Emmett pulled his hood up and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked outside. The night air was cool and still. Streetlights glowed and patrols walked around the parking lot. Flying capes buzzed through the sky and glowed like fireflies in Emmett's vision.
He suppressed a shiver. It was eerie seeing the city so quiet. Almost worse than seeing it underwater.
Despite the state of things, there wasn't a curfew. Not exactly. There were still signs recommending against civilians leaving the shelter at night. Emmett wondered if the lax rules had anything to do with undercover capes staying in the shelter and needing to leave without being questioned.
Emmett had no intention of leaving the shelter, but he did want to go somewhere quiet. So he snuck around the side of the building, found the section with the fewest windows, then leapt up four stories to the roof.
He stepped over the short wall as casually as possible, then eyed his surroundings. The roof immediately reminded him of his old college apartment. Emmett walked between rows of humming AC units, making sure that he was truly alone. He walked around the other side of the roof and looked out toward the South, but he couldn't quite see the flooding from his vantage point.
When Emmett was satisfied that he was alone, he breathed a sigh of relief and peered up at the UV lit stars above.
It was hard to believe how much things could change in a few months—in a few weeks, even. If Emmett from before the accident could see him now, would he even recognize himself?
Of course he would—all his cybernetics and prosthetics were underneath the surface. Still, Emmett knew intrinsically that he carried himself differently now. He'd always been a wallflower, content to see the world from the sidelines, but he didn't do that anymore—
Not as a super.
Emmett thought back to riding the bus back and forth from his college apartment to the lab, hoping to catch a glimpse of a super hopping across the rooftops.
Maybe past-Emmett wouldn't recognize himself anymore. Now, he ran across the rooftops and wore a mask.
"There he is!"
Emmett whirled around at the sound of Max's voice to find Max, Cherry, Larian, and Krystal walking across the roof.
"How did you guys get up here?"
"Stairs," Larian replied plainly, and gestured toward the other end of the roof.
Krystal said jokingly, "And you're not exactly original. What is it with you and roofs, anyway?"
TINA replied from Emmett's pocket, "I helped them locate you."
Cherry said, "Yes, TINA. You were very helpful."
Max scoffed. "Suck up."
"What? I, for one, am going to be nice to our AI overlord."
Most of the group shared an awkward laugh, but not Emmett or Max.
"Anyway," Max said. "We thought a rooftop hangout sounded like a good idea."
Larian nodded to the distant capes flying over the city. "Do you think they'll care if we're up here?"
TINA said, "I can cloak the rooftop."
Max chuckled uneasily. "I don't think that's necessary, TINA. They've got a lot bigger problems than a couple delinquents on the roof."
Emmett sat on the gravel and the rest of the group followed, arranging themselves in a loose circle.
Krystal asked, "So, where's Arsenal tonight?"
YOU ARE READING
Mod Superhero
Science FictionFor this cyborg, power is just an upgrade away. Emmett was used to being caught between college and his engineering internship, but when he gets caught between a powerful hero and an even stronger villain, he becomes collateral damage. Instead of d...
