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Heroes Beneath Us

"I bet that we can't even begin to realize just how poorly planned this was... How can we hope to regulate the supers? Most, on the outside, look just like you and me and have powers that can be hidden even when in use. Let's take a look at Singularity who was killed at Kansas City. He could manipulate gravity around him. Him, a normal looking individual. If you were to see him on the street, you wouldn't even bat an eye at the Otter who looked like anyone else and yet he was capable of massive destruction and death. He did cause massive destruction and death at times. Now, I'm not saying that all Supers are like this, most aren't. I bet most are scared and won't come forward. We need to coax them from the shadows, not with guns, but with open arms and maybe then, will we understand."

-Dr. Robert Walter, Sociology Major, in an interview with Neil Thranton, October 20, 2020

Chapter 5

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

October 20, 2020

"Absolutely not!" Professor Adams raged at the young Red Panda who sat terrified in the corner of the old man's cluttered office. Papers were swept off the desk in a flurry of white and red ink. "I will not go on some crusade to save the world." He whirled back around, ignoring the fact that he was now stepping on the papers, papers which weren't finished being graded and needed to be handed back out the next day.

The man had taken a few days to go over all of his contacts and every precaution he had taken to disappear over the past several months. It had been a hard and grueling endeavor that took a lot of sketchy hired men a long time, but it had been done. He had to go back and anonymously make contact with them again since they didn't even know what identity he took after he left the name Dr. Atom behind. Everything had come back solid, there were no holes and yet here was this boy spouting his old name as if it was public domain.

He looked into the boy's background as well, as much as a staff member at the college could without raising suspicion. Dave Cookerly was a normal person in every regard with nothing spectacular to his name. He was born in Washington, raised by liberal parents, had no police record and was a B average student who barely managed to get enrolled to the school with no scholarships. He was dull, or rather he should have been and now he had just asked for him to join him to find other "lost heroes" as he called them to battle some threat that he wasn't even sure about.

"Dr. Atom... please." Dave begged the man. He had put so much effort into finding him and to be so utterly rejected by the first of a long list of people he needed to find was disheartening. If he couldn't convince the first, how could he get the others.

"I don't even know you." Adams clenched his fist in frustration. "And don't call me that vile name. That man died in Kansas City."

The panda stood up. The heroes and even the villains that he grew up loving were his icons. They were icons for his friends as well. They were individuals who stood up and did something, even if some of them did horrible things, but he didn't want to see them die. "You're right here and you can help." He looked the man in the eyes, eyes that looked tired, but determined. "I have seen the future and it's bleak." That was Dave's power. At seemingly random intervals, he could see the future through dream like visions. He had explained this to Professor Adams and was surprised when the man believed him, but that was it.

"So that's it?" Adams sneered. "You got some dream about some future and what? What, I ask? You plan on saving the world?"

"That's exactly what I plan on doing and I need your help." Dave pleaded. "I saw a future filled with misery. I don't know what exactly happens, but... but." Dave grabbed his head. He was getting a headache from trying to recall what he saw. His visions always seemed to do that as if they wanted hide from the light. "It needs to be stopped and I need your help, I need to get as many of you supers as I can to stop whatever is coming."

"I can't." The strong, arrogant tactic wasn't working so Adams was going to be sincere. "I can't go out there again." He reached back and pulled his chair towards him. It rolled on squeaky wheels and creaked as the man sat himself in it, tired and weary of the past. He made a vow to never again use his powers.

"What happened?" Dave asked, unsure if it was his place to ask for something that was so obviously a touchy matter. "What happened in Kansas City."

The man looked away in what appeared to be shame and shook his head. "That doesn't concern you. What happened there needs to remain buried deep underground." He bent over and began to collect papers. "Now... If you'll excuse me. I have work to do."

Dave took the message and left the defeated old man to his papers. If he wasn't going to help, how was he going to expect anyone else to help either. Though, he wouldn't quit, he couldn't. He saw the future and like Professor Adams, he didn't share it all either.

Dave took the bus back home since, on top of his student loans and bills, there was no money left for a car. That was fine, the bus was cheap and reliable, taking him only a block away from the apartment where he lived. It was a nice building, colorful, painted a vibrant red. It was one of several buildings that were like this in the area, each one painted a different color of the rainbow. Dave thought it looked a bit strange, but it was reasonably priced. The owner had low prices to accommodate students.

The inside was a bit worn with the paint, unlike the outside, fading, the blue that at one point had been a deep, almost violet, was now more closer to sky blue. It was clean though, the wooden stairs were nicely stained and glossy all the way up to the third floor. He shuffled up it and went to his door.

He fumbled with his keys, silently cursing as his fingers struggled to pick out the small bronze colored key that laid among only a few others. He finally got it and got inside.

Dave's apartment wasn't much, but it was home. It actually wasn't really a true apartment since everything minus the laundry room and the bathroom was in one room. He had a couch on in one corner which made up the living room, the kitchen in the other and his "bedroom" was separated from the rest of the apartment by a bookshelf that held his television and of course, books.

The panda flopped onto the couch and grabbed the remote and turned on the news. He flipped past various channels that he didn't care about. He wondered when aliens were going to stop showing up on the History channel.

The news wasn't very good. They were all talking about various issues with Supers and how the public was starting to become sympathetic, but the government was slowing down its move to register supers. In fact, the government passed a larger budget and bill to give those enforcing the Super Registration Act more power. The news showed a scene in front of the Senate where people were picketing a few feet away from a line of police.

"Of course." Dave said to news anchor who he knew couldn't hear him. "They start caring once they realize that America is turning into Nazi Germany." He flipped the television off after that. The news only made him mad, it only showed the bad things that were happening.

Dave rested his head on the armrest and noticed that he had a missed call. The was a small red "1" blinking on the phone charger and with a press of a button, Dave played the message.

"Hello? Hello?" Dave didn't recognize the voice immediately, but as the person spoke, that changed. "You there Dave?" Of course he wasn't'. Dave hated it when people began a message asking if they were there. Obviously he wasn't since no one answered the phone.

"It's your brother, Remus."

Dave almost deleted the message then, not because he hated his brother. He loved his brother like any sibling should. It was his work that he hated. Remus worked for DAC. He worked for the organization that was meant to hunt down people like him. Remus had never liked Supers, he didn't understand them, so he feared them. It was the reason why Dave didn't share his secret with him, he was afraid that Remus would turn him in, especially since the death of their sister to a Super.

She had been there, in Kansas City on that fateful day. Dave had just gotten off the phone with here when it happened. She seemed so happy and joyful even though she was only his step sister, being the biological sister of Remus. They talked for hours until she had to go. Dave didn't know what had happened to her for another hour until he got a phone call from Remus. He had been crying and told him to watch the news. It broke his heart to see the new footage of the crater that was Kansas City.

There was no body to bury. He and his brother, family and friends buried and empty casket that cold, rainy Friday. There were a lot of funerals that day.

"I'm going to be in town for a bit." Dave was snapped back into reality. "I got a job that's taking to town and I need a place to stay for a few days until then."

"Great." Dave thought. Just what he needed after a stressful day. He looked around his small apartment that was barely large enough for him. Did he even have room for a guest such as his brother. Did he even want his brother there? Of course he did. Just because he had a secret to hide from him didn't mean he couldn't spend time with family.

"If you can give me a call, that would be great. Bye." The phone beeped at the end of the message.

"End of messages." The phone chirped and Dave hit the redial button after picking up the handset and holding up to his ear.

The phone run twice before a familiar voice picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Remus." Dave said, actually a bit choked up. The last time he had talked to him was at the funeral and even then it was just to say hello. The rest of the day had been spent in silence.

"I'm taking it you got my message." Remus spoke loudly to be heard over what sounded like a large crowd of people.

"I just got it a few minutes ago and I'd be happy to have you."

The was a shuffle on the other end. "Great. umm." Another shuffle as he talked to some off to the side. "Sorry about that."

"Where are you?"

"I'm actually at the airport." Remus replied. "Brass is sending me with little notice. Something big came up and they want it handled quickly. Can't say much more than that though."

"No, it's fine." Dave looked at his watch. It was already four and the weather outside was drizzly. "When should I expect you to land?"

"I'll be landing at eight-twenty. You don't need to meet me, I got you address already."

"How..." He began, but stopped. His brother worked for the government and since he had taken out government loans, his address was on file and easy to find. "Never mind. I'll see you when you get here."

"Shit, my flight's boarding. See you." He hung up.

Dave gave out a massive sigh and sank back into his couch. He wondered what his brother was going to be doing in Seattle. He didn't know what he did for DAC, but he supposed that wasn't his business. Remus Roman did what Remus Roman did, it would just be nice to see him again.