Avenger Assembled
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It was an unexpected question, but it wasn't one Mark had any trouble answering. "I'm twenty," said Mark, "almost twenty-one. I'm a little older than Erin or you," he said, thinking about what to say and how to say it so he didn't accidentally frighten the girl, "because I had to start kindergarten late. I had really bad chicken pox, so my mom kept me out until after Christmas. It was lucky, though, because I got to go on a surprise vacation to the Moon that year." He looked at Jessie and asked what seemed like the obvious reply, after shooting a glance Erin's way. "Why, how old are you?"
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"I work for UNISON, that's the global super-agency," said Mark, not wanting to draw attention to any memories of Edge. Jessie didn't look like she understood what he'd said, so he went on. "I don't wear a costume or fight bad guys that much anymore. Instead I go to countries that can't make enough food to feed themselves, or can't afford to build things people need like housing or schools, and I use my powers to help them build it. It's not as dramatic as the stuff here in Freedom City that makes the news, but I feel pretty good about doing it. And I still get to fight bad guys sometimes," he said with a smile. "So things worked out pretty well for me. I get to travel and see a lot of the world, and even though it's some of the worst-off places, the people are always really great."
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"I'll follow your lead," said Sharl agreeably, still looking around the warped cityscape. "Do you think we'll be able to see it?" he asked Eliza as he floated off after her. "Or is this one of those things only you can see?" Sharl was confident that she wasn't making up what she saw, since he had ample experience with people with senses far beyond his own. Even if their interpretation about what it was differed, it would be crazy yo think that this wasn't real. "I have some experience with voids in reality. In my experience, that means there's something there," he said with a significant look Eliza's way. "Just something that the viewer can't understand with their eyes, so they look right past it."
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Just when they thought things were going to go well, the bus made one last stop before getting on 76th, the main artery down towards Bayview. They stopped by one of the many old schools in the neighborhood and came away with a prim-looking Asian nun and a handful of young women who had to be her students. They chattered to each other in English and Korean, occasionally shooting glances back at the small group near the center of the bus. In their old-fashioned uniforms, they were certainly private school kids. The oldest of them looked about fourteen, the youngest of them twelve. Mark shot a glance at Erin at that, worry briefly crossing his handsome features. Even he knew enough to be a little concerned about that, especially since they were now on the state road with no place to stop the bus for over a mile.
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"Treat them as you would any dangerous animal," replied Frost to Gabriel. "Some are capable of limited form of communication, but is best not to trifle with them in any case." He frowned. "We lost trained, armed men in last campaign. Our powers will protect us, but battle against Gigantosaur or one of his brood would only distract us from this vital task." He folded his hands on the table in front of him. "I have successfully contained volcanic eruptions before, but only on the surface. Gaian Knight is the best candidate for the job," he agreed with Fleur. "I will join you, Gabriel and Velocity," he said, "I can track in the jungle, especially with certain arts of my devising. With many hands, the work will be done well."
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They were near the beginning of the bus route, which luckily meant there was plenty of space once they actually piled onto the bus itself. Jessie had taken enough life skills classes to know to wait patiently as the doors opened, Edge going in first to actually pay for their tickets. He and Erin had never really talked about it, but he knew his salary was above and beyond hers and there was no reason to make her go out of pocket for it. Edge got out of the way to let everyone else get on, keeping his distance as Jessie found a seat by the window. Luckily their only fellow passenger, the man from the bus stop, stuck close to the front and immediately pulled a beaten-up paperback book out of his pocket to read. So far, so good...
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Crowbar in hand, Edge cracked open a crate of MREs and started handing them out to heroes and colleagues alike. "Just use a tablespoon of water for the self-heater," he said, showing those unfamiliar with how MREs actually worked how to do it. "I didn't know what dietary preference you guys have," he said apologetically, "so I had them set aside a mixed crate for you. There's the vegetarian pasta fagoli, and barbecue beef and potatoes." For all Mark's great power, it didn't cross his mind to change anything about his own meal as he sat on a nearby crate and started to eat. "So what led you guys to volunteer for this?" he asked the Claremont kids, including Jubatus in the conversation without hesitation. "Are you looking to do international stuff when you graduate?" he asked curiously.
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SWEET! "Well, I'm biologically just like the Earth boys," he murmured. "Maybe a little better, thanks to all the genetic engineering. Except I don't have biology at all, depending on how you look at it." He blushed. "Oh man, I'm going to have to ask Miss...anyway, let's talk about that later." He smiled at her and took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand. She felt close to real, anyway, which was about as good as things got out here in the real world for him. "Right now, let's talk about your eyes. Tell me what's been lucky enough to look at them lately."
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"Hey, I just went to the first bus station I could think of...guess we got lucky." Edge walked over to check the bus schedule with Erin as Jessie looked up at the pale blue sky overhead, gaping vastly above her. Birds were flying by and somebody too high to recognize was flying above them, and it was a good day. "The bus should be here in the next couple of minutes. This isn't a busy stop, but it'll get us where we're going. We shouldn't even have to change." "How do you feel, Jessie?" Dr. Ellis was asking her patient as Erin and Mark returned to the group. Before she could answer, they had company - an old man with a heavy mustache in work clothes joined them at the bus stop, shooting them a polite nod before taking a seat on the bench. From his uniform, he was one of the groundstenders at the nearby golf course, perhaps taking his lunch break or ending his day early.
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http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3977741/ = 25 on History http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3977745/ = 9 on Current Events Which is about right...
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"Aaah, brisk!" Comrade Frost had only grown more and more convival as the ship had headed deeper into the warmth of the tropics, leaving his parka's hood off and leaving his short white hair to fluff in the breeze. He came up behind Tiamat and Gaian Knight with a hot coffee in his hands, the steam rapidly fading from the cooling liquid. "You know, the last time I was on Kaiju Island, it was fifty years ago! We were chasing scientist-criminals who were using their biological science to make Green Dragon King to enslave the monsters of Kaiju for their own ends. But instead, they met a _chilly_ reception from the beasts with our help." He smiled. "And you know, there was an American aircraft carrier in that story too, but I had to sneak my way on board that one!" At that, he actually laughed. "Times change, and enemies become friends. This is delightful coffee."
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Steve couldn't make that promise, of course, nor for that matter could he promise her they wouldn't both die the next day. So instead he said, "I pledge to be more careful about cosmic artificial intelligences," which was certainly true enough for that. "Even now that I know you have the strength to handle it." He smiled a little, then added, "I have to go to work. My double's negligence continues to have lasting consequences at HAX. But Mara will soon find the data thieves, and she will assist the authorities in punishing them for their transgressives. I will come back tonight," he said guilelessly. "If you will let me, I would like to try preparing a meal of fajitas for you."
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Edge closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, studying the map of Freedom City he'd painstakingly put in his head over hours and hours of memorization -he still couldn't hit many places accurately but there were a handful that he'd managed to add to his 'library.' "Here we go!" The small group - Erin, Jessie, Mark, and the psychologists, wound up somewhere Erin recognized as Lantern Hill from the classical-style mansions visible through the fence behind her and across the street. They were somewhere quiet and relatively subdued, beneath the branches of several massive old oak trees still relatively denuded for the season. "The whole back lot there has been converted," he said with a gesture back at the mansion behind them. "I used to come here to play golf with my family," he said without a wince at the last of that for once. "Everybody okay?"
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When he had finished greeting the civilian scientists and engineers who had arrived with the rest of the young heroes, Edge turned back to face them. "All of us have something to contribute here," he said seriously. "Whether from your powers, your education, your job experience, or your hero skills, all of you can do a lot of good here. What we do here isn't going to get any of us on the cover of Time or make us interdimensional champions, but it'll do a lot of good for a lot of people. There are bad guys called hunger, and poverty, and want, and those are who we'll be throwing down with this week." He thought for a minute, then went on, "We are a little bit concerned about possibly encountering super-mercs or something, but so far there's been no sign of that yet. If you do see somebody like that, get with your team and protect what we're building here."
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"That makes a lot of sense..." Sharl looked Eliza in the eye and put his hand on hers, taking just a moment to gather his courage before he went on. "I'm sure whatever it was in the Tronik stock program anyway, so I'm fine. So anyway, now that that's happened, I've been doing some thinking about you and me and our relationship." He glanced around to make sure no one was listening, realizing with a little embarassment that he was more worried about people hearing this than their earlier conversation. "I really like you a whole lot, Eliza, and getting blown up made me think about all the things we want to do but never quite get around to doing, and how much missing out on that would suck. So what I was thinking is that, maybe sometime this week, you and I could take things to the next level. You know."
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Everybody from Claremont knows Edge - he's dynamite! Tall, handsome, incredibly successful with the ladies and a powerful hero on a respected super-team, he is somebody your teachers still compare you to. And look at him, with his fancy job and international travel, and barely 21, if that. But you gotta love him, because he's just so awesome!
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"Well, luckily Miss A had a full scan of my memories and personal information on file from just before we left," said Sharl with a little shrug. "So, she took that information, plugged it into a base Tronik file, and here I am. I've talked to my friends and I've watched what we have recorded, but I don't remember anything between being scanned by Miss A and waking up in her laboratory after the Day of Wrath." He looked down at his coffee for a moment, then shrugged again. "So I guess, you know, that was really weird. Some of my friends were really freaked out because of how I came back. But all people are is the sum of their memories, right? It's not like I'd have a soul anyway, even if they are real."
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Just before the delay could get awkward, the elevator doors opened again - this time revealing both doctors ."Hello, Erin, Jessie, Mr. Lucas," said Dr. Franklin warmly, the always-slightly frazzled Ellis just nodding hello as she came up just behind him. "I'm sorry for the delay," he went on in his deep voice. "It's my fault," said Ellis with a shake of her head. "I forgot I needed two forms of photo ID for the medical passthrough and nearly had to wait in Outer Receiving. I'm just glad I was still wearing my lanyard from Providence or I'd still be out there." "The important thing is, we're here," said Franklin, looking casual as always in a blue and green sweater Erin remembered him wearing during their long-ago sessions. Looking up at Jessie in her cell, he asked, "Are you ready to go?" "Do you need me to take everyone straight there?" asked Mark. "I've been to Project Freedom a couple of times, I can probably hit the halfway house without any problem."
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Construction projects weren't easy for Mark, who despite his great power had never been much good at doing anything precise. But he'd carefully studied the blueprints, checked and double-checked everything, and luckily gotten everything mostly right in the assembly process. Maybe it hadn't gone as fast as magically summoning a warehouse full of food every couple of hours, but looking around he certainly felt satisfied for all the good work he'd accomplished. He'd missed out on some things by not going to college and by not being a full-time Freedom City hero, but right now he couldn't have felt more satisfied. "Call me Edge, Lieutenant!" he said with a bright smile, feeling a little awkward about the older man calling him a Mister. "Let's go meet the kids!" Mark was waiting at the helicopter door when it landed, cape fluttering in the breeze and ready with a big smile and handshake for everybody as they got off. "Hey Jubatus, hey Tsumani, nice to see you again. Blue Jay, hey, my friend Wander told me great things about you! John, Marcus, hey, how you doing?" In blue and white and gold, in a mask and with a cape down his back, Edge might have looked gaudy, even ridiculous against the subdued backdrop of the base, but somehow he pulled it off - perhaps it was the dazzling smile. "Welcome to Mozambique!" he declaimed dramatically. "This is Lieutenant Lidimo," he said by way of introduction, "He's on loan from the Mozambiquian Army to help us out. If any of you don't know me, by the way, I'm Edge, aka Mark Lucas. I'm so glad to see so many of you out here. We could really use your help. How was your trip?"
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"We came back during the Day of Wrath," replied Sharl frankly. "Our school was already under attack, and we were carrying not just the other Tronik but biological weapons we'd liberated from Erde. We went to the Sanctum, fighting our way out of a trap the Curator had left for us. And when we got there, he was waiting for us." When he got his coffee, Sharl stared down into it in undisguised fascination before looking up at Eliza again. "He sent those robots to kill people here, but he _came_ for Tronik in person. He was already loaded into the program matrix when my friends got there. He'd gone...crazy, I guess, he wanted them to worship him as a god and was going to drag them back to his mainframe forever. Hundreds of people died. My best friend died. But my friends stopped his machines, and I fought him in Tronik with my friend Gal Vanic. At the end of the fight, as far as we can figure out, I found a way to use my own program to overwrite the Curator's. To make him leave Tronik alone and abandon his plans for this world. And he went away, and I...well, I died. In Tronik, I died, fighting the Curator."
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Steve removed his soaking-wet, reddened hands from the sink and dabbed at them with a towel; the barrier he'd put between himself and Gina suddenly seeming less than pointless. "That other people have survived a fall does not sweeten hitting the ground," he said seriously, approaching his sometime-lover slowly, so as not to further pressure her already fragile soul. "I love you. And Sharl loves you. Those who know you love you. That does not make the past any better, but it exists today. The weak do not suffer. The weak die of suffering. You have suffered, and you are still here, and have done all the things you have done. Scars..." And just for a moment, he caught a glimpse of his own hand as he reached for her. "are nothing to be ashamed of."
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Stratos's eyes narrowed. "You're a real jerk, you know that?" He turned back to his meditations and left Erin to catch up with Mark and Jessie, the former still carefully sussing out the conversation. "Jessie's a nice name," said Mark easily, giving her a warm smile to set her at ease. "You should practice saying it to yourself in front of a mirror so you can remember it whenever you need to. That's how superheroes memorize their supernames, and it works pretty well." It was how he did it, anyway, and so far that had gone pretty well. "I'm glad you're doing so well. It sounds like you're on the right track." He shot his Erin a look; everything seemed to be going okay? When she nodded, he turned back to the now ex-Singularity. "Are you excited about moving to a new place? It must be pretty weird to think about moving after you've been living in here so long."
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"Yes," said Steve, "that would be acceptable." He was tense, like a vibrating wire, but even so managed not to snap any of the dishes as he loaded them into the sink and began running scalding-hot water over them. When his hands were buried in steaming-hot water, he looked up at Gina and said abruptly, "I am a freak. I have survived the depths of Nihilor and emerged broken from the pit. Do not compare yourself to me. It is pointless." Over a clatter of dishes, he added, "You are not less because something about me is more than msot. My wounds do not heal yours. Even if you will not say what they are, I know they are there! You are not less for me for that."
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Mark shot a look at Erin for confirmation, then walked down to Singularity's cell. "Hiya," he said with a wave and a smile, keeping his distance so he wouldn't scare her as his own Erin followed him. "I heard you get out of here today. That's pretty great. I guess we didn't meet under the best of circumstances, but I'm really happy for you...do you go by Erin?" he asked Singularity curiously. "I mean it's a perfectly good name, but I just don't want to call you by the wrong name." "She goes by-oh hey, it's you!" Dr. Sebastian Stratos turned around in his cell. "Good to see you kids in a fine establishment like this. Is this that boyfriend of yours without the mask?" inquired Stratos as he got up and loitered near the cell entrance. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone...except everybody! Heh-heh-heh!" He winked at Wander.
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"Not really, I..." Sharl looked around for a moment, checking to see who might be listening, then focused on Eliza. "It's a long story. You know how I told you about that other dimension where the National Socialists won World War II? Well, my friends and I, we went there," he added in a soft voice that the murmur of the coffee shop blotted out past their table before he went on, "and we rescued the Tronik of that dimension. The National Socialists were holding it captive and experimenting on the inhabitants, and I couldn't allow that. So my friends and I, we went there, we defeated their commando team, and we rescued a whole city full of my people. It's resting safely on Earth-Prime now. That's twenty million people." He smiled thinly. "From what everyone tells me, it was a really good day."