Bones of the Past (Villains' Code Book 2)

by Drew Hayes

  “What makes you so sure I couldn’t handle it?” Rick demanded, voice rising.

  His mother’s hand slapped the table, shocking him backward. “Because I do remember that goddamn beach, Rick! I remember every detail, every scream, every death, and it wakes me up in a cold sweat to this day.” Only after the words had burst forth did Janet seem to realize what she’d said, calming down slightly. “Why would I ever want that for you?”

  “Screams?” Rick was processing her words, trying to make sense of what she’d described. “Deaths? What the hell happened out there?”

  “Maybe you’ll get the chance to find out,” she said, rising from the table once more. This time, it was not to embrace him, and Rick noticed she seemed to move visibly slower, like she was weighed down. “This is his secret to keep, and his to share if he thinks you’re ready.”

  With one last look to her son, Janet reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. “I’m calling your father.”

  Chapter 44

  Breaking into teams went smoothly—every cape present had been working in the field, leaning on one another and figuring out who they worked best with. In no time, they’d split apart, mostly binding themselves into units, with only a few choosing to go it alone. No one expected the solo attempts to do well, but as Lodestar had said, this was an evaluation, not a test. While winning alone might be impossible, demonstrating competence was an entirely more achievable goal.

  The trouble came after the groups were split up, when the natural question arose.

  “Who do you think will go first?” Lucy was staring out at the clusters of their peers, most of whom were bunched up having a similar conversation.

  “First is good and bad. No standard has been set, so there’s nothing to live up to. Downside is you’re also the canary in the coal mine; everyone else gets to see what happens to you and adjust accordingly.” Ren’s voice was quiet, calm. He was mentally prepared to jump in whenever the time arrived, already focused on victory.

  Irene didn’t bother looking to the others. Her eyes had never left Lodestar’s battlefield, committing every feature to memory while there was still time. “I’d be fine with going first, but given our team’s situation, it’s best if we let someone else take the spot.”

  It was a very polite way of pointing out that there were still some pockets within the AHC who weren’t completely convinced Apollo had no corrupting influence on the capes he’d taken special interest in. They’d been his favorites from the last confluence, and all the bitterness such a role had stirred up had found an easy outlet once he was outed as a traitor.

  Personally, Donald was content to take a spot further down the list. He was better at learning and adapting, so walking in with a few samples to pull from would make the task more achievable. The trouble was, he could also feel the stares of other teams on his own. People were waiting to see if they jumped on the first spot’s opening, and Donald already knew there wasn’t a right answer to give. If they attempted to claim it, people would say they were trying to grab more glory. Wait for a later spot, they’d be accused of making others do the hard part while they sat back learning. Even offering to slot in wherever worked best for the groups as a whole could be read as them being so confident they didn’t care when they tried. No matter what move they made, fault could be found.

  That realization lessened his case of nerves slightly. If people were looking for a reason to dislike them, there would always be an angle to find. Donald should concern himself with what was best for the team and their training, which meant hanging back to let a more eager squad have first crack.

  He was just about to voice that thought when the bright blue costumes of the New Science Sentries stepped into view.

  “Fear not, everyone, you no longer need to worry. The top team is going to take the opening spot, sparing you all from having to face Lodestar without watching someone else show you how to win.”

  Presto was as untactful as usual, but to the teleporter’s surprise, that actually did get quite a few chuckles. Unfortunately, he and the rest of his team noticed the laughs had all come when he announced them as the top team. Even without being able to see his features through the mask, Donald noticed the small body tense slightly. Presto didn’t care for being part of the joke, it seemed.

  The New Science Sentries, who had been striding forward confidently seconds prior, suddenly lost a step as the laughter hit. Donald could see it coming, like a slow-motion car crash. He’d been a target often enough to know how this dance played out. Strong people didn’t like having their egos challenged, and the realization that their team being seen as the current best wasn’t just wrong, but laughably wrong, was hitting most of them in the sorest of spots. Pain turned to anger, which was funneled into action, as they scanned for some outlet or place to redirect the attention.

  Just as he knew they would, a pair of eyes settled on Donald and his team. When lashing out, people usually went for the easiest, most obvious target, even when it could potentially work against them.

  Tachyonic stepped forward, narrowly avoiding a hand from Agent Quantum that was meant to yank him back. “Oh, I’m sorry, perhaps we should have shown a bit of deference first. My apologies, Team Apollo, did you want to display for us some of the amazing tactics he imparted? Maybe you can show us the one where superheroes lie to and betray each other.”

  “I guess now we know why ‘tacky’ is part of your name.”

  Had it been from Irene or Ren, Donald would have been fine. The trouble was that the line had slipped out of Lucy, who leaned more toward diplomacy and kindness. The joke, silly as it was, caught Donald completely by surprise, eliciting a sincere laugh that peeled off of him, echoing through the empty surroundings. That would have been bad enough, but this was the contagious sort of laughter. Like a giggling plague, it swept through those in attendance. With Presto, there was wiggle room to interpret what had earned the minor mirth; this time, there was no such comfort. The New Science Sentries were being laughed at, and Donald could see two faces reddening. He’d have guessed that under the full mask, Presto probably wasn’t looking too keen, either. Only Agent Quantum was keeping it stoic, though he was starting to appear visibly concerned about the situation. On that point, they were agreed. This needed to get handled, fast.

  Holding up his hands, Donald stepped forward, slightly outside of his group. “Okay, that’s enough. They took a shot, we took one back. How about we all focus on the task at hand? New Science Sentries, please take the first spot. We look forward to seeing your skills. By all accounts, you’ve got quite a set of powers. I’m sure there will be a lot we can all learn.”

  It was a good effort toward peace, in Donald’s opinion. Acknowledge the exchange and move past it, offer some ego-stroking as recompense, end by giving them the spot they’d wanted.

  Unfortunately, the crowd was still in a chuckling mood, and some chose to interpret his words with less sincerity than they’d been spoken. More laughter sprang up, spreading once more, and with it, the faces of Tachyonic and Plasmodia both set in rage, all of it aimed at Donald.

  “No, no, please, we didn’t mean to offend,” Tachyonic said. “We were trying to bite the bullet and take the worst place in the order, but since you’re so fucking sure of yourself, let’s see what your team can do. Assuming you try-hards can manage anything without villains around for help.”

  The snort from Ren was pronounced and loud, something only his inhuman snout could manage. “You would think that’s an insult. That the idea of effort, of trying, of striving to improve is something to be ashamed of. We didn’t all get handed our team and titles from Big Daddy Quantum. The rest of us worked to be here.”

  Something in Ren’s verbal jab hit home, and hard. Tachyonic looked like he was seconds from racing over to throw a punch, but was stopped by Agent Quantum forcibly shoving his way past.

  The leader of the New Science Sentries locked eyes with Donald as he moved, a clear enough hint of what to d
o. Donald mirrored the movements, striding forward, away from his team, into the unoccupied space between the groups. In no time, the leaders met, surrounded, yet alone.

  “One minute warning! One minute until someone’s time starts!” Lodestar’s voice echoed from her position on the boulder, a reminder that there was only so long to deal with this issue.

  “Well, this went to hell pretty fast, huh?” To Donald’s surprise, Agent Quantum had a friendly tone, despite the tense situation. “Sorry about Tachyonic. I realize that you were trying to defuse things, and I appreciate it. We need to put it to bed now, before it gets into either team’s head. We’re facing a hard enough task as it is. Distractions aren’t going to make things any easier.”

  In a flicker, Agent Quantum’s eyes went to Lodestar, who was perched unassumingly on her boulder as she waited. Limited or not, the idea of taking on a living legend was terrifying. If anyone wasn’t fully in the fight mentally, the whole team would fall.

  “No argument from me. The question is, what do we do? I’d like to find a resolution that puts this to bed, rather than potentially making it worse down the line.”

  “In under a minute? Sorry, I’m not that quick of a thinker,” Agent Quantum replied. “Best I’ve got is this: you take the first slot. I know you don’t want it, which is how I’m going to sell it to my team. I’ll tell them we let you go first so you could fall on your face in front of everyone, and then we can go put on a better display. You could tell yours that you’re going to show these egotistical jerks—that’s us—by going first and scoring a win, or whatever lights a fire under them best. We can’t undo this, so let’s at least make it motivational. Fallout will depend on whether you do well or not; this will get us through the evaluation, though.”

  For someone who’d just described himself as “not that quick of a thinker,” Agent Quantum had certainly managed to come up with a comprehensive plan on the fly. It had the potential to cause more drama down the road, but Donald had to get them past one issue at a time. With the time limit bearing down, this was better than any of his own half-formed notions.

  “Guess it’ll have to work. Thanks for not making this harder than it had to be.”

  “My team is the one who started it. I’m only sorry you have to change your plans to accommodate the issue. For what it’s worth, I’ve watched your team work, and I don’t think Apollo had much influence at all. You’ve saved a lot of people in the time your team has been active, and I’m glad to have you counted among the superheroes.”

  Agent Quantum offered his hand, and Cyber Geek shook it. Their teams might have friction, but they could find mutual respect for one another. Eventually, the egos would smooth down and people would find common ground, so long as they saw that attitude flow from their leaders.

  While Agent Quantum walked back to his own team, Cyber Geek motioned for his to come forward.

  “Looks like we’re taking the lead,” he announced, loud enough for others to hear it, too. As they crowded in close, Cyber Geek summed up the situation as quickly as possible. They had to be nearly to the starting time by now.

  “We’re going first. Partly to keep the peace. Partly to test our limits. And partly because, if we go first and succeed, it sends a message about exactly why there was interest in us to start with. If we can win, that is. Are we good with that?”

  The team nodded, almost in unison. It was a good thing they’d chosen a silent response, because seconds later, Lodestar’s voice came bursting over the terrain.

  “First team, your ten minutes starts now!”

  Despite the yell, they didn’t immediately scramble off. Ten minutes wasn’t long, but it also wasn’t a total time crunch given the terrain they had to cover. Moving carefully, going slowly to be sure of each action, offered superior chances of success than going as fast as possible. That might get them more bites at the apple, but they’d all be long shots. Better to have fewer chances with higher potential for success. That was the idea, anyway. Whether it worked or not was yet to be seen.

  “Medley and Cold Shoulder, head on in. I’ll start with ranged as soon as I get to the position. Hat Trick, don’t move until I’ve got suppressing fire going. This is Lodestar—even if she’s holding back, we should assume it’s going to take everything we have to keep her distracted. Once you’re on the field, it’s speed over everything. Keep moving. We’ll have you covered.”

  The eyes of his team, and all the other superheroes, were so heavy that Cyber Geek could feel them as he stood up straight. What would it be like, to have the eyes of an entire city, country—even the world—trained on him, pitting the entirety of their hopes on his power? It was a weight impossible to imagine, yet the woman they were going up against had carried it many times over. If he ever wanted to reach that level, be capable of hauling such a burden, then this was the first step in getting stronger.

  To his own surprise, there was a bit of excitement in his gut, mixed in along with the nerves. Impossible task or not, he was about to spar with one of history’s greatest superheroes, one he held a deep personal admiration for. Terrifying as that was on many levels, part of him was still Donald enough to appreciate that it was also fucking awesome. From this day on, he’d be able to say he’d tested himself again Lodestar.

  The only thing better would be getting to say they’d passed.

  Determination set, Cyber Geek began to move, and his team followed.

  Chapter 45

  While her hearing was exceptional from a human perspective, Lodestar had to actually focus to tune in to more distant sounds. It was a small mercy that allowed her some peace, because the louder the world grew, the harder it was to find the voices asking for help. Information had always been her limitation. She might win every fight, but that wasn’t much help if she didn’t know where the opponents were. That was part of why she enjoyed this method of training. Binding down her skills, limiting the information she had: this was a way to push her own capacity for quick thinking and improvisation.

  She hadn’t been listening to the rookies as they made their plans. It would have given her forewarning, which worked against every aspect of the evaluation. Even without words, though, she’d caught the exchange between Apollo’s old favorites and the New Science Sentries. She didn’t need super-hearing to understand that friction; it was a dance every cape eventually grew familiar with. Egos and pissing matches were unavoidable when you were dealing with people this powerful. Sometimes, they laid the groundwork to amazing friendships. Other instances were the start of very long, dark rivalries. It was an issue she’d have to keep an eye on, one of the million things piled atop her plate.

  Seeing Medley and Cold Shoulder burst into view, coming at her simultaneously from opposite sides, Lodestar was slightly relieved. If they were opening with a coordinated strike, they must not be too rattled from the exchange. Medley was moving faster, and Cold Shoulder hadn’t summoned her ice construct yet, so despite their timed arrival, they were likely trying something other than pure melee.

  There was no more time to speculate as Medley charged right at her, opening with a swing that could have cracked a telephone pole. She’d told them not to hold back; it was good to see this group understood she wasn’t kidding. The blow whipped mightily through the air, but landed on nothing, as Lodestar easily jerked her head to the side, countering with a punch of her own to Medley’s stomach. It sent him back a few feet, drawing coughs from his inhuman mouth.

  “You’re getting bad habits. Don’t fight like you’re always going to be stronger and tougher than the opponent. Eventually, you won’t be, and you’ll realize that learning some actual skills would have been really helpful.”

  Medley leapt in again, launching an uncoordinated flurry. Cold Shoulder, meanwhile, was getting closer. Lodestar could see the blue power building up in her, could practically feel the chill radiating through the air. Was she going to try and encase Lodestar in ice? With these parameters, it might buy them a few seconds. That seemed
like a waste of a strategy, unless one knew how powerful a few seconds in battle could truly be.

  As it turned out, Cold Shoulder was going for something even stranger. Leaping up just as Medley tried to charge at Lodestar (only to be knocked aside), Cold Shoulder came slamming down with both hands. A tremendous wave of blue energy washed out along the ground, quickly solidifying into ice. The southeast quarter of the battlefield turned into a makeshift skating rink, running right up to the edge of the stone sphere without quite making contact.

  Just as Lodestar was wondering what the hell that was about, she caught the first shot in her shoulder. Not bad. Decent power, good aim, and strong enough that even Cold Shoulder would have been knocked back in her armor. This team wasn’t taking her lightly, thank goodness. There was nothing quite so demoralizing as having to fail a capable squad because they couldn’t adjust to the challenge.

  She allowed herself to fall slightly back, toward the boulder, rubbing where she’d been hit like it stung. Cyber Geek was up on a ridge; she could catch sight of his usual armor, along with the giant, oversized videogame blaster responsible for the shot. That made three out of four, and the trickiest card had yet to be played. Magic never quite made sense to Lodestar, regardless of how often she saw it in action. It was finnicky, had few rules and even more exceptions—easy to underestimate, until it wasn’t. Something to watch for, between her more immediate concerns.

  Leaping onto the ice, Medley’s claws sank in, giving him full traction. At the same time, Cold Shoulder let loose another blast of blue energy, surrounding herself with a living construct of ice. More shots rang out from Cyber Geek, but they went wide. Probably trying to avoid hitting his teammates; Cyber Geek was hardly a sniper. They’d gotten into a decent formation. Now, they were trying to turn up the pressure.