章 163: The reward found the hero
The small van was speeding down the country road toward the metropolis that stretched across the strait. The deep blue color and standard contours made the vehicle almost indistinguishable from thousands of other cars, but the careful eye could notice that the rare snowflakes that got in his way somehow too abruptly disappeared when they touched the body, and the air currents behaved a little out of the ordinary, as if part of the car is intangible. Suddenly, the contours of the van became strangely charged, and then shrank, turning the truck into a more compact Toyota sedan. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, there were no bystanders around, so no one could report the incident to the DMV or post the story on social media.
"We'll definitely make it to the bridge now," I relaxed lazily in the passenger seat, closing my eyes. A couple of light green diamonds on the dashboard, which were gradually getting lighter and lighter, hinted that our transportation would soon be unmasked. And we didn't just have to get home, we also had to stop by the rented warehouse to dump all the extra stuff.
"Maybe I should just turn off the cloak. There aren't many cars around anyway," she touched my hand gently, transferring a bit of energy that felt like a breath of fresh air.
"Nah, we shouldn't give the police and Bats any reason to check out the neighborhood until we've taken out all the trophies," I replied, yawning widely.
I had only a little bit of mana left, so I had to meditate to replenish my mana. I already had a high recovery rate, but meditation made it even faster. All I had to do was disconnect from the world and imagine that my whole body was a huge pump that was slowly sucking in a lettuce-colored haze. At the edge of consciousness some thought was scrambling, but the general exhaustion of the organism and the remnants of euphoria after close communication with one crazy blond cutie did not allow to concentrate properly. Eh, if there had been a dryad nearby, just a brief hug would have been enough to fill the source to the brim...
I felt like I'd been hit over the head with a dust bag.
"Abby!"
"Abby? - My beloved looked curiously at my dumbfounded face, and then her eyes widened, turning her faithful companion into an incredibly cute anime version of her. - Abby!
"Abby! - There was a note of panic in my voice.
"Abby! - The blonde repeated.
Like two idiots we pronounced the name of the dryad in different ways, until at one point the girl hit the brakes. With a little slippage the car made a U-turn and took off sharply, giving away that under the unassuming hood of the family Toyota there is a decent power of almost three hundred horsepower. The way back flew rapidly, in a couple of moments it even seemed to me that rare bushes themselves bounce off the road, although here we should praise the excellent reaction and skills of the charming driver. There was no point in hiding, so the car stopped right at the main entrance of the Pinkerton estate. A small difference, which had appeared since the last time, was immediately apparent: both heavy sashes had been torn out, along with part of the wall, and were lying nearby.
Even when the thin film of the barrier separated our company from the battle between two incredibly powerful entities, I felt less nervous than I did now. But now my main feeling was one of burning shame, and the more horrible was the green-skinned girl's reaction... No sooner had our oblivious duo passed the threshold than a large green blur flashed, and we were in the very strong and tender embrace of the Guardian of the Forest.
"Jay, Harley, I was so worried! - Abby cooed, continuing to squeeze us like a couple of plush toys, which with her oversized combat uniform was easy enough to do.
Our auras formed a symbiosis of sorts, and my body was instantly invigorated, having access to such native natural energy. After such a warm reunion, my excuses stuck in my throat, so I hugged Swampy back, wanting to share the ba-hion with her with all my heart. Not with any selfish calculation, but just like that, without even trying, and suddenly it worked.
After a few seconds, the red-eyed beauty smiled happily, and her mana flow increased by almost an order of magnitude. It felt like a little bit more, and the energy was pouring out of her ears. And that wasn't an exaggeration!
The dust in my nose made me sneeze. The uncontrollable wave of mana surged into the surrounding space, and then the floorboards beneath my feet were covered with small green leaves. Huh, it's called feeling like a druid, so I just had to learn how to turn into a bear and I was good to go.
We hugged each other a lot, but we managed to get away from each other. And since there was a walking mana reactor with landscaping skills at my side, I was foolish not to take advantage of it. In twenty minutes Abby had already successfully destroyed the entrance to the labyrinth, simply collapsing fifty meters of tunnel, and blocked the elevator shaft, while listening to stories about the epic battle with the demonic cult and glad that she did not go with us. The demonic mana wasn't the energy of the Rot, but they shared some common traits, which meant that Green could have connected to Abby directly to destroy the contagion without counting losses.
Frankly speaking, Harley and I are incredibly lucky that Delirum doesn't care about mortal affairs for the most part, and she doesn't have any serious issues, except for voyeurism. Still, losing control of one's actions over something like that is extremely dangerous in this troubled universe.
Although it's worth admitting that the energy of the patroness a little bit, but affects my perception of the world, or maybe I myself unconsciously adjust to the crazy environment. And thankfully, I already have an idea on how to avoid this. It's obvious to anyone that pumping the fourth beginning in the long run will give much more output, up to the preservation of all shells, except the first two, after death, and may someday even allow to stand on the same pedestal with the strongest creatures of the local multiverse. But while this approach is promising, improving individual shells will ensure that you don't lose yourself on your way to the top. And now we are talking about the Fifth Element, namely about the spirit, which I have since the moment I got to the new world is in the outsiders. And it is the one that is responsible for mental stability, and the notorious Will used by the Green Lanterns probably belongs to this shell. So, as soon as my Soul becomes stable enough, I should strengthen it, and then proceed to the rest of the Beginnings. The main thing is not to be fanatical, so that I don't lose my magic again.
The time flew by without a second thought, and here we are standing in a rented warehouse, surrounded by a huge pile of junk from the mansion, against which stands out a huge carcass of the Hound and stacks of neat banknotes. That's what a sufficient amount of mana and a loyal elemental means: the car can be properly camouflaged, and the weight can be partially lightened, and the girl herself can easily increase in size and bring the rest of the trophies in one sitting, even if for the last action I had to break my head over the scaling of cloaking charms. Still, it's one thing to hide a small area of space, which a simple person even without seals can ignore, and quite another to hide a huge four-meter tall green-skinned beauty with a bag of things. However, the main points of the plan were even slightly overfulfilled, and now you can go to the parade with a clear conscience.
***Washington, Mirror Pond***
On that momentous day, the huge park in front of the White House, all the way up to the Washington Monument, near where a huge black alien tower with a jagged crown now stood, was completely packed with joyous people. And there was nothing surprising about that. Still, it's not every day that superheroes save the Earth from enslavement by brutal invaders, as the last such event took place almost a year ago, when Superman's relatives arrived on the planet. To be fair, the scale of the last invasion was less epic, and in fact only Metropolis and the sea floor in the center of the Pacific Ocean were seriously affected, which only sea creatures and a small enclave of Atlanteans living nearby don't give a damn about.
Also unusual was the official recognition of the superheroes who made the most significant contribution to the victory over the invulnerable leader of the invasion by the U.S. government. And here from the bottom of our hearts we should thank several journalists who were not afraid to film the entire epic battle, and then put it on public display, and the broadcast with a demonstration of applied magic in the performance of the former supercriminal people will remember for a long time, given that the records with it spread like a fire during a drought.
Despite the size and efforts spent on the preparation, the decision to move the awards to the capital of the United States was given to the organizers incredibly easy, which was partially facilitated by the outbreak of an unknown epidemic on the outskirts of Gotham. Naturally, such a large-scale and serious event is not so easy to move from one place to another, but in fact the awards were planned to be broadcast on all major venues across the country, just now on the stage erected in front of the Gotham City Hall, there was only a huge screen without small figures under it, and besides, the festive procession was held as planned, so ordinary citizens did not even notice much difference.
It is also worth mentioning that one of the factors that tipped the scales in favor of moving the event to a new location was the fact that the president must personally deliver the speech and present the medals. And after all for him it is necessary not only to organize a round-trip flight, but also to provide security in the most criminal city of the States, not to mention other important persons of the state, who must necessarily be present at the celebration.
In short, seeing the unrealistically huge crowd of grateful citizens and listening to the president's speech, some of the superheroes standing on the stage were feeling a little nervous. And Flash was particularly notable in this case. The stress opened up a fountain of eloquence, and his incessant whispering annoyed even the positively inclined Green Lantern, who was already anticipating the crowds of hotties hanging around his neck.
"Silence, please."
Surprisingly, Cyborg, who was standing next to him, was the first to stand. Although he had accepted his new appearance and the presence of a lot of augmentations in his body over the past time, it was extremely uncomfortable for him to stand like that in front of a huge crowd of people. If it weren't for the presence of his father, proudly looking at his son from the VIP box, he would probably have left the party altogether.
"How can you not say anything? It's such an event. Eh, I should have thought about a parade suit, because this one shows scratches due to frequent drops and heat..."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, this is actually our combat uniform, it's cooler than any parade costume, - Hal sincerely indignant, interrupting Barry's monologue.
"Maybe your suit is always perfect, but not everyone can boast that their clothes can heal damage on their own. Oh, Cyborg, maybe you can upgrade my suit with some cool technology," he whispered loudly.
"This is clearly something that should be discussed not here and not now," Batman intervened in the friends' conversation.
"Why are you so disgruntled? - Lantern responded immediately. - For a man without superpowers, you should be proud of the honor of standing next to real superheroes," he said, chest out.
"No, thank you, I don't want fame."
"Why?
"Need I remind you what happened to Superman after he saved Metropolis?"
"A monument was erected to him and he was presented with the key to the city..."
"That's right, and then a few months later they put him on trial for some far-fetched reason, as if he wasn't a savior but a common criminal.
"Human memory is a strange thing," Aquaman said thoughtfully, stroking his beard. - All you have to do is save the planet from being enslaved by an alien conqueror, and now you're a hero in the eyes of the people again, even though you've done literally the same thing before, but with less seriousness.
The mood of the comrades went downhill dramatically, and Batman, who noticed it, immediately decided to remedy the situation.
"Don't worry, it won't happen this time. No one will sue you, even if you accidentally destroyed someone's property during the battle."
"Right! You were talking about some sort of treaty with the government," Flash stared at the Dark Knight expectantly.
"So far there are only some assurances from the government and hints of a contract. We will discuss everything in more detail after the award."
The company fell silent, digesting the sudden news, while the president continued his speech.
"...in their darkest hour, these super friends, wearing their colorful costumes and using their superpowers, fought back against fearsome alien invaders. And now I am proud to introduce to you the leader... - Barack Obama pulled the microphone out of its mount and covered it with his hand, turning to the superheroes. - Jesus, I didn't even ask. Do you guys have a title?
"Yes, we do!" Green Lantern cheered.
"Are we?" the others supported him perplexedly.
"Of course we are. You can call us the Super Seven!"
"Oh... No... Gah... Horrible..." the company clearly did not agree with the name. Aquaman clutched his heart as if he was about to have a stroke.
"The Magnificent Seven?"
"Even worse..."
"And you forgot to count the Joker," Diana remarked when everyone had voiced their displeasure. "Where is he, by the way?"
"Fighting some cultists in Gotham," Batman replied.
"Isn't it dangerous? Maybe he needs help," she said, a hint of worry in her voice.
"It's highly likely the outbreak was cult-related, and since all the infected were healed, the Joker did well."
"Look, he called for the leader," Barry said, setting off another heated discussion.
Well, while the superheroes were trying to choose a catchy name and a representative, the crowd began to whisper in bewilderment over the incomprehensible delay.
Suddenly, a rainbow pancake appeared ten meters above the stage, from which a figure in a purple suit fell out in a few moments. The Joker, and it was him, deftly pushed himself out of the air a couple of times, taking an upright position and picking up the blonde girl in a harlequin outfit who fell out of the portal. A careful eye could see that during the acrobatic stunts, small blue platforms painted with geometric symbols flashed under the superhero's feet.
In absolute silence, the green-haired man reached down and, taking the microphone from the dumbfounded president, began his speech.
"I'm sorry for the delay, but I was once again saving the world from demonic enslavement," he said with a wink. "I hope that all my friends have already had a chance to speak, so I'll try to be brief. First, of course, I'm glad that the current president has decided to build a monument to himself next to the Washington Monument, but I'd like to point out that you could be a little more modest..." He looked at the gloomy black tower at the far end of Mirror Pond, which made the famous Washington Monument seem insignificant.
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