Next, after Ella downed a bottle of water, they moved to a hydraulic press, as Harrell called it. It was a heavy barrel of solid steel, recessed into a bigger housing that pressed down on a subject. Ivarsson elected to have a go to show her how it was done.

The heavily built woman stood upright and held onto the recessed handles under the large press, then tensed herself. Rhythmic beeps showed that the hydraulic press was active as it pressed down on the agent. She watched Ivarsson grit her teeth and visibly push the massive steel back up. The hydraulic press and the agent executed a choreographed routine, with the press applying greater force and the agent responding in kind.

“When it becomes unbearable.” Ivarsson released the press, yet it remained stationary before returning to its enclosure. “To alleviate your fears, all you need to do is release it and then step away. You ready?”

“Y-yeah,” she replied.

“You’ll do just fine. Trust me.”

Apprehensively, she placed her hands under the press and readied herself. Then, the press dropped.

“Oh my god! Stop it. Please,” she cried.

“It’s okay,” Ivarsson said. “It won’t hurt you. See? You are doing just fine. Now push back and if it’s too much, release it.”

She nodded, closing her eyes, and pushing with all her strength. It felt better now that she didn’t see the giant steel barrel threatening to crush her. Her muscles burned and stung, yet she persevered and pushed through the pain. The press felt much heavier now. Heavier than anything she could ever imagine. But it was not heavy enough to affect nor scare her anymore as vast wells of strength flooded into her very being. She slammed the massive steel barrel back into its enclosure. Then she opened her eyes.

Ivarsson, Harrell, and Dr. Yefremov stared wide-eyed at her.

“Bloody mother of Jesus!” Dr. Yefremov exclaimed.

Ivarsson pulled her from under the press. “I don’t think it’s safe to stand under it anymore. Tom?”

“Yeah, so…uh. Before she absolutely decimated the press, it was exerting about 10,000 tons of pressure on her.”

Ella looked at the agents, her expression appearing devastated. “I’m really sorry about breaking it.”

“No, no,” Ivarsson said. “We can always replace those. But the assessment ends here as we’ve seen enough. Tom, please designate her as a category one superhuman. As for you, Ms. Nkanga, do well to be mindful of your strength when interacting with people, superhumans included. I’m sure HAVEN will be in touch.”

The doctor led her back above ground, his demeanor happy and excited.

Ella fell into deep thought. When she chose her powers to be communicating with birds, she had truly meant. Then the trials with Yun opened a whole new world to her of possibilities. The connections she could nurture with animals resonated with her. Even the prospects of the ensuing responsibilities did not scare her.

But this? 10,000 fucking tons, Jalen! How is that necessary?

“Have you thought about becoming a superhero, Ms. Nkanga?” Dr. Yefremov asked, startling her.

“Huh? No… I mean yes. A little bit,” she replied.

“Well, you should seriously start thinking about becoming one. It’s right there for the taking. With your powers, some solid planning, and determination, the sky is your limit.”

She thanked him for the advice. The doctor walked with her till they emerged outside the building. The setting sun bathed the landscape with the last vestige of its light. She could see Rebecca arguing with a guard in the distance while Caleb stood nonchalantly by the side. She waved them over.

“How about this?” Dr. Yefremov said, fishing into his many pockets. In the midst of everything, she had completely forgotten that he was still lingering nearby. He handed her a crumpled-up piece of paper. “My apologies for the presentation. But please, take a look.”

After unfolding it, she parsed through it. It looked like those flyers Jehovah’s Witnesses gave away to unwilling people. Only this one hooked her in. The heading on the paper read; HAVEN: Heroes in the making convention. The destination was the Radiant Tower, The Radiant Assembly’s headquarters in New York.

Dr. Yefremov gazed at her. “Interesting right? And by all metrics, you qualify for the convention. Free of charge. All expenses paid.”

“Um…I’ll think about it,” she said.

Dr. Yefremov stepped closer, pointing at Rebecca and Caleb, who both stopped a few paces away. “How about this? Your friends can come too. All free of charge, of course.” Then, he turned to the siblings. “You’d all like an all-expenses paid trip to New York, right? You get to see Novaman as well.”

That was all Rebecca needed to hear as she bobbed her head up and down.

Ella sighed. “Fine, but my brother comes as well.”

That didn’t break the doctor’s stride. “Of course, so long as he is superhuman, that will be arranged. I will send you the itinerary and all relevant information for everyone involved. Have a wonderful day, Ms. Nkanga.”

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With Dr. Yefremov retreating into the building, the trio sauntered over to the parking lot.

“I didn’t know that doctor could grovel,” Caleb remarked.

“Oh my gosh,” Rebecca agreed. “He treated me like trash. ‘Your 5 thousand reward will be wired to you. You can use the door now, please.’ Oh, I wanted to bust his eyeballs.”

“Sorry about what I said earlier,” Caleb said, his hands in his pocket and his head facing down. “Talking to birds is a cool power.”

Ella smiled at the combative teen. “It’s all good. Your powers are cool, too.”

“Oh, my baby brother. I’m so proud of you.” Rebecca rushed to hug Caleb, then was immediately pushed away by her brother.

The rejected sister turned her attention to her. “So what took you so long anyway, Ella? It can’t be to test your powers because that idiot doctor wasn’t interested in seeing any proof. I wonder why people don’t just scam their asses out of reward money.”

“Well, uh… That is precisely what they did. They assessed my powers.”

“They did?” Caleb stared openmouthed at her. “But, but. You can only talk to birds. Ho—”

“Caleb! You just apologized.”

Ella struggled to hold in her laughter. “It’s okay Rebecca. As for the reasons for my assessment, talking to birds isn’t the only power I possess. Why were you guys arguing with an agent?”

“Oh, that? It’s nothing,” Rebecca said.

“She thought they were conducting experiments on you since you didn’t come out for hours,” Caleb said, receiving a side eye from his sister.

At the parking lot, they exchanged contacts and parted ways, Ella leaving on her scooter and Rebecca in a rust bucket of a car.

When she got home, about an hour later, Jalen was nowhere to be found. She half thought about calling him, seeing as he hadn’t contacted her all day.

Maybe he is still dealing with his court case. A text message will do.

Taking a seat at her small table, she whipped out her phone and was typing her message when she spotted a note on the table. It read:

I’ll be leaving for a few days to do something important. Please, only contact me if it’s for something important. Plus, I left five grand under your pillow. Enjoy.

❊ ❊ ❊

Tucked in a dangerous part of Southside Haven resided a handful of shady motels that catered to those seeking anonymity and discretion. One such motel was called Pine Motel, with grime-covered walls and peeling paint. Faulty neon signs hung from atop the five-story building and on a signboard, street-side. Whether that was done by design or negligence, he did not know. He unlocked his designated room and tossed his backpack on the bed. Then he spent the next twenty minutes inspecting the room for bugs and cameras.

Once satisfied, he sat by the desk and enjoyed his KFC meal, consisting of a three-piece chicken and a side of fries. Oh, I missed chicken. Today, he had finally put his identity issues to rest. Even going as far as reopening his bank account. Feeling refreshed, he retrieved his new laptop and got to work. He needed an angle of sorts to wedge himself into one of the criminal organizations. The initial plan was to head to the known drug spots and legitimate businesses to ask for a way in. But the watchful eyes of HAVEN and that woman at the courthouse nipped that idea in the bud.

This led Jalen into a rabbit hole of sifting through articles, news reports, and public official statements about The Black Book and the Colombo Syndicate. The Black Book, particularly, had fallen on hard times, their numbers whittled down by law enforcement and Metal Shadow. The superhero with a preference to hunt at night was responsible for an estimated 60% of the mobsters currently incarcerated.

What sealed his decision was the speech Major Hansen gave about The Black Book two years ago. Federal law enforcement agencies arrested the top echelon of The Black Book under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. This, coupled with the extensive raids and seizure of the known mafia establishments, created a power vacuum and a prime opportunity for Jalen. The Major vowed to hunt every last member of the mafia organization ahead of his reelection.

The next day came with more research. With his choice narrowed down to The Black Book, what followed was figuring out how to introduce himself.

It was late in the afternoon, after countless sodas, that he found a potential avenue. In a few days, the remaining high-ranking mobsters were to be tried at the United States District Court in Camden, a few hours south of Hermosville. He memorized some key locations, then changed into some nondescript clothes. Next, he placed his phone on the nightstand. His burner phone would have to do if it came to it. In the dead of the night, a few miles away from his room, he turned into Erebus, his god form, and soared into the dark sky.

The first order of business was to prepare a getaway vehicle. Preferably something older, lacking the newer electronics. There were a few options he could follow to acquire such a vehicle. Stealing a car was the first, which could involve scoping out a potential target or robbing a car dealership. This avenue would have proved futile considering the time needed to find the perfect vehicle and the immediate heat imminent from robbing a car dealership. The next was to rent a car; an option he immediately discarded. The last option followed along the lines of the first—to steal a car, only this time from a shady business.

Finding such a business wasn’t difficult. All he had to do was follow the trail of bad reviews and customer complaints. Tack in the array of only used cars existing in the catalog, as well as the rundown concrete building fronting the business and he had his target. One such as the building below him.

An hour before sunrise, a beat-up pickup truck pulled into the parking lot. Then a short round man stepped out, smoking a cigarette. He descended. The man grabbed his laptop bag and locked his truck. As the man fiddled with his keys before the front door of the building, Jalen made his presence known.

“It’s a beautiful morning to begin an honest day’s work,” he said.

The man nearly jumped, then reached for something under his belt.

“I wouldn’t try that if I were you,” he warned. “I’m sure you cherish your life. So don’t throw it all away. Drop the gun. What I need is simple, really. Oh, and if you choose to turn around, I will kill you.”

The man was fidgeting now after he had been disarmed. “What could you possibly want? I’m just a fledgling salesman. I don’t got nothing to give. Plus, I have a family with two baby girls.”

He glanced at the dilapidated building. Of course, he had searched the premises for cameras earlier, finding none. The suspiciousness of the man kept skyrocketing. “If you want to see does daughters of yours, then I suggest you be honest with me. The state of your building suggests a business in a state of gradual decline. I do not believe that you employ that many salesmen, if any at all.”

He walked closer to the man, his steps purposefully loud.

“O-okay. What do you want?”

“Three stolen cars.”

“What! I can’t just give you that. My business will fold.”

“So you admit the cars are stolen. Fine. You either fork over those cars right now or you can say goodbye to seeing that family of yours.”

The rest of the negotiations went by smoothly once the man found out just how mortal and fragile he was. Over the next few hours, he placed the cars at predetermined locations along the way to Hermosville from Camden. The next few days he spent acquiring supplies, clothes, and food, as well.