Sapphyra [Adult Superhero Progression]

Erek

She’s lost her goddess-damned mind if she thinks I’m letting her continue like this.

“Sapphyra!” My voice is softer than I wanted it to be but I know she heard me–one flinch was all I needed.

“Citizen,” Sapph didn’t turn to me—she was too busy holding up the monolith with two bare hands. She damn sure didn’t do that the first time this thing landed on her city.

“Don’t call me that. I ain’t a citizen of Cyran or earth. You know that.” I got in front of her face, but she still didn’t have the balls to look me in the eye.

“You know me, Sapph. Don’t act like this—not now.” There was a flicker of something familiar in her pupils. Those pretty baby blues used to haunt me back then and they haunt me now too.

“No time to talk! I’m a little busy saving Cyran!” She reminded me through gritted teeth. I rolled my eyes, rolled up my sleeves and put my back into lifting the damn thing up beside her. Her eyes got big and shiny on me. I smirked behind my mask.

“What’s the matter, hero? Can’t a man save the day without wearing spandex and underwear on the outside?”

Between the two of us, we managed to lift it a few feet off the ground. Believe me when I say: I'm counting my lucky stars we’ve made it this far.

“I don’t…need…your help!” Ah there’s that fire I love to see.

“Wrong. You might not, but those babies inside you do!” I pushed myself farther than I should have. My heart was already pushing itself against my ribs, rarin’ to break loose any second now.

“Babies? What are you talking about? I’m not pregnant!” She groaned, sweat poured down her strained face.

“What the hell are you talking about? Did that wish wipe you clean of all your senses or are you fuckin’ with me right now?”

No response. Right. I didn’t wanna do it but she’s leavin’ me no choice.

“Kid…dammit. You brought this on yourself.”

My tail wrapped around her waist and I braced myself for the mate-bond to kick in. What should have been electricity and passion running through us was replaced by cold loneliness.

My blood ran cold.

Where are the babies? Where is my mate?

“What the fuck?” I muttered, momentarily losing my grip on the monolith. My knees and wings buckled with strain but I got back in place just in time.

“You look like you need some help!” called out an old friend that pissed me off as well as warmed my heart.

“Guy, you old son-of-a-gun! Could definitely use your help here!”

He pulled up beside me, taking a little more of the strain of the monolith away. If it was just keeping it from crushing the city then the job wouldn’t be so bad but the damn thing was pushing down. It wanted to flatten Cyran and that made no sense.

Why protect us for so long if all you wanted to do when you woke up was end us?

“Sapph!” He tried reaching her but just like with me, no response.

“Dammit! Sapph listen, I know how to—”

“Little busy here, citizen! I’ll be with you in just a moment, I swear! You can have my autograph then.”

I swear I heard something break in Guy’s head, like someone dropped a stack of glass plates or something. His eyebrow twitched like he was a computer loading dial-up.

“Citizen. Right. I’m ignoring that until we get you back to normal. In the meantime, I know how to beat the monolith if anyone with some sense is listening.” His smile was forced and creepy as fuck. Poor man.

“I’m all ears buddy.” A clap on the back with my tail confirmed it.

“Good. Okay, the monolith is piloted by living beings. They’re inside its body. Just find them and knock them out and then it’s over with!”

“It can’t be that simple.” I muttered, unwilling to believe it. It’s been years, if anyone would have cracked that idea it would have been the eggheads in prison right now.

“I know, I know. Thank Rupert and Wyatt for this info. Just fan out and look for anything disturbing the space inside the monolith—something that shouldn’t be there.” He groaned, eyes fanning out over the city.

We looked towards each other and nodded, eyes full of determination. But one look at Sapphyra had him worried again.

“Don’t worry about her right now.” I reminded him. “She’s under the spell of the wish.”

“I know but—” his eyes landed on her belly, slightly more pronounced now that she’s in a skin tight suit.

“They’ll be fine. Dragon eggs aren’t easily cracked. Just hold on a little longer and you’ll all be together again, deal?”

He huffed and closed his eyes for a second. With a nod towards me he took off.

I gave Sapph one last pitiful look and flew off my damn self. The faster we did this, the safer she would be.

The eastern part of the city was mine to search and it didn’t take long. Shimmering above a ruined skyscraper sat the floating body of someone I hadn’t seen in a while. I vaguely made out the shape in time but the voice is what got me.

“Cowboy. How have you been?”

I took off my hat and tipped it at her. “Michelle. It’s nice to see you again.”

Taking one step towards her, the space around her floating body began to distort and push me back.

“Mind telling me how the hell you ended up like this?”

“Truthfully? I don’t know.” She paused, hair floating around her like a halo, eyes sunken in like she was already half dead. Half dead…shit. Her chest wasn’t moving.

“Michelle, what’s the last thing you remember before the city went to shit a hundred years ago?”

“I remember…" her body started shaking like dice thrown across a flat surface. “I…Sapph…I was trying to get to Beacon and see Sapph and then I…”

She stopped talking, eyes widening towards me like she knew the end was coming.

And for her, I think it already came. If that robotic eye and metallic skin was anything to go by.

“Hey cowboy…” She mumbled, wiping away a tear. “Don’t tell my baby, okay?”

“I can’t make that promise, ma’am.” She flinched as I walked towards her, placing my hands on her neck. “But I can promise to let her down easy.”

“I suppose that’s the best I can hope for, coming from you.”

When she smiled, weak and broken down as her spirit seemed to be, it brought a soft smile to me too.

“Do it.” Michelle whispered, voice full of conviction. Just like a hardened officer.

I grit my teeth and ripped her head clean off. Wires and blood sprayed my chest but with her death, the eastern section of the city was finally freed of the monolith’s crushing weight.

But that begs the fucking question…why was it only the eastern section freed?!