Becoming Super

by Plowden, Richard A.

  Taia looked up and met Eli’s eyes. Of course. The conditions provided in human cities probably restricted the use of separate showers. And who knew how the Core operated.

  “Well where I come from Eli,” Taia explained temper subsiding somewhat. “When we shower, we have a sense of privacy. Even the girls I share a bathroom with don’t shower with me.”

  Eli’s eyes widened with realization. She was not angry because she assumed he had not seen a woman naked before, but because no one had seen her naked.

  He began sputtering over his words. “I am so sorry, I did not mean to intrude.”

  “It’s fine Eli,” Taia said. But it didn’t seem fine to him. She still seemed sad.

  “Again, I am sorry that I intruded on your privacy,” he said sincerely, walking towards her. “I really didn’t mean to offend you.”

  And Taia believed him. She really did. So it was not the intrusion that bothered her, but something on a much more shallow scale.

  Eli moved closer to her so that they were inches away. “If there is anything I can do so that you forgive me, please tell me.”

  Taia looked up at him. Even having not showered, he was still such a handsome man.

  “I do forgive you Eli, it’s just…” She trailed off.

  “What is it?”

  “Well I am a girl, you know?” she asked. “I do have feelings. And you saw me, ALL of me, and it did not seem to affect you at all,” Taia didn’t know why she felt this way. She barely knew the boy. But she continued. “And then you said you’ve seen a lot of girls naked and I just” She paused. She couldn’t find the appropriate words. “I didn’t like that. I can’t help but wondering I probably don’t compare.”

  A bemused expression stretched across Eli’s face as it did so often because of Taia Morris and Taia hung her head in embarrassment. She couldn’t believe she just told a boy, no a boy Supe, she barely knew, she was jealous of other women.

  Taia’s breath was caught in her throat as Eli grabbed her chin and lifted it so that her eyes met his.

  “I can’t deny,” he began. “That I have seen a lot of women without clothing,” Taia opened her mouth to speak. “But,” he continued, “I can say with all honesty that none stood as you stand before me even now, far above the rest.”

  A small smile broke across Taia’s face for reasons she could not even understand.

  “And I would love to be able to see it again”

  And he ruined it.

  Taia pushed him away.

  “You’re such a perv!” she screamed.

  “What?!” he asked.

  “Just—just go!” And Taia went towards the clothes that had been laid out for her on the bed by Blake while she was in the shower.

  Eli with the most confused expression on his face, walked towards the bathroom. Taia Morris was without a doubt the strangest girl he had ever met.

  Taia had to laugh to herself at how socially awkward Eli was as he walked into the bathroom. She looked at the clothes that had been set out for her. Everything was of the most pristine quality and was exactly her size. Even her bra. That wasn’t weird.

  As she dropped her towel and quickly began to change before Eli came back out, she heard a knock at the door.

  Taia’s stomach dropped. She was still terrified of being in this house and right now Eli was not with her. She cleared her throat.

  “Yes?” she asked.

  “The stylist is here!” It was Blake. Taia heaved a sigh of relief.

  “Just a minute,” she responded changing into the simple clothes that she had been provided with.

  She opened the door and saw Blake smiling widely. “We won’t see the tailor until tomorrow, but the stylist is here today!” he said.

  Taia forced a smile and looked around. “Where is she?” she asked.

  “She?” a young boy asked indignantly. “I’ll have you know I am a boy!”

  Taia looked around Blake and saw a young boy behind him. Dressed in very eccentric clothing, much like the Supes in the city was a boy that couldn’t have been more than 12 years old. But the most eccentric thing about him was his hair. It was bright orange and styled to be in a very high Mohawk.

  He walked around Blake and sighed. “When can I get started?” he asked. “I told my mother to come back and pick me up in 10 minutes 5 minutes ago. I don’t have much time and I don’t want to get into trouble.”

  But Taia was flabbergasted. This little boy was the best stylist in Carthage? The little boy walked up to Taia and looked up at her. “Ew,” he said before walking to the mirror in the room.

  “Hmm,” he said, looking in the mirror. “I think I’m tired of this hairstyle.”

  Blake sighed loudly. “You just changed it to that when you were with my mother 5 minutes ago David.”

  David looked back at Blake. “Well I wanted to impress the Senator.” The hair on his head then began shifting and changing colors. Soon he had a black colored spiky hairstyle on his head.

  So that must be this boy’s ability. And why he was such a good stylist. He could change the hair on someone’s head.

  “Now come here lady,” David said to Taia pointedly. He then walked over, grabbed a chair and put it in front of the mirror. “Sit down,” he said to her as she walked over.

  “I really don’t want orange hair,” Taia said. David looked at her through the mirror as if she were stupid. “Of course not you idiot.” David said. “It’s a senator’s ball. You should have purple hair.” The hair on Taia’s head then became very large and bushy and a dark, deep shade of purple.

  David smiled as he looked at his handiwork. “Umm,” Taia began wide eyed. “I would prefer something closer to my natural hair color.”

  David rolled his eyes. “So boring,” Taia’s hair than was reduced to something resembling a very short and plain haircut, but her hair color all the same.

  “Well something a bit more exciting than that,” she said indignantly. “It is a ball!”

  David looked at her pointedly. “Senator Gates took whatever I gave her and did not complain. Are you saying you’re better than a Senator?”

  Blake felt it was time for him to step in. “Look,” he said smiling at David. “How about you just indulge the girl? Not everyone is smart enough to trust your good judgement.”

  David rolled his eyes again. “Well what do you want princess?” he said.

  It took a few times but finally David had used his abilities to create something that Taia was satisfied with.

  It must have looked good because when Eli came out of the bathroom he stopped dead in his tracks. “Wow.” was all he said.

  David and Taia looked over at Eli. He must have gotten dressed in the bathroom. He was wearing a simple t shirt and jeans. Without the dirt on his face he looked even more handsome than ever. But not everyone felt that way.

  “Oh what a tragedy you are.” David said. He then walked over to Eli and waved his hand over his face. All of Eli’s scraggly facial hair was now gone and the hair on his head was much shorter. He now had a very tight and crisp haircut. Taia’s breath got caught in her throat.

  Eli touched his face and the top of his head in confusion. He then smiled a little bit.

  “How do I look?” he asked Taia.

  “Umm” Taia said speechless. “You look presentable.”

  Eli smiled wider. “I guess that’s alright.”

  David looked at Taia and blew her a raspberry. “You see how easy it is when you do what I say?” he asked her.

  Blake walked over to David. “Well,” he said, grabbing David by the hand. “We wouldn’t want you to make your mother wait” He then pushed the young boy out of the door.

  “What about my money?” David asked.

  “It’s already been sent to your parents,” Blake replied.

  “Aww man.” David said, before the door was shut in his face.

  “I hate that kid,” Blake said.

  “Me too,” Taia replied.

  “I didn
’t mind him” Eli said with confusion. He then looked at Blake. “Your hair is the same.”

  “Yea” Blake said running his hand through his hair. “But I always look good” he said confidently before plopping on the bed. “You guys hungry?” he asked.

  Taia nodded frantically. “Yes,” she said. “Do you have anything to eat?”

  “Well dinner is in an hour,” Blake said. A look of worry came over Eli’s face.

  “Oh don’t worry,” Blake continued. “I usually eat alone. My mother never comes down.”

  Eli nodded and Taia smiled at him. “Everything is going to be fine,” Taia said to him assuredly. “You’ve kept me safe this far. I trust you.”

  Eli smiled back at her. Blake looked in between the two of them before groaning loudly. He hopped out of the bed and walked towards the door.

  “Listen, I’ll give you two love birds some privacy,” he said. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  Taia opened her mouth to retort but Blake was already gone. She looked at Eli awkwardly but Eli just sat there staring forward, deep in thought seemingly immune to Blake’s teasing. Taia assumed being separated from society sure did have some perks.

  “So,” she began. “I have a question.”

  Eli looked at her. “Yes?”

  “How old are you?”

  “17,” Eli responded.

  “Well you said you were in the Core” Taia said slowly. Eli nodded. “How is that possible? If you’re only 17.” Taia did not understand. The Core was full of soldiers. How could a 17 year old have served in the Core as a soldier for multiple years?

  Eli laughed bitterly. “You’re giving the Core too much credit. I was a child of humans you have to remember. They didn’t think much of me. My parents were taken from me at 7 years old. The Regime started training me for the Core at 9.”

  Taia was wide eyed. She had so many questions. “You were a Core officer at 9 years old?” she asked.

  “No,” Eli said. “Just training,” Taia let out a sigh of relief. “I became an official officer at 12. Blake’s father,” Eli looked down. “Was actually my Commanding officer.”

  Taia could not believe this. 12 years old? That’s when you began training at the academy. You wouldn’t see the field or actual combat for nearly a decade. Unless you were an insubordinate like Taia who for nearly the 100th time that day thought she really shouldn’t be here.

  “He was a good man,” Eli continued looking at her. “Kept me away from a lot of bad stuff. Kept me from killing someone in the field for a good 6 months.”

  Eli had first killed someone at 12 years old. She was in disbelief.

  “A very religious man. Made me repent and pray every time I killed,” Eli looked at his hands. “I still do,” he whispered.

  He then looked at Taia and kept talking. “Killing isn’t easy. It’s not right to take a life. Human or Transcended. But sometimes it’s necessary. That’s what Blake’s father taught me. But I got away from that for a while.”

  Eli picked up one of his pistols out of the holster on the ground and began examining it closely.

  “In the Core,” he paused and looked down. “In the Core they brainwash you. Killing becomes like a game. You lose yourself when you lose the value of a life though. And I think that’s what makes you lose your humanity.”

  Taia looked at Eli. He seemed very sad now. She didn’t know why he was telling her all of this.

  “It’s not these powers that make Supes evil or make them lose their humanity,” Eli said. “It’s that they have everything. Because it’s the feeling of loss that makes us human. And when you aren’t afraid to lose anything, it’s your humanity that ends up being loss.”

  “What happened to Blake’s father?” Taia asked. She had a feeling she did not want to know the answer.

  Eli stood up, his back to Taia. “Well it’s like I said, I got away from his teachings. I lost myself and I lost what the value of a life meant. I got really good at fighting and killing. It’s really easy with my abilities. I can hold someone down with as much gravity as I want and take them out. They were saying I was a prodigy. So I moved up quickly within the ranks.”

  A bitter laugh escaped Eli. “14 years old and I was the youngest Captain in history of the Core. They were saying by 20 I could be a Senator. But Mr. Gates was still my commanding officer. With the guys, my comrades, I was a legend. But I could tell he was disappointed in me whenever I reported back to him from missions. He would tell us to bring prisoners back alive but sometimes it just didn’t happen. And it was my fault because I was the leader. But the respect and admiration of my comrades and of the Core was so addicting,” Eli hung his head in shame.

  “He still was kind to me. Took care of me. Was like a father to me and Blake became like a brother. But Blake wasn’t a soldier. He was good like his dad. So I hid my exploits from him. Then one day, I came home from a mission and there was a big fight going on in the house.”

  Taia looked up as Eli turned and looked at her.

  “The Senator and Commander Gates were arguing. Blake was unconscious on the floor. I didn’t know what happened,” Eli said shaking his head.

  “Mr. Gates’s ability was super strength. Very common, very simple, but great for a Core soldier. And his years of training made it so that he could hold his own against his wife and they were fighting. But,” Eli stopped.

  “But then when I came in it all changed. They both saw me and they both knew I could change the tide of the fight. But the Commander, being the man he was, told me to leave, not to get involved,” Eli shook his head. “But his wife. Forever the opportunist, forever the politician, told me to bound Mr. Gates. To put enough gravity on him so that he wouldn’t be able to move. And me” Eli was getting choked up. “I was a soldier. A stupid dumb soldier. So I listened to the person who had the most authority in the room. The Senator,” Eli spat.

  “And I restricted my commanding officer. I restricted the man who had been nothing but kind to me. A man who had been a second father.”

  Eli turned away from Taia again. “He didn’t even get angry, he didn’t yell. He just looked at me and spoke to me in the most calming voice. And said to me what he had been saying all the years I had known him since I was 7 years old. He said ‘You are good Eli Proof. Always remember: all lives are precious and not one should be put above another.’ And then the Senator tore out her husband’s throat.”

  Chapter 7

  Taia gasped. Eli was now shaking with anger. “I quit the Core that day. It took me losing the man who meant the most in the world to me for me to find myself again. I wasn’t a killer. But I wasn’t good like Commander Gates thought either,” Eli shook his head.

  “You usually aren’t allowed to quit the Core. You’re in it for life or until you’re discharged. But the Senator pulled some strings because in that one moment I showed her loyalty. And she saw potential in me and thinks I’ll go back some day. But I won’t. I learned that day my loyalty shouldn’t be to the Regime. But to the people who showed me love. And the only person I had left who did that was Blake.”

  Taia opened her mouth to speak but Eli continued. “I told Blake exactly what happened and he never turned away from me. He begged me not to leave the Core, to stay in the house. He said he understood that I was doing my duties. He cried for months but he never treated me differently.”

  “Blake is good,” Eli continued. “Like his father, he sees the good in everyone. It’s the reason he somehow doesn’t hate his mother. It’s the reason he wants to save the world. He’s the one who even got my home set up outside the city. I couldn’t go too far in case he ever needed me,” Eli turned around and he had a look of profound sadness on his face

  “Bartholomew Gates is the best man I know,” Eli said. “He thinks I can save the world. He see’s something in me that I don’t see in myself. Just like his father did. But I don’t know if I can be what he wants me to—“

  Eli’s eyes widened in surprise as Taia got up f
rom the bed and hugged him. “You are good Eli,” Taia said, believing it regardless of the fact that he admitted that he was a killer. “You are good.”

  Eli closed his eyes and slowly hugged her back. “Thank you,” he whispered.

  “But,” Taia began looking up at Eli. “Why does Blake think you can save the world? You are strong. But there are Supes with stronger powers than you’ve got.”

  Eli reached back and scratched the back of his head. “Well…” he began.

  The door burst open and Blake walked in. Taia’s arms were still wrapped around Eli’s waist and Blake smirked. “Well, well, well. What do we have here?” he asked.

  The pair quickly separated. Really? This was the guy that Eli thought was the best man he knew?

  “If you two get stay separated long enough to eat,” Blake began. “Dinner is almost ready.”

  He then quickly left the room. Eli looked at Taia awkwardly before following him out. Taia knew that Eli loved Blake, but she was sure that she hated him.

  Taia followed Eli out of the room. They went through the palace of a home and down a different set of stairs that they had originally used to get to Blake’s room.

  Taia couldn’t believe that this place could really belong to one single family.

  Then she thought of something that Eli had said.

  “Wait Eli,” she said grabbing his arm and stopping him.

  Eli turned and looked at her. “What’s up?”

  “You said you still pray?” she asked him.

  “Every day,” he replied.

  The pair began walking again and soon enough they arrived at the kitchen. Several of the kitchen appliances seemed to have the same hover technology that the vehicles in the city operated on. At the long kitchen table that was fit to seat entirely too many people, Blake was already there sitting there alone. He waived the pair over. “Come on guys.”

  Eli and Taia sat down at the table with Blake. One of the doors in the kitchen opened and Alfred came out with a tray of food in his hand. “Alfred!” Blake exclaimed smiling widely.