by Drew Hayes
Ivan walked over to Tori, carefully turning her to look with him out over the ocean. Wherever they were, it had one hell of a view. The sea appeared to stretch on in all directions. Constant, endless, a reminder of how small humans, and meta-humans, were in the greater scheme of the universe.
“Think of the water as opportunity. Most people live in a puddle. The capes have a journey that’s simpler, and also more limited. They’re on a river, a one-way road driving them toward the same goals. Get powers, fight crime—there’s a straightforward path to walk, so long as you don’t deviate. Villains are different. This is what we get. This is our prize for living outside the boundaries of societies. So many places one could go. So many horizons to chase. But if you sailed without direction, you could easily end up spending your whole life going around in a pointless circle.”
It was heavy-handed, even for Ivan, yet it got the point across. She wasn’t an apprentice anymore. Tori was a villain, in title if not reputation. Maybe it was time to start giving serious thought to exactly what that meant for her future.
Chapter 15
“Was anyone else expecting this place to be warmer?” Kyle finished stripping off the last of his Tachyonic costume, stowing it away carefully and setting the most important components in their charging cradles. Of the team, only Tachyonic needed artificial enhancement to perform at acceptable levels in the field, and while it was a constant source of annoyance and shame, he still had a duty to ensure the equipment was properly prepared. After starting off the week getting lightly scolded by Lodestar, he wasn’t going to make any other rookie mistakes.
Despite moving out to an apartment, the team still retained their on-site residence at the AHC. It was policy to provide such space to all members in case anyone ever needed a place to safely rest. The quarters of the New Science Sentries were slightly nicer than most, with four individual rooms connecting to a shared common area with a small kitchenette. Dotting the walls were various charging, training, and general maintenance stations for both the team and their gear. Thankfully, no one tried to make them haul all their equipment over to the apartment for the duration of the temporary guard job. They did all have to keep spare costumes on hand there, just in case.
“We’re near the end of summer. It’s going to be cool everywhere soon. I bet even back on Vomisa, you can feel a chill in the breeze as it comes off the ocean.” Ellie emerged from her room clad in mundane attire: a cropped pink shirt and white skirt. She’d been enjoying the freedom of real fashion options since they arrived and didn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
“Not the weather. The people. It’s just...” Kyle trailed off, trying to put a point to his words.
Someone else turned out to be faster on the draw.
Clad in a t-shirt proclaiming himself to be a Keg Inspector, Ike came over from the kitchen with a hand pressed to his forehead in a mock swoon. “What Kyle’s trying to say is how dare these petty mainland trash people not fall upon themselves praising our greatness?! We are the New Science Sentries, the continuation of a legacy from the dawn of superheroes, yet we haven’t seen screaming crowds, raving fans, or even a single line of groupies offering blowjobs. I, too, am outraged, outraged by these proceedings!”
Usually, they tried to ignore Ike, especially when he got like this, but today, he happened to hit the right nerve. “I don’t expect screaming crowds,” Kyle protested. “It’s just like no one cares. Our first day got spoiled because I messed up and put a civilian in the limelight, sure. But that was one mistake. Since then, coverage is already dying off and we’re barely getting a reaction in the streets. We’re old news that fast?”
To illustrate the point, Kyle flipped to a local television station dedicated to meta-stories, especially ones involving the AHC. There was an endless appetite for the exploits of capes, even more so now that Lodestar stories were again in the mix. Today she was not the focus, however. Instead, the camera was on some different AHC members. Apparently, the team had foiled a gang of criminals trying to rob a traveling circus, but not before some of the entertainers had been injured.
The cameras panned in to show inside the big tent, where one of the capes was doing magic tricks for a growing crowd, another was on the tightropes using some sort of strange glove apparatus that glowed slightly, and the final two were putting on a mock lion show, one holding a chair made out of ice, using it to hold back the only member Kyle recognized on sight: Medley. There were a lot of people in the AHC, but the guy who looked like someone put a zoo and steroids into a blender still stuck out.
“Is this really a good example? It’s clearly a human-interest piece, not a reflection on their skills as superheroes,” Ellie pointed out.
“Maybe so, but people love it. I’ve seen this team do street patrols, and the community turns out to greet them. Last night, we had patrols, and I swear I saw people locking their doors.” Kyle flipped the TV to mute, but continued to let the footage play. “I suppose, if our options are to not be appreciated or to lower ourselves to these kinds of stunts, we picked the right course. I just... expected more from this town.”
The sound of heavy steps approaching could only mean one thing: Austin had finished his shower. Given that he’d gotten coated in debris and oil from lifting cars, the man had earned one. As he stepped into the lounge, he was still drying that shaggy blond hair. It didn’t fit his brand or his image, yet Austin held strong to his hairstyle. Given how much ground he’d yielded through the years, it made it stand out all the more—to the people who knew him well, at least.
Austin finished toweling off, walked to the fridge, and cracked open a bottle of water before he finally spoke. “We got here a week ago, Kyle. I know our name carries weight, but this is the heart of superhero activity. This is where the Alliance of Heroic Champions has had a base since it was founded, and it was home to the League of Metas before that. We’re trying to play country music in Nashville. Prestigious rep or not, no one is going to care until we prove ourselves.”
“Excuse me?” Kyle whirled from the television to face his friend, who seemed unbothered by the spin. “I’ve been running the numbers. Since arriving, our patrols have been among the most efficient. We’ve stopped more small-scale crimes than nearly any other local field team and managed a zero percent civilian injury ratio. We are killing it at this job, just like we trained for. Give us a few more weeks to learn the ropes, and we’ll blow everyone else out of the water.”
With a powerful chug, Austin slammed the entirety of his water, then tossed the bottle into a recycling bin. Moving steadily, he walked over and turned Kyle back toward the screen, where Hat Trick was pulling an endless candy scarf from her sleeve, letting it land into the waiting hands of eager children.
“There’s more to being a superhero than punching criminals and stopping bullets. You win hearts by being a person, not a mask. Perhaps next time we patrol, let’s go a little less efficiently and actually talk to the locals.”
“Speaking of the locals, do we need to work on ingratiating ourselves to the new neighbors?” Ellie asked. “It’s Saturday morning, so this is a prime time to jump on their weekend before they lock down plans.”
Kyle would have muttered about it being a huge waste of time, except that he was the reason they had to waste that time in the first place. His mistake had landed them the job of guarding Tori, so he certainly didn’t have room to complain about the tasks such a gig demanded. “I guess I could invite her over for dinner tonight. That should be a good ‘getting to know you’ activity.”
Ellie exchanged a nervous look with Ike, who merely offered a shrug in reply. “Good god, Kyle, I know you grew up on a super-scientist’s lab island, but let’s try to hide that from new people for at least a day. Are you trying to hook up with this woman?”
A jolt of shock hit Kyle’s face, twisting it into a downright comical expression. “Am I what?”
“That’s what I thought.” Ellie pushed some of her own golden locks to the s
ide, tucking them behind her ear. “Okay, so, Kyle, if you go knock on the door of a woman you just met and ask her to dinner at your place, there are some very major social implications that go with all that. Better idea: I’ll do the inviting. It will be for something neutral, like cards or board games, and we’ll ask their entire apartment. Nice, non-romantic, new neighbors reaching out socially. Keeps us close to them, just not too close.”
A soft clatter reached their ears. Everyone turned to notice that Austin had knocked over a stack of dishes built up in the sink. His cheeks and ears were both red with embarrassment. “You said the whole apartment? Is that wise? We should probably limit our exposure as much as possible.”
“Except if we single out just Tori, the best-case conclusion they’ll reach is that one of us is courting her, and if she’s not receptive to the idea, then that kills the whole buddy-buddy schtick dead in the street.” Ike vanished and appeared next to Austin as he spoke, not dropping so much as a syllable. “Trust Ellie. Group invite is definitely the way to go.”
The debate might have continued longer, had Ike not invoked the word “trust” in his delivery. As a new leader of a new team, Austin had proven himself determined to show faith in the people he led. No sooner had the word been spoken than Austin’s red flush began to fade. He turned to Ellie.
“If you think that’s best, then go ahead. We should get back to our new apartment within the hour. That’ll be the perfect time to extend a friendly evening invitation.”
“As long as they weren’t up late doing anything crazy,” Ike said, the only one laughing at his joke, as usual. Based on the files they’d read, the odds of that were abysmal. The barista, the blogger, and the cubical cog—by Ike’s reckoning, they might very well be babysitting the most boring collection of people in the entire city.
After a night of revelry and excitement, Tori was grateful for the weekend. True, she’d been off work all week, but she hadn’t needed a morning to sleep in until today. A few minutes in fire form nipped her hangover in the bud before it had fully formed; her ability to heal while existing as fire could quite possibly be the aspect of her power she liked the best. After a lazy shower, Tori dressed in an old shirt and overalls, readying herself for a day in the lab. Taking the meta-suit out had revealed a few more areas for tweaks and improvements. Streamline here, improve efficiency there; it was all a matter of refining the invention one step at a time.
Tori emerged to find she was the last riser of the day. Chloe was at the stove, working on her lunchtime specialty: grilled cheese. A pot of coffee was thankfully already made, so Tori poured a tall mug, pausing as she stirred in creamer to notice that Beverly was staring daggers at her. Tori took a few sips to brace herself for whatever this was about, and then traipsed over to the table.
“You look like you just ate a live chicken. What’s going on?”
“Don’t mind Beverly. She’s just in a huff,” Chloe explained. “Want a sandwich?”
After another sip of coffee, Tori nodded. “Sure. Could use some breakfast.”
“Closer to lunch, lazybones. Anyway, Beverly’s annoyed because while you were both snoozing, one of our new neighbors came by and invited us over for games at their place tonight. I told her I was pretty sure we were all free, but I’d check with you both to make sure. Not sure why she’s feeling snitty about it when I left you both a perfectly serviceable out.”
Slowly, Tori lowered her cup, meeting Beverly’s intense stare. Crap. This had come way sooner than they were prepared for. And it had to be Chloe who answered the door. Sweet, amiable Chloe, who would obviously accept a social invitation at face value. Why not? It wasn’t as if she knew who the new neighbors really were. Thinking fast, Tori catalogued their options. They could have Chloe go solo, but that felt wrong. This was Tori’s mess; she shouldn’t let Chloe get unknowingly tangled up with capes, especially considering how unique Chloe’s ability was. No way the capes wouldn’t try to woo her to their team.
The next option was to tell Chloe everything and have her make an excuse to not go. Viable, maybe even prudent. But Chloe wasn’t much at subterfuge, and the neighbors would notice when her attitude toward them dramatically shifted. That invited the asking of questions, which Tori and Beverly dearly wanted to avoid. Which only left them with one viable choice: attend the game night. Perhaps they could show themselves to be anti-social and avoid a repeat invitation. While that was an admittedly easier task for Tori than Beverly, they’d have to think of something. She barely had any free time as it was. Forging a fake friendship with a bunch of capes was not a project Tori wanted to take on.
“You know Beverly, she hates the idea of being rude. I bet she’s worried she’ll get way too competitive playing games with the new people.” Tori shot Beverly a conspiratorial wink, which earned her a heavy glare. “She never misses an event, though, so you can count us both in.”
“Or I’m just up after a long night and I’ve got you both haranguing me. I’m sure I’ll find my party spirit after a shower and a little time to knock the sleep from my eyes.” Beverly’s expression melted back to friendliness for Chloe just as she dropped a steaming sandwich onto Beverly’s plate.
Thus far, Chloe had burned a roast, spaghetti, and somehow a salad during her cooking rotations. They’d learned that she did best with stuff that just went into an oven on a timer and making grilled cheese. To her credit, bad as she was at most culinary endeavors, the woman grilled a mean cheese.
“Much better attitude,” Chloe complimented. “It’ll be good for us all. I know we’ve had a lot going on; a little social engagement is just what we need to unwind. They want us over at six, and we should bring a bottle of wine. It’s polite.”
For a moment, Tori had flashbacks to living under Ivan’s roof, but they cleared away at her first bite. Even on her best dish, Chloe was no Ivan. One day, Tori would have to find out exactly why it was that one of the world’s most terrifying monsters was also a shockingly capable cook.
Actually, now that she thought about it, Ivan still owed her an origin story. It had fallen to the back of her mind in the chaos surrounding the end of her apprenticeship, but that was a deal she definitely needed to collect on. Another day, though. One where she didn’t have to figure out how to have a social night with a group of capes less than a day after toasting to the resurrection of a guild of villains.
Swallowing her bite of sandwich harder than necessary, Tori realized that somewhere along the way, her life had gotten incredibly complicated.
Chapter 16
Their truck navigated the rocky coast inch by inch, working around the tough terrain until finally reaching a section of flat road. Here, a turn awaited them, a break in the craggy rocks running along the shore. Angling the vehicle just so, they gassed it, pushing up the steep incline. Scraping hit their ears—the passage was so narrow it was tearing off their side-view windows—but they were making progress. The sun faded from view as they vanished into the rocks, their tire tracks the only proof they’d been there at all. Tracks that would soon be washed away by the coming tide.
Inside, the cave was dark. Darker than it should have been, with a pair of headlights set on the high beams. The shadows were borderline aggressive, leaping in the moment that light wasn’t directly on them. No external sounds reached their ears—even the nearby lapping of waves was gone. Just when the first member was on the verge of breaking, the lights struck a figure: tall, lean, sporting a stern expression the truck’s driver associated with principals and headmasters.
Immaculately dressed in a suit nearly as black as the cave, he gave them a toothy smile as they jerked to a sudden halt, stopping mere feet from hitting the stranger. He appeared unconcerned by either them or the truck, pulling out a silver pocket watch to examine the time.
“On the dot. I must say, I’m impressed. When I have occasion to allow a delivery, they are almost always confused by the directions. You are the first ones to arrive precisely at the appointed hour. What good fo
rtune you have. Let us see if your streak can continue. Show me the merchandise.” Despite him being outside the vehicle, no one had difficulty hearing his voice. It was crisp, clear, and precise, like everything about this odd fellow.
Without delay, they sprang into action. Adrenaline was pumping through veins as though they were under the watchful eye of a firing squad. No, that would have been better. At least in that situation they’d know the threat. Working in a cave that seemed empty, yet didn’t feel that way, was far more terrifying. No gun could live up to the terrors their own minds imagined.
Moving briskly, they unloaded the large box from the rear of the truck and popped the lid. Their driver stepped forward, clearing her throat to knock the sliver of fear from her voice. “As requested. A Cernovian intergalactic communications array.”
The buyer was there, looking over their shoulders, an unsettling glee radiating off him. “Did you have trouble procuring it?”
“Some. There aren’t many of these, so they’re collectible, but no one besides Professor Quantum ever managed to get one working. If they were functional, they’d be much better guarded. As is, rich people use them as display pieces. We can get you more, with notice.” Scary as the cave was, business was business. Besides, if he needed them alive for more jobs, it increased their odds of escaping this cave while still breathing.
At the name “Professor Quantum,” the buyer’s face tightened, only for a flash. “Is that so? I may well take you up on that. Won’t be sure until I can take this apart and see if it needs repairs or replacement parts.”
He leaned down, easily hefting the box it had taken all of the driver’s more muscular staff to lift. “Your money is already in the truck. If I need your service again, I’ll reach out.”
A collective sigh left the team as they headed back toward the cab of the truck. Just before she arrived, the driver glanced around once, then turned back to find herself inches away from the tall buyer.