. “Probationary status, of course.”
“Of course,” I said as I stood up. I would have been shocked if it had been anything else. “Okay, what next?”
“I guess you should probably get settled in,” he said. “Get familiar with your new home.”
The intangible girl rose back up to floor level and solidified. “Your room is next door to mine.”
I tried not to recoil from the thought of being dragged into all-night gossip sessions or mutual bouts of hair-braiding. It was obvious Alexis was excited about having another girl on the team. Based on what I knew from my past interactions with Omega-Girl, I doubted if she bothered to speak to the teen outside of a professional setting.
“My room?” I said as I looked over at Manpower. “I’m moving in?”
He nodded. “It’s more convenient that way. If there’s trouble, we need to be able to suit up and jump into the mix as soon as possible.”
I arched a brow. “Plus, it’ll be easier to keep an eye on me to make sure I don’t return to villainy?”
“Something like that.” The corner of his mouth curled up into a smirk.
“How do you not get on each other’s nerves?” The only people who’d lived at Martin’s lair had been him and me. There’d been crash space for others, if needed, but the rest of the crew kept their own homes.
“We all have hobbies outside of crime-fighting, Karen.” Manpower said. “For example, I enjoy cooking and like to build model ships.”
“O … kay.” I tried to picture the super strong hero delicately assembling a three-masted schooner inside a bottle. “I hadn’t considered moving in this soon. Or even at all.”
“Where else can you go, Karen? You got evicted yesterday.” I looked away without answering, feeling my face warm slightly. “Unless you managed to find a new apartment yesterday, you’ve got nowhere else. Right?”
I whipped my head back around. “What the hell, dude? Did you follow me?”
Phantasm’s eyes widened and she looked between me and Manpower. “Greg…”
“No, I didn’t follow you. I di
d, however, perform a little research on what you’d been up to since being granted parole. Just wanted to make sure you’d been behaving before I vouched for you.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, the action only made the small, pink shirt even tighter. “And what did you discover?" When he nodded his head towards Alexis, I shrugged. “Might as well say it in front of her. Don’t want anyone thinking I’m keeping some dark, malicious secrets from my teammates.”
The hero waited a moment, sighed, and then looked me straight in the eyes. “You were paroled six months and twelve days ago. Since then, you’ve been evicted from two apartments and fired from three jobs. The latest was as a cashier for Target where, apparently, you kept breaking the registers. You’ve got no income, no place to live, and I’ll wager that everything you own is in that backpack you were carrying yesterday.” He canted his head to the side, never dropping that hard stare. “Did I leave anything out?”
I wanted to hit him. I wanted to hit him so hard it would knock his mouth right off his face. I couldn’t, though, because he was right. About all of it. My arms dropped to my sides and my shoulders slumped. “No. I think that does it.”
“I’m not berating you, Karen. I’m saying that you belong here. Living here might give you the stability you’re obviously seeking. I think, deep down, you want this chance. Hell, you might even need it. Of course, the choice is yours. Personally, I think you could be one of the greatest superheroes the world has ever seen.” He pointed past me to the elevator. “But if you leave, we’ll never find out, will we?”
I looked at his face, studied it for some trace of … something. Pity? Suspicion? Arrogance? All I saw was genuine concern. Had it really been so long since someone actually believed in me–someone not bent on world domination, mind you–that I had trouble taking them at their word? I looked from him to Phantasm, who put her hands together and mouthed the word ‘please’ at me. “I’ll give it a shot, okay?”
Manpower nodded and Alexis jumped up and down. “Yay,” the teen screamed, causing both Greg and I to wince. “Come on.”
