Blood Obsidian

Issue 25

The unbearable weight of waiting ... - Part 1

Somewhere ...

Caitlyn felt cocooned and trapped as hushed whispers continued outside the machine that looked, as far as she could tell, like an MRI scanner but was, apparently, something that made an MRI look like a stethoscope in comparison. That didn't make it any easier for her to lie still for what now felt like hours. Another set of laser-like lines passed over her body and she fought to stop herself from panicking.

After more, tortuous minutes, where some mechanical arm had prodded her upper thigh, another set of laser lines passed over her, in a different colour, and another mechanical arm sat in front of her mouth and nose, collecting her breath, the machine's low, rumbling drone came to an end and the table she lay on whooshed out, back into the incredible room. And the incredible people. She still couldn't believe they had answered.

"Now, 'Blood Obsidian', please return to the seating area for the results." The electronic voice came from nowhere and everywhere, and Caitlyn sat up. "Rest assured, your identity remains a secret. Please put on the provided mask. Oh, and, you do realise 'Blood Obsidian' sounds a little ... villainy, right?"

"Yeah. It was a spur of the moment thing." On a table, beside the machine, she found the full-face mask and put it on. She had used a construction worker's mask to get here. "This machine? Does it measure sub-atomic electrical connections? Only, I have a thought ..."

"I'm sure you do." The voice cut her off and a door automatically opened, waiting for her to pass through. "I'd be glad to hear your thoughts, but later. The others have questions."

The lights in the room began to blink out and Caitlyn took that as a sign she should leave. Through the door, she saw blinking panels that pointed her in the right direction and she turned to follow them, trying not to look out of the thick windows. The first moment she had set foot here, she could do nothing but stare out of those windows, making herself look like some star-struck idiot.

That was, it turned out, appropriate. She could see stars through those windows. Not because it was night, oh no, but because they were in space. In a satellite. In space. The view of the Earth, spinning away below, had made her feel so incredibly small. Before today, she had never even left the state, let alone the planet, and the only person she could tell about it was Alaina. She couldn't help herself. She looked out of the window.

"Gets you every time, doesn't it?" The deep, melodious voice came from above and Caitlyn saw Principle hovering near the doorway, waiting for her. "I still look down in awe. Every human that has ever lived and died is down there. One planet among billions. I feel humbled and awed at that. We're waiting."

He raised a hand to the doorway, offering for her to lead him into the room that held more superheroes in one place than Caitlyn had ever seen. They weren't here for her, though it did feel like it at first. She soon came to learn that they had come together because of a threat on a different planet. A planet that wasn't Earth and that sent her mind spiralling. Alien planets. Alien civilisations. And Earth's heroes preparing to go there and fight the good fight.

Trooper Jane saw her first, giving her that salute and smile. Fear stood apart from everyone else, a black cloak covering his body, but not that frightful mask. Minerva, her magical sword peeking over her shoulder. Menhir, the hulking creature of stone, given life and intelligence by strange magics. A dozen others, their names running through Caitlyn's mind as her eyes passed across them.

A blaze of light flared on the platform where Caitlyn had first arrived, and a freak wind billowed around the room, tossing hair and clothing alike. Caitlyn couldn't even see a blur as the super-speedster, Swift, came to an abrupt stop before her and Principle. The black and white, skin-tight costume, bolt of black lightning crossing from shoulder to thigh, was always one of Caitlyn's favourites. Swift appeared to vibrate with barely restrained energy, turning to Principle.