by Jason Zandri
“Affirmative,” Nathan said as loudly as he could to compensate for the roar of thunder. “Time to impact?”
“Three minutes, seventeen seconds.” Computer Central responded.
“Maximum threshold for recovery at my full power?” Nathan asked.
“Calculating, using known capabilities of Captain Delta. Calculating versus last known mass of reactor. One minute, fifty-eight seconds to full power, maximum thrust, and shielding recovery.”
“Power status?” Nathan asked.
“Zero,” Computer Central responded.
Nathan closed his eyes and concentrated. The storm ripped around him. Totally unprotected, he could feel the atmospheric changes. The thunder pounded through him. He focused on a single thought and repeated it over and over.
“Zeus, Hera … help me.”
***
“I can hear him,” Athena called out. “He’s calling out to us.”
“He needs the connection,” Artemis said. “Our makeshift contingency on his powers is preventing him from channeling the gifts bestowed on him.”
“Impossible,” Hades yelled. “That is in place only to keep him in check. I insist that this interruption is Earth based. A mortal is mixing into the dark magic realm.”
“It can’t be,” Hermes said. “No mortal Earther has the knowledge capacity for an incursion such as you suggest.”
“The connection is gone, Nathan is powerless, and none of us have a hand in this,” Hades said. “If you have a better theory—”
“Wait,” Hera said, excited. “I can feel a power draw.”
Zeus looked into the still-dark reflecting pool. “The connection is still disrupted. I cannot see into the realm.” Zeus closed his eyes. “He’s pulling from Mother Earth.”
***
Nathan focused. He felt something, but different and unfamiliar than what he was used to. The impact of the storm around him dissipated despite the constant wind and thunder.
“Power readings becoming available,” Computer Central responded. “Readings are erratic and inconsistent with prior output levels.”
Nathan opened his eyes and powered-up his shielding. He turned and quickly slowed his rate of descent. He enveloped the power plant and reversed upward radically. “I don’t know what this connection to my powers is, but I’m not going to complain about it. Maximum velocity,” he said, straining to climb with all the added weight from the nuclear reactor cocooned inside his personal shielding. “Get me back on course to send this thing on the trajectory to the sun.”
“Affirmative. Maintain climb and rate of speed; escape velocity will be reached. Adjust course, fifteen-point-five degrees.”
***
Tears streamed down Adia’s face, and her emotions swung from anxiety and fear when Nathan was falling to hope and excitement as he recovered and began to climb. She locked her view onto the screen and listened intently to the broadcast recap.
“We are unsure of what just transpired,” Mark Daniels said as his image appeared briefly on the screen before the shot went back to the telemetry and long-distance camera visual feed from the Echo Four satellite of Nathan’s current location. “What we’ve been able to piece together from the last five minutes of audio, video, and telemetry is that Nathan had nearly reached the extent of Earth’s gravity well, where assisted thrust wouldn’t have been needed to continue the damaged reactor and radioactive materials off into space on a trajectory that would have eventually taken it into the sun, when he suddenly lost all of his powers.”
Adia closed her eyes as the broadcaster continued his monolog. She focused on Nathan’s well-being. I know you can’t hear me, Adia thought. Even despite those wonderful powers; I wish you could. I know you’ve been gone. I know you felt you needed to go, and I have been upset over it. Please, be well. Please, be successful. Please, be safe. The world needs you. I need you.
***
Nathan reached the ejection point, and further extended his shielding. He slowed himself away from the mass of the power plant and pulled around in a slingshot manner. With as much spinning force as he could muster, he turned one revolution and freed the plant.
“Is it on course?” he asked.
“Affirmative.”
“Chance of falling back into Earth’s gravity well?”
“Infinitesimal; an anomaly would need to be added to any calculations for any course correction back in this direction. Current course and speed take it constantly away from Earth.”
Nathan took one last look back at the shrinking superstructure as it moved out of orbit and away from him into space. Then he turned and rocketed back into the atmosphere. “I need to get back down to Terra Firma. I’m way too high up and another power loss up here will kill me.”
***
The reflecting pool remained dark, but all the gods on Mount Olympus could feel the lessening stress coming from Nathan.
“The connection is still broken, but Nathan appears to have been able to make the connection to Earth to draw powers directly from it,” Athena said, speaking up from the relative silence. “He survived the calamity.”
“Yes,” Poseidon said. “I would like to understand how he was able to accomplish that, seeing as how he shouldn’t have been able to in the first place.”
“Whatever caused the disruption to our connection between the realms may have also disrupted the magic we used to temper his link to his powers,” Hera said and paced. “The pattern stayed locked into our contingency. Despite being able to tap powers from Earth, he couldn’t reach beyond the capabilities, as we’ve tied them to the garments he wears and the fictional heroes they represent.”
“Be that as it may, something is amiss,” Hades said, and then turned and threw his hands into the air. “I can’t believe that, for all my love of chaos, I am the only one concerned about this.”
“You are only concerned because of the potential for power that he could wield were he fully able to harness it.” Aphrodite walked into his path.
“You are correct. You might recall, you might all recall,” Hades said and spun around—his long cloak moving wildly with the motion. “I warned you of this with Ahzeem Ama, but my warnings fell on deaf ears. The mortals are too fragile to wield so much power successfully.”
“Ahzeem Ama was addressed,” Hera said, stepping forward.
“At a huge cost.” Hades pointed his finger. “To all of us. I also warned it was foolish to try it again.”
“SILENCE!” Zeus glared at them all. “Whatever the cause, regarding all matters, we need to get them into the light and addressed. This uncertainty and chaos cannot go unchecked. Ahzeem Ama has been dealt with; he has been destroyed.”
“You are a fool, brother, if you really believe him to be destroyed,” Hades said and folded his arms. “He is certainly not in Elysium, and I know for certain that he isn’t in The Underworld. As much as I can tell, he is not in Tartarus either. We are all intelligent enough to know that nothing is ever created or destroyed any longer. It … exists differently.”
“He has been dealt with and is gone,” Zeus said.
“Once we do re-establish our connections between the realms,” Hades said. “Are we going to bring a Watcher here to shed some light on this?”
“No present Watcher will have insight to what has transpired,” Zeus said.
“Oh, I fully agree, brother,” Hades said. “I meant a former Watcher.” Hades smiled and looked in Demeter’s direction, and then over to Hera.
Zeus sighed. “I would prefer to let a Watcher take their earned rest after their time has passed. However, your argument is impeccable, unfortunately. I will leave for the Elysian Fields to speak with her.”
CHAPTER THREE
Lisa Cooper stood on the corner of Lexington Avenue, looked down the cross street, and then stepped slowly down the block. A quick breeze moved her strawberry-blond hair when she stepped across the street between the traffic and stopped where a small batch of flowers lay.
“
Someone leaves them every day,” Adia said, approaching from Third Avenue in her police uniform.
Lisa looked up, startled. “Hi, Adia,” she said and slipped her hands into her pockets.
“I used to think it was Nathan.” Adia pointed to the flowers. “One day, I patrolled through here twice in a short period and, while it’s not beyond his ability to zip in and out of here quickly, that particular day, at that time, an emergency had him tied up. I saw it on the news. So when I saw them placed that day at around that time, I knew it couldn’t be him.” She sniffed a little. “Sort of ruined the sentiment for me. I used to imagine he would come through to leave them behind for Cici, and then check in on me.”
Lisa looked at her pointedly. “I’m sure that if he had been, he would’ve checked in on both of us. He cared for both of us.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Adia said and backed off.
“Look,” Lisa said. “I know things never got off on the right foot with us, and I’m not expecting some sisterhood or anything, but it’s clear he was important to both of us.”
Adia only nodded, and then sniffed again. “It bothers me that somehow it’s someone else. I wanted it to be him.”
“It doesn’t mean at times it wasn’t. It doesn’t mean, because he was here without a trace, that he wasn’t here at all. Maybe he has been.” Lisa stepped out of the direct sunlight. “Sometimes, when I hear thunder and I look around for the lightning, and the times when I never see another flash, I always imagine that it was Nathan flying away and breaking the sound barrier. You know, sonic boom and all.”
“I’m going to tell you something,” Adia said, wiping her hands nervously on her uniform. “And if you ever repeat it, I will shoot you with my service revolver.”
Lisa smiled a little and looked at Adia, meeting her brown eyes directly.
“When Nathan lost his powers yesterday in mid-flight and fell …” Adia took in a deep breath. “I felt scared to death for him. More scared for him at that moment than the incident at Madison Square Park.” She looked down at the ground, and then back up to Lisa. “I don’t know what caused his power loss, and he hasn’t followed up at all today, despite the entire media circus. All I know is that I worried it was all over. And all of a sudden, he’s nowhere to be found.”
Lisa stepped forward and touched Adia. “I was afraid and worried for him too.” She looked at the flowers. “It makes me wonder who else is thinking of Cici, then. When she was alive, only Nathan did. Even I admit that I could have done more. It was only him.” She paused and looked up and down the street to Third Avenue, and then back to Lexington. “I guess for today at least, it will remain a mystery.”
Adia nodded. Lisa could tell she didn’t know what else to say and remembered that she always played things close to the vest. She also recalled that she wasn’t good at small talk.
“Are you on patrol?” Lisa asked. “I thought you worked farther west.”
“I am, but it was a welfare check,” Adia smiled. “I guess Nathan rubbed off on me a little.”
“He had a way of doing that before he was a hero, didn’t he?” Lisa said with a smile.
“Can I ask you something?” Adia folded her arms in front of her chest.
“Of course,” Lisa said.
“Why didn’t you and he ever get together?” Adia asked, then turned slightly to look away and then back. “I mean, he always turned to you first. You clearly could have been with him if you wanted. I know the two of you had feelings for each other; despite that, and always for one reason or another, you never got together.”
Lisa bit her bottom lip and breathed in and out quickly. “I always felt there was something there. And I liked knowing the way we felt about one another. It was always there but also unsaid—if that makes any sense. I enjoyed spending time with him, but I always felt my feelings would never be returned to me. I admit that sometimes I felt like we loved each other more like brother and sister than something romantic. At the same time, the physical attraction to one another was there. When we were together, I could feel the tension. Some nights, I would be there, and I just wanted him to take me.” Lisa stopped suddenly. “I’m sorry. That was thoughtless. The two of you were together.”
Adia held up her hand. “Were. That’s the operative word. Like you and what’s his name.”
Lisa smiled. “Yeah … that train wreck.” She sighed. “Seems like such a long time ago.”
“I know.” Adia unfolded her arms and lowered them. “It hasn’t even been a year.”
Lisa looked at Adia for a few seconds. “I miss him too.”
Adia reached for her radio when it squawked. “That’s me. I have to go.”
Lisa nodded. “Take care.”
“You too,” Adia said and took off at a brisk trot toward Lexington.
Lisa looked back to the flowers and knelt down to get a closer look. Adia stopped and called back to her. “Do you really believe that?”
Lisa looked over without standing. Adia asked again, “Do you really believe that Nathan comes through to check up on us? Without stopping to say ‘hi’ or anything?”
“I do. I think he wants to let us know he’s here but he wants to keep us safe, out of danger, and not have us be marked as targets for people that would try to get at him. Right now, you especially with all that Madison Square Park stuff … you’re the one who has the highest visibility.”
Adia nodded, turned, and headed back towards Lexington again. Another shot of warm wind funneled between the buildings, but this time in the opposite direction. Adia paused and looked upwards. “No thunder,” she said softly. “Perhaps a little slower for a better look?”
Lisa felt the same warm burst of air. She closed her eyes and reached down without looking to touch the flowers.
I can almost feel you, Nathan. Almost. We’ll take on the burden and risk. Come see us. You’re wearing the weight of the whole world on your shoulders. Not even you can do that alone.
CHAPTER FOUR
Professor Rebecca Farnsmith stepped over to her desk. Most of the students and faculty had left for the day, and she settled in her desk chair, totally exhausted after her flight in from New York and the broadcast event.
She shifted forward to adjust the screen angle on her laptop and open it up. While the system booted up, she took a brush from her bag and combed her mid-length blond hair.
Once the operating system had started, she logged in and scoured the web to review as many original articles on Nathan and the entire situation from the day before as she could find. While she reviewed them, an instant message popped up.
DIANE J.—Hey—your birthday is late next week, right? Big 39! 40 is next. Actually, you start your 40th year; you just don’t get credit until you finish it. OLD FART! We should do something tomorrow. You free?
Rebecca dismissed the message without responding to it and moved to the next news article. The story had run in the Texas Daily News. The article ran with the events of the previous day along with one of the best photos of Nathan she had even seen. She sat forward in the chair and reached for the screen and touched it lightly.
A chill ran up her arm. She continued to touch the screen and motioned with her right hand up to her lips. Fixated on his image, she moved in her chair when a student came crashing into her room, startling her.
“Professor!” the young girl called out. “It’s Lynn. She’s real sick.”
Rebecca snapped to her feet, closed the lid of the laptop, and followed the student. “Why did you come get me? Why not call 911, if she’s that sick?”
“I wanted to,” she said, hurrying in front of Rebecca. “But she stopped me and said to get you instead. She asked for you by name.”
“Me? Why would she ask for me?” Rebecca asked, struggling to keep up in her high heels.
“I don’t know,” the girl said and threw her hands upward. “She said something weird and asked for you by your full name … I think. Is your middle name Barbara?”
&
nbsp; “Yes, why? How would you know that?”
The girl didn’t answer, and the two of them entered the dorms in the adjacent building. Students milled around the hallway amidst a lot of commotion, but it settled when the professor came in.
They entered the room, and the girl she knew as Lynn Packard lay in the bed a sweaty mess. Her face looked deep red and blotchy.
“Leave,” Lynn said, looking at her roommate. “Close the door.”
The girl did so, leaving just the two of them in the room.
“I almost did it, Professor,” she said, struggling to sit up.
“Did what?”
“It was like you suggested.” Lynn reached over to an old and fraying book on the nightstand. “I looked this book up, at the Providence Library. I went there last weekend to get it. There was no record of it, but the old man … he said he was a Watcher … he knew about it. It was just as you suggested in class.” Lynn continued to struggle to stay upright. “The Earth, nature, science, magic, the known universe, and the realms beyond. They are all interconnected.”
Rebecca reached over and went to touch Lynn’s forehead, but Lynn reached out and took her hand with amazing strength for a sickly girl having trouble sitting upright.
“Nathan is part of the equation. But his presence is not unique. There was once another. The Greek gods empowered him, too, to be a savior. Those gods grew jealous. The people loved the hero more than the creators of the hero. They stripped him of his powers and banished him. But his energies remain. They are a part of our world. Anytime someone has déjà vu, or experiences accidental, one-time telekinesis, or precognition, or other things of supernatural nature, they are accidentally tapping that remnant energy. I found the harness. I grabbed onto it yesterday.”
A bolt of fear ran up Rebecca’s spine.
“But I couldn’t hold onto it. It burns even still. Nathan is the bridge.”
“You …” Rebecca said softly. “You caused his power loss yesterday. What did you do?”
