It comes as no surprise that people are still talking about the Sundial Blackout. It's gotten its fair share of memes, praise, and hate on the internet. I actually started to read one article where some guy was trying to figure out how much energy Lamar needed to do that before I realized I didn't care that much. Being there was enough to know it was a lot.
School goes by quickly, it's Friday so everybody wants to go home fast. I'm putting some stuff in my locker when Lamar approaches me. There's an awkward little moment when he goes for a handshake but I have my fist closed for a pound. He switches at the same time I do. With a wave of his hand, he dismisses the clumsy interaction.
"We'll work on that later. For now, I have a favor to ask you." He's wearing his usual bomber jacket and a black hoodie. "It's really inconvenient, it might take a while and I know all of this is short notice so I totally understand if you decline, but I'll buy you lunch as thanks…or dinner. Depends on how long it takes," Lamar says, pressing his hands together in a pleading manner. If he needs my help I'll gladly give it.
"Sure, what's the favor? Need me to help you move some furniture? Hide a dead body?" Lamar chuckles.
"No, nothing like that. After that whole thing in Sundial Square, I've been called in for a meeting with the Protagonist board tomorrow. They're gonna ask me a bunch of questions about it, and I wanted you to be there," he explains. I close my locker.
"Like a character witness?" He does a so-so gesture with his hand.
"More like a witness witness. They'll probably want to know more about what happened so having another perspective would help."
"If you think it'll help then sure, I'll-" I'm interrupted by Lamar suddenly putting his hands on my shoulders. He looks at me right in my eyes.
"Thank you! You have no idea what this means to me. Let me get your number and I'll text you where to meet." I'm taken aback by how easily he asks for it. He puts me in his contacts, takes a picture of me for it, and then sends me a thumbs up emoji.
"Should I dress up, like get a suit?" I ask to Lamar's amusement. He laughs a short, incredulous chuckle.
"It's not a court of law, dude. You don't have to dress fancy or anything. Not that you should dress down, what you're wearing now is fine. I mean you can wear something different, obviously; since it's tomorrow. You probably don't want to wear the same outfit." He stops talking and electricity flows up his scar. "Wear whatever," he summarizes. I nod.
"Aight. I'll put on my finest booty shorts." Another chuckle from Lamar.
"Oh yeah, that'll really put me in their good graces. Catch you tomorrow, man." This time we part ways with a dap.
Saturday comes faster than I thought it would. After I told my mom about the situation she insisted I at least wear a button up shirt and since I'd rather fight a bear than argue with her, I listen.
The spot where Lamar wants to meet isn't that far from the school (which I guess is the only place we both know). I'm getting kinda nervous waiting; what's this meeting going to be like? Are they going to hook me up to a lie detector? Are they gonna arrest Lamar if I say the wrong thing? I take a deep breath and try to calm down. He already said it wasn't that serious. In the midst of my mini-panicking, I hear him behind from me,
"Yo, sorry I'm late."
"It's no problem." Lamar certainly didn't dress up for this. Wearing his usual black jeans, and sneakers. He has on a black, short-sleeved t-shirt that really shows off his muscular arms, it says "No Idea" written in red on the front.
"Is that sand on you?" Little brown particles sit on his shoulders.
"Oh, I still got some on me?" He brushes it off. "It's a long story but the punchline is that there's a very unconscious sea monster on the docks over at Cubey island," Lamar elaborates. "It's been a weird morning. Anyway," he takes his phone out "let me order this ride." His app says the car will be here in a few minutes. Lamar scans me with a curious eye. "Want me to charge your phone?"
"What?"
"Your phone, it's almost dead. Do you want me to charge it?" I forgot to charge it last night and I've been nervously playing on it this whole time.
"Sure." I hand him my phone. Lamar sticks out his pinky finger and a tiny stream of electricity surges from him. My phone charges to 100% immediately.
"You can sense battery levels?"
"Yeah it's kinda like a…" he thinks for a moment. "Like an augment to my senses. I can see, hear, and feel electricity wherever it is." He points to the building across the street. "If I look hard enough, I can see the power flowing through stuff."
The more I hang out with Lamar the more I understand just how much I don't understand how powerful he is. Between him being to fly through the air and destroy a helicopter, I can't help but wonder what else he can do.
Just then the car pulls up and we get in the back. Lamar has a serious look on his face, holding his chin. No doubt thinking about the upcoming meeting.
"Why do you think the Protagonist board keeps calling you?" I ask to break the silence. He sighs before answering,
"They probably don't want another "Amelia Owens" situation. And being a Protagonist for two years has them nervous."
"Who?" Lamar looks at me for a second.
"Oh, that's right. They don't teach her story in school. My dad taught me about her." Lamar sits up straighter. "She was a Protagonist back during the Civil Rights Movement. Around our age, she was a Protagonist for way longer than me and was far more powerful. She had her powers for 5 years or so, and she could create miniature stars and black holes. Which, of course, had a lot of people buggin' out back then. She was an activist, always on the frontlines of marches. She had all that power and still didn't fight back, peacefully protesting despite what she could do...but it didn't do her much good. After a string of assassinations, and a bombing at her church; too many of her friends and family died. She made a black hole and just...disappeared. Took the rubble of the church with her. No one knows what happens inside a black hole but that was decades ago so," he shrugs "I doubt she's still alive. After that, the government decided that people with the power to destroy cities should probably be monitored. Thus, the Board was created. They make sure anyone with particularly strong powers," he points to himself "aren't being reckless and help guide them if necessary. But mostly they're a huge pain in my ass." the car stops. "Speaking of, here we go."
The Protagonist Board building is a tall, but rather plain building. Unremarkable, unlike the people it's supposed to monitor. As we walk in a man walks out and nods to Lamar.
"That's Pookie. Good guy, " Lamar quickly says. The lobby of the building is just as underwhelming as the outside. Off-white walls and floor and without so much as a potted plant this place feels like it's not supposed to be inhabited. There are only two elevators facing us and Lamar walks to the left one. He pushes one of the few buttons on the panel and looks directly into the camera in the corner. Instead of going up, the elevator lurches and we head down. At a fast speed too it seems, in only a short while we're past ten floors of the basement I wasn't expecting. Each floor we zoom by adds to the feeling that I shouldn't be here. We get to the 44th floor and the elevator opens.
Lamar walks out into the menacing hallway.
"C' mon dude," he says. I guess he's been here enough to not be freaked out by this. The long hallway is in stark contrast to the lobby. All of it is smooth black tiles with lights in the floor where the floor meets the walls. It's incredibly sterilized.
"Are you sure I should be in here? This feels really...secretive." Lamar keeps his pace ahead of me and chuckles.
"It's not Area 51, man. This whole place is on public record. Besides, you're not the one that can see electricity. You don't want to know what's behind these walls." I look at them, they're as smooth as the floor with no visible seams or panels, I haven't even seen any doors so far.
"What's behind them?" I ask, unable to keep the worry out of my voice. Lamar looks back at me then shakes his head.
"I'm trying not to freak you out."
"Well, you're doing a terrible job at it. Ain't you heard of 'ignorance is bliss'?"
"I'm sorry. Try not to think to about it," he offers. My eyes scan the walls but I can't see anything that would suggest there's something behind them.
The hallways come to an end, the double doors open before we get to them. Towards the back of the room is a dais and there are eight people seated at it. All dressed in suits, all older, and have pissed off looks on their faces when they look at Lamar. Except for the woman at the right end, who looks happy to see him but she withholds the smile from her face. She looks familiar somehow.
We walk into the room and all their eyes fixate on me and I suddenly regret not wearing a suit like my mom said I should.
"Who is this?" The man left of the center says.
"Well I was getting tired of getting jumped by you guys, so I brought back up this time," Lamar explains. The board deliberates among themselves for a moment.
"So you know what this is about?" The man on the left end says. Lamar nods. "Good. Then let's begin. Have a seat, please." With that two chairs shoot up from unseen panels in the floor right behind us. I take a seat and Lamar crosses his arms.
"I'll stand," he says.
"Very well. Tell us about the incident."
"I was headed home after school when I sensed a helicopter losing power. I saved the pilot and passenger, a girl around my age. The helicopter was still falling, it was going to crash into a building and dozens of people would've been hurt. I took energy from the city's power grid and destroyed it. The only option I had at the time."
The board writes down some notes.
"How did you save the people in the helicopter?"
"As you're aware, I can transform into lightning. I can also do the same to anyone I touch. I took them with me and got them on the ground."
"Why didn't you just do the same to the helicopter?" A woman on the right asks.
"I can only do it to things I can carry. I can't lift a helicopter." Just as soon as he answers that question another member asks him another.
"You said you sensed it losing power. Why not charge it instead?"
"The problem wasn't with the battery. I don't know what made it fail, it losing power was just a result of it though. I don't know how to fix a helicopter."
The board takes another moment to talk and take notes.
"Well, let's get to the main issue." One of them presses a button and a screen descends from the ceiling. A map of Excelsior city appears. "You took energy in a three-mile radius." The map shows a black circle where he drained electricity from.
"Yeah, I needed the power and I didn't have my battery packs with me," Lamar explains.
"What if someone got hurt or killed?"
"I know this city." Lamar walks over to the screen, zooming in and dragging the image. "Right here, there's a hospital." He points to an area just outside of the circle. "All the apartments in this part of town cost some serious money, so I doubt there would be anyone on life support equipment in them. I knew where to draw power from. I've had my powers long enough to know how to use them. I'm not some reckless idiot, so don't treat me like one." Lamar walks to stand right in front of them. "The fact is I stopped a tragedy from and you're interrogating me like I caused it. So what is this really about?"
The board gives each other looks like they aren't sure who should say it. The woman on the end clears her throat to speak,
"We didn't know you could absorb so much power," she says.
"You've also never seen me shower, doesn't mean I don't do it every day."
"Lamar, please," she says delicately.
"I'll just say it!" The man left of the center says, not trying to hide the irritation in his voice. "Your light show made a lot of important people nervous. A Protagonist with your level of power hasn't existed in a while, your powers show no sign of going away, and now you've begun exhibiting new capabilities-"
"They're not new. I've just never had reason to do that before," Lamar corrects him.
"That's exactly my point! No one but you knows what you're capable of!" Silence fills the room. Though it wasn't directly said, the question implied hangs over all our heads. What is he capable of? If he wanted to, could he drain the entire planet of electricity and send us back to the Dark ages? How powerful could he become? What's to stop him?
I'm not the one the question is about and I'm sweating. Lamar's scar lights up but he has nothing to say. I have to say something.
I stand up quickly, suddenly reminding the members that I'm here in the room. All eyes turn to me. What am I going to say?
"I just wanted to say that...Lamar wouldn't have done what he did if it wasn't absolutely necessary." I have to keep going. "He put the safety of everyone at Sundial Square over his own. He put himself right in the path of where that helicopter would've crashed. He made a choice, stuck to it, and he didn't hesitate." I look at Lamar. "Because he knew if he did, even for a second, people could've died. So he went headfirst into danger to save them," I turn to face the board again "because that's what heroes do."
The board mulls over what I just said. I can hear Lamar's scar light up.
"Also, he fainted right after." They all have quizzical faces and Lamar shoots me a look of disbelief. "So you can probably relax a bit."
"You fainted!?" The woman on the end shoots up from her chair.
"I was fine," Lamar says, somewhat annoyed.
"How is fainting 'fine'?"
"Can we talk about this later, mom?" Mom?! I look closely at her and she does indeed resemble Lamar. Or rather, he resembles her. They have the same strong jawline and nose shape. I can recognize that look his eyes have
"Margret, please. Sit." another board member says. She does so reluctantly, but gives Lamar a look that screams, "We'll talk about this later."
"Yes, taking in that much energy and then shooting it out of my hands made me faint. So I don't think you have to worry about me threatening national security. I passed out after destroying one measly helicopter, and it didn't feel that great. It's not something I'd do again if I had the choice."
The board writes down more notes and talks for a short while.
"Well, that'll go in the report. Thank you for your time, Lamar." He nods. "And you…" Lamar's mom is talking to me.
"Oh, I'm Jason Duval."
"Thank you, Jason." she gives me a small nod.
"You can go now."
Lamar and I leave the room. Soon as the door closes I get the shock of my life as Lamar pulls me in for a hug. This close, I feel his heart beating fast in his chest against mine. His body is warm. Really warm.
Pt 1 End
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