by R J Sorrento
“Huh?” Discombobulated, Cal jerked his head toward Fernando’s voice. He was in the middle of a desert with dry sand on the ground and a bright sun in the sky. A woman in a military uniform approached him. “Uh, what am I supposed to do?”
“Oh, give him these.” Cal heard Fernando’s voice as he turned around and looked at the desert.
He felt one of them - Margo, he assumed - slide gloves over his hands and stick pads on his jaw, knees, elbows, and feet. “These will give you feedback and sensations while you’re fighting,” she told him.
The woman in the virtual desert had her fists clenched, violence in her purple eyes. Her silver hair was pulled into a tight bun.
“So lifelike.”
“Who are you talking to, soldier? Let’s do this!” The woman punched him square in the jaw.
Cal jerked backward. “What the hell is with this program?”
He heard Fernando and Margo laughing in the distance. Straightening his shoulders, he readied his hands. He attempted to kick her in the stomach, but she dodged him by stepping back a few inches. Out of nowhere, she dropped to kick the back of his knees and try to knock him down to the virtual sand of the desert. Cal jerked forward but steadied himself. Turning to face her, he couldn’t get another punch in; she was too light and quick on her feet.
With one swift movement, the silver-haired soldier kicked him in his jaw, jolting his headset to simulate the damage. He turned away from her. As he started another kick, he slipped on the cement floor of the warehouse. He hovered.
Duh, I can fly. Should have been flying at the start.
“Fight me!”
Cal shot up in the air and as he prepared to land, he knocked the woman out with a strong kick to her back. He tumbled to the ground with no one truly there to knock over and rolled onto his back as a victorious march played. The desert scene faded so Cal sat up and took off the headset.
“That was incredible!” Margo cheered, taking the headset from Cal’s hands. She removed the pads and placed them in the black bag.
“Gloves, too,” Fernando added. “Unless you want to copy my look.”
Cal slid them off. “I suck at fighting. I guess it’s good I’ve avoided it my whole life.”
“No, you won the fight. That was fantastic!” Margo reassured.
“Cal has a point. He took a while to strategize. If you were facing someone more advanced, you’d be in trouble.”
“More than that soldier? She was intense!”
“That’s the beginner’s simulation…for the teenage recruits.” Fernando smirked.
“Shit. I’m useless,” Cal groaned, covering his face with his hands.
“No, you’re in training,” Fernando added. “Can you do better? Yes. But you’ve already learned to use your powers to your advantage.”
Cal nodded. His hope of showing off his skills in front of Fernando had been dashed. He was athletic, a star basketball player in high school, but he could barely hold his own against a virtual fighter designed for teenagers. What a doofus.
“But I’ll tell you one thing that’s been bothering me,” Fernando began.
“What’s that?” Cal’s stomach tightened. Maybe Fernando didn’t think he was cut out to be Captain Stellar.
“You’re still wearing the same clothes as the day you arrived. It’s time we spend that money.”
“Are we going shopping?” Margo’s eyes lit up.
“I’ll go bring this tech back before the others wake up and then yes, let’s go. It’s been too long since I saw this city in the light of day.”
“I’m changing into something cute,” Margo chirped.
“Make it quick.”
Twenty minutes later, back in the apartment, Margo emerged in a sleeveless pink dress that flowed at her ankles. “You like?” she twirled.
“Nice. Let’s go.” Fernando motioned to the door.
“Cal? What do you think?” Margo walked over to him, his eyes glued to the TV screen.
Cal glanced up and offered, “It’s a good color on you? Sorry. I have no fashion sense.”
Margo huffed. “You two are no fun. I miss having other women around.”
Fernando turned to Cal when they reached the warehouse door. “I will go first. Need to check no one is watching us leave.”
“Are you not supposed to leave this place? Ever?” Cal shuddered.
Fernando shook his head. “We can leave, but only on Ted’s orders.”
“I don’t want you to get in trouble just for me to buy some clothes.”
“I’m willing to take a risk. You need new clothes.” Fernando stifled a laugh, before sticking his head out the door.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Cal looked down at his faded t-shirt and tattered jeans.
“Vamos. It’s clear,” Fernando waved them on to follow him.
Cal followed Fernando and Margo to a covered garage that Fernando opened with another facial recognition key. There was a black BMW waiting inside. He thought of his mom’s car, hoping it was still where he had parked it.
“Sweet ride.” Cal rubbed the smooth back end of the car.
“Hands off.” Fernando winked. “And get in.”
Cal saw Margo roll her eyes as she hurried to the front passenger seat.
“Where to?” Fernando turned to Cal.
“Uh, is there a mall around here?”
Fernando scoffed. “Nonsense. Let’s go to Michigan Avenue.” Margo clapped her hands in the passenger seat. “Try to enjoy the ride. I like to go fast.” Fernando sped out of the garage.
Cal buckled his seatbelt and leaned against the leather seat. It had been years since he shopped in the city. He ordered t-shirts online and shopped at the mall whenever his jeans were tattered beyond repair. Michigan Avenue, although not known for its affordability, had plenty of options considering the amount of cash in his wallet.
Cal gripped the door handle as Fernando merged onto Lake Shore Drive with a jolt. He peered out the window to gaze at the sparkling turquoise waves of Lake Michigan. Cal’s lips parted and he held back a gasp as Fernando wove in and out of traffic with ease. He dominated the road, zooming past the slower cars with precision. Cal rubbed the back of his neck, ignoring the heat coursing through his body. He hated to admit how good that heat felt, warming his chest and spreading lower. His heart raced as he pushed away the nagging thought of what else Fernando could handle with such mastery.
The BMW came to a sudden halt and Cal jerked forward.
“Lo siento. Red light,” Fernando muttered a string of curses in Spanish, as Margo slapped him on the back of the head.
Cal shifted in his seat, letting out the breath he had been holding, and rolled down his window since Fernando had no choice to slow his speed with the frequent stop lights and pedestrian traffic. He heard young men playing bucket drums, the rhythm bouncing off the mix of old and new buildings. A few blocks later, a self-professed preacher with a microphone stood at the corner, warning the end was near and advised against cigarette smoking. Cal shook his head. That dude’s still around?
The crowds thinned as they continued north, home to the exclusive shops. A lone saxophone player wailed a melancholy John Coltrane tune. Fernando turned into one of the few parking towers in the area and slid into a parking space.
They made the elevator ride down in silence. Cal glanced over at Fernando, whose eyes were fixed on his boots as he rubbed his gloved hands together.
Margo headed toward a high-end shopping center near Oak Street, her heels clicking on the cracked sidewalks. Fernando hurried to the door to open it for his sister and waited for Cal. “After you.”
Cal nodded and followed Margo into the chic shopping center.
After being waited on by an eager clerk, Cal was ready to try on a few of the items chosen for him. Polo shirts, chinos, button-down shirts, and black trousers were hanging in a spacious private dressing room complete with a plush blue chair.
He touched the clothing, noting the sof
tness of the fabric. He settled on a lightweight royal blue shirt, gray trousers, and thick blue socks. He hated for his feet to be cold; the sensation took him right back to the hazy panic of that constricting white room.
He stepped out, seeking a mirror and hoping the others were too busy to notice him.
“Dios mío…” Margo brought her hands together with an enthusiastic clap.
“How does it look? I wasn’t sure about the colors-”
“You look…” Fernando’s jaw dropped.
Cal felt Fernando’s dark gaze as he looked in the full-length mirror. Was Fernando checking him out? Part of Cal hoped Fernando noticed how he looked in something new and that he liked what he saw. He almost didn’t recognize himself in something so nice.
The clerk walked over to make his assessment. “Well, well, well! Aren’t you dapper? You can’t be the same sloppy boy who walked in here earlier, can you?”
Cal blushed. “Uh, thanks?”
“You’re a new man. Not that there was anything wrong with the old you, I’m sure.” The clerk paused. “Let’s add a tie, just to see how it looks.”
Before Cal could protest, the clerk had whizzed around the store for a silver tie. He returned and tied it for him.
“I don’t wear ties,” Cal said after the shorter man had finished the knot.
“That was the old you,” the clerk winked. “Over here you two!” He waved to Fernando and Margo.
“Oh, it’s perfect,” Margo sighed. “You’re like a star.”
Cal turned to Fernando “What do you think?”
“Uh, what Margo said. Great,” he sputtered, his cheeks flushed.
Cal nodded, wishing he wasn’t disappointed by Fernando’s lack of enthusiasm. “Thanks.” He turned back to the dressing room. “Should I get this one? And then we can go.”
Margo gasped. “Try all of them! I want a fashion show. I haven’t been to one since I was thirteen when we visited Milan.”
Fernando elbowed her and gave his sister a stern look. Cal guessed that he wanted her to keep quiet about their past. He couldn’t blame them; they were still getting to know each other.
“All right.” Cal trudged back to the dressing room, staring at the large pile of clothes. For Margo’s sake, he tried on everything, which took almost an hour.
“What can I ring up for you?” The clerk asked when he returned. “I’d recommend our tailor, but everything fits you so well. Such an athletic build.”
“A few button-downs and the trousers?”
“Nonsense. We’ll take everything,” Fernando replied. “Because you looked incredible,” he whispered.
Cal beamed.
The clerk looked back and forth between Fernando and Cal with a grin. He rang up each item, sliding them into several garment bags. He announced the grand total, an amount Cal had never heard in a clothing store before. Fernando pulled out a big wad of bills and set down a few coins.
“This is a lot of cash,” the clerk noted with a suspicious glance.
“It’s genuine. If you wish to examine them, please do.”
The clerk used a marker from the register drawer and checked each bill. “I’m sorry, but I’d be in so much trouble if I accepted counterfeit money.” He printed the receipt and handed it to Fernando.
“Muchas gracias.” Fernando took the receipt, before opening the door for his sister and Cal.
Cal was quiet on the way back, sitting next to the many garment bags in the back seat, as Margo and Fernando argued in Spanish the entire ride. They spoke at a rapid pace and he was adjusting his ear to their accent, so different from the Mexican and Puerto Rican dialects usually heard in Chicago. What he could understand was Fernando scolding Margo to keep her mouth shut. That this would be the last time they went out during the day. That Fernando had made a big mistake suggesting the shopping trip. Cal shifted in his seat, holding on to the handle near his head as Fernando sped back to Almighty Labs.
Chapter 12
“Rita? A moment of your time, please,” Dr. Almighty gently ordered as he stepped into the training studio.
He glanced around the state of the art training space designed especially for him by one of his acquaintances, an architect who knew how to keep secrets and look the other way when the price was right. There was a wide open space for fight simulations, virtual reality stations, sewing machines and 3-D printers for creating costumes, masks, and other disguises, and exercise equipment for strength training. It was sleek and sexy, and each of the recruits had been thoroughly impressed when he had taken them on a tour of the facility after they recovered from their injections and transformations.
The only one who had dismissed his training studio as over the top was Fernando, which cut Dr. Almighty deep. He had designed the studio with him and Margo in mind, to make up for the lack of superpower training all those years ago. But Fernando was a tough one to please and seemed to look more miserable with each passing day.
Last Friday, Dr. Almighty had stopped Fernando while he was setting up in the studio and asked if he’d found potential candidates. He had ordered the siblings to scope out the bars of River North the night before to seek out lonely souls. Fernando had narrowed his eyes in response, his go-to facial expression these days, and shook his head. Dr. Almighty had pressed him further, scolding him for returning empty-handed. Fernando had kicked one of the brand new VR headsets across the floor and stomped out of the studio.
The poor boy has been stressed lately. But I have to keep him motivated. He’s been neglecting his duties.
Rita had been taking it upon herself to train some of the new recruits since Funesto and Magenta seemed too busy to be bothered with it this past week. The studio was filled with ten students, some more eager to learn than others. Dr. Almighty found Rita to look frazzled; it must have been a challenging week.
“That’s all for today,” Rita called out to the recruits.
Dr. Almighty watched a few of them thank her. They kept a safe, respectable distance. He smiled to himself, happy with this new obedient group. He hadn’t always been so lucky with his past students. There were several who had slipped out of his grasp, regretfully so.
Rita brushed her long blond hair away from her face as her eyes lit up. “How can I help?”
Dr. Almighty assumed she would be surprised to be singled out for a meeting. He usually reserved private conversation for Funesto and Magenta, his favorites.
“Let’s go to my office, and then we can discuss the matter at hand.” He pointed down the hallway.
After a silent walk to the office, Dr. Almighty pointed to a soft green chair for Rita. He kept the door open, noting Rita’s eyes darting and her fingers trembling. He wanted to make it clear that he had no intentions of yelling at her or harming her in any way.
Rita sat down and studied the office, admiring the few photos on the wall. There was an older one of him as a young man standing beside an elderly looking man. He was smiling in the photo proudly, practically beaming with light and happiness. He also had his many degrees framed and hanging on the wall behind him. He needed her to focus on the matter at hand, though.
“I see that you’ve taken it upon yourself to train some of the new recruits,” Dr. Almighty began, his face calm but serious in expression.
Rita nodded nervously. “Well, it’s just that-”
“I’m not here to scold you, Rita.” Dr. Almighty held up a hand to stop her speech. “Quite the opposite.”
“Oh?” He watched obvious relief flow through her body.
“I’m so proud of the way you’re taking charge while Funesto and Magenta have been slacking. I’m not sure what has gotten into those two lately. Ever since my early return from the conference on Wednesday, I can’t seem to find them anywhere. I know they’re still on the premises, but I’m not going to hunt them down.” Dr. Almighty looked over at a photo on his desk he had taken with Fernando and Margo when they had “graduated” from his academic program. He had felt like such a proud father that
day, one of the happiest moments in his life.
Rita nodded, smiling a little to herself.
“Besides, they know they only get paid if they do the work assigned to them.” Dr. Almighty sighed, masking his disappointment poorly. “But I digress. What I really wish to speak with you about is a young man named Cal Bolden.”
“Cal Bolden?” Rita repeated.
“He hasn’t joined the new recruits?” Dr. Almighty rubbed his chin, scolding himself for not taking a closer look at the group. Sloppy was not his style. He assumed Fernando would have gotten his memo to welcome Cal on Sunday. Fernando was usually more reliable. How could he have been so careless with such a vital new recruit? “That is disappointing, to say the least.”
“What does he look like? I can’t keep all of these newbies straight.”
“Well, he’s tall with big broad shoulders, blond hair, and he works in construction-”
“Wait, construction?” Rita took out her phone and began to type and scroll.
Dr. Almighty waited patiently as she tapped away at her phone, wondering what had possessed her to start playing on her device in the middle of a serious conversation.
“He hasn’t been here yet, but we’ve all seen him online.” Rita hit play on a social media video and handed her phone to Dr. Almighty, who swiftly straightened his green eyeglasses.
Dr. Almighty watched in awe as Cal, wearing sunglasses and a hard hat, lifted a car and took the door off as if it was a toy. “This is him!” He stood up with excitement as he continued to watch the video. “My Holy Trinity. He’s doing quite well for himself already.” He returned the phone to Rita.
“So it’s him? I got it right?”
“Yes, you’ve done quite well, Princess Freeze,” Dr. Almighty praised with a sincere smile.
“It’s the least I could do, after everything that you’ve done for me,” Rita assured him. “I’m still not exactly sure what you saw in a homeless meth-head like me.” Dr. Almighty knew that he had changed her life for the better in so many ways. She went from sleeping on a bench in Millennium Park to having her own private dorm room with plenty of food to eat.
