Chapter 17

The library at UMass Boston overlooked a small nook of the harbor and Dorchester. Cole looked out the window whenever his reading assignment became too dry to bear. Boats were being hauled out for the season, and he wished he could swap places with the men who were winterizing the yachts, which looked like the wrapped-up prey of some giant spider.

When his watch buzzed, he got up and jogged to the stairwell, garnering a glare from the reference librarian on duty. Backing up against a wall of painted cinderblocks stained with rust, he tapped the phone to see a hologram of Titania's face.

Cole smiled. "Hey, what's up?"

"I'm sorry I can't be with you on your first patrol. I'm a little busy handling a rogue drone swarm. Aphelia's actually here with me. Has she wished you luck as well?"

Cole nodded and smiled even though it was a lie. The first few days at the apartment felt like walking on eggshells. Aphelia was standoffish, like he was a frustrating problem to solve rather than a new hero needing guidance. "Yeah, she's been really great."

Titania winced from an off-screen explosion. "Did you get the appointment I sent you for the tutor I recommended? I know it's during your patrol, but Boston's a fairly quiet city. Any real trouble will come through the police scanner in your watch. She'll help you get through your classes, and she'll also help with the MMA training."

A woman yelled, "Tit! Get off the damn phone!"

"I have to fly, Cole. She'll be at Red Turtle Coffee in ten minutes. And Cole?"

"Yeah?"

"Shouldn't you be in uniform? Didn't your patrol already start?"

Cole looked down at his hooded sweatshirt. "Yeah, it's under this. Look, a rabid dog is attacking a seagull over a hot dog. I have to run. Bye, Titania."

"Cole, wait a sec--"

He swiped her hologram aside, and it blinked out of existence.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he muttered as he ran back to his books. It didn't look good that he was late for his first day on the job.

...

Cole had quickly changed into a standard supersuit and slapped on a cheap eye mask in the bathroom before marching out of the library with his bookbag over his shoulder. Project Veltio would track him and make sure he covered his assigned area of the city that evening.

The sidewalks were fairly empty, but the roads were backed up in all directions. He came up to Morrissey Boulevard, squatted, swung his arms, and leaped over the multiple lanes of traffic.

He landed next to an older man with shiny white hair, who started and held his chest. "Feckin supes scared me half to death!"

Cole shrugged. "Sorry, sir, I have somewhere to be, and I can't wait for the light."

The old man pointed behind him and yelled. "Use the feckin footbridge next time!"

Cole trotted ahead and gave the man a quick salute. Once on patrol, the basic idea was to be a presence and watch for possible crimes, stop them, and report them to local law enforcement. He looked up at the rooftops and promised himself he'd keep practicing his light landings so he wouldn't damage buildings when he jumped over them.

He let himself relax and reach out with his improved hearing, not trying to hear words specifically, but to listen for stress in voices. Besides some complaining about the latest Pats game, the people on the street were calm, trying to get home on a Friday night.

It was a quick jog to Red Turtle Coffee, a hole-in-the-wall cafe with a signature sign: a Japanese kaiju turtle with a rocket strapped to its back, crashing into the Tobin Bridge. He looked inside; no one was sitting at the tables. He checked his watch and cursed.

Cole looked in all directions and shut his eyes to listen. A driver had his window down, yelling at someone for cutting him off, a girl was talking to a friend about a party that night, and then came a high-pitched, off-putting laugh.

He turned toward the laugh and walked. Focusing on the conversation he heard:

...Come on babe, why don't you come along with us? We'll show you a really good time...

...I'm sorry, I have to meet up with someone I have to tutor. I have to go now...

...Don't be such a bitch. We weren't really asking...

...Let me go!...

...Fuck! She broke my nose!...

Cole sprinted to the alleyway the conversation was coming from. He heard the sound of zip ties tightening as a figure crouched beside four men propped against the alley wall. A short young woman stepped into the light, wearing a goth outfit. She brought her wristwatch to her mouth and said, "BPD units in the vicinity of Red Turtle Coffee, lock onto this transmission for the pickup of four attackers. Supe ID alpha 49922. I have video capture of their crime upon request."

She stepped forward and smiled. "You're late. Let's grab a cup."

...

Flashing blue lights reflected on the windows of Red Turtle Coffee as Cole walked up with his new tutor.

He offered his hand and said, "I'm Cole. It's nice to meet you."

The goth's full lips were painted glossy black, and they pulled into a smile as she shook his hand wrapped in a black lace finger glove. She wore all black, which matched her hair, eyes, and lips. The thin straps of her black bustier kept drawing his attention down, forcing him to lock onto her cat-like eyes.

After she flashed a wry smile, she said, "I'm Tania. It's nice to meet you."

When their hands touched, a flash and hum of energy raced over his skin, making the hair stand on end. Stifling a shiver, he said, "So how do you know Titania?"

"Oh, we're old friends. Best friends, actually," she said.

Cole turned to the counter and said, "Two medium coffees, please."

The tired cashier shoved two coffee cups into his hand and said, "We just made fresh pots; everything is over there."

They served themselves, and Cole raised an eyebrow as Tania poured sugar from a glass jar, lifting her hand high while looking at him. "So Titania said you need help with your classes?"

Cole swirled his cup and threw the stick in the trash. "Yeah, I've been out of school for a while, and going back is kicking my ass. She said that you teach MMA."

She frowned. "Even though I'm good at fighting, I'm only an F-rank superhero. I'm barely stronger than a bodybuilder."

Cole laughed.

She narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

He put his hands palms up. She was definitely prettier than a bodybuilder, but complimenting her good looks didn't feel right. Cole took a booth and gestured to Tania. "I'll keep my opinions to myself from now on, scout's honor."

Tania raised a jet-black eyebrow. "You were a Boy Scout?"

"Um, no."

She rolled her eyes. "So school is kicking your ass?"

Cole took a sip and nodded. "I did okay in high school, but I never got As. I knew college wasn't my path, or at least I thought I did until I was drafted into being a superhero."

She frowned. "Weren't you assigned a mentor? Have they helped at all?"

Cole looked out the window and winced. "Let's just say we're not on the best terms right now. I'm living at her apartment, but she's not talking to me."

Tania's dark eyes flashed. "Oh, really? Lover's quarrel?"

"Yeah, the argument is that she wants to be a lover and me, not so much, at least not yet."

"They say starting the next generation is part of the job. What's wrong?"

He gestured with his hands, weighing invisible pros and cons. "She's the beautiful crazy type. One day she's all lovey-dovey, but the next she's super busy and ignoring you. And hoo boy, don't get caught looking at another supe."

Tania narrowed an eye and pointed a finger at him. "Men don't get to have two girlfriends. Don't be greedy."

"I'm not greedy," he said. "Maybe a little, I don't know. I thought she dumped me when I had a one-night stand with a girl on Halloween."

She waved her hands. "Hold up. You just jump into bed with people? Heroes have to be role models."

Cole blew air past his lips and folded his fingers together on the table. "I was a supe, but not a hero at the time. I was a guy who just got rejected and was going through a dry spell. Cut me some slack. But enough about my trouble. Do you have a boyfriend?"

She snorted and laughed at the same time. "Me? Hell, no. 99% of heroines are A or S rank. Once a man knows I'm F-tier, they run away."

Cole shrugged. "I'm still here." He winced, wishing he could take back the corny quip.

"Yeah, because I'm tutoring you. Weren't you supposed to keep your opinions to yourself?" She tossed a balled-up napkin at him, bouncing it off his nose.

Cole swatted dramatically after the paper ball had already hit him, making Tania snicker. "Sorry, sorry. I can't help it." He thought about how Titania was the most powerful supe and was in the same boat as Tania; supes stayed away from both of them.

She pulled her tablet from her purse and laid it out. "I can set up one-hour sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and MMA training at my local gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Where did you want to do the tutoring?"

Cole flashed a smile. The urge to request a tutoring session at his apartment was greater than he expected. "My home is in the Back Bay. So we could try the Boston Public Library, and then there's always UMass Boston's library."

Tania nodded, got up, and extended her hand. "Sounds good, let's exchange contact info."

Cole smiled and pressed his watch to hers. He brushed accidentally against her skin and was flooded with another spine-tingling sensation, which made him cock his head. "Tania, are you sure you're only F-rank?"

Her eyes went wide. "Well, that's what Veltio says. Look, I gotta catch a train; I'll see you. Have a good night."

A second later, she was out the door and running, out of sight before the brass bell above the door stopped jingling.

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