Super Genetics

Something jostled Terry and he flinched awake. Fire immediately flared across his entire body and he groaned.

A voice spoke over him.

“Don’t move.”

Couldn’t if I wanted to…

His chest hurt worse than any pain he’d ever felt in his life. Every breath met resistance and triggered stabbing pain at the same time. His arm from the elbow down felt encased in molten lava. His head swam and he wondered if he’d gotten another concussion from the draugr launching him into the car.

Those were like, super bad for you and I’ve gotten two in a single week…

Dr. Wong’s powers may have been miraculous, but Terry didn’t think even he could heal head injuries.

Bright light filtered in behind his lids and he strained to open them. Whatever he was laying on jostled him again and a flash of annoyance came, then went.

Who keeps knocking into me? he wondered.

Then he managed to peel his eyelids back and saw a familiar, pimply face looking down at him, his chin covered in peach fuzz.

“You should shave that.”

The words left his mouth of their own accord and he tried desperately to claw them back. He felt mortified as the paramedic’s eyes went wide.

“Sorry, I—”

He was jostled a third time, pain in his chest knifing into him, and he nearly lost it.

“Who keeps—”

Then his mind caught up with what his eyes were seeing and he clamped his mouth shut.

You’re in an ambulance, dummy.

“Sorry,” he repeated. “I think I have a concussion.”

The older boy snorted. “Yeah, I’d say.” His eyes tracked down to Terry’s chest, where a tube literally stuck out of it.

“That…that’s not right.”

“You shoulda seen him stick that syringe in you. I nearly threw up.”

Terry tried to whip his head around, not realizing there was someone on the other side of him. The attempt sent his head spinning and he moaned.

After what felt like an hour, but was probably only a minute, the spinning slowed enough for him to glance over from the side of his eye.

The girl that had been crying over her parents was sitting there, an IV hanging out of her arm. She was munching on a bar of granola, tearing it away with her teeth unceremoniously as she eyed him.

For some reason, it felt wrong that she was eating so soon after her parents’ death. But then he realized that was stupid. It was his own hangup that kept him from eating and not something he should force on others who’d lost family.

“You’re here.”

She waved her bar toward the paramedic.

“He insisted. Gonna take me to the hospital for some reason.” She took another monstrous bite, speaking past the granola. “Ayfta we dwap yew off.”

He scrunched up his face.

“Sorry?”

She held out a finger and took a big swallow—there was no way she chewed that enough—then repeated the words, but in English this time.

“After we drop you off, I said.”

“Drop me off?”

The paramedic filled in the details.

“He…it…I don’t know, your bodyguard, said you have a healer supe back at the palace. I wanted to take you to the hospital, but he was…insistent.”

“Crunch?” Terry asked, realizing what they were dancing around. “Where is he?”

Before either could answer, a clacking sound echoed on the roof of the vehicle. The back door swung open, causing all three of them to jump in surprise. The girl choked on her bar, Terry clutched at his chest with his good hand, and the paramedic cursed the ghoul quietly before letting out a deep breath.

“My prince?” Crunch asked, hanging from the roof by one hand as the doors banged lightly against him from the movement of the van.

“I’m okay, Crunch.” He looked between the three of them, fielding the question for them all. “What happened?”

The girl was the first to speak.

“It’s my fault.” She went to raise the bar back to her mouth, then let it drop. “I broke your rib and it stabbed your lung or something.”

He narrowed his eyes at that explanation. He very much doubted she had broken his rib—she looked to be barely eighty pounds.

“You must have had a cracked or already broken rib,” the paramedic added. “When she hugged you, it probably pushed it into your lung and it collapsed.”

“I give really good hugs,” she joked, but the smile didn’t touch her eyes.

Terry recognized the pain there, the way she was hiding it by filling the silence, making those jokes. He’d felt that pain—was still feeling it. He just dealt with it differently.

Crunch took that moment to swing all the way into the van, pulling the doors shut behind him.

Seeing the ghoul brought him back to the fight and he realized he didn’t know the cost they’d paid to bring the draugr down.

“Crunch, how many—” A painful cough wracked his body.

“You shouldn’t be talking.” The paramedic shook his head. “Honestly, I’m surprised you’re still conscious.”

“Good genetics,” Terry croaked. He looked toward Crunch, feeling the weight of that question on his mind. “How many?”

How many ghouls and humans did we lose…

“Forty-seven humans—” The paramedic gasped. The girl flinched out of the corner of his eye. He regretted that…but he needed to know.

“Your brothers?” Terry asked softly.

The ghoul had no visible reaction but he knew that didn’t mean Crunch wasn’t feeling the hurt, only that he’d express it in his own way.

“Seven brothers.”

Pain that wasn’t due to his ribs stabbed at his chest. Seven ghouls, dead because of him, because he’d wanted to go explore the farms, even though he knew he shouldn’t.

But worse than that was the debt now on his family for those forty-seven people—including this girl’s parents.

“I’m sorry…your loss.” Talking was so hard, but the words he wanted to say—needed to say—were even harder. “This is my…family’s fault and I will…” He trailed off. He had been about to say, ‘make this right.’ There was no making it right. He shook his head lightly, the simple motion causing another round of dizziness.

The girl didn’t say anything, her eyes boring into the far wall of the ambulance. The bar moved mechanically to her mouth and she took a far-too-large bite out of it.

A somber mood settled over the occupants and Terry scanned for a distraction. His eyes locked on the paramedic’s name tag, faltering a moment. It reminded him that his father wasn’t in the city—might even be in the thick of the fighting right now.

“Thank you…James. For saving me.”

He seemed taken aback by that, his eyebrows rising.

“Least I could do, my prince.”

“Terry. Please.”

He turned to the girl, but his lungs felt tight and he couldn’t pull in the air he needed to ask her name. She eyed him, her jaw working to knead the tough granola. After a minute, she swallowed with an audible gulp.

“Titania.”

Her eyes scanned the three of them, a fire burning there like she was ready to pounce. James cleared his throat.

“Beautiful name.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

He held up his hands. “No, really. I, uh…Shakespeare, right?”

She pursed her lips, her posture relaxing. Terry got the impression she was letting him off the hook. He didn’t know exactly what the girl had intended if they had laughed, but he wasn’t in a state to find out.

She sighed wearily. “Yes, a Midsummer’s Night Dream. My mom is a—” She looked away, sniffing to hide the hitch in her voice. “She was a big fan.” Looking back at us, she frowned. “Stupid name, I know. People call me Tania.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Tania,” James said. “Call me Jimmy.”

She pursed her lips and nodded. “Jimmy's much better. James is so stiff. Like you’re a banker or something.”

He chuckled. “It’s my dad’s name.”

Terry snorted at that. “Mine, too.” He looked over at Tania—slowly. “Terry, please.”

She rolled her eyes. “Ain’t callin’ you prince anyhow.” A wry smile touched her lips. “Terry’s a nice name, though.”

“Crunch.”

The sound filled the ambulance, shocking them all silent. Jimmy’s eyes were wide, while Tania’s mouth gaped open, letting bits of granola slip out. She hastily wiped at the crumbs that fell onto her shirt, then turned back to Crunch.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Uh, yeah,” Jimmy added. “Didn’t think you lot had human names.” His mouth dropped open in surprise and he spoke quickly. “Sorry, no offense or anything.”

Crunch didn’t express any reaction to his words.

“Prince give. Crunch like.”

He let those words hang in the air, as if that were explanation enough.

Tania nodded, rocking back and forth. “Ain't we the sight. Two orphans, a ghoul, and a paramedic.” A wry smile touched her lips but stopped there. He recognized the pain in her eyes—it reminded him of his own reflection the few times he’d managed to look in the mirror.

Terry admired her strength, the ability to pretend to be normal even if her world was collapsing all around her. He wasn’t that strong—not yet—but it gave him a goal, an example to follow.

I never thought I’d admire a teenage girl, he thought with an inward chuckle.

The divider separating the cab from the back slid open, causing Terry and Tania to flinch. Jimmy looked up expectantly.

“Palace is up ahead,” a voice called from the front.

“Roger, thanks Liam.”

The divider slid shut with a click.

“Alright, my prin—I mean, Terry. Liam and I are gonna take you out on the gurney once we’ve confirmed there’s a healer nearby.”

The thought of being wheeled into the palace made his skin flush.

“I can walk, really!” A wracking cough took him and he felt lightheaded by the end of it.

Jimmy tilted his head, his eyebrows rising in doubt. “I wouldn’t recommend it. In fact, I really doubt you even cou—”

His voice was desperate. “Please! I…I need to.”

He didn’t know why, but there was something inside of him that urged him to get up. As if letting himself be wheeled in would cheapen the real injuries the others had sustained. Yes, his chest hurt. Yes, his entire forearm ached worse than when Sol had burned him. But none of those injuries would keep him from standing. If he wanted to be a superhero that inspired hope and pride like his mother had, he couldn’t start that journey on a gurney. There would be much worse injuries in his future—injuries he’d have to fight through to save innocents. Would he give up and ask for a gurney then?

He locked eyes with Crunch, and though he didn’t have the aura control to know if it was working, he projected his need as powerfully as he could.

Whether or not it worked, Crunch seemed to understand how important this was to him.

“Prince walk.”

Jimmy seemed torn, looking toward Tania as his only ally. Unfortunately for him, she seemed crazier than the three of them combined.

“He’s got a damn super healer on call. I think he can make it a couple of feet to the stairs.”

Jimmy frowned, then seeing he was outvoted, he shrugged.

“Okay…but I’d really appreciate it if this didn’t come back on me,” he said as he unbuckled the straps holding Terry in place.

Terry tried to speak to let him know he would never allow that. But the pain in his chest flared white hot when the strap came loose. He moved his hand to prop himself up, then hissed as he realized it was his broken wrist he had moved.

He held out his good hand toward Crunch and the ghoul obliged, helping him slowly to his feet. Jimmy came in behind and supported his torso until he was at a full stand. A wave of dizziness took him and he was forced to lean on Crunch while he caught his breath.

“You sure?” Jimmy asked.

Terry nodded but couldn’t speak. It was taking everything inside of him not to cry out in pain. When he finally caught his breath, Crunch helped him down the ambulance step and onto the familiar road that formed a roundabout in front of the palace’s main entrance.

Terry was immediately struck by the noise and movement around him as he emerged from the ambulance. The confines of the van had been like a cocoon, shielding him from the outside world. Now that he was in front of the palace, the sounds of a hundred soldiers, ghouls, and other personnel filled his ears.

Jimmy came down from the back and held his good arm by the elbow.

“I have to at least see you to the healer. It’s my medical obligation.” He glanced back at Tania and his partner, Liam. “I’ll be right back.”

Terry didn’t have the air in his lungs to argue. They started forward, moving into the bustle that filled the palace steps.

A soldier jostled into Jimmy, which bumped the paramedic into him. He cried out, his legs losing strength as bone ground together inside his chest. Crunch whipped around, growling at the soldier who mumbled apologies before hurrying away.

As they continued up the steps, the press grew heavier and Crunch was openly intimidating anyone that got within arm’s reach. Burg and Bloodstain hurried over at his call, but the palace was a hive of activity, everyone moving at a near run.

“My prince!”

A voice called out from the entrance, but Terry didn’t have the height to see over the crowd. The voice echoed out again, but it was all he could do to put one foot in front of the other.

A wave of…something, passed over the crowd. Terry knew instinctively that it was a super’s power. For a moment, he feared another attack had come. He found he couldn’t muster the energy to care.

Whoever it is, they can have me.

“Eyes on me,” a powerful voice called out.

The murmurs and shouted orders of the surrounding personnel instantly died out and the chaos became unusually orderly. Terry glanced up from his feet, where he had been willing them forward, one in front of the other. Surprise managed to break through his exhaustion.

Every man and woman were standing in rigid straight lines, their eyes wide as they looked up toward the palace entrance, away from Terry.

Standing there with a look of fury, was Dr. Wong.

He should be mad, Terry thought. I clearly overtaxed my body. I made more work for him…

Next to Dr. Wong, stood a familiar figure. His hands were steepled in front of him, but his eyes were tight in concentration. It took Terry a moment to realize what he was seeing.

Mesmer was projecting a working, bringing the crowd under his sway. A path was cleared up the stairs as everyone in sight stood in rapt attention.

The revenant’s eyes relaxed, shifting to Terry. But his lips pursed tight.

“Come forward now, my prince. They will not impede you.”