Sovereign (Nemesis, #2)

by April Daniels

I wasn’t the first transgender superhero, as a lot of cis people seem to think I am. I’m just the most famous. In fact, trans people who get superpowers are way more likely to become superheroes than cis people who get powers, because we tend to already be alienated from mainstream society, so the sacrifices of being a hero mean less to us.

New Port has always had more than its share of weirdos in tights and super-powered narcissists with god complexes.

Wizards tend to be hopeless optimists. It’s the only reason they do such a dangerous job.

“That’s really cool,” I say, and it even sounds like I mean it. The truth is, Garrison’s personal crusade seems like another rich dude’s fantasy of remaking the world so that it will kiss his ass just that much more, and I cannot scrounge up even half a shit to give about this.

“I have a publicist,” I say. “Why didn’t you just call her up and arrange a meeting?” “I like to do this sort of thing one-on-one, without the help. It builds investment.” The help, he says. Now there’s an interesting way to describe a woman with degrees from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.

“It’s not every day beautiful girls fall out of the sky and ask me to kiss them.” “Would you like that to be an everyday thing?” I ask. “Because I can arrange that.”

There’s a lot of things I can do with the lattice besides fly and punch things. (Though those are two of my favorite things.)

For the first few moments, it’s like pressing up against a granite cliff. This thing is moving and I can’t feel any change in velocity whatsoever. Crap, this plan might need to go in stages if they’re all going to be this hard. As if sensing my thoughts, my HUD turns green and a chibi illustration of Doc pops up in my field of view; she’s got a huge anime smile and a word bubble floating above her head that says, “Atta girl! You can do it! Fuck that shit up!” Okay, maybe I need to cut Doc some slack.

Multibillion-dollar acts of vandalism are not how I thought I’d save the world this month, but being a superhero is a weird gig sometimes.

Fighting in space is stupidly dangerous for a list of reasons that would take all day to explain. I get as far as Germany before I have to start fighting in space.

Then he shoots me with his friggin’ eye lasers, and why the hell does he have eye lasers, that wasn’t in his file!

I give him my best interview smile. “Do you have any aspirin? I am in an incredible amount of pain.”

Okey dokey! When this is over can we get a selfie together? -D I do not believe you will survive the next seventy-two hours. -RS Okay, but what if I do? -D Then, yes. -RS

I am Dreadnought. I am undefeatable. They came after me because I’m the one who scares them. Because they knew I was the most dangerous. Well, they were right, and I’m going to prove it to them. A smile grows on my face. Tomorrow…tomorrow I might retire. Take my savings and buy a little cabin out somewhere, hide away from the world so I can’t hurt anybody. But today? Today I’m going to beat some motherfuckers ’til they cry.

Calamity looks up, surprised. “You’ve been talking to him?” I nod. “As far as killers-for-hire go, he seems pretty nice.” “The shit you get up to,” says Calamity with a chuckle.

“Dreadnought. Why aren’t you falling to your death?” “Because you’re not actually the smartest person in the world, Garrison,” I reply. “You may call me Sovereign.” “I’m gonna call you Dingus.”

“I’m not sure I know what you mean by that.” Doc shrugs. “That’s okay, sometimes I just like hearing myself talk.