In no time, Kimona had swum the half a mile or so to the bobbing wreckage of the downed helicopter. The tail had come away from the main body, and the nose was partly submerged. Around her, two helicopter crew members were doggy paddling towards her.

“You’ve got to get out of here lady!” shouted one of the crew. He had taken his helmet off and there was blood from an unseen head wound down the left side of his face.

Ignoring him and his instruction, she asked, “How many of you are there?”

“You’ve got to get out of here! We all do! It’s not safe!” the older crew member shouted, between mouthfuls of sea water and leaking oil.

Kimona swam to him and took him by the arms. “How many of you are there?” she repeated, this time a bit more forcefully. She turned and was surprised to see Adam and Raj each had swum out with a surfboard.

“We’ll get them back to the beach on these, Kim!” Raj shouted.

“There’s one more person trapped in the helicopter. We can’t leave without them!” the bloodied crew member shouted. Kimona nodded at the boys and flipped herself over, diving into the sea.

“It’s ok, she’s got this,” Adam said to the two men who were now holding onto the surfboards.

With clarity and fish like ease, Kimona navigated her way into the now fully submerged wreckage, through the side doors and back out in search of the trapped crew member. Swimming round to the front, she found a side door that gave way to her new supernatural strength. There, in the seat, was one of the pilots. Was it too late? Thoughts of her own plane crash went through her mind. How did I get out of the cockpit? How long did it take before I blacked out? Did I feel pain?

Yanking at the straps imprisoning the co-pilot, she was able to free him and lift him through the door. Kimona had been underwater now for longer than would have been humanly possible under the circumstances, but she just ploughed on. Torpedoing up to the surface, co-pilot tucked under her arms, they broke through the water’s surface into a scene of panic that contrasted with the relative calm under water.

The ship’s alarm still sounded and there was distress and desperation from the men in the helicopter and the two teenage have-a-go rescuers. She could see the fear on their faces, but they were so brave- doing only what a few would do.

“Kimona?! Did you hear me?” Raj shouted, snapping Kimona out of her daze.

“No! Sorry!” she called back.

“Can y-” an explosion from the ship’s side interrupted him, injecting a strong, putrid heat into the air above them.

A fire ball lit the dark sky up in an orange so intense it didn’t seem real. Debris from the ship’s hull and interior danced out into the sky, causing the floating group to shout out. Kimona instinctively brought her arm up, more to protect herself really, but with that action and desire for safety, a domed wall of water encased the six of them. The debris now on its descent, landed on their protective bubble, and bounced off into the water away from them.

From within the dome was an eery silence. No sound of gunfire. No alarms. No ravaging flames. Just the sound of trickling water and the panting and coughing from the group. Kimona relaxed their protective shell and the water just fell like a blanket over them.

With their sound-eliminating water bubble gone, their ears were able to pick up the sound of a hovering helicopter. Its search beam flashed over them and around the site of the exposed hull.

“We’ve got to get out of here fast, and get him some medical assistance!” yelled Adam over the racket and motioning towards the unconscious pilot laid out on the surfboard.

“I’m going to se-” Kimona started to say, but stopped when she noticed one of the helicopter crew staring up at the ship deck.

“What the hell is that?” he shouted, pointing.

“Bloody hell, don’t worry about that now. I just want to get you out of here!”

“I’m not stopping you lady. I just don’t like the look of that one bit!”

The helicopter’s search beam had picked up a figure and was casting it in a bright white haze. From the water, the view was partially obstructed by thick black smoke and the flames still licking out of the torn hole. But it was unmistakable. A human, at least in form, but certainly a lot bigger than a human, looking like a vintage deep sea diver with the old domed helmets and big suit of armour, dazzling in a shiny copper appearance.

“Get us out of here Kimona!” Raj yelled. “That’s Iron Lung!”

Kimona looked at them and with a strong will, and without a word, sent Raj, Adam, the two helicopter pilots and the unconscious one on the surfboard up into the air on a thick water column. She willed them towards the beach where she intended to let them down gently... But these powers were still quite new.

Once she could see them on the shore, she turned her attention back to the figure on the deck. But now there was no one there. With a thought and a swish of her hand, she threw a wave of water, channelling it into the hole in the hull to extinguish the flames. They instantly fizzled out.

Kimona then needed to get on the boat. It was a strange need to have, to head into danger. A new feeling for Kimona. Maybe this was part of the deal of having abilities. It just felt like instinct. Driving, willing, urging her to get up there.

And that is what she did, whilst also wishing she had asked more about this Iron Lung before sending the boys back to the beach. From beneath her in the water, she was pushed up into the air and after gaining some height, arched over to the deck of the boat where once safely on two feet, the water sloshed around her.

The area was vast and fairly open, with the exception of a military helicopter on its side, and the odd fork lift truck once used to move things to different parts of the boat. The roving helicopter search beam was fixed on a staircase that went up a wall that no doubt led to the bridge. Kimona guessed that they were showing her where this hulking copper diver character went. Kimona climbed the staircase and stopped just outside the door. She was now stood in the bright circle of the search light, which flashed on and off a few times in encouragement and confirmation that she must go through.

Closing the door behind her, the corridor she was in was lit by the continuous red flash of the warning lights that accompanied the still blaring alarm. She could make out the end of the corridor, and the door that was there, but she had no idea what she was really doing. No idea about boats. No idea of her own strengths and no idea what this Iron Lung was capable of. Kimona, for want of a better phrase, was out of her depth. But her father’s saying came to her mind. He used to say, ‘There comes a time in everyone’s life where we have to step up.’ And this was her time.

Raj and Adam landed on the sand with their rescuees with a damp thud and a splashing. They were met by paramedics from the Fire Department and the police who began CPR on the unconscious pilot. Raj ran over to where they had dumped their discarded clothes before entering the sea earlier and gave a shivering Adam his.

Looking out at the ship and the helicopter above it with its flashing search light, Adam asked, “Do you think she’ll be ok Raj?”

“I’m sure she will mate. Get dressed and let’s get out of here,” Raj replied, throwing his hoody over his head.

“Not so fast boys,” an interrupting Sheriff began. “I don’t really know what you’ve been through out there, but I can’t let you go anywhere yet. We need to get you looked at and we will need to ask about what, or who, is out there.”

Kimona tip toed her way along the corridors, not really knowing where she was going, or what was leading her to make the directional decisions she was making. She opened the door she was at and found the space to be a lot wider- a room filled with long, torpedo like missiles, neatly stacked and separated by narrow gang ways.

To her left, a metallic clanging sound stopped Kimona in her tracks, while she listened to it roll. It wasn’t heavy or what she would imagine one of these missiles to sound like rolling.

“It’s too late, if you’ve come to stop me!” a deep, raspy, echoey voice called out from her right, still unseen.

“To be honest, I have no idea what I’m doing- whether I’m supposed to be here to stop you or help you,” Kimona replied honestly.

“Oh no, I’m definitely one to be stopped,” the voice came back.

Kimona edged around a corner and jumped when she saw a man with his back to her. It can’t be?! Wearing his favourite jumper, it was her dad. Kimona quickened her pace to get to him. To hug him. To be saved by him. But moments before she could do any of that, the figure turned and roared at her demonically, eyes a luminous red. Angry, ferocious and satanic looking.

A mouth with an unhuman amount of jagged teeth gnarled and shrieked “LEEEAVE!” hysterically. Kimona fell back in fear. She screamed hysterically back. In fright.

She tried to turn and head back the way she came, but blocking her way was a giant hairy beast of a spider, nestled in the gangway in a spiderweb that looked like it had been there for years. The spider’s legs were sprawled out reaching from the ceiling to the floor. It’s many eyes as wide as small dinner plates blinked consecutively. Kimona screamed again and turned the other way back towards a demonic father figure, but he wasn’t there. Instead was the copper clad Iron Lung beast.

“See, it’s not me who needs the help,” he boomed.

“What the hell was that?! What did you do?” Kimona yelled. She checked behind her for the eight legged beast but that too was gone now.

“Looks like you have a bad case of the bends,” he said suggestively. “You must’ve hallucinated. Gets the blood pumping, wouldn’t you say?”

Kimona lunged, succumbing to an impulsive urge to do so. She landed with a clang, but with enough force to send them both back skidding along the ground. Quickly back up, it wasn’t long before Kimona felt the wind knocked out of her as a metallic trunk of a leg hit her square in the chest sending her crashing into the hard metallic ceiling. She landed in a crouch and looked up to see her foe had disappeared.

“Oh come on, I was just getting to know you,” Kimona called out daringly, tip toeing on the prowl, looking for the deep sea diver between the missile stacks.

A scraping sound rung out just behind her, but it was too late. A missile flew out of its dock, smashing Kimona right in the back of her head. The impact pushed her hard into another stack of missiles. She kept getting knocked down, but hell, she was going to get back up each and every time. She leapt back up and limply ran round to the other side of the rack where the missile that hit her came from. Iron Lung was there waiting, and being too quick for her, punched her in the face. She just didn’t see it coming. Again. She had to be better. Somehow.

Kimona hit back with little effect, following it up with a knee to the chest, causing Iron Lung to flinch but only just a bit. He was in a copper suit after all. But, it was enough for Kimona to get the upper hand and topple the clumsy brute, taking its legs from underneath him.

This went on, the two exchanging blow after clumsy blow. More and more, Kimona dug deep and fought back, finding her rhythm, and her feet.

Head butts.

Elbows.

Ducks and crouches.

Knee strikes.

And given the chance to stop and think about it, she would have to admit that she kinda enjoyed the surge of endorphins, the sense that she was part of something bigger. A second chance.

Suddenly, something caught them both off guard. The door where Kimona originally came through flung open, knocking Kimona on the back of her head. It wasn’t the hardest blow she had received this fight night, but it was one too many. Kimona crumpled to the hard, cold metallic ground. Dazed, groggy and unable to lift her head, Kimona’s eyes grew heavy.

In between bouts of darkness, she saw another figure step over her. Clad in black, the newest addition dominated the Iron Lung. They made it look easy. Maybe she wore him out. Resigned to the fact that she was losing her hold on consciousness, but comforted enough to know that someone was handling the Iron Lung, Kimona gave in and let her eyes shut.

***

Kimona flicked back to life, as if a reset switch was turned back on. If she knew what a hangover was, she’d be able to liken that feeling to what she had going on in her head that moment. The pounding was unbearable. Her vision adjusted to the light and her surroundings, a somewhat familiar setting with Raj and Adam stood over her expectedly like concerned parents.

“Kimona, are you ok?” Adam asked.

“Wait, how did I get here?” she asked wearily, trying to get up but deciding it hurt too much to do that just yet.

“You were brought here by an Enhanced. One from The Collective. She rescued you from Iron Lung on the ship and we all got you here.”

“How long ago was that?”

“About two hours ago, Kim.” Kimona rubbed her eyes. She was embarrassed. “She said you needed to rest, so don’t get up, ok.” Raj explained.

“What happened? Someone please tell me what the hell happened this evening?”

“Well Iron Lung is a like a high level of bad-ass rogue. He was responsible for the missing people out at sea the last few months and the Navy crew from the other day that people thought was you,” Adam updated her.

“Oh. So they know it wasn’t me now?”

“Yes, defo.”

Kimona was relieved about that. “Why though? What was it all about?”

Raj shrugged. “Dominance of the waters I think. Iron Lung doesn’t surface much- he’s not someone we see much of. The ocean is his play ground. Terri thinks it’s because of territory. But then she's not going tell some teenage boys the real reason. Probably classified,” he offered.

“Terri?”

“The enhanced person who rescued you. She literally just dropped you off and had to go. Raj and I had to pretend we didn’t know what was going on and just went out to help. The Sheriffs were keeping hold of us but I think he believed us in the end.”

“But, let's not forget how amazing you were out there, Kimona!” Raj added at the end.

“Yeah! So good! You saved those helicopter people’s lives!”

Kimona sunk back in the sofa, feeling quite good at her efforts. She had work to do though to be stronger and better, but it wasn't bad for a first attempt.

“Do you fancy a swim later?” Adam asked Raj in a whispered tone.

“Yeah, we’ll see if Kimona will want to come along too.”

The Base of Operations (basically Raj’s house) was a bit of a mess and Kimona woke up to the boys busying around her tidying up.

“Count me in, I really fancy being in the sea later,” Kimona said waking up. By now, she had shifted most of her bad headache.

“Oh good, you’re up. You need to watch the news from last night!” Raj flicked the telly on and turned the volume up.

Adam sat down on the sofa by Kimona’s feet excited for her. The news channel was showing eye witness accounts from the beach.

“…When we heard gunfire we just ran…”

“…Yeah so I was on the beach looking for my wife in the panic and this woman just started swimming out real fast to save the folk in the helicopter…”

“….My cousin texted me and said she saw water from the sea push up this woman onto the navy ship. Right into the fire! She said she was like some real badass female Agwé…”

Raj muted the volume. “See, isn’t that amazing!”

Kimona was overwhelmed and momentarily stunned into a silence. “Who is an Agwé?” she asked.

“Umm I dunno, I’ll look Google it,” offered an unsure Adam, finding his phone under a Papa John’s pizza box. Within seconds, he continued, “Cor, right ok listen to this. He was some loa guy from folk-lore…? He who ruled over the ocean, sea animals and all the plants! Ha, yes! It could be your new hero identity Kim, couldn’t it?”

“Hmmm… Agwé,” she mused, letting the name sit. “I quite like it… Agwé.”

***

Somewhere.

“So she found her?”

“Yes. We tracked her there and dealt with Iron Lung. I also have files up of the boys, for whatever little there is.”

“Alright, just monitor for now and keep me updated.”

“You got it, Madam Secretary.”