by Drew Hayes
“Apprentice.”
Not necessarily an accurate title anymore, but an excellent way to let her know who was calling. There was only one person who had ever, or likely would ever, call Tori by that term. Ivan was reaching out, a thought that filled Tori with unexpected relief.
As the feeling flooded her, the convergence of fractures swelled, then burst entirely in a shower of light.
When it cleared, there was a hole in the world, one cutting between her and what appeared to be a plane of outer space, complete with a sea of stars shining in the background. From that hole, Ivan stepped forward, looking like his usual self, only more annoyed.
“Tori, I know you have a guarded nature, but in the future, when you’re kidnapped and an obvious meta reaches out to help, consider relaxing your mental grip a tad. Mind Mirror is going to need a meal and a nap after what it took for him to punch through, even with me helping.”
“Only you would find your former apprentice kidnapped and go right into a lecture,” Tori said. The annoyance was feigned. Inside, she was nearly overwhelmed with joy to see him. She could back up her tough talk to an extent, but that was a drop in the bucket compared to the kind of vindication he and the guild represented.
Ivan examined her surroundings briefly before making his way over. “We can all stand to improve. Never hurts to have someone coaching us along.” His gaze turned to Tori, who was largely fine, if one ignored the small stain of blood on her mouth. The wound itself had already closed and was well on its way to healing—even outside her fire form, Tori mended faster than normal, just not meta-fast. Still, Tori saw the flicker of rage in Ivan’s face when he noticed it, largely because he did such a shit job at concealing the anger.
“Doctor Mechaniacal is currently working to find your location; whatever tech they’re using is high-end enough to give him trouble. That’s a much larger problem in itself, but one issue at a time. We established a psychic bond to check in, and see if you could provide any clues to your whereabouts. The more you can tell me about what’s happened, the better a chance we’ll find you.”
Dutifully, Tori rattled off the tale of her abduction and interrogation as best she could recall. While a few tidbits probably did get skipped over, she hit all the major points in quick succession. Ivan took it all in stoically, sometimes nodding or scowling at a certain point, but for the most part, he simply listened.
When she was done, Ivan paced the room, his feet making no sound as he walked.
“This is quite a hornet’s nest you’ve wandered into. As I’m sure you can guess, the AHC is hunting you. With the media hounding them about the kidnapping, even the most cynical personnel have reason to be motivated. That said, tech that can stall Doctor Mechaniacal should also give Professor Quantum some trouble.”
“Especially since he didn’t plant trackers in most of my clothes,” Tori added.
That earned her a look of sharp surprise from Ivan, which she met with a shrug. “Yeah, I noticed. Didn’t have room to complain as an apprentice, and after getting attacked during Balaam’s uprising, I decided that someone being able to find me might not be the worst thing.”
“Except for when those trackers are blocked,” Ivan muttered. “The point is, we’ve got a little bit of time to work in. Maybe a day or two, at most. The question is what do you want to do with that time?”
“Me? Am I supposed to plan my own rescue mission from inside a cell?”
The pacing stopped as Ivan came to a halt not far from where Tori was sitting. Moving with more care than moments before, Ivan took a few steps over, then sank to one knee, putting him at roughly her seated eye level.
“Only a few days ago, I talked to you about figuring out what it means to be a villain for each of us. You hit a crossroads sooner than even I expected, but you’ve still hit one. Given the current predicament, you can deal with this situation as Tori, or as Hephaestus. As Tori, we find where you are and covertly alert the capes. They’ll swoop in, save the day, and send all these people into the court system. That will be what people think happens when you kidnap someone connected to capes off the street.”
“Or, I take the Hephaestus route.” Tori didn’t need the other option explained; it had been burning in the back of her mind since that slap. “But how does that work, exactly? People saw me, Tori Rivas, get captured. If the capes arrive to find an absolute slaughter and me untouched, won’t that raise questions?”
“It would, if you had any way to testify or offer an explanation. We’ve done this before—usually with civilians, but the methodology is still the same. You’ll be in here, locked up, just as the kidnappers left you. All you’ll hear is some noises, maybe a few screams, and then nothing until the capes arrive. No testimony or insights to offer.”
Something hard and dark in Tori’s heart preened at the image. “Plus, word will get around. The underworld thinks the guild rules no longer apply. That’s why they’re doing shit this bold. But if the most public kidnapping in years ends with the perpetrators as bloody chunks, that sends a message from the shadows. It reminds them that we’re still here, and there are still consequences to stepping over our lines.”
“Precisely. We’ll leave evidence that it was done by some enemy or rival for the police, while the underworld will hear whispers of the truth. But putting yourself in the center of that could still have consequences down the line. That’s why the method we use can only rightly be chosen by the person it impacts the most. You’re the one on TV. You’re the one who has to live with this either way.” Ivan rose from his kneeling position, checking the room once more. “That said, perhaps I should give you some time to think it over. Mind Mirror needs to rest, and it’s not like we can act until we know your location. I’ll check back in a few hours. If things get rough and you have to kill them, we’ll clean up after you.”
He tried to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but Tori felt nothing. For as real as Ivan looked, he wasn’t here. Not yet. “Stay strong, Tori. I promise, I won’t make you wait long.”
“I’m plenty strong, Ivan. Don’t worry about a thing.” She met his eyes, staring hard until Ivan seemed convinced.
“When I return, I hope it will be with news. By then, you should have decided which path to take. There may not be time to dawdle.”
With a jolt, Tori was out of the vision. Lights were blinking, concrete was unfractured, and the ambient noise of simple existence rushed back into her ears. It was a lot to take in at once, which was why Tori almost didn’t notice she had a second visitor until he was through the door.
It was the big one, though he moved with a lot of care as he shut the door behind himself. “Bathroom break. I’m going to uncuff you long enough to do your necessary, then stand with my back to you, facing the door. Feel free to try to attack if you want. It won’t work, and we’ll stop letting you up to use the toilet, but you should still feel free to try.”
Succinct, sincere, and easy to track. This guy knew how to manage a captive. Even his threat was straightforward logic, the sort that balked any attempts at questioning. It was inaccurate, given that she could in fact hurt him, but he had no way of knowing that.
“Cameras?” Tori asked.
He held up a large finger, then pointed it over to the camera near the front door, the one facing the toilet. Seconds later, the red light died, breaking the cycle of blinking. “Five minutes of privacy.”
“Then you should hurry. That’s not a lot of time to go over whatever secret discussion you wanted to have.” Tori jerked her head in the direction of her back, where she was pulling the handcuffs taut. “I do want that break, though.”
From a pocket, he produced a key that looked comical in his oversized mitts. Using more care than she’d have expected, he unlocked her cuffs, stepping away as Tori gave her wrists a nice long rub. Once that was done, she took mental stock of her bladder, which was mercifully bone dry. The upside to being kidnapped before coffee, she supposed.
“I can skip the porce
lain this time. Why don’t we focus on the real reason you’re in here. You know, don’t you? The line your gang is up against, the danger they’re courting.”
“I know rumors. Whispers. Stories and myths about a secret cabal that run the underworld, keeping the capes at bay. I heard about entire gangs vanishing overnight, but that also happens when rivals wipe out their competition. For a long time, I didn’t really believe it. Then one day, I noticed. The higher up I climbed, the more fastidious everyone was about following those whispered rules. Every serious boss and major player treated them like a bible. A few months ago, I found out why. That guild is—was—real. They’re the ones the capes fought during the riots.”
He sat down next to Tori, his augmented size meaning they were roughly on the same shoulder level, despite only one of them having a chair. “What I don’t know is if the rules still apply after the capes raided them. More importantly, it doesn’t explain why you seem to know about all of this. The guild is one thing—I think the whole world saw that story. The rules and consequences are another matter. How exactly do you know all of this, Tori Rivas?”
The name was a good touch, something to remind her that he knew who she really was. But it also opened up an opportunity. “That’s not the sort of thing I’d tell a stranger, now is it?”
Warily, he extended his hand. “I go by Darius.”
Tori accepted and shook it. “Nice to meet you, Darius. I’m afraid my explanation isn’t going to be all that satisfying, unfortunately. If you knew my route well enough to snatch me, I’m sure you dug into my available personal history, meaning that you’re probably aware I did a rehab program. Well, you know what comes before rehab.”
Darius did indeed. Working on the streets, he was no stranger to people who’d lost their lives chasing the thrill of a high. “Something bad enough to require you go to rehab.”
“Smart man,” Tori noted. “I was laying low from the cops after a near miss, so I took up space in an abandoned building, probably similar to what you’re all using. Others were using it, too, but beggars, choosers—you know the drill. Except apparently, one group was hiding a kidnapped person. I never knew the details. I only woke up to the aftermath.”
This story was more a chimera of disconnected truths than pure lie. While Tori had never touched a drug stronger than alcohol or caffeine, her pre-guild life included many years living without a home and did feature some dodging of police, as one might expect from a thief. Even the event in question was mostly true, save for the extra group of kidnappers. For this next part, Tori would have to pull from the more recent past: the time Ivan had taken them along to see a code enforcement.
“They don’t leave much. A stain here, a scorch mark there. The parts they do leave—I assume those have to be intentional. So you can fathom what happened to at least a few of them, and your mind can fill in the gaps for the ones reduced to nothing more than fine red mist. I didn’t want to see that, and I think you want to be it even less. Make the right call. Let me go while there’s time.”
For a moment, she thought he was going to listen. Sadly, when Darius rose to his feet, the first thing he did was re-lock Tori into her handcuffs. She didn’t fight or struggle; this wasn’t the time to make a move. At least he didn’t fasten them quite so tightly this time.
“I’m not sure how much of that was true, but I believed enough to worry. The problem is that, even if it’s all completely factual, that still happened before the riots. Before the guild was exposed. Whether or not they can still maintain that control is for the higher-ups to figure out. I’ll raise your concerns to him, though.”
Tori waited until her hands were bound before speaking again. “If you’re wrong, you know you’re killing them, right?”
“Maybe, but I can’t live their lives for them, either,” Darius countered. “I’ll talk to the boss. With what you can prove, I don’t see much changing, though. The guild just isn’t as scary now that it’s out of the shadows.”
Darius left the room, and a few seconds later, the cameras began to blink once more. Once more alone with her thoughts, Tori could no longer find easy respite in dreams of her planned designs. No, thanks to Ivan, she now had a heavy decision resting on her shoulders.
And worse, after talking with Darius, Tori was starting to realize which path the world needed her to take.
Chapter 25
It was hard to be helpless. To see something happen that was wrong, yet be unable to do anything. Because he was too weak, too afraid, too useless to change the outcome. When Donald Moss embraced his abilities, part of him thought those days were done. No matter the situation, he could help a small bit now, at least in theory. As it turned out, having more power only made that damned sense of helplessness all the more frustrating.
He wanted to be out on the streets with the rest of the capes, looking for clues. Coming back from patrol to find video of his friend being kidnapped off the street was bad enough. Asking to help find her and being sent to a waiting room was all the worse.
A heavy hand rested on Donald’s shoulder: Ren, forcing him out of his stewing. The pair were seated in a lush waiting room, tastefully decorated in muted colors, with vintage AHC posters adorning the walls as accents. The images were largely filled with older capes, most of whom were retired now, along with a few newer ones who’d attained some glory. Apollo had probably been up there, before he betrayed them. For his part, Donald kept glancing from the television screen to the poster of Lodestar. It would be okay. They had the most powerful capes in the world on their side. If anyone could help Tori, it was the Alliance of Heroic Champions. Donald just wished they’d get on with it, or let him help.
“Easy, buddy. Save your energy. Whatever they want us for, they’re probably just waiting on Irene and Lucy,” Ren assured him.
The other half of their team had been needed to help deal with a wildfire earlier that morning— Irene with her ice, and Lucy by summoning a spray of water from her hat. It was a move that made far more sense before their entire day had been uprooted, but the higher-ups had determined they could do more good there than here, so the work continued.
“Let’s hope not. They could be gone all day. I’m not going to just sit here while god knows what is happening to my friend.” Donald started to rise, then looked again to the poster. So easily, she’d crushed the AHC base’s defenses. What had been a harrowing, near-death experience for his team wasn’t even a blip to Lodestar. Much as he wanted to help Tori, Donald also knew his limits. If the most powerful superheroes in the world couldn’t fly around and stumble onto Tori, then what were his odds?
The issue resolved itself when the lounge doors opened to reveal two more figures. Though he’d yet to meet either, Donald knew them on sight. Given how much attention the media was giving them, it was hard not to recognize Agent Quantum and Tachyonic, especially since both were in full costume. Donald didn’t bother with a mask since his identity was public, which meant he got to keep more casual attire, especially around the base. Usually a perk, at that moment he hated feeling so human.
“What the hell? If anyone should be out there searching for Tori, it should be you.” Even Donald was surprised by the heat in his voice. He hadn’t realized he was standing and stalking across the room until he’d gotten a few feet from Tachyonic. “Why aren’t you out there helping?”
“Let me answer your question with a question: who the fuck are you?” Tachyonic shot back, immediately bristling. “Did somebody order a sandwich and you’re the lucky delivery boy taking himself on a tour?”
A flush crept along Donald’s pale skin, like a red tide washing over his freckles. “Yeah, you probably wouldn’t have seen my work. I’m not so desperate for attention that I drag innocent civilians into the spotlight, so I’m clearly not playing on your media level.” It had been a long time since Donald was genuinely pissed off, but the cocktail of fear and guilt were pushing his emotions off-keel, and Tachyonic made for a semi-deserving easy target.
“Cyber Geek, I can see you’re upset. However, right now, it isn’t about who is at fault. It’s about saving the person in danger. Do you think us being at odds helps, or hurts, her chances of a quick recovery?”
They were the first words Agent Quantum had spoken, and they were well chosen. Hearing his superhero name brought Donald up short, reminding him of what really mattered. He was angry, and Tachyonic deserved some of that, but not the full force. The guy had been a new cape on his first day. He made an honest mistake. Donald had made plenty himself already, with ample more surely waiting down the road. Still, it was hard not to seethe, knowing that however inadvertently, Tachyonic had made Tori a target.
“You’re right,” Donald said at last. “I’m sorry, but I’m also climbing the walls in here. Why are we being shelved when the rest of the AHC is in full swing?”
“Because it was theorized you might be of use.” The voice didn’t belong to anybody Donald had heard in person before, yet he knew it instantly. Anyone who did even a modicum of research into meta-humans would have heard hours and hours of it, as it belonged to premiere expert on the phenomenon that created them. For the first few decades, he was considered the unrivaled authority on all things meta, and even now, his theories and talks were refenced by countless researchers.
Professor Quantum strode into the lounge, Lodestar and Quorum on his heels. He looked the same as he had for as long as Donald had been alive: a tall, serious man with salt-and-pepper at the temples. His physique was substantially sturdier than most men of science, though the full suit, tie, and lab coat did hide all but the most obvious features. Times and styles might change, but Professor Quantum cared as much about such things as he did about the opinions of those who weren’t him, which was to say minimally. While unquestionably the original meta-human and first superhero in known history, he never quite managed to connect with the public on his own. Professor Quantum was respected, admired, and feared, but seldom beloved.