drownedinlight

So yeah, the plot thickens, and Atalanta comes out of her tent.

Natalie kept her distance for the rest of the night, respecting Charlotte’s space. Charlotte tried to concentrate solely on getting clean, washing all of the blood and ash from her body and not to think about the events of the afternoon, and the strange click her brain had made to do what she did. But in the quiet of the apartment, Natalie gone, or not making a sound, Charlotte could do nothing but think.

She wondered what had made her do it, was it Natalie’s words, or was it something which had built up inside of her since the news announced Alcaeus had gone missing. Maybe it had been building inside of her for much longer than that, perhaps since she was a little girl, and she crushed the front of an oncoming car by throwing her hands out in front of her and just bracing on the ground. It was a feeling of freedom, being able to do anything, bend any object, and to, almost, never be hurt by any pain.

But the feeling was more than that, because she had felt ever since she was small, ever since the superman had gone missing, a great sense of guilt for not sharing that freedom, and her strength with the world, when she always could have. She had thought about seeking Alcaeus out, after he revealed himself to the world, and letting him train her, even though she was only twelve, she was just as strong as he. But maybe he could teach her that control she so longed for.

Now, though, she felt some kind of peace, some kind of rightness spread over her body. For once, she had let the strength out and saved someone, and no longer tried to control it so tightly, but let it settle into her body. She felt good, hyper from some of the energy still coursing through her.

When she had thought too much, she picked up the phone, and punched a speed dial, and it was not long before she heard it pick up.

“Hello?” asked a man’s voice on the other end.

“Hi, Dad,” Charlotte replied. “Have you seen the news yet?”

“Yes, I have. So, Atalanta, huh? I thought you said you didn’t want to get into all of that superhero business?” His tone was light, and she could practically see the smile on his face. Charlottle propped her feet up onto the desk where she sat.

“I’m still not sure what happened. It was like I wasn’t thinking almost and just needed to do. One minute, I was running down the street and the next, I was choking a supervillian. And then I was holding my hand into a gunshot wound. I’m just confused, Dad, because I always thought I never wanted to get involved in any of this. I was really too scared I think, but what I did, it felt good.”

“Doing good usually feels good, baby. You saved the lives of two men and brought another to justice. Now I would say that that is some pretty awesome good, wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Charlotte admitted.

“Now, I’ve got to ask, though I’m sure you took care of it, were you recognized at all, do you think?” Charlotte frowned.

“I was completely covered with ash, so I’m not sure if anyone could recognize me. Have either of the policemen or Organo spoken out about what I look like?”

“I don’t think that they have, I’m sure that they might have something on the news about what you looked like though, and I haven’t seen that yet. But Charlotte, if you choose to do that again, just be prepared before the adrenaline rush takes hold. At least wear a mask, or something, to cover your face, so you don’t have reporters knocking down your door.”

“Yeah, Dad, I will,” she said.

“Charlotte?” Natalie called from the front door. “I went and got some Chinese if you’re hungry.”

“Hey Daddy, I have to go,” Charlotte said. “I’ll try and talk to you soon though, okay?”

“You had better; I don’t get enough calls from you, girly. I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you too, Dad,” Charlotte replied. She clicked her off button and laid the phone on her desk before she went out into their main living area, and spotted Natalie on the couch with a box of lomein.

“Hey, are you feeling better?” Natalie asked. Charlotte sank into the couch.

“Yeah, actually I’m feeling pretty fantastic,” she replied. “Maybe I’m still feeling some adrenaline.” Natalie snorted.

“Well, if I had run into a burning building to save two cops from a super powered psychopath, I think I would have a bit of an adrenaline rush too.” Natalie paused, slurping a noodle into her mouth. “Does this mean we’re okay, you aren’t mad at me or anything?”

“No, I’m not mad,” Charlotte said. “I think I got a little put out this morning because, well, I have been thinking a lot about it. I’ve always wanted to know if I had what it took to become a superhero. I mean, my dad had me train to fight in multiple styles, how to use weapons, and even how to pick locks and break into things, but I never really felt like I could, until today when I did.”

“You needed the actualization of it, but couldn’t make yourself move to get it,” Natalie said, pointing at Charlotte with her fork. “What an exceedingly vicious cycle. Is this how you get when you need to confront people, because I am sensing some major confrontation issues from you?”

“I don’t know maybe, I’ve never really thought about the way I confront people,” Charlotte said. She inhaled deeply, and when she exhaled asked, “Natalie, will you help me make a costume?”

“Like a Halloween costume?” Natalie asked.

“No, like a superhero costume,” Charlotte said.

“Charlotte this morning, you didn’t even want to admit that you had been thinking a lot about the superheroes who had disappeared or acknowledge your own superpowers for that matter, and now you want to go out and fight crime full force without even…I don’t know what you need to do, but I’m not sure if you’re taking all of the steps you need,” Natalie told her.

“What more steps do I need?” Charlotte asked, standing from her spot, waving her arms around as she went. “I have superpowers that, excluding moments around coffee cups, I know how to control. I have training in several different fields of martial arts. The entire Superhero Collective has gone missing up to the point where people are beginning to suspect foul play. What should I do, Natalie? Should I really back down and take it slow for a little while?”

“All right, maybe not,” Natalie said. “Maybe the actualization was all you needed to get you on your feet. But are you seriously going to go looking for the Superhero Collective. That’s kind of a big job, Charlotte. I mean unless you’re expecting that television coverage of what you did today to act as a superhero call to duty then…” Natalie trailed off as she realized what she said. “What you did acted as a superhero call of duty.” She punctuated or paused after each word, making them exact.

“You’re point?” Charlotte asked.

“My point is, that the entire Superhero Collective has gone missing, right?” Natalie asked.

“Right,” Charlotte agreed, “It’s been news for a month.”

“So, the world just found out that there was one superhero hiding in her tent, and not only that, but she has the same powers as Alcaeus the superman,” Natalie said.

“Nearly, I can’t fly,” Charlotte pointed out, retaking her seat on the couch.

“Okay, but my point is, people are going to start seeing you as the leader of the third rising of superheroes,” Natalie said. “I mean, Perseus, who was the superman back in the forties, lead his generation, and Alcaeus has usually been called the leader of his. You basically announced to the world that you are taking enrollment applications for a new collective. To normals, superheroes and super villains alike. People are going to be coming after you, Charlotte.”

“Okay, woah, I think I see where you’re coming from with all of this, but do you really think that anyone is going to come out and follow me?” Charlotte asked, pointing to herself with all five fingers (and thumb) on her hand. “Like you said, I was hiding in my tent, and nobody likes a coward.”

“Yeah, well, if you were hiding, then maybe there were others who were too,” Natalie pointed out. “Maybe there were those who were still training, or coping with injury, or something. But Charlotte, you have to admit, you have hid your secret from the world pretty successfully since you were four. What’s to say there weren’t others doing the exact same thing as you?”

The possibility was not exactly small. Even back in the forties, there had been other superheroes not officially apart of Perseus’ league, mostly those of color, and Coyote and Witch Doctor had spoken rumblings of there being others like them. And naturally, the Collective had even been adding new members when they had all mysteriously disappeared. Of course there were others. And of course, like always, Natalie was right. They would be looking to her, everyone would be looking to her, to lead the way into what would become a third rising.

“A third rising...oh my God, how can we have a third rising if the second was less than twenty years ago?” Charlotte asked.

“Because we need to, I guess,” Natalie said. “Though I guess you’re right Charlotte. We will need to make you that costume.”

News Report:
Today, after the events at the National Research Lab in Washington D.C. Organo struck again. This time, however, there was someone there to stop him. But, to everyone’s surprise, the Collective had not returned, but there was a new hero on the scene.

Here at this warehouse, two police officers found Organo attempting to steal more products of hostile war fair. They attempted to subdue the criminal, and called for backup, however they soon found him to be too big of a problem. Organo, also known for his control over plants, lit the warehouse on fire, with the intent of keeping other officers out. As the officers say, he very quickly over powered them, and one was shot with his own firearm.

But then, from nowhere came a young woman, dressed in black and covered in soot from the fire. The young woman quickly dispatched Organo, and then ran to check on the officers, using the pressure of her own fist, to block the gunshot wound as she radioed for help. She disappeared, only telling the officer that her name was Atalanta.

Organo will return to our national penitentiary, and the two officers, whose names will not be released for privacy reasons, are both estimated to make a quick recovery. But the discovery of this new super heroine has left many of us wondering, where did she come from? Will she come again when we need her? And, of course, will others follow? This is the nightly news.

The television clicked off inside of a brightly light room, the moonlight barely showing on the soft cream carpet. A man took a slow drink from his wine glass, savoring the light taste of the white wine. Once the glass came away from his lips, he swirled the wine around and around in the glass.

“Atalanta,” he breathed at last. “Atalanta…what a beautiful name; a woman with such raw, executed power…” He stood, walking over to his desk, where a number of files lay scattered across the varnished wood. He took the top most file and flipped open the cover. The very top of the file was a man with dark brown hair, hefting a large piece of concrete rubble of his head. “You didn’t tell me about Atalanta, Alcaeus, but you will. I’m sure you will.”