Chapter 30: Protégé

“Are you okay?” Penumbra asked, their voice losing some of that slight echo that it had had before. They stepped down from the windowsill and into the room. Alyssa was torn between frustration – why were they here, now? – and amusement at the reporters clearly not sure if they should escape or were about to have the interview of a lifetime. 

It wasn’t often anyone got to see the superhero next to ordinary people. They were easily six feet tall, probably closer to seven. That was all the symbiote, Alyssa knew. Max was barely taller than 5’8”. Maxine was clearly an athletic, spunky person, but with the symbiote on she was an amazon, all muscle and graceful movements. Max might come off as something of a loser who was making it up as she went along, but Penumbra, especially around people, had presence. 

My moms are cool as hell, Amy said excitedly. 

“I’m okay,” Alyssa said. “It was touch and go there for a minute but yeah. I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” Penumbra said. “The timing, it couldn’t have been worse.” They looked around at the news crews. “I’ll explain everything, you know, later. When we aren’t on camera. Speaking of which. Hi!” Penumbra’s enthusiasm caused a ripple of excited terror to roll across the gathered journalists.

Your turn! Alyssa, slightly overwhelmed, raised her hand to wave at the cameras. They seemed to take this as the go-ahead to start firing off questions at her, so she just pointed at someone, a nice-looking man in a blue sweater.

“Hi, Gordon Kelly from LBN, is it true that you’re the hero known as Redshift?”

“Really, man? You’re the first question and you’re starting with that?” Penumbra said. Everyone looked at them. “What? It’s a dumb question.”I find it hard to disagree with the seven foot tall monster woman. Maybe he’s intimidated?

“Yes,” Alyssa said, suppressing a smile. “I’m Redshift.” The man looked slightly offended at what Penumbra had said, but was nonetheless still seemingly happy with the answer. She pointed at someone else, a woman who looked like a chihuahua, vibrating with excitement and ready to explode. 

“Mindy Huerta, BNN. Are you Penumbra’s sidekick?” she asked. That one took Alyssa by surprise. She looked up at the other superhero, who held up their hands. Oooooooooooooh!

“No,” Penumbra said. “We are…” They paused.

“I’m their student,” Alyssa said. “I still have a lot to learn about the superhero business, and they’re showing me the ropes.” She smiled at them. Penumbra looked back. Contrary to her own symbiote, Penny covered all of Maxine’s face, so she couldn’t really tell what expression she was making. She hoped she hadn’t overstepped. I don’t think you have. I think she’s proud of you. 

“Well, yeah,” they said after a second of awkward silence. “I guess I am, yeah.”

“So where were you during yesterday’s events?” another reporter asked. “If you are their teacher, wouldn’t it have been better for you to actually be there when they’re up against someone like Arsonal?”

“Uh,” Penumbra said, rubbing the back of their head, “I was on holiday. My plane actually landed like, thirty minutes ago. I came as soon as I could.” They turned to Alyssa. “Sorry, kiddo. Like I said, just really bad timing.”

“How do you justify going on holiday when someone like that is on the loose?” 

“Well, first of all, hi, I don’t know who that was, but thank you, you know, for a question like that.” They crossed their arms and glared at the news crew. “Second, I know a lot of people feel like someone like me has the responsibility to stop things like that, but you need to understand that this isn’t my job. I help people because I want to. I’m not a cop. I don’t fight crime. I just help where I can.”

“But she does?”

“Redshift and I aren’t the same person,” Penumbra said. “All I’m doing is teaching her –” they paused and looked at Redshift. “Her?” Alyssa nodded happily. This time she was sure she could see a smile under the mask. “Anyway I’m teaching her how to get used to her powers. What she does with them is her own business. We’re both adults.”

“One more question for Penumbra,” Blue Sweater asked, “you’ve been operating out of Lockridge Bay for over a year now. How come you’ve never done a full interview with a reporter before?”

“Just good luck, I guess.” That caused some chuckles. 

“I heard Redshift refer to you with gender-neutral pronouns,” someone else asked. “Does that mean you’re a believer in gender ideology?”

“That,” Penumbra said, “might be the grossest way anyone’s ever asked me that. Alright, bucko, you win. Yes, I use they and them, but she and her are also allowed when I’m feeling feisty. I’m a part of the homo-sexual underground. I am queer. I have hair and pronouns.” They put their hands on their hips. “Anyone else?”

“Uh,” a small older woman asked, “I’m from The Bay Report. Redshift, you seem pretty young. Does being a superhero interfere with school at all?”

Remember, Amy said just as Alyssa was about to answer. Don’t give them any information that can be used to trace back to you. Right. Good point. She had been about to tell them that she was still looking for a college. 

“I prefer to keep my personal and uniform business separate,” Alyssa said with a sweet smile. “So there’s no problem at all.” There. A perfect non-answer. 

Sniff. I’m so proud.

“Redshift! Jerry Jeffords, The Lockridge Gazette. We’ve seen you fly around the city and you’re clearly pretty sturdy, but you took quite a beating. What do you think you’ll be doing going forward? Do you plan to do anything differently?”

“I think,” Alyssa said, “I’m going to take it easy for a bit.” She laughed softly, and several reporters laughed along with her. She didn’t want to mention her mom’s worry, or the fact that she was rethinking a lot of things. “I think for now, I’m going to focus on my recuperation. But I want to keep doing what’s right for the city, and for the people.”

“Miss Redshift, as a follow-up,” Mindy said, “you’ve been known to work with law-enforcement to bring in criminals. Can we expect more cooperation between heroes like yourself and Lockridge’s finest in the near future?” Alyssa clenched her teeth, but kept her hands flat next to her. She didn’t know what to answer. She didn’t know how to answer.

Well, Amaranth said. Think about it. What do you want to do? You want to help people. You want to get people out of a bad situation and get them into better ones. That was true. But that wasn’t what Penumbra did, was it? Penumbra saved people from life-threatening situations. So you don’t want to do what they do. That makes sense. So what about you? What kind of superhero do you want to be, Redshift?

“I think,” Alyssa said, “it’s going to be important going forward that the line between myself, as an individual, and that of the first responders, doesn’t get too blurred.” She thought carefully about every word. “Like Penumbra, I’m not a police officer, or a fireman or a doctor for that matter, and maybe it’s important to make sure people don’t think I’m pretending to be one. I’m just one girl, trying to make the world a better place with what I’ve been given.” She clenched her fists. “But I’m going to make the world a better place. What’s the point of being able to fly, of being able to stop a car with my bare hands, if I don’t try?” She exhaled softly, shaking slightly. 

Her head was very full, and very noisy. Her future was vague and unspecified. Her heart was doing that thing where it was trying to synchronize two EDM tracks. A hand on her shoulder shook her out of it. She looked up at Penumbra, who met her gaze. Penumbra’s eyes were difficult to look into. Milky-white cat’s eyes in an otherwise purplish-black void. 

“I think,” Penumbra said, “this interview is over, yes?” They looked up. “You’ve got some good quotes, you got to meet the new heroine. And I have some things to discuss with my protegé in private.”

The reporters shuffled their feet. “But–”

“I don’t like repeating myself,” Penumbra said, with a voice like a bag of knives being gently jostled. Suddenly, the front of their head did something horrifying. Penumbra smiled. It started small, a tiny gap in the mask that revealed pearly white teeth, and then the mouth didn’t stop smiling, spreading wider and wider and revealing more and more teeth that seemed to get larger and sharper as they approached the now-terrified reporters. “Go on. Before I give you something to report on.” With every step, they seemed to get taller. Their skin glistened, like an oil slick. There was a low hum, a rumble, that seemed to shake the room.

One more step, and they all ran. Penumbra turned to Redshift, and for the briefest of seconds Alyssa knew exactly how a goldfish felt just a second before it took its first reverse-scuba lesson, staring into the face of a hungry, curious cat. Then the smile went away, and they looked like a normal person in a black spandex suit again. 

Inside of her, Alyssa could feel Amaranth shiver. “What the f–”

“Yeah,” Penumbra said, “sorry about that. Sometimes I just have to let it out, you know? The monster? All of the pent up rage and stuff that you’ve been working through.” 

“The what?” Alyssa said, cocking her head.

“You know. Just, you and the symbiote together, letting it all out. Bonding and letting it all come to the surface.”

“Um,” Alyssa said, then looked at Amaranth, who gave the best shrug she could under the circumstances.

“Ah,” Max said as she closed the door and Penny retreated. She was so small in comparison to the creature that had been in front of them just a few minutes ago. She shook her leather jacket and ran a hand through her hair. She smiled sheepishly. “I feel like this is one of those ‘normal people don’t feel like this’ moments again.”

“Seems like it,” Penny said out of her mouth. That was weird. 

“Yeah,” Amaranth replied. “Sorry, Penny. Alyssa has the normal amount of teenage angst, but there’s no monster in here waiting to be let out. Just someone who really, really wanted to be free.”

“Should we just let you two talk, or…” Maxine said jokingly. “But more seriously, it makes sense. Penny met me when I was in a very dark place. I think that reflects in the way we look when we fully bond and I let them out.”

“Wait,” Alyssa said, “when your voice gets all echo-y–”

“That’s when we’re completely in sync, yeah,” Max said. “It happens from time to time. When we think and feel the same thing, we’re both fronting at the same time. It’s… weird. Kind of exhausting, too. But hey, it sure scares off people with too many questions.”

“Yeah, it sure does,” Alyssa said. “I guess I don’t have that?”

Max shrugged. “Not everyone needs a secret demon to unleash. You’ve got wings. That’s cool as hell. Penny and I can’t fly. Trust me. We talked about it a lot. We might have tried. It was really, really sad. Anyway, speaking of questions…” She leaned against the bed. “She and her pronouns, huh? Just in superhero form or…”

“No,” she said. “I think I’m a girl, Maxine. My name is Alyssa. I figured out not too long ago, talking to my friends that my old body and my old name aren’t right for me. I know it’s a lot to take in, but I realized that I’m actually happier as a woman and being, you know, Alyssa. It’s called being transgender why are you laughing?”

Chapter 30: Protg Are you okay? Penumbra asked, their voice losing some of that slight echo that it had had before. They stepped down from the windowsill and into the room. Alyssa was torn between frustration why were they here, now? and amusement at the reporters clearly not sure if they should escape or were about to have the interview of a lifetime. It wasn't often anyone got to see the superhero next to ordinary people. They were easily six feet tall, probably closer to seven. That was all the symbiote, Alyssa knew. Max was barely taller than 5'8. Maxine was clearly an athletic, spunky person, but with the symbiote on she was an amazon, all muscle and graceful movements. Max might come off as something of a loser who was making it up as she went along, but Penumbra, especially around people, had presence. My moms are cool as hell, Amy said excitedly. I'm okay, Alyssa said. It was touch and go there for a minute but yeah. I'm okay. I'm sorry I wasn't here, Penumbra said. The timing, it couldn't have been worse. They looked around at the news crews. I'll explain everything, you know, later. When we aren't on camera. Speaking of which. Hi! Penumbra's enthusiasm caused a ripple of excited terror to roll across the gathered journalists. Your turn! Alyssa, slightly overwhelmed, raised her hand to wave at the cameras. They seemed to take this as the go-ahead to start firing off questions at her, so she just pointed at someone, a nice-looking man in a blue sweater. Hi, Gordon Kelly from LBN, is it true that you're the hero known as Redshift? Really, man? You're the first question and you're starting with that? Penumbra said. Everyone looked at them. What? It's a dumb question.I find it hard to disagree with the seven foot tall monster woman. Maybe he's intimidated? Yes, Alyssa said, suppressing a smile. I'm Redshift. The man looked slightly offended at what Penumbra had said, but was nonetheless still seemingly happy with the answer. She pointed at someone else, a woman who looked like a chihuahua, vibrating with excitement and ready to explode. Mindy Huerta, BNN. Are you Penumbra's sidekick? she asked. That one took Alyssa by surprise. She looked up at the other superhero, who held up their hands. Oooooooooooooh! No, Penumbra said. We are They paused. I'm their student, Alyssa said. I still have a lot to learn about the superhero business, and they're showing me the ropes. She smiled at them. Penumbra looked back. Contrary to her own symbiote, Penny covered all of Maxine's face, so she couldn't really tell what expression she was making. She hoped she hadn't overstepped. I don't think you have. I think she's proud of you. Well, yeah, they said after a second of awkward silence. I guess I am, yeah. So where were you during yesterday's events? another reporter asked. If you are their teacher, wouldn't it have been better for you to actually be there when they're up against someone like Arsonal? Uh, Penumbra said, rubbing the back of their head, I was on holiday. My plane actually landed like, thirty minutes ago. I came as soon as I could. They turned to Alyssa. Sorry, kiddo. Like I said, just really bad timing. How do you justify going on holiday when someone like that is on the loose? Well, first of all, hi, I don't know who that was, but thank you, you know, for a question like that. They crossed their arms and glared at the news crew. Second, I know a lot of people feel like someone like me has the responsibility to stop things like that, but you need to understand that this isn't my job. I help people because I want to. I'm not a cop. I don't fight crime. I just help where I can. But she does? Redshift and I aren't the same person, Penumbra said. All I'm doing is teaching her they paused and looked at Redshift. Her? Alyssa nodded happily. This time she was sure she could see a smile under the mask. Anyway I'm teaching her how to get used to her powers. What she does with them is her own business. We're both adults. One more question for Penumbra, Blue Sweater asked, you've been operating out of Lockridge Bay for over a year now. How come you've never done a full interview with a reporter before? Just good luck, I guess. That caused some chuckles. I heard Redshift refer to you with gender-neutral pronouns, someone else asked. Does that mean you're a believer in gender ideology? That, Penumbra said, might be the grossest way anyone's ever asked me that. Alright, bucko, you win. Yes, I use they and them, but she and her are also allowed when I'm feeling feisty. I'm a part of the homo-sexual underground. I am queer. I have hair and pronouns. They put their hands on their hips. Anyone else? Uh, a small older woman asked, I'm from The Bay Report. Redshift, you seem pretty young. Does being a superhero interfere with school at all? Remember, Amy said just as Alyssa was about to answer. Don't give them any information that can be used to trace back to you. Right. Good point. She had been about to tell them that she was still looking for a college. I prefer to keep my personal and uniform business separate, Alyssa said with a sweet smile. So there's no problem at all. There. A perfect non-answer. Sniff. I'm so proud. Redshift! Jerry Jeffords, The Lockridge Gazette. We've seen you fly around the city and you're clearly pretty sturdy, but you took quite a beating. What do you think you'll be doing going forward? Do you plan to do anything differently? I think, Alyssa said, I'm going to take it easy for a bit. She laughed softly, and several reporters laughed along with her. She didn't want to mention her mom's worry, or the fact that she was rethinking a lot of things. I think for now, I'm going to focus on my recuperation. But I want to keep doing what's right for the city, and for the people. Miss Redshift, as a follow-up, Mindy said, you've been known to work with law-enforcement to bring in criminals. Can we expect more cooperation between heroes like yourself and Lockridge's finest in the near future? Alyssa clenched her teeth, but kept her hands flat next to her. She didn't know what to answer. She didn't know how to answer. Well, Amaranth said. Think about it. What do you want to do? You want to help people. You want to get people out of a bad situation and get them into better ones. That was true. But that wasn't what Penumbra did, was it? Penumbra saved people from life-threatening situations. So you don't want to do what they do. That makes sense. So what about you? What kind of superhero do you want to be, Redshift? I think, Alyssa said, it's going to be important going forward that the line between myself, as an individual, and that of the first responders, doesn't get too blurred. She thought carefully about every word. Like Penumbra, I'm not a police officer, or a fireman or a doctor for that matter, and maybe it's important to make sure people don't think I'm pretending to be one. I'm just one girl, trying to make the world a better place with what I've been given. She clenched her fists. But I'm going to make the world a better place. What's the point of being able to fly, of being able to stop a car with my bare hands, if I don't try? She exhaled softly, shaking slightly. Her head was very full, and very noisy. Her future was vague and unspecified. Her heart was doing that thing where it was trying to synchronize two EDM tracks. A hand on her shoulder shook her out of it. She looked up at Penumbra, who met her gaze. Penumbra's eyes were difficult to look into. Milky-white cat's eyes in an otherwise purplish-black void. I think, Penumbra said, this interview is over, yes? They looked up. You've got some good quotes, you got to meet the new heroine. And I have some things to discuss with my proteg in private. The reporters shuffled their feet. But I don't like repeating myself, Penumbra said, with a voice like a bag of knives being gently jostled. Suddenly, the front of their head did something horrifying. Penumbra smiled. It started small, a tiny gap in the mask that revealed pearly white teeth, and then the mouth didn't stop smiling, spreading wider and wider and revealing more and more teeth that seemed to get larger and sharper as they approached the now-terrified reporters. Go on. Before I give you something to report on. With every step, they seemed to get taller. Their skin glistened, like an oil slick. There was a low hum, a rumble, that seemed to shake the room. One more step, and they all ran. Penumbra turned to Redshift, and for the briefest of seconds Alyssa knew exactly how a goldfish felt just a second before it took its first reverse-scuba lesson, staring into the face of a hungry, curious cat. Then the smile went away, and they looked like a normal person in a black spandex suit again. Inside of her, Alyssa could feel Amaranth shiver. What the f Yeah, Penumbra said, sorry about that. Sometimes I just have to let it out, you know? The monster? All of the pent up rage and stuff that you've been working through. The what? Alyssa said, cocking her head. You know. Just, you and the symbiote together, letting it all out. Bonding and letting it all come to the surface. Um, Alyssa said, then looked at Amaranth, who gave the best shrug she could under the circumstances. Ah, Max said as she closed the door and Penny retreated. She was so small in comparison to the creature that had been in front of them just a few minutes ago. She shook her leather jacket and ran a hand through her hair. She smiled sheepishly. I feel like this is one of those normal people don't feel like this' moments again. Seems like it, Penny said out of her mouth. That was weird. Yeah, Amaranth replied. Sorry, Penny. Alyssa has the normal amount of teenage angst, but there's no monster in here waiting to be let out. Just someone who really, really wanted to be free. Should we just let you two talk, or Maxine said jokingly. But more seriously, it makes sense. Penny met me when I was in a very dark place. I think that reflects in the way we look when we fully bond and I let them out. Wait, Alyssa said, when your voice gets all echo-y That's when we're completely in sync, yeah, Max said. It happens from time to time. When we think and feel the same thing, we're both fronting at the same time. It's weird. Kind of exhausting, too. But hey, it sure scares off people with too many questions. Yeah, it sure does, Alyssa said. I guess I don't have that? Max shrugged. Not everyone needs a secret demon to unleash. You've got wings. That's cool as hell. Penny and I can't fly. Trust me. We talked about it a lot. We might have tried. It was really, really sad. Anyway, speaking of questions She leaned against the bed. She and her pronouns, huh? Just in superhero form or No, she said. I think I'm a girl, Maxine. My name is Alyssa. I figured out not too long ago, talking to my friends that my old body and my old name aren't right for me. I know it's a lot to take in, but I realized that I'm actually happier as a woman and being, you know, Alyssa. It's called being transgender why are you laughing?