Omega

 They say I'm the most powerful because I'm the one who's counted on for the aftermath, the "most important part," as they call it, and I guess you could say I am but not the way you might think. There's power and then there's influence. One has more impact, one has more reach. Which is more useful depends on where you're standing and when.

Blondie McBoobs is talking, I can't tell which one. There's a 4 on her mic which narrows it down to one of three possibles but damned if I can remember their names. "Omega, why is it we only see you after all the fighting is over?"

"Well ma'am," when you can't remember their names, "ma'am" works fine. "I can't be everywhere at once. That's why there's an entire league and not each of us addressing issues individually. By teaming up we've been able to consolidate and coordinate communications so when there's more than one trouble spot, we can tune our responses to make the best use of our abilities." It's a canned answer and I can almost give it in my sleep. I've gotten this question before.

"Some of you have the most amazing abilities, though - completely over the top kind of stuff. Why don't you apply those powers to make the world better?"

A-ha, another old one. "Do you want the Harry Potter answer or the real answer?"

"What's the Harry Potter answer?"

"Let's see...I think it was Hagrid who said, 'everybody'd be wantin' magical solutions to all their problems,' something like that. But that's just restating your question back at you. No, it's bigger than that - literally. Earth is vast. You think it's small but that's just your corner of it. Just the United States is vast and that's just one country; there's hundreds of countries and even the little ones are more than any of us in the League could alter by sheer force. The entire world, 'fixed?' Fixed according to whom? Fixed how? No. The League is like hired security, we stop bank robbers and criminal masterminds and suchlike but organized crime? They've been hiding for generations and our equipment and scope to sniff them out is the same stuff conventional law enforcement has. We don't have magical senses," and that's a lie, "to scope out evildoers. Jet can fly and I have my abilities and Nightshade is what she is but it's not like the comic books. We're special in some ways but we still have to use our hands to pull our pants up. Sure, there's some over the top powers but think about it - Nightshade still has to eat. We're not...gods."

Lie. A little. And I dodged the question. I show up at the end because the end is the part I want to be at.

"Thank you for your time, Omega."

"My pleasure, ma'am." Donegal, that's her name. "You take care, Ms. Donegal."

Jet had already set up the screen so I could go to work without too much interference. I closed my eyes and concentrated.

Flames. Spewing water and crackling electricity. Those are easy enough, a twitch of thought like crinkling my nose at a bad smell, and the breakers clicked over. It's nice having existing controls to influence. But not before I had taken in so much of it, a vibrating sizzle of sensation. The breakers clicked over when I willed them to, but they were opening circuits that were drained of potential.

Fire feels like inhaling until you're full, and then inhaling some more. It is a glorious rush, taking all that wild energy into you. Doing it induces a strange chill in the area of effect but me? I love it. I feel it right down to my toes, an orgasm of energy that could be dangerously addictive.

There were a few wild months in college that were punctuated by what appeared to be a rash of sofa burnings around Fraternity Row and I was happy enough for them to get the blame but let's not fool ourselves. It was me and was it a little masturbatory? Maybe. Was it fantastic? Oh yes.

Do I miss it? Every damned day.

So when there's a city block with flames leaping up and people running and colorful suits flying through the air and shouting catchphrases, I'll be along to mop up afterward, to drink in all the chaos and order it, to subdue the energies and revel in the rush and you'd better believe I'm glad I'm a girl. A guy feeling like this would not be able to hide the super woody in his spangly outfit.

That's why they call me Omega: when there's wild energy loose and threatening people, I end it. I bring it to a stop.

What nobody realizes is that I am quietly inside their heads, tapping here and nudging there. Organized crime is too organized and not interested in destruction. They want influence, not chaos. So I find the more chaotically inclined and ease them into a life of villainy, to glory in fright and fret and running around in mindless terror. I steer them to seeking destruction and general nuttiness.

The League I have gathered around me are good people, solid people who are nevertheless a little sloppy. Jet ricochets off things and breaks buildings, Donder is destructive just being himself. Shit gets crazy. They subdue the bad guy, sloppily and with lots of upheaval and then, offhandedly and with something resembling contempt, call me in to clean up.

And I do. I soak it up, the fear and fire coursing through me in a silvery cascade of joy and sensation. A lust for the wild forces moves me to sometimes allow the building to fall and I breathe in the energy of the fall. Blocks of concrete the size of houses fall like feathers and I am weeping with ecstasy.

They call me Omega, the clean up artist. The tail end. The super maid. They cannot feel me inside their heads, steering them like little cars, pushing them around, crashing them into each other because I like the crash. They call me Omega.

I am Alpha. Earth isn't vast to me, not really. I'm just pacing myself.