[This story is set in Paragon City, taken from the former MMO game City of Heroes. All place names, hero names and registered trademarks belong to their rightful legal owners and are not intended as copyright infringement in any way. This work is purely meant as a piece of entertainment, and not for commercial purposes in any way, shape or form.]
[The precursor to this series is entitled "Mom the Superheroine".]
[Warning: please be aware this story contains references to occult practices. Here, they take place within the bounds of fantasy.]
[Also, trigger warnings may apply: self-harm]
Cindy's powers were improving by leaps and bounds -- literally.
With diligent application, she was now able to keep up with her mother, as they leaped from rooftop to rooftop, even atop high-rise buildings. Previously, she had had to rely on good old-fashioned running, though she could sprint at Olympic speeds for hours before having to slow down. It wasn't quite Super Speed, though... just very fast running. She could leap over most obstacles, but not entire buildings.
Now she could, and Barbara's heart leaped as well to see how joyously Cindy made use of her new travel method. She could jump almost a quarter of a mile, and control her landing successfully -- she no longer left radial cracks wherever she landed, at least not all the time. At the moment, Barbara was standing on top of the King Garment Works building, while Cindy used Super Jump in a rough square around her, doing laps.
The last jump brought Cindy almost right in front of her mother, and then she leaped into her mother's waiting arms.
"Almost as good as flying, isn't it?" Barbara laughed.
"It's wonderful!" Cindy exclaimed with girlish glee. "The view from up high... the wind against our faces and bodies... and the landing! Let's go find some Skulls or Hellions, Mom -- I can't wait to see their faces when we land in front of them out of a clear sky!"
"Now, now, dearest," Barbara laughed. "We don't go making trouble -- we only go where we're needed."
"Oh, I know, Mom -- but there's usually some place we're needed, you know! While I was up there, I was looking over in the direction of the Gish, and I think I saw some of them gathering there for a bit of a gang dust-up. That's not conducive to public safety, and disturbs the peace. We can go jump there, right now, and warn them against causing any trouble!"
"Well... if there's no other trouble right now..." Barbara was about to give her assent, but then suddenly, Cindy's cell phone rang.
"Oh... it's Josh!"
She took the call. "Hey, Josh! What's up? Apart from my mom and me, I mean -- she's taught me to do Super Jump, like her!"
Her face turned somber. "Oh... I see... why, yes of course we will meet her. Does she know about... well, I suppose we should go in costume anyway."
She paused. "What do you mean? Just me? Well, Mom and I go everywhere as a pair, so... well, why don't you check with her again and let me know? Ok... sure, any time, Josh. Bye!"
Cindy hung up, frowning. "That was Josh. He called, saying a friend of his wanted to meet us -- that is, meet me, specifically, as Battleborn. Her name is Genevieve Sanders, and she works in the hospital as a pharmacist or something."
"Genevieve Sanders? I've heard of her." Barbara brightened up. "During the Rikti War, she opened up her pharmacy and distributed medicine for free, to anyone who needed it. I never met her, but we knew about what she was doing. These days, she's with the hospital, but still does a lot of volunteer work, helping drug addicts and other people in rehabilitation. She seems like a genuinely good person," Barbara mused. "It's a good sign that she knows Josh as well. If she's asking for you by name, dear, you should go see what she wants."
Cindy was still frowning. "Well, she should ask for us both," she said, peevishly. "We come as a matched pair."
Barbara had to laugh. "It's quite alright, love," she said, embracing her daughter and ruffling her hair. "This just means you've come into your own now! You can go ahead and see her without me, honey."
"Well I've asked Josh to ask her to see if she wants us both after all," Cindy said. Her phone beeped -- an incoming message. Cindy checked it. "Well... hm. She says she wouldn't want to trouble you, so she's still requesting just my presence. Whatever for!"
"Well, that's fine, my love," Barbara said placatingly. "Did he say what she wanted?"
"Apparently she needs my help to... counsel someone who's fallen into bad company or something. A troubled young woman about my age." She huffed irritably. "It's rude of her to ask me without asking you, Mom. Could be some kind of trap, for all I know. I've half a mind to turn her down."
"Dear, don't. I've heard nothing but good things about her. If she thinks she needs a superheroine's help, I'm sure she does. Besides, I can't see Josh ever knowingly leading you into a trap," Barbara said reasonably.
"That's true. Sorry, Mom, I'm just annoyed. We're a team! And people ought to know it!"
Barbara kissed Cindy tenderly on the lips, and Cindy closed her eyes to receive the kiss, a look of bliss on her face. "We still are, my love. We always will be. You're my daughter."
"Always, Mom." There was always such love and trust in her voice, when they spoke.
"I'll go see to that gang ruckus you mentioned earlier," Barbara told her. "You can go meet Josh and Genevieve. I'll catch up with you later, honey."
"Ok, Mom. I'm going to Super Jump there, right now! See you in a bit!"
Barbara smiled to see her strong, pretty daughter exuberantly leaping off into the distance... though she did feel a certain pang in her heart.
Perhaps it was already time for her beloved Cindy to leave the nest...
***
Cindy enjoyed the way Blue Steel started slightly, when she landed with a whoosh right in front of him and the blonde woman in the white lab coat.
"Cin- I mean, Battleborn!" he said, recovering and snapping a quick salute. "Good of you to come so quickly!"
"We happened to be nearby, Blue Steel, so it was no trouble for us!" Cindy said, subtly emphasizing "we" and "us". She turned to the woman, putting on a bright smile and holding out a hand. "You must be Genevieve. My mother mentioned you -- she told me about what you did during the Rikti War! Which she fought in, as you may know!"
Genevieve took the proffered hand. "It's good to meet you, Battleborn! It's very good of you to come. My... you really are as strong as you are pretty..." she murmured, even though Cindy was taking care to use her normal-people handshake.
"My mom and I are always at the beck and call of citizens in need," Cindy stated, putting her hands on her hips. "What do you need, citizen?"
"Well... there's this girl, Debbie Dinh. She's about your age, and... she's been in and out of the emergency ward recently. On the records, she engages in self-harm... cutting... but... Battleborn, it's much more than that! I know for a fact she's dabbling with the occult!"
Cindy's eyes widened with concern, then narrowed. "How do you know this?" she asked, folding her arms across her formidable chest.
"I... I have my sources, Battleborn. And I have experience with this sort of thing -- I know all the signs. She's been contacted by the Circle of Thorns, and she wants to become an initiate in their foul order! I don't want to involve the higher authorities at this point -- besides, it seems like everyone has their hands full these days," Genevieve observed, ruefully. "But, well, I want to help her, and I hope it can be discreet. I mean... she deserves better, Battleborn. I've known her for years, and... well... she's been through some really tough times. She shouldn't have her life ruined just because she's being led astray.
"And that's where you come in, Battleborn -- you and your mother are among the most well-known heroes in our neighborhood. Just about every young woman around your age looks up to you. Plus, you've been through some tough times yourself. I think you're someone she'll listen to, if you try to talk her out of whatever she's doing. I haven't been able to get through to her, but maybe she'll take your advice where she won't take mine!"
Cindy hesitated. She'd never done this sort of thing before -- didn't you have to be a trained counselor to offer therapy like this? What if she messed it up?
Also, she had some inkling that their reputation was improving ever since the kidnapping incident -- the net's memory was long, but people's attention spans and memories could be weirdly short in some cases, these days, and the shock value of their humiliation video had long since worn off. Still, she was doubtful that she commanded as much respect as Genevieve implied.
But Josh said earnestly, "She's right, Battleborn. You'd be perfect for the job. When Genevieve approached me with her suggestion, I knew immediately she was onto something. Her instinct for doing good has never been wrong, in all these years that I've known her -- take it from me, Battleborn. I vouch for her."
Cindy turned to Genevieve. "Well, you don't need Blue Steel to vouch for you, Ms. Sanders -- my mother already told me, before I came here, about you and the good things you've been doing. You don't have to prove anything to me. But I'm just not sure what I can do for your friend Debbie."
"It would mean so much just to have you try. I feel sure she'll come around, if she sees that people like you care about her! Will you help?"
Well, it would probably just be an hour or so of her time... Cindy supposed the streets of Kings Row, however rough, could manage without her patrolling and thug-punching for that long. She nodded her assent. "Alright, Genevieve," she said, "I'll see what I can do."
Genevieve's face broke out into a broad smile of relief. "Thank you, Ci- I mean, uh, Battleborn!" she said, blushing a little at her slip.
"That's alright," Cindy sighed. "I suppose most people know anyway."
