The Adventures of "Fish Guy" (Superhero fiction)

[Hermit]

"You guys put the base in a mall?" Hussar observed after we arrived and got out of the vehicle. Barely two steps and he took wing again, going about twenty feet in the air and looking about the area.

 

"Pretty ingenious, right?" I smiled. The sheer amount of space provided by the arrangement was fantastic. To this day we still had more room than we needed. In fact, we'd easily set up some new bedrooms for the recruits. There would be no need to have them crash in the pads of the absent veterans.

 

"Who even goes to a mall anymore?" He asked with a tone of disdain, "I mean, just order things online or whatever."

"A lot of folks would agree with you, which is why we were able to get our hands on a deserted mall," I began to worry Hussar was a bit on the thick side. 

 

"Oh yeah, right," His eyes shot about, "I do like some of what you've done to it."

Well, good, he was actually let it sink in. The base really was something to see. I had once described it as  a mix between Byzantium styles and the interior of the Enterprise D that somehow worked. Now that Hussar was looking around and appreciating the revamp, he seemed a bit less disdainful of it's humble origins.

 

"That's Lady Obsidian's preferences at play mostly," I admitted, "Some of the glass work is absolutely amazing. You see the windows are meant to allow light while still preventing any snooping from-" 

 

Before I could continue, Hussar was flying around the place without so much as a by your leave ,checking out just how big it was. A pang of envy hit me. In the water, I am like a living torpedo for speed with all the grace of a sea lion, but on land I can make some long jumps at best or run like an athlete. In a world where it felt like every other person could fly, teleport, or just run at super speed, my land mobility felt somewhat restrained.

"If a door is locked it's locked for a reason!" I called out after him instead, and then went looking for Ariana.

After all, how much trouble could he get into in here?

 

As far as I knew, the only ones who would be here would be Valerosa, myself, and the new trainees. Pogo had a family thing, Slime was on Patrol, and, actually I wasn't sure what Viewpoint was up to, only that he had informed us he was taking the day off. I suspected he might be visiting family too, but that was just a hunch. 

 

It turned out, I wasn't the only one who let a rookie go wander. With a literal hot streak flowing behind her, Trailblazer shot past as she ran from one section of the base to the other. I had seen her file, so I was prepared, more or less, for the sight of her. The aura of flames she produced seemed most pronounced at the top of her head making it hard to make out the hair, and as she ran said flames stretched out like a shadow at setting sun. I observed the floor she passed over, and was relieved to see she wasn't leaving burn marks in the floor.

 

Then again, our base was pretty high tech with plenty of flame retardant materials.

 

"Hello there," I introduced myself in what I Hoped was a friendly but at least semi-professional tone.

 

What happened next was spectacular. You see, most speedsters don't just move fast.  They have to have the reflexes, protections, and a certain level of awareness to adapt to that last second change in the obstacles in their path or the shift in terrain. 

 

Trailblazer was, it turned out, not used to her enhanced speed. I don't know how quickly she had moved as a partial, but now with her powers fully awakened, I was pretty sure she was going faster than ever before. Even then I'd seen faster folks, but if she were going about sixty miles per hour now, that meant she was probably used to about twenty five miles before getting the gear.

 

So maybe the awareness and the reaction time hadn't really had time to kick in yet.

 

Whatever was to blame, she turned to flash me a smile, but as she did, her legs tangled slightly into each other. Now she could have adjusted for this, if it weren't for the coffee table. The mall had areas to sit down, relax in before, and that hadn't changed just because it was now a superbase. The coffee table was low, and between two chairs. Sometimes we used it for drinks, now and then for  card games for two. Lady Obsidian sometimes used it for chess.

 

Trailblazer, already trying to adjust her stance at speeds normally reserved for a highway, didn't see it and struck the thing with the backs of her knees. The poor coffee table broke, even as she flipped mostly over and partly through it, bouncing and making flaming loops that I'm sure from the side probably looked like quite lovely.  The accidental artistry ended as the loops broke instead into a bounce bounce and slide until finally she lay flat on her back, still smoldering, and staring up at the ceiling.

I? I was to be congratulated. I neither freaked out in a panic that I had 'broke' a rookie by distracting her, nor, to my credit, did I let loose a guffaw at her flaring and fiery fumble footed-ness. 

 

I did get alliteratively amused at her expense, sure, but I kept it to myself.

 

I'd like to think this shows I've grown as a person.

 

"Are you okay?" I finally inquired.

 

"Did a member of the New Samaritans just see me crash a table, flip several times, bounce twice, and the skid to a stop on my flaming ass?" She asked me.

 

Okay, at that, a smile slipped out, "One did."

 

"Then I have had better days. Unless you can un-see that?" Trailblazer asked from her prone position.

"I don't think I can," I answered honestly, "It's the kind of visual that sticks with you."

 

"Then no, I am not okay," She declared, "I'm just gonna lie here, close my eyes, and pretend this never happened," And then she closed her eyes, just like she said she would.

 

"Get off your ass, stand up, and help clean up the mess you made," A voice snapped like a whip.

 

The accent was wrong, but for a moment I felt like I was twelve at my Aunt Lily's house again. I turned my head and realized why the voice was familiar, and why Aunt Lily sounded like she had a Latina accent.

 

It was Ariana, or more accurately, Valerosa. She strode up to the side of the girl, and looked down, "Or do you need help up?"

"No, no," Trailblazer got to her knees, "Sorry, I just  -" Her eyes fell on the coffee table which was now broken and singed, "I'll pay for that." Her tone indicated she wasn't sure how.

"It's okay," I told her, "We have a budget for furniture replacement."

 

"What isn't okay," Valerosa's tone had gone down from whip crack to more like a lead pipe tapping in a palm, which is to say slightly nicer but not by much, "Is you ignoring me when I tell you that I preferred you let me give you the tour before you race around on your own."

 

Trailblazer looked aghast, "I thought you said let's get a look around?"

 

"Let's, as in let us, as in plural," Ariana specified, "What kind of idiot would let a rookie just go zipping around on his or her own without any supervision in a place with as many delicate things and dangerous rooms as this?"

 

Ever wince so hard you almost gave yourself a headache? 

 

Still, I was a bit stunned at this shift in Valerosa. Even in costume, she was normally so loving, so gentle and sweet. 

"I'm really sorry," Trailblazer said as she hastily gathered up the chunks of the broken table "But I don't know where these go?"

 

"There's a disposal chute right over there," Valerosa said, only now was her tone starting to soften, "We also have some cleaning bots but they're a bit less effective. Now are you physically hurt?"

 

I gave my girlfriend a look. She was just asking that part NOW?

 

If Ariana caught that question in my eyes, she ignored it waiting instead for Trailblazer to answer.

 

"I'm fine, my flames and speed come with a kind of pocket of resistance," Trailblazer answered, and put them in, "Just deeply embarrassed. I'm still not used to going that fast and I forget the difference."

 

I decided to throw the girl a bone, "We all make mistakes, especially in the first few weeks. That's why we're training you."

Two other figures approached. Aspirant hung back a bit, surveying the situation with quiet curioisity, but Bramble was ahead of him already coated in that wooden battle form or whatever it was. 

 

Then the wood enveloped heroine  stopped when she saw all was well, "Someone had an 'and I oop' moment or something?" 

"Or something," Valerosa shrugged, suddenly acting as if it was done, "It's handled now and won't happen again."

Now that sounded a lot more like the angel I was used to waking up next to.

 

Indeed, Trailblazer shot Valerosa a grateful look, then faced the other two "Still getting used to just how much my powers have improved."

 

"Right there with you," Bramble sympathized, "It's like the safety is off."

 

"It is," Valerosa says "Your full power is unlocked now. You are a bigger danger to yourselves and innocents- We will teach you how to be dangerous to just the villains. Now, as soon as Hussar gets here we'll take that tour of the area and lay down some ground rules," Then she looked at me, "Where is Hussar anyway?"

 

There was a crashing sound further back in the base. 

"I'm guessing that might be him now," I answered and moved.

 

Perhaps Eager to redeem herself, Trailblazer  announced, "On it," And shot ahead. At least her eyes were on her path now.

Before I could gauge Valerosa's response to this, the blazing racer returned saying "Hussar's fighting some weird blob!"

 

"Slime!" Valerosa and I said simultaneously.

 

"Slime, isn't he one of the team?" Aspirant asked, "I remembered reading about him in Super-Team Weekly."

"Yes" I said breaking into a run along side Valerosa, "Yes he is."

 

They say youth and skill is no match for old age and treachery. While, to my knowledge, Slime is not geriatric for his species, the basic truth of the boast was being proven true. Hussar was super strong, Hussar was bullet proof. Neither of which was helping him fight a foe who could go liquid. 

 

True, Slime seemed to be doing little damage to the winged warrior, but then I don't think he wanted to. Slime's powers are more than just being stretchy goop. He could alter the acidic or base nature of his body to a degree that if he wanted to burn you, you'd feel it. He could also seem to increase his mass and encase you. As we got there, Slime was working on the latter, even as he flashed letters before Hussar's eyes as quickly as he could.

 

Alas, not quick enough, Hussar punched through the forming text. Perhaps he thought it was an attack, maybe he just hated Comic Sans? Of course, while it displaced Slime, the alien was ready for it, and adjusted then gave up, and began the aforementioned enveloping. 

 

"I should have warned the others," Hussar said aloud, then yelled "We've under attack. I got him but there maybe others!" And then he took a breath and held it as he was now surrounded by a solid foot of Slime on all sides. 

 

He looked a bit like a winged pineapple chunk in a Blueberry gelatin. His muscles weren't helping because he had no traction. 

 

I strode up, "Hi, Slime. Want me to explain things to him?" 

 

PLEASE, the word took form , wobbling as Hussar tried to shake him. 

 

And then a short tunnel opened to Hussar's face so he could breath, speak, and hear.

 

"Eel?" He said, "I could use a hand here."

 

"Didn't you read the files on us, at ALL? Slime is a superhero. Heck, he's a team mate," I explained.

 

"Wait, this thing is a good guy?" The shock was obvious. Slime has complained now and then about humanoids having some deeply ingrained biases. It saddened me to have him proven right.

 

"Yes, he's a good guy. He's saved this city, surely Lady Obsidian mentioned Slime?" I was startled she'd leave names out. Slime wasn't a founding member but he'd been protecting this city longer than I had.

 

"She mentioned -a- Slime," Hussar conceded, "But I thought it was just a name, didn't think he was actual slime."

 

"You thought a human being in a costume was running around calling himself Slime?" My tone might indicate I found this profoundly unlikely, "But when you met a real Liquid being, it didn't occur to you?"

 

"I was startled by it, yeah," Hussar said, "And" he sputtered "Names don't always match. I mean, you call yourself Eel, and you aren't even like like green skinned. Others call you Fish Guy and you don't even have fins."

 

At the Fish Guy comment, I nodded, not to him, but to  Slime who had him entrapped, as if giving the go ahead "Happy Digestion!" And started to walk away.

"Eel!" Valerosa chided me.

 

"Come on, he smells terrible," Hussar whined a bit. At least he was calling Slime a he now instead of an it.

 

"Slime, Let him go, please," Valerosa said taking over this interaction.

 

Slime, obligingly, spewed forth Hussar, and then in large words wrote, for his benefit, YEAH? WELL, YOU TASTE LIKE CHICKEN.

 

"Gross," Hussar coughed and wiped at himself, "And I do not taste like chicken."

 

"Don't be too sure," I told Hussar while giving Slime a nod, "Slime here is the reason our city doesn't have an excess pigeon problem."

 

Now the other rookies also made faces.

 

"Okay, shower time, now," Valerosa said directing them, "Boys to the left, girls to the right. Change of costumes provided, you might as well clean up then meet us in the training area. Apirant, let Hussar know the directions. Do not go anywhere else, understand?" A look to Trailblazer even though she said it for all.

 

Trailblazer squirmed a bit at the look, but Bramble said "Got it" And all four headed off. Truthfully, the only one who needed a shower and a costume change was Hussar, but it was clear Valerosa knew we needed to talk a bit without them there.

 

Once the rookies were gone, I turned to her, and opened my mouth to ask a very important question.
Unaware that she was doing the same thing.

 

"Why are you being so hard on the rookie?" We both asked each other at the same time.

 

"Wait, what?" I said.

 

"Me? You're the one busting Hussar's chops constantly?" She says.

 

"Hussar?" I said, "Who's talking about Hussar? You've been riding Trailblazer awful hard don't you think?"

 

"Trailblazer got reckless and disobeyed, Hussar was trying to save us what he thought was a monster attack and tried to defend us,," She looked over, "No offense, Slime."

NONE TAKEN- I FIND SOLIDS EQUALLY OFF PUTTING, He assured.

 

"You're very forgiving, Slime, thank you," I said, then looked at my girlfriend who had suddenly gone nuts, "Trailblazer tripped over a coffee table in eagerness, Hussar attacked a team mate, in ignorance, one of these things is not like the other."

 

"She's been upgraded with the gear for weeks , we shouldn't have to teach her how not to trip over her own two feet," Ariana said putting her hand on her hip in a 'and that's that' pose that was a sign I could see how right she was, only I didn't.

 

"I distracted her, it's hard to set up your own distractions. Hussar's had his powers all his life, and should know enough of Angel-Man's past to know that attacking something strange on sight is now a sign of embarrassment in the superhero community."

 

"Not every superhero studies superhistory," She countered.

"Well, they should," I said, "And aren't you leaning a bit heavy on the 'Respect my authoritay' angle?"

Ariana isn't a hot tempered stereotype by any streak, but she did, at the moment, make a rude comment about me sleeping on the couch in Spanish.

In Spanish (Not as smoothly, to be sure) I mentioned that banishing me to a couch did not help her seem any less Authoritarian.

She looked annoyed at me.

 

"That's right," I reminded her, "I've been studying Conquistador for a while now," then I paused, "You really think I came on too strong with Hussar?"

"Little bit, yes," She said, then "I need to let it drop with Trailblazer , don't I?" 

 

"You need to not rub her nose in it again, yeah," I said, then added, "Or so it seems to me. I'll try to be more understanding of Hussar."

 

We gave each other weak, sheepish smiles.

 

A burble to our side pulled our attention. 

 

SLIME'S LOG- EARTH DATE WHATEVER- THE BREEDING RITUALS OF TERRA CONTINUE TO BAFFLE AND CONFUSE ME. SELF REPLICATION IS SO MUCH MORE PRACTICAL. STILL, THEY ARE INTERESTING, THESE MAMMALS IN THE MIST.

 

"You know," I said, "My Co Captain and I can find you plenty of monitor duty if you like?"

"Plenty," She agreed.

 

SLIME OUT, Slime said, and slithered away at a suitably respectful speed.

 

"Let's go get the rookies in the training area," Ariana said.

"Sounds good," I agreed, and off we went.

[BoloOfEarth]

I like the latest installment.  I particularly liked SLIME'S LOG. 

 

On the second book front, I've got all the pieces combined, and have done a first edit on about 30% of it.  I'd have gotten farther, but my employers have this silly idea that, if I'm going to work from home, I'm supposed to actually spend my work time doing *their* stuff.

 

[Lawnmower Boy]

1 minute ago, BoloOfEarth said:

I like the latest installment.  I particularly liked SLIME'S LOG. 

 

On the second book front, I've got all the pieces combined, and have done a first edit on about 30% of it.  I'd have gotten farther, but my employers have this silly idea that, if I'm going to work from home, I'm supposed to actually spend my work time doing *their* stuff.

 

Some people have a skewed sense of priorities. 

 

Second on SLIME'S LOG by the way. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I do taste like chicken. 

[Hermit]

17 hours ago, BoloOfEarth said:

I like the latest installment.  I particularly liked SLIME'S LOG. 

 

On the second book front, I've got all the pieces combined, and have done a first edit on about 30% of it.  I'd have gotten farther, but my employers have this silly idea that, if I'm going to work from home, I'm supposed to actually spend my work time doing *their* stuff.

 

Beggars (That's me) can't be choosers Thanks for anything you can do and everything you have.

 

Slime is fun though I sometimes forget to bold his 'texting'. The idea that he finds humans gross but fascinating tickles me but I'm easily amused by myself.

 

I am trying to find a balance for our two co-Captains so they dont' become TOO crazy unreasonable, but at the same time each one of them has their own 'baggage' which they didn't realize they were carrying and this new mentoring is going to bring it out.

 

Also, rookie heroes can be idiots

 

17 hours ago, Lawnmower Boy said:

Some people have a skewed sense of priorities. 

 

Second on SLIME'S LOG by the way. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I do taste like chicken. 

 

But not Chicken of the Sea, only a few are worthy of that.

 

 

[Hermit]

Sorry, folks. Oddly with my Housemates around a lot more the computer I love to use for writing is less available *le sigh* So that is what I'm going to blame However.. I did get something done and will put it up my next post.

[Hermit]

One nice thing about having more space than you really needed was that you had spares. Lady Obsidian had suggested we use the second training area to teach combat and let the new guys cut loose in. It would allow calibrations to personalized to their powers and styles. We had already made a few. 

We even set the service bots to apply a nice layer of paint over night. There was only one problem.

"Why is this room Magenta?" I blinked. 

The walls were not only strong enough to withstand superhuman blows of raw night legendary power, they were also bright, garish, magenta. Every single square inch looked like someone had eaten tones of red, purple, and pink flowers, and then vomited back on the walls in an even stream.

"I should know?" She said, but even as she countered, she pressed the control pad we were using in lieu of Mabel. It was slower, but it took orders, "How'd you pick the color?"
"Went right down the alphabet, was going Mahogany or something?" I answered.

"Is it possible you didn't scroll down enough? orrr," Ariana stretched the word in that tone you get when you're trying to interject something that isn't going to make the listener sound good, "maybe it rolled back a little and you pressed without looking at the last moment?"

 

I wracked my brain trying to recall. With Mabel gone, we were finding a lot of the devices we took for granted needed a bit more focus and concentration. Was it possible that I had put in the wrong color or misread the machine? Yes. Was it likely? Uhm, I thought with discomfort, yeah.

"It's Pinprick's fault," I told her straight faced.

"Pinprick's on the away team," She reminded me, "Hasn't been here in awhile and won't be back for awhile yet?"
"That's what makes him the perfect Scape-Goat," I smiled.
"Uh huh," She looked at the magenta walls and tapped one foot, "Darn Pinprick, look at this."
I smiled, "I love you."
"You better," She said, and for a moment the look she gave hinted at a smokey promise to celebrate that declaration. The odds of a kiss were definitely on the rise.

And then shot down like a clay pigeon at a shotgun range.

"Why is this place all tarted up?" a voice asked.

"It looks like we're in Prince's tomb" another said.

Aspirant, Bramble, Hussar, and Trailblazer had entered into the room. I noticed Aspirant's cape seemed off. It was fluttering a bit more to one side than the other and fluffed out at that. Hussar moved with easy confidence and took point. I suspect he was glancing back now and then to check his curvier fellow team mates out.

Well, I guess I couldn't throw stones at fraternizing with a team mate given I was in a very serious relationship with one of my own. Still, I made a mental note to make sure he wasn't making the girls, pardon me, women, uncomfortable.
Trailblazer seemed to be chatting quietly with Bramble. I suspect Bramble's earlier comment of support to Trailblazer about adapting to full power had broken the ice a touch between the two, which was fine by me.
Valerosa directed with a firm tone of command, "Okay, everyone fall in, look lively, and listen up."

If she had added added the order to stand at attention I am not sure I would be able to resist calling her 'Sarge', and that would make dinner dates awkward. Fortunately, they didn't, and the four rookies stood more or less together in a bunch.
"This is a training room for combat practice and power development," Valerosa continued once they did so, "It's an environment where you can cut loose with your powers with no risk to innocents, and hopefully less risk to each other though you still need to be aware of your surroundings and your team mates as you utilize the area. You are allowed to make mistakes in here, so you won't make mistakes out there."
"Now, any questions before we really get going?" I asked.

Aspirant and Trailblazer's hands both shot up, in that up from the elbow kind of way that indicates you feel a bit silly raising your hands but you're not sure you shouldn't so this is a compromise kind of way. Hussar and Bramble both flat out spoke, he louder than her, rather than wait on being called on.

"Why IS this place this girly red purple?" Hussar asked, confusion writ upon his brow.

"What's with the magenta?" Bramble said at the same time, having the advantage, as women often do, of actually being able to name to name the shade and hue.
Valerosa raised a brow then looked at the other two, "Is there any chance the questions you two were about to ask were on another subject besides the magenta color of the place?"
They shook their heads a bit sheepishly. No, there was no chance of that.

"There's a very good reason for everything we do," Valerosa said with smooth confidence that was, frankly, impressive in how conjured from the ether it was, "And trust us when I say it is all tied to the purpose of making you better superheroes."
I nodded, "Exactly," and hoped no one noticed that she had not really answered the question.

Then my girlfriend, my lover, the other half of my heart, threw me under the proverbial bus so fast I could almost see the bomb the movie villain had strapped to the underside of it.

"Explain it to them, Co-Captain Eel," She added.

I shot her a brief 'Are you crazy?' look that I hoped the others didn't notice, and then switched to a nod imitating her confident manner of speaking, albeit with my own accent, "A superhero has to be prepared for the strange, the unusual, and the unexpected at all times. You may find yourself fighting in the ocean depths, a steampunk style underground villain lair, or on the surface of a strange world where the very sky is not the color you are familiar with but rather say," I gestured, "Magenta. You must be aware of it, but you cannot let it distract you from your mission ,or the continued focus on the safety of innocents and your team mates. Your lives may, no, make that will depend on your ability to adapt and adapt quickly and find focus where it is needed."

In certain circles, what I was doing would be called 'Laying it on thick'. There are far less polite terms for it. 

"Huh," Hussar nodded, "I guess that makes sense."

Trailblazer thought about it, then nodded as well.

Bramble? Her wooden features shifted to a kind of squint headtilt combination that showed she was not quite ready to ride this train of thought to the destination I had offered up.

It was Aspirant who ruined everything, "You two do know I'm a telepath, right?" He said.

"Wait, are you in my head?" I asked.

"Yeah, you said this was the place to use our powers and I figured that meant that it was okay to-" He coughed as, apparently, he read my displeasure at this intrusion into my psyche and course-corrected ,"And I see that I was wrong with both of you. Sorry about that."

"Have you been reading all our thoughts?" Trailblazer said alarmed.

"Only the team captains," He assured, "And only because I kind of thought that was approval." He glanced over to see Valerosa giving him a look, 'Which I see now it clearly was not."

"Forget that," Bramble waved it off seemingly unconcerned, "I want to know, how legit is this whole 'It's Magenta to teach you preparedness thing'?"

"Not even a little," Aspirant mumbled but not so quietly that she couldn't hear him.

I sighed, "Fine. There was a mix up with a device, our usual A.I. has taken residence elsewhere and Godspeed to her, so this came out Magenta. But my argument was not complete B.S. as I can assure you, it took us off guard too and we're adapting as good heroes have to do. Just, try not to let it distract you."

"And Aspirant," Valerosa said in a no-nonsense tone, "No reading other people's minds until we say it's time to use powers on each other, okay? If I want to become super strong that's fine, but if I grab someone in here and juggle them without explanation, it's a little rude, okay?"

"Noted," He responded and I could see a light blush of color up his cheeks, "Sorry, Captain."

Again with the Captain thing. I hoped the kid was out of my head now or there might be a wistful envy flare shot up into my consciousness that he couldn't miss.
Regardless of that, it was now my turn to ask a question, "Aspirant, what is that behind your cloak?"

"Oh, this," he reached behind his cloak and pulled out something that looked like a cross between a chrome retro-hair dryer and a sawed off shotgun with a small panel of lit up grids on the side, "I got it from this supervillain I managed to defeat. See, I know there are robots and things out there that I can't use my mental powers on so I figured while I was in the states, this baby would give me some protection against them." He waved it around. "Looks good, huh?"

Within my blood and bone, the ghost of every great uncle who had ever gone hunting cried out in alarm. At least, I could visualize them doing so. I don't really have spirit powers, it's just something that happens in certain Southerner bloodlines mostly due to indoctrination and gun safety lessons being right there behind the ten commandments and slightly ahead of fifteen ways to hide a bottle full of illegally fermented goods.

"Hey, careful waving that thing around," I said looking at the odd thing, "Does that weapon even have a safety?" 

"Actually, I'm not sure," He admitted and touched the side, "I was hoping you guys would have the tech know how to-" And the damn thing went off.
It turned out it was a ray gun capable of projecting a barrage of concussive force energy pulses. I know this because it shot such a pulse at an angle, hitting the ceiling, and somehow, despite being an energy weapon and not your standard launcher of physical projectiles, had enough kickback to slide Aspirant onto his ass and, as the pulses lowered along with his aim, shoved him across the training area. 
As he desperately fumbled for a way to turn the gun off, the rest of us of reacted in our own way. 

Trailblazer was already streaking in seemingly random patterns, which if Aspirant had been aiming for her, might have been a good strategy. However he wasn't really aiming at anyone so odds were still the same of her getting hurt.
"Christ!" Bramble called out, and I saw the bark like material covering her grow and expand out of her hands to form something akin to a make shift tower shield.
"I got this," Hussar declared and flew forward with impressive speed and guts. 

He was, of course, the only one pegged by the damn thing, and as wings don't exactly help you hold your ground (For one is not ON the ground), got swatted like a pigeon hit by a drunk tennis player! A drunk tennis player on steroids at that!
"Get behind me!" went two voices at the same time, and I realized Valerosa and I were the speakers! She could have evaded this by going intangible but, of course, was instead going to provide cover for the most fragile members of the team. 
And while intangibility wasn't an option for me, I also had just gone to meat shield mode. Most 'strong guys' on a team are also the human bulwark types, and we take the punishment that other members of our team can't always handle. It's a weird mindset, but you get into the habit pretty fast.

I realized Valerosa was the better choice for retrieving that weapon, "Go intangible, I got them. You can close."
Valerosa nodded and said to the others "Hussar, get down here and get ready to shield the others, plant your damn feet and brace," And she moved forward shifting to a ghost like state and running as fast as she could towards the telepath yelling "Use both hands and aim it at anywhere people aren't!"

Blam blam blam!
"I'm-" Every third word of Aspirant was cut off by the blasting sound, "- can't hear" Blam blam! "-saying!"
"Bramble, turn that shield into a wall if you can," I directed, then looked at Aspirant and tapped my own head in an exaggerated fashion. Hoping he'd realize I was giving him permission, nay, insisting that he form a telepathic link and fast so we could talk over the noise.

And boy did he.

The first thing I felt was a wave of fear and humiliation. For some reason I figured telepathic contact would be mostly a voice in your head. I had done similar things before, but this was more raw. There was little separating the words from the emotion, and in fact, the emotion came first. These weren't my feelings, they were Aspirant's, but I felt my blood pressure spike and my nerves jangle as if it were my own.

'Stay calm', I thought as hard as I could. You ever intentionally monologue in your head? Most of the time we don't go around with little thought clouds, at least ,I don't, no matter what the comic books of old suggested. Now? I admit, I kind of visualized that happening.  'If it helps, share the fear with me, Valerosa is heading towards you, now don't.. no don't aim where you look' I winced physically and mentally as a blast streaked towards Valerosa.
And I was so grateful when the pulse went clean through her intangible form without harm.

'Sorry, sorry' Aspirant thought at me, 'What do I do?'

'For now, do what she tried to tell you, point it at a wall far away that has no one in the way, now it's going to shove you back, but that's okay or at least manageable' I directed even as more blasts came our way. I stepped in front of one and took a hit that definitely stung but I heard Trailblazer thank me.

Then the pulses shifted as he did as I directed. Sure enough he slid to the left of the far part of the room as he hammered the right with that weapon. I could feel his fear still and yes, he shared it with me. It seemed to give him resolve as he tinkered with the display buttons.

The erratic pulses now came out in a concentrated narrow steam, which I suppose some might see as an improvement. Aspirant was slammed against the far wall.
'Hold it as steady as you can' I told him 'Valerosa is on her way.'

I could feel something new, pain, the pressure was not comfortable and he probably felt like a sumo-wrestler was sitting on his back.
But Valerosa was there, she turned solid from the side, and rather than pushing a button, pulled at a tab causing a battery to fall out.

Aspirant looked relieved, impressed, and a bit embarrassed, "Ah, thank you."

"De Nada," She said and continued to hold out her hand "Give me the gun."

"But," He said, "Killer Robots without minds, squishy telepath."

"Give me the gun," She repeated, slower and no nonsense.

He sighed and handed it (minus the battery, obviously) over, "I figured it would be okay here, I mean, this is America right? When in Rome?"

"Stereotypes are wrong, Aspirant," I said in a firm tone, "It's wrong to judge any group of people by overdone portrayals on television and movies and the like, " then I added, trying not to smile, "Also, this is California and all Californians are avacado sucking hippie peacenicks scared of anything that goes bang." 

A group of chuckles slowly broke out among the trainees and then doubled as my Californian  girlfriend and co-Captain bumped me with an elbow. The joke had diffused the tension, which is actually what I was shooting for.
It worked. 

I have to admit, I was surprised. Despite my best attempts, I am not the funny guy of the team- well, not when I'm trying to be.

"Can we vote on that he never gets to use that thing again?" Bramble asked.

"This is not a democracy," Valerosa says, and looked over the telepath, "Aspirant, we're taking this away now, and going to study it. When we figure out how it works, maybe we'll help you learn how to shoot it. But for now, no raygun for you."

'But I like the gun' came the thought in my head that was not my own. Yup, we were still linked. And I could feel a disappointment. While embarrassed, and scared that it had happened, the endorphins after the even had him realizing it was, after the fact, kind of fun.

Ahem, I thought at him hard, might want to disconnect.

Oh, Shi- and it stopped.

"Sorry about that," He said rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry won't keep people alive," Valerosa said, but then, it may not have been directed at her. Not that she would realize that, "When you blast, and miss out in the city? Whenever you miss, you risk hitting an innocent."

Aspirant sobered and nodded, "I understand."

Hussar looked bored. Trailblazer looked sympathetic now that the  shooting was over, and Bramble shifted her weight from one foot to the other in what I guessed was nervous energy.

"Okay," I turned to them, "Let's see what the rest of you can do."
 

[Hermit]

Boy I've fallen behind here. RL Drama am fun. Sorry folks. I'll try to revive it.

[Lawnmower Boy]

11 hours ago, Hermit said:

Boy I've fallen behind here. RL Drama am fun. Sorry folks. I'll try to revive it.

Pogo graduates college in the next installment!

[Hermit]

(I figure a little is better than nothing)

Traiblazer ran the obstacle course we had set up ground level to show her stuff. Before I joined the team, when I was still new to the hero-ing gig, I would have been amazed to see a woman working the angles of the temporary maze at the speed of a downhill pickup truck hugging the mountainside, all the while her body was wrapped in a wreath of flames. As a rule, 'while on fire' is a phrase that makes anything sound more impressive. 

Seriously, try it sometime.

I am hungry, I think I will have a sandwich ... while on fire.

I need to do my tax returns ... while on fire.

I won a round of golf today... while on fire.

 

That's right, the phrase even makes golf sound more exciting.

 

But getting back to the point, years ago, I would have been impressed, maybe even in awe of the display of blazing speed. Now? I wasn't. Fair or not, I could not help but compare her motions to Torando's. Now, Tornado flies, but if anything one would think that gave him a disadvantage against the sharp turns available to a runner. However, compared to Tornado's sharp quick cutting motions, poor Trailblazer's veerings were slow and clumsy. She bumped against the barriers now and then, though her fiery field protected her from the impacts easily enough. Heck, the obstacles got seared for their trouble. 

 

One edge over Tornado she did have was if a group of punks tried to lay hand on her, they'd be reaching for Aloe Vera soon after. Of course, that was countered by the fact she might bounce against an innocent and give them a nasty burn. Overall, it was painfully apparent that she was no Tornado.

 

Then again, when he first started, Tornado was no Tornado, or so I suspect.

If you asked most superheroes what was more important, raw power or skill, I imagine most would say the latter. And yet, Trailblazer wouldn't be here if not for the power boost that brought her up to the level of 'standard' supers. Somewhere under her costume's threads was that thin harness that gave her the power that made learning the skills necessary in the first place.

 

Ariana whispered to me, her own thoughts not far off, "She's lacking precision, and that's dangerous with fire, particularly in some parts of California."

 

No denying that, and I grunted a wordless affirmative. There are whole sections of the state where any source of open flame is a bad idea in the dry season. We'd helped where we could in those situations, though I was a heck of a lot less effective than the others when it came to fire fighting. Now we had a young trainee who could cause a whole series of wildfires.

 

The public might be right to be jumpy.

 

"I wonder if she can extend that barrier to provide a sort of thrust?" I finally said to my co-Captain.

"Some way to ride the back draft for a boost in speed too?" Valerosa pondered, "It's possible."

 

"Fire to the side will you?" I yelled out "Keep running, but fire to the side!" 

Trailblazer heard me and extending her fingers to the side let loose a gush of energy. I suppose to the side was too casual a term, by the time the fire was roiling out, she was already ahead of it's launch point. This made gauging any push-back tricky.

Still, the gout of flame itself was impressive, not unlike a flame thrower sending out a brief but highly effective spurt. I noticed it didn't have that high blue tinge of extreme temperatures, but then we hadn't asked her for that.

"Point down and fire just in front of your feet" Valerosa said "As you're running!"

 

"Well, that's one way to..." Before I could finish my sentence I got to watch the results of compliance, and a confirmation of some physics. 

 

With only a brief hesitation, Trailblazer shot about five feet in front of her onto the floor, and by the time she was done, she was running over the blowback! She didn't burn a bit, but the heated floor and air were not so shielded against and she flipped end over end, and since she still had velocity, the effect was rather like one of those firework spinners skittering down a drive way with a slight incline. 

 

"We have recoil," I observed to my girlfriend and co-Leader.

"Gee," She arched a brow, "How can you tell?"

"It's an engineering thing," I said faux loftily as the flaming heroine skidded to a stop leaving burn marks behind her.

Some of the others were snickering.

Valerosa whirled on them and gave them a look that promised death, or perhaps that whoever snickered loudest was volunteering to go next.

They quieted down.

"You okay?" I asked Trailblazer. The last time she'd been on her ass in front of me she had indicated otherwise.

"Not really," She said, "But I'm getting used to it. Why did I just blow myself up?"

"We have some ideas for you that might, with practice, increase your maneuverability and the like," I said.

"So the goal is not my humiliation in front of my peers?" She observed.

"A perk at best," I assured, not bothering to point out that my co-captain was already silently threatening Trailblazer's peers if they did try to laugh too loud, "And you, okay with taking a few more lumps if it'll help you be a better hero?"

"Living the dream" She stared at the ceiling.

"Atta, Heroine," I said "Get up, and let's talk about thrust, recoil and..well, hot air."

"Eel's an expert at that last one," Valerosa nodded.

"Thanks I-" I gave her a look, "Cute."
My girlfriend, mask not with standing, dimpled.

 

[Lawnmower Boy]

You're on fire, Hermit!

[Hermit]

"So this is your battle form?" I said to Bramble.

"Yeah, good enough term for it," She said, "I know I look weird but it does provide me some protection. Feels as natural as my own skin too, somehow the plant life sticks to me and constantly adapts. I don't even have to think about it." As if to demonstrate, each bark covered finger sprouted twigs, then hardened into what looked like wooden claws.

"Cool," Hussar said.

 

It certainly looked cool, I had to admit, but I wanted to know more, "Where do the plants come from in the first place? I mean, do you start out normal then suddenly plants appear from nowhere?"

 

"I tend to draw plant material from nearby, only takes a little and it's soon it's a lot. Gr- Lady Obsidian said I had some kind of subconscious control over it on a cellular level," Bramble shrugged, "Honestly, I'm a city girl so it's not like I study a lot of plant life."

 

"Love to get you in the redwoods sometime," Valerosa observed.

 

"Oh sure, put me in even a city park and it's show time," Bramble grinned, "I can throw down with the best of them then. I once used an oak to stop a getaway car,  but it's not like I can carry it a forest with me."

 

I wasn't so sure about that, "Have you experimented with say pollen, ragweed, poison oak?"

 

"No," She answered, "You think that would work?"

 

"If you can make an oak snag a car, then I'm willing to bet you have a lot more versatility than you think," I observed, "I'm going to get you some books on Botany."

 

She made a face, "Homework, really? I'm a grown ass woman now."

 

"So am I, and I still study on the nature of my powers," Valerosa informed her in a tone of no nonsense, just a hint of that drill sergeant thing she had going earlier, "You're not in the minors anymore, Bramble unless you choose to keep yourself there. If Eel's right, you could be the most powerful of us all if you learn how to use what you've got to the max. But yes, you're going to have to work for it and that includes your brain."

The one-two conversational punch of 'suck it up, buttercup' and 'You could be the best' caught Bramble off guard and she clearly was conflicted on which part to respond to. To her credit, she didn't look too riled by the former, and had the sense to be cautious about the latter, "You think so?"

 

"Only one way to find out," I told her, "I think maybe a utility belt or something carrying seeds and the like might just work wonders for you." I liked the term 'utility belt' because it's really old school, and also sounded cooler than 'seed pouch'.

 

Hussar huffed nearby, "Utility Belt? Seriously? How lame is that?"

 

I felt like someone had just caught me watching Adam West on TV and mocked me for it. Which is, in my view, UnAmerican and Uncool. My brow raised but I let it slide. Hopefully Bramble wouldn't let his negativity discourage her.

 

"It does sound kind of lame," Bramble admitted looking self conscious.

 

"Call it whatever you like," Valerosa said with a brief glance at Hussar, then back to Bramble, "But it might help you take down a bad guy one day, or more importantly, save lives. It's worth looking into."

 

"I think it's a classic," Aspirant said, his support causing me wanting to grant ten points for House Canuck, "But you've got bark over the skin, why not over the belt and then it opens when you need it if you really don't like it?"

"Huh, yeah," Bramble  considered and slowly nodded, "I think I could."

 

"I think a nice belt might compliment if it looked nice," Trailblazer commented.

 

"I'll get a fern and we'll get a demonstration of your powers, Bramble" I said. The base had plenty of 'green touches' here and there, and one fern could give itself up for science.

 

It was an impressive demonstration. One moment, there was a simple fern in a pot, then Bramble demonstrated her ability to expand it's mass in outreaching forms and shapes so the green of it easy went five meters and was almost as strong as low grade steel. I know, because  she hooked my arm and  had it pull!

Braced as I was, I didn't budge.

 

"Damn, you're hard to move," Bramble declared. her brows knit.

 

"Waves don't know me over lightly either, but you should see Valerosa when she's hit her density dial on max so to speak," I gave credit where it is due, "But this is a good pull, at least as strong as weightlifter I'd guess. You could throw your average bad guy across the room or tie him up."

 

"Hey, you could wrap Eel up," Hussar suggested, 'Besides just the arm, I mean."

 

"Are you trying to get me in trouble?" Bramble said to him.

 

"It's okay, go ahead." I said "If you can keep a foe from utilizing their strength, keep him or her from getting leverage, it'll be that much more effective so go ahead." 

 

Part of me wondered if I was going to end up on the floor bound and gagged in a fern vines, my ego taking a beating all in the name of super powered training? Oh well, so be it.  This was too useful for non lethal crowd control for me to not encourage it.

 

Sure enough the fern vines wrapped around and around me, and Bramble took my advice to heart, wrapping it around joints  and the like so I'd have a harder time. What really amazed me is how much the plant had to be stretching to be going around me again and again. I could see why Lady Obsidian believed there was a telekinetic component to this. Bramble's control was precise now that she was focusing on it. Each cord hardened.

 

"I can't use it to tie you up any more, I mean... it's done" She explained, "So that's as tight as it's possibly going to-"

I exhaled.

"-get." She said.

I inhaled, my chest swelling, and the cord like vines, strong as oak or not, snapped in sequence off my chest and I shed the entrapment like someone might push through rice paper. 

 

The reactions threw me off a bit.

Bramble looked crestfallen. 
Hussar looked disappointed. Then he snickered.
Aspirant went "Wow."
Trailblazer blushed for some reason.
And I swore for a moment Valerosa eyes warmed.

 

"What?" I asked. I was missing something.

 

"Nothing," Bramble said, crossing her arms defensively and while I didn't understand the reactions of some others, I got hers. She had given her best effort, and I had snapped out of it with apparent ease. I'd just shown her up in front of her new peers.This was a problem. I remembered my early school days under a horrible teacher named Mrs. Knells. She would call students up, encourage them to their best, then seem to take an almost perverse sense of delight in showing how wrong they were and rubbing into their faces 'how easy it was'. 

 

I had made Bramble feel like an idiot, and while that was not my intent, as her teacher, it was my problem and I needed to course correct fast.

 

"That was amazing!" I declared with enthusiasm.

 

"Brah, you snapped right out of it," Hussar said, "You made it look easy."

 

"It wasn't," I stated before Hussar, who I began to suspect was the negative nancy of the group, could bring things down further, "Chest expansion is one of the  tricks I've learned in the trade," I focused on Bramble again, "You did everything right, tried to hinder my ability to use my full strength, did it quickly and efficiently. Remember I mentioned the pulling we did earlier like being a weightlifter tugging? Well, if you had done that to a non powered weight lifter, and I'm talking Olympic level, there's no way that guy could get free without help."

 

"Yeah?" Bramble raised a slightly thorny brow.

"Yeah," I stated, "And villains come in all types. Some aren't super strong, and need to see to use their powers, wrap them  up like that, and you've taken them out of the fight. You've got a great potential crowd controller here. I kind of envy it."

 

Now Bramble looked dubious, "Oh come on."

 

"He's not kidding, " Valerosa said, "It's a non lethal way to trap a foe up, maybe foes if you can do that more than one at a time ,walk away and move onto the next. Invaluable when you're facing multiple non powered enemies at once."

 

Bramble thought about it, "Huh. Thanks" She brightened, "You still snapped out fast though."

 

"Well, let's not mislead," I told her, "I am pretty damn amazing, but strength is quite literally my strength. It's like being surprised I breathe water."

 

Bramble nodded, "So I should go after the non strong guys with that move... let Hussar or the like handle the big guys?"

 

"Well, sometimes it's a change up, but you're thinking tactically," I nodded, "You're all learning what works. That's why it's better to find out here than in the field."

"I already know what I do," Hussar said with a shrug, "Bet I could do what you did. With the vines I mean."

"We'll find out later," I said, "But it is your turn to be tested."

Hussar grinned, "Bring it on. I'll try to go easy on you, old man."

"I'm in my twenties," I told him with a lift of my brow.

"Yeah, well," he shrugged, "Still, I'm the next gen improvement to strong guys right?"

Given he was the clone of an old superhero, I was tempted to say something really snarky. Instead, I gestured "Get into the center of the room, Junior."

"All right," Hussar said eagerly, "Let's see what you got, Fish Guy."

 

I'd been told I had a mean streak when my temper rose up, frankly I didn't see it, but I must confess I did have a brief mental image of tearing off his wings and beating him with them. Nothing I'd ever actually do, of course, just one of those little day dreams of extreme violence on some jerk we all get. We all do get those right?

 

While I pondered if maybe a therapist might not be a bad idea, I was surprised as Valerosa put a hand on my shoulder "Allow me," and then  as I turned ,she kissed me he on the cheek, and whispered, "You were very hot snapping out of the strands like that. Best Pecs forward and all that."

 

It was my turn to blush a bit, both at the realization I might have done an 'oops I'm sexy' in front of three women, and also at the curious notion of just what the heck women these days were into if snapping free did that for them? I could ask Aspirant I suppose him being telepathic.

No. No. I could NOT ask Aspirant, I decided. He might tell me.

 

"Wait," Said Hussar, who realized he was not going to face me, but rather Valerosa, "I wanted to take on the best fighter."

 

You know, it's debatable , I get that, but I found it easy to answer "And that's who you're getting."

 

"Huh? I thought you were the strongest one of the Samaritans?" That was Bramble.

 

"I might be the strongest," I said, stressing the word 'might' "But Valerosa's our best fighter."

 

And Ariana was pleased by that, very pleased. Her eyes made a promise, and then moved on.

 

I heard Trailblazer whisper something to Bramble, and both girls chuckled softly, borderline giggling. 

 

"I gotta warn you, Captain," Hussar said "I like the ladies, but in a fight I will kick a girl's ass if I have to."

 

I could almost feel Valerosa gaining weight, mass and density through the flooring as she stepped up and took a fighting stance with Hussar, "You will try."

 

Oh yes, a lesson was about to commence, and Aspirant muttered, "Anyone else getting an urge for popcorn?"

 

I had to admit, visualizing what was to come, I got a craving for some fluffy poppy buttery goodness myself.

 

 

 

[BoloOfEarth]

Excellent work!  More great stuff.

 

I'm wondering about Bramble's near-slip toward the beginning. 

Would that teenager happen to be African American, with a decent chance of having the last name "Vernon"?

[Hermit]

Many comparing Valerosa's build against Hussar's would assume that the short (Or as she preferred to be called 'Vertically Petite) woman would have no chance against the Winged guy with the linebacker bulk. The more observant might notice that the lady was pretty toned herself, no stranger to work outs and physical self improvement but they'd still put money on the big guy. But if they knew anything about super heroes (or for that matter, Super villains) they'd look at the costumes, and throw their hands in the air and give up on guesswork. 

 

I live in a world where a six inch tall man has taken out fifty foot tall robots. When superpowers first came to public attention so many decades ago, a famous scientist was asked if he and his peers would need to go 'back to the drawing board?'

His response? "Yes, and we're going to need a bigger drawing board."

 

It would prove to be prophetic. Whole new schools of thought have sprouted up in every branch of science, ironically leading to more superheroes and supervillains from lab accidents gone wild, prototype gadgets, and an odd number of strange meteorites found purposefully or otherwise. This, of course, leads to yet more branches and theories and attempts to recreate whatever happened.

 

Super Science-a growth industry!

 

But for myself, I knew pretty damn well Valerosa was about to kick Hussar's ass. I looked forward to it, truth to tell. She had been training for years to hold her own with only half the power she has now. Her Uncle taught her a lot of martial arts moves and she had taken his lessons and branched out, studied hard, and trained harder. I know a few wrestling moves, how to get up from a fall, and how to maximize my punch, but compared to Tornado or Valerosa? I was still mostly getting by on muscle.

 

Hussar, of course, didn't realize this and despite my 'best fighter' comments (And I had to wonder if Tornado would take that wrong if he heard me say it?) was already showing signs of cockiness as she walked up before him and assumed a position.

 

"Ready?" She asked Hussar.

 

"Ready," he smiled smugly, "Say, if I beat you do I get your place on the New Sama-" 

She shifted her density, dropped down low to the floor, seemed, for just a half second, to sit on one hip, then using her other leg struck the base of his calf and leg swept him to the floor. Another half second later, she was standing up again, and Hussar was flat on his back wings fluffed out like a startled cockatoo's. 

 

"What the hell?" He snapped.

"Don't lie to me," Valerosa said in a disapproving tone to Hussar giving him a chance to get up.

"Lie to you?": Get up he did, looking irked.

"I asked if you were ready to fight. You weren't," Valerosa commented, "Ready to talk? Maybe."

"I was just trying that banter thing," he said testily, now in a more alert ready to fight stance, wings flapping a bit though he was still on the ground.

 

"Banter is for winners, Hussar" one of us declared, and to be honest? For a moment I thought I had spoken the inside part out-loud again.

Then I realized Aspirant had given into the urge to say it before I did.

Hussar gave the scrawny (Relatively) Canadian a glare. And Aspirant promptly moved right behind me as if to use me for a shield if need be.

In a low voice I muttered, "Hey, what would your fellow countrymen say about you being back there?"

"What? Canadian brains trying to make American brawn useful?" He muttered back "They'd probably say 'Same as it ever was'"

I thought of a few retorts, but damn it, that was actually kind of funny, so instead I conceded "Five points for Mapleclaw."

 

He needn't have worried about Hussar though. No way Valerosa would let Hussar ignore her during a lesson.

"So, are you ready, or not?" Valerosa said "For REAL this time."

 

"Oh, I'm ready," Hussar said, and launched himself through the air at her. Like I mentioned, compared to Valerosa and Tornado, i'm quite the rookie at skilled hand to hand. But even I could see at least three ways this move was going to backfire on Hussar. Four if you counted her simply becoming intangible and letting him streak right through her.

 

She went with number three, which to be fair, at least looked like work. She appeared to take the hit, but rolled off his shoulder (and wing). Actually, rolling might not be the right term, she gave some sharp jabs as she rolled, with her fist then elbow then fist again then once clear of his attempted sweep grabbed his wing and slammed into the ground with not just her own might (Which was impressive) but the extra force he brought to the party by charging her.

We could feel the vibrations through the floor of the training area we were standing on.

 

Momentum, thy name is ouch.

 

Trailblazer's eyes were bugging out. Bramble gave a low whistle. Aspirant gave a sympathetic wince despite his own verbal jab earlier.

"Flight is your edge, but you sacrifice some stability when you use it," Valerosa said, "Get up. Don't be embarrassed, I'm evaluating you."

He glares as he did indeed rise "Are you trying to make me look bad?" 

 

See, this is how I know Valerosa is a better person than I am. Because I would have said 'I wouldn't say I was TRYING' and maybe egged him on. I had to remember these were students, not villains. They came for us for training, not to be taunted. Though something about Hussar really did rub me the wrong way.

 

"Everyone looks bad when they start," She answered instead, "You wouldn't be here if we didn't have things worth teaching. Don't let your ego get in the way of your education." 

That wasn't a bad line, and I resolved to use it some time if I needed to. 

 

To his credit, Hussar had lost the smugness, and learned some justifiable caution. His next attempt was another flight move, but he made sure not to let her snag a wing, and instead gave a testing kick. She blocked it with a forearm, made just a tiny grunt to show she felt that one, but didn't budge. The next time, he tried a roundhouse, hoping for a quick overwhelming shot at her.

 

Her smaller sized proved to be advantageous as she used that most honored of ninja like moves; that is she ducked. 

The uppercut she gave in return looked more heavy weight boxing than Kung Fu or whatever, but man did he feel it. Up through the air he went, and this time not by choice. Hussar landed on his ass, dazed and confused.

 

I think his wings weren't in agreement on which direction to go next.

 

"Geez remind me not to piss her off," Bramble said.

"Too late for me on that," Trailblazer said to her co-student. I made a note to work on her confidence. Couldn't have Trailblazer so nervous about Valerosa's approval that she shut down.

 

Valerosa could finish off Hussar from here pretty easily, instead she stopped, "You okay?"

 

"Yeah," he said a touch surly, then took a breath "I mean, yes.  Can you teach us to fight like that?"

 

"We hope to give you the basics," She answered, and smiled. Hussar's question showed he was at least getting the right idea, "And help you get on that path if you want."

 

That's when my com chimed, "New Samaritans? This is Pogo, are you there? I might need back up!" And there was a sound of an explosion in the background.

 

"And that's class for the day!" I declared to them, then spoke in the com "Back up is on it's way, Pogo! What's your location?"

 

Good thing I was already in costume.
 

[pinecone]

Good work!

[Hermit]

 

With a team mate in trouble, the training session was done, and Valerosa and I raced off towards the hover cycles. Neither of us were flyers, but technology had certainly made it possible for us to get to anywhere in the city fast. Heck, we didn't even have traffic problems, which I admit, might justify a lot of resentment/envy from the non super.

 

The vehicle storage area opened up, to reveal the hover cycles, the flying car, and the newer addition- the Mini-Submarine.We also had a time machine, but that was not in the vehicle hangar and storage area, that was in a 'this is an extremely bad idea- do not touch' area along with the mutant hunting robot remains and the case of New Coke.

 

No, I'm not so sure what's so funny about that last one either, but Pinprick assures me it's hilarious.

 

No sooner had I put hands on my cycle when a voice spoke up "Cool. Where's ours?"

 

Only then did it fully sink in that Valerosa and I had been followed by the trainees. Aspirant was looking at the gear like a kid who had found a toy box.

 

"I think if you give me directions I can move fast enough on the ground," Trailblazer assured us, "I won't be far behind if at all."

"I already fly," Hussar boasted, "I mean, the cycle looks cool and all but-"

 

Before Bramble got her two cents in, I cut them off. 

"You guys are staying here," I explained, then had a mental image of them all huddled in the hanger trapped by literal-ism, so I expanded "In the base."

 

The rush of protests came all at once.
"Man, this is bullshi-"
"But I can help!"
"How are we supposed to learn if you don't let us try?"

 

Valerosa snapped her fingers to get their attention, "Hey, not about your class right now. A fellow New Samaritan is in trouble, and there isn't time to hold hands, or give you pointers. Some are you are still getting used to your new power levels and others are just new period. So you wait here."

"Yes, Captain" Bramble said though she made a bit of a face.

Hussar snorted, but he also threw up his hands and walked off leaving the hangar. 

Trailblazer looked crestfallen, as did Aspirant.

 

I actually felt a swell of pity. After all, when I was a rookie I was the only hero in my home town, so it wasn't like anyone was going to tell me stay home (Okay, a few police but not like they could actually do much about it) . I got to learn on the job which did have it's perks along with a lot of minuses. But there really wasn't anytime to debate. Pogo was in a fight, she needed help, and needed it now.

 

Sitting down I started the vehicle up, "Watch from the monitor if you can, have some beverages, and get to know each other," I told them, "We'll start patrolling the city together as part of the training soon."

 

As soon as I said it, I realized I had just made an unofficial promise. Oh well, it was a superbase, not a prison. It wouldn't be right to make them feel trapped here twenty-four/Seven.

 

And then Valerosa revved hers as well, and we flew off. The base had security protocols after all. They were intelligent young men and women. How much trouble could they really get into while we were gone?

 

Meanwhile, which is a word I cannot think in my head except of in a deeper and somewhat elongated fashion, Pogo was indeed in a fix. She had given her location, but we could see the explosions from a block away!

 

"On second thought," I said to Valerosa, "Maybe we should have brought the rookies."

She grunted, and I knew why. It was too late now.

 

To her credit, Pogo had lead the villain in question to a deserted area full of storage units, warehouses, and a grocery store that had gone bankrupt and was out of business pending sale to a new owner. I sure hoped they all had insurance because the explosions were cracking walls right and left!

Which was really hard on Pogo. You see, Pogo's powers make her nearly immune to being hurt by blunt force, and pretty resistant to kinetic force period, but she could still be knocked about.  You could call it kinetic counter-action or gild the lily any other way, but in a nutshell Pogo bounced. And right now? She was getting bounced around so violently it almost kept her from talking.

Almost.

 

"This is your last chance to surr-"

BOOM!  Went the gray and black clad villain with red highlights, as he held out his hands like he was trying to force choke her, but instead of gripping her mid air, a wave of vibrations shoot from the two hands becoming explosions at the source they hit.

"-rrender, and I mean it, Devastation!" Pogo said naming the villain even as she slammed with increasing speed from one building's wall to another like a racquetball, "And you're making me righteously wrathful, you won't like me when I'm-"

BOOM! "Oh for crying out loud!" She said as another blast sent her into the air.

 

I smiled, hit my cycle on hover, and said on my Communicator "Help is here, Pogo. I got him." And I leapt off the vehicle to do a death from above move. Well, not death. I value life, but noogie from above didn't sound as intimidating.

 

Pogo spoke hastily (But she always did), but not to just talk this time, "Eel? No! he's got this explosive field that..."

 

But it was too late. As I slammed down on him, well, almost, about six inches to contact there was this weird sensation kind of like pushing your finger in jello. If the jello had been set to explode. I'm not saying I got covered in goo or anything, no. It was a pretty clean explosion. But it WAS an explosion, and I was launched back up into the air at a different angle before slamming into the ground.

 

"If you get in physical contact with him, he has this explosive field!" Pogo said sounding irritable, "What you think I can't slam into somebody who fuels my bounces? Honestly guys. It was the first thing I did when he sent me flying. It was all I could do to lead him here where no one could get hurt and I don't suppose either one of you has an idea to take him down because much as I'm glad for the help I'm really wishing we had someone with ranged energy attacks or-"

"We hear you," Valerosa said, and looked frustrated herself. Like me, her main offensive ability was pure strength, albeit one born of manipulating her density rather than my more natural (if there is such a thing for supers) muscle, "I'm guessing trying to grab or hold him-" 

 

"Sets off the explosions too. I tried," Pogo said, "And frankly it stopped being fun like five minutes ago and by fun I mean I hate this because I feel like a loser right now but I've got to keep it going this guy is a threat to the city."

 

Devastation laughed at me as the two ladies talked on the communicator, "You heroes are pathetic! I'm Devastation! I am raw explosive force! No one lays a hand on me! I blow everything away!  Now I get to kill three New Samaritans? YES! I'll be so feared!"

 

Viewpoint was busy, Arctic Fox and Pinprick were out of town, "Damn it, " I said on the comm, "Maybe we should have brought the rookies."

 

"There's got to be another way," Valerosa said "I don't think my going intangible is going to help much. He won't be able to touch me, but I won't be able to affect him either."

 

I tried a bluff "Stand down, Devastation! Lady Obsidian is on her way!"

 

"Pfff!" He snorted with contempt, "Like I didn't hear the news! Lot of you heroes are out of town! You got nothing that's going to impress me, FISH GUY" Devastation stressed the words to show he was picking the nickname I didn't like used on purpose, "What are you going to do? Breath water in front of me?"

Then I got an idea, and hit the com "Pogo, I'm going to try to get him to the shore. Think you can help?"

 

"The shore, why would.. " Then realization set in, "oh! Yes yes yes! I can do that I see where you're going this which just goes to show I've been working on tactics and I see where you're going with this instantly."

 

"So do I," Valerosa said, in an insecure fashion, but to cut Pogo off so we could get to it, "Let's see if he can swim. In fact, let me." 
And she was right to do so. Because as she jumped off her vehicle, she started to float down like a living ghost. Then to really get his attention, she called out "Devastation. Try that on me, little man."

 

Devastation set loose of those beams, but while  the air roiled behind her, it was a relatively weak explosion. Besides, she was intangible now, the force cutting through her without much trouble. She landed before him light as a feather, then brought her density up to factor of diamond and said on the com "Volleyball time."

And she uppercut him! Devastation, of course, exploded, but she made enough contact to send him into the air even as her super-heavy form dug twin trenches with her feet as she was driven back. There was a surprised look on Devastation's face as he gained altitude, but not as surprised as he was when he started to come down only to get popped back up, and further towards the ocean by yours truly!

 

"What the" Boom "Are you mocking me?" BOOM!

 

"Totes mocking!" Pogo had bounced against several walls to build up steam to meet him in the air on this second launch, and put her own force! "Mock Mock mock..."

 

He exploded again, but Pogo was ready for him. There was a time when her bounces were always guess work and erratic, but I saw her twist and turn even as she was rebuffed, using the force but choosing where she landed so she could bounce up again "Mockity mock mock mock mock!" And she bounced against him again, causing him to explode again. Without ground to stand on, his own explosions were moving him!

 

"STOP IT!" Devastation yelled! It was a whiny kind of yell at that.

 

Even when you think you're invincible, most folks get nervous about going up fifty feet in the air and falling again. It's the loss of control I suppose. And suddenly, for all of his power, Devastation didn't have control. Pogo? Pogo did.

 

"She's gotten good," I muttered. I mean, I knew on one level she had. I had watched her progress and train and work with us  for months. Yet, on another level, I guess I still saw her as that overly energetic way too eager kid who happened to have super powers.

I felt a strange mix of pride and nostalgia sink in.

 

Pogo didn't need us anymore. Well, yes, of course, she needed us, like any team mate might, but then no less than we needed her. She had protected innocents ,she had the sense to send out an alert, and now? With a strategy in mind, she was making it work. The more powerful the explosions Devastation released , the more force she came back with, but with her controlling her direction, and thus his, Devastation, a villain who would be a nightmare for any populace, was being made to look like a joke.

 

"You go girl," Valerosa grinned openly. She could see it too.

 

Mind you, she was still Pogo, so no, Pogo was not going to 'stop it'. She was going to keep talking, and heckling, "Ooo Me Big villain, me go boom! Like mighty fire cracker! Me powers not compensating at all!" 

 

Of course, there were a lot of explosions between her taunts, but now that Pogo was on her game, she just picked up between each boom at the place she left off!

"Drop your field, jerk," She bounced him in the air again and again, a few windows shook, but she kept him from landing and he couldn't aim well enough to 'fire' an explosion so the explosions that were happening were in the air, "Drop your field, JERK! DROP T DROP DROP!" 

 

BOOM BOOM BOOM

 

"Never!" he snarled

 

Valerosa and I had gotten back to our cycles and flown after careful not to get so close that the shock waves blew us off course. Yeah, Pogo really didn't need us. 

They'd gotten to the beach. Pogo hit him, Devastation blew up, Pogo landed in the sand, and Devastation? Into the water he went!

Fortunately, neither fish nor human swimmer was about, and trying to cause explosions under water is a whole different effect. He created a lot of waves, then gasped, then cried "I can't swim!"

 

Pogo yelled out "Just tell the water how bad ass you are!"

 

"Glurgh" was Devastation's not so witty reply as I raced towards the beach.

 

"Drop the field or Eel won't be able to save you!" Pogo yelled through two hands to let him know I was on my way to help, then she added "You moron of malevolence!"

 

Moron of mal.. okay, maybe she still had some growing up to do. I am not the fastest hero on land, but I move quicker than a torpedo in the water.

I reached Devastation and, yeah, he was a moron. He blew up again. As I was kind of over him, I got pushed back some, but was ready in case so went back a few feet instead of yards. Devastation? he went deeper and more airbubbles came out. I sighed, and plunged in after him.

 

This time when I grabbed him, he didn't explode. I lifted him to the surface and he coughed and wheezed as I held him, "You able to breath now?" I asked

He coughed, nodded and then said "Yes.. I can breathe."

 

"Good to know," I headbutted him, with far far less than my full strength, and he went out like a possibly concussed light.

 

"YES, we got him!" Pogo fist bumped the air, "Whoot!"

 

"Amazing work, Amiga," Valerosa patted her on the back.

 

I nodded my agreement as I came on the shore, "It may have been my idea, but once you had it, you didn't need us at all."

 

Pogo blushed "Well, I don't know..."

 

"She's threatening to outgrow the team, getting too amazing," Valerosa laid it on thicker.

 

"Soon she'll be leaving us  B listers behind," I faux lamented.

 

Pogo still blushed, but now she rolled her eyes too, "C'mon guys. I could never leave the team-" we smiled at her, then, to show that her training had also taught her how to be a smart ass, she added, "After all, I need sidekicks."

 

Valerosa messed with the younger heroine's hair, and laughed.

 

[BoloOfEarth]

Lawnmower Boy will be so happy.  This installment is literally Pogo and her Sidekicks.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Also , I like the subtle way the case of New Coke got dropped in. That's going to pay off big in Series 5

[Hermit]

"So," Pogo decided after about three minutes of constant post-victory chatter to ask about our day and let us get a few words in, "How are the rookies doing?" I thought she would leave it at that, but she was still Pogo so extrapolated, "The trainees, the young bloods, the newbs, fresh meat..." 

 

"They're fine," Valerosa said before the thesaurus talk could go on, "Well, that's not entirely true. They're stumbling over themselves a lot. It's a mixed bag. Got some with too much ego, some with too little, and they don't always think things through."

 

"Want me to rough them up for you?" Pogo asked, pounding her fist into her hand, "I could use practice playing the tough guy."

 

"Yeah," I replied "That won't be necessary. Our biggest ego got a humbling from Ariana, and we took away the big gun from our resident Canadian, the plant girl is willing to listen to ideas, and I think the flaming racer will sharpen with practice. You'll get a chance to meet them all."

 

Pogo nodded "Cool, I know what it was like to be the new girl-"

 

"I think it was last week" Valerosa interjected.

"AND," Pogo continued ignoring that comment, "It can be a lot of pressure to impress the old guard."

 

"Old?" I mimed a touch to my chest over my heart as if barbed.

 

"Meaning no offense, your venerableness,"Pogo chimed. Geeze, she really had gotten more self assured, "But there was a time you yourself were the new kid in town."

 

I let the 'your venerableness comment slide and nodded at the second part, "True."

 

"They might like to know someone who can bridge the gap" She chimes, "And they're my age, at least some of them."

 

"I'm not collecting social security YET," I muttered.

 

"I think it's a great idea," Valerosa says "Eel and I have to be tough on them, fair but very firm. You might be someone they could relax around. Let them talk to you."

 

"Oh yeah," Pogo nodded vigorously, "I'm a great listener. Just the other day Slime said I was a testament to the mammal capacity for communication, which given how we gross him out I took as a big compliment. And Viewpoint once told me that if I got paid per word I'd be set for life which is nice he's thinking of my fiscal stability but- " Then Pogo stopped, in a rare moment of cutting herself off with a thought just now coming back to her, "Wait. Did you say the Canadian has a gun?"

 

"Had," I said, "And it's this blaster weapon with the kick of a mule, frankly I can't wait to try it out" I admitted.

 

"Eel!" Valerosa fussed.

 

"For safety purposes and quality control," I promised.

 

Also for the bang bang and zap zap, but I didn't add that part.

 

Then our coms clicked on, "Hey? Guys?" It took me a moment to place the voice.

 

Valerosa caught on first, "Trailblazer? Is that you?"

 

"Yes," Trailblazer's voice said, "yes it is. Ah, we might have disobeyed your orders."

 

"Are you guys out of the base?" I cut in, trying not to sound upset. What the hell? 

 

"Don't be upset," She said at my tone. Apparently, I had tried, and then failed. 

 

"Trailblazer, why are you guys out of the base when we asked you to wait? Whose idea was it to go out?" Valerosa demanded.

 

"Hey, snitches get stitches is what I've been told," Trailblazer answered "So I'd just as soon not say whose idea it was if you-"

 

"I do mind," Valerosa says "And if you think you're getting away stitch free clamming up, you really don't know me. What's going on?" My girlfriend snapped in an angry tone.

It was alarming. At the use of that tone of voice I had the weirdest urge to make sure I'd taken the garbage out and put my dishes away. It was a disturbing thought, but I realized I'd been conditioned, possibly even domesticated.

 

"Well, at first we thought the building sinking was an Earthquake" Trailblazer said "Now, now we got dinosaurs and some lunatic ranting about how he's going to rule the Unhollowed Earth? Thought you should know?"

 

"Does the lunatic in question have a scepter with end looking like a T-Rex's skull, and he's wearing this crown of fossils?" I winced.

 

"How many dinosaur using foes do you guys have?" came the startled response before Trailblazer realized she hadn't answered, "Yeah, and a purple cape with a scale pattern."

Valerosa , Pogo, and I all groaned at the same time.

"It's Subterranean Rex" I said on the communicator.

 

"Again," Pogo added with a sigh.

 

"Guess he found out half the regulars are out of town," Valerosa said, then she spoke on the Comm "Focus on protecting civilians and containing the dinosaurs as best you can, we're on our way."

 

 

[Hermit]

Won't someone please think of the poor Paleontologists? 

 

The sunken building, well, half sunken, was something to see. A four story building in a two story (and counting) pit, it would normally be what drew everyone's attention. But then, say what you want about dinosaurs, they stand out and capture the imagination.

 

Particularly when said Dinosaurs are not on some screen but rather attacking everything in a neighborhood. I don't make a big study of Paleontology myself, but I've met a few folks at college who do, and it just goes all over them that Hollywood and television writers rarely do their home work. Dinosaurs from completely different time periods and areas get all mashed together in a rule of cool kind of way. The writers and creators trust that Paleontologists are not a large part of the population, and the rest could care less.

 

But still, Subterranean Rex really should have known better. Don't get me wrong, the guy was a nutbar, but still, he could show at least a little sympathy for Professor Winchester at the college and maybe organized his dinosaurs by era. 

 

As it was, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Deinonychus, and yes, the obligatory T-Rex were stomping around near or in the pit while Pterodactyls flew all about. There were other types, but I couldn't name them. Most of them were engaged with the rookies who were, to their credit, obeying the instructions given them to protect innocents and to contain the dinosaurs from getting further afield.

With somewhat mixed results.

 

Hussar had decided 'containing' the dinosaurs meant punching the T-Rex, and he was slamming it down, but it was the wrong move. 

 

"Hussar," I called on the communicator "The Pterodactyls, you're the only one who can fly, get them before they spread out out sight and out of the city."

"Almost done here," Hussar answered as he flew down to finish off the prone tyrannosaurus rex. 

 

I gritted my teeth, and gunned my the hover cycle to chase after one of the winged dinosaurs myself, "Valerosa, you want to..." 

"Got it" She declared and leapt off, then gained several tons in weight and slammed that particular pterodactyl to the earth with a ugly crack sound, even as this happened she spoke on the communication link up, "Aspirant, Bramble, Trailblazer. Keep the chatter going to let us know how you're doing."

 

Aspirant spoke first, "Not sure what I'm bringing to this kerfuffle, to be honest. I can't fight dinosaurs because someone, not naming names, took away my ray gun-" Just then, one of the triceratops lowered its head and attempted to impale him. 

 

It was to his credit that he rolled to the side in time to avoid getting speared and stepped on and got to his feet again in one very close but well executed move "BUT I'M NOT BITTER!" He yelled.

"Pogo, give him a hand would you?" I asked. 

 

"When others are in trouble, I am not slow," The hyperactive heroine declared, "I leap for Justice, for I am Pogo!"

 

I knew Valerosa and I were both suppressing groans. We had thought Pogo has outgrown attempting battle cries but it would appear we were wrong. Later, I'd warn her later to check with legal about that one, it was dangerously close to intruding on an old cartoon's intellectual property.  

 

Still, one can't argue with results. She landed hard on the triceratops with the force of a jackhammer once, then twice, and on the third bounce had grabbed Aspirant and used the momentum to get him some distance. 

 

The look on his face as he was carried up in Pogo's arms was hard to see, distance, and a mask ,combined for that, yet his eyes widened as she saved him and began introductions.

 

"Hi, I'm Pogo. You're Aspirant right? Nice to meet you! I hear Canada is nice. Are you liking California so far? I hope everyone's being polite. The gang can be a bit rough until you get to know them, though I think that's mostly Pinprick and Arctic Fox and they're not here so you kind of lucked out not that they're not nice once you get to know them but it takes a while to get used to them and I hear Canadians are terribly polite so I don't want you to have too much culture shock." 

 

Not that anyone really got much of a word in edgewise when Pogo was on a verbal rush, but Aspirant didn't even appear to be trying to talk. It was if he'd forgotten he was in the middle of a battle. Hard to believe in even normal battles where lives were on the line but this battle included dinosaurs.

 

Pogo continued "I'm going to have to set you down now, okay? You use your powers to find more civilians and get them to safety but call me if you need me. New Samaritans Synchronize!"

If Arctic Fox were here, she would tell Pogo to stop trying to make  "New Samaritans Synchronize!" happen. But she wasn't, and Aspirant just nodded.

 

Oh thank goodness, he was moving a little. For a moment I was worried he'd gotten hit after all and paralyzed. What was with the kid?

 

Then there was Trailblazer. Jaw set, she moved nimbly through the ravine incinerating the dinosaurs, outracing their fastest members, weaving through the ashes, and going on to the next. She the curves and banks with surprising aplomb compared to her practice earlier. There were no missteps, and certainly no stumbles. Whenever she saw a citizen in need, she rushed to them to clear a path, "Hang on, I'll handle them!" 

 

She was almost a completely different hero there, and for the better. Had she been holding back during training?

 

For actually getting folks to safety, a lot of credit had to go to Bramble. Vines and branches were everywhere, mostly in the form best suited to getting folks out of windows and having a way to get there. Smaller, but still dangerous, dinosaurs, were snared in the green and really, really, pissed about it.

 

But she wasn't impressed with her own work, "I know I'm, missing folks," She said looking around, "I hear voices inside the building."

"I'm on it," Aspirant seemed to have snapped out of whatever had set him in a daze, "That window nearest you, go in, third left! There's a set of minds there!" 

And Bramble was on the move, darting in.

 

And then Hussar screamed as he lit up like a Christmas Tree with his plug put in the wrong sort of outlet.

Subterranean Rex lowered his scepter, the same scepter that shot the energies that engulfed Hussar just a split second ago, "Did you heroes," He spat the word "Forget about the MASTER of these creatures? Did you forget about me?"

It would appear we had.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Pogo continues to remind me of my nieces. By the way, if Aspirant so much as lays a finger on . . . 

 

Ahem.

 

I have been told that I need to calm down, that Pogo is growing up, and that Aspirant seems like a nice, suitable boy. 

[Hermit]

20 hours ago, Lawnmower Boy said:

Pogo continues to remind me of my nieces. By the way, if Aspirant so much as lays a finger on . . . 

 

Ahem.

 

I have been told that I need to calm down, that Pogo is growing up, and that Aspirant seems like a nice, suitable boy. 

 

 

If it helps any, some of the New Samaritans might be giving a little 'talk' to Aspirant along those lines in the future.

 

Hope folks are enjoying

[Hermit]

Criminals maybe a cowardly, superstitious lot, but Supervillains are often too many rats in the attic, bats in the belfry levels of crazy to really be afraid. Take one Subterranean Rex.  A formerly respected scientist, he vanishes for three years, and returns  ranting about a hollow world with dinosaurs , a perfect and pristine world, a 'pure' world. His peers pointed out there was a lot wrong with his statements, and where was his proof?

 

Because, you know, scientists can be funny that way, liking evidence and what not.

Well, to his credit, the guy had one thing to show off. in a demonstration of super strength (Not on my level mind), he threw a table at his dissenters, wounding three of them and nearly killing another, and ran out ranting how he'd show them. He'd show them all!

 

And he was quickly put in the 'crazy partial' category, and the 'could someone please capture this loon before he injures other people' list?

 

But neither the local heroes, nor the authorities could find him. They figured he went Underground.

 

Boy Howdy, did he!

 

When he appeared again, he was declaring himself Subterranean Rex! That he would recreate what he had seen, and the majestic creatures that had populated it. While his creations weren't REAL Dinosaurs, per se, they were deadly and they obeyed his commands. And he had gotten some pretty impressive technology constructed.

 

There's something about Mad Scientists. Most Scientists are specialized, experts in their field, because there's just too many branches to science to master them all. Mad Scientists seem to have some edge, like they traded in their sanity for new areas of expertise. It's a good thing how this happens remains unknown, otherwise I know a lot of college students struggling with a double major that would take the deal.

 

I had not expected the scepter to have that sort of power though.

 

See, we had files on Rex. Pinprick had faced him before, as had Arctic Fox. I didn't have the pleasure before now, but I'd read the file.  I'd also read Hussar's file.

One shot should not have nearly taken Hussar out like that.

 

"He's got an upgrade," I said on our communication link, "Hussar, you okay?"

 

"I.. yeah, yeah," The breathing was heavy, "Give, give me a second."

 

You don't have it. That's what I almost said. Instead, I bit down on it, and replied "We'll buy you time. Get up. Go catch Pterodactyls."

 

That in mind, I zoomed in towards Subterranean Rex, arcing the hover cycle towards him into a dive. Damn it, I was going to get in trouble if I lost another vehicle but I had to close the gap and give him a new target.

 

"Hey, nutjob!" I called out, "The Hollow world theory? It can't work. They've had superheroes, governments, and scientists alike search for it. Large tunnels and underground cities? Yes. Hollow core-less earth? NO."

 

"I had tenure! That used to mean something! " He snarled and fired! 

 

Once again a rather nasty burst of energy launched forward, and macho as I am, I decided to try to avoid it. I hit the brakes, so to speak, leapt from the hover bike, then winced as the blast that narrowly missed me and made my hairs stand up on the back of my neck, totally vaporized the hoverbike.

 

Yeah,  I was going to get fussed at for that by Mabel when she found out. Sure, she had a real body now, but that had been one of her toys to tool around in before this.

 

The upside? Not only had I dodged that energy, i slammed down hard on Subterranean Rex with a blow that knocked him flat on his ass. He groaned, "My children, help."

 

"I don't think most of your pets can get up here and.." That was when I realized, in my efforts to look around for the big guys, I had neglected the little ones. And the little ones were already here. Breaking from cover behind the rooftop's AC vents, exhausts, and satellite dish came a dozen of little terrors that varied in size from medium chicken to small geese!

 

"My Compsognathus Clutch will eat your liver, hero!" he boasted.

 

They did not eat my liver. For that matter, they did not even break my skin. I've been cut open a lot in the last few years, by alien metals, mystic spears, and 'the strongest metal on earth' (Which seems to be handed off rather cavalierly in my opinion), enough so that I suppose it's understandable that folks think I'm not as resilient as it says on my job description.

But honestly? I had less to fear from these things than your average person does being nibbled to death by Geese.

That didn't make it any less startling. I got these nasty little creatures all over me, biting, snapping and scratching however ineffectively and I instinctively backed up trying to swat them one by one away from me.

 

Then I found that I had almost stepped off the ledge. That would have been incredibly embarrassing. Regaining my composure, I prepared to slap my hands together as hard as possible, and shake these things off with the force of it. 

 

"I got you," Trailblazer's voice said. It wasn't just on the comm link either. I heard it.

 

"Trailblazer!" Vaelrosa's voice called out too late "No!"

 

Then? I was set on fire!

 

It is gratifying to point out that the Jurassic Period dino-chickens fried before I did. I had, in the past, faced more than one flame throwing individual, and Traiblazer was not nearly the strongest. However, I had braced for most of those. At times I even had help from a certain cold wielding team mate to help me counteract the effects of said flame.

 

This caught me off guard.

 

And, in my defense, I think being swarmed by a dozen beagle sized dinosaurs only to get set on fire is something that would catch most folks off guard. There was a roar, reptilian screeching, and then sizzling sound and a smell not unlike grilled chicken all around me.

 

And I stood there dazed, probably ashen, and confused.

 

With Traiblazer looking absolutely mortified going "i'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

 

"Well," Subterranean Rex grinned as I wobbled on my feet, "I'm not sorry at all!" And his sceptre pointed at me as it built up another charge.

I've had better days.
 

[Lawnmower Boy]

This guy gave up a tenured position to be a supervillain? In this day and age? He is nuts. 

 

On the other hand, he does get to play with dinosaurs . . . .

[BoloOfEarth]

1 hour ago, Lawnmower Boy said:

This guy gave up a tenured position to be a supervillain? In this day and age? He is nuts. 

 

On the other hand, he does get to play with dinosaurs . . . .

 

By "dinosaurs" do you mean other tenured professors?  (jk)

[tombrown803]

18 hours ago, BoloOfEarth said:

 

By "dinosaurs" do you mean other tenured professors?  (jk)

I thought they were fossils