I saw it descend from the sky. My brothers
and I saw it collide with the earth. We
thought it was going to be a one time
thing. We were very wrong.
The night was cold, the air flowing through it damp. It hadn’t even rained in days and yet, the streets below Laura were wet, reflecting the light coming from the street lamps. Maybe an air current had brought some of the humidity from Wet Wood.
Laura had a spectacular view of the city perched as she was on the rooftops. Expansion Valley, a relatively new city, had been built thirteen years ago. Its expansion, just like the name suggested, had been large and fast, making the city one of the most important in Florida. Maybe even the east coast.
The city, despite being a heavily populated urban area, was beautiful. It was brightly lit by the many buildings, houses, and beacons that loomed atop the dark night. Well, technically, the sky wasn’t totally obscure. The waxing crescent moon, accompanied by the dimly lit stars far away from Earth, gave little to no light.
The tall buildings and skyscrapers rose to the heavens like fingers trying to reach the top of the world. Despite their height, they couldn’t even try to compete with Ataki Tower, which was located in the center of the city.
The structure was seven hundred meters tall. It was unique, even though it shared the shapes and colors that were scattered around most buildings in the city. The tower had lots of windows. So many in fact, that the building was surrounded by a yellow aura coming from the different offices where the towers’ employees were still working. Despite not having an eyesight as good as some of her coworkers, Laura could feel, no, she knew that behind the glass were people sitting at their desk, typing emails, reports and whatever their superior told them to. Ataki Tower became thinner as it ascended to the night, crowned at the top by a gargantuan tree.
The plant was… Big, in every sense of the word. It was attached to the building by wide, long roots that undulated like hundreds of snakes and joined at the same point, forming a trunk as thick as a medieval turret. From it, bald and twisted branches stretched to the air, giving a dismal look to the tree, as if it were an element brought from some mythology.
Laura detoured her sight and returned to admire the city in its dark canvas. The view was beautiful, just like the city.
But it wasn’t perfect.
For instance, Expansion Valley had a horrible name, and it could benefit from a new one. A name that didn’t sound so corporate, even though that was a good depiction of the city.
“You there?” A deep voice asked.
Laura turned around and looked silently at the figure wrapped in white clothes.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Pretty night, uh?” The figure said while looking up to the dim sky.
Laura kept looking at him, in silence.
The man wore clear brown linen pants and leather boots, his dark chest almost entirely exposed if it weren’t for the white sash going from its left shoulder to his hips and his white mask, both made out of silk. The white veil covered the entirety of his head except for a rectangle which revealed his dark blue eyes. The lower half of the piece extended long enough that it hid his neck.
“C’mon Laura, the weather is already cold enough for your murder glare.”
Laura took a deep breath, “Fine.”
“That’s better. Now how about we-”
“But please,” Laura said while regaining the cold gaze, “Use our corresponding names, Friction.”
Friction sighed.
“Sure, G R A V I T Y,” he said, highlighting every letter of the name.
“Are you sure that they will come down this way?” Gravity asked while she stood, still loking down at the road. Friction and Gravity were near the part where the street below them made a turn to the right. There weren’t many cars driving by in the wide street, let alone any pedestrians. Good.
“Yup, I double checked before leaving, and I’ve concluded that this route is the best for them, no doubt. Any other path would surely lead them to enemy territory, and they don’t have the power to take on another gang. Well, not anymore,” Friction said while caressing his jaw. “They cannot afford failure, or it will be the end of them. They need a safe route. With barely any money, a destroyed reputation, and not enough manpower, Mortem’s Sons won’t be able to keep their operations going. They will go through here. At least if they know what the other gangs will do to them.”
Her partner seemed happy to give that explanation. Friction hadn’t been a ranked hero for long, and he had been Gravity’s partner for less. Maybe he was just trying to impress her with his knowledge about the gang’s movement and his research. But something felt off.
“Plus I asked DP,” Friction finally let out with a lower voice.
(That made sense,) Gravity thought for herself.
Gravity’s mask suddenly buzzed. She tapped her right ear twice, “Any new information?”
“Yes,” a voice with a serious tone answered. “The objective is approaching your current location. It is a white van with a broken left window. You’ll be able to identify it. I made sure.”
“Is the undercover agent safe?”
“Yes, don’t worry about him. We sent a team earlier this day to retrieve him.”
Laura nodded to herself.
“Thank you.”
She then pressed the device again.
“Is it time?” Friction asked while raising an eyebrow.
“Yes. Be ready,” Gravity said facing down the ledge of the building where they were. A puddle reflected the image of her in her new suit.
At the top, two little brown horns that extended upwards were visible. Under them were two white semi circles, located in front of her eyes. They hid Gravity’s eyes without obstructing her view in the slightest.
The suit was mainly dark blue except for two stripes with a light brown color that descended from the sides of her head, going into her arms and legs. The lines started out thin but grew bigger as they crossed her torso and lower body. Her hands would have been only colored in blue if it hadn’t been for the brown colored ring and pinky fingers. On the contrary, the light brown dominated the color palette on her legs and feet. The line grew so large that it almost covered the entirety of both legs, just with the parts below.
Gravity flexed her muscles. It was finally time to put Armada’s skill to the test. She looked away from the puddle to focus her attention on the four lane street below her, now looking for the designated van.
What would the mark be? A cross? A circle? Maybe…
A white van appeared at the right end of the street. On the left side, a message written in red said, “This is the van you should be looking for.”
… That.
Gravity bent even more in the rooftop’s edge, the sidewalk and a couple of street lights below her.
“It’s here.”
The building where they were standing wasn't as big as the tower or the skyscrapers she had looked at earlier. They had eight floors above the ground. Still, a pretty good fall.
“So, how do we stop the car?” Friction asked from behind her.
Gravity remained silent as she leapt from the roof.
It would have been dangerous for anyone that didn’t have super strength, flight, or any power that made the landing safe. Luckily, she had one of those. As Gravity got close to the ground, she started slowing down. The moment her feet touched the street, she fell at normal speed, just as a horn blew out in the air. She raised her vision and was able to see where she had fallen.
Gravity was in one of the lanes in the middle, the rightmost one. Sixty meters away from an incoming vehicle. The van.
“Stop, or I will!” She shouted, loud enough that the car would have been able to hear her.
The van didn’t slow one bit. In fact, it started going faster.
“Don’t say I didn’t tell you.”
Gravity bent her knees searching for balance. Afterwards, she pressed her chest with her left thumb and middle finger, making her armor radiate with a clear blue light. Luckily for her, she had recently gotten an upgrade.
The vehicle was almost on top of her. She made herself heavier, feeling like she was carrying three people, each one heavier than her... Or at least she should have been feeling that. Her body felt a little bit different, but overall it was pretty similar to her normal weight. She wouldn’t have to worry about sore shoulders.
The car was directly in front of her, less than ten meters away. She quickly made the vehicle heavier. Two times. Five times. Ten times as heavy. She trusted what she was doing. She trusted her experience.
The first time she had found herself in a similar situation to the one she was now in, Gravity had done the opposite. She had made the object lighter. Big mistake. Her train of thought in that moment had told her that a pencil was easier to stop than some weights. Of course, there was one small problem, and it was that said imaginary weights retained their mass.
She had basically made the object go faster. Nonetheless, Her reasoning hadn’t been entirely wrong. Yet again, it hadn’t been entirely right either. She hadn’t thought about velocity nor acceleration, due to her not knowing how her power really worked. Even now she didn’t fully understand the physics behind her power, much like other potens she had met. But she at least now knew some particularities.
It didn’t modify either mass nor density, she knew as much. On one occasion she had tried to use her power while in water, making herself lighter with the purpose of making it easier for her to float. It didn’t quite work as she had expected.
The car sank into the pavement. Hard. Its roof bent inwards at the same time as the remaining windows burst by the pressure. Both bumpers and the lower parts of the vehicle collided with the ground, scrubbing the street with its remaining momentum. The vehicle had slowed down thanks to the augmented friction with the pavement, but it was still coming right towards her. Gravity reached to its sides with her arms and grabbed it while pushing the ground with her feet.
The van stopped.
Her suit, which was earlier imbued in bright blue light, faded into its original dark blue and light brown. She had moved only a few feet considering that she’d just stopped a moving vehicle. Gravity, barely feeling any pain, let herself be amazed for a moment. Unfortunately, she let it linger a tad too much.
It was impressive, yes. But how much damage could the new suit withstand? She began to feel a sprout of curiosity.
Two men came out of the vehicle. One was dressed with a gray hoodie that covered his face and wore light blue jeans. The other was bald, black, and wore a leather black jacket and pants. Gravity then eyed her surroundings before anything happened. She only saw two teenagers far away, who fortunately fled from the scene after taking a picture.
Before she could move a muscle, the thug with the hoodie attacked first, using a tube as a weapon as he lunged at her. She knew where the strike would hit, she could see it clearly, but instead of doing something, she let herself get hit with the metal tube. Repeatedly.
After all, she wanted to test her new suit. For research, of course.
The metal tube made a muffled sound every time it hit. Because it was made out of metal, right? It wasn’t something like a badminton racket or a ruler? She looked at the weapon which the attacker was wielding. Her first impression was, indeed, right. Wow, the suit really made a difference. After a few moments of being attacked, she started to feel a slight pain in her right shoulder. The other man had joined as well.
“There it is,” she said while grabbing the hoodie guy’s wrist with the weapon. “It took longer than expected.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Gravity made the man with a hoodie several times lighter, then threw him in an upwards arc right into a three story building. She returned the man to its original weight, making descend, just as he reached the altitude of the second floor.
Hoodie guy hit the wall hard, falling unconscious onto the sidewalk as the impact made him bounce a little. She faced the other goon, who backed away like a scared cat. Gravity looked him right in the eye, but he only gave one small step before something heavy fell on him.
“I think that’s one way to do it.”
Friction was standing above the man’s body, his left foot on the man’s back while his right one stepped on the thug’s head. “Now, let’s see who gets the most criminals,” he said while cracking his knuckles.
Suddenly, the door located on the back of the van burst open. A group of nine men came out fairly similar to the ones who were laying down unconscious. Except for two of them.
The one that came from the right was big, bald, wore a pair of sunglasses, brown trousers, and a gray tank top that revealed his many muscles. The other one, situated on the left side, had long blonde hair and a black T-shirt with the head of a lion colored in red. This one had glasses too, but they looked like normal ones. Both of them white.
“That’s Lion Fist,” Gravity said while pointing at the blonde one. She then tilted her head slightly in the bruiser-looking guy’s direction, “Wanna take the four on the right?”
Friction sighed, annoyed.
“Fine. But only because I hate fighting kinetics. And don’t you think I don’t know what you're doing, picking five instead of four. I’m gonna finish this, and then come for the fifth one. Just you wait.”
Friction then jumped as he finished his sentence, spreading his feet as if he were about to surf a wave. The moment he touched the ground, instead of slowing down or stopping at all, his feet slid on the floor. It looked like he was snowboarding, but on street pavement. The first criminal of the group was near him in a matter of seconds.
Once he was in medium range, Friction stopped, making his boots crunch, giving a small step after to avoid falling due to the speed he had had a moment ago. The criminal lunged at Friction mid-run. The hero barely moved to the right at the same time as he began throwing a punch. The attacker’s fist landed first, pounding his right cheek. But instead of connecting through, the hand slid past Friction’s face and threw the man off balance. Friction’s fist then struck the attacker’s face and stayed there for longer than it should have.
The man fell backwards to the ground, head first. But before it could crash into the ground, Friction’s hand gripped it by the hair.
“So, who’s next?” Friction said as he gently laid down the unconscious minion on the street.
Gravity saw through one of the van’s broken side windows how Friction launched to the remaining criminals. He could handle them. She then turned to see a hesitant group of people located to her left, eight or nine meters away, armed with knives, bats, brass knuckles and what appeared to be snatched legs from a wooden table. Five in total.
“Surrender now, or I will be obliged to use force.”
“FUCK OFF!” One of the nervous henchmen screamed.
Gravity shrugged in response to the man.
“Force it is.”
Gravity ducked while making herself significantly lighter. She leapt from the ground with a long jump, quickly reaching the center of the criminal body. She then charged with her shoulder, making herself heavier just as she struck a man located in the rearguard. He swung his knife as he backed away in pain. The weapon made contact with Gravity’s suit, but it didn’t even leave a scratch. He was soon joined by two other members. One aimed at Gravity’s head with a baseball bat, while the other threw a punch at her liver with a pair of brass knuckles. She let the powerless minions strike with all their might while she just stood there in silence. The suit protected her, making her feel a slight pain, similar to a mosquito bite. More annoying than anything else. The man with the knife returned and joined the flurry of blows.
The defense provided by the suit started to weaken. The pain increased, taking Gravity by surprise. Her momentary invincibility, gone. The costume wasn’t built to avoid all incoming damage. It was built to considerably lighten the strikes someone with super strength could deliver. That’s why she had felt invincible. These guys were average people, not potens. At least not physical ones. Eitherway, Gravity was tired of being a punching bag.
The whole trio of attackers fell to their knees. Their legs weren’t used to that much weight.
“The fuck?!” Said one of them, his voice different from the pressure.
“What did you do to us?” Another one asked.
“You shouldn’t be talking,” Gravity said. “It’ll be much worse.”
“You bitc-”
The man interrupted himself, falling senseless to the street. The others followed him moments after. She shifted the intensity of the gravity, returning it to it’s normal value.
Gravity turned to see the two remaining criminals. One of them tried to flee. He had passed the middle of the road when he suddenly fell to the floor. Gravity’s mask buzzed. She tapped twice her ear.
“Target neutralized,” said the same voice that had talked minutes earlier. “Do not worry, he’s unconscious without any apparent harm.”
“Same here,” said Friction’s voice. “Except for the ‘not being hurt’ part. You might wanna check him out, especially the nose. Oh and uh, I need handcuffs for an atlas.”
“Copy that. What’s your situation, Gravity?”
“Almost finished,” said while looking at the downed minions. She raised her eyes, meeting with Lion Fist’s.
Lion Fist was a eight-three-seven-pyrokinetic. He had good fire power, poor range, pretty decent control and no quirk. He sometimes had his fists imbued in what looked like lion’s heads made from his fire. Therefore, the name.
“Also, bring a TAJ.”
TAJ standing for Temperature Absorbing Jacket, of course.
“Understood, over.”
The call ended with a long beep.
“Did you just kill him?!” Lion Fist said, looking back at the now unconcious man. “He had a family, you know? Or maybe it was a cat? Wait, was it Steven who had a snake?”
“You know we use tranquilizer darts. You’ve been hit by them many times.”
“What? Don’t you like a little joke once in a while.”
“Don’t sell yourself so short. You’re more of a clown than a joke”
Lion Fist face turned to a scowl.
“You should surrender, Lion Fist. You’re alone, and I have backup,” Gravity said while raising her chin a bit.
Lion Fist exploded, releasing smoke as his body ignited. Gravity adopted a combat stance. Moments passed, the flame getting smaller and smaller, revealing a black shape on the ground. The pair of spectacles reflected the remaining light from the fire.
“Just treat me nicely,” his voice echoed in the street. It was a young voice. It also sounded exhausted.
“Didn’t really think you would actually surrender,” she said as she approached Lion Fist. “But I can assure you, you made the right choice.”
Gravity reached for the man’s body, still darkened by the smoke. She pulled her hand and was surprised to only see a burned T-shirt in her grasp while the pair of glasses melted on the pavement. She then got struck in the back, almost losing her footing. It felt warm, though not enough that it hurt. Gravity’s suit exploded in bright light before turning dark. It had run out of steam.
Shit.
She turned while trying to blindly hit in the direction the surprise attack had come from. The attack failed. There was no one there, at least that she knew. She couldn’t possibly see a thing with the amount of smoke that was surrounding her. How could there be so much?
“You underestimate me. Yes, I may be alone, but I can still kill a cocky bitch!”
Gravity saw fire in the sea of fumes. It moved too quickly. Before she could do anything, she got struck in the head. It hurt. A lot. She felt the scorching heat from the flames. She had just learned tonight that the suit made a difference, but that much? The gap was simply hard to believe.
“Gravity! Where are you?” Friction shouted from the other side of the street.
“I’m he-”
Her chest got kicked. The kick sent her flying on her back, making her slide a small distance before coming to a stop.
“Gravity? Gravity! Are you okay? Please, respond!” The device in her ear yelled at her.
Gravity felt the taste of blood in her mouth. She gasped for clean air, but was impossible in the middle of the smoke.
“If you can get out of the smoke I can help you. Please, get out of there!” The voice pleaded.
"That shit was hilarious! You should've seen your face! I-It was like, uhaa, ha ha ha ha!"
The voice seemed menacing yet childish in the cloud of smoke.
Shit. Fucking why? Why had she thought it was going to be that easy? That she needn't be so cautious? Why? Just because she had a new suit? Fuck. Gravity tried to get up.
Her body was tired. It felt heavy. She made herself lighter, making it barely possible for her to stand up. "Oh," said Lion Fist’s voice, his body hidden in the smoke. "Will the hero be able to defeat the cruel, yet incredibly handsome villain?" He said, mocking her.
A figure came out of the billowing smoke, revealing the young villain.
He struck her head in a downward motion with his right hand. She once again fell face first to the ground.
“It seems not.”
He crouched down.
“Now," Lion Fist grabbed one of the tiny horns from her costume.”Do not think that, just because you’re a woman, you’ll get a quick death. I believe in gender equality,” he said with a sinister smile. ”That’s why I’m going to enjoy this. So… Before I break your body, any last words?”
Lion Fist raised her chin. Her face was right next to his. It was hard to speak in the cloud of smoke, but she still had energy for one last thing.
“Have a nice flight.”
Lion Fist’s body started to float.
“Wha-”
Gravity made one last effort and punched him in the guts, falling in exhaustion as the attack landed. Lion Fist stumbled, but instead of falling down, he quickly rose up, his left fist still imbued in flames.
“Hey. Hey! Put me down! Put me down you stupid who-”
A gunshot roared in the night, followed by something heavy hitting the ground.
She could hear steps in her right direction, just where the body had fallen. Did it not work? A hand grabbed Gravity’s nape short after.
“Target neutralized,” the voice from the call said, now next to her. “Take this.”
She could feel something being pressed against her mouth.
“Slow, deep breaths.”
She did as the voice told her to. She could feel cold, pure air being poured inside her lungs. The man next to her sighed in relief.
“Fuck. Don’t scare me like that. No more!”
His voice appeared angry, but also grateful.
“Good job, Laura.”
--------
Laura was stretching her shoulders.
“Everything should be good as new. Well, as new as it was yesterday.”
“Thanks Doc. It’s less stressful knowing that we have you around here.”
The doctor seemed tired, but gave her a little smile, “Always.”
Doctor José Luís Ernesto de La Pradera was a brown skinned man with short black hair. His face vaguely resembled a square, wrinkles coming out from under the eyes and forehead. He had an average height for a man, about one meter and seventy-something centimeters. Apart from his height, he was no average person. He was a potens. An individual that had received supernatural powers.
His ability allowed him to restore a body to a previous state, but it had a condition. That state had to be within the previous twenty four hours. It basically made him the best doctor for an emergency.
With a small wave, he left the room. Laura was in a white room. The bottom part, except for the floor, was colored in green. She was sitting on a medical bed to rest off the ugly beating she had received. It was more a mental thing than a physical one. Next to her were several pieces of medical equipment. Fortunately, none connected to her.
Laura looked through the window located to her right. The illuminated trees and flowers in the back of the hospital were relaxing. Part of what gave the hospital its name. She touched her chest, placing her hand in the middle, where she had been struck earlier.
She had always treated her job seriously. It didn’t matter if she had to face a teen wielding a butter knife or a serial killer. Laura always looked for the fastest and most efficient solution. Why, after all these years, had she done that? Was it the suit? Her? Bryan? Was she trying to impress her protégé? Maybe she had indeed become a cocky idiot.
She hoped not.
“Hey, how are you doing?” Friction, now Bryan, asked while peeking through the door.
“Hey. I’m fine. Doctor Ernesto patched me up.”
“Thank god for that man!” Bryan said while putting his palms together, praying to the ceiling.
”Wanna go get dinner?”
Laura was tired with just the thought of going out. But even if she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have been able to.
“Sorry, there’s something I need to do.”
“What?” Bryan said, genuinely surprised and disappointed. “Come on. After a great day of work comes a great dinner. There’s an italian right next to here that’s mua,” he said, doing a chef's kiss.
“Sorry.”
She didn’t really want to explain herself. She was too exhausted.
“Family matters.”
Bryan still looked confused for a moment. He then seemed to realize what she meant.
“Ah, right. Sorry. I think it would be best if I leave.”
Bryan awkwardly dismissed himself.
She should get going too.
The hallways of the hospital had the same color palette as the room she had been in. The main difference between the two would be the drawings children had painted in the hallways’ walls. Bees, forests, sunsets, dogs, cats… decorated the path. There were also heroes among the drawings. Rocky John, Solarflare, Gator Skator, Don Quijote and herself were some of the many drawings in the hallways.
Laura stopped. It was here.
Room one hundred and thirty seven. There was a man laying in a bed, next to a bedside lamp. He had a distant look.
That look. That damn look. Years had passed and he had the same look, facing the window in front of the door, to the man’s right. It was frustrating. Infuriating. But it made her remember.
Whenever she had a really bad day, whenever she questioned what she was doing, whenever she felt lost, she would come here. Every time she saw her brother, she would remember why she was doing what she was doing, which made her feel better. Even though a part of her felt shame. Shame of using her catatonic brother as encouragement.
A radio was playing. It was barely audible.
“...the third anniversary of Natura, could you tell us the reason you dropped your career as a superhero?”
“Well...” It was obvious the alleged former superhero was not comfortable with the question. “I still think of myself as a hero. My job hasn’t changed one bit. I help people. That’s what I did then, and that’s what I’m still doing to this day.”
Laura grabbed a chair and brought it closer to the bed. She sat down, resting her head on an empty corner aside from her brother’s feet, the dim night spraying the room with moonlight.
“Good night, Lud Lud.”
She closed her eyes and waited a moment before sleep took over her.
“...a lot of people think that you got scared or even maimed. In another note, why did you…”
—-----
“I’m sorry but I think that’s enough for the question. I have to take care of something.”
After a brief pause, the commentator resumed.
“Well folks, there you go. That has been the question section. Now, why don’t you tell us what to expect from tomorrow’s weather, Janine?”
“Sure thing, John. Tomorrow near the east coast we’ll have...”
Ludwig opened his eyes, even though they were already open. It felt like the first time he had opened them in years. He was lying down on a bed, a woman right next to his feet. The room he was in was white and had a wide window to his left that let him view the buildings near him. This was definitely not his room. Where was he?
He looked down and saw a thin tube dangling from what looked like a crystal clear bag. It was injected into him, accompanied by some type of sensor attached to his finger, beeping with each heartbeat… Wait, since when did he have skinny arms?
Ludwig touched his face, feeling a well-bushy beard. He then touched the top of his head. Well, at least he still had his long hair. He scratched his chest feeling something as he did, equipment similar to the other machines, he guessed. Ludwig looked at the face of the woman. Did he know her from somewhere? Her face was weirdly familiar.
He reached for her shoulder.
“Ma’am? Excuse me, ma’am?”
Ludwig shook her a bit. The lady remained asleep. He shook her harder. Nothing.
Wow, and he thought he was a heavy sleeper.
He shook her once again, this time much harder.
“W-Wha-?” The lady answered, looking a bit confused. She appeared to calm herself after a while. That was until she looked at Ludwig’s face. She remained silent, looking scared and confused, but mostly surprised.
“Sorry for waking you up, ma’am. Could you please tell me where I am?”