The Last Superhero (49 page)

His
lips brush my ear, gentle tickles that sedate that part of my soul
that ached for so long.

Lips
that carry the words no mortal human could ever predict a superhero
would pronounce, even through the faintest of whispers:

“
You're
the only one who can save me.”

53

But
saving him has to wait.

Daph's
got a hairline fracture in her arm from fighting against her bed
ties.

Ross,
Dad, and Suárez are still shaken hours after the whole ordeal
and even when Powell tries not to show it, he is too.

Jake's
wary of Michelangelo and that power of attraction of his.

Wyatt
and Frances, along with the doctors and the interns, are the only
ones who can't wait to go on with it.

“
I
knew it was a nightmare,” Dad replies when I ask him how he's
doing. “It felt real, but it wasn't. Ross's nightmare seems to
have been worse than mine.”

“
It
was a horrible thing to witness,” I comment.

“
You
all need to rest.” Dr. Morgan's been glued to our test results,
whipping the poor interns back and forth doing stuff while Dr.
Fletcher and Dr. Hudson tend to Steven. “You all took a beating
in that nightmare and he was out for too long; his body has taken a
terrible toll.”

I'm
having a very bad case of anxiety because I want to keep on working
but have to sit down and wait and it's as if there's a big pile of
burning coal under my hiney that doesn't let me stay still.

“
We
should go home and come back tomorrow.”

The
suggestion that comes from none other than Dad makes me leap to my
feet.

“
Do
we have to?”

Surreptitious
glances at our companions. “I think it'll be for the best.”

Yeah.
He's right.

Then
a sound akin to thunder frightens us as the giant metal doors are
opened and a group of men in camouflage holding rifles storms in.

Oh
fuck.

My
reaction is to run towards Steven.

“
Whoa!
What is this?” Ross pulls out his badge. “What are you
doing here?”

“
Hands
where I can see them!” I hear one of them shout, but I'm too
busy trying to get Steven off the bed and out...

“
Stop
what you're doing.”

To
sense a weapon aimed at your head is enough to make you shit your
pants.

“
What
are you here for?”

“
We
are the ones asking the questions.”

Is
this really happening?

“
You're
all under arrest,” another man says and I'm looking at Steven,
at Dr. Fletcher, at Dr. Hudson and their scared faces and
grrrrrrrrrr.

“
We
have permission to do this.” That's Dr. Morgan's voice. “Here's
the paperwork, signed by the Secretary of Defense, the president, you
name it.” See? This is the type of situation where being a
bitch actually helps. “We've been cleared to do this.”

“
Is
it me you want?” Steven asks, trying to step down from the bed
to be stopped when the soldier aiming at me changes to him. “Don't
hurt them. There's no need.”

Tires
screech in the background and more voices join the ones inside the
warehouse.

“
Colonel
Briggs!” I turn in time to see a black silhouette rushing in,
followed by others. “There's been a terrible misunderstanding.”

The
soldier keeping me on my spot lets me peek but doesn't lower his gun.

I
know that voice, but those damn plastic curtains blur everything.

Or
is it my nerves?

“
This
task force was terminated and you and your agents relocated. Where is
he?”

“
He's
here!” the soldier aiming at me answers.

I'm
about to spit something, but the rifle's pretty persuasive.

“
You
can't be here! I'm calling...” I know the voice that is urging
and getting closer and closer, until the plastic curtain is opened
and in comes that colonel from the TV, Briggs? And... Simon?!

I
hear rather than see Steven stiffen on the bed.

“
Colonel,
you're not authorized!”

“
Simon?!”

“
Briggs?”

Turn
back and Steven's staring straight at the colonel.

“
I
told you I'd find you, Waldorf. I told you I'd find you and kill you
off once and for all.”

“
Colonel-”
Simon stands between Steven and the man with the raging eyes.

“
Shut
up!” Briggs raises a handgun to Simon. “I'm tired of you
and your group. Your
connections
and how you've managed to brainwash the president and all his little
friends into believing this is a scum worth saving.”

Get
that rifle outta my face because I need to insult this motherfucker!

“
Don't
do something you'll regret, Colonel.”

I'm
about to start sending darts out of my eyes when shots are fired
outside and the lights go out.

Freeze.

Emergency
lights, Y U so dim?!

Even
through the darkness I get to see Colonel Briggs still pointing his
gun at Simon.

“
Leave
now or you'll regret it, Colonel.”

“
Regret
what? Not killing that freak when I had the chance?”

“
Don't
hurt them!” Steven's pushing Simon to the side. “Take me,
if that's what you want. Take me and leave them.”

“
My
pleasure.” The words come through the gritted teeth of the man
in uniform.

But
Simon's quick to shut him down by shooting one of his kneecaps, then
the hand he's holding the gun with.

Shots
fired in the vicinity.

Super
close.

Drop
to the floor.

Simon
wrestles the man that had me at gunpoint, putting a bullet to his
head.

“
He's
shot!” Dr. Hudson cries as she and Fletcher push Steven to the
stretcher and I see it, the blood on his arm.

More
shots.

Simon
pulls me down by an arm. “Here.” Hands me a gun.

As
if I knew how to use this thing!

But
the shooting has ceased.

Ross
and Suárez storm into the enclosure.

“
Is
everyone okay?” Ross asks. No need to answer; he's seen the
blood. “Uh-oh.”

Dr.
Hudson's pressing the wound on Steven's arm and he's not looking
good. “He's too weak!”

This
is not how this should've gone down.

The
colonel doesn't seem so menacing as he can only grunt out his pain
while Suárez makes sure he stays put with a casual aim of his
gun.

Simon
peeks out through the curtains before another set of shots is heard.

And
I manage to see shadows crouched everywhere.

The
only one I see clearly is Dad, under a desk.

And
Dr. Morgan with a gun in her hand.

Wyatt's
crawling towards us.

Am
I standing in a puddle of blood?

The
lights go out completely and a pulsing starts in one of my legs.

Reach
down, touch it and feel the slickness and the moisture and the pain.

I'm
shot. Fuck, I'm shot.

Lights
back. Shots have stopped.

Cold.

Turn
to where Steven is and see Dr. Hudson suddenly joined by Miss Cane.
And is that a syringe in the latter's hand?

Steven
mumbles something, his head whipping from side to side.

And
so it begins.

54

“
Let
me help you with this.” Dr. Morgan's wrapping a tourniquet on
my right leg.

Had
I lost consciousness for a moment?

“
Is
everyone okay?”

“
This
is going to hurt.”

AGH!
It motherfucking hurt!

Close
my eyes for a second and when I open them again, we're inside an
airplane.

“
Fuck.”

“
It's
okay.” Dr. Morgan's still with me. “We know what to do.”

It's
a small commercial flight, but there seems to be only us inside the
plane.

“
Where's
everyone else?”

I
stand, making my way out of my line of seats to realize we're all in
the plane and everyone's trying to figure out what's going on.

“
Steven's
shot.”

Distortion.

Is
it me?

We're
back at the warehouse and I'm on the floor, in pain.

“
He's
coming in and out of consciousness.” Dr. Morgan leaves my side
to aid someone else.

Turn
on my stomach and there are a lot of people laying on the floor,
motionless.

“
Giana,
baby.” Dad kneels beside me.

“
Are
you okay?”

“
Yes.
I'm fine.”

Aaaaand
we're back in the plane.

Someone
emerges from the first class area.

“
What
the fuck is going on?” Colonel Briggs demands.

“
Stay
where you are.” Ross comes forward from his place at the back
of the plane. “We're in a nightmare.”

We're
all in human form; no one seems to have morphed.