It was also just the basic training required before we were minimally competent to act as active heroes out there. The training would continue at a lesser pace even after that, and as far as I could tell we’d never stop training. It was part of the job. It was also made clear that when a situation was in doubt on what actions to take, to follow the lead of whoever we’d be paired with at the end. It seemed likely two of the four older and more experienced groups would be split up at the end of the two weeks, to keep an eye on us newbies.
Later that same day Janna looked fantastic in a red full body and skintight suit, which had black accents. She looked totally badass. She also had an enhanced suit, for friction as a speedster, and a few mad scientist gadgets that would make it safer for her to attack an energy wielder.
Stacey looked amazing too, I had to admit, in her two-piece suit which was similar to mine, if showing slightly more cleavage. To be fair, she had a lot more of that to show, it was just about as tasteful as mine, and showed about a quarter of her more generous cleavage. The base color of her suit was blue, with white, orange and red flames as accents. The center accent looked like a sun undergoing a solar eruption.
Not that I was jealous, my C cups were more than generous enough for me, and my looks already drew my fair share of attention and then some. Well, unless Stacey was in the room, then I was unnoticeable, but I really didn’t mind. That level of lush beauty would be more a pain in the back side I’d think, than a boon.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
Thad looked good too, in a dark blue bodysuit with white and red accents. The red, white, and blue seemed popular among heroes.
We’d met and trained with the other six heroes on the team which were men. Three more bruisers, and lightning, water, and telekinetic energy wielders.
In the end of our basic training, I was paired with Champion. We fought together well, and we got along. He was quite good looking, but there was no chemistry between us, which probably attributed to us being a good team choice. It was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t pair with my best friend, but that wasn’t why we were there, it wasn’t a game. We’d still have each other’s backs, and we’d be best friends at the end of the day, that was what was important.
Janna paired with Solar Wind, her and Sally worked well together.
Sally was a bit of an enigma I’d learned those two weeks, and really tough on Stacey not giving her an inch of slack. They could be sisters, and they were both on the model level of looks, but Sally was an extremely driven woman. All superheroes were. We had to be to keep going when things got tough, but my mom had taught me how to let it go in our off time. How to have fun and decompress, but Sally always seemed intense.
Let’s just say I was starting to understand why Stacy had been such a bitch. I’d grown up wanting to live up to my mom’s example, but the pressure to do so was all internal. My mom just loved and accepted me, she hadn’t wanted me to be a heroine, but neither did she stand in my way. I got the impression Stacey had the need to prove herself as well, but she hadn’t enjoyed that same support and it was her mother setting the bar.
Call it empathy, but Stacey still hadn’t gone back to her bitchy self, and we were almost friends by the end of those two weeks. I didn’t trust it yet, and I’d never be pouring my heart out to her like I could with Janna, but I could enjoy her company well enough. I’d also trust her to have my back in a fight.
Stacey paired with James. His superhero name was Meteor, and he was six foot two with brown hair and eyes. He had flight, strength, and toughness, he was also immune to sonic or lightning attacks. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but he didn’t talk much. Introverted, which wasn’t common in a male superhero.
Jonathan, AKA Kinetic, was the one that partnered with Thad. Mostly I think, because James had been his partner and he was the leftovers. That, and it’d be a mistake to pair him with a woman. I didn’t really care for Jonathan, mostly because his eyes were wandering almost constantly. While he wasn’t verbally crude, I always felt like he was coming onto me, and Stacey and Janna felt the same way about him so it wasn’t just me. He was a major flirt with his body language, but he stayed just on the right side of the sexual harassment line. He was also chatty.
Well, my mom had told me I’d have to work with people I didn’t like, so it was what it was. I’d already learned that lesson in high school doing projects.
Oh. Mom, no killing Kinetic. Okay? He’s not that bad. Back to the story.
Those two weeks the survivor’s guilt had also faded, it wasn’t gone. I think the horror of that day, which was also the day that I’d taken my first life and lost my innocence, would be with me forever. I’d never be that young woman I’d been just a few weeks ago, but at the same time I was smiling more often, like my old self, and didn’t feel guilt dragging me down like it had been.
I was a superhero, part of the city hero team in Excelsior City, and loving every minute of it, even the hard stuff. Sure, it was serious, and not a game, but that didn’t mean I didn’t love my job or the challenge of it.
The four of us lingered after dinner that last day, right after we’d gotten our assignments, an unspoken effort while we waited for the older and more inexperienced adults to clear the room. We got along with our partners, and worked well with them, but they weren’t really our friends. They were coworkers, but I had hopes that would change over time. Still, I’d live with it, if it didn’t happen. I wasn’t a superhero to make friends with people I’d admired and been inspired by while growing up.
Stacey said, “We should celebrate the end of training, and being approved for full duty.”
Janna interjected, “It’s also Wynn’s birthday tomorrow. We should celebrate it tonight as a team.”
I blushed, but I didn’t argue. Tomorrow night I was having dinner with the family, though Janna would be with me I couldn’t invite everyone over. It’d been a crazy two weeks, and I hadn’t seen them much. I was sure my mother would break into headquarters if I skipped the family dinner. More than that, I wanted to see them.
I’d wanted to prove to myself I had what it took, without help, and I was. But that didn’t mean I didn’t miss them, even the nine-year-old brats.
Stacey smirked, “That too. Your first patrol is on your birthday?”
I laughed, “Yeah, good present.”
Thad snickered.
“Where?”
We were all too young to drink of course, but there were underage clubs in the city, or we could do something else.
Stacey said, “There’s a good band playing at the beach tonight. We can fly over to the shore. They’ll also have a bonfire, when the sun goes down.”
Janna replied, “I’m in, but instead of one of you carrying me we can just get Harmony to drop us straight there when she teleports us out.”
I pouted at her playfully, as if offended she didn’t want me to lug her around, and she stuck her tongue out.
Thad said, “Me too.”
“Me three,” I grinned.
We split up to shower and change out of our super suits. I threw on a pair of black jean shorts and a black halter top that showed a little midriff. For a little color, I pulled on red strappy sandals and took the time to paint my nails a matching color. I may not have been a beauty queen, but I had a cute face with flawless skin, all part of the super healing package, so I just put on some light pink lip gloss and I was ready to go.
I ran into Solar Wind, almost literally, as I left the room to go to the command center, and she froze and did a double take as she looked me over.
I realized my mistake immediately, in wearing an all-black outfit. Sure, it wasn’t a bodysuit, but it was leading. Crap. She hadn’t given me any strange looks the last two weeks, and I thought she’d forgotten about her moment of trying to place me when I’d met her for the first time in the command center.
I felt my stomach sink, as her eyes widened in obvious recognition. I almost panicked then. They didn’t go
after her anymore, and even worked with her at times, but if they found out her hidden identity, they’d have almost no choice but to pursue it. She was a hero in a lot of ways, my mother, but she’d also killed two government agents in the process of taking down the SAB, and there was no statute of limitations on first degree murder charges. Even if it was self-defense in reality.
Then Sally shocked me.
“It’s been almost fourteen years since I’ve seen her without a mask, and those exact cheekbones, or I’d have noticed sooner. No wonder you look nothing like your black-haired mother. Go change, you need to be more careful, or the wrong person will put it together, despite the apparent powerset difference. At least you were smart enough to wear a white super suit, and not black. Damn, your name is Wynn, how did I miss that? She never changed your first name after stealing you back from under our noses.”
Then she turned and walked away, while I gaped at her back.
I gasped in a breath, when I finally realized I’d stopped breathing.
Did that just happen? Well, she hadn’t actually said who my mother was, and if she didn’t investigate then she wouldn’t have proof she had to follow up on. Regardless, my heart pounded in my chest a mile a minute. My mother was going to kill me tomorrow when I told her about it. Then, my mom liked Solar Wind, and said she was one of the best. Not powers, her integrity and motivations, though the fire wielder was quite formidable in a fight as well.
I went back into the room, and I switched to a red halter top that would match the sandals and nails, but I kept on the black shorts. Just changing the shirt was enough to break that leading clue. The new top didn’t show off my flat stomach or curvy waist, but it was quite a bit lower on top than the black one, revealing a bit more of my creamy cleavage than my super suit did, but it was still far from scandalous compared to what most of us teens wore to a concert.
Not that anyone would even notice, with me standing next to Stacey I would’ve been ignored in the nude.
She had on a red miniskirt, and a white crop top, while Janna had on a blue jean shorts and a warm yellow top that clung alluringly. Thad was in a tight black t-shirt, and blue jean shorts as well. All casual, which would fit in with the beach concert thing.
I pretended not to notice when I caught Jonathan checking us out from the command center desk. He really was an annoying pig. Sure, I liked being looked at and admired, but as a complete woman, not as an object.
Stacey said, “Harmony, can you send us over?”
Harmony wouldn’t need the details. She knew everything we did and said, all the time, through the watches. She probably knew our plans better than I did. Which is why I hadn’t called my mother right away, and why I’d have to tell her about the incident with Sally the next night. I couldn’t take the chance that Harmony would notify someone not willing to… look the other way, if it was spelled out within her hearing.
We were teleported straight to the beach, where they were already setting up for the concert, and building a bonfire. We all had a good time that night. I was excited about my first official patrol tomorrow, but I managed to clear it from my mind and just relax and enjoy the night. Good music, dancing with cute boys, friends, and non-alcoholic drinks.
Really, mom, I swear.
Anyway, it was a good time.
Chapter Eleven
The eastern horizon was gold and pink when I woke up that morning, not that I could see it being several hundred feet below the earth. Point was, my watch said it would be a sunny day, and I sort of believed it. Mostly. A.I.s were much better than people when it came to weather forecasting, but still not quite perfect.
It almost felt like I was getting away with something. No obstacle course that morning, as I jumped in the shower, got ready, and headed over for breakfast. Still, not really, because my first patrolling day would be a double shift, I was going to be late for my own party. I was still excited though, I’d worked hard for this.
The scent of pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage and gravy, and fresh baked biscuits reached my nose. I piled up my plate, grabbed some coffee despite my quickened body being wide awake, and headed over to the table.
“Late night party?” George asked.
“Umm, what?”
He laughed, “Just saying, if you just got up.”
Good point, we only slept two to three hours.
“We had fun. It turned into a birthday party at midnight.”
George snickered, “Happy Birthday.”
“Thanks.”
Janna said, “Better start eating, our shift starts in twenty minutes.”
Right, just as long as I didn’t have to patrol for the first time with coffee and syrup stains on my super-suit. Not that the thing would stain easily. It felt like soft cotton, breathed like thin silk, and was resistant to anything sticking to it. Like smoke, blood, dirt, or anything else. Regardless, I ate quickly and carefully just in case.
Not that I was usually clumsy, I was just nervous and excited, and the anxiety of the coming day had my whole body humming with enthusiasm. Of course, it’d probably be boring and a major test of my mental discipline. Maintaining awareness for twelve hours while touring the city without burning out or getting distracted would be difficult.
But my life and my partner’s life might depend on my ability to do so. So, ready, but nervous. The proof and tragedy of that was in my own family’s history. If Freefall hadn’t lost awareness discipline on his patrol, chances are my birth father would still be alive and my mother never would’ve quickened.
Of course, the system was a lot better now than it was back then. Both at least one super and Harmony would be monitoring all the cameras built into our suits and any mini-drones following us around. If I messed up or had a moment of brain freeze, overwatch could warn me before it became deadly, but I was determined not to depend on it.
While George and I patrolled, so would Janna and Solar Wind on the opposite side of the city. It was a good idea on several levels to arrange double patrols that way. We were minimally trained, but George and Sally had worked together for years, and me and Janna had trained and worked together enough to guess what we’d do in most situations. So, if both teams had to come together against a large threat the four-person team would work together very well.
The same logic applied to Thad and Jonathan, and Stacey and James when they ran double patrols together. The last six teams were all experienced, so it didn’t matter so much.
Jonathan said, “Sounds like you had a good time.”
I looked up and he was actually looking at my eyes and not my tits, and the expression on his face was… normal? It was a little weird, almost like he was a normal person, and it really was a shame he was a pervert because he was kind of cute. Hot even.
“We did,” Janna and I said in stereo, and then we snickered and looked at each other.
Stacey tossed her hair, “Of course you did, I planned it all after all.”
I laughed, her smile was genuine and teasing instead of arrogant, like I’d half expected when I looked up. I was starting to believe the bitch truly was dead, not just in my head but in my intuition and heart.
“Yes, thanks for that.”
We got back to our meals, and I wolfed them down. Stacey and Thad would be working today too, in the command center. The other teams would be getting a well-deserved day off, at least until night shift.
The air was warm that June day, but not overly humid. It was comfortable as we flew over the city in slow motion, not all that different from a beat cop strolling around a neighborhood. Of course, I was glowing golden like a damned firefly the whole time, my golden hair waving in the breeze, which made me a little self-conscious. Especially on the second loop of the city, when the streets suddenly had a lot more men in it to check out the new hot heroine.
I controlled my excitement, self-consciousness, and naughty enjoyment of being ogled by every man in the city the best I could. They were all distractions to my situational awareness, but t
hat didn’t mean I wasn’t enjoying it on some level, and thrilled that I was out there.
Most supervillains wouldn’t attack superheroes on sight. The smart ones avoided us and took to crime when we were at our farthest away, but all it took was one sadistic bastard that enjoyed the thrill of a fight and the kill. Even if we weren’t ambushed for years, it only took once, and that meant discipline and not getting cocky.
After the first few hours the thrill wore off enough that it felt like a job, a job I wanted to be at and had worked hard to attain, but a job nonetheless. There were several news drones following us around by then, when word spread the new heroes were out on the streets, and I wondered how Janna was doing.
Despite my wandering and somewhat manic mind that first day, a part of me was always subtly scanning the skies in all four directions around us, and below.
Champion asked, “Shiny wore off already?”
“Huh?” I asked brilliantly.
Champion snickered, “You finally stopped smiling.”
Oh, I blushed.
A loud whumping explosion had my head snapping toward the other side of the city, where an orange and red fireball rose into the sky. When it cleared, there was black smoke rising. My back itched to fly over there, but Janna and Solar Wind would be a lot closer.
Champion asked, “Status?”
Solar Wind replied coolly, “Dealt with. Janna already cleared the building out. She got ten civilians out faster than I could blink. I’m putting out the fire. It looks like a gas line explosion, probably device assisted.”
Device assisted meaning a bomb of some kind, instead of a super.
Stacey broke in, “Distraction, the silent alarm on Jared’s on fourth near main just went off.”
Champion and I turned as one and shot off, a split second before Harmony updated our HUDs to include a flight path. Part of situational awareness was knowing where we were, and also a working knowledge of the city’s street layout. We were barely four blocks away, less than half a mile, which we covered in about ten seconds.
Lady Aegis: Origins of Supers: Book Two Page 11
