Rachel was driving while I rode shotgun trying to process what had happened. I deliberately ignored my phone since I knew I was going to be plastered all over the media and nobody was going to have more information than I did.
“So?” Rachel asked, trying to get me talking.
“I’m not shaking,” I replied. “I shake after arguments and I just finished getting shot at. So either my adrenaline didn’t kick in or I don’t visibly react to it anymore.”
“The latter makes the most sense. Though I think we should assume your body has a whole new set of rules so we just need to observe reactions rather than expect certain things.” Rachel pulled us into line at a drive-thru.
“All my brain chemicals seemed to be working right when I was with the guy at the bar.” I certainly felt the familiar rushes I was well acquainted with.
Rachel shook her head as she ordered food and pulled into a parking spot where I helped her shift the gear into park so she wouldn’t need to use her injured arm.
“Well, you bonded with some kind of creature,” Rachel spoke like she didn’t want to be quoted on anything. “If it was simple enough then it might not have had any functions to override yours for reproduction. Or you’re pretending to do it anyway. Threat response, on the other hand, we know it covered you in metal when you first got shot. Maybe your combat response isn’t adrenaline anymore. It could be powering the distribution of metal through your body.”
“So I should be happy that sex works like it’s supposed to and make no assumptions about anything else?” It was annoying that my bodily functions were no longer consistent with what I could find in a textbook.
“Well, assuming human might be alright, just not at the expense of experience.” Rachel finally found a statement she was reasonably confident in.
While she ate I carried on. “It’s just disconcerting that I can go through all that and not have the shakes. Though I suppose if I am made out of metal, I might not even notice it. I wonder if I am going to feel it when I put on the news and see the whole world talking about me. Here I thought I was attracting attention by hanging guys out of windows.”
“You were,” Rachel mumbled with her mouth full of burger while stuffing more fries in. “All this really did was make it happen faster.”
“True. There will probably still be sceptics but I’m betting a lot fewer than those doubting my first public displays. Do I need a superhero name now?” I shuddered at the idea of the media being one to name me.
“Oh, that gives me an idea.” Rachel pulled out her phone and I wondered how she was planning to talk while eating until I remembered texting was a thing.
“Do you want me to drive?” I asked and she answered by getting out of the driver’s seat while looking at her phone.
“Okay, I know where we should go now,” Rachel replied and started giving me directions.
We ended up at a warehouse that I half expected to be the location of a drug deal and shootout than anything I could think of that had to do with finding me a superhero name. There were a few other trucks there and after helping Rachel out I saw a suit of powered armour sit up from the back of one. I tensed up and immediately felt a rush flowing through me as I got ready to fight.
“Easy, it’s just on the remote.” Rachel pointed to the guy holding a tablet next to the truck and slowly guiding the suit into the warehouse.
I relaxed and felt the rush subside. “I think I figured out where my adrenaline was after all. It just came out when I thought I needed it and now it’s gone. No wonder I didn’t notice before.”
“Good to know.” Rachel pulled my chin to face her. “It also ruined your makeup. I guess battle mode changes your skin so it doesn’t stick anymore.”
As Rachel started to touch me up I carried on. “It might help if I understood the mechanism of how adrenaline worked in the first place to know how I might be different now but it’s certainly there. Explains why I don’t shake anymore if it’s gone right away.”
“Reading up on it might be the smart thing to do.” Rachel put the makeup away once she was satisfied with her work. “The question is, will you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t sleep anymore so I have the feeling I am going to learn a lot of things regardless of if it’s the smart thing to do.”
“At least start with the smart stuff online and work your way down.” Rachel shrugged at my makeup and looked at the empty container. “We are going to go through this stuff like crazy.”
I sighed. She wasn’t wrong and I started to wonder if I could just eat it like the metal and let it saturate my skin instead. At least being aware of my reactions might let me manage them better. Being able to throw a punch without shedding my disguise would be helpful.
Rachel gave me a hoodie and helped stuff my cape inside it before we went into the warehouse. She was aware that everyone on the planet would know what my costume looked like now and I couldn’t argue the fact.
Following in the footsteps of the remote suit of armour through a loading door, I could see several suits of armour in bays along the sides. The whole place was a machine shop with a fighting cage in the centre and I didn’t need to be told what sort of activities went on there.
“A lot of heavy equipment for competitive floral arrangement.” I tried to keep my expression honest as Rachel turned to look at me with a sigh before giving me a grin.
“It started out as a live-action superhero play space. Abandoned warehouses seemed to fit the motif and not involve the public. Then the first commercial power-assist suits came out and we ran with it. I’m surprised to see everyone here though. Lucas just said that he was in, not that there was a gathering. It’s a bit early and given the news… oh, it’s probably in response to the news.”
“I’m not going to get a superhero name am I?” I asked as it became more apparent that the mood was low in the building as more suits arrived and it was obvious what they were watching on their phones.
“Let’s ask all the same. He’s good with names.” Rachel clearly wanted to distract me from the sounds of my fight playing back from dozens of devices we walked by.
“Like yours, Green Girl?” I wasn’t going to let my current issues get in the way of my personality issues.
“No, it was a placeholder that stuck because I didn’t ask for help,” Rachel grumbled. “There he is.”
“Oh my!” I’d have exclaimed louder had I not forgotten to inhale before speaking.
The beautiful man who looked fresh from a 90’s surfer movie. Golden hair to his shoulders waved with every movement and suddenly I found myself looking for someplace private.
“Married. Sorry.” Rachel sent me a smirk as I pouted.
“Rachel, glad to see you here,” Lucas spoke with a thick Australian accent that I was fairly certain sent my underwear to meet the sub-tectonic kin of the urchin I bonded with.
“Likewise, quite a day. What’s going on here?” Rachel remained able to function while I could not.
“You saw what happened?” He waited for Rachel to nod and I did the same but I was saying yes to something entirely different. “Well, the cops don’t bother us because nobody gets hurt and they like knowing where the fights happen but with someone going off like that, I had to do something. So I’m calling in everyone to bring their suits or send verified pictures that they have their suits secured. Anyone outstanding gets forwarded to the cops when they call. They already have the pilot and suit but we need to look responsible and cooperative so we don’t get blamed. If it turned out they were a member, we’d be finished.”
Since he had yet to denounce monogamy and give me an opening, I decided to say something. “Anything you can guess from what you saw?”
“A proper suit pilot would have been much faster, despite the weight. The welds were brutal. I suppose they would have done what they wanted but everyone here would have known how to shape it so it wouldn’t block flexibility.” Lucas wanted to cling to the analytical aspects of viewing the video and not the grim content. “Don’t ask me about the girl, I don’t know what she’s made of.”
“Whatever I eat, apparently.” I dropped the bombshell but as he reacted and looked to Rachel for confirmation I realized that applied to everyone already. “Also, some other things. I don’t actually know.”
I sighed, sounding clever was not my strong suit. Snarky comebacks were more my forte and he was far too pretty to use my snark on him. While Rachel was busy having a facepalm I sensed a suit of armour approaching behind us and Lucas turning his attention over my shoulder instead of at my chest like he would have had I not been wearing a hoodie.
“Just set your suit in a bay. You don’t need to wear it. Not today.” Lucas sounded weary and I soon understood why.
“Dude, it’s my suit. Of course, I’m going to wear it. Are we not doing any matches?” As I resisted the urge to punch him for his tone of voice alone I could see into the structure of the suit.
Unlike the first one I faced, his suit had basic armour internally but another, thinner layer, on top. Aside from a brace at the centre of the chest made out of hard steel, it was externally all aluminium. If I punched him, my fist would go right through it and hit the internal layer. I wasn’t quite sure why.
“No, I sent out a notice to verify everyone with a suit of armour the moment after I saw the news.” Lucas shook his head like he knew he wasn’t getting through.
“What about the news?” He asked, his voice sounded strange through the speaker on the helmet but he had the worst kind of nasally voice and even I sighed.
“The person in a suit of armour shooting up a building. Killing people. I needed to know if it was one of ours.” Lucas explained like it was the millionth time that minute he had done so.
“So what? It wasn’t me.” His reply sent Rachel off to the side to wave away people from behind him.
“Has it ever occurred to you that most things that happen are more important to other people than you are?” I asked as I turned around, seeing Lucas too stunned to reply.
“Who are you supposed to be?” He looked down at me as I noticed some kind of eye-shaped pendant made out of gold that he was wearing under his suit.
“I’m new here. Haven’t thought of a name yet. If you tell me yours it will give me a starting point to stay away from.” His armour also had the same eye symbol painted in gold on it and it felt strange that I was noticing things with my metal vision before anything else.
“I am The Green Prophet!” He announced and if I had needed to breathe I might have choked.
“Well, that’s about the biggest douchebag name I could have imagined.” Finally, a chance to be snarky around Lucas in the off chance he would be grateful enough to get a hall pass from his wife. “What’s your superpower Captain Capitalism? Oil spills?”
The silence was deafening until he uttered an idiotic, “What?!”
I smiled under my mask. “Green, the colour of money. Profit, a financial gain in excess of expenses. You are even wearing gold. I assumed you were sponsored by an oil tycoon.”
“Money isn’t green!” He shouted, apparently unable to process any further with my jab.
“Is American cash not green anymore?” I asked, looking around. “What about the Canadian twenty?” It was satisfying to see the glee in the eyes of everyone as I was getting theatrical. “Paired with calling yourself profit, it certainly sounds better than calling yourself ‘Money Gain’ so at least you have that going for you.”
“Prophet!” He yelled loud enough to hear through his speakers and through his suit that thankfully had a volume limiter. “With a PH! As in I can tell the future!”
“Wait, so you can tell the future but couldn’t foresee one where someone thought you sounded like a corporate sellout?” Pushing buttons was so much fun.
I knew the type, they base so much of their identity on ‘not’ being something that they lose their minds when you call them that. Couple that with a massive inferiority complex that makes them pick an external target for their own human flaws and they simply can’t cope with any disagreements. All I had to do was wait for his wit to collapse before he spewed threats instead of being rational.
“If punching you in this suit wouldn’t kill you I’d have already messed you up.” There it was.
Turning away as if to look for help, I took off my hoodie and let my cape fall as I cast it aside, sprinkled with the flakes of my makeup. Smiling, I stepped and braced myself against the concrete floor before I spun my whole body to put my fist right into the metal brace in the centre of his chest. My punch sent him a few meters back, knocking him onto the floor. The whole suit was so much lighter than the one I had faced earlier. It gave me a rush to feel powerful again but I had to remind myself that I was facing a douchebag and not a mass murderer.
“Your suit won’t be the first one I’ve trashed today.” I cheerfully informed as I kicked his arm when he tried to use it to get up.
“Ow! You can’t do that!” I wasn’t sure if he was thinking it was an underhanded move or that I shouldn’t have been opposing him at all.
“Funny, I just did. Clearly, you are having issues even seeing the present. You can fight back, even call in some friends for help.” I looked around the room. “Assuming you have any. Or are you one of those people who only thinks they have friends but really just have people who act polite because they just know you aren’t worth the effort to engage?”
“Of course I have friends!” He shouted as he slowly got to his feet and looked around him. “They just aren’t wearing their armour!”
“I will wait!” I announced and did a twirl before sitting gracefully on a crate that thankfully didn’t buckle under my dense frame. “Please, if you wish to valiantly defend your friend, don your armour and step into the ring.”
Nobody moved. At least not until the idiot decided to charge and put his boot to my face. I easily ducked under it and once it was fully extended I pulled him off balance and then threw it as high as I could to flip the whole suit before it landed face down on the concrete. The frame inside the suit was visible and I put my foot on it as I grabbed the back power unit. There were a few metal snaps after some stress and the whole thing came off. I stomped on it hard and just left him wriggling in his powerless suit, his screaming muffled by the helmet as he complained.
“That was much more satisfying than earlier.” Everyone was staring at me. “So anyway, I originally came here because I needed a superhero name. Any ideas?”
There was silence, then everyone talking at once. Some were giving out generic ideas but most were asking me questions about what happened, where I got my powers, who I really was. To be fair, I couldn’t blame them for wanting to know more and those who wanted my real name seemed to want to base my superhero name off it.
“Someone posted a picture of you.” A voice cut through. “He wasn’t trying to name you but commented on your pinkish gold skin calling it a ‘Rose Gold’ and some people are jumping to calling you that.”
He held up his phone so I could see. “I don’t hate it, but that’s a real person’s name. It’ll do for the media until I get a better idea. How are people reacting to me?”
“The usual smattering of approval, disapproval, praise, condemnation, real vs fake, and of course if it is a part of some conspiracy.” Another person next to me chimed in.
I sighed. “That sounds like every discussion on everything. Figures. I suppose it’s too early to tell where the bulk of the feelings are. What are the official responses?”
“Either ‘no comment’ or ‘investigation ongoing’ but the word superhero is trending with people suggesting you might be the first.” Yet another person in the group shouted out over the other voices.
“Some people are calling you ‘V’ because you held up your fingers in that shape afterwards.” It seemed people would grasp for anything.
“Lots of ‘why wasn’t she there for’ and listing a bunch of things that happened you weren’t there for.” Another voice added.
“I’ve only been in the city for…” I counted. “Three days? This is day 3? I don’t sleep so it’s kinda hard to tell. Either way, I got here as soon as I was able and have been running into things since I arrived.”
“So you have only had your powers for 3 days?” Someone asked.
It was a lot more complicated than that but, “Yes, for all intents and purposes. I’m still figuring things out. Thus my being here.”
Lucas approached, stepping over the struggling man still trapped in his armour. “Give us a minute people.”
As people cleared away we moved into one of the bays that had enough chains to hoist one of the suits I was sure could support my weight if I suddenly found myself in need of a sex swing. “What can I do for you?”
It took him a moment after picking up on my seductive tone I hardly had any control over. “One of the girls here, not my wife though.” Lucas had the briefest of pauses to make sure I understood. “Has a neighbour who did a lot of construction in his basement. He wouldn’t tell her what it was for and she almost got arrested trying to break in but the guy didn’t press charges. She’s known him her whole life and wouldn’t suspect anything but enough weird stuff goes on and she just can’t shake that something weird is going on. I don’t think it’s a murder house, but since you are here, I thought I might as well ask. I know the cops have already been talked to but I don’t think they can do anything. For all I know, it can be a sex dungeon.”
“Interesting that your mind might go there.” I fondled the chains hanging beside me before giving him a friendly smirk to let him know I was mostly teasing at that point.
He sighed and nodded with a smile. “Not my theory, just repeating it. Anyway, here is the address.” He showed me his phone. “It could be something but probably nothing.”
“Oh, it’s a sex dungeon. Gary Fulton lives there right?” He was taken aback and nodded. “Yup, sex dungeon. OH! That means he did finally get the reno done!” I gave an excited hop and clap.
“I guess I can tell her not to worry,” Lucas said flatly, tired of being caught off guard.
“Well, I should still investigate. Can’t be too careful.” Concealing excitement is for wussies.
“Need me to text you the address?” He asked like it was something that would be necessary.
I just cocked an eyebrow at him like I was worried if he was alright and got a soft laugh in return before he shook his head.
“What’s shaking?” Rachel joined us.
“I’m going to a suspected sex dungeon that totally needs to be confirmed in person. You stay here, I don’t want to make you drive again for a social call and your truck has already been dangerously associated with me today.” I started looking around for who I might convince to give me a ride.
“I’m pretty sure they have figured it out, but I can always remain silent and shrug. I think the words ‘remarkable’ and ‘coincidence’ might feature heavily in my future dialogue with the police.” Rachel smirked and Lucas was suddenly distracted by something else that required him to be too far away to hear the conversation.
“Sounds like a plan. I’m going to take one of my bags so I have a change of clothes and check in with you later. Alright?” I remotely unlocked her truck before passing her the keys.
“Later. Have fun!” She called after me.
I wasn’t planning on doing anything crazy but since fun seemed to find me regardless of what other people say, I put the hoodie back on and re-attempted the disguise. As I left I noticed that nobody had yet bothered to help the ‘Green Prophet’ out of his suit.
Even though getting a superhero name had been the whole reason for my visit to the warehouse, it took me ten minutes into the ride I had called to realize it.
I swore to myself and shamefully refused to go back as Rachel texted me saying ‘forget something?’ and I contemplated never seeing her again.
Arriving at a house where I was known for having famously little shame, I knocked on the front door in the pattern usually reserved for the back door. I knew it was too early in the day for there to be a party on but I figured it would let them have an idea about who was knocking.
The man that greeted me was a few years older than I remembered with his hair having even more grey in it but he smiled like the charming host he had always been.
“Did I plan something for today and forget? That would be a lovely surprise.” Gary hurried me inside out of habit.
“Actually, someone got suspicious of all the renovations you were doing and thought something nefarious might have been going on. I mean, it wasn’t a murder house the last time I was here but I figured I better check things out to be extra sure.” I pulled off my hoodie to let my cape back down and suddenly heard a cup hit the floor.
Linda, his wife, had evidently been watching the news and recognized me. Oops.
“You’re that girl!” She gasped.
“That doesn’t narrow it down in this house Linda. You know that.” Gary hadn’t clued in.
“You idiot, I told you to watch the video! It’s her!” Linda shouted lovingly at her husband.
“I was really young,” I started. “I had a lot to drink, and I totally knew what I was doing. I didn’t know you filmed it though. I want a copy.”
“I never film-!” Gary started before cluing in that I was teasing. “Oh, okay.”
“I think your wife is talking about the news. I may have done some things.” I waited as Linda brought her phone out to show her husband the video.
“That was real!?” Gary looked back and forth between me and the phone and I nodded when he focused on me for long enough. “I thought that it was a movie trailer or something.”
“I suspect a lot of people think it’s fake. My friend took me to a power armour fight club to see what I was facing without lives being on the line and get me a superhero name. Ended up kicking someone else’s ass there as well.” I wondered if anyone used the suits for non-violent reasons.
“Oh, you figured out your name then?” Gary asked.
“Not yet, don’t want to rush things,” I muttered knowing Gary has more than enough experience with understanding shameful excuses not to buy mine.
“Lisa next door is in that fighting club. She’s the one who told you about my renovations?” He sighed.
“Her friend, but I knew the address and since you seem to still have all your marbles I doubt her darker suspicions are accurate. Why not tell her the truth and will you also show me the truth because I want to see it.” I swapped priorities during the sentence and regretted nothing.
Gary smirked and while he was regarding me strangely he showed me the way down. “I have lived here for years and watched her grow up. I don’t know what she’s into but the last thing I want is for someone I knew as a child to be here and… hanging out.”
We went down the stairs. “I think if you were honest you would avoid the misfortune of her ending up here by other means. Either she breaks in or someone invites her without you knowing and you see things you don’t want to see.”
“I suppose in my effort to avoid being a creepy older neighbour I just became a suspicious one.” His comment almost lost on me as we entered through a hidden door and into the basement.
I was stunned, it appeared on the surface to be a fine cigar lounge but everywhere I looked I could see the discrete loops for hooks and ropes. Some were inlaid to the bar, others in the tables or seating, anywhere you might want to restrain someone. Of course, it was a tad disappointing nothing would really restrain me anymore but the heavily reinforced lighting fixtures looked like they would support my mostly metal weight.
“I love it!” Everything screamed luxuriously high class while also being sturdy.
“We had to extend the foundations into the backyard.” He said in that offhand manner people use to remain casual before changing the subject. “So you are a superhero now? That was all real?”
“Yes, so real I am trying hard to think about anything else. It may have resulted in some erratic behaviour. Honestly, I’ve been a bit of a mess since I got back into the city. Jumping from thought to thought. I’m not sure I am physically capable of sleeping anymore. My first goal was just to find someone who needed to know I was alright, after that I have been so aimless.” I cut off my rant, unsure if I should say any more.
“This isn’t the normal problem I need to talk people through down here.” He paused. “Actually, this is exactly the type of thing I talk with people down here. Superhero stuff aside, a lack of focus can lead to an inability to act. You just respond and whatever you end up doing might not be terrible but it’s not your best.”
“Performance down here has never been my weak point. Elsewhere I had school, family, goals, and the normal trend of human activity.” I sat on one of the comfy chairs and was happy I could still enjoy the soft squishy material.
“Exactly, it means that you never had to deal with being without it.” Gary sat next to me. “Some people suffer from self-doubt, but I see you as having motivation issues. Without even the basic need of sleep… do you eat?”
“I can eat. I can also eat metals. Gold tastes amazing. Lead, less so. But I survived a long time without eating anything, including water. So kinda?” I shrugged.
“Alright, so you had your… origin story. Came back, found a friend, then a bunch of random acts before getting sucked into the big shooting?” The voice he used was soothing and I could see how age never slowed down his charm.
“I witnessed a car going into the lake, dove in and saved a mother and her baby. But I can’t swim anymore and panicked. If someone else hadn’t followed me in and took the baby, it might not have survived. I’m made out of metal, I don’t float.” Rachel had helped put things in perspective but I still hadn’t finished dealing with it.
“Did the mother survive?”
“Yes. It’s just that I went from feeling all-powerful to entirely powerless in an instant. I felt so good, had some fun in a stall at Man Tears, connected with my new best friend, then utter terror in the darkness of the freezing lake holding a baby I couldn’t physically save because my body wasn’t working the way I was used to.”
“Maybe we should go to that same club tonight, Linda and I are members. Let you unwind. But let’s say you never came here today, where would you be?”
“Back at the warehouse still trying to figure out my superhero name because I wouldn’t have left before doing so.”
“Alright, say you got the name. Then what?”
“Well, in the last few days I hung a guy by his ankles from his apartment balcony with the chain he used to keep his girlfriend from running. Got shot trying to get a teddy bear from a crazy wife who put a muzzle bruise on her husband that caused him to run with the kids to a shelter. I suppose I could go back and find someone else that needs help. The lion I wrangled was a bit of a freak accident. Same with the AC unit I caught to keep from falling on a baby or the drug lab I kinda raided after saving a cop from an ambush.”
“You have been busy.” His understatement was about as level as he could make his voice go. “But you mentioning the drug lab gave me a thought.”
“I didn’t grab anything on my way out, sorry. Cops were there. I think the detective I keep running into really dislikes me. She’s never going to put a floodlight on a roof for me, even if I figured out a symbol to go with whatever name I figure out. Besides, don’t you know a guy for that?”
“Yes, that’s my point.” Gary recovered after I derailed him. “Most people have goals, things to do. Work for money to maintain their needs. You don’t have any of those needs. So in lieu of any mundane needs, and hopefully an eternal lack of supervillains to deal with, you need a thing you can always go back to for a thing to do. If simply existing in eternal downtime was an option, you would be doing that and being happy with it. So, yes, going to shelters and finding people who have jerks to beat up is a good option. Though I think if you made any habits of it the cops would crack down on it. The point I am getting to is that there have been some issues with the drugs in the city lately.”
“Yes, my friend’s brother got a nerve agent of some kind in his. Do you know what’s going on?” I set aside my issues for a moment to listen to what he had to say.
“No, but I know of someone who would have a serious interest in figuring it out. The guy who’s ‘allegedly’ producing the drugs. He probably isn’t spiking his own stuff but he’s certainly got information the police don’t.” Gary smiled as he watched me take in what he was saying. “Now you have something to focus on. I think being a superhero is the thing you need to find meaning.”
“I already knew that, it seemed like the thing to do.” I didn’t buy so many outfits on a whim.
“Yes, but I think most people would still be afraid. Would you still have jumped into the water without your powers?”
“I might have done things a bit differently but I think so.”
“Like the other guy, you said also jumped in?”
“Probably.”
“Then I think it would be a terrible waste if you got a job in construction or some other normal job your powers would help you with. They would probably still make you wear a hard hat. And if anyone can walk into a mansion the police can’t touch, it’s going to be the girl who can take a machinegun to the face and still beat someone’s ass in a tin can.”
“All so very true.” The prospect felt thrilling.
“So life won’t change as much as you might have thought. Work, superhero it up but don’t get routine. Friends, make sure to spend time with them and enjoy life. Home, get one, it helps a great deal to have some location to go to even if you don’t strictly need to sleep or anything.”
“Speaking of homes, where is the one I need to visit?” I asked with a smirk feeling good about myself.
JimmyAgent007 Writing 