by Drew Hayes
In the center of the lab, a gaunt man stood, watching the television. Average height, bland looks, and a slight stoop in his shoulders. The only parts of him that stood out were his perfectly bald head, unnervingly thin silhouette, and the shining intelligence in his eyes. Well, those features, and the small leak of dark smoke coming from his left wrist—but that could wait for the moment. His attention was rapt on the screen, and every time an anchor said the name of the new team, the man twitched as though it were a physical blow.
“About time you let them out. I was wondering how much more bait it would take. Those poor souls of yours have no idea who they’re following. Someone should remedy that.” He glanced down, noticing the steady stream of smoke, and frowned. “I’ll have to make myself presentable first, get a handle on my excitement. Can’t give away the turn too soon.”
That bland face split into a wide-mouthed cackle, the man cracking up at his own pseudo-joke as he moved toward a massive machine taking up a full quarter of the laboratory. As the laughter rolled off him, so too did flecks of his skin, loosing more dark smoke into the air. With a single wave of his hand, the machine’s door opened, and he vanished inside.
“Nice office.” Tori took note of the faux columns on the exterior: not especially good-looking, but visibly expensive. In a way, the columns were a snapshot of the entire office: designed by someone who wanted to exude the appearance of wealth, yet lacked any actual sense of taste or refinement. Granted, she wasn’t an especially swanky woman herself; Tori only developed a skill at gauging such factors because it mattered during her thief days. Knowing what a place was worth at a glance was part of using one’s time efficiently.
“Real estate developers are evidently doing well in the wake of Ridge City’s recent disaster.” Ivan somehow managed to keep the words neutral, despite the fact that the “disaster” he was referring to had kicked off when Ivan let himself slip back into Fornax and had chased Apollo around the city. While it was true that the incident, like the rest of the fiasco, was mostly Balaam’s fault, it didn’t mean the public at large had forgotten Fornax. Especially since he was supposed to have been dead.
The office was mostly empty, not surprising since the workday had ended. They heard conversation coming from a break area and saw a few bodies shuffling through the halls, so at least they weren’t meeting the guy in an empty building. That would have set off Tori’s trap instincts, though that might have been pretty entertaining in and of itself, she quickly realized. Anyone trying to jump Ivan from a dark alley was in for the surprise of their soon-to-be-ended lives.
Winding their way back through the carpeted halls, Ivan led her to a door labeled “Haywood Gibson” that had been left cracked open. They paused before Ivan touched the knob and gave Tori a pointed look, which she answered with a simple nod. From here on, it was Ivan’s show. She might not be his apprentice anymore, but she damn sure took a passenger position when it came to watching after Ivan’s children. Whatever happened would be up to him and no one else.
One quick knock was all Ivan gave before he shoved the door open to reveal a handsome man in a gray suit, working at his desk. The moment his eyes fell on Ivan, a rapid flash of emotions ran through him. Much as he tried to hide his real feelings under professional friendliness, there had been something dark for a split second. Anger, maybe, or perhaps fear? Whatever it was, Tori knew Haywood wasn’t happy to see them, regardless of the lies he was about to spit out.
“Mr. Gerhardt, glad you could make it, and right on time, at that.” Haywood was up, extending a strong hand which Ivan shook. His frame and size betrayed the muscular definition beneath the suit, but if he was trying to intimidate Ivan with a squeeze, she doubted that Ivan would even notice. “Unfortunately, I’m afraid I don’t have any better news to share. As I told your ex-wife, when Dr. Randall left Ridge City following that unpleasantness some weeks ago, the Starscouts had to be reorganized as personnel shifted to cover the gap. While I’m happy to be taking over for him as cluster leader, I don’t have the power to change the fundamental makeup of the groups.”
It was a fine story. Put the blame on bureaucracy, which was virtually impossible to disprove, and paint himself as a sympathetic ally. The trouble was... it was bullshit. Tori was able tell that much, so Ivan definitely could. Still, just in case, she should do what she was ostensibly here for.
“Weird. Because my cluster leader left when I was five, and no one had to break up my group or transfer anyone out.”
“I also find it fascinating that this ‘reorganization’ appears to have affected only one single child: my daughter.” Ivan stared hard at Haywood for a long second, then did the last thing Tori was prepared for. He smiled. “But we’re in luck. I happen to know some higher-ups in the Starscouts. If the issue is one of simple red tape, that should be an easy matter to cut through, with their cluster leader’s permission.”
Was he lying? It seemed possible, especially given who was at the top of the Starscouts, but Tori made it a policy not to rule out anything. She had friends on the cape-side; maybe there were some hidden strings Ivan could pull. Besides, what mattered wasn’t whether it was true or not, only if Haywood believed them.
On that account, there was no need to worry. Whether it was Ivan’s magic or years of experience speaking with authority as a manager, Haywood’s blanched expression made it clear he’d bought the story. “I’d be happy to help in any way I can, but since meetings are due to start next week, I’m afraid there’s probably not enough time to get it resolved. If she would like to transfer back in over Winter Break, I’m sure we can manage something.”
“Don’t worry about that, Mr. Gibson. My contacts work fast. Beth will be back in her cluster before tomorrow evening. Unless there’s some other issue I haven’t been made aware of.” Ivan was still smiling, still polite, and Tori could feel her stomach tying itself in knots.
She’d seen Ivan on a murderous rampage as Fornax. She’d seen him be an efficient killer of the guild as Pseudonym. And she’d seen him manhandle Balaam as a vengeful father. She’d seen her teacher’s ire enough times that she’d begun to smell violence on the wind whenever someone near him walked a dangerous line. Tori took a few steps back, trying not to draw attention—not that she needed to worry. Both men’s eyes were locked on one another.
Haywood broke the stare, affecting an “aw-shucks” air as he switched tactics. “Okay, you got me. I didn’t want to bring this up, in light of you all knowing one another, but there’s been some concern from the other parents. Beth’s... condition makes her dangerous. She can produce sharp metal from her body on a whim, and that makes some parents nervous.”
“Then you tell them to eat shit, because the founding principle of Starscouts is that it’s for everyone. Any gender, any race, any species—meta, human, or in-between. Every child is welcome.” Tori was surprised at the ferocity in her voice. She wasn’t sure if the anger came from memories tied to her mother or the fact that of all the dumb stuff in the Starscouts, that part had always stuck with her.
“It’s fine, Tori. The problem isn’t with the parents. I know, because they are the parents of Beth’s friends. After her change, we reached out to each one—even sat down with a few—to make sure they understood what had happened. Not everyone was in love with it, but none of them would try to kick her out of her cluster. That would be Mr. Gibson’s decision.” Ivan never so much as glanced at Tori, his attention fully on the now slightly sweating real estate developer who was glaring right back.
In what had to be one of the all-time greatest pointless gestures, Haywood puffed his chest a bit, emphasizing the size difference between him and Ivan. She wished with all her heart that this idiot would swing, but that was likely hoping for too much.
“Fine, Mr. Gerhardt, you’ve worn me down. Yes, I am the one who transferred Beth out, and I’m not going to apologize for it. The rest of the kids in that cluster are nice, normal humans, and you want me to let some girl with a power she ca
n barely control be in there with them? Forget it. I’m putting my foot down as their leader. The safety of the cluster comes first.”
For the first time, Ivan broke eye contact with Haywood, looking to Tori. “Is that excuse number three or four? I’m starting to lose count.”
“One was a half-step between lies, so let’s call it three, to be safe,” Tori replied.
“I suspect this will be the last. False concern for others is often the bigot’s final refuge, at least when patriotism is off the table.” He turned back to Haywood, no longer smiling. “Now then, Mr. Gibson, your worry for the safety of children is admirable, which is why Beth has received constant training to control her powers, a task at which she has excelled. Tell me, what hollow reason would you like to offer up next?”
It had taken some time and cracking through a few false fronts, but before their eyes, the real Haywood Gibson finally appeared. His pleasant face warped into an expression of tight, pinched anger, and he straightened to his full height, which was admittedly taller than either Tori or Ivan. That probably made him feel safe, a reminder that he still had the physical advantage—a delusion that would last only until it was tested, however.
“I’m supposed to just take your word for it, let her in the door because you say it’s okay?” The tone was more belligerent now. He was done with diplomacy.
“I would recommend you take the word of the Alliance of Heroic Champions, who has been providing her and others in similar positions with the training,” Ivan shot back. “They can produce reports, and did, which I know because we submitted them along with Beth’s registration information. But you never read those, did you? You saw the word ‘meta’ and knew in that moment she wasn’t going to be in your cluster.”
Haywood wisely stayed silent. Implication was one thing; admitting to what he’d done with a witness in the room was another. Ivan just shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I was serious about knowing higher-ups in the organization. Congratulations on your brief tenure as a cluster leader, Mr. Gibson. By tomorrow, the position will be revoked, and I expect you’ll be barred from the organization for violating one of its most fundamental tenents. Tori, we can leave now. Our business is concluded.”
Not quite looking away yet, Ivan motioned for her to head to the door. Haywood, on the other hand, apparently didn’t enjoy being talked down to. He’d gotten redder and redder as Ivan spoke, and Tori could see a vein bulging along his forehead. After a moment or two to absorb the chewing out, Haywood leaned forward, towering over Ivan.
“Listen here, asshole. I don’t know who you think you are fucking with, but you’ve got no idea the connections I have in this town. Call all the people you want—call Lodestar herself—I’m telling you right now, there is no way I’m going to open my home to your little abomination for—”
Tori didn’t see the punch. She could make out the spray of blood that splashed across the desk, and the half-shattered teeth clattering against a wall, she just wasn’t able to track Ivan’s fist as it obliterated Haywood’s jaw. Her whole body went cold, unsure of what the hell was going on. There was no warning, no lead-up, just a savage blow and a now rasping man on the ground, trying to make noise through a mouth no longer shaped for it. With no small measure of fear, Tori looked to Ivan, unsure if it would be him or Fornax who awaited her.
As it turned out, it was Ivan. Purely Ivan. His eyes hadn’t even turned inky and rune-filled, meaning he wasn’t substantially using his powers whatsoever.
That didn’t set her as much at ease as she’d have expected, though. The darkness on Ivan’s face was something Fornax could never match; he didn’t love anything enough to fuel that much hate.
“Since she was a child, Beth has always tried to help those in need. She made a habit of bringing home injured animals, from crushed snails to wounded birds. No matter how many times we told her it was pointless, she kept trying. And when she of course failed, we had to hold a funeral ceremony for each one of those lost souls. Every house I’ve lived in has become a makeshift graveyard, because that girl refuses to walk past when she sees a living being in pain. It’s the same with other children, and people as a whole. That is who my daughter has always been at her core: someone who reaches out to help those in need, no matter how helpless their situation might be. She is so kind, so gentle; every day I am filled with gratitude and pride that she turned out nothing like her cruel, petty father.”
With a casual ease, Ivan pressed a foot into Haywood’s ribs, cracking several. “And now, because of something she had no choice in or control over, Beth is going to spend the rest of her life dealing with pieces of shit like you, people who try to take that goodness away from her. Tearing her down for the sin of existing. Telling her she’s different, lesser, that the world doesn’t have a place for her.”
Reaching down, Ivan grabbed Haywood by the neck and lifted him into the air. Whatever illusions the developer had possessed about being stronger than his visitor were long since dispelled. He was visibly cowering now, broken mouth rasping out attempts at screams. As Ivan stared into Haywood’s eyes, his own began to change. The irises expanded, swallowing up each eye into a pit of endless darkness. Then, from within the void, red runes began to glow.
If Haywood had been scared before, he was terrified now. His attempts to struggle doubled, and Tori thought she caught the scent of liquid fear emanating from his slacks.
For Ivan, the shifts were irrelevant. He reached up and broke Haywood’s left arm in two places.
“Such a shame about the car accident. Crumpled in, really tore up your whole left side. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure people remember seeing you leave and drive off unharmed. We are exceptionally good at this kind of thing. Because you forgot, Mr. Gibson, that not all metas are capes. We don’t all suffer silently and take the higher road. You won’t remember this meeting, not truly, but you’ll see me in your nightmares. Take this lesson to heart, and carry it with you always.”
Ivan pulled Haywood in close until he was mere inches from those deadly glowing eyes. “Some of us fight back. Don’t you ever dare forget that, because the next meta might not have my exceptional self-restraint. One last thing: if you ever go near the Starscouts again, in any capacity, I’ll rip your fucking limbs off. Filth like you doesn’t belong around anything that decent.”
Part of Tori wanted to chuckle, but there was nothing funny about the look on Ivan’s face. For her part, she took out a cell phone and punched in a familiar number. It was a line all official guild members had to know by heart, and one of the few services that had remained functional during their downtime.
“Yeah, it’s me. I think we’re going to need a cleanup team. What happened? Ivan got mad. No, not that mad. We don’t need power washers.”
From his position in Ivan’s grip, Haywood let out a small squeak of terror before the pain and shock finally sent him into unconsciousness. When he awoke, his memory of acquiring the injuries would be quite different. The eyes would stay with him, though, in his darkest of nightmares. No amount of drugs or drink could drive them away.
Injuries might mend over time, but some wounds burned too deep to heal. Just as Ivan intended.
Chapter 6
Were he forced to explain as simply as possible, Ivan might say the difference between common criminals and villains of the guild was the concept of consequence. Criminals tried to live without them; villains accepted they were inevitable. Leave too much evidence, go to jail. Piss off the capes, end up hunted. Fight Lodestar, lose. Simple, inevitable equations that were easy to ignore in the short-term if one didn’t mind losing in the long run.
Villains accepted these facts and were therefore able to work around them. They learned to obliterate their trails, to use the law as a shield, and to avoid getting mixed up with capes. Most of that last one came from just plain avoiding them, making it a point to be where the superheroes weren’t. Sometimes, unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple. Sometimes, accepting the consequences meant not g
etting away clean.
Ivan knew what he had to do, just as much as he knew he couldn’t let Tori be a part of it.
After a largely silent car ride home, he pulled up in front of the townhouse. “There are several places nearby that deliver. My apologies that we didn’t have time to pick something up.”
“I... my appetite did well with recovery time, anyway.” It was the gentlest way she could broach what had just happened. In the moment, all Ivan had seen was Haywood, but once they turned things over to the cleanup team, he’d realized the experience might have been hard on Tori. She’d witnessed him in the throes of madness, seen him act as a guild enforcer, yet she’d never watched him be so casually violent before.
“What you saw in there… I won’t say I regret it, but I could have sent you from the room first. For that, I’m sorry.”
Tori whipped her head back in surprise. “Whoa now, I think there’s a misunderstanding. Yes, I’m still new enough for bloodshed to make me queasy, but I am on-fucking-board with what just went down. I’m replaying it in my head, subbing in some choice teachers I had who had interesting ideas about what ‘kinds’ of people should go into the sciences. You don’t need to apologize to me for shit. I didn’t call the cops, Ivan. I called a team to wipe up your mess. Let’s not forget, I’m in this guild too.”
She made a good point. In truth, Ivan should be taking her along; she would do well to see this next part. However, that wasn’t his choice to make. The next errand revolved around someone else’s secret. At the very least, he’d try to get the message across. Even if she was no longer his apprentice, Ivan had plenty of experience to share.
“Then you need to remember what comes after an indulgence like that: owning the fallout. Our team will handle the cleanup, but I just hospitalized a Starscout cluster leader a week before they were set to resume meetings. It is on me to go tell my Starscout contacts about the situation and help them make it right. That might mean paying for training the replacement out of pocket, or pitching in with some sort of manual labor at their next event. I could choose not to do that, but it would risk losing those contacts. A villain owns their actions and the consequences that follow.”