His face was only inches away from hers, so close that it would only need her to get on her toes just a little to capture his lips with her own.
Eyes fluttering shut, Cress pulled herself up, anticipating a kiss—
BOOM!
An almost deafening blast shook the earth beneath her.
Light exploded around them, almost blinding her but Cress couldn't tell if the light appeared for a split-second or spread out slowly until she lost all sense of time. Ears ringing, she was crushed into Thorne's tight embrace, his body shielding her from the shards and debris that were raining down on them.
For a second, Cress felt lighter than she had ever before, as if she had lost all connection to her body. She couldn't move, she couldn't grasp for Thorne, it was like everything, including herself, was gone. Panic rose inside her as she tried to regain a sense of her body.
A sharp breath later, all came rushing back in and Cress became aware that she was lying on the ground with Thorne shielding her body.
"Thorne!" She grasped at his firm body, her fingers shaking as she felt the cool leather of his jacket, the back of his neck, his cheeks and forehead, grey from dust. "Thorne!"
He coughed. "I'm fine." His voice sounded far away, muffled, but when he peered down at her, his eyes were clear. Concern was etched on his features as his hands fluttered over her body, checking just like she had done to him.
"I'm okay."
Thorne sighed with relief. His boots scraped over the pavement as he stood up, pulling Cress with him.
The ringing in her ears was slowly fading but it was replaced by the sound of screams all around them. Disoriented, Cress turned around and gasped. The row of crane machines was almost completely destroyed, smashed by the façade of whichever attraction had been behind them.
And there, in one corner, she saw hints of the orange plush cat Thorne had won for her, buried under the debris.
They had just been standing there, about to kiss and if not ... if not ...
Cress had no idea how they had managed to make away it so they wouldn't be crushed. Could Thorne have been that fast?
Another blast exploded, this time further away. Cress ducked anyway but Thorne was already grabbing her hand and pulling her into another direction. "Cress, we gotta go. Now!"
A throng of people were already running away, parents pulling their kids along or carrying them in their arms, some were supporting others who couldn't run on their own.
"It's a new supervillain!"
"No, terrorists. It was a bomb."
"Help, someone help!"
"Have you seen my son? Anyone seen a boy, eight years old, black hair? Sunto! Sunto!"
"There! On the ghost ride!"
"Damn Lunars!"
Thorne pulled her along, deftly weaving them through the crowd. Cress numbly followed, only too aware that she should step up, saving the day.
But she wasn't wearing her suit and hadn't for weeks. With Thorne urging her along, there was no way she could leave him behind and run home to get her suit.
She could only follow him, doing nothing.
Another blast hit, close to the Ferris wheel. People screamed, stuck inside the cabins.
Or maybe ... there was something she could do?
Cress slowed but Thorne pulled only harder. "Cress, we can't stop. There's no time. Run!"
"No." She stopped, trying to pull her hand away from his but he didn't let her. "We have to go and help!"
"Are you crazy?" He pulled again, hard enough to almost hurt her and she could see the desperation his face. "Cress, we need to get away!"
"I have to help!" Finally, Cress managed to pull away from him and ran towards the Ferris wheel. She could hear Thorne's footsteps behind her as they made their way through the crowd of people running away from whatever or whoever was causing the blasts. Some slammed into her, desperate to get away while others struggled to move, injured as they were.
Cress reached the cabin that controlled the Ferris wheel. It was empty. Whoever had operated it was already gone without caring that so many others were unable to escape.
Thorne came up behind her but this time, he didn't try to pull her away. Instead, he looked up the Ferris wheel. People were screaming down at them, begging them for help. "What now?" His voice was steady, even calm as he waited for her instructions.
He had run back into danger, for her and whatever she tried to do. She wanted to help, save people but she also wanted, no, needed to make sure Thorne was safe too. Which meant now wasn't the time to second-guess herself.
Cress channeled every bit of her superhero persona into her normal self. Straightening her back, she pointed to the cabin. "I'm trying to figure out the console, there has to be a way to operate the Fferris wheel and help these people."
"Okay." No questions, no doubts if she could do it. Just a nod that he understood her. "I'll make sure everyone gets out."
He pressed a quick kiss to her temple before approaching the entrance to the Ferris wheel. The cabin there and the ones on either side were already empty. Whoever had been close enough to the ground had taken their chances and jumped out of the cabins.
Cress ran into the control cabin, looking over the console. She just needed to turn it on, long enough so everyone could reach the ground but she wasn't sure if any of the buttons did just that. There were levers and clutches, and an instrument that might have indicated the speed?
There was no time. Cress had to try channeling her powers. While the Ferris wheel itself didn't emit any kind of electronic or digital signal which meant she couldn't operate it directly, she could use her powers to hack into the power supply system that the fair was connected to. From there she should be able to turn the Ferris wheel on and off as needed. It was a roundabout way of going at it. She had heard of technopaths who could command machines at will but this was all her powers allowed her to do.
This was all she had.
She didn't dare closing her eyes as she hacked into the power supply system, closing everything off until only the Ferris wheel remained. The tall structure loomed over her, intimidating her, despite the colourful lights. Slowly, her mind found the right connection and increased the power that fed the Ferris wheel.
A loud creak escaped the metal as the Ferris wheel jerked shakily into motion.
It worked but only barely. The Ferris wheel jolted at every increase and decrease of the power Cress fed into it. Try as she might, she couldn't regulate it to a steady output of electricity. The cabins were shaking, making the people inside scream in fear.
She focused on the first cabin that held people inside, her mind and body hurting from the effort to bring it smoothly to the entrance section. But even before they reached it, Thorne yelled at them to open the latch of the door and getting ready to jump. The two girls inside were frightened but complied and when the cabin was down, they jumped off.
Cress didn't bother stopping, only focusing on the next cabin and the next.
Another blast hit the chairoplane to their right, startling Cress so she lost her connection to the power supplies and the Ferris wheel trembled dangerously into a stop. Panting, Cress started again, trying to focus on nothing but the Ferris wheel. She couldn't allow herself to feel guilty for not being able to save the people that might have been stuck on that chairoplane. Or on one of the rollercoasters. She just couldn't.
Another cabin opened and three kids and their mother were helped down by Thorne. His jaw was flexed, his shoulders tense but he never lost his cool composure.
Cress took comfort in that and continued. It felt like hours but she doubted it had been more than a few minutes until finally, finally, the last cabin opened. Releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding, Cress crumbled to the ground, overcome with exhaustion. It wasn't so much the effort to hack into the power supply system but the constant concentration it took to run a constant stream of electricity into the Ferris wheel. Her mind felt white-hot from the power surging through her, only slowly leaving the nerves and fibers in her body.
Strong hands pulled her up. "Okay, you brave stupid, stupid girl. You were a hero. Now come!"
This time, Cress was only too happy to let Thorne pull her into a sprint while her eyes were still fighting white lightning flashes. When they were finally leaving her field of vision, she could see that they've made it almost to the outskirts of the amusement park. Sirens could already be heard in the distance, along with more blasts that came steadily closer.
"Mommy?"
Turning her head, Cress saw a little boy standing in the rubble, sniffling and calling for his mother. Thorne groaned but already swerved into the direction of the child.
Another blast struck close to them, making the child cry in fear. Something shattered and a cloud of dust billowed around them. Cress let go of Thorne's hand to shield her nose and mouth. She could only place Thorne by his coughs so she carefully trudged forward until the dust settled.
Thorne had already reached the child and heaved him up. "Okay, there buddy. Hold on tight."
The child didn't stop crying but instinctively threw his arms around Thorne's neck. They were both grey from dust with only the eyes visible and where the streaks of tears and sweat had made their way down their faces. Cress doubted she looked much better. She felt the gritty dust in her ears and nose, on her lips, even grating between her teeth.
Together, they ran back but Cress knew that reaching the outskirts of the amusement park wouldn't guarantee them any safety. But maybe, hopefully, they would make it out of here, find the kid's mom and run back home.
The thought gave Cress pause. And then? Could she stay at home, hiding while someone (Cress didn't doubt that it was a superhuman) wrecked havoc on the city? Should she don her suit and mask, become Satellite and fight the source of the blasts? But what would she tell Thorne?
"Cress, watch out!"
Cress looked up, her heart stopping in her throat.
The tower ride was falling down, towards them.
Her feet froze to the ground.
"Cress, my hand! Take my hand! Cress!" She heard Thorne's frantic crying. Cress could barely move. She saw Thorne running closer, one arm wrapped around the child, the other hand stretched out towards her. Desperation was etched on every corner of his face. Behind him, Cress could make out the looming shadow of the tower rapidly falling towards them.
Cress closed her eyes.
The crash was deafening. Wind whipped almost painfully sharp over her face.
And then ... it was silent.
After a few agonising seconds, Cress tentatively opened her eyes.
The structure was hovering above them, suspended in the air.
"Damn!" Thorne caught up to her, hugging her close to his side. But he wasn't looking at her. Instead his eyes were looking straight-ahead, slack-jawed. Cress followed his glance.
Holding up a structure with her bare hands was—Cress thought she was imagining things—a woman by the shape of it.
A woman entirely made up of metal.
Cress had seen the various superheroes' suits, all of them different. Captain had his signature blue colour with star emblems, Mechanic's pants were loose like kakhis, Red had a hood that cast the upper half of her face in shadows and Wolf's mask had design elements that recalled a wolf.
But this ... this was completely different. It was a human shape cast in metal. From the silver braids, to the shapely form of a female.
Like a figure made of molten silver.
And she was holding up the entire tower ride. Her body was bent under the weight, shaking from the effort but she managed to keep the tower from hitting the ground and crushing them.
"Could you maybe move out of the way? I'm trying to save you here."
The voice too had a metallic tone but there was a girlishness to it that Cress hadn't expected.
They hurried from under the tower with Thorne murmuring comforting words into the child's ear, so he would stop crying. Cress noticed that Thorne's head was almost touching the structure suspended above them.
This had been a close call. If not for ... whoever it was that saved them, Cress, Thorne and the boy would be dead right now.
The new superhero crouched and hurled the tower to the side with almost no more effort than it took Cress to throw a ball or move a chair. When the dust settled, the sun shimmered over her metallic body. Which made it only more apparent that while she wasn't exactly nude, the shapes were definitely ... well, shapely.
Cress turned to Thorne who was still gaping at the new hero. Jealousy flared inside Cress. "Stop looking at her," she hissed at him.
"Are you kidding? Have you seen her? She's completely made up of metal!" He looked back but he seemed more stunned than anything. "How much do you think she weighs?"
"Hey!" Metallic girl strutted over to them. "One shouldn't discuss a woman's weight. That's just rude."
Thorne gulped. "My apologies."
"You're Android." It was the boy who had spoken up, suddenly less afraid and more curious.
"Look at that. I'm even famous in the States now!" Android looked pleased.
"I've got two trading cards with you. And you're in the Superhero Collection Set, Silver edition."
Android squealed. "Aren't those dolls just the best? I tell you it's too bad I can't wear a superhero outfit with my powers. I believe I would look so cute in a yellow suit with a dramatic cape, and a flaring skirt and—oh, a feathered mask. But can I do that?" She waited for a response but even Thorne, who was never shy of words, didn't answer. "Well, no because that would be just ridiculous. I just get metal skin." She flicked her upper arm, making the metal hum in response. "There's this girl in Australia who is entirely made up of gold. Can you imagine? She gets to look so awesome. Some people have all the luck," she sighed with a wistful smile.
Cress blinked. Android was ... something.
Thorne perked up. "Entirely made up of gold, huh?"
Suddenly, a lilting voice called across the debris-filled grounds. "Have you finally run off? I must say, I rather enjoy the quiet after your incessant chatter."
Cress looked over but in the distance, she could only make out a dark silhouette with a cape standing on the remains of a roller-coaster.
Android huffed. "Oh right, I forgot about her." She flipped her silver braids over one shoulder so they jingled. "Okay, back to work. And you better run. It's not safe here."
Thorne nodded. "Right."
"Good luck." She waved at the boy. "Bye, kiddo. Be good to your parents—unless they don't let you watch TV and don't give you enough candy." Android winked and did a twirling pose before jumping on the nearest structure and from there, made her way over to the roller-coaster.
"That's not our kid." Thorne called after her but she was already out of earshot. "Also, that's terrible advice. Don't listen to that lady, buddy." To Cress he said, "Our kid? You would have to been pregnant at what? Thirteen to be that kid's mom?"
Urged on by the new wave of blasts, Cress started to sprint, Thorne falling into step right alongside her. "She couldn't have known that. Maybe I look older?"
He laughed. "Tell yourself that when we go to the club next time and they ask for your ID."