Past Prime turns to walk away, but stops.

  “This loss means we are shorthanded,” he adds, “please check your timetables for new squad scheduling. That is all.”

  I wonder how many times Past Prime has made a speech like that, and whether it gets any easier. I didn’t know Ice Blood, but his death seems like a big deal.

  “Not Ice Blood,” whispers Bad Day, holding his head in his hands.

  I remembered Violent Behavior from my first day as a trainee. He hadn’t looked much like a hero, but it sounds like he died like one. We trickle out of the room. I stick close to Bad Day as he walks up onto the main deck. He’s shaking a little, so I find him a plastic seat to sit on.

  “Not Ice Blood,” he says again.

  Others join us, including Never Lies.

  “He was one of our best. One of the best ever,” adds Never Lies, shaking her head.

  “Why did he do it?” I ask, “why didn’t he wait for help?”

  “Saucer shields are vulnerable over water. No one has ever brought an omega down, and Ice Blood knew that once it reached land it would be impossible to stop.”

  “All the supers knew that,” interjects Bad Day.

  “But our shields don’t work well over water, either. Ice Blood knew that whoever flew out there wouldn’t be coming back. His team provided him with support but only he made it all the way to the saucer. None of the other superhero teams would even leave land.”

  “He must have been a hell of a superhero,” I say.

  What kind of a person takes on the largest saucer ever seen and wins? What kind of a super convinces his team to follow him against those kinds of odds? That’s the kind of superhero I want to be.

  “He never failed a single mission. He was only sent here because his original team was intimidated by him. They said he was dangerous because he couldn’t feel fear,” says Bad Day.

  “He felt fear,” says Never Lies.

  They start telling stories about Ice Blood and the other named superheroes. The trainees like me barely get a mention, which is a stark reminder of my place in the order of things. I leave them to it and start walking back to my cabin.

  Pet Shark is waiting for me at the stairs.

  “Bad Day is taking this pretty badly,” I say.

  “Oh, Bad Day idolized Ice Blood. He was really something, you know. He must have overloaded his suit to hurt the omega,” says Pet Shark, “but the other suits were recovered. Looks like you are about to get promoted, Red Five. Good for you.”

  “What is wrong with you?” I ask, astonished at his callousness.

  “Why should I care if Ice Blood dies? Why should you?”

  I don’t really know what to say to that, so I push past and walk to my room. I lie down on my bed and start counting how many times Simon Smith has been carved into the ceiling. I’m up to one hundred and twenty-seven when I get bored.

  “Search for Ice Blood,” I tell my tat-a-gotchi.

  His list of achievements is intimidating; he must have been one of the most powerful supers in the world. He took out saucers single-handedly, and completed hundreds of missions. Under number of kills was written “thousands”. Ice Blood’s rise was meteoric until its sudden, tragic end. He was only twenty-five.

  “Search for Born Lucky,” I say.

  I’m not surprised to find that Born Lucky comes from a rich, politically connected family. He is a powerful super, too, although not in the same league as Ice Blood.

  “Reason for assignment,” I ask.

  The computer seems to think about this one, then spits out: “Volunteered for the Cerberus Brawlers.”

  “Search for other volunteers,” I say.

  “None found,” the computer says.

  I’m not surprised.

  “Search Pet Shark,” I ask.

  “Record classified. Error! Unauthorized access detected-”

  The screen on my arm starts glowing red. I stop my search and wipe any evidence of my prying with practice that comes from years of misspent youth. I doubt anyone will be able to trace the unauthorized access back to me, even if they notice it. My tat-a-gotchi reappears on my arm and glares at me. I feed it, and it falls asleep.

  I lie back on the bed, but it’s not long before my thoughts are interrupted by a loud knock on the door. It’s Past Prime, and he does not look happy. I try to look innocent.

  “I’ve assigned you to a team. It’s only temporary until our roster stabilizes,” he says.

  “I’m ready,” I answer.

  “You aren’t, but we are desperately short handed. Be at the armory in twenty minutes.”

  He closes the door.

  I should be mourning the loss of Ice Blood and his team, and part of me is.

  I should be terrified, and part of me is.

  I should be worried that I’m not up to this.

  But all I can think of is that I am getting a chance to fight saucers again, and this time I know what I’m doing.

  Maybe I also have ice for blood.

  Lesson Seven: Take It Personally

  “We are not arrogant, no, not at all. We serve the world.”

  -Green Heart, spokesperson for the Superhero Corps.

  “Arrogant? Yes, and we must be. Humble minds never overcame the impossible.”

  -Ice Blood, court martial transcript.

  Have you ever wondered what superheroes do when they aren’t busy saving the world?

  I never have. I just assumed they made a seamless transition from living the high life to battling the saucers… and maybe the other teams are doing just that, but the Cerberus Brawlers aren’t. The Brawlers have a squad of six superheroes on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Saucer attacks aren’t that common, and so we spend a lot of time sitting in the armory waiting for an attack. A part of the armory has been converted to a waiting room, with bookshelves and screens to keep us distracted. It’s not very comfortable to sit around in our armor, but it means we can be in our capsules in minutes and be anywhere on Earth in twenty minutes.

  My first three shifts went by with no attack. Or more accurately, no attack in our territory. There was a saucer brought down near Auckland, but we weren’t involved. A smallish devilserpent was found in the Amazon, but disappeared before anyone could respond, and a scout saucer shot over Europe without being intercepted. All in all, it was a quiet time.

  I never would have thought being a superhero could ever be boring. It’s a strange, nervous kind of boredom that pervades the armory, because it may be the last boredom we ever live to have. One of my teammates is sitting in silence and staring at a wall, which is slightly unnerving. Her name is Bad Attitude, and she hasn’t said a word to me since we were introduced. Another of the team, Slow Learner, is reading a thick history book. Never Lies and Bad Day are playing a two-player game of space invaders. Both seem reasonably relaxed yet alert. Pet Shark is building some kind of three-dimensional holo-puzzle, assembling the pieces in the air above a console. I can’t quite make out what he’s building, but there is a lot of red to it. I don’t feel like I can focus on anything more strenuous than a comic book right now, so I select one off the rack and walk over to a comfortable leather chair.

  “Not that one,” says Bad Day as I’m about to sit down.

  “Why not?” I ask, moving away from it.

  “The last three people to sit in that chair died on the next mission. Sit somewhere else.”

  “Okay,” I say.

  “That’s nonsense,” calls out Pet Shark, “lots of people die regardless of whether they sat in the chair or not. Don’t be a chicken.”

  I move to a different chair. We spend the next hour in silence, each of us preoccupied with our own thoughts. Pet Shark finishes his puzzle. It’s a human heart being split in two by a knife. Unpleasant. Time goes past slowly, and it’s almost a relief when an alarm finally rings. Never Lies stops playing and walks over to a computer screen. Technicians walk in, check our suits and then leave.

  “Listen up,” says Never Lies, “we have something coming in from team Gold Storm in South America. They say they brought down an unusual saucer but don't have the manpower to investigate the crash site and request our help. They have not provided any further information or briefings, but we have satellite coverage coming up now.”

  “Why don't they have the manpower?” asks Pet Shark suspiciously.

  “I don't know. Look, there it is.”

  The satellite is a little grainy from interference, but we can make out a small saucer lying between huge trees.

  “I’ve never seen one like that,” says Slow Learner.

  “Neither has anyone else. Worth having a look at,” says Never Lies.

  She brings up a map of the area with two red dots near the saucer and a semi-circle of blue dots a few miles further out.

  “Red dots are the meeting points. The one nearest the saucer is our prime, to the north is secondary. Blue dots are evacuation points. The weather is going to be rough, so get on the ground quickly. Lots of trees, so be ready for close combat. Set?”

  “Set,” we all say in unison.

  “Then let’s go.”

  I pass out when the capsule is shot out of the cannons, but I’ve heard that most superheroes do. I wake up in time to experience the roller coaster ride back to Earth before I eject out of the capsule right into a raging storm. I fall clumsily through the air until my parachute opens with a jerk and starts dragging me backwards. I cut the lines and drop, slowing my fall with my new powers of flight. It’s not easy; the storm drags and pushes at my body as if it is trying to pull me apart.

  The gusts of wind and pounding rain come from all angles without pattern, making it impossible for me to fly in a straight line. This is no ordinary storm.

  I see a blue flare on the ground and land beside it. Never Lies is already there. She walks over to me, opens her visor and beckons me closer.

  “Don't have the manpower my ass,” she screams into the wind, “they were just too scared to fight in all this!”

  Maybe they were onto something. Water is leaking into my suit, and flying in this wind is draining my power quickly. We might be the first superhero team to stage a completely pedestrian attack. The rest of the team join us, except for Slow Learner. We form a circle, weapons pointed at the shadows. The trees sway dangerously in the wind. We hold our position for a few minutes, but there is no sign of Slow Learner so Never Lies moves us on.

  We move through the forest in short hops, blasting through the storm. It’s hard work, and I use up far too much power just moving. There is no sign of alien activity, but they could be right next to us and we wouldn’t see them in the rain and trees. Branches wave overhead and a tree crashes beside me. My heart is beating hard in my chest: we could be walking into an ambush.

  We find the saucer is lying upturned between two spires of rock. It’s small and looks shiny, like cut glass or diamond. Never Lies motions us to spread out. She has one of her shoulder cannons pointed at the saucer and the other pointed back the way we came. The saucer has a crack down the middle and looks like a broken egg.

  “What the hell?” says Bad Day.

  “Heads up,” snaps Never Lies

  Not a broken egg, a hatched egg.

  We spread out and search the trees. Branches wave back and forwards wildly in the wind and rain lashes our helmets. My suit is leaking; I hope I don’t get electrocuted. My helmet visor is fogging up, so I flip my helmet open. I keep searching, moving deeper into the trees.

  I find Slow Learner lying in the mud.

  “I found Learner!” I shout, and wave for the others to join me.

  No one does, and when I turn around I’m alone. It’s not a good feeling to be in the dark, alone, and hunting aliens, especially when a more senior member of the team has been taken out. Being a superhero is supposed to be a team sport, but it never seems to work out that way for me.

  “Saucer… okay.”

  I check Learner’s suit. The lights on his helmet say he’s still alive, but he isn’t moving. I can’t see any obvious damage on his suit, but that’s no comfort. A branch cracks behind me and I whirl around, but I can’t see anything. It’s so dark that I turn the flashlight on my arm on. The lights cast dancing shadows against the trees, so I shut it off before I get totally spooked.

  I see a blue flare in the distance. It’s the sign to gather, so I fly towards it. The wind is at my back, so the flight is short and clumsy. I nearly overshoot, but Bad Attitude catches me as I pass.

  “Thanks,” I say.

  She looks too tense to reply. Bad Day teleports beside me, but the wind picks him and throws him against a tree. He slides to the ground and walks towards me, fighting the wind with every step. Never Lies beckons me over and I stand face to face with her. She does not look happy.

  “Update?” she asks.

  “I found Slow Learner. He’s alive-”

  “You left him?” she asks sharply.

  “Um… yes? We didn’t-”

  “Get back there NOW!” she orders.

  Bad Day grabs me and I point to where we need to be. We teleport into the air, through the trees and back to Slow Learner. It’s a rough, clumsy ride and we land in the branches of an ancient tree. I bash my way out and drop down to the ground.

  “He’s over here,” I say, and then stop.

  An unfamiliar alien hovers motionless in the air above his body. It has a teardrop body and six thick tentacles that float around as if in zero-G. One of its tentacles is wrapped around Slow Learner’s head and two others each hold plasma cannons. I have never seen anything like it.

  How did Never Lies know it would come back?

  One of the tentacles starts glowing as it reaches down to Slow Learner.

  “Hey! Get away from him!” I yell, and shoot it with my multiblaster.

  It doesn’t even notice me. Bad Day pulls a flare from his suit and throws it to the ground.

  “Here we go,” he shouts to me.

  He teleports right next to the creature and blasts it with his pistols as I try my multiblaster again. I use up all eight of my egg cannon bombs, but our attacks splash harmlessly against its shield. We may not have hurt it, but the creature did notice us. It stops its study of Learner and spins all of its tentacles towards us. Bad Day teleports above it and blasts out again, but it seems more curious than worried. It lunges towards him as he lands, and is about to catch him when a salvo of heavy fire hits it right in its center mass. It shrugs off the damage.

  This thing is tough!

  A salvo of plasma and lasers drive the thing back as Never Lies and the others arrive. Never Lies bombards the creature with her gun platforms while Bad Attitude flanks for an attack. She's holding an enormous axe, but it bounces right off the creature’s tentacles without even scratching them. The color of Never Lies’ weapons changes, and the creature’s shields start to flicker. Pet Shark appears behind the creature, slaps a bomb on its back and lights it. The explosion blinds me and knocks over a handful of trees.

  The alien bobs uncertainty in the air, then darts off between the trees before we can react.

  “Get it!” yells Never Lies.

  We chase the creature through the trees, darting from tree to tree and crashing through branches. Never Lies keeps her fire up even as we race through the forest, but I can’t even shoot my multiblaster in a straight line. My body is wet with rain and sweat, and my breathing is fast and ragged. I do my best to keep up, but it’s hard. Trees explode as we pass, and we are illuminated by fires that flicker briefly before being washed out by the storm.

  We lose sight despite our best efforts.

  “It’s gone,” says Never Lies curtly.

  “Anyone land a tracer?” asks Pet Shark, “none of mine stuck.”

  I didn’t think to use a tracer dart, but it wouldn’t have mattered: the alien’s shields were too good.

  “What was that thing?” I ask, but no one else has seen anything like it.

  “It was important, that’s what it was,” says Pet Shark.

  He’s pointing out the obvious, and Never Lies doesn’t need to hear it. I have no doubt that she knows how important this thing was. They snap at each other as we search for any tracks.

  My proximity alarm rings out once: bang.

  “Hey guys, I just got a sound from my prox alarm,” I say.

  They ignore me. Bang.

  “Guys?”

  Bang. Bang. It’s getting closer, but no one is listening to me. Bang-bang-bang.

  “Did you say something, Red Five?” asks Bad Day, but then the others hear it.

  “Up there!” calls Bad Day, pointing at a dark shadow in the storm.

  It's a deathtower: a five-story high floating tank filled with every kind of killing device and the largest weapon in the saucer's arsenal, far larger than the saucer we were sent to find. My training program told me that it has few weaknesses and I should run if I ever see one. The sight of its turrets and gun ports strikes me with fear. It starts laying down enough fire to level a mountain, and we scatter.

  “Get out of here!” Bad Attitude says, pushing me into cover.

  Trees burst into splinters as the hunters become the hunted. I see Pet Shark buried beneath a wave of missiles, but he survives and flies into the storm.

  Only Never Lies is still fighting back. She aims a salvo of fire at the deathtower, tearing a long hole in its hull as her lasers find its weak points. I've never heard of a single hero taking down a deathtower, but she's doing her best. The tower sends missiles at her, but Bad Day teleports in and grabs her just in time. They work well as a team, Bad Day keeping Never Lies out of danger while she focusses on taking the alien weapon down. Missiles rain down on us, but I shoot most of them out of the sky. I don't think either Bad Day or Never Lies even realize I'm still around; the rest of our team have run.

  A plasma ball breaks on my shields as I try to dodge the missiles. Lasers pin me to the ground and beams rip at my shields. Someone grabs my foot and I’m teleported behind a tree.

  Bad Day’s armor is blackened and his shields are low, but he gets right back in the fight.

 

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