The press of bodies and the humidity of desperation was rank in the air. People stared at us from the lobby, strewn across every piece of furniture imaginable. Dirty skin, sweaty bodies. The air conditioning wasn’t equipped to handle all of it at once. Wasn’t able to put up with it, not really. Wasn’t fair … Read moreGale Rising (Chapter 25)
The causeway across the bay had never looked gloomier. The water was a bare few feet away from the tires of Hand’s car, lapping across the edge with each swish of the waves. It wasn’t too far from the waffle house we’d set headquarters up across from (and they appreciated the business of heroes taking … Read moreGale Rising (Chapter 24)
The water lapped against the side of the battleship in time to slow movement of my boots against the wooden deck. No tourists were supposed to be about; the ship was officially closed for renovations. But what were they going to do but open it up for us? We’d brought a crowd of people who … Read moreGale Rising (Chapter 23)
My cape fluttered in the wind rolling off of the distant ocean; the salty shores lapping against the steel monolithic battleship, gleaming in the way that only old steel could. Full armor. No need to treat this as anything less than a real battle. Eradicator gear. Goggles. Protective plating. Everything from the kit. Never had … Read moreGale Rising (Chapter 22)
The dojo was quiet. Not even the air conditioning whirred overhead through aging pipes. The walls were covered in everything I could wrench from the floor to keep it absolutely still. It was all held in place precariously, tape, chairs, practice instruments, stretched out in an esoteric fashion that reminded me of my distant home, … Read moreGale Rising (Chapter 21)
Unlike my first instinct, I didn’t spend the rest of the day training. There was work to be done before I did anything so selfish. The de facto headquarters for the super heroes had been moved away from the center of Mobile and instead took up shop across the street from a waffle house pointed … Read moreGale Rising (Chapter 20)
Friday. We’d settle it on Friday. I had no idea why I was even considering putting up with it. What sort of leader let people challenge them like this? Admittedly, I knew the answer to that too. If I were in Colton’s position and thought the ship wasn’t sailing the right way, well… I’d do … Read moreGale Rising (Chapter 19)
We swung by the motel Colton was staying at. For free; it was something that would be paid for by the Association, though it was dawning on me that by the time the crisis was over, there might literally not be an Association to cover all of the costs. It took him a few minutes … Read moreGale Rising (Chapter 18)
It was three am, and I hadn’t managed to sleep. I’d wanted to. Wanted more than anything to get more than a brief moment of peace, but everytime I shut my eyes for more than a minute I was back in the base. Back to proving how wrong I was to go there. How little … Read moreGale Rising (Chapter 17)
I stood at the edge of the farmer’s market and stared off into the distance, where the mighty mobile river churched into the bay. Produce was on display, and a flock of D rankers, led by Hands herself, who had earned the stripes I’d placed on her shoulder, were separating it into kits so we … Read moreGale Rising (Chapter 16)