Chapter 11

11

Orion: I’m jealous you get to come as a hero.

Drew: I’ll make sure to get photos.

Orion: Loverboy is here.

Wyatt: Loverboy?

Drew: It’s a pet name. He means Dustin.

Wyatt: He’s not my pet?

Orion: If you play your cards right, he could be.

Drew: Don’t ask, Wyatt. I’ll explain it at work tomorrow.

I hovered over the building. They had rolled out a thick red carpet leading to the front doors. Spotlights moved back and forth, highlighting the glass exterior. There were hundreds of people outside, and cameras flashed as limos dropped off guests. I hoped for a fancy party, but I didn’t expect an event of this caliber.

“Don’t forget to talk about the HeroApp?,” I repeated Arthur’s statement. All the attending heroes had signed on, ready to use it to help stop crime. He needed me to hype up its launch. I wouldn’t let the boss down.

“Here we go.” I flexed, throwing a few punches. Arthur needed the Mr. Supreme known for saving innocents. I might avoid confrontation, but tonight, I wanted to be the hero Arthur needed.

I fell from the sky. At the end of the red carpet, I landed, dipping down to one knee with my head lowered. I held the pose as the crowd whooped and hollered. Cameras flashed, and I rose. Slow. Deliberate. When I stood upright, I raised my shoulders and puffed out my chest.

“It’s Mr. Supreme,” yelled a reporter.

I held the pose until a lady with a microphone approached. “Mr. Supreme, are you here to support the release of the HeroApp??” Only coming up to my chest, she held the microphone near my face.

“I am indeed. Secret Identities Incorporated has created something that will help protect the citizens of Vanguard. As a hero, I support anything that saves the lives of innocents. Tonight, Arthur Coven and his team are the real heroes.”

“Will you be using it?”

Reaching behind my back, I pulled my phone from a small pouch on my utility belt. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe in their work.” Holding up the phone, the HeroApp? logo flashed. “I’ll sleep tonight knowing Vanguard is safe.”

She turned to the camera to wrap up her report. I gave a salute before continuing down the red carpet. Every few feet, somebody held up their camera, a silent request for my photograph. I worked my way through every heroic pose I could imagine. The newsstands would be filled with papers sporting my photograph. I’d need to be sure to buy copies to send to Earth Mom. In my old bedroom, she framed every article written about her special boy.

I entered the building, and my jaw dropped. While I had focused on the heroes, Arthur had been inviting important people from Vanguard. I waved at the mayor while he talked to the District Attorney. The chief of police wore his dress uniform, stealing cheeses from a server holding a silver tray.

“Wow,” I whispered.

Scattered about the crowd, I spotted Leopard in his signature white and yellow costume. He mingled with Roughhouse, a well-known, though often brutal, vigilante. Hovering in the air, Skyline and Avian laughed between sips of champagne. There were plenty of heroes bumping elbows with city officials. Even with the A-List heroes off-world, I didn’t need to ask Arthur for confirmation. We achieved our goal.

There were rows of chairs leading up to a stage with a giant screen behind it. I wondered how long the chitchat would go before Arthur invited everybody to have a seat. He had given strict orders to keep my distance so nobody would insinuate Mr. Supreme and Wyatt Supreme were one and the same. Brushing back my hair, I made sure the single wisp from my alter ego stayed hidden.

“I wasn’t sure I’d see you again.” Discord descended from his perch on the first-story balcony. There was no point in hiding my smile. He needed to see the joy on my face. “I hoped you’d show.”

I was worried I wouldn’t be able to spend time with my hunky security guard. As Discord? That meant I could canoodle all night without drawing curious eyes. I wanted so badly to confess I knew his secret identity.

“The HeroApp? is going to do great things for the superhero community.”

“I’m sure it is.” He landed close enough that it should be awkward. I inched forward, closing the distance. I threw caution to the wind and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, giving him a friendly hug.

“Mr. Supreme, who’s your friend?”

A gentleman with a tape recorder held it in our direction. I let go, gesturing to my companion. “This is Discord. He helped me take down Lizard Lad at Vanguard National. His help proved invaluable in putting the scaly villain behind bars.”

“Mr. Supreme did the hard work,” he said. Despite covering his face with his hands, I could see the red cheeks.

“Is he your new sidekick?”

I shook my head. “Discord is his own hero, and an impressive one at that. He’s going to teach me a thing or two about bravery.” It wasn’t a lie. “Vanguard is safer with him patrolling the skies.”

The reporter gave us the thumbs-up before chasing after Avian. The reporters were going to have enough material for weeks. When I turned to Discord, his head hung to the side, staring at me.

“You didn’t have to say that. You deserve the credit.”

“I meant every word.” The image of the man behind the mask wearing a pink princess dress came to mind. I wanted him to know I envied and respected him, and not just as a hero. Being an alien with superpowers, I had plenty of secrets, but only one I guarded from the rest of the world.

“I was terrified,” I mumbled. Saying it out loud didn’t make it any better. “I’m always terrified.”

Even with the white covering his eyes, I could see the rise of the brow. “I’m not sure I follow. You stopped Liz?—”

“The whole time… I was scared.” The words came out in a whisper. I didn’t want them making the headlines in tomorrow’s newspaper. “I have a weakness.”

“Women?”

I shook my head.

“Lizards?”

“I wish it was that easy.”

“The crippling self-doubt that we’re doing more harm than good for the people of Vanguard?”

We’d have to circle back to that statement. “I don’t know.”

“What do you—” He said a silent ‘Oh’ as he realized my dilemma. “You don’t know?”

My head hung. I had never shared the secret before. I wanted to be brave like him. Without powers, he stopped Prowler. As Discord, I showed him the ropes. I wanted to be brave and work past this issue. I thought the confession would lift the weight from my shoulders. Now, I feared this hero would think less of me.

What had I done? I tried to think of a joke to disguise my secret.

“It’s okay.” Two words lowered my anxiety. “You’re not the only one who gets scared.”

“You…” He had to be lying. There was no way that Dustin experienced fear. He ran into danger without a second thought. A man without fear. I couldn’t fathom him having reservations about going toe-to-toe with a big bad.

“You know all those heroes rushing into battle like they’re invincible? They’re probably scared, too.”

If it came from anybody else, I’d claim they lied. How did he… scared? No. It wasn’t possible. My mind reeled as three thumps filled the lobby. Arthur had taken the stage, lightly tapping the microphone. No matter what he said, nothing would be bigger news than a world full of scared heroes. If it were true, how did they push it aside? I had questions for Dus— Discord.

“Can everybody have a seat? We’re about to begin.” Arthur’s voice cracked as he spoke. I couldn’t blame him. All his hard work over the last few months had led to this moment. I wanted to give him a hug and a pat on the head.

Both Orion and Drew stood on the edge of the stage, looking nifty in their black tuxes. It was the first time I had seen Orion in anything other than a t-shirt. Tonight, they’d unveil the biggest advancement for heroes since they started allowing leather costumes.

I still refused to give up my spandex.

It took a few minutes for people to wander toward their seats. The heroes hung out in the back, their colorful costumes sticking out amongst the guests in their tuxedos and black cocktail dresses.

“It’s my pleasure to welcome you, citizens and heroes alike. Tonight, we’re going to make Vanguard safer by helping our heroes.” All along the back, the vigilantes and heroes clapped, hooted, and hollered. Their energy rolled through the crowd as everybody joined in with applause.

“With the rise in powered crime, police are stretched thin and rely on our heroes. Long gone are the days where they surveyed the skies or patrolled our darkest alleys. Today, we formally roll out an app that is going to change the way we work with heroes.”

One by one, the heroes reached into their pockets and utility belts. My phone vibrated, and I reached for my pouch. On the screen, a giant V flashed, signaling that somewhere nearby, a villain had been spotted. Next to it, a number appeared, one, two, and then six and seven. It wasn’t a single villain attacking the city. We were under siege by a league of evil.

“Your app is working,” shouted Avian.

Had Arthur planned this to demonstrate the app? Arthur glanced from me to Orion and Drew. The worry on his face said everything. This wasn’t a drill. The villains were taking advantage of so many heroes being off-world.

“Should we handle this?” asked Roughouse.

“Something about this feels off,” Discord said.

Arthur reached for his collar, loosening his tie. He had a knack for programming and understanding how to support heroes, but he wasn’t one of us. Right now, they needed somebody to rally them. I rose off the floor, moving over the crowd.

“Heroes, it’s time to save Vanguard.”

Fliers grabbed their grounded counterparts and flew toward the exits. Nearly three dozen heroes waited patiently at the revolving door. As they filtered out, I balled my hands into fists. After sharing my secret with Dustin, I wanted to be a hero, to be somebody that would make him proud.

“No,” he said.

He tugged at my cape. “I don’t like the feeling of this.”

My bravery waned. “We need to help them.”

He shook his head. “I have to stay and protect them.” He gestured to the crowd of socialites staring up at us. “We just cleared out a room full of heroes to take care of a citywide threat. That couldn’t be a coincidence.”

I still had difficulty understanding this hunch humans used to guide their decisions. They’d claim it was something in their gut guiding them. I had a picture of a little gremlin that provided directions. Did all humans have a latent psychic ability?

The longer we waited, the further the heroes got from the building. At this rate, we’d be lucky if we could spot them. I wanted to argue with Dustin, but he made no move to join our compatriots. If I didn’t go, I’d look like the scaredy cat hanging back. In front of Dustin, I wanted to prove I had what it took to be a hero… a real hero.

“I need to?—”

Glass shattered, and steel beams whined as something burst through the side of the building. No, not something, somebody.

“We’ve been tricked,” Discord said.

Yeah, and I fell for it.

My fist smashed against the flying concrete, pulverizing it into tiny rocks. We didn’t have time for the dust to settle. The brute had dug up chunks of the floor to hurl at the crowd.

“Drew and Orion, get everybody to safety.”

In true Vanguard fashion, the onlookers remained frozen in place. A handful ran screaming, but the rest gawked as if they had front-row seats to this summer’s blockbuster movie. We could either keep them safe or stop the bad guy, but doing both was nearly impossible.

As another rock flew, Discord screeched. His supersonic abilities transformed the threat into dust. With the rest of the heroes chasing decoys, we were the only two suited and ready for… a fight? I thought about snatching citizens and flying them to safety. It’d put distance between us and the thing stomping its way through the building.

“Well, this isn’t good.”

Dustin had a knack for understatements. I recognized Titan from his profile on the HeroApp?, but it didn’t do his gargantuan size justice. I rarely had to look up to people, but he had to be at least eight feet. The dark purple leather with stripes of green highlighted the glowing gem in the middle of his forehead. If I recall, it granted him super strength. I wish I had a moment to study his profile and see if it had any notes on how to defeat him.

Dustin and I hovered in the air, the last line of defense between Titan and the people refusing to leave. I drifted closer to Dustin as I debated our next move. My hands had gone sweaty, and I wanted to turn and run. Titan had a reputation, and if anybody could put my invulnerability to the test, it would be him. At the same time, I didn’t want Dustin to think of me as a coward.

“Mr. Supreme,” he growled. “I was hoping you’d be here.”

I pointed at myself. “Why do you want me?”

“I didn’t ask.” He flexed and let out a roar that shook the unbroken windows. “Fight me!”

“Somebody orchestrated this,” Dustin said. He’d have to talk to Orion and see his corkboard of conspiracies. “We can figure that out once he’s in handcuffs.” Of course, Dustin wanted to confront the man.

“I’m not sure I can take him,” I whispered.

“You’re not alone.” He shot me that infamous smile. “You’ve got a sidekick now.”

My hands tightened into balls. The whirlwind of emotion in my stomach radiated outward, and I turned to Titan. Dustin. Discord. Both of them faced uncertainty without question. When the world needed them, they acted. Having him at my side, it was as if I borrowed his confidence. The voice screaming for me to run to safety dipped until I couldn’t hear its pleas.

“Let’s go… sidekick.”

I didn’t wait for an answer. Fist forward, I zipped toward Titan. My fists drove through another chunk of concrete. I dropped to the floor, picking up speed so that I could— SMASH. The uppercut sent a shockwave blowing away dust and glass.

“Nice try.”

Titan’s fist came tumbling down. Striking my chest with enough force, I watched the room spin about. Discord screamed with an intensity that’d leave my ears ringing for hours. I stopped just short of the far wall, inches before shattering another window. I hoped somebody noticed my attempt to prevent collateral damage.

“Supreme!” I could see the anger on his face, spit spraying as he shouted. His roar was lost in the ringing. “Fight, you coward.”

I feared he came to terrorize Arthur’s launch, but he didn’t care about the people holding phones recording the encounter. He hadn’t glanced at the stage. The only thing that seemed to matter was me? Why me? Especially now, of all times?

If I couldn’t take him out with a single blow, I’d have to be quicker. Not my best trait, but compared to this brute, I moved like a speedster. Pushing off, I flew in, fist drawn back as if I were about to attempt another powerhouse punch.

Discord jumped out of the way, and I stopped a foot short of Titan’s arms. He tried another clobbering, and I sidestepped. When he swung again, I pushed his hand across his torso and gave him a swift kick to the shin. It was not my fanciest attack, but it set him off balance.

I grabbed both of his wrists, trying to knock him over. He regained his footing. “Shoot.” He pushed with all his might, putting his weight into it. I dropped to one knee, the pavement cracking as he drove me into the ground.

He laughed, the usual cocky chuckle of a bad guy. “I’m going to make a lot of money killing you.”

Villains liked to talk. I never understood why they insisted on sharing their plans. The bad guy had to narrate their victory. Arthur claimed it was in the rule book. At first I thought it was a human joke, but then he produced the safety manual.

“Before you kill me,” I grunted, trying to push him back. “Who’s paying you?”

“Anonymous benefactor. All I have to do is produce the body.”

Some lesser villain bankrolled this disaster. They had to be smart enough to lure away the other heroes. Money and brains were a dangerous combination in Vanguard. I’d worry about that after we secured Titan in a reinforced cell.

“Looks like I win.”

It was my turn to laugh. “I wasn’t trying to win.”

His face contorted in confusion. I shouldn’t celebrate that dumbfounded expression, but I did. We could have traded blows until I tired him out, but I wasn’t alone.

“Discord!”

I shoved, pushing Titan upright. The screeching was loud enough that the windows throughout the lobby cracked and shattered. There went my attempts to prevent collateral damage. Discord swooped in. Over my shoulder, I could feel the pulse of his sonic scream. Bits of my uniform tore away while Titan’s shredded to pieces.

Titan’s eyes crossed, and he pulled away, trying to protect his face from Discord’s abilities. I rose to my feet. Everybody treated superheroes like they had to play by the rules for a victory to count. In truth, we needed to stop the bad guy before somebody got hurt. I’d take a cheap win if it meant we saved civilians.

I drove the toe of my boot into Titan’s junk.

“Ouch,” Discord hissed.

Titan grabbed his package and fell backward like a fallen tree. He hit the ground, rolling back and forth as he cradled his groin. It wasn’t pretty, and I’m sure all the people recording would have something to say, but they’d be alive to say it.

“Not pretty,” I said, “but we won.”

I turned to see Discord with knees drawn together, hand covering his groin. I’d never understand how men shared a neural link. When one got kicked in the junk, they all acted as if it happened to them. I’d need to ask Kiki about this human-male bond they shared.

I spotted the flashing red and blue lights before I heard them. The police had arrived, and they brought their powered unit. It’d be up to them to cuff Titan and haul him away.

Cops swarmed the room. “Officer, arrest this man.”

They didn’t acknowledge either of us as they placed oversized cuffs on his wrists. Officers lined the lobby, their guns at attention. I don’t know if they’d penetrate his hide, but it made a good show of force.

“How’d you get here so fast?” asked Discord.

The man in charge reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “The HeroApp? alerted us.”

I wasn’t subtle about the quick clapping. Arthur would be delighted to know the police were already using his program. The chief tried to be subtle as he raised the phone and snapped a photo of me and then Discord.

“For evidence,” he said. I bet if I checked his score on the HeroApp?, it’d show he just snapped the photo of two heroes. “Good job, Mr. Supreme, and…”

“Discord,” I said proudly. “Vanguard’s newest hero.”

My chest swelled with pride as several officers gave my partner a salute. Half a dozen officers started dragging Titan toward the exit. I wanted to stay with my newly minted sidekick, but duty as a hero never quite finished.

“You stay here and make sure everybody is okay,” I said. As the security guard for Synergy, it made sense that he would oversee the safety of the people in this building. “I’ll see you again. Soon, I hope.”

“Not soon enough,” he said as he drifted backward.

With a slight wave, he turned and flew toward a crowd of newly acquired fans. I smiled as they furiously snapped photos of their savior. Turning, I grabbed a groaning Titan by the cuffs and dragged him to the armored car. I’d fly close overhead to make sure they reached the station. From there, it’d be up to the humans to make sure he didn’t wind up on the streets.

Glancing inside, Dustin had his hands on his hips as he hovered toward the stage. I promised myself I’d be honest with Dustin. Arthur wouldn’t approve; he told me to keep my identity under wraps. I couldn’t keep this secret any longer. First, my secret identity, then I’d figure out a gentle way to say, “Hey, an alien wants to kiss you.”

I’d work on that tonight.