Built Different [Cyborg Superhero ProgFant]

The super stood from the chair immediately and moved over to pull me in for a hug. It was bliss.

"Are you okay, babe? You look pale."

[Some residual aches, but otherwise a clean bill of health.]

"Thank fuck." She sighed, blowing warm air across my neck. "I was so worried. When we arrived and found you just lying on the ground…"

I didn't really have the words to console her, imagining that if the tables were turned, then I would have been just as distraught. Perhaps I was lucky that the super was hardier than most in the city. I should probably take better care of my own mortality.

From the hospital bed, Roy just grinned. "A little more forewarning would have been nice."

[Apologies. I was playing things by ear a little.]

Roxy released her grip on me. "I'm going to grab some drinks and freshen up. You keep the chatterbox busy until he can get discharged."

[You should sign over your healthcare rights to Clara. Much more efficient.]

The Captain's face fell slightly. "She offered, but after hearing her novel ideas of how I could be 'improved' I politely declined."

I smiled as much as I could with my eyes and glanced over at Roxy, who was now by the door.

[Oh, could you pick me up something too?]

She paused and turned. "Of course, Dubs. What would you, ah… want me to see if the Meteor has any canisters?"

[Surprise me.]

Her eyes narrowed, but she gave me a nod before leaving the room. I sighed and went to sit on the chair where she had been perched previously. It was remarkably warm.

"How are you holding up?" Roy asked. "I assumed you got out of that a lot worse than I did."

[It was basically an EMP for my magical senses. Since my blood is thick with magic, it took me a little while to reboot.]

Judging by the angle of sunlight coming in through the blinds, I'd been out for a couple of hours. A power nap.

[Mostly just glad to be free of the Aberration.]

"I hear that." He nodded along as I detailed the events after they had left the warehouse. The visual hallucinations and brief scuffle before he had arrived. In the retelling, fresh memories resurfaced. Whispers of the Witness that I had heard since returning to the city, but hadn't clocked due to the eldritch influence.

[I'm glad you didn't get caught up in the crossfire. I appreciate your arriving to help.]

"Of course." He grinned and relaxed into the stack of pillows arranged behind him. "Always willing to be bait if it helps you pull off some new and destructive bullshit. Not only that, but I think you helped me as well."

[The others mentioned you might be close to a breakthrough?]

Roy ran his tongue across his lips, savoring the moment before the rush of excitement illuminated his face. Despite the energy in his eyes, he just smiled wider and said a single word. "Yes."

[I want all the details right now.]

He sat forward immediately, needing no further encouragement. "It was when you delivered your cheesy one-liner to the monster. I knew I had to get away and put all my effort into doing so. There were some… it brought up some old memories. Of serving. More of an emotional connection than anything specific, if that makes sense."

I nodded. It had been a surge of emotional turmoil that had brought the volcanic side of Roxy out, after all. Another dangerous situation that I had caused, but I was sure that wasn't a necessary contributing factor for superhero growth. I gestured for the Captain to continue.

"Issue is, I only got a hint of what could be possible. A sense of direction for what kind of answer would unlock the door, but the key is still out of reach." He furrowed his brow and glanced at the window. "Total blue balls. It has something to do with how I use my power to increase my speed."

[Going unconscious probably didn't help with the revelation-in-wait.]

"Maybe." He shrugged, and a smile returned to his face. "Want to see something cool, though?"

I did, but he didn't even give me a chance to respond before turning to his side table where he picked up an apple. After taking a deep breath, he held his arms apart, the fruit resting in his right hand. He glanced at me to see if I was ready. I gave another tentative nod.

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Roy closed his eyes, scowling as he lowered his head slightly. Audibly, there was a growing hum. Subtle enough that I could almost mistake it for atmospheric noise at first, before the volume rose too high to ignore. Before I could introspect further, there was a small shockwave, ruffling the bedcovers. The apple was now in his left hand.

He gasped for air and relaxed back into the bed, casually inspecting the apple before giving me a sheepish smile. "Neat trick, huh?"

It wasn't teleportation; I knew that much. Even with how fried my senses were, I didn't catch a single thread of magic in the room. I hadn't blinked during the switch, yet I had missed it.

[Impressive. A localized burst of hyper-speed?]

"Eh, that sounds cooler than what I had called it." He tilted his head. "I can't think of an apt metaphor right now, but if you view my super speed as potential, then I compressed that maximum down to fit a smaller window. It's exhausting and very limited, but I think it's a stepping stone toward my breakthrough."

I scratched the side of my head. An even faster speedster would be another massive boost in power for the Natural Disasters and our future endeavours. Incredible strength and overwhelming firepower was one thing, but being able to complete actions faster than most people could even register was downright unfair.

[You might view this next piece of news differently than the others, then.]

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."

[Our holiday is going to be anything but a lazy vacation. I'm setting up a mandatory training camp for us all.]

If it weren't for the lingering threats the super had given him prior, he probably would have leaped out of bed ready for action at this news. "I will literally work to the bone to get this breakthrough."

Of course, I knew this. The others might be less keen to trudge through Camp W, but it was a necessary evil. In all honesty, we weren't really heroes anymore. Not in the sense that the League treated most with that title. We weren't mercenaries either. In juxtaposition with our team name, we were built to end disaster and calamity. At least to the point of saving Goldarch and our own lives.

I could almost feel Boss waiting just out of the shot, smiling as he dragged us into a war with the Government.

That was the crux of it. Whether it was a clone army of my lost brother, or some other assassination scheme aimed at getting rid of me, I was a target. Those close to me would be targets. Accepting defeat wasn't an option, so the alternative was to grow and become more powerful.

When our new base was up and functional, I wanted to hit the ground running.

[No injuring yourself in the process, otherwise I will give Clara full rein over what to do with you.]

Roy grimaced and gave me a stoic nod. "There must be trouble on the horizon, huh?"

[Can you tell me a time when there wasn't?]

"Probably the day before I met you." He grinned again. "Not that it's all been bad."

[More complicated and bloody.]

"Nice to have direction again. If it weren't too obvious, I tend to get myself in trouble without some… structure to my life." Roy sighed. "I thought the League would give me stronger direction, but they have too many problems on their plate. Once Rox fell off, I was mostly left to my own devices as long as I clocked in and out of my basic duties."

[You're happy to follow? There's no desire to lead?]

"Tried it once, and that's enough for a lifetime." He shook his head. "Far too old for that sort of stress these days. You've got a solid head on your shoulders, Dubs, and the results speak for themselves."

There could be no denying that whatever I had done for the team had been effective. We were now A-Rank, even if a whole new category had to be created for us. Our levels of power kept increasing, and we'd found a niche within the city that kept us useful and on our toes. It wasn't all sunshine and roses, but it was an improvement.

[Glad to hear it. Destiny seems to drag me toward greater calamity, so we all need to be on the same page. Let's find the doctor so that we can get you out of here.]

What I actually did was message Roxy to tell her to do that. While the Captain seemed fine, I didn't want to get in trouble for dragging him out of bed. Especially not after the super had told him to remain in place.

Thankfully, we were able to get him discharged in short order. Just bruising where he had tumbled across the ground from the shockwave, and his brain was fine. A little wobbly on his feet, which made both of us look like senior citizens as we struggled to the elevator. Roxy met us in the lobby, and she assisted the speedster to the Meteor. Belle and Clara had already made their way to the vehicle, but Ren was having a quiet conversation with the receptionist.

I waited until she finished, and the elf came over to me with her arms crossed.

[Everything fine?]

"Nothing to worry about. I'm glad to see you survived another near-death incident."

[It's quite a terrible habit.]

She gave me a glum smile. "Better than the alternative. How did you even do it? With your artifact, I mean."

I glanced around the small lobby. Other than the two receptionists and a couple of patients waiting in the seated area, it was remarkably quiet. Perhaps not the general hospital for this area of the city. A private League one. I gave her a shrug.

[It's connected to my brain. I just had to force the draw of power in an unnatural way. Like biting through my own tongue.]

Ren furrowed her brow and nodded thoughtfully, not catching the irony of me saying that last part. It was rather transparent that she had her own artifact on her mind and wanted some tips for how to improve her own abilities.

[I can workshop ideas with you. We are going to have a rather busy 'vacation'.]

"Naturally." She looked back up at me, but the slight frown remained. "We can't afford to rest too much. Plus, I'd… like to be more for the team than a sharp arrow and deep purse."

I gestured for us to leave, and we walked toward the exit.

[You already are, Ren. Have a think about what you really want, and we'll have a roundtable tomorrow. I've got a set of prefabs landing in the outskirts as a temporary base. We're all hungry for that growth.]

She pushed open the wide hospital doors and stepped into the sunlight, which illuminated her golden blonde hair. "The Arena was a big wake-up call."

It stood to reason that a hero would look back at a success and see room for improvement. What was the point of having superpowers if you towed too close to the line of failure, after all? If we were stronger, the attack might have been dealt with a little easier. We wouldn't have to struggle against ever-increasing threats leveled in our direction.

Just a coincidence that it was those closest to me that had this determination and capacity for growth. Surely.

Damn. I hated it when Boss was correct.