Spectramancer sat cross legged on the ground, the Redwell City crater just a few feet from his position. With his hands on his knees and his eyes closed, he waited patiently for Morphic Man to arrive. Spectramancer reached out, sensing the emotions around him. Primarily, he sensed animals, their simple desires for food and shelter ringing out. Other than that, there were the reporters filled with a mixture of curiosity, determination, and ambition.
As he sat there, Spectramancer suddenly sensed a presence he wasn’t expecting. Spectramancer’s emotion-based abilities allowed him to connect to people he had a strong emotional attachment to. He could locate and even communicate with his wife, children, and close friends regardless of distance. It was his daughter, the superhero Passion, who was contacting him. She had inherited his powers, and the two of them could communicate just as easily as telepaths. For a moment, he wasn’t Spectramancer, and she wasn’t Passion. It was simply Nigel Beaumont talking to his daughter, Wendy.
“Hey, Dad,” his daughter’s eloquent British voice sounded in his head.
“Hello, Wendy,” Nigel sent back. “This is a surprise.”
“What? A daughter can’t call her dad when she feels like it. That would be easier if you kept your phone with you, you know.”
Through the connection, Nigel sensed her affection, but there was something else, something she was trying to hide. It only took Nigel a moment to realize it was worry.
“Wendy?” he asked. “Why are you really contacting me?”
He could sense her sighing through the connection.
“I sensed your anger earlier,” said Wendy.
“Have you been spying on me? After all the grief you gave me for potentially spying on you...”
“I was worried,” she protested. “I… I didn’t mention this before, but during… the Rocky Mountain incident, I sensed your anger without trying, and I was all the way in Virginia.”
That surprised him.
“I didn’t want you to feel worse than you already did,” she continued. “But I keep feeling spikes of anger from you, and it’s getting worse. I know you don’t want to, but please reconsider what we talked about.”
Retirement. That word just kept coming up. It irritated him, but anger was the last thing he needed right now. At the end of the day, she was doing this out of love.
“I… I’ll think about it,” he sent back.
“Okay,” said Wendy. “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon.”
Spectramancer felt the connection fade away, and he took a deep breath. Wendy had been getting more and more insistent on this, and now he had a good idea of why. Was he really considering retirement? Spectramancer loved being a superhero, and he loved helping people. He wasn’t unaware of the danger his powers posed, but he couldn’t stop worrying that people would get hurt if he did nothing to stop it.
Was he really having this much trouble with his powers lately? Perhaps, but he wasn’t going to retire right this second. Right now, Spectramancer was still on a mission, and he would finish what he started. After that, he would think about it.
Finally, after what seemed like another hour, Spectramancer sensed a mixture of ambition, pride, and self-satisfaction. He knew immediately who it was. The two of them had never met, even when the shapeshifter tried to join the U.H.E., but Spectramancer had seen Morphic Man on television trashing Paramount, among others. Spectramancer found him insufferable, but knew he could remain civil and calm.
He had to.
Spectramancer stood and watched the sky. He could see a hawk flying down, its feathers fluttering in the wind. Spectramancer knew it was no hawk, however. It had the same emotions as a human. Good, thought Spectramancer. That would make this much easier.
Moments later, the hawk landed on the ground and began changing form. It grew bigger, its feathers disappearing into human skin as it grew to a human shape. Hair extended from his back, wrapping around his body and turning purple and orange. Soon the hair tightened around his skin to form a skintight purple and orange costume just as he turned completely human.
Morphic Man observed the crater with his hands on his hips, shaking his head. Spectramancer sensed a twinge of fear from him, though that wasn’t surprising. A blast that could kill even Paramount had to be intimidating. What was surprising was a hint of amusement. It was faint, but it was there. What could Morphic Man possibly find amusing about the destruction of a city? Spectramancer approached warily.
“Quite a sight, isn’t it?” said Morphic Man. “Humbling, even. No matter how much power we have, there’s always something more powerful out there. It really makes a guy think about his own mortality. Don’t you agree?”
Morphic Man turned to face Spectramancer, wearing a friendly smile.
“Spectramancer,” said Morphic Man. “Fancy seeing you here. Were you looking for me?”
“I need to talk to you,” said Spectramancer.
“Oh, do you?” said Morphic Man, a mischievous glint in his eye. “I didn’t know you were a fan.”
Spectramancer frowned.
“Oh, come on,” said Morphic Man. “I’m just teasing you. You know what it’s like, don’t you? Adoring fans hanging on to your every word, exploiting every opportunity to interact with you, even if it’s only for a second? I mean, I enjoy fame as much as the next guy, but sometimes you just want a moment to yourself. You know what I mean? I’m heading to Partition City later to grab a bite. I hear there’s this really great burger joint that serves garlic butter fries.” he hummed appreciatively. “The only downside is I expect a mob of adoring fans within minutes. The life of a celebrity, eh? Why, just the other day I...
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“Could you please take this seriously?” said Spectramancer irritably. “We’re standing on the scene of a tragedy.”
Morphic Man just smiled at him. Despite the other superhero’s friendly smile, Spectramancer sensed a hint of disdain. In addition, he sensed a swell of confidence and just a hint of wariness.
“You know why I’m here, don’t you?” said Spectramancer. “I can sense it. Honestly, I’m surprised you would even talk to me.”
“Why not?” said Morphic Man. “I have nothing but respect for the United Heroes of Earth.”
Spectramancer clenched his fist, sensing a great swell of amusement as Morphic Man spoke. Morphic Man was lying and didn’t care if Spectramancer knew it.
“I know what you’re here to ask,” Morphic Man continued. “Everyone’s been asking already. So go ahead.”
Spectramancer’s eyes narrowed.
“Were you in Redwell City the night it was destroyed?”
“No,” said Morphic Man, shrugging. “I wasn’t in Redwell City when it was destroyed.”
Spectramancer didn’t sense a lie. There was plenty of conviction behind Morphic Man’s words. Even so, his emotions just weren’t right. The spectator still sensed wariness, and behind that was the barest hint of amusement. Spectramancer thought it through.
“That’s all well and good,” said Spectramancer. “But I didn’t ask if you were there when the city was destroyed. I asked if you were there that night. Obviously, you weren’t in the city when it was destroyed since you’re here talking to me. I’d assume that whoever was responsible for the destruction of Redwell left before the explosion, so I’ll ask you again. Were you there that night?”
Spectramancer sensed sudden hostility, though Morphic Man’s smile never wavered.
“Wow,” said Morphic Man. “You really think I had something to do with Redwell City’s destruction?”
“All I know,” said Spectramancer. “Is that we have evidence you were there that night and someone tried to cover it up. None of this is a good look, much less amusement at a destroyed city.”
Morphic Man frowned.
“Fine,” said Morphic Man. “Then let me say it directly. I did not destroy Redwell City.”
He wasn’t lying, but Spectramancer was still suspicious.
“I still sense wariness from you,” said Spectramancer. “Maybe you weren’t responsible for the destruction, but there’s something you don’t want me to know. You’ve answered every question except the one I actually asked.”
The only thing that didn’t make sense was that Elementus couldn’t have been there, so why did the evidence point to him as well?
“Does this have something to do with Elementus?” asked Spectramancer.
Morphic Man didn’t answer, and Spectramancer could sense a small bit of panic from him. It seemed Spectramancer was right on the money, but that didn’t make sense. Spectramancer was certain that Elementus had told the truth.
“What are you hiding?” said Spectramancer. “And what does it have to do with Elementus?”
Morphic Man seethed for a moment, a mixture of panic and anger bubbling to the surface. Spectramancer tensed, wondering what the other man was thinking, when suddenly the emotions changed again. Spectramancer sensed Morphic Man’s typical arrogance returning as the shapeshifter grinned.
“What’s going on?” asked Morphic Man mockingly. “Somebody’s barking up the wrong tree, that’s what. But what should I expect from an aging superhero way past his prime?”
Spectramancer clenched his fists, almost lashing out. It quickly occurred to him that Morphic Man wanted him to get angry. He could sense anticipation from the shapeshifter.
“Unless you want to tell me what you were doing in Redwell City,” said Spectramancer. “This conversation is over.”
Spectramancer turned and tried to channel joy so he could fly away, but he was having trouble concentrating. The smug self-assurance emanating behind him was just so infuriating. The yellow aura of joy flickered around him for a few seconds before fizzling out.
“Oh, that doesn’t look good,” said Morphic Man, sheer mockery dripping from his voice.
Ignore him, Spectramancer thought as his yellow aura flickered intermittently with a red one. Just ignore him. Spectramancer began walking away, hoping to put some distance between them. Morphic Man, however, followed at a brisk pace.
“I mean, I was half kidding before,” Morphic Man kept taunting. “But just how old are you? Eighty? Ninety?”
“Sixty Eight,” said Spectramancer irritably. “Would you shut up already?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” said Morphic Man. “I’m just worried. I mean, we wouldn’t want a veteran like you to hurt yourself.”
A flare of red aura burst around Spectramancer for just a moment, though he suppressed it immediately. Of course, it didn’t help that he sensed enjoyment from Morphic Man.
“Leave me alone,” said Spectramancer menacingly.
“No, really,” Morphic Man continued. “Just think of what would happen if you messed up on the job. Think of how that pretty little daughter of yours would feel.”
“Leave my daughter out of this!” cried Spectramancer, rounding on Morphic Man as a red aura flickered around him.
They now stood face-to-face, Spectramancer’s fists clenched and Morphic Man’s grin widening.
“Of course, if anything did happen to you,” the shapeshifter went on. “I’m sure I could give her a shoulder to cry on.”
“Shut up,” Spectramancer growled.
“Your daughter’s superhero name is Passion, right? Does she live up to that name?”
“I said shut up!”
The aura around Spectramancer flowed steadily, turning his white costume pure red.
“Cause I tell ya,” said Morphic Man. “I could sure show her some passion, if you know what I mean.”
“Don’t you dare go anywhere near my daughter!”
Spectramancer’s hands charged with power, his eyes fixed on Morphic Man with sheer rage. Morphic Man began to change, holes unwinding in the back of his costume as dragonfly wings grew out of his skin. He crouched down, his grin widening even further, stretching beyond what was natural until the corners of his mouth nearly reached his ears. When Morphic Man spoke again, it was an eerie, distorted voice.
“And who’s going to stop me from seeing her, old man?”
And with an inhumanly long tongue, Morphic Man licked his overstretched lips.
Spectramancer screamed at the top of his lungs, his face contorted in rage. He stretched out his glowing hands and unleashed a blast of red energy that hummed with power. Morphic Man jumped, his dragonfly wings buzzing as he dodged the beam. He then zig zagged in the air, avoiding every red blast that came his way.
Morphic Man, his face returning to that of a normal human, flew further and further away as Spectramancer threw more blasts. Finally, Morphic Man shifted again, his costume unraveling from his body as he transformed into a hawk. He fell into a dive, picking up speed and putting distance between himself and Spectramancer. Spectramancer screamed, running after him, but soon Morphic Man turned into a fly, making him effectively invisible to Spectramancer at that distance.
Once Morphic Man disappeared, Spectramancer screamed at the sky, the red aura around him growing bigger. As he screamed, that red aura began to blast away from his body in all directions like a torrent of searing flames. The only direction the aura didn’t go was down, stopping it from blasting the ground out from beneath him. For a moment, the aura pushed air away from him, but then Spectramancer instinctively altered the energy, spinning it around his body like a vortex. As the red energy spun violently around him, it sucked in enough air for him to breathe before being expelled. Soon, he stood in the center of a scarlet cyclone that roared with the wind.
When he stopped screaming, Spectramancer looked around a landscape tinged with red, his enraged mind racing for ways to find the shapeshifter. Though Spectramancer was barely rational, he did pick up on one thing that Morphic Man had said. The other superhero had mentioned going to Partition City. That wasn’t too far away, and it was as good a place as any to start. He could deal with that insufferable man once and for all.
Pointing his hands down, Spectramancer shot out some beams powerful enough to launch him into the air, sending him soaring as the beams tore up the ground behind him. The aura around him began spinning below him as he soared through the hair, protecting his feet. He then shot out another pair of beams below him, blasting holes in the ground and slowing his descent. Spectramancer landed about twenty feet away from his original position as the aura faded away from his feet so he could stand on the ground.
Soon he made more jumps like this, making his way slowly but surely towards Partition City. As his aura grew bigger and bigger, reporters in the distance began to see it.