The Protagonist System
353 Atlas Makes The Scene

The weekend gave me two whole days of being away from high school and I was going to use them wisely. Atlas needed to make his debut and there were a couple of things I needed to take care of before they went out of hand.

The first thing I did on Saturday morning was assume my hero persona, bulked myself up with more muscle, and put on my mostly white costume with gold boots, belt, and wristbands. The golden emblem of the Earth on my chest would work well as a representation of both my name and the Global Defense Agency.

I stepped away from home and appeared in a back alley in Arlington, Virginia. I sent a text to Cecil about my upcoming arrival and flew up into the air and was noticed almost right away. People shouted, and pointed, and some took pictures with their cell phones. I hammed it up and waved to a few of them as I flew across the city to the Pentagon where the GDA was headquartered.

The guards at the gate waved for me to land and I did so with a smile on my face. They looked grateful that I hadn't ignored them and flown over them as one of them called it in. I told the other one I had an appointment with the GDA to sign up and that the director was expecting me. He looked relieved and the guy on the radio confirmed I was supposed to be there.

The gate was opened and I thanked them, surprising them, and I walked inside and over to where Cecil told me to go. A fairly pretty agent waited for me at the side entrance and she blushed when she saw me. I refrained from flirting with her as she led me to Cecil's office, even if she did give me a few blatant hints that she was okay with off-site fraternization as long as it didn't interfere with her job.

I did tell her that I appreciated her honesty and candidness, since I had been lacking that in my life so far. It made her blush and preen in equal measure, then we reached Cecil's office and she whispered a few things to Cecil's secretary. The older woman gave me a very pointed look, nodded once, and hit a button under her desk. The door behind her buzzed softly and then clicked open.

“Go right in, Mr. Atlas. The director is waiting for you.” The secretary said.

“It's just Atlas when I'm in costume, no mister needed.” I said and gave her my best Gilderoy Lockhart smile as I walked by her desk. Both she and the agent that escorted me blushed and started whispering behind my back about how formfitting my costume was.

Cecil took one look at me and barked a laugh. “HA! Damn, kid. You really did pull it off.”

I did a couple poses to show off and he kept chuckling.

“The new costume is inspired, I'll give you that.” Cecil said and motioned to the chair in front of his desk. “I doubt anyone that sees you is going to think you're a villain.”

I sat down on the chair. “That's why I picked it. It's kind of hard to even think I'll do anything bad when looking like this.”

Cecil nodded and sat back in his chair. “I like the stylized Earth emblem the most. It really stands out.”

“Yeah, it's the first thing most people see, which is why I chose it.” I said and took out a piece of paper with a copy of it. “Feel free to merchandise it and share the profits with me.”

“We'll have posters done up by the end of the week.” Cecil said and took the paper and slid it into a folder on his desk. “Our PR department is going to be all over the new look.”

I nodded. “That's good, because I'm free for the entire morning for any photos you might need to take for promos or advertising.”

Cecil hit a button on his desk phone. “Carol, get Glenn on the line. I need his expertise on the best way to promote a new hero on our roster.”

“Yes, sir. Right away.” The woman responded and fell quiet for a moment. “He's on his way.”

“Thank you.” Cecil said and let the button go. His happy face changed to look stern. “Are you sure you're ready for this, Mark?”

“I'm more than ready, Cecil.” I said and leaned in a little. “You should get used to calling me Greg while I'm in disguise.”

Cecil reached up and rubbed his temple. “Right, you're Greg Veder like this. Sorry about that.”

I waved his apology away. “It's going to be an adjustment for everyone, so don't worry about the occasional slip-up. I'll try to not act like I did before, too.”

Cecil nodded just as the door to the office opened. A slightly overweight man wearing an expensive suit and another man holding several cameras and a rolled up backdrop entered.

“Holy shit!” Glenn gasped when he saw me. “You're going to shatter the hero world with a look like that!” He rushed over to me and waved for me to stand. “Ohhh, yes. Your abs alone will be worth about 20 percentage points in your approval rating.”

I glanced at Cecil and he had a hand over his face, as if embarrassed, then Glenn started issuing orders in a constant stream and gently ushered me along as well to position me where he wanted me to stand.

“Set up over there near the window, Clint. We'll use the natural light to make the off-white costume pop those muscles out in stark relief. The flash won't be needed. Use the tripod and balancer. Have the video camera running all the time. We can sell access to the background video for a mint!”

The morning dragged on as many, many pictures were taken. I wasn't sure why changing into normal clothes counted as promoting my hero persona; but, Cecil didn't object and neither did the entire secretarial pool and all of the female agents that had somehow snuck into the director's office to personally witness the photoshoot.

“This year's Hottest Hero calendar is going to sell like hotcakes if they make him the cover.” Someone whispered and all of the women nodded.

I couldn't let that comment go unrewarded, so when Glenn said to change back into my hero costume, I went behind the change screen and intentionally let part of my back and my backside stick out past the edge. A nearly collective gasp came from the women on that side of the room when I bent over and pulled off my pants and then my underwear.

It showed them that I was going commando as I stepped into my hero suit and pulled it up and over myself. It covered me from neck to toe and they let out a few muffled moans when I stepped out for a few more hero poses to be shot. The costume hugged everything on me and showed me off to full effect, just as Glenn said the natural light would.

The photoshoot ended just in time for lunch and I was invited by no less than fifteen women to join them in the cafeteria. I looked over at Cecil for his opinion and he shrugged and motioned to his door.

“It seems I'm free for the next hour before I have to clock in for work.” I said and they all cheered, then I was pretty much dragged out of his office.

I made sure to talk to each of them on the way to the cafeteria and used their names. They looked both surprised and pleased that I had taken the time to learn their names before starting work at the agency and I said it was the least I could do before assuming such a huge responsibility. They were my coworkers and not knowing their names would be insulting.

My reputation was really high with them by the time we reached the cafeteria and several tables were pushed together and I was told to sit and my meal would be brought to me. I asked for two, because I was still growing, and that made a lot of them immediately drop their gazes to my crotch. I kid you not.

We started talking about agency procedures and I kept up with them, thanks to both telepathy and having the agency guidebook and regulations in my inventory. I could quote the regs word for word and impressed a lot of them, especially when I interpreted them properly for real-world applications.

The food was delivered by the select few that had made the trip through the line and the trays were dispersed among everyone, with two of them reaching me. I thanked them for it and started eating as I continued the conversation. I chewed with my mouth closed, too.

When lunchtime was over, there were a lot of disappointed faces when I stood up, because our time together was over. I had to hold in my laugh at their expectant looks and every last one of them thought that if they had been the only one at my table, I might have promised to meet them again for another meal, maybe dinner at a restaurant, and could have kissed them goodbye.

“Thank you all for making my first day at work the best it could have ever been.” I said and thought about going to each of them and lightly kissing their cheeks, then decided that would be way too much for them to accept. A select few getting a kiss would be accepted; but, all of them? No, that would upset them because then they wouldn't feel special. “Have a good day, ladies.”

I walked away from the table and all of them watched my butt. I could almost feel them all blush, because they all knew I wasn't wearing anything under my thin hero costume. I went back to Cecil's office and the secretary waved me inside as she also stared at my butt. Cecil had several preliminary pictures on his desk with Glenn hovering near him and looking anxious as they were browsed through.

“I'm heading out to patrol a few cities.” I said.

“Start with Washington DC for a bit and move on to New York for an hour. The gangs are acting up there.” Cecil said without looking up. “After that, it's your choice.”

“Got it.” I said and tapped my ear. “I've got my earpiece in if you need anything.”

Cecil waved me off and I left the office.

“Good luck, Atlas.” The secretary said.

I stopped by her desk and smiled at her. “I'm sorry you couldn't join us for lunch.”

She smiled back. “Sometimes work has to come first before social obligations.”

I knew exactly what she meant, so I moved close and bent down. “I completely agree.”

She didn't move away or stopped me as I moved in and lightly kissed her cheek. “What was that for?”

I moved back and stood up. “Everyone else had an engaging conversation. I figured you deserved a little more than an apology for missing it.”

She got the implication that only she had been kissed and smiled. “Be safe out there.”

“I will.” I said and walked away. As soon as I was near an exit, I went outside and flew up into the air. I had a patrol to do and then a visit to the HQ of the Guardians of the Globe. There was someone there I needed to visit and something that had to be dealt with before it became a bigger problem than it already was.

*

Two preteens were relaxing on the couch as they watched the television, when Rudolph 'Rudy' Connors, otherwise known as Robot, twitched when the Guardians of the Globe's base sensors sent his implant the telemetry data of an approaching UFO, or unidentified flying object. They were supposed to be hidden inside their mountain base in Utah and something had found them.

“I know that twitch.” Amanda said as she reclined on the couch and flicked the remote to change the channel. “What's up?”

“Something... no, someone is approaching the mountain.” Rudy corrected when the telemetry updated.

Amanda tossed the remote aside and sat up. “Oh? Are we going to fight them?”

“That depends on... wait.” Rudy stopped talking and walked over to one of the many consoles he had wired into the base. He used the television as a monitor and brought up the long range camera feed. Right there on the giant screen was a man in an off-white costume and he floated right at the edge of the mountain as his eyes seemed to roam over the landscape.

“Hello there, gorgeous.” Amanda said and flicked her long brown ponytail over her shoulder.

Rudy gave her an incredulous look. “Really?”

“What? He's a hottie.” Amanda defended herself.

Rudy sighed and typed up a few things at the console. The targeting information popped up for the weapons system and both he and Amanda saw the man visibly twitch and his eyes locked onto the long range camera. He made several hands signs, which were military signals and not the sign language of the deaf.

“White flag. I come in peace. Requesting entrance.” Rudy interpreted.

Amanda gave the television a look and then looked at Rudy. “How are you supposed to respond to that?”

The man on the screen made hand signs again.

“Open the roof access. Don't shoot.” Rudy told her.

Amanda was surprised. “Can he hear us?”

Instead of using more hand signs, the man nodded and gave a thumbs up.

“I'd say that's a yes.” Rudy said and shut down the targeting system and started the sequence to open the roof access for flying heroes. “We need to suit up and greet our guest.”

Amanda gave him a pointed look and he sighed.

“I'll suit up, I meant. Can you wait for me?”

Amanda shrugged and walked towards the designated landing area in the base's hangar.

“Dammit.” Rudy said and ran for his lab. He really should stash a few suits around the base to make it easier for him to be ready for action. As he ran, he used his communicator watch to contact the rest of the team members. He doubted they would arrive in an reasonable amount of time.

Amanda entered the hangar bay and she couldn't help her thoughts as they went to the worst place they could. Since she was in a preteen body, because of the evil curse placed upon her, every time she met someone knew, they either underestimated her and called her a kid or they were a pervert that liked she was a kid and could fulfill their fetish.

She was 24 years old, for fuck's sake! She might look like she's only 12, thanks to her powers de-aging her every time she transforms; but, she was a woman through and through and they had no right to judge her without knowing all the facts.

Amanda tried to not scowl at the man gently floating down to the floor from the high roof access. She did not feel envy that he could fly. No, she did not. She also did not clench her teeth to stop her moan at seeing how ripped he was and how the costume hid nothing about his body. Nothing at all. Her eyes betrayed her as they locked onto the bulge at his crotch, too.

The too handsome for words blond man landed right in front of her and Amanda braced for the condescension he would heap onto her for her looks as she finally tore her gaze away from something she desperately wanted to see at full mast. She also wanted to suck it, play with it, and have some fun with it, even if her physical body might not be able to handle it.

“It's nice to finally meet you, Monster Girl.” The man said and held a hand out for her to shake. “You've been doing great work and the Guardians are lucky to have you as a member.”

Amanda caught her breath and automatically reached out and took the offered hand. The shock of being treated with respect was almost a bit too much for her to handle, then she sucked in a sharp breath when he lifted her hand and lightly kissed the back of it. She blushed and wondered why the hell he would do that to a 12 year old.

The man chuckled at her reaction and didn't let her hand go. “It's the person inside that matters, not what we look like, or what other people see when they look at us.”

Amanda blushed again and looked into his eyes. She knew he believed that and she wasn't sure how to handle it. Everyone else she met always caused a misunderstanding because of her looks and she was almost always the one that had to apologize for her behavior afterwards when she reacted to them. Of course, her eyes betrayed her again as they dropped to his bulge.

“Yes, exactly.” He said with a chuckle, clearly amused.

Amanda looked back up at his face and didn't see disgust or desire there. “You're a weird one.”

He laughed and she had to smile at how happy it sounded. “Thank you for the compliment.” He said and shook her hand normally before he let it go. “My hero name is Atlas.”

“You can call me Amanda.” Amanda said, mostly because she was sure he would keep calling her Monster Girl if she didn't tell him otherwise. That would get annoying really fast.

“Then you can call me Greg.” Atlas said and smiled warmly at her.

Amanda was surprised that he would give her his real name so quickly and it also made her feel tingly down there. She tried to ignore it, because her damn eyes went right back down to his package that she wanted to unwrap.

“Welcome to the Guardians of the Globe's main base, Atlas.” A robotic voice said as a tall, orange, and nearly humanoid looking robot walked into the hangar. The huge yellow eyes and odd shaped parts really set it apart, though.

“Ah! You must be the team leader, Robot.” Atlas said and held a hand out to him. “Cecil said he chose you specifically to lead the team and to choose the new members.”

“You know Cecil Stedman?” Robot asked and shook the offered hand.

“Of course I do. I signed up with the Global Defense Agency this morning and they already have their PR department salivating over my chest icon and they're trying to adopt it. The custody battle will be one for the ages!” Atlas said with a laugh.

Amanda laughed as well and Robot wasn't sure if he should or not. He always had a difficult time parsing out normal human interactions, since he spend so many years sequestered in his confinement tube and only saw the world through television monitors until he made himself a new body.

“I don't know if he'll keep me independent or if he'll ask you to add me to your roster, though. This is all new to me and I'm still feeling things out, you know?” Atlas stated and looked at Amanda. “If you're not busy, would you mind giving me a tour of the base, just in case I do get assigned here? I don't want to waste Robot's time with something like that.”

“I wasn't doing anything important, so sure.” Amanda agreed and gave him a smile as she held out a hand, which he happily took. “We can start with the common areas that everyone uses when they're here.”

“Sounds good.” Atlas said and they started walking towards the door that led to the rest of the base. “Can we stop at the kitchen first? I skipped lunch during my patrol of New York and had to put down two gangs that were in the middle of a turf war.” Atlas said.

“Only if you make something for the rest of us to eat.” Amanda responded, clearly wanting someone else to cook for her. Because she was so short, she hated having to be so careful when using the stove.

“That's not a problem. I've cooked for large groups before.” Atlas said and Amanda's ponytail bobbed as they left, the two of them talking about the best food to make for energetic heroes.

Robot stood there and wasn't sure what to do now, with his scheduled relaxing afternoon ruined. His watch beeped and he saw the response to the summons he sent. The rest of the team would be there in half an hour and that made his decision easier. He followed Amanda to the kitchen to let her and the new hero know how many people they had to make food for.