Superhero story
Apr. 15th, 2011 06:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drownedinlight Charlotte could not say what she had expected after she pulled her first stunt as Atalanta, but it was most certainly not a public outcry for more of her. It seemed that once she had appeared the world almost forgot the Superhero collective and instead chose to focus on her. And they wanted more.
“You’ve given them something new,” Natalie tried reason with her, as she huffed at the TV and debated doing it all over again. “Don’t get all upset and decide not to help people just because of what the media is doing. They always have to keep up or people become disinterested and they lose ratings. It’s part of their job, but the whole world doesn’t think like that, so don’t stop wanting to save people just because they need to make a buck.”
“You’re right,” Charlotte said, as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I guess it’s just something I’m going to have to get used to and well….” The doorbell rang and Charlotte jumped up to answer it.
“Well, it’s not like you’re going to be one of those heroes who has press conferences,” Natalie pointed out. “All they can do is speculate on you, so you’ll probably be forgotten much more easily.” Charlotte scoffed.
“Thanks Nat,” she said as she opened the door. There stood a man with a large package on a dolly.
“Good afternoon,” he said.
“Good afternoon,” she replied.
“I’ve got a package for Charlotte Oros?”
“That would be me,” she said, accepting his electronic clipboard, and signing her name at the bottom.
“Do you need any help getting it inside?” he asked, as she slid it off of the dolly.
“No, it should just be clothes,” she said lifting it up, and pressing it against her hip to keep it balanced. “Thank you, have a nice day.”
“You too, Miss, enjoy your clothes.” Charlotte shut the door as he walked down the hall. “Am I stupid for you know, ordering fight resistant clothing?”
“Maybe a little, since you’re super strong,” Natalie said. “But I can see you wanting to not repair your outfit every time someone shoots at you. Especially in a barrage of bullets kind of thing, because well, if the material is weak enough, you might just be naked in a matter of minutes.”
“And we wouldn’t want to give the villains that show would we?” Charlotte asked, ripping open the top of the box. She pulled out a pair of grey pants and a matching long sleeved shirt. “The sleeves are going to have to go.”
“Why?” Natalie asked, rooting through the box to find a pair of combat boots.
“I don’t like wearing sleeves,” Charlotte replied, ripping at the seams. “And well, I do need something to make a mask, now don’t I?”
“Yeah, but how are you going to get the mask to stick? If you just tie it on it might be a little too easy to pull off and then suddenly the world will know just who Atalanta is,” Natalie pointed out.
“Adhesive, maybe?” Charlotte asked. “There is glue people use to put like sparkles and stuff on their face.”
“Yeah but what if you sweat and it comes off?” Natalie said.
“How did the collective deal with these problems?” Charlotte wondered, as she began snipping around the sleeve fabric to cut out a mask. “I mean they were active for over ten years, and that’s not counting the time they worked apart. And never once did any of their identities get revealed.”
“You really want to be able to ask someone about these things don’t you, Char?” Natalie asked, leaning into the couch.
“I guess I just wish I had someone to ask,” Charlotte said. “You know I thought about joining Alcaeus a few times after he revealed himself. I thought maybe he could train me; teach me things about my powers that I didn’t know. I mean my dad really did try and help teach me how to control my super strength, and it helped, it really did, but I always kind of felt like I wanted that chance to just ask him what it was like being him. And now I can’t, and maybe he’s the one in need of a rescue.” She held up the mask to her face and asked, “Well, what do you think?”
“I think it’s a little lopped sided,” Natalie said, a slow smile forming on her face.
“I’ll hem it,” Charlotte said, letting the mask fall into her lap. “He’s a pretty big example to live up to. Alcaeus that is. I’m not sure I can do that, you know? That I won’t be able to help people like he did.”
“I think you will,” Natalie said, “Mostly because you want to Charlotte. I mean like you said, you have the super strength, you know how to fight. You apparently knew where to order Kevlar. You know you can do this, it’s just…now wait for the cliché line…you have to believe in yourself.” Charlotte snorted, and picked up the uniform, and began walking toward her room. “Where are you going?”
“Well, I have to try it on, and make sure that it fits,” Charlotte said. Natalie rolled her eyes.
“Oh, and you can’t change in front of me, because of course I have neither breasts nor a vagina,” Natalie pointed out. Charlotte did not retorted, but returned a moment later, dressed in the suit. “Well, if your career as a superhero doesn’t work out, you could always become a model.”
“Natalie! I think your inner feminist just choked on some sick,” Charlotte said. “Now really, tell me how I look.”
“You look like a superhero,” Natalie said. “Sans a mask.”
“Do I look trashy?” Charlotte asked. “I mean I know it’s a weird thing to worry about, some of the women in the Collective…”
“Don’t wear enough clothing?” Natalie inquired. “No you look good, you could maybe use a belt to make sure the pants stay up. And maybe, well…”
“Well what?” Charlotte asked, crossing her arms.
“You know how most of those in the Collective have an outfit that tells about their origins or you know represents who that person is,” Natalie said. “This is just kind of grey.”
“Well, what should I do?” Charlotte flopped down on the couch and Natalie sat down next to her.
“Why did you pick Atalanta?”
“Because, she made her own destiny,” Charlotte replied. “And aside from an incident with some golden apples, she never bowed to a man who did not earn her respect.”
“Okay, so we won’t emblazon golden apples across your chest,” Natalie said. “What else?”
“She was suckled by a bear when she was young,” Charlotte supplied.
“…That might work, all right, strip and hand it over,” Natalie ordered. “I will work out the rest of your costume and you focus on becoming the superhero you were meant to be.”
“Thank you, Natalie, I’m not sure I could do this without you,” Charlotte said.
“You could,” Natalie told her. “There would probably just be way more angst involved, but that’s what fried are for.” Charlotte smiled and shook her head.
“Rayneira!” A dark haired woman spun her body around the uneven bars as she dismounted with a triple somersault, and landed with her feet together. She looked up to the man who called her name, now walking toward her, with an envelope in his hand. “He’s given us an assignment.” She scoffed.
“And who does he think he is to order us around like that? The man makes my blood boil, Kenji.”
“I know but his is also the man who wants to pay us a million flat just to investigate the super girl who has just emerged,” Kenji said. “Two more if we can capture and hold her for delivery.”
“There’s not much to go on,” Rayneira pointed out. “What’s to say that we’ll even take the job?” Kenji pointed to her with the envelope.
“Because I know you, my dear, and you love a challenge.” Rayneira’s smiled spread slowly across her face. “Well then, shall we begin?”
“You’ve given them something new,” Natalie tried reason with her, as she huffed at the TV and debated doing it all over again. “Don’t get all upset and decide not to help people just because of what the media is doing. They always have to keep up or people become disinterested and they lose ratings. It’s part of their job, but the whole world doesn’t think like that, so don’t stop wanting to save people just because they need to make a buck.”
“You’re right,” Charlotte said, as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I guess it’s just something I’m going to have to get used to and well….” The doorbell rang and Charlotte jumped up to answer it.
“Well, it’s not like you’re going to be one of those heroes who has press conferences,” Natalie pointed out. “All they can do is speculate on you, so you’ll probably be forgotten much more easily.” Charlotte scoffed.
“Thanks Nat,” she said as she opened the door. There stood a man with a large package on a dolly.
“Good afternoon,” he said.
“Good afternoon,” she replied.
“I’ve got a package for Charlotte Oros?”
“That would be me,” she said, accepting his electronic clipboard, and signing her name at the bottom.
“Do you need any help getting it inside?” he asked, as she slid it off of the dolly.
“No, it should just be clothes,” she said lifting it up, and pressing it against her hip to keep it balanced. “Thank you, have a nice day.”
“You too, Miss, enjoy your clothes.” Charlotte shut the door as he walked down the hall. “Am I stupid for you know, ordering fight resistant clothing?”
“Maybe a little, since you’re super strong,” Natalie said. “But I can see you wanting to not repair your outfit every time someone shoots at you. Especially in a barrage of bullets kind of thing, because well, if the material is weak enough, you might just be naked in a matter of minutes.”
“And we wouldn’t want to give the villains that show would we?” Charlotte asked, ripping open the top of the box. She pulled out a pair of grey pants and a matching long sleeved shirt. “The sleeves are going to have to go.”
“Why?” Natalie asked, rooting through the box to find a pair of combat boots.
“I don’t like wearing sleeves,” Charlotte replied, ripping at the seams. “And well, I do need something to make a mask, now don’t I?”
“Yeah, but how are you going to get the mask to stick? If you just tie it on it might be a little too easy to pull off and then suddenly the world will know just who Atalanta is,” Natalie pointed out.
“Adhesive, maybe?” Charlotte asked. “There is glue people use to put like sparkles and stuff on their face.”
“Yeah but what if you sweat and it comes off?” Natalie said.
“How did the collective deal with these problems?” Charlotte wondered, as she began snipping around the sleeve fabric to cut out a mask. “I mean they were active for over ten years, and that’s not counting the time they worked apart. And never once did any of their identities get revealed.”
“You really want to be able to ask someone about these things don’t you, Char?” Natalie asked, leaning into the couch.
“I guess I just wish I had someone to ask,” Charlotte said. “You know I thought about joining Alcaeus a few times after he revealed himself. I thought maybe he could train me; teach me things about my powers that I didn’t know. I mean my dad really did try and help teach me how to control my super strength, and it helped, it really did, but I always kind of felt like I wanted that chance to just ask him what it was like being him. And now I can’t, and maybe he’s the one in need of a rescue.” She held up the mask to her face and asked, “Well, what do you think?”
“I think it’s a little lopped sided,” Natalie said, a slow smile forming on her face.
“I’ll hem it,” Charlotte said, letting the mask fall into her lap. “He’s a pretty big example to live up to. Alcaeus that is. I’m not sure I can do that, you know? That I won’t be able to help people like he did.”
“I think you will,” Natalie said, “Mostly because you want to Charlotte. I mean like you said, you have the super strength, you know how to fight. You apparently knew where to order Kevlar. You know you can do this, it’s just…now wait for the cliché line…you have to believe in yourself.” Charlotte snorted, and picked up the uniform, and began walking toward her room. “Where are you going?”
“Well, I have to try it on, and make sure that it fits,” Charlotte said. Natalie rolled her eyes.
“Oh, and you can’t change in front of me, because of course I have neither breasts nor a vagina,” Natalie pointed out. Charlotte did not retorted, but returned a moment later, dressed in the suit. “Well, if your career as a superhero doesn’t work out, you could always become a model.”
“Natalie! I think your inner feminist just choked on some sick,” Charlotte said. “Now really, tell me how I look.”
“You look like a superhero,” Natalie said. “Sans a mask.”
“Do I look trashy?” Charlotte asked. “I mean I know it’s a weird thing to worry about, some of the women in the Collective…”
“Don’t wear enough clothing?” Natalie inquired. “No you look good, you could maybe use a belt to make sure the pants stay up. And maybe, well…”
“Well what?” Charlotte asked, crossing her arms.
“You know how most of those in the Collective have an outfit that tells about their origins or you know represents who that person is,” Natalie said. “This is just kind of grey.”
“Well, what should I do?” Charlotte flopped down on the couch and Natalie sat down next to her.
“Why did you pick Atalanta?”
“Because, she made her own destiny,” Charlotte replied. “And aside from an incident with some golden apples, she never bowed to a man who did not earn her respect.”
“Okay, so we won’t emblazon golden apples across your chest,” Natalie said. “What else?”
“She was suckled by a bear when she was young,” Charlotte supplied.
“…That might work, all right, strip and hand it over,” Natalie ordered. “I will work out the rest of your costume and you focus on becoming the superhero you were meant to be.”
“Thank you, Natalie, I’m not sure I could do this without you,” Charlotte said.
“You could,” Natalie told her. “There would probably just be way more angst involved, but that’s what fried are for.” Charlotte smiled and shook her head.
“Rayneira!” A dark haired woman spun her body around the uneven bars as she dismounted with a triple somersault, and landed with her feet together. She looked up to the man who called her name, now walking toward her, with an envelope in his hand. “He’s given us an assignment.” She scoffed.
“And who does he think he is to order us around like that? The man makes my blood boil, Kenji.”
“I know but his is also the man who wants to pay us a million flat just to investigate the super girl who has just emerged,” Kenji said. “Two more if we can capture and hold her for delivery.”
“There’s not much to go on,” Rayneira pointed out. “What’s to say that we’ll even take the job?” Kenji pointed to her with the envelope.
“Because I know you, my dear, and you love a challenge.” Rayneira’s smiled spread slowly across her face. “Well then, shall we begin?”
