Radiant and the Rookie

A Young Omega Girl story by Czarzhan and JDarksong

Chapter 3 In Which Oversized Things Are Minimized

“Damn it!” Omega Girl growled as the pair flew over the water. Burning oil was already spreading out from the tanker.

“Language,” her companion smirked, tracing an arc around the developing disaster, viewing the scene from every angle.

“Don’t ‘language’ me, Radiant,” Omega Girl snapped. “One, I’m not a teenager anymore. Two, there was nobody nearby to hear. And three, your boyfriend just fired a missile at a freaking SUPERTANKER so he could get away!” Even having split in their flight paths, Lacie saw the look the other woman shot her. ‘Oh, I am going to pay for that “boyfriend” comment.’

Radiant continued to survey the area. “The current is carrying the oil right for that cruise ship.”

“Our top priority is dealing with the tanker,” Lacie commented.

“That’s actually number three on the list. First we have to relocate the tanker crew to the cruise ship, then get that to safety. Then we can deal with the tanker itself,” Val replied, then took up position above the tanker and shone the light of her Guardian Gear upon the whole thing. “Attention, everyone on the PetroCorp Le Paz, you are abandoning ship. Assist your fellow shipmates and anyone else to the top deck so that you may all be carried to safety.”

As the crew quickly assembled on deck, Omega Girl and Radiant built a frame from some girders to hold a couple lifeboats that could be easily carried. The sailors clambered onto the lifeboats, and Lacie asked the captain, “How many people are aboard?”

“Including command staff, engineers, and other personnel,” he counted in his head, “twenty-nine, total.”

“Good. We can handle that.” She glanced at her partner/mentor. “I think we’re secure here for the most part. Newton should have the situation back in the city handled, and will make sure the not-so-good Doctor doesn’t get away. You start moving the crew, and I’ll see if I can get us a bit more time and deal with the fire!”

“Okay, just be careful, Omega Girl,” Radiant called out, as she grabbed the first lifeboat, holding it steady as she lifted into the air, making a beeline straight for the nearby cruise ship.

Lacie, on the other hand, stood by, staring idly at the disaster on the ocean before her. She couldn’t help but grimace. Between the smoke and fire running rampant, the large amount of crude oil leaking steadily from the sinking oil tanker would no doubt destroy and contaminate the coastline for years, decades even. Just imagining the effect it would have on her city and to the entire Oregon coastal area made her feel numb inside. All of her power… yet she was still helpless when it truly counted.

‘No… I can’t think like that,’ she told herself, slapping her cheeks. ‘I have to do everything I can to help. It’s just like Val said--- as long as I keep pushing forward, there’s always a way to turn things around. I can’t give in to despair!’ Taking a deep breath, she dove, plunging into the murky ocean water.

The heat from the fire was noticeable even under the water. Ignoring it, Omega Girl swam, heading towards the source of the spill, the huge jagged hole in the ship’s hull caused by the missile. Reaching out, he grabbed the edges, carefully bending them back, unfolding the crumpled steel plated, and gingerly pressing them back together, careful not to pull too hard and rip them completely apart. To her relief, the surge of oil slowed down to a mere trickle, still leaking from the uneven seams, but no longer flowing out unchecked. Satisfied, she swam back a bit, then surged upwards again, back out of the water.

“Radiant! I plugged the hole, mostly,” she declared, rejoining her mentor, who grabbed another lifeboat filled with people. Grabbing the remaining one as well, she lifted off, flying next to Radiant. “Once we get these guys safely on the cruise ship, what’s our next play?"

"I already told you, we need to get these people to safety. Once they're loaded on the ship, you and I move the boat out of the harbor and safely out to sea."

Lacie shook her head. "I still think the tanker is a bigger problem," she pointed out. "The fire is getting worse. Even though I shut off the source of the oil, if that fire wall engulfs the tanker, we're looking at a massive explosion."

Val considered for a second. “Okay, we split up. I’ll move the boat, and you work to contain the fire. I’ll be back shortly, and we can tackle the tanker together.”

Radiant flew high above the cruise ship and used the Guardian Gear again to direct the crew and passengers to remain calm and secure themselves in preparation for the ship to be moved. She took a deep breath by reflex and dived beneath the waves. Minutes later, the ship began picking up speed, slowly rising out of the water as if it were a giant hydrofoil, finally clearing the waves. Val flew the boat twenty miles down the coastline before sliding forward beneath the keel, allowing the rear of the ship to dip back into the water and drag it gently to a stop.

“This concludes the flying portion of your cruise. Please continue emergency operations, don’t give the crew a hard time, and enjoy the rest of your trip,” she commanded from above once more before rushing back to the tanker.

***

While her partner was dealing with the cruise ship, Lacie had moved to handle the oil tanker alone. The heat from the fire was becoming intolerable, and she deeply feared for everyone if the flames reached the main supply. Val was right in prioritizing the innocent lives, getting them out of harm’s way, but Lacie had no doubt that the tanker exploding would spell doom for then all, no matter how far away they carried the passengers. There was no time. She had to act now.

Diving back into the water, she pressed her hands against the hull of the ship and pushed. And pushed. And shoved and heaved with all of her might. Frustration began to well up within her as the ship refused to budge. ‘It’s too heavy,’ she realized with dread, even as she pushed harder and harder, kicking her legs as fast as she could manage. ‘It’s too big… too much mass. And with this water, I have nothing to brace against! I can’t do it! I can’t do it!’

Panic began to overtake her. It was hopeless. People were going to get hurt because of her, People might even die. All because she was too weak. Because she couldn’t find a way to save them. The fire was against the edge of the boat now, lapping idly at the hull. There was only seconds left. It was all going horribly horribly wrong. And it was all her fault.

Just like dad. His life, ruined, in an instant… all because of her.

No.

NO!

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!” Lacie yelled in denial of fate, focusing her powers, digging deep within her. Tapping into her powers, she began channeling her Omega energy, building it up, more, and more, and even more. Her skin began to tingle, and burn, the pressure hurting, and still she channeled more. She needed to be stronger! She needed the power! She HAD to do this… had to push past her limits. There was no time, no choice. It was up to her. She HAD to do this! Pain began to flood her body, feeling like a balloon pumped too full, threatening to pop at any minute. Yet she kept going… kept pushing, even as she felt as if her very being would come apart at the seams…

And then… it happened.

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!” she screamed, pushing the dead weight of the tanker away from her, away from the flames, out of immediate danger. Indeed, now that it was moving, now that she’d built up momentum, it was ridiculously easy to move the huge tanker. Elated, but not done yet, she lifted out of the water, hovering over the scene. The fire continued to rage, lit atop a layer of spilled out that remained a serious threat. Lifting up a bit higher, she spread her arms out at the sides, then taking a deep breath, began to spin, slowly at first, then faster, and faster, spinning like a top, causing the air and water around her to curve inward like a tornado. Soon enough, a waterspout formed underneath her, and maneuvering herself carefully, she flew over the oil, sweeping it up like a vacuum, extinguishing the fire and sending the separated oil back up into the tanker’s cargo hold where it belonged.

Drawing to a halt, shaking her head from the momentary dizziness, Omega Girl glanced out at the area. Despite the tension of the moment, the entire experience had only lasted a few seconds. Spying Radiant setting the cruise ship back in the water, she decided to lend a hand as well. Dropping back down, she grabbed hold of the side of the tanker, and heaved, lifting it out of the water to carry it over to the shore as well.

Or, rather, she intended to do so.

“Whhhoooaaaaa!” Lacie yelled in shock as she and the several thousand ton tanker flew up into sky, rocketing high above the horizon. Earlier, she’d barely managed to move it at all in mostly still waters, yet somehow she accidentally sent it heading for orbit! More than a little scared, she decided to continue with the idea, pushing the tanker up even higher, sending it out of the atmosphere, and on to deep space, letting the cold freeze the crude oil solid, and prevent any further catastrophe from occurring. The threat finally passed, she glanced down, wondering idly, what to do now…

***

'Wait. Where’s the tanker?! It was right here!' The only evidence Radiant could see that it had even been there was a few small, random oil slicks, nowhere near the size of the spill that had been there. Val rose several miles, scanning the horizon in hopes of finding which way Omega Girl had gone. On a hunch, she directed her gaze upward. There, indeed, was the tanker easily hundred miles high and still climbing. It was being pushed by a brightly shining light that could only be Omega Girl.

“Hey! Dawson!” Isaacs called out to her, panting slightly as he ran up to join her. “The rest of the city’s safe. I took care of the cleanup and sent the Doc off with the cops. How’s it going here?” he asked, frowning, glancing around. “And… where’s the kid? Wasn’t she here with you?”

“Up above you,” she replied tersely, gesturing up towards the sky. “Not sure what happened, but I have to go after her.”

Newton blinked, shaking his head. “Geez! She’s a freaking rocket or something! Okay, go, go after her. I’ll look after the group disembarking from the ship, and get them medical treatment if needed.” Val nodded, giving the big man thanks before turning her attention back towards her young protege.

Radiant climbed in pursuit. Despite the size, the ship was still accelerating. Val had to strain to close the distance. As she approached, she felt her supposedly impervious skin starting to sting from the glow Lacie was emitting. She kept pace a few hundred yards behind, unable to get any closer to her partner/protege.

She saw Omega Girl pulse much brighter, and the tanker flew away from her on a trajectory that would take it into deep space. Radiant drew back and screamed silently in the vacuum. She dived for the Earth below, and Lacie followed more slowly, allowing the distance between them to grow. How was that possible? Wasn’t she supposed to be nearly invulnerable?

They came down over the Pacific ocean. Still at cloud level, Val yelled back, “Omega Girl! Dial it back!”

“I’ve been trying!” she screamed. “It’s like it’s fighting me!” She grabbed her head, trying to get a handle on her powers. She’d had these powers her whole life, and now they were betraying her! How could she feel so powerful and so helpless at the same time?? She reached deep within herself, feeling the open floodgates of her power. She tried to close them. They snapped shut, and her power output dropped to nothing.

Absolutely nothing. For the first time since she was six years old, she felt like a normal human. She felt the blast of frigid air as she found herself falling uncontrolled through the clouds. After a moment’s disorientation, acting on reflex, she tried to fly to stabilize herself. Suddenly, she was at full blast again, and she heard a shriek before her. She opened her eyes to see Radiant less than ten feet from her, arms up trying to shield her face, being thrown back, skin actually burning in the flash.

“Val!” she cried. But Radiant was already retreating.

“Stay there!” Val responded, pausing once she got to a safe distance.

“I’m sorry,” Lacie called to her. “I thought I had a handle on it. But I’m either all the way on or all the way off!” Val had kept her back to her, head in her hands. When she didn’t immediately answer, Lacie called, “Val?”

“Just... give me a second,” Val yelled back, her voice ragged. She then coughed several times. Then, without turning back, she called over her shoulder. “Okay, I’m ready. Turn off your power and keep it off. I will catch you.”

“Okay,” Omega Girl called. “Powering off… now!” She fell less than twenty feet before she found herself in Radiant’s arms. Then her jaw dropped. “Oh, my God. Val!” The heroine’s face, neck and arms were covered with angry red burns. The front of her uniform was blackened and disintegrating.

“It’s okay, Lacie,” Val assured her. Already, the wounds were starting to fade. Even her singed hair was being restored to an undamaged state. “Just,” she continued with a sardonic smile, “don’t light up while I’m holding you.”

“Promise.”

“Let me find someplace remote so we can figure this out.”

Lacie nodded, but after a few minutes, noticed something odd about her friend. “Um, Val?”

“Yeah, hun?”

“Did your boobs get bigger? Because they look like they’re growing out of your clothes.”

Val glanced at her bust and chuckled. “I wear a minimizer bra. People think I have big tits, but they don’t know the half of it. I guess, with how much punishment this outfit has taken, the bra lost structural integrity and finally came apart.” The outer garment, while stretched, still maintained her modesty.

“I’m so sorry,” Lacie looked miserable.

“Don’t be. This isn’t my only suit. You’re going to be okay. I promise.”

After a while, the pair found a small uncharted island in the middle of the ocean. Over the next couple hours, Lacie tried accessing one power after another, with Val hovering a safe distance away. Each time resulted in the same explosive outburst of energy. The sandy beach she stood upon was quickly rendered to a field of smooth brown and green glass, the nearby trees and plant life turned to ash.

Lacie sat on the glass field, as Val approached and sat beside her. She gave her mentor a morose look. “I guess I should be grateful I don’t create the shockwave other nukes do, so I have an island to sit on rather than a crater in the ocean floor filling with water.”

“Soft X-rays,” Val replied, after a moment.

“What?”

“Nuclear devices release ninety percent of their energy as soft X-rays, which is in the absorption spectrum of oxygen. The nearby O2 gets superheated and expands. That’s the shockwave.”

“Ah,” Lacie replied, smiling wanly. “Science stuff. You sounded like my dad just now.” She sighed softly. “But… what about everyone else? The people from the ship? Are they all safe? You came up to rescue me, but---”

“Don’t worry, they’re fine,” Val assured her. “I got them all safely back to shore, and Newton showed up to look after everyone and is making sure the EMTs check them all for any burns or smoke inhalation. So let’s just worry about you for right now, okay?” Lacie nodded. Valorie stood, holding out a hand. “Are you ready to try again?”

Lacie took the hand and stood. “I need your help.”

“Anything you need, kiddo. What can I do?”

“I need you to use your Light to help me rebuild control of my powers.”

Val took a half step back. Ever since the incident six years earlier with Doug Williams, Radiant had avoided using her Guardian Gear on Lacie for any reason. She loved the young woman like a daughter, and the fact that she had used her Gear, not just to bury the trauma of accidentally turning her boyfriend into a radioactive menace, but to make her forget her desire brought on by that trauma to give up being Omega Girl, had weighed on her. Her guilt over Dougie had continued to build as, years later, there had been no word from the scientists who had taken him as to whether there had been progress regarding neutralizing his powers and giving him his life back.

Now Lacie wanted her to do it again. Of course, from Lacie’s point of view, she was asking for this to be done to her for the first time. How could she consider manipulating her mind again? But how could she say no to her? She had hoped Lacie wouldn’t ask, but knew she eventually would. And she couldn’t really think of a reason to refuse that she was willing to share.

She nodded. “Okay,” she gestured, and Lacie sat again, Val kneeling before her. Activating her Gear, the Light shone forth and enveloped the 22-year-old. “Lacie, you feel calm. You are safe. Everybody is safe.” She watched the calm, blank expression on her friend’s face. “What are you feeling right now?”

“Safe,” Lacie murmured, “scared.”

“Okay, we’re going to set that scared feeling aside for now. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes,” Lacie replied, getting a dreamy smile on her face.

“What are you thinking about, Lacie?”

“...Your boobies…”

Val blinked. “My--?” She laughed.

“I want to see how your boobies fit in the minimizer…” Lacie mused.

“Well, you can think about my boobs to your heart’s content, but later. At the moment, I want you to think about your powers,” an idea suddenly struck her, “and how to fit a minimizer on them…”

***

“Okay, Lacie, I am going to bring down my Light now. When I do, you will be awake and alert and feeling refreshed.” Val deactivated her Guardian Gear.

Lacie blinked and shook her head slightly to clear it, then looked at Val expectantly. “Did it work?”

Val gave an encouraging smile. “You tell me. Power up.”

“Okay,” she replied in an uncertain tone. “Stand back.”

“Nope.”

“What?! Val, what if it doesn’t work? If it doesn’t you’re way too close. I don’t want to hurt you!”

“I know,” Val shot back. “I have faith in you. Power up.”

“Alright…” she closed her eyes and accessed her power. As she felt it surge through her, she opened one eye slightly to peek, afraid to find a burnt husk where her friend stood a second before.

Radiant, smiling and completely unharmed, nodded. “Looking good.”

Omega Girl released the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. “Oh, thank God!” She grabbed her mentor and hugged her. “Thank you!”

“You are very welcome, my darling girl!” Val returned the embrace. After a few minutes, she stepped back. “Come on. Let’s get you home. Isaacs radioed just a moment ago to say the situation’s fine, and we’re good to take off. Besides… I haven’t seen your father in nearly seven months!” She launched into the sky.

Lacie followed. Drawing up along side Radiant, she asked, “That reminds me, where the hell have you been the last half year? You don’t normally stay away for so long. And when you are away, I can usually find a news story about what you’re doing. This time, it was like you fell off the Earth. And nobody else seemed to care! Dad just nodded sagely and said, ‘I’m sure she’s doing something very important.’ I ran into Fantastic Woman a couple months ago, and she seemed to have an idea, but wouldn’t share what she knew. What gives?”

Val actually blushed. “I’m sorry, Lacie. I can’t tell you. At least, not now. But I hope I’ll be able to tell you some day.”

“That’s not fair.”

“You’re a twenty-two-year-old woman with super powers. You know life isn’t always fair.” She suddenly pulled ahead, breaking the sound barrier. Lacie kept up, but at that speed conversation was impossible.

***

It was late when the pair walked through the door of the Gilbertson household. James had waited up, and Val jumped into his arms, legs wrapping around his waist, kissing him.

Breaking the kiss, James grinned. “Hello, beautiful. I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you, too!”

“So what happened this afternoon? Last anybody saw, you were rocketing a supertanker into space.”

Legs still wrapped around her lover, sitting on his hip (with a touch of flight keeping her weightless to him), Val affected an air-headed tone. “It looks like you were a very bad boy.”

“What?” James was confused.

“Well,” she continued in the same ditzy way, “Lacie said my *boyfriend* shot the missile at the ship,” and gazed wide-eyed at the younger woman.

“Okay, okay,” Lacie held up her hands, “I’m sorry about the ‘boyfriend’ crack.”

Val turned back to James. “And then she ruined my top,” she announced, slowly pulling her shoulders back. The damaged uniform, already straining to contain her prodigeous bosom, gave up its last bit structural integrity, allowing her tits to burst free of their laughably inadequate confinement.

Lacie’s jaw dropped and found she couldn’t look away from the older woman’s chest for several seconds. Then she blinked, blushed furiously, and quickly fled the room.

James noted Val’s smug grin. “Do I want to know what that was about?”

“We’ll fill you in tomorrow. Short version: Lacie had an issue with her powers, and we fixed it together.” She paused to lay her head against his. “Have you heard from your cousin?”

He nodded. “Paul and Lizbeth brought her home yesterday. They’re gonna send pictures.” He drew her gaze. “They are still onboard with ‘Aunt Val’ doting on her favorite niece. Don’t be surprised if they ask you to babysit.”

“Any time,” Val whispered, wiping a tear away. “And they’re Lacie’s godparents. I know you trust them.”

He held her for a while. “They did list the two of us as Jamie’s godparents, ironically enough. Come on. Let’s go to bed.” As they walked up the stairs, “I feel bad about keeping this from Lacie.”

“I know, but the fewer people who know, the safer our daughter will be. Heck, Fantastic Woman was the only other super who knew I was pregnant, and that was just so there was someone who could say, ‘Yes I know where she’s at. No she’s not reachable’.”

The couple continued to the bedroom. When Val found out she was pregnant with James’s child, they had discussed their options. With James’s terminal illness and Radiant’s responsibilities that took her all over the world, and sometimes beyond, for months at a time, they decided the child deserved parents who would be there for her. James contacted his sister Lizbeth and her husband Paul, Lacie’s godparents. They had two kids of their own in their early teens and were happy to welcome a new addition to their family.

Through the last four months of her pregnancy, Val stayed with family, playing a young mother who couldn’t afford to raise a child, for the benefit of the teens (Paul and Lizbeth were fully aware of who Val is). Paul stated they wouldn't keep her adoption from the child, but wouldn’t specifically mention it either. He told Val that, should she ever ask, they would tell her who her birth mother is, and if she didn’t they would give her the information when she turned 18.

In the meantime, they were open to Val visiting and were going to make sure James had regular updates as well. Young Jamie would be loved and supported, they were all making sure of that.

End chapter 3