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2. Waking Up
🕑 Added 2024-02-08 00:03:12 +0000 UTCThere’s this thing. You know. This small thing. Really pisses me off.
Needless death.
Yeah. Big surprise, right? I’m really making a statement here. Needless death, whew. What next, am I going to suggest feeding starving orphans?
I get it. But seriously. I hate it.
All those supers go about their lives. Fight crime, whatever. Beat back the monsters infringing our reality from the Gates. But they aren’t thinking. They aren’t thinking about the little guy. Smash your enemy into the building! Use the apartment to cushion your fall! Don’t worry, the construction companies are on the job! Surely every building was built to post-super-code! No one ever lies on a bill, doesn’t nail the welding of a joint, pays off the inspectors. No, no. Doesn’t happen. Isn’t a thing.
Oh, sure. The supers took down Mr. Squid again. Great, good job. Sure am glad he didn’t squid up Central City. Can you imagine the cleaning costs if he actually squidded all over us? And the smell. No, no. They do good work.
Never mind the ten flattened apartments.
At the end of the day, Central City is The City Alpha Built. And it’s built for supers. Not for you and me. Not for the ordinary guy. If you don’t have a power, or don’t have a power strong enough to hold your own, get fucked. That’s what Central City says. Get. Fucked.
Peace at any cost. Ha, sure. Sure. Alpha’s willing to pay any price for peace, as long as you and me are the ones footing the bill.
Especially me.
--
Stone crushed down on him. He awoke for a split second, gasped a single breath, then fell into darkness again.
[You lost a life!]
[Lives remaining: -17245]
Again. He clawed his way forward, ignoring the screaming pain from his body, tearing at anything, everything, just to inch a single millimeter forward.
[You lost a life!]
[Lives remaining: -17246]
Another millimeter. The weight on his back shifted. He cried out in agony but kept pulling, still crawling toward the light.
[You lost a life!]
[Lives remaining: -17247]
He clenched his fist. A little more. A little more, and surely—
“Someone’s alive under this! Come on, push!”
“Hurry!”
“On three. One, two…”
Sunlight. Dazzling, brilliant sunlight. Levi gasped a breath of fresh air and pushed himself up. Rubble, dust, and ash rained down from his body, the pouring rain mixing them into a sludgy mud.
Dazed, he looked around. Behind him, a crater opened in the apartment’s façade. Two apartments laid open to the sky, empty, the floors crashed in and all the furniture piled up. The walkways around the crater drooped. Several had collapsed entirely, slamming down on the walkway below and breaking through that. Concrete slabs piled all around him.
“A survivor!” A woman offered him a hand up, and he took it. She gave him a look of relief. “Thank goodness. I thought there was no one left alive in there.”
As he climbed to his feet, he grabbed a piece of twisted rebar from the rubble. Levi gripped it tightly, his jaw grinding. “How many dead?”
“What?” the woman asked.
He turned, looking at her from the corner of his eye. With some effort, he spat, “How many dead?”
“That…” The woman glanced away, half-looking over her shoulder. She shook her head.
Levi followed her gaze. Four lumps laid under plastic sheeting. Two large. Two small.
Veins stood out on Levi’s forehead. Ignoring the blood coursing down his leg, he walked off into the rain.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
Levi paused. He bent, grabbing up a baseball cap, and shoved it on his head. Standing, he stared off into the rain, focused on a distant building. “Monster hunting.”
The woman frowned. She looked at his leg, then back up at him. “You’re injured! You’re in no shape to—hey! Come back!”
Ignoring her, Levi stalked off into the rain, his knuckles white on the rebar.
He saw the apartment. He chose to fly into it.
Those lives are on Jet Engine’s head.
As he walked, he pulled out his phone. It lit up cheerily, undamaged by the building’s collapse. He scrolled to his bookmarks and opened a tab labeled Professional Stalker. A blog loaded, titled Super Watch.
The first picture was a blurry image of Alpha as he flew through the sky, instantly recognizable despite the blur thanks to the billboards all around town. Alpha sighting! Near Rainer Drift concert. Could the rumors be true? Has our glorious leader found true love?
He scrolled down.
The next image was an action shot of Jet Engine flying through the sky, the girl over his shoulder once more. A D-Lister with a prominent future! Jet Engine, on his way back to Alpha with some kind of villain. Keeping our skies safe!
Levi put his phone in his back pocket. He turned his eyes to the center of the city, past the overgrown forest. A forest of glass and steel rose beyond, all glittering and new. One building stood out in his eyes, a gorgeous steel tower with silver-blue windows. Most of Alpha’s low-ranking supers lived inside, and Jet Engine was no exception.
If Alpha is at a concert, Jet Engine will have no option but to keep the girl restrained for a while. And that means going home.
Alone.
His eyes set, he walked on.
Time passed. The sun set, and the rain grew heavier. A dripping-wet man stepped into the lobby of the building, carrying a waterlogged plastic bag.
Peering over the paperback she’d been reading, the receptionist gave him a look. A man with ashy grey hair stood before her, a filthy baseball cap that looked as if it had been pulled out of the garbage jammed low on his face. Mud and concrete dust stained his clothes, as if he’d been working on a construction site all day. She looked at the growing puddle of grayish water under him and pressed her lips together in disapproval.
Levi walked over to the desk, dripping the whole way. He flashed an app at the receptionist. “Delivery for Silverine.”
She nodded. “Wait here. I’ll ping him.”
“He said I should bring it up to him.”
The receptionist raised her brows, skeptical. “Really?”
“Really. These damn supers. They can fly, but they’re so spoiled they make us do all the footwork anyways. It’s ridiculous. Look at me, practically drowning, and he still makes me leg it all the way up there,” Levi said, spreading his arms to show her his thoroughly soaked self.
She sighed and pressed a button behind the desk. A ding sounded from the elevator banks behind her, and a set of elevator doors whooshed open. The receptionist tipped her head back. “Hurry on up. And remind Silverine that it’s against policy to have delivery men come up now, okay?”
“I’ll be sure to tell him when I see him,” Levi promised. He gave her a jaunty wave in thanks and backed into the elevator.
The doors shut. Levi checked his phone again, scrolling down the stalker’s blog. Only D-listers entered the apartment, all of them Alpha’s subordinates, but none of them particularly powerful or standout. As D-listers, they only had one skill each, or two weak skills. He flipped to the Stats page of the blog, glancing down what the blogger assumed the supers’ stats were.
No sensor skills. Good.
Jet Engine’s stats popped up. He took a moment to read them. As usual, a disclaimer topped the stat block.
These are just my best guess! I’m not a professional stats analyzer, nor do I have Scan! Please take these stats with a grain of salt!
For reference, most humans start at straight 1s for skill points. The fastest human alive has 2 SPD. Any points in skills indicate superhuman abilities.
Jet Engine
STR: 5-10
SPD: 50+ (100 when flying?)
PWR: 1
MND: 0
Skills: Metal Armor (Aluminum?), Jet Engine (flying, speed, wind blast)
Levi took a deep breath. He checked his bag, then nodded.
The elevator doors slid open. Levi stepped out onto the second floor. He checked the blog one more time, then walked toward Silverine’s supposed door, eyeing the cameras the whole way. Retrieving a few items from the bag and subtly slipping them into his jeans, he left the empty paper bag in front of Silverine’s door. Casually, he walked on, still watching the cameras.
The cameras can’t see me right… here. He stepped to the side, under the camera and momentarily invisible. Up ahead, the fire escape loomed. Sidling along the wall, out of the camera’s sightlines, Levi slipped into the fire escape and hurried up the stairs. He came out two floors up, casually exiting the door.
Walking with purpose, he headed toward Jet Engine’s room, keeping his face shaded by the baseball cap. Jet Engine has a balcony that he flies in and out of all the time. Lucky for me, because that means my favorite stalker knows exactly where he lives.
Shoutout to that guy maintaining the Supers blog. Saving me time, yet again!
A man came around the corner, arm slung around a woman’s shoulder. He laughed, leaning toward her. She giggled gently, with the attitude of a professional.
Levi met her eyes.
She lowered her head, just a little. He gave a tiny nod back, making a small hand gesture.
Leaning against the man, she patted his burly chest and looked into his eyes. He leaned in, giving her a sloppy kiss.
Without a word, Levi slipped past, walking casually down the hallway. The man never glanced his way.
He smiled quietly to himself. Excellent. Good to see that sign is still active. I wonder if Madame Crimson is still in control of the local brothel network? I’ll have to look into it.
A moment later, Levi shook his head. No, no. I’m not getting back into this. This is just a one-off. One and done, and I walk away. Live a clean life. For real, this time.
The man and the woman walked around the corner. Levi turned back around and returned to Jet Engine’s door. He knocked, keeping his chin tucked so the cap hid his face from the tiny window in the steel door. “Delivery!”
Heavy footsteps sounded inside the apartment. On the other side of the door, Jet Engine grumbled to himself, “I didn’t deliver anything.”
Levi lowered his center of gravity and spread his legs. He pulled the rebar out of his jeans. He’s a hero, and this is a ‘safe’ apartment. He won’t be expecting an attack. He’ll open his door wide like an idiot, without using the chain or anything. And that’s my chance.
The lock clicked. An entirely ordinary human version of Jet Engine opened the door, without metal armor or anything. “What?”
Levi charged. He caught Jet Engine off-guard and bowled him into the apartment. The door swung shut behind them.
“What the fu—”
Without hesitation, Levi lifted the rebar and smashed it into Jet Engine’s head. In the split second before the swing and the blow, Jet Engine activated his armor. Metal clanged on metal.
A dent dug into Jet Engine’s aluminum-covered head. Stunned, he threw his hands up, but didn’t move to fight back. Levi smashed down again. Another dent. Jet Engine fell onto his ass, arms covering his head. The engine in his chest revved, dragging him backward through his apartment and away from Levi.
“No, you don’t.” Levi reached into his jeans again and threw out a handful of filthy, wet clothes. They flew through the air and got sucked into Jet Engine’s engine, clogging it up.
Jet Engine choked. He coughed, thumping his engine.
“I chased you all the way here. I’m not chasing you a step further.” Marching over, Levi stepped on Jet Engine’s chest, forcing him to the ground. He leaned in, staring into the man’s eyes. “How’d you like a taste of my Dirty Laundry Attack?”
Jet Engine blinked, his eyes unfocused. “What—who—why—”
“Those people you killed. Why’d you do it?”
“Do… what?”
Levi hauled back and smashed his head again, digging a new dent into the side. “The people in that apartment who you killed. Spit it out.”
Jet Engine’s eyes lit up. He frowned, confused. “They’re living in Central City. They know what that means. Peace at any cost, right?”
“Yeah, okay. You had a chance of getting away free, but you sure ended that, huh?” Levi raised the pipe again.
“Wait! Wait! I have a—”
“I don’t care.” He smashed the pipe down, punctuating each word with a blow. “You! Stupid! Motherfucker! Pisses! Me! Off! Fuck!”
Jet Engine’s armor faded. He went slack. Blood oozed from his head.
“Aha!” With one last blow, Levi stepped back. He wiped his face. His hand came away streaked with blood. He shook his head. “What a dumbass. When a crazy dude invades your apartment and bashes your head in, you say whatever he wants, you don’t tell him the truth. Idiot.”
He paused, then shrugged. “Well, he was dead meat from the beginning, so whatever.”
“Didn’t—didn’t you say you’d let him go?”
Levi turned. The same woman Jet Engine had captured earlier sat in the corner, tied to a chair, her hands cuffed in front of her. A green light glowed in her cuffs, showing that the suppressors were active.
“Did you know that suppressor doesn’t work on everyone? Only external powers,” Levi informed her.
“Er, thanks…?” she asked.
He nodded, then jerked in place. “Question. Right. I did say I’d let him go. Have you ever heard of lying?”
“I have. You were lying?”
Levi squinted at her as if she was stupid. “Duh? I was about to kill him. You don’t tell people true things and then kill them. You just kill them.”
She looked at Jet Engine, then at Levi. The woman swallowed. “I won’t say anything. If you let me go. Nothing at all.”
Pointing at her, Levi grinned. “Now that’s smart. See, you get it. You tell the homicidal madman whatever he wants to hear. Clever, clever.”
She nodded.
Levi crossed to her. He put his foot on the seat of her chair and leaned in. “Name?”
“Huh?”
“Name.”
“F-fira.”
Levi gave her a look. “That your government name?”
“It’s my super name,” Fira said firmly.
Levi clicked his tongue. “No trust between colleagues. I can’t believe it. Look. My name is Leviathan Smith. Got it on documents and everything. You can take that to the bank.”
Fira frowned at him. “You’re lying, aren’t you.”
“Wow! An A-plus student! You’re picking up everything I’m putting down. I’m starting to take a real shine to you,” Levi said, nodding. “Oh, you can call me Levi, though. Less of a mouthful.”
She shifted. “Are you going to release me?”
“You know, it really depends. You’re clearly stupid enough to fly into Central City and immediately get caught by ability hunters, but on the other hand, you’re smart enough to not give dumb answers like my friend Jet Engine over there.” Levi tipped his head over his shoulder.
“Er, thanks…? I guess?”
“I wouldn’t take that as a compliment.” Levi shifted his foot down, pushing her chair back onto its rear two legs. “So. Why did you come to Central City?”
She looked at him, watching his face.
Levi narrowed his eyes. “Ignore what I just said. Now’s the time for truth.”
“My brother. He—he suddenly ran away to Central City. Last week, I lost contact with him. Completely stopped texting, in the middle of a sentence. I thought…”
“You thought he was dead, and wanted to join him?”
Fira’s eyes flashed. Her nostrils flared. “No. I came to find him and bring him home. He doesn’t realize how strong his power actually is, and I think that’s why he ran away. But if Alpha gets it, we’re in trouble.”
“Oh?” Levi asked.
She nodded, looking him in the eyes for the first time. “Precognition. He gets flashes of the future.”
“Fuck.” Levi stepped back, letting her chair fall back onto all four legs.
She yelped, startled, then quickly shut her mouth.
“Yeah. I don’t want Alpha to get that, either. So. Where is he?” Levi asked, all business.
Fira nodded at her cuffs. “Remove these, and I’ll do everything I can to help you locate him.”
Levi snorted. “Help me…? Damn. Turned that about on me fast. I like you. I really like you.”
“So, are you…” Fira glanced at her cuffs.
With a sigh, Levi nodded. He raised the rebar over the cuffs, then paused.
“What?” Fira asked.
“You double-cross me, you try to kill me, that’s it. I will kill you dead right where you stand. Doesn’t matter where we are. Doesn’t matter how dead you think I am. I’ll find a way. You will die. No—you’re already dead. Got it?”
Fira didn’t flinch. “Forget betraying you. As long as you’re helping me find my brother, I’ll do anything.”
“You won’t report my murder?”
“I’ll help you with murder.”
“What if you have to take down Alpha?”
“I’ll fight God himself if that’s what it takes to bring my brother back safe.”
Levi chuckled. He pointed at her. “I like that fire in your eyes. Good. You’ll need it.” Raising the rebar again, he severed her cuffs with a great strike.
Metal chains snapped. Plastic cracked. Wires crackled, severed. Fira’s eyes lit up with orange light. The cuffs burned, falling off her wrists in fiery chunks. She shook her hands, sending the last of it flying away. The fire died. Bright red marks circled her wrists where the cuffs had been.
“Ouch,” Levi muttered.
She lowered her wrists. “It’s nothing.”
“I was burned today,” Levi said, showing her his wrists.
Fira squinted.
Levi turned his arms around. Uninterrupted skin greeted him, perfectly clear. He pursed his lips, then shrugged. “Well, I was. And it was your fault.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.” He turned and caught sight of the body on the ground. A great sigh escapes his lips. “Hold up. Give me a minute, I need to make a call.”
“Oh. Okay. Should I burn the body? I can burn the body,” Fira suggested.
Levi froze. He looked at Fira. “I appreciate the energy, but honestly? You’re a little too gung-ho about this, and it’s kind of freaking me out a little bit.”
“You’re the one who just beat a man to death,” Fira pointed out.
“Yeah, but that’s me. We’re talking about you,” Levi emphasized. He looked her up and down. “Where are you from?”
Fira glanced at the ground. She wrinkled her nose. “An Exclusion Zone.”
“Oh. Neat. Lots of experience killing monsters, then?” Levi asked.
“You could say that,” she said, laughing a little to herself.
“Excellent. Plenty of monsters to kill here.” Giving the corpse a significant look, Levi raised his phone to his ear. A few tones in, it connected.
“I’m not doing it anymore. You hear me? Ain’t happening,” a woman grumbled. Her voice was gruff, gravelly and deep.
“Memento Mori,” Levi said.
“Like I said. No chance. I’m done. I left that life behi—” The woman stopped in the middle of her sentence. “Levi?”
“Yeah.”
Silence. The woman spoke at last. “Well, shit. Alright. What did you do?”
“Killed a monster. Need help with the breakdown.”
She grunted. “Where’s the body?”
“Somewhere shiny.”
A much, much longer span of silence. “Fuck.”
“You can do it, right?”
The woman laughed. “Of course I can do it. It’s just—damn. Couldn’t make it easy on me, huh?”
“Aww, you love it.”
She clicked her tongue. In the background, the sound of clacking, clattering, and then one great whoosh sounded. Her voice sounded again, but distantly, shouted at the phone. “Put your phone on the body!”
Levi walked over and put the phone face-down on the body.
Clattering sounded from the other side of the phone, and then a slightly muffled voice issued out from it. “This is going to kill the phone, and possibly the teleporter. God knows I haven’t used it in a decade. I’m honestly surprised it booted at all.”
There was a cough, then a thump. Clearing her voice, the woman spoke again. “You know where to find me. Come on down.”
“See you soon.”
The phone vibrated, then began to tremble, edges lifting off the body from the viciousness of the shaking. The screen emitted bright turquoise light. The phone thrummed, and a wave of power rushed over the body. It turned transparent, then vanished, leaving the phone to tumble to the floor beside a puddle of blood.
Levi walked over, kneeling to retrieve his phone. A black screen greeted him, and even holding the power button only brought up the no-power animation for a moment. Sliding it into his pocket, he looked up at Fira and grinned. “Let’s get moving.”
