Comes Great Responsibility

by Chuck Kienzle

  The next morning, I got up at seven. I got out of bed, went to the bathroom and went over to the kitchenette. A brand new food printer was on the counter beside the microwave. Although they were becoming common, especially in some fast food places, they were still a bit pricey for most people. I “looked” into the cabinet above the counter and saw a new box of my favorite cereal, Coco Puffs. I “saw” fresh milk in the refrigerator. Someone had put fresh food in the cabinets and fridge just before I came back to the Agency. I got down a bowl and the cereal. I got a box of milk from the the refrigerator and poured the cereal and milk into the bowl.

  I sat down at the small table in the kitchenette area. While I ate I considered what our visitors told us. Unlike John, I had parents, super-powered parents, who sent me here to give me a better life. That sounded a lot like Superman's origin. John was a science experiment. I thought we were better off on this world. I was a little worried about the part that Warriors tended to be mentally unstable. That would support anti-super-powered groups' propaganda.

  After breakfast, I got dressed in white slacks and a white blouse with a v-neck that just showed the top of my cleavage. I hesitated a moment, then put in my ear bud.

  I heard the automated message, “Contact established,”

  A moment later I heard,” Ms. Tarlock, please report to the Control area.”

  “What is the problem?” I asked.

  “Apollo may be in trouble,” Control said.

  I flew through the corridors near the ceiling to the nearest exit shaft and flew down the the first sub-basement level. I set down in front of the Command Center's door. I put my palm on the door scanner and the door opened. The Command Center had changed over the past five years. The far wall, which once had several large displays, was now one large display unit that could display multiple images. The Agency was responsible for powered activity worldwide. Beside frozen central image of a trashed street, were multiple images of events around the world.

  “What is going on?” I asked.

  “Watch this,” Tenneth said.

  The central image unfroze and showed an aerial view of the trashed street. The image zoomed onto a gray skinned Hulk class super-powered who stood in the middle street. Around him was smashed store fronts and totaled cars.

  “This was recorded less than five minutes ago,” the Director said.

  “It looks like it is waiting for something?” a voice from the video said.

  “That was Jules Fifer, Apollo took him with him,” Tenneth said.

  Fifer would be in full, self-contained, body armor. That would allow John to take them sub-orbital. He would have to limit his acceleration and deceleration to around one gee. A Null was both an asset and a hindrance. Once he was within his effective range, Fifer could nullify a potential talented threat's abilities. But to get there, John would have to protect him.

  As they descended, a barricade at the end of the street came into view. Several people in body armor stood behind it and all looked up John and Fifer. John landed behind a barricade at the end of the street. He entered the view from behind the camera.

  John walked up to an officer with “Police Chief” stenciled on the front his body armor.

  The police chief extended his hand and said. “Apollo, George Sullivan, Chief of Police. We are sure glad to see you. We followed protocol and evacuated the area. I have a couple of powered officers available, but they were not up to dealing with that thing,” the officer said.

  John shook the man’s hand and said, “You did the right thing, Chief. I was told that one of your powered officers tried to stop him.”

  “Yes, Officer Cook,” Chief Sullivan said pointing to a tall woman.

  Cook was tall and thin. The body armor was cracked in the center of her chest. On the armor's shoulder was the emblem of a trained powered. In concert with the Agency, the federal government trained powered people to use their abilities as first responders.

  “Please, tell us what happened to you?” John asked.

  “Mary, Mary Cook. I took the call since it looked like a problem with a super-powered. This is a small town and we don’t have a lot of problem with powered people. Once or twice a year a teenager comes into his or her abilities and I need to calm them down. This guy did not act like a teenager. I told him to halt and her laughed and walked towards me. He didn't care that my gun pointed at him,” Officer Cook said.

  Officer Cook pulled her hand gun out and showed it to John. It fired a rocket propelled thirty calibers explosive bullets. It was designed to stop standard powered people.

  “I fired three times. He stopped each time, but then just kept coming. I dropped my weapon and took a fighting stance. He punched so fast that I could not block it. I landed about thirty feet away,” she said.

  “He cracked your body armor,” John said.

  “If I did not have standard powers I would be dead,” Cook said.

  “That is when we called the Agency and stayed out of its way,” the Chief said.

  The view split on the central display to show view from Fifer’s and John’s suit’s cameras. John hovered.

  “I have scanned the area. I don’t see any anyone in the buildings. I am going to confront him” John said.

  From Fifer’s view, we watched John slowly float towards the talent. From John’s view, we watched as the talent got bigger. John landed about ten feet from the talent, who now looked over seven feet tall. The man would have been cast as Frankenstein’s Monster, without the stitching.

  “So, they sent the big little guy,” the Hulk type said in a surprisingly normal voice.

  Something told me that the he was not very bright. John might be short, but calling him little was just dumb.

  “Don’t feel special. I was just the first available person when the police called. You did a number on the street. What is your name?” John said.

  “McCree, not that that matters,” McCree said.

  “Let's talk,” John said.

  John always tried diplomacy first. He was almost always the strongest and most durable person around. He was always more afraid for hurting someone than being hurt.

  As if he could read my thoughts, McCree said,” You don’t have to worry about hurting me.”

  “And why is that?” John said.

  McCree ran at John. John could have easily moved out of the way, but then McCree would have been heading towards the barricade. He slammed into John and blocked the camera on John’s chest.

  At that moment, on the other display, the view slowly shifted lower and then to the sky as Fifer collapsed. We saw the police chief look down at Fifer.

  “There is a hole that looks like it was burned in his forehead,” the police chief said.

  The view from John’s camera showed him throw the man away. The view shifted towards the barricade as John turned in response to the Chief's words.

  A new voice said,” It is too late for him and you.”

  A woman came into view as John turned to the voice. She was an older woman with silver gray hair tied into a pony tail. She wore a tailored jump suit and had stud ear rings. I could not tell if they were real or fake diamonds. She reached out and touched John. He staggered for a moment and went down. McCree stood over John and we saw his fist go down toward John’s face.

  “Apollo’s vitals indicates his is still alive, but unconscious” Tenneth said.

  The woman came into view as she stood over John.

  “She must be a vampire,” I said.

  Vampires were rare. John had encountered only two, one with me.

  “It should only have weakened him. He has too much power to be so drained,” I said.

  “Perhaps, she is something else,” Tenneth said.

  I concentrated and a current view of the street appeared in my mind. I saw Fifer dead on the ground. The chief was kneeling next to him. The others were turned to where John lay. McCree and woman stood beside him. I concentrated on John and I could not sense his bio-shield. His heart was
beating and his was breathing. The woman vanished. No, I could “see” a ghostly image of the woman standing beside John.

  “The woman is still there, but cloaked,” I said.

  “Why couldn't Apollo see her?” one of the techs asked.

  “John always said that I could 'see' better than he could. I have to get there,” I said.

  “What do you have on McCree?” I asked.

  “His registration records showed that he was a high end standard powered. He fell off the grid about six months ago. He certainly changed,” Tenneth said.

  It was not unknown for a standard powered to change their power rating, but not like this.

  Tenneth turned to me and said,” There is a team on the way. They should be there in fifteen minutes. We can't risk loosing you.”

  “I have a plan,” I said.

  Tenneth looked at me in they eyes for several seconds and then said, “Tell me and maybe I will approve it.”

  I told him, not that that mattered, I had already decided I was going to help John whether the Director approved or not.

  Chapter 8 – Wednesday, July 21, 8:13 AM Mountain Daylight Time

  I hovered about ten thousand feet above the town and I “saw” John was still on the ground. McCree stood over him and the invisible woman still stood beside them. They had not moved in the ten minutes it took me to get from New Mexico to Idaho. I saw a shimmer behind the woman, Sometimes an invisible can cloak themselves better than others.

  I had the Agency send me the info on the town. Lewiston was in the northwest of the state and it was founded as a gold mining town, but now as Idaho's only access to the sea, it was a transportation and recreation hub. Less than one percent of the thirty thousand population were registered super-powered. A little less than average, but not unusual..

  “I think the third person is behind the woman. I can only see a shimmer,” I said over my com link.

  I scanned the entire street and found nothing out of the ordinary, except for the wreckage.

  “I don't see any exit strategy?” I said.

  “That worries us too. The strike force are will land in five minutes. You have that long to try your plan,” the Director said over the comm link.

  I saw the plane as it came in fast. The Director sent a detachment of five powered. One could project an energy beam. He would be used for a distance attack. One was virtually invulnerable. One was a null and the others had standard powers. Although the woman who attacked John seemed to need to touch him for her talent to work, it was possible that was only because of John's extreme talent. It might be effective over a greater distance on less powerful. If I failed, it would be their turn.

  The Director did not like my plan, but he knew it had the best chance to succeeded. I dropped straight down just slow enough to be quiet. I landed on top the McCree and drove him into the ground in front of John. I reached into a pouch attached to the back of my belt, pulled out a nullifier and activated it. I felt my bio-shield fade. With my other hand, I grabbed an EpiPen from another back pock. I was dizzy for a moment then took a deep breath. This was how I felt for the last five years.

  The woman appeared beside me. She smiled and then had a surprised look on her face. My gamble had paid off. The nullifier protected me from her power. I jammed the EpiPen into her arm. She immediately collapsed and began to fade from view. Behind her the shimmer took the form of a translucent man as the nullifier affected his power. Then McCree rose and threw me off him into the air. He was affected by the nullifier, but he was still stronger than a normal person. I deactivate the nullifier and stopped myself in mid-air just before I hit the ground. I saw John grab the gray talent's leg and throw him towards me. He still had some strength. I caught caught McCree, slapped the nullifier on his wrist, activated it and threw him to the ground.

  I “saw” the shimmer move down the street. I concentrated and lowered the temperature around it. It stopped and then a man and the woman appeared on the ground. I flew over and put nullifiers on both of them and took the energy weapon from the man's chest holster. I then flew to John, who had stood up on clearly unsteady feet.

  “John, how do you feel?” I said.

  “Weak,” he said as he leaned on me.

  “His vitals have stabilized. They are in the expected range for a standard powered,” I heard over my com link.

  “Now, I feel what you have felt for the past five years,” John said.

  Yes, but I chose to give up my extreme powers, John did not.

  The police officers approached, with their weapons drawn. I pointed them at the three on the ground. One of the local police officers, Mary Cook, walked up to me.

  “Are you really Artemis?” she said.

  I wanted to say that I wasn't Artemis., that the officer was mistaken. I realized at that moment that I while I might never be Artemis again, I could not go back to the way it was for the past five years. My powers gave me responsibilities, whether I liked it or not.

  “Once,” I said.

  She looked in to my eyes, smiled then turned and walked away.

  “They will never forget,” John said.

  He shook his head and continued,“I never felt so weak, even as a child. How did you endure this for five years?”

  Perhaps I would have felt the same if the grief had not been so strong. I felt such a relief not having such power. I wanted rid of it. I wanted out of the game. John had been expected to play superhero since he arrived on Earth. It was all he knew.

  “Once we get back to the Headquarters, they can figure out what happened,” I said.

  John looked me in the eyes and said,” You, now, have to stay. You are the only one of us who might stand a chance against one of their Warriors.”

  I did not want to be needed. I wanted to go back to the nice, safe, life I had. But, I knew that was not possible, at least, until John recovered. The world needed Apollo and I was the only replacement available.

  The VTOL Agency plane had landed in a nearby ball field and strike force soon arrived. I scanned the prisoners and aside from the energy weapon the police took they were clear, not even any communication gear. They escorted our three prisoners back to the plane. The null with them would insure that the three would not cause any problems.

  John and I flew back on the plane. He did not say anything. He looked like he did not know what to do. I remembered what I felt the first time I flew in a plane after I gave up my extreme powers. I felt so limited, I just wanted to get out and feel the wind against my body.

  We landed in the back of the headquarters and the three prisoners were escorted into Intake. I walked with John and we were met by Doctor Franks.

  “Come with me,” he said.

  We followed him through the Intake Area and into Medical. Kim was waiting outside the same examination room I had been in. I could see from her vitals that she was scared. When we got to the room, she embraced John and he, returned it.

  He pulled away and said,” Everything will be alright.”

  Doctor Franks put his arm on John's arm and guided him into the room.

  “You can see into the room,” Kim said and it was not a question.

  “Yes, I can, but,” I said.

  “No buts, drop your mental shields and allow me to see through your eyes,” she said.

  “You love him,” I said.

  She looked at the examination room's outside wall and then looked at me.

  “Right now, that does not matter. I just need to know how he is doing,” Kim said.

  I did not like having her in my mind, but I understood. I lowered my mental barrier and “felt” her in my head. I “looked” through the corridor wall into the examination room. John was in the process of removing his uniform. Kim did not react to John being nude. I wondered if she had seen him naked, and then remembered she could read my thoughts. She did not make any comment, verbal or telepathic. For the first time, John looked small and more than a little scared. He had never been physically hurt. He, alway
s, had to be careful not to hurt anyone. Until my full powers manifested, I knew I was stronger than most, but that there were others as strong or stronger than me, but John always was the strongest person around.

  He lay down on the diagnostic bed and the clam shell doors closed over him. Doctor Franks went into the control room and the the diagnostic scan began. I could “see” what the results of the scan, he was in perfect health, for a standard powered person.

  Director Tenneth arrived and said,” How is he?”

  “The scan is not yet done,” Kim said.

  “Ms. Tarlock, my congratulations that your plan worked. Ms. Kim, we now have a telepathic warrant. After they have been cleared medically, I want you to go to their cells supervise the use of the warrant,” Tenneth said.

  “After we get the results of Apollo's tests,” she said.

  “That was not a request,” he said.

  Kim looked at the Director and said,” If you can't wait, have Hector work with Polly to execute the warrant, I am not leaving until I know that John is alright.”

  That was the first time I heard Kim call John by his name. Tenneth was not happy, but, after taking a few moments to control his anger he said,” You have until Doctor Franks gives us his preliminary results, but I suggest that you do not make a habit of challenging my authority.”

  The norm is a jerk, I heard in my head. I knew that was an insult that some, a few I hoped, powered used to referred to non-powered humans. I was surprised that Kim “said” it to me.

  I “scanned” John, and while I did not have a medical degree, I had “scanned” lots of people over time that I as Artemis. I concentrated on John's brain and saw a small dark spot in his cerebrum. I used my comm link and asked Control to connect me to Doctor Franks.

  “Doctor Franks, this is Clarissa Tarlock. Check out an area in Apollo's cerebrum. I 'saw' a dark spot there,” I said.

  “We will get to that, thank you,” I heard Doctor Franks say.

  We waited for the examination to complete. After it that John got dressed and Doctor Franks asked us to come into the examination room. He activated a wall display of John's body.