by Drew Hayes
“Theorized by Lodestar, I should add, who seems to think you have similar potential to Mr. AV. Her estimations of your powers appear slightly askew, likely because you were able to breach our barrier with the aid of your items. I am of the opinion that such force was a fluke. However, one can never dismiss a potential option, especially when time is a factor. You are our wild card, representing access to tools not accounted for in technological or magical defenses.”
“We also knew you’d want to take an active role in finding your friend,” Lodestar tacked on, almost as an apology for Professor Quantum. From how seamlessly she slipped in the diplomacy, it was plainly a skill she’d gotten from ample practice.
That revelation did earn him a new look from Tachyonic, though. “Wait, you actually know Tori?”
“We used to work together. Hard not to be friends with someone once you’ve survived weekly meetings and a gang of metas trying to rob your office,” Donald replied. “So I’d really like it if we could get her back, and soon.”
The sound of Quorum messing with the television drew everyone’s attention, as it had been intended to. He cued up a different feed; the television now showed a large map of Ridge City, with a pin dropped at the scene of Tori’s location.
“The van they used to kidnap Tori Rivas appears to be employing whatever tech they’re using to mask her holding location. While we aren’t able to track it with anything except our eyes, Ridge City has enough traffic cameras that we were able to follow their route after the abduction.”
Quorum touched a button on a remote and a new line appeared, showing the van making a direct run for what appeared to be a parking garage a few miles from the kidnapping site. “Unfortunately, our intel cuts out here. The van is no longer in the garage, meaning they either utilized teleportation or illusions to get out, and from that point on, we can no longer follow their route. Since they drove right to it, they clearly weren’t worried about us discovering the location, making the odds of discovering a hidden route or tunnel minimal. We do have resources checking, just to be sure.”
“Ordinarily, the solution here would be a simple one,” Professor Quantum interrupted. “Once tracking is thwarted, magic becomes the most expedient solution. We have several assets on staff capable of casting a finding spell, none of whom have succeeded. We are unable to follow or find the van, to say nothing of the woman inside, by either technological or mystical means. This means someone came to this operation prepared, and has forced us to think outside the box.”
“What about a psychic?” Ren asked. “I’ve chatted with Afterthought enough to know that not all mystical wards work on them. Even if she can’t do it, there’s Headspace, the woman she’s been learning from.”
It was Lodestar who fielded this one. “Psychics are wonderful helpers in the right situations. However, making a connection in these sorts of circumstances would be extremely difficult. I already asked some to reach out, and the general consensus seems to be that while a few can feel her mind’s presence, none can connect with it. The only way to have a real shot would be with someone she’s close to. Family close, I mean.”
Donald couldn’t have asked for a more tactful way to be told his connection wasn’t enough, even if it didn’t make the message any better to hear.
“Hence why you are here.” Professor Quantum stepped forward until he loomed over Donald, tapping the younger cape just above his eyebrow. “Thus far, your new system has met every metric and safety test they’ve insisted on imposing, with nary a single glitch or hiccup. Time to start earning that upgrade. You’ve got a curious assortment of toys at your fingertips, Mr. Moss. Anything in there that might help us find Miss Rivas?”
One upside to his earlier flush with fury was that Donald was already too red for anyone to notice the tinge of embarrassment that was being added to it. He wished one of the AHC’s founding members hadn’t just referred to his entire power as “toys,” but it was hard to find a counterargument, especially given the more pressing concerns. The best rebuttal, he realized, would be to actually have something that helped.
“Give me a moment. I’ll check.” Closing his eyes wasn’t necessary, but it did make the screen easier to see. As the world went dark, Donald pulled up his item selection screen. The “upgrade,” as Professor Quantum put it, had actually been an involved surgery with some serious risk, one that Donald considered well worth it.
Gone was his old wrist unit, where he had to clumsily slap about for items. Now, the entire computer was housed in a series of tiny connected units throughout his skull. An optical inlay projected the display into his vision, allowing Cyber Geek to seemingly pull the items from thin air. In reality, he was still yanking them out of a computer, it was just a computer no one else could see.
Control had been the hardest issue. There was a wireless connection option for playing and leveling his games to improve the items, but working the actual screen in the field required Donald to do it himself. The system had been wired to his nervous system, like attaching a new artificial limb, and over time, he’d gained enough skill to cycle through his options on the fly. It still took time, especially under stress, but every day he worked to get better at it. This was a gift, and he knew that, the sort of augmentation only one of the world’s greatest minds could offer.
Determined to both save Tori and prove himself worth the effort, Donald ran through his options. Almost everything he’d been working on was combat based, tools to keep civilians safe or to neutralize villains, with only a smattering of utility options like the Jump Jump Jones boot rounding things out. He had to keep thinking. Donald was more than just the options on the screen. He was also the sum of his own knowledge. The tool he needed wasn’t in his arsenal yet, but he knew where to get it.
“There’s a game called Constable Fluffers, indie title from a few years back. Basically, a mix of mystery and team building, where you get magic items that help you find clues and solve cases. One of the final pieces in the game is a magnifying glass that reveals the general area of what you’re looking for on a map. I’ll need to get it loaded and leveled first; that’s going to take a while.”
“That would be useful, both in today’s situation and in future predicaments, assuming it works.” Professor Quantum nodded stiffly, but approval was approval. “Your friend there is relieved of patrol duty in order to assist you with whatever you need. Do try to hurry, if you can. While Miss Rivas presumably had nothing of use to share, they will no doubt still be trying to extract information about the AHC from her. I suspect the sooner we arrive, the better.”
If Donald had been motivated before, those words nearly had him tearing out of the room in a dead sprint. Before he had the chance, Agent Quantum stepped forward. It was only then that Donald realized Professor Quantum hadn’t so much as looked at his namesake since entering the room.
“Sir, I submitted a report over the weekend, but it should be noted that Tori Rivas does have some information about the AHC. Specifically, my team was forced to out themselves in covering for my error. She knows who the New Science Sentries are.”
Slowly, Professor Quantum’s eyes closed, like he was fighting off a headache. “We’ll deal with the consequences of that once the young lady is rescued. For now, try to stay out of trouble, Version Nineteen. You two were called here to see if you could offer any insight, but I believe that’s no longer needed. Go get assignments with the rest of the masses.”
A long pause stretched out in the room, wandering around and making itself at home before Agent Quantum scared it off with a stiff reply. “Yes, sir.” He took Tachyonic’s arm and both of them left quickly, though Tachyonic looked like he was trying to keep a live squirrel in his mouth with how hard he was biting down.
Professor Quantum didn’t even wait until they were gone to look back over at Donald.
“As for you, get to work. Report to the Champions’ Congress office when you’re ready.” He glanced up and noticed Ren was still there. “You, help him a
s needed. This is top priority, all the more so now that we know AHC secrets are up for grabs.”
Chapter 26
“Fuck him!” Kyle was fuming, stalking around the empty breakroom like he was trying to slowly build up speed. Thankfully, with most of the AHC active, they more or less had a whole floor to themselves. “That’s not all right. It was never all right, and now, he’s calling you that in front of other superheroes? He’s such a piece of shit.”
“The piece of shit who’s responsible for us all having powers, training, and this very team,” Austin replied. How he managed to stay so calm in such moments was a talent Kyle had never grasped. “Along with me existing in the first place.”
“That doesn’t give him the right to treat you like one of his inventions.”
“Kyle, a woman is kidnapped because of mistakes our team made. My feelings are not the most pressing matter before us.”
The sound of footsteps from behind surprised both men; they hadn’t heard so much as a whisper coming down the hall. As they both whipped around, it became obvious why. Lodestar was standing in the doorway, settling onto her toes after having mostly floated her way down. It was impossible to say how long she’d been there; Lodestar’s speed was largely determined by how fast she felt like going in that particular moment.
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Lodestar walked to the plain white fridge and yanked it open, pulling out a frozen, premade coffee drink that relied as much on sugar as actual caffeine to create a buzz. “Still, urgent as things are, you have to conserve your energy. Burning yourself out worrying might feel good in the moment, but when the time for action does come, don’t you want to go in at full strength?”
In a blur, Kyle wheeled on her. “I’m sorry we can’t just sit back and chill while our fuck up is probably getting someone tortured!”
Both men’s eyes went wide as the words echoed through the breakroom. Lipping off to one of the highest-ranking members of the AHC was perhaps not the wisest of moves, all the more so considering how much less she deserved it than Professor Quantum.
To both their surprise, Lodestar’s reaction was to set down her drink, reach forward, and carefully take Kyle by the shoulders.
“Hey. Look at me. It’s okay. It’s not your fault. I know what you’re feeling right now. That burning in your stomach, stretching out into your veins and skin, all the way up to your brain. I’ve carried that same guilt with me so many times, knowing that something I did, sometimes not even a mistake, might get someone innocent hurt. But you can’t lay it all at your own feet. You made an error in the field, and you’ve been working to correct it. Don’t go down the path of putting their crimes on yourself. Feeling guilty doesn’t actually fix anything. You have to push past it and get to work if you want to put things right.”
She pulled him in closer, hugging the younger cape gently. “It’s going to be okay.”
“How can you be so sure?” Kyle slowly pulled out of the hug, his anger effectively disarmed. Growing up on the island, kindness and understanding were not tactics he was used to encountering when mistakes were made.
“Because we’re superheroes. We save the day. We’re going to make it be okay.”
For an instant, despite the intermittent floating and glow along her skin, Austin had nearly forgotten he was watching Lodestar herself. In that moment, when he saw the glint of determination in her eyes, a chill ran down his spine. Different as she was from what he might have expected, there was no ignoring her track record. Every major threat to the world that had dared step up to her had gotten knocked down. She’d even changed the way humanity fought wars with one display of her true power. The only reason her fights lasted longer than nanoseconds was that Lodestar clearly preferred to work with kid gloves, only trotting out her real strength for deserving foes.
“And I wouldn’t imagine the worst for Tori just yet,” she continued. “The kidnappers were careful not to use excessive force during the extraction, so they seem to be playing this smart. It’s unlikely they’ll go to torture right off the bat, anyway; people tend to overestimate their stomach for it. Besides, Donald seems to think she’s a tough cookie. Let’s put more energy into finding her than worrying about what we’ll discover upon arrival.”
It didn’t exactly set their whole world right, but Kyle no longer seemed inclined to pace the room, which was a marked improvement. Austin realized that he felt a little better, as well. Having someone in charge was a relief. Hard as he’d trained to be team leader, situations like this remained out of his depth. They still had a responsibility to try their best, but it was easier to move without the full weight of the world on his shoulders.
“When you two are ready, I’m heading down. With things this stirred up, going out in force reminds criminals that just because we’ve got something on our plate doesn’t mean we’re too busy to protect the world. A full press works better with more bodies, so if you’re up for it, come on out with me.”
“Professor Quantum ordered us to stay out the way and stick with the masses,” Austin replied.
“Guess that means you’d better be more help than hindrance,” she shot back. “This is the masses. I’m leading the next shift out onto patrol.”
That drew a sharp cough from Kyle, who’d been trying to sip some water and calm down. “Leading patrol? You’re one of the heads of the Champions’ Congress. Why are you taking patrol?”
“Let’s just say Professor Quantum and I have different leadership styles.” In a practiced motion, Lodestar downed the entirety of her coffee drink, then dropped the glass bottle into the recycling bin. “Doesn’t actually do anything for me, but darned if I don’t love the taste. So, you want to keep wallowing up here, or go do some good?”
Both men had slipped their masks back on before the question was done being asked. Lodestar led Tachyonic and Agent Quantum down to where the others were waiting. It was time to make sure the world remembered why the wicked ran when the Alliance of Heroic Champions came to call.
Augustus Glynis was a man who liked habits. Same breakfast, same office, same routes. People thought patterns made them predictable, but Augustus knew his terrain perfectly. One blade of grass out of place, and he was on guard. It was easier to catch a rat when one left them nowhere to hide.
Tonight, he climbed the stairs into his private office, stepped through the door, and instantly knew something was wrong. There were many giveaways: the angle of his chair, the positioning of the doorknob, the slight scent of metal, and beyond them all, the heat. A roaring fire at the tail end of summer was certainly not common practice.
Of course, it also helped that his intruder was seated next to his fireplace, helping herself to a sizable glass of very expensive bourbon. For the briefest of moments, he considered calling for security, but then his eyes focused. This wasn’t some two-bit bot cobbled together by an angry tinkerer looking to make a name. She was sleek, powerful, and unmistakable, at least to those in Augustus’s field. Learning to recognize the guild’s more aggressive players was a basic survival skill for anyone who wanted to amass power in the underworld.
“Xelas, I’m surprised to see you in Detroit. To what do I owe the unannounced pleasure?”
“Unannounced? You wound me, Augustus. When you killed the last boss and annexed his territory, we graciously took the time to come out and explain how things worked. I like to think of this as a working relationship, the sort that would welcome drop-ins.”
“Perhaps I just suspected you’d be off making better use of the opportunity. After all, with the capes in a lather over that missing girl, the rest of us have far more room to work in.” He made his way over to the desk. Inside was a gun, as well as an experimental photon pistol he’d picked up some years back. It had a lot of stopping power; whether or not it would be enough to wound Xelas was a crapshoot. Best to save it for a last resort.
How she managed to make a “tsk” sound without opening her mouth, he had no idea, yet it still resounded thro
ugh the office. “You’re a world-class dipshit if you pull anything major tonight. Capes being whipped up makes them faster to react, not slower. They know what you’re thinking. But the capes aren’t the issue for us this evening. I’m here to talk about Lowendale Court Apartments.”
The plasma gun in his desk suddenly seemed far more appealing than it had moments prior, yet Augustus resisted the urge to reach for it. If she wanted to kill him, the preamble was unnecessary. Things might not be lost quite yet.
“You broke a few of our terms getting those built, though admittedly minor ones, and you’ve been using shell companies to make it look like you don’t own them, keeping the revenue off the books. Our revenue, I should say. Did you forget your tithe, Augustus? Did you forget that keeping us out of your hair means obeying the rules and paying the bill? Did you think we didn’t notice? Let me assure you, such was not the case. We’ve known since day one what you were doing.”
“Then you certainly took your sweet time in calling me on it.” Augustus looked across the room from his seat to the red upholstered chair Xelas was sitting in. The color was no coincidence, nor was the fact that it matched the carpet that ran across most of the wooden floors. Shades chosen to hide blood, just in case covert transportation was required. None of which mattered when dealing with a mechanical opponent.
“It would be more apt to say we waited until there was a substantial need,” Xelas corrected. “Lots of you little fish think you can get away with something; smacking you around for every tiny infraction is a waste of our time. But when we need a favor, it helps to have leverage. Because we do play by our own rules. We honor what we say. If you’d been a good boy, I’d be bothering someone else right now. Keep that in mind: you’re the one who did this.”