Atomic Rebooted

28. Debut

CLAIRE

I have never changed my clothes faster in my life. All the practicing for the quick-change had prepared me well for what would happen next.

I hid the messenger bag behind a plant in the second level of the shelf in the one-room bathroom inside of the Starbucks before emerging as Psyche. I'd obviously have to figure out a distraction later— but that was a later problem.

Now I needed to defeat a supervillain.

I escaped out the back of the Starbucks, probably using some door I wasn't supposed to, but that was the absolute least of my problems.

I started running towards the park, vaulting over the fence and making my way around the crowd, so I wouldn't get trampled with my cape.

The park itself was quickly turning into a mess. Menlo wasn't the only henchman there.

Glitch, another Dr. Electra henchman, was also hanging around, destroying booths and trying to attack citizens—I didn't even know where to start in the chaos.

"Hey! Get away from them!" I pushed out with everything I had, the energy field knocking two booth workers to the ground and pushing Glitch all the way across the park, out of sight.

"Oops!" I hurried over to the booth workers, helping them to their feet. "You need to go, evacuation's out near the coffee shop!"

They said nothing to me, didn't even acknowledge me as they sprinted through one of the nearest exits.

I looked around—where to start, what to do?

Should I try to put out the fires? Or find more civilians? Or do I try to go after Tenebrous by myself?

I was starting to realize that there was more to being a superhero than I'd thought.

I figured that the Fire Department or someone with snow or water-based powers had to be out there and coming to stop this, so I needed to go try to find the other people, see if I could help them get out.

I started running through the labyrinth of burning tents and booths—which in hindsight probably was a bad idea. I turned the corner, towards the ice rink.

Standing on a platform of shattered ice melded together was Tenebrous, hovering over the concrete where the ice had once been. In the background, I could see Heretic with a new girl in a matching black duster lifting the tents into the air.

"Oh shit," I muttered, taking in the scene before me.

But I had to act, and quick.

I dropped into the defensive stance I'd seen in some YouTube videos on martial arts for women, and tried to remember the moves they mentioned.

As a girl who was only 5'2, I knew I didn't have that much of a shot of intimidating the guy, or even winning, given that I couldn't win against Renegade.

But I had to try.

"Stop right there, villain!"

I winced as the words came out of my mouth. Too corny, even for me.

"Look, I'm not in this to fight literal children," Tenebrous sighed. "Leave this to the adults— you have no idea what you're signing up for."

"I'll show you who's a child!" I yelled, and I pushed a wavy of the silvery-blue energy at Tenebrous.

He managed to get out of the way for the most part, although it collided on his shoulder and nearly toppled him.

"Fine, I tried to give you an out, little hero," Tenebrous snarled. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Oops, I thought as I saw an incoming of ice-daggers flying towards me. Like Wonder Woman, I crossed my arms in an X, creating a shield of energy powerful enough to redirect all of the ice shards back at him.

That's when I heard a sound I recognized— Renegade had arrived via portal.

"Who the hell are you?"

"That's not very nice," I muttered as I looked back to see that Tenebrous had regained control of his little ice daggers. "There's a new hero in town, Renegade. I'm Psyche—"

"Watch out!" Renegade swooped down, slamming us both to the ground as ice rained over our heads.

I pushed him off of me as it stopped. "Hey, keep your hands to yourself, I've got this."

"Do you really?" Skepticism dripped from his voice as we both rose to our feet.

I ignored that, instead trying to figure out my next move.

"So what's the plan?" I asked.

"I don't ever really have a plan," Renegade admitted. "I usually just wing it— incoming!"

Before I could react, he grabbed me and we portalled away to the platform— a few feet lower and to the right, so the ice sailed over our heads.

"Give up now, kids, I won't give you another chance," Tenebrous declared. "This is only a taste of what I will do to this city when my plans are complete!"

"So this was like, a hobby supervillain attack, not part of a professional plan?" I asked— I was about to clap my hand to my mouth when Renegade grabbed my hand, stopping me.

"That was a good line," he whispered into my ear.

"I don't expect children in costumes to understand my motivations," Tenebrous said in a rather condescending tone. "But I will not be stopped— I have set in motion events that will change our city forever!"

Before he could continue monologuing, I formed a shield of energy, and tried to envelope him in it, lasso it around him.

He struggled, and I could feel the shatter ability on my energy fields, trying to crack them.

But I wouldn't let him get away, wouldn't let him use my own abilities against me.

I strained, the world around me fading away.

Only the police sirens pierced the fog I was entering.

Then I fell to the ground. I was pushed, I realized numbly as I struggled to prop myself up on my elbows. I felt something warm trickling on my face, and I wiped it with my sleeve to see red splatters.

I had a nosebleed, I realized numbly.

"Psyche!"

I looked up to see Renegade standing over me, eyes wide with terror.

I frowned—Renegade never seemed scared of anything. His hand was open to me.

I blinked, trying to understand.

"Psyche, we gotta go—the cops and the Sentinels are coming, and they're not gonna like it if they find you here."

He pulled me to my feet. I felt unsteady, powerless. I swayed on my feet.

He gave me a sympathetic look. "You overused your power—just a sec, I'll help you."

I heard the sound of a portal, and with a light push, I fell back into an alley.

The one right behind the coffee shop.

What a strange coincidence.

However, I wasn't in the mood to analyze Renegade's motives, not now. I shrugged and got to my feet, sneaking in through the back exit of the coffee shop to find my bag and change.

It took me forever to stop my nose from bleeding, and I took forever to get changed.

But no one looked at me when I left the bathroom— except for Tristan when he burst in, wild-eyed and with messy hair a few minutes later.

"Thank god, there you are," he said, slightly out of breath. "I've been looking everywhere for you! You're never gonna believe what happened!"

"You'll have to tell me in the car," I said, adjusting my shoulder strap.

"Yeah." He touched the back of his neck. "I guess it is time to take you home, isn't it? Even if it is only noon."

He offered me his hand, and so we left the winter festival. And I had left behind my first fight as a superhero.