The Infinite League
Page 34
“That’s the least scientific explanation I’ve ever heard.”
“That’s how it was explained to me,” I shrugged. “I think they dumbed it down for me.”
“I’m glad I had my chip destroyed,” she decided. “Some of my memories I’d prefer to be gone forever.”
“And the icing on the cake is the other thing Baltrin did for me,” I continued. “He had some nice men from the military came over to talk to my sister and my son with me, and explain how the whole imprisonment was a cover story for national security. They couldn’t let the alien think that I was actually working for the government as a secret agent. I’ve got my name cleared, my record cleared, that elbow injury I got in tenth grade is completely gone! I’m so far ahead of the game now, it’s almost criminal.”
“It’s the least you deserve for saving the world.”
"Actually, he just wanted to bring back to life and chew me out for totally disobeying his orders.”
“Naturally. But, you realize this couldn’t ever happen again, right?”
“I know,” I said with a sad smile. “Cloning is still banned in about seventy countries, so the use of the cloning tanks on human life is strictly prohibited. With all the lithium tachyons drained and no way to reproduce them on this planet, it’s impossible to rapidly age a cloned embryo now. With both Sens’r and Dr. Progeriat dead, that technology is lost. This was a one-time mulligan.”
“So are you going to look for the gauntlets?” she asked me hopefully. “You could take a new costumed identity, right?”
“Umm, that would be a hell no,” I laughed. “If someone else wants to dig the magic armbands out of the wreckage, they’re more than welcome to try. Fighting superhuman freaks and psychos was never something I wanted to do. Besides, I need to protect my internal memory card, you know? Getting into throw downs with people who can shoot electricity, fire and ice out of their hands is probably a fast road to a premature death. I’m going to enjoy this nice, safe desk job.”
“Where you get to assign appropriate missions to the super-heroes working in your region,” Cass realized. “Oh my God, that job really does totally suit you.”
“It also mean I’m your new boss,” I grinned.
“Yeah, it also means the Blue Mole answers to you, too.”
“Well, shit,” I groaned. I hadn’t actually remembered about him. Eventually, I realized, I was going to have to have a meeting with him. I suddenly felt like reaching for a couple of aspirin. “So what’s your plan now? Submission is officially dead, right?”
“It’s fine, I just wanted to honor my mother. But I’m tired of being the bottom…it’s time for me to take charge. I’ve been toying around with the name of Dominatrix.”
“Kinky, I like it.”
“Oh yeah. Black leather, a domino mask, maybe a whip, the whole deal.”
“You bad bitch.”
“You sure you’re going to be happy being a bureaucrat?”
“It won’t be a bad gig,” I decided. “I’ll have more of an opportunity to change the world than I did as a cop. Working with people who are trying to save the world, good hours and pay, going home to my son every night. It ain’t gonna be a bad life.”
We stared at each other for a few moments. This girl made me think twice about the world of super-heroes. I made her think twice about us regular folks. We were a good team.
“I think you might be my best friend,” I said. “Which is really strange. Women bother the shit out of me.”
Cass smiled. “So, you’re buying me lunch, right? I haven’t gotten a paycheck since all that shit went down.”
“I suppose I’ll see about getting you an advance,” I smiled. “Come on, the colonel is waiting for us.”
“I know we just had fireworks, but it really feels like Christmas to me,” Cass announced happily. “I think it’s going to be a great new year.”
I couldn’t think of a better way to put it, so I just nodded and hooked her arm in mine and smiled. I had a great new job, a new best friend, a son who’s proud of me, and the chance to change the world for the better. It’s damned near everything I could have hoped for.
So that’s my story, clichéd happy ending and all. Having all the power in the world doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily amount to anything, and you don’t have to have super powers to change the world. I’m embarrassed that it took living in both worlds to finally learn that, but some of us have to learn these things the hard way, okay?
Bad deeds can come from any corner of the world, from an alien visitor to a religion fanatic to a police officer. Good deeds can spring from unexpected places, even from thieves and hackers and lost souls. As for myself, I’m going to continue doing the best I can with the chance I’ve been given, and try to make more good choices than bad.
I figure if I can keep people like Seth Sharp from hurting anyone else and resist the temptation to kick him in the balls, then I can keep believing that I’m on the side of the angels.
It won’t be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JOHN YEO JR. has been a soldier, a comic book store owner, an administrative assistant, an actor, a postal carrier, and a video rental store manager. He currently works as a casino games supervisor. He also happens to love telling stories.
He’s far less interesting than the characters in his books, but his daughter Cameron thinks he’s a tireless super-hero fueled by chocolate and soda---so that’s okay. His wife Christina just wants him to stop adding titles to his sprawling DVD collection that takes up so much real estate in the basement. He and his family live in the Chicago region.
He’s the author of THE KING’S TOURNAMENT and MAMA SAUVETERRE’S CURIOSITY SHOPPE. He’s also written and illustrated the graphic novels THE ADVENTURERS and SADIE McSNATCH. His next project, I LAUGH TOO MUCH, will be arriving in Spring 2018
John’s books are sold on AMAZON. You can visit him on his website at WWW.YEONIVERSE.COM or just stalk him on www.facebook.com/JohnYeoniverse
Also by John Yeo Jr.
Table of Contents
THE
John Yeo Jr.
Yeoniverse Books
The Infinite League
John Yeo Jr.
Published by Yeoniverse Books
ISBN-13: 978-1546444961
Dedication
In Gratitude
But nothing good lasts forever.
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