Titans by Niall Teasdale

Author:Niall Teasdale [Teasdale, Niall]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-05-30T04:00:00+00:00

~~~

Oddly, Mercy knew that the storm had begun not because of any outward signs but because the tension in her head and neck suddenly vanished. She had, she figured, been sensing the impending violence. Now that the violence was unleashed, the pressure was off.

‘It’s started,’ she said aloud. She checked her watch. ‘About the right time too.’

‘I wish I could sense storms,’ Zuri said from beside her. They were both sitting with their backs against the scruffy, tiled walls of the old subway station. Trains no longer ran; the tunnels had actually been blocked up with large, concrete barriers cemented in place. There were people all over the old platforms, waiting out the storm with their neighbours.

‘You see, you say that now when you can’t, but to be able to, you’d have to, well, stop being human.’

‘I don’t believe that.’

‘You’d have to be a Titan, so–’

‘I don’t believe Titans aren’t human. Sure, they have superhuman powers. Some of them anyway. That doesn’t make them inhuman. Now, some of them are inhuman, but that has nothing to do with their powers.’

‘Power corrupts. Superhuman power corrupts superly. Or something. That’s not a real word.’

Zuri flashed a grin. ‘You’re a Titan. If you say it’s a word, it’s a word. Don’t dodge the subject. You’re human, just a human with special abilities.’

Mercy looked around at the huddled masses. Actually, there was not much huddling going on; the residents of the NYA were used to Wave Storms and seemed to consider them something to be endured. Now that Zuri was underground, she seemed a lot less nervous.

However, when Mercy had arrived at the station, her eyes had been glowing as she used her new sense to keep track of the impending storm. Now, there was a noticeable distance being maintained between her and everyone else, except for Zuri. ‘I don’t think your attitude is entirely universal,’ Mercy said.

‘Oh, that’s just… respect.’

‘It looks like they’re afraid to sit near me.’

‘Aren’t respect and fear two sides of the same coin? You have to be a little afraid of what someone’s capable of to respect them, right? If you were threatening them, they’d probably be scared, sure, but you’re just sitting here like everyone else. Your eyes aren’t even glowing now. You have your powers under control, you’re not being threatening, but they’re giving you a bit more room because they respect your power.’

‘Huh. I am not entirely sure I see the difference. Anyway, the other thing that’s bothering me is the rats.’

‘Rats?’

Philosophically, Mercy knew that there were rats everywhere. That went double in most cities and the rats of New York City were almost celebrities. With her spatial sense, however, she had actually seen them scurrying around, out of sight but almost close enough to touch if she could have reached through a wall or floor. And there had been the other thing…

‘Yes, rats. They’re all over the place and they’re not acting like how I expect rats to act. I stopped looking, but they were… organised.

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