Secret Super (Book 1)

47. Into the Wilderness

A dull roar surrounded them as the train hurtled forward into darkness, violent tremors shaking the ground. People were jammed into every corner, nursing wounds, jostling for space, clinging to the metal bars lining the sides of the train.

Zadia was in a stupor. Everything inside her was numb and hollowed-out. Had she done the right thing? Or had she just doomed the people she cared about to be crushed under a collapsing building?

She looked up and caught the eyes of someone familiar: Mira.

Mira trudged over to her, heavily favoring one leg. Chunks of her hair had been burned off. She stood in front of Zadia with a stony expression.

The darkness rushed past them. Dully, Zadia wondered where the train would take them.

"Snap out of it," Mira said quietly.

Zadia was so shocked, all she could do was stammer. "Uh-- what?"

"I said, you're in a funk. Snap out of it."

Zadia's voice turned to cold fury. "You don't know what I just--"

"I don't care," Mira said shortly. "These people, you led them here. So lead them. They're scared. They don't know what's happening." She shrugged. "Get over yourself and go help them."

Zadia opened her mouth.

"Save your breath," Mira said. She swatted hair out of her face, and Zadia saw that her eyes were red.

"Anthony?" Zadia asked quietly. Part of her didn't want to know the answer.

Mira's lip trembled. She shook her head, then turned and limped away.

Zadia's heart sank.

She swallowed, a hard lump in her throat. She gathered her breath. Her hands wrapped around the cold metal bar.

"Okay," she said, more to herself than anyone else. "Okay." She raised her voice. "Hey, everyone!"

Silence fell over the wagon.

"Xavier lied to all of you," she started. "This whole time, he's had multiple organizations, and he's been leading his own agenda. All he wanted to do was eradicate superpowers, and he used his superpower of making anyone believe anything he said to do it."

"Where is he now?" someone shouted.

"I don't know. We lost track of him." She took a breath. "You can believe me, or don't. You all have two choices. A friend and I are going to start our own organization. Xavier may have been a manipulative, lying murderer, but he was right about one thing-- the system needs to change. And this new organization, it's going to fight the pollution that superheroes get their powers from. It's going to fight all of the superheroes' lies and corruption, but we're not gonna be like him."

She took a breath. "So all of you, whenever we get wherever it is that this train's going, you can disappear so that the superheroes don't find you, or you can come with us. You all joined Xavier's organization, whichever one, because you believed in a cause, because you saw bad things that were happening and wanted to change them. Even though everything went sideways, you can still do that." She paused. "You can come with us. It's up to you."

"Can you offer protection from the superheroes?" someone said.

"No. But the superheroes are going to hunt you down either way. We'll be safer if we fight them together."

People clamored, everyone shouting questions at her. Zadia answered them as best as she could.

As long as she stayed busy, she didn't have to think about Kara, or Anthony, or Em, or anyone else she couldn't save.