Atomic Rebooted

52. New Generation

MIRA

Lora was unable to call or visit that night. But there was still that promise I held into as I stayed under the Reagans' roof another night. I had a family waiting for me, a home.

I didn't dare get my hopes up. But it was something, it was the possibility of a future. And that was more than I thought I'd have, coming out the other side of the rabbit hole.

I remained in the apartment again, and this time I wouldn't go anywhere. Not now that the Sentinels were looking for me.

That part had me concerned. Why were they searching harder for me than they had for Verity?

Did Dr. Banning suspect what I was looking for all along?

Or because of the way I disappeared, did they think there was a chance I was hurt or someone had taken me?

I didn't know for sure. But I didn't want to risk it after all I'd learned and done to earn my freedom from them.

After the Reagans left, I sat in the kitchen again, and worked to control a dance-like flight of silverware through the air. I wanted to refine my control over the power I'd clearly inherited from my mother.

There was a beauty to it, using my powers like this. I wasn't fighting or straining it to its limits like I'd learned to do with my super-speed. Instead, I was able to just enjoy it, play with it the way most children did their toys. I'd never gotten the chance to view my power with such whimsy and wonder.

Instead, Atomic Energy had made that into a weapon, too, along with the rest of me.

I contemplated what kind of future Lora would be able to make for me. I'd come to appreciate her true heroism and forgive her for the role she held in Verity's death. But that didn't mean I still didn't know where I stood with her.

We'd been enemies for so long, it would be hard to adjust with living with her, with having her for a mother.

That said, I was ready for a future beyond being a living weapon.

My contemplation was interrupted by an explosion that rumbled the floor. The forks went clattering to the floor, and I ran to the window to see what had happened.

It chilled my blood like ice.

They'd attacked the school. Multiple supervillains, I could see them from the windows of Henry's apartment. I was certain I saw two of Dr. Electra's minions flying around.

Was this revenge for Saturday night?

I wasn't certain—but I knew I had to intervene, I had to help, I had to do my job.

I rushed up to the pigeon coop. I hadn't touched my Sentinel uniform in four days. I hesitated to pick up the mask now, for it seemed to be red like blood.

I considered just running up to the school in my normal clothes. After all, I'd navigated things just fine in Dr. Electra's lab in civilian clothes and injured, with morphine coursing through my body.

But there was an importance to the costume, the mask. I'd learned from Henry how important that anonymity was. And from Lora, I'd learned how it was my last defense against Atomic Energy.

But it wasn't like I had another hero costume ready to go, as much as I hated putting my old one now.

That would have to be a priority in my new life, I decided.

Because a lifetime of learning to be a hero wasn't something I could let go of so easily.

I dashed out of the pigeon coop and climbed down the fire escape, just as I'd done with Henry on those nights before.

I had to help him—not that he needed my help, I was sure, but I wasn't the type to just sit there and wait. Faith was not my specialty either.

So when my boots hit the ground, I was off. I vaulted over cars at high speeds, sprinted around pedestrians, and made my way into the school.

I stopped in the hallway outside of the library—for there was none other than Glitch.

"You!" He snarled, able to recognize me despite the mask. I guess that they'd done their research when I was asleep.

He gestured angrily to extra padded patch over about where I'd stabbed him with the surgical scissors. "You nearly killed me!"

"I'd say the same." I started stalking toward him.

"Oh, we wouldn't have killed you, not when it's hard to get a Sentinel specimen." He pulled twin truncheons from slots in his jetpack and they crackled to life, green lightning hovering over the metal. "Too bad we'll have to take you in, injured."

"I don't think so," I muttered, throwing my hands up. I could feel the hum of the metal. I pushed it toward him—the metal nearly clocked him in the face—only for the metal to push back.

"So you did develop a metal-bending power after all," Glitch muttered through gritted teeth. "Too bad that's also my specialty, Mercury."

I dove back as the truncheons swirled over my head. I dropped to a crouch and swung a kick at his legs, just as I'd done with Ryder so often.

Unfortunately, I came across metal guards at his shins.

I collapsed to the ground as he loomed overhead.

"Nice try—but not good enough."

I knew what I had to do.

I shifted into super-speed, and got to my feet. I kicked him into the lockers—that was enough to knock him out.

I then dashed into the library, only to stumble to a stop as pain shot up my leg.

"Gah!" I looked down to my ankle—it was swollen, and something about it twisted my foot out wrong. I'd kicked Glitch's metal shin guards at full force and had paid the price.

But I couldn't stop now—I could see three superheroes taking on Tenebrous right there, in the center of the library.

I had to help, I had to try.

Even though I could do was limp forward.