Capítulo 58: HAVEN calls

With a sour mood, she trudged along, powering through the day. Betty and herself were the only front staff present for the rush hour during lunch time but her tireless body with seemingly bottomless wells of energy more than made up for it. She waited most of the tables, indoors and outdoors, while Betty handled the long bar. Halfway through the peak hour, she realized the condiment dispenser was almost empty, so she made a quick trip past the kitchen into the storage to stock up. By the time she returned, Betty had moved to waiting tables while Sandy covered the counter. That was no issue, as it was routine for them to cover for each other despite their differences.

The problem reared its head when Betty passed a group of rowdy truckers, her hands occupied with a heavy tray of food. One trucker reached out with his hand as she went by and slapped her on the rear. Then their table erupted into hollering laughter while Betty's face reddened with shame. Done serving the food to a customer in the far corner of the restaurant, Betty had to pass by the truckers again. And the truckers knew that, so they cat-called and whistled at her. Her co-worker's eyes darted in Ella's direction, a cry for help visible in them.

She turned to the manager to rectify the situation. However, the usually loud and combative woman acted meek now in the face of real trouble. Her head shook with astonishment and disappointment. She used a towel to clean off the spilled mustard on her hand, then crossed the room over to the truckers.

"What's the matter sweetheart?" the one that touched Betty before said. He was a large, hairy man with a dirty, cigarette-stained beard. "Don't you have places to be?"

"Walk on by. Teddy, don't bite," another man with a lazy eye said.

Teddy chuckled. "Damn right. I only get my dick wet."

They all broke into fits of laughter that were interrupted by her palm slamming on the table.

Her gaze swept the booth of rowdy men. "Hello, dipshits. Why can't you ever be respectful in your sad lives?"

With a side eye, she urged Betty to move, and thankfully the woman moved her stiff legs, bolting into the kitchen. When she turned her attention back to the truckers, she noticed the stink glares they fixated on her. Teddy, for instance, had on a mean scowl, his yellow teeth bared, as if she just stole something precious from him.

"You goddamn bitch." He rose from his chair, easily towering over her. "You know how much I pay for the likes of you, cheap whore? A hundred a pop and the dumb bitches swallow too."

The other one with the lazy eye got up as well. "The bitch ruined the fun."

Teddy nodded, stepping up to her and glaring down. "Damn right. We was having some good fun, then you came in with that hornet's nest atop your head and nipped that in the bud. What are you gonna do to compensate us?"

By this point, everyone in the restaurant had their eyes on them. She stepped away from the table and pointed at the door, hoping that Sandy had moved her fear-rooted legs and called the police. "The door's that way. You all are not welcome here again. Leave before the cops come."

Teddy didn't take that well, leaning in and subjecting her to his sour breath. "Bitch, I said, what are you gonna do to compensate us?"

"Leave."

"And if I don't, what are you gonna do about it, little girl? If I cope me a feel of the goodies you got there, the fuck are you gonna do?"

Utterly baffled and disgusted, she could only roll her eyes. "Dipshits! Leave! Put your hands on me and I'll break them."

They laughed at her threat, clearly unbothered by her. Then Teddy, with a defiant smirk, stretched a hand toward her chest. But his hand never made it halfway. She snatched it and with just a little squeeze, the crunch of breaking bones echoed. Teddy screamed, clutching his broken hand. This spurred the other truckers into attack mode. They all rushed to grab a hold of her, cautious of her strength. Yet they moved shockingly slow. By the end of the scuffle, all four men rolled on the floor, groaning in pain. Teddy had attempted to deck her with his other good arm. So, out of pity for the injuries she already caused, she only twisted his arm a bit, careful not to rip it clean off.

Applause rang out in the restaurant after her impressive display of staving off all the men. Rather than giving into the spectacle of the moment, her concern lay in Betty's wellbeing. So with a forced smile, she rushed into the kitchen and then into the backroom where her co-worker sat motionless. Betty reassured her she was okay and that she only needed a minute to take a breather. Afterward, she joined Betty and sat quietly for fifteen minutes, her mind calming down from the rush that was the fight.

The police stopped by and apprehended all the truckers save for Teddy, who made a dash for it. Rounds of questioning followed, involving all the witnesses. It was only then that Sandy returned to her normal, stern, self-imposing demeanor.

Bitch.

She could only shake her head at the weasel of a manager she had. During her questioning, the officer kept repeating his question, bewildered by the absurdity of her taking on four grown men at once.

"Keep in mind, I'm superhuman," she added.

"Figured," he noted.

The best part of the day came later when she got off work. She was bumping rap tunes while preparing dinner when, out of habit, she checked her email and spotted one that came from HAVEN. With her hand shaking from excitement, she tapped the screen and read.

HAVEN Superhero Initiative

Dear Ella Nkanga,

We are thrilled to inform you that you have been accepted into the HAVEN Superhero Initiative!

HAVEN, Homeland's Agency for Vigilance and Extraterrestrial Negotiation, commits to safeguarding humanity from both earthly and extraterrestrial threats. Our Superhero Program identifies and trains individuals with exceptional abilities to become valuable heroes in protecting our nation. Your application stood out among a highly competitive pool, and we were very impressed by your heroic efforts during the incident at the Radiant Tower. We believe you have the potential to make a real difference in the world.

The next step in your journey is to participate in the HAVEN Superhero Assessment Test. This comprehensive evaluation will assess your physical aptitude, mental aptitude, and your mastery of your abilities. The test will be held on November 20th, at The Genesis Empowerment Center. During the test, you will be evaluated by a team of experienced HAVEN instructors and specialists.

What to Bring:

A government-issued photo ID…

She skimmed through the rest of the email, shaking with joy. Other than a warning to exercise confidentiality with the entire process, there wasn't much else to note. With her speaker dialed to eleven, she danced her way around the small confines of her trailer. Only the burnt smell of her cooking tempered her excitement a bit.

❊ ❊ ❊

The following day, Ella handed in her resignation at the Sunrise Cafe, with a bittersweet taste in her mind, happy that she finally had an avenue to make a difference in the world while chopping away at her debt, but sad that she was leaving Betty and the rest of her colleagues. HAVEN's call-up also afforded her the license to go after Killer Cell and everyone responsible for the death of Rebecca down the road. However, she realized that her actions might have been premature since she hadn't become a superhero yet, as she still needed to pass the Superhero Assessment Test. Nevertheless, she burned with a new confidence and nothing could deter her.

Sandy, who always cautioned her to not raise her voice, hypocritically flipped off, crying about her quitting work on such short notice, and the number of staff absconding from their responsibilities. Ella almost felt sorry for her former manager until she remembered the comments Sandy had made about her chances with HAVEN the day before. So, of course, she did the most mature thing and flipped Sandy the bird on her way out of the restaurant.

Later that day, she messaged her younger brother and broke the news. It seemed Jalen was always absent, and whenever she asked him what he was up to, his answers were vague. And that was if he even deemed to respond. However, that night, she received a message from him congratulating her on her success. Fighting her protective instincts and failing, she once again inquired about what he was doing. He replied immediately, dishing out some curses. Then I'll head to bed. Her brow rose, confused. Jalen was never one to get into insult-slogging contests with others.

Oh, well. She shrugged, tossing it up to him, having had too much to drink. Then she switched off the light and snuggled into bed, her heart still racing with excitement.

A few days later, she made her way over to The Genesis Empowerment Center, on an artificial island off the coast of New Jersey. Similar to her previous visit, a significant hold-up plagued the roads leading into the island. Regardless, this time she didn't have to worry about finishing in time for any afternoon shifts. And as usual, she had to pass through a full body scanner to gain access to the premises.

On her walk from the parking lot to the ten-story steel and glass building that encompassed her view, she maneuvered through a busy walkway, a folder containing her documents clutched tightly. Using the maps sprung up on signposts, she found out which sub-building—connecting with a bridge to the main building—was her destination.

The D wing.

As she got closer to her destination, the pounding of her heart seemed to intensify. Doubt crept into her psyche. She worried if she was good enough to pass the assessment. When it came to her physical abilities, she knew she was more than up to scratch. One only needed to witness her battle with Crocman at the Radiant Tower to understand her strength. However, as per her research, the HAVEN Superhero Assessment Test encompassed many challenges, of which a physical test played a small part. Unlike the superhumans she would go against, who had their powers for years as was common, she only got hers recently.

The building she entered sat next to the building where she registered her superhero status. A few people stood in a line before a woman who sat behind a desk. After the woman completed a series of checks, she allowed the next person in line to enter through a door beside the desk. Ella quickly noted that the people standing in line were superhuman, like her, present to take the test. The man in front of her was impressive. So tall and muscular he was that the dress shirt he wore threatened to rip apart anytime he moved his arms. Gray slacks with a blazer of a similar color hanging over his shoulder from his finger completed his outfit. She hadn't realized her eyes were glued to him as the man peeled off into the next room until the woman at the desk coughed to snap her out of her trance.

"Your Superhuman ID card, please?" the woman asked.

With flushed cheeks, she surrendered the prerequisite documents for identification and authentication. Afterward, she was allowed into the next room. There, she found out the superhumans were passing through another full-body scanner, this time with minimal clothes on.

"Take off the jacket and jewelry, ma'am," a man said, tapping on a tablet he held. "And your shoes too."

She obliged and stored the jacket and shoes on a plastic tray, which she placed in a cabinet. "What's going on?"

The man glanced up at her from his tablet. "We require accurate body measurements to build a 3D copy of your body which will be used to design your training suits, among many other things." Spotting her apprehensive look, he added. "You can be rest assured, we take privacy seriously. Your data is safe with us."

Soon it became her turn, and she stepped into the small enclosure. A door slid into place behind her and sealed the room with accompanying darkness. The only thing she could see was a screen before her which displaced a humanoid model with its arms spread straight apart and its legs set wide. She assumed the scanner wanted her to adopt that pose, and soon it confirmed it with an electronic voice.

'Please adopt the pose on the screen to begin the process.'

When she postured herself as instructed, the voice sounded again.

'Head relaxed. Look straight ahead. During the process, bright lights will be utilized. We advise you to keep your body motionless to achieve the best results.'

She gulped, hoping it wouldn't sense her pounding heart.

"Of course it will, stupid," she countered.

'And no talking during the process.'

The dark room brightened considerably, blasted with thousands of sweeping laser lights while mechanical hums and clicks sounded in the background. She held herself as still as possible during the light show.