RENATA TOOK A step back. "What?"
"There are six billion people on this planet," Energy said, "and maybe a hundred superheroes at most. That's one of us for every sixty million people. We can be called out at any time to save lives, or stop the bad guys. It's dangerous, but we do it anyway, even though we all know that a lot of us are not going to live long enough to retire."
Renata stared down at her feet.
"Being a superhero is not a life for people who are insecure, or paranoid," Energy continued. She put her hand on Renata's shoulder. "I was there when Ragnarök and Slaughter killed Hesperus, but I wasn't able to save her. She died in my arms, her body almost cut in two by her own axe. Like you and me, she'd never wanted to be a superhero either. But she did it. And she died."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"No one knows why some of us have these powers, or where they come from." Energy looked around, then pointed back up the street to the old man whose car Renata had used. "You see that man there? Our powers aren't for you and me. They're for him."
"For him? But who is he?"
"No idea."
"I don't understand," Renata said, shaking her head.
"The powers are for him, and that woman over there. And the people across the street. And every other person on this planet. You might not like it, but - somehow - you have been chosen to protect them. Just as I have, just as Hesperus was. Or are you telling me that you don't care about other people? That you would stand by and let someone be hurt?"
"It's not that simple!"
"Yes it is."
Maybe she's right, Renata said to herself. But...
"I remember what it was like being a teenager," Energy said. "You don't want to stand out from the crowd, but at the same time you want to be an individual. The day you realise that you can't have it both ways is the day you start to grow up. You could choose to never use your powers, but what if we all did that? What about the innocent people who would die because we were too selfish to help them?"
Renata found that her mouth had gone dry. "If... If I decided to do it... How? I live in a small town miles from anywhere, I've no way of getting to where the action is. I mean, would I have to tell you my real name and everything?"
"Not if you didn't want to." Energy pulled off her left glove, and removed a small capsule that had been attached to the inside of the cuff. She opened the capsule, removed a slip of paper, and handed it to Renata. "When the time is right, you phone that number. To make it work, just add one to each digit and read it backwards. It'll put you directly through to The High Command's centre in Manhattan. Max Dalton's people will come for you."
"How will I know when it's the right time?"
"Oh, you'll know. There'll be some major disaster, or a big battle. Trust me, you'll know." Energy stepped back. "You should go now. I'll wait with Terrain until the police get here." She reached out her hand, and Renata shook it.
"Thank you for saving my life," Energy said, "Twice. If it hadn't been for you, a lot more people could have died today." She smiled. "You might not think you're cut out to be a hero, but I think you are. I hope we meet again."
Renata nodded. "Yeah. Me too. Someday."
"In the meantime, you keep practicing with those powers of yours. And if you don't want anyone to find out your true identity, then you should try to think of a good superhero name for yourself. Crystal, maybe. Something like that."
Renata climbed up the enormous mound of soil. When she reached the top, she looked back to where Energy had torn the sleeves from Terrain's shirt and was using them to bind his hands and feet.
Then she looked down at the slip of paper in her hands, and - for a brief moment - considered letting go, allowing it to be whipped away by the light breeze.
I suppose I'd better get back to the store. Find that biker guy and give him back his helmet. Then find Mom and try to come up with a good excuse for being missing for so long.
Is that what my life as a superhero would be like? Always disappearing at odd moments and then having to invent lies about it later? Always trying to hide the fact that Renata Soliz looks just like a superhero called Crystal?
She smiled to herself. No, not Crystal. Diamond.
Renata tucked the slip of paper into the pocket of her jeans.