Sky High After Dark - Cosmic

"Holy shit! You actually fucking stopped a damn volcano?!" Troy gasped at the sight.

"Yeah, but for how long is the question," Aron muttered, "anyway, let's see what we can do to help." Feeling Troy patting his back in agreement.

"Void?!" Nightshade came running towards him.

"Hello, Nightshade, this is Ice," Aron said, introducing his brother.

"I remember seeing you on TV; I apologize for what you had to do when we were too blind to see it before our very eyes," Nightshade said, extending her hand to Troy.

"It's not easy to question someone that's been on your team for some time," Troy said, shaking her hand. "Now, what can we do to help?"

"Right now, we could use another hand with the evacuation."

"Good call, no telling when that stop-gap will unfreeze," Aron nodded.

"What's that? Okay, okay, calm down; we have the strongest man here. He'll handle it," Nightshade said, smiling at Aron as she spoke to one of her teammates. "We have a family pinned under a roof of their house; do you think..."

"Say no more, point me in its direction," Aron said, bounding off in the direction she pointed.

"This way," Nightshade nodded towards the clustered evacuees.

For five hours, Aron and Troy worked to put out fires the lava bombs had started, lifted the rescue trucks out of the mud that the rains had caused. Rescued people that were still trapped in their homes due to the earthquakes that were still active in the region. By the time he, Troy, and Nightshade's team were done, the town was silent as a crypt, and the sun was beginning to set. What Aron didn't know was that the local news crews were on scene but very much out of the way and recorded the whole thing. They even caught the footage of Nightshade shaking Aron's hand before he and Troy departed for home.

"You okay?" Aron asked when Troy was still coughing up a storm.

"Yeah... just that ash and gas got to me, and it's going to take forever to get this shit out of my hair?!" Aron chuckled at his brother's plight.

******

The next morning...

"Thank you all for coming. As you all know, there has been a lot of talk and a whole lot of speculation on who and what the hero named Void truly is." Video taken by herself played out as it showed how Aron was running every which way to put out one fire after another. "As you can see here, Void had no trouble answering my call for help. I know the people of that village will be grateful that he gave them time to evacuate to safety before the volcano truly popped its top. Now ask yourself, is this a villain you are seeing or a hero in action. You all know what happened in Fides, as do I. Those were real villains, not this man!" Her finger pointed at the screen. "No, not that man, no, he is what we call a hero even if he doesn't call himself one. And anyone who doubts that should know The Sovereign Crusaders will always stand beside Void. To anyone who thinks to attack him, know this, we will not sit by when one of ours is threatened. In my mind, Void will always be a Sovereign Crusader. To the team he occasionally works with, I say this. If you cannot get past what happened in DC, while, yes, the loss of life is tragic and should never happen, yet it does, and he acted quickly to keep any more from falling at those terrorist's hands. So if he's no longer welcomed in your group, we'll be very happy to make him a part of our team."

"And that was the press release that The Sovereign Crusaders released earlier this morning," Beth Turner spoke, co-host of the Metaville Today show. "Nightshade said some very powerful words, didn't she?"

"That she did, Beth," her co-host nodded. "How short the public memory is. Let me ask the audience this when was the last time you ever saw the core members of The Sovereign Crusaders ever being seen doing that type of work?"

"Never!" The audience shouted.

"That's right, and I looked as far back as their founding. Sure they could be seen beating up bad guys and whatnot; they had to hoodwink us after all. But never once did we see them running into a burning house like Void, as seen here courtesy of our friends in Costa Rica..."

"My baby?!" Translated from Spanish. The sounds of a two-year-old crying could be heard over the airwaves as fire consumed the house.

"Can you put it out?" Aron's voice could be heard as he spoke to Troy.

"No, I'm tapped out. Void?!" Troy's voice called out to his brother as Aron raced into that burning building without a second thought. The Carter family were on the edge of their seats as they watched on while Aron continued to eat his corn flakes. Seconds passed when it felt like minutes to them before they watched as Aron crashed through the wall, burning insulation, two-by-fours, and whatnot fell along beside him as he held something wrapped within his coat. Aminah's, Tazia's, and Jill's eyes were centered on Aron as they saw him unwrapping the small girl and setting her down. What they heard next melted their hearts at how sweet Aron was when he spoke to her. To which Aron just kept his head down and his eyes on his flakes. "Now see, I could not find one instance of those fakes ever doing something like that. That just proves to you naysayers that while Void might not be your cookie-cutter type of hero, but he is a hero nonetheless."

"That's right, Susan, those of us in Metaville who have had their lives touched by this man knows first hand what a hero he is. Void if you're listening; if the world doesn't want you, I know Metaville does."

"Aron?" Vera spoke in a soft tone.

"Hmm?"

"I have one rule, when you work with us, no killing ever?! Can you do that? I can't stop you on how you operate on your own or how you run your team. But I can on our team," Vera said, watching how he held his spoon between his lips as he looked at her.

"If I say no, does that mean you're moving out of my house?" Aron asked, enjoying the blank looks on their faces as their minds raced to catch up to what he had said. It was around the fourth blink of his mother's eyes that she came to.

"What?! No. I was not saying that at all?!" Dodging the crescent roll his mother threw at his head after she realized he was messing with her. "Please, Aron, this means a lot to me. I don't want to ever see that side of you again."

"Okay, I'll keep it on stun when I'm with you," Aron said, relenting to his mother.

"There's a stun setting?!" Vera roared.

"There is one now, yes. The originals, do not. I kind of figured you all would get uppity about it, so I planned ahead," Aron said into his corn flakes.

"And why didn't you do this when you put that suit on?" Vera asked in a huff.

"One: I've been busy. Two: I have kids to raise... okay, was it me, or did it sound as weird to me as it did to you saying that?" Watching his family nodding along. "Three: I have a business to build for them," gesturing to his son and daughters, "and lastly, do you realize how long it takes to build a state-of-the-art laser pistol from scratch? It's taken this long just to get the fine-tuning down on the prototype. Those things don't just appear, you know," Aron chided.

"But I have your word it will be on stun," Vera spoke, not eagerly pleased that she lost the argument. "Good, then you'll do a patrol with the team to show the city what I know to be true. After breakfast."

"For how long?"

"Till lunch."

"Make it eleven," Aron countered, taking a sip of his orange juice.

"Make it one now," Vera uttered, leaning back in her chair as she arched an eyebrow.

"Ten," Aron lowered his counteroffer once again, making it a two-hour patrol.

"Aron, your living in..."

"Who's house? The last I checked, I'm still alive, and since I don't have a will yet, the kids inherit it," Aron mused. He was really enjoying that morning as he had his mother stalled out, given how her mind was working to figure out a way to break his logic. He was greatly enjoying the show.

"Oh, now I understand that look," Jill gasped at the realization. "Dad would always have that look when he was playfully arguing with Mom. He must have missed you a lot because he only did it with Mom, not even me," she said, peering at Vera.

"Really?"

"Mmmhmm, umm... Vera?" Jill shifted in her seat.

"Yes?"

"D-did Mom say anything about me before she passed?" Jill asked with her head bowed. Her left hand slowly rubbing up and down her right arm.

"No, I was too young at the time, Neil; you're the oldest. Did grandma say anything before she went?" Vera asked, turning to her brother, passing off the hot potato. Not seeing Aron looking at his phone. All heads turned as Aron rose from his seat.

"Come with me," Aron said, holding out his hand to Jill.

"Dad...?" Her hand slid into his without hesitation. It was just the natural thing to do. "Dad?!" Jill yelped as Aron swept her up into his arms.

"Sorry, this is just faster, and you kind of need this," Aron said, seeing her nodding weakly along.

Her hand wouldn't let go of his shirt as he set her down onto the edge of the bed. Pulling out his phone, knowing Veil was always synced to it. Unlocking it and pulling up the video file meant for her alone. "Now what I'm about to show you, you might not like me afterward, but when I found you, files pertaining to you were unlocked. While trying to find whatever reading of your powers they took other than the printout I have. I stumbled upon this video. Sorry. I watched it. I had to know what I looked like at that age," a smile lifted his lips when Jill snorted, "but they left it for you. You see this triangle?"

"Mmmhmm?" Jill nodded.

"Just tap it once, and it will play, tap it again to pause the video," Aron said, handing her his phone before rising to his feet. "I'll just be out..."

"Don't, please, don't go, I'm going to need your strength because I don't know if I could hold it all back if I was alone," Jill said; tears glistened in her eyes, her lip trembled with unsaid emotions that she dared not speak as she peered up at him as she took hold of his hand.

"Okay," Aron nodded in understanding. Pushing the door closed and returning to his seat beside her.

Two and a half hours later finally saw Aron walking towards the door. It took that long due to the numerous tears that were shed during it. By the end of it, she had passed out from exhaustion. Jerking back his head when he opened the door at the sight that greeted him.

"Isn't anything private around here?" Aron asked low to his eavesdropping family members. To this, they simply shook their heads.

"Come on, honey, let's get you cleaned up," Vera said, waving for her son to draw near.

"I'll get you a shirt from the dryer," Lyla said, noting how soaked the front of his shirt was.

Chapter Eight

One week later...

"That's it, Jill, you're doing great," Aminah encouraged as she did a light workout. "Honey, don't overwork yourself," she warned when Jill added on more weight.

"I need to get back into shape," Jill said between puffs of breath.

"Why? What for?" Aminah asked, curious.

"I'm going to be a hero again," Jill stated with determination.

"Wait..." Stopping her practice with her family, "what did you say about being a hero again?" Vera asked with eagerness in her eyes.

"I used to be called the Black Dahlia," Jill said, pushing through the strain. Just then, a very curious thing began to happen now that her body wasn't overwhelmed with that cosmic radiation. Her muscles surged with strength as those exotic particles excited her body. However, the only true outward sign of this was how her eyes faintly glowed.

"Oh? Were you?" Waving to her husband to continue on with their battle drill as Vera sank down onto the bench. "Did you ever team up with anyone?"

"Once or twice," Jill said with a coy smile.

"You know we would love to have you with us."

"You don't mind this old broad joining up?" Jill said, poking fun at herself.

"No, I do not. Plus, Aron will join us occasionally, won't you?" Vera called out as Aron walked by towards the changing room after getting back from where he wouldn't say.

"Maybe," Aron taunted.

"So, where did you go this time, Dad?" Jill asked once Aron had joined them.

"Somewhere," Aron muttered.

"Aron?"

"Hunting a villain."

"Oh?" Jill perked up. "And what kind of villain is it this time? Radioactive? Tentacles? Lots of eyeballs? Or did they shrink to a really, really small size? Wrong on all accounts, aren't I?" she asked, grinning up at her father.

"You haven't been on the internet lately, have you?" Aron inquired, eyeing his daughter quizzically.

"No, you know I have no idea how to work that thing. But I have had Veil do it for me," Jill said, with a sneaky grin. "The things I found were just a dream in my day. But whoever made hentai is a genius?! I really like the father-daughter ones, you know, the one where the daughter makes something go... pop," she spoke, flirting blatantly with her father.

"Oh?"

"Mmmhmm, let me finish my workout and shower, and we'll compare notes," Jill said in a husky tone.

"Jill, don't tempt fate..."

"You're sixty-two years too late for that warning," Jill teased playfully.

"Well, good thing I came to see you, seeing how you just started," noting her lack of sweat stains, "we can copulate our results at an earlier time," Aron said, flirting right back. Jill's eyes always got a wildness to them when he did. He was beginning to suspect some other things as well.

"Oh, I do like the sound of that," Jill said, easing the weights back into place. Yet once she did, the need for that extra strength left her drained as her cells quieted down. "What the hell was that?"

"I'm assuming you just realized you just now learned to tap into your mutation?"

"Huh? What?" Jill stammered she didn't have powers, not like everyone else.

"Your eyes were glowing," Aron said, helping her to stand. While she might not need the help with walking any longer, she needed a little boost after a workout, even as light as it was.

"They were?" Jill uttered in shock.

"Has that not happened before?" Aron asked as they walked towards the weapon range. Seeing Jill vehemently shaking her head. "Odd. Maybe your body was just too..."

"No, I've felt something like this before just didn't know my eyes glowed," Jill said, looking down at her hands. Knowing now that she felt it once, then it was only a matter of time before she could harness it to aid her in her quest to become a hero. But she knew she was going to have to brush up on her fighting skills. "Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we start our training up again," Jill asked bashfully.

"Huh?"

"You trained me how to fight. Can we keep practicing?" Feeling her cheeks heat as she felt her father's eyes on her.

"What exactly did I teach you?"

"Everything."

"Everything?!" Aron stated, watching Jill nodding along. "You sure you're up for sparring?"

"I am," Jill spoke in a firm, determined tone.

"Okay, we'll start tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, it means a lot. I don't want to let my team down," Jill said, feeling her cheeks heat as she moved closer to her father.

"Got a team now, do you?"

"Mmmhmm," Jill nodded. "You okay with me joining their team?"

"Well, you want to be a hero; you couldn't have better people to learn from," Aron said, praising his family out of earshot from his other family members. He knew if they heard it, their heads would just swell at the fact. Looking down, then to Jill's face when she slipped her hand into his. Feeling her fingers interweaving with his. Noting the way those eyes of hers were gazing at him, he knew he was going to have to do something and soon.

"Dad, why are we at the weapon range?" Jill asked the moment they drew near to the room.

"For you."

"Me? Why do I need a weapon..."

"You don't need one, but the way I designed your suit... well, you'll see," Aron said, reaching behind him and pulling out one of the gloves he had managed to produce for her. Seeing the worry in her eyes when he slipped her left bracelet off. Telling her how to unlock the power adapter to power her suit and offensive weapons gathered from her radioactive energy. "Relax, you know you can't damage anything in here," Aron said as he slipped the left glove onto his daughter's hand. "This is how you connect your bracelets to the suit when you wear it," he said, showing her the little ports on her wrist.

"And how am I supposed to work this thing?"

"Good question, how did you do that eye glowing thing? I'm not used to working with heroes whose powers are internal like yours are," Aron spoke, racking his brain for an answer. "Try holding up your hand and getting into that feeling you had when your eyes were glowing and think a bolt of light shooting out the palm of your hand."

"O-okay, I'll give it a try," Jill said, knowing she wasn't going to let him down. Not when her father had gone to so much trouble to make this suit for her. Feeling her body heat at the touch of his hand on her lower back. Remembering how her father would place his hand in that same spot for the past two years before she went into that tube. Her eyes widened in shock and joy when the glove began to glow in a white light. Only to watch as a beam of light shot out from the back of her hand. She watched in horror as that beam of light struck her father's chest and flung him out of the room.

Aron cried out in pain. Pain that he hasn't felt since his fight with Maximins as his back crashed into the hallway wall. Smoke drifted off his shirt as a red blotch marred his skin that could be seen through the hole in his shirt.

"Dad?!" Jill cried out in fear at what she had done. "Please, Dad, wake up!" Tears reamed her eyes as Aron remained unresponsive.

"What happened?!" Aminah asked as she raced towards them with everyone in tow.

"I don't know, Dad was helping me to master my powers, and next thing I know, it went all wrong," Jill said, slipping her hand into his urging her father to awaken.

"He's still breathing," Aminah sighed in relief when she checked on his heartbeat. "Let's get him to the..." Her voice stilled as Aron gradually came too.

"Dad, I'm so, so sorry," Jill spoke with a trembling voice.

"What?! Oh, damn, that hurt," Aron muttered as his mind finally caught up to him. "You got some power there," he said, laying his hand lightly on his sore chest. Seeing how red her face was getting at his praise.

"Are you okay, Aron?" Noah asked, looking down at his son.

"Yeah, just a little hiccup, nothing to worry about, we'll just have to work on your direction," Aron teased, watching how Jill grew very bashful.

"I didn't mean to," Jill whispered.

"Hey, don't worry about it, so it backfired, but we did prove that the glove works as it was designed to do, so that's a plus, means we just have to get you used to using your powers," Aron said, getting to his feet with the aid of Aminah.

"You're still going to help?!" Jill inquired, gazing up at him when she knelt on her knees.

"Of course, you are my daughter, are you not?"

"Mmmhmm," Jill hummed as she nodded her head vigorously.

"Then you still up for some more training?" Aron asked, holding out his hand to her.

"Aron, are you sure you're okay?" Vera asked in a motherly tone.

"Yeah, just some stinging left, but I'll be fine."

"Okay, you two don't train too hard," Vera said, knowing it might come down to her, her sisters, and Jill should they need to stop Aron should he cross that line before she led her team back to the training room.

"Good. That time you actually got it downrange," Aron said, rubbing Jill's back as she panted for breath.

"I didn't know it would be so damn hard," Jill bemoaned as her sweat dripped off her nose as the hours they were in there wore on her.