Superhero Adventures, UK Style

“So, as you can see from all this, Stacy, I screwed up, and now you’re in danger. Again!”

Brian slammed his fist into the marble worktop, causing minute cracks to spread out across the surface.  He wasn’t a “paragon”, but he was stronger than people such as Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and Eddie Hall, and now he had to buy a new kitchen surface.

Stacy walked up behind Brian, put her left hand onto his shoulder and her right hand enveloped his fist, gently rubbing his fingers, the knuckles. In her human form, she could feel the heat in his hand, a reminder that the power was never far away.

They stayed there for a while, comfortable with the closeness, the touch of hands, the silence that only true love can interpret.  They didn’t need words; each knew that the other was thinking of them.  That was something they had discovered many years ago, that, at some unknown point in their courtship, they had ceased to think of themselves as single beings, and had begun to think more of the other; their lives had become so intertwined that the self no longer mattered when compared to the whole.

True love, the greatest strength of all.

Stacy broke the silence, “That incident at ChemCo wasn’t your fault, Brian.  How could you have known that Tentaculus would rupture that propane tank?  Once you get over that, you’ll see that this situation is not your fault either.”

He shook his head and, tensing up again, pushed away from her.

“I should know, Stacy! Some bloody great superhero I am, eh? I can’t see what’s in front of me half the sodding time! Where you’re concerned I should know; everything, all the time!  But I don’t.  When I…when the team….were in that mumbo-jumbo place, that “dungeon dimension”, I was hopeless. I got hurt, I couldn’t focus….it took all my willpower to get that staff away from that creepy Gamemaster bloke, but I would never have gotten home without the others. It….I….”

Stacy reached out to him but he flinched away, unsure of himself again.

“No!”  Stacy grabbed him by the hand and squeezed hard, “No, you do not keep me away, you hear me? I will not let you do this to me after all these years!”

“Sweetheart, you have to go,” he said, his voice breaking.

“What!?” Her face showed shock, and hurt. It was like a dagger through her heart to hear him say this.

Brian looked awful, his eyes wide and moist, his lips trembling with raw emotion.

“This was their first strike and it worked. They probably know exactly who we are now, and they won’t stop until we are dead, they have made that quite clear.  Even with Akira and Banshee, we may not be powerful enough to win this! We’re outnumbered….I can’t bear to see you in the firing line; I love you too much to have you here in the middle of all this….”

“Brian! You cannot expect me to just leave you here?! Just calm down a minute, and we’ll figure a way out of this….”

“Stacy, I can’t see a way out! You have to leave; you, and Chris, leave Wessex, stay safe. I can’t leave you here, in harm’s way, I just can’t!”

The air around Brian had started to spark as invisible plasma built up around him, destroying dust particles, oxygen molecules, and water vapour. His eyes had taken on the glowing orange aura of his power, as his emotions ran away with him.

Stacy knew she had to get through to him, and quickly, before he lost control.

“Brian, for goodness sake, just listen to me!  Here, and now, just listen to your wife!”

That worked; Brian realised he was crossing a line, and it helped to rein him in. Stacy saw his posture relax, felt his anger dissipate; his eyes slowly lost their golden-orange colouring as they reverted to human.

It was the one thing that worried Stacy; could Brian lose himself to the spectrum?  And if he ever did, would he be able to come back?

He slumped into one of the dining chairs, shoulders back, a look of resignation on his face.  She sat next to him and took his hands in hers.

“Brian, just listen to me. I am not going anywhere, do you hear?  Nowhere.”

He turned to her, and the love he saw in her eyes nearly broke him in two.  He fought back tears and she threw her arms around him, holding him tightly, “Nowhere.”

She felt him sobbing more than heard him, and she squeezed him as hard as she could, holding him steady until he calmed, whispering her love quietly to him all the time. Minutes passed like that until Brian regained his composure. He pulled back and Stacy unwrapped herself from him, smiling at him as he looked squarely into her eyes.

“Sorry….I’m sorry, Stacy….”

“Sorry?  For what?” she asked gently, her hands caressing his, “Sorry for loving me?  Sorry for wanting to protect me?  For loving me so much that you can’t bear the thought of my being hurt; is that what you’re sorry for, Doctor Brian Wellingham?” She never stopped smiling, and he saw in her smile the love, and the resolve, of a woman who was truly a diamond.

“I never win an argument, do I?”

“This isn’t an argument, silly,” her smile became a little crooked, “and, no, you don’t. But then, you never want to win, not really.” That made Brian smile, awkwardly at first, then broadly and with real warmth. Stacy had never grown tired of his smile; it had captivated her at 17, back at sixth form, and it captivated her now. She leant in and kissed him, quickly and firmly, and he understood what it meant; you’re okay now, we’re okay, so stop worrying.

Stacy stood up, walking over to the kettle, “Cuppa?”

Brian laughed to himself. This was the ultimate healer, a nice cup of strong, sweet tea. “Yeah, sure, thanks.”

Three minutes and one more hug later, they were again sitting at the dining table, a couple in love with each other, and with their circumstances.

“So,” Brian started, “do you want the same marble, or a brand new pattern?”

“Oh, no you don’t, husband mine, this is my time.  Now, get this into your head once-and-for-all, I am not only staying with you, but I am staying at the office.  Perhaps this Labyrinth group know about us, maybe they don’t, but if I disappear then they will know, and I’m not about to give them the satisfaction.” She was serious, Brian could tell, and he felt immense pride in her resolve.

“I can look after myself, you know that better than anyone, and by staying at work – both of us – it may help to sow doubt in their minds.  Any advantage we can retain, however small, works in our favour.  If anyone comes for me, heaven forbid, but you’ll be the first to know, and then you’ll save me, and I, you. Yes?”

Brian took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, “Yes, yes, okay, just don’t leave Glyn’s emergency pager at home….”

Stacy gave a short laugh, “Alright, alright, I won’t forget, I promise!”

Glyn Collins was Stacy’s twin-brother.  He shared her diamond form power but had no plasma blast or talons like her; instead, he was immensely strong, could fly faster than Brian, and had never been hurt by anything that they knew of.  He was not a regular superhero, preferring to keep himself anonymous, but he helped out at property fires and other dangerous situations where the emergency services required additional assistance, using the name Crystallite.  They knew they could rely on his help if needed.

Brian nodded, “Okay, good.  So, we carry on, together, and we see what happens.” 

Stacy nodded, “That’s about it, for now. Yes, together, Brian, never lose sight of that and don’t forget that we know things about them, too. Who some of them are, where they work, how they operate….and we have allies, even if we’re having trouble finding new recruits. The team, the support staff, the Challenger-Wildeman family, Chris….we’re good.”

Brian finished his tea, but seemed distracted; Stacy thought he looked torn, as though trying to make a difficult decision, or choosing between two difficult options….

“Go on, you have something to say, just say it.”

Still uncomfortable, Brian blurted out, “If….if it comes to it, Stacy, I….I would kill these people to keep you safe.  I mean it, I would….”

She put a hand over his mouth, not only to silence him, but to reassure him also, “I know, my love, I know. I’ve always known.  Being a superhero isn’t a case of dressing up for laughs, is it? We both know it’s a calling with risks, and I agree with you; if the need arises, we kill, in self-defence, to protect others, to protect each other and those we care about.  We are not killers, but we will kill if we have to.”

With that said, the air was cleared. Husband and wife on the same page, never more close than they were now. Then they heard a key in the front door, that slight creak as it opened, the click of the closing latch.

Before Chris reached the kitchen, Brian called out, “Son….” 

A first; he had not used the word before. Stacy had, it came naturally to her, not so to Brian.  He was sterile, a side effect of his powers, he was fairly sure, and although he had treated Chris with affection and respect, he hadn’t felt that spark of connection….until now.  Maybe it was the threat from Labyrinth, or Stacy’s resolve to stay and fight; either way, Brian had changed, suddenly and wonderfully.

Chris popped his head around the kitchen doorframe, a frown on his face. He saw Stacy’s surprised expression, and the huge grin on Brian’s face. Had he just said….

“Son, good to see you! Come on, take a seat, your mum and I have something to talk over with you. Right, now, do you remember that debrief at the HQ a little while ago? Yes, of course you do. Well, we want your opinion on something….”