Page 21 of Dr. Z
Chapter 6
The September night had a chill in the air, a hint of autumn on the wind as Mike approached the firehouse. On his first visits to the Arch City Guardians headquarters, there’d been only a few cars in the parking lot. Tonight, the lot was full. The superhero team was having a meeting this evening, and everyone was scheduled to be there. Although Mike hadn’t officially joined the team yet, Strong had requested his presence to meet the rest of the members, and see how they interacted with each other to help make his decision. Knowing how important it was to have good vibes between the members in a unit, Mike appreciated the invite.
Inside, the lower level was empty of people, Caleb’s many monitors glowing a soft blue in the vacant room. Following the sound of conversations, Mike went upstairs to the loft. The space was typical of older firehouses. Like the lower level, it was clean and nicely organized, yet missing the personal touch of the members who used it.
There was a large space for what had probably once held entertainment for the firefighters on duty, but now had a couch and two armchairs with a small coffee table in the middle of the seating arrangement. Three large windows on the back wall had their blinds raised to show the slowly darkening evening sky. In the area farthest from the steps, there was a small kitchen with stainless steel appliances that were obviously recent installs. The floors were polished hardwood and near the loft railing was a fireman’s pole, with a metal safety guard around it.
The center of the room was dominated by the long butcher block table where everyone had taken a seat. Strong sat at the head. Caleb had a seat in the middle, in front of his laptop and a holographic projector, and the others had filled in the seats until there were only three left. As Mike walked up to one of the empty chairs, a young Black woman with her dark hair in a ponytail, wearing a T-shirt that said,Bi, Black, and Bougie, looked at him with her eyebrows raised in question.
“New team member?” she asked.
“Not yet,” Caleb answered. “But he’s here to meet you all so everyone pretend like you’ve got some home training for the next couple of hours.”
Strong rose from his seat. “Mike, I’ll introduce you to the group. ACG, listen up.” The side conversations quieted at the lieutenant’s call for attention. “This is Mike. He’s considering joining us as a permanent member.”
Mike paid attention as Strong began introducing the heroes one by one.
“Of course, you already know Caleb and Ignite. And that’s Frost. You met them previously.”
The hero known as Frost was a young Caucasian with hair so white it was nearly silver. It didn’t look dyed but their dark eyebrows were a sign that they hadn’t always had platinum hair. Beneath those dark brows, blue eyes shone as bright and hard as Arctic ice, and there was a cool, bluish undertone to his smooth skin.
“Their power is cryokinesis,” Strong continued. “They can create ice and snow from the water molecules in the air, and freeze the temperature.”
“They were a big help when my air conditioner went out this summer,” Caleb joked.
“It’s good to see you again,” Frost said in a low, reserved tone.
“Likewise,” Mike replied.
Before Strong could move on to the next person, there was a softpop,followed by the sudden appearance of a red-haired Caucasian woman. She wore her hair in a bob that swung directly above her shoulders and was dressed casually in a long, slouchy tee, leggings, and sandals. Mike didn’t recognize the woman’s face, but the red hair was familiar.
“That’s Sonica, who you’ve also met before.”
The woman waved and went to sit in one of the two remaining empty chairs.
“As you can see, she’s a teleporter. She also has a devastating sonic scream.”
Sonica opened her mouth, as if she was going to demonstrate, but Strong stopped her.
“Don’t you dare,” he warned sternly.
Sonica winked at Mike. “He falls for that every time.”
“Next to her is Blaze. He controls electricity.”
Blaze was a light-skin Black man, dressed in a dark gray, short-sleeve T-shirt, with a black baseball hat pulled down low over his face. He sat leaning back in his chair, muscular arms crossed over his chest.
Ignite looked down the table at the hero. “Show him your power.”
Blaze’s answer was short and to the point.
“No.” He nodded at Mike. “Nice to meet you.”
Mike returned the short greeting with a nod of his own.
“Down the table is Bulldozer. He’s indestructible, can move rock and soil, and can punch through solid brick.”
Mike knew immediately who Strong referred to. Only one man at the table could have earned that code name. Bulldozer was massive, every muscle as hard and defined as if they had been chiseled from an immovable boulder. He said hello to the man with skin the color of rich soil and eyes a sharp, flinty gray.
