QuickShot:
"Where am I? And what the heck am I wearing?"
Opening my eyes, I see myself alone, standing in a large, empty ballroom with a polished wooden floor. I search my memory for how I got here, but my mind is blank. Even weirder, I'm wearing a dress. An actual red dress.
"Oh come on! I do not wear dresses. In my whole life, I have never once worn a dress. It's one of the few things I can proudly say."
Grabbing and trying to tear the stupid thing off, I stop when a massive set of double doors is pushed open. Looking up, not entirely sure what to expect, the last thing I thought I would see was Ms. Justice, also in a stunning blue dress.
If my mind was blank before, it shuts down completely. I have to shake my head to restart it.
"Ms--Ms. Justice. Wha--What are you doing here?"
Ms. Justice doesn't answer me. Instead, she raises her head and smiles at me. When she does, I see her beautiful blue eyes behind her black mask. I see her short, wavy, golden hair. I see her pink lips.
Walking right up to me, Ms. Justice holds out her hand. Somehow understanding the gesture, I grab Ms. Justice's hand. Pulling her in, I place both my hands on her hips. Ms. Justice laughs and places her hands on my shoulders. We stand close to each other. Very close. So close, I think I can see a slight twinkle in her eyes.
"Ms. Justice," I say, pausing to clear my throat. "Wher--Where are--Where are---You look very beautiful."
I don't know what's happening. I don't know why I said that. I was trying to ask Ms. Justice where we were, but somehow, that came out instead.
"Ahhh," I moan. I don't know if my face turns red, but it definitely feels hotter.
"Thank you," Ms. Justice says. "You look beautiful, too."
If my face wasn't red before, it is now.
"Thanks," I say, looking down at the stupid dress I'm still wearing. "I still miss pants, though."
Looking back up, I jump when I see Ms. Justice gone.
"What the--"
Looking around again, the ballroom, the polished wooden floor, and even the dress are all gone. Now, I'm back in my leather jacket with pants. I check my head and even feel my fighter pilot helmet. Raising my head, I see nothing but an endless, black void.
"Hello," I shout. "Justice? SpeedBlade? JumpStart?"
I search my pockets for the radio, but they're empty. Worse, I don't have my bow or quiver.
"Come on, QuickShot. Come on."
Hitting myself in the head a few times, all I do is get a headache.
"Hello," a voice says. Jumping and flipping around, I see a bright-red, glowing silhouette of a woman. It's almost impossible to see any details about her except for her thin figure and long hair.
"Who are you? Where am I? Where is Ms. Justice?"
"You have my power," the red silhouette says.
"What? What are you talking about? What power? What are you talking about?"
"You have my power, but refuse to use it."
"Power? Wait, are you talking about the telekinesis?"
I look down at my hand and jump again. It's glowing, but I'm not the one using it.
You have my power, but refuse to use it."
"Will you stop saying that? The reason I don't use your telekinesis power is that it drained it. I can't even stand after using it for a few seconds."
"Control your emotions."
"Control my what?"
"Control your emotions. Confront your feelings. Stop ignoring it. Realize who you really are."
"What are you talking about?" I yell.
The red woman doesn't answer me. Instead, her glow intensifies. Before I could do anything, she bursts into a red glow and blinds me. Screaming and raising my hand, I stumble back and fall into the black void.
"Ahhh--"
My butt hits something hard. I swing my hands all over. Grabbing and throwing my blanket off, I look around and see my room. Posted on my bedroom's walls are pictures of airplanes, both civilian and Air Force. My brown leather jacket and fighter pilot helmet are sitting on the desk nearby, and right next to it is the wooden plane Ms. Justice made for it.
"Ouch," I moan, rubbing my sore bottom. "What in the world was that?"
Getting up, I stretch my arms and crack my back before walking over to my desk. Grabbing and putting on my uniform, the straps swinging loosely, I can't help but think about that weird dream.
"You have my power," the red woman said, "But refuse to use it. Control your emotions. Confront my feelings. Stop ignoring it. Realize who you really are?"
I repeat what the woman said to me over and over while looking at myself in the mirror. My brown pilot helmet sits on my head, with a pair of goggles sitting on it. My long, blond hair flows out from underneath my helmet, reaching down past my shoulder. My leather jacket is paired with my tanned pants and work boots. Looking myself over one last time, I nod at my reflection and leave.
Entering the base's living room, the only one there is JumpStart. He's sitting by himself at our coffee table.
"Hello, JumpStart," I say with a nod.
"Hey," JumpStart replies. He looks up at me, smiles, and looks back down at the thing in his hands. Focused on whatever gadget he's building, JumpStart's hand fumbles around for a bit. Shaking my head, I lean down, grab the screwdriver, and place it in his hand.
"Thanks," JumpStart says without looking up.
"You're welcome. Hey, where is Ms. Justice? Oh no. Is she missing again? Oh, no! No! No!"
"Hey, hey, hey!"
JumpStart places the gadget he was holding on the table and pushes himself up.
"Calm down," JumpStart says, putting up his hands. "Ms. Justice is out? Yes! But she isn't alone. She's with SpeedBlade."
"SpeedBlade?"
"Yeah. She said something about a surprise for us, but that she needed a few things first, and asked for SpeedBlade's help. The two of them are out in the city, doing something."
"What?" I ask.
"I don't know," JumpStart answers with a shrug. "Again, Ms. Justice said it was a surprise, but she did make sure to bring her communicator."
"Her communicator?"
Hearing this, I search my pocket, patting myself down before finally finding it. Pushing the button, I start calling Justice.
"Pick up," I say, tapping my foot. "Come on. Pick up. Pick up."
Finally, Ms. Justice answers.
"Hello, QuickShot."
"Ms. Justice," I scream. "Where are you right now?"
"Ouch!"
JumpStart looks at me while covering his eyes. "Hey, you don't have to yell. Both she and I can hear you just fine."
Looking at JumpStart as he rubs his long elf ears, I ignore him and walk a few steps away.
"Justice. Are you okay? Is something wrong? What's happening to you right now?"
"QuickShot. Breathe, breathe. Take a deep breath and slow down. I don't know why you sound so scared, but everything is okay. I'm okay. SpeedBlade is okay. Nothing is wrong. There's no danger in the city."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. In fact, give me a minute."
I bite my tongue as I wait for Ms. Justice. I keep waiting and waiting. That one minute feels like an eternity. I feel like I aged 500 years before hearing from someone again.
"Hello, QuickShot," SpeedBlade starts, his voice coming through the radio. "Lady Justice wants me to assure you that we are fine."
"SpeedBlade?"
"Yes, QuickShot."
"Where is Ms. Justice?"
"I'm still here," Justice answers. "Yeah, we're both here. Again, we're not fighting. There is no supervillain. We're just doing a little bit of shopping."
"Shop--ing," SpeedBlade repeats.
"Shopping? For what? And why?"
"I do not understand myself. It was Ms. Justice's thoughts. She said there is something happening at night, and she wishes to see it, but before she can, she must retrieve certain items."
"Something happening at night? Wished to see? Must retrieve certain items? What? What are you talking about?"
"I am lost as to what Ms. Justice's thoughts are," SpeedBlade answers. "To be frank, I have forgotten why I am even here."
"You're here because I asked for your help," Ms. Justice replies, "And you said yes, and then I said thank you very much. Anyway, it's going to be a surprise. Just wait and see. Bye."
"Wait, wait, wait--"
Ms. Justice doesn't wait. She ends the call, and I'm left standing there.
"See," JumpStart says, sitting back down on the floor and picking up the gadget and screwdriver. "I told you to calm down."
Slowly turning my head, JumpStart leans back.
"Uhhh...You're mad at me, aren't you?"
I follow Ms. Justice's advice and take a deep breath, breathing through my nose before exhaling. Feeling slightly better, I turn and walk back to my room.
Hearing JumpStart sigh as I walk away, I think fast and raise a hand. Focusing my mind, breathing in and out, I use my telekinesis to grab a small cup from the dining room's table. Pulling back my hand, I throw the cup through the air at JumpStart.
"Ouch!"
Holding back a laugh, I think I'm going to be too tired to finish the walk back to my room, but somehow, I make it all the way. Even stranger, when I enter my room, I feel okay.
"What?"
I stop and look down at the same hand I used to throw the cup. Normally, after using my power, my hand would be shaking non-stop. My legs would feel like jelly, and I wouldn't be able to stand, but now, I feel fine. There's no exhaustion or shaking. If anything, I feel more energized.
"What is wrong with me? Odd."