To Be Heroic

"Sir. Sir! The line for the auditions is to the left."

"Oh, I am not here for the auditions, I'm here for the intern job. I have no intentions of becoming a hero." Amazed the woman at the desk gives the young man a surprised look before lowering her gaze and scrolling up and down a few pages looking for his information.

"Of course. There you are, Simon Klinge. You've made a formal request to join the board's logistics and development team..."

"I do. I do also have powers if that's what you are asking me."

"I am sorry for my baffled expression sir. It is not every day that a person with super abilities asks to join the logistics side of the Century Tower." Fighting was not in Simon's interests. He had a lot of experience with the case for the top 100, with those who not only use their power to protect Earth but also those who waste their powers fighting and those who wander beyond into the land of the Kuiper and the Oort.

Fifty years ago, in 2037 a giant asteroid the size of a continent was heading towards Earth with humanity's fate all but settled but as it approached it started exploding and breaking into pieces turning from a cannonball into the pellet of a shotgun. It impacted Earth directly and devastated the southern hemisphere of the planet, destroying most of Australia, Africa and, unfortunately the damage was so great, the whole of the two American continents. If the loss of billions of lives was not enough, humanity learnt why the asteroid exploded. On it three races were fighting, the Kuiper allied with the Oortians against the Alcyoneus. The Kuiper are more akin to space monstrosities, not a proper intelligent race. They are creatures which absorb heat from the sun and the center of the Earth then use it to create molten matter out of which they mold into either enormous monsters, stories tall or tinny swarms roughly the size of dogs but millions in number. They've nested in Australia and constantly launch attacks against the Far East. The Oortians took over the American continent which was so badly impacted by the largest piece of space rock that it became a new continent all together. It is filled with tinny islands and many archipelagos similar to Indochina and the south east islands. Those were also destroyed during the impact, or rather reshaped into a singular landmass. Oh, if not for the effort of the last Alcyoneu, humanity would have been lost but they protected us and shielded us from harm as much as they could remain alive. The savior poured its blood into the wounded earth and the molten continents stopped burning and the deserts turned to grassland and the skies cleared and... and heroes were sent to take its place. With its first and last breath it gave us orders and told us how to prosper despite the difficulties. Twenty years were like two hundred and technology advanced at an incredible rate. Humanity created strongholds, mustered its heroes, raised armies and prepared for war. Yet the threat could not be neutralized. The Oortians copied humans, studied us, became more like us and using their superior technology forced humanity into an even smaller area.

Yet humanity took that insult like no other! This would not stand, not on our planet, not while humans still drew breath! They would not be exterminated, they would not bow down as invaders from other space conquered their planet! So humanity started building and raising walls and sharpening their blades waiting for the enemy to strike again and so vicious was humanity's counter attack and so violent were our measures and means that we scared them. We scared the Kuiper so badly that they went completely feral and lost all reason. Parts of western Europe, parts of South Asia, most of the middle east and all of North Africa became no man's land where the Kuiper ran rampant but for the first time the Oortians could not reach us. And as we did with all animals of this world we used them to our advantage, building giant walls guarded by the feral aliens and we haven't stopped there. While we could not fight on land, we could still fight at sea and in the air so we've created enormous fortresses to protect us from danger and for the first time humanity had peace. But peace would not last since people grew hungry and because of the constant skirmishes, we couldn't cultivate as we usually did. Luckily, the savior foresaw that and granted us the sea of grass, the ancestral home of humans unbound by chains or walls. All of the Euro-Asian steppe was made fertile and thanks to the impact, as the planet shifted, most of Siberia became fertile and hospitable too. But how could humans defend these new fertile lands without building new and heavy defensive fortifications? How would humans save from the "cure" that which they hold so dear? They did what they do best, they built a watchtower. A tower of extreme luxury, a tower of indulgence, of privilege and power and filled it with the 100 strongest heroes on the face of the planet. Treated akin to gods, even venerated, these 100 of the strongest humanity has to offer are bound to protect the squishy heart of Earth's new hinterlands.

And just how many would desire that luxury, that prestige, that fame. Heroes from all over the continent would train and prove themselves only to be allowed near that tower and in doing so they built a city around it, one just as resplendent and beautiful but now all the rich and powerful wanted to live there and as humans proved in the past, they do not take kindly to insults. The previous Nr. 1 hero, so angry with politician's greed and desire to live in their shadow, lead a suicidal charge in Oortian territory where the 100 fought like madmen and surprisingly won. The Oortians were forced to flee in outer space where their devastated forces can barely put up any resistance and soon, united humanity fought back and killed most of the Kuiper as well, forcing them back into space too! A small group were saved by the Oortians and first they tried making a base on the moon. From there they launched on the most desperate assaults they could muster, turning the Kuiper into an enormous, singular individual the size of the Century City. Heroes fought and killed that monster and prepared to attack the Oortians on the moon but when they got there the Oortians were gone as well. Unknowingly the Oortians stole in secret a tinny fragment of the last Alcyoneu and reversed engineered it to fit their purpose. They could not colonize a planet in the solar system but they could use it to grant themselves the same boons as humans received. Although limited, the Oortians were preparing to create their own heroes. But their forces having lost two wars in such quick succession fell into civil war and a warlord arose from the ashes, hoarding the power for himself, using is scarcely as to hold control over his new subjects and to bless his devote followers.

One thing which remains from these fifty years of struggle is the Tower, which was taken down and rebuilt completely to symbolize the new age of peace and the land it protects and the treasures it hides inside. And humanity's desire to be part of it. After the charge of the 100, political power became absolutely useless. If another politician, if another celebrity, if another ultra rich would try to guide humanity either through influence or money then the top 10 heroes in the tower are to dispense justice as they see fit.

Therefore the whole of human society now revolves around the tower and the desire to enter it as a resident. It would be more than normal for a young man such as Simon to desire being part of it but through hardship and the looming Oortian threat, Simon made the opposite choice. Rather than wanting to join as part of the tower, he wants to live a safe life as one of the numerous citizens, mostly non heroes, preoccupied with logistics and fulfilling the 100's desires.

The woman at the front desk doesn't even know what to do. Usually regular people want to work there since it's safe and they are to provide some form of skill or knowledge to do that but Simon was content with being a simple laborer carrying boxes and moving things along.

"Excuse me, but this situation is highly unusual. I will have to contact my superior." And so she did but her superior did the same and so forth until the chain of command got clogged with people not knowing what to do. Phones were ringing, time was passing by and nothing was happening. Simon was eventually welcomed to take a seat and have a small break at the company's expenses while waiting. Thus he was allowed inside the main hall. Beyond the semicircular entrance, where 25 receptionists are constantly welcoming hero applicants, preparing battles between nr. 100 and aspiring heroes, there was an immense reception hall where no luxury was spared. Floors of black and golden marble, enormous glass windows, pillars heavily decorated. Starting from those closer to the entrance, the pillars are covered in beautiful statues, then gold trimmings and finally with exotic plants. There are fountains and glass pathways with colored water flowing underneath which is also luminescent and glows at night. There are enormous crystal lights hanging from the ceiling and a whole aquarium filled with colorful fish in the middle. The reception hall is shaped like a pill with the entrance framing it. The heroes above rank 80 rarely walk there as most are brought in by helicopter since their fame and status would make it pretty much impossible for them to travel through the front entrance unbothered.

"If they spent so much time and money just for their welcoming mat, I wander how much more luxurious the upper levels are?" Simon asks himself looking up towards the ceiling as he waits. He sat on a black leather chair near the entrance, right next to the door, too scared and intimidated to walk further in. As he waited more and more his attention was drawn to the opposite end of the room. He did't knew what was waiting there but not long after he was seated a woman came out. She had flowing long black hair which reached her thighs and her fashion was very punk. She wore black pants with straight legs, leather shinny shoes, a red top with a lot of necklaces and a black coat unzipped. She had a scarf around her neck which covered the lower part of her face just slightly enough to hide her mouth. Her right hand was covered in rings and bracelets and while her left hand was covered with a black glove. She was spinning a pair of keys in her hand and minding her own business. Simon looks as she passes by and notices the time. It was nearly 16:00, that's when the second shift ended. Because of the continuous work needed to sustain the heroes and their constant incursions with the Ooriants or their constant demands, the work at the tower was divided into four shifts, starting at 4:00 in the morning, at 10:00, at 16:00 and at 22:00. Those working at the reception did the usual 9 to 5. Not long after Simon made that connection the hall started to fill with people passing through and forth.

"I guess she must be going home. It is getting late..." Simon thinks right as another person comes passing by. This time it was an old man walking with a cane. He was dressed smartly but by now it was two centuries too old to be in fashion. He stops and immediately notices Simon as the other people pass by.

"Oh, hello young lad. Are you here to challenge the 100th hero too? You'd be the 3rd today. I guess he is really putting in work."

"No, I'm here looking for work as a member of the logistics team."

"Oh, and why are you here waiting then? Shouldn't you be at the reception then?"

"I was, more than three hours ago."

"Oh my..."

"But they couldn't decide what to do with me since my studies are limited and nobody recommended me here, however I have powers too."

"That won't do. That won't do." The old man says shaking his head and putting his hand in his coat. He pulls out both a pair of glasses and a grey, metallic phone at which he starts staring with some difficulty. What a display of anachronism. By now nobody used glasses anymore but his phone was of the latest generation, made out of liquid metal.

"Ah, there we are." He says making a call on his phone. Not long after something very unusual happened. A trapdoor appeared right before him and from inside crawled a man which held in his hand a tinny cooper tool. It was barely the size of a toothpick with an ergonomic handle, he was using it to model a house out of wood in his other hand.

"Good Lion, could you help this young gentleman out? He is a young man with powers but desires to join the logistics force. Since you're..."

"...Neck deep into that exact situation, if I could help him out?"

"If you could. The old man says smiling gently."

"Very well. My name is Leo Mauer, people call me 'Lion' although I'm closer to a cockroach. Nice to meet you. If you are looking for a job and have super powers please follow me then."

"Very well sir, by the way my name is Simon Klinge." And Simon stands up but when it was time to follow Leo he realized something wasn't right. He was to follow the man, inside the trap door which just appeared in the middle of the floor? Baffled Simon does as told and approaches the trapdoor which grew in height enough to become a regular door with a small rectangular room behind. The door opens and reveals a flight of stairs going down and then straight into a corridor which by all means makes no sense being there. Still, he enters and Leo closes the door behind them before taking the lead. Immediately after there is another flight of stairs, this time going upwards towards another door. The two pass through and enter inside a room literally covered top to bottom in maps, books, house models and many more trinkets. Leo makes his way to the desk where he was working on a wooden model of a village. Behind him there are three other desks placed in a circle with one having stacks of paper, pens and rulers on it while another is covered in unprocessed pieces of wood. It was cramped in there, very cramped and only the lights Leo had on his desk lightened the room. The books and models were completely blocking out any windows if there were any in that room.

"Don't mind me. I'm just pushing my boulder up the hill until my hands give in. I'm in charge of the transport team and modernization of the tower and someone thought it was a good idea to allow the 10 weakest heroes to customize their apartments although they change on a weekly basis." He says as if he repeated those words hundreds of times. "So, Simon, why do you want to join the logistics team?"

"The work is good and pays well. It is safe and the rent in the city is very cheap... If you work for the Century Tower that is. If I can get this job I can send most of the money back home."

"Where are you from?"

"I'm from one of the fortified settlements along the Silk Belt, although more importantly is where my actual home is. It will come up eventually so here it is: I don't want to fight because my parents died fighting and I was raised in an orphanage from the age of 4. I want to pay back those who raised me and make the lives of those who are still being raised better. Also, I want to stop the predatory adoption of gifted children only to be put through hellish training then forced to fight to enter the tower."

"Very noble."

"I don't want to make it sound like I'm using this sad story to gain employment."

"No, no. The position was yours the moment I heard you have powers. You see, heroes need extracting after they finished a mission but sometimes because of straggler forces about to be silenced by local authorities, regular humans are allowed to object while performing these missions. So, since I'm one of the few heroes working in this field I'm forced to do it myself and that is very strenuous when there are 100 needy people, really needy people, tugging on you left and right, day and night. So I'm trying to set up a team of 100 heroes of my own to do that in my place."

"Hard work doesn't scare me sir."

"It should. Also don't call me that. I'm barely older than you are. Regardless, these people are stuck up, really stuck up and the higher ranks won't accept you unless you worked your way up to them. So you'll start as soon as you're available."

"Absolutely, immediately sir. I can start even right now."

"Set yourself up Simon. After I hand you over this card which proves you're our employee, go get yourself a nice apartment in one of the nearby buildings reserved for people working here. Do it, do some groceries and I'll be seeing you, two days from now, starting with number 101."

After their initial meeting, Simon does as instructed and takes the card he has been given by Leo and heads out towards the nearby apartment complex. Compared to the enormous tower in the middle of the city, the relatively high but unassuming complex was minuscule. It was a large structure by all means, just not as impressive as the Century Tower. The tower from the outside was not a perfectly straight building. It took the shape of a DNA strand as it curved into a spiral the higher you went, but never finishing a full rotation. It was build in such a way as to grant every floor a large enough balcony with both sun and shaded areas. Each balcony had a large wall to the right which blocked the view to the balcony bellow and a large net was cast from the top of the wall to the other upper terrace. The net served two purposes, both blocking all insects while leaving an enormous open space for people to enjoy but also had a special property. The fiber used to make the net had sound absorbing qualities and that would greatly lower the volume of music from floors above or below. The tower was so tall it went all the way into the clouds and it was impossible to see the uppermost 10 floors, possibly done on purpose as to preserve the privacy of the most powerful of heroes. From outside, just as from inside the tower was a display of wealth and power beyond a person's wildest dreams to the point not even politicians, monopolists and celebrities could dream of such bounties. If this was a fairy tail then that would have been the tower filled with treasure and just as much filled with threats and dangers since not all heroes are that benevolent. The tower is surrounded by a large spindle shaped garden above an enormous underground parking space. There is a buffer zone where no buildings are present and then there is the main street which splits in half and is divided by the tower. Although that is the main road, private vehicles are not allowed to drive around the tower's perimeter and only employees, services and residents are allowed, although it isn't that much a problem since there are underground roads and other ways to travel outside of the highway. Around the tower there are several conical conglomerates of buildings, all further walled off from the rest of the city by the living quarters of the common employee. Working for the tower is a ridiculously advantageous position as people are paid huge amounts of money, benefit from a diverse array of privileges but also have to live in some of the most excruciatingly rigid hierarchies on the planet. The insignificant people are not to be seen to the point all their houses do not have windows or balconies opening towards the tower. The privileged few, the rich and the powerful which live inside the inner complexes have priority and are capable of ordering them however they desire and worse yet, the strict competition inside the tower makes life incredibly hard for the average worker. People earn their right to work for those at the top of the tower and many are forced into that position. The higher in the tower you work, the more demanding and eccentric the hero will be to the point they will turn abusive, violent and sometimes alright repulsive in behavior. Still, there is no safer place and if you can endure 20 years of service you can retire early with enough money as to compensate the strenuous workload.

Inside the wall of apartments, there are the luxury condos inside of which the elite live and "live" their lives. There are all forms of entertainment available, or rather all farms of entertainment are available from enormous pools to enclosed hunting grounds, entertainment and a lot more. Northwards there are the enormous markets which are opened to all. After all what good is having all that wealth and power if you cannot flaunt it towards the common folk? Southwards there are the barracks and the Evolved Police force. It is less of a police unit and more of a containment force which go into action once the heroes finished their duties. They rebuild damaged structures, clean up the mess left behind and take out small forces which are usually sent with the main threat when the city in particular is under attack. Still, they are glorified garbage men since the city is never under attack, it is the strongest point of defense on the whole planet and it's purpose is to defend the farmland all around it. That is what the city produces and how it thrives. Around 80% of the city's population, outside of those tasked with maintaining its infrastructure, are employed in agriculture. Harvesting, packaging and processing food is an enormous task and the size of the fields is so vast it is absurd! From the Carpathian mountains all the way to Korea, from the Caspian sea to the Arctic ocean, everything was leveled by the impact and made fertile by the Alcyoneu savior. Humanity lives cramped outside of the that space in what's left of central and western Europe, in the near east, in the lower, southern Himalayas and along, from the Yellow Sea towards the Bering strait. Some are trying to colonize north America again, but the stragglers left behind by the Kuipers and the Oortian incursions make it very hard. The Himalayan mountains were turned into military fortresses aiming their weapons constantly towards the skies.

Still, people see the Tower as the new center of the world but the city around it is very limited in scope. While everyone is allowed inside, the number of houses is very limited. When the previous administration was killed by the 100 heroes, a set of rules were placed upon the city as to guarantee it remaining the beacon of hope for humanity. Laws on population density are strictly enforced, equally strict are the laws on room size, wall thickness, sensory buffers and so forth. Every single building even in the common quarters has very large ground floors, usually the size of two stories above, wider than the rest of the building with special sound barriers to limit the noise reaching the denizens from the street. Equally, commodities and amenities are distributed widely and interwoven. Thanks to the population density being low the traffic is also low and only the outside of the city is heavily charged with cars. Being the newest wide scale settlement built after the end of the war, everything was manufactured...

"Why did Leo left me the history of the Century City on the front door?" Simon says suddenly stopping reading the first few pages, curious as there was Leo's signature on the first page with a big thumbs up on it. Simon did got to his apartment. A nice old man greeted him at the entrance and showed him the way inside after which he left. The main door lead directly into the open living room with a small half wall separating the kitchen from the recreational space. There were bookshelves on the far end of the room and to the right a door which lead into the bedroom and a secondary room which was the bathroom. Everything was very colorful with splashes of orange, purple, green and blue over everything. Simon takes a really deep breath, taking in the smell of the empty apartment as he has never tasted that smell before. He takes a look around, looks through the empty fridge, the empty bathroom and the empty bedroom. The only thing present are books and lots of them in the bookshelves, all separated by painstakingly detailed book holders. Every now and then there was this very wide book which in reality held a small model of a room inside. Every single one of them had Leo's signature paw print on them. They were cute to look at truth be told. As Leo returned to the kitchen the discovers a note which definitely wasn't there the first time he looked. On the counter there was this tinny, metallic toy soldier holding a piece of paper over its head. On it there were instructions for Simon to follow.

'First, go buy yourself a phone. I've left a map on the opposite side of this piece of paper for you to follow. Second, buy groceries and get ready. Since your presence as a laborer with powers has been spread around already, the top ranking heroes are already demanding more out of me, therefore out of you. You will begin work tomorrow with hero number 101, Enzo Iwasa. You are to be present before 8:00 in the morning when the new shipment of goods arrive.'