[AMY IN DISPATCH (2025)] CHAPTER TWO
“So… you're from another Earth.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Earth-Bet to be specific.”
“Indeed!”
“And now, you’ve ended up on this Earth because of reasons…?”
Panacea gave a sheepish smile at that.
“Reasons I do not think are a good idea for me to go sprouting in the open like this…” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. “Not that I wouldn’t tell you! I mean, you seem cool! Very cool! But maybe not while there are police and cameras and, uh… ears.”
Blonde Blazer hummed in agreement, arms crossed as she watched the ambulance pull away, sirens fading into the night. The hostages were inside, along with the supervillain strapped down to a reinforced stretcher and screaming about her missing hands.
Blonde Blazer exhaled slowly.
Another world. If the young woman was indeed telling the truth, that meant another headache was incoming.
“Right,” she said at last. “We’ll talk somewhere more private.”
Panacea brightened instantly, as if Blonde Blazer’s agreement was the highlight of her night and not saving a man from certain death.
“Great! Wonderful! Fantastic! Preferably somewhere with snacks. I haven’t eaten since—uh. Actually I don’t want to think about how long ago that was.”
Blonde Blazer pinched the bridge of her nose.
Yes. This Panacea was undoubtedly going to be her problem to deal with.
Blonde Blazer exhaled again, dragging a hand through her hair as the last of the emergency vehicles rolled out. “Alright,” she finally said, turning to the still-bouncy Panacea. “Good news. Super Hero Dispatch has an entire department dedicated to dealing with alternate worlds and dimensions.”
Panacea’s eyes went comically wide. “You do?”
“Yep. Department of Alternate Dimensional Affairs. Open twenty-four seven. Staffed, funded, and—” she gave a pointed look toward the sky, as if daring the universe to complicate things further “—very used to dealing with… unexpected arrivals.”
Panacea perked up immediately, hands clasping together in front of her chest. “Ooh! That’s perfect! So that means they know what they’re doing, right?”
“In theory,” Blonde Blazer answered, starting to walk, and hoping the young woman followed. She did. “That’s where we’re heading. They’ll figure out how you got here and whether you can get back.”
Panacea nodded enthusiastically, then paused. “…Important question.”
Blonde Blazer glanced over. “Yes?”
“Do they have snacks?”
A beat.
“Yes,” Blonde Blazer sighed for the umpteenth time. “They have snacks.”
Panacea lit up like someone had flipped a switch inside her head. “Excellent! Fantastic! Lead the way, Ms. Blazer!”
She resisted the urge to sigh once again, especially as the young woman paused again, looking around expectantly. Blonde Blazer knew exactly what she was waiting for.
“So,” Panacea said, bouncing on her toes, “where's your vehicle? Do you guys have, like, cool superhero cars? Or maybe a transforming motorcycle? Or—or a hoverboard? A jetpack?”
“I fly.”
Panacea froze. “You.. fly?”
“Yes.”
“Like… with me?”
“That is the idea”
Once again, Panacea’s face went through thirteen expressions in mere seconds, from wonder to excitement, then terror, more excitement and a brief panic, before finally settling on full-on awestruck awe.
“Oh my god I’ve never been carried by a flying superhero before—unless you count my family but that isn't really the same, right? And—sorry, I'm rambling—when do we go?!”
Blonde Blazer exhaled slowly. Again. She had signed up for this. She had absolutely signed up for this.
“Right now,” she said, stepping closer to the young woman. “Arms up.”
Panacea very enthusiastically threw her arms upward like a kid volunteering in class. It was honestly cute, and reminded Blonde Blazer that regardless of how powerful she was, Panacea was still very young.
Blonde Blazer wrapped an arm behind her back and the other under her knees. Panacea squeaked loudly.
“This is fine! I'm fine! I'm totally okay I promise!”
“You are very loud for someone insisting they’re fine,” Blonde Blazer said.
“INTERNAL CALMNESS IS DIFFERENT FROM EXTERNAL SCREAMING!”
Blonde Blazer stifled down that familiar urge and lifted off the ground, slowly, the wind whipping around them. Soon, the city was far beneath them, the rain having let up enough that the air wasn't as biting as before.
Panacea clutched Blonde Blazer’s shoulders tightly, eyes huge as the scenery passed them quickly.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay, this is—wow.”
“I hope I'm not too fast,” Blonde Blazer said.
“NO—too slow! Faster! I wanna feel the air in my soul!”
Blonde Blazer chuckled despite herself and angled upward, accelerating slightly. Even though she was tempted to fly as fast as she knew she could, she kept to a safe speed. One that was still impressive, but not reckless. The young woman might be powerful, but Blonde Blazer doubted she would be able to survive a fall from this height.
“I’m jealous you guys get to do this everyday,” she whispered.
Blonde Blazer glanced down at Panacea. The young woman was still in her arms, but she was wide-eyed, breathless, and absolutely entranced by the rush of air and the open sky. Her smile was so earnest it was almost disarming.
It tugged at something warm and familiar in Blonde Blazer’s chest. She remembered the feeling she had the first time she flew, and remembered the sheer possibility of it, the freedom.
She wished she could still feel that way more often these days.
So as Panacea stared out at the world with joy, Blonde Blazer’s own smile dimmed a little.
Flying wasn't always beautiful. Most times, it meant moving as fast as she could and still arriving late. Other times, it meant hearing the scream before she got there and the silence after she failed to.
Panacea didn't notice the mood change, her eyes closed and head leaning back—the young woman trusting her enough to relax fully into her hold—and Blonde Blazer was thankful for that. As the hero, she had to always project strength, regardless of her inner turmoil.
Eventually, Blonde Blazer angled downward, gliding toward a well-lit building with an impressive parking space. The silver glowing sign on its side read:
SDN
“Hold on,” she said.
“I’ve been holding on the entire time,” Panacea retorted. “I think I left fingerprints in your suit.”
Blonde Blazer couldn't help it. She laughed, and even as they touched down in front of the building, she was still chuckling. She set Panacea gently on her feet.
The young woman took two steps forward, and immediately tripped on her own excitement and nearly fell on her face.
Blonde Blazer grabbed her arm before she hit the ground.
“I meant to do that,” Panacea said proudly.
“You very clearly didn't,” Blonde Blazer replied.
Panacea brushed herself off. “Did too.”
Blonde Blazer pinched the bridge of her nose.
“This way,” she said, resigned. “The DADA is waiting.”
“And snacks,” Panacea added.
“And snacks,” Blonde Blazer sighed.
Panacea pumped her fists. “Best. Universe. Ever!”
Blonde Blazer shook her head as she walked towards the building.
“Of all the people to fall through dimensions, I get the hyperactive healer with a sugar craving…”
Panacea bobbed upward after her, cloak fluttering behind.
“Hey! I heard that! And it’s not a craving, it’s a nutritional requirement!”
“Uh-huh.”
It was going to be a very long night.