Heroes Infinity

This is one of my "real" stories, Heroes Infinity. It's also a part of my CYOA.

One
Kylie
“Apprentices?”
The word sounded and felt strange in my mouth. Apprentices? Surely Roger Infinity was joking. There were many more qualified members of the Heroes Infinity than me ready to train new operatives personally. Many heroes had seen hundreds of missions, and saved thousands of innocent lives in the process; they knew what they were doing enough to teach new recruits. I was just a skinny eighteen year old girl with a bionic arm who had barely been with the agency five years. I reached for the grip of the Magian Remingtons with my real hand, letting the smooth wood touch my fingers. Holding my twin pistols always gave me a bit of a confidence boost- it hadn’t been easy to get my hands on them. Mount Dairya was tricky to climb, and even trickier to survive on. Without everything I’d learned only shortly before and my metal hand for delivering a really painful knockout punch, I’d never have survived the bloody contest I’d entered and won the pistols in the first place.
“Yes, apprentices. I think you’re more than capable of training two young heroes.”
Roger’s voice was level as always, but a little sad. He took a sip of the coffee on his desk, then set it down again, sighing. Work was taking a lot out of him these days, and if the gossip could be believed, his home life wasn’t going any better. I’d heard some hazy rumors that his nephew had MEWS- Magic Energy Waning Syndrome- which was practically instant death for any mage. Roger had no children of his own; ever since his brother and sister-in-law disappeared on a field mission for the Heroes Infinity, he’d lived with his nephew and an au pair. It was fairly common knowledge around the agency that he cared for the boy as if he were his own son. The day the diagnosis had come, a friend of mine had been trying to get an audience with him. When she’d arrived at his office, he’d been sitting at his desk, head in his hands and quietly weeping. I hadn’t been there that day- at the time his world was being shattered, I was lying in a hospital bed getting fitted for my bionic arm.
“What kind of young heroes?” I couldn’t resist being a little curious. It was in my nature; a magical crimefighter who wasn’t curious would never make it far in the business.
Roger sighed again. “They’re… well, they’re special cases. Training them would require a certain amount of delicacy, and I think you’re the woman for the job.”
Curiosity continued to edge out uncertainty as I began to think about the implications of this. “Special Case” could mean any number of things in the magical crimefighting world, and I wanted to know what it was in this situation.
“Exactly what do you mean by that?”
He pushed a file across the table at me. The name on the cover read Jiya Varden. A picture was paperclipped to it, showing a short Aerthii girl with long white hair and thick black-rimmed glasses. She was also a bit on the stockier side; not a trait one would usually associate with the lean, waiflike, elfish Aerthii race. Judging by her choice of casual street clothes over her race’s traditionally more medieval attire, she appeared to be living here on Earth. I took the file and began to flip through it as Roger kept speaking.
“Jiya Varden is what the Aerthii consider a teenage rebel. She ran away from home about three years ago, and applied to our agency recently. She passed the initiation test with flying colors, indicating that she probably had some training back home. Her… guardians have asked that we train her as a hero, since it might help her become more mature and gain some integrity. Since her parents are rather high up in the Aerthii government, in training her you’d be answering to them as well as me. It’s a lot of responsibility that I’m entrusting you with here. Don’t fail me.”
I nodded, turning this over in my head. She seemed nice enough and a rebellious streak was nothing I couldn’t handle. So far this assignment looked to be within my capabilities. So long as the next one doesn’t require advanced fine motor skills in the vicinity of the left arm, I’ll be golden.
Roger started speaking again, calling me out of my thoughts. “The other one is the main reason I need somebody special. I did some consulting with Cindy regarding this assignment, and shortly after that, I received this anonymous letter from a member of the agency recommending you for this job. With your permission, I’d like to read it aloud.”
I stiffened in surprise, barely managing to nod. “S-sure.” One detail was sticking with me, and it was the mention of Cindy. She was the Heroes Infinity’s resident medic and psychologist. Why did this recruit’s being assigned to a hero require consultation with a doctor?
He took a piece of paper out from his desk and began to read. “To Roger Infinity: It has come to my attention that you are trying to place a recruit in a difficult situation, and that you require a hero with not only maturity and skill, but a fair amount of kindness and empathy as well. I am writing to recommend one such hero- Kylie Rose. She has known a similar situation to this young man and that has made her into the strongest young woman I know. Whenever I personally have felt sad or lost, it usually helps to have a talk with Ky. She’s everything this recruit needs- compassion, kindness, and the ability to commiserate with them. I can’t recommend her enough. Even if you read her this, she’ll probably deny every word of it, but I for one believe that choosing anyone else would be making a serious mistake.” He returned the paper to the desk and turned back to me. “This note was left in here one day, and it was unsigned. However, I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments it conveys.”
I realized that my mouth was hanging open in shock and quickly covered it up by speaking. “Wow, if that isn’t flattering, I don’t know what is. So this recruit- what’s he like?”
Roger pulled out another file and handed it to me. This one had the name Gabriel Evangelie written across the front. The picture this time was of a boy with longish black hair and baleful green eyes. Unlike Jiya, he wasn’t smiling, but looking rather melancholy and sad. There were also multiple band-aids on his face, and his hands were both in medical gauntlets. I was about to open it, but Infinity shook his head.
“No, don’t read it all yet. I think I should just tell you. That file… it’s got some rather depressing things in it. I suppose it’s on account of the fact he’s an Angel.”
“An ANGEL?!”
I didn’t mean to shout, but it really was surprising. Heaven’s messengers didn’t usually join the Heroes Infinity. In fact, it may have even been a first for the organization to have an Angel on our payroll. They just weren’t common anywhere below the pearly gates.
Roger continued talking as if I’d never spoken. “Gabriel Evangelie Ascended and became a heavenly messenger under rather violent and tragic circumstances. As such, he’s been nothing but unhappy and dispassionate since it happened, and he applied to this organization only after pressuring from some concerned parties. As it is, he seems to be quite introverted and melancholy; spending most of his time composing his music. In addition, he’s been known to run away from people if he thinks they’re too prying or invasive. Training him may mean eventually acknowledging that you might not be able to do anything for him. Can you handle that, do you think?”
I bit my lip, worried. What would I do if I failed to help him? Could I really give up on anybody like that? Would I be able to handle the thought of possibly crashing and burning? Annoyed, I gritted my teeth. No. Don’t think like that. You can help him- you’re the magically lucky Ky Rose. You’ll figure something out.
“I’ll do it.” I picked up Jiya and Gabe’s files and made for the door. Before I left, however, Roger said something that made me stop for a moment.
“You remind me a bit of my nephew before he got sick, did you know that?”
I turned, taken aback. “No, I didn’t. I’m very sorry about your nephew, sir. Who knows, maybe they’ll find a cure for MEWS in his lifetime.”
Roger sighed yet again, stirring his coffee. “I hope to God they do, Ky. That’s the kind of thinking I need on this job. Now get to it. They arrive in a few hours, so you might as well get prepared.”
I nodded and left, unsure what to make of his last statement. Clearly the man missed his nephew terribly if he was comparing a scrawny, gawky, bionic field operative to him. I felt sorry for him; MEWS is the worst thing you can be diagnosed with, really. It drains your magic energy at a rapid rate until all your reserves are used up and your heart stops. And the whole time your loved ones are forced to watch you get weaker and weaker. No cure had been developed, and lately scientists had been saying there might not be one to find. I took a look back at the door and wondered once again what Roger Infinity was thinking. The head of the Heroes Infinity had always been a reserved and distant man, but even more so lately. What I wouldn’t give to be able to help him too. I’ve always hated a problem I couldn’t fix. My mentor had always said it was because I was one part stubborn and two parts compassionate. I personally just chalk it up to nosiness. I’m a moderately good hero, but I’m a world-class meddler, and sometimes that’s more effective in saving the world than even the Magian Remingtons.
Walking down the street as it rained, I took the opportunity to do some earnest thinking about something else- mages. It wasn’t a question of when we’d come to earth- we’d always been here. The official declaration of our existence had only happened about a decade ago, and yet it already seemed like things had always been this way. The government had been scared originally, but thanks to some careful diplomacy and not too many idiots blowing things up, we managed to gain a niche. As it was, mages and humans usually stayed apart, each not wanting to upset the other or the careful balance of power.
This all changed with the rise of magical crime fighting. Humans were under threat from mage enemies, so of course something had to be done. There were powerful mages who were willing to use the energy inside them and the magical element within the sphere of their control in defense of others, and they did so by joining one of the Big Four. These were the four most successful agencies for defense of innocents in the world- Magica Underground, Rhiannon Light Paranormal Bureau, The Order of the Time Knights, and of course my Heroes Infinity.
My magical element is water. Ever since I was a little girl, I was able to hear the roar of the ocean and sense the motion of waves even miles away. I could create tsunamis and stop them too. If I wanted to, I could summon all the water in the city and make it into whatever I desired. This might seem impressive and powerful to a human, but I’m really rather average in the magical department. The thing about me that really makes my adversaries quake in their boots is without a doubt the Magian Remingtons- two pistols that fire what can only be described as tiny bursts of magic compressed into bullets. They’re classified as a legendary weapons, and using them definitely gives me an edge in battle. You could say that it helps compensate for the missing arm.
Arriving at the train station, I paid my fare and hopped on. Although Roger’s office where he managed everything from was in the city, the Heroes Infinity base of operations was in Hazelton, a little town a few miles away. The place was mostly populated by magical families and a few progressively-minded humans. It was a nice town, as towns go, so there wasn’t much need to be going back and forth to the city for errands. There was a lake and mountains and forests and all kinds of attractive destinations for people who liked to be alone in nature and didn’t really care whether their neighbors could shoot lightning out of their fingers. I liked it there; it had been my home since I was twelve and so far, a generally good place to live.
As the train pulled into the station, I noted that there was somebody waiting there; a young man with dark hair and sad green eyes. Looking down at the file in my lap, I realized with a start that he was Gabriel Evangelie. I stepped off the train, and made my way towards him through the crowd. He was holding some luggage, but more notably, a bag that appeared to be carrying a keyboard, and a violin case.
“Are you Kylie Rose?” he asked shyly.
I did my best to give a reassuring smile. It didn’t work too well. “Yeah, that’s me. You’re Gabriel Evangelie, right?”
He nodded, and started to grab his things. I reached out to help, but he shook his head.
“I’ve got it.”
I stepped back, unsure how to react. Was he trying to shut me out even before we’d even had a real conversation? I didn’t know what to make of it either way. He seemed intent on keeping his privacy, that was certain. All the same, I had to try to talk to him. It was my job to help him; giving up so quickly would just prove that I really was nothing but a one-armed girl with a meddling streak and messy hair.
“My car’s parked over there. We’ll take that back to headquarters.”
He nodded slightly. “Okay.”
We walked toward the parking lot, sinking deeper into the quicksand of another awkward silence. This really wasn’t going to be easy.
My car happens to be a disused Army Jeep. Before it was mine, it belonged to my mentor in the Heroes Infinity, Sumner Sparrow. He drove the thing like a maniac, so it was in horrible shape when he passed it on to me. Fortunately I’ve managed to fix it up and I really wouldn’t drive anything else now. There was something about it’s bullet-riddled olive green exterior that made me feel at home behind the wheel. I’ve never been one for big, fancy sports cars or anything that moves very fast, really. While most modern cars zoom along like they aren’t touching the ground, my Jeep rocks and bumps and jolts and sometimes even fishtails for no reason whatsoever. Oddly enough, I still feel safer in it than in any other car. It’s the only vehicle I don’t get motion sick in, except for the train, but that’s so slow that it barely constitutes movement. The Jeep had been my one and only car for the whole time I’d been driving. It was the first car I’d drove, and it’ll likely be the first car I wreck, too.
“Nice Jeep.” Gabriel looked at the car with some trepidation. “Is it… safe?”
I shrugged. “As safe as any other car.”
“Okay.”
We climbed in, and he placed his luggage and almost reluctantly, the keyboard case, in the back seat. However, the violin he brought with him to the passenger seat. I threw it a quick glance. He returned it with baleful green eyes.
“I like to keep this close to me.”
I nodded. “I understand.” It was the perfect opportunity, so I decided to go further. “I take it you enjoy music.”
He nodded, and his eyes lit up. It wasn’t quite a smile, but I got the feeling this was as close as he got. “Yes, I do. Ever since I was a child, music has been my favorite thing. People say I have a talent for learning instruments, but that’s not true at all. I’m not even close to mastery in any of them. Not even the piano. I haven’t been able to play for some time because of what happened to my hands, and I’m incredibly out of practice. It’s saddening because in the hospital I wasn’t allowed to even have my violin with me and all I could think about that whole time was how I wanted to play again, but so many people were saying it wasn’t possible and-” He broke off abruptly, and seemed to recede back into himself a bit. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you with all that, Miss Rose.”
I looked at Gabriel as if seeing him for the first time. “No, no. It’s perfectly fine. You obviously want to talk about it, so I’ll listen. And just ‘Kylie’ or ‘Ky’ will do. I’m only eighteen; I’m not that much older than you.”
His cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Kylie.”
“Don’t mention it,” I said and gave another hopefully reassuring smile. I’ve never been good at those. “So, tell me more about your music. Are you able to play again now?”
Gabriel’s eyes lit up again and I had to suppress a sigh of relief. I wanted him to open up, and if that meant listening to him talk about nothing but music for a while, then so be it. I really felt like I was making progress, or maybe I just wanted to be doing that so badly that I’d mistaken hoping for reality again. His voice became more confident as he began to speak. “Well, I’m not really supposed to be playing again yet, but I started anyway. I need to train my hands back into being able to do what they could do before. In order for me to get my strength back, I need to start working now. So even though it hurts a lot, yes. I can play again. Although,” he paused and looked sad, “not very well. It’s not like it was before. My fingers can’t form the positions they need to in order to play the notes. It’s so frustrating, knowing what I could do once and then suddenly being unable to hold a candle to it!” He pounded a fist against the dashboard in frustration, then abruptly drew his hand back as the pain came. “I hate it!”
I turned to him and before I could stop myself, I did exactly what I’d hoped from the beginning I wouldn’t.
“I know how you feel.” My voice broke a little, but I plowed on. This had to get out. “When I lost my arm, everything simple from before became a struggle. My only desire was to keep using my sword to fight for Infinity, but I couldn’t even do something as simple as typing on a computer or cleaning my room without help. I was a hero who couldn’t even use a weapon properly- a liability. If it hadn’t been for one of my friends, I’d probably have quit Infinity right then. She helped me to train and learn to use my bionic arm. However, even while I was making progress, I felt like it was all worthless. If I’d been stupid enough to let myself lose the gift I had, how could I recover it again? I guess the key is to have somebody else who believes in you while you’re trying to recover a skill you’ve lost. Without the help I had, I could never have gotten beyond feeling sorry for myself. You need to find somebody to do it for. I recovered my lost abilities because I wanted my friend to see what I could do. She was the one who made sure I didn’t lose more than my arm that day, so I had to prove to her that I could do more than just be saved if I was given the chance. So focus on somebody who you want to play for someday, somebody important to you. When it gets hard, you can think of them and remember the reason you have to keep going.”
Gabriel looked at me in shock, and my first thought was Oh God, I’ve done it again. I have a bit of a history with making speeches like this to people, and their usual reaction is either concern for my mental health or a stern “Get off your soapbox, this is real life.” Nobody wants to hear that kind of motivational drivel. I don’t even know where it comes from to be honest. Maybe the idealistic part of me that made me join Infinity in the first place, maybe my less mature side. Either way, I had the feeling I’d scared off yet another person with an awkward explosion of emotional idiocy. My accuracy with the Remingtons may be deadly, but with words, I have a tendency to misfire.
“Thank you for that.”
Wait, what?
He sounded… grateful. That wasn’t a reaction I’d ever gotten before. Eyes wide, he continued speaking. “I had no idea that you knew how it felt. I had no idea anyone could understand. Not being able to play my music is… it’s the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. But your advice… I think I’ll take it. Now that I think about it, there is one person I want to play for.
She and I don’t really know each other that well, but I want to show her my music. To prove I can do all I say I can, and more. I want her to see it.”
I smiled a little. Maybe he wasn’t so different from most boys I’d met after all. I’d bet any money that the girl he was talking about was a crush. “Well, she’s a lucky woman.”

This will be updated regularly. Or whenever Asphoxia reminds me.