SuperLuminal

2.0 - Edited by: Rellawing, AlliterativeArts - 12/2/2020

 

After what had been the most stimulating shower in either of their lives, they both were blushing up a storm. “I’m sorry that burned,” Leona said, gently caressing Sarah’s face.

 

Sarah purred, breathless. “I liked Leona being inside… even if it hurt a little,” she whispered softly. “Let’s rest in your room.” She giggled. “Maybe we can do it again… you can use your fingers…” She wiggled.

 

Leona giggled. “I’d like that.” Leona smiled and rubbed up against Sarah. They finished washing up together, making sure to clean up a bit extra. 

 

Being teased a little with the loofah by Leona, Sarah squealed and swatted it away. “C-come on.” She blushed. “D-don’t play now!” She pouted.

 

They finished up, giggling, feeling warm. When they turned off the water, they got Sarah dry and then turned to the use of her hair dryer. Leona toweled herself off after Sarah was snuggly and warm and did the same with her own hair. There was a knock on the door as the remnants of the damp on them air-dried.

 

The door cracked open slightly and Quinn whispered, “Hey you two, I made you some veggie sandwiches. They’re waiting in the kitchen on the table. I whipped up a batch of sugary iced tea too.” She beckoned with a finger through the crack before shutting it.

 

Leona let Sarah use her bathrobe while she wrapped her towel about her own chest. They opened the door to find Quinn still waiting outside. “Hahaha… I could hear the two of you through the walls… Don’t do things like that when Mom’s home, but good work.” She winked at the two and messed their hair. Leona and Sarah giggled and blushed in reply.

 

Heading over to Leona’s room, Sarah borrowed some of her cuter clothes. When they were ready, they hustled downstairs where the food and drink was waiting. They smiled at each other, feeling blissy. Leona was glad that Sarah was doing better after having gone through what she had, and yet Leona couldn’t help worrying about how things would affect her in the longer term.

 

Finishing off the meal she had greedily devoured like someone who had gone without for a long while, Sarah spoke, “Ah… I was really hungry earlier too, I just didn’t want to waste the chance to have it with you.”

 

Leona softly smiled, still blushing with embarrassment while she shoveled food into her own mouth. When they’d managed to down a good portion, Goonie arrived back home.

 

When she came into the kitchen and found Sarah there, Laguna practically jumped out her skin in shock before promptly casting a stern look at Leona. Waving her hands in front of her, Leona pleaded clemency, “Mom, there’s a ton to explain. Padua was found guilty of abusing the children sent there,” she nervously explained everything that happened to her mom, recounting everything. Goonie’s facial expressions ran the gamut but settled on stiff and darkened. She promptly went to Sarah and hugged her like she was a veritable prodigal daughter.

 

Sarah responded, smiling reassuringly. “I don’t know when Aurora will be back, but Leona says she’ll be back to take me home later. Maybe I should call her since I don’t know how long we have.”

 

Quinn responded first, “I dunno, I think I have a good idea of how long Aurora will be,” Quinn gave Leona a sly grin. Leona gaped and turned beet red.

 

Leona pitched in, “Aurora said I should call her when you’re ready to go. I have a special way of calling her. So when you’re ready to go, I’ll hug you goodbye and go get a hold of her.” She beamed at Sarah, annoyed at Quinn as she asked the big question, “Are you ready?”

 

“Umm, yeah, but is it okay if I just stay a little while longer and watch TV with you guys?” Sarah hedged.

 

Goonie smiled. “It’ll be fine as long as we’re not holding Aurora up, I’d say. You really should be heading home soon, but I’m sure a show or two won’t hurt.”

 

An hour later, Goonie suggested it was time for Sarah to go home, at which Sarah timidly nodded. “I’m sure my parents are worried about me.” She looked at Leona. “Do you want me to go with you to summon her? This way, you won’t have to come all the way back.”

 

“That’s not going to happen,” Quinn said. Goonie looked at her and shrugged. “Look, it’s enough that we have to worry about Leona being taken hostage if she’s seen talking with Aurora. It’s best if we don’t involve anyone else.”

 

“That makes sense, I guess,” Sarah said, disappointed.

 

Leona nodded and hugged Sarah, and then she got up and with a wink, slipped out. She waited for a few minutes after transforming back at the new spot she’d used earlier and then touched down at the front door again and rang the doorbell.

 

Goonie answered the door with Sarah who smiled at her on sight. “Thank you for letting me spend some time with the Ramses... es…” she said, “I need to go home now.” She blushed and walked out to Aurora.

 

Aurora picked her up gently again, applying her field around her again, almost automatically. “Good girl. Now if your parents don’t completely flip out over this, I’d say you’ll have a good night.” She winked at Sarah and then turned to look at Goonie. “Thanks for taking care of her for a short time, Ms. Ramses. I’m taking responsibility for getting her safely home. I hope no one cares about the extra time we’ve taken.” Aurora chuckled and spread her wings, charging up into the air again. “Good night!” Knowing exactly how to get there, she went directly towards Sarah’s house, but took her time again so that Sarah could enjoy the ride.

 

Sarah snuggled close to Aurora, nuzzling into her breasts a little this time. Aurora blushed. Oh jeez.

 

When they arrived at her house, they set down and she let Sarah down, taking her hand. Practically before they arrived at the door, Sarah’s father opened up.

 

His eyes fastened on them accusingly. That was unexpected.

 

Aurora quickly explained the situation and his eyes widened as she explained.

 

“How do I know what you’re telling me is the truth?” he asked suspiciously, “She looks fine.”

 

“The police have all the details you want,” Aurora explained, “They’ll give you everything they’ve got on Padua and confirm everything. Contact Detective Kirby at the 24th precinct for more details.” Aurora then removed her communicator from her bosom pocket, pulled up the pictures and held up to him a parade of these sad pictures one after another, repeating without end.

 

He stared at the pictures of the children being removed from the hothouses, one of them tumbling out, and lastly the pictures of Sarah herself falling out from one followed by the pictures of Sarah, what she looked like before she bathed, yet safe and sound at the Ramses house with her camp clothes on.

 

“Those outhouses were used to punish the children. They were starved and isolated for days on end. They were stripped and denied food or water. Pairing the children up with members of the opposite sex must have seemed like ‘stellar’ way to force someone to ‘conform.’ I can’t even begin to imagine what someone willing to do that thinks ‘normal’ is.” Aurora gave Sarah’s father a meaningful look.

 

“Please take this opportunity to consider how lucky Sarah is to have come out of such an ordeal alive and seemingly well for the moment. I’m intimately familiar with this kind of treatment of children, and I can tell you, it scars them for life. Many of the other children were worse off than Sarah, but that’s no consolation.” She switched the mode of her communicator to default to display her Society of Sentinels identification. “Please consider what’s been done and move past this. I implore you to embrace her for who she is.”

 

She turned to Sarah when he didn’t speak. “Do you need anything else, dear?”

 

Sarah shook her head and walked over to her father, who quickly pulled her into the house. “Thank you for helping my daughter, but don’t interfere with our faith,” he said, closing the door more politely than he’d opened it.

 

Aurora sighed and took to the skies. As she charged off, she got a text on her communicator. Seeing that it was Detective Kirby again she decided to call him. 

 

“Hey, Aurora. We’re still out here at the compound but the state officials have finally deigned to come down from their pedestals and are taking over the whole thing. Is your vic still around?”

 

“No. I just finished dropping Sarah off at her parent’s house. She wanted to visit a friend’s house before she went home, but she’s safe and sound… As much as she can be when her father is so obsessed anyhow.” Leona sighed. “Why do you ask?”

 

“I just wanted to know if she seems alright to you. There’s been some concerning info coming out here that some of the kids who have been here a while might’ve been fed some food that was… contaminated. If she’s alright, then I wouldn’t be too concerned though. Hold on, I’m getting a call from the station. Just keep an eye on her, okay?”

 

“I will,” Aurora responded, “Her parents might call you to confirm what I’ve told them about what happened up at Padua. I gave them your name since you've been handling the case, I hope that’s alright. She seemed mostly okay from what I can tell. She actually bounced back pretty quickly. What do you mean when you say ‘contaminated?’ Rotten mystery meat?”

 

Kirby was quiet for a moment but responded, “I’ll forward you the report. It’s probably nothing, don’t worry. I have to take another call, talk to you later,” he said as he cut the line. The moment it cut out, there was another buzz, this time from the Sentinels!

 

Aurora gasped and hovered in the air as she opened the message and inspected it. Sarah seemed to be doing fine for the moment, if not even energetic. It probably wasn’t serious. She healed, and so would Sarah, given time.

 

We got a report of your investigation of a camp that has been

involved in a conspiracy that’s been flagged as being of interest to us. 

Please call when you can. / MA

 

Leona felt a shiver when she read the message. A conspiracy? Things went deeper than child abuse and having busted a crazy cult?

 

Aurora dialed him on the spot, “Midnight Avenger,” he answered gruffly. “Aurora, what led you to the camp you were recently involved with?”

 

Aurora sighed but decided to be forthright. “The child of a family I know was sent to it. I was concerned for her well-being and decided to investigate it. Is there more serious we’re looking at here than indoctrination? The Detective I work with at the 24th precinct here suggested that the kids might have been fed questionable things.”

 

“Hrm.” Midnight Avenger grunted, “Apparently they found some evidence linking to a smuggling ring I’ve been investigating. The problem is that they are selling genetically-altered food that has been shown to cause powermorphic reactions in some people. The odds are small that anyone has been directly affected, but we’re still investigating this. Apparently, they found some of the hash that has been responsible for this outbreak.”

 

Aurora gulped as he continued, “The hash can interact strongly with latent metagenes in a subject, causing a chemical imbalance on top of inducing temporary powers. Needless to say, a mentally unstable superhuman is cause for concern. It’s likely that the food was purchased as a cheap ‘organic’ alternative, and that there’s no actual connection beyond foolish greed.”

 

“Anyway, keep an eye out for people in your area who have lost all inhibition but gained powers. Analysis suggests the powers last anywhere from twelve hours to a couple of weeks, depending on the amount of said food was ingested and the extent of the reaction. I’ll be personally stopping in California soon to look at the evidence. I’ll alert you when I’m in town.”

 

“Right.” Aurora nodded. “Glad to work with you, Midnight Avenger.” 

 

Aurora couldn’t help but smile wryly. Oh jeez… so Sarah could develop super powers of her own? Temporarily? Maybe. 

 

The loss of inhibitions she’d been exhibiting was clear evidence that she was different, and yet, Aurora wondered if it really meant anything. The disinhibition was helping her to accept her deep seated needs and wants. Aurora had to wonder if Sarah had been under chemical  influence this whole time and whether allowing herself to be seduced by her was wrong in that case. She might have regrets and come back saying she was out of her mind. 

 

No, she loved her. She did.

 

Zooming back home, Aurora returned to her normal form in the copse by her condo. She headed back into her home to find Quinn and Laguna waiting to both hug her. Goonie had readied a mostly vegetarian dinner to cap this fateful day.

The next couple of days passed uneventfully. Leona wasn’t able to visit Sarah because of new restrictions issued by her parents. It didn’t seem to matter to them that Aurora had saved their child, nor that the Ramses had fed and bathed Sarah.

 

Finally, a message finally came from Sarah,

 

Leona, I love you! <3 I’m sorry about my parents. But I’m alright. Don’t

worry. I’ll send some pictures of mama and me! I hope we can spend 

time together again soon!

 

The sent pictures showed her mother doting on Sarah, of the two of them doing things together like a loving parent and child should do. None of the pictures contained her father however.

 

Meanwhile, Quinn finally got her car back along with a formal apology from the police department of Junker. Quinn immediately posted on a popular message board site about the incident and the ensuing apology. She put up information about Padua while also making sure everyone knew that they were fronting for a religious cult of child molesters.

 

Leona was beginning to settle into the status quo when she received a text from Midnight Avenger to call him again.

 

Aurora transformed herself in her room and took the time to yell downstairs that she was going out flying. She opened her window and flapped up quickly into the sky before she dialed him.

 

“Aurora,” Midnight Avenger said, his tone gruff as ever, “meet me at 10 PM at the scene of your first super-outing, when you first encountered the Blue Max gang. Avenger out.”

 

Thinking about it now, it felt so long ago but he must have been referring to that lab building where the blimp heist had occurred. She smiled and let herself drift in the recollection of the good she’d done that day. After refocusing, she decided to take the time to check on Sarah while she wasted the intervening time. She sent messages to her Mom and Quinn individually, explaining where she was and where she would be. If there wasn’t enough for her to do, she’d cut the excursion short and head directly home.

 

Aurora swung by Sarah’s house once again and spied on the family while disguised in normal civilian clothes and pretending to do yard work in their neighbor’s yard. The house was so still they at first seemed to be away, but Sarah’s mother emerged from the house with lunch and a picnic blanket. Sarah followed her and they set the blanket down and enjoyed a meal in their yard. 

 

Aurora smiled warmly at the happy sight. Sarah and her mom were decent folks. They spoke amicably and her mother hugged her daughter lovingly, rubbing her back.

 

As her mother returned to the house, Aurora witnessed something out of the ordinary. Sarah’s hair stood up like she was touching one of those static generator thingies, but everything calmed down again as she started on some yard work.

 

Aurora wondered about what that was or could mean as she waited for Sarah to finish her work and eventually headed inside. It was a strange sight, one that had happened so fast she couldn’t snap a picture of it in time. Still, she remained more concerned about how her parents were treating her after all was said and done. This Angel wasn’t here to investigate Sarah’s alleged condition, but this vision was unsettling.

 

Jumping into the air and changing back to Aurora, she thought for a while and decided to text Sarah in her hero persona.

 

Sarah, sweetie, it’s Aurora. Don’t look for me, but I’m keeping an eye out 

for you. If you feel mad, lonely or strange in any other way, send me a 

message, okay? Know that you have a guardian angel looking 

after you, kiddo.

 

Catching glimpses of Sarah through her windows, Aurora nodded to herself and guessed that she wasn’t answering immediately because she was buried in more household chores for the time being.

 

It was enough that she’d sent her an encouraging message to cheer her on. If she was going through something bad, Sarah needed to know she had a place to go. Things seemed to be going alright for the moment though so Aurora decided to text Quinn and Mom again.

 

I’m looking after Sarah, and that seems like the best and only thing I can 

do for her right now.

 

Aurora sent the message and perched on the neighbor’s house’s roof. She hadn’t been there for long when her communicator beeped. 

 

Hi Aurora. I’ll send you a text if I feel weird. Thank you again, Aurora.

Please tell Leona I miss her and I can’t text her too much because my

cellphone can’t be on me all the time.

 

Aurora responded, smiling.

 

I will relay your message. You’re very welcome, Sarah.

 

After a while longer spent surveilling the appointed time drew near so she flitted off to where Midnight Avenger wanted to meet. It was frustrating how restrictive Sarah’s parents still were. Her mother seemed caring, but her father… Regardless, she would protect Sarah.

 

Aurora arrived early and sat down on the landing where the blimp had docked. The air conditioning unit was still bent out of shape but seemed to at least be working. When night rolled around, Aurora got a tap on her shoulder. She spun and saw no one there. She turned to the other side to find the Avenger there by her side.

 

“You’re not aware enough. That will get you in trouble,” Midnight Avenger stated flatly, crossing his arms. “But I’m not here to rate your performance. I wanted to meet with you and talk about this situation… and to introduce you to someone.”

 

Aurora was about to open her mouth when Vanguard himself floated down to the roof from above. She gaped, her eyes practically turning into saucers. 

 

THE Vanguard! 

 

Her father had always blamed him for her mother’s death, but she knew the heroes weren’t at fault. He’d done his best to save her mother, so she smiled warmly as he addressed Aurora, ”Aurora. I’m glad to finally meet you. I’m Vanguard, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.” He offered her his hand.

 

Aurora gasped and grinned in an ever increasingly sunny manner. “Wow, you’re one of my role models, sir. I’m honored to meet you!” She took his hand and shook it. Internally, she was squeeing almost as much as she had for Mistral. Almost. The man before her was the variety of hero she idolized most as well as being the most prominent even at those loftiest heights. One could easily and accurately say he was the template for all the best heroes. He was a man who stood for justice and everything a superhero should.

 

He smiled and Aurora almost blinked when this man amongst men seemed to blush when she said she was honored to meet him. “Well, anyway, you have a lot of people who are interested in you,” he said. “I can sense your impressive energies but, please, just let me confirm something.” He turned to the Avenger. “She does have a similar energy profile to that of an Empyrean.”

 

Midnight Avenger nodded thoughtfully. “All right, thank you, Vanguard.”

 

“Also,” Vanguard turned back to Aurora. “I understand you’re looking to keep your identity a secret. I don’t know the specificity of your situation, but if you need help with attaining a secret passage or two, the Society can put you with discreet and trustworthy contractors to help make it happen. Furthermore, I can possibly loan you some money from our treasury to help.”

 

Aurora gaped, grateful for the vote of assistance. “Uhh, in order: Where my powers originate means I consider myself at least half an Empyrean. I understand that I’m still halfway human, no matter.” She smiled and tilted her head, thinking about the possibility of secret passageways. “I very much appreciate the offer, sir, but I think it’d take a very long time for me to pay off any kind of a loan.” She chuckled. A VERY long time. She didn’t even have freaking a job yet. Would she need to get one to fund her superhero career?

 

“I’ve been considering my options and even thought I might try my hand at digging a tunnel myself, however stayed my hand since I was concerned about causing accidental damage to things like power, gas or water lines.” Aurora chuckled.

 

Vanguard put a hand on her shoulder. “When I said that we can loan you money, I wasn’t trying to trick you or anything nefarious. We would consider it an investment into your development as a heroine. But it would involve revealing a part of your identity. If that would cause you to hesitate, I understand and maybe we can consider other options. However, if you’re looking to get a new place in San Isidro, perhaps there’s something else we can help you with.”

 

The Avenger hit Vanguard on the shoulder. “Vanguard, I appreciate your trying to help, but this isn’t a solicitation or a social call.”

 

“I understand that, Avenger,” Vanguard replied, “but unless you have an immediate mission, there’s no reason why we can’t spend a moment speaking of other matters.”

 

The Midnight Avenger sighed, shrugged and stepped away to fiddle with one of his gadgets.

 

Vanguard spoke again, “I’m sure that you have important business with the Midnight Avenger, but part of our goal in starting the Society is to make sure that budding heroes get a good start and stay firmly in the camp of herodom. It would probably take more time than we have to explain all your options, but if you want to meet up sometime, text me and we can discuss things, okay?” he smiled at Aurora.

 

“All that being said, you really do look almost exactly like her. It’s quite extraordinary,” he mused.

 

Wow, did he hold a torch for Black Angel too? Did everyone in the Society of Sentinels want to sleep with her, no matter their sexes? 

 

Leona smiled politely. “Yeah, but I at least don’t have that dreadful complexion she had.” Aurora laughed jokingly. “Sir, to be honest with you, I have reasons that I feel that I need to protect my identity carefully.” She scooched a bit forward and whispered, “I would trust you with my secret identity though.” She put herself between where Midnight Avenger was brooding off to the side and him in case he could read lips. He probably could. “I’ve heard you know the secret identities of most of the Society members anyway and I know that you would extend me the same courtesies regardless of whether you knew my true identity. But Midnight Avenger, while he’s a courageous and respected role model, I’m not so certain about him,” she delivered the line with a wry expression.

 

“Without a shadow of a doubt, he’s a very good man. But I would be trusting you nearly as much as I do Mistral, my mentor. She’s always been my hero and foremost my role model. I hope you aren’t insulted to know that you’re my second favorite. I model myself after your example. From the things you stand for to the kind of hero you are.”

 

Vanguard laughed and clapped her gently on the shoulder. “Haha, yeah, no one trusts that shifty sourpuss.” He grinned mirthfully. “But if you work a few cases with him, he’ll grow on you, and you will. Anyway, I don’t want to keep you. So rest assured, I’m not at all insulted.” He chuckled again. “Mistral is a fine heroine and I hope we might be able to recruit her into the Sentinels proper at some point. There’s no shame in being runner-up to her.” He nodded. “If you need a private place to be Aurora, we might be able to help you out, is all I’m saying. Do keep your identity safe, young lady,” he said and started to fly up. “I’ve got an appointment with a faultline in China, but I’ll be reachable if either of you need assistance.”

 

“Yes sir.” Leona called after him with a big grin plastered on her face. He was likable, humble and open. He was even offering some options, and new ways for her hero career to grow. The two top heroes had taken an interest in her!

 

“That was really something else…” Aurora trailed off, staring into the distance. “I wish I could see and hear things like he can… something happening clear across the world. It’d be a lot easier to help people.” Aurora smiled wistfully.

 

Maybe he hadn’t been able to save her mother because she’d never screamed nor cried. Too brave...

 

The Midnight Avenger hesitated beside her and nodded to her. “He’s a true hero. I think he deserves a lot more respect than he gets from the non-powered public. They criticize him as much as they praise him. He’s not God… Anyway.” He shrugged and moved on, “Another reason I wanted to meet with you was because I want to discuss the issue with the Realignment Camp.”