Super Babes 2: A Superhero LitRPG Adventure Read online

  Alley Cat's ears flattened against her head while she took a sip, but perked up when she smiled. "Hey, that's not bad."

  "Told you."

  Paragon sipped the hot liquid, and Heavenly Hawk just listened as Paragon told her and Alley Cat about what had happened at the university. When he finished, she shook her head.

  "Aphrodisia is far more powerful than anyone we've dealt with before," she sighed. "I've fought psychics, but none with this kind of power."

  Paragon buried his fingers in his hair. "Yeah, how do we fight someone who can control our minds?"

  Alley Cat pointed her fingers in the shape of a gun. "Maybe we can do it, like, long-distance. Headshot, boom!"

  Heavenly Hawk smiled. "Nice idea, but that has already been tried. With the range of her power, the sniper would have to be so far away that they couldn't get the shot. Besides, she likes to surround herself with innocent people as human shields."

  Ryan still felt sick at the thought of what had happened at the college. Not only had he been forced to have sex with a stranger, but he'd almost smashed his own brains out. Aphrodisia hadn't just forced him to do something against his will. At the time, he actually wanted to bash his head against the wall. If she had ordered him to kill someone, he might not have been able to stop himself. It terrified him that she had that much control over him.

  More than that, it reminded him of the feeling he got when he found out his parents had been killed. He felt helpless, knowing his mother and father had been only a few feet away and he couldn't save them. He felt that way again now.

  Paragon leaned forward. "But you said that the Night Watchman had a way to stop her?"

  Hawk nodded. "He had found some way to inoculate himself against her power."

  He looked at the computer screen Heavenly Hawk had opened on the table in front of them. It showed a video of the Night Watchman fighting Aphrodisia's henchmen in a museum. The hero in black armor whirled with kicks and punches before launching a grenade at Aphrodisia. It knocked her across the room, and wrapped her up in some sort of netting.

  "What was it?" Alley Cat asked.

  "No idea." Heavenly Hawk shrugged. "Honestly, Aphrodisia was captured years before I started working with the Watchman. It never occurred to me I would need to know his defense against her so I never asked."

  Paragon looked around the Watchtower. "But it could be somewhere in here, right?"

  Heavenly Hawk shrugged. "It's quite possible."

  Paragon stood up. "All right, let's try to find it."

  They all began going through the Watchtower, searching for something they didn't understand. Alley Cat went to the computer to search its database while Heavenly Hawk used her enhanced Hawk-Vision to try to see some clue, and Paragon just used his strength to move every brick and bolt.

  He searched the trophy room, but found nothing. There were a lot of weird objects like a golden crown given to the Watchman by the underwater city of Submergia, and a bottle suspended in a force field inside a glass case labeled "Doomsday," but nothing he thought would give them a way to fight Aphrodisia.

  The whole time, he felt a growing frustration. He didn't know what he was looking for. How could he find the antidote to Aphrodisia when they didn't even know what it was or what it looked like? It could be right in front of them and he would never know it. But he had to try.

  Heavenly Hawk went through all the books in the library at lightning speed, just flipping the pages and somehow getting the sense of them before shaking her head. "Nothing."

  The two of them moved on to the Watchman's laboratory. Paragon lifted every cabinet and table so Hawk could look behind and under them for hidden panels. They studied the machines and chemicals he kept in the lab, but couldn't figure out what any of them did, let alone if they could catch Aphrodisia.

  When they reached the exercise room, Hawk slumped against the wall and shook her head. "This is futile, darling. It could be a chemical or a device or a bloody codeword that stopped Aphrodisia for all we know."

  Paragon folded his arms. "Yeah, I know. But we have to do something. I also kind of hoped we'd find a clue about Watchman's identity. How can he work here and not leave any hints about who he was or where he went?"

  "Because he's smart and careful. I know that much."

  Alley Cat called out from the computer bay she sat at. "Hey, I got something!"

  Hawk and Paragon headed over to the computer where Alley Cat tapped on the touchscreen to scroll through windows.

  Paragon leaned in closer. "What's up?"

  Alley Cat swiped until she came to an image of a series of numbers, outlined against shadows. "I found this folder. It looked like it had a bunch o' files in it."

  "Good job." Hawk patted her on the shoulder. "See? I knew you'd get the hang of computers."

  "Well, not so much. Look what happens when I try to open 'em." She tapped on the image.

  The image flashed with a picture of a padlock while a box opened up that read, "Password."

  Paragon placed his hands on his hips. "Figures. It's encrypted. But it's something."

  Heavenly Hawk waved her hands in circles. "Perhaps we could guess the password? But I haven't the foggiest idea what it could be."

  "How 'bout 'watchman'?" Alley Cat typed into the computer.

  The password box turned red, and text popped up below it that read, "Two Attempts Remaining."

  Paragon shook his head. "Apparently not. And this could be one of those programs that erases the files if we guess wrong two more times, so we'd better stop there."

  Hawk looked up at him. "At least it's a clue. Watchman clearly wanted to keep these files hidden, so there must be a reason why. It could point us to who he is and where he's gone."

  "Yeah. But that doesn't do us any good if we don't have the password or a way to unlock these files." He stepped back. "This is pointless. We can't find the Night Watchman, and we can't find the way to stop Aphrodisia. Meanwhile, she's taken that doctor and is doing who knows what to him."

  Heavenly Hawk took his arm. "Come on, let's go out and patrol. Maybe we can catch up to her."

  "Okay." He went to a pocket on his costume and pulled out his phone. "Let me just check with my Grandpa and make sure he's okay. I haven't heard from him all night, and I'm afraid he saw the news about the university attack and got worried."

  He dialed his grandfather's number. It rang and rang and rang, and went to voicemail.

  He left a message saying, "Hey, Grandpa. Just wanted to let you know I'm okay and I'll be home later. Hope you're okay. Love you."

  He hung up and stared at the picture of his grandfather he had saved to his contact. "Something's not right."

  Alley Cat stood up. "What, you gettin' paranoid?"

  Heavenly Hawk waved at her. "No, he's serious."

  "Yeah, I am." Paragon tapped his grandfather's contact again. "He's sick. I'm worried about him."

  The phone rang a few times, then went to voicemail again.

  He hung up, and put the phone in his pocket. "I gotta go check on him."

  Heavenly Hawk took his hand and squeezed it. "Of course."

  Alley Cat took his other hand. "Hey, sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."

  He kissed her. "I know. It's okay. I'll be back as soon as I can."

  He grabbed his backpack and took off, flying through the clock face that swung open on the wall leading out of the Watchtower. The moon hung high over Eros City, and he kept his eyes open as he sailed over high and low buildings, trying to find any sign of Aphrodisia. The night felt silent.

  As he flew to the Upper East Side, he tried to keep his mind off his fears, but couldn't. As a child, he'd become obsessed with the fear of his grandparents dying. They raised him and tried to reassure him, but the death of his parents made him feel like everything was temporary. He would get up in the middle of the night and check in his grandparents' bedroom, just to make sure they were still there and okay. When his grandmother died of cancer, it wasn't unexpe
cted, but it did make his old fears return. Now he just had his grandfather as the only family he had left.

  He landed just beyond his apartment building in an alley where he could change back to normal. Stuffing his costume in his backpack, he changed into his usual T-shirt and jeans, and headed back to the apartment. He decided to walk through the front door instead of climbing in through the window since his grandfather was expecting him home.

  As he walked down the hallway to his apartment, he saw a cute brown-haired girl sitting on the floor by the door next to his. It was Nicolette. She looked up at him with wide eyes and stood up as he approached. It reminded him that, last time he saw her, he had been banging a strange woman right in front of her.

  "Hi," she said.

  He nodded back, feeling a rush of awkwardness and embarrassment. "Hi."

  He opened his mouth to speak, but she spoke first, "Look, about back in the classroom--"

  "Yeah, I'm sorry."

  "No," she said quickly, "I'm sorry. I can't believe I had my tits out right in front of you."

  "And I can't believe I started having sex with that girl."

  Nicolette covered her face with her hands. "And I ended up making out with a guy."

  "It was all Aphrodisia. She made us do it. Right?"

  "Right."

  For a moment, he searched her face. He wanted to know the kiss they shared hadn't been all Aphrodisia's doing, but Nicolette just smiled at him. He remembered the amazing kiss they had, and wanted to lean over and do it again, but it didn't look like that would happen.

  She winced. "Uh, you haven't told anybody about it, right?"

  "No way."

  "Good. Could you kinda keep what happened just between us? My Mom would kill me if she found out."

  "Oh, sure. It's just between us."

  "Great." Nicolette tilted her head to one side. "You seem different lately. Have you been working out?"

  "Uh, no."

  "Well, you look like you've gotten bigger. Seem taller, too."

  He couldn't hold back a smile. "Nope. Just clean living."

  She broke the silence by jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "Well, just wanted to make sure we were okay."

  "Yeah. Thanks."

  She smiled, opened her front door, and headed into her apartment.

  He remembered what Chuck had said about him seeming different. He wondered if his powers were changing his unpowered body as well as his powered body.

  He whispered, "Hey, Dahlia."

  A shimmering blue light appeared in front of him, and took on the shape of a beautiful and nude woman. Her voluptuous body was made of varying shades of blue, and she turned to him with a blank expression.

  "What can I help you with?" she asked.

  He knew she wasn't really there, just a mental projection in his mind, so he didn't worry about anyone else seeing or hearing her. He whispered, "Am I changing? Like my regular body?"

  The artificial woman he called Dahlia nodded her head. "Yes. The ATLAS implant wishes to increase your chances for procreation, so it has been making slight changes to your appearance. Muscle growth, height, and improved facial features."

  "That explains why all my clothes have been getting tighter on me. I thought I was just getting fatter. It's not gonna turn me into Paragon, is it? 'Cause I need my secret identity right now."

  "Negative. The changes are small but will have an impact on females who wish to have sex with you."

  "Okay. Thanks."

  Dahlia vanished in a flash of light.

  He sighed as he unlocked his front door. Another missed opportunity. He really did feel confused by Nicolette. He was dating two women, and still pining over his next-door neighbor. Crazy.

  The TV was on, playing some sort of theme music when Ryan walked in to see his grandfather lying on the floor.

  "Grandpa!" he yelled as he ran over to him.

  His grandfather's breathing was shallow but steady. A beer can lay on the carpet next to him with the contents already poured out, so it looked like he had dropped it and passed out.

  Ryan fumbled his cell phone out of his pocket, and was about to dial the hospital, when he realized he didn't have to wait for an ambulance. He didn't know how long his grandfather had, but if it was a stroke or a heart attack, seconds could be the difference between life and death. And Ryan was a superhero.

  He yanked off his street clothes, and smacked his tattoo to change into Paragon. Transformed, he switched his T-shirt and jeans in his backpack with his costume, then bent down to pick up his grandfather. With his higher strength, his grandfather felt like next to nothing. He carried the old man to the window and jumped out, flying off into the sky.

  He sailed through the air as fast as he could, which didn't seem fast enough, even though he reached the hospital in minutes. He dropped his backpack on a nearby rooftop before he landed by the emergency entrance, and dashed through the doors into the registration area.

  People screamed and gasped as he rushed inside, but he didn't worry about them, only the nurse sitting behind the desk.

  Paragon laid his grandfather down in front of her. "This man needs help."

  He didn't wait for her to respond, but bolted out of the hospital and flew off again.

  He landed on the rooftop where he had left his backpack, which turned out to be an apartment building. He pulled on the door leading downstairs until the lock broke, then changed back to his unpowered form and regular clothes. He went downstairs, out onto the street, and ran the two blocks back to the hospital.

  When he burst through the doors, he found his grandfather already on a stretcher with tubes and wires attached, while a nurse and doctor tended to him.

  Ryan ran up to them. "I'm his grandson. How is he?"

  The doctor pulled off a stethoscope. "Not good. We'll have to run some tests, but it looks like he might have suffered some sort of seizure. Has he been complaining of headaches, nausea, or dizziness recently?"

  Ryan felt a little nauseous himself as he nodded. "Yeah, he has."

  The nurse smiled. "How did you get Paragon to bring your grandfather here?"

  Ryan felt lost, even as he shook his head and mumbled, "I, uh, I saw him flying by my house and waved him down. Thought it would be faster than an ambulance."

  The doctor patted him on the arm. "We'll take good care of him. You're lucky Paragon came and dropped him off when he did. This could have been much worse."

  They wheeled him through some doors into the emergency triage area where Ryan followed in a daze. This couldn't be happening.

  ***

  Hours later, he sat next to a hospital bed and watched his grandfather's eyes flutter open. A groan escaped the old man's trembling lips. Ryan wiped tears off his cheeks before he rested his hand on his grandfather's shoulder. "It's okay, Grandpa. I'm right here."

  His grandfather's red eyes rolled over to look at Ryan. "Wha' happ'n?"

  "You passed out. You're in the hospital." Ryan paused, wondering if he should say something. He'd already cried over the news the doctor gave him, but didn't know if he should burden his grandfather with it yet. Still, he knew the old man wasn't the type to dance around the truth.

  "Uh, they ran some tests, Grandpa. They found a brain tumor. They haven't done the biopsy or MRI, but it looks like it might be cancer."

  His grandfather didn't look shocked or scared. He just nodded. "I know."

  Ryan stared at the old man, trying to process what he said. "You know? How do you know?"

  His grandfather took a deep breath before murmuring, "Went to get tested last month."

  Ryan felt horrified, confused, and angry, all at once. He thought he was dropping a huge bomb on his grandfather, but it turned out the old man already knew. His grief turned to anger as he blurted, "Why didn't you tell me?"

  "Because they gave me the price tag for the treatment. I don't have insurance and neither do you. We can't afford it. I could barely afford the tests to begin with."

  "That's
not true." Ryan had to admit his grandfather was right about their insurance or lack of it. His grandfather's job as a Wal-Mart greeter didn't come with insurance, and neither did his pizza-delivery job. "Even if it was true, I'm not just gonna let you die. We'll find the money."

  His grandfather flashed him a weak smile. "Ryan, I'm an old man. No point in paying for renovations on a condemned building. Just let me go."

  "No, I won't let you go just because of money." Ryan felt hot tears welling up in his eyes. "You said I was all you got. Well, you're all I've got. I won't just let you die. We're gonna beat this."

  The check in his wallet flashed into his mind, and Ryan blurted, "I have five hundred thousand dollars. I'll pay for your treatment."

  His grandfather's eyes widened. "Where'd you get that kinda money?"

  "Never mind that right now. I'll pay for it. Just rest and focus on getting better." Ryan gave his grandfather a kiss on the cheek and walked out of the hospital room.

  He went straight to Doctor Harkins who stood near the door, jotting something on a clipboard.

  "Okay," Ryan said, "how soon can we start treatment?"

  Harkins raised his eyebrows. "I've already called the oncologist. She'll be here in the morning to do some more testing and go over the treatment plan."

  "Okay." Ryan walked off, thinking about the money.

  He went to a nearby ATM, unfolded his check from the mayor and stared at it. After a moment, he inserted his debit card and select the deposit option.

  He was about to deposit the check when he realized he couldn't cash it. The check was made out to Paragon. Even if he could deposit it, anyone at the bank who saw him deposit the check would know who he was.

  He leaned his head against a brick wall next to the ATM. He'd find a way. He had to.

  Chapter 8

  RYAN WOKE up the next morning to the sun shining through the window of his grandfather's hospital room. His grandfather lay in bed, sound asleep, and Ryan still wore the clothes he had on the night before, because he hadn't left.

  It took him a moment to realize someone knocked on the door of the room. That's what had woken him up. When the door opened, Heather and Alice walked in.