The Vandimion residence was built on the outskirts of the city, straddling the edge between suburbia and wilderness. The house itself, and the view of the distant city, was a constant that Hannah Vandimion did not belong. Her childhood room had only memories of restless nights and apprehensive mornings.
What kept her going those days was the view on the other side: the mountain forest. She had read about the wide world beyond her home and those mountains were the small piece she could explore in.
That was where she could express herself without burdens. That was where she could spend time with her best friends. That was where she learned that heroes are real. As a child, she dreamed to soar the mountain peaks with the birds and delve the ocean depths with the fish; as an adult, she has achieved that and so much more that she could never have imagined.
All her life, good and bad, could only be enabled by one person.
“Hey there, butter—” he couldn’t finish before he was lifted off his feet in a squeeze, “I was wondering what brought you around.”
“I wanted to see my dad, isn’t that reason enough?”
“Well, you’ve been so busy lately, I figured you didn’t have any time for me.”
“It’s because things have been so hard that I wanted a hug. And I’ll always make time for you.”
“Well, I can’t hug you like this,” she let him go and he gulped for air. Recomposed, he held his daughter in his arms.
“Dad… I’ve been lost for a while now… even before all this… I don’t know what I’ve been doing or what I should do. I thought I did for a while, but this whole time I’ve been paddling in an ocean, and I’m getting tired.”
“Well, of course you’re lost. There wasn’t any path for you to follow, ya had to make each step on your own.”
“I had you. And Aaliyah. And… I thought I had him. I thought he would have all the answers. Maybe he does.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about. You need to give yourself more credit. You’re your own girl. I’m sure your friends have their own problems.”
“Heh, I had to give Aaliyah a pep talk the other day. Guess I was talking to myself just as much. Dad, what do you think I should do?”
“Well, of course I’d want you to come home and be safe and sound. But I know you better than that. You like to wander around too much to stay put, especially when there’s a friend in need. I’m sure your heart is telling you what you really want and you’d regret keeping it down.”
“It’s gonna be dangerous.”
“It’s a good thing you’re built a bit tougher than most then. Even if you take a scrape or two, I know you’ll finger things out. No matter what happens, I know you’re trying to do the right thing, and for that, I’ll always be proud of you.”
----------------------------------------
Todd watched his old home from a distance. It was one of countless other interchangeable low-density residential housing, the object of the American dream. His car was his best means of escaping the suburban sprawl, the object of the American child’s dream.
The whole time he lived in that house, he wanted to get away from it. Rather, he wanted to get away from his parents. He had been saving up money for a long time to move out comfortably.
Then, and now, this was not where he belonged. Be that as it may, there was something worthwhile here. Kenny was the son on the right path. He was supposed to go on a full ride through college into a respectable career. Even better, he got thrust into stardom just for the way he was born. If the war was won, he would be valorized as a hero.
Too bad that didn’t happen. Todd was champion and scholar hand-picked by the Gator, but that just wasn’t what they were looking for. Maybe if they pop out another son, they will finally get to live vicariously through that one’s fame.
Todd had heard Uncle went back to his old home which made him pine to do the same. It was just as much of a waste as Uncle said it was; there was nothing left for Todd here. This last image he had of his old home would fall into the sediment under the vast future ahead of him. The past would be burned away for Srenika the arch-pyromancer to rise from the ashes.
“Todd?” asked Streaker. Srenika was startled at someone suddenly being behind him. Kenny took off his helmet, “I didn’t think I’d see you here. Shouldn’t you be on the other side of the portal?”
“I am free to go where I please; I never needed permission or a badge. What about you? you don’t need to play dress up anymore.”
“I’m helping Hannah clean up the mess that your gateway is making. We decided to do that on our own, and I like the costume. What about you? Is this everything you wanted?”
“Just perfect. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to the other side of the portal.”
Todd stepped past Kenny and walked a few stones down the sidewalk.
“Ugh, wait,” called out Kenny without turning around.
“There’s nothing left for me here. Not my home. Not my family.”
“There’s Bun bo.”
Todd stopped, paused, and turned on his heel. Kenny led him across the street and to the front door. The car was here, which meant so were their parents. He would brush off whatever scorn they had to throw at him, fill up some tupperware with noodles, and get out.
Todd opened the door and his mom fell on him to hug him. She sobbed in her mother tongue and rocked side to side as she pinned his arms. Dad hurried forward with luggage in tow. He pulled mom off of Todd, looked his son up and down, gave a pat on the shoulder, and continued to the car.
“What was that?” asked Todd as he followed Kenny inside.
“Mom was worried about you at least. Dad thought you’d be fine. Right now, they are going to the shelters near Oracle church. They couldn’t handle energy coming from the portal and I can’t be with them at all times. Other people are taking shelter for the same reason.” Todd stopped in the living room as Kenny went into the kitchen to prepare the bowls.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“They were supposed to acclimate to the new conditions over time.”
“Well, they aren’t. Not soon enough. Older people have the most trouble, which is how I found out that Colchis is 16% over 65.”
“16%? There’d be no way for all of them to live around one church.”
“Some of them are leaving town, but if you guys are going to build more portals, then that might not last,” Kenny set down the bowls with chopsticks for Todd and a fork for himself. They sat down at the table together. Todd stirred around the soup against the noodles and pork with his chopsticks.
“By that time, the world should already be conditioned from the magic out of this portal. I’m sure Uncle expected this.”
“Even if he did, does ‘Uncle’ always make the right choice?” Kenny wanted to ask what the Uncle thing was about but he was too tired. He unzipped his parka to let off steam before he dug into a bowl of spicy hotness.
“He knows what to do to bring progress. Even if I don’t… understand… I don’t have a choice in what he decides.”
“The Todd I knew would never admit he didn’t have a choice, no matter how true it was,” said Kenny in between slurps. Todd continued to twiddle his chopsticks.
“A lot has changed,” the crack of thunder shook the house, “like that.”
Kenny left the table to open the front door then hurried back to the kitchen. The expected guest was here, but she brought the one not expected.
“Shouldn’t she be at the church?” asked Todd.
“The portal is closed for now,” answered Aaliyah.
“We planned to get lunch here,” started Hannah, “but if we’re intruding then we can leave.”
“No no, you’re fine,” said Kenny as he set down two more bowls on the table, Hannah’s made without pork or beef involved, “there’s nothing to interrupt. Sit.”
Hannah and Aaliyah glanced at each other before they took their seats. Hannah dug into her bowl while Aaliyah had to heed the sting of spice. Todd still milled around with his chopsticks while Kenny kept his head down as he ate.
“This dish is delicious Kenny,” said Aaliyah, “I wish I got to experience your cooking sooner.”
“Thank you. But it was nice to get in-house catering for a while,” said Kenny.
“I’m sure the other mutants were happy to serve their betters. Firsts among equal,” muttered Todd.
“I’m glad that you two got to see each other under… better circumstances,” side-stepped Hannah, “Are you sure we aren’t a bother.”
“No, this is as good as it’s gonna get,” said Kenny, “how’s the food in Hell?”
“Auntie… Ms. Chen is trying to develop this Roman and Chinese aesthetic and it is super not working in the edible department.”
“Sounds tragic,” said Aaliyah.
“Do the monsters taste any different from what we have here?” asked Kenny.
“They are made of magic, so they dissipate when they are chopped up or die.”
“The land didn’t seem very hospitable when I went there; besides the overwhelming pressure, the land was practically barren. How is anyone supposed to live there?” asked Aaliyah.
“The magic provides some nutrients to living things, but most food will be imported. Terraforming and controlled-environment agriculture will be developed later.”
“What about you? What are you doing on the other side?” asked Kenny.
“I am helping develop the school of pyrokinetics, starting with collecting lost knowledge from around the world. The rest you would also be welcome to help build the study of magics… or just to visit.”
“Sorry, I wouldn’t feel comfortable in a place built on prison labor,” Kenny slurped his noodles extra loud, “and the hell energy stuff would suck too, I guess.”
“We gave those prisoners a new opportunity at life and redemption when their future was already taken from them for their crimes.”
“That’s funny. I remember Garrick sold us the same thing. That the Pantheon would provide a place for mutants when the rest of the world rejected them. I remember because you told me it was bull.”
“It’s not the same.”
“You’re right. My brother back then wouldn’t repeat slogans, especially when he knows they aren’t true. But I guess your guy won so it’s time to grow up and take orders.” Todd let go of his chopsticks and slammed on the table,
“I don’t regret following Tejieue; I only wish he recruited me sooner so I could have done more. No one else was willing or able to take down Garrick. Tartarus would still be operating out-of-site and out-of-mind. This was the only way to change anything.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Kenny jabbed into a cube of beef, “you helped save hundreds of people and establish a future for magic. Me playing hero just got people killed. I guess you were the more successful brother in the end.”
“Kenny that’s not… that wasn't your fault.”
“Doesn’t change what happened. It is what it is. I guess if you think that there’s nothing that can be done about it, then it’s really over.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Some people need to hear it. One of them being me. So please tell me that your boss is unstoppable before I do something stupid.”
“You’ve already seen what he can do yourself. I don’t think anything I have to say can compare. Besides, magic is a box that can’t be closed again; even if all the immortals disappeared, all that would do is leave a power vacuum that others would scramble to fill.
You’re not seriously considering fighting them are you?”
“Yeah, I heard everything you just said before. But when I think back to everything that happened, when I see the people who have been hurt by events they had no say in, our own parents collapsed… well, I think I understand how you used to feel. Useless. Helpless. Alone.”
“Maybe. But you are helping people now. With your friends. It’s not perfect, but please. focus on doing what you can with the people you have now. Right?” Todd turned to the girls.
“I felt the same way for a long time,” said Aaliyah, “It felt like no matter what I did, no matter what other people told me, nothing would make a difference. I can’t take it anymore. I don’t know what I can do, but I know I can’t live as a spectator anymore.”
“I can’t expect you to be much better, can I?” Todd put his fingers to his temple and turned to Hannah, on her fourth bowl. She loudly slurped the soup right from the bowl, spilling out the sides of her mouth, before she set it down.
“You know these two were the first to go doomer on me when I woke up, and now they're talking about not standing around while other people suffer. I think I get why you didn’t like the Pantheon,” said Hannah, “you’re right. We stood around and followed orders when people needed someone to save them. I felt bad when I read some of the stories about how mutants were treated in the news, and I felt uncomfortable living on Olympus, but I was just an idiot who didn’t know what to think or do about such complex stuff, so I just went with the flow.
I’m helping people now, but there’s no point in pretending to be a hero. What I really want right now are answers. The Tyler Deimos I knew would never see what’s happening now as acceptable losses; he would always try to save everyone, and he always did. But I guess I never saw the full picture; no matter what, I always felt like he was on the other side of an uncrossable chasm from me, and I guess now I know just how deep that chasm was. But I still don’t have the full picture, and there’s only one to get it. In the end, I just have a selfish reason.”
“Why tell me this? I could just tell Tejieue about you.”
“Probably,” said Hannah, “I guess that's the best way to set us straight. We wouldn’t stop you. Maybe we want you to stop us.” Todd looked into the ripples of his soup.
“I thought… I thought we could make things different. That things would be different. That people could live without fear and war. But it’s not. I still think something needed to be done but… maybe I just spent too much time dreaming. Maybe this is the only way to make things better. But this isn’t what I thought it would be.”
“Huh, I guess we both know how it feels,” said Hannah.
“Still, I can’t let you take my brother on a suicide mission. What makes you think that your chances are any better now when you lost every time before?”
“In fact, we have some pretty great ideas. But more than that… well I can’t speak for the others but it was pretty embarrassing to lose to a guy with no powers. If he can look at a gap like that and surpass it without hesitation… well, it makes me want to do the same.
So, once you hear our plan, you can decide if it's worth turning us in.”