Two days later
It was Monday afternoon, and the sky was that dull colour that heralded rain without fully committing. In the schoolyard, Kana and Miyu were walking alongside Aoi, sharing a bag of sweets as they crossed the gate.
-So... karaoke today too? -Kana asked, with a hopeful smile. You promised you were going to sing two songs this time.
-I've got the playlist ready," Miyu added, pulling out her phone like a magic sword. And you get "Starlight Punch"!
Aoi smiled, but her gaze dropped for a moment.
-I can't today, girls," she said softly. I have to do... something else.
-Something else? -Kana cocked her head to one side. What other thing?
-Uh... something I left unfinished. It's complicated. Sorry," Aoi averted her eyes as she spoke.
Miyu puffed out her cheeks, feigning a dramatic pout.
-Are you trading us in for a secret club?
-No," Aoi laughed, though her chest tightened slightly. I'm really sorry. Tomorrow, okay?
Kana watched her for a few more seconds, then sighed.
-Well... but you owe us a song.
-Two," Miyu corrected, pointing a finger at her.
-I promise," Aoi said, raising her hand as if she were swearing an oath.
They waved goodbye with a quick wave and walked away through the crowd. Aoi stood alone on the pavement, with the sounds of laughing students all around her. She looked down at her backpack. She knew exactly what she was looking for.
She opened the small pocket and pulled out a crumpled card. The ink on the number was still handwritten, a little smudged from Saturday's humidity. He held it between his fingers for a few seconds, as if the paper was too heavy.
"What if he doesn't answer? What if I regret it? What if I'm not what they expect...?"
He took a deep breath.
He pulled out his mobile phone. She dialed the number.
Her fingers trembled.
One ring. Two. Three.
He was about to hang up.
-Hello? -said a voice on the other end. Young, relaxed, but with a hint of urgency. Aoi was startled. The phone almost fell out of her hands.
-Ah! Uh... yes, hello. Blockwave... it's me. I mean... I'm Shiftie. The girl from the other day.
There was a brief silence.
-Oh, yes! Of course I remember. Shiftie! -The voice sounded warmer now. That's a very good name, did you choose it?
-Yes... thank you," Aoi replied, feeling the heat rise in her face.
-So... did you think about what I proposed? Aoi pursed her lips. He closed his eyes.
And said, without hesitation:
-Yes. I want to join you.
On the other side there was a pause...and then:
-Great!
Aoi smiled, holding back a small cry of excitement.
-You could come over later, let's just say we're busy right now....
At that instant, a loud voice was heard shouting in the distance, accompanied by the echo of a metallic clang:
-Not this one either! -followed by a rough chuckle, as if he enjoyed smashing things too much.
Aoi pulled the phone away from her ear, startled by the shout.
-Uh... yeah," Blockwave said, laughing nervously. That was Bulwark. We're dealing with an idiot who thinks he's immortal.
Another thump sounded. Another "HAHA!" in the background.
-I'll call you later, okay? So we can give you the location so we can train a bit... and see how you can help us.
-Yeah, sure. Thanks for that. I'll see you soon, Shif.
-See you soon, Shiftie. -See you soon, Shiftie.
The line went dead. Aoi slowly put the mobile phone down and looked at it as if she had just ended a call with another world. And maybe she had.
She had said yes.
She sat down on a bench near the school exit. Her heart was pounding like crazy. She was excited, but also afraid. The fear of someone who knew that her life had just changed, even if she didn't quite understand how.
In the meantime...
In a dusty alley behind a decommissioned mechanic's shop, two figures were confronting a criminal who was no longer moving.
One of them, covered in steel from head to toe, was shaking off his hands after knocking a second villain unconscious on the ground.
-Neither is this one," Bulwark grunted, grinning savagely. Where do they make them now, out of plastic?
Blockwave hung up the call and put his phone away.
-Who were you talking to? -asked Goro, wiping his sweat with his wrist.
-With the girl from the other day. Shiftie. Goro sighed. His shoulders slumped slightly.
-If anything happens to her, you're the one who's going to take care of it.
-Don't worry, Goro," Blockwave replied with a lopsided smile. I know what I'm doing.
Goro gave him a sidelong glance. He said nothing more. He just looked back down at the ground, where the enemy lay unconscious.
And though he wouldn't admit it out loud, something in his eyes said he was beginning to take Shiftie seriously too.
Part 2: First mission
~ The rain was still unwilling to fall, barely hitting the window of Aoi's small room. She was sitting on the floor, surrounded by clothes, ribbons and scraps of cloth. On her lap, the makeshift costume she had been putting together for days. Nothing too elaborate: dark leggings, a light jacket with inside pockets and her colourful scarf knotted around her neck, like a little signature of herself.
In front of her, the switched-on mobile shook every now and then. She looked at it every two seconds, as if she was going to escape on her own.
-Don't be silly," she told herself. He's going to call. They said he was going to call.
She got up and began to put on each piece of the suit, adjusting it carefully. Every time she pulled up a zip or tightened a knot, she felt a tingling sensation in her back, as if something invisible was pushing her to keep going.
Suddenly, the phone vibrated with a long ring. Aoi was so startled that she lost her balance and rolled backwards on the carpet.
-Ouch," she moaned, her legs half tangled in her suit trousers.
With an awkward leap, he grabbed his mobile phone and answered it without even looking at the number.
-Hello? -he blurted out, his voice cracking.
On the other end, Blockwave's voice sounded calm and amused:
-Shiftie? I'll send you a location. Get there when you can, okay?
Aoi, her breath hitching, bit her lip to keep from screaming in excitement.
-Yes, yes, I'm on my way! I'll be right there!
She put the mobile phone away, feeling her heart hammering in her ribs. He looked around his room: his backpack lying around, the window fogged by the drizzle, the scarf hanging around his neck like a little talisman.
He looked down at the door to his room. On the other side, her mother and younger sister watched television, oblivious to the fact that their world was about to change.
"I can't let them stop me."
Without a second thought, she opened the window. The cold air brushed her face and mixed with the electricity she felt inside.
Aoi sat on the edge, groped the distance to the first floor ceiling - it wasn't that high - and let out a small, nervous laugh.
-Come on..." she whispered for courage, pressing her knuckles against the wood of the window.
He counted to three in his mind, feeling the scarf flutter in the breeze. Then he propelled himself.
He landed on the first-floor roof with a thud, rolling to cushion himself. She lay there
for a few seconds, flat on her back, staring up at the low clouds and the light rain that drenched her face.
Her heart was pounding like crazy. For an instant she felt afraid... and then a spark of excitement ran down her spine.
He rolled to the edge of the roof, climbed down the side railing of the garage and hid behind the hedge in the garden.
She looked up at her bedroom window: the curtain was still swaying in the breeze, as if dismissing her.
She adjusted her scarf, took a deep breath... and ran out into the drizzle, towards her first night as Shiftie.
Abandoned factory
An hour later, the rain was barely falling like a light curtain. Aoi arrived in front of the crooked grille of an old textile factory. The peeling walls seemed to whisper secrets to each other. She swallowed and took a deep breath. It was now or never.
He pushed open the metal door, which creaked as if protesting. Inside, the echo of footsteps and voices led her to a clear area. There waited Blockwave, leaning against a concrete column, and Bulwark, sitting on a crate, staring at a small old television propped on a makeshift table. An open can of beer rested beside him.
-You made it, Shiftie," Bulwark grunted, not taking his eyes off the screen. Blockwave straightened up and smiled at her.
-Welcome. Today we'll keep it simple: training, then patrolling.
Aoi nodded, trying to keep her voice from shaking.
-Training... with me?
-Close combat," Bulwark said, taking a swig of beer. Blockwave will make sure you don't die today.
Blockwave rolled his eyes with a half-smile.
-He's exaggerating. Come on, Shiftie. Come on, Shiftie.
They moved to a clear space, where the floor was covered with dust and marks from old pallets. Blockwave stood at attention, showing her the basic stance.
-I'm not going to break you, don't worry," he joked.
Aoi took a deep breath, trying to mimic him. Gentle jabs, blocks, side-steps. The sound of muffled thumps filled the factory as Bulwark watched from the corner of his eye, without detaching himself from his beer or the small television that crackled with interference.
In between breaths, Aoi plucked up her courage.
-Blockwave... That thing from the other day. That lizard man. Bulwark... I was looking at his eyes, wasn't I?
Blockwave stopped a beat and lowered his arms.
-Yeah. And the guy in the alley, too. Good eye.
-Why? -Aoi asked, cocking her head to one side.
Blockwave watched her for a moment, as if gauging whether he should tell her. Then he sighed.
-We're not just any unlicensed heroes, Shiftie. We... in addition to common criminals, we're looking to stop a cult.
Aoi's eyes widened in surprise.
-A cult?
-The Cult of Awakening," Blockwave explained, lowering his voice. They promise to give powers to people who don't have them. But most of the time... it doesn't end well. Most people's bodies can't take it. They end up deformed, like beasts. No mind. Just instinct.
Aoi felt a shiver run down the back of her neck.
-And the pupils...?
-When they're 'awakened', their eyes change," Blockwave raised a finger, serious. When they fall unconscious, they look human again... but, if you see them before then, the pupils turn completely red. It's like a sign that something inside them isn't quite human anymore.
-Can they go back to normal? -Aoi asked, in an almost childish whisper. Blockwave looked down. He took a deep breath before answering:
-Some can... the ones that can't take it. The power and the mutation wear off in hours. But they almost never remember anything. And the ones that do... those are the real monsters.
Aoi was about to ask something else, but a shadow loomed over them both. Bulwark stood up from his box, crushed the empty can and tossed it into a nearby dumpster.
-Enough chitchat," he said with a steely grin. Time to patrol.
Blockwave let out a laugh, patted Aoi on the shoulder and grabbed his jacket.
-You're doing well, Shiftie. Get ready. Today you're going to see what the city we're trying to protect is really like.
Aoi swallowed, her heart pounding. This time there was no doubt: she was no longer just invisible. She was part of something bigger.
Part 3: Haruto The happy creator
In the heart of a dilapidated machine shop, surrounded by piles of scrap metal and rusted parts, a boy worked with a grin from ear to ear.
Haruto Shima, in rolled-up overalls and safety glasses, was polishing the edge of a disc-shaped metal part. Sparks flew every time the sander brushed the surface.
On the table, hand-scribbled plans showed curves and angles: the design of his new round boomerang, his greatest pride and joy.
-Perfect! -he exclaimed, turning to look at it in the dim light of the workshop. This is art!
He placed it next to his old steel boomerang, which rested like an older brother.
Leaping up from the table, Haruto looked at his creation as if it were a holy relic.
-Time to try it," he said, almost holding back a childish giggle.
He grabbed some empty oil cans used as makeshift targets and stuffed them into a backpack. Before he left, his uncle, a grey-haired, raspy-voiced man, passed him in the doorway of the workshop.
-Hey, Haruto! -he growled, throwing a bag at him. Throw out the rubbish before you disappear again.
Haruto, sweaty and full of metal dust, puffed out his cheeks, feigning a dramatic sigh.
-Yes, yes... all right...
The alley
He tossed the bag into a dumpster at the end of the alley, whistling low. But something made him stop: voices. Voices that didn't fit in such a quiet place.
He peeked behind a broken lamp post and saw three men in civilian clothes, though one of them wore an armband with a strange symbol on it. In front of them, a skinny boy was trembling with fear.
-If you come with us, you will have power," one of them said, stroking his head like a dog. You will be somebody, do you understand? Not a nobody with no skills.
Haruto felt something twist in his chest.
He clenched his fist. He stepped forward, without thinking.
-That's impossible! -He blurted out, backpack slung over one shoulder. You can't just give him powers like that!
One of the men turned, annoyed.
-Stay out of this, kid. This is none of your business.
The one who looked like the leader raised a hand, calming his companion.
-No, no..." He smiled, as if enjoying the scene. We seem to have a curious spectator. Come, let me show you.
He snapped his fingers. The other two recruiters grabbed the boy by the arms, ignoring his muffled pleas.
The leader pulled out a syringe with a fluorescent green liquid and, without hesitation, plunged it into the young man's neck.
The boy screamed. His body arched as he fell to his knees. A guttural roar tore from his throat. His skin ripped and stretched like wet leather.
-Looks like this guy wasn't blessed by the Cult either," sneered one, dropping him as if tossing a broken toy.
The three passed Haruto. The leader patted him on the shoulder as if giving him a consolation prize.
-Good luck, kid.
The monster
Haruto took a deep breath. His hands were shaking, but he would not move.
In front of him, the boy had transformed into a mass of amorphous muscle. He was over six feet tall; his arms were like trunks, dragging chunks of hardened flesh as if he were a raging gorilla.
-Come... here...! -the creature snarled, almost without human words.
Haruto threw his normal boomerang. It hit the monster's shoulder, but barely managed to make it turn around in anger. The weapon became embedded in a wall.
Haruto gulped. His fear trembled inside... but something sparkled in his eyes.
-Well... you leave me no choice," he grinned, pulling the circular metal disc from his backpack. Time to test you, beauty!
He raised his arm, revealing a metal bracelet with a blue button embedded in it.
-Come on... show me what you can do.
He threw the circular boomerang. The weapon flew through the air, hit the beast's jaw and bounced back towards Haruto. The monster roared and ripped a dumpster off the ground.
Haruto pressed the button on his bracelet. The boomerang sizzled: small electric shocks circled its edge.
-Go, go, go! -he shouted, throwing it again. This time, the electricity sizzled on the creature's skin, burning it with each impact.
But the monster did not relent. It picked up the bin and threw it with brutal force. Haruto barely managed to raise his arm when, suddenly, a vibrant blue shield blocked the impact.
In front of him, Blockwave, breathing heavily.
-Are you all right? -Blockwave asked, still staring at the monster.
-Yes... thank you," gasped Haruto, catching his breath.
At that instant, Bulwark and Shiftie emerged from the shadows, ready to fight.
Impromptu battle
Shiftie ran stealthily through the rubble, throwing herself at the monster's arm to distract it while Blockwave created barriers to stop the onslaught of its giant fists.
Bulwark advanced like a wall of living steel, pinning the monster head-on so that Haruto could strike with his electric boomerang. Each blast left charred marks on the deformed skin.
The monster roared and lashed out in rage, but, surrounded, it weakened to its knees. A final boomerang spun like a flashing star, knocking it to the ground.
Bulwark moved in, holding him by the neck as he looked into his eyes. The pupils... red, like live embers.
A dark smile crossed Bulwark's hardened face.
-Finally we have one! -he growled.
He turned to Haruto, still panting.
-Boy. What happened here?
Haruto explained everything: how he saw them, how they injected the boy, how they taunted him.
Bulwark listened without interrupting him. Then he looked him up and down.
-Do you have skills? -he asked. Haruto shook his head.
-No. I just... do boomerangs. It's the only thing I have for fighting.
Bulwark clicked his tongue, as if assessing something he didn't mean. Then he turned to Blockwave:
-Give him a card.
Blockwave pulled out a small, crumpled card and thrust it into Haruto's hand.
-If you want to be a hero," Bulwark said, turning his back to him, "give us a call. Haruto smiled, holding up the card as if it were a medal.
-Of course I will.
And as he watched the three of them walk away through shadows and containers, he knew that he had finally found something worth continuing to throw his boomerang for.
As Bulwark, Blockwave and Shiftie turned to walk away into the dumpsters and the darkness of the alley, Haruto stood still, the round boomerang dangling from his hand and the card clutched in the other.
He couldn't help but raise his voice:
-Hey!
The three of them stopped. Blockwave turned his head, arching an eyebrow.
-What's up, Kid? -he asked, using the name for the first time with a lopsided grin.
Haruto swallowed. His adrenaline was pumping, his heart racing, his mind full of questions.
-Who... who are you really? -he asked, as if he needed to hold on to something clear in the midst of the madness he had just experienced.
Blockwave looked at him for a few seconds. Behind him, Bulwark let out a growl that could have been a restrained laugh. Shiftie just looked down, giving a coy smile.
Then Blockwave shrugged and replied, clapping her on the shoulder as she passed:
-We are the ones who save the unseen... when the city sleeps.
And they walked on, losing themselves in the shadows, while Haruto stood there, clutching the card between his fingers, a spark of pride shining in his eyes.