by Mia Archer
"Why should we listen to you?"
I'm not too proud to admit that I jumped when I heard that voice. Still, there was a big difference between our last meeting and our current meeting. If this asshole thought he was going to intimidate me when I had all my wonderful toys then he had another thing coming.
So I raised my wrist blaster. Fired off a couple of shots. And it turned out that while the asshole might look impressive all wreathed in shadows, he wasn't insubstantial. Like he wasn't literally a creature of shadows. There was just something in those shadows that didn't want to be seen.
The guy was solid though. Solid could be shot.
The whole thing, shadows and all, flew across the common room and landed against the wall where it hit with a crunch that caused a spider web of cracks and dust to appear behind it.
The thing slid down to the ground and slumped to the side. Or at least the shadows slumped to the side. The point is it was down for the count. I’d only used the stun setting, but I guess that was enough to take care of it.
That’d been all about intimidation. Maybe a little bit about getting back at the asshole for trying to throttle me or whatever the fuck it did when I’d been foolish enough to lean against the bars on the other end of my cell, but mostly it was a convenient excuse for me to make an example of something.
"Anybody else feel like challenging me?" I asked, holding up my wrist blaster for all to see. "Because I'm ready if you are.”
Several of the villains glanced at each other. Clearly they were trying to decide which one of them was going to go first, and clearly there were no takers.
"No?" I asked. "No more brave idiots? No more assholes working for Firebrand? No one wants to take on Night Terror? Come on. I've seen how you've all been looking at me. I know you want a piece of me."
I waved my wrist blaster over the crowd. Several villains ducked out of the way, and others fell back as though they thought I was seriously going to fire on them. I threw my head back and laughed. A good old fashioned villainous laugh which was something I hadn’t done in far too long.
I shook my head.
"Right," I said. "Now that we've got the dick measuring out of the way and determined I have the biggest one in the room despite not actually owning one, let's get on with the plan. We're getting out of here."
The room erupted in cheers from heroes and villains alike, though the heroes quieted down under some nasty glares from the villains surrounding them. Clearly they were going from thinking they’d been saved to wondering whether or not they were included in that escape plan.
"All of us are getting out of here," I said. “Even the asshole goody two shoes. We're going to need them. This city is under siege, and I intend to do something about it.”
There was some grumbling from the villainous types, but not too much. I was their ticket out of here, after all. If they knew what was good for them they’d step in line.
"So here's what's going to happen," I said. "We're all going to go back in our cells, you're going to act like nothing happened in this cellblock, and as soon as I'm out of here my friend Technomancer here is going to break all of you out. We're doing a full on evacuation."
"What if we don't want to get out of here with you?" one of the heroes, a guy whose power was firing off electricity and who'd been taking some pleasure in busting some villainous heads I might add, asked.
Though he’d needed help from his friends to do any damage. The guy could control electricity, but from everything I’d seen he could only summon up enough power to maybe run a toaster oven. Which could give a normal a nasty shock, but wasn’t all that great as far as powers went when he was in a room full of heroes and villains.
I raised my wrist blaster and fired at the jerk’s center of mass. He flew across the room, though his landing was less spectacular. I was be nothing if not equal opportunity in letting heroes and villains know I meant business.
I’d only used the stun setting on him too. He slid to a halt against a cell and groaned, but stayed down. Good. I really didn’t want to kill anyone if I could avoid it. I hadn’t been lying when I said I’d need all the help I could get.
"Anyone else have a problem with the plan?" I asked.
Funny. After taking those shots there weren’t any more complainers out there. They all fell into line and started shuffling back into their cells. Meanwhile the guards were shuffling around and looking nervous.
I stared at them. Glared, is more like it. There were a few of them lying on the ground where they’d met their end at the hands of some villain looking for a bit of revenge, and I’m sure they were wondering whether or not they were about to get the same treatment. Their uncomfortable shuffling got even more uncomfortable under my gaze.
"Get the fuck out," I said. “And take your buddies with you.”
I wasn’t letting them take their buddies out of any sense of altruism so much as I didn’t want a bunch of corpses littering the ground in the common room to tip off the invaders when they came here looking for me.
I didn't have to tell them twice. They scrambled as fast as they could towards an exit I opened for them. I grinned. Good. It was nice to know Night Terror could still command a little bit of true terror when she needed to.
They wouldn’t be a problem, either. I’d already disabled their equipment, and I controlled the doors in this place so they were about to be led to a nice quiet hallway where they couldn’t tell the new authorities in this city that there was currently shit going down at SuperMax.
“Okay. Time to get moving! And remember everybody," I said, raising my voice. "You all need to keep your fucking mouths shut when they come to get me. If you don't then I guarantee you I'm going to make it very painful for all of you and the assholes trying to apprehend me."
I glared at the heroes in particular, but they seemed properly cowed. I imagined they wanted to get out of here as much as I did.
There was some more muttering, but mostly everyone kept quiet as they went back to their cells. It was nice to know they could listen when they needed to.
Herding villains could be like herding cats at times. More difficult because at least you could use a laser pointer to get the cats to go where you wanted them to go.
The villains tended to duck and cover whenever someone pointed a laser their way.
Just to be on the safe side Technomancer went around and brushed her fingers along the locking mechanism on each of their cells. Then I tapped at my wrist computer and activated the locking mechanisms on all of these cells to be absolutely sure. I had my own wrist computer now, connected to CORVAC, which meant I could hack into any system in this place and make it my bitch.
Damn did that feel good.
I wasn't going to be able to use the old wrist computer for long though. I hit a couple more newly added commands and the whole thing disappeared into the subcutaneous pattern buffer CORVAC had placed somewhere in my body along with my belt.
I wore my Night Terror catsuit under my prison jumpsuit, but I didn't want to be too obvious about giving away what was going on under the surface. The plan was for that to come as a hell of a surprise to Firebrand when she tried to fuck my shit up in the arena.
"You know mistress, as far as your plans go this has to be one of the more stupid ones you have ever come up with," CORVAC said.
"Maybe so CORVAC," I said. "Then again maybe not. That remains to be seen."
“Whether or not you are alive when this is all done will remain to be seen as well, mistress,” he said.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I muttered.
“A pleasure, as always,” he said, deliberately missing the sarcasm dripping from my voice.
There was a commotion to the left of my cell where that commotion always came from. I took one last glance around the cell block to make sure there wasn't anything obvious that’d show there’d been a fight raging in here just moments ago. When the villains went back to their cells they'd even dragged along the unfortunate
assholes I’d made an example of.
Boy was I glad someone thought of that, because I sure hadn't.
I took a deep breath and tried to put the appropriate amount of terror on my face. It was time to play a part and let these assholes think they’d won. Which actually wasn’t all that difficult a headspace to get into considering they had been winning for the past few weeks.
26
Verbal Sparring
I looked up at the television that was still playing on the other end of the cell block. It showed a live feed from the Starlight City Arena. A live feed showed heroes and villains going at it in a free-for-all, with a woman covered in flames flying around gleefully killing anything and everything she could slam into with that human missile move she seemed to love so much.
It was disgusting. It made my stomach turn. It filled me with a burning desire for a little bit of revenge.
Alien shock troops appeared at the entrance to my cell followed by the warden and some of the guards from the facility. The warden’s guards, and not the new guys who appeared to be more loyal to Sabine.
The guards looked nervous, but the warden was mostly keeping it together. No doubt they were thinking about all the nasty ways they could die now that they were caught between invading aliens and supervillains who were running the prison again.
The warden pulled his glasses down and wiped them off. Okay, scratch that. Maybe he was more nervous than he was letting on. The warden being nervous had me on edge. Was he nervous because he was about to betray my ass, or was he nervous because…
Oh yeah. The source of that nervousness appeared, and suddenly it all made perfect sense. None other than Sabine stood next to him looking imperious as always. Which is to say she looked like a condescending bitch.
Honestly. How had I ever fallen for this woman once upon a time? I really wished I had those memories because it would’ve been nice to know what redeeming qualities I’d seen in her beyond how she looked in a tight outfit.
Maybe I got a little too drunk once upon a time, or maybe it was when I was in a phase of my life when someone looking good in a tight outfit meant more than a good personality. Hey, can you blame a girl? I think there's a time in everyone's misspent youth when they go through that phase.
"Night Terror," she said, frowning and looking around.
I wondered if she suspected something. I mean she couldn’t possibly suspect anything, but then again “they couldn’t possibly suspect anything” were famous last words in the villainous profession, so I wasn’t going to think it too loud.
I’d have to distract her instead. Give her what she was clearly looking for coming down here like this.
"Sabine," I said.
I really wished I could remember her. Remember what our relationship had been. Not so much because I thought those were pleasant memories as because I figured if I could remember something about that relationship then there was a chance I could remember something I could use to really piss her off.
In my experience no one could get at you like someone you used to date, after all. Alas, it wasn't to be. Whoever had done a number on my memories had really done a number on my memories. Nothing was being dredged up from the depths even when I had her standing right in front of me causing a hell of a lot of emotional turmoil
It was enough to make me want to sneak into the goddamn Applied Sciences Department when I got out of this place. Assuming I ever got out of my current predicament, that is.
"So are we ready to do this?" I asked. “Because it’s getting kind of boring hanging around this cellblock twiddling my thumbs.”
"I think we are," she said. "Are you ready to die?"
"Honestly?" I said. "Death would be preferable to being stuck in this cell dealing with the day-to-day drudgery. Also, is that the best line you can come up with?”
That was even the truth. Death would be preferable to continuing to hang out in this place. Luckily I'd found an option C to get me the hell out of here, but I figured the less said about that the better. I didn't want to go showing my hand too early, after all.
Sabine sniffed. "I thought you were made of tougher stuff than this, but I guess I was wrong. And there is nothing wrong with asking someone if they’re ready to die when they’re about to die.”
"Guess you were wrong,” I said. "Too bad. So sad and all that. And you’re entirely too predictable with your villainous scheming and rants.”
Sabine rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous, and I honestly expected more from you given the way she talked about you.”
I really had to fight the urge to give her a piece of my mind then. I had no doubt she was talking about Fialux. Talking about conversations she’d had with my girl that had eventually turned her against me.
Sure there was probably a healthy dose of mind control working on Fialux too, but still. Hearing that Fialux had talked about me like that, as though I could take on anything, and knowing that I’d failed her was a wound that was way worse than any of the beatings I’d taken recently.
She nodded to the alien thugs. "Get her out of there. Make it nice and painful."
I held my hands up. "No need for any of that," I said. "I'm coming quietly."
A thin smile. “You think coming quietly is going to keep them from roughing you up?”
I reminded myself that it wouldn't do me any good to reveal anything prematurely. I had to remind myself of that over and over again though. Otherwise I was going to do something stupid and shoot her right now, but I had more than one score to settle today before everything was said and done. And I still needed to provide that distraction.
If I went firing off my wrist blaster now just because they were trying to rough me up that would only draw Fialux down on us. Not good considering she could kick my ass over and over again. I knew because she’d done it multiple times before. The distraction needed to be in place before I revealed my cards.
Besides, the toughest part about them roughing me up was pretending it actually hurt considering my suit was absorbing most of the damage. I’d turned the shields off so there was one shot to my cheek that wasn’t pleasant, but I dealt with it.
It’s not like it was the first time I’d been roughed up, and I doubted it would be the last if fighting Fialux really and truly was on the menu now.
I glanced to Technomancer as they carted me out. I didn’t want her doing anything while the alien guards were trying to rough me up either. If I wasn’t going to blow this then I wanted to make damn sure she wasn’t going to blow it either.
Unfortunately Sabine caught that look and seemed to take entirely the wrong idea from it. Damn it.
"Well, well, well,” she said. "What's this?"
"What's what?" I asked, trying to sound as sweet and innocent as possible.
It was something I'd perfected over the years. It was terribly useful to appear innocent from time to time. Especially when you were up to no good.
"Don't give me that bullshit," Sabine said. "I know you too well, and I know when you're lying about something and trying to get around it."
Damn. I guess I hadn't counted on the whole ex factor. How was I supposed to lie effectively when I was dealing with someone I’d allegedly dated once upon a time who probably knew all of my cheap moves because I’d likely pulled them on her once upon a time?
"Listen, Sabine," I said.
"I don't want to hear it," she said. "I'm sure Fialux will be very interested in learning how quickly you moved on from her. I tried telling her. How you don't give a damn. How you use women and toss them aside. Now it looks like you got yourself a prison bitch. Going for a late night Cinemax vibe?”
I opened my mouth to say something and decided against it. Sure it wasn’t a very fair comparison. It's not like I was the lady Lothario she was accusing me of being. Still, it was distracting her, and the longer I could distract her and let CORVAC prepare his part of the plan the better.
"Take that one along with," Sabine said. "She just earned a spot in the de
ath match."
I sighed and rolled my eyes, but didn’t say anything. I'd seen enough villains in moods like this to know protesting wouldn’t do a damn thing. I'd seen enough people deal with irrational exes that I knew it wasn't going to do any good to try and protest that Technomancer wasn't the new piece.
Put together the crazy villain and the crazy ex? Well you had a dangerous combination of batshit crazy right there. More dangerous than usual, that is.
"What?" Sabine asked. "No protest? Are you really that broken?"
I got the feeling that was a rhetorical question. She was just engaging in a little bit of good old-fashioned gloating. Villainous and ex-girlfriend gloating alike.
But I figured it was worth an answer. I had a lot of frustration I’d built up while I was trapped in this place, and it came bubbling to the surface.
"What the hell do you want me to say?" I asked. "I don't have a relationship with that girl, and I don't have any way of stopping you from taking her even if I wanted to.”
I totally did, but we weren’t revealing that quite yet. As much as it galled me not to reveal it when I knew I could reduce Sabine and her thugs to ashes if I wanted to. I needed to grit my teeth and deal with it. My vengeance would come in good time.
“So what am I supposed to do?" I finished, hoping it sounded convincing.
Her eyes narrowed. "I don't suppose you can do anything. So tough shit."
"Exactly," I said. "So can we please get to your stupid arena so you can do your whole Nero thing and give me the thumbs up or thumbs down?"
She sniffed. "Fine. I was hoping this would go a lot differently, but… I guess you're not what I thought you were at all."
I wasn't sure what that meant. Was she disappointed that I hadn't made some grand gesture to try and get the hell out of here? Some ill-advised escape attempt that would give her an excuse to kill me outright? Or was she upset that I hadn't begged for my life? Was she upset that I hadn't tried to get her to give the whole romantic thing another try just to get my ass out of trouble?