Harmon Cooper - Cherry Blossom Girls 4: A Superhero Harem Adventure

Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday; I cant be sure.

Nope, the line from Albert Camus The Stranger didnt begin to describe my situation, but the title of Camus work did describe the guy I knew as Father, who had seemingly rescued my creative nonfiction gamer sci-fi writing ass from dying in a Nevada desert.

So were still in Nevada then, I said, thoughts whirling around my head as Father and I helped Stella into the trailer.

While it looked pretty rundown on the outside, the inside of his space was quite clean, cramped, and a bit campy, but there was ample space on the couch for a hot superpowered with a Dutch braid and a penchant for giving me skeptical looks.

I already told you that, he said as he started boiling water on the stove.

And youre Father.

I already told you that too, and youre Gideon Caldwell. Ken told me all about you. As I said before, glad you could make it. He laughed, his eyes flaring again as he did so. I didnt know if he had a power or not (one did not assume in my line of work), but a man with eyes that flared yellow at times definitely had something supery going for him.

Dr. Kim? I gulped.

Yes. I believe he sent you the same information that he sent me. Although I already knew some of it. There may be more information he has for you as well, but that remains to be seen.

This is all so confusing, I finally said. Tears came to my eyes and I tried to suck them back. Im not one to weep in front of a complete stranger, and while I may be somewhat of a soy boy, a beta male with a bleeding heart, I was well aware of the unspoken guy code about crying in front of another male.

But I couldnt help myself, there was true fear in those dollops of lacrimal jizz-straction too, fear that Id never see Grace again.

Or Veronique.

Or Dorian.

Or hell, Michelle, even though she was the newest member of our little ragtag band of supers.

Do you need a minute? Father asked.

No, I told him, trying not to sob. This is just a lot to take in. And its so random. How the hell did you know wed be out here?

Call it a lucky guess, said Father as he continued to stir a pot on the stove. Whatever he was cooking was odorless, which led me to believe he was boiling water. And its too bad what happened to Dr. Kim. Good guy, really.

As he continued to boil the water, and as I looked over to Stella to check that she was indeed resting peacefully, I thought of Ken Kim and how hed come into my increasingly odd narrative: from an email, to a phone call, to the codes that unlocked new powers for the CBGs, to his final will and testament, the trove of info and the app that had proved especially useful.

He really was a good guy.

Father brought me a soup cup of boiling liquid. Drink this.

I took a sip from the cup and was surprised at what I tasted. Every craving Id ever had and every bout of hunger Id ever sat through were instantly cured by the liquid.

What is this stuff? I asked, instantly feeling rejuvenated.

Special recipe, he said, as he sat down across from me.

Father was grizzled, that was for sure. While there was an edge to him, from his scraggly beard not unlike mine to the lines on his forehead, there was a softness to his eyes that I recognized. He was a little pudgy at the middle, but not by much, and I could tell that there had been a point in his life that he was pretty fit.

Stella stirred, the trailer vibrated, and she was suddenly standing, her fists at her sides as she took in the man.

Gideon!

My body whipped away from the table. Stella grabbed my wrist and blew the door off the trailer, her vector power lifting us out of the trailer.

Even as we landed out in the Nevada nothingness, and Stella started to drag me forward, Fathers only reaction was to stand from his chair and follow us out.

Relax, Stella, he called out. As soon as he stepped foot on the soil, the door pieced itself back together, its hinges locking into place.

Youre one of us? she asked, surprise painting across her face.

One of you? Father considered this for a moment. Thats a good way to put it, actually. Now, stop blowing shit up and lets talk about whats happening, and more importantly, your next step.

Our next step? I asked.

What? You thought I called you out here just for my own amusement? He sighed audibly. No, hell no. Youre out here for a reason. And the others will be here shortly, so wed better get started.

Youre a powerful one, arent you? Father asked, after Stella used a wave of vector energy to knock his trailer over.

She continued to hold my wrist with one hand, clearly protecting us with a shield.

She was squeezing tight too, so tight that I was afraid shed snap my wrist. Thing was, Stella was scared. Really scared, especially since shed struck Father with a wall of sharp rocks, which hed somehow managed to avoid. Not even a nick.

He hadnt been swept off his feet, and he hadnt met the same fate as his trailer, which was toppled over, the windows shattered, any item not pinned down tossed out the window.

Now, I bet youre wondering who the hell I am, or how I came to be out here, he began to say, and Im guessing that Aida has scrubbed everything there is to know about me from the Agency of Enhancement and Future Logistics, from AEFL. Hell, Ken wouldnt even have found out if I hadnt contacted him.

You contacted Dr. Kim?

A yellow glint flashed across his eyes. You could call me his handler, but you could call me a lot of things.

Youre a super, I see that, but what is your actual ability? I asked.

Stella had relaxed her guard some, still unsure of how she should be handling herself. I could tell by the look on her face that she was overheating, likely from stress this time though, as Id done all I could to adjust her abilities.

Were not here to talk about my powers, were here to talk about yours .

I dont have any powers, I told him.

Yet you tried a little telekinetic trick not too long ago. You have some of Sabines power right now, do you not?

How does he know all this? But rather than ask the question that continued to boil to the surface of my mind, I just went with it. Thats right.

And you were briefly part of the experiments at the Rose-Lyle facility.

Thats right.

Is he a psychic? He had a power, clearly, but was that what he was using? I focused on him for a moment and decided to give it a test.

Father. Can you hear me?

I stared at him for a moment, and once it was clear I wasnt going to get a read on the mysterious man, I exchanged glances with Stella.

Youve got lots of questions, and rather than ask them in my stuffy trailer, lets gather some of that brush over there and start a fire. Its going to be a cold night.