24) The Appointment

By early morning the major news channels and their websites had spoken and declared that we were now a bunch of untrained reckless juvenile fascists and a serious danger to others due to having superpowers and using them.

I guess the fact I was nearly forty hadn’t leaked yet.

And of course, there was no mention of the flash mob as having done anything wrong, as if the fact we knocked around a few people and scared most of the rest of them somehow meant they were beyond blame.

It was almost like they were pushing an agenda instead of reporting the news.

At least that is how it went with most of the major infotainment news sources.

The smaller new reports from the independents involved in the Fourth Estate movement dedicated to actual impartial news reports barely mentioned us other than as a junior super team breaking up a mass robbery without any injuries by using a Halloween like display of one member's powers.

“I like these guys, and I’m going to subscribe to their news channel.”

Shimmer shot me a dry look. “That’s not the only thing that happened last night.”

My sidekick Smintheus had done some research.

Our team leader held her tablet. “So the fast mob was organized by an actual gang, the Freakshow, which is made up of local second generation supers. Mostly the children of Rank 1s and 2s, who are only now reaching the upper level of their powers.”

She sighed. “And no one hates or fears them. No one is trying to oppress them, while the government and corporations are showing no signs of kidnapping them for immoral experiments."

Shimmer took a seat. "Just like us they all grew up listening to their parent's stories of everything that happened when people started Triggering, and they find themselves just like us having a safe, easy life with no one needing them to do anything with their powers. At least not at their power ranks.”

She looked around at the other young superheroes. “Sound familiar?” The other members of the team exchanged wry looks.

Shimmer stood up and began to pace. "They were bored and decided to cause trouble just so someone would care that they were more than everyday people, but instead that they mattered because they were special.”

She looked down at her tablet again. "Worse. They arranged it online and Pal picked up on it and informed the Circle. But the Circle decided to let it happen just to let us feel like we were doing something useful.”

Flopping down in her chair she stared at the ground blank faced.

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I looked around at the four of them. “Did they say that?”

Shimmer murmured. “No, but they might as well have.”

I snorted. “This wasn’t a play date, you were in real danger of getting brain damage. And none of your parents stepped in. This was a real field exercise, as in training in the field. And the Circle trusted you with it.”

Getting up from my hammock, I pointed at Shimmer. “Stop being petulant just because it wasn't something more serious than some idiots with too much power and no sense of purpose, and not everything went perfectly.”

I thumped myself on the chest and waved a hand over at Fable. "You had someone who was immune to the Mental powered one, and another person waiting in reserve as backup. You did everything right, made all the right choices, and things still didn't go the way you wanted them to. That isn't failure, it's life.”

Manifest got an odd look on his face. “Did you steal that from something Captain Picard said in the original series?”

I snarled at him. "No, Picard was Next Generation. The second series and I was paraphrasing. It's like quoting but you make the line better. And don’t you guys have classes?”

That got everyone moving, but Shimmer waved the rest of them through Manifest’s portal while she lingered. “Thanks. I’m still mad at my parents, but at least I can listen to what they have to say when we talk tonight instead of just looking for an argument… Good luck with your therapy.”

Then she raced through the shrinking portal with Manifest taunting her that she wouldn’t make it. With Shimmer proving him wrong as she dived through the portal just before it fully closed.

What did happen if someone or something was only halfway across when it closed? If anyone was an expert at finding new uses for a limited power it was me. I should have a sit down with Manifest at some point and get a better handle on how his powers worked.

And chew him out for not giving me a lift to school along with everyone else.

Classes here were pretty easy that day, with it being a long weekend, everyone just wanted to be done with work and school and get out of there.

Except for me, I would have loved to have something to distract me for the day. Instead, I had to get on a bus and take a seat in a brightly colored waiting room with a mix of office catalog mentally stimulating toys mixed with actually fun building blocks, toy cars, and a dollhouse with loads of tiny furniture and small dolls.

Not the most professional looking waiting room, but most of the Therapist’s clients were children. As I understood it wasn’t something he aimed for, it just turned out he was good with kids.

His receptionist had slipped out early after telling me the Doctor would bring me in himself.

All too soon the balding overweight man with the round glasses and big gray and white mustache opened his office door. The guy was wearing a simple gray suit but with a watch chain going from pocket to pocket on a waistcoat. "Mr Morten, please come in. Sit anywhere you want."

I resisted the urge to make a power move and grab the one behind the desk. Instead sitting in a dark blue padded chair. Instead of taking the seat behind his desk himself, the Doctor moved to sit a bit away from me in a matching chair before he paused. “Do you want a beer?”

I shot him a slightly shocked look. “I didn’t expect that.”

He pulled open what looked like a lower cabinet below a bookshelf to reveal a mini fridge, “White Tiger? It’s microbrew I took a liking to."

I had never heard of it, but as I had been told it was important to keep trying new things if you don’t want to get old in the head. “Sure.”

And we talked. He didn’t take notes, but he did ask questions.

Like how it was working with a bunch of people half my age. Or how I had gotten into becoming a caretaker for super powered animals. Or how I had ended up suing Core over nonhuman intelligence rights.

Our hour went by quickly, ending with him checking what looked like a real pocket watch as he announced, “Well that’s our time. I hope you will come by next week.”

Then he collected our empties as I wished him a good weekend.

As I headed for the door and he stood there with two empties in one hand, he raised his other hand to get me to hold up for a moment. “At some point. We will talk about the day you Triggered and it’s not going to be a conversation we finish all at one time. But not until we both agree you’re ready.”

I sighed. “Goody, something else looming on the horizon for me to worry about. Thanks Doc.”

On the elevator ride down, I ordered two medium pizzas, meat lovers for me, and a veggie with pineapple to lure in Scorn from her trailer.

Strange woman.

All in all, my first therapy session since I was a shell shocked child wasn’t as bad as I thought.

Although in some ways it was worse. The Doc was clever, he knew he would have to let me get used to him before he could get to my deep dark places.

At least he bought me a drink first.