The Library of Powers

Chapter 10 - Part 4

It only took Jackson half the sizable staircase to figure out where it was headed. It wasn't some unique part of the Library, but the rest of the Central Branch. He quickened his pace when he noticed the telltale metal stretchers and glass panels. Arriving at the top, Jackson gazed at the empty rooms, empty chairs, empty desks.

It was dark, which was strange for the Library, which liked to keep itself at the perfect level of light for reading. However he could still see, even though the fluorescents above him were turned off. The real source of light was from the stars.

Above him were a million tiny specks of light, off somewhere far in the distance. They shone almost unnaturally bright, against a pitch black void. It seemed this version of the central branch, unfortunately, did not come with its own replica Vera City. It was floating somewhere on its own, not betraying the location of The Library more than any of the other rooms. All the surroundings were null after the park surrounding the central branch.

But if the park was there, that meant...

Jackson darted out the front doors and down the steps, almost tripping over his own feet as he reached the bottom. He could see what should've been the Writing Well in front of him. Finally approaching it, the new structure laughed in the face of what could have been answers.

A life-sized statue sitting on a pedestal took the place of the fountain. It was the figure of a man, crudely formed, chiseled from some black rock, kneeling, facing away from the library. From the opposite side it was more clear. The man's head had been shattered in two, the upper half completely missing. That, combined with the rough cuts of the statue, betrayed nothing of the man's identity. The plaque read "The Offspring of Silence", which Jackson recognized as a quote from The Epic of Gilgamesh. He had gone through an ancient civilization phase when he was in middle school, and the Library always provided.

Leaving the statue, Jackson started walking toward the "edge of the world". It only took a few steps to notice something was off. The stars were getting bigger, much bigger then they should. When he reached the "edge" the reason was revealed. There was no edge at all, but a wall, with tiny pinprick holes where light shone through. Jackson plugged one of the holes with his finger, feeling the smooth surface of the wall, which felt like thick, impossibly black paint. It seemed he would find no answers here.

"Why you got here quick," a feminine voice said, giving Jackson a minor heart attack. Whirling around, the statue was gone and in its place was Phoebe Winter, sitting on the edge of the pedestal with a sly grin.

Phoebe Winter, sister of the mayor. Phoebe Winter, supervillain. Phoebe Winter, original member of the Calypsos. Phoebe Winter, mass murderer. Phoebe Winter, who should be in jail.

But was in the Library of Powers, looking for him.

Jackson did what was natural for him, what he did whenever he was confronted with a situation where escape was impossible.

He exited the library. As he was leaving, he could've sworn he heard Phoebe yell, "Hey wait!". To be perfectly honest, he didn't care to know what she wanted with him. She could be giving him the key to the city and he wouldn't have stayed. Jackson exited The Library, with no regrets.

Opening his eyes back in the armchair in the real Vera City Public Library (Central Branch), Jackson was face to face with another familiar face, the one of GeoGeo. Professional Superhero.

GeoGeo was in full uniform, which for him was a spandex bodysuit, running shoes, and his iconic charcoal sweatshirt. At first glance, the hooded sweatshirt looked normal, but it was not iconic for being normal. If you paid attention to where the fabric folded, you would begin to notice the triangles. The entire shirt was made of triangles. When it fluttered in the wind, the positioning of the triangles folded, giving the costume an ephemeral quality.

This directly connected to GeoGeo's power, which was Planar like Jackson. GeoGeo couldn't fully enter his world, but instead, bring bits and pieces into ours. The chapter on him in "Supers Anon 2015", the popular reference book on the whos who in the super world, said that his plane was entirely made out of triangles, similar to really bad CGI in early 90s movies. His plane was the size of our world, and wherever he went in our world, he went in his. How this affected his powers was when concentrating he could temporarily swap part of our world with his. If strategically placed, an empty field could have a wall down the middle, or a hole under the enemy. And GeoGeo was always strategic.

"Kid, ya okay?" GeoGeo asked as Jackson struggled to respond. He considered using his power to run from this one, but GeoGeo was part of "The Nobodies" Superhero team and would have the resources to track him down. Better to sort this one out.

"Yeah, why?" Jackson ultimately decided on, getting out of the chair and brushing himself off.

"My buddy Triazz, wait, ya know who Triazz is? Right? Famous Finder?"

"Yeah."

"He sent me here after noticing there was some strange time manipulation. Right where yer sitting. Don't worry, yer not in trouble. Yet."

"Oh, uh. Why would that be a problem?"

"The Vera City Public Library is a super watchpoint, kid. 24/7 monitoring. All potentially dangerous powers need-a be checked."

"Dangerous? Super watchpoint?. It's just a library, right?" Jackson knew that made him sound suspicious, but he was just genuinely curious. And hey, he really wasn't doing anything wrong this time.

GeoGeo took his hood off, making his features a little more clear and his demeanor a little less intimidating. He was a bald man, in his early 40s, extremely pale with piercing amber eyes. "The Library is smack dab in the middle of city proper, or at least it was when it was built. Still the middle of everything worth a damn in my opinion. There's been no less than ten supervillain battles since its renovation. The only spot with more than that is the effin' jetty."

"I didn't know that," Jackson conceded, "Has anyone ever told you that you don't sound like a hero? No offense, it's honestly refreshing."

"We come in all shapes and sizes kid. Hey, if the energy levels Triazz gave me were correct, you'll be one someday. Some serious power there. Just, uh, don't hold up the Library at gunpoint. Don't wanna have ta arrest you."

Jackson started to walk away, his crazy meter having maxed out for the day, probably the week. "No worries, not going to happen. Hero or Villain. Nice to meet you." he said offhand as he left, hoping that alleviated the rudeness of leaving so abruptly.

Once Jackson had left, GeoGeo said under his breath, "Strange kid. Reminds me of me."