The Protagonist System

207 The Newest Wave Conclusion

I woke up in the morning and still had a cute blonde in my arms. I also had her hand down my pants and quite a bit of stickiness down there. Her hand moved and I took in a sharp breath.

“Morning, sweetie.” She said, her voice normal and not sleepy at all. She lifted her head from my chest and kissed me deeply, then she moved down and diligently cleaned me off and proceeded to get me off again.

I blew another load, not sure how many times she had played with me, then she climbed up on top of me and didn't ride me like a bucking bronco. She just slid me inside, moaned indecently, and laid back down to cuddle into my chest again.

“What time is it?” I asked instead of asking if she was okay.

“Just after 5.” She said and took a deep breath and let it out before going back to sleep.

I had about two hours before I had to get up and get ready, so I didn't try to dislodge her. I put my arms around her and held her and closed my eyes as I thought about how I was going to handle this. I was sure she was just looking for comfort and not to be railed like last night, which meant I was stuck where I was until she decided to let me go.

I went over the plans I had left to do, which wasn't much, since the next Endbringer attack wasn't until the end of February, or over a month and a half away. A lot could happen in that time and I knew I was going to lose all my Karma Points if I was involved in the fight. I almost laughed at somehow getting close enough to the psychic precog Simurgh to touch her and affect her with my powers.

I shook that thought out of my head, knowing it was never going to happen. She might not be able to see me or predict me because of Mind Blank; but, that didn't mean she couldn't see the hole where a cape was supposed to be. She could also probably see herself in the future and might already know what I was going to do to her, so the chances of that happening were slim and none.

The time to get up arrived and I took in a deep breath and let it out as I opened my arms and let my mom go. That was enough to wake her from her nap and she blinked her eyes at me. It took her a moment to wake fully and she lifted her head, shifting her body slightly, and she gasped when she remembered where she had a certain thing nestled.

“Greg...” My mom said and looked embarrassed.

“Good morning.” I said and gave her a quick kiss. “We need to shower and get dressed. Today's going to be a big day for the city with the announcement of a new healing cape at noon.”

“I NEED TO GET READY!” My mother yelled and she was suddenly through my closed bedroom door and probably the bathroom door.

I laughed and sat up to see that my abs and thighs were covered in clear fluid. She had apparently really enjoyed that sleeping position and nothing had dried or became crusty, which was a huge relief. I took out a wand and cleaned everything up, made the bed, and took off my pyjama top. I found the bottoms on the floor by the bed and my underwear was nowhere to be found.

I grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathroom to see my mother washing herself and muttering about washing her cape outfit and maybe getting her hair done with Amy's help. I walked by there and went to the master bedroom and used the shower there. I dried off and dressed before I went downstairs to make breakfast.

My mom came down the stairs and looked bright eyed and happy wearing a tight pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt. “I broke two doors and didn't feel a thing!”

I chuckled and pointed to the pile of scattered kindling that used to be our kitchen table and chairs. She turned and gasped at the mess, then she started cleaning it up.

“I don't even remember doing this.” My mom said and piled the wood pieces by the kitchen door.

“Well, you were kind of busy jumping my bones at the time.” I joked and she gave me a wide-eyed look. “It was surprisingly similar to what happened with Vicky.”

My mom blushed and looked away. “Ah, about that.” She said and looked sheepish. “I may have... been following you and... saw...”

I immediately thought of that old saying, 'monkey see, monkey do', and laughed. I didn't dare say it, though. “That explains a few things.” I said and walked over to hug her from behind. “It's okay, really. I don't mind you making sure I'm safe and seeing what patrolling with Vicky is like.”

She relaxed against me and hugged my arms. “Will things like that happen a lot?”

“Knowing Vicky? Probably.” I answered. “She might wait until after the patrol next time, though.”

My mom nodded and patted my arms. “I'll finish breakfast and you can grab your bookbag.”

“I didn't have any homework, so I left it at school.” I said and went with her to the stove to let her finish cooking the eggs and I cooked some toast.

We ate right from the pan, rather than dirty several dishes. Mom looked pretty cute as she pretended she wasn't that hungry and also ate a much larger portion than she usually did. I didn't bother telling her she would be eating a lot more than usual and she never had to worry about getting fat, not after Amy had tweaked her body's metabolism.

I bent down and picked up her cape costume and flicked it out, then I ran my hands over it to clean it and press out the wrinkles. My mom's eyes were wide as I did that and I handed it to her.

“Thank you, Greg.” She said and held it without hugging it.

“Anytime, mom.” I said and bent down to briefly kiss her. “We'll be by to pick you up a few minutes after the lunch bell rings.”

My mom nodded and I walked over to the pile of wood and scooped it up and stored it. She didn't comment on that and I left the house through the kitchen door and made myself invisible as soon as I was out of her sight. I flew up into the air and over to Arcadia High. Not having to take the bus was a huge relief, mostly because I didn't have to deal with any drama or odd smells.

I made myself visible after landing nearby and out of everyone's sight, then walked around the corner of the building and over to the main entrance. A few of the students from gym class called out greetings and waved, so I nodded at the guys and waved back to the girls.

I entered the school and made my way through the slightly crowded hallways to my locker and met Vicky and Amy on the way. A hug and a kiss was given to Amy and a hug to Vicky, then shared greetings to her entourage and the guys hanging around them.

“Hey, Dennis. How's your butt feeling today?” I asked the red-haired teenager that I suspected was Clockblocker when in costume.

“Bruised and abused, man.” Dennis said and rubbed it.

“That's because you couldn't keep your mouth shut and spent most of gym class in the pit.” Chris said with a smile. I was fairly sure he was Kid Win when in costume.

“I swear the coach has super-hearing or something! I never get away with saying anything before she blows that damn whistle.” Dennis complained and everyone chuckled.

“Either that or she's always near and specifically listening for you.” I said and a few of the girls nodded.

“She is surprisingly effective.” Amy said.

“She even caught a couple girls trying to sneak a peek at me in the shower after she put me through a hard workout.” I told them and flexed my arms to show off my biceps.

Several of the girls made muffled sounds and blushed.

“Somebody pinch me.” The brunette said and the girl next to her did. “Ow.”

I chuckled and leaned down to kiss Amy's cheek. “I need to grab my things for English and Math from my locker.”

“We'll meet you there at the bell for lunch.” Vicky said.

“Thanks.” I said and walked around Amy to kiss Vicky's cheek, too.

I walked away and didn't listen to the girls whispering behind me. I grabbed my books from my locker and went to my first class, English. The old man sitting at the teacher's desk was asleep and didn't move until the class was full and I found an empty seat to sit in, which again earned me appreciative looks from the girls and the guys completely missed.

The bell rang and the teacher started talking as if he hadn't just been asleep and dove right into the subject. The man didn't bother trying to coddle anyone, not even me, and he also didn't bother asking if I was keeping up with the rest of the class. When it was over, the next period was called Study Hall and I followed the other students to the library-like space that wasn't an actual library.

There were plenty of large tables, some with only two chairs and most with four or more. They were clearly meant for groups and they were filled up fairly quickly by the girls with an occasional guy sneaking in to join them, only to be rebuffed or completely ignored.

Since I didn't want anything to do with that scene, I chose a table at the far back of the room with two chairs and settled down to do the assigned work that the English teacher gave us. After all of the things I had been through during multiple lifetimes, and gaining all those memories, I had no trouble completing the assignment when the period was half over.

Someone sat beside me as I finished writing out the answer to the last question. I lifted my gaze from my papers and turned my head to see who it was, then smiled.

“Hi, Jensen.” I whispered.

“Hi, Greg.” Jensen whispered back and her eyes dropped down to look at what I was doing. “You finished the English assignment already?”

“It wasn't that hard.” I defended, only to have half of the room's occupants turn to stare at me. “I didn't see you in class.”

“I have him next period.” Jensen said and eyed my work. “Um... Greg, would you mind if I took a look through it?”

I glanced around and saw a lot of the people were interested in my answer. “As long as you write the answers out in your own words and don't copy it. I won't be accused of cheating.”

Jensen beamed a smile at me. “Don't worry about that, Greg. We've never ratted anyone out when they save us so much time doing research.”

My table was suddenly surrounded by a dozen chairs and Jensen spent the rest of the period doling out my answers like manna from heaven, making me mentally laugh. When the bell rang, I was enthusiastically thanked by everyone, even by the people in my own class, and Jensen waited until everyone started to leave before she gave me a tight hug.

“Thank you.” Jensen whispered and I felt her nipples get hard.

“You're welcome.” I said and she let me go, grabbed her things, and left. I put my assignment away and left the room as well, making sure the other students had enough time to sit in their seats in class and I didn't have to stand there and wait. I made it to Math class and most of the students waved or nodded when they saw me.

I nodded back and the teacher entered the class just before the bell rang. Just like the English teacher, she didn't waste any time and dove right into teaching calculus and the order of operations as they applied to complex formulas.

It would have been a bit of a mind twister for me if I hadn't spent years doing Arithmancy and Astronomy calculations in Harry Potter. Those were the real mind benders when you added magic diagnostics to advanced calculus.

When she assigned homework, which was only the questions at the end of the chapter she just walked us through, I glanced around and saw more than a few confused looks. I mentally sighed, because some students needed to be coddled and I felt bad that I was having such an easy time and they were struggling.

I stood up and everyone in the class looked at me, even the teacher. “It's Friday and I have work placement this afternoon, so we can't have a study session until the free class on Monday before lunch.”

Before anyone could respond, the bell rang and I grabbed my backpack and strode out of the room. I reached my locker and took out the English and Math books, then pretended to put my backpack in the locker and stored it instead.

Amy and Vicky showed up and their arms were empty, so they had already visited their lockers as well. We left the school through a side door, since we could easily avoid the crowds going to the cafeteria. I wasn't surprised to see Dennis, Chris, and a couple other guys that looked similar to them, leave as well.

“Decoys.” Vicky said and scooped Amy up into her arms. “We'll stop at your place first to pick up your mom and then we'll head to ours to change.”

I nodded and we flew up into the air towards my place. My mother was waiting in the backyard and looked nervous, so I landed and equipped my cape suit before I hugged her. She sighed and hugged me back.

Instead of letting her go, I flew up into the air and flipped us over in a manoeuvre Vicky had shown me and I now had my mom in a princess carry like Vicky held Amy.

“You really did learn how to do it!” Vicky said and laughed.

“After I saw you upside down and picking Amy up, and doing the same flip thing to hold her properly, I told you I had to learn it, too.” I said, reminding her of when they had visited the first time.

“Were running out of time.” Amy reminded us.

“Right! High speed, Atlas!” Vicky said and took off.

I flew off after her and easily matched her speed. “I'm not sure why we're in such a rush.”

“You'll see.” Vicky said with a smirk.

I looked at my mom and she shrugged, so I flew with Vicky to their place. We landed in their backyard and Vicky and Amy went inside to change. I put my mom down and she gave me an odd look.

“We can practice flying around the city on the weekend.” I promised and she looked happy.

The back door opened and my eyes widened when the entire roster of New Wave came out. My mom was just as surprised, especially since we both fit with their looks like we had always been there. The only stand-out was Shielder, civilian name Eric Pelham, because he had died his hair blue for some reason.

“I think we need introductions all around.” Sarah Pelham said and stepped forward. “I'm Lady Photon and this is my husband, Manpower.”

“Yo.” The seven foot tall muscular man named Neil said with a wave.

“The blonde with the red accents on her costume is my daughter, Laserdream.” Sarah said.

“Hello, there.” Crystal said and eyed me up and down.

“Down girl.” Sarah said with a roll of her eyes. “The cookie monster beside her is my son, Shielder.”

“Hey!” Eric exclaimed and pouted as Crystal laughed.

“The stern looking woman with short blonde hair is my sister, Brandish.” Sarah continued.

Carol nodded. “I have some papers for you both to sign later.”

“Beside her is her husband, Flashbang.” Sarah said and the blond man beside Carol only half waved, his movements lethargic.

“Nostrum to the rescue!” Mom said as she stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Mark's chin, as that was the only skin not covered by his cape outfit.

“What are you do...” Carol stopped talking when her husband visibly straightened up and a smile grew on his face. “Mark? Are you okay?”

“I'm fine, dear.” Mark said and took my mom's hand from his chin and kissed it. “Thank you, Nostrum.”

“You're welcome!” My mom said and stepped back beside me.

“What just happened?” Vicky asked as Amy looked pale.

“She can heal brains.” I said and they all gasped. “That shouldn't be a surprise. It was in the PRT assessment.”

“I don't remember reading that.” Sarah said, frowning slightly.

“Mom signed off on it when we did the paperwork when she was cleared for volunteer work.” I said and motioned to the last two people Sarah hadn't introduced.

Sarah rolled her eyes and pointed to them. “You know the last two, Glory Girl and Panacea.”

“It's nice to meet you all.” I said and put a hand on my mother's shoulder. “I'm Atlas and this is Nostrum.”

“Welcome to the team.” Sarah said.

“Thank you.” Mom and I said at the same time.

“Are we splitting up to head to the hospital now?” Eric asked.

“Ground based in the van and the rest can fly.” Sarah said.

“You're all going?” I asked as we all went through the house to the front yard.

“Of course we're all going. The press conference announcing you as new members would be pointless if we weren't all there to support you.” Carol said and two giggles came from her daughters. “Someone was supposed to tell you about it.”

“We wanted it to be a surprise!” Vicky said with a bright smile.

Carol let out a sigh and tried to not glare at them. “Just... get in the van.”

“Why don't we all fly?” I asked and they all turned to look at me. “There are more than enough of us to carry everyone safely and it will give one heck of a kick to our appearance and will show that the entire team is mobile now.”

Sarah and Carol exchanged knowing looks and both smiled. “Let's do it!”

*

The small press conference stage was set up in the parking lot of Brockton Bay General Hospital, thanks to a donation to the hospital, and the members of the press and a whole lot of people were there to hear the announcement of a new cape joining New Wave. The cameras were set to go live as well, since the news had been a little light lately with only a few major stories to run.

“Do you think they'll arrive in the minivan again? That's always funny.” One of the reporters asked.

“If we're lucky, they'll even push Panacea out first to let her soak up the flashbulbs and pictures first.” The guy beside him said. “Her scowl is worth almost three whole viewership points alone.”

The reporters around them chuckled and a few agreed.

“There they are!” Someone in the crowd shouted and pointed.

Everyone turned, even the television cameras, to get a good shot of the flying capes approaching. This was fortunate, because they caught the entire spectacle of the entire group of New Wave flying towards them. They were all there, even the cape that hadn't been active for years, Flashbang.

Atlas easily carried Manpower, Lady Photon carried Brandish, Vicky carried Amy, and a female cape they didn't know carried Flashbang. Laserdream and Shielder flew on either side of the group. They landed as one on the stage, in an impressive show of coordination, and spread out to show off the quite large and full roster of the team of 10 members.

Lady Photon stepped up to the microphone and beamed a smile at the cameras. “I had a big long speech prepared that was full of fancy words and platitudes...”

“Boooo!” The crowd responded and she laughed.

“...which is why I'm skipping it.” Lady Photon said and the crowd cheered. “I'll introduce the new members after I make an important announcement.”

Nearly everyone leaned forward to listen and the cameras zoomed in to focus on her face.

“You are here to witness the rebirth of the best cape team in the world! NEW WAVE!”

“New Wave!” “New Wave!” “New Wave!” The crowd chanted and then cheered.

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