The Normals

Chapter Twenty-Four: Marianne Monologues

The air outside the Stuffed Cloud seemed to be vibrating when Roger and Marianne went back to the top-story room of the Stuffed Cloud, but it took them a moment to understand why. There were helicopters everywhere, hovering like incriminating bugs around the Stuffed Cloud, their blades beating at the air. 

As Roger and Marianne watched through the broken window, another FCS helicopter rose up out of the artificial clouds surrounding them. It made its way to one of the helicopter pads -- the Stuffed Cloud's own helicopters were all missing -- and just barely touched down. A stream of brightly-uniformed Supers poured out, and the helicopter rose again to join the rest in their vigil around the floating buildings. 

It was then that the two realized what had been going on on the rest of the Stuffed Cloud. The whole thing had been attacked, not just the two of them. And now that they could see it, the damage was horrible.

“What happened to all the people?” Roger asked. “All my workers? It looks so… quiet.”

And it was quiet, despite the neverending roar of the dozens of helicopters. There was a feeling of emptiness, as if the hundreds of people so constantly present on the Stuffed Cloud had all suddenly disappeared.

Marianne suddenly found it hard to swallow. She fought the urge to cry. “I have to save them.”

“Are you sure you can?”

“I have to. It was always the whole point of getting these powers.”

“Yes, but… we always planned for more time than this. Time to get used to things.”

Marianne let out a bitter laugh. “Supervillains don’t get time.”

Roger looked up at her. She seemed to have grown, and not only because she was floating a foot off the ground. She seemed bigger, fuller, more powerful than he had ever seen her before. And even though it had been barely any time since she’d gained the powers, they fit her like a glove.

He nodded slowly. “Go. I’ll be… doing something.”

Marianne took off. She soared out into midair, above the main building. Several helicopters swerved, their pilots suddenly paying attention to her, but she ignored them.

With her new powers, she could see what was going on in incredible detail. Most of the Stuffed Cloud’s workers were gone, but not all; there were places the Supers hadn’t reached yet. But they were moving quickly. They swept through each building, breaking into every room and stunning the Normals inside. Most of the workers had worked out what was happening, and were trying to hide or defend themselves, but none of them stood a chance against the Fantastic City Supers.

And when the Supers did find Normals, they caught them and marched them away to the nearest helicopter pad to be flown back down to earth, most likely to be imprisoned.

All the outer buildings were completely empty, all the workshops and the offices. The main building was the only one that still remained untouched, and Marianne was sure she knew why. They’d sent all the best and strongest Supers there in the first place, and hadn’t imagined that the team wouldn’t succeed. Hadn’t imagined that they’d all be condensed and their powers put into the girl who was now floating above the Stuffed Cloud ready to fight them.

But even as Marianne watched, she saw the first team of backup approaching the main building. The guard bots weren’t reacting; someone must have disabled them so the building was defenseless. She sprung into action.

The first Super didn’t even see what hit him, because Marianne shot past him so fast that she was no more than a colored blur. By the time he registered that he had been kicked in the face to the other side of the room, she was already swerving around for a second attack. Two more Supers found themselves hurt or immobilized before the fourth finally had the senses to dodge the blow. Marianne, not yet knowing how to steer herself, swerved out of control.