H.E.R.O. - Horde (35 page)

"Sure thing."

"Talk to you soon then, good luck on it."

"Thanks, you too."

Psystar hung up and Rayna gave me a thumbs up.

She said, "She's doing it now, so we can head over."

I moved to the backside of the rooftop to pick her up and lift off.

Chapter 27 - Megapath

Psystar's Viewpoint

I ended the call and slid my H.E.R.O. phone back into my pocket.  Everyone in the study group was staring at me.

Kell said, "Did you just say you had to go arrest someone?"

I nodded.

"Where at?"

"Here, apparently.  Well, another building."

"Cool, can I come with?"

"I'm not sure that's wise, if he tried something you could get hurt."

"Really?  You're going to pull that on me?  You haven't even flown me around the city like you said you would.  Come on."

"Fine, you can follow me - but you can't get involved
at all
- got it?  I'm serious."

"Got it.  I'm cool with that."

I quickly packed my books and notepads away.  The entire group went into a flurry of matching activity.  Apparently, they all intended to follow me.

Kell stared at me a second, "You aren't going to take your clothes off?"

"What?"

"Shouldn't you be in costume for official business?"

"Oh, you're probably right.  Plus, knowing my luck a fight will break out and I'll tear up my clothes.  Will one of you carry my pack?"

Odes said, "I'll gladly hold your clothes - and the pack too."

He stood and motioned with his hands for me to hand him stuff.  I pulled off my shirt and pants, and then put on the belt and gloves from my pack.  He continued motioned for more even after I was only in my costume.  I smiled and stuck my tongue out at him.

I left the library feeling like a mother duck with the study group following along behind me.  We marched to the Komar Building.  Once inside we walked around until we found room 132 - it was an auditorium.

Trevin said, "You can't go in there, can you?"

"Nope."

"Let me see the picture, I'll look around and see if I can spot him."

I pulled out the phone and showed him the picture of Andre.  I glanced at it again myself … something seemed familiar about him.  Then I remembered I'd seen him on stage in both of the red bricks' memories.

"Long hair, that should help me spot him in a business class.  Give me a sec."

He walked up, opened the door and stepped inside.  I pulled his mindview up close and watched through his eyes as he surveyed the room.  I spotted the man on the right side of Trevin's vision just as Trevin's eyes cut over to the man and locked on him.

He sat along an outer wall about halfway up.  There were so many seats near him that I knew I couldn't safely walk up to him.  I also didn't want to interrupt the professor's class - it would be rude.

Trevin said, "You want me to walk down and mention that someone's out here asking for him?"

I nodded.  "If we wait until the end of class I'm going to be overwhelmed by students for a minute or so as they all walk past.  I'd rather not be in that situation."

"Not a problem, be right back."

I said, "Hold on a sec.  Let me inform Rayna first."

I called my new friend - she answered in seconds.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ray, it's 'star."

"Hi - you got him?"

"Not yet, he's in the auditorium here.  I'm about to get him, but wanted you to know he is definitely here."

"Very cool.  We're in flight to meet you then, so you don't have to call the police."

"Oh, that'll work.  I guess I'll see you at the Komar building in a few then."

"Yup."

I hung up and nodded to Trevin.  He grinned and walked into the auditorium.  While he was still within fifteen feet, I saw him turn, look at the class and then jog up the near set of stairs toward Andre.

Students turned and watched him as he moved up the stairs, and then Trevin's mindview went out of range.
  Oh, crud.  If this guy's a super, I hope he doesn't have psychic powers....

I tried to pick out his mental voice, but he didn’t seem to be thinking anything to himself on the way up.  I fidgeted until I heard Trevin's mental voice as he hoped that I was ready for them to come out. 

I motioned for the others to move off to the side rather than gather around me.  "Come on guys, I need you to be more than fifteen feet from me or I can't see."

My friends moved, and just as their mindviews disappeared, Trevin's and another one following Trevin came into view.

The door opened a few seconds later and the pair walked out into the corridor.  My friends were closer to the door, since I'd stayed far enough away to keep the bottom-most students in the auditorium out of my mindview range.  Andre glanced at the bunch of them waiting there, but continued after Trevin, as he hadn't stopped.

Andre's head turned and looked at me.  As soon as he saw me, he had a burst of fear, recognition, and his current eyesight was momentarily replaced by a flash of me in a hallway with glowing eyes.

I frowned and my eyebrows furrowed.  I said, "Andre Sumlin, I'm Psystar of H.E.R.O.  You're under arrest."

He turned and ran down the corridor.  He was surprisingly fast - I ran after him, but he began to outdistance me.

As I ran, I pushed off my air step with my right foot and kneed up with my left.  I shot toward him, slammed into him from behind and forced us to collide with a wall - with him between the wall and me.

He was stunned for a moment as we slid to the ground.  I grabbed his left arm with my left, and was about to grab his right when he swung back and smashed me in the jaw with his right elbow.

He ran off, but with the number of students near me, I had problems seeing him among the six mindviews.  I swore, as I had to use their mindviews to see him and try to follow.

He left the building, and ran, but it took me time to clear the building.  Once outside the number of mindviews dropped and I was able to see again, but didn't see him. 
He had to have gone around a corner.
  I stepped up into the air a few times and swung off to the right, where the parking lots were located.  I figured that he'd try to get to his vehicle.

I didn't see him anywhere, kicked up my left knee for a lot more air speed and swept back around the building.  I slowed down and hovered in the air, scanning the area.

A door opened in the building to my left and I saw him walk out.  He was looking right at me, so I knew that he knew I was there.  He ran his hand back through his long hair and walked toward me.

I lowered myself to the ground, although I was cautious.  He definitely had the strength of a super, and that meant he probably had some kind of attack power since he didn't look like a brick. 
Hmm, what kind of blast power could he have?  Lightning?  Fire?  Ice?

Nothing stood out on him as being truly unusual, so I didn't think he was a mutant.  He did have a bunch of tattoos, but those weren't an indicator of any type of super.

When he was about thirty feet away, he put his hands in front of him and said, "Sorry.  I didn't mean to run, you just scared me."

I narrowed my eyes as he approached.  He was thinking,
Damn it.  You do a simple thing and it gets blown out of proportion.  I hope this isn't an actual crime, I've got a gig tomorrow night.  Christ, and this chick flies
and
blasts out fear?  How'd I get stuck with just one power?

He stopped about five feet away.

I said, "You're under arrest."

"I just want to say I'm sorry.  I didn't know you'd blast out that ... that wave or bubble of fear like you did.  A friend just mentioned there was a super hanging out in the hall most days in the biology building and I thought I'd come see you...."

"What are you babbling about?"

"Uh, about this morning."

A large winged shadow crossed the ground nearby and Rayna landed on the grass from a fall.  She stood up as Razorwing approached, snapped out his wings and landed as well.

I said, "Hi guys.  Here he is."

I saw in his mindview that my friends came running around the building behind me and stopped to watch at thirty or so feet away along with other students who had seen us fight and run through the hall.

Rayna said, "Andre Sumlin, you're under arrest."

I said, "I mentioned that."

"Did you read him his rights?"

"Err ... no.  Do I need to do that, or are we turning him over to the police and they do that?"

"I leave it to the police, unless you intend to book him here or something."

Razorwing said, "Screw that, do your mind thing and find out if he's changing the people."

I looked back at Andre, "Are you changing people into red bricks?"

Rayna said, "Orcs, red orcs."

I felt the confusion from Andre.  He said, "Huh?  What are you talking about?"

She sad, "The last two nights your band was playing right when a good dozen men each night changed into red orc creatures.  You know, orcs are like humans, but bulky with more muscle, and they have tusks from their lower jaw."

Andrea shook his head, "I don't have a clue.  I didn't do whatever you're talking about."

I said, "Then why were you apologizing for doing something just before they got here?"

"I was apologizing to
you
.  For boosting you when you didn't expect it.  Sure as hell wouldn't have done it if I knew you were a stinking hero."

He said the words, but I sensed a lot of deceit coming from him.  His thoughts told me that he was only apologizing out of fear of arrest.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You were in the hall, I juiced you and you freaked out.  All I know is I haven't run that fast in a long time, probably not even just now."

"I ... wait ... you were in the hall this morning?  Like at eleven?  In the bio building?"

"Yeah.  You were sitting in the hallway writing in your notebook, just staring off into space.  Your eyes were glowing."

"They always do that when I'm doing a class.  Most people just leave me be."

"Yeah, but I haven't met another super, and when a friend told me you hung out there I had to go see what would happen."

"What ... wait ... what did you do?  I flew into a wall because of you."

"You did?  Was that the crashing I heard?"

"Probably.  But what did you do to me?"

"I juiced you."

"What does that mean - you aren't even picturing it in a coherent manner."

He sighed in exasperation.  "Okay, I'll do it again, just don't do the fear thing again, all right?"

His eyes glowed orange for a moment.  Mindviews suddenly appeared in the dozens.  I involuntarily stepped backward and pushed out with my right arm to force them all back into a sphere as I'd done hours ago.

They held - dozens of tiny TVs in my vision in a spheroid shape.  I was able to see past them all as Rayna grabbed me on the sides of the head and began kissing me.

I heard Razorwing say, "What the hell did you just do to Rayna?"

Andre answered, "I juiced her, I probably juiced everyone nearby, you included."

"What do you mean by 'juiced' in this case?"

The guitarist said, "I ... wow, she smells good."

Razorwing motioned away from us.  "Hold it ... damn it ... stand over here.  Will you two knock it off?"

I couldn't though.  I was getting feedback from Rayna and myself and just wanted to kiss her back - which is what I was doing.

Razorwing pulled us apart and half-dragged Rayna nearly ten feet away.

He asked, "Is that your pheromones I smell?"

I replied, "Probably.  It's like before noon, my telepathy is suped up right now."

"As in more powerful?"

"Yeah.  My range just leaped up, as did my control."

My skin tingled constantly; I guessed that my pheromones were going nuts.  I couldn't help but study the mindviews, it was so different having control over their size and placement.

Razorwing looked back at Andre, "So you ... what ... increase the powers of those around you?"

"I'm pretty sure that's the effect.  Like I said, supers don't normally just stand around for me to walk up to and test it on.  That's why I tested on her this morning."

Rayna shook her head.  She blushed horribly and turned toward Andre when I looked at her.

She asked, "You made us more powerful, is that what I feel?"

"I think so.  Whatever your superpower, it should be stronger now."

I said, "Not just power, but control as well Rayna."

She said, "Control and power both?  I feel it; I feel everything alive around here.  I ... holy crud, now I understand."

Her eyes began glowing bright white, and she stared off past Razorwing.  Light appeared from nothingness to my left where she stared, and in moments bubbles of white energy grew and multiplied into a long thirty foot snake-like shape hovering in the air.

The entire area went silent as we all stared at the lights.  Soon the lights extended down into four legs, and up into huge wings coming off the back of the thing.

I pulled Rayna's mindview up closer – mindful not to fill my own, however - and watched mostly through it.  She had a perfect image in her mind's eye of a golden dragon, down to the teeth, tongue, the horns curving up above the eyes and the armored scales of the creature.

Her image was amazing, and I had a feeling that it was about to appear in front of us.  I felt a clear flow of determination from her.

Razorwing whispered, "Oh my god, that's a dragon."

It stayed very quiet in the area over the next five minutes as more energy spots appeared and filled in the shape she envisioned.

I nearly jumped when my phone rang.

I walked away from Rayna so as to not bother her and whispered, "Hello?"

"This is Psystar?"

"I am, is this Tiriffa?"

"Yes.  I am detecting another massive surge of Dark energy.  Can I implore you to pick me up and bring me to the location to study it?  Please?"