Manhattan's skyline cuts a jagged edge against the twilight sky as I walk alone. The gold mask sits comfortably against my face, catching the last remnants of daylight like a beacon. Skip Step, superhero in training, taking his first solo patrol after a much-needed post-Masters-class nap.
"Stick to the basics," I mutter to myself, repeating Spider-Woman's advice from last night. "Look for muggings, break-ins, people in trouble. Nothing fancy."
The streets are surprisingly quiet for a weeknight. A few pedestrians give curious glances, my outfit isn't exactly subtle, but most New Yorkers are too wrapped up in their own worlds to care about another costud weirdo. This city's seen it all.
A flash of light above catches my attention, followed by what sounds like a thunderclap. I look up just in ti to see a streak of fla arcing across the darkening sky, followed by a blast of ice that barely misses it. The collision sends sparks and steam billowing between two buildings.
"Holy shit," I whisper, my heart rate instantly doubling as I recognize what I'm seeing. The Human Torch and Ice Woman, going at it right above .
I crane my neck to watch. The Torch, Jenny Storm as I’ve read here, rockets around a corner, her entire body engulfed in brilliant orange flas. Her laughter echoes off the buildings, taunting and bright. Ice Woman follows in cold pursuit, skating along a self-created ice slide that forms and lts in her wake.
"You call that aim?" Jenny shouts, performing a flashy barrel roll mid-air. "My dead grandmother throws snowballs better than you!"
"At least my grandmother doesn't need a fire extinguisher every ti she visits!" Ice Woman retorts, hurling another ice blast that Jenny easily dodges.
The verbal jabs continue as they circle each other, neither one landing a solid hit. It's clearly not a serious fight, more like two predators play-fighting to establish dominance. Still, there's genuine annoyance simring beneath their banter.
I'm about to teleport myself to a better vantage point when Jenny suddenly jerks to a halt mid-flight, her flas flickering as she hovers in place. Her gaze locks directly on .
"Yo yo, cool it for a sec!" she calls to Ice Woman, pointing down toward the street. "There's a hottie in a gold getup down there!"
My heart nearly stops.
Ice Woman glides to a stop beside Jenny, her entire body gleaming like polished crystal. Even from this distance, I can see she's completely ford of living ice, her face a beautiful but alien sculpture of translucent blue.
"Seriously, Jenny?" Ice Woman's voice carries a frosty edge. "You've got to stop objectifying random n. It's 2025, for crying out loud."
Despite her protest, both won begin descending toward . Jenny's flas dim slightly as she approaches, though she maintains enough heat to stay airborne. Ice Woman simply extends her slide downward in a graceful spiral.
I'm still standing there like an idiot when they touch down about ten feet away from . Up close, Jenny Storm is even more striking than in photos—athletic build, short blonde curls that sohow look perfect despite being literally on fire monts ago, and blue eyes that sparkle with mischief.
"There's absolutely nothing wrong with appreciating a handso guy, right, Gold Face?" Jenny asks directly, flashing a grin that's probably lted hearts across multiple continents.
I manage a small laugh, trying to mask my nervousness. These are literal superheroes standing in front of , and I'm suddenly very conscious of how new my costu is, how untested I am compared to them.
"I an, appreciate away," I say, shrugging. "Though I never thought I'd be getting checked out by the Human Torch herself."
Truth is, I've never been a huge fan of either of these heroes, despite my general love for the Fantastic Four. Johnny Storm always struck as too cocky and I was only ever read the X-n hits. But standing here, facing them in person, I'm starstruck despite myself.
They approach closer, and Jenny boldly places her hands on my shoulders, looking up and down with undisguised interest. Her touch is surprisingly warm, like sun-heated stone.
"So who are you exactly, golden boy?" she asks, her head tilting curiously. "Friend or foe? New hero in town or just so guy with a fashion statent?"
"The na's Skip Step," I reply, standing a little straighter. "I'm new to the hero scene. Just started patrolling solo tonight, actually."
Ice Woman crosses her arms, her crystalline face catching the streetlights in hypnotic patterns. "Skip Step? What kind of na is that?"
"About that," Jenny says with a flicker of recognition in her eyes, "Spider-Woman ntioned you to just this morning! New teleporter guy with the gold mask."
"She did?" I can't hide the surprise in my voice. The idea that Spider-Woman is talking about to other heroes is too cool.
"We run in the sa circles," Jenny says with a casual shrug. "Hero community's smaller than you'd think."
"So you're a teleporter?" Ice Woman asks, her crystalline head tilting with curiosity, the movent causing light to refract through her in srizing patterns.
"Yeah, that's my thing. I can jump from place to place."
"Oh, like Nightcrawler?" Ice Woman's icy features sohow manage to convey genuine interest.
"Sort of," I reply, rubbing the back of my neck. "Except Nightcrawler can jump way farther than . And I need to be able to see where I'm teleporting.”
"Spatial awareness limitation," Ice Woman nods, sounding almost professorial. "Fascinating. Are you a mutant?"
"No, nothing like that," I say, wondering how much I should reveal. "Just... sothing that happened to ."
Jenny's eyes light up with interest. "Ooh, mysterious origin story. I love those." She circles slowly, flas dancing at her fingertips. "So what can you do with this teleporting thing? Combat applications?"
"I've been working on that," I answer, feeling a surge of pride at having actual progress to report. "Short-range tactical jumps, mostly. Get behind opponents, confuse them, land hits where they're not expecting. I have knuckle dusters to help compensate for lack of strength."
Jenny's grin widens, her blue eyes sparkling with excitent. "Nice!" she says, nodding appreciatively. She takes a step closer, the heat from her body creating a warm pocket of air between us.
"Hey," she says, lowering her voice conspiratorially, "how about you roll with us tomorrow night? We're doing a patrol around the Financial District." She winks at , flas briefly dancing in her eyes. "Maybe we could show you the ropes if so super villain decides to crash the party."
My heart practically stops. The Human Torch is inviting to patrol with her and Ice Woman. I can’t blow an opportunity like this.
"Could you?" I manage to stamr out, trying not to sound as desperate as I feel. "I an, that would be incredible."
Jenny smiles, a dazzling expression that could probably power half of Manhattan. "Of course! We heroes gotta stick together, right?" She playfully punches my shoulder. "Plus, it's always fun to see what the new blood can do."
Ice Woman nods, her crystalline features catching the streetlights in srizing patterns. "It would be beneficial for you to observe more experienced heroes in action. The learning curve can be quite steep otherwise."
"That sounds amazing," I say, trying to keep my voice steady despite my excitent. "Where and when should I et you?"
"Bottom of the Baxter Building," Jenny replies, flas dancing along her fingertips as she gestures. "Eight o'clock sharp. Don't be late, golden boy."
"I wouldn't dream of it," I assure her, already imagining what Ellie would say if she knew. Probably sothing along the lines of 'they'll get you killed' or 'why are you still trying to be a hero?'
Jenny storm
Ice Woman
Reviews
All reviews (0)