It was dark out when Legend and I took to the skies for the patrol. Well, dark by normal standards; it's somewhat hard to tell night and day apart when visible light takes up only a small part of your vision. The moon was a waxing gibbous, providing ample light for Legend to navigate by. His heartbeat was calm and even; flying had become second nature to him at this point. He was at the same level of ease rocketing through the air as he was taking a stroll down the street. I could only hope to look as cool as he did when I flew.
Eventually we came to a stop above a rather indistinct street. "According to ENE Protectorate protocols, this is one of the stations for patrol routes," Legend said, turning to me as he did so. "This seems as good a spot as any to start."
We descended to the ground, both of us hovering just above the street. "What's the standard time for a patrol route?" I asked.
"Well, considering you would be in the Wards if you joined, two hours," Legend replied. "Of course, that implies that there aren't any hitches. We don't give the more dangerous missions to the Wards, but there's always the possibility that trouble might find them." He began to move down the street at a leisurely speed, taking his time to observe his surroundings. "In a city like this, don't be too surprised if you have to handle non-powered criminals."
"Sounds like a Tuesday for me," I said, catching up to him and attempting to mime his stance as we flew. "I was already handling street-level thugs before I got in that fight with Lung."
Legend shrugged. "That's another reason to have you apply for membership, Supergirl. The Wards in this area are new to the job, a lot of them haven't even had to fight crime. Your experience would be highly valued there."
"Well, I guess that-" I began, only to fall silent when I heard an agitated heartbeat in an alleyway not too far from us. I focused my vision on its source and saw a teenaged boy no older than me being dragged across the ground by two unkempt men in clothing fit for hobos. One of them had a hand across his mouth, muffling any screams for help as he struggled violently to escape their grip.
"Supergirl?" Legend inquired.
"There's a kid in that alleyway who's being attacked by two men," I replied, pointing towards the hidden struggle. I gave Legend no time to say anything as I rushed down the street and turned into the alley. There was a gust of wind behind at my side, signalling that he had followed after me.
Our arrival had not gone unnoticed. The thugs looked up, their eyes locking with ours and widening with fear when they realized just who was accosting them. Taking advantage of the distraction, the kid managed to wriggle his mouth free. "Help!" he screamed at Legend and I.
That spurned the men into action. At once they let go of the boy and turned away from us, sprinting down the alley. Legend calmly raised a hand and fired a laser that forked in two, striking both men in their backs. It was set to stun; I could see their nervous systems light up like Christmas trees as they fell to the ground limply. There was a sound almost like a stick of chalk breaking, and I realized that one of them had smashed his teeth against the asphalt.
I slowly drifted over to the boy and extended a hand. "Are you alright?" I asked softly.
The boy hesitatingly took my hand, and I helped him to his feet. "I-I'm fine, thank you," he replied shakily. He glanced over at the prone forms of his attackers. "I was just walking back home when they grabbed me."
Seeing that I had a handle on the boy, Legend gently brushed past us and and flipped one of the men over to study him. "Unkempt clothes, filthy face. His teeth are in bad shape and his breath smells worse than a dead raccoon. Druggie?"
I gave the boy a reassuring pat on the back and turned to Legend. "Yeah, his liver's a total wreck and his heartbeat is irregular. There's also a bunch of dirty needles in his right jeans pocket. He's probably in with the Merchants."
"The local cape drug-pushers," Legend muttered with disgust clear in his voice. "It seems that every big city has trash like them."
I nodded. "They pay guys like him to forcefully get kids hooked on their stuff. A few of my classmates ended up druggies that way."
"Well, at least there's going to be two less of them prowling the streets," Legend said. He touched a small device in his right ear. "The police's been alerted, they'll arrive here soon. This is another thing about joining the Wards, you have to actually stand by and wait for the authorities to take any criminals you've bagged. Independent heroes sometimes slip up, and the crooks manage to get out of their bonds before the cops arrive. Even if they are secured, it's a bit more paperwork for the guys in blue."
I nodded slowly. "It's not very easy for me to do that."
"Bit impatient, huh?" Legend inquired. "A lot of the Wards we've recruited are like that."
I shook my head. "It's not that. Sometimes I do try and wait with them, then I hear someone else who needs my help. Part of me wants to make sure the crook I just snagged actually stays snagged, and the other part wants to make sure no one gets hurt when I could stop it."
"Piggot did mention you had the ability to see through clothes and thin walls," Legend said. "I didn't know you also had a heightened sense of hearing."
I chuckled. "You have no idea."
A small frown formed on Legend's face, and I could tell by the flurry of activity in his frontal lobe that he was deep in thought. Was he wondering just how far of an extent my hearing actually went. As far as I knew, no cape had the senses I did. He was silent until the police arrived a few minutes later and hauled the two druggies into their cruiser. The boy was given a ride home at Legend's request, then he turned to me. "Night's still young. Do you want to finish the patrol?"
I nodded, and we took off again.
S
"How did the patrol go?" Danny asked.
"It went well, Mr. Hebert," Legend replied with another smile. "We handled some druggies and a mugging. Nothing too dangerous."
"That's good to hear," Danny replied, rubbing his shoulder absentmindedly. "I'm glad there wasn't any trouble for you or Taylor."
"I must compliment you on your parenting skills, Mr. Hebert," Legend said. "I really hope your daughter joins the Wards; it's people like her that makes the public tolerate the rest of the capes."
"I can't take all the credit on that," Danny said. "She takes a lot after her mother in most things; she just got the height from me."
"I take it that Mrs. Hebert is no longer around?" Legend inquired in a respectful manner.
"Annette died in an accident a while back," Danny replied, his eyes suddenly focused on the patch of dried grass between the two of them. "Texting while driving."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Legend said genuinely, clapping a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Is that when she...?"
There was a moment's hesitation on Danny's part before he finally responded. "Yeah, it was the night of the funeral. She was in her room, venting, and accidentally punched a hole in the wall."
Silence hung in the air for a few moments between the two of them. Legend took a deep breath and removed his hand from Danny's shoulder. "Have a good night, Mr. Hebert. The registration papers are on the table if you want her in the team; you can deposit them any time you want." With that, he took off.
Danny sighed and rocked on his heels for a few moments, then turned his gaze upwards to the stars. In a city like Brockton Bay there were few actually visible to light pollution, but there were enough to distinguish the more popular constellations. He watched them for some time, then returned inside and shut the door after him.
As he had done many times before, he wondered which one had given him Taylor.
S
Legend soared above the clouds, making a beeline back to New York City and Arthur. Just as he cleared the border of Massachusetts, however, he realized that Alexandria was flying alongside him. Sighing inwardly, he slowed to a halt. Alexandria moved to face him, her visor reflecting the city lights below them in a rather unsettling manner.
"How did it go?" she inquired in her usual tone.
"It went quite well," he replied. "Typical patrol, we stopped a few small crimes here and there. I got a good look at how she operates and handles things."
"So, it seems that Ms. Hebert is good Wards material," Alexandria said, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm glad we managed to at least warm her up to the idea of joining."
"Actually, I'm not so sure it'd be for the best if she joined," Legend blurted out, scratching the back of his head.
Alexandria gave him a look that included, Legend suspected, a raised eyebrow hidden under her helmet. "You're joking," she stated flatly. "You were just telling me-"
"I know what I said," he replied. "It's not that she'd make a great member of the team. It's that I think the Wards would actually be a hamper to her heroics."
"That's a statement that requires a good explanation," Alexandria said. "Do you have one?"
Legend sighed. "During our patrol, she was able to detect a crime being committed, find out where it was being done, and arrive at the scene in the time it took for me to do a double-take. As it turns out, she has superhuman hearing and sight; she could identify a man was a drug user by his heartbeat. You read the reports on her, right? How many crimes did she actually handle when she appeared on the scene?"
"42 muggings, 26 assaults, 2 attempted rapes, and 1 bank robbery," Alexandria replied rapidly. "Four of those encounters involved taking down parahumans. It's an impressive record, but what does it have to do with her not joining the Wards?"
"Those crimes were all over the city, and yet she was still able to respond to them," Legend said. "If she joined the Wards, she'd be limited to shifts that took her through pre-planned routes. Routes calculated to reduce the risk of Wards being in serious danger. The amount of crimes she could actually respond to would be reduced by an absurd margin. And, considering she took down a cape that managed to go toe-to-toe with Leviathan, something tells me what we consider dangerous for the Wards would be a good punching bag for her."
"What, you just want us to let her stay an independent?" Alexandria inquired incredulously.
"Of course, we can't simply say no if she actually decides to join," Legend replied. "I'm just saying it might not be for the best if she did. She's doing fine on her own, and most of what she does falls in line with our own protocols anyway."
"And if an Endbringer shows up? There's going to be an attack in roughly eight weeks."
"Something tells me she's not the type to stand on the sidelines," Legend replied with his signature smile. "Now if you excuse me, I'm heading back home. Arthur's been waiting for me for too long."
With that, he sped away in a flash of light. Alexandria floated amongst the clouds for a few moments and sighed, then began the flight back to Los Angeles.My phone rang, distracting me from the Kryptonian microfilm I had been reading. I sighed softly to myself and set the scroll down so I could grab the phone from my drawer. Flipping it open, I realized it was a local number I had never seen before. I decided to answer the call and pressed the phone to my ear. "Hello?" I asked cautiously.
"Taylor?" a feminine voice said with equal caution. "Taylor, it's Amy."
"How did you get my number?" I demanded, sitting up in my bed now.
"I checked the phone book," came Amy's swift reply. "Do you realize just how uncommon a name Hebert is around here?"
"Fair enough," I said. I rose from the bed and began to pace softly around the room, rising a few inches above the floor after a few steps as to avoid waking up Dad. "Why did you call me?"
"Now that the ABB and E88's gone, the New Wave has decided to crack down on the smaller groups before they manage to get too much territory from the power vacuum. In layman's terms, we're upping our game." Amy sighed before continuing. "I think this is a job for you; I hate having to enter combat zones just because my family's feeling upstaged."
My vision focused into the lower frequencies of light; the realm of microwaves and radio waves that crisscrossed the sky in dazzling patterns hidden from the human eye, patterns I could never truly describe no matter how badly I wanted to. I traced the pattern coming from my phone to the nearest cell tower, which in turn led to a spot not too far from the docks. That must have been the call was coming from. Sure enough, I saw Amy standing apart from the rest of her family when I shifted to higher frequencies, her body heat sticking out from her surroundings like a warning light in fog.
"I'll be there as soon as I can," I told Amy with a growing firmness in my voice. I hastily threw on my jeans and shirt, then casually flung my glasses onto the bed. "What exactly are we looking at here?" I asked, fastening my cape around my shoulders.
"According to Vicky," Amy replied, a twinge of frustration in her voice, "it's probably the Merchants. Photon Mom, er, Lady Photon said she could've sworn she saw one of Squealer's vehicles around here."
I kept Amy one the phone as I hopped out of the window and darted through the air towards their position, a small sonic boom sounding in my wake as I trailed the pattern of radio waves leading to Amy's position. I still didn't know why I didn't make a horrific ruckus when I broke the sound barrier like that. Was it another strange side effect of my powers? It might be the same reason why only the loosest articles of clothes were damaged when I fought, as if I had the same sort of force field Glory Girl had.
Amy was only slightly surprised when I suddenly touched down at her side with the delicacy of a feather hitting sand, a mild gust of wind heralding my speedy arrival. "Squealer's the vehicle Tinker, right?" I asked nonchalantly, folding my phone and depositing it back in my pocket.
Amy nodded, her heart fluttering in a strange way as she did so. There was something familiar about it I couldn't quite put my finger on. "She can upgrade just about any vehicle into something dangerous. Carol told me how she somehow turned a station wagon into a tank."
"It was a sedan, actually," a voice to our left corrected. I turned to find myself facing Brandish, one of the leaders of the New Wave. She looked exactly like how she did in the news, dressed in her famous white suit with orange trim. She looked at me as though she was sucking on a particularly sour lemon. "So, this is Supergirl," she stated with more than a little contempt upon reaching my cape name.
"Come on, mom," Amy groaned. "Don't be so mean; I'd be dead twice over if it weren't for her."
Brandish spared Amy a glance, then looked back to me and sighed. "I suppose I am being a bit too harsh." She extended a hand in greeting. "Good work you did last week, taking down Lung and the E88."
Reluctantly, I shook her hand and put up a friendly smile. "Just trying to help."
"Well, I guess we should brief you on what we've been doing," Brandish said. "Glory Girl and the rest of the team are currently snooping around, trying to find out where exactly the Merchants are hiding." She gestured to the storehouses in the distance. "We've narrowed down their potential hideouts to somewhere over there."
I extended my senses, adjusting my vision so I could peer inside the storehouses. Most of them were devoid of habitation, their interiors either empty or filled to the brim with junk. One of them, however, had a crowd of people inside a dozen strong. They were dressed, for lack of more apt descriptions, like trash. Their clothes were ragged and worn; occasionally there were signs of half-hearted attempts to shoddily repair them, but for the most part they looked more at home in the gutters. Everything about them was filthy; I could smell the staggering amounts of grime, sweat, and other unspeakable forms of filth on them as easily from here. Some of them had that telltale look on their faces that just screamed "druggie". The nauseating chemical stench of cocaine and heroin confirmed it.
These were the Merchants, then.
"They're over there," I told Brandish, pointing to the third storehouse on our right.
A small frown appeared on her face. "How do you know?"
"Heightened smell," I replied. "That's the only one that reeks."
Brandish made a non-committal noise. "I'll go there and have some of the others check it out with me."
"I'll go with you," I said, taking to the air.
"Someone needs to keep an eye on Amy," Brandish rebuked. "You don't need to handle every last thug in the city, you know. We can handle this one." With that, she sped away.
I sighed and settled back down on the ground beside Amy. Taking note of my disappointment, she pulled back her hood, letting her hair flow in the gentle sea breeze. "She's totally jealous."
That elicited a small chuckle out of me. "Really?"
"Of course," Amy replied with a giggle. "She's worked hard in the cape community to make a name for herself and her team, and then some fourteen-year old called Supergirl barges in, accidentally beats up her oldest daughter, and does more in one fight than what she has in years. I'm amazed there aren't more capes who are jealous of you."
I shrugged lightly. "I guess that's a good point."
There was a moment or so of silence, which Amy spent by looking me up and down with studious eyes. "Your stance is different," she commented.
"What?"
"From other Alexandria packages, I mean. Trust me, I live with one. She has such a confident stance; her back is held straight and she keeps her chin up as she practically swaggers everywhere." She paused briefly, thinking of what to say next. "You look... relaxed. Like you're chilling out with your friends at the arcade or something instead of being in a potential combat zone, like nothing can hurt you. Others think that as well, but they think 'then let's strut around and show how confident we are'. You? You think 'I never have to worry about another thing ever again'. You don't act like an Alexandria package at all."
"Oh," I replied quietly, rubbing the back of my head. "I guess I never thought of it like that."
Amy shrugged. "It's a weird thing to think about."
"I do worry about things, though," I said softly. "It's never about someone or something hurting me; it's always about me hurtingsomeone. Whenever I'm walking in a crowd, I feel like a bull in a china shop, having to constantly control myself so I don't accidentally kill someone. Do you know what it's like to hug my dad and worry about breaking his back like a twig? Or accidentally snapping a friend's arm in half if they offer a high-five? It's an amazing gift, but at the same time it's a terrible burden. I'm as strong as Atlas, and now I have to bear the weight of the world on my shoulders."
There was a longer silence after that, one only punctuated by the sound of fighting in the distance. There was no need to step in, I could tell they had the situation under control. I sighed deeply, letting the salty breeze waft past my nostrils. "I'm sorry for venting like that."
"It's okay, really," Amy replied. "Surprisingly enough, I kinda feel the same way." She spared her hands a brief glance. "Only a little."
Any further conversation was interrupted when Amy's phone buzzed in her pocket. She flipped it open and sighed quietly to herself. "Carol and the others have finished mopping the floor with the Merchants; they want me to come over and do what I do best."
"I guess I should be going now," I said, slowly rising into the air. I stopped, however, when I felt a hand gently take hold of my cape.
"Taylor," Amy said softly, "would you ever want to... hang out some time? It'd be cool if we could have conversations when we're not in costume or fighting a bunch of thugs. You could tell me about Krypton or something; it's not everyday I have opportunities like that."
I hesitated briefly before answering. "I don't see why not. They're showing that Earth Aleph movie "Jurassic Park" at CinemaCity next Friday. Is that good?"
Amy smiled warmly. "That's good for me. See you around, Supergirl."
She let go of my cape, and I took off again. I had noticed that there was a fire brewing in a household half a mile away; it seemed like a situation that needed my touch at the moment. As I sped towards it, however, I couldn't help but notice that Amy had that strange, yet familiar, flutter in her heartbeat again...Armsmaster stood at one of the many windows in HQ, a slight frown on his face as he watched the blurred outline of the city before him. Occasionally he would fidget with his halberd, running a gloved thumb over the complicated controls on its handle, but for the most part he was as still as a statue.
"Are you alright, Colin?" Dragon finally inquired, breaking the long silence.
Life seemed to finally breathe itself back into Armsmaster as he stretched slightly, servos in his armor whirring softly with the motion. "You read just about all of the important documents, Dragon," he replied quietly. "You probably already know."
"The transfer to Boston," Dragon stated. "I also understand that Miss Militia and Velocity are also being transferred with you."
Armsmaster sighed. "It makes sense, I suppose. The ABB and E88 are all but gone, and the Merchants are going down that road as well. With such a reduction in crime, we seem to be overstaffed now."
"Meanwhile, Boston has a growing problem with that Accord fellow and his Ambassadors," Dragon finished. "They'll need someone like you there, Colin. Personally, I wouldn't be so upset about it."
"You're right, I shouldn't be upset about the transfer," Colin replied with another sigh. "I'll be able to get more done there; apparently their facilities are a tad more Tinker-friendly. It's just that..." he trailed off into silence, then began to walk back to his work station.
"I see," Dragon said finally. "Well, a skilled veteran like you will probably make the command there in no time, Colin. Besides, the transfer isn't until the end of the month; you have plenty of time to prepare."
"If I even live that long," Armsmaster retorted, opening up a nearby computer console. "There's going to be an Endbringer attack in a matter of weeks, no doubt about it." He began to type rapidly into the console, muttering equations and technical data to himself. "How's the work going with that prediction program of yours?"
"There are still a vast number of variables I need to take in, and the algorithms are very rough," came Dragon's reply. "However, I think I've be able to narrow it down to this area." A map of the globe appeared on Armsmaster's console, then shrank down to contain the Mediterranean area. Dozens of red dots appeared along the coastlines of Southern Europe and North Africa, some much larger than others. It only took a split second for him to realize that they were potential targets for Endbringer attacks based on the probability of one actually arriving.
"Strange," Armsmaster muttered to himself. "Why so many coastal areas? Leviathan was the last to attack when he swamped Manila; Endbringers don't attack twice in a row."
"You and I both know that Endbringers are always smarter than they look," Dragon replied. "It's possible they were planning to catch us off guard by attacking a coastal area again when we were expecting attacks elsewhere."
"There are a multitude of ripe targets there," Armsmaster conceded. "Given just how unstable the geopolitical climate is in the Middle East, I wouldn't be too surprised if the Simurgh decided to pay Israel a visit. Or if Behemoth decided to use his dynakinesis on the numerous fault lines in the continental area." He straightened himself and grabbed his halberd. "What are the percentages for each target?"
"34.8739% chance of an attack on Paris, 33.2087% chance of an attack on Jerusalem, 28.6753% chance of an attack on Rome. At least, those are the most likely ones. The program is still in dire need of improvement; it'll be close to a year or so before we can determine the next target within a fraction of a percent."
Armsmaster grunted to himself. "It'll have to do for now. I'll go alert Director Piggot of our findings. We need to inform the superhero teams in those areas as well; they might be able to prepare some defenses against a possible Endbringer attack."
"I'm currently transferring the data to your suit, Colin," Dragon replied. She fell quiet for a few moments before speaking again. "Colin, have you ever heard of Brainstorm?"
"I believe I have a vague recollection," Armsmaster muttered thoughtfully. "He was a Tinker in... Newfoundland, one of the many people who died fighting Leviathan that day. Why?"
"He had made the local news a month or so before by claiming he had found alien technology; he was promptly derided as a madman. I was skimming through some old records of his while compiling data about Leviathan's attack for the prediction program, and I found this."
Another image appeared on the computer console, and he stopped briefly to study it. It was an amateur photo, showing a man with a large grin of excitement on his face. What caught Armsmaster's attention, however, was the object stretched out between the man's hands.
It was a red cape, and a strangely stylized "S" was emblazoned on its fabric.
S
"A movie?" Vicky asked, stretching out on her bed. "You want me to drop you off at a movie?"
Amy nodded. "It's that Jurassic Park movie from Earth Aleph; I heard it was really good."
Vicky rose to a sitting position and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. "Amy Dallon does not simply 'go watch a movie'," she said. Suddenly, she broke out into a wide grin. "You've got a date, don't you?" she accused playfully.
"No!" Amy replied, trying to hide the rising blush in her cheeks. "I'm just hanging out with a friend, that's all."
"You don't have to hide it from me," Vicky said, rising from her bed and placing a firm hand on Amy's shoulders and lightly strengthening her field. "You can trust me; I'm your big sister. What's his name? Do I know him?"
"I'm telling you, it's just a friend," Amy said hurriedly, averting her eyes from Vicky's dazzling gaze. "That's all."
Vicky pouted. "Fine, you don't have to tell me who it is, I didn't want to know anyways." She turned away from Amy and folded her arms in an exaggerated fashion.
"Are you still going to drop me off?" Amy inquired, trying to play up a 'doe-eyed' approach. "With all the stuff that's going on, I just wanna relax for a bit and hang out with someone who isn't family. Are you really going to deny me that?"
A few moments passed, then Vicky sighed. "All right, I'll drop you off at the movie. When is it?"
"At six," Amy replied. She wrapped her arms around Vicky and squeezed tightly. "Thanks, sis. This means a lot to me."
"No problem," Vicky said. "Now remember, if this guy gives you trouble you can always call and have me rip his spine out."
I seriously doubt that, Amy thought to herself. She let go of Vicky, afraid of what would happen if she stayed in close physical contact with her for too long. "It's the CinemaCity a few blocks down. I have money for the ticket and snacks; it took a big bite out of my allowance."
"Alright then," Vicky replied. "It's about time we get going, huh?"
Amy nodded, a smile growing on her face.
S
The sun had already gone done, another sign that winter was fast approaching. The sky was an inky black that held no stars; it was one of the downsides to living in the heart of the city. Amy shivered, drawing her coat tighter around herself as she waited at the entrance of the cinema. Occasionally she would glance down at her phone in order to check the time, the period of time between checks growing shorter and shorter as the showtime of the movie neared.
Had Taylor forgotten about their da-er, hanging out together? She scanned the street around her, looking for any sign of the girl from another world, but found none.
Why should have she come anyway? Amy thought to herself. What was I thinking, asking her is she wanted to hang out? She barely knows me, this was a mis-
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the sound of sneakers rapidly pattering on the sidewalk behind her. Turning about, she saw a familiar girl in an over-sized sweatshirt and glasses.
"Sorry I'm late," Taylor said, feigning a pant. "Some poor kid lost his dog and I decided to find it for him." She stared at Amy for a few moments, then tilted her head quizzically. "Is everything all right?"
Amy allowed herself a grin. "I'm good; thanks for asking." She gestured to the theater behind them. "Still wanna see the movie? We'd probably get crummy seats at this point."
Taylor shrugged. "I wasn't too keen on watching it anyway; my vision ruins CGI for me."
"There's a nice pizza place around here," Amy offered. "You could tell me about Krypton while we eat."
"That sounds good," Taylor replied. "I think I saw it on the way here; the smell was mouthwatering."
Amy turned to the right and began to walk, gesturing for her to follow. "It's a block down this way."
Taylor followed after her, a smile on her face. "Fine by me."
They moved beside each other, their shoulders nearly touching. As they walked down the street together, Amy had to resist the urge to take Taylor's hand in her ownJun 9, 2015
#3,299
"So, how much do you actually know about your home?" Amy asked after finishing her bite of pizza. "I mean, your Space-Dad must've sent something with you to help preserve your culture and stuff."
"Actually, there was a massive roll of microfilm in the rocket," I replied, pausing to take a sip of soda. "It puts normal microfilm to shame though, you could fit a couple libraries worth of information in it. It contains stuff about Krypton's geography, its history, its wildlife, its cultures, and a bunch of other subjects."
"What was Krypton like, then?" Amy inquired. "Did they have what we have?"
"If you mean 'capes and Endbringers', then no," I replied. "They never had that stuff in their entire history, which is way longer than Earth's. They knew about ours, though; the roll explicitly mentions that."
"Was that a good thing for them, or a bad thing?"
I thought about it for a few seconds before I answered. "I think that, ultimately, it was a good thing. They weren't so different from Earth when they were as young as us; they still had wars and dictatorships and hunger and that sort of thing. But, as time passed and they got more mature, it just kinda faded away. For a good 200,000 years they just enjoyed idle lives free of disease or violence, focusing their attention on the arts and sciences. They had clean energy, genetic engineering, and technology that would make a Tinker feel embarrassed."
"Yet they still died out," Amy said. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around that."
I shrugged. "The roll said something about Krypton's gravity being so high that rockets couldn't get into space. By the time they had something better, they didn't really feel the need to go anymore. Sure, they explored their moons and their solar system, but I guess they just didn't look to the stars like we do. It bit them in the ass later when their sun went nova."
Amy pondered what I told her for a few moments, her hands casually playing with the half-eaten pizza slice on her plate. "Do you remember it?" she finally asked.
"What, Krypton?"
She nodded. "Do you remember anything about it? Anything at all?"
I sighed and leaned back into my chair. "No. I can't remember a thing about Krypton; I was just a baby when I came here. I like to try and picture it in my head sometimes, imagining what it would be like stand in fields of red grass and gaze upon cloud-piercing towers of sculpted crystal, but it's always a fleeting image."
Amy reached across the table and gave my hand a reassuring pat. "I can't imagine what it must be like to lose your people like that, Taylor. I'm sorry for your loss."
I sighed again. "I guess it's for the best that I can't remember it; simply knowing that I'm the last of my kind is bad enough as it is."
Amy straightened and rose from the table, taking our tray with her and emptying it in the trash. "We should get going; it's getting rather late."
"For you, anyway," I replied, rising from the chair as well. "I don't need to sleep."
"That reminds me," Amy said. "You look human, but sea cucumbers have more in common with us than you. How is it that you look like any other 14-year-old girl?"
I shrugged. "Good genes, I guess."
S
The moon was visible as Amy and I walked back to the pick-up spot Vicky designated via text, casting a soft glow on everything. The night was relatively quiet; most people were already in their beds, fast asleep.
Amy shivered and rubbed her hands together in a futile effort to keep warm. "It's f-freezing," she said through chattering teeth. "Can't y-you feel how cold it is?"
I shook my head slightly. "No, not really. The sweatshirt's just for show."
"L-lucky," Amy muttered to herself.
A frown formed on my lips as I glanced at her hands, peering through layers of bone and tissue composing them. I could see the thousands of capillaries in her hands expand in order to let more blood and heat through, and I could see the countless tremors and muscle spasms indicating that it wasn't enough. "Wow, you really are cold," I said with concern.
"N-no kidding," Amy replied.
"Let me help," I said, taking her hands into my own and massaging them. I kneaded them gently but firmly, taking care to avoid hurting her with my tremendous strength. Sure enough, I could see that her hands were getting warmer thanks to my administrations. I also became aware, however, of that strange flutter in her heartbeat again. There was something about it, something I couldn't quite put my finger on...
I let go of Amy's hands. "That should do for now."
"Thanks," Amy replied, stuffing them into her pockets. The flutter was still present, and I saw that her face was getting much warmer than usual.
"Is... is everything all right?" I asked softly.
"Yeah, of course," Amy hurriedly said, averting her gaze. The flutter, and that familiarity that grew with it, was growing stronger, becoming a nagging sensation in the back of my head.
Suddenly, it all clicked into place. I took a small step back and my mind swam as the realization hit me like a freight train. I now knew why that flutter was so familiar; my father had one in his own heart whenever he was with Mom. It was something I had heard in countless people's chests when they were with their lovers, whether it be simply from holding hands or pressing against each other in bed. It was something I never thought I'd invoke in someone else.
Love.
"Oh," I managed to weakly say. "T-that's good to hear, I guess."
That seemed to elicit something in Amy, hardening her resolve. "T-Taylor..." she began with a nervous gulp, only to be interrupted when a car pulled up to the sidewalk.
"Come on, Ames!" Victoria said from the driver's seat. "Mom wants you home ASAP!"
"...I gotta go," Amy blurted out, practically dashing to the car. I didn't know why, but a sinking feeling formed in my gut when she did that.
"You need a ride?" Victoria inquired.
I shook my head lightly. "I'm good, thanks for offering," I replied softly.
Victoria shrugged and took off, carting Amy away. I watched them go until they had disappeared over a hill, then watched them further still. I sighed softly, and finally turned away.
I still had trouble believing it. Amy Dallon had a crush, on me of all people! I mean, why? We weren't even members of the same species! Even taking that out of consideration, what could even see in me? I wasn't a blonde bombshell like Victoria was; you'd be hard pressed to find any real curves on me. I slouched, I wore glasses...
And you saved her life on multiple occasions, another part of my mind retorted. You have said and done nothing but kind things to her from the day the two of you met. When she found out your secret, you trusted her not to tell anyone. You two get along well, and she is one of the only people you can completely open up to, and vice versa. She is your confidante, and you may be hers if she was willing to tell you what she really felt about you.
But I've never really shown interest in girls! the other half of my mind sputtered out.
And have you ever shown interest in guys?
I paused for a few moments, considering that. To be quite frank, I had never really considered romance an option for me, since keeping secrets like mine would not make for a healthy relationship. But Amy knew my secrets, and was the only one besides my dad who knew the whole truth about me. And despite learning that I was an alien, she still accepted me for who I was and loved me.
Another heart flutter appeared, and with wide eyes I realized it was my heart that was fluttering this time.