Corpies (Super Powereds Spinoff Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

building. Owen could not, for the life of him, understand why they insisted on taking a picture for his badge even though he was wearing a mask. He’d pointed this out, even offered to go back and change into his Titan mask so that it would be consistent, but his guide had merely shushed him down and assured him this was all part of standard procedure and had to be done in a precise way. Owen tried once more, pointing out it made no sense. The woman agreed, then told him to sit in front of the camera and not to smile, because that would make the picture harder to recognize. Owen gave up and complied.
    Now, at last, he was done for the day. Officially registered, he was a part of this team in every legal way. He might have made an effort to connect with them more, but by the time he finished, everyone was out doing various appearances. Owen wondered if they spent every day like this, and if so, how they were ever around to respond in time to emergencies. He needed to see what these kids could do, and soon, otherwise when they finally did go on a call he’d have no idea how to treat them if something went wrong. It was an issue he’d try and remedy tomorrow.
    Owen carefully unpacked his duffel bag containing the possessions too important to trust to a courier service. First were his Titan costumes. He kept six of them so that if one was dirty or in need of repair he had spares on hand. They were made from hardy material, but Supers like him were often put in situations that not even technology-enhanced cloth could stand up to. Next came a large metal box with a strange, orb-shaped lock on it. Inside were a variety of trinkets and trophies from his first round of Hero days. Some were too dangerous to let out of his sight, but most just held too much sentimental value.
    The final item extracted from his bag was a picture frame. Inside it were two photos set side by side. The first showed a younger Owen and a small boy in a junkyard, the boy proudly holding a washing machine over his head. The second was Owen and another boy, this one noticeably heavier, clutching a spelling bee trophy in his hands. In both photos, one could easily make out traces of Owen’s strong face in the children’s features.
    Owen carefully set this frame on his desk, next to the monitor. Now, he was home.
     
     

5.
     
    “This is stupid,” Hexcellent complained loudly, hands incessantly tugging on her sweatshirt as she tried to get comfortable in the unfamiliar garb. “You’re not our fucking leader; you’re just here as a token Hero so we can do our job. We don’t need to prove shit to you.”
    “Hexcellent, that’s enough,” said Galvanize, his tone gentle but firm.
    “No, it’s okay, I don’t blame her for calling bullshit,” Owen replied, his own chest bare as none of the sweatshirts he found in the gym were large enough to fit him. As it was, the sweatpants he’d found only came halfway down his calves, looking as though they’d been meant as capris.
    The first thing that morning, Owen had found Galvanize to request a full team meeting. Galvanize had complied and gathered everyone in the gym less than an hour later. Unfortunately, since it was an official meeting, the rules demanded they wear their official team sweats, rather than whatever was comfortable and fit them best. Currently they were all standing around in the part of the gym designed for rescue simulations, eyes set on the now unmasked newcomer in their midst.
    Walking in maskless had been a tough decision for Owen, one he’d ultimately realized was inevitable. Teamwork hinged on trust. They had it with each other; he could see that in their body language. As the new guy, he would have to earn it. Showing them his face was a small but necessary step in that process.
    “I took the time to read up on all of you last night before bed. You have good response rates, excellent percentages of civilians saved, and zero unauthorized encounters with criminal Supers. The first