World Registry of Heroes & Villains Book 1: Hero Tower Chapter 1

Here is a sneak peek of my book Hero Tower.

Chapter 1 Cassie

The guard removed my handcuffs but didn’t take off my collar. He and his partner continued to stare at me, hands near their holsters, as they shuffled backward.

“What are you doing? The collar prevents Cassie’s powers,” my attorney, Cage Orlian, said, sounding annoyed.

“We’re doing our jobs. She’s dangerous,” the first guard answered. A drop of sweat ran down his face.

“She’s barely one hundred pounds, soaking wet.” Cage faced me and asked, “You won’t do anything, right?”

I cleared my throat. “I won’t.” Not like I could. Nothing felt right. I had a big part of me missing.

“The way she hurt those men—” the same guard started.

“Is up to the court whether she goes to jail for it. You need to return to your station. Cassie will stay in line. Do you want to cause a mistrial?” Cage interrupted.

The guards grumbled, but obeyed.

A second later, the bailiff called, “All rise, Honorable Judge Gilroy Russo presiding.”

The courtroom stood; the Judge hurried into the room, and we sat.

Russo set a tablet onto the desk and asked me, “Cassie van der Aart, how do you plead to the eight charges of attempted murder?” He listed the men’s names next.

Cage whispered to me to stand next to him.

On my feet, I answered confidently, “Not guilty, Your Honor.”

“All eight of the charges?” Judge Russo asked. His eyes widened for a brief second.

“Yes, Your Honor. Every. Single. One,” I answered. My heart clenched, and tears bristled in my eyes from little Brianna begging me to stop. Who would protect her now?

I blinked away my tears before they fell. My neck itched from the collar, similar to the urge to scratch after hearing ‘lice,’ but touching the collar was a bad idea.

“How do you plead to not registering as a Hero?” Judge Russo scribbled on his tablet. Once he finished, his shoulders lifted, and he puffed his chest out. He perched upon his metal desk to intimidate me, perhaps?

The full weight of my decision rested on my shoulders. I glanced at my court-appointed attorney standing next to me.

Cage gave me a small smile of encouragement before facing forward again.

Individuals with unique abilities must disclose them to their government and register on the World Registry of Heroes and Villains. I had lived with my powers for eighteen years without adding myself to the WRHV. I intended to live the rest of my life without registering.

“How do you plead to not registering as a Hero?” Judge Russo asked again. This time, he sounded less thrilled with me.

“Not guilty,” I answered.

Dead silence filled the courtroom for a second, and then it erupted into a storm of chaos. Those involved in my case and the nosy ones spoke identical words. Their voices were a muddled mess, but I caught a few words.

“Murderer.”

“Freak.”

“Just die.”

“Order! I’ll have order in my court,” the Judge yelled. Clang. Clang. Metal hit against metal. He banged his gavel until everyone quieted down. “Ms. van der Aart, no one has ever pleaded not guilty to the charge. Your people need to tell normal citizens about your abilities as soon as you receive them so we can protect ourselves. Explain yourself.”

“My people?” I asked in disbelief. My jaw stiffened, and I ran my tongue along my bottom gum to get rid of the sensation. If I touched my face and accidentally hit my collar, the needles injecting a serum to stop my powers would dig further into me.

“Yes, Mutants.” The Judge cleared his throat. “I mean, Heroes. Post the Mutant Rebellion, any individual with extraordinary powers must register with their government. You’re a danger to society. You’re a weapon.” He recited the first line of the WRHV.

“How am I a weapon? A weapon is a gun or a knife, or an instrument used to cause bodily harm.” I lifted an eyebrow and cocked my head to the side. The Judge made no sense.

“Your abilities can kill people,” Judge Russo said.

“Alleged abilities, Your Honor,” Cage interjected.

“So can a knife. Why aren’t all owners forced onto a list?” I ignored the man standing next to me.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Judge Russo shook his head.

“Let’s write baseball bat owners while getting people to sign the registry. Are they not dangerous? A baseball bat can be a weapon,” I said. Every cell in my body buzzed as if I’d smoked crack and drunk a caffeine chaser. Once the hair-brained monkey with a gavel got me going, I wouldn’t stop. “The difference is anyone who owns a weapon can choose to kill someone with it.”

For a moment, I hesitated, refraining from uttering the M-word for my people. Mutants were bad. Calling them Heroes and Villains had helped a little. I continued by saying, “Heroes don’t have a choice. We’re born with abilities, and because we are, we must register. Becoming second-class citizens. No jobs. No welfare. No help whatsoever unless we’re paraded around in an ivory tower, all because we might harm someone. I’m not guilty of having been born. I deserve my freedom like everyone else.”

“Freedom isn’t free,” the Judge sneered.

“No shit,” I agreed.

“Ms. van der Aart, you will not use that language in my court,” the Judge said. His voice dripped with venom.

“Sorry, Your Honor, for agreeing with you.” I touched the collar around my neck to prove my point. Electricity zapped my fingers, and I yanked my hand away. The needle dug deeper into my neck, supplying more serum into my body. I bit my tongue to stop myself from screaming in pain. If I kept touching the collar, I would die.

If you want to know more:

Any individual with extraordinary powers must register.

Cassie never has, and she never plans to register until she’s on trial. If she doesn’t use her abilities to beat the charges, she’ll die. If she does, authorities will collar her and jail her for ten years for not registering, or worse—she’ll join the hero celebrities in the ivory tower.

Garrison is the number one superhero in the world, and he won’t let anyone forget it. But he’s plagued by nightmares that he thinks he can run away from. When a mission for him to look after the criminal Cassie, sparks will fly and he’ll finally meet his match.

Nico owns Hero Tower. He’s trying to change the minds of the world who loathe and love superheroes, but his biggest challenge is babysitting them. After Cassie predicts the destruction of his home, he pursues all efforts to stop it from happening. And have her join his company. She needs to beat a few pesky charges first.

https://mybook.to/WRHV1HT