Death Makes Me Stronger, page 23
“Thanks,” I said and offered a hand to show good faith. “I’m Osiris. Little new around here, but good to meet you.”
“O’Riley,” she said and shook my hand. “Looks like you’re already making a name for yourself.”
She glanced at the people around us with their phones out to film the interaction, and it took all of my self-control not to back away. The exposure was exactly what I needed to become a full-time member of the Hero Society, so I waved to everybody and then turned back to the officer.
“It’s nice to meet you, Officer O’Riley,” I said. “Any advice about where I should patrol tonight?”
“The bars,” Scotts answered as he hefted up the now handcuffed criminal. “If you’re really bulletproof, then you can help some of the folks down there. It can get really rough when the drinks start flowing, and I hear that there’s an arm wrestling tournament. Some of those guys get really upset when they lose, and we don’t always catch them in time, if you know what I mean. Just give us a shout on that radio that they give you guys, and we’ll gladly come pick up any garbage that you find.”
“I got you,” I said and then nodded in respect to the two cops.
The department didn’t have enough officers to actually watch the bars, even on nights when they knew that there could be trouble, and that was the perfect place for a new hero to gain a reputation. I strolled through the city and waved to anyone who looked in my direction, but most people just ignored me as if I wasn’t there. Even the cops barely noticed me since I didn’t have any criminals to pass off to them.
I heard the scuffle before I even came around to the front of the alley, but it was so faint that it barely grabbed my attention. It sounded more like a rat had scurried across the concrete than someone that needed help, but something in the back of my mind told me to take a look anyway. I strolled into the alley without much expectation, but then saw two guys hovering over an unconscious woman.
“Hey!” I called as I passed under the only light. “What are you doing?”
“Just helping her get home,” one of the guys slurred.
He was wobbly on his feet as he stood, and the stench of alcohol that wafted toward me was enough to give someone a contact buzz. The drunk’s buddy was still on the alley floor with the woman, and the bastard’s hand was up her skirt.
“Just helping her get home, hero boy,” the other man repeated with a lascivious smile.
“I think you two need to leave,” I said in a tight voice as rage washed over me. “Now.”
“Or what, hero boy?” the first man asked and stumbled over to jab a finger into my chest. “You’re gonna report us to someone who actually matters?”
“No,” I said and grabbed his wrist, twisted, and watched in satisfaction as he crumpled to the ground. “I’m going to detain you myself.”
I kicked the guy in the back and then rushed his buddy as the woman started to regain consciousness. The second man pulled out a knife and tried to jab it into my ribs, but it broke like it was made out of glass, and then my fist slammed into the side of his face with a crack. I grabbed the drunk’s shirt before the guy could fall onto the woman and tossed him against the wall behind me like the trash that he was.
“Hey,” I said in a more gentle tone as the woman started to look around in confusion. “My name is Osiris. I’m here to--”
My sentence was cut off as the first drunk screamed and rushed at me like a linebacker. He slammed into my side and knocked me over, but I brought my elbow back around and heard a crunch as his nose broke. Blood and snot poured out over the guy’s scraggly beard, and I rolled over to drag him over to the other drunken bastard.
I slammed his head back hard enough to leave a bloody smear on the brick wall, bent down, and watched to make sure that the guy was still breathing. It seemed like forever before his chest moved a fraction of an inch, and I let out a sigh of relief that I hadn’t just killed the guy, though the world would probably be a better place without him.
“Th-thank you,” the woman said as she stood on shaky legs. “I-I don’t know what happened. I was… I think I was at the bar, but then it all goes fuzzy. I swear that I only had one drink but-but…”
“It’s okay now,” I said as tears poured down her face.
She flinched back from me when I offered comfort, but I knew just the cops to come and pick her up. I pulled the police radio out of my pocket, turned it on, and then clicked the button to speak. It wasn’t the same as the communicator, but every cop in the city had one, so they’d be able to hear it.
“Hey, O’Riley and Scotts,” I said with a small smile. “This is Osiris. I found some garbage for you to pick up, and I have a young lady that needs an escort home. I’m at the corner of 24th and State Ave.”
“We’ll be right there,” O’Riley’s voice came over the line.
I turned back to see the woman collapse and managed to catch her before she hit the cement.
If the rest of my patrols went so well, then I’d be a full hero in no time.
As long as no one came up with a more creative death.
Chapter 16
“Your first patrol went really well,” Anora said as we walked toward the morgue.
I’d come home after a few more hours of patrolling near the bars and met the superhero before we were supposed to go see Raven for dinner. There’d been a few bar fights to break up, and one guy tried to stab me again, but O’Riley and Scotts were there to pick up all the garbage. I’d posed for a few pictures with drunk guys that wanted to know the new invincible hero, and the girls had thrown themselves at me for selfies, but overall it wasn’t too bad, especially since it would boost my social media presence like the Hero Society wanted.
“It did,” I said with a bright grin.
Anora and I’d both changed into our civilian clothes, and it took a significant amount of self-control not to stare at the way her ass looked in the skintight jeans. They almost hugged the superhero’s hips like the costume she usually wore, but the baggy shirt tucked into the front of them managed to hide some of her hourglass figure. Golden Weaver looked like any other artist from the east side, or one of the models that hung out with the elite on the north side, and no one that we passed seemed to put it together.
The jeans and t-shirt that I’d thrown on were no different from anything else that I ever wore, though my backpack now held a tiny sealed package with my costume. It was designed to look like a pack for a knee brace, so if anyone did manage to steal the bag from me, then they’d just think it was junk and toss it. I almost missed the cargo pants and shirt that The Designer had created for me, even if they hugged a little tighter than anything I was used to being in.
“Raven will be thrilled to hear about your first patrol,” the superhero said as we neared the guard shack.
“And about the video that we brought her,” I pointed out and then flashed a smile at the security guard. “Hey, how’s the night life treating you?”
“Better than the guys inside,” he chuckled and then handed a sign-in clipboard to Anora. “Sorry, ma’am… everybody without a badge has gotta check-in. No exceptions.”
“I get it,” she shrugged and started to fill everything out.
“Did you hear about the new superhero in town?” the guard asked as he turned to me. “His name is Osiris. Like the old Egaltin god. Don’t think many people have picked up on that yet, but I’m sure they’ll get there at some point. I heard that he’s completely invincible, ‘course, that’s just what I hear from the beat cops that stop by the labs to drop off evidence, and they’re always a little bit in awe of them supers.”
“You’re not?” I chuckled as Anora handed the clipboard back.
“Sure, I am,” he shrugged. “But you work here long enough, and it seems like a superpower just to stay alive in this city. Besides, we don’t know what he’s gonna be like in the long run. There’s plenty of heroes that come in from the suburbs and then can’t cut it with our villains.”
“That’s true,” Anora nodded and took the temporary pass from the guard.
“Later,” the guard waved and then went back to his book.
It was weird to hear someone talk about my new hero identity, but at least the guard thought that I was cool, and he hadn’t figured out the connection. The mask that The Designer had given me did a really good job at hiding my identity, but it would really be put to the test when I came across my old coworkers. Those guys had seen me enough times that they might be able to figure it out, but they probably wouldn’t get that close since I had no intention of going anywhere near the insurance building.
“You’ll get used to people talking about you to you,” the spider-like woman said as we walked across the parking lot. “It’s weird at first, but my best advice is just to nod along like you agree with everything that they’re saying, even if it’s bad.”
“You think that some of it will be bad?” I asked.
“There’s always going to be people that don’t like us,” she warned while I tugged open the door. “They’re usually jealous because they’re not a super, or they’ve endured too much collateral damage and need someone to blame.”
“I was created from collateral damage,” I said.
I led the way through the icy corridors until we reached the double swinging doors of the morgue. The air conditioner seemed colder than usual, though that was probably because the rest of my night had been so hot. I was glad that the suit breathed, but fighting a bunch of drunk people had definitely helped me work up a sweat, and I’d needed to drink a ton of water after the patrol to replenish my body.
“Another reason that people hate heroes is because they think we attract villains,” Anora said. “But the villains would still attack without us, and then more bystanders would die. It’s a terrible path to walk, but sometimes the only thing that we can do is try to keep the damages to a minimum. Lives are more important than property that can be replaced. Always.”
“Naturally,” I said. “Although, I’m glad that Admiral Freedom did have one casualty. If he hadn’t, then we wouldn’t be here now.”
I took a deep breath to prepare myself for whatever was on the other side of the swinging doors and then strolled in. The first thing I noticed was that there was a drawer open with a guest covered in a white sheet, and Raven was at the sanitizing station with all the tools of her craft. I shook my head at the metal music that the assistant medical examiner blasted from the computer and then walked over to turn it down.
“Who dares to touch… John! Anora!” The petite woman spun around with murderous intent and then changed directions the second that she realized it was us.
Her white lab coat was somehow still pristine even after an autopsy, and the long braided pigtails she always tied her hair in were laced through with purple. Raven’s gothic lipstick and eyeliner hadn’t smudged despite the late hour, and even her platform boots shined like they’d just been buffed.
“Ready for dinner?” I asked.
“I’m ravenous,” she said.
“Nice pun,” I laughed, and she rolled her eyes.
“Not intended. Paul said that he might join us, but he’s trying to finish up some work on a big case. There’s rumors that a new supervillain is on their way, so everyone is trying to clear their caseload.”
“New supervillain?” Anora asked as she set down the bag with the camera and selfie-stick. “I haven’t heard anything.”
“It just came in today,” Raven said and finished washing the last instrument which looked a lot like a handsaw. “There’s supposedly one coming from overseas. Of course, we get rumors like this all the time, so I wouldn’t put any stock in it. I swear that the higher-ups come up with the stories so that the case logs will be emptied out, but there’s always a possibility that it’ll happen. Jonesy and I never have to worry about that, because our guests are always checked in shortly after they arrive, but the lab can quickly get overwhelmed if there are several different locations that have to be covered.”
“Makes sense,” I nodded and then glanced at the guest in the drawer. “May I ask why they get a sheet over them, but I was in a body bag?”
“You were supposed to be here for a few more days,” the assistant medical examiner said and wiped down the already clean autopsy table. “I try to put my long-term guests in body bags so that they don’t get frostbite. It’s cold here, and I learned a long time ago that the dead can still be damaged if not taken care of properly.”
“Makes sense,” I said. “I’m guessing they’re going to be picked up soon?”
“Yes,” she said and then turned to flash a smile that made her red contacts seem to glow. “Are we ready for dinner? I can look at the recordings while we’re at the diner. We’ll just have to sit in the back booth. And I can turn the audio off.”
I turned my attention to the camera and wondered how much of my time with Anora had been caught on film. It was completely waterproof, so it might’ve been able to see everything, and my mouth went dry. I’d never dated two women at the same time, but one of my buddies from high school had, and to say it ended badly was an understatement.
“So,” I said and clapped my hands together. “There might be something unexpected. Anora and I… well… we kissed.”
“On the cheek,” Anora shrugged. “I’m guessing you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind!” Raven gasped and immediately reached for the camera. “Are you sure you got it?”
The sheer joy on the goth woman’s face seemed out of place with her outfit, and with the news that I’d just shared, but at least the assistant medical examiner hadn’t tried to stab me with one of the nearby scalpels. Raven pulled open the viewing screen, hopped up on the autopsy table, and tucked her legs underneath her like a little kid at Christmas.
“I’m not sure,” I said with a glance at Anora.
“We were a little preoccupied,” the superhero said. “But you should know that he breathed underwater for at least thirty minutes without any issue.”
“Really?” Raven asked with a suggestive eyebrow waggle. “Now, that could be useful.”
“I’ll be glad to show you,” I chuckled and leaned against the autopsy table next to my girlfriend. “You’re not mad?”
“She’s not,” Anora stated.
“Of course not,” the goth woman confirmed as she smiled at the blonde. “I mean… I’m a little jealous that I wasn’t there to join.”
“Uhh… okay.” I cleared my throat as my head spun.
“Should we order in?” Anora asked as Raven started to play the recording from the beginning.
“Yeah,” I said when Raven didn’t look up. “We’ll just have it delivered.”
I tugged my phone out and brought up the diner’s website, ordered our food, paid, and then called the guard shack to let them know that we had food on the way.
Raven had made it almost all the way through the footage of my new ability since she’d sped it up, but slowed down the second that Anora came onscreen. The dark water obscured how close the superhero had been to me, and there was no audio except for the sound of the rushing river, but it was clear that we were definitely flirting. My girlfriend held the camera close to her face like she didn’t want to miss anything and then made a disgusted noise when Anora headed toward the shoreline and out of the view of the lens.
“Okay,” Raven said and shut the viewing screen. “That was terrible. I demand that you film it better next time.”
“I do not want to be filmed having sex,” Anora rolled her eyes.
“You are planning on having sex with him?” Raven grinned.
“Filming was acceptable only because it was just a kiss.” Anora crossed her arms and seemed to be fighting a smirk.
“Then I’ll just have to join you guys next time,” the goth woman declared and set the camera down.
I was about to say something, but the delivery guy walked in, and I grabbed the food from him as quickly as I could so he didn’t have time to ask any questions.
I’d ordered a burger and fries for all of us since that was pretty easy fare, and the smell of it filled the lab, but both of the ladies seemed more interested in the chocolate malt milkshakes that came with the order, and I watched the two beautiful women suck down the drinks while wondering how in the world my life had changed so fast.
“Do I smell burgers?” Paul’s voice drifted into the morgue before he did.
“You can have half of mine,” Raven said and tossed the empty milkshake cup into the garbage. “I’m pretty full now, but don’t you dare touch my fries. I mean it. I’ll tell Briar.”
“Whatever you say, Rave,” the beefy scientist said and dropped the duffle bag that he’d brought in with him. “These are for you, John. They’re more of the tasers. They’re all ultra-high power, so not sure if they’re really legal.”
“Probably not,” Anora muttered and shrugged.
“Each burst will only last a few seconds, but the energy output should be enough to help you knock back any villains that you fight unless they’re really, really tough,” Paul added.
“Thanks,” I smiled and started to rifle through them. “You should talk to Junior. I bet that he could help you with some of your creations.”
“I’d love a super’s help,” Paul said around a mouthful of cheeseburger. “I’ll go check in with him after my shift.”
I finished picking through the duffle bag while everyone else gobbled up the food. When I’d finished examining my new toys, I added the camera to the bag as well and then turned back to my new friends.
I’d done pretty well on my patrol, but there was still one more low-hanging-fruit death that I needed to conquer.
“I think that you should scratch me,” I said as I looked at the blonde superhero.
“You’re sure?” Golden Weaver asked from the autopsy table.
The superhero had climbed up next to my girlfriend, and the two women looked like night and day. Anora’s tanned skin seemed to make Raven paler, but the black tips of Golden Weaver’s hair matched the goth woman’s braids. It was like they were two sides of the same coin.
