she was born, exactly, or what her parents had looked like. The Union had come for her at too young an age.
She flipped back to Jane’s picture. "Poor Lucky," Broken said, and replaced the book neatly on the shelves. She found she couldn’t call forth the kind of grief that Monica had shown. Not right now.
She scanned the shelves, suddenly hungry for more. Dozens of books flew into her hands, dozens more she cast aside.
* * *
She sat at a table, poring over the past, repeating sentences to herself out loud.
"The Extrahuman Union was formed in response to growing public unease regarding the small population of Extrahumans or ‘superheroes,’ " she read. "They began to be noticed by the population and by world governments in the 2030s, but the trauma of the Last War and the formation of the Confederation precluded any action before 2053, when the Union was founded. A young hero named Sky Ranger was its first leader."
The very first Sky Ranger, the great hero who had fought the Rogarians during their aborted invasion of human space in the 2060s.. There had been two more after him, including the one she had shared the sky with so long ago.
She picked up a different book.
"Superhumans or ‘Extrahumans’ are not trusted by the people as a whole," she read. "In fact, their powers are the object of great envy and hatred."
She put that book down, and picked up another.
" ‘Extrahuman’ is a nicer way of saying ‘mutant,’ although not so glamorous as saying ‘superhuman’ or, more popularly, ‘superhero.’ In and of itself, it is a word that means very little ."
Yet another book.
"The Confederation Government mandated that all ‘Extrahumanoids’ be members of the new Union. All those who did not wish to join were tracked down by those who already had. Many died defending what they saw as their liberty."
She shuddered. She’d had to do that. There had been a man who could create fire. He had lived out in the woods, by himself. A hiker had seen him starting a small cooking fire, and had reported him to the Union.
When they came for him, he stood his ground. They'd been forced to tear him apart to stop him from incinerating the whole team. It had been a ghastly business.
She’d questioned that day whether or not she really belonged with the LED. In the end, though, it didn't matter.
Flip, flip. " Evidence suggests that the government uses Extrahumans for its own ends. Several have disappeared with little to no explanation… Silverwyng, for example ."
She let out a solitary, hollow laugh and picked up another book.
"Why don’t Extrahumans have names? Real names, I mean. Why the strange titles? Do they even have regular names? What do they call one another?"
Broken thought about that. She’d never had a “real” name, not one she could remember.
* * *
"Hey, kiddo!" called the woman. "Come on, you’ll be late!"
She poked the water, and the crabs scuttled away. Except for a big blue one, which drew nearer…
* * *
She paged to another chapter.
"Extrahumans are not free citizens," she read. "They either chain themselves to their Union, or are forced into it. Many are brought to the Union as children. The Union is not supposed to be controlled by the government, but it is. How many times have the actions of the Extrahumans and the aims of the government neatly coincided?"
She picked up the last book, which was far smaller than the others, nearly a pamphlet.
"Extrahumans, supermen, mutants, whatever you call them: They are dangerous. Their very existence threatens humanity. Their shameless collaboration with a corrupt government and a corrupt party aligns them irrevocably with the oppressors of free will in our state. They are a danger that must be dealt with."
In horror, she dropped the book to the table. Who would hate her so? She glanced at the author’s name and gasped.
Damien Peltan, now President of the Confederation. He had written the book nearly fifteen years before,
She flipped back to Jane’s picture. "Poor Lucky," Broken said, and replaced the book neatly on the shelves. She found she couldn’t call forth the kind of grief that Monica had shown. Not right now.
She scanned the shelves, suddenly hungry for more. Dozens of books flew into her hands, dozens more she cast aside.
* * *
She sat at a table, poring over the past, repeating sentences to herself out loud.
"The Extrahuman Union was formed in response to growing public unease regarding the small population of Extrahumans or ‘superheroes,’ " she read. "They began to be noticed by the population and by world governments in the 2030s, but the trauma of the Last War and the formation of the Confederation precluded any action before 2053, when the Union was founded. A young hero named Sky Ranger was its first leader."
The very first Sky Ranger, the great hero who had fought the Rogarians during their aborted invasion of human space in the 2060s.. There had been two more after him, including the one she had shared the sky with so long ago.
She picked up a different book.
"Superhumans or ‘Extrahumans’ are not trusted by the people as a whole," she read. "In fact, their powers are the object of great envy and hatred."
She put that book down, and picked up another.
" ‘Extrahuman’ is a nicer way of saying ‘mutant,’ although not so glamorous as saying ‘superhuman’ or, more popularly, ‘superhero.’ In and of itself, it is a word that means very little ."
Yet another book.
"The Confederation Government mandated that all ‘Extrahumanoids’ be members of the new Union. All those who did not wish to join were tracked down by those who already had. Many died defending what they saw as their liberty."
She shuddered. She’d had to do that. There had been a man who could create fire. He had lived out in the woods, by himself. A hiker had seen him starting a small cooking fire, and had reported him to the Union.
When they came for him, he stood his ground. They'd been forced to tear him apart to stop him from incinerating the whole team. It had been a ghastly business.
She’d questioned that day whether or not she really belonged with the LED. In the end, though, it didn't matter.
Flip, flip. " Evidence suggests that the government uses Extrahumans for its own ends. Several have disappeared with little to no explanation… Silverwyng, for example ."
She let out a solitary, hollow laugh and picked up another book.
"Why don’t Extrahumans have names? Real names, I mean. Why the strange titles? Do they even have regular names? What do they call one another?"
Broken thought about that. She’d never had a “real” name, not one she could remember.
* * *
"Hey, kiddo!" called the woman. "Come on, you’ll be late!"
She poked the water, and the crabs scuttled away. Except for a big blue one, which drew nearer…
* * *
She paged to another chapter.
"Extrahumans are not free citizens," she read. "They either chain themselves to their Union, or are forced into it. Many are brought to the Union as children. The Union is not supposed to be controlled by the government, but it is. How many times have the actions of the Extrahumans and the aims of the government neatly coincided?"
She picked up the last book, which was far smaller than the others, nearly a pamphlet.
"Extrahumans, supermen, mutants, whatever you call them: They are dangerous. Their very existence threatens humanity. Their shameless collaboration with a corrupt government and a corrupt party aligns them irrevocably with the oppressors of free will in our state. They are a danger that must be dealt with."
In horror, she dropped the book to the table. Who would hate her so? She glanced at the author’s name and gasped.
Damien Peltan, now President of the Confederation. He had written the book nearly fifteen years before,
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