The Big Guns

I heard the Powered from the PHA before I saw them, and decided to duck into the shadows to avoid being seen.

For a start, I didn't want to get seen fleeing the scene of what was a ginormous fight between Powered individuals and then risk being called villainous by someone who was in a position of power at the PHA.

Equally, I had no idea how damaged Phet was from his fight with Wildthing. There was every chance that the souped-up crafter could come running out of the hole in the wall at top speed at any moment, and I didn't want to get caught in the middle of that now that I had no gear with me.

To be honest though, even more important than either of those two reasons, was the fact that I was just bone dead exhausted. That fight had taken a lot out of me, and leaning up against a cool wall was almost soothing.

I didn't even care that a real-life honest to god superhero had just flown in and landed before me, that's how tired I was. Even though the guy that had landed really was a big shot.

His costume was dark, for the most part, blending in with the night around him. But on his knees, elbows and shoulders there were golden pads, crafter made supports to keep his joints from getting destroyed in combat. His golden helmet was made of the same material and sported the logo of the PHA, a rising phoenix, across the font with its wings hanging above his eyes.

This was Quasar, in all his glory.

Quasar was the biggest of the big shots when it came to Powered people in our community.

The PHA was the biggest global organization of superheroes in the world, dedicated to providing limited connections between communities across the globe and fighting back against any danger that those communities might have. They had a base in every known community on the planet.

The PHA team in our community had a base at the centre of the river, overlooking the rest of the Main Quarter. That was why the area tended to be so safe, and why villains tried not to operate there. The response times would be far too quick.

Quasar was the leader of the team. The hero that, if you asked anyone from the community about, they'd instantly be able to name without any thought at all.

Thanks to his popularity among the fans of the Powered, and his notoriety in general, his power set was pretty well defined. He was essentially a gravity manipulator, capable of creating strong gravity fields that could push opponents around, or help him fly through the sky.

Rumour had it that his fields could create as much pressure as a black hole, but considering the damage that would do to the world at large, I wasn't sure if I believed it. Nevertheless, he was powerful, and even with my gear, I wouldn't stand a chance against him.

The newly arrived Powered clambered through the hole in the wall that Phet had made. He was gone for a little while, and if I weren't so tired I probably would have used the time to make my escape. But the risk of him coming out and seeing me flee the site of the battle had me concerned.

A few minutes later, he re-emerged.

"You there, in the shadows, did you cause this?" Quasar called out, clearly meaning me.

I swallowed hard, I had no idea how he'd managed to see me. Unless it was something to do with his power. Could he perhaps detect the influence my mass had on the gravity around me? It would be such an infinitesimal change on the surrounding environment that being able to detect it would be utterly absurd.

"I… It was Phet, I'm not a Villain," I stammered, just about finding my voice.

"If you're not a Villain, why're you hiding in the shadows?" Quasar pushed, taking a step toward my hiding spot.

I struggled to keep my breathing under control. Fighting a villain like Phet was one thing, facing off against the strongest hero in the community with no weapons or gear left was something else entirely.

"Wasn't sure if Phet was going to come back," I said, emerging from the shadows on shaky legs. "Didn't want him to spot me after I'd used all my gear."

Now out in the open, I felt incredibly exposed, which wasn't helped at all by the way Quasar was staring me down.

"You're a new face," He mused, "So, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt for now."

I let out the breath I'd been holding. If Quasar had wanted to bring me in it would have been a simple matter of creating gravity fields around my arms and legs so I couldn't escape or fight back. Fortunately, as a Hero, he seemed to be willing to hear my side of the situation.

He walked over to me, looking me up and down as he moved close. "You need to go to a hospital or something? Phet's no joke."

"Uh, I don't think so," I responded, "Just a little shaken, is all."

"A little shaken? After a fight with Phet?"

"He didn't get to ramp up," I said in way of an explanation, not realising how much more powerful that actually made me sound.

"Have you got a name?" He asked, "I'll need to log this encounter, after all."

A… name? It occurred to me then that I didn't have a name at all. I'd sort of just gone out and started patrolling, doing hero things. I couldn't give him my actual name, of course. Powereds needed their secret identities, or else their families would be at risk.

"I haven't figured one out yet," I explained, feeling a little more at ease now that Quasar seemingly wasn't waiting for the right opportunity to crush me with a gravity field. "I'm a crafter, don't even know what my specialization is yet."

He nodded at that, "You'll figure it out eventually, but don't take too long, eventually people will give you a name and those tend to stick, even if they're not particularly flattering."

There was a lull in the conversation, it allowed me to take a deep breath and centre myself.

"God, I nearly died," I muttered under my breath, the realization hitting me like a ton of bricks.