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“Theo,” I whispered.
Eclipse turned, looking for his opponent. Theo predicted his movements, or maybe he was watching through a portal somewhere in the Centurion’s base. But as the void opened behind Eclipse, Julian flew out fast enough that his fists hammered Eclipse in the back. Good, I hope he snapped the man in half.
Eclipse soared across the room, slamming into the support holding a bank of windows in place. Half the windows in the Centurion’s base exploded, raining shards of glass on the streets below. A few inches in either direction and Eclipse would fall to his doom. I never wished for a person to die, but this asshole came close. I didn’t want him to die, but hurt? Yes, I wanted him to hurt a lot.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come to save your plaything.”
“Is somebody jealous Alejandro wouldn’t touch his peepee?”
It wasn’t the statement that made me grin. It bordered on comical as he winked in my direction. He made a show of it so Eclipse wouldn’t miss the gesture. If my ribs didn’t feel like smashed twigs, I’d have laughed.
“That’smyman you’re talking about.”
Theo fell from a portal directly above Eclipse. He balled his fists together, slamming them down on Eclipse’s head. Eclipse swatted at him, sending him barreling through the air. I nearly cried out for him when he vanished into another portal.
“You’re going to pay for touching him.” Julian’s words weren’t a threat. As he clenched his fists, I could see the promise written on his face. Whatever insecurity I had been feeling wavered as these two men fought a villain. For me. They fought forme.
A portal opened outside the building, behind Eclipse. Theo flew out like Julian had, knocking Eclipse forward. The villain vanished into a portal and reappeared in front of Julian, just in time to receive an uppercut, launching him twenty feet upward into the ceiling.
They fought like a well-oiled machine. They were heroes, and more than that, they were partners. I had been jealous that I’d never be able to compete with their bond. They had invited me into their lives, a romance and a friendship. Now they fought to save the city. To save me.
I felt foolish. It rattled my insides almost as much as Eclipse had when he smacked me. But as they coordinated their attack, both of them continued glancing in my direction. They might not be able to kneel by my side to ensure I was okay, but they were doing what they could. The parallels between their rescue and my relationship with Theo were not lost on me.
Eclipse fell, leaving a perfect impression of himself in the ceiling. Before he landed in Julian’s outstretched arms, he blitzed away in a puff of smoke, and reappeared only a few feet from me, the smoke rolling over me. I scurried away, not wanting a repeat of the last time he used his powers on me. The pain didn’t matter. Anything to avoid another trip through the alternate realities in my imagination.
“His powers,” I shouted. “He uses your fears.”
Both Theo and Julian remained frozen. Eclipse’s smoke wrapped around their legs, crawling up their bodies. He had them trapped, drowning in their shortcomings. I prayed these heroes had confronted their fears and that they’d be able to break free. Then they could throw Eclipse out the window once and for all.
“Oh, this is good,” Eclipse hissed. “It appears your heroes are nothing more than bravado and muscle. I can taste the fear they pretend doesn’t exist. They’re even weaker than you.”
Eclipse staggered to his feet as the black smoke wrapped around him like a blanket. With a step in my direction, he almost stumbled. They had been so close to beating him, to ending his terrorizing of Vanguard. More smug laughter between spits of coughing. As he raised his hand, pointing at me, there was nothing I could do. I was helpless.
I screamed as the tendril of black drilled into my forehead.
* * *
Just like before, it started in the darkness. I could hear Eclipse’s obnoxious laughter in the background. It was the same image of Theo and Julian jesting about my insignificance. Unlike the villain’s previous attempts, I came armed.
His powers put me in the restaurant again, determined to pull at my weakest moment. I was staring at a mirror version of myself. I was about to reach for the phone and confirm my misconstrued perception of the situation. Eclipse thought he had won, that he was about to turn me into a teary-eyed mess.
Theo apologized for the missed text message. I accepted it, an honest mistake. Eclipse would need to do more than repeat the same tricks if he wanted my attention.
“Not this time.”
I had fought off his abilities when he’d tried to use Bernard against me. It wasn’t logic that combatted his abilities. Somewhere in my chest, in my heart, I knew Eclipse was wrong. His powers could tug at my fears, but they wouldn’t wreak havoc like before. With a little help from the men in my life, I faced my fears, and I was prepared for battle.
“No,” I whispered.
The image of the restaurant shook like an earthquake shock wave tore at the ground under our feet. For our third tussle, I’d be the winner. I had to. Theo had watched over me the first time it happened. It was time to return the favor.
“No,” I screamed.
My mirror-self reached for the phone. As the text message came in, I picked up the phone to see a message from Julian. I thought he had butted inourmoment. But the image shifted to Julian in a suit, meeting with a man in a suit of metal armor. I recognized the Machinist from the HeroApp™, but had no idea how he played into Eclipse’s theatrics.
“You and Theo are sure? Once you sign, the club is good as yours.”
Julian nodded before checking his phone. He punched at it furiously, ending with the swoosh as the message was sent.
