Remy stepped out of the Staress V20 and groaned, immediately stretching out his long legs and arms. As cool, flashy, and stylish as the vehicle was, it was certainly not built for someone with his large frame in mind.
He frowned. “We’re here, Big Cuzzy. Get out.”
There was a brief silence before Jay slowly slithered out of the vehicle. “Oh. Right.” His eyes were bloodshot and his head hung low, unfocused pupils fixated on the ground. Unfortunately, he hadn’t changed much in mood at all since the events in Whisperwind. A big telling sign he was doing horribly was the fact he hadn’t bothered to argue about who was the real Big Cuzzy.
Remy was in a slightly better state. The encounter with Instant had shaken him up but he had been able to think about the future and reflect on Hayato for many hours. Ultimately, he decided that he wasn’t going to dwell too much on what couldn’t be changed. He would focus on the future and try his best to put his schemes into action. That was all he could do.
“Did you see the Genetic Detect Barrier?” Remy asked.
“The what now?”
“Look up.”
Jay sighed and slowly raised his head, glancing at the blue translucent dome towering above them. “Shiiiiiit,” he said in a monotone voice. “I think I’ve seen pictures of this thingy. Are we in Star Tech?”
“Yeah. It’s one of the safest places on Earth because of the barrier. It can block any registered supervillain. Cool, right?”
“I guess.”
The two walked between rows of parked hovercars and reached a wide bustling city street filled with hundreds of robots and humans. Holographic ads filled the skies along with neon-lined buildings. Countless conversations rang out, and synthetic snowflakes fell from the barrier.
“Why are we here man?” Jay complained. “This place is hectic as hell.”
Remy smiled. “Stop whining and follow me.”
They travelled up the street for a few miles until they stopped by a store with an extremely creative name: Tattoo Place. The store's sign featured a logo of a man with blond hair giving a double thumbs up.
With his head still hung low, Jay followed Remy into the store.
The same blond-haired man on the logo greeted them and threw his thumbs up. “Welcome to the Tattoo Place! Would you like a tattoo? Of course you do. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here. I can do it all! What would you like?”
Remy laughed, amused at the genuine charisma and excitement. The guy clearly loved his job. He had to respect it. “I’d like one tattoo for me and my friend. Can you do this?” He tapped a few times on his Hologram Watch and an image displayed showing Japanese writing
Jay finally looked up. His eyes widened and he brought a hand to his mouth. “Is that what I think it is?”
“It is,” Remy replied, turning to him. “Tsuyokunaru. Become Strong. Let’s not disappoint Sensei.”
Jay nodded and straightened his back. “We won’t.”
While Jay got his tattoo, Remy stepped outside the shop and called a number. “Hey, we’re in Star Tech. Is it ready yet?”
“Almost,” replied an old friend, her voice bursting with excitement. “I need a few more hours. As for the special request, we need to talk about it in person! This weapon design has me weak in the knees. You must have thought about this for a decade with your pea brain.”
Remy chuckled. “I can’t take the credit. Thank my dad.”
----------------------------------------
Jay opted for a neck tattoo, while Remy chose a more discreet option, getting an arm tattoo. Next up was clothes… Because according to Jay, they couldn’t have cool tattoos and not have cool clothes. His cousin had decided to wear a blue kimono and it surprisingly suited him. He looked like a karate master. Meanwhile, Remy stuck with his typical T-shirt and shorts.
Then they had their lunch, choosing to eat at a Chinese restaurant. Jay rubbed his belly, a goofy smile on his face. “Thanks for the food, Big Cuzzy. I could get used to this. Let me guess our next steps. We came all this way to reach the Reality Manipulation Flow Site.”
Remy gave him a quizzical look, not sure if he was joking. “Of course not. No one has acquired an ability from there. Only a few meet the genetic requirements and those who do fail the test every time. It’s impossible. For us at least.”
“Giving up without starting? That doesn’t sound like you.”
Remy shrugged. “There’s no point fighting for something you don’t think is possible. Besides, I don’t think anyone should possess those abilities. Imagine how messed up the world would be if someone like you could control time or change the laws of physics.”
“I wouldn’t abuse the powers,” Jay said confidently. He scrunched his eyebrows, then buckled under Remy’s sceptical stare. “Okay, maybe I would.”
“Reluctant Man was careful. If anyone is going to get those superpowers, it sure as hell won’t be us.”
“So what you’re saying is he was feeling a bit… reluctant to share certain powers. Get it?”
“I hate you.”
“Yeah, that was bad.”
“No, that was horrendous.”
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
“You exaggerate. With a little more creativity it could have been better.”
“You’re banned from making jokes from now on.”
“Says who?”
“Humanity.”
“Not even self-deprecating or accidental?”
“Those are fine.” A few seconds passed. Remy shook his head. “It’s the get it? part that really pissed me off. Of course I get it. It was the most basic ass joke I’ve ever heard in my life.”
“Alright, alright! Are you done?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to go to the Flow Site anyway?”
Remy glanced at his watch. He almost said no, but then he remembered they were supposed to be on an adventure. His sister had once told him that the best adventures were spontaneous. "Might as well.”
----------------------------------------
In the middle of the Star Tech Square stood a golden statue of a woman, her arm raised to the sky as she held a crown. Grinning, she threw up a peace sign with her free hand. Surrounding the statue was a blue circular platform. Unlike the larger Sensory Flow Site in Whisperwind, the Reality Manipulation Flow Site was considerably smaller, with enough space for a maximum of thirty people.
Remy and Jay joined a long line that led to the platform. The Flow Site was a popular, free tourist attraction, visited by millions each year just so they could confirm to themselves that no, they could not rewind time to improve their lives.
“That’s Staress by the way,” Remy said.
“Huh? The statue is our car?”
“Your history is atrocious.”
“Then stop shaming and educate me,” Jay snapped.
Remy chuckled. “Along with Psyche and Reluctant Man, Staress was one of the first superheroes. She helped make the Flow Sites. Our hovercar is named after her.”
“Oh, I remember now,” Jay said.
“Sure you do.”
As the line got shorter and shorter, Remy wondered how Reluctant Man used all of his superpowers. The history books all said the same thing: Reluctant Man hated being the only superhero. He hated the obligation and overwhelming pressure. But did he use his superpowers to enjoy his life too? Was he even allowed to?
Finally, a Flow Site worker, gestured for them to move onto the platform and within seconds of walking on, Remy walked off. No display had shown. He was not worthy.
“Come on,” Remy said. “Let’s go.”
“Holy shit, it worked!” Jay exclaimed, eyes bulging.
“No, it didn’t.”
“I’m serious! I’m 85% compatible.”
Remy’s eyes narrowed. “Really?”
“Yes!”
“Okay, you have one final chance to apologise for lying. I’ll wait.”
“I’m serious,” Jay said.
“Alright.”
Jay laughed. “No, you fool! I got you.”
Remy sighed. He gave his cousin a look of pity. “Hm. I’m pretty sure I said no jokes. Your punishment has been carried out.” He bolted out of the square back onto the busy street, purposefully allowing Jay to read his mind.
Jay’s eyes bulged. “No way! You got me what?”
Remy stopped walking, shutting off his thoughts. “Not anymore. It was supposed to be an early birthday present but actions have consequences. You know that.” He patted Jay on the shoulder. “Sorry, Big Cuzzy.”
“No, wait, please. You can’t do this to me. It’s the perfect weapon.”
“You’ll go to superhero school eventually and customise–,”
“I’ll do anything,” Jay pleaded. “I’ll be the Big Cuzzy from now on. You win. I’ll never even think about telling a joke a day in my life.”
“Hmm, I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”
They walked around the city in silence for twenty minutes until they reached a HeroTech store. Jay punched the air with a force that could definitely knock someone out. “You won’t regret this. I’m going to use it to whoop everyone’s ass. I’ll be like–” Jay expertly motioned with his arms.
Remy laughed much harder than he thought he would. Maybe he was the older cousin after all. The more time he spent with Jay, the more he felt like an older sibling.
They entered the store and a wave of nostalgia washed over Remy. He remembered his dad dragging him to his first HeroTech store at eight years old. At the time, he was unable to identify a lot of the utility items or understand the true beauty of all the gadgets surrounding him. But now he understood why his father loved visiting the store frequently despite not being a superhero…
It was awesome. All of it.
Lining the walls were every melee weapon a human could conceive, some of them compiled of rare alien materials. The store was split into three main sections– defensive, offensive and utility. While Jay was immersed in an aisle filled with katanas, Remy went straight for the counter to meet a gorgeous woman with short, blue hair. Her frame was tall, voluptuous, and thick in all the right places. She lightly bopped her head to the hip-hop beat blasting out of the in-store speakers, reading from a holographic display, then looked up, and grinned when she noticed who it was. “Ah, look who's here. It's Sleepy Man himself.”
Remy scoffed. It had been a while since he’d heard the middle school nickname. He never understood why the other kids gave him the name when his superpower was the antithesis. It irritated him at the time since it reminded him he would never experience the feeling of drowsiness. “Lyra. Great to see you.”
Jay seemed to teleport beside Remy only seconds after Lyra spoke, shooting him a telepathic message, She looks damn good. Respectfully.
“This is my cousin, Jay, I was talking about. He telepathically just said to me and I quote, ‘She looks damn good. Respectfully.’”
Jay failed to hide the embarrassment on his face but managed to squeak out, “Respectfully. That makes all the difference.”
Lyra laughed. “Uh-huh. Well, Jay, I have created your custom-designed duel batons. Respectfully.”
She brought out the weapons and Remy couldn’t help but smile at the look of awe on his cousin's face. He looked like a kid getting his desired Christmas present.
White and red… Like Blood Hound, Jay said telepathically.
Like Blood Hound, Remy repeated.
“Even Big Cuzzy is inscribed on one of them,” Jay said. “I officially can’t call you that anymore.”
“No, you can’t. Check the other one.”
Jay gasped then his face hardened, recognising the Japanese words. “Tsuyokunaru.”
“The weapon has a few functions,” Lyra said. “Read the manual. But of course, you won’t be using them because you’re not licensed superheroes. These are collectable items for you guys, right?”
“Yeah,” Remy and Jay said simultaneously. “Collectable items.”
Lyra clapped loudly. “Now for the main course… Remy. The designs you sent are feasible but extremely ambitious. I’ll have to craft some special components from scratch to create this baby. It won’t be easy.”
“I know. That’s why I came to you. You can create anything.”
Lyra switched on a hologram projector and swiped with a hand, rotating the design plans to reveal a 3D graphic of two large obsidian black gauntlets with the title, Twin Vigils. “Yes, I can.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she meshed her hands together. “On a completely unrelated topic, how large was your S-class inheritance money?”