Super Jaded (6/23) (Patreon)

Chapter 6: Prime

“HEEEELP!!!! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP US!!!!”

I knew where the voice was coming from. My super-hearing had detected the panicked shouting of the trapped miners long before the media had got wind of the story.

At 2.3 kilometers deep into the earth, retrieving the lost souls would be a dangerous endeavor. With five different collapses due to managerial incompetence, news stations were already declaring expeditioner Archie Atishon and his crew of ten “dead men walking.”

But I was not willing to give up on human lives so soon! At just 18 years old, I had a gleaming superheroine record up to this point! Whenever I was around, my fellow homo sapiens were in good hands!

There was a slight problem, though. One I had been pondering for the past fifteen minutes. Previous rescue missions went off without a hitch, with events like a burning building or a plane falling out of the sky, there were factors that were easier to account for. Escorting ten people out of the flames would take less than a minute. I was confident in my strength that I could carry a commercial airline.

But this was different. Lifting a plane was one thing, the idea of holding up an entire chunk of the earth if a support broke terrified me.

“WE’RE BEING CAVED IN HERE! SOMEBODY PLEASE HURRY!”

Looked like the time for deliberation was over. It was time to wing it.

The mineshaft itself was a confusing labyrinth of corridors that descended deeper into the earth. I’ll admit, claustrophobia was something I struggled with before I was empowered and this environment only brought back painful memories. But I persisted. I had to.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before I found the cave-in. Too bad this was going to be the hard part. A large barrier of rocks and shattered wood, precariously held together. I could just ram through it, but that would risk making the cave-in worse and I had eleven very fragile people trapped on the other side.

“Hello!?” I shouted at the rock wall, praying that I got a response.

“I-is someone there!? Please help us! We’re running out of oxygen here!”

“Is that a singular woman’s voice? Did they only send one person to get us out of here?” Another panicked voice added. “We’re fucked!”

“D-don’t worry, guys! They didn’t just send anyone to help you! It’s me, Nina Eternal!”

Okay, so I was still working on my superhero name. Thankfully, someone seemed to get it.

“The superhero!? Yeah! We’re saved!”

The rest of the group quickly followed in the sentiment after realizing who I was. I had to admit, that feeling of joy a crowd of people could produce still got to me even four years later. Now, it was time to live up to my reputation!

I didn’t know much about cave-ins, but I knew there was some sort of rock that functioned as a “weak link” of sorts, something I’d definitely have to avoid going forward. I frantically searched around for the best approach, but when nothing presented itself I realized what I had to do.

“Everybody! Retreat from my voice! I’m coming through!”

I gave them a few moments to hopefully obey my command before barging through the rubble. It felt like walking through a layer of snow. It was honestly really fun! Too bad I almost forgot how delicate humans could be!

While most of the miners had taken cover like I had asked, a few of them were in the line of fire from several rocks launched by my entrance. Thinking fast, I half-charged my laser vision in several short bursts, rapidly breaking all of the flying rocks into harmless pebbles.

“Alright, guys! Now’s your time to leave!” I shouted at the ten men. They all immediately snapped out of their impressed trances and hauled ass towards the exit. But mother nature wasn’t going to make it that easy for any of us. As they slipped by me, the entire ceiling began to cave in.

Without a second thought, I flew upwards and tried to create a makeshift support for the collapsing rock. I splayed my body outwards like I was creating a reverse-gravity snow angel, closing my eyes as I prepared for an absurd amount of weight to pile on. To my surprise, it wasn’t as heavy as I had expected.

Good thing too, because the whole mineshaft was collapsing at this point. I could pretty effortlessly hold up whatever I needed while the miners ran for their lives below.

After a thrilling escape sequence, all of us made it out right as the shaft filled with rubble behind us. A crowd full of gawkers and media personnel awaited us once we made it to the surface. They were all ecstatic about our return, yet Archie and his crew didn’t seem to immediately corroborate such feelings—they all seemed panicked.

“Ack! Michael! H-he’s still in the mineshaft! He went westward right before the cavern started collapsing! He’s doomed!”

Welp, that explained it.

I took a deep, determined breath. “No. He’s not. Not while I’m still around.”

Springing back into action, I flew headfirst into the collapsed cavern. Spinning my body rapidly with my hands outstretched to form a diving-like pose, I began to drill directly into the rock at top speed.

With great luck, I found Michael—although he didn’t make it easy. He was huddled into a corner, silently shivering as the world collapsed around him. He appeared to be holding something, but I didn’t have time to figure out what that was.

He turned around to see me, tears pooling from his eyes like a lost schoolchild in a play-place. For a supposedly experienced miner, he looked no older than me. There was definitely a joke to make about miners and minors, but I was still working on my superhero one-liners at this point.

Grabbing him from the back, I did my best to shield Michael from all incoming debris as I returned from whence I came back-first. Thank goodness I only had to transport one person out this time!

Cutting it close once more, Michael and I just barely managed to escape with him unharmed. Uproaring applause struck me once more as my second feat proved to be more intense and death-defying than the last. I spent a good amount of time laying on the soft grass as my anxiety decreased. Everyone was finally safe.

“Y-you actually came back for me…” a meek voice spoke up from next to me. I turned my head sideways to see Michael, arms outstretched, presenting what I could only describe as the prettiest emerald I had ever seen. “Please, t-take it. You deserve it more than I do. Y-you’re just as pretty as it, after all...”

It took a few seconds of disbelief before I was finally ready to accept the gift. The gem was easily worth a few million dollars—if not more—and he was just… giving it to me? I know I had just saved his life, but it almost seemed as if there was something more I wasn’t quite grasping. That added comment about my beauty only made everything more confusing.

Regardless, I didn’t turn down the gift. I held it in my hands and gazed into it, hyper-fixated by its beauty. Then, the very catch I was worried about presented itself.

“Nina Eternal… w-would you like to be my girlfriend!?” I averted my gaze from the hypnotic emerald in shock, staring directly into the hopeful eyes of the miner before me. Despite all the danger I had just faced in the past ten minutes, this was putting the most amount of stress on my shoulders.

To make matters worse, the newscasters and gawkers seemed to be all over it. An “awwww” washed over the crowd in unison, clearly flattered by Michael’s innocent honesty.

I wanted to be flattered too… but I wasn’t. Was something wrong with me? I had just shared a very personal experience with a guy my age and yet… I felt nothing. The only emotion I experienced was awkwardness, trying to find the best way to let the poor guy down.

Thankfully, Michael seemed to take it well—The crowd seemed to be more upset than he was. He even let me keep the emerald!

I lost count of how many photos people took of me with the miners after that. Archie Atishon himself offered to treat me to dinner as thanks. But after the awkwardness that was Michael, I politely declined his offer as well.

It wasn’t long before pictures turned into whole interviews. Sure, this was nothing new to me, but something in particular stood out about a certain interview.

It was the woman interviewing me.

I found myself stuttering around questions she asked, even the easy ones. My focus was all in those beautiful blue eyes of hers, catching my attention like the vast ocean, stretching out beyond the skyline. By the time the interview was finished, I knew all of her mannerisms. The way she adjusted a lock of untied, blonde hair behind her ear; how exactly two minutes passed between each adjustment of her tiny, thick-rimmed spectacles; The constant smirk plastered on her face, as if she were some sort of malignant succubus sent to torment me with her gorgeous features.

She was breathtaking in a way Michael never was. And I didn’t even get to know her name.

It was in that moment that I realized something about myself, something I was too afraid to say aloud, even though nothing in the world could hurt me.

I liked women.

I liked them a lot.

By the time the news crews had packed up and I had flown back to my living space, I needed something to take my mind off my feelings. I had been alone with my thoughts for too long, the image of the interviewer lady was still firmly lodged into my head, bouncing about my brain like a DVD screensaver.

I turned on the news and calmed down immediately. Every channel was heaping praise onto me!

I wrapped myself in the comfiest blanket I owned, made myself a large bowl of ice cream and watched as the positive news coverage flowed in.

What a time to be alive. I thought to myself, imagining how proud grandpa would be if he could see me now. Being a superhero is tough sometimes, but I know it will always be worth it! After all, I’m capable of doing great things with my powers, why shouldn’t I use them for good?

With an empty tub of ice cream at my feet, I found myself drifting off to sleep.

I couldn’t wait to see what the future held for me.