Off The Pages: A Superhero Science Fiction Adventure

Chapter Eighteen

Jennifer opened her eyes, which was not something she expected to do. A quick once-over saw she was back in the hideaway, and her body had the unholy heat surging through it. Without effort behind it, the hateful power that burned her did not have the potency it had earlier, and with a mental squeeze, she focused on it and dispelled it. The relief that washed over her felt like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. She reached over and touched Jericho on the hand, and focused.

"Oh, fuck," he said, as the destructive power left his body. "That's better." The billionaire pushed himself to a standing position. He popped his back and groaned before walking over to the kitchen and pouring himself a drink.

"I guess I don't have to ask how it went," Edward said, "but how did you get back?"

Jericho took a sip of the strong liquor. He closed his eyes and let it go down, then sighed. "One of the powers I copied was a young man who could go back a few minutes after he died," the investor revealed. "Discovered it by accident."

"I don't think we're going to be able to rely on that to keep working," Jennifer noted.

The billionaire shook his head. "No," he agreed, "If he was able to overwhelm us like that, we're going to have to choose our battles wisely."

"After all," Jennifer added, "the first time he hit me with that attack, it hurt, but it wasn't instantly fatal. His power definitely fluctuates."

"Pardon me," Raymond cut in, "but I have a question. Why doesn't this fake Jesus just destroy us from afar?"

Before anyone had a chance to get nervous, Jericho set down his glass and turned to the group. "Because," Jericho explained, "I got some of his memories before I got knocked away. The man spent years of his life expecting to see the final battle between Jesus and the forces of Satan in one climactic battle."

"So," Edward noted, "since he's influencing this creature without knowing it, he's going to want an audience." He clenched his fists as anger drew itself across his face. "Bastard. He profanes the name of the Lord with his monster!"

As Jennifer made herself a sandwich with the lunch meat in the fridge, she noted the rage on her friend's face. The black man was very much unlike her in one regard. As an atheist, she did not have a point of comparison. To her, Jack Hurst was just another religious fanatic, just one who happened to have a walking nuke. Ed, however, had been raised by parents who went to church. He was a firm believer, and nothing would change that. So, to Ed, it must be galling to see this creature and the horror he unveiled.

She realized something. "Hey, guys," she thought out loud, "did you figure out what you wanted to be yet?"

The three snapped to attention. Annie stood up. "I am," she said, "if you're ready."

Jericho finished his glass and approached. "Okay," he said, extending his hand. "Really focus on it."

Jennifer's friend and Edward's girlfriend took the hand, and immediately felt another power appear in her mental space. She stepped back, closed her eyes, and focused on the mental image of who she wanted to turn into. With effort, the switch flipped.

Her flesh and clothes morphed before their very eyes. In under ten seconds, the five-foot-six woman with vaguely Irish facial features stood a hair under seven feet tall and had at least an extra hundred pounds of muscle. A long, black mane of hair hung down to her middle back, and her dark tan body had tone unlike any she had before. Her face looked Egyptian and her green eyes had turned brown. A desert warrior's outfit with feminine modifications garbed her. The three comic fans recognized her at once.

"Cyroya from First Breaker?" Ed almost gasped. "Wow, now that's a heavy hitter."

"I figure we need power," Annie said, before pausing at the sound of her voice. "Oh man, I sound so..."