Wind Runner: The Complete Collection Read online

  Sharp Eye was gifted with perfect hand to eye coordination, which gave him amazing dexterity and skill when it came to things like throwing balls and catching… balls. The media had still greeted him with enormous fanfare, catapulting Sharp Eye to instant local fame. He’d moved out of Vanderbrook after a while, but was still listed in the town’s Wikipedia article under the “Famous Residents” section.

  A news van was already approaching from down the street. Malcolm wasn’t ready to sit down and give interviews. He flexed his hand, feeling for his new ability, and tried to do the obvious thing.

  Gathering the wind around him in powerful gusts, Malcolm took a step forward, and leapt into the air. He pushed against his legs and feet with all the wind he could summon, hovered for a second or two, and then slowly descended back to the ground.

  “Fly!” shouted one of the students filming him. “Come on! Take off, man! That would be so cool!”

  “Yeah, well, easier said than done,” said Malcolm. He frowned, feeling outward and taking stock of the strength of his wind power. He could sense that he didn’t have quite enough to fly, or at least if he did, he still didn’t know how to focus it in a way that would give him proper lift.

  Let’s try something else, then.

  Malcolm took off at a run, slowly using the wind to lengthen each stride, and push himself forward faster and faster. One of the college’s buildings was right on the edge of campus, and it had a metal fire escape staircase extending up the side.

  He hurtled up, reaching the top of the building and using the wind to stop on a dime. He waved to the news crew, who were still in the process of getting their camera set up. There was another noise, and Malcolm glanced up to see a news chopper there, as well, filming him from above.

  “That’s bold,” he muttered. “Especially given the nature of my power.”

  He imagined what would happen if he sent a strong gust into the helicopter from the side, or hit it with wind from directly above, slamming down into its blades. Part of Malcolm delighted at the idea, even though he knew that it would probably get the people inside killed. Using his power felt amazing, and he wasn’t sure how much it mattered what he used it for.

  Malcolm shook the thoughts away, instead focusing on a less deadly alternative. There was a building nearby, just across the street, and the roof was a story or two lower than the one he was currently on. His body tingled with excitement. He wanted to do it. He had to do it.

  He broke off at a dead sprint, pulling the wind along with him. There was a small concrete lip around the building’s edge, and he set one foot on it before pushing off into open air. The wind hurtled him forward, his clothes flapping against his skin. He moved forward, still descending slightly, but easily crossing the gap and landing on the new building’s roof with several feet to spare.

  “YES!” he shouted. “Hell yeah!”

  There was more to it than just exhilaration. Using his wind powers had an extra euphoric edge to it. Malcolm kept running across the new building’s roof, immediately leaping to another nearby. He soared through the air and landed on target, crossing a distance of fifty feet, at least.

  The news copter kept pace with him. He considered whether he could outrun it. Malcolm jumped to another building, and then another, each time feeling more comfortable with the extent of his abilities.

  He was moving out of Vanderbrook’s modest downtown area and into the residential neighborhoods. Cars were stopped in the street. People stood in clumps on sidewalks, pointing at him, and trying to snap photos. Malcolm waved at them, looking away as he jumped from one house to another.

  He cleared the gap easily, and landed in the center of an open skylight. Malcolm’s surprise manifested in his chest, his heart skipping a beat as he tried to push himself upward with the wind as he fell. It wasn’t enough.

  He landed in a bedroom, on top of a bed. The fall was gentle, bruising his pride, more than his body. Malcolm let go of the wind for a moment and felt his thoughts immediately start to clear up.

  I need to chill. Making the press chase me and jumping on people’s roofs is probably not the best way to introduce myself to the world as a champion.

  “You…” said a woman’s voice. “You’re… him.”

  There was someone else in the bed. An attractive woman in her late twenties or early thirties was underneath the sheets directly beside him, holding a comforter up to her neckline. Her hair was red, and her face was pretty and slightly freckled. She was staring at a large flat screen TV on the other side of the room, which was currently tuned into the local news.

  “We’re not sure where the new champion is at the moment,” said a reporter. “He was jumping from building to building, probably testing out the strength of his abilities, but it seems as though he managed to slip away after one of the jumps.”

  “Interesting,” said another reporter. “And do we know anything about the identity of this champion? Or the nature of his powers?”

  “We’ve spoken with several students at Vanderbrook Community College who claim that he was a student there,” said the first reporter. “They also say that his abilities are related to either gravity, or the wind.”

  “Fascinating,” said the other reporter.

  Malcolm shook his head, unsure of how to feel about hearing them talk about him in the third person. He sat up on the bed, noticing the woman again and feeling like a massive dick for intruding on her space.

  “I… am so sorry,” said Malcolm. “I’m just going to let myself out.”

  “Hold on!” said the woman. “Please. Let me get a picture with you, at least!”

  She stood up, still holding the sheet around her, and started walking toward the table where she’d set her phone. Malcolm chuckled and shook his head, feeling a bit awkward.

  “I’m a trespasser,” he said. “I think it’s probably best if I just go.”

  “Really?” The woman smiled at him. She had a gorgeous smile, and there was something vaguely flirtatious about the gleam in her eye.

  “Yes, really,” said Malcolm. “The press is going to figure out that I’m here in a couple of minutes.”

  The woman let the sheet drop. She was naked underneath.

  “There must be… something I can do to convince you to stay,” said the woman. “Just for a minute or two?”

  She slowly walked toward him. Her body was incredible, and Malcolm gaped openly at her big breasts. She seemed confident in her sexuality, and her smile only grew broader as she noticed the blush in Malcolm’s cheeks.

  “Whoa, okay,” he said, scratching his head. “I don’t think this is such a good idea.”

  She stepped in close to him and set a finger on his lips. Malcolm had fooled around a bit with girls before, but he’d never had one come onto him like this. And certainly, not one this attractive before, or this serious about getting what she wanted.

  “Please?” asked the woman. “I’ll do the convincing upfront?”

  She pushed him back, and Malcolm fell onto the bed. Her hands were immediately on his jeans, unbuttoning, unzipping, and then pulling them down. He reached down, ready to stop her. She took his hand by the wrist and brought his index finger into her mouth, sucking on the length of it and letting out a seductive moan.

  “Wow…” he said. There wasn’t much else for him to say. The woman pulled his boxers down. He was already hard, and watched her with all the focus of a horny teenage male as she pursed her lips and wrapped her hand around his shaft.

  “You’re just a boy,” said the woman, in a teasing voice. “But you’re still a champion.”

  She planted a kiss on the tip of his erection, and Malcolm felt pleasure surge into him from the point of contact. Her lips slowly parted, and she brought her head down, pulling him into a warm, wet paradise of mouth and tongue.

  Maybe this is just one of the perks of the job?

  He watched her slowly begin to suck, half dazed from the pleasure of it. The woman knew exactly what she was doing,
and Malcolm wasn’t all that surprised. She didn’t even know his name, yet, and they were already fooling around. Though, she knew that he was one of the gifted, a champion, and perhaps that detail was all that really mattered to her.

  The woman’s hand stroked the base of his shaft, while her tongue and lips pleasured the tip and upper half. She was confident, deliberate, and beautiful. Malcolm reached his hand out and ran it across her cheek. The woman took it as encouragement, and slid her lips down even further.

  Her tongue was doing a little trick, tapping and teasing the sensitive underside of his erection. She was looking at him, her green eyes locked onto his, full of excitement and pride. It was as though she felt like she was getting more out of it than he was, and maybe that was true, in way.

  “Oh…” Malcolm ran his hand through her hair. “Hey… I’m about to…”

  The woman moved started moving her mouth faster. Her lips made a tight seal around his shaft, unyielding, even as Malcolm passed over the edge. He bucked his hips upward and groaned as the pleasure hit him in an incredible burst. The woman kept sucking, running one hand along his thigh, encouraging him to unload in her hot mouth.

  And he did.

  CHAPTER 3

  Malcolm was drained from the experience. He leaned his head back in the bed, closing his eyes for a moment. His day had been incredible, and there was still so much waiting for him outside. It was a little intimidating, now that he had a chance to think about it.

  “Smile!” The woman slid up next to him in bed, taking a selfie of the two of them before Malcolm had a chance to say anything. “That one’s for my Instagram.”

  “Hey,” he said. “That’s kind of rude.”

  He stood up and started pulling his pants on. The woman kept taking photos.

  “Hey!” he said, a little louder.

  “Relax,” she said. “They’re just photos. And they’re going to be worth a fortune. The first intimate photos of a new champion, not even an hour into his powers.”

  “Are you… being serious right now?”

  The woman took another photo. Malcolm scowled, reaching out with the wind and trying to knock the phone out of her hand. She clutched it to her naked breasts and glared at him.

  “If you try to hurt me, I swear to god I’ll start filming!” she said. “Do you want that to be the world’s first impression of you?”

  Malcolm massaged his temples.

  “Okay, I’m gonna go,” he said.

  If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

  She followed him, taking photos even as he walked out her front door and into the street. The news copter had apparently gone off in another direction, and there was no media presence waiting for him.

  He wasn’t sure what, exactly, to do next. He’d left his backpack on campus, but there wasn’t much in it that he needed, beyond some textbooks and an extra hooded sweatshirt. Heading home would mean submerging himself into the media frenzy again. There was no doubt that the press would have his apartment staked out.

  Malcolm started walking down the sidewalk, headed in a direction that would take him toward the outskirts of town. He felt for his powers again, but didn’t use them, remembering how he’d been swept up in the sensation last time. The powers had an allure to them, a mysterious intensity that pulled him in.

  He’d been walking for close to ten minutes when a black BMW slowed to a stop next to him. Malcolm sighed and forced a smile onto his face, figuring that he might have to sign an autograph, or maybe pose for a photo.

  The tinted driver’s side window rolled down and a young woman smiled at him from behind it. She was attractive, and probably close to the same age as him. She had blonde hair, green eyes, and a curious confidence about her, as though she knew something important that he didn’t.

  “You aren’t going to run off again, are you?” she asked. “It took us far longer than we expected to pinpoint your location, young man.”

  Malcolm snorted.

  “Young man?” he asked. “You’re like, the same age as me. And… wait a second, what did you just say?”

  The girl opened the door of the car and stepped out of it. The first thing Malcolm noticed was that she had an amazing figure. She wore a long sleeve grey blouse and black leggings, and the clothes were tight enough to show off her small, well-formed breasts and a solid, athletic butt.

  She was shorter than he was by quite a bit, but the way she moved made him think that her height suited her perfectly. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she nodded to him, extending her hand to shake his.

  “Malcolm, right?” she asked. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m with the United States Champion Authority.”

  Malcolm felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight. He’d heard nothing but good things about USCA and champions in general. They were a force for peace in the world, protecting the civilian population against the sprytes and demons that had come into existence at the start of the Phenomenon, along with more mundane threats.

  It was either a spryte or a demon that killed my family. This is exactly what I’ve wanted, all this time.

  He realized that he’d been staring at the girl for several silent seconds and quickly cleared his throat.

  “Uh, yeah, I’m Malcolm,” he said. “And you are…?”

  “You can call me Tapestry,” said the girl. “Will you come with us without a fight?”

  Her question prompted several of the other doors of the car to open in unison. Malcolm watched as a short, balding man with tufts of red hair clinging to the crown of his head stepped out of the passenger side. And both back seats. Three identical copies of the man stood watching him, only differentiated by their clothing.

  “That’s Multi,” said Tapestry.

  The nearest of the copies stepped toward Malcolm, while the other two circled around behind him.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Wind Runner,” said the Multi in front of him.

  “Uh… Wind Runner?” Malcolm shook his head in confusion. Tapestry cleared her throat, pulled out her phone, and spent a couple of seconds looking for something. She passed it to him, and Malcolm found himself staring at a selfie that the naked woman, who was apparently named Emily, had taken and posted to Instagram.

  Just hooked up with a champion! #Wind Runner

  “It’s catchy,” said Multi. “I think it’s going to stick, whether you want it to or not.”

  “Uh…” Malcolm just shook his head, totally at a loss for words.

  “Right…” said Multi. “I’m Ted Shelton, also known as Multi. I’m the Executive Director of the Greater Vanderbrook USCA chapter.”

  He shook Malcolm’s hand.

  “Okay,” said Malcolm. “So… what now?”

  Tapestry smiled at him. Each of the Multis set a hand on his shoulder or back, and pushed him toward the open backseat door of the BMW.

  “Now, you come with us,” said Tapestry.

  CHAPTER 4

  Malcolm sat between two identical Multis in the back of the BMW, feeling awkward and tense. He’d asked several questions immediately after the ride had begun, mostly about what was happening to him, and where they were taking him. The Multis had each just shaken their head at him. Tapestry told him that he’d have his answers soon enough.

  They drove into the outskirts of town, across the badly maintained roads that cut through the wilderness preserve that touched Vanderbrook on the south and west edges. The sky grew cloudier as they got further out, and it almost felt like a reflection of Malcolm’s own mood.

  This whole “being a champion” thing has gone from fun to serious in a very short amount of time.

  He frowned, also feeling a little annoyed that he was sitting in the middle seat, and didn’t really have a window to look out of, other than the one straight ahead. Tapestry glanced back at him over her shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

  “Hey,” she said. “You look a little overwhelmed.”

  “Well, I feel it,” he said, furr
owing his brow. “I’m more than a little outside my comfort zone, right now. It would help if you’d explain a little more.”

  “We do it this way for a reason,” said Tapestry. “Trust me, we don’t mean you any harm. It’s all part of the process.”

  Malcolm nodded, but her words only made him want answers more. Tapestry turned the car onto a dirt road, driving them down a stretch where the trees were tall and thick with branches, choking out most of the sun’s light.

  At the end of the road, Tapestry brought the car to a stop outside of a large, dome shaped building. It was built on the edge of a hill, just past where the trees thinned out into a clearing. He parked the car next to a truck and a motorcycle, and everyone climbed out.

  “We’re heading inside,” said Multi. “You’ve been very cooperative so far, Malcolm. Just don’t freak out or doing anything impulsive, okay?”

  Malcolm was about to ask what he meant by that when Tapestry came up beside him, setting one hand on his shoulder and smiling cordially. Her other hand was positioned on top of a small bulge on the side of her waist.

  A gun. Somehow, I doubt I can do much about that with the wind.

  “Fair enough,” said Malcolm. “Look, I came with you guys willingly. I just want to know what’s going on, and uh, I guess what I’m supposed to do now?”

  “We know,” said Tapestry. “And I’m sorry that we have to take this approach with you. It’s just how the Champion Authority brings in new recruits. Standard procedure.”

  Malcolm nodded, walking alongside her as she gently guided him forward by the shoulder. Two of the Multis went ahead, inputting passcodes into a keypad next to a large, metal door at the front of the dome.

  “This is the Vanderbrook HQ,” said Tapestry. “We just call it ‘The Dome’ for short. It’s where all of the local champions report in for briefings and missions.”

  “Local champions?” Malcolm raised an eyebrow at her. “In Vanderbrook?”

  His hometown had just under fifty thousand residents, and the only champions he’d ever heard of appeared right at the start of the Phenomenon, five years earlier. A few sprytes and demons, such as the one that murdered his family, passed through the town occasionally, but as far as he knew, there were no champions currently in residence.