[A/N]: Next goal is 600 Powerstones for two more bonus chapters. As always comment, share, and gift stones if you're enjoying the story!
Surfer's Paradise, Australia
Jay appeared on Surfer's Paradise beach with blue energy crackling around him. The Australian sun beat down; tourists and locals scattered across the sand. Kids building castles, couples laying on towels and surfers riding waves. The smell of salt and sunscreen was heavy, and so was the sound of waves crashing and seagulls calling.
But strangely, nobody noticed him. His reality warping created a subtle and elegant perception filter, making people's eyes slide past without registering his presence. A trick he'd learned from his old friend Xabi.
A tourist walked right past him and didn't even glance. A kid ran through where Jay stood, correcting course unconsciously without knowing why. The filter made him a blind spot; he was present but unperceived.
"Babe! You're finally here!"
He was about to dial Domino's number when he heard her. He smiled, turning to find Domino walking toward him in her Hawaiian shirt and beach hat. Behind her was a tall woman, golden-skinned and athletic, clearly Heather Cameron.
But what surprised him was the group of people following them at a distance, twenty, maybe thirty. Phones out and banners waving. Shouting encouragement, some wore homemade Lifeguard shirts, and others had signs.
"LIFEGUARD SAVES LIVES!"
"MUTANT AND PROUD!"
"THANK YOU, HEATHER!"
The crowd pressed closer. It was enthusiastic and overwhelming. Heather looked uncomfortable. Her shoulders clearly hunched, and smile forced.
Domino cheerfully hugged him. "You know you stand out like a sore thumb in that damn suit of yours, especially here on a beach, right?"
Jay hugged her back, then turned to the golden woman. "Hello Heather, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Heather's eyes went wide. Her mouth opened wide as she grabbed Jay's hand and shook it too hard. Words tumbling out in a rush, thick with her Australian accent. "No no, it's my pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jay! Bloody hell, I can't believe I'm meetin' the Power Broker in the flesh! And I was so rude to your girlfriend earlier, I'm absolutely mortified! She probably thinks I'm a total drongo!"
Jay looked at Domino with a confused expression. She just shrugged. "Apparently, she's a big fan of yours. She was very thankful you chose her and her brother to help with the invasion."
Heather spoke quickly, words tripping over each other as her face flushed. "No, it's not like I'm some crazy stalker or anythin'! It's just, my whole life I wanted to be a lifeguard. Help people, yeah? Save lives. But even after achievin' it, I felt limited. Like I could do more, but couldn't reach far enough. But after you triggered our powers during the invasion, enhanced them, I could finally do what I truly wanted. Help people to the best of my abilities. Really make a difference, you know?"
Jay saw her earnest gratitude and smiled. "It's heroes like you that deserve all the praise. Maybe that's why there's a group of fans following you around?"
Heather turned and saw the crowd. The poor girl didn't know where to hide. "Oh God, not again. They've been followin' me since I got back from New York and went active here. Don't get me wrong, they're lovely people, but it's a bit much sometimes. Can't even grab a coffee without someone wantin' a selfie or askin' about the invasion. I'm just a lifeguard, yeah? Not some celebrity."
The crowd pressed closer as their voices called out.
"Heather! Can we get a photo?"
"Lifeguard! Over here!"
"Is that the Domino? Oh my God!"
Jay, seeing her discomfort, waved his hand. The people just dispersed, their attention sliding away like water off glass.
Heather asked, surprised. "What the hell? How did you...?"
Jay replied. "Ah, I've picked up a few things in my time dealing with fans, zealots and cultists, you name it."
Seeing Heather's increasingly absurd expression and mouth agape, Domino finally broke, laughing. "I can't, the poor girl's just too easy to tease! You should have seen her acting all tough when I first approached her. All professional lifeguard, protectin' her turf. But the second I mentioned it was you who wanted her help, she did a turnaround so hard I nearly got whiplash!"
Heather looked like she wanted to sink into the sand as her hands covered her face.
Jay couldn't find any words, so he decided to go straight to business. He addressed Heather directly, who was busy trying to silence Domino from embarrassing her more. "Heather, I need your help. In fact, for what I'm planning, you are a crucial key."
Heather's posture straightened, her embarrassment pushed aside. "I'm ready for whatever you need, mate. Just point me at it."
Jay nodded and teleported them with blue light as the beach vanished.
Savage Land Base
The trio appeared in a blue flash. Heather hunched over, stumbled to the balcony edge immediately, puking hard from the effects of teleporting thousands of miles in an instant.
Domino reached out to console her, steadying her as Jay called out. "My bad! First-timers always have a bad experience with teleporting."
Heather, mid-puke, managed to say between heaves. "But we already teleported…twice... to and from New York!"
Jay smiled. "Well, it wouldn't make much sense to summon heroes to fight an alien army only for them to puke all over Manhattan, now would it?"
After a few minutes, Heather finally stopped and wiped her mouth. Then she looked up and realized where she was.
From the open balcony, she could see large flowers the size of a car and strange plants everywhere. Then she saw pterodactyls flying in a herd, their wings casting shadows across the valley. And beyond them, the long necks of Brachiosaurus, moving slowly and grazing on trees.
"Are those bloody dinosaurs?" Her voice rose. "And is that a glowing mountain over there? Where the hell are we?"
Domino said. "Welcome to Savage Land. This is a small piece of comfort we stole from the world, and you are our first guest. But I guess we aren't doing that well in hosting you, huh?"
[A/N]: Support my work and get early access to chapters, exclusive content, and bonus material at my P@treon - Max_Striker.
If you wanna hang out, join my Discord server- https://discord.gg/jbn7TYPf