Who We All Fear: Chapter 2 – Beyond Superhuman

Chapter 2 – Beyond Superhuman

Rosa and Fuego are going about their hero business in the city of Meridian and chasing after a woman and a group of her associates who are always causing trouble. The criminals search for recruits under a bridge where the poor and desperate reside. They offer the poor wealth, status, shelter, food, and water if they join them. Some take their offer out of desperation while others do so because they want to be rich and famous and steal and kill those they blame for their poverty, even if it’s themselves in some cases. Few refuse the offer and would rather suffer the poverty they live in rather than commit acts of evil.

A young man named Sabor stands up to the criminals and says, “I won’t take your offer!” He then spits on the ground. “It’s trash! You’ll just use us as fodder for your plots and we’ll either end up dead or in jail.”

“You sure about that, kid? You’d rather die out here, starving in the cold? What we have is a generous offer that we’re only offering to you,” a criminal says.

“Your so-called generosity is false, and yes, I’d rather die out here an honest man rather than live to be an old decrepit villain.”

“If that’s what you think, then suit yourself there’s no takebacks.”

Seeing what’s happening, the leader of the criminals wants to make an example of Sabor and that no one should disrespect her or members of her gang so she challenges them to make him respect them. Before they can lay a hand on them, heroes, Rosa and Fuego, appear on the scene to stop them and put these criminals and the new ones in prison. With her powers and torrent of rose petals, Rosa can disorient people, make them do what she wants, and fight for her while Fuego uses his flames to make weapons such as swords and axes and shoot them out of his hands. Together, the two defeat the petty criminals are taken down, and then arrested by the police.

Sabor approaches the heroes and says, “Thank you so much for your help! You came just in time to save me!”

“Don’t mention it. It’s just another day on the job,” Fuego says with a smirk.

“See you around and don’t get into any trouble,” Rosa says with a wink.

Fuego sprouts his wings of flame, holds Rosa in his arms, and flies away.

“I’m starting to get tired of these fights with repeated criminals and pretending we’re not part of the reason they keep getting out,” Fuego admits to Rosa.

“Me too, but the pay is good and no one usually dies or gets seriously hurt in the fights,” she says.

“Yeah, but with some criminals and villains, I wish I could just put them down for good or allow the associations who have a license to kill to do their job.”

“If we did that, we’d be out of business. Besides, the hero and vigilante associations who have a license to kill are few and rarely allowed to use their licenses, and the villains who do get out have corrupt lawyers and friends in the law we can blame for their escape.”

“We’re also the ones who get paid sometimes by those same corrupt people.”

“Whatever the case is, we still save people and do good. We’re heroes.”

“If you say so.”

Fuego flies Rosa to their headquarters where heroes are returning or leaving to do their jobs. The two report their success to the mission center and receive their pay. Even though Fuego is happy to receive so much for so little work, he rubs his fingers as if trying to rub dirt off them at the thought of the dirty job. They then go to the office of their friends, Gerente and Espada, who are interviewing some people.

“Ah, you came just in time,” Espada says. “Rosa, please use your powers to help these two remember while we ask them some more questions.”

Rosa agrees. As she uses her powers, I unlock a new aspect of her power that allows her to feel the emotions of the people she controls. Espada asks the two again about what was happening before, during, and after the burning of the Soleil-owned casino. Thanks to Rosa’s powers, the people who are questioned can remember my voice telling them to leave so they wouldn’t be caught in the fire or collapse of the building. They now value their lives more, are searching for the source of my voice, and will soon join my Church.

“Okay, you can release them,” Espada says.

The two witnesses leave to go to their appointment with a priest while the heroes sit around and talk about the recent fire.

“Have you found out anything?” Fuego asks.

“Nothing besides a potential new vigilante who is stealing our work,” Espada says. “I am glad though that your powers have evolved, Rosa. I guess it’s true that they evolve with constant use.”

“Powers evolving after being used so many times is just a theory since there’s no baseline for when it will evolve, even with people who have the same power,” Gerente interjects.

“Don’t you have paperwork to get done, know-it-all?”

“Tch, yes,” Gerente says as he continues typing at his computer.

“So, what should we do?” Rosa asks.

“We have to go after this new vigilante.”

“Why? He’s not doing anything I see a problem with,” Fuego says.

“Burning down a casino full of people isn’t wrong?”

“It was full of criminals and most of the normal gamblers managed to survive thanks to the vigilante.”

“The bodies of politicians and police were found in the basement.”

“They were found with the bodies of criminals so they were doing shady deals in the basement. They got what they deserved.”

“Fuego,” Gerente interjects with a slam of his fist on his desk. “The Limpiar Hero Association does not allow and cannot allow anyone to go around dispensing justice and killing people without being approved by the government. They cut our profits and make us look bad.”

“Who cares what happens to us? I thought the point of being a hero was to help people and ensure justice was being done?”

“It isn’t that simple. I’m sorry.”

“No, you aren’t. You’re letting the business aspect of Limpiar overtake the actual hero side of it. You only want to go after this vigilante because he killed a crime family that paid us to look the other way since they don’t do anything illegal in public and are worried he’ll go after someone else who does.”

“Fuego,” Espada sharply says. “Stand down and take it easy.”

The fires that Fuego didn’t know were bursting from him subside as he calms himself down. Rosa hugs him and tells him that everything will be okay. Before anything else can be said, I dim the lights in the room.

“What happened?” Rosa asks.

“The lights are dimming just like the witnesses said when that vigilante spoke. Hello? Are you there?” Espada says.

“I am. I’ve come to talk to you,” I say.

“Who are you? What do you want to talk about?”

“You may know me as Amor. I want you to cut your ties with crooked lawyers and businessmen and start being the heroes you claim to be.”

“We can’t do that without the necessary funds. Some evil must be allowed so we can grow,” Gerente says.

“There is no such thing as allowing necessary evil. Not for you, at least. Even if you must operate out of your own homes and be down to four members, you must work honestly rather than allowing evil to constantly resurface or I will cut your association down to size myself.”

The lights start to shine brighter in the room.

“Wait! Don’t leave! We want to ask you more questions,” Fuego says.

“If you want to find me, then you can find me among my faithful and the poor.”

After the lights shine as they usually do in the room, Espada and Gerente send out Rosa and Fuego to do their duties while they plan out what to do. A few days pass before rumors of my faithful murdering and stealing from people start popping up and heroes are sent out to interrogate the faithful and unfaithful alike about me. Fuego and Rosa are sent out to churches while Espada visits the homeless. Meanwhile, Gerente continues to type at his computer with his mechanical hands and uses his robotic mind to communicate with others with his mind connected to the internet and his personal communications network.

“Gerente, I know you had something to do with the investigations on me,” I say.

Gerente looks around and analyzes the room like he did the last time he was here and checks the cameras through his vision at the same time.

“Amor. When did you get here? You need to teach me your secrets since you put every camera and scanner in this building to shame,” he says.

“Call off your investigators. I know that you’ve sent some villains masquerading as heroes to interrogate people and there will be death and suffering. I know that you’ve also made your contacts in the churches and homeless commit crimes to attract the attention of the authorities to them so that you have permission to investigate them.”

“It was to draw you out. My plan worked, didn’t it?”

I make Gerente stop his incessant typing.

“This won’t end the way you want it to.”

“I am a man made of indestructible metal. There’s no amount of force you can use against me.”

Gerente’s arms are crushed as if they were toil foil and his armor is peeled back as if he were a tin can.

“I can, and don’t think that those calls for help were heard, I’ve already disconnected you from your contacts. It’s just you and me.”

“I won’t call off the investigators. I need to bring you to justice and grow Limpiar so it can help more people across Meridian.”

“You can do that without getting innocent people hurt and killed and without allowing the guilty to go free.”

“It’ll be worth it in the end when we have enough resources to make it so that Meridian is a safe place to live in rather than the crime-infested one it is now.”

“You were once an officer of the law who wanted to be a protector of the weak and hated the actions of the corrupt. Now, you’re the thing you hated.”

“I became more than what I was before. With the technology that comprises my body, I can coordinate various heroes and my contacts so that the city can be a safer place and you’re ruining it! Give me back control over my body! I need to be in control!”

“You were never fully in control of your life and the control you did have, caused more harm than good. I will only allow you to have your control if you do as I say.”

“No, I won’t! You don’t control me! This city is safer under my control!”

I make Gerente’s body implode on itself. Now, his tyranny over the city is over. My attention is then turned to Espada who is cutting down the homeless. Some of Gerente’s contacts were posing as them, attacked him as he was asking questions, played dead after he fought back, and are now quietly trying to escape, but I’ve stopped them in their place and made them block Espada who is killing more of them who are defending themselves against him.

“Stop, Espada,” I say through the people I control.

“So, Gerente’s plan worked and you’ve fallen into our trap,” Espada says as he slashes apart the people I throw at him.

“Yes, and he has paid the price for his tyranny with his life.”

“What?! You killed my best friend?!”

“Yes. He paid for his sins just as you will if you don’t stop. Killing the innocent to get to me and culling the homeless to cease the supply of criminal fodder won’t accomplish anything.”

“It will and has. Culling these people releases them from their suffering and stops the criminals from constantly pulling from their numbers.”

“Is this what a knight would do? Aren’t you dressed as a knight to be the same one you envisioned being?”

“Shut up! You don’t know anything about me!”

“I know that you wanted to be called Cyber Knight and that’s why you look like a robotic knight. I also know that you were childhood friends with Gerente. He was the brains while you were the brawn and you promised that you’d do anything he’d ask since he was smarter than you and a great friend.”

“How do you know this?! Who are you really?”

“As you said when you were little, I am Justice.”

“I still am justice! Since Gerente is dead, I’ll have to carry on his plan and make his dreams come true!”

Espada raises his sword and brings it down on Sabor who is among the homeless and throws himself at Espada to save another. Even though he is normal, I have made Sabor superhuman so that the sword shatters to pieces. Confused by this, and not believing it, Espada tries crushing Sabor with his shield that also shatters to pieces and causes him no pain.

“What is going on?” both Espada and Sabor wonder out loud.

“Espada! Stop it!” Fuego says, flying with Rosa in his arms toward him. “This was all a setup by Gerente, he’s betrayed us!”

“You must own up to your and your friend’s sins. There’s no other way out of this, but you can’t still be the knight and hero that you always wanted to be after.”

Espada considers his options and decides to be blinded by his heart.

“I trust my best friend more than I trust you!” Espada says before turning his sights to another of the homeless.

He tries to punch them with his metal fist, but Sabor jumps in front of him, making his entire hand and arm shatter as if it were glass. While Espada screams in pain, I tell Sabor to punch him in the chest, and when he does, the force of Sabor’s punch is enough to not only pierce Espada’s armor but enough to make a hole go through his body killing him in an instant.

Fuego and Rosa are about to question Sabor, but I stop them by saying, “You don’t need to use your powers on them, Rosa, and you don’t need to do anything rash, Fuego. These people were just defending themselves and I gave Sabor the power to do so.”

“You gave Sabor powers?” Rosa asks while looking around for me.

“I did just like how I gave you your powers and evolved them so you knew that the priests that were attacking you were conspirators of Gerente and what he told them.”

Fuego, Rosa, Sabor, and the rest of the homeless look at one another, astonished at my power and knowledge.

“Who are you?” Sabor asks.

“I’m the one you talk to every night and listen to me speak in the night.”

Sabor falls to his knees and says, “My Lord.”

The homeless also kneel while Fuego and Rosa are frozen with fear.

I tell the two heroes, “Remember well what happened today and use your powers wisely to purge corruption from your hero association or you will suffer a worse fate than your friends.”

Fuego and Rosa fearfully agree, tell me that they’ll clean up the mess created by their friends, and then flee.

“Thank you, my Lord. I knew my prayers would be answered in one way or another,” Sabor says with a smile and his eyes looking up at the sky.

“Yes, and now you have the power to save these people you consider your family,” I say.

The Limpiar Hero Association’s reputation and funding take a serious hit after Rosa and Fuego expose their crimes and those that they’ve wronged today are given payment as reparation, which includes a home and soup kitchen for the homeless and dozens of job opportunities for them. Among them, Sabor is given superhuman training and a spot at the association just as he always dreamed of.