What am I doing? I asked myself for the third time in as many minutes.
The desk in the office my desk in my office, I suppose was probably more expensive than all of my worldly belongings put together. If one were to include the pieces of art although I was rather hesitant to call the marble statuettes of nude women art which the previous Mayor had placed when the desk was his, it would certainly compare favorably to everything my family and I had ever owned.
I gritted my teeth. My family. I had accepted their death years ago, but most of my personality could be traced back to their murder.
Back to the moment where I had created the persona of Orbit and run away from the name Id worn before, because it had been too painful to be Vicente Rey. For a while, the only thing that kept me from doing a suicide-run against The Forgottens Headquarters had been Orbits dream as well to create a place where those with superpowers could live without having to look over their shoulders for members of The Forgotten, or other anti-superpower groupings.
While sighing softly, I shook my head. As many dreams are wont to be, this dream was just a collection of half-formed and often unfeasible ideas. A few months ago, I had realized that while people like Alan are certainly a threat to those with superpowers, most of their followers are merely those who need someone to blame their problems on.
And given the de facto-embargo by the US and USSR, there are plenty of people with problems.
Again, I sighed.
The Forgotten would probably expect me to outlaw them and pursue them with all the resources available to me I still had no idea about the extent, but I suppose that I would find out soon and hunt them down until Ive executed their leaders. A few months ago, I would probably have done exactly that.
I had never actually expected to win. I had wanted to prevent Carson from winning first because The Forgotten was backing her, and then because she had superpowers, and were nevertheless conspiring with the Forgotten which meant that my thoughts had all been revolving around how to ensure that she lost the election.
With a snort and a shake of my head, I wondered just how Hopeville ended up with gladiatorial combat determining its Mayor. I suppose that I should be grateful. I knew that I was horrible with crowds, so the chances of my winning an actual election would be nonexistent.
I found myself wondering how I could best avoid talking to crowds and the press, and shook my head, a small smile on my lips. That had been my answer to a lot of problems since my family died running away, starting when I ran away after my family was killed, rather than stay and mourn them properly.
Becoming Orbit had been running away too, I suppose running away from the sorrow and self-doubt that would have crushed Vicente Ray. Orbit was supposed to have been a strong, charismatic leader of superheroes. A herald who would bring with him a new era for superheroes, one where they could live without fearing groups like The Forgotten, because the public would know what they did.
That had been why I joined the Justice Guild not really with the intent of infiltrating the Guild and becoming the leader, but more trying to make them a proof of concept of Orbits dream. I had wanted to prove that a team of superheroes could defend and inspire the city, and earn the goodwill of the people.
But now, I had another responsibility running the city instead of just defending it.
A few months ago, I suppose that I would have tried to find a way to avoid the responsibility. Leaving for missions with the Guild every other day, or something like that, probably.
I walked over to one of the windows, and looked out at the city that I was now to govern, and shook my head. 'No,' I promised myself, 'I will no longer run away, avoiding my responsibilities by hiding behind Orbit.'
My name is Vicente Ray, the Mayor of Hopeville, and I will make this city a better place.