More-Than-A-Teaser Tuesday: The Superhero Diaries
Okay. More-Than-A-Teaser Tuesday.
This is exactly what is posted up on my website, so if you've seen it, nothing new here. If you haven't, well...
This is the opening extract of one of my two current projects. This one is called The Superhero Diaries and I love it for two reasons. One: it's about superheroes. Two: I get to use my "real accent". The MC, Georgie/Gaia, is a kiwi. No need for me to try and sound American, hooray!
Moving out of home, living on your own for the first time… first year of university is hard. But for Georgie it’s even harder - she’s secretly Gaia, the newest superhero on the job. So somehow in between lectures, writing essays, doing assignments and spending time with friends she also has to contend with saving the world. Thankfully dating is discouraged when it comes to active Supes, both with regular people and within the team. It’s just more than a little difficult when you have a very smart, funny and sexy shapeshifter who is warm for your (unchanging) form.
And if that weren’t enough on Georgie’s plate, someone is forcibly depowering Supes and stealing their powers. Down they go, one by one… and soon it’ll just be Gaia left.
You okay up there?
The voice was in my head, but it wasn't mine. I jumped just a fraction at the sound; I still wasn't entirely used to being able to send and receive telepathic communications from a few certain people. A few months ago my mind had been mine, and mine alone, so it was still definitely a little awkward to have other people invading it.
Yeah, I sent back. I paused to wriggle my way through a dense part of the crowd. I guess you could say I'm still not used to this skin, even if it is mine.
Laughter echoed through the telepathic link. I hear you. I still get that feeling now and again.
You're a shapeshifter, Morph. Of course you feel so out of place in your own skin - you're in and out of so many of them I almost forget which ones are actually yours.
That earned me more laughter. Okay, okay. Time to get serious now. Can you spot me?
Not with Andre the Giant's sister in front of me. I squirmed again, trying to get my five foot frame through the crowd of much bigger people. Suddenly it opened up just a fraction, but that fraction was all that I needed. I slipped through the gap and found myself pressed against the barrier.
I can see you. See me now?
I was up on the second floor, overlooking the space in the center. The rest of the mall spread out from there, twisting and turning but always returning. And in the very heart of the space a stage had been set up, complete with podium, microphone and signs announcing that a politician - senator, governor, I didn't really know - was here to speak. All these people, above and below, were all here to see him, and were pushing and shoving in order to get a better view of this great man.
All except one. Somewhere in amongst the crowd was a person with a gun.
How often is Seer wrong? I sent across the connection. I mean, is there a chance she's wrong about the assassination?
Down below a boy shook his head. It's rare, but it happens. The future is not fixed, otherwise we wouldn't be able to change it.
I remember, I replied. Oh, and you're the teenage boy. Fourteen, maybe fifteen. Hispanic, wearing the Techna t-shirt.
Morph chuckled again; the voice that entered my head was his real one, deep and rich. It definitely did not belong to a fourteen year old kid. I'll pick a harder shape next time. Hang on. The mental voice grew serious, and down below the kid's face tightened and grew too serious for his age. Here comes the Governor. Eyes open, G.
Roger that.
The governor was a grave man in looks, but despite the seriousness of his words he spoke with an enthusiasm of a much younger man. It was that enthusiasm that buoyed the rest of the crowd and gave them hope.
He was like the idea of a Supe, except he had no powers. He could change the world through words and actions unlike Supes. They could only save it, one life at a time.
I went to run my hand through my hair, only remembering at the touch that it was a new, shorter cut - red like fire and sticking out in all directions like some wild thing on the top of my head. It was all part of the new skin that I was still getting used to.
Something moving through the crowd below caught my eye. It was a woman, wild-haired and wild-eyed, with the tell-tale shape of a gun under her jersey. I reached out to Morph's mind as she reached for it.
I see her, too, he replied. Then he was moving, calmly but quickly. A distraction would be nice though.
One distraction, coming right up! In one smooth move I was up and stand on the barrier, arms out for balance. It took all of five seconds for someone to cry out, "Oh my God!" and another two before, "She's gonna jump!"
Some gasped and made noises of horror. Most instinctively moved out of the way, leaving a gap large enough for a jumper to go SPLAT on. And one pulled out his cellphone, raised it up and started filming. That was even more annoying than the people grabbing at my legs. At least they were trying to help.
Target is still on the move. I was annoyed that he hadn't just zoomed in and grabbed her, but he was the higher-ranked one of us. It was not his first real mission. Get down here, now.
I've got Civs attached to my ankles like kids at kindy.
No excuses. Get out of their grip and get down here. Now.
'Kay. To the good-hearted people trying to keep an innocent girl from jumping I said, "Sorry folks, but I gotta you. You gotta let go."
They let go of my legs as if my bare skin had burned them. That wasn't surprising, considering that was the plan. Free from their grip I pushed off from the edge and, after hovering mid-air for half a second, let myself fall.
I hit the polished floor feet first and hard; the impact shuddered through my legs and up, but my recently enhanced body took it fine. I straightened quickly, willing myself to ignore the gasps and the cheers. There would be plenty of time to bask in the revelation. Later.
Now what do I do?
Get the governor, protect him. I'll take the target. Out loud Morph yelled, "Everybody down! Now!"
Of course no one responded to an order given by a fourteen year old boy so it fell to me. Placing myself in between the gunwoman and the retreating governor I shouted, "When a Supe tells you to get down, you get down!" Small flames emerged from my clenched fists and licked at the skin. I was not kidding.
This time they obeyed, dropping to the floor like flies. Only three remained standing: me, Morph, and the wild-eyed woman. The look on her face was strange - her eyes were wide and staring, but it was like she saw nothing. Something else was guiding her movements, jerking her along like a puppet on strings.
Morph launched himself at her, the body of an adult male exploding out of the boyish form he had been wearing.
But it was too late. The gun went off with a bang that was almost deafening. To my horror, Morph was unable to stop it in time; his decision to take on his regular form, while flashy, wasted time.
So there I was, on my first official mission, with a bullet headed right at me.
That was not good.
The famous comic book line is faster than a speeding bullet. Here I was about to find out if I could match the ideal.
I blinked; the bullet was still coming, I was still waiting. Everything appeared to have slowed down but, as I very quickly realised, I had just sped up. It's just like catching a cricket ball, I told myself. Just open your hands and let it fall right in.
The little piece of metal thundered into my hands and I closed my fingers around it. It was hot but if I could handle having little flames flickering under my skin, fireball erupting from my hands, then I could handle a fragment of hot metal. But I'd done it, I'd really done it. I'd proven myself to be faster than a speeding bullet, and caught one in my hands.
I stared at the bullet as everything around me appeared to be speed back up. The voices became coherent once again and I watched, still somewhat in a daze, as Morph proceeded to tackle, restrain and relieve the woman of her weapon. 'Chaotic' would have been a good description for the situation, but it was at least becoming the less dangerous type of chaos.
Morph rose and handed over the woman to mall rent-a-cops and the governor's security. And still I watched, utterly entranced by the whole thing, having not only witnessed it first hand for the first time, but actively taking part in it too.
That was when I heard it. It began as a solitary sound and soon became a rumbling sound like an approaching train as more and more hands joined the chorus.
"They're clapping for you," a voice said as a hand touched my shoulder. I turned slightly and found the governor smiling down at me. He held out a hand, his gaze never leaving my face, and one of his assistants retrieved the microphone from the podium and handed it to him. "I think you need to introduce yourself, Miss Supe."
I glanced over at Morph, who was grinning. What do I do?
His mental voice was silent as he approached, leaving me a tad worried. "May I?" he asked the governor, holding out his hand for the mic. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Civs and Supes," he announced with the flair of a circus ringmaster. "There is someone I would like you all to meet." Go on, G, he added as he thrust the mic under my reddening face, introduce yourself.
"My name is Gaia," I said, still clutching onto the bullet, the smile on my face nervous but wide, "and I'm a superhero."
This is exactly what is posted up on my website, so if you've seen it, nothing new here. If you haven't, well...
This is the opening extract of one of my two current projects. This one is called The Superhero Diaries and I love it for two reasons. One: it's about superheroes. Two: I get to use my "real accent". The MC, Georgie/Gaia, is a kiwi. No need for me to try and sound American, hooray!
Moving out of home, living on your own for the first time… first year of university is hard. But for Georgie it’s even harder - she’s secretly Gaia, the newest superhero on the job. So somehow in between lectures, writing essays, doing assignments and spending time with friends she also has to contend with saving the world. Thankfully dating is discouraged when it comes to active Supes, both with regular people and within the team. It’s just more than a little difficult when you have a very smart, funny and sexy shapeshifter who is warm for your (unchanging) form.
And if that weren’t enough on Georgie’s plate, someone is forcibly depowering Supes and stealing their powers. Down they go, one by one… and soon it’ll just be Gaia left.
You okay up there?
The voice was in my head, but it wasn't mine. I jumped just a fraction at the sound; I still wasn't entirely used to being able to send and receive telepathic communications from a few certain people. A few months ago my mind had been mine, and mine alone, so it was still definitely a little awkward to have other people invading it.
Yeah, I sent back. I paused to wriggle my way through a dense part of the crowd. I guess you could say I'm still not used to this skin, even if it is mine.
Laughter echoed through the telepathic link. I hear you. I still get that feeling now and again.
You're a shapeshifter, Morph. Of course you feel so out of place in your own skin - you're in and out of so many of them I almost forget which ones are actually yours.
That earned me more laughter. Okay, okay. Time to get serious now. Can you spot me?
Not with Andre the Giant's sister in front of me. I squirmed again, trying to get my five foot frame through the crowd of much bigger people. Suddenly it opened up just a fraction, but that fraction was all that I needed. I slipped through the gap and found myself pressed against the barrier.
I can see you. See me now?
I was up on the second floor, overlooking the space in the center. The rest of the mall spread out from there, twisting and turning but always returning. And in the very heart of the space a stage had been set up, complete with podium, microphone and signs announcing that a politician - senator, governor, I didn't really know - was here to speak. All these people, above and below, were all here to see him, and were pushing and shoving in order to get a better view of this great man.
All except one. Somewhere in amongst the crowd was a person with a gun.
How often is Seer wrong? I sent across the connection. I mean, is there a chance she's wrong about the assassination?
Down below a boy shook his head. It's rare, but it happens. The future is not fixed, otherwise we wouldn't be able to change it.
I remember, I replied. Oh, and you're the teenage boy. Fourteen, maybe fifteen. Hispanic, wearing the Techna t-shirt.
Morph chuckled again; the voice that entered my head was his real one, deep and rich. It definitely did not belong to a fourteen year old kid. I'll pick a harder shape next time. Hang on. The mental voice grew serious, and down below the kid's face tightened and grew too serious for his age. Here comes the Governor. Eyes open, G.
Roger that.
The governor was a grave man in looks, but despite the seriousness of his words he spoke with an enthusiasm of a much younger man. It was that enthusiasm that buoyed the rest of the crowd and gave them hope.
He was like the idea of a Supe, except he had no powers. He could change the world through words and actions unlike Supes. They could only save it, one life at a time.
I went to run my hand through my hair, only remembering at the touch that it was a new, shorter cut - red like fire and sticking out in all directions like some wild thing on the top of my head. It was all part of the new skin that I was still getting used to.
Something moving through the crowd below caught my eye. It was a woman, wild-haired and wild-eyed, with the tell-tale shape of a gun under her jersey. I reached out to Morph's mind as she reached for it.
I see her, too, he replied. Then he was moving, calmly but quickly. A distraction would be nice though.
One distraction, coming right up! In one smooth move I was up and stand on the barrier, arms out for balance. It took all of five seconds for someone to cry out, "Oh my God!" and another two before, "She's gonna jump!"
Some gasped and made noises of horror. Most instinctively moved out of the way, leaving a gap large enough for a jumper to go SPLAT on. And one pulled out his cellphone, raised it up and started filming. That was even more annoying than the people grabbing at my legs. At least they were trying to help.
Target is still on the move. I was annoyed that he hadn't just zoomed in and grabbed her, but he was the higher-ranked one of us. It was not his first real mission. Get down here, now.
I've got Civs attached to my ankles like kids at kindy.
No excuses. Get out of their grip and get down here. Now.
'Kay. To the good-hearted people trying to keep an innocent girl from jumping I said, "Sorry folks, but I gotta you. You gotta let go."
They let go of my legs as if my bare skin had burned them. That wasn't surprising, considering that was the plan. Free from their grip I pushed off from the edge and, after hovering mid-air for half a second, let myself fall.
I hit the polished floor feet first and hard; the impact shuddered through my legs and up, but my recently enhanced body took it fine. I straightened quickly, willing myself to ignore the gasps and the cheers. There would be plenty of time to bask in the revelation. Later.
Now what do I do?
Get the governor, protect him. I'll take the target. Out loud Morph yelled, "Everybody down! Now!"
Of course no one responded to an order given by a fourteen year old boy so it fell to me. Placing myself in between the gunwoman and the retreating governor I shouted, "When a Supe tells you to get down, you get down!" Small flames emerged from my clenched fists and licked at the skin. I was not kidding.
This time they obeyed, dropping to the floor like flies. Only three remained standing: me, Morph, and the wild-eyed woman. The look on her face was strange - her eyes were wide and staring, but it was like she saw nothing. Something else was guiding her movements, jerking her along like a puppet on strings.
Morph launched himself at her, the body of an adult male exploding out of the boyish form he had been wearing.
But it was too late. The gun went off with a bang that was almost deafening. To my horror, Morph was unable to stop it in time; his decision to take on his regular form, while flashy, wasted time.
So there I was, on my first official mission, with a bullet headed right at me.
That was not good.
The famous comic book line is faster than a speeding bullet. Here I was about to find out if I could match the ideal.
I blinked; the bullet was still coming, I was still waiting. Everything appeared to have slowed down but, as I very quickly realised, I had just sped up. It's just like catching a cricket ball, I told myself. Just open your hands and let it fall right in.
The little piece of metal thundered into my hands and I closed my fingers around it. It was hot but if I could handle having little flames flickering under my skin, fireball erupting from my hands, then I could handle a fragment of hot metal. But I'd done it, I'd really done it. I'd proven myself to be faster than a speeding bullet, and caught one in my hands.
I stared at the bullet as everything around me appeared to be speed back up. The voices became coherent once again and I watched, still somewhat in a daze, as Morph proceeded to tackle, restrain and relieve the woman of her weapon. 'Chaotic' would have been a good description for the situation, but it was at least becoming the less dangerous type of chaos.
Morph rose and handed over the woman to mall rent-a-cops and the governor's security. And still I watched, utterly entranced by the whole thing, having not only witnessed it first hand for the first time, but actively taking part in it too.
That was when I heard it. It began as a solitary sound and soon became a rumbling sound like an approaching train as more and more hands joined the chorus.
"They're clapping for you," a voice said as a hand touched my shoulder. I turned slightly and found the governor smiling down at me. He held out a hand, his gaze never leaving my face, and one of his assistants retrieved the microphone from the podium and handed it to him. "I think you need to introduce yourself, Miss Supe."
I glanced over at Morph, who was grinning. What do I do?
His mental voice was silent as he approached, leaving me a tad worried. "May I?" he asked the governor, holding out his hand for the mic. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Civs and Supes," he announced with the flair of a circus ringmaster. "There is someone I would like you all to meet." Go on, G, he added as he thrust the mic under my reddening face, introduce yourself.
"My name is Gaia," I said, still clutching onto the bullet, the smile on my face nervous but wide, "and I'm a superhero."