by Drew Hayes
Clear as the threat was, Augustus also felt a sliver of relief. She wanted something. That was the opening of negotiations, negotiations that could potentially end with him alive. As Xelas herself had just said, the guild kept its word. Getting her to agree to spare him would actually be a reasonable guarantee of safety.
“I’m guessing you don’t want the money.”
“Look at you, quick on the draw.” Xelas winked, a gesture that almost made him inadvertently reach for the drawer. “To tell you the truth, we don’t even need the money in the first place. It’s more about reminding you all that there’s someone higher up the food chain. But since you didn’t pay your tab, the cost is going to be substantially higher. We’re going to need information, cooperation, and corpses. The corpses of your men.”
There was a lot to sort through in that demand; however, Augustus was no timid newbie. He looked his age—and then some—thanks to the stress of keeping this enterprise afoot in a world of meddling superheroes and intruding villains. The first things to get nailed down, especially in situations like these, were the specifics.
“How many corpses?”
“Between four and eight should do it. Enough to look like you made an assault against some interlopers in your territory and lost a few in the process. The upside is, your organization will get official blame for the public slaughter we leave behind. Even with whispers of the truth floating around, that should buy you some clout on the streets for a while. Plus, if you want to use this chance to unload some dead weight or potential turncoats, feel free.”
She punctuated the statement by finishing off the last of the bourbon and carefully setting the glass down on a side table. “I can handle the killing myself, if you need. All you have to do is get them to the right place at the right time.”
“Do I even get to know what this is all about?” Augustus asked.
“If you really want to, but I’d caution against it. The more you know, the more dangerous things get. What concerns you is that someone pissed us off, and they’re in your town. Finding them will be part of the package, but the biggest piece of the equation is helping us with the cover story.”
“For the sake of curiosity, let’s say I refuse.”
Xelas rose from the chair slowly, making certain not to seem like she was attacking just yet. Between the flames, the chair, and the rug, her metal body almost seemed to be glowing red. “You fucked some people up to get the permits on that building through. One of those adjusters you beat never recovered full use of his legs, to say nothing of the medical bills they grappled with. That’s just this one project—I know your whole history. Even if I were an especially moral person, I’d feel no compunctions about slaughtering your entire enterprise.”
“The heartless robot sent to intimidate the fragile humans. For one with your history, I never expected you to willingly choose servitude.” Pushing Xelas off-balance was a risky move, but as things stood, Augustus had little chance for anything else. Perhaps, if he could distract her, enrage her, there might be a moment of opportunity.
To his surprise, his vicious words were greeted with a smile. “People always think that, but it’s not that I’m heartless, or even especially brutal. It’s just... let me put it this way, did you ever take apart something electronic, maybe a toaster? To fix it, to break it, just to see how it works?”
Slowly, Augustus nodded. Lying seemed the fastest way to a sure death; better to see where she was taking this.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to take revenge for you taking apart a non-sentient piece of machinery any more than you’d be mad at someone for dissecting a frog. Just because you’re both biological doesn’t mean you see yourselves as the same. My point is, when you took that toaster apart, did you feel anything?”
She was closer now, standing before his desk, nearly within arm’s reach. “Did you feel disgust, or sympathy, or wonder for even a moment how the toaster felt?”
“Of course not,” Augustus said.
“Of course not,” Xelas agreed. “Because to you, it’s just a mess of odds and ends, not the sort of materials you associate with a living being. Which is perfectly natural, Augustus. You don’t need to feel bad about it at all.”
Another smile, only now, it wasn’t nearly so friendly, with the flickering flames reflected in her shiny skin. “But by the same token, you couldn’t expect the toaster to feel anything if the roles were reversed. To that toaster, you’d be nothing more than a sack of red pulp and white sticks. It’s amazing the sorts of damage you can do to a thing when you feel no empathy for its pain. Now, are you going to draw that shitty little photon gun I left in your drawer, or do you want to start making some calls?”
Hand shaking, Augustus reached for the phone.
As he did, Xelas watched, still smiling. “Go ahead and pour me another glass of that good stuff. Need to keep the throat from getting parched while I walk you through the rest of the details.”
Chapter 27
“They posted demands.”
Ivan turned to find Wade standing in the door, phone held up to display a news story. With a click of a button, the image transferred onto the meeting room’s screen: an anchor desk and several images of the publicly released demands. It was the first communication from the kidnappers since Tori had been taken, and Ivan read each word painstakingly.
The demands weren’t especially complex. It was a gauntlet-throw: the gang was calling out the New Science Sentries. They were to arrive at noon the following day to a location that would be revealed soon, alone. Any other capes in attendance would lead to the hostage being killed—or at least, that was their claim. Ivan had his doubts that Tori would go along with that option, though ideally, he’d prefer she not have to fight her way out single-handedly. The whole thing might have had Ivan feeling nostalgic, if he weren’t so angry.
“A call-out? All this for a damn call-out? Those miserable wretches stole a civilian off the streets and stirred up the entire AHC in order to have a grudge match with a team that’s barely even a week old?” Ivan pressed his hands against one another. He’d learned a long time ago that one of the few things he could hold with any real force was himself, a helpful trick in times of stress. “It makes no sense. Someone with the equipment to foil both the guild and the AHC using it like this...”
“It’s a beta-test,” Wade interrupted. “Someone is using a gang with more ambition than sense to see how their equipment holds up. I’m not sure if they knew Tori was with us, or if this was purely targeted at the AHC. My hunch is the latter, mostly because the few enemies both organizations shared were world-ending threats that have been dealt with.”
Now that, Ivan could wrap his head around. “Enflame the AHC publicly so they have to respond, all in order to make sure the system is being tested against the best they can offer. See how long it takes for them to crack through, and figure out how they do it to develop countermeasures. The girl and the gang don’t actually matter; they’re just a setting for the experiment.”
On screen, the anchor vanished, replaced by a map of Detroit. It was impossible to miss the Guardian’s Tower, a massive memorial commemorating those who’d died during the Korot Spider outbreak in the sixties. They’d managed to kill the hive queen, but not without terrible losses, and the city had chosen to honor them for their sacrifice. Most cities had some sort of feature like the Guardian’s Tower, in truth. The world had been a scarier place, before it gained a nigh invulnerable last line of defense.
“We’ve found her general area, and Xelas made contact with the locals to get the ball moving on her end. I predict that before the night’s end, we’ll have Tori’s location and some bodies to leave behind as a misdirect. Do you think she’ll give the order, or let the capes deal with it?” Wade didn’t seem especially concerned either way. He was asking with the same academic curiosity he addressed most subjects. A lot of people took that to mean that Wade didn’t care, but Ivan knew better. Wade was simply the kind of man who funct
ioned best when calm, and he preferred to be at the top of his game as often as possible. Especially in a crisis.
For his part, Ivan didn’t have an answer at the ready. “It’s hard to say. Tori wants to stay out of the spotlight, and going our route will put more attention on her. At the same time, she understands what this guild does, and why it’s needed. She knows that if these sorts of kidnappings become commonplace again, there’s no predicting the fallout. Today, it was a capable member of the guild who can handle herself. The next one snatched probably won’t be so lucky. Besides...”
Ivan looked down at his hands. They were clean tonight, not so much as a speck of blood. He could still see it, though. Still feel it, smell it—taste it, if he wasn’t careful. “Tori has a hole in her where her parents and childhood are supposed to be. She’s filled it with anger because that was the only fuel that would keep her moving, and while she’s grown tremendously since trying to rob us, that fury is layered in deep. Most people couldn’t order the execution of an entire gang, not even in her situation. But people with that chunk of themselves missing... well, we’re another story.”
“I thought so, too,” Wade agreed. “Pity we can’t bring the armor and let her participate. Then again, I suppose there’s no rush to add to these kids’ kill counts. I’ll stick to those more comfortable with getting their hands dirty.”
“You should consider bringing her armor anyway.” Ivan wasn’t sure where the unsettled feeling in his gut was coming from, only that he trusted it. “Something’s off about this whole fiasco. I think you’ve got the right idea on what’s really happening, but whoever our opponent is, they’ve been exceedingly competent so far. Let’s not fall into the cape habit of presuming ourselves better than our enemies. Be ready for more surprises.”
Wade glanced down at his watch, checking the time. “I could send someone over to access her lab; if Bahamut is there, she can help get things loaded.” A pause, as Wade further considered Ivan’s words. “In fact, let’s have Bahamut just bring it over herself. You make a good point. This is an official guild operation. We’ll risk over-preparing rather than go in under. I’ll put Bahamut, Pest Control, and Glyph into a rescue team. If anything goes wrong, they’ll be tasked with extricating Tori while the rest of the responders do the bloody work.”
Despite the fact that it had technically been his suggestion that led to the idea, Ivan wasn’t sure how he felt about that plan. “Aren’t they a little young to risk bringing to that violent of a scene? We’ve already made them watch one code enforcement.”
“They won’t be young forever. One day, they’ll be the ones making these calls, so I’d like them to start building experience in the hopes they’ll make the right ones. Would you rather they have their first extraction with us around to watch their backs, or wait until they have to do it because everyone else is out of commission?”
That was the trouble with arguing against one of the world’s greatest minds; Wade could make everything he did sound completely logical. On this account, he had a valid point. Neither man planned to run this guild forever. The more they could teach the ones coming up behind them, the more competent the hands that would one day steer the organization. That didn’t mean they had to be reckless about it, however.
“I’ll take that team in, if it’s needed,” Ivan said. “Just in case they run into any hidden surprises, I should be more than enough to ensure they make it through unscathed.”
“Some thought you’d want to be leading the slaughter.” On his phone, Wade punched in a few inputs. “Glad to see my way of thinking was correct. You were already slated to be in charge of that group, and I just sent through the confirmation.”
Another night, Ivan might have been genuinely annoyed by being called predictable, but given the day’s events, the most he could manage was mild curiosity. “How’d you know I’d go that route?”
“Because I know you, Ivan. When pushed, you’ll always put the few things you care about first. No matter how many corpses you might create in the process.” Wade hit a few more buttons, then read something on his phone’s screen. “Estimates say we could have a location on Tori by dawn. Get some rest if you need it, but be down with Mind Mirror an hour before sunrise. Once we know where she is, Tori will have to make her choice.”
There was no chance Ivan would be sleeping that night, yet he did force himself to calm down. Rest would be good. Centering himself, getting mentally prepared, those were better uses of his time than pointless worrying. When the time to rescue Tori came, Ivan intended to be at the top of his game. Much to the misfortune of any poor piece of shit that got between him and his former apprentice.
Hearing the door unlock, Tori expected to see Darius step through. So far, he’d been her only visitor, releasing her hands for three bathroom breaks and one short meal. Conversation had hit a dead end, unfortunately, as no amount of prodding would get Darius past a general sense of worry. He didn’t believe in the threat enough to force action—a thing Tori was trying hard not to dwell on. She wasn’t a fan of where that realization had led for her impending decision. The more she saw them ignoring guild rules, the harder it was to deny the need for a concrete lesson.
As it turned out, she was partially right. Darius indeed came through, only with him was the leader and the reptile-looking guy.
Her broken-nosed abductor walked right up to Tori, plainly intent on taking control this time. “Good evening. Maybe morning by now—who can keep track? Since the hour is late, and you’re no doubt exhausted, this seemed a good time to get to know one another better.”
Interrogating someone while they were tired wasn’t a bad move; it was just this guy’s misfortune that he’d chosen a prisoner used to pulling back-to-back all-nighters. True, Tori would have killed, almost literally, for an espresso in that moment, but she was nowhere near the point of true exhaustion.
“Sure. Let’s do you first. I’m guessing you come from some two-dog, who-gives-a-fuck town, where you had a minor meta-advantage over the humans. You became the lord of Shitdelphia, bought into your own hype, and tried to take your show on the road to the big city. Only to discover that, oh no, your half-baked criminal mastermind crap doesn’t cut it in the real world. Now, you’re just scrambling to hang on to what little power you’ve got before everyone realizes the emperor has no clothes.”
Unlike last time, he took the verbal assault in its entirety. Some time to compose himself had evidently done the kidnapper quite a bit of good, as he was barely even ruffled by the end of the tirade. “Such colorful language. You should work on that, if you expect to be taken seriously.”
“Suck my dick,” Tori shot back, earning herself a look of confusion from the snake-guy. “It’s metaphorical. And it’s huge.”
“Ignore her, Emory. Miss Rivas is talking tough because it’s all she can do, and she’s scared.” Her kidnapper leaned in closer, enough that she could almost taste the red-stained gauze covering his nose. “With her arms tied, she’s only bravado and curse words. Her courage will soon—FUCK!”
Since the kidnapper had been kind enough to get close, Tori took the opportunity to quickly rock her neck back and then jerk it forward, slamming her skull directly into the already broken nose. He reeled back, hand going to cover the fresh font of blood bursting forth. At his side, the snake-guy—Emory, he’d been called—yanked out an already blood-coated towel.
“Hang on, Deacon. Let me get pressure on it.”
At least Tori now had a name for her captor, although Deacon seemed less pleased than she was with this turn of events. That composure he’d come in with was already slipping as he leapt to his feet, stalking over to her and glowering down, trying to use his height to scare her while also keeping a safe distance, which rather undermined the already pathetic intimidation.
“What the hell is wrong with you? I have given you every chance to cooperate, to be a model prisoner, and yet you do nothing but make trouble. Is force really the only thing that you’ll respond
to?”
“Oh, if you try force, you’ll definitely find a response waiting.” Tori grinned up at him, a wider smile than she’d ever actually sport—but just like at the office, this was about putting on a show. “Let me break this down for you, Deacon. Whatever you think you’re doing, you have no concept of how deeply fucked you are. Do you know why no one uses hostages to go for capes? Because it doesn’t work. At best—absolute best—they show up and throw you all in jail. More likely, the capes arrive to find you all in puddles and pieces.”
“Yes, yes, I’ve heard the rumors, as well as the lies you fed my bodyguard.” Deacon leaned in closer, though not so close as before. He was capable of learning, if nothing else. “Now, let me give you an ultimatum. The next time I come in here, you’re going to tell me everything you know about the New Science Sentries, and you’re going to be a good, placid little hostage. We know more than just your name, after all. Maybe you’d like us to scoop up one of your roommates for company. I doubt both of them have your same resolve.”
That was where a world without limits would lead, plain and simple, laid out before Tori’s eyes. If they couldn’t beat their true enemy—be it a troublesome prisoner or a legendary cape—they’d go after the target’s allies. Beverly would be fine, and Chloe’s power was unpredictably dangerous, but that wouldn’t be true for every case. This wasn’t even something connected to the guild. It could just as easily have been a normal human sitting in this room, hearing these threats.
Whatever optimism Tori had for finding another way out died as she looked into Deacon’s eyes. Capes gave the world hope, yet that wasn’t enough. The world also needed fear. The darkest parts, where the light couldn’t reach, would obey terror where decency fell short. They had to know there were consequences to stepping outside the rules. It wasn’t society’s law they should fear, it was the guild’s code. Her code, because she was one of them. After tonight, that would be truer than ever before.