Luke Oswen practically crawled up the stairs to the second floor apartment he shared with his sister, Marina. Thundrax’s beating left him battered and bruised, possibly with a broken rib but he didn’t want to say anything with the guys there. He was stronger than that.
This was the first time he’d gotten a serious beating. He’d done most of his work on Purple Gang and the gangs of Westside, and they were easy. He had clearance to go up against VIPER in the desert, but first he had to rope in some robots, which was tedious and time consuming.
Luke fumbled open the door. “I’m home,” he said. He tried to take a deep breath. Yeah, a broken or at least bruised rib. Luke tossed the keys into the bowl next to the door and closed the door. He heard his sister get up from the couch and come into the foyer.
She was built small and compact, with a swollen belly of a six-month pregnancy. Her long blond hair was in her face. She brushed it away, tucking it behind her ear. “You’re late.”
“I went to Caprice.”
She tilted her head. “It looks like you got yourself into a fight.”
“Just a small one.”
“Did you win?”
He moaned, “No.”
“Well, come on, let’s ice it.” She started walking to the kitchen. “Where does it hurt?”
“It hurts to breathe,” he said, following.
She stopped, and he bumped into her. “You should go to the hospital.”
“I’ll be fine.”
She shook her head. “You’re not like Johnny who can heal himself. And you’re not built like Claire who can beat up people with one hand tied behind her back.”
“If it’s like this tomorrow, I’ll go to the hospital.” He forced a smile. “How’s Judith?”
She placed a hand on her belly. “Judy, Judy, Judy. I’m not calling her Judith.”
“Judy, just to piss mom off?”
“No, because Judith sounds so old.”
“It is her grandmother’s name. That’s, what, the Victorian Age?”
“No, silly. That’s the 1900’s.” She went to the freezer and pulled out a large bag of frozen peas. “Go lie on the couch.”
He took off his shirt and belt, lying on the side that didn’t hurt. She returned with the bag and lay it on his side. He hissed at the cold, gathered a fluffy pillow, and tried to relax.
“Which gang did this to you?”
“A hero. Thundrax.”
“You went up against him? What for?”
“We were just sparring. He really did kick my ass, though. I have to learn more moves instead of rushing at him and using my head to butt him.” He avoided looking at her. “It was like hitting a steel wall. Some give, but he didn’t move. He wiped me out in seconds.”
Marina shook her head. “You’re not ready for that kind of thing yet.”
“I know that now.” He sighed. It hurt. “Anyone call?”
“No.” She flopped backwards into the old, stuffed recliner. “You keep thinking Dad’s going to call?”
“I thought he’d understand.”
She frowned. “We’re not the picture-perfect mutants that he wanted. You, with your horns and the fact that you’re gay. Me, an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. We don’t fit into our perfect Christian family.”
Luke slowly took a breath in, and let it out just as slowly, his new version of a sigh. Marina had gotten pregnant and the family shunted her out of the church the second they heard. The father was no where to be found. Luke came out just a month ago, when he turned 19. He was kicked out too. He had four other brothers and three other sisters, so the family called themselves God’s Paladins and fought crime in God’s name. They were famous – in Nebraska
Their father, Josea, led the family. Josea had been a wandering con man until he found God, the typical conversion story. After meeting their mother, Christina, nearly 8 years his junior and an ice mutant, they started having children immediately. All of their children had mutations.
Marina’s was simple telekinesis, but she was afraid of lifting anything larger than a refrigerator. A strategically thrown bread box could hurt, but Josea tried to teach her to pick up heavier and heavier things. He brought over a trainer.
Three weeks later, she was pregnant, and told to move out of Nebraska. Luke followed. Their family paid their arrangements, sent them a weekly stipend, paid their rent, but did not want them to contact the family. In fact, they were not even to use their real last name.
But there was nothing about not becoming a hero. Marina decided to have the baby instead of being a hero. Their father said that they would not pay for the child, so Luke chose to do some heroic work on the side to get some extra money for Judith. Judy.
“Feel better?”
He nodded, though he was lying. He removed the ice and swung his legs onto the floor. “I’m going to bed,” he said.
“I’ll be up for a little bit,” said Marina, wincing. “Judy’s doing somersaults.”
Luke walked over and put his hand on Marina’s tummy. He felt the movement, then smiled. “She’s getting ready to drop.”
“She’s got two more months before she gets into position.”
He glanced at the nightstand, seeing What To Expect When You’re Expecting. He nodded, gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“Go to the hospital tomorrow.”
“Right.” He wouldn’t.
