Unlike most eighteen-year-olds, Remy was irritated that he had developed a crush. He had realised it almost immediately. All the signs were there. His heart was racing rapidly, and he felt like he was on cloud nine despite the fact his quest to acquire the Dark Energy ability was failing miserably. The mysterious woman fell back, and as soon as her body hit the ground, she fell asleep, pulled into a deep slumber.

Remy turned his attention to the murky sky ahead of him. Even with his super vision, all he could see were clouds and the raindrops falling from them. Like most nights, he waited for morning to come, eyes squinted at the rising sun.

There was no time for distractions of any kind. A strong, unwavering mind was pivotal for him to achieve all of his goals, and the most valuable asset he had was his abundance of time– he couldn’t waste a second of it thinking about how peaceful and angelic she looked with her eyes closed and…

Argh! What are you doing? Focus!

Moments later, the woman screamed. Remy jolted, turning towards her as she shot upright, clawing and punching the air as if it were an enemy.

“Are you okay?” Remy asked, reaching to grab her arm.

“Get away! Stop! No!”

Her terror-filled voice stopped Remy in his tracks, immediately reminding him of the poor girl who had deleted herself in the Deadzone. Feeling incredibly helpless, he only watched in silence as the woman gradually regained her composure. She hugged her knees, eyes still wide with fear, nails digging into her shoulders.

Finally, she glared at him. “Why did you let me fall asleep in a place like this?”

Remy threw a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

The woman remained silent, her eyes fixed on him, as if lasers were about to shoot out and pierce his skull. Remy returned the look.

“Why are you mad at me? I’m under no obligation to stop you from falling asleep. You’re the one who came to me and disturbed my peace. I didn’t want to do the same to you."

The woman jumped to her feet, her face turning red. Her whole demeanour changed sharply. “Sorry,” she mumbled before briskly walking away.

Remy scratched his head. That was weird.

----------------------------------------

“Are you ready?” Isolate the Conqueror asked.

Remy rubbed his hands eagerly. “Yes, ma’am.”

The notorious supervillain grabbed his arm, and seconds later his body levitated off the ground.

Remy whistled. “Coool,” he praised.

“I know, right?” Isolate said, “Try throwing your body upwards. Temporarily, you should be able to fly. Don’t be shy.”

Remy followed her suggestion, and suddenly he found himself flipping forwards in the air. He laughed. “Holy shit!”

Isolate flew towards him and motioned for him to follow her. “Come on. No time to dilly-dally.”

She gave Remy a quick tour of Stratosia, impressing him significantly. The supervillain jubilantly explained the origins of the flying island as they went from the thriving jungle area to their solar panels that allowed for electricity. Isolate had created the sanctuary twenty years ago, with the sole purpose of creating a refuge for those who were unfortunate enough to be stuck in the Deadzone.

“This place is a second chance at life,” Isolate said. “Since superheroes and law enforcement don’t operate in the Deadzone, it’s a breeding ground for helpless victims of abduction and the worst crimes you can possibly think of. Every day, hundreds of them pop up in the Deadzone and meet an unfortunate demise, but I try to find as many stragglers as I can.”

“Do you send them back home?” Remy asked.

“Sometimes. But other times, the victims have nowhere else to go or they’re too scared of the people that abducted them in the first place.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“The Collectors,” Remy said.

“Yes. Them. You’re welcome to stay for as long as you want, but I ask you for only one favour.”

“Yes?”

“Do not involve us in conflict. We are not soldiers and we will not aid you in your goal of revenge. You will find villagers on this island with the most beautiful superpowers, but every one of them is dealing with psychological wounds too sickening to speak of. Let them heal.”

Remy studied Isolate’s distraught face, tears threatening to spill. It didn’t take a genius to see how much she cared about the land she had created. He smiled warmly. “Of course. You know, I’m starting to think you’re a superhero.”

Isolate laughed. “Well… I don’t know about that. I’m not a saint. Framed or not, blood is on my hands.” She flew closer towards him, arms folded. “As you go along your adventure, you’ll find there are much fewer supervillains and superheroes than you think. Most of us lie somewhere in between…”

----------------------------------------

Later in the evening, Remy devoured delicious ribs as a crowd of villagers flocked around him in one of the wooden houses. They did not care for his personal space, blatantly staring him down, but he didn’t mind too much. Their hospitality outweighed the invasion of privacy.

“You eat like we’re going to steal it from you, Otherworlder,” Otis said, one of the villagers and the same blond-haired man that had tried to read his mind before.

The room erupted with laughter.

“What does Otherworlder mean?” Remy asked. “Everyone keeps calling me that and I’m starting to think it’s a derogatory term.”

“No. It’s just a word to describe someone who was born outside of the Deadzone. Half of us were born here, but some are like you. Otherworlders.”

“I’m not travelling worlds, bro,” Remy mumbled, throwing a dismissive hand. “This food is good. What animal is this? Actually, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

“Tell us a story, Otherworlder,” Otis said.

The other villagers made a collective sound of agreement. Remy drank from a cup of water and thought hard. “Ummm.”

“Please could you tell us about Eternal Insomnia?” a familiar voice said.

Remy managed to maintain his nonchalant demeanour, but his heart raced when he realised it was the mysterious sleepy woman.

“No, Aurelia,” Otis snapped. “That’s not a story. We don’t want a lecture. We want to be entertained.”

Aurelia, Remy thought. So that’s what her name is. Pretty name. Cool, cool, cool, cool. He smiled at her. “I can tell you a story involving Eternal Insomnia. Best of both worlds, eh?”

Aurelia nodded slightly, though she didn’t return the smile, much to Remy’s disappointment. He spent the next three minutes eloquently describing his two encounters with the Mantis Monster, highlighting how his Eternal Insomnia was the source of extreme boredom during his early childhood. He immersed himself in his own story, describing his intense battle with the S-tier supervillian in Star Tech with a passion and vigour that had everyone in the room leaning forward, hanging onto his every word.

“... and at that moment,” Remy continued. “I believed I was at death’s door. I had lost too much blood, but then… unfortunately, I was saved by the same person who had–” His fists clenched, and his tone lowered, his good mood suddenly vanishing. “I was saved by Endless, the number one ranked hero.”

Damn it.

That was right. His greatest enemy had saved him. He sought greater strength yet his plan to acquire his sister’s signature superpower was falling apart at the final hurdle.

“Why are you here, Otherworlder?” Otis asked.

Remy answered truthfully, explaining his mission to save Lyra’s father.

“What are your friends like?” Otis asked.

Remy sighed, not a fan of the constant questions. “Well, one’s a tech nerd. She’s super smart. Kind of wild. The other is a telepath. Cool dude.”

“You have a psychic friend? I can contact him if you want.”

“You what?” Remy looked up at him. “You can do that?”

“Yeah, It’s my speciality,” Otis said proudly. “What’s his name?”

“Jay.”

“Alright.” Otis pulled up his sleeve, revealing a metal bracelet on his wrist. “This expands my reach, but I must warn you that any psychic within range could detect the signal.”

“That’s fine,” Remy replied.

“Okay. Touch my shoulder, and anything you think will be transmitted. Choose your words wisely so he knows it’s you.”

“Right.”

Remy thought for a moment, then he nodded.

Big Cuzzy! Are you there?

Almost immediately, his cousin's thoughts barrelled into his mind. Remy? How are you contacting me? Did you meet another psychic?

Yep. I’ve almost got the Dark Energy ability. How are things on your end?

A lot has happened since you left, bro. Lyra has gone slightly unhinged. She’s managed to create this innovative technology. I’ve never seen anything like it. Commander Preach has told us where Lyra’s father is likely to be held captive. Honestly, we’re waiting on you. How long will it take for you to get back? Hold on. Lyra is speaking. She says she’s leaving in five days, with or without you.

Remy smiled slightly, inspiration and motivation flooding his mind. That’s fine. I’ll be back by then. Are you stronger, Big Cuzzy?

Yes. Don’t ask stupid questions. Are you?

Remy snorted, sensing his cousin was smiling. Don’t ask stupid questions.