The Dummies Guide for Superheroes: Introduction
Chapter 6

Leverett Prescott sat on the post-and-rail fence behind hishouse. In his hand, he gripped his obituary, torn from the newspaper he’d foundit in. It wasn’t until he reached home that he realized the obituary meant Rayand his computer were telling him the truth. But even with the truth, he had tosee his wife of forty years, Lau Rolette. He told himself he had to know shewas safe, unwilling to admit why he really had to see her.

When he did see her, the memory of his last day alive in hisprevious life flooded back to him. He remembered his painful, ghastly death indetail.

Fire engine number 47 pulled up to a warehouse gradually beingconsumed by flames. Akin to a clown car in a circus, firefighters poured out ofthe vehicle. Leverett came out of the cab, staring at the blaze, mentally assessingwhere it was safe to enter the building.

Behind him a voice yelled over the roar of the fire, people, andrush of water from the fire hoses. “We have word there’s five workers still inthere!”

Leverett turned to watch his chief direct the younger men. Hewas only a few year older than Leverett, and for the last five years he’dencouraged Leverett to apply for his job, or at the other two firehouses when achief position came up. Leverett wasn’t interested in being a chief, though.Even as his senior citizen years crept up on him, he wasn’t ready to give upthe adrenaline rush of fighting fires. Maybe next year, he kept tellinghimself, his wife, and his adult children – but they all knew next year wouldbe the same answer.

He pulled on an oxygen tank and full-face mask.

“Levi,” the chief said, looking at him. “Take Andrews and Richaround back. Gary, I want—”

Leverett didn’t wait for the rest. He led the two men to theback and found a door. It wouldn’t budge when Andrews tried to open it.

Andrews stated the obvious. “Can’t get it to open.”

“It’s metal. Probably got hot and swelled up. Hack it open,Andrews,” Leverett ordered the rookie. “But be careful. Once she gets a breath,she’ll try and eat you, kid.”

Andrews moved in with his ax and hacked at the door. Hehesitated on the last swing, tensed, swung, and ducked. In a roar, fire leaptout the door at them and super-heated the air over them as the flames reachedfor the night sky. Then the fire sucked back inside.

The three men entered.

“Andrews, go on ahead. Rich, take the left. Watch out for holes,and who knows what else.”

Leverett went right, searching for anyone in need of rescue.From his left, inside the blind spot his helmet created, something lunged. Heturned in time to see it was human before it hit him and the two landed hard onthe floor.

“I’m here to save you!” Leverett screamed as he struggled withthe person. He couldn’t see their face.

The person’s fingers fondled his chin and Leverett realized theperson was trying to get his helmet off. He swung to push the attacker away,but loaded with an oxygen tank and his fire resistant gear put him at adisadvantage. Before he could get to his feet, the attacker was on his back,his arm around Leverett’s throat. Leverett pulled his hand away, seeing a ringon the person’s index finger. It was a man’s ring with a Celtic twisted knotdesign.

Leverett ran backwards against a flaming wall. The person yelledand let go, and Leverett ran for the exit. He grabbed for the radio mic on hisshoulder. The moment he realized it wasn’t there was the same moment it snaggedon a jutting board. He turned to pull it free and saw his attacker charging athim. Leverett braced himself for the attack. The man fell against him, pushingLeverett to the floor. He swung a fist at him and the man jammed somethingsharp into his neck.

The world shimmered and then began to sway, and the attackerleft him in in the burning building. Leverett tried to get up, but he couldn’ttell up from down. He wanted to get to the exit, but he didn’t know where thatwas. He wanted to pull his mic free, the one caught on a board, but his fingerscouldn’t replace where it was attached.

The fire moved in on him. It sought revenge for the others hehad killed over the years. He felt its heat on his skin long before it engulfedhim and lit his body on fire. Leverett screamed and screamed and screamed evenwhen he felt the fire in his throat.

He closed his eyes but the fire wouldn’t let him be blind to it.He heard hissing and groaning. He heard someone say his name. He cried andscreamed, but the fire wouldn’t go out. He felt something cool in his mouth. Itflowed down his throat and into his lungs, and then there was nothing.

Even after the memory of his death had revived, he hadn’t beenconvinced it was real. He did the next logical thing. He stopped at a libraryand after an hour, was staring at his obituary. According to the date on ithe’d been dead for almost eleven months.

Now, alive and mostly well, he watched his wife move around thehouse. She had a hard time with losing loved ones. When she’d lost her parentsand brother, he had spent months holding her as she cried. During those months,she only slept from exhaustion. She became so depressed that it worried him toleave her alone. Eventually, though, she pulled through. She was a muchstronger woman than her frail frame and emotions would suggest.

She had probably cried all she could over the loss of her soulmate and now she was continuing with life. That made Leverett cry, something hedidn’t do often. He knew he couldn’t walk up to the front door, ring thedoorbell, smile when she opened it, and tell her that he was home. She hadburied him and it was better to let her believe he was gone.

All that was left was to replace the man who had murdered him.

I will replace him.

The thought sounded like someone else’s voice and it startledhim. He twisted around to see who had spoken. The world moved like a televisioncamera being jostled as the operator tried focusing it. When the movementstopped, he was standing in the hall of a small apartment. At the end the doorof the bedroom was open and he could see a man asleep on a mattress with noframe or box spring.

He approached the bed, careful not to make any noise. The personturned in their sleep so he could see the man’s face, but it meant nothing toLeverett.

His eyes drifted to the bedside table. A watch. A wallet. Asilver ring twisted into a Celtic knot design. Leverett picked up the ring,turned it in his fingers, studied it. It was the ring his murderer wore.

Leverett looked down at the man. His rage ignited and burned hotin him, like the fire he’d swallowed. He reached out his hand to wrap it aroundthe man’s throat, to strangle the life out of him – and stopped.

No.

As much as this man was a killer, he was not. Leverett turnedaway, looking around the room. He walked down the hall and found the frontdoor. The apartment was on the fourth floor of a rundown building, but hedidn’t even feel himself practically run down the steps. When he came out of itonto a poorly lit, derelict part of town, he didn’t see that. His mind wasreeling right now.

It was hard enough to accept he had died, and he had beenbrought back to life, but now the emotions were crashing down: grief fromlosing his wife, terror remembering his death, rage from seeing his killer, andthe most potent, shock from somehow moving from his home into the hallway ofhis killer’s apartment. This was too much!

Anna stood at the window of her daughter’s room, staring at thefront lawn. Almost a year had passed and there was still a shrine at the end ofthe lawn. Fresh flowers and lit candles had been placed by it, probably by hermother or daughter.

Seeing it as she walked up the sleeping street stunned her,because it backed what the computer had told her. She had died. There werelaminated newspaper clippings about her death in the shrine. They told aboutAnna’s career as a Ranger, how she excelled in the Police Academy, how she’dsaved a man from jumping off a building, and that she was survived by hermother and daughter.

Anna’s heart leapt when she felt a hand slip into her own. Shestared down into her daughter’s eyes. Anna crouched in front of six-year-oldAnna Lisa. The child didn’t shy away when she reached out and smoothed herlong, black locks back.

“They said you died, mommy,” she whispered. “You’ve been gonefor a really long time.”

Anna smiled. “I did die, baby. I just came back to make sure youwere okay.”

“You’re an angel?”

Anna’s heart broke. She didn’t want to lie to her daughter, butshe had to. Her daughter was far too young to grasp the truth.

“Yes. I’m an angel, baby, just looking in on you.”

“Will you stay?”

“I can’t. I have to go back up to heaven and stay with daddy.”

Excited, she asked, “Will he be coming too? Will I get to seehim?”

Anna shook her head. Her eyes burned with tears trying toovercome her.

“No, baby, just me, but I won’t come all the time.”

“Doesn’t God want you to see me?”

Behind Anna a voice replied, “Angels can’t stay on Earth. Theycan only come once in a while to make sure you’re being good and doing okay.”

Anna watched her mother, Caliopa, move along the wall until theycould look at each other. She could see the woman’s distrust and fear.

“You need to go back to bed now, honey,” Anna told her littlegirl. “You have school tomorrow.”

Anna Lisa beamed. “I can tell Rachel my mommy visited tonight.”

“You can’t do that,” Anna ordered. “No one but you, me, andgrandma can know I came here tonight.”

“It’s a secret. A family secret,” Caliopa told the girl.

She looked from one to the other, watching to see which wouldsmile first, suggesting this was a joke. But they didn’t. The world would becruel if she told anyone her dead mother had come to visit her in the middle ofthe night.

“Okay,” Anna Lisa quietly replied.

Anna pulled her into a tight, tender embrace. She couldn’t stopherself from crying. She swiped her tears away behind Anna Lisa’s back. Shepulled back, kissing the child’s soft, round cheek.

“Let’s get you back in bed, sweetheart.” Anna stood but AnnaLisa latched onto her hand.

“Tuck me in and sing me a lullaby, mommy. The one with thelooking glass and the bird.”

She heard Caliopa leave the room.

Anna smiled. Softly she told her, “Okay.”

She put Anna Lisa back in bed and laid next to her for a longtime after the child had fallen asleep. Anna kissed her daughter’s forehead andleft her to sleep alone.

She found her mother sitting at the kitchen table with her handsclenched around a coffee cup of warm milk. Anna slid into the chair across fromher. She didn’t even know where to begin.

“Who are you?” her mother demanded. Anna knew the rough voicewith a thick Spanish accent meant Caliopa was angry.

“I’m your daughter, Madre.”

She leaned across the table, her black eyes turning hard withher anger. “They told me that my daughter’s body was mutilated. I buried herashes. Who are you?”

“Madre, it’s… Complicated.”

“Are you working undercover? Was this all an act for your job?”

Anna closed her eyes, wagging her head back and forth. “No,Madre. This isn’t… This is complicated.”

Anna looked at her. She was tempted to spin a lie, but she andher mother never lied to each other, not even to protect each other’s feelings.If she betrayed that now, Caliopa would never believe her again.

“What I’m going to tell you is difficult even for me tounderstand or accept. I was shot and I died. My body was stolen and put in aplace where a computer was supposed to use it to store data. But insteadsomeone brought me and six other people back to life.” Anna reached across andlaid a cautious hand over Caliopa’s. “Madre, it is me. Really, it is. Ask meanything to prove it. Anything your princesa would know.”

At the mention of the pet name Caliopa used for Anna, she yankedher hand back. She became rigid, pulling herself into as small of a space asshe could. Tears welled up and began running over her brown, withered cheeks.They found the cracks in the…

Anna gasped when she saw the woman’s face as if it were under amicroscope. She saw the molecules in the tears as they crept along the crevicesof the skin cells and over hair follicles.

“What is wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?” Caliopaasked.

Anna’s vision returned to normal and she saw Caliopa’s wholeface. She didn’t know she’d paled when her ability had taken over her. Colorreturned as they continued talking.

“I’ve changed, Madre. I’m… Different.”

Caliopa nodded. Anna knew that like herself, her mother believedin God and miracles. Perhaps she saw this as just another page in God’s plan.Anna almost smiled because that same thought occurred to her when she wasstanding in her daughter’s room.

“I’m afraid that if the people who killed me replace out I’m alive,they would hurt you and Anna Lisa. You cannot let anyone know, Madre.”

Caliopa looked into her milk. Was she hoping for some divineanswer from it?

“You will have to wear a mask or have your face changed,”Caliopa told her.

Anna nodded when Caliopa looked up. “I’ll wear a mask. I wantAnna Lisa to know me when I come again.

“You must wake her when you visit, but you mustn’t visit often.If we must lie to her about this, too many visits would make it unbelievable.And you have to replace someone to contact me if something happens to you.Something… Permanent. I don’t want to be left to wonder what has become of myprincesa.”

Caliopa slipped her hand away from her body, slid it across thetable, and wrapped it around Anna’s. Anna smiled.

“I have to go,” Anna said.

Her mother nodded. “Be careful.”

Anna got up and walked around the table. She hugged Caliopa, holdingon as tight as she thought was safe.

“I never want to lose you again, princesa. It hurt too much.”

“I know, Madre.” Anna kissed her temple.

“Go. Before we think you should stay,” Caliopa urged, pushingAnna away.

Anna gave her one more kiss on the forehead and then slipped outthe back door into the alley. She heard her mother begin to sob and startedrunning, but her own tears caught up with her.

Harley sat in the middle of a dark, empty living room, that usedto be his, staring at a blank wall. The light from the streetlight was weak,but it showed outlines where photographs had hung for years. Harley hadremembered how he died when he first opened his eyes, but standing here in hisdark house made the memory come back and threaten to drive him into a rage.

A grenade exploded against a low wall, showering Harley and hiscompany with sand, mud, and small bits of shrapnel. Harley and the men weretrying to take cover behind a low wall, firing over it at their attackersacross the square of the small Iraqi village.

“We are in need of an evac immediately!” he heard Private Dietzsay behind him.

Harley’s gun clicked. Out of bullets.

He ducked down and pulled off the magazine, reached for another,and realized he was out of ammo. He dropped the rifle and checked his side armclip — only fifteen bullets. He decided not to waste them.

“Where’s our ride, Private!” Harley barked.

“They’re in the air, sir.”

Harley looked at the terrified Iraqi sitting among his men. Theman had a bandanna tied around his mouth and was handcuffed.

“You better be worth this fucking shit or I’ll kill you myself!”Harley told him.

The man stared wide-eyed at him.

“I’m out, Captain,” another soldier told Harley.

“I’m getting there fast,” another said

Harley looked around them, doing a fast assessment.

“Brookes, you and Dietz take the asshole and go through thatbuilding to the rendezvous. Leave everything but your Glocks. We’ll hold ‘emoff until you tell us our ride is here.”

“What about what we found, sir? We gotta tell someone aboutthat.”

Harley patted his pockets and retrieved a small digital camera.He gave it to the man.

“Take it with you. We’ll tell Admiral Kells when we get back.”

Brookes took the camera, dropped his Glock, and grabbed theprisoner’s arm. He and Dietz hurried into the building toward the rendezvouslocation

That left Harley with four men to hold off what felt like theentire Iraqi army. Harley checked one of the rifles for rounds and turned. Hefroze, staring at a man hiding in the shadows of a nearby building. He wasbald, thin, dressed in rags, and aiming a rifle at Harley. Harley didn’t havetime to alert the others or fire a shot before the man pulled the trigger.

Harley didn’t hear the single gunshot over the enfilade. He feltpain rip through his armpit and deep into his chest. He lost a breath and then two.He saw the wall tilt up and give way to a cloudless blue sky. Bullets flewoverhead as silver fireflies with sunlight dancing off them. LieutenantGibson’s face came into view. His mouth moved. Harley didn’t respond.

He was picked up. The sky became a mud roof that jiggled andjounced. The sky reappeared. He saw the blades of a helicopter. Somewhere inhis mind he knew he shouldn’t be able to see the blades as they rotated, but hecould. They circled, circled, circled, as they faded into black…

He heard a heart monitor beeping and opened his eyes. Harleyknew he was just becoming aware of a noise that had been there for a while. Hesaw people moving around him. They were all wearing surgeon gowns and masks. Awoman’s face leaned in.

“Hang on, Captain. We’ll pull you through this.”

He smiled. “I’m dying.”

She didn’t smile. He could tell because the corners of her eyesdidn’t wrinkle. “No.”

“I’m ready. It’s a good day to die.”

“It’s never a good day to die, Captain.”

“Make sure Ebony gets the flag. We married before I shipped outon this tour.”

The woman leaned in, her blue eyes meeting his. Wisps ofstrawberry blond hair escaped from under her surgeon cap.

“Your day to die has not come yet, Captain. Not yet,” she toldhim and then moved away.

He felt something cool and stinging go into his arm.

As a boy, Harley grew up on a Navajo reservation in Arizona. Hisparents wanted the best for him, and most of their wages were spent sending himto a Catholic school. It caused him to have a conflict of religion until he wasten.

That’s when he decided that both religions were right. Thecreator and his son in the Catholic story were the same ones in the Navajobeliefs. Angels, demons, and the devil simply had other names in Navajo. Thetwo religions were entwined. He carried that belief up to the moment he died.

So why had he woken up in a room with a monk in an orange robewho spoke to him in a language he didn’t understand? Why hadn’t he woken up inHeaven or the Navajo underworld? For the first time in his life, his beliefsappeared to be faulty, but he wasn’t sure which religion to blame for that.

Standing in his empty house, with his family missing, made thisloss of faith even more painful. Nothing made any sense anymore.

Harley turned and walked back to the broken front door. Hestared at the twisted and burned metal. He had panicked when he looked throughthe front window that he charged the door. He expected it to be open but ithadn’t been.

He had raised a fist to slam it against the door and before itmade contact, electricity leapt from his fist, nearly blowing the door off itshinges. The blast of electricity melted and scorched the brass door handle andplate.

Harley pushed the door closed and headed back down the street.All he could do now was return to the temple and hope to replace answers to hispast and future.