Jump to content

Beware the Uncorrupted (Epilogue Added 05/28/22)


Philosopher

Recommended Posts

Your writing style is insanely addictive.  I read one part and immediately want the next.  Kudos to your skill!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

He really has the worst luck and now he is being charmed by that Princess. Who would save him. Sam or Julia ? I have a feeling there is more of Julia than what meets the eye.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Part 5

My name is Percy Duval. I am an eighteen year-old student currently attending Summerville High. My grades are good, if you forget about maths, because my friend Julia cannot predict any pop-quizzes for that class. My parents are in jail, holed up in the Mountain. I don't know why. I hope I can find out one day. I have a brother. His name is Johnny and he has powers. I love him.

But my love for him cannot be compared to the love I feel about Princess.

Words cannot describe the flurry of emotions that swirled through me when I heard her voice. It was like breathing for the first time. The emptiness inside me, she simply filled it with her divinity. She is the reason I exist now, she is the only thing that matters to me. I love Julia, I love my brother, but I would sacrifice them in an instant if that meant that I could stay with Princess for just a little bit more.

She has chosen to stay behind me now, surely that means that she likes me more than the rest. I can feel the murderous envy and hatred emanating from the other subjects, but I don't care. After all, they would never hurt me. We are a big family, connected by the star that is Princess. We would all gladly sacrifice ourselves to protect her from anything. We would even sacrifice ourselves if she felt bored and wanted to see something funny or dramatic. We are all bound to her, forever. There is no past, no present, no future.

Just Princess.

"Everyone! May I have your attention please?" Princess spoke, and her words emanated throughout the room. "You are all under my complete control. You will serve me, and in return I shall grant you a spot in my army of loyal subjects. Together, we will finally take this city from the filthy hands of the Province, and we shall usher a new era of humanity. One that is connected. Loved. Accepted. Fall in line, and become complete," she sang.

In the span of ten seconds, another fifty people swiftly joined our ranks. Some of them were crying from joy, others were laughing from finally figuring out the meaning of their meager lives.

Serve Princess.

Soon enough, we were more than a hundred people, all grabbing our hands together and standing as a human wall behind our goddess. We were impatiently awaking for her next command. I hoped she would pick me to do something, anything. I didn't care, just as long as Princess knew I existed and smiled to me.

She was so beautiful. Platinum blonde hair and vibrant pink eyes sparkling with power, she was the epitome of beauty. Sam was nothing compared to the force of nature that Princess was. She could move mountains, continents, planets with her voice. Her grace and kindness would snuff out the darkness of our world, and nothing would remain but us and her, together for eternity.

Princess' voice echoed through my mind. "Grab people and bring them to me. We must expand the family."

My body started moving before my mind agreed with the command, and I run ahead like a rabid dog, trying to catch any unsuspecting barbarians so Princess could convert them to a subject. However, it seemed that my body betrayed me once more, as I fell down with one swift whoop. It was as if my own body refused to submit to the commands of my ruler.

Pathetic.

 The other subjects didn't seem to care, jumping over me and proceeding to speed into the barbarians, catching them with iron-hard grips. Screams echoed all around the mall, and I couldn't be happier. With more people in her arsenal, Princess could truly take over this garbage city and save us all.

I desperately tried to get up, but my body simply refused to move. I wanted to start crying. I didn't want to be the one to disappoint Princess. It might as well have been a stake to my heart.

"What's wrong, little one? The mind desires to serve me, but the body is refusing to move? Pesky little survival instincts. Haven't worked out that problem yet, but it's a matter of time until my power increases," Princess swooned behind me. Oh my god, it was like being in front of the sun. I burst out in tears, both because I had disappointed Princess, and because I was sharing some time alone with her.

I suddenly realized how I could be of servitude. "My Princess, th-there's a HERO here!" I squirmed and I felt her eyes bore down on me.

"What? Here, right now? Where are they?" she calmly said, although I could hear something else in her voice. I couldn't believe it. Was it fear?

No. Of course Princess is not afraid. She can make the hero join us. Duh.

"He is in the center of the mall. Near the lady who gave away some of her paintings! Princess, if you talk to him, then our kingdom will grow a thousand times stronger with him on our side! His name is S-" I started blurting out, all while my body was sweating cold bullets.

"I heard enough, little one. I think... I know who you're talking about," Princess seethed in anger.

OH GOD, PRINCESS IS ANGRY. I DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE ANYMORE, PLEASE SOMEONE JUST END ME ALREADY.

I could only raise my head as tears rolled down my cheeks, only to see the too-familiar floating figure a few feet away from us.

It was Sam, on his skin-tight black suit. Out in the light, I could see how muscular he truly was. His biceps looked ready to burst through the modified jacket-suit, engorged with destructive power. His massive lats further stretched his suit to its limit, all against one wide back filled with individual group of muscles. His triceps appeared to have their own gravity, so much muscle there was packed in them. His forearms were the only part that the suit left unexposed, and I could see veins sneaking down the length, pumping blood down to his fists that could surely kill a man with a flick of his fingers.

All that beauty and power was nothing in front of Princess. That would forever be an undisputed fact.

"You new here? Seems like you don't know what's the deal, honey. My voice takes away your individuality. It stripes away your consciousness, leaving only the subconscious behind. I become your ruler, mother, god. I control you," Princess smiled at Sam. "What is your name?" she then asked, putting emphasis in the question.

Sam seemed to falter in the air, descending down until his feet touched the ground. "S-S-Shut the fuck up!" he roared, bolting with tremendous speed in front of Princess.

With surprising agility, Princess took my hand and placed me in front of her.

She was going to sacrifice me. I was going to die for her, and I couldn't be happier.

"Thank you," I whispered as I closed my eyes for one last time.

Sam struggled to stop himself, but successfully managed to dissipate most of his speed away, promptly falling on top of me. Air was immediately expelled from my lungs and all my muscles protested when the heavy body of Sam landed on them. He was so heavy, I doubted I could lift him off me. He must have weighed at least two hundred and something pounds of pure muscle.

"GET OFF ME YOU PIECE OF-" I flailed and scratched, but my attacks did nothing on Sam. His skin was like sheets of metal, hard and unyielding against my punches. "MY PRINCESS! RUN!" I finally got up and I got a handful of Sam's hair, trying to pull them out with all my might.

Obviously, nothing happened. Fine. If he's physically indestructible, I'd go for the mental trauma then.

"You filth. You pathetic excuse for a hero. Jesus Christ. You are by far, the worst hero I've ever come across. EVER. You are a truly horrible human being. If you even are one? What the hell are you? Some kind of alien from another planet that got blown to pieces because your species was too STUPID to save themselves? Or what, some kind of mutant horror show that doesn't even know where it came from? Fuck you. Fuck you for believing you can do whatever you want with me! YOU DARE to place a hand on my back and order me to stay?! The fuck? Who the hell do you think you are? And you know what really gets me? Your cocky demeanor isn't even really the problem. IT'S THE FACT THAT YOU'RE SO STRONG AND YET SO USELESS AT THE SAME TIME. You let a single stupid citizen get in your way of capturing a Class 8 Villain? What are you, Mother Teresa on steroids?" I gasped for breath.

Sam simply stared at me with fear and confusion, his mouth tightly closed. He had sneaked away from me, as if I was a crazy lunatic with a gun or something. His shining blue eyes stared at me, and I stared back.

I continued, smiling. "No. You're an amateur nobody who has never received a day of training in his life. Your powers are wasted on you. I could have done so much better if I was in your place. I hate what you represent, little Sam. I hate you," I spat down, flipping him off and getting on my feet. "And FYI, you smell as if a corpse had hot, sweaty sex with a fat, dumb cow. Like I said, filth."

Sam was looking as if I had brought down his entire world around him. Which, in a sense, I did. Whatever, he didn't matter. Only my princess.

"Princess?" I asked, forgetting about Sam and looking around the mall. The people were still screaming, and it was like music to my ears. "PRINCESS?" I shouted louder.

She was nowhere to be seen.

"No..." I whispered. "She... abandoned us. She abandoned me."

That was the moment where everything turned dark and I crumbled in the cold floor of the mall.

^ ^ ^

In my dream, I stood alone in a bright, pink world. I saw everything through rose-colored glasses. The clouds had a fluffy pink quality on them, the bright sun was radiating rays of magnificent color and beauty. Angelic voices could be heard all around me. It was Princess. Yes, I had sacrificed myself for her.

And now I was in heaven.

And then everything turned gray and ugly. The wonderful pink afterglow was gone, and I was left standing on the top of a hill. The memories of the past hour started coming back to me. Being mind-controlled by Princess, the supervillain. Becoming so enamored with her that nothing would stand in my way, just to see her smile.

Saying these... horrible things at Sam. I truly didn't want to know whether it was Princess' power that made me say these insults, or if it was some dark, hidden part of me. Was I simply venting at Sam, or projecting my own insecurities at him? He was a hero. A 'super' handsome hero with a magnificent body and powers. Truly, he was perfect.

Too perfect.

After realizing that, waking up was a child's play.

^ ^ ^

"Hrmmph," I grumbled as I woke up from my deep sleep. My head was pounding, it was as if someone decided to scramble my brain and make an omelette out of it. Opening my eyes, I was assaulted by white stabs of pain, which dissolved any remnants of sleep from my body. "OUCH, OUCH. What the-" I flailed, blindly at something to grab on to. My hand moved forwards and I finally grabbed something hard.

With the help of that stone-like object, I stood up and took a few seconds of acclimating my eyes to the brightness. I tried to gauge what exactly I was touching, but a slight cough from the 'object' informed me that I was about to die from awkwardness.

"If you need help, you can ask me," Sam said, his voice sounding above my head, and I felt a strong arm grab me from the shoulders and helping me regain my balance. The light all around me was too intense, but as I opened my eyes for the second time, Sam's large figure blocked some of the lights. We stared at each other for a second, my neck straining to look up, while he looked down to me like I was a puppy.

I was about to smile at him, when I remembered all the things I said before.

"I'm-I'm fine. Really. What happened? Where are we?" I took my hands of his body. Apparently I was touching his granite abs. No wonder they felt like stone. Taking a few steps back, I saw that we were at a small bedroom, barely large enough for one person. With Sam's body next to me, the room felt claustrophobic. Moreover, someone had installed large, crystal-like solar panels at the top of the ceiling, and they were buzzing with energy and white light. No wonder I felt like my eyes were on fire.

Sam tried to move closer again to me, only for him to stop. "We're at my place. It's not much, but I couldn't just drop you off at your apartment like that. Didn't feel right," he explained as he moved closer to one wall of the bedroom and pressing a button. The lights turned off, along with the slight hum of energy emanating originating from them. "As to what happened, you were exposed to the psychic persuasion of Princess, a Class 8 Villain whose mind control is terrifying and absolute. Thankfully, it wears off if she leaves the area and doesn't give you another command in thirty minutes, so you should be... fine," he continued, failing to look me in the eyes.

"Right. Uh, did I say anything weird while I was under her control? Because if I did, I'm super sor-" I started explaining myself, but Sam rose his arm and stopped me.

"No. No, it's fine. That wasn't you, but your controlled mind trying to buy Princess some time to escape. Which she succeeded in doing, by the way," he added, now looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

Oops. 

"Yeah, but... I'm pretty sure I said some really bad stuff about you. I'm sorry. That wasn't me," I continued, not wanting to anger Sam and cause him to make me into some kind of chunky paste. Something told me that I was lying to him, but I couldn't risk creating a schism between me and one of the most powerful heroes I've ever seen in my life.

"I told you, it's fine."

"Okay," I relented.

"Okay," he responded.

A few seconds passed in silence, even though they felt like eons. "So... How did Princess failed to control your mind? I'm pretty sure you heard her voice, no?" I asked, expertly changing the subject.

"Uh. You know I can't say."

"Oh, alright. Well, once again, thank you for saving me. I really hope this doesn't become a common occurrence," I backtracked, grabbing the backpack that Sam had placed next to me. "But, you should know that I'd never say anything about your powers to anyone, right? I'm not a person who can breach someone's trust like that."

"Oh? Like what happened with Princess, where you blurted out that I was among the citizens and almost saying my name?" he grumbled, standing up and blocking the doorway. Up close, he was even taller and even more imposing than I originally thought. He was still wearing his black suit, which didn't help the primal part of my brain that screamed at me to get out of here. 

Oh god. 

"Yeah, well it's mind control, and I'm pretty sure I don't have any resistance to it. Unlike you," I gave him a sideways glance, imploring him to explain. Sam's angry demeanor deflated like a balloon, and he suddenly looked very, very tired. I almost felt bad for him, if he wasn't capable of squishing me like a bug if he wanted to.

"I know, I know. Look, my power is really complicated to explain, and frankly it doesn't look like you like me really much, so why would I bother explaining it to you anyways?" he shot back and I stared at him, stunned.

"You want me... to like you?" I said, my mouth hanging open.

Sam suddenly found the ceiling to be very interesting. "I... never had any friends before. And... I heard some rumors about you in the school, that you're the only one who takes care of that weird girl, Julia or something... So I thought that maybe you could take care of another weird person, like me?" he then smiled, and I felt butterflies in my stomach.

"But... but at the field, during the physical test. You didn't seem to want to be friends with me! You just looked at me like I was nothing!" I shook my head, not understanding.

"That was... before. I thought that a hero shouldn't make any connections with other people, because their cover might be blown. But... after Princess and after all these things you said to me, I realized that you were right. Obviously, I'm not that good at being hero. Hell, you were the first person I saved. Successfully."

That sounded rather ominous.

"I... see. Are you sure you want to be associated with me and Julia? She's not used to other people, so she might avoid you like the plague. And... I never really had any friends other than her. You could do much better than us, you know."

Sam's face took an adorable pink color. Was he blushing?

"No. You guys seem cool. Real. That's what I want. Not all the other showoffs."

I took a moment to think about his proposition. Miss Matilda was right after all, Sam really did have a shell around him.

"Well. Alright. Why not? Hope you like getting your social reputation ruined," I smiled at him, and Sam smiled back. His smile was radiant, like the rest of him. He did look like a movie star. Hot damn.

"Great! Well, I'll see you at school then!" Sam smiled like a kid at Christmas' Eve and he moved out of the way of the doorway. I could only stare at his muscles moving from inside his suit, burning with power. I shook my head, dispelling the hypnosis that this godly specimen could instill on me with a single smile.

"See you soon, Sam."

With that, I quickly made my way outside his apartment. I didn't have time to look around it, but I also didn't want to breach his privacy. With that, I made my way down the complex and I found myself just a few blocks away from home.

Huh. We even live close together. What a coincidence.

^ ^ ^

Sam stared at his laptop. The program was initiating, and a white screen encompassed the entire screen. He had to be gentle with these man-made toys. He had accidentally broken the last three of his computers because he had pressed the buttons too hard, until the things caved in. The program finally finished verifying his identity, and a slight ping was heard.

"Hello, agent. Run me over today's events. Did that arrogant little supervillain ruin our sequence?" a computerized voice echoed around the kitchen.

"No. I am slightly resistant to these kinds of mind control. I could have popped her head like a pimple if I wanted to, but Percy was there."

"What's the status with Percy Duval? Does he still dislike you?"

Sam smiled. "No. I had a breakthrough today with him. I believe our friendship will evolve soon."

"Does he suspect anything?"

Sam thought about it for a second. Percy was absolutely clueless. It was actually really funny. "No, he does not suspect a thing. Infiltration has been successful in school, all that remains now is for Percy to stumble, so I can access his home. After that, I can observe him better. And his brother. He will be easy to apprehend if things turn sour."

The voice in the computer beeped.

"We cannot fail, agent. The power of Percy's father, we have only started to understand it. If the boy has inherited even a fraction of it, then we MUST make him join us. Do you understand? You have went through his father's file, right?" the voice cracked.

"I have. Do not worry. I am more than capable of handling this. Percy will join the Province, one way or another. Unless..."

"Unless he does not have any powers. In that case, you take his brother and we will take care of Percy."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. I expect great things from you, Sam. If you are successful at this mission, then you can say hello to your new life, with all the previous 'unfortunate incidents' deleted from the face of the planet."

With that, the program shut down, along with the white light. Sam stared outside the window of his apartment, looking at Percy, who was happily walking towards the outer suburbs of the city. Poor kid didn't know what was gonna hit him.

He almost felt bad about it, but orders were orders.

And orders must always be followed.

  • Like 24
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I need to pay very close attention to Julia.  She might be able to tell us stuff as the story continues.   

Does "we'll take care of Percy mean apprehension or death?"

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting and intriguing world building. You have a talent for making the reader emotionally involved: I already want Percy, his brother, Julia and Sam to be happy, and not be involved into something harmful, but I suspect, that some sort of Greek tragedy is brewing.

It takes talent to make something serious of the super-hero genre , but you succeed in keeping the serious tone. Well done! What I try to say, that this is the opposite of the Adam West Batman, get my drift? I would swiftly drift into self-irony, meta and subtext instead, if I tried to write something like this, but you seem to avoid that road, for now. Again: Well done! The mauve text is an elegant trick allowed by websites.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Part 6

"We cut the famous mini-series "The Wonder" for a story of brainwashing proportions! The Brightburn Mall was attacked this afternoon by no other than the Princess herself, a powerful Class 8 Villain with the ability to control the minds of everyone who hears her voice! The supervillain managed to take control of 83 people, who were ordered to attack and maim innocent civilians and bring them to Princess so she could 'amass a new army and take over Seattle'. It was mere luck that a hero was on the scene and scared her away. The Province has not made a comment on the fate of the hypnotized individuals, as it seems like they vanished in the span of a few hours. It's still not clear whether Princess' power has increased from her last attack or whether she works with another supervillain, but police are struggling to find evidence to point them on the right direction. More news on our special overnight program."

These were the first words I heard as I entered the apartment. The old TV was on, and by the sounds of static electricity snapping from the room, I could already guess who was sitting on the couch.

My brother was going to kill me.

"Percy?!" Johnny shouted the moment I closed the door behind me. My brother's tall figure came out from the kitchen, and I could only stare at him as tendrils of white lighting zapped from his forearms like worms having a seizure. His hair was a mess and his eyes were more red than white, and an overgrown stubble make him look like a homeless person. He looked like he had aged three decades in the span of a day.

"Hey. I don't know what to say," I confessed, raising my hands up so I wouldn't be accidentally electrocuted by his hands. Johnny seemed to take the message and closed his eyes in concentration, turning off his power. The sparks disappeared as fast as, well... lightning.

"Where have you been?" Johnny asked, his voice trembling with both fear and anger. I could count the times I had seen him like this in one hand, and I knew that I was in for a ride. "Please, please please don't tell me you were at-" he pleaded, shaking his head, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes. I was there, but I'm fine now! See?" I said back, doing a small pirouette to break the heavy atmosphere.

I didn't work, because my brother stared me down with barely contained fury. His eyes sparked, and I gulped.

"FINE?! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED BY PRINCESS! WHAT THE FUCK, PERCY?!" Johnny screamed at me, moving closer to me like he was about to hit me. I instantly flinched back in defense, my primal instincts taking the wheel without asking. "I COULD HAVE LOST YOU FOREVER! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT HAPPENS TO THE VICTIMS OF PRINCESS? THEY STARVE, PERCY. THEY STARVE BECAUSE SHE FORGETS TO FEED THEM."

"Johnny, the attack wasn't my fault. I couldn't have possibly predicted that she would attack the mall! I'm not an oracle, you know," I desperately tried to explain myself. It crossed my mind that I actually had an oracle as a friend, but I was so sure I would be fine that I never asked Julia about her opinion. Hindsight truly was 20/20.

Johnny took a few moments to respond, although I could feel his anger dissipating. My brother was always like that. A big explosion at the start, before quickly running out of steam. "That is not an excuse, Percy. Think about me! I had to run like a crazy person from work when I heard the news, bolting towards the mall to find you. And you weren't there. I thought I lost you forever," he mumbled, his previous anger gone and replaced by tears. He was holding himself together, but just the thought of him losing me was enough to make him cry.

I was only starting to realize how much I had screwed up.

"Johnny.... I'm sorry. I honestly didn't think anything would happen. I was only expecting a relaxing afternoon in the mall, not a supervillain attack."

My brother put his hands on his face, wiping the tears away. He then moved back to the kitchen and sat down to an old, creaky chair. "You know how common villain attacks are to that mall. It's practically designed to be easily robbed, a shining carrot for the supervillains to attack and have something to do rather than blowing up city blocks or bringing down the apocalypse. And you still go, every damn Friday!" he flailed his hands and then pointed to me, accusation dripping from his voice.

To that, I didn't have a response. It was true that I knew the dangers about going to the Brightburn Mall, but even if someone attacked it, I was expecting a Class 3 or 4 nobody, like the Marksman or Flower Girl. Sure, getting shot by tranquilizers and getting your wallet stolen is not fun, and neither is becoming an inanimate flower-human hybrid for ten minutes, but these things are inconvenient at best. Not lethal.

Unlike Princess and her crazy cult of brainwashed followers.

The TV was now playing the new episode of The Wonder, showcasing the super-heroine Wonder trying to bring down a global conspiracy that wanted to eliminate all non-powered humans. In real life, this was near impossible to achieve, with super-powered individuals accounting to less than 10% of the population. And even then, the government and the Province probably had several contingencies regarding end-of-the-world scenarios brought by superpowers.

"Were you watching The Wonder on TV? Man, that show sucks, am I right?" I tried changing the conversation.

My brother laughed, but it sounded bitter. "This isn't something you can escape from, Percy. You're officially under house arrest, until I say otherwise. Which I won't. From now on, you're coming straight from school, and if I catch you sneaking out, I will fry your laptop and phone. Enjoy solitude, brother," he declared and turned off the TV with a snap of his fingers. Then, he rose up to his full height, towering above me, and went to bed.

To be honest, I wasn't even mad about my punishment. I hated seeing Johnny cry, and I guess in a sense, I deserved to stay home until I proved him otherwise. Show him that I can defend myself.

Like getting powers, a thought nudged my mind.

In my case, that was like asking to grow a foot taller at eighteen. It almost never happened.

^ ^ ^

That week, classes had done their absolute best to drag themselves on and on. I was half-convinced that my maths professor had the superpower of slowing down time. I could swear, an hour in that classroom was a minute outside. It was probably because Julia wasn't with me and we couldn't talk about random stuff, but I absolutely despised that class.

Even worse, Sam was nowhere to be seen. I had gone to school Monday morning, excited to meet him and talk about the attack and how cool he was that he drove Princess away, but he never made it to first period. Or second. The same thing happened Tuesday as well, and I was beginning to think that he got cold feet with the whole 'cover' thing, and that I'd never see him again.

Wednesday finally came, and I prepared myself for another disappointing day at school. First class was Hero Culture, a relative new addition to the curriculum and gracefully provided by the Province "in order to educate the general public about superheroes and their purpose on society". The whole class was a joke really, basically the school equivalent of fanboying over superheroes and their powers. They never showed us the perspective of an average civilian, and how easy it was for them to lose everything as a result of two Unhumans fighting it out on the streets. Julia was also not here, something that threw me off even more.

"So, Percy, what do you think about Firecracker? Why was his decision to save California's governor over the five hostages the right choice to make?" the professor, Mr. Anderson, asked. He was acutely aware about my opinions on the matter of superheroes, and this was his way of making conversation and debate on the class. Provoke the angry sheep, and the rest will follow.

"I dunno," I shrugged and continued making doodles in my notebook. I was not going to take the bait.

"Well, what about-" Mr. Anderson continued, when the door of the class suddenly burst open, almost cracking when it met the wall. In came the biggest man in the school, with his glistering muscles and his black shirt that seemed two sizes too small on his frame. His brown hair looked disheveled, as if he had woken up a minute ago, but they still looked good on him. His eyes were sleepy and half-closed, but the intense blue could still make even the oceans themselves feel shame. Furthermore, he had opted on sweatpants today, showing off every single  protrusion on his giant legs and calves. Even his muscles had muscles on top of them. I did my best not to stare at the other kind of bulge hidden in his sweatpants, something that took herculean effort. It made sense for him to be proportional all over, I guess.

Sam quickly found an empty seat on the back of the class, and he struggled to fit on the chair and desk that was obviously not designed for someone his size. We all heard the obvious groaning of wood and metal as they were barely able to support his weight.

"What about mister Shaw, then? Come on, tell us why the life of the Californian governor was better than the meager lives of five hostages?" the professor asked, and everyone looked back at Sam, whose eyes were wide open and struggling to form words. He then looked at me, and smiled. I'm sure nobody else noticed, but at that moment I felt something stir in me.

"I don't think Firecracker made the best decision, sir. Sure, the Governor of California was an extremely important individual, but in the end, he is a human person. In my book, saving five people rather than one is what counts in the end," he explained, his deep voice reverberating around us. I saw some girls biting their lips as they drilled holes at Sam and his body with their eyes, while some guys steered uncomfortably on their seats, probably feeling emasculated.

I felt rather bad too. Handsome, built like the Colossus of Rhode and smart? That combination was essentially unbeatable. Never mind that the guy had superpowers too. I tried not to think about it too much. My brother always told me that negative emotions are always poison for your soul. He himself was always moody and mad at the world, and it was only when his powers manifested that he turned a new leaf and decided to focus on the light rather than the darkness.

The conversation continued after that, with Sam somehow agreeing with most of my own beliefs, despite being a hero himself. I caught glimpses of him looking at me, and I couldn't help but smile like a toddler.

Thirty minutes later, the bell finally rang and we were free to go. I grabbed my backpack, and waited for Sam to get out of the tiny desk. "Need any help?" I asked him as I heard the wood cracking and splinters flying all over the place. "The principal will murder you if he finds out that you broke school property."

Sam shot a wicked grin at me. "Hey, not my fault that I'm so big. I feel like I'm sitting on a chair for kids," he said as he exhaled as much air as he could from his lungs, successfully unclogging him from the desk. He then rose to his full height, and I stared just above his pecs. Cripes, I still wasn't used to this giant's height. It made me feel tiny compared to him, even though I knew I was of average height. Grabbing his backpack, we proceeded to walk to the cafeteria.

"Where you always this big?" I asked Sam as we moved around the hallways. The sea of students all around us seemed to make way for the big man on campus, as if Sam's body was splitting up the sea itself. It seemed that everyone unconsciously tried to avoid stepping in front of him, lest they wanted to be crushed.

Sam raised his arm, his triceps bulging with muscle, and scratched his head. "Hmm. No, not really. I was twelve when I got my powers, and back then I was 4'9 or something. But after that, it was like my puberty went into overdrive, and I ended up at the 6'3 you see now," he explained.

"What? No way you're 6'3 dude! When was the last time you measured?" I asked in surprise. Sam appeared much taller than that. I didn't know if it was because I was so close to him or because my perception was somehow off.

"Like, a year ago? That's when I joined the Province and they took all my vitals. 6'3 and 250 pounds. All muscle, as you can see," he smiled as he flexed his biceps down to me. The entire thing seemed bigger than my head and I gulped down in both fear and attraction.

"Well, these stats are wrong. You should measure again," I said, desperately trying not to touch that massive ball of muscle in front of me. His skin stretched delightfully around his bicep, no blemishes or scars present.

"What about after school? We can go at your place if you have a measuring tape," he turned his arm away.

Hearing those words, I couldn't be more ecstatic. "Oh! Sure, I think my brother will be fine with guests... I think," I tried to play it cool, but I was just so happy on the inside that I started hopping around on the hallway. "Say, why don't we go and find Julia? I'm sure she would love to meet you!" I said, and Sam nodded.

We found her sitting on the familiar table on the edge of the cafeteria, absently staring on the roof like it was the most interesting thing on the planet. The moment she saw me approach me, she smiled brightly at me and waved over. Then, her eyes looked behind me, probably to see the behemoth approaching, and her face dropped in an instant.

"Uh, hey Julia! What's wrong?" I asked when we finally reached our table and I sat down. Sam sat next to me, this time fitting easier on the wide tables of the cafeteria. Sam looked at her and waved, but didn't make a move to approach her.

"I-I-" Julia whimpered, and her eyes flew between Sam and me, as if her mind had encountered an error and was desperately trying to fix it before it crashed. "Why is Sam here? He is not supposed to be here," she suddenly breathed in and put her hands in her head, obviously in pain. "No, no. This isn't right. This isn't right at all!" she shook her head, and then stared at Sam, pure fear shining in her eyes. "Why...? What is he worth to you? Please, leave us alone. He doesn't... he doesn't know," she whispered in agony.

Sam looked at me, perplexed. "Sorry, this was obviously a mistake to come over. Didn't mean to put a wedge between you guys," he said and started getting up.

"No! It's fine, Julia has these... migraines sometimes! She's fine, look!" I pointed back at Julia, who was staring at the ceiling again. "Julia? Are you okay?" I moved my hand in front of her face and she snapped back to reality.

"Oh! Hi Percy! Hi Sam! Wow, you are a big man, aren't you?" she smiled at Sam, her face getting an obvious pink hue. It seemed that Julia really liked him when she wasn't going crazy. "Are you our new friend, mister? Percy told me all about you on the phone! You seem like a nice guy, and I hope we can be friends," she offered a handshake.

Sam seemed confused and surprised at the sudden change of behavior, but he took Julia's hand and shook it. His palm totally engulfed hers, and Julia was no petite girl. "Oh, so soft! Do you use a moisturizer?" she asked, reveling the feeling of Sam's big, wide paw.

"Uh, yeah! Although I'm not using it for the reason you're thinking of," Sam laughed as he retracted his hand. We all burst into laughter at the veiled joke, drawing attention from all the surrounding tables. Looks of awe and wonder filled the faces of the students, probably because they didn't understand how someone like Sam wanted to hang out with the two weirdos.

I didn't care though. All of them were fodder compared to Sam and Julia.

I truly believed that this would be the start of a great friendship.

^ ^ ^

"So, where had you been the past two days? School is important, yo," I snickered as Sam and I walked down the streets, heading for my apartment. It was a wonderful day outside, the sun showering all of us with golden light, something rare in the usual, cloudy skies of Seattle.

"Oh. Stuff with the Province. I had to fill a report about the Princess incident, and I was too busy patrolling the streets for the signs of the abducted. It's like the earth itself consumed them. Not a single trace," Sam responded, averting his eyes in the sky.

His words sent shivers down my spine. I could have been one of them, if Sam hadn't been there to save me.

"Aw, come on buddy. Don't overthink it. The Province will find them eventually," he smiled and placed his hand on my shoulders. It was so long that it could encompass me without any difficulty, much like how a father can hug their pre-teen son. Now that I was closer to him, I could even smell him. It was like a combination of sandalwood and sea-salt, a beautiful scent that screamed MAN at my nose. "Say, what about you, Percy? Does your family have any Unhumans in it? You know, even if you uncle or aunt have powers, you're more than likely to develop powers yourself."

I took a moment to think. "Well, my brother has powers, yes. Both my parents had powers as well... but I haven't gotten them yet," I answered, my voice taking a sour tone.

"Oh, well you still have time to get them. You're 18, right? Three years is a long time," Sam answered as he ruffled my hair. I shot him a look of annoyance, although I secretly loved when he did that.

"Meh. Even if I do get them, it will be something basic. Like, I don't know, voltage manipulation. Will be really good at frying electronic equipment," I laughed. "My brother and mother have electricity-based powers, so I don't expect anything insane."

Sam nodded his head, still smiling. "What about your father?" he then asked, letting his heavy arm back on my shoulders and bringing me closer to his giant body. I could feel the warmth radiating under the shirt, almost too intense.

"He... I never knew his powers. He never showed them to my family, told us they were too 'awesome' and he didn't want to take the flame from my mum. I think he was making fun of the fact that his powers were probably the party-trick variety, like bubble inducement or firework summoning. Why the sudden interest, though?" I asked, but I was so close to Sam's body that I could barely see his face.

"No reason. Just mild interest."

His voice betrayed something else. It didn't take much to understand why. "You... know, don't you? You ran my name in the Province's database," I accused him, doing my best to remove his hand from my shoulder. I succeeded in doing so, but only because he let me. "So what? They're in the Mountain, big deal. They're not supervillains though, and you know that," I seethed as I started walking faster.

It was easy for Sam to catch up to me. "Hey! No, I didn't mean to pinch a nerve. I'm sorry, I was just curious to find more about you, and your surname beeped on the database. I'm sorry," he pleaded as he grabbed my hand and stopped me. His guilty expression told me that he actually meant that. It was the look a puppy gave you after it accidentally peed on the carpet.

"It's... fine. Look, let's just get the measurement thing over with, okay?" I relented, and picked up speed again.

"Right. Again, I'm sorry."

We didn't say anything for the rest of the way to the apartment.

^ ^ ^

As I unlocked the door, I shouted for my brother. "Johnny? You in here?" There was no response, and I let out a sigh of relief.  "Field's clear," I motioned at Sam to move in, his hair brushing against the doorway. "Yeah. You're definitely not 6'3. I'll go bring the measuring tape, hold on for a sec."

"Sure thing. Gosh, your place is so small!" Sam said as he moved in the kitchen and sat down a chair. It instantly groaned under his weight, and I was afraid that it might break. More things for my brother to yell at.

"I think it's fine. It's you that you're too big for it," I shrugged as I started searching the drawers of the kitchen. Finding the old measuring tape at the end of a drawer, I tried rubbing off the rust from it. This was dad's old tape, which he used for his normal, civilian job. He was an architect, and a damn good one at it. He seemed to be able to picture a building with ease, instinctively knowing the proportions and the materials needed to built it. He could create shapes and drawings in the whim, and they were simply amazing.

Banishing the sad thoughts from my mind, I moved to Sam, who was observing me and my actions. "What's on your mind?" I asked as I pulled out the tape, careful not to cut myself in the rusty edges. "You seem... troubled."

"It's nothing. Maybe I'm feeling a bit nervous, that's all."

I couldn't imagine someone like Sam feeling nervous over a simple measurement. He had literally everything someone could ask for.

"Well, if it makes you feel better... this doesn't matter," I said, pointing at the tape. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to. It was just mild curiosity anyways. I much prefer to spend time with you and talk. There's so many things I don't know about you, Sam. I hope one day you can let me in your life."

Sam didn't respond, only getting up from the chair and resting his body against the thin wall of the kitchen. "Ready when you are," he said, looking down.

As I approached him, I realized that my hand couldn't reach the top of his head, and it seemed like I'd need to use a chair. Stretching the tape from the bottom of the wall and towards his head, I finally placed it in a semi-accurate way next to his skull and read the measurement.

"Huh."

"What is it?" Sam asked, nervousness evident in his voice.

"I think... nope, it's right. 6 feet and 5 inches tall. Oh, and some change. Gee... that's tall, Sam. Did your parents feed you uranium bars or something?" I chuckled as I hoped down the chair.

Sam took a long time to respond. "I think... it's my powers. Or super-powered puberty," he shook his head, almost in denial.

"What's wrong? Don't you like that you're among the tallest people in the population? That's really cool, man!" I said, almost adding the word hot in the process. That would have been too awkward. 

Sam sighed, and sat down on the cold tiles. Even crouching, he was still tall and imposing. "It's not that. I thought that I had reached my full height a year ago, but apparently not. I think it's a sign that my powers haven't fully manifested yet," he contemplated loudly.

"What? But... your super-strength and flight, how can they develop more? I mean, sure, maybe you can get stronger, but I don't see how flight could become more developed. Maybe you will be able to fly faster?" I theorized, not knowing what else to say. I would have been ecstatic if I found out that I would get stronger.

"No, no. I told you, it's complicated. These aren't my real powers. They're... subcategories, you could say."

Subcategories? What? Like some kind of Charles Atlas superpower? In order for him to use his real power, his body had to be strong enough to endure it?

"We have time. You can explain everything to me."

Sam looked at me, struggling to decide if he should tell me or not. Finally, one side won and he sighed again.

"I call it Adaptability. I can instantly develop powers that will assist me on dealing with threats and other situations. My body changes to match the desired need, and overcome it. I remember, when I was 16, I had climbed over a near mountain to see how much my body could handle. I didn't feel cold, I didn't feel the air pressure drop at all. I could make giant leaps to cover massive amounts of distance," Sam finally explained. "And then, in a moment of carelessness,  I slipped and started falling down. The fall wouldn't have killed me, but I'd probably be left a cripple. I was preparing myself for the collision, but when I opened my eyes, I saw that I was floating in the middle of the sky."

It took me a while to understand. "Wait... then how are you still able to fly?"

"Every power I gain is permanent. For example, Princess won't be able to mind control me at all next time I meet her. My brain has probably already reconstructed itself or something, to be immune to her voice. Or its my eardrums. Make me unable to hear her voice. I don't know."

My mouth was left hanging open as I started realizing the implications of such amazing power. Sam would literally be able to defeat every villain that came on his way. I don't know how he would be able to stop the individuals who could control time, space and matter itself, but I guess there was always a weakness he could exploit.

"Then... why are you still growing?" I asked.

Sam then stared me for at least a minute, his mouth turning into a frown.

"It's because my body is preparing me. Preparing me for something that I might won't be able to stop."

I couldn't understand what he meant with that.

But what frightened me the most, was that after he said that last sentence, he still kept looking at me.

As if I was the threat he would have to face.

  • Like 26
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I must admit, I love a good superhero/villain story - and this is a great one.  There is a perfect undercurrent of tension that is building and the pacing is wonderful.  More More More!   

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm getting "Soon I Will Be Invincible" or "Hero" vibes from this (two of my favorite superhero novels) and I am loving every part of this story. Your writing is amazing. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines, Terms of Use, & Privacy Policy.
We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue..