#Maestrum Gravis

[hekate-brimo2]

Spes Novum (Aka my Supervillain Story based on the Synoverse by @wingedcat13) Chapter Two is up on AO3 here, but I’m making sure to put it here on Tumblr as well

Several hours passed before I saw Kayla again. I had destroyed several heavy-bags in the gym, and sent more than one set of throwing knives through my target. Eventually I ended up behind my desk, keeping an eye on newsfeeds for any updates about The Patriot and American Girls’ locations. Carson sauntered into my office around nine pm, putting down a plate of food I neither asked for nor wanted.

“Cook insisted I bring you this, said you’d be hungry. I said you’d be too upset to eat.” They said, plopping into the chair across from me

“I know what you’re doing.” I answered, picking up the fork and tearing into the food out of spite

“It’s working though, isn’t it?”

“Cook knows Bangers and Mash reminds me of home.”

“Hmm.”

“You didn’t come in here just to bring me dinner, Cook would’ve done that herself.”

“She wants to talk to you. Kayla.”

I hummed in response, chewing thoughtfully on my sausage

“You don’t have to do it.” Carson murmured, knowing I’d know how they felt

“She is my guest. Thank Cook for me, I’ll finish this when I return.”

I tread through the hallways carefully, lowering the gravity beneath my feet to keep them from tapping too hard on the tile floor. I reached the infirmary quickly, it was a small room, with only three available beds, but was well stocked for all it needed to do. I looked in a nearby mirror and studied myself. I was wearing my costume: a light purple jumpsuit, tight against my skin. My arms were bare, exposing the silver fractal scars I’d received from the Space Between Space. Around my throat and ankles were silver magnetite cuffs that would cancel out my power in the event I lost consciousness, or lost control. Finally, over my mouth and extending below my neck, was a breathing mask, which automatically activated in zero-oxygen environments. I hoped I didn’t look scary showing up like this.

“Kayla.” I said in greeting to the teenager, who was sitting upright in the bed-that-was-also-a-gurney. She had a bandage extending down her left cheek, which meant Doniphon had operated already, and was satisfied with the restructuring of her bone.

“Maestrum Gravis.” She replied in kind, turning over the book she’d been reading

“Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan, an interesting choice. I imagine Doniphon talked you into it? He makes every new person he meets read at least the first page. I was told that you wanted to speak with me.”

“I… wanted to thank you.”

“Really? For what, young one?”

“You… you didn’t have to react the way you did. D…Doniphon says you were practically steaming when you saw my black eye, and… uh, Carson? I think was their name, said they were surprised that you didn’t kill my parents, even after I asked you not to.”

“I keep my promises. Did Doniphon mention that your cheek will scar?”

“He did, but that’s fine. Scars are cool.” Kayla said, smirking

“Indeed.” I responded, flexing my arms and making the lichtenberg figures ripple

“Um… I guess I should ask… am I your prisoner now?”

“Why would you think that? No. You were granted sanctuary, originally by my Aide de Camp, but by granting you a bed in my infirmary I continued that offer, and will continue it for as long as you wish.”

“Oh! So… what does that mean?”

“It means you are under my protection for as long as you are within my territory. Granted that territory is not large, there are larger fish in this pond than I, that Shadowmancer claims most of the Western Seaboard, but I have my humble little territory here in Humboldt Bay, and some of Northern California. The Redwoods are home to a Native Hero, the last remaining Whilkut Warrior, who calls himself Blue Lake Rider, but anything North and West of here is mine.”

“Oh… thanks. Why, uh… why did you do that for me?”

“Well… let me answer that question with a question. Why did you come here?”

“I… I needed to get away from my parents, this was… the best option I had.”

“Your best option was a Supervillain?”

Kayla was silent at that, and we sat in it for a moment.

“Your life is your own, Kayla Moore. From here on out, you know that you are welcome in my home whenever you like, if you wish to stay, then stay. I will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe. Sleep on it, and tomorrow we will make plans, if that is what you wish.”

“Thank you, Maestrum.”

“While you’re here, call me Beren.”

I left then, not returning to my office, but instead to my quarters. I shed my costume and showered, leaning against the tile wall and considering the situation. There was so much to do to secure Kayla’s future, I would have to contact one of the I.L.L.E.G.A.L. Lawyers in the morning, they were the best. Emancipation papers would have to be drafted, and living arrangements made. Hell, we’d have to find the girl some clothes first.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a tank top hitting the floor. I shook myself out of my stupor just as Carson stepped into my shower.

“You’re thinking too hard.” They said, joining me under the stream of water, and snaking an arm over my shoulder.

Carson was smaller than me in a lot of ways, shorter, thinner, but somehow they managed to hold me in ways that made me feel small. We’d both transitioned upon discovering the inconsequence of the gender binary, but Carson’s transition was more emotional than physical. Mine was physical as well, which they knew perfectly, demonstrating that knowledge as their hand dipped between my legs and caressed the surgically crafted folds of my vulva. I hummed, pleased, and leaned back against Carson as they continued their ministrations, working me ever closer to an orgasm as they attempted to drive away my thoughts. Soon enough, my own wetness joined the shower’s stream, and Carson removed their thin fingers, wrapping arms around my torso. I held them there as well, as we let the water fall.

“Beren,” they called, later as we lay in bed. “What can we do for her?”

“We can protect her,” I began, voice growing hard, “We can give her time. We can present options. She can have whatever life she wishes, and we will provide it as best we can.”

“That sounds like something parents should do.”

“Then we shall be her parents, in all but name. Well, we shall be better than her parents.”

I felt Carson’s tears against my chest as they said the next four words.

“I always wanted kids.”

I woke early the next morning, extricating myself from Carson’s long limbs just as the sun peeked over the horizon, lighting Humboldt Bay on fire. The view was one of my favorites, and one of the reasons I’d bult my lair here. I watched for a moment, and then stepped into my closet to change.

I did not wear my costume to breakfast, it was a concession I’d made to Cook as soon as she’d joined my retinue. Instead, I pulled on a pair of jeans, and one of the tank tops Carson swore I looked good in. I pulled a flannel over top of it, knowing the air would be cool this early, and went to join Cook and Doniphon for breakfast. This was our ritual: Cook was awake before all of us, as she was the one to provide the food, and the coffee, we would all eat as we watched the sun rise, quiet mostly, but eventually conversation would erupt, about news, or about plans. Afterwards, Tom and I would go to the kitchen and clean our plates, and any mess Cook still had, which was always minimal, and Cook would retire to her quarters to nap. That morning we were joined by an extra face.

“Kayla, Cook, Tom. A pleasure to see you this morning.” I said politely, stepping onto the balcony we traditionally used

“Mornin’ Boss.” Tom answered, raising his coffee cup

“Good Morning, Gravis.” Cook said, cutting into her eggs

“Good Morning, Beren.” Kayla grumbled, holding her coffee with both hands.

Tom and Cook both raised an eyebrow at me, which I shrugged off. I sat down across from Kayla, and began eating my own breakfast. Cook had gone for simple, with eggs and toast, three slices of turkey bacon for me, a sausage patty for herself, and real bacon for both Kayla and Tom. Once the sun was halfway above the horizon, I met Kayla’s eyes and said “Kayla, I was considering your situation last night, and realized that you are probably wanting a new wardrobe, or at least your old clothes. If you are willing, I will happily escort you to buy some, or I will make the effort to retrieve yours, if you’ll give me your old address.”

“I… uh, I can just go get my stuff. It’s no big deal.” She answered, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of me going to her old house.

“I would rather not risk you encountering your parents again. They have harmed you once, enough that my medic had to reattach a bone to your skull.”

“No violence at my breakfast table.” Cook said, glaring at me

“Apologies, dear Cook.”

“Um… is there… I don’t really want to run into them either. There is some stuff I want to get from home though.”

“I’ll make a call, once we’re finished here, and see if there’s anyone who can distract your parents for a few hours, while you retrieve your things. How did you get from your home to here?”

“Oh! I can fly. Not sure where it comes from, neither of my parents can.”

“Powers are rarely that simple, young one. I’m sure Doniphon can tell you all about the genetic mutations that cause them, but that is for later. Once you’ve flown back, join me on the beach, there are other things we need to discuss.”

“Yes… uh, Beren?”

“Yes dear?”

“I don’t… I know you don’t… use masculine or feminine pronouns, so I don’t want to call you Sir or Ma’am, but… what do I use in place?”

“If you feel the honorific is necessary, then… Doctor or Professor would be fine, I’ve been both, though I’m sure Duke revoked my Doctorate when I was branded a Villain, and I’m certainly no longer tenured at U.C. Berkeley. I would prefer you only use Maestrum around other Supers. If none of those suit you, Mx is always acceptable.”

“Okay.”

“Very well. Tom! Shall we collect these ladies plates and wash whatever mess Cook has left us with?”

“Will do, Boss.”

#original writing #superhero #supervillain #superheroes #Spes Novum #HB’s Superpowered Universe #transgender #nonbinary #nonbinary supers #Maestrum Gravis #writers on tumblr #writing #writeblr

[hekate-brimo2]

Chapter Three of “Spes Novum” Aka my Supervillain fic inspired by @wingedcat13 and the Synoverse is up on AO3 here and on Tumblr Below.

I dropped a request into the West Coast Villains groupchat, asking for anyone willing to distract The Patriot and American Girl for a few hours. I got a response pretty quickly, Earth-Shaker said he wasn’t busy, so he’d start terrorizing an area they commonly protected. It didn't take long to get a news alert about the heroes fighting Earth-Shaker, so I let Kayla know and she flew South, headed for her parents’ house.

I woke Carson with a kiss to their temple and together we wandered around the bay, admiring the estuaries and the nests of the seabirds. We’d seen them all before of course, but it never hurts to slow down and appreciate the beauty of nature. We had just rounded the bottom of the bay, headed towards the Pacific when we heard the crack of a super coming out of Mach 1 above us. Instinctively, I decreased the gravity below Carson and I, ready to push us both in opposite directions, but it was unnecessary, as the flying super was just Kayla. She’d changed her clothes before she returned. She still wore the motorcycle boots and the bracelets, but now she had on black tights and a purple, floral skirt. Her baseball tee had been replaced with my merch, a gray T-Shirt that read “Gravity Rocks” on the front and my face wearing sunglasses on the back. Kayla herself was grinning wide when she landed, dropping onto the balls of her feet from just off the ground. She adjusted the strap of her duffel bag and looked up at me, still grinning.

“Why, dear Kayla, do you own my merch?” I asked, incredulous

“I bought it because I thought my parents would hate it. I was right, my friends love it though.” Kayla answered

“It is a good design.” Carson spoke up, leaning against my shoulder.

“They would say that, they designed it.” I replied

We began walking back to my lair, quietly. I sighed after some time and looked up at the sky.

“Kayla, I have to ask you some… important questions, but I will give you time before you answer. One is about your future as a civilian, and one is about your future as someone with powers.” I said

Kayla retreated into herself a bit, not-quite recoiling, but answered “Okay, go ahead.”

“First things first, and this question has a few parts, When I asked you why you came to my lair to escape your parents, you said I was your best option. Do you not have any other adults you could go to? A friend’s parents, or your grandparents?”

“Um,” Kayla started after a while, “My grandparents are dead, at least according to my mom and dad… and, I… none of my friends know who my parents are, or… or about my pronouns.”

“I see.”

“I… I came to you because people are… like really vocal about you being, uh… nonbinary. A lot of people online like to photoshop your face onto the nonbinary pride flag and say it’s the nonbinary supervillain pride flag.”

“Understood, I’m sorry you don’t have anyone else to talk to about this, we should see if we can fix that, but… that brings us to part two of the question: What would you like to do about your guardianship moving forward? I know several lawyers who specialize in the emancipation process, although I don’t know your age. I… there is another option I can put forward, but… well I don’t want to upset you.”

“I’m uh… I’m fifteen. I don’t know if that’s old enough to be considered an emancipated minor… uh… what’s… what’s the other option?”

“Legally speaking, as civilians, Carson and I could sue for custody of you, on the grounds that you are being abused. That being said, we didn’t want to presume, which is why I wanted to ask you.”

Kayla stopped. I didn’t notice for several steps, but when I turned around she and Carson were crouched on the sand, Carson’s arms around Kayla’s shoulders. Kayla was crying, which made me hesitate. I'm not always possessed of much tact, but Carson made eye contact with me, and I rejoined them.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” Kayla started when she regained her breath. “It just… sorry, it hit me. I guess… I guess it didn’t feel real when I was packing, and… and when mom hit me.”

“That’s okay, Kayla. You don’t have to make any decision, we can table this for as long as you want, you are not on a timeline. I suggest we go back to the lair, and watch tv, I’ll ask Cook to pop some popcorn and make some hot chocolate, sound good?”

“Okay.”

Carson took Kayla and set her up in their old room, we weren’t always lovers, while I went to the kitchen to beg Cook’s forgiveness and kindness. She relented quickly, pleased to hear that our guest was staying. All of us, including Cook and Tom, watched a good portion of Avatar: The Last Airbender that night, and ate our weights in popcorn. The next week, in fact, passed in relative peace. I took to showing Kayla how my own powers worked, demonstrating how I changed the force of gravity, and even taking her on a short trip to Evilmart to show off my wormholes. Kayla also took to training in the gym, either with Carson or myself. She didn’t develop super strength like her father’s, but her mother’s speed came through, and then something unexpected: transmutation.

I had left Kayla in the gym with Carson for the evening, a week after she’d moved into my lair. I’d planned on sitting at the bar and mixing a drink or two for myself and Tom, but was quickly called back into the gym by Kayla’s concerned shout of “Beren!”

Kayla and Carson were standing in front of the Heavy bag, Kayla was wearing her gym shorts, a too-large tank top, and had some fighting tape around her knuckles, so I assumed she’d been the one to hit the bag, the bag which was now made of crumbling clay.

“Huh.” I said, turning to Kayla, “What were you thinking about when you hit the bag, sweetheart?”

“Uh… pottery in art class at school. I was thinking about the last thing I’d even come close to punching, which was the chunk of clay my teacher had given me to knead the air out of.” She answered

“Interesting. Do you think you could do it again?”

“I uh… I dunno, I can try.”

Kayla put her hand against the bag, or half a bag now, and concentrated for a moment, visibly frustrated, until the clay shimmered, the outside turning back into leather and the inside turning into granules of blue sand, which poured onto the floor. The clay that had crumbled away from the clay bag did not return to its original form, remaining a lump of mostly-dry clay.

“Interesting, so it only affects things connected to what you’re changing. I wonder if it changes based on what you consider one object… we need to run some tests.” I muttered, stopping once I noticed Kayla wobble on her feet. “Okay, how tired are you after that?”

“Hm? Oh… uh, pretty tired, like… exhausted actually.”

“Okay, so it’s extremely taxing for you, also good to remember. Go Lie Down, we’ll discuss this later.”

Near one a.m. the next morning I was wandering through the lair, Patrolling might be the correct word as it was my paranoia keeping me awake, and I happened to pass Kayla’s room. I never meant to listen to the conversation I heard, but I also couldn’t stop myself.

“Charlie! Hey!” Kayla said, happier than I’d ever heard her

“Hey! Long time no see! What’s going on? Wait… that doesn’t look like your room, where are you? Did you finally tell somebody about your parents? Holy shit, did you run away?” Another girl answered, their voice coming through phone speakers

“Woah, woah, chill out. Um… kinda, is the answer.”

“What do you mean, babes?!”

“I mean, like… okay, I’ve gotta tell you a lot, and you probably won’t believe some of it, but… whatever. My parents… My mom and dad are The Patriot and American Girl.”

Kayla paused for dramatic effect, but the other girl just hummed

“Are you not… did you know?”

“Kinda, it makes sense. Same hair, same eyes, also like… My adoptive mom is Doctor Omni, I’m… not not a part of that world.”

“Fuck off your mom is not Omni.”

“Yeah! My mom was there when she got her powers, they were on the same research team.”

“Do you have powers?”

“Same as Omni, I was… maybe also there.”

“Shut uuuup.”

“Whatever, okay, so your parents are superheroes, and abusive, that doesn’t answer any of my questions.”

“Okay, well… so when I was figuring out where I could go to get away from my parents, I… I maybe jokingly decided the only place safe was Maestrum Gravis’s lair. Cuz, like… they’re queer, and they already hate my parents, so like… safest place.”

“Supervillains are usually more reasonable than superheroes, in my experience.”

“Anyway, I’m… in their guest room, I guess. They wanted to kill my parents, but I asked them not to, and now… uh, they kinda just… a week ago, which is like a day after I showed up, they offered to sue for custody of me? Them and their… partner? Carson.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you gonna take them up on it? You absolutely should, but it’s your decision.”

“Um… I think so. I want to. I’m just… I’m just scared of what my parents will do. I… even when they were… even at their worst, I did… love them, I guess. They weren’t always bad parents, and like… they’re under a lot of stress.”

“Kay, how many times have they called you since you left? How many times have they come to get you?”

“They… they came the first day, I mean… they were still calling me their son… and they haven’t called since. Haven’t even shown up here. Oh.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, babes.”

“I wish you were here, I could use a hug.”

Every ounce of hesitation left my body at that, and some parental instinct I had took over. I knocked on Kayla’s door, and waited for her to answer it. When she did, I wrapped her in a hug that would crush any normal human.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” I whispered

“It’s okay.” She answered, laugh-crying

“Uhh… should I hang up?” Came Charlie’s voice from Kayla’s phone over my shoulder

“No!” Kayla and I said at the same time

Kayla looked at me weirdly, and I said “Kayla told me she had no one else to talk to about things like her parents and her gender, I would like to meet the person who changed that. I also heard you mention Omni, and I haven’t seen her in ages! You should both come over sometime.”

“I’ll talk to her about it, I’m sure she’d be happy to. She doesn’t hang out with any of her super friends enough.”

“Just give me a date, I’ll make sure I’m not busy.”

#original writing #nonbinary supers #hb’s superpowered universe #supervillain #superheroes #superhero #spes novum #transgender #nonbinary #maestrum gravis #writers on tumblr #writing #writeblr

[hekate-brimo2]

The following is an interview performed by the Informal League of Laboring Evil Geniuses, Arch-nemesis’s, and the Loathsome, to be used in I.L.L.E.G.A.L. Inter-office reports and propaganda only. Any duplication of this document is unlawful and will result in the full force of the League’s power raining down upon you.

Interview Subject: “Maestrum Gravis,” independent Villain, and occasional consultant for The League. Pronouns They/Them

Interviewer: Dr. Hartford Cordell, Aka “Mindsweeper.” Pronouns She/Her

Interview begun recording at 10:13 am UTC, April 20th, 2024

Interviewer: Good Morning, Maestrum. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person.

Subject: You as well, Doctor.

I: Now, I’m sure the President has been vague about why you’ve been invited, suffice to say, he is… well, used to keeping his plans behind closed doors until he…

S: Maniacally recites them to his Enemies? Yeah that does sound like Giles.

I: President McArthur initiated a program this year that he calls the Alexandria Project, he wants to have the backstories of all known “Supers” recorded and filed for future posterity.

S: And I bet he wants adaptation rights when Hollywood comes calling. Whatever, I don’t really have anything better to do. Shall I begin?

I: Please.

S: What do you know about the Halcyon project, Doctor?

I: Nothing, I haven’t heard about it.

S: That’s probably for the best. The Halcyon project was an attempt to defy physics, its goal was ultimately to create linked wormholes by using Graviton Pulses to warp space-time. I was still young when I joined the project, and not nearly cynical enough, because I truly believed in it.

I: What Happened to the Halcyon Project, Maestrum?

S: I happened. The main Graviton Pulse generator needed to be calibrated daily, I trusted a tech to do it, but… something malfunctioned partway through the test that day, the Pulse generator began pulsing too fast, and Gravity began to alternate between too high and too low within the test facility. I raced to turn off the pulse generator, but just as I did, two Graviton Pulses collided, which successfully created a wormhole. I would have been elated, had I not been shunted through said wormhole, while my entire test facility imploded.

I: My goodness, how did you survive?

S: Luck, mostly. A secondary wormhole opened a few moments later and dropped me almost a mile away.

I: Did anyone else survive this accident?

S: No.

I: And how did this contribute to your decision to become a Supervillain?

S: I maintain that I’m not a villain, but… I tried to stop anyone from recreating the Halcyon Project, the military has been trying to weaponize it for years, and the government keeps writing grants to pay for it. I usually destroy the testing site, hack into the project’s bank account, and funnel the government grants into my own pockets.

I: I understand that this incident also gave you powers, can you elaborate on those?

S: I have localized control over Gravity, I can increase or decrease the force of Gravity within… oh, about a hundred yard diameter at the largest, I can open linked wormholes to transport myself, and I have an incredibly dense skeletal and muscular system.

I: Any upcoming schemes you have planned, Maestrum?

S: Nope, not that I’d tell the League if I did. Are we done?

I: We can be, Thank you for your time.

Recording ended 10:20 am UTC, April 20th, 2024

I walked from the I.L.L.E.G.A.L. Headquarters, sure I had the wormholes and could go anywhere I wanted, but… Evilmart is right there. I disassociated a little while wandering through the aisles, making the mistake of looking into a magic mirror at one point and stopping. I looked like shit. My hair was a rat’s nest of black tufts, my skin was pale, and my cobalt-blue eyes were surrounded by deep black circles.

“You look exhausted, would you like to see what you could be?” The mirror asked, using its best suck-up voice

“Shut up.” I answered, walking away

I was wandering down the Death Ray aisle when one of the Evilmart employees strode up beside me, she was wearing one of the dark blue and black polo shirts that marked a manager in the store. She handed me a coffee that I almost dropped in my confusion.

“Thank you?” I said, always as polite as I could be

“No prob, I wasn’t sure how you took it, so it’s just cream and three sugars, same as mine.” Laura (as her name tag proclaimed) said

“Is this a storewide promotion, or am I getting special treatment?”

Laura smiled a bit and leaned against one of Dr. Delirious’s old doomsday machines before answering “Well, It’s a… a thank you, my uh… my brother henched for Krieg a few years back, you, uh… you convinced him to quit, right before making sure he couldn’t work for Krieg anymore.”

I grimaced, not fond of remembering that fight.

“Krieg was a fascist dickhead. He gave Supervillains a bad name. I’m a Bad Guy not a Bad Guy. Someone had to take him down a notch, and… well nobody else wanted to.”

“People like to talk, a lot of the Henchmen/Minion union talks about some of the Villains here not being good at their jobs. I think it’s pretty funny, especially since you’ve done my family specifically so much good.”

I shrugged. “They call me a villain because I challenge the status quo. All I’ve ever been trying to do is keep people from making the same mistakes I did.”

“So your Rivalry with The Patriot is what? Just a facade?”

“Ugh. That Idiot. He’s so fucking dedicated to the idea of ‘American Ideals’ he’s ignoring actual ideals like… oh, I dunno Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. I think he’s mostly a face for the military-industrial complex.”

“He really hates you.”

“He hates that I won’t let America weaponize my powers. And he hates that I killed a fuckton of I.C.E. Agents, but again-“

“Fascist Dickheads.” We said together

—

I opened a wormhole outside of Evilmart, making small Graviton Pulses in my hand and carefully compressing the point of space-time just above my palm until it was no longer a point and instead a hole. I enlarged the hole until it was big enough and stepped through with my groceries. I knew I was in trouble when the Alarms in my lair were sounding. I had entered in the lobby, because I’d intended to stop by the kitchen to see Cook and put away the more obscure groceries I’d bought, but that was, of course, the wrong decision. As I stepped out of my wormhole, I was met almost immediately with The Patriot’s fist in my face. I decreased the gravity below me and jumped, taking the punch in my shoulder instead.

“What have you done with my Son?!” The Patriot screamed

“Your What?” I answered dumbly

“Our Son!” American Girl said from the corner, darting at you at not-quite top speed.

“Alright.” I said, increasing the gravity in the whole compound, not enough to hurt anybody, but enough to make moving difficult. The Patriot and American Girl obviously hadn’t brought their charged Magnetite belts, probably in their haste, because they also froze in place. I let out the weakest Graviton Pulse I had, and waited the nanosecond it took to return, counting the living beings it bounced off of. There were six people in my lair, not counting myself, which was three more than usual. Two I knew, The Patriot and American Girl, the third intrigued me.

“Alright, everybody just stay still for a couple minutes.”

Dismissing the gravitational effect from the area around just myself always took a little extra effort, but not so much that it wasn’t worth it in this instance. I took the spiral staircase in the corner two steps at a time, and punched in the code to open the door when I reached the top. The door led into the sitting room/bar of my complex, with its low red couches and shiny black floor. Sitting on the table, with their face against their knees was a child… well, a teenager. They had the same ice-blue eyes as The Patriot, and the same curly blonde hair as American Girl. They wore a red and white baseball tee and jeans over chunky black motorcycle boots and their wrists were adorned by rudder and chain bracelets. I didn’t notice the black eye and drooping cheek until I looked closely. Fire flashed in my eyes, and the kid didn’t see it, but my staff around the room, either sitting or standing did.

I dismissed the gravitational effect in a circle around my sitting room. Tom Doniphon, my medic, was lying on one couch, his cowboy hat crumpled by my powers. Carson, my Aide de Camp, sat barefoot and cross legged on the other couch in their leggings and tank top as though they’d just come from the gym. Finally, Cook, in her ever-present chef’s jacket stood with her arms crossed, my power never seemed to affect her, but then neither did anyone else's.

“My Dear Staff, why is this Child in our home?” I asked

“I begged for sanctuary.” The teenager answered before anyone else could speak. Their voice was halting, and pitched up intentionally, certainly not their natural voice.

“And I granted it. I made an executive decision since you weren’t here.” Carson said, shrugging

“You certainly did, Carson. Doniphon, what do you make of their cheek?”

“‘Tween the black eye and the way it’s saggin’ I’d say a fractured zygomatic arch, though I’m not sure whether it was a punch or a slap.” Doniphon drawled

“A slap, I would guess, from… your mother?”

“Dad would’ve dealt more damage.” The teenager whispered

“Indeed. Your name, child.”

The teen hesitated, and I held up a hand “It need not be your given name, just what you wish to be called here.”

“Kayla.”

“As you wish, and your pronouns?”

“She/Her.”

“Do you have a Healing Factor, like your father?”

“It’s… it’s weak.”

I nodded and said “Doniphon, take the girl to the infirmary. What shall I do with your parents, Kayla?”

The girl’s response was uncertain, until I made it clear that I would not hesitate to end their lives, which she did not want, so I swore to leave them alive and returned to my lobby.

I stepped off of the stairs loudly, leaning my whole body weight into it. I look thin, but the density of my bones and muscles mean I’m heavy. Needless to say, my steps make noise when I want them to. The Heroes' eyes turned toward me, though their bodies couldn’t, and I met both pairs in turn. The Patriot was furious, his anger almost commanded the room, but my fury was larger, colder. American Girl shrunk in place, away from my presence.

“You both have committed a sin far greater than any I may claim. You have stolen innocence and peace from the heart of a child. I may kill, but violence is not what moves me.” I said, voice even and slightly accented

The Patriot’s mouth opened to scream, but in the instance it did, I reversed the gravity from underneath him, sending his body rocketing against the ceiling. A bit of flesh and blood dropped from his height, and I realized he’d bit off the tip of his tongue.

“I would kill you if I could. Condemn your souls to the pits of Hell they belong in, but the child you brought into this world is possessed of a kindness you have both lost.”

I ended my lecture by removing the gravity underneath them both, and clenching my fist, sending a wave of Graviton Pulses crashing against their bodies, and sending them flying through the window and into Humboldt Bay.

—

I want to make it clear that this work is HEAVILY based on the Synoverse by @wingedcat13 which I have read twice in the last two days. Go Read that, it’s better. It’s also posted on my AO3 in the following link

#writing #writers on tumblr #superheroes #supervillain #original work