AllFreeNovel
Share Us
This never happened. I had a quip for every situation. But as the sun broke the horizon and light poured across the white buildings of Paris, I lacked the vocabulary to capture the beauty. I imagined this was one of those moments that would move Griffin to tears, and I understood why.
“I hoped this would make up for being ditched in the rain.”
Atop the Eiffel Tower, the city of Paris sprawled out in every direction. I thought Vanguard had congested areas, but Paris seemed to be nothing more than narrow streets weaving around a plethora of buildings older than the United States. As the seconds sped by, sunlight found its way down each street, breathing life into the city.
“Consider your debt paid.”
EO leaned on the railing, stealing a glance at the hundreds of feet below. From this vantage point, it was difficult to understand just how high we were. There were few people walking about the tower, all appearing no larger than ants. Even the noise of a waking city couldn’t penetrate the roar of the breeze. It was the next best thing to flying through the clouds.
Griffin and Xander would tease me for chasing capes. But how often did their dates bring them to such a wonderous landmark? I’d overlook the fact we were trespassing on a national monument. There was a good chance that in the last week, EO had somehow been involved in saving the thing from a mad Frenchman. Villains loved destroying monuments. It was basically ‘Evil Doer 101.’
“Thank you.” I was prepared to crawl into bed, cranky and cursing the world. Between Scarlet selling the club and a taxi drive from hell, this had not been my night.
“I kind of owed you after leaving you on the rooftop. Not my best hero-ing moment.” He leaned against me, nudging me with his shoulder. Some would say getting naked was the most intimate act between two people. Obviously, they never stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a handsome man while watching the sun rise over Paris.
“Why here?”
“Would you prefer the Australian Outback? With a little effort, I bet I could find the International Space Station or the colony on the moon.”
I laughed. “No, this is perfect.” He put his hand on the middle of my back. Delivering flowers would have been laying it on thick, but the sunrise? He was on a mission to impress.
“It’s quiet,” he confessed. “There are a million people waking up, living their lives. But up here, it’s quiet. You don’t get to experience that much anymore.”
Midnight Alley was home, and I loved the fast-paced life of being a bartender. In a night, I can have a thousand interactions with the patrons. By the end, I was charged and ready to take on the world. If I could make the perfect Margarita, there was nothing I couldn’t achieve.
“I like the noise,” I admitted. “Not the constant horns or screaming, but the city is alive. There’s rarely a moment you can breathe. I don’t know. I’ve always been surrounded by people. This…” I gestured to the entirety of Paris. “This borders on eerie. Es hermoso, but still eerie.”
For a moment, I feared my honesty had spoiled a moment. But I caught him nodding. “I need it every once in a while. After this, I’m charged and ready to go.” He cracked his neck before rolling his shoulders. “A little R&R, and then I can go back to saving the world.”
“Speaking of,” I laughed, “what is your origin story? Chemicals? Messenger from God?”
“You’re going to laugh.”
“I know a guy bit by a radioactive cockroach. Trust me, there is nothing sexy about scurrying away when somebody turns on the lights.”
“A few years ago, I was working as a temp at a science lab. My only job was to put files in alphabetical order. Man, I hated that job. There were all these people with lab coats way too smart for their own good. I graduated with a degree in communications, and I still couldn’t figure out what they were talking about.”
“Explosion in the lab?”
“Less explosion,” he laughed. “More like I walked into a secure room just as they were attempting to manipulate dark matter. Apparently, the giant sign reading, ‘Do Not Enter’ wasn’t big enough. They considered the experiment a failure. If only they knew it changed my body and gave me the ability to tear holes in space and time.”
“In case you do interviews, bend the truth.” I patted him on the chest. The glass of his vest had turned chilly, and I imagined he must be freezing. “Tell them someone trapped a child in there and you rescued them from death. Everybody loves a little selfless tragedy.”
“You’ve got experience with this?” When his eyebrow lifted, he turned from stoic to… well, Paris was the second most beautiful thing I had seen today. I wanted to slide my hand up his chest, along his neck, and feel the softness of his beard. Then I’d need to feel it against my face, for verification, of course.
“One of my friends works for the Beacon and always talks about superheroes. The other works public relations for the Centurions.” I neglected to mention Bernard was also Sentinel. Had EO ever partnered with them? I’d think his ability to transport across the globe would be an asset to a premiere superhero team.
“Oh, and here I thought it all came from your experience with supers in the club.” He gave me a smirk and an exaggerated wink. “And out of the club.”
The mention of my recreational hobbies threw a wrench into the plans. If he was only interested in getting his rocks off, why bring me here? EO might not be as one-dimensional as the heroes I was used to bringing home. I was about to ask about his intentions when he held a finger up to my lips.
“My turn. What’s your origin story?”
Nobody had ever asked. I was known as the fun one, the talker, and I had a knack for always moving the conversation forward. I’m sure Bernard would say I used it as a defense mechanism, but EO had cut me off before I spit out a pithy joke.
“No explosions. Mi madre moved to Vanguard from Mexico City when I was a little boy. Salvación hadn’t declared himself the protector of the city back then. It was dangerous to be on the streets. We moved in with my uncle and his family. I remember little about Mexico. But the city had life to it. That’s probably why I like people so much.”
I kept my uncle’s death at the hands of the Duo of Disaster to myself. The heroes didn’t make it to him in time. It nearly broke my family, and still to this day, mi madre referred to him as if he might walk through the door. It was one reason why I loved my job. Surrounded by heroes, even the worst of them, there was a sense of safety. Like today, there was always a brave super ready to swoop in and save the day.
