Sky High After Dark: Legacy

"Huh?"

"The bank called, they've accepted your offer," Aminah stated with a smile on her face.

"Oh! Then I guess I need to be dressed like a businessman, no?" Aron asked, with a smirk. Remembering how hot she was when she and Tazia had taken him shopping for a few suits.

"Mmmhmm," Aminah hummed, her cheeks heating as Aron pulled her into him. "You wouldn't mind if we had a little fun in the shower before we go, would you?" she purred, loving how she felt in his arms.

"No, I wouldn't."

"Good." Taking him by the hand, hastily grabbing his clothes and sneakers and leading Aron out to the showers.

"You're looking fit, Void, I approve."

"Thank you, Veil. So do I," Aminah replied knowing how he and Vera always went to the trainyard in the wee hours of the morning to exercise. She even went a few times. It had amazed her how he with one hand was lifting train engines like it was lighter than a feather. Then there was how Vera made him pull the engine and thirteen cars all connected around the trainyard. She saw the slight shock, then the pride, in her sister's eyes when Aron had completed ten laps. It did make her wonder how strong Aron was and would get as the years went by.

"Father, when you return will you bring Henry down, I'd like to see him."

"Sure, Veil, I'm sure Henry would love to see you, too," Aron said, in a warm, caring tone.

******

Aron walked out of the bank with the deed in his hands with his mother and aunt beside him. He knew he was going to have to spend another three million just to retrofit the factory to his liking. Wondering if the loom workers that had once worked there had found other jobs yet. He knew with the limited space he would have to automate the sowing process. Given how most of the free space would be needed to create the thread.

"Aron, you're father wants to see you in his office so you can go over the corporate papers to legalize your business," Vera said, dressed in her best business attire to show her son he hadn't put his trust in the wrong person, as she read the text from her husband.

"Have you heard from that friend of yours, yet?" Aron asked, knowing the two billion from the interest was sitting in the corporate account he had opened to cover the payroll and whatever else for the startup costs. Even that didn't put a dent in what the interest alone had earned him over the past few months.

"Yes... but?!" Shyly looking away when her son looked at her. "He's asking for an extra twenty thousand, since the company matched your offer."

"Is he worth it?" Aron asked, with a pointed look while he noted how Aminah was sketching out designs for the equipment needed to mass produce the thread.

"He's a very honest man, and a hard worker," Vera said, putting in a good word for her friend.

"Alright, offer it to him, but tell him for that kind of money I expect him to work extremely hard for my company."

"Yes, honey, I'll tell him." Vera nodded.

******

"Hello, Aron," Noah greeted, smiling warmly at his son when he met him, his wife, and sister-in-law at the front desk. "Come, this shouldn't take too long," he said, gesturing him to follow after. "So, I hear you bought a factory," Noah spoke from over his shoulder.

"Yeah, but it's going to need some major upgrades to be operational," Aron uttered, peering over at his mother. "You can handle hiring the construction crews, can't you?"

"Of course, I'll look into it when we get home," Vera nodded.

"And I know someone that can make the equipment that it will need," Aminah stated, showing Aron the sketches she had done so far. Noting how he made a few minor corrections to them.

"You inquire about that and let me know how much he or she will be asking for the work to be done," Aron spoke handing her pad back to her.

"I love this side of you," Aminah whispered into his ear.

"And I greatly enjoy every side of you," Aron responded with a coy smile, to which his father chuckled, his mother lightly batted his arm, and Aminah's face grew red. Looking down when Aminah took him by the arm, her right hand covering her stomach. The look of something that he couldn't describe was etched on her face. "Aminah, what's wrong? Is it the baby?" His worried tone stopped his mother and father in their tracks.

"Aminah, are you feeling any pain, any discomfort?" Vera asked, quickly rushing to her sister's side.

"No," shaking her head, a smile forming on her lips at what she was sensing, "I feel her, baby," Aminah cooed peering at Aron with teary eyes. "I feel her mind, she's so strong! Oh, my. She's talking," she whispered as tears of joy began to fall.

"Like how Mom used to tell us how you used to speak to her when you were still in the womb?" Vera asked, curiously.

"Mmmhmm," Aminah hummed as she nodded. "Our baby, our little girl, is just like me," she cooed lovingly down at their child.

"Show me," Aron spoke knowing her mental powers wouldn't induce her labor like Tazia's would. Closing his eyes as Aminah pressed her forehead against him. Linking them together allowing him to feel what she was feeling at that moment. When he opened his eyes once again, he found his hand resting over her stomach and feeling a tiny hand against his palm while Aminah rested hers over his.

"Our daughter already loves you," Aminah whispered in a loving light. "I'm so happy that you agreed to be her father," she said, before kissing him with such emotion that she didn't know if it was hers, their daughter's, or both. When they parted they both saw Vera standing far too close, a look of hurt in her eyes, her pouty lip puffed for being left out. That was soon corrected when Vera and Noah joined them in their little group hug.

As they were about done with all the legal matters a huge explosion rocked the city. Rattling the windows, as the mushroom cloud rose to the sky blurring out the sun. At that moment, his phone rang violently in his pocket.

"Hello?"

"Aron we need your help?" Aron got to his feet when Lyla's frantic voice came over the line.

"What's wrong?"

"We can't get near this thing. It's too hot!"

"Alright, I'll be there soon. Until then contain the situation," Aron spoke seeing his parents' and Aminah's need to protect the city yet they didn't have their super suits with them.

"Okay, we'll try. Please hurry!"

"Mom, take Aminah home, Dad, how do I get to the roof?" Aron asked, taking command.

"Honey, you aren't going without..."

"Not this time Mom, seems I'm the only one that can handle this," Aron said, cutting his mother off. "I'm invulnerable remember."

"But even you have your limits," Aminah said, in a worried tone.

"Take the stairs," Noah said, "Be careful, son."

Aron nodded that he would before dashing off to the stairwell. Bringing his phone to his ear, he knew Veil was always connected to it. At first he thought it was a little strange until he got used to having her always in his ear. "Veil?"

"Yes, Void. What is your command?"

"Send the wing," Aron directed he always wondered how that mobile platform would work in real combat. He had placed a spare costume in its cargo pod for such occasions. His suit jacket, tie, shirt, and everything else -- minus his shoes -- when flying as the high winds carried his clothes away as he pulled down his mask. Climbing onto the platform, hearing the locking mechanisms activating and securing his feet to the flight surface. Seeing the link establishing between the suit and the wing's onboard computer Aron had designed years ago. Seeing Veil had loaded the ordnance needed to battle a fire monster of whatever kind that he was flying to meet as the weapons list ran down the screen while he made sure the suit and wing were communicating at a hundred percent. With a sonic boom Aron flew to the rescue.

AC/DC's 'Back in Black' roared announcing Aron's arrival. "Veil, prep the fire suppressant canisters," Aron commanded as his eyes took in the fight before him as a twenty foot tall 'thing' (the best term Aron could label it as at the moment), covered in fire loomed before him. "Troy are you close?"

"Yeah, what's the plan?"

"The moment the canisters deploy I need you to do your thing. Given how hot it is, the gel will melt in two minutes. So when it's covered I need you to freeze it."

"Void, I'm detecting Alpha radiation emanating from it."

"Shit," Aron cursed.

"What's wrong?" Chery's voice came over the line.

"It's radioactive," Aron stated hearing their curses as well. "Troy and I will handle this, the rest of you get the people to safety."

"You two be careful, don't do anything reckless like you did in Bosnia," Isabel said, in a concerned sisterly tone.

"Preparing to drop." Aron felt the wing wobble slightly as the payload detached from the weapon racks. Firing off the thrusters to slow his speed turning around like he was riding a wave in the ocean. Aron had to admit flying it was hell-a fun! If the city wasn't endanger at the moment. Seeing Troy springing into action keeping the gel cool enough to snuff out the flames for him to demolish the thing. Feeling the latch unlocking doing a back flip off of it allowing Veil to take control of the wing. Using a hundred percent of his strength as his fist slammed into the head unit of the thing whatever it was. Feeling it crumble like confetti paper. Taking hold of one of the metal struts and ripping the head clean off. However, Aron didn't see how the things arms were reaching up as he tossed the head away. Troy's warning came too late as the tons of pressure began to squeeze him like a ripe tomato. Aron screamed out as the pressure built and built.

"Void!" Troy's voice filled the air as he tried desperately to free his brother.

"Just kidding," Aron spoke freeing his arms, ripping off the index fingers and sending them into the chest of the robot, now that Aron had a better look at its insides, where he estimated the power source was.

"Fucking, asshole! I thought you were in trouble!" Troy shouted, clearly not a fan of Aron's little joke. His icy blue eye watched as the robot fell backwards with Aron still in its grasp. Then he heard the sound of metal on metal sliding against one another.

"You might have stopped my robot hero, but my bomb will ensure you will die along with this city, no one outsmarts the Collector!"

"Who the fuck is the Collector?!" Aron asked himself. "Please, please, don't tell me I now have a corny archnemesis," he pleaded, yet as his eyes looked down at the bomb, he knew the villain was serious. "No more fucking around, Aron, get to work!" Aron growled in his mind when he easily freed himself. Ordering Veil to bring down his wing, as he heard Troy rushing up to the robot's side.

"Please, please tell me you can stop that thing?" Troy asked, knowing they couldn't let it end here.

"Not in time," Aron admitted noting the countdown. So he did the only thing he could think of with such little time to get the bomb far enough away from the city and any populated areas before it went off. "Veil, activate the magnetic repulser," he ordered as he tore the bomb from its housing.

"What are you doing?" Troy asked, watching how Aron's fingers were moving along a digital display that appeared two inches over his left forearm.

"Sending it to space so the fallout and radiation won't reenter the atmosphere," Aron said matter-of-factly, watching the velocity increasing to the point where the Ion drive would kick on.

"Will it make it in time?" Troy asked, staring up at the shrinking image of the mobile platform.

"Yes." Was all the answer Aron would give. The two brother's witnessed the ensuing explosion, Aron knew his wing had reached the point where the Moon's gravity would pulled the fallout and radiation towards it and keeping it from contaminating the Earth. "Well, this blows," Aron sighed.

"Why?! You just saved thousands of lives!" Troy said, throwing up his arms.

"True, but how am I to get home?" Aron asked, with a smile on his lips as Troy shook his head trying not to laugh.

"Did someone call for a ride?" Tazia purred leaning over the side, as their jet car hovered over them.

"Hello, beautiful," Aron said, loving how he could always make those cheeks heat.

"Hey! We're here too!" Isabel and Lyla uttered as they too leaned over the side.

"How would I have known, I don't have X-ray vision you know," Aron joked, quickly activating the voice dampeners and called Sara.

"Yes, Void. We saw. Thank you, for saving us."

"Find out what you can about this 'Collector' character and how he was able to get his hands on the material needed to make a nuke. When you do, let me know, I'll pay him a visit," Aron said, with deathly undertones.

"We'll see what we can dig up. But when we do, I want him alive is that clear?!"

"I won't make promises. Got to go," Aron said, cutting the line as Carl brought the car to ground level.

Upon returning home Vera, Aminah, and Noah threw their arms around Aron. So very happy that he and the city was safe. Telling him how they were so very proud of him when he had answered the call for help. It was like night and day compared to the fight with the giant robot so many months ago.

"Void, should I begin constructing a new wing?"

"No, not yet, I think it can be improved, there was far too much instability when the canisters released," Aron stated, pulling off his mask as he walked towards the control center of the base.
"I detected that as well. May I make some of my own tweaks to the platform and let you view it?"

"Sure, Veil, that will be fine," Aron agreed sinking into the chair in front of the control panel for the mainframe. "Veil, run a very deep search for any and all reference to a villain named Collector."

"Understood, running search now." Aron leaned back in the chair, his fingertips pressing together as his eyes moved over the screen. Unaware of how Vera, Neil, Chery, Tazia, Carl, and Aminah were looking at him when he did that.

"What?" Aron asked, confused by the looks they were giving him when he peered over at them.

"You look so much like Dad when you do that," Chery stated, to which the others nodded along.

"Well, Henry probably picked it up from me. Speaking of which, where is Henry?"

"Sleeping peacefully in the lab, father. I am keeping careful watch over him."

"Ah, best to not wake him then."

"Mmmhmm," Tazia hummed in agreement.

"I have completed my search; shall I display the results?"

"Yes."

"Does this mean you have your very first nemesis?!" Vera asked, in a dreamy light.

"Please, let's not start on that. I have to be a hero to have a nemesis," Aron teased.

"I've been thinking on that," Aminah said, stepping up. "While it's true you do not have all the characteristics of a hero, nor do you have all the ones that make a villain."

"Void is an antihero. History has come full circle."

"I was thinking the same thing, Veil," Aminah said, smiling up at Veil's camera.

"I'm not going to win this argument am I?" Aron sighed when they all uttered with one voice, along with Veil, in a stern: 'No.'

"So you just accept that fact mister," Vera said, wagging her finger at him with a smile on her face.

"Veil, remove the ones that are dead and how many does that leave us?" Aron asked, as his eyes moved down the screen.

"Three."

"Start compiling data on those three and we'll start our hunt there," Aron ordered, turning in his seat and lifting out of it to go see his son.

******

The next morning...

Aron was feeding Henry a bottle as they relaxed in the den not paying attention to the TV while Tazia and the others were patrolling the city. To help out those that were affected by the battle yesterday. Feeling Aminah sinking down beside him and leaning lightly against him as li'l Henry gazed up at him while suckling on his bottle.

"Welcome back everybody! I hope those of you in the upper part of the city are faring well from that unexpected attack yesterday. We at Metaville Today reached out to the authorities to inquire if they had any leads on who might have sent that thing here. However, they failed to comment on our query given how it's an active investigation. We wish them good hunting in hunting down the villain that would endanger innocent lives!"

"We all know if The Phantom Marvels hadn't been there yesterday it could have been a lot worse if those heroes hadn't defended the city. We all saw how they were giving it their all. When it appeared the monster, or robot as we know it now, was feeding on Firelight's flames. We saw how much she wanted to best that beast yet knew enough that her being there was only strengthening the thing."

"Agreed," her black co-host cut in, "I was so rooting for them too. Yet I suspect the heat was just too much for them to handle. Firelight was probably the only one of them that could withstand the heat, yet how can you fight something when your own powers strengthen your opponent?"

"You call on your reclusive friend!"

"And what an entrance he made! Let's play the clip!" her co-host said excitedly. Sighing when 'Back in Black' played over the speakers. Even if he told them he wasn't a hero that wouldn't change their minds. It was more likely to drive more people to his name. That was the last thing Aron wanted. "I have to say the song seemed very appropriate. Sort of like the interlude to an epic ass kicking!"

"Beth!" the woman giggled.

"What?! I'm only saying what everyone else is thinking, am I right?" Aron noted how the woman peered out at the audience as they clapped.

"Yet, who would have thought there would be a bomb inside that thing?!"

"I know I didn't. The scientists this morning show contacted stated that if it had gone off it would have been very bad for the city and those in the surrounding towns. Void, if you're listening, thank you once again for saving us and keeping us safe. Please, I know you haven't spoken to the News or anyone for that matter, but please call in and let the citizens of this city, that you have saved, hear that voice of yours." Aron looked over at Aminah when she nudged his arm when Henry was done with his bottle as the number for the studio appeared on the screen.

"Why do I let you talk me into things like this?" Aron grumbled as he pushed himself out of his seat.

"Because you love me," Aminah said, wiggling her nose as she held Henry.

"What's that, oh my God, we have him on the line!" Beth said, excitedly into the camera.

"This is Void, you wanted to talk." Pinching the bridge of his nose when the hostess' squealed as his voice came over the TV speakers.

Chapter Eight

A month later...

"Aron?!" Sara gasped in surprise when he was standing on her balcony in his costume when she walked into her bedroom after returning from work. Throwing her arms around him when she rushed outside. "I wasn't expecting you," she whispered in dream-like wonder. Feeling his arms pulling her tighter against him. Biting her lip, her body heating as his right hand squeezed her ass.

"You wanted to watch, no?"

Sara gasped; excitement filled her eyes when he spoke those words. She knew from her bug they had been discussing it since she asked him. So she knew how much many of his family members didn't like it. Yet she always heard him say: 'She already knows about us; she hasn't outed us yet, both our secret identities or what we do here. I don't see the harm. She's just going to keep asking either way.'

"Do you mean they finally agreed?" Sara asked, with hope.

"It does. You need to put on that first before we go anywhere," Aron stated pointing at the box that contained a special optical camouflage suit that she wouldn't be able to see out of to protect the base and the entrance to it the jet bike uses.