Chapter 6: Both Good And Bad

I chewed on the concept of getting better not only for myself, but for my teammates as well. They needed a leader, and Pamela believed I was the right candidate for the job. Still, I felt roped in, wrangled by the ankles, having been bombarded with all of this so suddenly, but I had to tuck the nerves away and settle into my new title, and… my new home.

“Don’t think too much about it,” Aster said. “Stress ages you. And we wouldn’t want to ruin such a handsome face, now do we?” She winked.

I arched my brow at her, looking at her skeptically from the corner of my eyes.

“Here, how about we start over? We ought to, right? Seeing as we are now on the same team. We need to look out for each other, and there’s no better place to start than here. Let me make you a plate.” She sprouted a second pair of spider legs, orchestrating them over the table. I didn’t stop her, seeing as I was hungry, even if I was being served by a spider monster girl who I couldn’t help but be… strangely attracted to.

“Egh, do you always have to do that?” Rynn said, her face growing pale as she looked at the more limbs Aster grew out.

“Do what?” Aster asked.

“Those disturbing spider legs!” Rynn blurred out. “Keep those to yourself.”

“Do my extra extremities bother you?”

“They don’t belong over the roasted chicken and baked potatoes!” Rynn grunted peach-faced.

Heh, I couldn’t help but notice that she may have been not only turned off by Aster’s crawly arms but spiders and insects in general. She was trying not to make it obvious, probably afraid that Aster could abuse that knowledge and exploit her.

Aster sharpened her glare at her while she dropped my plate in front of me, my lap catching flying corn nibblets from her careless drop.

“Sorry not everyone could come out of that nuke looking relatively normal.”

“Heh, your appearance is nothing to feel subconscious about,” I said toward Aster. “If it’s any consultation, I think you look pretty badass.”

“What?” Aster said behind a shy blush and smile, her voice quivering at my compliment. “Liam, are you saying that you… like me?”

Hell—I was afraid of paying Aster a compliment now…

I contemplated my answer. I had the feeling that she was the type of girl who would mix my words around and exaggerate their meaning. But truthfully, I had two options; if I said yes, she could misinterpret that into unnecessary teammate affection. And having complications so early in the game could bite me in the ass. Or, I could say no, and accept the repercussions of her thinking that I detested her.

Or the third option, I could just shut up…

Rynn sighed. “Your personality is borderline unbearable,” she insulted. “I’d doubt he’d even classify you as an acquired taste.”

Nice save?

“Keep talking like that, Rynn, and I’ll tell Liam how you really feel about him.”

Rynn’s eyes jumped.

Was I missing something?

Rynn rolled her eyes, that counter from Aster making her quiet.

Aster chuckled to herself. “Hmm, talk about an accurate shot in the dark.”

“Shut up!” Rynn barked, her face starting to heat up.

“Hey, I’d been meaning to ask,” I said, curving the topic as I ate, “What does that association bit on the stats panel mean? Delta Region: Omega A Team?”

“Our location and our team name,” Aster clarified. “The Brother’s Code have sectors everywhere. This location is called Delta Region.”

“Wait a minute, how far are we from Roe City?”

“About an hour,” Rynn said. “We had all been shipped here in enforced black vans, whisked away in the darkness.”

“Yeah, TBC was pretty quick, stealthy and thorough about it. Almost as if they knew exactly when and where those bombs would detonate,” Aster teased, but that comment made me stop chewing.

“Speaking of detonating,” I started, clearing my throat. “I’d rather be upfront about it now, rather than risking it blowing up in our faces after. While my class is higher than the other supes here, I don’t have full control of my powers.”

“No one here really does,” Aster said, leaning into her palm with her elbow on the table as she lustfully stared at me. “It’s why we are all here. Noobie super heroes here to hone our skills.”

“I don’t think you get it. I’m pretty much a walking nuke. And… I don’t know what triggers my explosion.” Not fully, at least. When I’d nearly killed Aster, it was only because she said something that demon women Nikkita routinely had said to me back in the experimentation lab. During those darker days, the trigger wasn’t always consistent, so I couldn’t base this one fuck up on blowing up every time.

I’d like to say I’d learn it as time went on, but I’d rather control it for both my team and myself.

“Was that what you were about to do when we first met?” Aster asked. “Blow me?”

Only she could make something so deadly sound so dirty…

“It was nothing personal,” I replied.

“I figured that much.” She smiled. “But don’t worry, I have a good feeling that The Brother’s Code will fix all of that. And honestly, I can’t wait to see what else I could do with my new powers.”

“You say it like it’s something to be proud of,” Rynn followed, her sour tone making it clear how she felt about being a supe.

“I sure think it is. I was getting tired of feeling so helpless.”

“What kind of shit were you in before all of this?” I asked Aster.

“Hmm,” she hummed, cupping her chin in her hands. But that expression on her face, I couldn’t read it. It looked like she was hesitant to share her history with the class, almost like she was afraid of letting us in. That smile was hiding something, and I didn’t want to pressure her into revealing things about herself that she’d rather keep a secret.

But before I could retract my question, she opened up to us, starting off with a shallow sigh. “I was living in a dream before The Brother’s Code… thinking that it was only a matter of time before everything got better.” She snickered. “Such hopeless thoughts… I couldn’t grow out of them. Latching onto something that wasn’t there. And, was never going to be.”

She was fighting tears, Aster trying to make it subtle. Again I found myself stopping mid chew, my eyes opening up to her story. “I was the youngest of three sisters, a known reject of the family. My mother died after giving birth to me, and my family hated me for it. My sisters were bitter towards me, while my father had his special way of letting me know that I was absolutely worthless. The years of sexual and physical abuse became so routine, that the days he wouldn’t torture me felt like I was in a livid dream… The experiences made me cold, heartless, and baleful, where it got so bad that no school wanted to enroll me. I was an evil black sheep as my peers called me, destined for hell.” She giggled. “Children can be cruel, but I guess someone felt that I needed saving, and soon, I found myself shipped to a convent, going to a boarding school to discipline my wicked tendencies. They thought they’d finally found somewhere where I couldn’t get myself into trouble, while I saw it as a place of protection, somewhere that I could finally escape. Because you see, my father had no clue, and for an entire year, I actually felt like things had finally turned around for me. Until someone disclosed my location; and from that day on, everywhere I went, my father would find me. Heh, it was like an endless crooked game of cat and mouse. I’d been in the subway heading for my next safe house when I heard the explosion. When I went up, the scene was a red blood bath. But I was smiling, I couldn’t tell you why… but I was. I guess I felt a sense of unity, that somehow, these suffering and dying people were with me, and that I wasn’t alone. Like I’d found my place in the world, with people who were just like me. Such a liberating feeling that only got better. Because once I inhaled the fumes, I felt powerful… for the first time in my entire life…”

“Aster… I’m so sorry…” I whispered, my team mate looking back at me in tears.

“Don’t be… these are tears of happiness,” she said, brushing her slender fingers over the back of my hand that was still holding my fork against the table. “This was catastrophic for most, but a blessing in disguise for me. Here marks a new chapter, I was given a chance to start all over! With a new family, and a new purpose in life,” she said, reaching over to take Rynn’s shoulder in her hand. “You two are my new family, and I can’t wait to embark on this new journey with you guys!”

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I gave her a wholesome smile and a nod, feeling good inside for her. Sure, we might have started off on the wrong foot, but now I understood where Aster was coming from. I felt like her powers were pretty spot on given her background though, which was bittersweet in a sense. But when I looked at her skillset, I was impressed. I could see her taking me out on a one on one fight. She was strong, strong enough to stand up for herself, and carve her own path. I just hope I was the right fit for her, team mate wise.

“Well, that was surprisingly heartfelt from you,” Rynn added. “Just as long as you keep those creepy powers away from me, then we will have no problems.”

“What about you, Rynn?” Aster asked, taking a tissue to her dark eyes.

Rynn grunted. “I wasn’t aware that this was a round of show and tell.”

“You don’t have to tell us anything you’re not comfortable with,” I added.

“Then there’s nothing to tell at all.”

“You could at least tell us your agreement terms,” Aster said. “I think it’s obvious that I willingly signed mine with no conditions.”

I scrunched my eyebrows at her.

“Well, if you’re so nosy about it, I was promised financial support for my family, just as long as I don’t see them again.”

“W-what? Why?” I asked.

“Because Sigma-RE would love to track their successes. The subjects who took the bio-bomb well may be putting their families at risk by returning to their lives. If their DNA made super humans, then those people who are so closely related to them may have a higher chance to as well. And frankly, I don’t want that for my little twin sisters.”

“I wish I knew how you feel. I always wanted a loving family,” Aster said. “It must be tough being away from them.”

“Once this is over, I’ll be able to see them again…”

“The Brother’s Code has been forward with us thus far, I am sure they are doing well.”

“In a foster home,” Rynn said, her face seeming heartbroken. “I’m still trying to get Pamela to at the very least give me some type of confirmation of their whereabouts.”

“I know it’ll bring you closure, but it can also be a bad idea,” I said, maybe a bit too presumptively. I might have been shooting myself in my own foot here, because I couldn’t possibly know how Rynn felt. I didn’t have actual siblings. It’d always been me, up until three years ago, and even then, it was hard to compare the two. “You might get tempted to stay. One visit will turn into two, then four, then too many to count. You’d risk their safety, and end up hating yourself for it.”

“You do know I have Cloak as one of my abilities, right?” Rynn said.

“The Brother’s Code knows that too, and they are still anal about you not being around them.”

“I’ll have to agree with Liam there,” Aster said. “You never know who is watching, snow pea.”

Rynn furrowed her eyebrows. She knew we were right, as evidenced in her speechlessness.

“The sooner we do our jobs, the better for everyone. So, don’t fret!” Aster beamed, then turned to me. “What about you, Liam?”

“Huh?”

“What was your condition?”

I finished my meal, washed it down with the glass of water in front of me, then let out a satisfied sigh. “I just want to get back at those bastards for doing this.”

“Revenge?” Aster questioned, before giving me a sneaky look. “Oh, so there must be a girl in play…”

I choked. “What, no, wait, what?”

Rynn’s eyes grew wide, the ivory-haired girl looking my way.

“I can see it; it’s written all over your face…” Aster purred. “So, who is the lucky lady?”

“I’m not dating anyone,” I defended.

Aster pursed her lips. “Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m going to bite her cute little head off or anything,” she sang.

“We just got a notification,” Rynn interrupted, just in time too. I didn’t want to get into Rachel, because eventually, they’d start questioning more about her. Like, how long had we known each other, and where did we first meet. Questions that would ultimately involve me telling them about my time at Sigma-RE, and I didn’t want to give them any ideas about how I was linked to this super human bio bomb. Besides, I was a terrible liar, so it was best to avoid my history as much as possible.

I turned over to Rynn who had her eyes glued to a watch, supposedly the same type of watch that I had as well. I must have been grossly distracted with everything that’d been going on this morning, that I didn’t even realize I had the thing strapped on my left wrist. It vibrated, and then a transparent screen with text flashed before my eyes as soon as I pressed the red button on the watch’s display.

Okay, this technology was way before its time…

Hovering transparent screens, training simulation domes, reinforced chamber walls to contain alien powers— The Brother’s Code had engineered a whole new world for super heroes.

“Looks like we have a meeting in the general hall,” Rynn said. “A Super Hero Inauguration for the Delta Region. It’s in an hour.”

“Great. That gives us plenty of time to finish familiarizing ourselves with this place,” Aster said as she stood up, Rynn following her. “Are you coming with us, Liam?”

“Didn’t Pamela give you a tour?” I asked, getting up myself.

“Not really. Rynn didn’t get a chance to look around, either.”

“Well, we have an assigned ward, it just popped up on the screen. I’d rather familiarize myself with where we’d be staying next,” I replied, catching a directory and map on the next screen as I fiddled with my advanced smart watch.

Aster smiled. “You’ll get plenty of time to do that tonight. Today is going to be packed with initiation steps. It’s all under the schedule tab.”

“Schedule tab?” I looked over my screen under the blue faded light coming from my watch then pressed the schedule tab in the air. Monday, a list of affairs I needed to get finished, from the inauguration meeting, to getting fitted for my super hero suit. There was a drug test here too, and a physical.

Shit, were they serious?

It was too much to cram in for one day, but I had to assume that everyone would attend this meeting, which meant I’d get to see the rest of the supes in Serva.

I guess there was a plus side to being incredibly busy today.

“But, if you insist on hunting down our ward, be my guest,” Aster grinned. “We can rendezvous in an hour at our meeting. Try not to get lost, Liam.”

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