Hero

Chapter Sixteen

Nova deserved to show off.  She’d worked hard in her life.  She won competitions, went to fights, took everything seriously and never backed down from a challenge.  If anyone deserved to be doing a backflip off a pommel horse, landing on a balance beam, and flipping her way across it until she tumbled to the floor, it was Nova.

It didn’t mean that I wasn’t allowed to think she was showing off for Tempus Manum.  She stood up and bowed in front of Tempus Manum and I.  He looked over at me, eyebrows raised slightly, before clapping lightly.  “Holy shit, that was…really flexible,” he said.  Nova giggled at his compliment and toyed with her hair.  “Welcome to the team, SuperNova.”

“Thanks,” she said, giggling again.  “I’m just really happy I have this opportunity.  Not only to support Mina…”  She grimaced slightly and continued, “I mean, Stryker.  Not only to support her, but also support the city of Everground.  If they don’t have people like us to protect them, then who knows what could happen.”

“Stryke, you chose an amazing partner,” said Tempus Manum, bumping my shoulder.  I chuckled slightly under my breath and shook my head.  Of course I knew that.  Did he think I was an idiot?  “I mean, gorgeous to look at, perfect for the job, and a born speaker.”

“Maybe not born,” I said.  “Come on, Temp, I know you read her file.  You know almost as well as I do that she’s been doing this her whole life.”

“Excuse me, are you implying that I trained to be a good speaker?” asked Nova, coming up in front of me and frowning.  “That I wasn’t born a good speaker?  That I’m inferior to you?”

“Nova…” I sighed.  Oh, great, now she’d be in a mood.  “Nova, that’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“No, but it’s what you implied,” she spat at me, taking a step forward.

Tempus Manum placed a hand on her shoulder before she could touch me, though, and shoved her back slightly.  “Nova, she didn’t mean it like that, okay?  You two are friends, and let’s try keeping it that way, okay?”  Nova grumbled something unintelligibly and started storming off over to where her clothes were sitting in a locker.

“If it would please the lady Stryker, can I get changed?” she asked sarcastically.  I could tell Nova’s mood by how childish she was being, usually, and she’d completely skipped over her ‘valley-girl’ bit.

“No,” said Tempus Manum, responding before I could.  “Head up to the ninety-sixth floor.  Technically, that’s my photo shoot lounge, but you can borrow it for now, okay?  We need some official shots for the papers.”  Nova squealed and ran off towards the elevator, bouncing excitedly until the elevator came and then pressing the button repeatedly until the doors closed.

“She’s going to break that elevator,” I said dryly, walking over to one of the exercise machines and sitting down.  I rubbed my left knee absently, fondling the three new black bands that wrapped around it in my costume.  After the fight with Mistress, I’d done something to it; even Doctor Everett and SnowSword, who had the best understanding of what I was in the world, couldn’t figure out exactly what had happened.  They’d tried their best to fix it, but it seemed that I’d be stuck with a bum knee for the rest of my life.  The suit helped, though.  You could barely tell that I was relying on my right leg now.

“Let her have her fun,” said Tempus Manum, following me and sitting down on the machine next to me.  “She’s excited.  I would be too if I were in her position.”

“But you are,” I said, frowning.  “I mean, you’re in a better position.  Weren’t you that happy?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head.  “No, I had just gotten my powers when I joined.  I was kind of terrified and…”  He sighed.  “I think I didn’t want to really be a Hero when I applied, but I got in and I went with it and this is how it is now.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, but if I could go back and redo everything?  I might not apply.”  That was something I hadn’t expected.  He seemed so…ready fit for the job.  Like he was born to be a Hero.  Maybe that just came with experience.