Hannah Vandimion was one of the lucky few winners who get to meet the greatest heroes in the world. While the other adults were waiting for the shuttle, Hannah was with the crowd who matched her excitement: children.
“Oh! My! Gosh! You made this doll yourself?!” she squat down to the child who held a crochet UnderDog plushie, “it’s so cute! Is he your favorite?”
“Yea, my dog likes to see Underdog on tv too, so me and my mom made this and I came to get a picture to show him,” said the child.
“Oh! Oh!” started another kid, “my favorite is Zariah! I watch her show all the time and she gets to talk to all kinds of people from all over!”
“The best hero is obviously Garrick,” said a young boy, “he’s the strongest because he has a robot suit that can shoot missiles and an army of drones to back him up. No one can beat him.”
“Do you have a favorite miss?” asked one of the children.
“That’s uh…,” Hannah looked around and beckoned the kids to huddle closer together, “can you guys keep a secret?” she whispered. The children nodded. “My favorite hero is a secret, one who only comes out of the shadows to save the day when no one else can.”
“Is he a secret agent!” the kid got shushed by another, “is he a secret agent like WhiteOut?” the kid whispered.
“No, they’re even secreter. Even WhiteOut doesn’t know about them.”
“Are you the hero miss?”
“Oh no, I can’t be a hero. He’s braver and stronger and smarter than I could ever be. I’m nothing like him.”
“So it’s a boy.”
Before Hannah could walk back her mistake, the shuttle arrived. The entrance door slid open to reveal the tour guide: the hostess with the mostess, Zariah Michelena. Her signature white sobralia boutonniere was displayed on her lapel. The adults were happy enough to greet her but someone more important ran up to meet their favorite hero.
“And hello to you to mi hermanita,” said Zariah, “It is my pleasure to welcome wonderful children like you to the first-ever tour of Olympus. One day, Olympus will be open to everyone and you will be able to come see me anytime you want. But for now, our driver,” Zariah directed the group’s attention to the shuttle driver, who wore the badge of the Pantheon’s mutants: the sun peeking over a cloud, “will take us around Olympus in our one-of-a-kind Helios shuttle. At the end of the tour, before we say goodbye, I will tell everyone what their spirit animals are.”
“Lady, you know Garrick’s the best hero right?!” asked the young boy before he was hushed by his parent.
“Of course! It was Garrick who brought us all together for this incredible opportunity in the first place. When I look into the clear blue sky and see his drones watch from above, I know that he is working hard to keep us all safe.”
The group filed into the shuttle. Though there were enough comfy seats for everyone, Hannah and a man were too big to sit in them with other people so they opted to stand in the aisle and hold on to the handle strap. On the screen at the front of the shuttle, and on the back of every chair, the infomercial began to play.
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Thirty years ago, a miracle was born. A boy named Garrick Iolcus saved his class by stopping a runaway car dead in its tracks with a sway of his hand. Though those around him could not recognize what happened, he quickly realized that he was one of the first mutants to awaken.
Soon after, others would discover they had mutations like Garrick, but without guidance, they had no control of themselves. To bring order to the chaos that suddenly swept mankind, the visionary Garrick Iolcus set out to become the example that the world needed. He donned a suit of armor—the Fatman—and became the first superhero!
From his efforts, the Pantheon Project would be born: a global initiative to ensure that mutants become a force that brought peace and justice. Those who aspired to be heroes could join him in Olympus while those who would use their powers for evil could be contained in Tartarus. Since then, others have joined him:
Captain Max Force and Lieutenant Underdog, the ranger duo that has thwarted countless terrorist attacks;
Aaliyah Folious, the Living Saint whose light can heal all illness and injury;
And WhiteOut, the young genius that can catch any criminal.
These five heroes work tirelessly to protect the world, but they don’t do it alone. The Pantheon is for anyone who wants to help those in need. Join the Pantheon and you too can help lead humanity beyond the horizon.
Join the Pantheon and you too can be a hero.
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As the program ended, the shuttle slowed to its first stop. The group came off next to the security booth at the fence gate of the air base that made up half of what was called Olympus.
The runway was where the planes took off to bring detainees to Tartarus but the hangars stored aircraft more valuable than Boeings: this was the main site for the drone network that extended Garrick’s reach beyond himself. Sabers were the scout crafts commonly seen in the skies of Colchis while the heavily-armed Broadswords were deployed when lethal force was necessary.
The fence extended to separate the military base from the rest of Olympus and the booth itself was manned by a soldier whose fatigues did not bear the badge of the Pantheon. The only mutants officially enlisted in the US armed forces were:
“Meet Captain Max Force, and his trusty companion, UnderDog!” presented Zariah.
The adults took their turns to thank Captain Force for his service to the country and marveled at the medals that adorned his service dress uniform, but the main attraction was UnderDog, the hound of steel. His fur, unlike his skin, was soft as could be and the lick of his tongue was as playful as any other dog.
After the child got the photo that they wanted, Hannah was next to pet UnderDog. He jumped into her arms and gave her a faceful of slobber when he incessantly lapped at her. Max sighed from behind the group who found his partner's vice adorable. When the dog came down to let everyone else pet him, Hannah waved at Max. Max waved back. It felt nice.
The next stop was the Olympus Sanatorium. This specialized hospital treats mutants and conducts research on mutations. Mutations come in many shapes and sizes but they all emit forms of radiation that can be used to identify them in the Sanatorium or with portable radiometers. By sending the diagnosis to Garrick, a mutant can receive equipment that helps them control their mutation. The majority of the staff—janitorial, clerical, information technology, food services, and environmental services—wore the badge while the technicians and medical practitioners did not.
The hospital was merely one place where the mutants got to work. Along the shuttle path, guests could see more taking care of Olympus’ landscaping needs by mowing the grass, trimming bushes, and pruning trees. Next to the dorms were the vocational training facilities where mutants are taught skills needed to work in Olympus or in any of the Pantheon’s many affiliated partners. This part of the tour was meant to sate the adults, to show them that mutants could be corralled and educated into model citizens. Sate it did.
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After a break at the cafeteria, staffed by mutants, the shuttle came to the stop everyone was waiting for: Iolcus Tower. It was not the tallest or most ostentatious building in Colchis, instead, it was quite a square office building. But Olympus was situated on the outskirts of the city which allowed this tower to stand above everything around it. The group would meet the other heroes of the Pantheon here, starting at the ground floor lobby with…
“Hannah!?” interrupted Aaliyah. She was dressed in her iconic white cassock embroidered with gold stars yet her fluster betrayed her image of regal sternness. Hannah waved with excitement until she realized the group turned to her.
“Ahem, Ms. Folious, you know one of our guests?” asked Zariah.
“It’s nothing, let’s just continue on,” said Aaliyah when she regained her composure.
“No, no, go on, meet your friend! I’m sure everyone would be alright with that?”
“Miss, you know Aaliyah?” asked the same inquisitive kid from earlier with their eyes squinting.
“Um, yeah we’re childhood friends actually,” Hannah said with a nervous chuckle. She hooked her arm around the man’s and dragged him over to Aaliyah.
“Oh, you’re here too,” said Aaliyah.
“At least pretend you’re happy to see me,” said the man.
“With you, I’m used to it.”
“Are you another friend of Aaliyah’s, too?” asked Zariah.
“I’m her ex,” said the man, to the surprise of everyone. Even the mutants working at the front desk looked up from their calls, “just to be clear, I dumped her. She’s a real sloppy kisser, let me tell ya, like a water hose.”
“Why are you here?” asked Aaliyah.
“To see the greatest hero in the world of course. I’ve always wanted to meet my idol, and what do you know, I happened to be one of the few lucky winners who got this wonderful opportunity.”
The scene turned out tenser than Zariah expected. She had hoped to learn more about Aaliyah for herself, but it seemed like she was not on good terms with this man. It looked like Hannah was expecting a better outcome, too, as she was fidgeting to the side of them. Zariah did not remember this man being in the group even though she had been subtly establishing physical contact with everyone to give them their spirit animal reading.
Regardless, it was her fault for taking the tour off track. Zariah hurried the group along into the spacious elevator that would take them to the conference lobby on the top floor. Even in that enclosed space, the man remained out of her reach.
The elevator doors opened and a tiger leaped at the group. Almost everyone in the group screamed in terror except for the man, who Hannah was clinging to as she shook in fear, and Zariah, who caught the tiger. The orange fur melted into grey slime that condensed into a young girl with ghostly pale hair. The adults were positively traumatized but the children all yelled together:
“WhiteOut!”
Zariah let WhiteOut down so she could play to her target demographic; supposedly, that kind of jump scare is popular with kids. Zariah did not understand it, but WhiteOut was the one who came up with the tour so she must know better. WhiteOut transformed into all kinds of animals, sometimes multiple at a time, using her arms and head while her body remained human. She had a lobster claw in one hand, a praying mantis leg in the other, a turtle shell on her back, and a cat face with mandibles on her head.
Come to think of it, Zariah had never done a spirit reading on WhiteOut. WhiteOut rarely interacted with mutants outside of work. Zariah only received orders from her as part of media management.
Zariah reached to touch WhiteOut on the shoulder but was interrupted by chandeliers turning off and the windows around the lobby becoming dark. A bird flew across the windows in a streak that revealed the sky. Then dozens of birds left streaks until the streaks filled the window screens with blue and white. The camera pulled back to reveal a caveman who looked up at the birds with envy.
Then the colors muted into the grainy scene of the 1903 flyer that crawled along the ground with Wilbur running at its side. When the flyer began to climb, the music of triumphant horns and drums climbed with it. Color returned in streaks across the screen.
The flyer continued to climb, but white polyester came from the side to envelop the screen. The camera panned out to reveal a zeppelin that dwarfed the city underneath it.
Magnificent as it was, something crossed the screen from bottom to top in a blink. The camera raced to follow and found a jet that flew to the height of the stratosphere to look over the curve of the earth. From the cockpit, one saw a sea of clouds warmed by the sun that peeked over the edge with its light shining all around.
Something tapped on the glass of the cockpit from the side. When the camera turned, there was the Fatman. It waved at the pilot, then rocketed off towards the horizon at a speed that the jet could not hope to match.
The windows returned to normal at the same time as a door slammed open. The attention of the group turned to the stairs—next to the secretary’s desk—that led up to an office that overlooked the lobby. A sight in the doorway prompted a standing ovation: Garrick Iolcus, the greatest hero in the world and a credit to his people.
Of the heroes, he was always the most out of reach for the average person. Zariah had a live audience for her show and traveled around the world. WhiteOut has been a guest for all kinds of children’s programming and has multiple social media accounts. Captain Force and Underdog worked with police and military units. Aaliyah could be met in Oracle Church and was sent to other temples and healthcare institutions.
Garrick only ever met face-to-face with world leaders, department heads, and other captains of industry; at best, he presented at expos and trade shows. Most people only knew him as a face on a screen or a machine in the sky. But now he smiled and waved as he graciously came down the stairs to the level of commoners. And grateful they were to meet the progenitor of the Pantheon. They eagerly professed their gratitude for all he has done to help the lives of mutants and humans alike. Garrick shook hands with every one of them and answered questions with promises of a bright today and a brighter tomorrow.
“Where’s the suit?” asked the man with Hannah. She clung to him still but was surprised by his intrusion in the moment. “I came to see the FatMan up close,” he continued with all eyes on him.
“Well,” answered Garrick as he pushed past the group, “that suit costs a couple salaries a minute so I won’t bring it out unless I have to.”
“Lame. Why would I care about seeing some nerd? You could have at least brought out the robots. You wanted to see it too, right kid?” he said to the young boy. The boy didn’t want to say something rude in front of Mr. Iolcus, but he had been disappointed beginning with the gate to the military base being closed. He wanted to see the weapons and machines, not watch ads or go to the doctor's office.
“And who are you, exactly?” asked Garrick, though he had a hunch already.
“Why, I am Tyler Deimos, the son of the biggest thorn in your side.”
“Oh. You’re Victor’s boy. That’s where I’ve seen you. He hasn’t been a problem at all. His legal challenges have helped to cement the Pantheon’s position. We have even collaborated with Deimos Library in our outreach to Lerna. Your very own gun club there also caught my attention.”
“Did it now?”
“The Gun by CJ Chivers? Excellent reading, among many. Your club inspired me,” Garrick pulled the young boy close, “to put together the Pantheon’s very own cadet program. Oh, the military has its junior training corps,” he squeezed the boy closer to him, “but what we need is a generation of young men and women who are capable of leading humanity beyond the horizon.”
“You want to raise your own army. Shouldn’t building one be enough?”
“I do all I can to protect the world.”
“The same way you protected Australia.”
Who does this guy think he is thought Zariah. The other guests were even more uncomfortable now. Hannah tugged on his jacket to plead for him to stop in vain. Zariah should have kicked this bad character to the curb the first time. Garrick already disapproved of the tour, so he was definitely going to have her neck for this soured test run—if he doesn’t tear this guy’s head off first.
“Australia was a tragic lesson for everyone about what happens when the Pantheon is not allowed to arrive in time. In the end, we rectified the situation and have continued to expand our capabilities to ensure something like that never happens again.”
Garrick’s response was measured but the whir that grew louder belied his true heart. Broadswords ascended to the windows all around the building. The saber drones were a common sight in Colchis, but few outside the US military got to see the Broadswords and live to see much else. The rotary cannon mounted underneath was supplemented by the rocket pods under the wings. The rest of the group was distracted by the wonder of the stout machines but all Garrick saw was the man with a faint smirk.