George R.R. Martin - [Wild Cards 18] (6 page)

HELP IS WHERE THE HEARTS ARE.

ANA delves deep. Stone and soil, clay and sand, they’re all putty in her hands. She’s the

EARTH WITCH!

Ana Cortez

Las Vegas, New Mexico

KATE’s the all-American girl with the all-American arm. She’ll zip it past you or throw it through you. Nobody can hit

CURVEBALL!

Kathleen Brandt

Portland, Oregon

MIKE’s large, he’s loud, he’s pierced, he has six arms and attitude to spare. He’ll rock you and he’ll roll you. Let’s hear it for

DRUMMER BOY!

Michael Vogali

On Tour, the World

Keep your green thumb, JERUSHA has ten green fingers. Mighty oaks spring up from tiny acorns at her command. Here she is, the

GARDENER!

Jerusha Carter

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

JONATHAN bugs out at the first sign of trouble, but he still packs a nasty sting. He’s

JONATHAN HIVE!

Jonathan Tipton-Clarke

Washington, D.C.

T.T. walks the high steel and builds them strong and straight. He’s tough, he’s tall, and he takes no crap off nobody. He’s
HARDHAT!

Todd “T.T.” Taszycki

Chicago, Illinois

Seeing isn’t believing when ANDREW is around, so best not believe your eyes or your ears or your nose. Only the tail is real with

WILD FOX!

Andrew Yamauchi

Fresno, California

WHO WILL BE THE NEW AMERICAN HERO?

EVERYONE WANTS TO BELONG TO THE CLUBS!

BUFORD hails from down the swamp. Some say he’s just a good ol’ boy, but he’s got him one mean tongue. Folks go green when they see

TOAD MAN!

Buford Calhoun

Loxahatchee, Florida

JAMAL takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Shoot him, stab him, burn him, and he’ll be back for more. No one can stop the

STUNTMAN!

Jamal Norwood

Inglewood, California

The best-laid plans develop hiccups when PAUL’s around. He makes men cry “Gesundheit,” and women cry “Oh, yes, oh, yes, oh, yes!”

SPASM!

Paul Blackwell

Denver, Colorado

PEARL knows all the secrets of the sea, and speaks the language of the dolphins and the whales. Go deep with

DIVER!

Pearl Olsen

Honolulu, Hawaii

TOM soars above his ancient lands on proud, strong wings, watching, guarding, remembering. Look, up in the sky, it’s

BRAVE HAWK!

Tom Diedrich

Benson, Arizona

HALEY floats like a butterfly and hits like a piledriver. Light as a feather in the wind, hard as a ton of steel, that’s our

JADE BLOSSOM!

Haley Mok

Redondo Beach, California

THADDEUS will knock you down, roll over you, and save your soul. Cry hallelujah, brother, and pray you don’t get in the way of the

HOLY ROLLER!

Rev. Thaddeus Wintergreen

Natchez, Mississippi

WHO WILL BE THE NEW AMERICAN HERO?

TROUBLE COMES IN SPADES.

That girl CLEO gets around.
Pop
, she’s here,
pop
, she’s there,
pop
, she’s just behind you. Watch out for

CLEOPATRA!

Cleonida Simpson

Montgomery, Alabama

RACHEL has the bestest collection of stuffies anywhere. They’re all so soft and cute and cuddly, just like the

DRAGON HUNTRESS!

Rachel Weinstein

Bayonne, New Jersey

An iron man from the Iron Range, WALLY has steel in his fists and a furnace for a heart. Rust never sleeps and neither does

RUSTBELT!

Wally “Rusty” Gunderson

Mountain Iron, Minnesota

The KING is the mystery man from down along the border. Where is he from? What can he do? Who dares to look beneath the mask of

KING COBALT!

Name unknown

Somewhere in California

There’s never a loser when ROSA deals the cards. Diva or demon, snake or lion, even death itself, they’re all in the hands of

ROSA LOTERIA!

Guadelupe Maria del Rosario Garza

East Los Angeles, California

ALI likes to dust things up. The girl has got a little devil in her. From the land of Elvis and the Living Gods comes

SIMOON!

Aliyah Malik

Las Vegas, Nevada

JOHN burns bright by day and night in half a hundred hues. Let those who hide in darkness cower, and beware the light of

THE CANDLE!

John Montano

Durango, Colorado

WHO WILL BE THE NEW AMERICAN HERO?

THE DIAMONDS ARE OUR WORLD’S BEST FRIENDS.

MICHELLE is always blowing bubbles, but best not stand too close when they start bursting. She’s

THE AMAZING BUBBLES!

Michelle LaFleur

New York, New York

HOWARD is the man that Jetboy would have been. He’s seen
The Jolson Story
, but his own tale is just beginning. Make way for

JETMAN!

Howard Hawkwood

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

IVAN is full of surprises. Like Mother Russia, the more you pound on him, the more you have to deal with. He’s

MATRYOSHKA!

Ivan Kazakova

Brighton Beach, New York

MEGAN was dirt-poor growing up, but now she’s learned to shine. A regular diamond in the rough is our

TIFFANI!

Megan McKnee

Boone, West Virginia

JOE be nimble, Joe be quick, Joe can snatch your candlestick. You better bring your best game if you want to go one-on-one with

JOE TWITCH!

Joe Moritz

Baltimore, Maryland

EMILY is the fastest grrl on wheels. Don’t blink, or you’ll miss her whizzing by. There, that’s her, that

BLRR!

Emily Paige

Sunnyvale, California

Don’t you dare call RAJ handicapped. His servants wouldn’t take kindly to it. Step aside and clear a path for

THE MAHARAJAH!

Raj Chaturvedi

Seattle, Washington

WHO WILL BE THE NEW AMERICAN HERO?

Chosen Ones: I

THE THREE-STORY BROWNSTONE BURNED.
Tongues of fire crawled out of every window, waves of heat and clouds of smoke billowed up, choking the nighttime air. Shouts of residents trapped inside sounded over the roar of flames. People leaning out of windows, begging for help, were shadows against a backdrop of red fire. A nearby fire truck sat abandoned. Hoses hadn’t even been hooked to the fire hydrant.

Ana stood on the curb and watched the inferno. Even a dozen yards away, the fire pressed scorching fingers against her face. She drew a breath and coughed at the dry, soot-filled stench. Horror at the sight froze her into inaction. This was too much. This was impossible. They didn’t expect her to actually
do
anything, did they?

“We don’t have any powers that can handle this,” said Drummer Boy, squinting at the glare of the flames. “Unless somebody here is invincible and forgot to tell anyone.”