Read Corpies (Super Powereds Spinoff Book 1) for Free Online Page B

attention and stopped him cold.
    It had been over a decade since he’d seen this person looking back in a reflection. This was different than going to see Lenny; this was a man about to walk out into a world of danger. He wasn’t just Owen Daniels wearing a costume. He was Titan, and the full of weight of that realization nearly sent him to the ground. So many memories, so many ordeals. So much loss. Part of him wanted to shrink back, to let Titan fall away in costumed pieces and turn back into Owen.
    Instead, he reached up to the side of his mask and pressed a device in his ear, hidden by the red material covering his face. None of the others would have this accessory; it was only for Heroes. They’d made improvements to the ear pieces since he last suited up. This one was light and nestled in the crevice of his ear with total security, giving a sense that no sideways blow would knock it loose. The things had always been damned tough, but a good rocking could send them flying. Titan was unsurprised to find this flaw had been addressed.
    “Titan, reporting in.” His words echoed through the empty room.
    “Dispatch recognizes Titan,” said a soft voice in his ear. Somewhere in his stomach, a knot of worry loosened. Part of him worried Dispatch would have changed as well, but her voice was the same as always: strong, well-enunciated, and with a vaguely European accent. No one, at least no one Titan had ever talked to, knew Dispatch’s real name, location, or even powers. She was just always there, no matter what time anyone plugged in. Always there, always the same.
    “Titan, please respond,” she repeated.
    Owen realized he’d zoned out, listening to her voice but not her words. “Sorry, repeat the question.”
    “You are cleared for active Hero assignments and for monitoring of a Privately Employed Emergency Response Supers team. Which of these tasks are you signing in for?”
    “I’m babysitting the corpies tonight,” Owen replied, working very hard to keep the annoyance out of his voice. If he signed in for active Hero duty, it would mean she’d direct him to any calls for help that fit the bill. Being on oversight duty meant he could use her if a situation arose, but she wouldn’t try to assign any new tasks to him.
    “Confirmed,” Dispatch said. “Is your team responding to the fire on Forty-Third Street?” Since corpies and Heroes overlapped on rescue duties, Dispatch always knew who was going where.
    “If that’s about two miles from my current location, then yes.” Owen broke his eyes away from the mirror and headed out his door. The earpiece wouldn’t be bothered by anything like walking. He’d seen people easily hold conversations with Dispatch while flying at supersonic speeds.
    “Confirmed. You are on note.” Owen winced, involuntarily. “On note” meant he was officially working the incident, and any other Hero who wanted to check and see if it was handled could find out he was there. Being a working Hero made it pretty much impossible to keep a low profile.
    “Thank you. Anything I should know going in?” Owen rounded the corner and stepped into the elevator at the end of the hall. The team had already informed him that the space below the lobby button would take him to a transport basement if pressed by someone with the right biometrics. A small push from his thumb and spot of clear metal suddenly lit up, sending him on a rapid journey downward.
    “No documented Supers or Powereds in residence at the building. Cause of fire is undetermined, though given degree of neglect and decay in the neighborhood, natural causes are highly possible. Nothing in the reports so far suggests any variant-human activity.”
    “So if it is a Super, I’m going in blind,” Owen muttered. He preferred to get at least a forewarning on these sorts of things.
    “Again, nothing suggests-”
    “I know, I know, sorry Dispatch. I’m just a little on edge,” Owen told her.
    “Ah yes, this is your first