Super & Real
Chapter Nine
I.
“You know, if this were under any different circumstances,” John said, “This would be totally awesome.”
The group looked at him and more than one had a forlorn expression on their face. “Yeah,” Jennifer said, “but we’re going to have to end this.”
They had arrived moments earlier, and gotten Ed, Annie, and John away from their homes, and in amazing time. Jericho had several properties not listed as officially his, and this one sat in the middle of the woods somewhere between Missouri and Kansas. He’d set it up in the days after getting his powers. The entire team stood in the living room of the cabin and had spent the better part of two hours planning their attack. “The cameras and motion sensors Jericho helped me set up are working,” Davis said, checking the screens. “And so far, there’s no threat of attack. They don’t know where we are.”
“Just got word,” Sam explained, “that the state police of Illinois decided to ignore the government’s official decree and comply with the Fake Jesus.”
“Shit,” Jericho swore. “What happened?”
Sam hung up his phone. “The secure line said that they invaded each of you guys’ homes with intent to turn you over to Jack Hurst.”
Jennifer clenched her fists. “Damn them,” she swore. “So, we’re already seeing fractures within the government.”
“We knew this would happen,” Annie argued, “the minute that the preacher took stage and made his announcement.”
“Plus,” Ed added, “the whole world got to see this being’s power in action not once, but twice.”
“Yeah,” Jericho cut in, “he defeated us live on camera, and then destroyed an entire nation.”
“What pisses me off is the government’s gonna buckle now that he got the President,” Sam said, folding his arms. “I spent my whole life working for the FBI and one thing we were taught was, you don’t just give in to terrorists.”
“So, what’re we waiting for?” Annie said. “Let’s get to it!”
“Right,” Jericho said, holding out his hands. “You three, touch hands and form a circle. That way, we all can see each other’s memories and get the best idea of what we’re going to do.”
“Is it odd that a guy I used to make fun of for being on Fox News,” John joked, “is standing in front of me?”
“No,” Jericho said, perfectly serious. “I used to be a hardcore objectivist. Literally inserting oneself into others’ shoes has a tendency to change one’s mind.” He touched hands.
Without further hesitation, they formed a circle. Jericho saw each of their three pasts. They each saw each other’s pasts. “Whoa,” Ed said. “That’s fucking weird.”
“I’m not getting used to that,” John said.
“It’s strange, I know,” Jericho said. “But can we please focus?”
“Alright,” Annie agreed.
Jericho pondered using his enhanced intelligence. “I think the best thing to do would be to give each of you a number of regenerative powers, but in the end, you’re going to need the same power Jennifer’s got.”
“You want us to turn into Capacitor?” Annie said.
Jericho shook his head. “No,” he said. “Remember?”
It came to her. “Oh! Right!” she exclaimed. “His power is to turn into one of his favorite characters.”
“The Fake Jesus couldn’t just turn that one off,” Ed said, remembering what of Jericho’s memories he experienced.
“Yeah,” John said, recalling it. “Why was that?”
“I’ve gone over everything five times,” Raymond said, cutting in. “The more we go over it, the more I believe it’s true. These powers have a hierarchy.”
“You mean, higher or lower?” Ed asked.
“In a sense,” Raymond explained. “Based on the minor skirmishes between criminals that made news, we saw that many people have regeneration, but some people’s regeneration is able to heal from damage from powers faster than others.”
“Right,” Davis interjected. “There was a fire guy in England who kept trying to torch people before the cops took him down. He managed to hurt three people with regeneration and one of them healed immediately, and the others over the course of a few hours.”
“The Fake Jesus was able to simply turn my powers off,” Jericho said. “I could still use some of the abilities I copied, but I couldn’t use my duplicate ability at all, and his primary heat attack kept damaging me despite having multiple durability and regeneration powers activated.”
“He hurt me,” Jennifer said, “but it was manageable at first, and he couldn’t transform me back into my male, powerless self.”
“So,” John acknowledged, “our goal is to see if that carries over into us?”
“Precisely,” Jericho said. “So, what I want you to do is imagine a character you are a big fan of, on par with Jennifer, and one that you would want to be.”
Annie snapped her finger, realizing something. “That’s why you couldn’t turn it on,” she said. “You wouldn’t want to be anyone except you.”
“Here we go,” Jericho said. He shook each one’s hand and granted them each the same set of powers. They stood pondering for a long minute and each one opened their eyes as they came to a decision. Annie stepped forward and clenched her fists. She pushed her heartrate down and calmed her nerves. With her breaths smoothing out, she activated the trigger in her mind.
The switch pulled, her flesh and clothes morphed. The five-foot-six woman with Irish facial features transformed before their very eyes. She grew almost another foot taller in height and gained at least sixty pounds of muscle. Her hair hung down, now a long, black mane. Her tan and toned body stood as a tower of strength. Her facial features were like her normal ones but had a vaguely Egyptian look to them. Her green eyes were brown. The outfit she wore marked her warrior status. All three comic book fans recognized her character instantly.
“Cyroya from First Breaker?” Ed almost shrieked. “Whoa, there’s a heavy hitter.”
“I figured we needed power,” Annie said, pausing and gasping after she finished speaking. “I didn’t expect to sound so…”
“Intense?” John said.
Annie pointed. “Intense!” she said. “Right!”
“That might just be powerful enough to make a difference,” Jennifer said. “Cyroya is the Goddess of Strength.”
“Alright, my turn,” Ed said, slapping his face a few times to steel his will. He rolled his shoulders forward and danced his head back and forth, nervous. “Whew.” He let out his breath and flipped the switch. His body turned into a lean but toned man of a non-specific Asian facial appearance. He wore an elaborate, multi-layered kimono and had a katana holstered at his side. Wild green hair hung in clumpy whirls around his head. “What do you think?”
“Kadosuke Otokada from Spirit Blood,” Annie said. She snapped her finger, pointing. “Smart!”
“I had a number of people I was thinking about,” Ed said, “but honestly, I went with Kadosuke because he stopped an attack with the power of supernova with his soul sword.”
“And,” Jennifer said, thinking, “he totally defeated the Anti-Dimension God. I’d say a good choice.”
“I figured it out,” John said, stepping forward. He flipped the switch, and a moment later, before them stood a seventy-year-old man in a twenty-year-old body, toned and athletic, but not superhumanly strong or durable. His long brown hair hung past his shoulders and safety glasses adorned his face. He wore a white lab coat and dress shirt and slacks under it. “How’s this?”
Annie folded her arms. “Doctor Anti?” she scoffed. “From the Dimension Turner novels?”
“He has no powers,” Ed said, gesturing in confusion. “All he has is he’s really smart.”
“No, wait,” Jennifer interrupted. “It might just be brilliant.” They turned to her.
“Now that you mention it,” Jericho thought, “you might be right. You two went for sheer power. I like the way you did it, two very different characters with very different powers, but you both went for sheer power.”
“The way I see it,” John said, “think of the villainous Doctor Anderson Antel, a.k.a. Doctor Anti. What did he do? He built a goddamn anti-reality cannon that destroyed the rogue dimensional hopper when the heroes couldn’t. He gave himself eternal youth and he’s built inventions that put most sci-fi to shame.”
“The way I see it,” Jennifer added, “Raymond is our primary source of super-intelligence, but I believe this Fake Jesus might just be able to turn that power off.”
“Makes sense,” Raymond agreed. “And if that’s the case, you need to be able to actually make up for the sudden loss.”
“Point me at your work,” John said to Raymond, “and I’m sure you’ll have twice as much done in half the time.”
“So that means we have to set up a new lab,” Raymond said.
“Can’t do that,” Davis said, pointing to his boss.
Sam shrugged. “FBI just cut our access,” he said. “We’re officially considered rogue agents because they know we’re helping you.”
“Damn it,” Jericho swore.
“Not a problem,” Jennifer said. “Doctor Anti’s more than smart enough to be able to build a better lab. Right, John?”
He gave a thumbs-up. “I’m up for it!”
II.
Things had really picked up for Jack Hurst and his Lord and Savior. The reverend stood on a platform in a clearing just outside Washington D.C. There had been set up several hundred locations across the country for him to visit, and to each, crowds gathered. A military and police presence kept the angry ones away from the adoring and the sick. He preached as the infirm and ill lined up according to the instructions of armed guards.
“The final battle against Satan’s forces is nearing every minute,” Jack preached, as his Lord spoke to people lined up. “Declare your love for your Lord, and confess your sins, and the gift of everlasting life will be yours!” Protestors stood just outside the long line of armed soldiers. Jack had arranged for those who would throw harsh words at their God, but would not directly confront their Lord, to be spared until the very end. “No need to punish them now when you can punish them all at the end,” he had argued. His Lord, surprisingly to him, had agreed.
“Very well,” The Lord had spoken to Jack a few days prior, “I will punish only those who confront me or stand in our way.”
Right now, the sick and dying came to their Lord, pledged their obedience, and His healing hand touched their bodies, and their wounds vanished. True to his word, any who pledged loyalty and agreed to serve found themselves returned to good health. A great many politicians had given their word and received the sacrament of healing. All opposition by the United States government had ceased. Several governments allied with the nation of India had threatened war against the U.S. if they did not reject what they perceived to be a false messiah, but the Lord promised to punish them if they did not back down. In the end, they agreed to not support but also to not oppose this “Jesus.”
Jack finished a sermon and headed over to his Lord. “My Lord,” he said, as his Savior touched an old woman and made her diabetes-addled body healed. “I’m not complaining, but what’s your plan moving forward? You’ve kept it secret.”
“Jack,” The Lord said, “I have agreed to your insistence that we minimize my doling out of judgments until our final victory, would you agree to my demand that we continue our current course until I insist otherwise?”
“Oh, yes, my Lord!” Jack cried. “I would never challenge your authority.”
“It is not my authority by which I make these proclamations,” The Lord spoke. “Only the Father in Heaven drives my actions.”
“Yes! Of course!” Jack said. “Merely tell me of my next course of action!”
“Next,” The Lord said, “you shall preach to the faithful in Europe. We depart in a few days.”
Jack clapped his hands. “Great! I’ve been wondering about that,” he said. “What about translation?”
The Lord nodded. “It will not be a problem,” he reminded.
“Fantastic,” Jack stated. “What of our enemies? What are we going to do about them?”
The Lord pondered this point. “Nothing,” he stated, flatly. “We don’t have to hunt them down; they will be coming to us.”
“Is that the best plan?” Jack said. He clenched his teeth without parting his lips; he regretted his words the moment they exited his mouth.
His Lord turned to him. “Why, you of little faith!” he exclaimed. “Did you not see their last performance against me? What little effect they had, it was as if a fly smacked into the backside of a camel!”
“Forgive me, oh Lord,” Jack said. “I was just trying to be proactive.”
His Lord pat him on the shoulder. “You have done well, my servant,” He spoke. He leaned in and whispered the itinerary into his servant’s ear. “Go forth and inform them of our plans.”
“Yes, my Lord,” Jack agreed. He left the podium. The moment he moved, three armed soldiers immediately flanked him and led him away from the crowds. A group of soldiers formed a line and led him through to the secure area leading to the helicopter parked in the landing area. “Can you connect me to the White House?”
“Yes, sir,” the soldier asked, his rosary visible around his neck. He reached inside the helicopter and opened a secure box requiring a passcode. He opened the briefcase and inside was a phone.
“Thank you,” Jack said, lifting the receiver. “Mister President? We have our next series of locations in mind.” He waited for a response and got one. “We’re going to spend four days in London, six days in Berlin, and two days in Paris.” He waited for another response. “I appreciate your cooperation. We plan on making things peaceful, but yes, we do want an armed presence. We’re expecting resistance, but hopefully, no judgments have to be doled out.” A pause for conversation came. “No, we understand. Thank you!” He hung up and returned the briefcase. The soldier closed it.
The guards led him back to the podium. “Have you taken care of it?”
“We’ve got our armed escort into other countries,” Jack said. “Although, I don’t think we’ll need it.”
“I don’t,” The Lord replied. “But you do. I can’t go losing you, after all, you are important to my mission.”
“All I need is your protection, my Lord,” Jack stated.
“And you shall have it,” The Lord spoke. “But it never hurts to be proactive.”
Over the next few days, more superpowered beings came to Jack’s aid. His retinue had expanded by leaps and bounds. In addition to the thousands of armed supporters without powers, people fiercely dedicated to their Lord fought against any who stood in His way.
In Atlanta, Georgia, they picked up a telekinetic named August Diedrich.
It had been a warm sunny day, and the crowd had gathered, corralled into an audience area in an open area outside the city limits. As the Lord offered his wisdom and healing touch to those in need, volunteers stepped forward to offer their services.
“My child,” The Lord spoke, “you have a power. Are you here to serve the Father in heaven?”
The man got on one knee. “I am, my Lord!” he swore.
“Your power is mind over matter, is it not?” He asked the young man.
“Yes, my Lord!”
The Lord nodded. “What is your name, child?”
The young man looked up, then bowed his head again. “August Diedrich,” he said.
“Your power shall serve the Father mightily when the final battle takes place,” The Lord said.
“My Lord!” Jack said, finishing his preaching and heading over. “We’ve got a bigger crowd this time than last time!”
The Lord turned to the city, then his servant. “Just a moment,” he said.
“What? Oh…” Jack trailed off. He knew what was coming next. They were about to be attacked again.
A pop sound could be heard, and everyone shouted and turned. The Lord held up two fingers at chest level, pointing up, and an energy bullet hovered in place inches from his head. The shot had come at him at relativistic speed. He examined the purplish ball of light before banishing it. “Come out and be judged,” He spoke, spreading his arms. “You’ve failed to harm me.”
“They’re not coming out, Lord,” Jack advised.
The Lord moved beside August and placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder. His power flowed through the man, and August felt power unlike anything he’d felt before. Instantly, he knew where the two main interlopers were. Understanding his Lord’s command at once, he waved his hands and his telekinesis dragged them out of the underground hideout they’d dug. He hovered them in front. The Lord stepped forth.
“Why have you turned against your Lord?” He asked them.
The man on the right said nothing, but his eyes twitched slightly, and an explosion went off near The Lord’s face. As the fireball vanished, and He stood unharmed, the man went to try it again, but nothing happened. The Lord stuck out his right hand and touched the man on the chest. A glow engulfed him and he vaporized in seconds. His scream abruptly cut off. The Lord turned to the other man.
“You are not the Lord!” the man shouted. “The Lord I worship would never kill!”
“I’ve killed no one,” The Lord spoke. “I’ve only judged fools who have refused to serve their Father in heaven.”
“You’ll have to kill me!” the man shouted.
“If that is what you desire,” The Lord replied. He reduced the man to dust instantly.
Jack resisted the urge to turn away at the last moment. It hurt to have to endure these judgments, but it had been the task he’d been given. Each life taken bothered him, because these were people who deserved to receive the glory and mercy of God, and the only thing keeping them from doing so was the machinations of the Deceiver.
Jack wiped his eyes. “When will we be venturing into China?” he asked.
His Lord pondered the question. “Soon,” he advised. “It is a land of much superstition, and we will have quite the opposition on our hands.”
Jack blinked a few times at the magnitude of the task mentioned. “I just hope we don’t have to do as big a judgment as we did to India,” he said.
“What I did there,” The Lord declared, “was to show the world that the prior Kingdoms of Man will not stand in the way of my mission.”
“I know,” Jack replied, “but it’s still weighing on my mind.”
“It should,” The Lord advised. “It means you’ve still got your senses about you.”
“Tell me about your Kingdom to come on Earth,” Jack said. “I want to be able to convey the glory to those in my preachings.”
The Lord thought for a moment. “I do not wish to insult you,” he said, “but your words cannot convey the glory of my Father’s mercy and love that will reign through me upon this Earth. However, I will tell you this: all negativity and pain will be gone, replaced by joy and love.”
Jack held his breath. He’d always known, but hearing it again allowed him to gather the strength to keep going. “Thank you, my Lord!” he exclaimed.
“Let’s keep going,” The Lord advised.
III.
Jericho teleported the group into a jungle-like area. The average temperature seemed to be upwards of ninety degrees Fahrenheit. The humidity, according to Jennifer, had to be close to one hundred percent. “Where the hell are we now?” Annie asked.
“An isolated area of the jungles of Vietnam,” Jericho said. “While I was gathering powers, I mapped a good portion of the more isolated regions of each nation I went to, using a combination of powers.” He thought back to his mental map. “We’re about a good two or three hundred kilometers away from the nearest anything.” He used a radar-like power in tandem with a sensory enhancement. “Yeah, the nearest person is a hundred fifty kilometers away from us. We’re invisible.”
John, in his Doctor Anti form, pulled a handheld device out of his pocket and pressed a button. A huge portal opened, and a series of drones came out and cleared a section of the ground. After the ground was cleared, they leveled the terrain and a large robot brought a building the size of a mobile home out, setting it on a rapidly forming foundation on the cleared square of ground. After all this ended, the machines vanished inside the portal and it shut.
Annie whistled. “Man,” she exclaimed. “If we survive this battle, you’re gonna win all the Nobel Prizes.”
“If we survive this battle,” Jennifer said, “we’re going to solve all of humanity’s problems. Right, Jericho?”
The billionaire turned to his ally. “I can’t believe I spent my whole life falling for that Ayn Rand horseshit,” he said, frustration in his voice. “But yeah, you’re right. We are.” He thought of his fellow billionaires. “In fact, we won’t give them a choice.”
Raymond and John went back to work inside the lab area of the mobile base. “I’m utterly amazed at the fact that we’re so close to an actual theory of how this all works,” he said.
John went over the results of the latest iteration of the scan device they invented. “Having the ability to alter the laws of physics on small scales is great,” John said. “Being able to use said alterations to discover the mechanisms of how they work, is even better.” He took a sip of coffee from a mug nearby. “Hey, I’m used to being an average geek. Being really smart is something else, I tell you!”
Raymond half-laughed as he looked at the results. “I tell you,” he agreed. “I was, well, I suppose I was smart before,” he admitted. “But this, is beyond what I would have ever imagined. We might actually have a way to defeat him from the data we have here.”
Jennifer walked in with Annie, in her Cyroya form. “What have you got for us?” Jennifer asked.
Annie gestured at herself. “I mean, this is great and all,” she said, “but I don’t think the whole ‘Ancient Egypt’ attire is very battle ready.”
John snapped a finger and pointed. “Gotcha just the thing you need!” he said.
Raymond brought out a bodysuit that looked like a weird mix between cotton and spandex. “We analyzed how your transformed body changes its durability,” he explained, “and based on the effects that happen at the subatomic level, we’ve been able to focus that into a fabric. When you wear this, it’ll be the underneath layer, and it will focus your durability into not just the fabric, but the armor you’ll be wearing over it.”
John reached under the table and pulled out some solid plate pieces. “The thing is,” he explained, “being able to change the laws of physics to a slight degree while still acting like it obeys ours is how we can have people burst into flame and still have their normal bodily functions.” He put a glove on her hand. It looked like an immobile, solid piece. “Now flex this.”
She gave him a look. The glove looked like a hard, ceramic or metallic piece. She flexed it, though, and it moved like it was thin and made of latex. “Wow,” she said, clenching her fists. “How does it work?”
“It draws upon your durability,” Raymond said, “while still functioning as a glove. These things work by being choosy about what laws of reality to obey.” He handed over the pieces. “Now, put all this on.”
Annie took the complete set and left the room. About five minutes later, she emerged, in full costume. “You look like something out of a late eighties sci-fi movie,” Jennifer quipped.
Annie flexed her arms and moved about. “It’s not intrusive at all!” she said. “Even though I’ve got a full helmet on my head, it’s as if I’m not wearing any headgear at all!”
“Yeah,” John explained. “It’s designed to be see-through to your eyes, and filter poison out of the air around your face using the same abilities as your character’s lungs.”
“Jennifer,” Raymond said, waving her over. “We’ve got you covered next.”
“This I ought to see,” she said.
He handed her a shirt and pants, which looked more like tights. Then, there were gloves that attached to the long sleeves. “I took into consideration how you said you didn’t want something overly flashy. So, it’s simple. Two pieces and gloves. That’s it,” John explained. “The gloves are designed to focus your energy manipulation into points where you can create effects based on what you’re doing. Electricity, heat, light, et cetera.”
She slipped out of her outfit and into the new one faster than anyone could see. “Why’d you go with white?” she asked, examining.
“I just figured we weren’t trying to be stealthy,” John replied. “When we go into battle, we’re going to make our presence known.”
Jennifer pointed at Annie. “But hers is dark blue,” she pointed out.
John shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “I guess you just look like more of a ‘heroic’ type than she does.”
Jennifer nodded. “Yeah, I guess that’s right.”
Annie looked over. “What about you, Jericho?” she asked.
Jericho nodded. “I’ve been giving ideas,” he said. “I don’t know if I want a battle suit, per se, but the one thing I did want was something to enhance my teleportation.”
John snapped his fingers and pointed. “Got you!” he said. He reached into a box and pulled out a needle. “In here is a subdermal device that will do just that!”
“Under the skin so I can protect it,” Jericho noticed. “Good job!”
“I thought you’d like that!” As Jericho stepped forward, John pulled the syringe out and swabbed the site with an alcohol wipe. He carefully injected the device into the rich man’s arm. “See, there! That should help.”
Jericho brought up his teleport power. In his mental map, his range now included the full extent of the Earth, and moreover, he saw the scene perfectly. “Works great!” he said. “Thank you.” He turned to Jennifer. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to take care of some things.”
In a room chosen for its proximity to nowhere in particular, Jericho appeared out of thin air. A middle-aged blonde woman with gray peppering her hair, and a gentleman of similar age with glasses stood up, surprised. “Jericho!” the woman said.
He nodded. “Mother,” Jericho replied. “Sorry about all of this. It seems I have to move you again.”
“We’ve kept up with what’s been going on, son,” the man said. “Suzanne and I have been worried sick ever since the broadcast.”
“It’s sick how that monster claims to be Jesus!” Suzanne shouted, interrupting. “Just…horrific!”
“I know,” Jericho replied. “My allies have been working on solving that problem.” He turned to his father. “How’s Luther been?”
Jericho’s brother, younger than he by five years, stepped out of the second room. His tussled black hair he attempted to hand comb into submission. He wore a basic white t-shirt and jeans, and his lanky frame and pale skin spoke of his lack of sleep. “I’m pulling through,” Luther replied. “I want to get out there and help you guys out!”
Secretly, Jericho grit his teeth. He wanted to shout at his little brother to keep quiet and stay safe. What he knew, however, meant he didn’t have that luxury. In his parents’ case, he could insist they stay out of harm’s way, and he could keep moving them. Luther, however, could actually do something—he certainly wouldn’t be dissuaded—and that meant he had to be given a chance. “You know what?” Jericho said, conceding, and unclenching his fist. “You’re right.”
Luther Torvalds shook his head. “Wait, what?” he cried. “You’re going to help me?”
“You were the only one who pushed me on how bullshit the Ayn Rand stuff was,” Jericho said. “You were always the rambunctious one.” He extended his hand. “Take my hand.”
Luther looked at the extended hand, cautiously, for a few seconds, then took it. Instantly, a multitude of superpowers entered him, and he experienced the memories of everything that had happened to Jericho up to that point. As he pulled away a second later, he had to stumble briefly to catch his bearings. “Wow,” he exclaimed. “That’s a rush.”
“Now,” Jericho said, “all of you come with me.” They all joined hands in a circle, and he teleported them out of there.
They reappeared in the portable base. “Wow, this is…” Jericho’s father Andrew struggled for words.
“It’s like Star Trek,” Luther said, “only…” he gathered his thoughts, “less colorful.”
“First thing’s first,” Jericho said. “Luther’s joining our excursion, which means we all share memories again. Join hands.” He took Luther’s hand and the crew formed a circle. And they dove into the memories of the younger brother.