The Library of Powers

Chapter 11: Dino & Sons

It was Sunday, and Jackson had just arrived at Super's ladder. The skyscraper towered above him, the large revolving door calling him to step inside. While Super's ladder was only the second largest building in the city, it was still the one that was plastered on promotional material. The building was bisected, with the two nearly touching towers being connected by a bridge on every floor. The effect was that from far away, the building looked like it had a ladder in the center of it, which a large enough person could climb. Ares, a 50-foot tall superhero from the 90s, had apparently tried to get a permit to climb it for a charity event, but engineers were concerned the building wouldn't be able to handle the weight.

Jackson stood on the corner of Lander and 5th, waiting for Ivory. The morning was crisp, but warmer then Monday, if only slightly. Today was the day he was going to swap secrets with Ivory. He wasn't sure if he actually would, or instead come up with a better cover secret. Probably the second. No one could ever know he was part of the Library. He could concede the powers side of things but was unwilling on what could be the greatest secret in Vera City's history. Was that egotistical? He didn't think so, because it was true.

Jackson watched the streets for Ivory, he was not checking the sky. Or, well, until he felt a sharp pain on his head, Jackson turned around in recoil only to see a paper airplane fluttering to the ground, slightly crumpled at the tip from its impact with him.

He grabbed the airplane and read its contents. "Observation floor." it said in big block letters. Small text at the bottom in a different color of ink read "Jackson Reil". He assumed this must be from Ivory.

Turning around to face the entrance, Jackson didn't dallie. It was a quick walk inside and a long elevator trip up before he exited at the top floor, floor 61. Taking a right, he headed past the entrance alcove and into the main area, where large crowds of tourists and other kinds of visitors milled about near the edges, looking out upon the city. 

Jackson shivered, which he knew was because there was no glass on the windows here. While in other cities this might seem like a serious suicide risk, it's universally understood that suicide by jumping does not work in Vera City. Fall more than 10 feet and you're bound to have some flying super grab you by the shirt. Speaking of which, the largest conglomeration of people were watching a man in spandex do twirls outside, bobbing up and down through the air graceful as a swan in water. Jackson kept clear and headed to the sky bridge that connected the two sides, noticing a familiar face leaning on the railing.

"Neat trick," he told Ivory, handing her the paper airplane. She took it from his hands and threw it off the bridge. Jackson, slightly mad with the blatant littering, was about to protest when the airplane swooped around the bottom of the bridge and hit him in the chest. Before he could say anything, she held up the glass pen that had set his paper on fire earlier this week.

"So that's what it does."

"Among other things, yeah."

"So, we gonna go see this Dino & Sons thing now?" he asked her.

"Just a second. I'm not up here often," she responded, looking out over the vast city. From here the entire Vera peninsula was visible, from the shores of Jackson's neighborhood of Seacrest to the south, to the rocky cliffs that border uptown, to Northshore (ironically on the west coast of Vera City) with Market Island just off land and Almond's Island looming beyond that. East held the mainland, puncturing out after a narrow condensing at two bay park. Down that way was Old Vera and Lavender Heights, with Fort Oregon and the Wharfs hidden somewhere behind them.

"Look at that," Ivory commented, pointing at something else entirely. He could instantly tell what she was pointing at, a long spire to the Southwest of them. Barely past the water, sticking out from a rocky jetty created to stop the violent permeations of the Pacific Ocean from encroaching on City Center, was the local headquarters of the Adjusted Humans Bureau. While the actual HQ was in DC, the Vera City branch was by far the largest in organization and scope. Sometimes Jackson forgot just how unusual his city was, but that bright pillar was a clear reminder.

"Yeah, I get it. We'll be working there someday."

"Hell no," Ivory countered, which took Jackson off his guard. He gave her a side eye.

"We'll be running it someday."

Jackson shook his head and started to walk away. Ivory groaned at his behavior, which made him give the smallest fraction of a smile (although he made sure she would not notice that). They headed past the tourists, down the elevator, and out of Super's Ladder.

Ivory took the lead, guiding him to whatever her big secret was. And believe it or not, Jackson was kind of excited.