Jason and Audrey lay on their queen sized bed in their hotel room. The Edge of Heaven played on the television in the background though it only served as background noise while they talked.
"It"s too bad it"s almost over," she sighed. "I really love it here."
"We could always stay," he joked. "I"ve never given much thought toward the life of a nomad, but I imagine we could enjoy it."
Audrey only stuck her tongue out at him and took his hand in hers. She laced her fingers together and asked him what he wanted to do for breakfast before their flight the next morning. Jason told her they could walk around town in the morning and stumble upon someplace nice before they needed to leave.
Jason kept his eyes on the ceiling for a moment before he thanked her. "Iwe really needed this didn"t we?" He looked at her with a smile, leaned toward her, and kissed her. "Thank you for convincing me to come."
Audrey playfully told him he never had another option. "You would have missed me and I know you would have felt left out if I went to the Parthenon and saw the great city of Troy without you."
He chuckled and thanked her again.
Their movie ended and the news came on. Normally Jason and Audrey watched the news regularly, however after the news clip about Athens" Burning Man the couple decided to take a leave from the news. They listened unenthusiastically to the headlines until one brought the pair to full attention. "Confirmation of other super heroes in Nigeria, Laos, and Honduras follow quickly on the heels of a dozen other announcements across the world today."
Pictures of some of the new heroes joined the anchorwoman onscreen. Audrey noticed how poorly made their costumes were, though this went unnoticed by the broadcasters and commentators. She imagined she would see those heroes with rose-colored lenses too if her past few weeks hadn"t been filled with unnatural happenings.
The report continued, "It"s unsure who these heroes are, though we have managed to confirm a few known aliases of heroes previously revealed." One image came to the screen of a young man without a uniform or mask. His hair was cut short and kept neat and he wore jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, combat boots, and leather gloves. "It was confirmed only an hour ago that the previously a.s.sumed Jericho Law is the hero who has patrolled San Diego for months now. He"s acted as a vigilante for years police say, though his super powers were unknown until recently."
The video changed to a poorly shot video of Law combating four young men outside of a bar. One of the attackers broke a gla.s.s bottle over Law"s head but the hero hardly flinched and later another man tried to stab him but the blade couldn"t pierce his skin. By the time the video finished Law was out of breath, but relatively unharmed. His attackers were all unconscious at his feet.
"Jericho Law"s abilities still remain uncertain, as his presumed invulnerability ranges in effectiveness. This is seen clearly from the blood seen after the bottle was broken over his head in the video just seen. The blunt force seemed to be ignored but he was cut, which is where the dispute lies. The fact that he couldn"t be stabbed also perplexes a.n.a.lysts. We"ll be sure to update you all as this story unfolds.
"As mentioned earlier, other heroes have appeared across the world today, though only a few of these individuals have been clearly identified." Images, both crude and professional, appeared alongside a brief biography of some of the newest heroes. The list ranged from one called Envoy from Sao Paulo to another named Toxic Hammer in Geneva. "Some nations, such as Mexico and Sweden, plan to require registration of heroes if they reside and operate within their borders, both for security and employment. Other nations like Nicaragua have declared any hero a legal law enforcer, with or without official identification or government approval.
"And today in London," the anchorwoman continued, "Two heroes identified themselves at a press conference at the top of the steps of the Westminster Bridge in front of the Houses of Parliament." A recording of the press conference played with commentary from the reporter overdubbed. "The man on the left was identified as the Human t.i.tan and his companion calls himself Captain Density. While Captain Density has elected to remain anonymous, the Human t.i.tan has revealed himself as Trevor Wilde, a third year at the University of London."
Both super heroes" costumes were home made from what seemed to be any sort of clothes they had available. Captain Density wore matching knee-high boots, a pair of dirty jeans, and a black tee-shirt with England"s flag and the word "Destiny" written over it in red. And to top it all off he wore a bandana with the nation"s flag over his head and large, dark sungla.s.ses over his eyes. The Human t.i.tan however wore an extremely tight fitting blue athletic guard and white tennis shoes. A large letter "T" was spray-painted over his chest.
The anchorwoman continued, "Recently the two teamed up to stop a bank robbery and we have the security footage of their heroics."
The camera showed five men arrive though only four entered the bank. They wore masks and held shotguns as they entered the bank and began their heist. One of the men even threatened to blow off the head of a young girl if the teller didn"t surrender all of the money from behind the counter. However, before the clerk could answer, Captain Density dove through the wall and tackled the gunman through a pane of gla.s.s. The tackled gunman fired the weapon in the air, which alerted the other a.s.sailants, though upon seeing Captain Density they fled and left their fellowman to deal with the vigilante. An outer security camera showed the remaining men regroup in the car, but before they could leave, their vehicle rose off the ground and over the Human t.i.tan"s head. Cheers were heard from the surrounding crowd as he threw the automobile into the street before him, thieves still within.
The woman returned, "Although the two stopped the heist, many have begun to question their methods...In other news, evidence in the death of corporate billionaire Tony Winchester" Jason shut it off.
The couple sat silently for a moment. Jason didn"t look at Audrey or the television. He sat up and let out a breath while he rubbed his face. "I didn"t think any of this was real Audrey. I mean, I really didn"t want to believe it was true, least of all now and in our life." Jason relented and told her he hadn"t stopped thinking about what she said about the fire. "You mentioned you thought I created it and although I denied it then, the thought had already crossed my mind before you brought it up." Jason fished a business card out of his wallet and held it out in his hand. He closed his eyes and after a moment the card caught fire and quickly burned away and left nothing but ash in his hand. He cursed under his breath as he did his best to wipe it away and return to their conversation. "I wanted to tell you sooner but I also wanted to be sure I could control it."
Audrey"s eyes were wide and no word could escape her. Jason smiled and asked her to say something after a moment. She cleared her throat and after a moment all of her thoughts burst out at once, "Oh my word Jason, you"re a super hero! How-How on earth did you do that? What does it feel like? This is amazing, Jason! What"s it like? Does it hurt?"
Jason stopped her and answered her one question at a time. "What you said, your theory that I created the fire stuck with me all this time. I wasn"t sure why I couldn"t get it out of my head but eventually I had to see if it was true. I snuck out one night while you were asleep to try, but I didn"t have any luck. It frustrated me at the start, but then I remembered something. You need three things to create and sustain a fire. You need heat, oxygen, and fuel." Jason smiled, "I only provide the heat Audrey. That"s why the fire was so brief while I was out earlier. My clothes burned away and once they were gone there wasn"t anything left to burn. And for some reason I can"t be burned or be used as fuel in the fire, so it simply stopped then. But I"ve practiced and grown to understand how to manage when and where to release that energy, so don"t worry, I"m not going to spontaneously combust anymore."
Audrey beamed and asked him how he figured out how to control everything. She asked him how the whole process felt, whether he worried about the fire, if he needed direct contact with the fuel source in order to form the fire, and she asked if he could stop the fires as well. Audrey continued to rattle off questions and Jason answered her as best he could for hours.
3:41 PM.
Lynnwood, Washington Nick sat at the edge of his bed and ran what Mizuno told their group through his head. He tried to memorize everything, even though his part in their operation was miles away and wouldn"t involve more than delaying a family of three. Mizuno never specifically told him what he needed to do to impede his targets, but he a.s.sumed that Mizuno would either tell him straightforward the exact steps needed to be effective, or he would leave Nick to figure it out on his own, and Nick a.s.sumed it would be the latter option.
His home was quiet, as usual, with only the faint mumblings of whatever program Paul watched in their living room. Nick hadn"t said two words to his stepfather or to his local friends since he"d returned to the state. Drake tried to call him once but Nick ignored it. He didn"t know what to say and he didn"t want to lie, but Drake and the others would only try to sway him if they knew he was wrapped up in a group, an organization, such as Impact. Nick wasn"t certain he fully comprehended what it was or what it could be, yet he knew Mizuno was the only person who could help him achieve his goals. Beyond that, Nick had no intention of remaining a member.
Amy called and asked to see him and they planned a date that afternoon, which Nick felt apprehensive about. He felt nauseated thinking about what they would talk about, the inevitable questions she would challenge him with, and how he could and would lie to her without completely unraveling everything Mizuno taught him and expected of him. Nick was torn.
A rustling came from the kitchen and Nick a.s.sumed his stepfather hunted for lunch. Nick hadn"t eaten at all and suddenly realized it as his stomach churned. He wearily brought himself to stand and left to join Paul. The old man hardly noticed him enter and didn"t say a word at first. Nick opened their fridge and saw how bare it was, aside from the alcohol. Nick shut the door and walked to a cupboard to retrieve an unopened sleeve of white square crackers and a jar of creamy peanut b.u.t.ter. After he selected a knife from the silverware drawer, Nick tried to slip out without a word to Paul, though he stopped Nick.
"Where the h.e.l.l were you for a week?" he asked.
Nick didn"t make eye contact. "I-I was out w-working."
"You got a job?"
Nick nodded.
Paul showed mild astonishment and continued, "They have you working nights?"
Nick shook his head, "I only work late," he started. "I-I came home every n-night, b-but you were always asleep."
Paul shrugged and with another three beers in hand, headed back to his lounge chair in the other room. Nick left without hesitation.
When Nick returned to his bedroom, he found Strom sitting on Nick"s bed with a book open. He didn"t look up at Nick when he entered.
"Is that really what you"re having for lunch kid?"
Nick didn"t answer him. He opened the sleeve and quietly munched on a few crackers while he took his seat. Nick offered Strom some but he only chuckled at the gesture.
"Why don"t I take you to get something more substantial?"
Nick frowned, "Why would you do that?"
Strom told him he didn"t like to see a child starve, but the humor of his quip seemed lost on Nick. "But seriously, why don"t you just leave and get a bite somewhere else?"
"We"re not exactly..." he paused and decided to select more accurate words, "We"re poor, so eating out is a luxury. And I have a date with Amy tonight, so I, I need to make sure I have enough to pay for her and myself..."
Strom dog-eared the page he left off of and set the book aside. "How much do you need? h.e.l.l, how much do you want?"
Nick blinked. "I don"t need charity"
"Don"t give me that bulls.h.i.t," Strom cut him off. "You are literally starving Nick and you aren"t going to take charity from me because you"re too proud or something?" Strom opened his wallet and removed six-hundred American dollars in large bills, took Nick"s hand, and forced him to take the money. "Let me do something kind for once, alright? I want to help you, not because I pity you or look down on you, but because you are the closest thing I have to a friend and I am not about to let your drunkard of a father-figure drink away all of your family"s income. So either you take this, gratefully or not, or I buy six-hundred dollars worth of food and place it in your kitchen myself and you can explain who I am to you stepfather."
The young man nodded and thanked Strom while he put the money away. He continued to eat the crackers for a moment before he asked why Strom was at his house.
"I wanted to check in on you, for starters," he admitted, "But I also wanted to ask you what you know about the guy who killed your brother."
"Why?"
"Because I want to help you."
"But why do you want to help me Strom?" Nick asked. "I don"t understand."
Strom glanced away from Nick and told him it was simple, "I like you Nick, and I want to help because something bad happened to you and I want to bring whoever wronged you and yours to justice." He rubbed his eyes, swore under his breath in German, and continued, "Nick, I don"t need a reason to help you. And like I said, you"re the closest thing I have to a friend, so I want to help."
Nick thanked him again but admitted that he didn"t know much. "Apparently he looked a lot, well, exactly like I do."
"So he was a doppelganger?"
Nick told him he didn"t know what he meant.
"It doesn"t matter..." Strom sighed and told Nick he would talk to Mizuno about the murder. "I"d better be leaving now anyway. But seriously Nick, don"t let your stepdad have a cent of that, okay?"
He agreed and watched as Strom left through Nick"s window. Nick removed the money from his pocket and stared at it, as it was one of the largest sums of cash he"d ever had in his possession at one time.
7:50 PM.
Kenmore, Washington Jessica sat in her bedroom engaged in a conversation about the uprising heroes throughout the world. It was the only thing she and her tight knit a.s.sociates through REFOIA seemed capable of talking about since they were all granted access to the enigmatic video of Nick and the a.s.sa.s.sin Ghost in the Las Vegas desert. He still worried her, even though they weren"t the best of friends. They actually only talked when school was involved or on the rare occasion that he needed her help with something. Things simply weren"t the same since Victor died, which worried her.
balt_raven00: u heard about the 2 newest idiots n london, right?
mhanzo40: Yes.
kirasho52: of course jess_VII: Just this morning, but yeah.
balt_raven00: well I found 2 more mhanzo40: Really?
kirasho52: who? where?
balt_raven00: first"s n san diego jess_VII: You mean Law?
balt_raven00: yeah, u kno?
jess_VII: I told you who he was.
balt_raven00: oh kirasho52: who is he?
jess_VII: Real name"s Jericho Law. He has heightened senses and strength and I guess is partially invulnerable.
mhanzo40: Partially?
jess_VII: I"ll send you all video...
jess_VII: One sec...
jess_VII: He takes crowbar to head, leg and groin and looks like it doesn"t hurt.
mhanzo40: Thanks again. (@jess_VII) kirasho52: how is he part. invulnerable?
jess_VII: He cuts his fist when he punched through window, watch video.
Jessica took a quick look at the video and watched as Jericho Law, a hero without a mask or costume, took on four men at once in a brawl in a parking lot. He didn"t seem fazed by any of their blows, even when one guy slammed a crowbar into his groin. What perplexed their group was a part of the fight where Law missed his opponent and punched through a car window and actually bled from it (though he continued to fight as if it was nothing at all).
kirasho52: weird mhanzo40: Who"s the other one? (@balt_raven00) balt_raven00: In tokyo, called Hanzo, ha ha.
mhanzo40: Seriously?
balt_raven00: yeah kirasho52: cool, what"s he like?
balt_raven00: there"s one vid, I"ll send u The next video was much different than the first, as the hero in question wore a suit of armor, carried a katana with him (tied securely to his waist), wore his long jet black hair tied back behind him, and fought off over a dozen armed men. Hanzo seemed calm, or rather, if he had any doubt or fear at all, he failed to manifest it. Bullets whizzed past him but his fluid and controlled movements prevented him from even receiving a single graze or knick from any of the projectiles.
He retrieved a few throwing stars from a small satchel fastened at his waist and threw them in the general direction of his enemies. Jessica believed he"d missed at the start and some did only embed themselves into the rooftop where they fought, but others suddenly arched in various ways and attacked Hanzo"s enemies. The ones left on the ground prevented his enemies from actually reaching him, which Jessica believed aided him, though she wasn"t sure as the video ended prematurely.
kirasho52: whoa mhanzo40: I like him, he"s interesting.
jess_VII: how many people is he fighting?
balt_raven00: 14 mhanzo40: Fifteen, actually.
balt_raven00: srry, frgot ur always right balt_raven00: *sarcasm*
mhanzo40: Well I can count, so I am right.
mhanzo40: *fact*
kirasho52: hahaha kirasho52: so what is he?
balt_raven00: A ninja kirasho52: yeah right balt_raven00: Yeah, heightened senses. He dodged those bullets like a pro would.
mhanzo40: And it seemed as if he could manipulate where his shuriken flew, as some looped back after they missed their targets.
balt_raven00: yeah.
jess_VII: A living ninja...
kirasho52: Ninjitsu is still practiced jess_VII: Oh...
mhanzo40: A ninja in the sense of the fantasized take on ninjas would seem more accurate...though I would still hesitate to even label him in that manner.
jess_VII: Does anyone know what our count is?
balt_raven00: over 100 mhanzo40: One-hundred forty-three allegedly, thirty-four which are confirmed.
kirasho52: that"s still pretty good balt_raven00: k balt_raven00: so who"s everyone"s fave?
balt_raven00: mines law kirasho52: *sigh*
kirasho52: Hanzo kirasho52: so far mhanzo40: Human t.i.tan.
mhanzo40: I admire someone of that brash stupidity.