《I am the Villian》


 Chapter 1 - Noob Villain

    There is a world where superhumans fight villians as most people know they do. As always, the destruction wraught by villians are given special pretense by the government. Construction is incredible, everything is practically fixed overnight by the super heroes who are able to recreate. As with most people in positions of power, superheroes are somewhat similar to celebrities. Many boys hang up posters of their favorite superheroines, and many girls hang up pictures of the hunkiest superheroes. Society is practically based around superheroes and their amazing feats of strength and power.


    Meeting a hero is rare and often dangerous since they only show up when shit hits the fan, but to meet one is truly a gratifying experience. Someone once theorized that suicide rates are up because most people stand on rooftops waiting for a hero to come. Indeed, they would show up, but only if they happened to notice your sad life in need of saving. If they didn''t see you on the way to fighting a giant slime monster, then you''d be fucked. The thing is, a hero always has to be the hero, but a villian has absolute freedom in their choices.


    To make an example, let''s say that a hero and a villian walked past a person about to jump off a cliff. The hero would try to talk him down, or at the very least try to save their miserable life, with no other option as to their choices. Meanwhile, a villian is free to do whatever they choose. They could pull the sorry sap off the cliff, or they could give him a push to send him on his way. A villian could do anything he wants, no worry about obligation or responsibility. If a villian wanted to jump with the man, they could do that because there are no responsibilities that come with being a villian.


    That''s why I chose to be a supervillian. The hours are fantastic, the pay is based entirely on my performance, and the freedom is so massive it''s actually crushing. Since I can turn my body into lightning and control electricity, robbing banks was my first attempt at supervilliany. I would make off with bags of stolen cash, but the real crime would be when I transfer a million to my offshore account by just touching a computer(I can do that). That was the plan I''ve been preparing for, and today was the day I was going to put it into action.


    The bank I picked was small, just large enough to get a cash flow going, so the security was relaxed and simple. There shouldn''t be too much of a fuss, but I should still get a good start as a supervillian.


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    Samson Marcel stood outside of the small bank near the outdoor fuse box, wearing a large black hoodie with a concealing flap of black cloth covering his face. He could see out of it, but no one would be able to see his face. His heart was beating erratically, but he figured he should get the party started sooner rather than later. Samson reached up and put one hand over the fuse box, letting a single bolt of lightening loose so that the box exploded into sparks. Samson started around the building to see that only the emergency lights were still activated.


    Samson entered through the doors and shouted, "Everyone, this is a robbery! Put all the money in the bag or I''ll start hurting people!" Everybody looked at this masked man who had come in with no gun or concievable plan. Samson put his finger into the shape of a gun, then a bolt of lightening arced into the cieling with a resounding sonic boom. There were screams that he had super powers, so Samson quickly went to one of the computers and put his hand on it. "Put the money in bags or I swear to god, I''m going to blow up this entire place!"


    Samson got bags of money, but in reality he was going to keep those for a rainy day fund. The real money he''d put into an offshore account, nearly two million dollars. Samson ran away with a hundred thousand in the bag and two million in the bank. Not a bad haul for a days work, but the streak was only beginning. There was a highway which passed down four more identical banks, which he robbed one at a time. Each time a stolen car, each time the same hoodie, and each time two million on the side.


    Not too shabby for a fourteen year old with no life skills. Now he just had to find out where to keep all of it. Thinking about it, he thought of the old adage, ''Where would you hide a tree?''. So fourteen year old Samson Marcel drove in a stolen car to an empty lot behind a Porsche dealership. He bought a car using a check from his offshore account, then drove it to New York to hide in the forest.


    A lot of villians reside in New York, because getting away is fairly easy when you have lots of buildings and people to hide behind. However, that means a lot of superheroes are also stationed in New York, which means they can often run into each other unexpectedly. Battles are commonplace, and even though most people would want to stay away from two supers fighting it out, there''s often a lot of collateral damage.

 Chapter 2 - Five Years Later

    Samson lay sleeping peacefully in an enormous bed meant for twenty-five people. The room he slept in was a peaceful penthouse apartment with the works cut into it. Security was like a high rise Fort Knox, but it was barely noticable behind all of the technology. Samson had outfitted the apartment with the latest of everything, even the coffee-maker.


    Right at 7:00 am, the entire apartment suddenly came alive with an alarm that rang throughout. Samson got up groggily, walking in his stripped pajama bottoms to the panel where everything was relayed. Samson pressed the enormous green snooze button on the screen, which then went black before showing all of today''s data. It was going to be partially cloudy, temperatures in the high seventies, stocks were up, all conditions nominal, and there were three voicemails. Samson pressed the voicemail, then walked into the kitchen as the voicemail tone rang out over the speakers.


    "Hello, this is Mutual Liberty calling on behalf of-"


    "Seven," shouted Samson quickly, standing in front of the coffee maker as it belched out grimy sludge.


    "Message deleted," said the voicemail.


    "Hey, buddy, it''s Mark, your one and only friend you never call? Just wanted to know if you were planning on meeting at the usual place? Who am I kidding, I know you''ll be there. I just hope that girl won''t be there or I''ll never get your attention. See you there."


    "Seven," shouted Samson, taking the cup of coffee off of the coffee maker and lifting it to his lips.


    "This is a call for Samson Marcel, from your ''employer'' Reggie Davis. I regretfully inform you that your recent ventures have been found to leave something behind. You are fully aware that this hidden expenditures will have to be taken out of your account personally, which we have already done. We hope that further indiscretions will not happen, and we hope you have a good day."


    "Seven," said Samson, sipping his coffee.


    "Message deleted," said the voicemail, "there are no more messages." Samson sipped the coffee once more, then he walked over to the sink and casually poured it out.


    "Five thousand dollars for some shit coffee," said Samson sourly, setting the mug back on the coffee maker. He went back into his room and opened up a sliding door to reveal a revolving coat rack. Samson grabbed a nice suit from the coat rack and put it on, stripping his pajamas and moving into a nice suit coat. Going back into his kitchen/living room, Samson went to the shiny steel doors of the elevator and pressed the call button. He waited for a few seconds, then the elevator opened up and he stepped on.


    Two minutes later, Samson was at a small, independent coffee shop just down the street from his apartment building. He was standing in line with some strangers when he saw Mark sitting down at a two-seater table. Mark was an African-American man who had once attempted to rob the same bank as Samson at the same time. He was one of the crazy villains that wore spandex and a simple mask that barely hid his face. Still, he could control people with his mind, which was really handy with cooperation. He couldn''t control Samson, though, possibly because Samson could fry him if he ever felt him intruding on his mind. It''s not that hard to figure out someone''s reading your mind, it feels like having a brain freeze.


    "So, how''s it going," asked Mark with his arm out for a slap-and-shake. Samson brought his arm around and grasped Mark''s hand, then they bumped each other''s shoulders.


    "It''s going good, man," replied Samson happily, "I''ve almost finished my suit."


    "Man, when are you going to show me that thing, I''m dying to see it," stressed Mark.


    "You''ll see it when everyone else sees it," said Samson. "But dude, I got this sick design for the helmet. It''s just this black layering that reflects light, it just looks so sick I could puke."


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.     "Man, you''re so lucky," said Mark with a disappointed tone, "I''m still robbing banks and you''re about to be big-time villain material."


    "Did you do what I said," asked Samson, thinking that he hadn''t gotten his coffee.


    "Yeah, making the tellers wire me money," said Mark, "but I''m still only at like two mil."


    "Hey, it took me four years to get my first billion," said Samson reassuringly. "You just gotta get used to what you can do, then find the best way to get money. Besides, I still think you''ve got the better power."


    "Bullshit, I can''t shoot lightning outta my ass. If I get caught, I''m fucked."


    "No, you could just convince people to let you out," said Samson. "You want someone to give you a hundred, bam, they give you a hundred. Hold that thought, I need some coffee." Samson got up in line, but everyone in front of him let him go first. Samson gave a nod to Mark who just smiled and sipped his own coffee. He ordered, got his cup and lemon cake, then sat back down right as she came in.


    She had long tanned legs and supermodel good looks, the kind most guys fantasize about with a tissue in hand. Her bust was abominable, the size of cantaloupes and still as situated as a middle-school bloomer. Her figure defied gravity, even her rounded athletic posterior which was accented by the tight jeans she wore. Her perfectly blond hair reached down to the bottom of her shoulder blades where it was neatly trimmed. Samson knew some guys might get turned off because she was fairly tall and meaty, but no meat had gone to waste on her figure and Samson was taller still.


    "Just ask her out already," said Mark insistently.


    "Ssh," stressed Samson, not wanting his goddess to hear the guttersnipes speak. "How can I ask her out, she''s way out of my league!" Mark grabbed the collar of his friend''s shirt and pulled him so they were face-to-face.


    "Dude, we''re villains," he said flatly. "We do whatever we want to do, can''t nobody tell us otherwise. Now I''ve seen you staring at that girl every time she comes in here, and I always have to smack you back to attention. You''ve got everything, you just need to go and ask her out!"


    "I already told you, she''s out of my league," said Samson shyly. He stole a glance at her and saw that she was looking his direction, so he quickly averted his eyes.


    "Dude, you are such a pussy," said Mark with a laugh. "Don''t worry, I''ve got your back." The woman that they had been talking about began walking back around the store, but Mark stood up and blocked her way. "Hey, I''m sorry, but my friend here is really self-concious about himself, but he''s been checking you out this whole time." Samson quickly stood up and grabbed the back of Mark''s neck, sending a small shock to make his body seize up.


    "Hah, Mark you''re such a kidder," said Samson, trying to awkwardly play it off. "I''m sorry he disturbed you, ma''am, just ignore him." The woman smiled, her perfect teeth showing like a row of pearls as she dug through her bag. She pulled out a small card and a pen, then wrote something on the back.


    "The name''s Karen," said the woman, handing Samson the card with a number on it. "Call me sometime, we should get together." Samson took the card with a goofy smile on his face. Watching Karen leave, Samson was too occupied to notice he was still causing Mark''s body to seize up.


    "Oh, sorry," said Samson, stopping the electrical current so that Mark breathed in heavily.


    "Geez, man, I thought you were gonna kill me," said Mark in mock anger.


    "Hey, I''ll make it up to you," said Samson happily, slapping Mark''s back supportively. "How about, we go to my base, and I''ll show you the project I''ve been working on?"

 Chapter 3 - Well Suited

    When Samson had time to actually read the card, he saw that it was for a big biotech firm that worked on MRI and other hospital machines. ''She must be important,'' thought Samson, phone in hand as he prepared to call her. He was already thinking about one of his favorite places to go, and was wondering if she would want to go there as well. He dialed and waited to hear her pick up, the anticipation nearly giving him a heart attack.


    There was a click on the other line, then, "Hello, to whom am I speaking with?"


    "Karen," said Samson to make sure he had the right person. "This is Samson, the guy from the coffee shop. Hey, I was wondering if you might be open sometime to go have dinner?"


    "I''m really busy all week," said Karen disingenuously. "Though, there''s a new diner in low town that I''ve passed by a few times, and I''d really like to know how it tastes."


    "Sounds good," said Samson with a creeping smile on his face. "What time and day are good for you?"


    "Gee, I don''t know," said Karen, then some clicks as she went through her schedule. "How about... Saturday at noon?"


    "Deal," said Samson with a stupid smile on his face. They set up the meeting place a few blocks away from the corner of fifth and third. When he hung up the phone, Samson had a stupid smile on his face that just wouldn''t go away. He walked back to his elevator and called it, going down to the lobby where Mark was waiting for him. "I got a date," said Samson with a stupid smile, and Mark congratulated him.


    "So, where is this base you''ve been talking about?" Mark asked curiously.


    "I''ll tell you the story on the way, just let me get my car first," said Samson. He grabbed the keys then they went to the garage where Samson approached a dark purple Lamborghini Murcielago, then pressed a button on the keys that made the doors swivel upwards.


    "No. Fuckin''. Way," said Mark in disbelief, "you have a Lambo!?"


    "Yeah," said Samson with a boastful smile, "but it''s only for special occasions. I use the Range Rover otherwise." Samson gestured to the dark green car right next to it, a vehicle made more for offroading. "Get in, we''re going to Jersey." The ride was two hours, but they eventually came to a long road that nobody had used in a long time. At the very end was a gate that Samson got out and unlocked. Getting back in the car, Samson looked at Mark with a knowing smile, then drove into the forested area.


    They came to an old parking lot with trees growing up between the cracks as Samson explained, "I discovered this place a while back while surfing the internet for a home base. It said this was an old army base abandoned because of heavy radiation from secret testing. So I got some hazmat suits and checked this place out with a geiger counter. The radiation''s practically gone now, so I''ve cleaned the whole place out and bought the land rights." Samson parked the car and got out, then led Mark to a small bunker entrance with a keypad on the front.


    They watched as the sound of creaking metal violated their ear drums, then the door slowly opened on pressured hatches. Mark and Samson could see the inside was dark and grey, with concrete walls and ceilings leading further into the base. Samson stepped forward in his fancy suit and went inside, Mark following closely behind. The first area had a lot of controls, but then came a wide staircase leading down further into the ground. They descended until they came to a long hallway that curved just out of sight, with several doors on both sides. Samson went into the largest doors so far, large enough that they might belong on a freight dock.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.     Samson and Mark entered an enormous domed room large enough to occupy a fleet of sixteen helicopters. The room was occupied by a raised platform in the center where a black suit stood up straight. "Is that it?" Mark asked Samson with excitement.


    "That''s the suit I''ve been making," said Samson with a proud smile. "The armor is made from the Star-steel that a lot of heroes and villains go for. It''s got the highest rated heat and pressure resistance, and the test runs I''ve done have shown how sweet it is. I could go into space with this suit, or even into the bottom of the ocean. It''s got metal filaments to act as muscles and help me pick up heavy objects, and I''ve got lasers fitted out everywhere to give me boosts or to act as weapons."


    The suit was the size of a man a little taller than Samson, the mask was just a flat black mask that had no facial features or identifiable marks. It had a sleek design and was practically the size and shape of a human itself. It was completely black with white circles placed randomly around at joints and on the back. "What are all of these?" Mark asked, referring to the spotlights.


    "Those are beam weapons," said Samson. "I found a way to take the enormous amount of electricity I produce and direct it more accurately than a bolt of lightning. They produce a lot of thrust, so I had to put a lot on there just to counter the beams I''d be producing. It also powers an anti-grav shield I created to protect myself from small arms fire and lasers."


    "Dude, I''ve got to get me one of these," said Mark, his eyes shining with tears of admiration.


    "Trust me, you don''t want to get in that suit," Samson warned. "I made it to draw electricity from my body, so a thousand spikes come out from inside and force my body into an electric state. It''s basically an iron maiden inside." Mark took a step back as he realized that it could kill him.


    "So, what are you thinking of hitting first?" Mark asked curiously.


    "I don''t know," said Samson, "I might just assault a military base and blow up a few unmanned tanks. It''ll give me good test run to see how the lasers compare to some body armor, and I''ll be able to find out how much the suit itself can take."


    "How does it move?"


    "The legs can move as fast as I can run, but with extra power behind the lift should get it to at least sixty mph. Beyond that, it can fly if I don''t care about my surroundings. I tested the thrusters in the feet, they produce the same amount of noise as a Justin Bieber concert. I''m thinking of sound dampeners just outside the heels, but that''s a project for another time."


    "Can you remote pilot it?"


    "No, but that''s something else I could work on. Come on, I''ll give you a tour of the rest of the base." Samson left with Mark following closely, showing him the other rooms with abandoned Cold War era tech that was more of a relic than anything else. The downstairs was dark, Samson hadn''t gotten around to getting the generators in that part of the bunker working, but it was on the to-do list.


    Mark and Samson left the bunker with smiles, when Mark realized he had almost missed work. Samson agreed to drive him down there, and on the ride back Mark was strangely quiet. When he was getting closer to his work he finally divulged, "It''s weird that you have so much going for you, but you can''t even ask out one girl."


    "That''s why I''ll always need your help," said Samson with a kind smile. "Make sure you get to work on time, and don''t get into too much trouble!"

 Chapter 4 - Dated

    Walking down to the street corner, Samson Marcel felt the pleasant noon air of the slightly overcast sky. He had chosen a more casual clothing option than his usual suits, so he went for a black blazer and suit pants with a white button up underneath. His hair brown hair was combed forward so that it framed his face just right. Samson had wanted to be at his best for his date, even if it was informal. He approached the corner where he would meet with Karen, hoping to see her somewhere.


    Samson arrived at the corner, looking around at the few people who were waiting for the street light to change. Samson stood there, then he looked at his phone to check that the time was right. The buildings surrounding him were a bit run down brick buildings, with people of suspect moral fibers and intelligence. Half the people walking down the street had their underwear showing, both male and female, and the other half had pants resembling underwear. The shop windows all had bars over them, and the few sections of walls that didn''t have graffiti were barely wide enough to count as a wall.


    Ten minutes passed, then twenty minutes passed without a sign from her. Samson decided to give her a call, try to gauge where she was and when she would arrive. The call signal went up a few times, then the other side picked up to the sound of a loud noise. "Karen," Samson said, then something from the other end of the line that sounded like gunfire.


    "Hello," yelled Karen into the phone, "who is this?"


    "This is Samson," said Samson, "we''ve got a date today?"


    "Of course," said Karen, gunfire blaring in the distance, "I almost forgot! I''m sorry, something-" there was a loud explosion from the other end, "something came up! Let me call you back!" The phone call ended right then, making Samson look at his phone in confusion. He figured he would browse the shops nearby then call in a little while. It wasn''t like he had anything better to do today.


    Samson went around the few shops, browsing the area until he received a text message. Opening it up, Samson read the message saying Karen would be there in fifteen minutes. Samson browsed a small pawn shop, when three guys wearing ski masks barged in with guns. They all started yelling at the same time in a clusterfuck of noise that only served to add confusion. One of them started yelling at Samson to get on the ground and take out his wallet.


    Samson took care of them inside of ten seconds, getting a few bullets fired at him for his trouble. When they were all going into cardiac arrest, Samson reached into his wallet and brought out a few hundred dollar bills which he slapped down on the counter in front of the cashier. "You never saw me," said Samson flatly, then he went to one of the cameras and leaped up to shock it. The shock carried enough electricity to destroy the entire video feed for the day. Samson left and went down the street to a second hand store.


    Checking his blazer and tie, he saw there was an entire clip that had been fired into his chest. Grabbing some average clothes off of the rack, Samson bought them and then put them on. He knew that he should wash them first, but there wasn''t enough time.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.     He wasn''t about to miss this date, come hell or high water.


    Going back out to the street corner, Samson waited until he saw the fine figure walking down the street. She wore a long red dress that went down to her knees and flowed gracefully in the light breeze. Her bust was barely contained by the dress while the contours of her figure were gripped by the dress''s waistline. Her hair was relaxed, falling down around her chest and shoulders like strands of gold. Samson saw guys turning around as she passed, the goddess Karen walking amongst the mortals.


    "Hey," said Samson pleasantly, "I''m glad you could make it!"


    "Sorry I''m so late," said Karen apologetically. Her doe eyes struck Samson with profound sadness.


    "I forgave you before you got here," said Samson as the police cars drove up to the pawn shop. "Are you hungry?"


    "Starved," said Karen, looking over at the pawn shop with growing concern. "Did you see what happened over there?"


    "Yeah, some guys with guns tried to rob the store," said Samson vaguely.


    "Did you see who did it, or where they went," Karen asked urgently.


    "Yeah," said Samson, pointing to the shop, "some guy took them down. He was just in and out, like it was nothing."


    "Oh," said Karen in some surprise.


    "Have you ever seen something like this before," Samson asked with some concern. He didn''t want a disturbing scene ruining his date.


    "Yeah, a few times," said Karen, her eyes lingering on the scene of the crime.


    "Are you okay," Samson asked, and Karen shook slightly.


    "Yeah, just a little... shocked," said Karen dramatically.


    "Come on, let''s go eat," said Samson with some trepidation. Karen lingered for a few moments before walking with Samson down the street. They started talking about the robbery, police action, violence against cops, police salary, which transitioned naturally into the job market and personal work. By the time they had arrived at the local diner, they had begun talking about their personal lives. The diner that Karen had mentioned was a little place that served hot dogs in a variety of ways.


    Samson was a big guy, so he got two jumbo hot dogs with his favorite toppings. Karen got six jumbo hot dogs with the works and a strange look from the waitress.


    "Wow, are you a professional athlete or something," Samson asked jokingly.


    "No, my job just burns off a lot of calories," said Karen hungrily. "So what do you do?"


    "Nothing really," admitted Samson with a casual glance. "I got a trust fund from my grandparents and parents, so I did the math and set aside a retirement. I''m investing the rest, bonds mostly."


    "Are you one of those trust babies," Karen asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "I think so," said Samson with an awkward smile. "I try not to spend needlessly, but I can never resist ice cream." Karen cracked a smile, but she looked a little to the side as if to deny her own smile.

 Chapter 5 - Passed

    The day went spectacularly, talking and laughing with Karen everywhere they went. Samson didn''t even remember the places they went, he was focused solely on Karen the entire time. Her full name was Karen Margaret Hunt, she worked for a pharmaceuticals company investing their assets in prosthetics. Karen was one of the scientists who worked with patients on outfitting new prosthetics. She had a doctorate in biomedical technologies with a minor in psychology from the University of Michigan.


    Samson thought that she was simply the greatest, laughing at all of her jokes and keeping up with her intellectual conversations. Samson lied that he had been doing self-studying for years, so he didn''t have any degrees but he wasn''t stupid. The date actually went a lot longer than anticipated, extending into the night until it was 9:30. Karen noticed the time and was shocked at how late it had gotten.


    "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t be out this late," said Karen apologetically.


    "I''ll take you home," offered Samson, and Karen smiled brightly. "Should we walk, or would you rather take a taxi?"


    "Let''s just walk," said Karen happily, "it''s not too far." They started walking down the road, taking in the lights of New York, and a few blocks later they were standing in front of a row of apartment buildings. They talked and laughed about some funny stories from the past, then Karen turned towards one of the apartments. Samson walked Karen up the steps, then they just stood there in a strange silence.


    "Samson," said Karen stressfully, "I''ve got a confession to make. This date, it''s not how I normally act." Samson was confused, and he looked around to see if he might be on candid camera. "One of my friends convinced me I need to find a good guy before I get too old and saggy, so I''ve been... testing you this whole time."


    "Really," said Samson, now convinced that this was some sort of TV show.


    "Yeah," said Karen sadly. "I didn''t mean to deceive you, it''s just... I''m really worried about who I go out with."


    "Oh," said Samson, getting the feeling that he was being rejected. "So I failed the test?"


    "No," said Karen quickly, "no, you passed with flying colors."


    "I did?" said Samson, a bit of confusion in his voice. "Wait, what tests did I go through?"


    "Well, when I ordered all that food at the diner," said Karen. "You didn''t seem wierded out by it, and when I... farted on the bus, you covered for me." Samson had just seen that in a movie once and did it on instinct. Karen was blushing furiously, and Samson thought through the date about other things. He remembered when Karen had her dress ripped, Samson got some tape and taped it from the inside so no one could tell. There were other things that stood out, like spilling drinks or a swift gust of wind blowing them aside.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.     "Wow, I can''t believe I passed," said Samson with a glowing smile.


    "Why," asked Karen apprehensively, and Samson suddenly looked at a nearby tree.


    "Well..., um, this is sort of my first time," said Samson awkwardly.


    Karen blinked a few times, "You mean you''ve never gone on a date before?"


    "Well, yeah," said Samson, forcing himself to look Karen in her azure eyes. Karen smiled sweetly, then she raised her hand to Samson''s face and placed her fingers gently on his cheek.


    "It was a good first date," she said, then she stood on her tippy toes and closed her eyes. She leaned in more towards Samson whose mind went blank right at that moment. As some time passed, Karen opened her eyes and saw Samson''s blank stare. She reached up a grabbed the back of his head, bringing it down just enough to plant a light kiss on his lips. His face flared up, becoming hotter as he blushed.


    "Was that your first?" Karen asked sweetly.


    "Yeah," said Samson apprehensively, feeling his body heat up. Karen let go and went back down to her own level with a mischievous smile. Samson was still drawing a blank, so Karen took the lead.


    "Sooo, do you think we could do this again?" asked Karen suggestively.


    "You mean..."


    "Go on a date."


    "Yeah, I''d like that," said Samson, his mind clearing through the fog. "Want me to call you?"


    "Yeah," said Karen, "I''d like that." They stood there in silence, then Samson got the feeling he was drawing this out.


    "I''ll see you later," said Samson, taking a step down from the front porch. He got down the porch as Karen went into her apartment complex, both of them smiling like teenagers. Walking down the street, Samson felt as though the night was still young, so he hailed a taxi and went back to his own apartment. He went up in his elevator, got the keys to the Range Rover, then went back and got in his car. He drove to Jersey and up to his military base where he began working on the final few things for his suit.

 Chapter 6 - Test Run

    Standing on a small hill overlooking a highly functional military base in the Philippines, a black, mechanical suit surveyed the site. It was nighttime and the sound of waves was only a short distance away, the island breeze was lost on Samson since he was covered in his suit. As he stood there, he started to pace back and forth nervously. "Come on," he said, his voice coming out synthesized, "you''ve been preparing for this for years. This is your big moment!"


    The suit did a few jumping jacks, ran in place, then started towards the base before turning around and going straight back to the top of the hill. "Come on, man up," said the black suit to itself, hopping up and down to psyche himself.


    "Hey, you up there," came a shout, and Samson followed the noise. Two men carrying machine guns were climbing up the side of the hill. Samson just looked at them as the night shrouded him from clear sight, but their flashlights shined at him. "You are trespassing on government... property...." They lowered their guns as the black suit faced them, then they instantly raised their guns again. "Do you speak English?"


    Samson decided to go all in, so he stepped forward towards the two guards who raised their weapons at him. "Stop," cried one of the guard in a shrill voice, then they pulled the trigger. The bullets whizzed through the air faster than the eye could track, but Samson could track it due to the high electric content of his body. It came within two feet of his suit, then it was naturally deflected by the anti-gravity field being produced. The two men emptied their clips, but nothing hit the black metal suit as it continued its approach.


    The two military men cried out something to the base as the black metal suit continued to advance. The two men ran back into the base and started shouting about the intruder, then a loud boom blew up the hill where they had once been. There was an eerie few seconds of silence, then the black suit fell from the sky.


    The military compound was largely underground, but there were a few tanks and vehicles stationed there that the black suit could mess with. Landing on the top of a tank''s hatch, the metal dented at just the powerful impact, but it wasn''t completely broken through. The black mech pulled one of his arms back, then a light at the elbow blasted its fist right through the armor of the tank. Pulling its fist out, the black mech seemed satisfied at the result.


    Stepping down, the world suddenly erupted in gunfire as a line of men began shooting. Not a single bullet got close, all of them deflecting to the sides. An alarm was going out over the entire base, but the black suit was filtering out that noise. Suddenly, the black suit erupted from the feet, sending a powerful shockwave in all directions. The soldiers nearby were blown away as the black suit was lifted into the air on powerful boosters.


    The suit was able to get its bearings as bullets whizzed by only to ricochet off the anti-grav barrier. Seeing the remaining tanks, the black suit positioned its arms to blast a hole in the tank and to stabilize him since he was in mid-air. The shot went out with a powerful blast and the tank exploded from within. Nobody was nearby, so Samson sent another blast at the last tank on base, obliterating it. "Oh, this is too cool," said Samson, happily, and he dropped back onto the base.


    Gunfire rained continuously on Samson, but he just walked through it as though it was any other rain. Samson saw the way into the underground section of the base, so he went up to it and tore the door off. Putting the door on the side, he went into the base and tore every door off of its hinges looking for the command center.


    After going down some more stairs, Samson began to pick up something strange coming from further below. He got to the bottom of the stairs and a group of men were standing to one side with long cylindrical guns positioned like rifles. "Fire," came a shout, and the guys pulled the trigger to release powerful blasts of continuous heat. Samson was surprised, especially since the blasts seemed more effective than bullets. The anti-gravity which had been drastically altering the path of a bullet didn''t do so well against laser beams.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.     Most of the lasers missed, but by a margin that was much less safe than the bullets. Without a pause to breathe, Samson returned fire with his own beams across the cieling above the soldier''s heads. Some dust fell down while Samson sent a powerful blast out of his heel to lessen the distance. Grabbing the face of one guy and giving him a shock, Samson tore through the men by freezing up their muscles and administering concussions. Once they were taken care of, Samson picked up one of the laser weapons and looked at it closely.


    "Looks like I got a gift," said Samson aloud.


    "Not so fast, monster," said a very determined voice. Samson looked up to see a man wearing dress greens with multiple racks of medals on his chest. He was old and a bit crusty, but in his hand was a small remote with a few different buttons on it. "You''ve seen too much, so now I''ve got to blow this whole base apart with you inside. So either turn yourself in, or I''ll be forced to destroy this entire base and everyone in it."


    "You wouldn''t," said Samson, but the general seemed particularly adamant. "Okay, you might."


    "Either surrender yourself before me or I''ll blow this whole place apart," said the general strongly. "You have ten seconds."


    "I surrender," said Samson, putting his hands up.


    "Then step out of your suit and come over here," said the general soundly.


    "I can''t," said Samson, "this suit is keeping me alive. I step out, I die."


    "Then we have an impasse-" the general''s arm suddenly dropped and Samson made a beeline for the remote. Samson was able to grab and at the same time, punch the general in the gut. The general fell to his knees while Samson kept the remote, holding it in his hand. Using electrical pulses transmitted through the remote, Samson found out about a nasty surprise.


    "I can''t believe you," said Samson in disgust, "sacrificing the lives of your own men just to keep some stupid lasers a secret? I already have lasers, dummy, what would I gain from stealing one of yours besides a trophy?" Lightly slapping the general in the back of the head as punishment, Samson leaned down to look at the general face-to-mask. "Also, that little timer you set just in case; I deactivated it."


    "You won''t get away with this," sneered the general angrily. "Nobody gets away with assaulting a military base!"


    "Such a shame, then, that I took out your comm towers," said Samson offhandedly. "I also hacked into your video feed before all of this happened just to set a delay to deleting your footage. Not only will I leave here without any penalties, but you won''t be able to prove I was here at all besides a few smashed tanks." Crushing the remote in his hands, Samson let the remnants fall onto the general who was lying on the ground in pain.


    Samson stood up and walked further back into the base, then he saw what he was looking for. There was a dark room filled with caged in servers and whirring backup storage. Samson walked in, put his hand on one of the servers directly, and then began looking for the most heavily encrypted information there was. Might as well, since he had already assaulted the base. As he searched, he found several things with an extremely high level of encryption.


    Using a storage device in his suit, Samson downloaded the information through the suit and made full use of a lot of other files. When he was done, he went out into the corridor and smacked the general on the back of his head one more time for good measure. After that, Samson left the base by just walking into the ocean. Once safely in the ocean, Samson used his thrusters to propel himself through the water towards home.

 Chapter 7 - Aliens

    Sitting in the usual coffee shop, Samson felt like a god. The assault on the military base last night went without a hitch, and he even got some highly classified information and the laser toy. After analyzing the gun, Samson found that it was inferior to his own lasers around his suit, but that the battery used to store the energy was far superior to the simple AA batteries that he never used. If he could find a way to prove these designs were his own, he could corner the market on battery power.


    The stolen information turned out to be less useful than he had thought, being mostly information on ships capable of space transport and space warfare. However, the most highly classified information was about communications with an alien race that were transmitting designs for advanced technology. There was one file about how to build an FTL(Faster Than Light) drive, but Samson didn''t need something like that. There was another file about a compact fusion generator(think ''pocket nuclear power plant''), but the output was laughably less than what Samson''s own body could create.


    So that was the net profit from the operation: a toy, spaceship designs, science, and proof that aliens existed. Not a bad haul for one day''s work.


    Samson wanted to tell Mark about everything, so he was eagerly awaiting his friend. As he sipped his coffee and chewed on his donut, Samson had a strange feeling that what he found was very serious. If aliens were collaborating peacefully with government authorities, they wouldn''t have it as the most encrypted files on a military base in the Phillipines. He wondered if the Hero Squad knew about it, but then assumed that they did. Some of their members were aliens from other planets, why wouldn''t they know?


    When Mark came in, he immediately saw Samson who waved him over urgently. "Did the date go that well," Mark asked excitedly.


    "I don''t know," said Samson honestly. "The date was really good, but then she tells me that she was testing me about being a good boyfriend."


    "So did you get some?" Mark asked hurriedly.


    "No, we just kissed and promised to meet up later," said Samson. "But dude, you would not believe what happened last night. So I was trying to put the suit through a real life combat scenario at this military base in the Philippines, right? Everything was going great until I got underground and they start firing lasers at me!" The look of shock on Mark''s face was priceless. "I know! Then the general tries to blow up the whole place, so I take him out and get thier servers.


    "Mark, you would not believe what I''ve found. I got these files, brought them home, unencrypted them, and BAM aliens."


    Mark looked around in a paranoide fit, then hissed, "Aliens? You mean like aliens-aliens?"


    "Yeah," said Samson with a goofy smile. "They had shit like spaceships and tiny fusion generators, even an FTL drive!"


    "What the hell, man," stressed Mark. "That''s top level shit!"


    "Yeah, I even took one of their laser guns," boasted Samson. "It''s a piece of crap, but the battery was nice."


    "So what are you going to do now," asked Mark seriously. "You think you could make a space-ship?"


    "Yeah, but I''m not gonna," said Samson obviously.


    "Why not, you might as well," insisted Mark.


    "Mark, what am I going to do with a spaceship? My suit can already move in space, and I don''t need oxygen when I''m in plasma form. Besides, I could just stay in my plasma form while I''m in space and be fine."


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.     "Think of the chicks you could get, though!" said Mark urgently. "Imagine you and your girl going at it in space, man! Join the million mile high club!" Both of them laughed until a blonde bombshell walked in wearing tight jeans and a light hoodie. Karen saw Samson and Mark sitting on the side, and she waved at them before getting in line.


    "Wait, dude," said Mark as though he had just thought of something, "did you pass the test?" It took a second for Samson to remember what he was talking about.


    "Yeah, I passed," said Samson with a mischievous smile. "We''ve got another date set up for Tuesday."


    "Oh, I am so jealous," said Mark leaning back in his chair and looking over at Karen. "So what''s she like in bed?" Samson looked over at Mark with a blank expression, so Mark said, "That bad, huh?"


    "No, we haven''t gone that far," said Samson in a condescending tone. "We''re going steady, it''s not a one-night stand deal."


    "You think she''s scoping you out for a proposal? How old is she?"


    "I wouldn''t tell you that even if you stabbed me," said Samson seriously, then Karen grabbed her coffee from the barista. She approached the table, then grabbed a chair from another table and sat down.


    "So, what''s the news," Karen asked casually.


    "Karen, this is Mark," Samson introduced, and the two shook hands. "We were just talking about aliens." Mark choked on some of the coffee he was drinking, and his eyes flicked to Karen. "I found this article about how aliens were actually out there, and I think it convinced me aliens actually exist."


    "Of course they exist," said Karen obviously. "Think about it, either humans are alone in the universe, or they''re not. So there have to be aliens somewhere, even if they can''t travel through space." Samson pondered her words, thinking that she was definitely on the right track of thinking. "What would you do if you met an alien?"


    Samson thought about this while Mark said, "I''d try to communicate. It''d be the coolest thing to establish communication with an alien race, wouldn''t it? To be the first person to know, it''d practically make you the ambassador." Mark looked at Samson who was still thinking on the subject.


    "Ah, I don''t know," said Samson truthfully, "I guess it depends on what the aliens came here to do?" Karen smiled, but Mark wasn''t satisfied with that answer.


    "What if they just come down and start shooting people," Mark demanded.


    "Then I''d shoot back, but I doubt I''d do much," said Samson with a short chuckle. "I don''t know, they could be refugees looking for a new home, I''m not one to judge." Karen smiled happily, but Mark didn''t seem satisfied with that answer. "What about you, Karen, what would you do?"


    "I think it''s situational, like you said. Maybe they don''t have another choice than to invade, so I''d at least try talking." There was a sudden burst of noise as an alarm rang out through the coffee shop, and several people looked over as Karen pulled her phone out. She took one look at it and said, "I''ve got to go."


    "See you later," said Samson.


    "It was nice meeting you," Mark said as Karen left the coffee shop. "Dude, you have got the perfect girlfriend." Samson wasn''t paying attention to him, instead he was looking at the door in a daze, the last remnants of Karen''s athletic butt still in his mind.

 Chapter 8 - The Real Hero

    Standing in front of a movie theater wearing a blazer and tie, Samson checked the time to make sure he had it right. Karen had expressed interest in a movie, so Samson invited her to the movie theater and dinner afterwards. The movie was an action-thriller that seeked to parody old fashioned action-thrillers. The ratings weren''t very good, but Karen still wanted to see it. But the time for the movie was almost past, and Karen hadn''t shown up yet.


    Standing in front of the movie theater, Samson became introspective as the night wore on and the light blue of the sky became a light auburn color. As he stood there, he heard a commotion coming from inside of the movie theater. ''What now?'' Samson thought, then a woman wearing a ripped dress came out trying to move quickly in high heels.


    "Get back here," commanded a small man who wore a drastically offensive t-shirt. He ran at the woman, then grasped her arms as she tried to shrug him off. The man clawed at her, ripping her dress even more to show one of her breasts and the side of her other breast. The man grabbed the woman''s face and squeezed until it was painful, then said angrily, "You are so fucked when we get home!"


    "Help!" the woman screamed, receiving a hard slap over her face. Then something surrounded the man''s head and jerked him back painfully. The grip he had on the woman''s dress tightened, but his sweaty hands slipped off at the last moment. He landed hard on his ass, then he whipped around to see the punk who had done that. Samson stood between the woman and her assaulter, his body like a wall separating the two.


    "Here," said Samson, handing the woman his blazer to cover herself up.


    "What the fuck do you think you''re doing," shouted the man dominantly. "That''s my bitch you''re fucking with!" The man got up and stomped over to Samson yelling, "Get your filthy hands off of her!"


    "Call a taxi," Samson told the woman, then he turned on the little man. "You''ve got some balls to abuse a lady."


    "Fuck you," shouted the man, and he took a swing at Samson. Samson just blocked the guy''s fist, then blocked his other fist. The guy was throwing punches like a drunken brawl, but Samson was just blocking or deflecting the blows. People started to gather, interested in the fight until Samson reached out and punched the guy in the face. It was pretty hard, and the guy twisted around from the shot and spit blood from his mouth. He fell down and landed hard on the pavement as a taxi pulled up to the scene.


    Samson went up to the taxi with the woman whose dress was ripped, then he gently ushered her in and gave the taxi driver a fifty and an address. "I''ll make arrangements for you to stay at my place," said Samson seriously. "Just go to the bellhop and he''ll know what to do." Samson let go and the taxi drove away with a perplexed woman in the back seat.


    "You think you''re some sort of superhero," taunted the abusive man. He was back on his feet with his arms in close like a boxer. "I''ve got all her money in my bank account, and her insurance is all in my name. She''ll be back, and I''ll be waiting."


    "No, she won''t," said Samson adamantly, "because I''m going to make sure she gets away from you." Samson pulled out his wallet and pulled out a small, black card with a series of numbers imprinted on it. "Do you know what this is?"


    The man squinted, "A black credit card?"


    "It''s a Liberty Bank triple platinum card," said Samson statically. "The only way to get this card is to have a max credit greater than a million dollars. Now, I was raised by a man like you, so I know the tricks of your trade. They all come crashing down if a random stranger has more than you do, you slimy, disgusting, little man." The man growled at Samson, then came in close as if he was a boxer, then started sending quick jabs.


    "I''ll kill you before I let you take her," said the man angrily. He took a swing at Samson''s head, which Samson finally used as his moment. Getting in close, Samson dug his fingers into the man''s ribcage to administer 50,000 volts to his body(same as a tazer). The man shook a few times, then fell down as his body seized up from the electric shock. There had been no noticeable sound to the audience, Samson had simply planted his fingers right and down the man fell.


    "You won''t be killing anyone," said Samson, "not until the cops get here." Samson went to the side and dialed a number, but it wasn''t the cops. As he waited, he heard the guy get up from the tasering and hobble away, but Samson didn''t bother chasing him.


    The phone picked up and the voice on the other side said, "Granger Apartments, how may I help you?"


    "Hello, can you put Alexander on the phone please," Samson asked sweetly.


    There was the sound of phones changing hands, then an older gentleman''s voice came on, "To whom am I speaking?"


    "Alexander? This is Samson Marcel from the top floor."


    "Of course," said Alexander, "what may I assist you with?"


    "I found a girl who''s had a rough night tonight," said Samson loudly. "Ripped red dress, has my blazer on, and she''s probably been crying. I sent her in a taxi, I was wondering if I could convince you to take her to my room."


    "Full VIP treatment?"


    "Absolutely, I''ve got the bill," said Samson with a large smile. "Thanks for the help, Alexander."


    "It''s a good thing you''re doing," said Alexander over the phone, "I''m glad to help." The call ended and there was a round of applause from the crowd, which Samson ignored to the best of his ability. He did crack a smile, but he looked shyly away with a slight blush in his cheeks. He stood there for a few more minutes longer when he received a text message from Karen saying she would be there in a few minutes.


    Samson texted back that they would miss the movie and if there were any other ones that she wanted to see. Karen sent back the title of a kid''s movie, so Samson got them two tickets for the next showing of that. The cashier gave Samson the tickets, but denied money since she had seen the whole thing with the abusive boyfriend. Samson thanked her and then continued to wait around for Karen. Once Karen arrived, she spied Samson and they went into the movie theater.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.     The movie was about emotions inside of the head given physical form, and explained a lot of why people feel things sometimes. It was very cute and funny at some parts, a few sad scenes, and an overall message about how growing up isn''t fun all the time. During the movie, Samson was constantly aware of how Karen was attached to his arm. She would squeeze and hug, occasionally nuzzle his arm during a sad part, almost like they were an established couple. There was one moment when the movie was ending that she rested her head on his, so he craned his neck and rested it on hers.


    When the movie was over, Karen and Samson unlatched each other with a passing glance.


    "That was a good movie," said Samson, stretching his legs out among the seats.


    "Yeah, I thought it was really good," said Karen happily. The rest of the date was talking about the movie. Even during dinner when they were in a backstreet upscale restaurant, the topic of conversation was the movie. After dinner, both of them were glowing as they ordered a taxi. When they got in, Karen said, "You''ve seen my place, now I want to see yours." Samson gave the taxi the address and then they talked in the car, making jokes related to the subject matter of the movie.


    When they arrived, Samson stepped out and went around to open Karen''s door like a true gentleman. Once she stepped out, she saw the glistening tower of upscale apartments that Samson lived in.


    "You live here?" said Karen ecstatically, looking at Samson as though he was Santa Claus.


    "Yep," said Samson, enjoying the look on Karen''s face.


    "What floor do you live on?"


    "The top, floor 49." Looking at the building, Samson saw the doors open and a short man with a suit and wiry white hair stepped out. He had glasses with no rims and a large nose with a bushy mustache underneath, and a wide smile.


    "It''s good to see you back, sir," said the man, reaching out an aged hand.


    They shook hands and Samson asked, "What about that girl, did she come here all right?"


    "Yes sir, she''s taking a bath."


    "Scented bath oils," guessed Samson.


    "Vanilla and lavender," said Alexander with a wide smile. He noticed the woman on the side and said, "Oh, dear, is this another one?"


    "No, Alexander, this is my date for the night," said Samson. "Karen, this is Alexander, the manager of this fine establishment. Alexander, this is Karen, my date for today."


    "So the princess arrives at the castle," said Alexander prophetically. "Would you like to see the best view in the building?"


    "I''m more interested in this girl you were talking about," said Karen, her voice containing an edge to it.


    Samson missed it and said, "Want to meet her?"


    "Sure, I''d love to meet this girl," said Karen angrily.


    "What''s wrong," Samson asked, looking at Karen in confusion. Karen had her arms crossed and shook her head in disappointment.


    "I thought you were perfect," said Karen, "and yet you have more than one girl?"


    "It''s not like that," said Samson, finally realizing how Karen saw the situation. "She was being bullied by her boyfriend so I stopped them and sent her here." Karen looked for signs of lying, but she was a little surprised that she couldn''t find any.


    "Seriously?" she asked, squeezing her arms tighter.


    "Let''s talk about it on the way up," suggested Alexander, realizing the volatility of the situation. Alexander ushered Karen and Samson into the building with its nice linoleum floors and fine lobby furnishings. "I got random call from Samson telling me that he was sending a girl over who had been openly abused, and that I should give her the VIP treatment. So, when a girl arrived with a dress torn almost completely off and a blazer over her shoulders, I found who Samson was talking about."


    "So," continued Alexander, "I accompanied her up to his apartment and showed her how to use the bath with various lotions. We had dinner, and she''s been up there since then watching a movie."


    "Thanks for everything, Alexander," said Samson gratefully.


    "It was my pleasure. I''m just glad that everything worked out." They arrived in front of the elevator for staff only, and Samson put his key in the lock and turned it. The elevator began to rise and the three people inside waited silently. The elevator rose for some time before opening up to Samson''s living room. Karen was still suspicious of Samson, so she had her arms crossed in a way that made her cleavage that much more noticeable. The doors opened with a loud ''ding'' and the occupants got off to see the lavish apartment mixed with today''s technology.


    Before they had a chance to take in the scenery, a woman appeared naked as the day she was born. She had bruises everywhere, and there were some discolorations on her skin that couldn''t have been healthy. Karen stopped immediately, a hand going to her mouth to cover the gaping shock. Alexander''s eyes went wide at the sight of the naked woman, having met with her periodically and seen her dressed each time.


    Samson didn''t miss a beat, he just kept walking towards her as though nothing was the matter. He stepped right in front of her like a three story building next to a two story house, and he said softly, "Show me where it hurts, then we''ll talk about getting you somewhere safe." The girl''s eyes began to water and she fell into Samson, who lightly hugged her like a caring father would hug his daughter. Karen stepped forwards and looked up at Samson, and he looked down with sad, understanding eyes.

 Chapter 9 - God Save the Queen

    Waking up to the usual sight of steel grey walls, Karen Margaret Hunt blearily opened her eyes to the sight of the metal container she slept in every eighteen hours. She sat up in her bed and looked at the clock on the wall, noticing that she had slept in for an extra two hours. That was strange, usually her trainer woke her up after a perfect eight hours of sleep. Karen reached into the darkness and poked the side wall that sorrounded her, then the shell of her bed was removed to reveal a large barracks room with various women wandering around. Stretching out the kinks from her sleep, Karen groggily got out of her pod and started towards the showers.


    After showering with fifteen other women, Karen dressed in the same skin-tight suit that everyone wore on the station. It was color coded according to rank and status, with stripes on the side owing to the power level of the person wearing it. Karen had a blue suit with a three prong cross on the side of her suit, which meant she was one of the most powerful people on the station. Power levels didn''t mean much, especially since Combat had none and could still take down most everyone on the station.


    Before exiting the barracks, Karen looked in one of the mirrors and carefully focused on her appearance. Her golden blonde hair that hung loosely around her shoulders changed from the roots down into a baby blue color. Her skin changed quickly as though her pigments were resurfacing from below her body, changing her skin from the lightest tan to a regal blue color. Her body stayed the same shape, but her face changed slightly to make the jawline thinner and her cheekbones a bit more pronounced. Her lips went from a luscious pout to a thin line that was a much lighter blue than her skin.


    Walking out of the women''s barracks, Karen went down a few halls then emerged in an enormous room with a massive skylight nearly five hundred feet off the ground. People in various colored suits flew across the room carrying trays of food, while a large cafeteria of tables and chairs were occupied by almost two hundred people at any one time. One side wall had a line where food was distributed, which Karen joined just waiting in line.


    "Hey, Blueno," said a voice filled with pompous arrogance, "I thought you only ate fruits and vegetables." Karen turned around to face her bully, seeing the usual group of Powerboy, Harrow, and Greenback. They had admittedly good superpowers, but they were the biggest jerks on the entire station. "What''s wrong, I thought you spoke english? Or maybe you want us to speak your alien language during the invasion?"


    "The only invader here is your ego," Karen shot back.


    "Hey, be cool Bluey," said Powerboy with his hands up, "I''m just making conversation." The arc of Karen''s eyebrow was doubtful, she knew exactly why these super-jerks were picking on her.


    "The name''s Queen, and I''m getting tired of your short memory," said Queen in annoyance. "Unless you want to get back into it with my dad, you can just leave me to my food."


    "Just because your daddy''s the big boss around here doesn''t mean you can do whatever you want," said Harrow from behind Powerboy.


    "Just because you want to take my dad on again, doesn''t mean you can come and pick on me," retorted queen angrily.


    "How about we do a three-v-three," came a voice from a little ways away. Lighthouse, a girl able to project light into physical matter, sauntered up wearing her own suit. Behind her was Warpath, an Amazon warrior on loan from the Amazon homeplace. Both of them had incredible power, on par with the original Hero Squad members. "The three of us versus the three of you," said Lighthouse, putting a hand on Queen''s shoulder. Powerboy stepped back, sneering at the three girls as though they weren''t worth his time.


    "Funny, I thought boys were supposed to have balls," said Warpath with a sneer, and both Lighthouse and Queen laughed at that. Powerboy paused, clenched his fists, then kept walking away from the trio of girls.


    "Thanks," said Queen, smiling brightly at her friends.


    "Hey, it wasn''t free," said Lighthouse. "I heard down the grapevine that you have a new boyfriend?" Queen''s eyes went wide, which told Lighthouse everything she needed to know. "You need to tell me everything, I HAVE to know the guy who could snag the Queen!" Lighthouse was a willowy blond with a reasonable chest and two glorious globes for her behind. She had thin hips and alluring lips, and her golden eyes got all of the guys'' attentions. She could attract guys like a telepath, but none of them lasted longer than a few weeks against her. If there was one problem with Lighthouse, it would be that she''s a notorious gossip.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.     "I am interested as well," said Warpath, intrigued by the premise more than the act of dating. Warpath had long black hair that was tied in a ponytail so it descended down her back in a single flowing stream. Unlike most women, Warpath was very strong and muscular, with proficiency in weapons of all kinds, including guns. The Amazon regimen had grown with the times, meaning every weaponry available from tanks to pistols to krav maga. She had a very masculine body over her feminine physique, with bulging muscles and protruding veins.


    "Well, I''ve been going to this coffee shop for a few weeks, and there was this guy who kept checking me out," admitted Queen nervously. "So, his friend gets up and he introduces us, and it was so cute how shy he was. I felt like he was worth a shot, so I gave him my number and we went on a date."


    "Eeek!" cried Lighthouse ecstatically. "Tell me tell me tell me! What''s he look like?"


    "He''s really tall, kinda thick," said Queen, thinking back to how she was checking him out. "He''s got huge hands, a really clear cut jawline, and he always wears the nicest clothes. He''s got brown hair in a short crew cut, and these electric blue eyes that look like coiled lightning in his eyes."


    "What about under his clothes," Lighthouse asked curiously.


    "We haven''t gone that far yet," said Queen nervously.


    "Oh, come on girl, you can''t leave a guy hanging forever," said Lighthouse insistently. "Especially with how stressful our jobs are, we have to enjoy these guys when they come our way."


    "Trust me, he''s not ready for that," said Queen with a slight smile. The three got their food and sat down at a table to continue their talk. "When we were on our first date, I went through the tests, and he passed all of them. He didn''t think anything I did was wierd or out of the ordinary, and he even covered for me when I did something embarrassing. Then, we go back to my place, and he says that this was his first date ever!"


    "Seriously," said Lighthouse, a little confused, "how old is he?"


    "He''s twenty one," said Queen, trying to remember back to their conversations.


    "First date ever at twenty-one," said Lighthouse suspiciously. "Is there something wrong with him?"


    "Not that he''s told me," said Queen. "On our second date, he saved this girl from her abusive boyfriend, and sent her back to his apartment, which is amazing, by the way. So we''re going back and I''m thinking he has some girl on the side besides me. We get to his apartment and this girl is just standing there, no clothes on, with bruises all over her body." The two girls listening were silent, equally intrigued and appalled at the sudden turn.


    "So, Samson just walks up without even caring that she was naked, and he just asked her where it hurt. Then she started crying and leaning in on him, and he looked at me with these big sad eyes. So, we helped this girl get an apartment downtown, when Samson says he''ll hire her as a member of the staff. So, I ask him, and he tells me he own the entire apartment building and lives on the top floor."


    "He must be swimming in money," said Warpath thoughtfully.


    "Yeah, his grandparents were rich, so they left a trust in his name," said Queen. "He''s actually using it to make money, and he''s invested wisely as far as I know."


    "How rich is he exactly," Lighthouse prodded.


    "Rich enough to save a girl at the lowest point of her life," said Queen dramatically. "I saw the bruises, he definitely saved her life."


    "So why not invite him up," asked Warpath. "If his determination is strong, he would make a valuable member of the Squad." Queen was silent, putting some food into her mouth to avoid the question.


    "I think that takes too much time," said Lighthouse. "I hear the amount of red tape on joining is practically unbearable. So what do you think about this guy, Queen? Can he keep up with your standards?"


    "I don''t know," admitted Queen, looking at her two friends seriously. "I really want him to be able to be the one, but I don''t want to get my hopes up."


    "I keep telling you," said Lighthouse thickly, "there aren''t a lot of guys who are as good as you want them to be."


    "Then I''ll find the ones that are," said Queen confidently.

 Chapter 10 - Coming Out

    Samson stood within his black suit over the light center of Las Vegas, Utah. It was a clear night with a crescent moon shining down on the neon center of the US. People walked from one gambling casino to another, wasting thier time and money on completely useless pasttimes. There were much better things that money could go towards. Samson could think of a certain rainy day fund that could use another few million dollars. He also knew of a few decent charities that could use some bolstering money.


    "Might as well get this started," said Samson, and he spied the casino that he was going to rob. He had hacked it easily and got the schematics of the building as well as the design of the safe. Just to add some spice to the night, he had tripped the silent alarm at three nearby casinos, but he had cut the silent alarm for the Higher Grande, which he was preparing to rob. There was no real plan besides go in, get the money, and come out, and he could deal with whatever security there was with his suit.


    Leaping down to the street below, Samson cracked the sidewalk on his landing making several bystanders leap in fright. He stood up and began to run at a decent thirty miles per hour towards the Higher Grande. Since it was a new building, it would be at its absolute best to accommodate the many guests who want to experience the new casino. That meant lots of money, lots of people, and very few superheroes.


    Samson ran through the streets until he arrived at the front doors of the Higher Grande. The doors were glass, so he just ran right through and busted everything down. The security guards around the place reacted, seeing the black mechanical suit approaching with very little resistance. Samson saw the cashier, so he started that way with guys coming after him. The black suit was a bit slower than his normal body, but it was much more fun to throw humans around. It gave Samson a feeling of being indestructible.


    Once he reached the cashiers, he pulled the door off and invaded. The cashier who had been exchanging chips put their hands up in surrender, but Samson ignored them to go after his real prize. Going around the back of the cashiers, Samson found the elevator he was looking for. After forcing the doors open, Samson jumped down the elevator shaft to the bottom floor. Once he was there, he had to climb the few feet to the bottom floor, but then he had access to the bottom floors.


    The safe would be on the west side while Samson had arrived at the north elevator because that was the only one that went down to the bottom floors. After a brief walk and taking down two other guards, Samson reached an enormous safe that had eight sequential locks to it. Samson knew the combinations, he had stolen them some time ago in preparation for this heist. He could have simply input the numbers, taken the money, and then left without too much trouble.


    But that''s no fun.


    Raising both of his hands with palms facing towards the steal doors, Samson released a continuous stream of laser heat that seared the composite steel of the doors like a blowtorch through butter. Within minutes, all eight doors were blown through and the heat downstairs was at an unbearable level. Entering the massive safe, Samson saw large stacks of freshly minted money that were all nicely packed and stacked.


    Samson had prepared for this, so he reached into his suit and pulled out a weave bag that would be able to resist the heat from his lasers. Putting as much money as he could into the bags, Samson then grabbed armfuls of the cash and began to walk out. When he got to the elevator shaft, a handful of guards were polite enough to have prepared the elevator for him. Stepping inside, Samson rode the elevator up to the roof where wind blew briskly over his suit.


    Once Samson was on top of the Higher Grand, he looked down to see squads of police and SWAT parked outside of the entrance. A helicopter flew overtop the building, shining a spotlight on the roof to see the black mech suit that Samson wore. No doubt there was radio chatter about it, so Samson got busy unpacking the money that he had carried up to the top of the building. Once he had all of the plastic ripped off, Samson began throwing the money carelessly to the wind. SWAT officers came through the elevator and started barking orders at the black mech suit to stand down.


    Samson threw the last of the money to the wind, then he stood up and looked back at the yelling SWAT officers. Samson leaped towards them, and then was engulfed in a hail of gunfire. The anti-grav shield blocked all of it, so Samson concentrated on knocking the guys out with little difficulty. Once they were unconscious, Samson moved their bodies so that each person was 69ing someone else. Samson felt that it was hilarious, and with the helicopter still hovering overhead it would certainly be breaking news.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.     Lifting the remaining bags of money, Samson began to take off with some disappointment that a superhero hadn''t show up. He wasn''t about to challenge the heroes outright, but it still would have been nice to see how his suit holds up to a real hero''s power. With a sonic boom immediately after takeoff, Samson began to fly away with the ill gotten loot and barely any trouble. He was almost out of Las Vegas completely when he noticed something tailing him. Looking back with the thrusters still on, Samson saw a Hero Squad jet just behind him.


    Spinning around, Samson motioned for the jet to follow, then headed in a direction that seemed clear enough. He flew for a little while, then landed on a dry patch of land with the jet coming to a slow stop a little ways away. The jet landed as Samson prepared for a fight, watching closely who got out of the jet. Two males and one female, each of them wearing the dorky skin-tight outfits that all Hero Squad members wear.


    "Before we start," said the man who stepped up first, "would you like to say your prayers?"


    "What is your name?" Samson said, his voice coming out electronically.


    "I''m called Preacher," said the man, cracking his knuckles for effect. "What about you, robot, do you have a name?"


    "Not presently, no," said Samson, having trouble trying to think of a good villainous name.


    "Then we''ll just call you scraps," said Preacher jovially, and displayed his palm towards Samson. Samson mimicked the move, but Preacher began quoting verse that made a small glowing cross appear in his hand. The longer he quoted, the more the cross grew until Samson decided to just blast the dirt in front of him. Rocks and dirt were kicked up towards Preacher, but his chanting didn''t falter even for a second. Getting bored of this, Samson sat down with his legs crossed and started pushing dirt around with his finger.


    When Preacher finally released, it was an explosive eruption of christian power that ripped up the ground around Samson with a mighty blow. However, once the dust cleared and the Heroes could see through the night, they saw the black mech just sitting there toiling with the dirt. He didn''t seem to be in any rush, and it was apparent he wasn''t about to leave.


    "Oh, are you done?" asked the black suit insultingly. "I guess it''s my turn then." Displaying a single palm, Samson shot a blast of energy right at the jet behind the Hero Squad.


    The explosion was large enough to send metallic projectiles soaring through the air so they would have to be deflected by the anti-grav shield. The black mech stood there as the dust cleared on the other side, and a gust of wind blew it all away. The woman was waving her hands and the wind was following her movements. She stirred it up into a tornado, then she directed the tornado at Samson. He just stood there as the tornado whipped up wind around him, any small projectiles that would have hit him would bound off the anti-grav field.


    Samson just walked out, then he looked at the Hero Squad as though this was all completely inadequate. The last guy took a step forward, and in a single moment he approached Samson with a fist ready to pound into his face mask. Despite this man''s incredible speed, Samson was able to react and dodge the punch, if only by a few centimeters. With such a close proximity, Samson used the thruster in the back of his head to headbutt the guy in the face. The speedy guy was sent flying back to his squadmates, tumbling head over heels until he was able to balance himself.


    "What the hell is that thing," Preacher asked desperately.


    "It could be some android we''ve never seen before," said the woman. "If possible, we need to capture and analyze it."


    "Not happening," said Samson, "you guys are way too weak. I''m bored, so I''m just going to go now." Samson planted his hands on the ground, then used thrusters both in the palms of his hand and in his shoulders to create incredible force. The force was transmitted into the ground, creating an eruption that blew the ground upwards for a quarter mile in all directions. The Hero Squad was thrown as Samson made his escape by blasting off. He broke the sound barrier and kept going, getting back to home base before the close of the day.


    With a feeling of somewhat disappointed satisfaction, Samson exited his suit and tossed the money into the rainy day pile that took up one of the spare rooms. Samson got into his Range Rover and drove home, seeing Alexander arriving for work early the next morning. He said good morning and made his excuses to eat and get to sleep. It seemed as though being in the suit for a long time burned a lot of calories, which made sense in theory. So, after consuming his weight in chicken and fries, Samson went to his bedroom and collapsed.

 Chapter 11 - The Night

    "I think tonight''s the night," said Samson with a niave smile. He was meeting in the coffee shop after his fifth date with Karen and he was sure that he was ready to take the next step. He had been getting bolder recently and had initiated holding hands and random kisses on occasion, but he hadn''t gone all the way yet.


    "You think you''re gonna get laid," guessed Mark with a raised eyebrow.


    "Oh, hell no," said Samson quickly, "I just thought we were finally going to make out."


    "Can you smell that?" said Mark suddenly hyper aware of his sorroundings. Samson tried to breathe in deeply, but all he got was the smell of coffee. "It smells like a virgin," said Mark, and he cracked a smile. Samson narrowed his eyes at Mark who could only chuckle in response. "Dude, if it was any other couple, they would be getting down and dirty regularly. You''re taking it so slow it''s like a fucking glacier!"


    "I don''t want to ruin this," said Samson adamantly. "Forget sex, I just want this to last."


    "And she''s okay with this," asked Mark curiously.


    "Yeah, she seems fine with taking things slow," said Samson proudly.


    "Okay," said Mark, "but don''t be surprised if she jumps you one night."


    "You mean you still haven''t slept with him," said Lighthouse loudly. Queen looked at her friend as though she was crazy, but even Warpath seemed to agree. "He is going to leave your ass if you don''t hurry up and do something. You''ve got great assets, but they don''t give you a free pass."


    "He''s never dated a girl before, I doubt he''s expecting something so soon," said Queen, her nerves breaking down.


    "You always make guys wait too long," said Lighthouse in irritation. "You should just start doing it, then it''ll feel great and you can both get to know each other on a deeper level!"


    "Sex shouldn''t have to be a staple in a relationship," said Queen.


    "I think it might have to be," said Warpath. "From what I''ve learned, the average couple begins sex after the fifth date and experiments from then on." Both Lighthouse and Queen looked at Warpath, the Amazon who had even less experience than Queen. "I read," said Warpath, as if that would explain everything.


    "I''ll save it for a few more dates," said Queen, "and if he doesn''t press the matter than I will."


    "If you don''t, I''m going to take this guy," said Lighthouse strongly. "You''ve kept me on edge about how good he is in bed, which is too much for my heart to take. I am burning with curiosity, and I will not let it go unsatisfied!"


    "But, it''s just not fun for me," admitted Queen desperately. "It''s awkward to admit but, humans don''t satisfy me like that. They''re too... small."


    "Hey, you never know until you try," said Lighthouse calmly. She was unusually level-headed for a gossip-diva drama-queen. "Just because one guy can''t satisfy you, doesn''t mean you have to leave him. Besides, this guy''s a virgin, so he probably won''t be able to get you all the way on the first try. Give him a few chances and you''ll see what I''m talking about."


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "What''s wrong," Warpath asked in concern, seeing Queen looking at the floor.


    "We had a problem last night," said Queen sadly.


    "Who," asked Warpath.


    "Me and Samson," said Queen quietly. "We tried and tried, but..."


    "Dear, whatever it is, I''m sure that you can get through it with him," said Warpath helpfully. "If he''s half the man I think he is, I''m sure he''ll pull through for you."


    "He''s not the problem," said Queen, "I''m the problem!"


    "Preposterous," said Warpath, "you are not a problem!"


    "I couldn''t fit," said Queen in defeat. "We tried all night, but I couldn''t fit! I was too small." Warpath had to think about the context clues for a few seconds to guess what she was talking about.


    "His penis?"


    "Yes," said Queen loudly, "it was huge! I thought I was going to tear in half!"


    "So, how is he different from other men," asked Warpath. "He can not please you, so what is the difference?"


    "But he can," said Queen with a depressed smile, "he made me come three times last night. It was the most amazing feeling I''ve ever had, but I couldn''t return the favor."


    "Because you couldn''t fit," finished Warpath. She crossed her muscular arms and looked at her blue friend who was in such distress. "Why don''t you shape shift?"


    "What?" asked Queen in confusion.


    "You can shift form from human to Queen," Warpath pointed out, "so can you not control the shift? Make your vagina wider?"


    "I could, but I''d have to be in this form," said Queen, gesturing to her blue form. "I know that he''s not ready to see me like this. I don''t know if he''d ever be able to see me like this."


    "Queen, you must find out everything about him," said Warpath. "You will then know how he thinks, and you will know if he can see your blue form."


    "Wow, that''s... really deep," said Queen, looking at the muscle-bound warrior woman in a new light.


    "Did you think I was stupid?"


    "No, it''s just... your name''s ''Warpath''. I didn''t expect profound advice coming from ''Warpath''."


    "You are ''Queen'', yet you do not wear crown," Warpath pointed out. Queen chuckled at that fact, making Warpath smile with a sense of having done a good thing.


    "So where''s Lighthouse," Queen asked casually, feeling better about herself.


    "She''s on a top secret mission," said Warpath. "She wouldn''t tell me about it."


    "Why does Lighthouse always get the top secret missions," groaned Queen jealously.


    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


    This section originally had an explicit sex scene, but I removed it. Didn''t want my first impression to be too ''adult''.

 Chapter 12 - Hidden Truths

    "Mark, thank you for everything," Samson said gratefully. They were at the usual spot in the coffee shop, sipping coffee and eating bagels.


    "What are bros for," Mark asked with a wide smile. "So you banged her?"


    "Almost," said Samson cryptically. "We have a size difference to overcome first, but I officially lost virgin status."


    "So how was it," asked Mark. "Is she into anything freaky, or is it vanilla?"


    "It was pretty vanilla, I think," said Samson, not entirely sure he was saying. "She said we''d experiment after I could actually fit."


    "Fit?"


    "Well, she''s really tight between her legs, so I couldn''t fit all the way in this time. But we''re working on it."


    "Hey, not to be totally embarrassing, but how big is your junk?" Samson put his fingers about a foot and a half apart, and Mark''s jaw almost dropped. "Dude, I''ve got some bad news for ya. Nobody, I mean nobody, could something that big inside of them."


    "It''s just a dick," said Samson sternly, "not the sword of Damocles."


    "How thick are you," Mark asked without embarrassment. Samson made a C with one hand, then connected the ends with part of his other thumb. "Most normal girls struggle to fit a dick half your size," said Mark seriously.


    "Are you serious right now?" Samson asked, his worry growing in the pit of his stomach.


    "Samson, I''m being honest with you," said Mark, speaking as though Samson had a terminal illness. "What you have is something some people just have to work with. You can work without it, so you need to focus on your strengths. Did you try oral?"


    "Yeah, it was the only way to make her cum," said Samson tragically.


    "How many times did you-"


    "Three," said Samson quickly, glancing around to see if anyone was eavesdropping.


    "That''s impressive for your first time," said Mark, holding his fist out. They bumped fists, but Samson still felt like he was stuck in a rut. "Listen, I picked up this girl a few weeks ago, and she''s been around the block a few times, if you know what I''m saying. How would you feel getting her opinion on it?"


    "I don''t know," said Samson with weary resignation. "I''m thinking you were right, I should just focus on what I can do and go from there."


    "Well, that''s too bad, because I already invited her," said Mark. "She''s got one of the greatest asses I''ve ever seen, even Karen''s, and she''s got these beautiful eyes that- well, you''ll see." They talked for a little while longer about Samson''s problem when a girl walked in wearing a short mini-skirt that belonged on a cheerleader. She was thin with a tight body, but she matched Mark in height. She had light brown hair that was combed and conditioned to perfection, and true to Mark''s words she had a round bubble butt that protruded from the rest of her body.


    The girl spied Mark, then immediately came over and surprised him with a hug from behind. They kissed each other on the lips, then the girl looked at Samson who was suddenly captivated. This girl had pure gold in her eyes, shining flakes that reflected the light graciously. She seemed to beam joy and happiness like a lighthouse, giving Samson an immediate warm feeling. "Samson, meet Susan House," said Mark graciously. "Susan, this is my best friend Samson Marcel."


    Samson reached a hand out for Susan, who smiled and shook his hand. "It''s nice to finally meet Mark''s friend," said Susan happily.


    "It''s nice to meet you, too," said Samson graciously.


    "You have a light touch, but you''re so big," said Susan, letting go of Samson''s hand.


    "You have no idea," said Mark, sipping his coffee to try and hide his smile.


    "Let''s not talk about that," said Samson quickly.


    "But it''s a big topic," joked Mark.


    "Ha ha," said Samson dryly, "let''s just move on. So, how long have you two been dating?"


    "It''s been about two weeks now," said Mark, thinking back. "We met at this bar, went home together, and now we''re here." Samson was flabbergasted, to think that a one-night stand actually started a relationship.


    "You''re making me sound easy," said Susan with a playful slap. "We actually had a long talk debate about middle-eastern politics before he picked me up and brought me to his place like a gentleman. We didn''t even do anything until the morning." A one-morning stand?


    "That was a good morning," said Mark, drinking the rest of his coffee. "Samson, tell Susan about your problem, she probably knows something you could do about it." Samson wasn''t eager to explain, but a curious glance from Susan told him she was intrigued.


    "What''s the problem?" asked Susan simply.


    "It''s nothing," said Samson, clearly embarrassed about approaching the topic. There was an uncomfortable silence at the table as the two experienced members gazed at Samson as though they were shooting lasers from their eyes. "Well, we were in bed and it was going great when I had a problem... inserting my... tool. It wouldn''t... fit properly, and then Mark said that it was... unusually sized."


    "His dick''s too big for her pussy," Mark clarified in grievous terms.


    "Really," said Susan with a strange smile. "How big?" Mark showed her with his hands and she got a strange look in her glorious golden eyes. "No wonder you didn''t fit," said Susan, "you''d probably have trouble fitting it into a rhino!"


    "Yeah, but his girl can''t do anything about it," stressed Mark as Samson sat there wondering if he would be lucky enough to spontaneously combust.


    "Can''t he use his mouth," Susan asked.


    "He did, and he got her off three times," boasted Mark.


    "No way," said Susan in disbelief, "that''s not possible."


    "Wait," said Samson, suddenly interjecting, "you mean I didn''t actually make her cum?"


    "How long did it take," asked Susan.


    "All night," said Samson hopefully, but Susan remained in doubt.


    "You might have done it once, but three times is a lot for a girl to cum consecutively. Especially with just your mouth."


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.     "So, now I know nothing," said Samson depressively, leaning against the table. A lot of things raced through his mind, and then it was like a switch flipped through his mind. "No, I can''t do this," said Samson.


    "Can''t do what," asked Mark in deep concern.


    "I''m not going to doubt what Karen says. I''ve got to trust what she tells me, even if it is a lie."


    "What happens if she tries to take advantage of you," asked Mark.


    "I''ve just got to trust that she won''t," said Samson, his eyes a bit misty from the topic of conversation. Both Mark and Susan saw that they were making Samson sad, and despite themselves they felt guilty about it.


    "Hey, sorry about bringing this up," said Mark guiltily, putting his fist in the air for Samson to bump. Samson bumped it and Mark said, "We''ve got a date planned for today, so we''ve got to get going."


    "Good luck," said Samson with a wink.


    "You too," said Mark, and he laced arms with Susan and began walking down the street. The sun was just getting to the high point of its arc as a few clouds did their best to cover denizens below. A brief gust of wind blew between Mark and Susan as they walked down the street, arm and arm without saying a word to each other. Once they turned a corner and were out of sight from the coffee shop, they suddenly changed from couple to serious partners. Stopping just out of sight, Mark sneered angrily at Susan and remarked, "What the hell is wrong with you? I''ve been after this guy for two years and you just bust in out of nowhere!? You should be damn lucky he''s so naive, or we wouldn''t have gotten out of there without scorch marks!"


    "Relax, I''ve read up on his file," said Susan defensively. "Besides, I''ve closed more cases than you have, Mind Bender."


    "You don''t understand," stressed Mark, furrowing his eyebrows and baring his teeth. "That guy is literally unstoppable! He can''t be cut or shot, and he''s got the power output of BigMan and Sentinel combined! I make one wrong move, and he can fuckin'' kill me without blinking."


    "As far as I''ve seen, he doesn''t kill people," said Susan, marching down the street with Mark in hot pursuit.


    "What are you even doing here," demanded Mark angrily. "You should never just butt into one of my cases randomly, I had no time to prepare a convincing story!"


    "Listen, this matter just got a whole lot more delicate," said Susan. She pulled Mark along a few streets, then they turned onto a street with rows of decently manicured condominiums. They went down a few houses, then they entered one of the houses. There was no furniture, there were no pictures, there wasn''t even any paint on the wall. Susan pulled Mark upstairs, then Mark pushed her off forcefully.


    "Alright Lighthouse, tell me what''s so damn delicate about dealing with an unstoppable electric juggernaut," demanded Mark.


    "Did you know Queen got a boyfriend," asked Lighthouse with a seeming lack of urgency.


    "BigMan''s little girl," said Mark in confusion. "What''s that got to do with anything?"


    "I''ve been asking her about it for the past two months," said Lighthouse. "She said he''s big, sweet, and they met in a coffee shop that we just left. His name is Samson, and he saves abused women and he''s a rich kid who owns an entire upscale apartment complex. So I''m looking up all of these things on the database, then I find your case file about this guy." Mark covered his mouth with both hands, putting the rest of the pieces together himself.


    "FUCK," Mark yelled angrily at the wall. He scratched his head, trying to figure out exactly how screwed he really was. "Man, I introduced them! I can''t believe I didn''t think Karen was Queen! I''m so stupid!" Mark punched the wall, but only managed a small dent. "BigMan''s gonna be so angry," said Mark as though his life was over.


    "You don''t know that," said Lighthouse, but her tone betrayed her words.


    "What am I going to do, I put Queen up with a supervillain!"


    "Why did you hook anyone up with a supervillain?" Lighthouse asked.


    "Because, Samson''s not really a bad person, he just wants to be an official supervillain," said Mark. "So I was thinking, maybe if he found a reason not to be a villain, it might clear his head a little."


    "You think he might join the Hero Squad," guessed Lighthouse. "Mind Bender, when the files say that you can''t read or control his mind without him noticing. How exactly are you planning to get an aspiring supervillain to become a hero?"


    "Lighthouse, you don''t get it," said Mark stressfully. "Samson is a hero, he saves the people around him more than we ever have. He just wants to be a villian because he doesn''t believe in being a hero."


    "How long do your girlfriends usually last," Lighthouse asked curiously.


    "Why," asked Mark, then he quickly said, "no no no."


    "Hey, just for a little while," said Lighthouse convincingly. "We keep playing the girlfriend angle, then we can double team him trying to get him to join the Hero Squad."


    "We can''t do that," said Mark, "he''s already stolen hundreds of millions of dollars. Not only that, but he beat up Preachers team and embarrassed them."


    "I have an idea," said Lighthouse, "but I''m going to need some help. You said he saved a girl? Did you know when and where?"


    "Yeah, it was in front of a movie theater right before his second date with Karen," said Mark, a bit perplexed as to why Lighthouse brought it up.


    "If we can find a video of that, spread it around social media websites, give it some popularity," thought Lighthouse aloud, "then maybe we can make him a hero."


    "He''d deny it," said Mark simply, "he would never let himself be called a hero. Lighthouse, you don''t get it, he hates being a hero."


    "If he hates being a hero, then he shouldn''t have saved that girl."

 Chapter 13 - Air Time

    Over the next three weeks, a video appeared on the internet traveling at frankly astronomical speeds. It showed the woman while she was still in the lobby of the theater getting away from the man. He tore her dress, then she walked out defiantly with the camera following her. It came out into the street, then the man grabbed and pulled her roughly, smacking her in the face. A man stepped up, Samson, and he pulled the guy off of her and tossed him to the side. There was audio, but Samson''s voice didn''t reach the small phone. The phone went through the entire ordeal, and even got his voice at the end telling Alexander to give her the VIP treatment.


    The title of the video: ''Who is this Hero?''


    It had taken almost two months after the video was put up, but it suddenly caught the web on fire. Millions after millions of views poured in as it spread between popular websites. The video was spread and people guessed names, but nobody knew for sure what his name was. Names were dropped almost constantly, but everybody who mentioned Samson Marcel was eerily erased before there was too much exposure. There were a few late shows that called the hero of the video to reveal himself.


    Samson was having trouble dealing with the constant threat of exposure, he kept a constant watch over the internet and newspaper stories trying to keep his name from being released. On a date with Karen just watching a movie in his apartment, Karen mentioned the video. She asked why Samson didn''t come out, be the hero that everyone was expecting him to be. Samson said that he wasn''t fond of being a hero, he didn''t want the title. They got into a conversation about it, and Samson decided to let Karen know more of the truth behind him.


    The very next day, the Late Show with Rob Truman got an exclusive interview with Samson, on the condition that they don''t reveal his name. The time was set and Samson was invited to the set for the interview. Samson arrived in an Armani suit with a finely shaved face and a sack filled with something long and heavy. Rob Truman was a grey haired man with a great sense of humor about things, but he also knew perfectly well when to take things seriously. The interview was going to be live as most late shows are, so they wouldn''t be reading off of a script.


    Samson waited through the intro, getting a little nervous to be on the side of things. Rob Truman announced, "We have a special guest here on the late show, he''s a man who saved a woman in distress from the popular internet video ''Who is this Hero?''. Everybody please welcome the hometown hero from New York!" Samson walked onto the stage setup where there were a few recliners on the opposite side of a desk where Rob Truman sat. Samson walked across the stage with the bag over his shoulder, waving to the live studio audience where Karen sat, then he took his seat.


    "It''s nice to have you here," said Rob, extending a hand for a handshake.


    "Good to be here," said Samson, shaking Rob''s hand.


    "Now, you are the man from this video, correct," Rob asked, showing Samson the video.


    "Yes, I''m the one who helped that woman."


    "It''s quite amazing that all of these people," Rob gestured to the crowd that was gathering, "stood by while you were the only one to help this poor woman who was being abused."


    "It''s something most people have that I call ''Bystander Syndrome'', Rob. A lot of people won''t help because they don''t know the whole truth, so they''ll watch and let something like this happen so they know they aren''t doing anything wrong. A lot of people don''t realize that doing nothing is the worst thing to do in a situation like this."


    "I heard about something like that," said Rob. "I think there was a study done and they called it something similar. Can you tell me why you were the one to step in and save her? Did you know her beforehand?"


    "No, Rob, I had no idea who that woman was or why she was fighting with this man," admitted Samson. "I stepped in because I''ve had experiences like this before, and I knew that this wasn''t just a random fight."


    "So you were the right person in the right place, at the right time."


    "Yes."


    "Well, I still think you''re a hero, and so does everyone here at the studio," said Rob, building up the room the way someone does when they have a surprise. "That''s why, I asked around, and we got this for you." Rob reached below his desk and pulled up a plaque with large bold letter reading ''Honorary Hero''. There were a few signatures at the bottom, illegible, but everyone knew what it meant. "Do you know what this is?"


    "I think I do," said Samson sadly.


    "For those of you at home, this is a special title given to people that the Hero Squad has taken notice of. If five or more heroes agree, they sign a paper and send this plaque with the special title of an honorary hero. I may be wrong about this, but there are only thirty three people in the world with the title of an honorary hero. It means you are recognized as a hero, by heroes, which is a feat in and of itself. Now, do you know why you''re receiving this award?"


    "Just because I helped a stranger," said Samson, thinking he might play it off.


    "Well, that stranger in question came out, and here''s her side of the story." Rob picked up a piece of paper from his desk, then said, "This is from a social media site. For the sake of aninimoty, I''m not going to reveal any names or locations:


    ''I am the woman in that video, and that man did much more than the video can show. He took me to an upscale hotel, gave me free riegn of the presidential sweet, and payed for every indulgence I could think. I wanted to know if he was going to use me just like my ex-boyfriend, so I stood naked, with the bruises and everything to prove myself right. When he arrived, he saw everything, and he just asked me where it hurt exactly. He was sweet and never once let me think I was anything less than human. The next day, he told me he had $10,000 to my bank account and he was going to help me find a job. Even his girlfriend pitched in, and I''m so much happier. I could work for a lifetime and never be able to show my full gratitude for how this man has changed my life.''


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.     There was a heavy silence in the room as Samson looked down at his knee, his face a little sad in his expression. "That, good sir, is why you''ve won the title of an honorary hero," said Rob, and the crowd began to cheer wildly, all except for Karen who was on the border of crying. Rob held the plaque out to Samson, and Samson just looked at him.


    "Rob, this is going to require some explanation, but I can''t accept this reward," said Samson sadly. Rob seemed confused, so Samson continued, "I''m going to tell you the reason I told my girlfriend last night. When I was a kid, my dad came from a rich family and worked as a fireman, and he married a poor woman who was my mom. My dad was seen as a hero, and people told him every chance they recognized him, but he wasn''t. He regularly got drunk off of the fortune his parents had left behind, and he beat my mom who acted as a shield for me. Back then I had Bystander Syndrome, and I always heard or saw what happened when the hero showed his true colors. My mom was always seen as the leech who married for money, she became the villain.


    "Then my mom died, killed in the street by a mugger when my dad was at home. Except he wasn''t at home, I was. I was ten, and I was so scared of everything I just did what I was told. I lied and my dad got off, leaving it as a cold case. I had to live with that man, knowing full well what he had done, but never thought that I could get away." Samson had tears welling up in his eyes, and Karen was already silently crying in the audience. Samson picked up the bag he had carried in, and he reached in pulling out a baseball bat.


    "Now, here''s the part I didn''t tell my girlfriend," said Samson, setting the baseball bat across the armrests. "After my mom was killed, I was the prime target for my dad''s beatings. I got into the habit of cleaning the house, because he usually grabbed the first thing he saw and used it. One day, I noticed I was bigger than he was, so I figured I would be able to fight back. I got this baseball bat out of the garage, and I sat down in the living room just like this, waiting for him to get home. There was no way he could have known I was going to fight back, nobody would have told him, it was impossible that he would prepare for it."


    Samson reached into the bag again, and this time he pulled out a fireman''s axe that shined in the light of the studio. "My dad came home, and he came into the living room holding this standard, fireman''s axe." There was a heavy silence in the studio, only the clink of the fireman''s axe against the floor could be heard. "He saw me sitting there with this bat, and my dad, the hero, glared at me as though I was some sort of villain. Let me tell you, if I hadn''t picked that last moment to fight back, I probably wouldn''t be here right now." There silence festered into tears from both the audience and Rob Truman himself, which Samson used to unbutton a few buttons on his dress shirt.


    "Is that why you don''t want to be a hero," Rob finally asked, wiping a tear from his eye.


    "It''s a philosophy I developed from my experiences," said Samson, his eyes as red as hot coals. "See, it became clear that the fight was going to end poorly for one of us, so after trying to get him to stop, I just decided to end it and cracked him across the head. We were both sent to the emergency room, where I saw this," Samson pulled his shirt to the side to reveal a scar over his chest. "The axe had dug into my skin, cracked through the bone, and almost severed one of the arteries leading to my heart. When I received news that my dad was dead, I felt like a hero in that moment.


    "Since I had killed him, I had an experience in court, and that''s when I started to really hate the word ''hero''. The fire department came and testified that my dad was a wholesome person, that he was a hero who saved lives. They kept using that word to describe him, ''hero'', until it just gave me a bad taste in my mouth. I found out the truth then, why he had just decided to up and kill me. Apparently, my filthy rich grandparents had left an enormous trust in my name, and my dad''s bank account was almost empty. They also revealed that his prints matched the ones at my mother''s crime scene, and that there was a huge life insurance policy taken out a few days before."


    "I''m sorry to hear this," said Rob honestly. He said it the way a person would, not a TV star who was saying it just to sound sympathetic.


    "So, I decided what a hero really is," said Samson, finalizing his opinion. "A hero is a word we use to describe people that save others out of a sense of duty or righteousness. It wasn''t my duty to save that woman, and I didn''t do it to prove my righteousness. I did what I did, because I wanted to help her, and that does not make me a hero."


    "I think, that makes you something better than a hero," said Rob with a small smile. "Saving people because you want to, that takes something more than a hero." Someone waved from behind one of the cameras, and Rob got the message. "I''m afraid that''s all we have time for," said Rob, half to the camera and half to Samson. "It was nice having you, and it was very eye opening to hear about your experiences."


    "I''m sorry that I couldn''t accept the prestigious award," said Samson in heartfelt compassion.


    "Honestly, I don''t blame you," said Rob, "but this award is apparently non-negotiable. If you ever feel like accepting it, give the Hero Squad a call."


    The show ended and Samson shook hands with Rob Truman again, then the usual music played and the cameras cut out. "It was honestly an honor to meet you," said Samson with a grin.


    "It was an honor to meet you as well," said Rob thankfully. Samson went off to the side of the stage as people went about their jobs setting up cameras and avoiding eye contact. Samson navigated his way out of the studio, then met up with Karen on the street. Samson was big, but just this once he needed to lean on somebody. Karen wrapped her arms around Samson''s large body and she felt him return the hug as well as the tears. There was a lifetime in those tears, an infinite sadness that began to reveal itself.

 Chapter 14 - Meeting the Parents

    Samson and Karen had something special between them, something they couldn''t quite put down. After three months of regular dating, Karen was now spending the majority of her time at Samson''s apartment. Samson was beginning to understand the irregularity of Karen''s schedule, where he would sometimes find she came and left at completely random hours of the day. Whenever they did have time to meet up, they spent however much time they had watching shows or fooling around. They were working on getting all of Samson inside of her, but despite their efforts, he was only a third of the way in.


    Not a moment was wasted between the two of them, so Karen began to stress more and more about revealing her other ego. Karen was a beautiful woman who was shaped perfectly for human trust and interaction, but Queen was a blue alien capable of shapeshifting, telepathic communication, psychokinesis, and a grab bag of other powers. More than that, she was something that Samson openly declared he hated and wouldn''t associate with heroes. It was a nightmare within a beautiful dream, and Karen didn''t know whether she could keep being Karen or if she had to be Queen.


    It came to a head when she was working out at the Hero Squad base, strengthening both her powers and keeping her body in shape when a large man in a white Hero Squad suit came up behind her. She was lifting weights, both with her mind and her arms, when the man in white suddenly grabbed her from behind around her waist. He lifted her up with a perfect smile and announced, "I''m home!" Flying gently into the air, the man tossed Queen up and flipped her around before she finally saw his face.


    "Dad," said Queen happily, her facing shining brightly as the man tossed her effortlessly into the air. The man had black hair that had grown long down his back, and a big beard that waved gently across his chest over the high collar of his white suit. He had a fine cleft on his chin and clear eyes with a strong handsomeness. He had broad shoulders and powerful muscles that flexed out of his suit. The patch on his shoulder didn''t have any logo, it was blank. The only people who had blank patches were either considered unstoppable, or they had no powers at all. His white suit meant that he was one of the top ten ranked in the Hero Squad, as well as a founder member of the Hero Squad itself: Big Man.


    "I''m so happy to see you again," said Big Man, lowering himself down with Queen in his arms.


    "So, how was your business in the Mirror dimension," asked Queen. "Did you convince them not to go to war with each other?"


    "I don''t know," admitted Big Man sadly, "but I think I left a good impression." Setting Queen down, Big Man looked at her closely, and he seemed to notice something was off. "What''s wrong, Queen?"


    "What do you mean," asked Queen.


    "You seem different," said Big Man, looking closely at Queen. "Are those boys picking on you again?"


    Queen laughed to herself, "I''m not being picked on by anyone. I''m actually having a great time."


    "Do you have a boy you like," Big Man asked jokingly. Queen avoided eye contact, her fingers flinched, and her heart literally skipped a beat. Big Man went from joking to serious faster than it took Queen''s heart to skip another beat. "What''s his name?"


    "Daaad," said Queen disapprovingly, "what are you going to do if I tell you?"


    "I''d go and say hi," said Big Man with an honest smile.


    "You can''t do that," said Queen, "he''s a normal civilian." Big Man adopted a confused look on his face.


    "You''re dating a civilian," asked Big Man in confusion. "Why not someone from the Hero Squad?"


    "Well," said Queen nervously, "this guy just, sort of, fell on me."


    "So you saved him?"


    "No, his friend got up and started telling me how shy he was, and I thought it was kind of cute, so I gave him my number."


    "And how long have you been dating this civilian," Big Man asked in a stern, fatherly way.


    "For... three months," said Queen nervously. Big Man looked down at his daughter''s light blue face, the way she seemed nervous about this man and how she blushed a royal blue.


    "Come on," said Big Man, motioning towards the door, "I''ve got to get some food and shave. Tell me more about it while we walk." So Queen began to talk, about everything she and Samson had done together, about Samson himself, and about how he made her feel. For the duration she talked, Big Man was able to shave, eat 5 lunch trays worth of food, return to the gym and run a hundred miles in five minutes on the treadmill, bench half the weight of the world, then finally, calisthenics in 50 times the average earth gravity. Sweating and breathing heavily from the activity, Big Man looked at his daughter who was still talking about ''Samson Marcel''.


    "You really like this guy," guessed Big Man, looking seriously at Queen who suddenly blushed.


    "Yeah," she said with a happy smile, "I think I do."


    "Then I''m happy for you," said Big Man in a fatherly way. "We just need to find out a good time to meet him, and you need to decide something very important."


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.     "What is it," Queen asked curiously.


    "Who you want to be your mother."


    "It''s nice to meet you, Mr. Hunt," said Samson nervously. He was wearing a special Armani suit that he had made just to meet Karen''s parents. It was quite a shock when Queen told him, but Samson wouldn''t back down if it meant being there for Karen. Samson stood in front of a small house in a suburb of Queens, looking at a man who matched him perfectly in size. Karen''s dad was big, broad shouldered, and had a big bushy moustache under his nose.


    "It''s nice to meet you, too, Samson," said Mr. Hunt, holding his hand out. Samson grasped the man''s hand, then they both shook with a strong grip. "Come on in, dinner''s almost ready." Samson entered a cozy little home with the smell of pot roast wafting in from the kitchen. A woman wearing a nice evening dress appeared, a beauty of a woman with the same curvaceous body as Karen but only a little smaller and with black hair.


    "Oh, Karen you''ve outdone yourself," said Mrs. Hunt happily. "Tall, handsome, and rich." Mrs. Hunt playfully wrapped her arms around her husband and told him, "Looks like you''ve got some competition." Both Samson and Karen blushed at such an embarrassing topic, but Mr. and Mrs. Hunt just laughed. Samson and Karen were both ushered in, and a night of parental watch and embarrassment ensued.


    Nothing was left out, between personal questions and stories, Karen''s parents were doing everything they could to make the two blush as furiously as possible. Samson almost spit out the food in his mouth when Mrs. Hunt asked about his performance between the sheets. That was a question Karen didn''t seem so hesitant to answer, but Samson felt the need to crawl under the table and going into the fetal position. When dinner was finally over, Mr. Hunt took Samson to the side while Karen and her mother cleared the table.


    "Tell me, what are your intentions with my daughter," said Mr. Hunt seriously. "You think you can make an honest woman out of her?"


    "I don''t know," said Samson honestly, "but I''ve got this weird feeling that I want to stay with her through everything."


    "Are you asking for my blessing," huffed Mr. Hunt, crossing his arms over his chest.


    "Not yet," said Samson with a playful smile, but the truth in his words shone through. "I''m guessing you saw my interview with Rob Truman?"


    "I did," said Mr. Hunt, his face hard as stone.


    "I don''t want that," said Samson, crossing his arms and looking in Karen''s general direction. "To be honest, I want something like this. Small house, a yard..., and a tight family. I just... I don''t know if I can do it. I mean, I have no experience in this type of family, and I''m afraid..."


    "You''re afraid you''ll become your dad," finished Mr. Hunt seriously. A heavy air hung over Samson, his eyes on the floor to avoid Mr. Hunt''s gaze. A large hand was placed on Samson''s shoulder, and Mr. Hunt said thickly, "Samson, to be honest, that''s what I''m afraid of, too. But just now, for you to open yourself up like that, I saw how much you really care. If you can prove to me that you want to be the best husband possible, I won''t hesitate to give you my blessing." Samson smiled weakly, a feeling of hope in his chest as he looked up into the eyes of Karen''s father.


    "It''s really nice being here," said Samson with a smile. "It feels like a family should."


    At the end of the night, both Samson and Karen admit to having a good time. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt waved from the front porch as Samson drove away in his Range Rover with Karen in the passenger seat. Once they were out of sight, Mr. Hunt asked, "So, what did you think of him?"


    "I can''t believe someone like that wants to be a supervillian," said Mrs. Hunt honestly. "It just blows my mind."


    "With everything that''s happened to him, I''m surprised he''s even sane."


    "It really makes me think what could have been," said Mrs. Hunt with a heavy sigh. "With his power and resolve, he could be one of the greatest superheroes of all time, but he doesn''t trust anyone who takes the name of a hero." Going back into the house, Mrs. Hunt suddenly changed out of her sparkling dress into a white Hero Squad suit with a single line on her patch.


    "What do you think about them together," asked Big Man.


    "They''ve got something special between them, something real," said Mrs. Hunt sadly. "It''s a shame it was built on a lie."


    "Fatale, when I pulled Samson aside, he said that he wanted to keep what he had as long as possible," said Big Man with a note of concern. "If he can prove what it takes, I think I have a job for him."


    "You don''t mean...,"


    "I think he''d be the perfect candidate for the Anri-Hero idea," said Big Man.


    "You still think that''s a good idea?" asked Fatale(Mrs. Hunt) exasperatedly. "It baffles me that you could think anyone would go for something like that."

 Chapter 15 - Invaders

    It was sudden, it was quick, and it was huge. Without warning, something enormous appeared in the sky over Australia. Over the city of Brisbane, a massive black spaceship appeared in orbit. There was no reaction at first, not until a signal high -jacked every satellite in orbit and sent down a video message. It appeared on every screen, every phone, in every language that existed on earth. It was a blue face with thin lips and an overly square jaw, with light blue hair and royal blue skin. His voice was simple, but authoritative.


    "My name is General Baslo, and I am the commander of the T''tachi warstation currently in orbit around your planet. We have come to establish a base on your planet, the only habitable planet within a light-second around this sector. Whether you agree or not is irrelevant, because there is no way for you to stop us. If your ''Hero Squad'' attempts to force us to leave, we will assume peaceful negotiations have broken down and will attack in full force with everything we have at our disposal. This is our planet now, you simply happen to live here."


    The transmission ended and the world at large assumed it was some kind of prank. The only people who knew the truth were the people with the highest level of security on their computers, the people who knew this hack was something beyond human ability. This included the entire Hero Squad, who had the ability to see the ship in its entirety. They Hero Squad was outraged, and a few lone renegades left to attack the T''tachi ship. What they didn''t know was that the T''tachi were very well prepared for this retaliation.


    They released their own super units, and quickly defeated the Hero Squad loners. After that, the entire Hero Squad moved in force, but the T''Tachi had been watching for earth for some time. Using the weaknesses of each respective hero, a vast majority of the Hero Squad was captured and implanted with collars made to restrict superpowers. In a single day, the T''Tachi imprisoned more than a thousand heroes, leaving the defence of earth up to humans.


    Standing in the operations center of the warstation, General Baslo stood with a confident grin. "Sir," said one of the officers manning the stations around the general, "we''ve discovered something in the DNA analysis of the heroes."


    "What is it, officer," the general asked plainly.


    "It''s... our DNA sir," said the officer slowly. "The analysts say one of the heroes is a T''Tachi."


    "Bring up the prisoner''s photo," commanded the general, and a screen near the general''s station appeared with a photo of Queen''s face. The blue skin and contours of her face matched the feminine lines of T''Tachi, but the general seemed suddenly surprised at the face. His lips slowly curled around the edges into a very happy smile. "It seems as though we''ve found a diamond in the rough," said the general with a happy smile. "Where is this woman?"


    "She''s in the brig, sir," said the officer dutifully, "cell 237."


    "Send her into interrogation, but tell the men there I''ll do it personally," said the general with his smile still on his face. On his own screen, General Baslo typed something and moved screens around, then he left the operations center. Walking through the halls, General Baslo entered an elevator that moved him around the station at an amazing speed. When the doors opened, a man wearing a similar suit to General Baslo entered.


    Once the doors closed, the other blue man demanded, "What is the meaning of your alert, General Baslo."


    "General Rakks," said General Baslo seriously, "do you know the purpose of reaching into this galaxy?"


    "This galaxy was said to have greater resource capacity than our own," said General Rakks. "But your tone suggests otherwise."


    "Are you aware of what happened to the Queen of the T''Tachi homeworld?"


    "Why are you bringing this up, General Baslo?"


    "It was only a short two hundred years ago when the Queen of our homeworld was sent on a diplomatic voyage to a small sector of our own galaxy where a rebellion had risen. Her ship was lost and the official story was that her ship was destroyed by the rebels. The truth was that her ship was outfitted with an experimental FTL drive as an emergency last resort. When her ship went missing, analysts claimed that there was an unusual energy output around the area that could have been the activation of an FTL drive."


    General Rakks was silent for a little while, trying to think about everything General Baslo was saying. "So you think our home queen is somewhere in this galaxy?"


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.     "No," said General Baslo, "however, this is the general direction her ship was moving in when it activated its FTL drive. We may still be unable to find her, but we may have already found proof of her existence." Reaching his arm to the wall of the elevator, General Baslo brought up a picture of Queen. He waited as General Rakk studied the face, and realization dawned on him. "This is one of the Hero Squad, apparently she had hidden within their ranks."


    "The resemblances are remarkable," said General Rakk observantly. "Could this be the homeworld''s queen?"


    "That''s what we''re going to find out," said General Baslo. "I''ve ordered to oversee her personal interrogation, where the truth will hopefully be revealed."


    Queen sat in the interrogation room bobbing her foot up and down radically, a large collar around her neck with a small blue light on the side. It was a dark steel grey color that was wrapped tightly around the neck of everyone captured by the T''Tachi. She was afraid, but so was everyone else that had been captured. The T''Tachi were using something that suppressed their powers somehow, and even their strength seemed drained from the collars. Queen had been chosen selectively for this, but there had been no notification as to why.


    The door opened suddenly and Queen jumped in her seat, only to see two blue men wearing purple versions of the grunt suits. Queen glared at the two men, one of whom sat down across from her. "What is your name," asked the man across from her.


    "Queen," said Queen in disgust.


    "Where did you get this name," asked the man curiously.


    "I was found on a space ship, cut off from the rest of the crew whom had all died," said Queen. "I was thought to be the last, so I got to be queen."


    "Do you remember the name of this ship," asked the man standing in the back.


    "No," said Queen angrily.


    "Do you think you would recognize the name if you were told it?"


    "No," said Queen, "I''ve never even heard the name." The man sitting at the table took something out of his pocket, a small circular object with a bulb at the middle of the top. The bulb began to glow and a light was projected out, but an image was created in the light. It was a woman, slowly spinning around. She wore a very long dress and her face was hard to make out, but there was a strong sense of familiarity.


    "Do you recognize this woman," asked the man.


    "No," said Queen slowly.


    The two men shared a glance, then the one said, "The way our galaxy works is that there are queens who rule sections of the galaxy. Two hundred years ago, there was an accident with the queen from our homeworld, her ship activated something that sent her across the universe around this galaxy." The man made a gesture at the hologram and the image closed further around the face until it was the only thing that occupied the hologram.


    She had high cheekbones and an angular jaw, the same royal blue skin and baby blue hair that Queen had. The lovely blue eyes were like azure diamonds that sparkled brilliantly, just like Queen''s. "This is the last Queen of our homeworld, Al''ak Shak''tar. Do you recognize who she is?" Queen could only stare at the picture, it was a face that she recognized very well, because it was a face that she saw everyday. It was her face, the one that she see''s in every mirror, the ghost she sees in every window, they eyes that stare back.


    "That''s the queen, and as far as we can tell, it''s you, too," said the blue man in the back. "Your DNA is T''Tachi, there''s no denying that. But for you to be in this quadrant with the same face as the queen that went missing, we believe you may be a rightful queen in the T''Tachi empire. We''d need more data to make sure, but the chances you are an actual Queen is very probable." Queen was being overloaded, there''s was too much to process at one time. This was astronomical, it was too much.


    "We would like to make sure," said the blue man sitting across the table. "While we do, you''ll be put up in the most comfortable accommodations we have. I''m sure living around these lower civilized creatures as caused your sense of honor and pride to degrade a bit. Don''t worry, you''re among your own people."

 Chapter 16 - Ultimatum

    A week into the invasion, people were beginning to notice what was really going on. There were robberies, fighting, violence worldwide, but there was no sign of the Hero Squad anywhere. The call went out for someone, anyone, to save the innocent and fight for justice. In a single week without the Hero Squad, the scum an villains of the world rose up to take whatever they wanted. When the super cats away, the super mice will play. After a week, more than half the banks across the world were robbed, museums were picked clean, entire art galleries were bought out with fake money.


    Samson Marcel stood on top of his tower, looking out across the burning New York as it trudged lower and lower into scum and villainy. He had people holed up in his tower, good people that he knew personally, but this was something else. As he watched, he heard the ding of the elevator and looked back to see Alexander with a bandage over his heard. He was breathing heavily and staggered a bit out of the elevator. "Alexander," said Samson, quickly rushing to the older gentleman''s aide, "what''s going on?"


    "Ruffians in the lobby, sir," said Alexander, breathing like an asthmatic.


    "I''ll take care of it," said Samson, "give yourself a rest here."


    "Thank you, sir," said Alexander as Samson got into the elevator and descended into the lobby. When the doors opened, two guys were standing in front of the elevator with a crowbar and baseball bat. Samson punched both of them in the face viciously, knocking them back into the wall. Samson looked into the very fancy lobby to see seven other guys looking at him, one of the thugs standing over the crumpled body of a man.


    "This is getting ridiculous," growled Samson, stepping forward and mowing them down as they came at him. Once they were all down, Samson and another few men picked up their bodies and laid them outside before blocking the doors with all of the furniture in the lobby. "Where is the Hero Squad," Samson shouted to the people taking refuge in his building. Right as he said that, the large TV in the lobby suddenly came to life with the picture of a blue man.


    "Greetings, people of earth," said General Baslo, "as you have no doubt noticed from the chaos in your streets, the Hero Squad that you once depended on is no longer on duty. We have nullified their entire force, and are holding them as prisoners against peace. As of now, this is an invasion of earth for which you humans will certainly lose." The image cut out and Samson could hear the scream of an entire city as millions of souls wailed their upcoming doom.


    "Figures," said Samson, looking at the TV screen as though it was a karaoke singer at amatuer hour. "Looks like I''m going to have the last bit of fun that I can." Samson marched into the back offices and left the building out the back way, then he dropped all pretenses of secrecy as a lightning bolt arced through the city towards New Jersey.


    On board the T''Tachi ship, Mark was sitting up against the wall of the cell block with around a hundred other superheroes. Since he worked mostly with the supervillian prevention unit, a lot of the heroes there assumed he was a civilian caught up in the mess. He was tired of explaining it, and it seemed as though everyone was tired of asking. They would get random food drops occasionally, but the food looked as though it had been chewed already. The water fountains were warm like urine, but it was as much as they could ask.


    The passage of time was hard to accurately predict, since there were no windows or clocks, but the lights would turn off sometimes and that was when most people slept. Judging by the period between power failures, it had been almost ten days since they were captured. The only thing they could do was think to pass the time, and it was in thier minds that the torture began. The fear and the vulnerability would chew away at the people who believed themselves invulnerable.


    Standing on a platform floating in the middle of a vast crowd that watched from balconies, Queen stood wearing the royal robes of a T''Tachi queen. She was raised up into the middle as millions of eyes watched her and the two generals behind her. She had memorized the script the generals had layed out and was told that her speech would be broadcast across the world over every screen just as every announcement. After all, the announcement of a new queen was something that everybody deserved to hear. Once the platform stopped, a massive screen appeared behind Queen as a small microphone picked up her voice and amplified it.


    On earth, every screen available popped up showing the royal majesty Queen. She looked directly into the camera as if speaking to an individual person, when in fact her voice was heard by billions.


    "Greetings, people of earth, my T''Tachi brothers and sisters, and any who hear this broadcast. I speak to you as someone whose identity has finally been brought to light after a truth was revealed to me by the noble generals. You may know me as Queen, the blue alien member of the Hero Squad and adopted daughter of Big Man. Others may know me by my human face," her face changed into that of Karen, "and name, Karen Margaret Hunt.


    "But, in fact, this is not who I truly am. Two hundred years ago, a ship went missing containing the queen of the T''Tachi homeworld, the very same ship where Big Man discovered me. I have grown up with humans, fought with and against them, even fallen in love, but I have always felt left out. Now I know why, it is because I am the hier to a T''Tachi royal bloodline, the one directly connected with the T''Tachi homeworld. Because I have been raised and guided by humans, this invasion will be diplomatic and peaceful as an offering of thanks from me personally.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.     "As such, a show of gratitude for those closest to me is in order. The names of the humans that I list will be allowed on the T''Tachi warstation and will act as the personal ambassadors for all humans. Big Man, Iron Maiden, Samson Marcel, Lighthouse, and Warpath the Amazon. The only one who isn''t on the station, we will send a cruiser to your apartment to retrieve you. Please, sit tight and this invasion will become prosperous for both human and T''Tachi alike."


    "You can stop right there," said an omnipotent voice spreading across the speakers. The camera moved of its own will and focused on a figure in a mechanical black suit who was slowly being raised on a platform adjacent to Queen''s. The camera focused on the face mask, a black slate that gave an ominous sense of darkness. The mechanical nature of the suit was unmistakable, even as it crossed its arms there were signs of machinery. Queen looked a bit surprised, but she did not move from her spot on the platform.


    "What is the meaning of this," demanded General Baslo with contained rage. "Who do you think you are, interrupting a queen of the T''Tachi empire!"


    "I am undecided on a name for myself," said the omnipotent voice, "so call me what you will. I am simply here for the ultimatum." The general raised his arm around Queen with a pistol in his hand, and he fired off several shots automatically. The shots could be seen bending across an invisible field and heading into the crowd behind him. There were screams and shouts as the shots hit bystanders behind the black mech suit. "For one who talks of peace, you seem awfully trigger happy."


    The other general put his arm over the pistol and asked, "Why did you disrupt the queen''s speech?"


    "To deliver a message and a choice," said the man in black. "Over the past few hours, I have been frantically running around your entire base setting up very explosive surprises. To the humans on earth as well as the alien invaders, I offer a simple choice of whether to detonate or not. Each person, T''Tachi or human, will receive a single vote whether to detonate or not. A counter will appear to count the votes, and at the end of the day eastern Australian time, the bombs will either detonate or be disarmed."


    "You bastard," shouted the general still holding the weapon, "the T''Tachi population isn''t even a thousandth of the size of the humans on earth!" The black suit raised it''s palm towards the enraged general and a faint white light was emitted.


    "You yell at me one more time and I will blow your head off of your shoulders," commanded the black mech. "The fact that you get a say in it at all is the mere mercy I will spare to the lives of your people. Humans had no say in your invasion, I believe this is more than fair compensation." The camera moved into the just the black mech suit so that its face was the only thing on the screen. "This message goes out to all of the humans across the world, civilian, criminal, or otherwise.


    "If you choose yes, the bombs will detonate and this entire warstation will be wiped out without a trace. The invasion will end immediately with the destruction of the generals and the death of a T''Tachi queen. However, there are more than just T''Tachi on board this warship. The captured Hero Squads are currently being held in pens like animals, collars around their necks to suppress their powers. If you choose no, you will be returning the favor to people who have saved your own lives countless times, whether you knew it or not. None of them will survive the bombs I have placed, for that, I garuntee.


    "The choice is yours, either save the heroes or save yourselves," said the omnipotent voice. The camera dropped and the screen was suddenly changed to a large counter with two large zeroes 0:0 over the words ''NO'' and ''YES'' respectively. There was a moment of doubt, but then the numbers began to change at a rapid rate. The generals took small screens out of their pockets and they saw a simple ''yes or no'' question.


    "You think you are saving the world," said Queen honestly, "but you''ve just condemned it to a worse fate."


    "We''ll see about that," said the mech electronically. There was a loud shot that suddenly erupted and a hail of bullets bounced off of the invisible shield surrounding the mechanical man. The general carrying his gun suddenly dropped his gun as his eyes became tearful. The mechanical man said nothing, just raised his hand as a sudden burst of white light completely removed everything above the general''s neck. The body fell limply off the platform as the queen released a shrill scream.


    Looking at the black mechanical man, Queen tried to lift him with her telekinesis, but his body was much heavier than what she could manage for long. He dropped down to the base where a hail of gunfire erupted, but nothing even grazed him as he ran through the crowds. The remaining general announced, "Everybody, please, I want you all to stay calm. We will figure this problem out without panicking. All of my officers, I need to see you in the operations command immediately."

 Chapter 17 - Reconciliation

    In the operations command, General Baslo was giving out orders furiously, the calm facade falling away as the true inability began to reveal itself. Every screen on the T''Tachi warship only showed the choice, and once a choice was selected the screen switched to the count. Any attempts to break into the system seemed futile, even shutting everything down completely and turning it back on did nothing. Even objects that were off the overall network had the message appearing on the screens, and General Baslo was starting to lose his cool.


    Queen approached him after conversing with others and asked, "Has the disaster been averted?"


    General Baslo grabbed Queen roughly by the arm and forcibly dragged her away. "We need to get off of this ship immediately," said the General, sweat forming across his body. His skin was becoming a flushed white as he rushed through the crowds of T''Tachi with Queen in hand.


    "General Baslo, stop and explain this to me," said Queen as the general pulled her into a room with nobody in it. Her voice was lost to the general as he pulled her further across a series of portals. The words ''Emergency Escape Pods'' were written across in T''Tachi lettering, but Queen had no idea how to read T''Tachi. "General Baslo, this is an order," shouted Queen as the general tried to type something onto a panel, "tell me what you''re doing!"


    "Shut up," the enraged general shouted back, "I''m trying to save our lives!" Queen looked at the portals again, forming an idea for what they might be for.


    "We''re running away?" Queen guessed in outrage.


    "I can not let a newly found queen be killed," said the general quickly. "It is my duty to escort you off of this ship!"


    "The pods don''t work," said a voice, and five grunts appeared through the door lock carrying large blunt objects. "We tried, but the panel won''t show anything but that stupid counter. Though I must admit, seein'' the mighty general and queen trying to run away really makes me lose hope for a good future." The five boys casually swung their weapons back and forth, eyeing the queen in her royal robes. "You''re awfully pretty," said the grunt to the queen. "Seems a shame to me that you don''t experience what a real T''Tachi man is like."


    A shot rang out in the small room and the lead guy fell back from a high velocity bullet tearing through his chest. General Baslo stood behind the queen with a smoking gun in his hand, which he then pointed at the rest of the grunts. "Get back or I shoot," said the general, but his desperation was so thick the grunts could practically smell it. They charged all at once, and Queen closed her eyes as the general fired shots repeatedly.


    Queen opened her eyes to see the five grunts shot dead around the small pod area, with General Baslo sweating bullets and a gun in his hand. "Damnit," he said to himself, "this wasn''t supposed to happen." The general suddenly looked up at Queen, dressed to perfection with make-up applied professionally. General Baslo chuckled to himself, then slowly pointed the gun at Queen. "Might as well go down happy," he said to himself. Queen tried to use her mind to take the gun from Baslo''s hands, but the general just laughed maliciously. "The toxin from the collar still hasn''t worn off yet. You can''t use your powers!"


    "NO," screamed Queen as General Baslo forced himself onto her. Grabbing her arms and pushing them down, the general ground his crotch against Queen''s in an effort to stimulate himself. When she struggled enough, General Baslo brought his hand down and punched her in the face as hard as he could. Her mind became fuzzy and her vision suddenly filled with stars, her resistance waning giving the general enough time to force his way through her dress and loosen his own clothes. He pulled out a rigid penis about three inches long and an inch thick with veins pulsating across.


    He aimed the tip of it at Queen''s pussy before she knew what was happening, then a sudden force picked him up and tossed him to the side with his pants down. The black mechanical suit bent down and closed Queen''s dress to cover her intimate parts, then stood up and moved to the panel showing the counter. He placed a hand on it and then one of the pod doors opened as if by magic. General Baslo sat up against the wall with an apparent injury on his left side, when he saw the open portal door and the black mech suit.


    "What are you here for," the general asked sourly. "Are you going to kill me too?"


    "I''m going to offer you redemption," said the electronic voice. "You can either run like a coward, or you can command your ship the way a true general should and give up your seat to the queen. At least then you could die with some respect." General Baslo stood up slowly, looking carefully at the black mech as he limped towards the escape pod.


    "I''m going to take my leave," said the general cautiously. He stepped through the portal and Samson closed it from behind. Samson set the coordinates specifically, then the escape pod launched with the general inside. There was weak sobbing on the floor as Queen broked down, her blue hands covering her face to hide the tears. The sobbing grew until Queen was crying with full force and quite loudly right at the black mech''s feet.


    "What are you going to do now?" the electronic voice asked.


    "What... can I... do?" Queen cried dramatically. "Everyone... I love... is going to die... and I can''t... stop it!"


    "You could try to kill me," suggested the electronic voice.


    "I don''t have my powers," said Queen with a sniffle. "I can''t do anything anymore." There was a long, heavy silence as neither of the two moved, the only sound was Queen''s occasional sniffling.


    "There is something you can do," said the electronic voice.


    "What," asked Queen in a snotty manner.


    "The comrades from your Hero Squad, they''re probably still in the holding cells. If I were you, I''d want to reconcile any differences so I die with no regrets." Queen blinked her eyes a few times, and she thought about what the robot just said.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.     "Who are you really," Queen asked, getting up a little to look at the black mech.


    "Someone who believes in never having regrets," said the black mech. "I''ll take you down there, make sure you get there safely." Holding a hand out to Queen, the black mech helped her up with a suspicious glance to his mask. He walked calmly out of the room. Once he stepped outside, a hail of bullets instantly tried to pulverize him, all of which ricocheted somewhere else.


    "Stay close, or the bullets will get to you," informed the black mech.


    The walk was perilous, with a near continuous stream of gunfire constantly assailing the black mech from all every direction possible. Once they got into the corridors, the ricocheted bullets more often bounced back and hit the people who were firing, but that didn''t stop them from firing. Even laser guns proved ineffective, bouncing off of the invisible barrier that surrounded him.


    Once they entered an elevator, Queen gathered the courage to ask, "How do you keep the bullets from hitting us?"


    "Anti-gravity field," said the black mech. "I set a perimeter for sensor detection, then once an object enters that perimeter the shield activates just long enough to bounce the projectile."


    "Well, wouldn''t objects within the field also be bounced back," Queen pointed out.


    "They would be, if there wasn''t also a velocity setting," explained the black mech. "If something was moving at a slow enough velocity, it would be able to pass through the anti-grav field without being rebounded. That''s how I can keep and move things inside of the field without them being automatically repelled each time the field activates." There was a strange silence as the elevator whirred them both down to the containment area. It was oddly comfortable, the way a cold bed feels after some time is spent under the covers.


    The elevator doors opened to reveal a militia of men with laser rifles, but the black mech simply blew them aside with a single beam from his chest. Queen followed as they made their way through steel grey corridors illuminated by bright white lights, they could hear something in the distance. It sounded like a riot, so Queen picked up the pace of her walk until she reached a pair of large hangar doors. There was a lot of banging on those doors, but there was a smaller personal one near the split between the hanger doors.


    The black mech walked over to a panel and he touched it, then the small door opened and someone fell through. It was like a tidal wave of people suddenly pouring out of the door, so the black mech just let the hangar doors open to reveal a massive grey room filled with Hero Squad members in their skin tight uniforms. On the wall was a massive screen with the counter still active, and it wasn''t looking good for the station. The counter had three billion for blowing up the station and one billion against.


    Once the counter reached 3.5 billion, it would officially be a death sentence.


    Queen stood there a short distance away as people wearing colors came rushing out to freedom. They ran in all directions, apparently grateful for their freedom. A few people stopped around the black mechanical suit, looking at it in pure hatred. Queen wasn''t any better, people were crowding around her shouting at how she had betrayed the Hero Squad until a group of people wearing stained white clothes stepped forward and surrounded her. The black mech left, going back to the elevator and throwing people out that tried to get on. The elevator doors closed, but the people didn''t stop trying to tear the doors down.


    Queen suddenly found herself surrounded by a protective circle of friends, including Lighthouse and Warpath as well as some of the founding members. Lighthouse was the first to speak, gushing over Queen as though she was her own child. "Did they hurt you anywhere," Lighthouse asked, checking everywhere around Queen to find any scratches. Queen just started crying, the feeling of hopelessness she had during the escape pod fiasco returned with a vengeance.


    "No crying now," said Warpath calmly, "there''s nothing to be afraid of."


    "I''m sorry," cried Queen, "I was trying to save everyone, but it was all a lie!" They all hugged deeply and let Queen cry as a handsome man in white approached, who then surrounded them all in a big hug. "Dad," Queen said helplessly, and then the tears began anew.


    "Don''t worry, we''ll get through this somehow," said Big Man comfortingly.


    "Queen, the guy in that black suit," said Lighthouse urgently, but she was cut off by Big Man.


    "Don''t worry," said Big Man quickly, "he''s one of ours."


    "What," said Lighthouse in surprise.


    "Let me explain," said Big Man calmly. "A long time ago, when superheroes were first becoming a thing, a paper was published called ''The Savior'' that damned heros and explained why only a villain could be trusted. After reading that simple article, Poseidon came up with the idea of the ''Anti-Hero''. A person who identifies and acts like a supervillain, but in the moments that truly count they will become a savior. By cutting ties with all heroes and becoming a supervillain, the people who directly come after people like us will never prepare a defense against the Anti-Hero."


    "At the time, the idea was rejected because the hardships that come with being a villain, it would be impossible to think someone would ever share the burden of a hero and a villain."


    "So this guy... the bombs are all a sham," said Warpath hopefully.


    "I don''t think so," said Big Man, "but I''m fairly certain that there''s something behind them. There''s a plan that he''s not telling anyone."


    "So you don''t know for sure," said Queen, wiping her eyes.


    "I have faith," said Big Man with a weak smile. "And in this situation, faith is the only thing we truly have."


    "Not to the people of earth," said Lighthouse, who glanced at the counter on the wall.

 Chapter 18 - Fallout

    Samson noticed that it was time, so he left the war station and sailed out just far enough that he could stop himself and see everything. The earth was only just far away enough that it was about the size of a snow globe, but the T''Tachi warstation was comparatively larger. It was a massive pillar that was not aerodynamically sustainable, but it looked as though it could fit the distance between the two farthest points of the earth. It was a marvel of technology, and it probably took the resources of several planets to build.


    He wanted one.


    As Samson floated in space, he wondered about Queen and Karen, if they were truly one and the same person. That would make everything so much more difficult, but he had noticed in the way she spoke that she was a lot like Karen. He had been so busy with planning and setting everything up, it was hard for him to keep everything straight. Samson was used to people coming into his life and leaving forever, but this was the first time he had wanted someone to stay and be a part of his life.


    Watching closely, Samson saw the slightest blip of light at one end of the station, then came the fireworks. There were no explosions, just little blips of light across the station. Samson watched in glee as the war station had small balls of light appear and disappear like magic. "I guess the bombs work," said Samson with a smile hidden behind the black mask. Setting the jet propulsion, Samson got closer to see the damage he had wrought.


    The warstation seemed as though something had taken bites out of it. Entire sections had just disappeared, as though a sphere of space just up and left. The vacuum of space did the rest, decompressing the air and suffocating the occupants inside. Some emergency doors had released and perhaps saved lives, but the bodies floating in empty space proved there was no shortage of death. The effectiveness of the bombs was much greater than Samson had foretold. At first, Samson felt glad that the plan had worked, but then a sick sensation assaulted the parts of his stomach that were still intact.


    Flying away from the station, Samson flew into the atmosphere, going into freefall to avoid the blazing heat of reentry. As he dropped down into the atmosphere, Samson began to correct his direction until he was landing roughly in the area of Jersey Shore. From there, Samson was able to accurately navigate his way into a forested hill which contained his own personal secret. Landing in a suspiciously barren hill, Samson cracked ancient black top of a parking lot that had been overtaken with weeds. There was a large door that rose from the ground, which Samson entered still in his black, mechanical suit.


    He walked down the bunker stairs, already able to hear the conversations and murmuring that would surely happen. Samson walked down to the large double doors he had locked before-hand, opening them up now to reveal the various colored suits and badges of the Hero Squad. People watched the black suit enter, separating for him like moses separated the Red Sea. The black suit rose to a stage, where he saw Mark sitting cross legged. "Sup'' man," Mark said, a mask of hidden intent over his face.


    "Hey," said Samson, "how''s it feel to travel faster than light?"


    "Is that what happened," Mark asked curiously.


    "Yeah, remember the FTL drive schematics I stole from that military base," said Samson casually. "I''ve actually been experimenting with some of its uses. Those collars give out a radio frequency that can be picked up by just about anyone, so I used them to pinpoint the locations of the Hero Squad members and transport them here via light conversion."


    "You can stop right there," said Mark happily, "I probably won''t get the rest. It''s just good to know I''m not dead."


    "Not yet," said Samson, standing up and moving to the center of the raised platform. He inserted the boots into two outlined steps, then several pairs of robotic arms came out of the platform and attached at several of the joints. The chest suddenly opened up, as did the arms and legs, revealing the toned, muscular body of a large man with a very large endowment between his legs. The mask opened up, then the man fell down with a hard impact on the platform.


    Mark immediately rushed to his side, grabbing Samson''s head and shaking it a little. A few other people got onto the stage as Mark put his finger''s to Samson''s neck. "His pulse is weak," Mark declared in a sudden panic. "He''s not breathing, we need a doctor!"


    "Someone fast," said Samson in a whispy tone.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.  "Speedy, get up here," Mark shouted, and a man wearing a red suit stepped onto the platform. Samson tried to raise his hand, but it could barely be lifted with his withered muscles. Mark grasped Samson''s hand like a dying brother, but he felt tugs in the direction of Speedy who was also kneeling down. Mark slowly guided Samson''s hand to Speedy, then once contact was made with his collar there was a loud beep. The collar suddenly disengaged, falling off and landing with a solid thunk on the platform.


    "Hospital," Samson groaned, and Mark finally understood.


    "Speedy, take Samson to the closest hospital," Mark ordered, and Samson gave the slightest hint of a smile. Speedy, whose metabolism was enormous due to his super speed, was able to process through the toxins in his ten times faster than a normal human. Speedy picked Samson up with some trouble, then he started torun at the rate of an average human. Slowly, Speedy was able to pick up the pace, and Samson was set in a hospital bed before the exhaustion was too much for him.


    At the base, Mark was seen as the guy with the answers, which he was able to do when Big Man nodded his approval. Mark explained that the man who had saved them all was Samson Marcel, a guy who was trying to be a supervillain. The suit that he was wearing forcefully drew on his power to convert his body into electricity, which most likely wore him down. It was currently unclear why he saved them, or even if he would do it ever again. Queen got a personal interview with Mark, where he and Lighthouse explained everything they knew about Samson Marcel.


    Waking upin a sterilized white room, Samson Marcel blearily opened his eyes to find the entire world out of focus. He could hear a distant voice over a PA system, and a monotonous beep that began to annoy after he heard it the hundredth time. Samson tried to blink away the fuzziness, but when that didn''t work, Samson tried to raise his arm to wipe his eye. He was successful, and he finally saw his surroundings clearly.


    Samson Marcel was in a hospital room with a series of IVs hooking into his arm and something down his throat that was forcing oxygen into his body. Looking around curiously, he glanced at a nurse who was walking by, and for a single moment they made eye contact. The nurse then entered the room and picked up the chart at the end of the bed, reading it carefully.


    "You are a very lucky man, Samson Marcel," said the nurse with a slight smile. "Not only did people get to you in time to save your life, but it seems you''ve also struck the fancy of a lot of the nurses around here."


    Samson tried to say something, but the tube down his throat made it come out as a strangled noise. "Hold still," said the nurse, and she grasped the end of the hose and easily slid it out of Samson''s throat. He got into a coughing fit which the nurse said was normal, then asked, "Do you feel better?"


    "What''s going on," Samson asked, his confusion marginalized.


    "There was an alien invasion," said the nurse calmly. "Then some guy in a black suit took the whole ship down and saved the Hero Squad, then disappeared without a trace. Shortest invasion I''ve ever been a part of," joked the nurse as Samson tried to think what happened last. "You were brought in by a superhero yesterday, you were fatigued to the point of death. You actually died several times, but a little angel came down and pumped your heart back up."


    Samson couldn''t help but smile, since he knew what had actually happened. When his heart stops, he has an auto immune response from his powers that acts as a defibrillator to jumpstart his heart again. It was something he thought he might need, and was the only time he had ever messed around with his own head. The nurse called in a doctor who tried to explain everything, but Samson laughed several times during his explanation at how little he actually knew. Samson stood up, did a few push ups on the ground, then shook the doctors hand and thanked him profoundly.


    Samson walked out with hospital clothing, a plain grey sweatshirt and grey sweatpants. He walked down the street feeling the air on his face, the light touch of wool on his skin, the moisture in the air. It was as if he had just come outside for the first time in his life, and it was marvelous. There was something he needed to do, and as he remembered it, he smiled mischievously.


    A bolt of lightning crossed New York, but everyone who saw it could only see the flash of light as it passed by.

 Chapter 19 - The End

    Stepping out of the taxi to the front door of his own personal tower, Samson Marcel stepped out with a sense of accomplishment. The building had been manufactured with no expense spared, including bulletproof glass for all forty-nine floors and blast-proof doors at the entrance. The punks who had gotten through before came in when the doors were already opened, so they were able to prosecute the single security flaw in the building on dumb luck. The structure was made with the strongest industrial steel money could buy under the supervision of the greatest architect and building manufacturers there were.


    Marcel Tower was not only in one piece, but the only damage seemed to be some graffiti on the outside walls. Samson went up to the door and swiped his hand across the lock pad, and the blast-proof doors released the noisiest lock there was. Samson opened the door to see Alexander conversing with some people in the lobby, people wearing large, steel-grey collars. They stopped talking and looked to the side, seeing the large man enter the building. "Sir Marcel," said Alexander in annoyance, "that woman and your black friend assaulted this establishment and took over without so much as a word from you! I''ve been trying to get them to leave, but they are adamant in-"


    "Alexander," said Samson calmly, "how about I let them off with a warning this time. I can imagine no one''s in the best of moods right now." The people Alexander were talking to stood up and walked over to Samson with a determined gaze in their eyes. Samson reached out and touched their collars, which released a loud beep and fell to the linoleum floors, probably chipping the stone. "Go do what you need to do first," said Samson, gesturing with his thumb towards the door. The heroes nodded at Samson, then ran out of the front door to stop the chaos.


    "What are you doing," Alexander asked as Samson went behind the counter.


    "Making things more expedient," said Samson, reaching up to the cable television. A message began to form on the TV, ''All heroes meet in the lobby to have your collars removed.'' and throughout the building every TV displayed the messages. Even when Samson released the television, the message stayed. "Alexander, I''m starved, is there anything with a lot of sugar I can eat."


    "We have the sodas from the stock machine," said Alexander hesitantly.


    "Would you mind raiding the machine and getting me all of that soda," Samson asked politely.


    "May I ask why," Alexander said curiously.


    "I have a superpower, Alexander," Samson admitted sadly. "It burns a lot of calories and uses a lot of energy, but I need it to take the collars off of these superheroes. I''m going to have to load up on sugars and calories."


    "Enough said," Alexander cut in, "I''ll raid the drink dispenser." As the first wave of heroes arrived, Samson was sitting on a chair near the entrance with Alexander and a massive pile of sodas and snacks. One by one, the superheroes had their collars removed and ran out of the building to fight crime. For the entire line, Samson needed to keep one hand swallowing food and soda just to keep his energy levels up to manipulate the electricity in the collars.


    Once every collar was removed, Samson almost collapsed in exhaustion against the chair. "Thanks, Alexander," Samson said with the taste of sugar in his mouth. "You''ve been a good friend and an amazing manager for years. I''m glad I can count on you."


    "It''s been a pleasure knowing you," replied Alexander happily. "Do you need help?"


    "Yes, actually, I do," said Samson, putting an arm around Alexander who helped him to the elevator. On the slow journey there and up the tower, Samson explained, "My power allows immediate regeneration of lost limbs, cuts, and scrapes, but it requires nutrients from my body to supplement the things I''ve lost. If my arm gets cut off, it turns into lightning I can immediately absorb and shape, but if I go for five days without food or water my body is going to be rapidly regenerating with materials it doesn''t have."


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.  "Is there any way I can help," Alexander asked once the elevator opened up to Samson''s apartment.


    "I need nutrients Alexander, and lots of them," Samson ordered. "Get twelve meals worth of meat, vegetables, and bread of any kind. Once my body digests it, I should be back to perfect health in no time at all." Samson was laid on the large couch, then Alexander rushed back to the elevator to fill the twelve meal order with haste. Samson was left alone in the room with his thoughts, until he heard the sound of some gentle knocking on the window.


    Looking up, Samson saw a marvelous figure standing on the balcony wearing a blue skin-tight suit with three pronged patch on her shoulder. Her blond hair fell down to the curve in her back, and her bust was exaggerated by her crossed arms. When Samson Marcel looked at Karen Hunt, she looked away as if embarrassed by something. With the last few ounces of strength, Samson slowly stood up and limped uselessly over to the window. Karen was nearly at tears, she couldn''t bring herself to look up at the large man for fear of what she might see.


    "I-I came to check up on you," said Karen nervously. "I heard you... were looking better."


    "I love you," said Samson simply, and he let the words sink in so Karen would look up to meet his gaze. What she saw purified and renewed her strength, because Samson was looking through the glass with heartfelt meaning. "We have to talk later," said Samson sadly. "You have to do what you need to do."


    "I need to make sure you''re alright," said Karen, pressing on the glass that separated them. "I want to stay with you."


    "I want you to stay," said Samson with a slight rasp in his voice, "but right now, there are people that need you more than me. I hate to say this, but... you need to be a hero." Samson put his large hand on the glass, and Karen did the same. Slowly, her face changed to royal blue skin and her hair became longer with a light blue tinge. She looked at Samson with magnificent, sparkling blue eyes that were filled with hope, so he smiled weakly. "I still think you''re beautiful," said Samson through the glass, "now go."


    Samson turned to achingly lie down on the couch, so when he looked back at the balcony window, Queen was gone. Looking up at his ceiling, laying on a comfortable couch that cost more than most people''s mortgage, Samson thought this might be a nice way to die. He had a feeling of completeness in his body that he''d never felt before, and it was enough to make the rotation of the world might stop for him today. If there was ever a time for him to die, it would be right now with a smile on his face.


    Samson suddenly opened his eyes to a slap across the face from Alexander, who was impossibly worried. "You scared me there," admitted Alexander, "I thought you had died."


    "I think the sugar rush ended," said Samson with a dry throat. He noticed a large bag in the doorway to the elevator, with food piling out of it. "Shopping go well?"


    "I got a great discount," said Alexander with a cheeky smile. "You''ll have to reimburse my coupon wallet for the Giant Eagle."


    "I''ll buy you the chain," said Samson with a weak laugh. "Let''s start with water, then go with what''s immediately edible."


    "Yes sir," said Alexander with a pleasant smile.

 Epilogue

    "I think we all deserve some answers," said a man dressed in traditional Atlantian gear. He was Poseidon, god of the sea and ruler of Atlantis, along with Big Man and six others, all wearing white skin-tight uniforms. They are the founding members of Hero Squad, the best of the best the Hero Squad had to offer. They had saved the world more times than most of the Hero Squad combined. Despite this, Samson had adopted a surly attitude out of habit.


    "Answers for what," Samson asked, "me saving your asses?"


    "Yes," said Poseidon through clenched teeth. "I''ve read up on your file, you''ve got quite a good performance rating for a supervillain."


    "Why haven''t I seen this file," Samson asked curiously.


    All of the founders shared a glance, then one of them handed Samson a piece of paper. He looked it over and smiled, then his smile grew bigger until every tooth was showing. "Mark''s been busy," said Samson, handing the file back to the founders.


    "So we run into an issue here," said Big Man. "Right now, we need to hear how you did what you did."


    "Might as well," said Samson boastfully. "To start at the beginning, I raided an unmarked military base to test out the suit against average soldiers. It was going well until they brought out their laser weapons and went hog wild. I beat them up, took the laser weapons and stole the most encrypted files I could find. I got home and opened them up to find alien technology."


    "Which species," Fatale, the strongest amazon, asked curiously.


    "T''tachi technology," said Samson seriously. "There were focused laser weapons, FTL drives, and a file discussing what they could decipher from the alien language."


    "You think there was a military force in communication with aliens," said Lido in his trade-marked dark and edgy voice.


    "That''s what I thought," said Samson, "until I stole a look at the T''Tachi files on their warstation. Turns out, an FTL drive is still under laboratory testing and isn''t available out in the field. Only a rare few even know that it''s possible to travel faster than light." Big Man had a look of realization on his face, which Samson nodded to. "The ship that Queen was on, it was probably experimental FTL technology that brought her here. The story she told to the world that one time, it was the truth."


    "This still doesn''t explain how you were able to destroy the warstation," said Lido, again in his voice that sounded like he had contracted throat cancer.


    "Ladies and gentlemen," said Samson sarcastically, "I have unlocked the secrets of faster than light travel. The bombs I had set around the warstation were FTL bombs which turned large chunks of the station into moving particles. After that, space did the rest, suffocation and pressure differences and all that. Saving you was also FTL related, just a bit of a different principal. I made the FTL drive as small as possible, then mapped out exact coordinates between my base and your collars. It picked you up one at a time no matter where in the world you might have been, only a few seconds before the bombs were set to go off."


    "You''ve unlocked the ultimate space travel engines," said Lido, "and turned it into a weapon of mass destruction."


    "Precisely," said Samson with a happy smile.


    "What about your suit," asked Poseidon curiously. "It had very interesting battle specs, and it was made from Starsteel, which is very hard to get your hands on."


    "What do you guys want," Samson asked sourly, crossing his arms.


    "We want you to join the Hero Squad," said Big Man instantly.


    "No," said Samson flatly.


    "Let me explain," said Big Man, and he waited to see if Samson would cut in. "We''re not thinking of making you just any member of the Hero Squad. You''d be in your own special division, someone we only call on in the times of our greatest despair. You would be the ''last resort'', our ''trump card'' or ''ace-in-the-hole''. You''d be a part of the Anti-Villain Corp. we''re creating."


    Samson looked at his biggest challenges, the sworn enemies that would not hesitate to beat him into a pulp if given the slightest chance, and he said, "No."


    "The benefits offer-"


    "No."


    "You''ll want to hear this."


    "I said no."


    "We won''t personally attack you-"


    "Nooooo," said Samson drawing it out to make his point.


    "Will you just-"


    "Let me explain something to you," said Samson offensively. "I, a supervillain, was forced to save you people because you were so incompetent. Do you know how embarrassing that is for me? I don''t know if I''ll ever be able to become a real supervillain because of this stupid little stunt!"


    "Then why did you do it," asked a confused Poseidon.


    "Because I can''t be a supervillain without superheroes," Samson shouted as though it was obvious. "Here''s my counter-offer," said Samson, and he raised his middle fingers to the original eight super heroes. With that, Samson walked out of the room wearing a big smile. Once he was clear, Samson turned into a lightning bolt and disappeared with an enormous sonic boom.


    Back at his high rise apartment complex, Samson stood in the elevator with a bottle of champagne. He was wearing an Armani suit with oxford dress shoes and a very gold watch on his arm. The elevator doors dinged and Samson stepped out to see Karen sitting on his sofa nervously rubbing her hands between her legs. She was wearing a very nice short dress that was white all around, with no straps at the top to aide her cantaloupe melons. She looked at Samson as he stepped inside, her words a little mixed when she saw the bottle of champagne. "Tell me, how was it finding out you''re an actual Queen," Samson asked as though there was nothing out of the ordinary.


    "It was jarring," answered Karen, "but not as much as when you opened your suit." There was a long silence in the room as Samson sat down next to Karen and set the champagne on the side.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.     "If we''re going to get everything out in the open, why don''t you show me your real face," said Samson sourly. Karen sneered, then her face went from gorgeous supermodel to blue alien chick. Her eyes changed from shining emeralds to black and blue rings. Her ears shifted and curved downwards, her hair going from blonde to light blue.


    "Now it''s your turn," said Queen snidely.


    "Alright," said Samson, and he grabbed the corkscrew from the champagne bottle and jammed it into his own heart. Queen cringed, but the sound of lightning licking the air drew her attention. "My body can shift to a lightning form to heal injuries and other things. I can also control electricity in computers and things, and I can turn completely to lightning to travel long distances." Samson pulled the corkscrew out of his heart and said, "Also, I''m a supervillain. Not officially, but I''m working on it."


    "This is insane," said Queen, "how could I be dating a supervillain?! You passed every test, and you were always so nice!"


    "Just because I''m a supervillain, doesn''t mean I''m a bad guy."


    "How do I know that anything you say is even real," Queen stressed. "Did you actually come from a broken family, or was that all made up, too?"


    "The only lie I ever told you was where I got the money from," said Samson coolly. "I stole it from banks at first, then I used my electricity to quickly move it around the stock market and get the money that way. That was the only thing I ever lied to you about, but what about yourself? Telling me your real parents were BigMan and Fatale, that was a horrible lie!"


    "That wasn''t a lie, BigMan raised me as his own! I''m his daughter, it doesn''t matter what color I am!"


    "I saw right through it," Samson said. "They both have dark black hair, you''re a blonde; they have blue and brown eyes, you had green eyes; there were a hundred reasons why it was genetically improbable you were thier child. You never told me you were adopted."


    "What''s wrong with being adopted," demanded Queen defensively.


    "I didn''t say there was a problem and I wouldn''t have cared," said Samson stressfully. They both just looked at each other deeply, so Samson asked, "Are you the girl that I went on my first date with?"


    "Of course," said Queen gently.


    "Are you the girl who thought Okinawa was the name of a fruit?"


    Queen smiled sheepishly and said, "Yes, but I swear it sounded like a fruit."


    "Are you the girl who cried for me when I told her I was abused as a kid?" Queen could only nod, looking away with some doubt.


    "Yes," she said finally.


    "Are you still the girl who told me she likes anchovies on her pizza?"


    Queen chuckled, "Yes, ''cause they''re a real topping!"


    "Who puts fish on a pizza?" said Samson as they both laughed at the inside joke. Samson reached out and he grabbed Queen''s tender blue hand, feeling the texture of the skin as he gently squeezed her fingers. "As long as you''re still the girl I fell in love with over the past three months, it won''t matter to me what color your skin is, or whether you''re a hero or not. If you''re not the girl who likes hazelnut spread and caramel ice cream on a waffle cone, then you might as well leave, because I''m not going waste anymore time and effort trying to fall in love again."


    "I''m not that person," said Queen sadly, "I''m the alien that likes hazelnut spread and caramel ice cream. I''m also the alien that likes anchovies on her pizza, I cried with you when you told me about your parents, and I honestly thought Okinawa was a fruit. I''m the alien that stole your first kiss, the one who stole your first date, the one that took your virginity. I''m not the human Karen Margaret Hunt, I''m the alien Queen that fell in love with my big sweetheart Samson Marcel." Queen cupped her hand over Samson''s and they both smiled at each other.


    "Then there''s one last secret we need to share with each other," said Samson depressingly. Queen raised an attentive eyebrow as Samson said, "What we actually look like naked." Queen was about to protest when she realized she had never actually seen Samson with his clothes off. The lights were always off whenever they had spent passionate nights together, even during the daytime they had closed the curtains tight enough not to let light through. "I''ll go first," said Samson, and he grabbed his jacket and took it off.


    Standing up, Samson slowly unbuttoned his shirt and removed that as well, the Queen saw why Samson was so meticulous in keeping the lights dimmed. There were scars across his body, various indentations and scrapes being the proof of his abusive father. He undid his belt and removed his pants dropping them down and pushing them to the side to reveal even more scar tissue. It was everything from burns to cuts to ripped flesh. Samson stood there in his boxer shorts with a look on his face that Queen had only seen one other time.


    Queen''s mind flashed back to the poor girl who had been abused by her boyfriend, the one that Samson saved and the reason he went on the Late Night show. When she revealed herself naked to Samson, Alexander and herself, she looked down at the floor to avoid any pitying eyes. That was exactly the way that Samson stood now, looking at the floor because he was afraid of what he might see in Queen''s expression.


    Instead of answering, Queen approached Samson and planted a blue kiss onto his lips.


    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


    And they lived happily ever after.

 999 - Shameless Promotion for Typhon

    Check out one of my other stories!


    They''re really good, and I don''t post them if I don''t like them!


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    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


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