Death Makes Me Stronger, page 17
“Hey,” Raven said from the couch. “I charged all the batteries for the cameras, so we’ll be able to videotape the experiments all night. And the garlic bread is already in the oven. I hope you don’t mind, but I went ahead and cooked the spaghetti and--”
The assistant medical examiner’s sentence died as she looked up to see Golden Weaver. Then a smile so bright that I was sure someone would take away her goth card tugged on my girlfriend’s face, and she hopped up so fast that the laptop balanced on her legs tumbled to the couch.
“You’re here!” she gasped. “I was so hoping that it would be you who would mentor John. I’ve always admired your work. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you more when we talked after his last death, but I’m sure that you can understand the need for secrecy.”
“I do,” Golden Weaver nodded and then looked around my studio apartment.
There wasn’t much in the way of furniture, but my couch was big enough that all of us would be able to fit while we ate dinner. I’d bought it for game nights, but Mike and Ina’s house was easier since most of our friends no longer lived in the city. At least it was in fairly decent condition, and the rest of the place was clean enough that we could eat off the floor if we wanted to.
“Dinner smells amazing,” I broke the awkward silence that started to fill the room. “Let’s go ahead and eat and then talk about our plans. You should know that I didn’t get accepted into the Hero Society. I do have a temporary license, so I can stop petty crimes, but I’m supposed to leave the named villains alone.”
“I’ll bet that Admiral Freedom had something to do with that,” Briar rolled her eyes and said the name in a mocking tone. “I swear that man needs an ego check. I know for a fact that his powers aren’t natural, but he acts like he’s the gods’ gift to humanity.”
“None of our powers are natural,” I chuckled and then headed into the kitchen.
I pulled out the plasticware and paper plates, double-checked the spaghetti, and then did some doctoring until it was exactly how I liked it. The garlic bread looked absolutely perfect, and Briar ran over to grab a piece before everything else was ready. I almost scolded the blonde, but then decided against it when she did the most adorable happy dance.
There was no doubt in my mind how she and Paul made it work, especially as the beefy man came over and did the same little dance. They looked like complete opposites, but their personalities were so similar that it gave me hope for Raven and me.
“You have mutations,” Raven pointed out. “Those are perfectly natural. It happens in nature all the time. Different genes will activate in the same animal in just one generation. All it takes is a change in environment that necessitates it. Also, what did you put in my spaghetti?”
“Sour cream and mozzarella cheese,” I said and then hugged the goth woman as she came to eye the pot.
“Acceptable,” she said. “Where did Golden Weaver go?”
“I think she’s in the bathroom,” I said with a nod to the closed door.
The superhero had slipped away the second that we were distracted, but I didn’t think that even she could fit through the small bathroom window. Of course, the spider-like woman did move like a contortionist as she flipped through the air, so there was always the chance that I was wrong, but Golden Weaver had agreed to come to dinner with us, and I doubted that she’d change her mind so fast that she’d leave without saying anything.
“I’m not waiting for her,” Briar declared and started to load up a plate. “I’m ravenous.”
“Same,” Paul said and then followed his wife’s example.
We all grabbed food and made ourselves comfortable on the couch while the bathroom door remained shut. I was just about to go knock and make sure that the hero was okay when the door opened to reveal a tall, muscular woman with short blonde hair and black tips.
“Holy shit,” I said as the gorgeous woman flashed a nervous smile.
I knew that Golden Weaver had an hourglass figure since her costume didn’t leave anything to the imagination, but it was different seeing her bubble butt squeezed into a pair of skintight jeans. Dark brown eyes scanned the room for any cameras, and black gloves covered the hero’s nails like they were sheaths to keep the venom from accidentally hurting someone. I snapped my mouth shut and glanced at Raven to make sure that she wasn’t jealous of my reaction, but the goth woman had the exact same expression.
“You’re glorious,” Raven gasped.
“Thanks,” Golden Weaver said and tried to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, but it immediately fell right back into her eyes. “I keep a spare outfit hidden on my suit at all times. Just in case I need to blend in with a crowd.”
“How?” I asked. “Your outfit doesn’t have anywhere to hide it.”
“It’s near my boots,” the hero said. “Can I grab some dinner?”
“Yes, of course,” I said and motioned to the kitchen, watched the woman snag a paper plate, and then turned to Briar. “You didn’t tell us she was practically a model.”
“I figured it was better as a surprise,” the blonde said with a fanged smile.
“I think I have a new crush,” Raven said.
“Same,” I chuckled and then scooted over to make room for the superhero. “So… Do we get to know your real name?”
“Anora Black,” she said and then took a giant bite of the garlic bread. “My friends call me Anora. At least, they did.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Anora,” I said.
We all fell into a comfortable silence as we devoured the dinner, and I caught Raven staring at Anora more than once. It was hard not to stare at the superhero’s hourglass figure or admire how the skintight jeans showed off her muscular thighs.
“How many times have you died?” the hero asked as she set her empty plate aside.
“Three,” I said. “And it seems like I become immune to whatever method killed me. The first time was when a manhole cover hit me in the face and crushed my skull. The second was the one that you witnessed, and the third was from electrocution.”
“He got into a hot saltwater bath, and then Raven dropped a hair dryer inside,” Paul said. “We have it all on tape.”
“Including the resurrections,” Raven said with a bright smile that made her red contacts seem to shine brighter. “I’ve taken copious notes on the subject. We were planning to run some more experiments tonight.”
“Experiments?” Golden Weaver asked and lifted an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” I said. “I don’t feel heat anymore. Well, I can feel it, but it’s like a heated blanket, even when it’s the blue flame of a bunsen burner. And I can redirect the energy from a taser.”
I could practically see the wheels turning in Anora’s mind like she was mentally going over my file from the Hero Society. The spider-like woman hadn’t even looked at it during the meeting, but it seemed like everyone had already reviewed it before I’d arrived.
“That wasn’t in your application,” she said after a few seconds. “Your powers were listed as impenetrable skin and immunity to fire.”
“The last death happened after I’d already submitted my application,” I said. “And I didn’t really have a chance to tell anyone about my new powers.”
“Speaking of which,” Paul clapped his hands together and hopped up to retrieve the duffel bag. “I modified four different tasers for us to test tonight. One has no safety switch and can reach, and sustain, about fifty thousand volts. It won’t last long, of course, but it’s pretty powerful. The second should last longer and has a switch that keeps it at ten thousand volts for up to thirty seconds. I want to see if you can pull the energy out of it even with the regulator. That’ll be important if you’re in the middle of a fight. The other two are basically the same, but they stop at twenty and thirty thousand volts.”
“Awesome,” I said and climbed to my feet. “Raven, do you have the cameras ready?”
“I do not wish to be on camera,” Anora said and started toward the bar stools in the kitchen. “But I would be interested to see what you can do. Especially if Lady Lightning will allow us into her private training room.”
“Lady Lightning?” Raven asked as she went to turn on one of the cameras. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“She’s that hero from Romacin that disappeared after her husband died,” Briar provided. “Apparently, Mrs. Krux is Lady Lightning. She said that we can use this place as a base for the moment, and Junior is supposed to show us a training room tomorrow.”
“I remember her now!” my girlfriend exclaimed. “Wow, she went missing so long ago.”
“And turned up in Liberty City as my landlady,” I laughed and then pulled my shirt off. “I feel like I should’ve realized it sooner, but the old lady is very good at keeping people at a distance. I guess she feels like she can trust me now that I’m a super. Though, it probably doesn’t help that I’m trying to join the Hero Society. Or that I brought Golden Weaver home.”
“Oh,” Raven said and clapped her hands excitedly. “I was thinking about your hero name. I know that you submitted something for the application, but that you said that you wanted something cooler, so I pored over the names of the old gods. It’s one from the really ancient days of Egaltin.”
“You want me to name myself after a god?” I asked and bounced a few times as Paul brought out the first taser.
“Why are you nervous?” he laughed. “It’s not like you can feel it. If anything, we’re the ones who should be worried since you might shoot the energy right at us, and this is enough to stop a heart.”
“We probably should think of somewhere for me to toss it that won’t do any damage,” I said.
“Already way ahead of you,” the beefy CSI said and pulled out a small glob of what looked like goo. “It’s ballistic gel. It should, in theory, take the blast well enough.”
“Nice,” I said.
“That’s brilliant,” my girlfriend said and then looked back at me. “And yes, I think that the name will fit you perfectly. He’s the god of life and rebirth, so it works with your power.”
“Okay,” I shrugged and tried to rack my brain for the old gods of Egaltin. “What is it?”
“Osiris,” she said. “Your hero name should be Osiris.”
Chapter 12
“Good morning, Osiris,” Raven whispered in my ear.
“Good morning,” I mumbled and slowly pried open my eyes.
Paul and Raven left for work shortly after we’d tested the tasers, and Golden Weaver and Briar didn’t stay much longer than that, so I’d crawled into bed for some much-needed sleep. It had been a long week, and I’d been dead for most of it. The call to sleep and rest had been so strong that my jeans had barely hit the floor before I collapsed onto my bed and drifted away.
“How’d you sleep?” my girlfriend asked as she sat on the bed next to me. “Did you have any visits from the gods of death?”
“Nope,” I shook my head and sat up. “Just a dream about running from a giant snowball in the middle of the summer.”
“Interesting, I wonder if that’s a premonition from the gods of death about Iceara’s summer plans,” she said and then held up a brown paper bag and coffee cup. “I brought breakfast.”
“I’m sure it was just anxiety about becoming a superhero,” I chuckled and took a long swig of the coffee. “This is the best thing that I’ve ever tasted. Thank you.”
I leaned over and claimed a kiss that tasted very similar to the coffee that she’d handed me but with a little more sugar. My girlfriend had clearly grabbed herself something as well, and it came as no surprise to see two cherry fritters in the paper bag. I handed one to Raven and then bit down into the other one with a groan.
“It’s good, right?” she grinned and then bit into hers. “My friend Clara makes them. She’s in the werewolf camp, so it’s not as big of a deal for her to be up early enough to run a bakery. I don’t think that she’s a super, but she’d give one a run for their money with her delicious treats.”
I nodded, climbed out of bed, and then stumbled over to the couch so that I didn’t spill anything. It was bad enough that they’d put me on the bed after my electrical death, even if they covered it with a tarp, but pastries and coffee were just too easy to spill. I devoured the rest of the meager breakfast like a starving man and then headed into the kitchen for the last strawberry tart that Mrs. Krux gave us.
“Has your appetite increased over the last week?” Raven asked as she tugged the notebook out of her bag.
“Not really,” I shrugged and washed the crumbs from my hands. “But this morning it feels like I haven’t eaten in years.”
“Interesting,” she mumbled and started to jot down notes. “You did receive several thousand volts of electricity last night. And successfully managed to redirect them into the ballistic gel. I wonder if that had any affect on your metabolism. It would be so much more convenient for my research if I could just take a sample of your blood.”
I shook my head and patted her shoulder as I headed to the bathroom to clean up. Raven was the best person that could’ve possibly found me in that drawer, and the assistant medical examiner’s close attention to detail would no doubt help her figure out if something was wrong long before even I did. I knew that the blood work would help, but it wouldn’t be necessary with all of her notes.
The bathroom was filled with steam by the time that I climbed out of the shower, and Raven had fallen asleep on the couch with her notebook still in hand. The goth girl’s eyeliner was slightly smeared like she’d swiped at it, and her long braided ponytails pooled on the throw pillow. I pushed her legs back up, grabbed a blanket, and then covered my girlfriend with it as a soft snore started to come from the petite woman.
A knock on the door almost scared me out of my skin, and I turned around with my fists at the ready like Inferno was about to knock down the door. It was unlikely since the fire supervillain still thought that I was dead, and he’d have to get past Mrs. Krux before he could reach me, but my fight-or-flight response still jumped into high alert. I padded across the apartment, peeked through the peephole, and then sighed with relief when I saw it was Junior.
“Hey,” I smiled as I opened the door. “Everything okay?”
“Mom says that you need to be shown to the training room,” he grunted.
The hairy man had on a button-up Hawaiian shirt with a bright flowery design, and his usual scowl seemed much darker than average. It was clear that the super didn’t like the idea of his mother letting us in on their secrets, but we were part of the same society now that I was a super, too, and we all needed to protect each other. Junior strolled into my apartment, nodded in respect to Raven as she double-checked that we were okay, and then turned back to me as the goth woman fell back asleep.
“I really appreciate you guys helping,” I said and closed the door.
“You shouldn’t be trying out your powers,” he said and ran a hand through his greasy hair. “Or joining those pretentious bastards in the Hero Society.”
“Not all of us are pretentious,” Golden Weaver said as she came out of the bathroom.
The curvy superhero definitely hadn’t been in there when I was in the shower, and that answered my question about whether she could squeeze through the window or not. Anora hadn’t bothered to wear her hero’s outfit, or she’d changed before she came out to join us. Either way, Junior didn’t seem as impressed as Raven and I had been with how beautiful she was.
“Don’t climb up the sides of the buildings,” he warned. “And don’t leave that web of yours everywhere. I have enough trouble taking care of this building and keeping the regular spiderwebs out of the corners. The last thing that I need is some super strong and sticky crap all over the walls.”
The two of them stared each other down the same way his mother and Anora had the day before, and I watched in fascination as Junior grunted and folded his arms over his wide chest. It seemed like Golden Weaver had won this round, though the slight nod she gave looked like at least a small concession.
“You can just come in the front door,” I said to break the silence. “Especially if you’re out of uniform. No one would think anything of it if you said that you were here to visit me. Well, they might, but they’ll just think that we’re dating or something. I doubt anyone in this building would jump to the conclusion that you’re Golden Weaver. Hell, I didn’t realize that Mrs. Krux and Junior were supers, and I’ve lived here for years.”
“And we’d like to keep the others just as oblivious as you were,” Junior sighed and then looked around. “Looks like you were playing with electricity again.”
The maintenance man walked over to the spot where the ballistic gel had been and squatted down to touch the floor. I’d done a pretty good job of redirecting the energy from the tasers, so it was a little surprising that the hairy guy had even noticed it. Especially since there weren’t any scorch marks, and I’d cleaned everything up after everyone left.
“How did you know?” I asked. “I don’t remember telling you what my powers were.”
“I can see it,” Junior said and pulled out a rag to wipe the ground like there was something there. “You’re going to have to tell me exactly what your abilities are. Especially since it seems like there’s more than just an inability to die. If you’re going to be playing with electricity, then it might interfere with my own powers and the delicate ecosystem of the wires in this building.”
I glanced at Anora to see what my mentor thought about telling Junior everything, but he made a valid point, and the superhero shrugged as if to say it was my choice. The hairy maintenance man would definitely tell his mother, but they might be able to help me with the energy power since both of them seemed to specialize in that.
