That night, Liam fell asleep on a cot in a corner of his workshop. It’s thin padding doing little to bring comfort. It’s size doing even less. The cot was so small he couldn’t even roll over for fear of falling off.
It wasn’t a conscious decision to spend the night in the workshop, but more something forced on him. The thought of running into a teammate on the way back to his room kept Liam anchored to the spot. Haunted with visions of failing them.
It took hours to fall asleep. Thoughts jittered around Liam’s head like fiery sparks every time his eyes closed. Each one awakening a new dread for the coming day.
When sleep came, it was like a guillotine. The anxiety of the falling blade building and building until, in a flash, it was upon him.
...
Waking up with a start, Liam’s thoughts were a tangled mess. He tried to judge the time however, the steady light of the workshop gave him no hints. Yet one thing was certain, he hadn’t slept long enough.
Rolling over, trying to fall back into the bliss of sleep, Liam nearly fell off the cot. Only preventing it through quick reflexes. Oh right, he thought, not in his bed this morning. Trying not to focus on why he was on the cot Liam steadied himself before turning over. By doing it slowly, he was able to stay on the bed. Looking for a comfortable position, Liam fidgeted before he closed his eyes and awaited the embrace of sleep. But that wasn’t to happen as the overhead speaker soon came on. Letting Liam know he wouldn’t be enjoying a rest anytime soon.
“All Heroes report to the entrance in ten minutes. I repeat all Heroes to the entrance in ten minutes,” Matt’s voice called out.
Why he always said ‘all Heroes’ had become a constant question to Liam. One he decided shouldn’t be asked for fear of embarrassing the guy. For heaven’s sake the base only housed six people. Who else could the calls be asking for?
Fighting the pull of sleep Liam got out of bed to find a dagger sliding into his side. The words from last night coming back to him. Taunting him. Now that he was up he couldn’t push them away. Why would a true Hero need to be tested by their team? How could he be on a team that doesn’t fully trust him? Was he even a Hero to them? Each thought flashed in front of Liam before another replaced it.
Trying to banish the thoughts, Liam got dressed then pulled on his suit. Each cold piece of armor asking if a person like him deserved to wear it. Reaching the helmet Liam donned it and decided, regardless of what the test brought he would face it. He’d keep an eye out for it and wouldn’t be caught unaware. Then, when it came, he’d be the best person he could. Knowing about the test gave Liam the advantage. Something he would not throw away.
Heading to the meeting point, Liam realized he hadn’t called his sister in days. The thought of making the call now flashed in his mind, but was thrown away. Sure she’d be able to help him work through the mess he found himself in however, he didn’t have time for it. Not now anyway. That conversation would be saved for tonight.
Joining the team, Liam tried to assess those around him. Were there any tells he’d failed to see? He focused on Gladius first as she stood behind a kitchen chair. The embodiment of action in human form. Almost begging to be released. Nothing strange there, Liam noted. She was always like this before heading out on a mission. Likely nothing in her attitude was even related to him.
Skip was next, he was leaning on the kitchen counter, a scowl plastered across his face. The same as always, Liam noted. The man’s eyes darted around the room. Occasionally, stealing a peak at Liam. Was that what he was missing? The way Skip snuck peaks at him. Was he making sure Liam wouldn’t attack the team? Liam’s mind spun at the thought. Confusion clouding his thoughts.
If Skip were to give the test, it’d be like kicking Liam when he was down. The man already didn’t trust Liam. Giving him the power to decide Liam’s fate would be cruel. Desperately hoping it’d be someone else, Liam continued his search for signs in the faces and actions of his team.
Ullr was standing in the middle of the room. A tablet in hand as he flicked from page to page, oblivious to what was going on in the world around him. The team captain was hard to read. Always appearing above the squabbles of the rest of them. Yet, he’d agreed to the test last night. After watching the man for several minutes, Liam knew he lacked the ability to read him. If Ullr had any tells Liam wasn’t able to pick up on them. Maybe he’d been a poker player in a former life.
As Liam was trying to decipher the mysteries of Ullr, H-Bar snuck up and greeted him with a hearty slap on the back.
“I saw you coming in from the workshop. Early morning or late night?” H-Bar asked.
“The Later.”
“Rough. You need to get a good night’s sleep. Your reaction times will slip if you don’t.”
“Will do,” Liam said with a fake salute. Getting a chuckle out of H-Bar before the man headed back to the kitchen. Looking greedily at the coffee maker.
With the team gathered, Ullr finished reviewing his notes and looked up. Eyes scanning the team before him. Liam followed Ullr’s gaze as it moved, looking for any hint at what was hiding beneath. When his eyes finally reached Liam they passed over, without the faintest hint of hesitation. The man was good.
“No training today,” Ullr said, “Unfortunately, we’re on the clock to ramp up our community outreach.”
There were a few muffled grumbles from Skip, but the rest of the team took it in stride. Understanding this was the outcome from yesterday's death.
“Sounds good,” H-Bar said.
“You’re just happy you have an excuse not to lose to me in training today,” Gladius said. With a playful elbow to H-Bar’s ribs.
“You wish. I could beat you in my sleep,” H-Bar said. Examining his fingernails as he spoke.
Taking a deep sigh and staring up at the ceiling Ullr said, “Continuing on. Source, what’d the program give you?”
All eyes turned to him. Even Skip sat up, his gloominess evaporating.
Checking his systems Liam said, “Nothing yet. I expect the code to finish executing in the next few hours.”
“We’re out for the rest of the day. We’ll review the results tonight.”
“I’ll keep you updated if it finishes earlier.”
With a nod Ullr continued, “Without those results our daily briefing will be a little short today. We’ll start this morning with a tour of the children’s hospital. Then we break up into teams. One team will work the murder case, helping the police follow any leads they’ve uncovered. The other team will work PR or standard patrols. We’ll rotate members throughout the day. I expect Gladius and Source will start on the patrols while the rest of us are with the police.”
“Sounds like a plan, boss man,” H-Bar said.
After a quick breakfast, the team jumped to the hospital. The jump was routine with Liam the last to make the trip.
It was considered in bad taste to jump directly into a building, unless it was an emergency. So the team did the next best thing and came out in a parking garage near the hospital. The same one where Liam had met Matt all those months ago when he first arrived. The garage was already teaming with early morning commuters by the time they arrived. Many staring slack jawed as the Heroes appeared out of thin air.
From the garage it was a quick walk to the hospital. The team calling ahead as they made their way. Giving the hospital staff a ten minute heads up prior to their arrival.
As Heroes, they tried to avoid letting the public know where they were going to be. It was a simple countermeasure against anyone trying to set up an ambush. And it worked like a charm. Making it impossible for their opponents to spring a trap when they didn’t know where the Hero’s would appear next.
The hospital had an arrangement with the team, whenever the Heroes wanted to visit they could come to the children’s wing and meet with the kids. These visits were the highlight for many of the kid’s stays. Being able to meet real Heroes was something they’d only dreamt of.
This was Liam’s first visit to the hospital as a Hero. During the entire walk over, he was brimming with excitement. Barely able to contain it. The stories H-Bar told him painted these visits as the best duty a Hero could have. Something he’d remember for a long time to come. And right now it was exactly what he needed.
Once they were inside the hospital, a nurse came over. From the reaction of the team, Liam gathered she was their guide. She’d make sure the Heroes followed the hospital rules and didn’t become a bother to any of the patients.
Stolen novel; please report.
The team followed behind, as the nurse led them through sterile gray corridors. Each bland intersection identical to the previous one. The Hospital staff walked past, but paid the Heroes little notice. Liam gathered it wasn’t a strange sight to see Heroes walking these halls.
At long last the team rounded a corner and saw the first sign of color. They’d come face to face with a pair of doors adorned with a giant parrot. Wings outstretched in flight. The reds and blues of the bird were even more vibrant given their dull surroundings. The painting was the welcoming sign the team was looking for.
Pushing open the doors the Heroes walked in like they owned the place. No hesitation in their step. They found the sterile and precise atmosphere of the hospital still present, but this wing had a vibe all its own. Patterns of Green on the wall represented an artist’s abstract idea of leaves. Behind them were animals in cover. All drawn in a blobby cartoonish way.
As the team filed into the space, their guide stopped them. Pointing at a Green H next to a door she said, “Doors with Green H’s have parental approval for Hero visits. We ask you to heed the wishes of the parents and only visit marked rooms.”
No one objected, they would only visit the designated rooms. The team was here to brighten the moods of the patients, not argue with their parents. After getting confirmation from the team, the guide moved out of the way and allowed them to explore.
“You all know the drill, spread out and make sure we meet every kid,” Ullr said as he started off down the hallway.
Gladius and H-Bar were off a second later. They stopped at the first marked door and knocked, peering through the window together. A muffled scream came from inside. A moment later a little girl, around seven, threw herself at the two. Her innocent smile lifting Liam’s heart. Here was a child facing the toughest fight of her life, yet it hadn’t stopped her from being a kid. If a disease couldn’t beat her down how could Liam feel depressed? The bravery this girl showed was something Liam could only hope to mimic one day.
The rest of the team moved onto the next room, also marked with a green H. Skip and Liam peered inside. A child was lying on the bed, maybe eight at the most. She was playing with a tea set. Dolls sat around her as she pretended to pour tea with one hand. The other was covered in bandages. A burn victim, Liam realized as a pang hit his heart. An adult, Liam assumed the mother, was sitting next to her reading a book. Seeing motion in the doorway the girl looked up and spotted the Heroes.
The cry of delight that came a moment later was full of pure joy. The girl grabbed her mother’s arm, then pointed at the door. Following the pointing arm, the mother spotted the Heroes. Smiling at them, she nodded for them to enter.
That was all Skip needed. He was gone before the nod finished. Liam expected the man to appear in the room, but he didn’t right away. There was a few seconds delay before Skip was back, standing at the foot of the bed. A doll much like the one the little girl was playing with in his hand, except this one had a wrap around one of its arms. Where had the man found that Liam wondered?
The ecstatic child fidgeted in her bed. Unable to get up and greet the Hero. Instead she settled for beaming as Skip came forward and pulled the doll from behind his back. The wide eyed look the girl gave the doll’s arm wrap spoke volumes. It was an almost perfect match of the little girl’s own arm. In that moment, Liam decided not to go in. There was no reason to interrupt such a beautiful display.
The Skip, Liam was used to seeing was gone. Replaced by this imposter standing in his place. This Skip was the most caring person Liam had ever met. That interaction with the child was priceless. He treated the little girl like she was the sole reason he came to the hospital. How could someone who was a jerk most of the time, be this caring to kids?
Liam left the room shaking his head at what he’d just witnessed. The man was an enigma. Meeting up with Ullr they made their way to the next marked room. Finding it they knocked and then entered. Inside, a boy was sitting on a small bed playing video games. The game controller in his hands fell to the bed as he saw the Heroes enter, game long forgotten. Sitting up the boys eyes glinted in the bright room. The IV in his arm pulling tight as he tried to move toward them.
“How’s our Hero in training doing today?” Ullr asked.
“I, I’m. Is it really you?” the kid asked.
“It is. I’m Ullr and this here is Source. We wanted to see how an excellent recruit like you is making out.”
“The doctors say I’m doing great! That I’m a real fighter.”
“Well of course you are. We only take in the best.”
Ullr opened up the conversation with ease. Pulling the kid from his fascinated awe to a level of comfort in mere seconds. If Liam had a piece of paper and pen, he would’ve been scribbling down notes trying to find the secret to Ullr’s charm. Instead he watched from the sidelines, putting in his two cents when needed.
As they talked, childlike excitement seeped from their new friend, Ben. Infecting both of the Heroes as all three fell into a deep conversation. The talk moved from video games, to school, to who was the strongest Hero on the team. All topics Ben was giddy to discuss. Liam was disappointed to find he ranked last in Ben’s Hero strength ratings. Though Ben tried to make it up to him by saying he was still stronger than any Cowl. Explaining that meant he was still useful. The kid’s diplomatic approach wasn’t the strongest, but the effort was there.
Minutes later, as the conversation moved onto their favorite subjects in school, Skip appeared next to them. As Ben’s mouth fell open, Skip reached out and handed him a new gaming controller, The back reading ‘The Hunt’ in bold letters. Ben’s eyes doubled in size as he saw the new controller.
“We’ll let you continue the debriefing with Skip,” Ullr said as he led Liam from the room.
“Thank you!” Ben called out as the two Heroes made their way to the door.
On their way out Liam heard Skip say, “So you’re the one Ullr keeps talking about. I can tell he wasn’t lying, you’re a great find!”
The kid was beaming again as they left the two behind.
“Is Skip like that with every kid?” Liam asked as the door closed behind them. Amazed he’d never seen this side of the man before.
“Yeah, he’s good with them,” Ullr said. Nodding as if what they’d just witnessed was natural.
That was the biggest understatement Liam had ever heard. Skip wasn’t just good with kids, he was on a completely different level than the rest of them. It was almost like an identical twin had replaced the team’s Skip. Only this one had the opposite personality of the original.
It was good to see this new side of Skip. It let Liam know he wasn’t always a grumpy old man. That he, in fact, had a heart hidden under that cold exterior.
The team made their way down the hall. Meeting with patients and their families as they went. Each patient showed Liam what the fight was really about. His anxiety from the morning was gone. Compared to these children a little test from the team was nothing to worry about. Liam felt a little embarrassed by how he’d acted last night. Sure the test was scary, but he shouldn’t be viewing it that way. Instead, he should embrace the chance it represented to show the team his worth.
Reaching the end of the hall they came to another set of doors. This one had a Tiger wearing a surgical mask painted on it. The sign next to the door stated emphatically that no one could enter without a mask.
Their escort nurse was already there, waiting for them. A set of unopened masks in her hand.
“Masks on if you’d all be so kind,” their escort said.
Each of the Heroes grabbed a mask and put it on around their helmets except Liam. He hesitated as he tried to figure out how to put the mask on his armored head.
“My suit can go into sealed mode where air isn’t expelled. Can I use that mode and skip the mask?” Liam asked.
“It would contain everything?” their escort asked.
“Yeah, nothing in or out.”
“Then I could see-“
“Please just wear the mask,” a doctor came up from behind and said. “Even if you can isolate your suit, there’s the psychological factor to think about. Wearing it will make the children feel safer.”
Making the kids feel better was all Liam needed to hear as he began wrangling the mask on.
The doctor smiled at his clumsy attempts then turned her attention to H-Bar, “It’s great to see our favorite Hero back so soon.”
“Well I couldn’t leave my favorite doctor all alone,” H-Bar said with a wink.
A flush came over the doctor before she turned and hurried away. As she was leaving, she said, “The kids will be happy you came. Please go right in.”
“You sure we can’t-” H-Bar started to say, but was cut off by the doctor.
“Just text me,” the doctor said as she ducked into another room.
“How long have you been seeing her?” Skip asked.
“We’re just friends.”
“If you ruin my hospital visits, I swear.”
“Come on, would I do that?”
As the team was discussing H-Bar’s new ‘friend,’ Liam managed to get the mask over his helmet. Without a mirror or being able to feel the mask on his face he was having trouble judging if it was on correctly. But after a little effort Liam decided it was on well enough. Turning to their escort questioningly she took a look and pursed her lips. Taking a deep breath and releasing it before leading them on.
As they entered the new ward, Gladius caught sight of Liam’s helmet. With water pooling in the corner of her eyes and shoulders trembling, she turned to H-Bar and got out, “We can hold off learning more about you and the doc. Look at our new teammate first.”
As one, each team member turned Liam’s way and the reactions were swift. A chorus of laughter echoed down the hallway. Even the stoic Ullr joined along.
“What? Is it on wrong?” Liam asked, confused by what was going on.
“No it’s perfect,” H-Bar spat out.
“I can’t feel where the mask is over the helmet. Can one of you help align it?”
“No, please keep it that way,” Gladius said as she succumbed to a fit of laughter.
“Come here, I’ll fix the mask,” Ullr said as he shook his head in what Liam could only assume was resignation.
“No don’t, the kids will love it! Leave it like that,” H-Bar said.
Ullr hesitated a moment before pulling back and saying, “You have a point. We’ll keep it like that for the kids.”
“It can’t be that bad, right?” Liam asked.
Please let it not make me out to be a complete laughingstock, Liam thought.
“Oh it is,” H-Bar confirmed.
Passing through the doors, Liam’s heart melted. The children here all had bald heads and sunken eyes. The words weren’t on display, but Liam already knew. They were kids with cancer. Two words that should never be uttered together and yet here they were before him.
Making their way into a circular room, kids looked up from all around them. Their faces shining brightly at the entering Heroes.
Off to the side there was a loud bang of something metal crashing to the floor before a little girl came running out screaming, “Uncle H-Bar, you came back!”
The girl dove headlong into the Hero’s leg. H-Bar swung her up in a bear hug before saying, “Did you think your Uncle would forget? I even brought friends with me today.”
The other kids started calling out happily. All thanking their favorite Uncle H-Bar. Until they saw Liam’s mask, and the calls became an uncontrolled fit of laughter. Well the mask must look pretty bad to get that reaction. But Liam wouldn’t change it for the world. If it brought these kids a little joy, then it was worth it. Good thing Ullr decided against fixing the mask.
If only they could spend the rest of the day here. But duty was never far behind for a Hero.