Radiant and the Rookie

A Young Omega Girl story by Czarzhan and JDarksong

Chapter 1, In Which A Gap Is Traversed

As Val Dawson, the heroine known as Radiant, approached the railway line, she saw the wide gap in the tracks that the earthquake had wrought. An 80-foot wide rift had opened up, neatly separating the two ends by a similar distance. Worse, she didn’t have time to repair it, as a mile-long train was barreling toward it, brakes sending out a flood of sparks, slowing it far too little to keep it from plummeting into the new ravine.

Growing up, she hadn’t imagined this would be her life. Working as a research assistant at a lab, she was unwittingly subjected to an experiment which activated her latent abilities. She was then recruited for a national superteam called The Guardians, created more for public relations than fighting crime. None of the team members were allowed to keep their identities secret in an attempt to make them seem more accessible.

Although the Guardians lasted less than a year, The Radiant Guardian, now going just by Radiant, made a name for herself both as the face of the supers community to the public at large and as the face of Earth to the interstellar community. She was known to have thwarted at least two alien invasions in the twelve years she had been active, one of those by single combat with the other side’s greatest warrior. That one allowed her to get Earth declared off limits to the galaxy until they were ready to join it.

If she got in front of the train to stop it, it wouldn’t stop the momentum of the other cars and she would have a massive derailment on her hands. Likewise, grabbing the last car wouldn’t work, as the train’s couplings would fail under that much stress. So she would save a part of the train, but the engine and any cars in front of the broken coupling would still fall to their doom.

This was the type of thing that was more suited to Newton Isaacs’s powerset, but he wasn’t there right now, and she didn’t have time to get him. There was one chance: use the momentum instead of fighting it.

She flew to the engine and yelled to the driver, using the Light from her Guardian Gear, her signature headpiece, to shine into the compartment to cut through the noise and reach him, “Release the brakes! Full speed ahead! I got you!” As the driver complied, she flew ahead to the gap, silently adding, I hope.

As the now accelerating engine shot off the track, Radiant was under it, lifting and guiding it to the far track. She ran it onto the other track, looking back and praying the couplings would hold long enough to get under the next car and repeat the process. She was surprised as she did to see the next car already supported by another super! She repeated Radiant’s move ferrying the next car across the gap. Radiant wasted no time in conveying the following car, and together the two of them got the entire train safely across.

“Great work,” Val began as the two of them hovered over the gap, the train receding into the distance, then was shocked as she got a look at the other super. It was a teenage girl! Maybe fourteen or fifteen years of age, wearing a pink costume thrown together from civilian clothes.

The girl didn’t seem to notice Radiant’s dismay. “Oh, my gosh! It is such an honor to meet you,” she gushed. “I can’t believe I actually saved a train with Radiant! I am your biggest fan.”

“Well, I’m glad you were here,” the veteran heroine replied with a smile. “I know it was my plan, but once I started I realized I might not be able to do it alone.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. What’s your name?” They began flying towards the city.

“Lacie Ann Gilbertson,” she beamed proudly.

“No super name?”

“Not officially. I’m thinking of Omega Girl, because of my powers.”

“How old are you, Lacie?”

“I’ll be sixteen next month.”

“Lacie,” Radiant’s tone became a bit more serious, “Do your parents know about your powers? And do they know what you’re doing with them?”

“My dad does. My mom kinda split when I was little.”

Radiant nodded. “Come on. I’ll fly with you back to your house.” As Lacie led the way, Val continued with a smile, “So, you can fly and are strong enough to pitch a train car. What else can you do?”

Lacie blushed and replied, “Um... well, I'm still learning about my powers, really... just testing my limits. Um... I'm pretty tough. I've been blasted with a cannon, and a missile, and a grenade blew up and it never even broke my skin. And... I can shoot energy from my body, usually my hands or my eyes…”

“Impressive! I have to admit, when you’re tough enough for big attacks to bounce off of you, it can be fun. I mean, it’s scary the first time, but then when you realize you’re not hurt… I’m a little jealous of the energy projection. That would definitely come in handy.”

“What do you mean?” Lacie protested. “You have your Light.”

“You mean this?” The radiance shone from her tiara and washed over Lacie, who suddenly felt a warm serenity flow across her mind. A silly smile played across her lips as she began to fall out of the sky. “Whoa, stay with me,” Radiant instructed, keeping the light on her, and Lacie climbed back up to soar beside her. Radiant slowed to a hover, the teen remaining by her side. “How do you feel right now, Lacie?”

“Relaxed. Open. Loved,” Lacie replied, basking in the light.

“That’s what my Radiance is: just a way to calm a panicked crowd or get bank robbers to surrender peacefully. But there are some foes I really wish I could hit without getting up close and personal.” She let the light fade then reached out to steady the teen.

As she recovered, Lacie grinned. “Come on. We’re almost to my house. I know a way that, if we fly real fast, nobody will see us.”

“Lead the way. I’ll be right on your tail.”

***

“Dad, I’m home,” Lacie called as the pair entered through the house’s side door, “and I’ve brought a friend.”

“Hi, Kiddo,” Lacie heard from the kitchen. “Lunch is almost ready. Why don’t you and your friend set the table and I’ll be in in a minute.”

“Dad,” Lacie scolded, “I could’ve made lunch! You need to rest,” she started moving toward the kitchen.

“STOP,” came a bellow from the other room, making the teen pause. “I’m fine. I’m having a good day. I saw the leftover steak in the fridge and got a craving for a western omelet. I’m already making one for you, too. Does your friend one? Or I can make something else.”

“An omelet sounds wonderful,” Radiant raised her voice to answer, “thank you, sir!” She smirked at Lacie’s embarrassed blush.

“Great,” he replied. “I’ll be out in a few.”

A couple minutes later Lacie’s father, laden with the plates, entered saying, “Lunch is served-- Oh!” He was suddenly aware that it wasn’t a school friend that his daughter brought home. Before he even realized he was about to drop the food, Lacie quickly commandeered the plates.

Val stepped forward, offering a hand. “Hello, Mr. Gilbertson, I’m—”

“Valorine Dawson,” the man shook her hand, “known to the world as Radiant. Ms. Dawson, it is an honor.”

The heroine flashed a winning smile. Due to the way she got her powers, her civilian identity had never been secret. However, few took the time to consider that she had a name beyond Radiant. That this handsome gentleman had called her by her birth name first just served to multiply the attraction she already felt. “Please, call me Val.”

“And I’m James.”

Lacie, having set the food, was waiting for the other two to join her before taking her seat. She noticed her dad’s expression as the handshake seemed to draw out. Oh, jeez, Dad. Don’t embarrass me, she cringed. “Hey, guys,” she said aloud, “the food gonna get cold.”

Both adults remembered the teen was there, and they shared a smile as they moved to their seats.

***

“… it was a desperate plan. I realized as I ran the engine onto the tracks that without help, I might not be able to save the whole train. I turned and, like a miracle, there she was. She helped save a lot of lives today,” Val concluded as Lacie managed to look embarrassed and proud at the same time. “You should be proud of her.”

“Oh, I am,” he replied. “Very.” He regarded his daughter with a look somewhere between serious and humorous. “We’ll discuss how proud later.”

Lacie blushed.

As they ate, Val asked, “So, James, what do you do? When you’re not making breakfast for lunch, that is. This is very good, by the way,” she added.

“Thank you,” James replied. “I’m retired, actually, but before that I was a researcher. Theoretical physicist, really…”

“Wait,” Val mumbled around a mouthful, shock playing across her features. She grabbed a glass of water and quickly washed down the egg she’d been chewing, before continuing. “You’re Doctor James Gilbertson?? Author of the paper “Biological Processing of Dark Energy as it Applies to Superhuman Powers”?

“You know my work?” James was astonished.

“Of course! Back before my life took a turn for the superheroic, I was a research assistant at Partnell Labs. Your paper, ‘Quantum Interactions with Neural Waveforms and Matter in High-Energy States,’ inspired a lot of the work we did.”

“Do tell.”

“Since then, I’ve devoured every paper you published,” Val continued as she turned a bit more in his direction and lightly touched his arm. “You haven’t written one in a couple years. I have to know, what occupies your mind these days?” she held his gaze for a couple more seconds.

James stammered, “Oh, um, w-well, aside from occasionally proofreading collegues’ paper before they publish, I’ve mostly just been catching up on my reading.”

“Perhaps, after lunch, you can recommend some good books. And explore other topics,” she lightly ran a toe from ankle to knee.

Lacie glanced back and forth between her father and her hero. What’s happening here? Were she seeing this transpire with any other man, she would know immediately. But it was her father. Her brain could not compute.

***

Later, as Val waited in James’s study, James and Lacie were “having a discussion” while they cleaned up after lunch.

“Dad, I saved a train! With Radiant! It was amazing!” Lacie said.

James thought about how Radiant had described their rescue. “Did you know you were able to carry that train car before you caught it?” When Lacie didn’t answer immediately, he pressed, “Did you?”

“...No,” she conceded. “But-- ”

He cut her off. “And if you hadn’t been able? If you had been there and Val thought you could hold it, but couldn’t. What would have happened?”

“Dad…”

“The couplings would have broken, and you’d have been pushed down into that ravine and crushed,” James finished, struggling to keep his volume at “indoor” levels.

“Val was right there! She—”

“Radiant had a whole train of people to save! She could save them, or some super she didn’t know who jumped in by their own choice. Which would she have chosen? Which should she have chosen?” His voice had gotten quiet. He wrapped his arms around her. “You could have been killed.”

Lacie returned the hug. “I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“Well, for the immediate future,” James replied, “you’ll have some time to think about it. You’re grounded for the rest of the weekend.”

“What?!” She stepped back. “But I was going out with Dougie tonight,” she protested.

“Well, you better call him and tell him you pissed your dad off and have to sit in your room thinking about your life choices.”

Lacie stared at her father in disbelief, then stormed off. “So unfair!”

As James entered the study, Val asked, “Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” he replied, taking a second to study the beautiful woman before him. Her long blonde hair cascaded in loose waves, framing her lovely face, high cheekbones, delicate nose, full lips, and soulful eyes. Her headpiece sat atop her head like a tiara, elegant and commanding. Her yellow-and-white uniform accentuated every curve, emphasizing her impressive bust and wide hips. Her legs were toned, the fabric highlighting the sculpted yet feminine muscles of her calves and thighs. Her feet were delicate and… huh.

“May I ask you something?” he once again met her eyes. She nodded. “Why don’t your feet touch the floor?”

She blinked, glancing down and chuckling, as if just remembering she was hovering. With an airy tone, she replied, “My darn legs aren’t long enough. But honestly,” she continued, “it’s part of my image as Radiant. More people take me seriously if they think I’m closer to six feet tall.” She lowered herself and closed the distance between them. She tilted her head back and smirked at him. She was tiny! “So, would you like to discuss books, or are we going to proceed to ‘other areas of interest’?”

He grinned and kissed her. In this moment, he felt powerful, confident. His hands ran through her silky hair and over her neck and shoulders, caressing the bare skin and smooth fabric. She shivered. Her hands, however, remained on his back and waist, stroking him through his clothes.

After several seconds, she broke the kiss and took a half-step back. Her fingers danced across his chest and arms, unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it from his shoulders. As he freed one hand from a sleeve, he placed it on her tiara and lifted it from her head. She looked at him in surprise, and then smiled. She leaned up and gave him another kiss, then pulled away, allowing his gaze to travel down her body.

The uniform had a hidden zipper down the front. She pulled the one-piece garment from her shoulders and slid it over her hips. Now, as he looked at her in bra and panties, she saw the certainty that was there a second before falter. He sighed, looking away. “James?” she asked. “Is something wrong? Did you... change your mind? I mean... I didn't mean to rush you or push you or anything…”

“No. no, it's not that,” he assured her, “and yes, I do. Believe me, I very much want to do this... it's just... well…” he sighed, and gestured to the couch, sitting beside her.

“It's been a long while, you know? and... I've only been with one other woman before... the woman I married.” He sighed again “I just... I'm really rusty, you understand? I might not... be very... good for you…”

Val took his hands in hers. “Thank you,” she began gently, “for being open and honest with me about this. I'll be honest, too: Last time I had sex, I was a teenager. So we'll both need to feel our way.” She held his gaze. “If there's something that doesn't work for me, I'll let you know, and if you do something I do like, I'll tell you that, too. You do the same. Deal?”

“Sure,” he answered with a slow smile, “sound good to me. As long as—”

“No catches,” she cut him of, and her lips met his. She broke the kiss. “No self deprecating provisos.” More kisses. “No qualifiers.” She held his head and peered hungrily into his eyes. “Just let your mind go. Your body will follow.”

With a sigh, James released himself to her ministrations. As they continued to kiss, she straddled his lap and pressed herself against him. She moaned. His hands found her firm, round bottom and squeezed. She giggled.

Val rose and took his hands, pulling him to his feet. “Come on.”

***

Later, in James’s bedroom, Val snuggled in her lover’s arms. Neither were sleepy. After a couple rounds between the sheets, which both had found quite satisfying, they resumed their discussion of books as well as hobbies they indulged in.

“Yeah, McCaffrey is okay,” James was saying. “I mean, she’s not Tolkien—”

“’Not Tolkien’ is not necessarily a bad thing,” Val replied.

“You don’t like Tolkien?” he sounded as if she had just blasphemed.

“No, no, I do,” Val interjected quickly. “I’m just not always in the mood for him.”

He chuckled. “Then I suppose I don’t need to kick you out of bed.”

“Mmm, good thing, too,” she smiled as she nuzzled his chest. “I could get used to this.” He suddenly lifted his arms from her and seemed to pull back a little. She raised her head a bit to meet his gaze. “What’s wrong?”

He sighed, and seemed to steal himself. “I don’t… I don’t want you to get used to it.”

She pulled back some. “I’m sorry?”

“I-- I just think you shouldn’t get too attached, is all.”

“What do you mean?”

He shook his head. “I’m not sure I can handle this…”

“… I’m getting dressed now.” She left the bed.

“Val--” he began.

“No,” she held up a finger. “This conversation does not continue until I’m dressed.” She stormed out.

A few seconds later, James had pulled his briefs on as Radiant came back through the door, arms crossed, looking unhappy. “Exactly when did you decide I was only worth a one night stand?”

“It’s not like that.”

“It sure felt like that. Bang the super-chick, then kick her out. Either agree. Or explain.” She leaned against the door.

He sat on the edge of the bed, head in his hands for a moment, then straightened up. “I--” he sighed. “I’m dying and I don’t want to hurt you.”

Val dropped her arms. “...What?”

“Lacie got her powers as a result of an accident in my lab. The same accident affected me. I… am sick. Nothing contagious, I assure you, but... well, I will be lucky to last another ten years."

“James…” she moved to sit beside him.

"I... I am okay with it. I have made my peace. And, I've tried my best to prepare Lacie for that as well. But at the same time.. I wouldn't want anyone else getting to close to me knowing I won't be around for very long…"

Val took his hands, and got him to meet her eyes. She smile gently. Then she quirked an eyebrow. “You sexy, sexy, moron.”

James blinked. “Huh?”

“You have got to be the stupidest genius I have ever met.”

“Wait a minute--”

“Did you really think, ‘I’m a goner, so we can’t be together,’ was going to fly with me?” she asked, incredulous. “You complete doofus!”

“Hey...”

“Shut up for a second.” She stood and faced away from him for a moment, then turned back. “Did you know, a couple years ago, I was transported to another world? Seriously. I reappeared back here an hour later. Nobody knows this, but from my viewpoint, I was gone for a hundred and seventy-seven years. I had a life there. I made friends. They died of old age. I made more friends, they died too. I even took a couple lovers, whom I loved until their dying days.”

James straightened. “I thought you were a teenager the last time you...”

She shrugged, “It was easier than trying to explain how a 39-year-old hadn’t had sex in over 40 years.” She shook her head. “The point is, I didn’t know how little time was passing was on Earth. When they said they were sending me back, I thought I would be appearing in the mid twenty-second century, and that everybody I knew was dead and gone. So, I was overjoyed to see all my friends again.” She dropped to her knees in front of where he sat. “It’s a lesson I’ll never forget: every moment is precious, and I treasure every one.

“So, what do you want me to do, James? Leave, or stay for breakfast?”

James began to nod, stopped suddenly, and started giggling. On Val’s puzzled look, he explained, “I do want you to stay, but I just got a picture in my head of Lacie walking into the kitchen tomorrow morning to find you having breakfast wearing one of my T-shirts.”

Val’s eyes got wide, then she cracked up. “Oh, my god. The poor girl’s head would explode.”

The couple spent the next several minutes struggling to keep their laughter quiet, which made them laugh harder. Finally, Val managed to speak. “Alright, I’ll leave. But I’ll be back.”

“You better,” he grinned, then kissed her before opening the window for her.