Chapter Eleven

Haruki’s dream of fire and bubbling pools of magma ended when a beam of light pierced the curtains and shone on his face. He yawned and stretched and blinked awake. The room came into stark focus as he pulled to a seated position. He’d reside here just two more days, and then it would be home to Japan. All in all, the trip proved an invaluable experience. The intensity of focus needed to rescue everyone and how honored he was at the joy on their faces became the defining moment of his life thus far.

He'd made new friends, seen brand new sights, and expanded his horizons, both figurative and literal. Going to America to save lives demonstrated what nations could accomplish when they didn’t have to engage in pointless one-upmanship. It didn’t matter to the people saved who saved them or why.

His phone beeped, and he groped for it. Rachel’s text read, “I’ll pick you up at 9:30, I figured we’d hang out, just the two of us.”

“I’d like that,” he texted back. “see you then.”

“Go ahead and eat,” she replied. “I already ate.”

He hung up and went to shower. After drying off and dressing, he headed downstairs and caught the morning breakfast at the hotel restaurant. It’s so nice to eat on someone else’s coin. The waiter asked for his order, and he chose a huge helping of eggs, hash browns, and sausage. Sure, his mother’s healthy breakfast wasn’t bad, but while in America, he’d eat like the Americans. When the waiter set the huge plate in front of him, he dug in, enjoying the mountain of calories. The protein and carbohydrates cooked in cooking oil tasted amazing and he savored every bite.

To pass the time, he pulled out his phone set to low volume. Several military officials spoke from a site in Colorado. The reporter took their statements on illegal weapons seized from a doomsday prepper compound. From the words Haruki could understand, they belonged to a doomsday cult.

The moment those words landed, Haruki’s heartbeat slowed in his chest. The small phone screen almost hid it, but there were symbols on the walls of the compound as cameras moved by. They matched the symbols of the gods from his visions. The fact soured in his mind.

Nine-thirty came and Rachel’s familiar figure entered the lobby. “Hey!” He waved and gave a greeting. “Today, I figured it’d just be the two of us. You’re going home soon, after all.”

He gave a thumbs-up. “I’d enjoy that.”

She pulled her car up alongside the hotel entrance and he slid in. Her phone connected to the car’s Bluetooth and a progressive rock playlist began. It made him smile that she remembered his favorite music. She had become a friend in the brief time they spent together, and it put his mind at ease. A foreign country could be off-putting and overwhelming, but with a friend, it became easier to adjust.

As soon as the pulled onto the highway, how lucky they’d been yesterday became clear. Now, the Los Angeles traffic lay before them in a truly dystopian clog. The road, meant for fast speeds and long commutes, was a parking lot where cars moved inches in minutes instead of miles per hour.

As the music came in crisp and bright over her car speakers, the stillness became less intolerable. While not as grand as Kenshi’s superb sound system, Rachel’s car speakers could punch and crack just fine. He leaned his head against the cold car window and felt its chill run down his cheek. The stillness gave him time to ponder and thoughts raced in a circle about the revelations that’d come to light. More details about that drug had to come to light, and the stalemate Kensuke and his government connections ran up against stabbed at his nerves.

The drug, despite not being widespread, posed a threat equal to a nuclear missile. It was neither arrogance nor narcissism that he possessed strength and speed above most heroes and villains. Since he hadn’t fought Freedom’s Ring, it remained a real possibility that America’s top hero could best him. Still, just being able to replicate power on Haruki’s level would render the most mediocre villain a top-tier threat instantly.

All of this made Aeriesai’s motivations even more confusing. The god had possessed a metal manipulating no-name villain and immediately wrecked Haruki in single combat, only to spare him. Which means, he needs me for some reason. Haruki had some part to play in the malicious god’s plan, and that frightened him, chilling him to his bones. By the same token, it was clear the god couldn’t simply make his will happen, otherwise he’d have won already. At the same time, the recent surge of new powered villains had to be his work.

So, Haruki was dealing with a god not omnipotent, but more than enough of a threat to easily impose himself upon any opposition. The god had something to gain from this world, otherwise he’d need not be here at all. A laugh escaped his lips. The heroes in the comics always had villains that tested their limits to the very end, why should he be different? It was pure wish fulfillment to expect power not to come with the weight of need behind it.

The only tales of superpowers that don’t involve working one’s ass off are cautionary tales of letting power go to one’s head, he thought.

His reverie shattered when a deep bass rumble rattled the window. His attention snapped into place and he scanned the surroundings. Outside, black smoke poured into the air from a torn wreck of a car. Flames spread, detonating gas tanks. “Get to safety.” He stepped out of the car and super-sped back to the hotel room and got his spare costume on.

Screaming crowds of people dashed in the other direction. He stepped onto the pavement and saw a huge reptilian monster standing bipedal. Phone cameras from balconies took videos. He sighed. So far, they’d been lucky. Although rumors of superpowered people spread thanks to the recent emergence of powered villains in greater numbers than ever before, it’d always been relegated to the conspiracy pile. Now, though, the world would have proof.

He supposed governments had already spent billions planning for such an occurrence.

“So!” the beast cried. It tore through cars with its enormous claws and shoved trucks aside with ease. “The great Laser Hammer decides to take me on!”

He knows my codename, Haruki thought. He tensed his legs and took off running. Villains like this needed to be taken down immediately.

A sickening violet glow overtook the monster, and it suddenly shifted into super speed, plowing a scaly knee into his abdomen. Haruki swung and pushed the beast back. “Of course you’d have the drug!”

A leathery grip wrapped around his neck and plowed him through several cars. His helmet bore scratches but withstood the impact shockingly well. He drove a knee into the creature’s gut and felt flesh buckle. The beast let out a growl of pain as green blood poured out. Haruki withstood a gale of punches and plowed forward, crashing a fist into the chest and throwing the monster back.

“Not so tough,” the reptilian super pulled free of the broken concrete barrier. Haruki swung but the monster ducked and drove a furious uppercut that nearly caused him to vomit into his helmet. A leathery grip squeezed vicelike against his calf and ragdoll slammed him back and forth into the pavement. Haruki shot up and swung a roundhouse kick. The creature ducked and came up to smack him with a chop to the neck. Haruki then took a kick to the solar plexus that drove the wind out of him and pinballed him between several cars.

Haruki got up and saw a foot rocketing towards his head. He pushed up, absorbing the impact, which bruised several ribs. At the instant of impact, he bent an arm around the leg, trapping it. Before the monster could pull loose, he slammed a fist into the kneecap. Blood sprayed and a loud roar of agony echoed as the leg bent in the wrong direction. The creature slipped, unable to bear weight on the shattered leg.

“Stop! Fighting!” Haruki grabbed the beast by the skull and pounded away. He got a battering ram of a fist for his trouble, reminding him the drug was still quite potent.

Haruki kicked his flight on and stopped his backward momentum. He ducked a swing and knocked the enemy backwards. The beast clawed to a stop and launched forward. Haruki ducked a punch from the hobbled enemy and drove a knee to the chin.

A dot appeared on the horizon. Haruki’s enhanced vision showed him it was a man. He braced and planted a foot into the beast’s chest, launching him backward. Freedom’s Ring descended from the sky and drove both fists into the back of the creature’s head, cracking the pavement. The beast turned but a giant hand grabbed the beast’s tuft of hair and drove the other mighty fist into the left temple. The beast crumpled to the ground.

Haruki leaned against the crumpled wreckage of a car. It took several moments for his brain to catch up to reality. “You’re Freedom’s Ring!” He instantly wished to have said anything more intelligent. This astonishing man was America’s best and there’d only be one first impression.

The seven-foot brute, garbed in a military-style bodysuit, lifted the unconscious reptilian onto his shoulder even as the monster began to shrink in size. He smiled. “Great work, Laser Hammer.”

Haruki coughed. “Thank you, sir.” He hoped his Japanese accent wasn’t too thick.

“Let’s go,” Freedom’s Ring said.

Haruki simply nodded and followed as the man leapt along, each leap two or three miles. The man easily shattered the illusion of dumb brutes. Without being able to easily change course once airborne, the American giant never landed on anything except clear ground. Being able to calculate trajectory immediately demonstrated a rare brilliance.

They were deep within the deserts of California in a matter of minutes. The last leap set them in the middle of an American military base. Freedom’s Ring handed the reptilian to a crew of armored men who encased him in thick metal bands. A man in a formal military suit approached. Freedom’s Ring gave a salute.

“Great job on that,” the man said. “You arrived at just the right time.”

“I was informed of the fight,” Freedom’s Ring replied, “and I saw there were videos and everything, so there was no point in hiding it.”

The suited man turned. “If it isn’t our Japanese ally!” He extended a hand, which Haruki shook. “I’m Roger McMurphy, Department of Superhumans.”

“Laser Hammer,” Haruki introduced. “Glad to help.”

“We can talk in Japanese,” Roger said. He gave a wave and the giant American hero walked away.

“I have a question,” Haruki said in Japanese, “how’d he get the drug?”

Roger sighed. “Thanks for the information, it really helped, by the way.” He scratched his chin. “To answer your question, we don’t know. We’ve looked through every possible method. We simply don’t know who’s providing them to these guys.”

“What about the information we gave you about gods and monsters and all that?”

Roger gestured as he walked, and Haruki followed. “I have to admit, that’s also a dead end. We’ve scoured every source we have and neither the name ‘Aeriesai’ nor anything else in your information comes up.”

Haruki clenched and unclenched his fists. “That sucks.”

“Don’t get discouraged,” Roger said. “The fact your government is so forthcoming with us is a great help.”

“I just want to save lives,” Haruki replied.

They entered a brick building, and soldiers gave respectful glances and plenty of space. Haruki expected jealousy or anger at a powerful foreign super. If it were the case, these soldiers didn’t show it. As he followed the officer, the soldiers’ discipline seemed extraordinary. It was one reason why he didn’t like militaries; it reduced people to obedience above all else.

They finally came to a plush office and Haruki sat and got handed a manilla envelope. He pulled it open and examined the stapled sheets. The sheets consisted of two sections, one in English and the other Japanese. As he read, his mood changed from unsure to amazed to overjoyed. “I assume you like what you’re seeing,” Roger said.

Haruki tried to speak but almost choked before clearing his throat. “This is amazing!” He flipped to the second page. “Your government is offering me a border pass?”

Roger lit a cigar and puffed. “We are. Fact is, after how you saved our boys, we want you training with our top supers. To that end, you need to be able to cross borders without difficulty.”

Haruki sat stunned. This was the kind of offer that, according to Kensuke, was only offered to the very best in the world. Freedom’s Ring had agreements like this with almost thirty different nations. It was an incredible honor that they’d give it to a kid that wasn’t quite fifteen yet.

His reverie broke when the words hit him. “Wait, did you say you wanted me to train with Freedom’s Ring?”

Roger grinned. “I thought you’d like that. Yes, that’s one of our goals. He’s our top guy and you’re Japan’s top guy. You could both teach each other something.”

Haruki clamped his mouth shut. He focused hard on his breathing. Finally, he trusted his mouth to speak. “Thank you so much! This is such an honor!”

“Our governments are the key to the future,” roger said. “By working together, both you and he will make the world safe.”

“I won’t have to report my arrival?”

Roger shook his head. “No, just show up. As long as you don’t break any laws, it should be fine. We trust you. You stopped a super-powered terrorist when it wasn’t your people.”

His emotions still rode high. As the adrenaline of the fight wore completely away, he remembered where he’d been. “Oh! Rachel!”

“She’s on her way,” Roger said. “We got in touch with her after the attack.”

Haruki made his way through the maze that was the base and she waited at the front entrance in her rental car.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” he replied. “Sorry about earlier.”

She scoffed. “Sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong. Besides, the government’s paying my tab for the repairs.”

She gestured and he got in her car.

“I’m glad to have a friend like you,” he said.

“Thanks!” she replied.