Hero

Chapter Thirteen

"Holy shit," I muttered to myself, alternating through holding the mirror closer and further away from me.  Whatever I did, Stryker seemed to follow.  I didn't think of us as the same person; Stryker just wasn't the type of girl who had my past.  Stryker had loving parents, didn't blame herself for people's deaths, and wouldn't let herself be bullied into doing something she didn't want to.

I was not Stryker.  But this mirror seemed to think otherwise.

"Holy shit!"  I practically shouted it this time, snapping the mirror closed and beginning to jump up and down excitedly.  "Holy shit!  Holy shit!  I'm a superhero!  I'm a member of the POWER group!"  I guess it hadn't really sunk in until now.

Randi smirked as she watched me, crossing her arms over her chest.  "It's always so funny to see their reactions," she said, leaning over to talk to Tempus Manum.

"I know," he said, rolling his eyes.

She frowned back at him.  "You don't know.  You're new."

All of my old apprehensions about this job were gone.  "Can I go out and fight crime now?  Who's my Villain?  Are they some big monster creature?  This is so cool!"  I shrieked loudly with happiness.

"Stryke, you have to calm down," said Tempus Manum, putting his hands on my shoulders and looking me in the eye.  "You were supposed to straight to a photo shoot and then start preparing to give your first interview next week, but I don't think you're quite ready for that yet."  He glanced over at Randi, who had picked up her phone and was scrolling through it.  "Could I take Stryker down to train really quickly?" he asked her, snapping his fingers to get her attention.

Randi sighed and glanced at her watch.  "This took longer than anyone expected and she was late to begin with, so I guess we can push it off until later in the week.  But Stryker..."  She grabbed me by the arm and glared up at me.  "Be on time from now on.  A Hero is never late nor are they early.  They always arrive in the nick of time."

"Got it," I said.  "Nick of time it is."  Tempus Manum stood up and held open the door to Cherie's office, gesturing for me to walk out.

"But my clothes..." I said, looking back at the dressing room.  Did he expect me to walk out, where people could see me, in this costume?

"We'll make sure that they get back to you before the day is over.  They'll be ready to go by the time we finish training."  He gestured widely for me to follow him.  "Now let's go.  Or do you not want to fight?"

"I want to fight," I said, scurrying after him and following him into the elevator.  He pressed a button and the elevator began to descend slowly.  When they opened again, he stepped out and breathed in deeply.  I didn't see what was so impressive about the smell; it just smelled like leather and sweat to me.  A normal gym.

"Now, be careful.  This is my personal training area, so please try not smash anything while you're in here."  He smirked at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't get me mad and I won't," I quipped back, turning his smirk into a full-blown smile.  That was the first time I'd ever seen him smile because even in pictures and videos, he was always so stonily faced.  I didn't see why he insisted on always looking serious; the boy had a nice smile.

Tempus Manum's gym floor was made up of mats, like the kind Nova often practiced on for her gymnastic competitions.  I bounced slightly, rocking my weight up from my heels and down to my toes before rolling it back again as I stepped out of the elevator and looked around.  There was a balance beam, gymnast's rings, and free weights over in the corner.  Workout machines lined a wall made entirely of glass so that the exerciser could look out at the skyline of Everground while they worked out.