Hero Unit (15 page)

“Your friend, Emily, told us about what has
been going on. She said that it would be good for us to come and
visit you,” Ace’s mom said as she sat her siblings down.

“Have a seat,” Ace said and joined her family
in her living room. “She’s right. Things have been difficult
recently. The HSO is stirring up trouble, trying to drive a rift
between normals and Exceptionals. People have died because of it,
one of them was a member of my unit. The funeral was today.”

“We know, that’s why we’re here,” her mother
said. She placed a hand on Ace’s shoulder. “We are the ones that
separated you from us. But sometimes it is best for you to have
family around.”

Truer words were never spoken.

Ace couldn’t bring herself to speak. She was
just too overwhelmed to see her family again. It had been years
since she’d actually been in the same room with them. Occasional
emails and packages didn’t satisfy the need she had to be with
them. The tears started to fall and her mother wrapped her in a
gentle hug.

Once Ace had a chance to recover and gather
herself she caught up with the lives of her family. Her brother was
doing well in college. He was the starting quarterback for the
University of Oregon. Her sister had just graduated from high
school. She’d gotten scholarship offers from a number of
universities with Exceptional Athletic programs. She’d finally
settled on the University of Oregon as well.

“Haven’t classes started already?” Ace asked.
She didn’t want her siblings to miss out on any school because of
her.

“Yeah, but the school gives us leave whenever
we need it. Sometimes it pays to be part of a famous family,” Aaron
said.

“How’s the team this year? It’s still hard to
get Oregon games out here,” Ace asked. She wished she had more
chances to see her brother play. They talked football and whether
he was going to pursue an NFL career.

“It still sucks that I have to go through
Exceptionals testing every season. No one believes that a normal
can come from a family full of Exceptionals,” Aaron complained.

“That shouldn’t be fair. Everyone knows that
powers never manifest after birth. You either have them or you
don’t,” Ace said. It was not fair that her brother got treated like
that.

“It’s fine. It does them all good to see that
he’s just that much better than they are. It won him the Heisman
last year,” Amy piped in.

“Congrats, little brother!” Ace said. She’d
been busy during the Heisman selections the year before and had
never really caught up with college football. She was immensely
proud of her younger brother. He’d found his own way of excelling
despite being a normal surrounded by Exceptionals.

“She didn’t tell you that she nearly broke
the Exceptional World Record for the 1000 meter did she?” Aaron
said with a smile at his little sister.

Ace shook her head. She’d missed out on a lot
because of what she was. People held her on a pedestal and expected
great things from her. It was nice to see her brother and sister
being able to just enjoy their lives.

Even if you can’t be a part of it.

The whole time Ace could hear her parents
talking with Emily in the kitchen under the guise of making lunch.
They spoke it low tones, her parents were well aware of her above
normal hearing capabilities, but she wasn’t trying to eaves drop.
They would talk with her when they were ready. Her parents
struggled to understand her, much like she imagined her grandfather
had struggled to understand her father.

Her family had always marked the changing
generations in the Exceptionals. Her great-great grandfather
Abraham Smith the First had been the first Exceptional born. All
Exceptionals born after him would later be called the First
Generation. Their powers were simple, one dimensional abilities,
like being able to hear another person’s thoughts, or low-level
ballistic shields.

Twenty years later, when Abraham’s wife,
Abigail, had their first child she had been an Exceptional, but her
powers far exceeded those of all the other Exceptionals of the
time. At first the theory had been that it was because she was the
child of two Exceptionals, but when other Exceptional children were
born with greater powers than the Firsts it became apparent that
the phenomenon was changing. It wasn’t until the Third Generation
started that the generation names were given.

Each generation had started twenty years
after the start of the previous. The only time that pattern had
been broken was with Ace. When the Exceptionals War broke out
nearly every Exceptional had been dragged into the conflict. It had
delayed her parents having children until they were thirty.

Some scientists pointed to that as the reason
why she was the only Fifth, but there was no way to support or
refute the claim. Just like there was no clear scientific evidence
to show what made a person an Exceptional. There simply was no
explaining it. And none of it served to help her parents to
understand what it was like for her. Though her dad might’ve had an
inkling of what it was like to be in her shoes and a great deal
more sympathy for his father.

No kidding. Grandpa was probably overwhelmed
by dad’s power.

“Lunch is ready!” her mom said, loud enough
to be heard over their boisterous conversations. They all gathered
around the table where Emily joined them, albeit with some very
direct prodding from Ace’s mother. “Young lady you are a part of
this family. You have been the friend to our daughter that she has
needed for a very long time. You have earned your place with
us.”

There is no arguing with mom.

Emily blushed and Ace smiled. Emily didn’t
have a family as such. Her parents had had to give her up to the
Exceptionals Research Institute. It had afforded them a better
life, but they refused to contact her out of shame. Emily was of
two minds on the whole matter, but she respected her parent’s
wishes.

“So how bad is the HSO situation here?” Ace’s
father asked as they ate. Even if he was just a Reg, her father was
a survivor of the Exceptionals War. He knew what kind of threat the
HSO posed.

“That’s the whole problem, dad, we don’t
really know. There are a lot of individual threads that point to
them, but we haven’t been able to confirm anything beyond the Antis
that my team dealt with not long ago,” Ace said.

“Any word from the old man?” her father
asked.

“He contacted me once, but didn’t have much.
Said he’d keep his ear to the ground, but that was more about
Mayhem than the HSO. I expected him to contact me now that we’ve
got Mayhem in custody, but he hasn’t,” Ace replied. She could see
Emily’s confused look. That was one secret her friend wasn’t going
to get quite yet.

The old man would not be happy if she did.
It’s definitely safer for her that way.

“So what’s the plan then?” her mother
asked.

“I’m off the case for one,” Ace replied. “I
was too close to it. They can’t afford another Detroit, so I took
myself off. I’ve been put in charge of all aerial patrols in New
Davenport. It was a big promotion and it keeps me distracted while
Emily and my squad do the questioning.”

“Aerial patrol is a big deal, even when
you’re dealing with just the Heroes,” Ace’s dad said with an
appreciative nod.

“It’s not just the Heroes, sir, Ace is in
charge of all police on aerial patrol. It’s a joint task force
between the E.E.D and the normal police. It is a preemptive move by
the Commissioner and head of the E.E.D to try and stem the
potential rift between Hero, Reg and normal,” Emily explained.

“So you have normals under your command as
well? Well done Ace, well done,” her father said. She could hear
his approval and it made her swell with pride. Her father wasn’t
strict, but he wasn’t effusive with praise either.

“I didn’t think the normals would work with
the E.E.D,” Amy said. She had made short work of her lunch. She
wasn’t quite as lucky as Ace when it came to the balance between
her powers, the bending of natural laws and her metabolism. She had
to eat a lot more than anyone else at the table, even more than
their mother, who was also a Speed Class.

“In most places it is a difficult
partnership, but the E.E.D was founded in New Davenport. The two
organizations have had a longer time to coexist here. Our joint
task force is going to force other agencies to rethink how they
deal with the normal police in their jurisdictions. I think it will
bring about a positive change,” Ace replied.

“Do you think you could come to the
international trials this year?” Amy asked out of the blue.

The request took Ace by surprise. “If I know
far enough in advance, sure. I have enough vacation time to make
the trip, no matter where it is,” she said. It almost made her cry
to have her sister reach out to her like that.

“Are you sure that’s safe? I mean you are
fairly well known and the point of you living so far away is to
keep us safe,” Ace’s mother said.

“Don’t worry Mrs. Smith I can handle that.
Most people are used to Ace just as you see her. With a little
makeup and a change of wardrobe no one but her family will be able
to recognize her. Then she’ll just be Alison, not Ace the Fifth
Generation,” Emily interjected.

Wow, she figured out your real name. Not
many people know that.

Ace smiled her thanks to her friend. The rest
of the meal was spent on more pleasant topics. A lot of it was Ace
catching up with her parents. It was nice to be able to speak with
them without the feeling they didn’t approve of her decisions. They
had come to terms with her choice to join the E.E.D, just as she
had come to terms with their choice to stay as Regs.

Their reasons were easy for her to
understand. They were survivors of the Exceptionals War. Both of
them had been teenagers when the war had started, but all the
Exceptionals had been pulled into the conflict that had quickly
spread across North America. And then to the rest of the world.

There are times I really wish they had been
able to call it World War Three.

Both her parents still suffered PTSD because
of what they’d had to do in defense of the normals. Unlike other
wars both sides of the conflict had been explained to Ace in stark,
unflinching detail. Everyone in the E.E.D had to study all aspects
of the Exceptionals War. That had opened her eyes to what her
parents had gone through at very young ages.

They spent the rest of the day touring the
city. Emily stayed home. She knew that Ace needed some alone time
with her family. Ace’s parents hadn’t been back to New Davenport
since helping in its reconstruction after the war. Ace was nervous
about exposing her parents to HSO agents, but her dad had
prevailed. “They can’t be any more dangerous than the likes of
Black Lake or Blight,” was his argument. And he was right. So far
the HSO hadn’t committed nearly the atrocities that had been
perpetuated by the leaders of the Anti-Registration Army.

Don’t worry, they’re close enough that I can
handle some misdirection.

The last place they went was Monument Park.
As veterans of the war Ace’s parents approached with reverence and
regret in their eyes. Her father read the names on the Memorial of
the Fallen. “Man, I remember serving with some of these people,
good men and women, all of them,” he whispered, tears in his eyes
as he read the names.

“From what I heard Einstein was in tears the
whole time he put it up. He wouldn’t let a single Exceptional near
it until the normals had had their chance to pay their respects.
The whole park is protected by some of his best stuff,” Ace
said.

The hardest part was when they came to the
Exceptional Monument. “John Smith, the General. I had hoped…” her
father’s voice trailed off. He fell to his knees and leaned against
the monument, his head resting on his crossed arms, crying
silently. Ace had already confirmed that the name was in fact her
grandfather.

John Smith was the First of the Third
Generation. He had led the forces that fought the ARA during the
Exceptionals War. People had called them the Heroes. John Smith
“the General” had fallen in the last engagement of the war. He’d
died to eliminate the remaining leaders of the ARA. Their deaths
had spelled the end for the Anti-Registration Army. It had taken a
few years to actually find his body and confirm his passing.

“Moses confirmed it dad, it was grandpa’s
body they found,” Ace said quietly.

Her dad nodded quietly. Her mother put her
hand on his shoulder, but said nothing. She cried silent tears
while her husband mourned for the first time the death of his
father. Ace took her siblings a short distance away. “That’s why
you fight, isn’t it?” Aaron asked as he watched their parents.

Ace nodded. “If I can prevent that ever
happening again I want to. Children shouldn’t have to mourn their
parents, nor should parents have to mourn their children.”

“Do you think mom and dad would be upset if I
joined the E.E.D?” Amy asked quietly.

“I couldn’t tell you. They still struggle
with my joining. I don’t know what they would do if you joined. I
would just ask you to wait until after college,” Ace said.

“You regret not waiting?” Amy asked. This was
a conversation Ace had wanted to have with her sister for a long
time.

She needs to know the truth. She’ll join the
E.E.D, but mom and dad will be able to accept her decision better
thanks to you.

“I had nothing at home, sis. I know there
aren’t many Exceptionals to begin with, but you share the Fourth
Generation. The other Exceptionals understand you, maybe even
accept you. That wasn’t the case for me. I was even forbidden from
joining the Exceptional Athletics program because I was so much
more powerful than the greatest of the Fourth Generation. The
people that should have been my peers, the Fourths who were my age,
couldn’t deal with the power gap.