Beth quietly watched as the newly awakened girl stopped at the destroyed cafe to watch rubble for a bit before leaving. She saw the way her lips twitched into a faint smile as a man she recognized as one of the survivors she and White Knight rescued screamed and cried. Not that it was all that surprising to her. She’d heard the whispering and quiet conversations amongst the survivors, and her training and senses had let her read the body language of people almost like they were open books. She knew Erika outright hated one survivor in particular, the man who even now was throwing a full-blown tantrum over the loss of his workplace. Perhaps she would look into the matter in the future, but for now, she had a higher priority.

  Shadowing the girl Erika, she followed the girl until she entered an older, but still surprisingly nice, high rise. One she recognized as holding one of her own safe houses. That just made things easier. The superhero waited for a few minutes before she casually waved her hand over the sensor to unlock the door and walked into the building. From there, following the newly awakened girl was easy enough thanks to the discrete scent she’d placed on the girl earlier. The scent led her to the elevators, but instead of waiting until the right one opened up, she just took the stairs, stopping at every floor for a moment until she picked up the scent again and traced it to the girl’s front door. A quick check of her copy of the paperwork the girl filled out confirmed it was the same address she’d provided. From her position quietly leaning against the girl’s front door, she could hear the faint whisper of cloth followed by the sounds of the shower starting up.

  Beth left as she heard the other noises start, though her powers meant that she could still faintly hear the noises even as she left the building, her mind readily identifying it despite all the myriad noises in the world competing for attention. People always underestimated her power. Enhanced senses were far from flashy compared to powers like super speed or creating and controlling fire, and stronger hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell could even be a weakness to be abused. More than a few villains had tried to fight her with stink bombs, bright lights, or loud music after all. Still, training and experience with her powers mitigated much of it, turning them into an asset more than a liability. Plus, people never thought about the other enhanced senses. Her enhanced spatial awareness and sense of touch combined to let her slip through spaces that seemed far too small for her body. Her other senses combined with training and experience let her move casually, an unremarkable part of the background that people ignored, letting her easily return to the new portal site and slip in amongst the crowd of survivors and first responders, at least until she got to a place where she couldn’t hide amongst the crowd.

  Farther from the triage stations where survivors were treated, and the reunification area where desperate family and friends clamored for information on the missing or reunited with loved ones, were areas off limits to the general public. Beth’s paramedic uniform let her easily blend in amongst the other first responders, and careful control of her angles ensured no one noticed her arm in a sling which would’ve raised questions, but as she moved further even the crowd of first responders thinned out until there was no crowd she could hide in.

  But that didn’t matter because she reached her goal: an unassuming van casually parked amongst other first responder vehicles and trucks that brought in supplies and equipment for the rescue. The only thing that set this vehicle apart from the others were the guards standing next to it. Two well armed men flanking the back of a van raised their weapons as Beth approached.

  “Restricted area, triage is the other way,” one of the men said, his rifle raising a fraction of an inch.

  She recognized the models and knew it’d hurt if they shot her. They might even kill her. If they hit at least. But that was a big if. “I’m authorized,” she said, flicking her ID card at one of them with perfect accuracy. If she’d wanted, she could’ve buried the plastic card in his throat, but instead it flew at just the right angle and speed that it gently landed on the man’s arm.

  Frowning, the guards glared at her for a few seconds, their fingers twitching toward their triggers. Being stared down by the two soldiers felt almost like being glared at by a pair of puppies. Well-armed puppies, but still puppies. Even though the weapons they held were dangerous, they weren’t a threat to her. Not at this distance anyways. After a few seconds, the first angry guard glanced down at the card on his arm, and Beth was treated to a wonderful show as his face transformed from angry confidence to mounting horror and intimidation. Oh he tried to keep his cool, but she saw it in the way his finger twitched away from the trigger and the ever so slight weakness in his legs.

  “You’re good,” the first man finally said, slowly lowering his rifle. Next to him, his silent partner did the same, a well hidden hint of confusion on his face as he plucked the card from the man’s arm and started to look it over, his face treating Beth to a repeat of the show the first guard gave her.

  The first guard turned around and pounded on the van door as the other handed her her card back, respect and fear in his voice. “Sorry to keep you, ma’am.”

  “Don’t worry about it, you’re just doing your jobs boys,” Beth said with a smile as the van door opened to reveal a red-faced man in a suit. “I don’t have time for interruptions, what’s going on out here?” the man growled, his gaze fixed on the first guard.

  “Sir—”.

  “I think you have time for me Malcolm,” Beth said with a smile, pulling the angry man’s glare away from the guard.

  Malcolm looked at her for a few moments before he sighed. “Jump on in.”

  Beth pushed past the guards and jumped into the van with Malcolm, sliding the door shut behind her. “They finally paid for some upgrades I see,” she said, glancing around the van as she flopped into an open seat. The back of the van looked like something out of a spy show with banks of computers and strange instruments on a desk attached to one side, and a wall of weapons and gear on the other. The chairs were bolted to the floor with harnesses that looked like they belonged in a fighter jet, not a car. She had to admit, it was pretty impressive.

  “Budget increased after Pandemic,” Malcolm grunted, getting a faraway look in his eyes.

  It was a familiar look, one shared by millions. Including her. Beth firmly clamped down on the nightmares the villain’s name conjured, taking a deep breath to clear her mind. “Bad times, but we survived,” she said simply.

  “Aye.” Malcolm blinked slowly, the look fading as he did. “So what do you want Beth? I doubt you came to see me to reminisce about old, bad times..” The man fixed her with a piercing stare.

  “Can’t a girl pop by and see an old friend?”

  “A girl can, but you’re no girl. You’re a soldier playing a superhero.”

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  “I’m a paramedic.”

  “Sure you are, Pinpoint.”

  “Point taken.”

  “...so what do you want?”

  “I need a favor…”

  ***

  “Fuck!” Erika yelped, more out of reflex than from actual pain as she accidentally poked her eye with the eyeliner pencil. The sharp, stinging pain had been heavily reduced by about half as much by her estimate. She wasn’t sure if it was just Pain Resistance or her increased stats combined with them that made it so effective, but regardless of why, the fact was that what should’ve left her eyes watering and sore instead barely hurt. Buying the powers surprisingly hadn’t hurt, but they did knock her out. It’d been awkward waking up naked on her bed the next morning to someone pounding on her door. That someone was Mary.

  “Eriiiikaaaa hurry upppp,” her friend whined from the living room..

  “You’re not a kid, you can wait, hold on,” she snapped back as she finished up her make up and made a final check of her outfit. A simple white sports bra did some heavy lifting, the extra padding in it making her look like she actually had more than a couple tiny handfuls on her chest, and the white crop top she wore over it showed off her stomach and the well-defined abs that reappeared that morning after all her new stat points. She’d always been in decent shape, but years of cheap food and no time to truly relax had been taking its toll and she’d been getting more of a belly lately. She hadn’t worn this top in a few months because of it, but pulled it out when she realized her abs were back in full glory. The top paired with a pair of tight black leggings made her look like she was headed to the gym, but the denim jacket she’d put on over it and a couple pieces of cheap jewelry said it was an outfit.

  “The line’s going to be soooooo longgg by the time we get there! Forget the make up, you’re already pretty enough!”

  “I’m not taking an ugly ID photo!”

  “I don’t want to wait in line all day!”

  ***

  “This line is fucking ridiculous!” Erika groaned, shuffling forward another foot.

  “It’s your fault you took so long to get ready,” Mary said from just in front of her. “At least we’re almost to the front.”

  Erika nodded and counted the people in front of them while flapping her shirt to cool off. Four more. She could already feel sweat beading in the small of her back, though she knew it wouldn’t affect the makeup on her face. Three more. She’d just have to deal with cleaning her pores out later. Two more. The sliding glass doors and the promise of government funded AC was just a couple steps away, Mary and her next in line to enter the sliding glass doors. Beyond it she counted another six or seven people standing in line, and eight counters, though there weren’t enough clerks to staff every one. If there were, the line would be moving so much faster. Instead, only two of the stations were open.

  The doors hissed open, a brief blast of cool air washing over the line as a relieved looking man came out, the tropical heat barely making him wince as he hurried away, no doubt excited to finally be done with government bureaucracy and able to go do something more interesting, like watching paint dry or sitting in traffic. Mary gave her a teasing look as she walked through the doors, her tongue sticking out just a bit as the doors closed behind her. Mary made a show of enjoying the cool air, miming a sigh of relief with a smug smile.

  Erika returned the smile with one of her own as she flipped her friend off. “Fuck you,” she mouthed with a smile, drawing a grin from her friend who made a face at her. Standing so close to the AC seemed to make the seconds tick by ever slower, and then finally the doors opened again as someone left. Erika started to take a step forward when she felt a hand grab her shoulder.

  Whirling her head around, panic seized her heart as she tried to flinch away from the surprisingly firm grip, and her hand whipped for the dagger at her waist, only to find nothing but the stretchy material of her leggings. As her fingertips grazed against the exposed skin of her midriff, her brain caught up as she remembered where she was. She wasn’t in the portal anymore. She was waiting in line at a satellite city hall office, surrounded by people waiting in line like her. No monsters. Just a startled looking woman staring at her as if offended by her reaction.

  “Excuse me,” the woman’s shrill voice harped indignantly, the look on her face changing from one of surprise to irritation and entitlement. She recognized the look from years working as a barista. That was the look of some entitled asshole about to ask something wholly unreasonable. “I’m in a rush, you don’t mind if I go ahead of you do you?” Before Erika could answer, the entitled woman started to push past her with a smile.

  These kinds of people were the worst. The type of person that cut in line at the cafe and ordered things with a million modifications or off menu and threw a tantrum if they didn’t get what they demand, and if you were particularly lucky, they’d throw a dollar into the tip jar then claim they were a good tipper normally but you pissed them off. Any politeness they had was just a mask for being a shit person, but John never cared as long as they paid. She’d been forced to appease so many of those assholes as a barista, but she wasn’t one anymore. John fired her after all, and even if he hadn’t, the shop was just a pile of rubble. Besides, she’d awakened and was seriously considering becoming a superhero. What kind of superhero let bullies and entitled assholes push them around? Stupid ones, that’s who. Resolved, Erika reached up and grabbed the woman’s wrist as she started to let go, stopping her in her tracks. “No,” she said bluntly, throwing the woman’s hand to the side and stepping in front of her..

  “Excuse me, where’s your aloha spirit you bitch?!” the woman screamed at her back.

  Erika froze as the woman’s words hit her. Just ignore her, her customer service brain said. Nah, fuck this bitch up, her experienced customer service brain said. Turning around, Erika looked the woman up and down. Thick makeup and a face that screamed recreational plastic surgery enthusiast trying to look young, but the wrinkly neck of someone several decades older than her. An obviously orange spray tan and wispy blonde hair that spoke of way too many dye jobs, and the gaudiest designer outfit. The only impression Erika got was that of a rich transplant. From the looks of the other people in line, she wasn’t the first person this woman did this to. “No means no. Fuck off with some aloha. How’s that for some aloha spirit?”

  The woman squawked and puffed up like she was a parrot that’d been slapped. The experienced customer service worker in her cackled in glee.

  “And here’s your mahalo,” Erika said, slowly flipping the woman off as she backed into the cool air of the AC.

  Mary looked at her as she moved in behind her friend. “What was that all about?”

  “Some mainlander trying to cut, don’t worry about it.”

  Mary nodded as the line moved forward again. “Every year they just get worse,” she sighed.

  Erika fully expected the woman to follow in after her, but to her surprise, when the line moved forward again, a tired looking man in the flashy alohawear of a resort worker nodded at her and quietly lined up behind to her.

  The line seemed to move quickly after that, and soon enough Erika was called up to a window and a mountain of a middle aged local man greeted her.

  “Dat was da’ kine awesome Sista’,” the man rumbled in a heavy local accent. “Dem mainlanders always go yell aloha but dey no have aloha demselves.”

  Erika shrugged. “They learn eventually, either when enough people yell at them or when they try it on the wrong person and get licks,” she said with a smile.

  “All righ’, you know it,” the man said with a crooked smile, throwing a shaka. “So what you need today Sista’?”

  “New driver’s license, lost mine in the portal downtown yesterday,” she said, pulling a few papers out of her pocket.