by Drew Hayes
“The real question is if it will only be wearing the red shirt,” Cyber Geek added. “This one will make Medley happy, if nothing else. He’s been complaining that he never gets a real workout in the field lately.”
“You think a mere ten feet of bear can challenge our boy?”
“No idea, but I’m willing to sit on the sidelines and cheer as we find out.” Cyber Geek tapped the alert on his phone, instantly connecting his earpiece with the appropriate AHC communications facilitator. “Confirming, this is Cyber Geek. We’re already in Utah on patrols and can take the bear, just need rapid transport for my team.”
Heavy footsteps from nearby signaled to both of them that they weren’t alone any longer. Thanks to Medley’s sizable shadow, the mystery of who was nearing was quickly solved, as he and Cold Shoulder soon stepped into easy view. “Tell me we’ve got something interesting this time. I’m tired of slow-chasing these robbers into the iceboxes.”
“It does get tedious,” Cold Shoulder agreed.
“How about a giant meta-bear attacking a honey factory—that grab you as tedious?” Hat Trick countered.
“Grabs me as you having a laugh.” After a moment of looking at Hat Trick’s expression, Cold Shoulder lifted an eyebrow. “You’re serious?”
“The report is serious. We’ll see for ourselves soon enough if the situation is.” Cyber Geek had barely finished the words when there was a flash of light nearby.
Standing silently was a man clad in a simple, white cotton outfit. Catching a ride with an AHC asset was rarely the same experience twice—they had too many movement-metas aiding a huge staff in itself, so the odds of getting the same transportations frequently were slim. Upon arrival, this fellow motioned to the area around him, wordlessly indicating that proximity was required.
They headed toward him, Cyber Geek angling himself to arrive next to Medley. “How you holding up? Need a rest or anything?”
“After that chase? I don’t even consider myself warmed up, let alone gassed.” Medley’s claws flexed as he spoke, and his tail gave itself a good long stretch before settling back into position.
“Looks like someone is excited for a good brawl.”
“Are you kidding? A fight that might be an actual challenge, and not against another human or sentient creature I’ve got to hold back against? I’m not just excited, I can bear-ly contain myself.”
There was just enough time for Cyber Geek to give his friend a dirty look before the light flashed once more, leaving nothing more than an empty street and a single silver buckle that had broken off a designer shoe.
Chapter 97
“I don’t give a shit what Gram-Gram says, you need to trust me.” Beverly had spent a great deal of effort post-confluence gaining control of her new transforming powers. That was why she was able to still be in human form, not even dragon enough to accidentally shatter the phone in her hand, as the argument dragged on.
“Cancel the damn trip. This isn’t the weekend for apple-picking. Be near the house, and have weapons at the ready.” She paused, listening to the same reply she’d been getting for nearly an hour. “Because you’ll be glad you did! Goddamn it, Ambrose, just keep the fucking family home this weekend. Please.”
A crisp knock on the front door pulled Beverly from her pacing, giving her a welcome exit to this frustrating exchange. “I’ve got someone at the door. We can talk later, but I expect you to get the ball rolling on this. I’m not playing around.”
With that, she ended the call, walking over to open the door and reveal Kyle, along with Ellie. Both looked weary, though knowing what was secretly on the horizon for their weekend, Beverly hardly found that surprising. The AHC was likely running itself ragged in preparation for the looming threat.
Since she was supposed to know none of that, having only been brought into the loop by Tori on Monday, Beverly stuck with a simple, noncommittal greeting. “Hey you two, what’s shaking?”
“We were hoping to speak with Tori, if she’s around,” Ellie opened. “There’s some... scheduling issues with this coming weekend. Might be hard to properly guard her, so we wanted to, if she was okay with it, maybe get a little heads up on where she was planning to be.”
Given that they’d be handling an invasion, it was actually nice to see that the AHC still took the time to properly cover the people they were actively guarding. There was no chance in hell Tori would go for it, but whatever tactics she used to keep this team at arm’s length were hers alone to figure out.
“You’d have to ask Tori herself on that one, and she’s not currently around.” Beverly checked the clock on the wall, realizing she’d gotten so lost in arguing that she hadn’t even noticed the hour change. “It’s Wednesday, so she’s got a meeting, and I think she mentioned something about grabbing coffee after. That means she’ll either be back here or pestering Chloe at Ridge City Grinders. If that doesn’t pan out, you could always just use the phone.”
Kyle shook his head. “This seems more like a face-to-face conversation. Tori hasn’t exactly been shy about liking her privacy, and I don’t want to seem like we’re prying. We’ve still got some of the week left, but if I’m near the coffee place, I’ll pop in.”
He started to turn away, but Ellie remained, staring at Beverly closely. “Actually... you don’t have any big plans this weekend, right?”
The conflict was obvious, looking at it, knowing all that Beverly did. Ellie wanted to warn her friend about the upcoming invasion, to make sure Beverly was safe. Except word wasn’t supposed to leak out—the AHC would absolutely want to control that narrative, even if only to minimize panic. So now, Ellie was suddenly stuck, the desire to protect weighed against her trust in the AHC that silence was right for now. Perhaps another villain would have taken some pleasure in seeing a cape discomforted, even momentarily, but Beverly felt the pain far too keenly. In a way, it was exactly what she’d just been dealing with regarding her own family.
“Who, me? I have a glorious weekend planned out. Laying around, streaming movies, catching up on work, ordering far too decadent of food—really just two days of indulgence. Sort of a mini-vacation to recharge the batteries. I’ll be shocked if I leave this apartment, though you’re welcome to come join if work is slow. Kyle, that extends to you too, and the other boys, but I warn you now that I will not tolerate any insubordination on film selection. The rom-coms are happening.”
Relief flooded Ellie’s face—they really had to get better about hiding stuff—as she nodded enthusiastically. “That sounds amazing. I may just take you up on that after... after my work is done.” It was a near miss, but Ellie recovered in time, albeit not quite quickly enough to save Kyle from wearing a very nervous expression.
He managed to give a polite wave as they departed. “Have a good day. And please let Tori know we stopped by, in case we don’t spot her at the coffee shop.”
“Take your time heading over,” Beverly advised. “She’s probably still got a fair bit of meeting left to go.”
Wade examined the item from all angles, running his fingers along the seams, getting close to the pattern, even sniffing one particular section of faux-leather. This went on for ten full minutes as Tori sat, patiently waiting. Having a master of the craft evaluate her work would have been worth it alone, but this was the chance for so much more. If they’d done well enough, this could be the start of something brand new, a place outside of villainy where she could succeed.
“Okay, walk me through it.” That was all the guidance Wade gave as he set the prototype back down on the table.
Rising from her chair, Tori approached and scooped up the device, hanging it carefully from her arm. Nearby was a small area with several cardboard dummies. Each had been made up with a classic ruffian face, drawn scruff and painted-on scars unique enough to make Tori wonder if she’d found Wade’s secret hobby. Their purpose for today was to serve as stand-ins for real crooks, though Tori wouldn’t necessarily have objected to warm bodies for such a test. There
was time enough for that after more R&D, she supposed.
“As you can see, from the exterior, this appears to be nothing more than a tasteful purse, and does indeed function as one. For the majority of its owner’s life, it could do that job without ever being anything more. But let’s say one night I can’t catch a car and wind up walking through a particularly dangerous area. Suddenly, I am accosted on all sides by would-be thieves. What’s a damsel to do?”
Tori strode over to the cardboard cutouts, mentally replacing them with her actual kidnappers. This device wasn’t just marketing bullshit. It mattered to her. Feeling helpless, trapped, unable to fight back—Tori wanted to kick those fears in the fucking teeth. Not just for her, either. For anyone who picked up one of these purses. As an inventor, this was her pride and passion, a chance to actually do something the world couldn’t ignore. So it had to work, and not just against cardboard. Tori had to feel safe even when mentally facing down a crew of kidnapping metas, because that might very well be what one of these devices went up against.
“The answer is simple. You run your finger along the silver section woven into the handle. There’s a specific path to make sure it isn’t triggered by accident, but if you’re trying, it’s easy to do. After that...” Rather than explain, Tori simply activated the trigger. A small piece on the purse’s front parted, revealing a spray nozzle that doused the cutouts in green mist. The cardboard was, unsurprisingly, not effected by the spray; however, Wade picked up his phone and began to peruse some sort of display.
“Fascinating. This liquid is unstable, but the effects are quite potent. How many shots per cartridge?”
Waiting until the nozzle was fully spent and the front section had resealed, Tori moved the purse back to her side, tapping the base. “Three per purse, to start. Beverly is working on moving toward a more modular design, something where we could swap out the exteriors and cartridges easily. If it works, you can technically just sell the one purse, and then have separate skins to change out, like phone cases.”
They waited a bit longer, until Wade’s phone chirped a loud beep at him. “It seems the effects of the spray have now ended. Are there any secondary effects or other features you wish to show?”
Up until that moment, Tori had been feeling pretty good about their work; however, she’d also been hoping for a tad more enthusiasm. Trying to stay optimistic, she shook her head. “That’s the basics for now. It’s easier to build from here after getting your input than to press forward and have to go back for redesigns.”
“A wise choice, as there is still much work to be done,” Wade agreed. Not the most encouraging, but if they were continuing work, then it meant the project would still be alive. “Tori, what you have created is quite useful, will certainly have a market, and would never reach shelves in its current incarnation. The design itself is quite nice. What it fails to account for is the potential ramifications.”
Wade motioned to the purse, still hanging from Tori’s arm. “That weapon is capable of temporarily neutralizing metas with actual power, which makes it useful and dangerous. No sooner would it hit store shelves than we’d see them wielded for robberies, slowing or weakening capes, and all manner of general disarray.”
“So... it’s a no?”
“Certainly not. There’s profit to be made here,” Wade corrected. “This, Tori, is where your business education begins. You already know how to build powerful weapons and tools. What you haven’t yet experienced is bringing a new product to market without tipping the scales of power or stepping on the wrong toes. This is what you came to me for.”
He extended a hand, reaching for the purse. “May I?”
Tori handed it over, watching as Wade’s pale hands turned the prototype around several more times. “If I were the creator of such a tool, my first step would be identifying what pieces of the technology were unique, as those are the ones to protect more stringently. Here, everything you’ve used is fairly straightforward, with the exception of that liquid. Therefore, our main concern is keeping it proprietary, stopping these delivery mechanisms from being used illegally, and ensuring that the cartridges can’t be utilized by another device.”
“The cartridges are already built to be tamperproof. I’m sure together, we can get them secure. I really don’t think anyone can synthesize this liquid; it’s spliced-together insanity, and does not play well with other chemicals or equipment. They’d melt a lab and give their eyes a chemical burn before making much progress.”
“You’ll forgive me if I take a few attempts myself, just to be sure.” Wade shifted the weaponized accessory in his hand, moving so that the handle was visible. “For limiting how the purses are used, I recommend adding a fingerprint authentication feature that is set up upon purchase. It will create a record of which purse belongs to which person, so identifying the ones wielded illegally will be a snap for law enforcement, and ensures a stolen purse can’t be used. Maybe toss in a GPS as well, along with a beacon that notifies local emergency services that help is needed whenever a spray is activated. We’ll also need some wireless charging capabilities to power the new additions. Now you’ve got a self-defense device that is a pain in the ass to use illegally, but offers even more features to the people who are actually in trouble.”
“Sounds expensive,” Tori noted.
“It will be, but mass production, along with a few tricks I’ve picked up, should help reduce costs. Besides, you designed an item often classified as a luxury. With stylish enough designs and the features we’re adding, the price tag will justify itself.”
He wasn’t necessarily wrong, but it still nagged at Tori’s conscience. “Let’s keep at least a few of the models priced as low as they can go. This isn’t about only protecting rich people. No offense.”
To her surprise, Tori found Wade was no longer examining the purse, and had instead pointed that scrutinizing stare in her direction. “The desire to create change, to invent something which leaves a lasting mark upon the world… there is nothing wrong with that ambition. In fact, I daresay it’s the part of you I find most interesting. But ambition alone does not build an empire. You’ll have to make hard choices, and look to the bottom line more than you’ll want to. This concession is a small one, and I can easily make it. Understand that in the future, such may well not be the case.”
“Got it. If I want my stuff to be universally available, I have to build with that in mind.”
“Along with hoping the projects don’t change form in development, but that’s more of a long-term concern.” Gently, Wade handed the purse back over to Tori. “For today, I think it’s safe to say we’re on an excellent track. If you’d be open to it, I can take a crack at adding the additional features, since I’ve got more experience building computer components for mass production. However, if you’d prefer to do it all by hand, I understand, and we can schedule another progress meeting down the line.”
It was no accident that he’d given the purse back before asking; they both knew Tori’s general capacity for trust, especially where her work was concerned. Taking it and adding the suggestions would be doable, but slower than anything Wade could manage, especially with her suit repairs still ongoing. Beyond that, for this partnership to work, at a certain point, Tori would have to let it out of her hands. Since she wasn’t planning to make each of these things personally, loosening her grip was simply unavoidable. Better for Wade to show his true colors now, early on, if there was going to be a betrayal. Tori couldn’t control that part, though. All she could do was present him with an opportunity.
“I say give it a shot.” Tori dropped the purse back on the table, where it had started. “I’ll obviously want to look things over, but you can get us a build closer to the mass-market version anyway, so it makes more sense to start from there.”
“Your trust is noted, and appreciated,” Wade informed her. “I should be able to have something ready by next week. It would be sooner, if not for the upcoming hecticness.”
; That was certainly one way to categorize a planned alien invasion. Tori might have to steal that the next time she was alluding to an upcoming villain event—at the rate things had been going, the damn things were sure frequent enough.
“Until then, I suggest you focus on personal preparations, especially where self-defense is involved.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Tori concurred. “After one stop at Ridge City Grinders, I’m heading back to the base to keep working.”
She pointedly didn’t mention why she was stopping for coffee, not that anyone she knew in the guild would require such an explanation. For Tori, it was a perfectly natural detour—would have been stranger if she skipped her favorite java spot. It was much easier to let that assumption slide than to explain she was grabbing a drink with her friend who was also one of the AHC’s rising stars. It wasn’t a secret, per se, just something she chose not to talk about.
After what she’d learned about Ivan and Helen, Tori was starting to suspect there were a great many things so hidden by the guild members. It was only fair she rack up a few of her own.
Chapter 98
“Mommy? Are you okay?”
With a start, Helen jerked upward, feigning wakefulness as best she could. The effort was severely compromised by the document stuck to her face, pasted there by ill-timed slumbering drool during the unexpected nap. Thankful there were no photographers around to capture this candid moment, Helen yanked the page off, setting it back onto her kitchen table with the others, right where it had been before the boredom and sleepiness overtook her.
“Mommy is doing fine, just taking a short rest when she can. How about you? How’s packing coming along?”