GUARDIANS25: The Book of Sirrah

Running Uphill 2

The Generals were all sitting in a meeting that night. Thebe, Callisto, and I were making small talk before Anora entered, her presence always signaling the meeting was beginning. In those days, the meetings were fun. We had the opportunity to discuss at an open table issues that were affecting us psychologically and mentally; it was less about threats against humanity and the world. Though, in the back of our minds, we knew aliens would arrive, and that we'd have to be prepared to fight. We were amid conflict with McVonte and GST about our purpose and how we were going to be used for matters that did not involve outer-world threats. I, for one, did not want to be involved in politics and the matters of human turmoil. It was messy enough as it was without our intervention.

Anora walked in swiftly and slammed a portfolio on the table, stopping everyone mid-sentence. She put her hands on her hips, not yet facing us. She took a deep breath and turned toward the table to fix the portfolio she may have spread. She opened it and grabbed a picture from it. It was a female superhero, notably, in spandex, a cape, and a mask.

We all recognized her as a Mallonite—Ugi. Her long blonde hair flowed in the picture down to her feet as a bystander seemingly took the photo from yards away without her noticing. Her poise, strength, and smile were very reminiscent of how I remember her in high school as a gymnast and cheerleader. Ugi had the power to control and manipulate the length and durability of her hair and use it in battle. Her hair could also heal you when touched, so she was categorized as an Ailment.

In her free time, instead of going to sit alone at the highest point in the city like I had been doing, she was freelancing as a superhero. The students here knew of her activity, helping her cover her tracks when she needed it, but it seemed as if Anora had only just discovered her new extracurricular activities.

"This is a problem," Anora spat.

We all remained quiet, waiting for someone to take the lead on this conversation. We hadn't preplanned a response so, we wondered, do we lie to her, or go against our friend for the sake of leadership?

"You all knew about this, didn't you?" Anora asked in a low tone, seemingly affirming it to herself.

"What's so wrong with her doing good for people?" Callisto spoke up. He knew he'd be the most appropriate to conflict with Anora since he was her son.

"There're so many things wrong with this!" she said, unbuttoning her blazer and fanning herself with the empty portfolio.

"I mean, she's using her powers to help people," Thebe added, her signature long trench coat hiding her wings underneath.

"Yeah," we all chimed in as collective support.

"There're so many things wrong with this," she repeated and continued to say, "We discussed the use of powers outside of The Institute for personal or societal gain was not a part of our mission, and all of you agreed!"

"We do agree, Anora. It's just that, she's her own person. They are her powers. Shouldn't she have the freedom to save the world if she wants to?" I asked, but the words didn't sound right coming out of my mouth, so I finished with, "I don't know."

Thebe raised her hand to back me. "No, you're absolutely right. If I didn't have so much responsibility at The Institute, I'd be out there too, you know? It's that old Superman mentality, 'with great power comes great responsibility'—"

"That was Spiderman," Callisto interjected.

"Nerd—who cares? The point is... I understand her wanting to do more with her gifts," Thebe said. Anora took a seat at the head of the table as Thebe continued, "My team hasn't lost in training yet, we work together so much that we gain a certain fulfillment that their responsibility is here with the team supporting each other. I am just a good leader—no offense," she finished at me.