by Drew Hayes
Without any further delays, Tori and the others made their way into the apartment. While Chloe went about unpacking the bags, Tori and Beverly took a short detour into Tori’s bedroom. Not every part of the apartment could be adequately isolated on a budget, but Tori had spent the extra cash to equip her room with dampening tech. It wouldn’t stop Professor Quantum from listening in; however, any bug off the street would get nothing but static.
Walking briskly into her room, Tori shut the door, and then flicked some hidden switches on her nightstand. Spinning around, she motioned to Beverly that it was okay to talk. A good thing, because the words came bursting from Beverly’s mouth the moment they were permitted.
“It’s not just me, right? That has to be them... except, how? How did they end up here, in our building, on our floor? And seriously, do they really think they’re hiding it?”
All prudent questions, but Tori decided to tackle the confirmation that Beverly was, in fact, correct in her suspicion.
“It’s not just you. That was definitely the New Science Sentries. For some reason, we’re now living down the hall from the AHC’s newest team of capes.”
Perhaps she should have given more thought to moving after all.
Chapter 10
“Is there any chance we’re wrong about this?” Beverly had a hopeful expression, and with good reason. While Tori had already been a thief when she was recruited by the guild, Beverly was merely someone who had unexpectedly found herself with a power she couldn’t control. Initially, working with the guild had been about getting a grip on her abilities—her only option, given that Beverly hated anything to do with Professor Quantum. Not without reason, either. However, such was not their concern tonight. The issue was that four capes might have just moved in down the hall from a pair of guild-member villains. That didn’t bode well, especially if Beverly was hoping to transition back into a normal life.
Tori turned the fact around in her head, but there wasn’t much wiggle room. “The sizes and general looks all match up. Austin was showing off some clearly enhanced strength, which corresponds with what we’ve seen from Agent Quantum. Plus, I recognize Kyle’s voice. Not from when he was in front of the crowd, but from when he talked to me after. Must have let his guard down and slipped into more natural tones. Wow, they are bad at this.”
At her own words, understanding suddenly clicked into place for Tori. A cape moving in down the hall from someone they’d saved in the same week was essentially an impossible coincidence. But the AHC forcing a cape who’d inadvertently put a civilian into harm’s way to watch over that civilian... shit, Ivan had even said they were going to make amends.
This was what he’d meant? How in the hells had Ivan signed off on the idea? Tori didn’t have to wonder this time; she already knew the answer. He’d said yes because that was the answer a normal person would give. People loved the capes, especially in Ridge City, so rebuking their offer would definitely stick out in people’s heads. Of course, there was also the possibility that Ivan hadn’t gotten any say in the matter. They had, at best, a lightly diplomatic relationship with the Alliance of Heroic Champions. That didn’t mean the guild had veto rights on whatever plans the AHC put into motion.
Much as Tori might have liked to offer false hope, this was not a situation where it was smart to keep her ally in the dark. Methodically, Tori broke down her suspicions for Beverly, who, by the end, actually was sporting a cheerier face.
“Okay. That’s not so bad. Yeah, it sucks that they’re around, but it’s not because they know who we are. And I’m relieved to hear that you’re their main focus. After Austin kept looking at me in the hall, I thought he was trying to figure out which masked criminal I am.” As Beverly grinned, the green of her eyes brightened momentarily. No one would know her mask, largely because she only ever wore her costume around the guild. In the field, she was always transformed, and it would be quite the detective who realized Bahamut the terrifying dragon-shifter was in fact this capable young woman.
“No, I’m pretty sure that look had nothing to do with Bahamut and everything to do with Beverly.” To her surprise, given their predicament, Tori felt a chuckle try to bubble up. “I mean, the guy saw you and literally dropped a couch. Doesn’t get a lot more overt than that.”
“Or he was trying to cover up for using his strength in public,” Beverly countered.
Tori let it go, for the moment. They had bigger issues to tackle. “Assuming the guild knows about this and we’re stuck with the situation, what are we going to do? If that team really is here to keep an eye on me, they’ll probably try getting closer to us.”
“Is telling them to ‘fuck off’ not an option? It tends to be your go-to move when strangers try interacting with you.”
“That’s for randos on the street,” Tori replied. “This is trickier. If we let them into our lives a little, then that’s the method they’ll use for surveillance. If we tell them to eat shit, they’d still have to do their job, which would mean watching us covertly.”
It was easy to see Beverly’s symmetrical features and mistakenly believe beauty to be her greatest feature, but those who knew her well were keenly aware there was a sharp, dangerous mind behind those mesmerizing green eyes. “I get it. We either let them in on our own terms, or we deal with being spied on for the foreseeable future.”
“Or both,” Tori added. “They could just as easily do both, assuming we’re even right about it all.” She paused, giving her next words proper consideration. “Look, this might be about me, but I think you should get to make the call. To me, the Science Sentries are just one more team from the past, a reboot to something I never cared much about. To you, it’s personal. I’m not going to ask you to grit your teeth and smile at those capes. Not in our home.”
Beverly’s usual confidence flickered for a moment, surprise and old pain both rising to the surface. After nearly half a minute of silence, she finally met Tori’s eyes. “I might not have set out to join a guild of villains, but I still did it. I made that choice. Part of that means, for better or worse, I’m always going to be a little bit tied to the capes. My grudges can’t be more important than my current life, or the relationships in it. Sooner or later, I have to learn to at least minimally deal with capes, unless I want to draw suspicion toward myself and my friends. If I can cope with Professor Quantum’s new team, I’ll be able to handle anyone. I won’t promise it will always go well, but I’ll stay as civil as possible.”
A loud banging on the door reminded them that this was not a two-person apartment, no matter how deeply they got lost in discussion. “Come on, you two. Dinner is getting cold. Hold your clandestine meetings after we eat.”
Both women laughed as the somber mood that had descended was quickly dispelled. Beverly rose first, a smirk lingering on her lips. “Chloe’s right, let’s not try to bite this off all at once. We know they’re here, and we suspect why. The next move is theirs. Although, if you wanted to talk to Wade about any tech upgrades...”
“If we use a piece of Doctor Mechaniacal tech and they find out, we then have to explain how we got it,” Tori interrupted.
“Right. That stuff isn’t exactly commercially available. Guess we’ll come up something, and by that, I mean my genius inventor roommate who brought the capes here with her will find a solution.”
“But no pressure, right?” Tori asked.
“Well, a little pressure.” Beverly gave her friend a pointed look. “Or have you forgotten that we definitely need to slip away unnoticed tomorrow?”
Shit. Tori actually had forgotten, in all the excitement of their new neighbors. Tomorrow night, the Guild of Villainous Reformation opened the doors of its new headquarters. Not the sort of event one wanted to miss, especially when the guests were famed criminals of incredible power.
While it wouldn’t be much help in the moment, this was one more reminder that she really had to install some secret tunnels into this building already.
Cyber Geek was ne
arly to his destination when a voice from one of the AHC’s many coordinators crackled in his ear.
“Cyber Geek, your team is to halt approach immediately. We just detected a tremendous amount of energy spiking in that area. They’ve either got some sort of dangerous item or a meta who was shielding their true potential. This situation has escalated beyond your capabilities.”
The words stung, even as he turned to halt the others. Medley looked especially ferocious tonight, claws extended and fangs on full display. Cold Shoulder was already inside a moving ice-construct, putting her on equal intimidation grounds with Medley. Even Hat Trick had put on a serious face. They didn’t know much about the job, only that someone had broken into a residential building to supposedly rob a hidden vault. While there were civilians in the building, none were near the scene of the crime, so they weren’t considered to be in immediate danger. Having a meta with lots of power changed that; it put the civilians in play, so deep down, Cyber Geek knew this was the right move. The job called for someone more experienced.
Still, seeing the flickering lights coming from the ground floor, Cyber Geek’s stomach turned. In his non-masked form as Donald Moss, he’d been forced onto the sidelines for most of his life. Never brave or strong enough to make a difference. Doing it now, though, was different. It was almost more than he could bear, knowing that people were in danger.
“How long until our reinforcements arrive? The lights are getting brighter, seems to be building to something.” Cyber Geek didn’t intend to break orders, but he also wouldn’t cool his heels if civilians were in danger. That wasn’t the kind of superhero he was training to be.
“I wouldn’t exactly call her ‘reinforcements’. Count your lucky stars, rookies. Most people go years before they happen to catch her in the field.” There was a smugness to the voice that Donald didn’t have to wonder about.
From the east—states away if she was coming from Ridge City—a golden bolt tore out of the night sky. It zipped into the building and out the other side. With the golden bolt vanishing, so too did the pulsing glow. Squinting, Cyber Geek noticed a bright red flash high up in the sky, perhaps past the limits of their very atmosphere.
The crooks came running out the front of the building, slipping and falling atop one another in a desperate race for a van parked not far from the entrance. They were halfway there when the golden light returned, landing directly between the four would-be masterminds and their escape vehicle.
Around him, Cyber Geek could hear lungs go still as they unintentionally all held their breath. While they’d met her briefly during the Ridge City Riots, this was most of the team’s first time to see her on the job in person. Only a young Donald, many years before his Cyber Geek days, had caught the show once prior. It was an experience that had been locked into his mind.
One could forget many things, but a front row seat to watch Lodestar save the day was a memory that endured.
“You’re all probably panicking right now, and with good reason. Yes, your scheme is undone and you’ve been caught, so you’ll be going to jail. That said, you’ve still got a trial ahead of you, so don’t ruin your own cases by doing something stupid like—”
In that moment, Cyber Geek wondered if the criminal had shot at that precise moment on purpose, or if Lodestar had known exactly how long it would take and had timed her speech appropriately. The first was more likely, but there was something about the way Lodestar controlled the situation that left Cyber Geek slightly unsure.
The bullet, as countless had before it, struck Lodestar and bounced harmlessly to the ground. She let out a tired sigh, looking from it to the shooter. “As I was saying, don’t be stupid and try to shoot me, since—”
At that moment, all four men opened fire. Looking more disappointed than mad, Lodestar stopped each one by standing still and letting the bullets hit. When the final casing was spent, one crook, the original shooter, reared back and hurled his weapon at Lodestar’s head. This one, she caught, crumpling the firearm effortlessly in her fingers.
“I guess it’s nice to know some things never change. Seriously, did you expect that to work after all the bullets did nothing?”
The now-gunless gunman didn’t respond. He’d turned around and began to flee, sprinting away at top speed. Whatever bravery he’d held had broken; he was now in a mad dash for freedom. The effort was understandable, but pointless. He was a hunk of driftwood trying to float away from a tidal wave.
In a literal flash, Lodestar was there. Moving almost too fast to see, she knocked her target carefully to the ground, then zip-tied his arms and legs. The others attempted to scatter as well, but in less than thirty seconds, she’d gathered them all into a neat pile.
“Situation resolved. They had some kind of hyper-advanced bomb to blow the safe. Based on how big it was, even at the edge of space, that thing would’ve taken out this whole building and a fair chunk of the block. Let the police know that, if at all possible, we want to know where they got it. This is the third crew with gear above their station just this week, and each one has been in a different part of the country. We need a handle on this, and soon.”
Lodestar glanced over to where Cyber Geek and the others were waiting. To their surprise, she greeted the team with a warm smile and waved them over. Tentatively, all keenly aware they were approaching a living legend, they made the trek over.
“Hey there, nice to see you all again. Sorry to horn in on your scene, especially when we finally let you out of Ridge City, but this job keeps us all on our toes no matter how long we do it. Have to roll with the surprises, especially the potentially devastating ones.”
Lodestar paused, taking the time to look each of them in the eyes. “You did the right thing. I know it’s not easy to wait when people need you. I really do. But the powers in this world run a wide gamut, and getting killed easily by someone out of your league doesn’t help anyone. Not you, not your fellow superheroes, and certainly not any civilian who might have needed you in the future. I want you to know that even if it wasn’t easy, you did well tonight. That’s what makes a superhero, more than the fighting or the powers: doing the right thing, especially when it’s hard.”
None of them had been sure what to expect when Lodestar waved them over. Even the most optimistic hadn’t imagined they’d be getting a speech praising them for following orders. The more cynical part of Cyber Geek wanted to believe her speech was formulated to condition newer recruits to do as they were told. But the truth was, he understood what she was getting at. Cyber Geek had seen Fornax return, had watched him slap around a cape as strong as Apollo. Some threats were too big for them, and no matter how their pride might buck at the idea, there would be times they had to put their trust in the stronger superheroes.
“How will we know when we’re ready for more?” Medley was the one to ask it, because that was who Ren was at his core: always competitive, always striving to be better. In his human days, that tendency might have been more subdued, but since his transformation, being a superhero was his only major positive outlet. More and more of who he was had been poured into that identity, and the work that went with it. “I know we have to start small, but I also like to test myself and measure my growth. It’s hard to do that when we’re always working the lowest-risk jobs.”
She looked at Medley, truly took him in, and nodded. “I can understand and respect that. However, I hope you can in turn see why the time to take the inherent risks of such tests should never be done in the field, when civilian lives are in play. Yes, the job will push you to and past your limits, but we do not seek those situations. That’s called courting death. It is a fair request, though, so I’ll think on setting something up for you. Back in the day, we used to... well, I’ll talk to the Champions’ Congress first.”
Lodestar stepped forward, clapping them each on the shoulder in turn. “Until then, I need you four to do me a favor. Stand guard over these crooks until the police arrive. There’s word of some giant meta-beast ram
paging in Uruguay, so I need to get moving. Stay alert, and watch one another’s backs. You’re not home safe until you’re home, safe.”
With that, she leapt into the sky, a golden light that tore quickly out of sight.
From behind Cyber Geek, Hat Trick started to gasp for air and fell onto Medley’s shoulder.
“By Houdini’s handcuffs, I was so nervous I forgot to breathe.”
Although his lungs had kept working, Cyber Geek understood the sentiment. Even after months at the AHC and growing accustomed to thinking of himself as a real cape, the older heroes still intimidated him. And those were just the normal ones. Being around Lodestar drove home to them all just how large the divide between some meta powers was. Merely standing in the same space as her was daunting. Perhaps that was why she was so warm, to try to undercut some of the legacy that lived on her heels.
Whatever the case, Cyber Geek was just thankful Lodestar was on their side. It was scary to admit, but if Lodestar turned evil, he wasn’t entirely sure there was another meta who could stop her.
Chapter 11
The car came precisely at six in the evening, whispering up to the curb with the sort of undeniable perfection Tori had begun to associate with Doctor Mechaniacal’s mechanical drivers. Both women had just stepped out of the building, holding bags. For Beverly, a simple gym duffel was enough to contain the secret attire she was carting around, but Tori required something more substantial.
To even a well-trained eye, Tori merely appeared to be dragging a sizable rolling suitcase, the kind too large for even the most foolishly optimistic of travelers to attempt stowing in the overhead compartment on a plane. It was, in fact, exactly that; however, it was also a tad more. Though Tori had yet to perfectly reproduce the miniature gravitational anomaly generator that Ivan had gifted her—even the base component costs for that model were out of her reach—she had successfully managed to create weaker versions of it. None that would get a heavy meta-suit airborne on their own, but two built into a custom suitcase were potent enough to make it transportable.