The Anthem Force Chronicles

Chapter 4- Tournament of Heroes

The Hall of Heroes: Where ordinary men become extraordinary.

I read the plaque once and then once more.I am standing in front of the infamous building that had become and icon fore peace and justice around the world. Me. Dante Caslon.

It had been a four hour flight and then an hour tram ride into the city, which seemed longer due to the constant chatter of Ricky and Brian and Alex’s natural chill making our entire cabin freezing. Of course it didn’t help that Luke had conveniently fallen asleep, leaving me to stare out the window the entire time.

It was worth it though as soon as Ultrocity came into view. The entire place is a modern marvel, practically a utopia.

Ultrocity had to be at least five times the size of Anthem and is the largest city in the country. Miles of carefully planned suburbs surround a towering skyline of futuristic skyscrapers. A large tram, the one we had ridden, wove through the city, zooming along with unnatural speed and precision. The gem of Ultrocity though has to be the Hall of Heroes. It's massive, possibly the size of four football stadiums, and in the heart of downtown.

The tram had delivered us immediately to the hall, not even bothering to bring us to our hotel first. Apparently there was a banquet tonight and we were to report there right away. Our bags were going to be taken to the hotel and we had already changed on the tram.

Jenna had picked out my dress for the night, a one-shouldered metallic number that came down to my knees. She had paired it with black pumps and thrown magazine cutouts into my bag of exactly how I was supposed to style my hair, some curled side pony thing.

Poor Jenna had been slightly heartbroken that we were all leaving her for the tournament. She had practically broken into tears upon hearing the news and the only way of consoling her was for me to volunteer as her dress up doll. Plus, David had offered to keep her company and allow her to help him keep the city in check while we were gone.

My mom had taken the news surprisingly better then Jenna had. When it came to me being a superhero she worries a lot but is also immensely proud. She knew that even though I may be gone the for a while that this was a once in a life time opportunity.

“You ready?” Luke whispers in my ear. He is twitching nervously in his tux, which I find adorable.

“Yah, don’t be nervous.” I whisper back.

“I’m not nervous,” Luke says defensively but straightens his stance.

“Mmm-hmmm,” I murmur teasingly. Luke grabs my hand in his and we began to ascend up the grand staircase up to the main hall.

Brian, Ricky, and Alex walk in front of us and we are all greeted at the top of the staircase by a man in a black suit.

He shows us the way inside where there was an assortment of security measures.

After going through a couple of booths to verify my identity I am on the other side and in the Hall’s grand ballroom.