1.02-2 – At the Forefront
2.0 - Edited by: Rellawing, AlliterativeArts, Raleon, Trismegistus Shandy - 8/5/2020
Leo Walker, the son of Albert William Walker, a serious and hard working man and Yvette Ramses-Walker, a compassionate woman with dreams of becoming a doctor, was born in the large and proud historic city of San Isidro, located to the north of San Francisco.
They married for love and Leo was delivered into a happy and seemingly perfect home.
“Should we eat out again tonight?” Albert grinned at Yvette who smiled warmly in return. “After all, you’re eating for two!” He hoisted his young wife into his arms as his grin broadened. Spinning, he twirled a gleeful Yvette.
“Fufufufufu…” she giggled. “Careful, Al! I think Leo’s getting a little sick.”
“Leo?” Albert asked as he set his glowing wife down on her feet.
Yvette’s smile deepened. “I found out our baby’s a boy!”
Albert blinked and his brow furrowed before his consternation faded into laughter. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner! Oh my God!” he exclaimed.
“I’m sorry.” Yvette fidgeted and winked. “It was a surprise. I was going to fix my Chicken a la King for you, and I…”
“Don’t worry about it! Oh… I’m so tempted…” He thought it over. “But… Why Leo? Why not Albert Junior?”
“Eh… I love your name, but a long time ago, I promised my grandfather that I’d name my baby after him... our first child turned out to be a boy. I-is it okay?” She looked up at him through lowered lashes.
“Awwwwwww.” Albert groaned and laughed. “I spent all night last night thinking about what we’d name our child. I was thinking Albert Junior or Yvette…” He scratched his head.
“That’s not very creative…” Yvette chuckled. “It’s touching that you’d name a daughter after me, but Albert, this is very important.”
He grimaced as he thought it over, but his expression quickly turned happy again. “Well, let’s think it over while we have dinner. I’m thinking we’ll have a meal at that steakhouse we love.” He pumped his fist and winked at his blushing wife who tilted her head slightly. “I think a salad will be best for us, but it sounds lovely. Let’s go!” she clutched her husband’s arm as he escorted her outside.
“You’d know better than me, my future doctor wife.”
Time passed and Leo was born into the world. Secretly, Albert hoped his son would be born with super powers. Miracle children made the headlines every day these days. Contrary to Albert’s hopes, his son turned out normal, albeit very small. It didn’t look like he would grow to be big like his father.
Meanwhile, Yvette continued to chase her dream of becoming a doctor, but after more and more financial issues began to mount and finding that she wanted to spend a bit more time with Leo than her lessons allowed, she decided to forgo earning her doctorate.
In the aftermath of her leaving college, Yvette transferred her medical knowledge to get herself work as a paramedic. Soon she found that working on the street with a partner was more real and interesting than her previous dream. She had always wanted the glamour and mystique of being a doctor, and yet there was something alluring and amazing about being a medic.
She decided that she made the most difference right there, on site. The worst situations were when people were left injured due to supervillain attacks, which were common in those years following the big boom back in the fifties that tapered off until now. After this fateful year, the severity of these incidents reduced and there was peace for a time in the bay area. Yvette was a frontline field medic and had a warrior’s spirit. She saw all the misery and sorrow, but also witnessed amazing rescues by heroes. There were some who wore costumes while others, uniforms. It was the tail-end of the Age of Miracles.
This city was old, dirty and had its fill of evil people yet also still remained full of promise and wonder.
The sirens shrieked as Yvette headed to the scene of a notorious supervillain’s attack.
“Repeat! Warning! It’s Gravitas!” The dispatcher’s voice yelled through the comm system. “Stay back! There’s nothing we can do until Vanguard takes him down!”
Yvette slammed her foot down on the brakes and pulled over, the sirens still wailing. She clenched her fists. Is this really all we’re worth? ‘It’s dangerous’!? Isn’t that what we’re here for?
She slammed her fists on the steering wheel causing the horn to briefly go off. Civilians were milling along the sidewalks as loud noises from up ahead shook the air like thunder. Among the crowd, Yvette saw a mother struggle to carry her child to safety as tears streamed down her face. Their eyes met and Yvette snarled. How many children are stuck in there while that violent murderer rampages?
Suddenly, a ripple tore through the air, sending pavement and metal scraps flying in all directions. Yvette ducked just in time to avoid a chunk of cement hurling through the windshield of her ambulance. Damn it! What happened?!
The cement embedded in the metal separating the cab from the back. As Yvette’s mind was registering what had just happened, a knocking suddenly came at her side window. She turned to lock eyes with an African-American man. “Maam, please… my wife!” he yelled, practically hyperventilating.
Yvette nodded, taking a deep breath as she opened the door. “Take me to her. What’s the situation?”
“A chunk of metal flew into her. She’s bleeding so much.” He took Yvette’s hands and hauled her up the sidewalk behind her ambulance. “Hurry please!”
Yvette nodded with a serious expression as she ran along. “Wait a minute, my partner's in the back. We’ll get her loaded up.” She looked around and saw that the people of the crowd had all gone prone on the sooty and cold pavement.
SHIT! Why’s that murderer in San Isidro?!
She reached the rear doors of her ambulance and when she threw them open her jaw dropped. The chunk of pavement that had gone through the windshield was now protruding through the wall. A wet sheen of blood covered the side facing her.
“Jack! OH GOD!” She climbed into the back and checked his pulse.
“OH SHIT!” The husband screamed. “Maam, please! My wife is dying!” Yvette stared and looked at him, nodding as she took a labored breath.
“Alright, we’ll stabilize her.” She leapt from the back after grabbing a kit.
“Thank you!” Filled with desperation, the husband ran ahead. Yvette slung her kit over her shoulder and followed, sprinting to catch up. They didn’t have far to go. A few people groaned as she passed but they seemed mostly well enough to move. Backup needs to get here soon… this is too much…
When they reached his wife, Yvette crouched and began checking the woman’s breathing. It was bad. The shrapnel had driven its way through her back. Putting her head to the wife’s chest to listen to her breathing, she winced. “A lung collapsed… and she’s…”
Another explosion, accompanied by another shockwave, shook the air nearby. She turned to see something large land by her ambulance. Not long after, a man floated downwards from the sky as his cape swirled in the wind.
“Gravitas! Enough of this wanton destruction!” the flying man growled. It was Vanguard himself. Below the superhero and standing by her ambulance stood an incredibly massive man, wearing thick armor. He stomped towards Vanguard who was slowly floating down to the pavement.
Yvette cursed under her breath. One of these super battles right next to me… Her eyes turned to the injured wife again, determined to do her part. I have to stabilize her quickly.
She couldn’t keep her eyes from flicking back to her ambulance again, but there wasn’t much chance she could use it right under the nose of a psychotic supervillain. She looked instead at the husband. “Help me lift her. We have to get her away.” With a collapsed lung things looked bad. Staring at the powered people facing off in shock, the husband seemed to have forgotten his wife. “Damn it! MOVE!” She seized his collar and shook him. “Your wife’s life is on the line! Come!” She lifted one of his wife’s arms over her shoulder.
“Hah! There’s nothing a poser like you can do, Vanguard. You never had the power to deal with me. Where’s the rest of your little league?” A loud voice roared behind Yvette as the husband nodded and helped lift his wife’s other arm over his shoulders. They quickly ran.
“How many more lives will you take, Gravitas?” There was yet another booming noise and more shockwaves ripped through the air, knocking the retreating three to the ground. It sounded like a colossal punch had just landed. Don’t be distracted… move!
Another loud eardrum shattering explosion went off behind. Yvette’s ears squealed as she was deafened by the loud noise, but catching some flashing lights in the corner of her eye, she turned just in time to see her ambulance rushing through the air towards her...