by Drew Hayes
Penelope’s eyes turned downward, a sure sign that no productive report was impending. “I packed three shirts, twelve socks, and my comfy snow pants.”
Sighing, Helen reached down and scooped up her daughter. At six, she was no longer the tiny bundle that could easily fit in a single grip, yet there was no twinge from her back or cry from her arms as she lifted the small human with a squeal of delight. For all that her power had taken through the years, there were other gifts it left behind. Never truly losing the ability to sweep up those she loved in her grasp was one that Helen treasured.
“I know you don’t want to go with Miss Theresa this weekend, but she’s going to take you somewhere secure. An emergency bunker, with lots of supplies, where you’ll be safe no matter what happens.”
The small head dug into her collarbone, pressing hard. “But you won’t be there.”
“No, honey. Mommy can’t be down there. Mommy has to do her part to keep everyone safe.” She kissed the top of Penelope’s head, all too aware that there was no happy end to the conversation in sight. Her daughter was afraid. She knew something bad was coming. For all that Helen wanted to be there with her, telling her that it would be okay, she had to be Lodestar, ensuring that such an outcome was actually possible.
“Can Uncle Ivan come?”
Ridiculous as the notion of Ivan Gerhardt walking into an AHC-owned bunker was, for a moment, Helen found the image deeply comforting. Truth be told, if there had to be one person that wasn’t Lodestar watching over Penelope, Ivan would be at the top of the list. Hopefully, he’d be spending the invasion protecting Rick and Beth. This problem was squarely within the AHC’s jurisdiction, so she didn’t expect much guild activity. Or rather, she hoped there wouldn’t be much—because if the guild had a chance to play, it meant that things would have gotten very messy indeed.
“No, honey, Uncle Ivan has another safe place to be. But there will be other kids to play with, new people to meet, and the whole thing shouldn’t take more than a day or two. Can you be my brave girl for that long?”
Uncertain squirming made for a potent tell, yet Penelope still screwed her face up into a curiously familiar expression. “I can do it. You go save the world.”
In her decades as a superhero, even before fully coming into her powers, there were only a handful of blows that hit as hard as that look. Helen knew that expression, because she’d seen it on her own face so many times throughout the years. It was the face of someone hiding their own pain to put on a brave front for the sake of those watching. Thanks to her job, Helen had worn that mask untold times, but she’d never hated it so fundamentally until she saw her daughter do the same.
“How about I help you pack? We’ll pick out some fun outfits you can show everyone, and think of lots of games for you to play with the other kids.” It wouldn’t make up for being gone when her daughter was scared, but it was something. Helen would deal with the paperwork later; super-speed made for sloppier work, however she didn’t especially care. With only a few days left until the world was at risk, Helen was going to spend the time she had where it mattered most.
That was one lesson life refused to stop teaching her.
Almost time.
The man pressed his thin fingers together, hoping the latest round of coverage could contain his excitement until the moment was at hand. The materials for coating himself enough to maintain an appearance of humanity weren’t exactly easy to come by, even if he did make the vast majority of them himself. There were still components to consider, some getting rarer by the year. Over time, he’d attempted to adjust the formula, substituting in newer materials for those falling out of availability. Each such experiment ended in disaster. Were he capable of death, several would have likely ended him entirely.
“We just... wait?” Lozora hung in the corner of the room, an attack dog no longer sure of her usefulness. She was wise to be uncertain; her presence was tolerable only so long as it served a purpose. Fortune remained on her side for the moment, as there were still tasks for which she was suitable.
“We are not waiting. We are preparing for the perfect moment to strike,” he clarified. “Once the attack begins, some of the assets I’ve reached out to under my cover identity will move into position, drawing our targets to the appropriate location. Our aim is set, the hammer cocked. It is merely a matter of letting everything properly align to take it all in a single shot.”
Her next words were mumbled, perhaps not truly meant for him to hear. “Seems like there are easier ways to kill some capes.”
“Countless simpler methods,” he agreed instantly. “Yet this is not a job built toward efficiency. It is about the spectacle, the show, and the aftermath of what remains. If simply ‘killing capes’ were all I had in mind, this would have been finished on the first day. I seek something far more delicious, and difficult.”
His thin hands stretched out before him, the pale skin clinging to the finger bones like cheap shrink-wrap. “What I want is to take decades of pain, a lifetime of suffering, an endless torment with no escape, and gift even a small portion of it to someone else. Killing the capes will be the finale, a grand flourish to drive things home. All the hell I put them through before that is the purpose. I want them to know, even briefly, the cost of their power. Only when they understand the truth will death be allowed.”
Lozora said nothing to that. She’d been especially quiet since the Starscout incident. She didn’t matter, anyway. Her role could be easily filled by multiple lesser minions at this point. The plan was what counted. He’d worked so hard to move everything into position, just to create a perfect opening.
With only a few days left until the fun started, he could scarcely contain himself, as the slow leak of dark smoke rising from his left pinky attested. There was probably enough material left to last for another coating before the invasion, but after that, he’d be running low.
Then again, after the invasion, he might enjoy a little time living in his own visage. After so long spent unseen and unknown, it was well past time he showed the capes what they were really up against.
It took Tori a moment to spot Donald amidst the bustle of Ridge City Grinders. Only the good fortune of Chloe being on shift made things easier, as her roommate gave a pointed nod to a table in the corner, where some douchebag was wearing a hat and sunglasses indoors. On her second look, Tori realized the douchebag in question was Donald, which was all the prompting she needed to kick off the conversation.
“You going to a brightly lit baseball game in the next ten minutes, or just auditioning for ‘World’s Most Obvious Narc’?” Tori smiled down at him, softening the blow slightly.
“Oh, hey!” Donald leapt up, stowing his phone at the apparent realization of her arrival. Working with the AHC was already a busy gig; she had to imagine. With what the weekend was bringing, that was even more the case. It made the fact that he’d coordinated with her schedule for coffee catch-up session to happen all the more impressive, and worrying.
Tori still wasn’t sure where she’d landed on the idea of capes and villains being friends. Helen and Ivan were proof that it could work, yet she was smart enough not to base too much of her life around Lodestar and Fornax. Those two tended to be exceptions a lot of the time; it was best to not take them as the standard. Nevertheless, they proved it was possible, for those who put in the work.
As their hug broke apart, she caught the sheepish look on Donald’s face. “I... um... I’ve had to start keeping a lower profile in public lately. Cyber Geek is getting more popular.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” She clapped him on the back once, though he didn’t seem especially enthusiastic.
“It’s not a bad one, but it takes some getting used to. For today, I wanted to be incognito.”
“Then I’m glad I caught you before any browser windows were open. Hang on, let me go grab a drink.” As Tori turned, she found herself looking at the approaching form of Chloe, who set a large cup on the table in front o
f her.
She only paused long enough to add a napkin to the top of the cup. “I made you the afternoon usual, plus a little extra. Tell me how the meeting went later tonight.” Then Chloe was gone, back into the fray of cranky caffeine consumers.
With no more need for detours, Tori took her seat, sipping the coffee, unsurprised to find it scorching hot. Chloe had probably made the thing, and then tossed it in an oven to stay warm—not like she had to worry about burning Tori’s tongue.
“Big day with the Vendallia higher-ups?”
It took Tori a moment to figure out what he meant. She was currently so mentally checked out of her day job that the words almost seemed nonsensical. After a stuttering start, her brain finally kicked into gear, putting together his meaning. Luckily, large sips of coffee were excellent for hiding mental recalibration.
“In a way, sort of, though only in the most technical sense.” Tori hesitated. This wasn’t a development she was ready to share with the world yet, not even amongst friends. “I’m working on something new, but I don’t really want to talk about it until I see if it’s going somewhere.”
“I’ve seen the quality of work you can do at a job you tolerate. If it’s something you actually care about, I’m sure you’ll knock it out of the park.” Donald was squirming now, and Tori realized his own drink, an iced coffee turned light from all the added cream, had barely been drunk a quarter of the way, despite his head start. He was... nervous.
Instantly, the scene changed for Tori. Every single body in the building was a potential cape in disguise. Did Chloe know? No, she’d have found to way to slip in some sort of message, or used one of her idioms to escape. What was the plan? Ambush her while the suit wasn’t around, subdue her if she was lucky, then drag her to court for... for what, exactly?
Forcing a few deep breaths down under the guise of a very long swig, Tori took control of herself. Awareness and fear were useful tools; giving over to full-blown paranoia was another matter entirely. Nerves didn’t mean Donald was about to turn on her. He had plenty going on this week to be worried about. And even if she was busted, the only crime Hephaestus was wanted for was a connection to a museum heist, something that the guild lawyers could hopefully handle. More than anything, though, if the AHC wanted to haul her in, Lodestar could have done it whenever she chose.
“Here’s hoping you’re right.” Tori gave a mock toast, which Donald mirrored, albeit on a delay. “Anyway, what wins me time with one of Ridge City’s rising capes? Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to catch up, but you seemed pretty set on making something happen this week when we were texting.”
Of course, Tori knew the reason: Donald was facing down an invasion and was afraid. He was doing what people facing real battle often saw as the best use of their time: spending it with friends and family. Even if she had to feign ignorance, Tori was touched as she realized how important that made their friendship to him—a kind feeling that was followed swiftly by remembering how easily she’d thought him willing to betray her moments ago.
“There’s... I’ve got a mission coming up,” Donald said, quite nearly slipping up right out of the gate. “You probably don’t need to worry or anything. No one expects me to be in particular danger.”
“But life doesn’t come with guarantees, especially for capes.” That was a truth Tori had understood long before guilds and abilities. She was a smart cookie. Life only had to savagely rip away everyone she loved once for the message to sink in.
He nodded, though he didn’t seem much more at ease, despite her jumping them to the punch. “That’s definitely a big part of it. I’ve started to really understand how powerful some metas out there are, and how wildly out of my depth I could be with even just one wrong move. I don’t want to make the mistake of assuming things will go well, and then end up being wrong.”
Softly, Tori reached over and patted him on the forearm. “Dude, you’re allowed to be scared. These powers aren’t a change you asked for. They just happened. The fact that you chose to do something constructive with them at all is amazing. Most people would have kept it to themselves or used it for personal gain. Expecting yourself to take on criminals and monsters without ever being afraid, well, that’s just dumb.”
“It isn’t that kind of fear. I mean, yes, I might get hurt, but that’s true any time I go out on patrol. I’ve had to make peace with that for a while now. My bigger concern is leaving things unsaid.”
Without warning, Donald’s free hand came down lightly on top of the one Tori had been using to pat his forearm. He looked at her, eyes not quite fully shielded by the reflective glasses, thanks to the angle of the lighting. That was why she could see bits of the terror, and sincerity, in his gaze. Too late, those clues finally gave her an inkling of what this meeting was really about.
“Tori, I asked you here because the truth is... I have feelings for you.”
Chapter 99
The first five passes came up empty. Luckily, no one appeared to notice the streak that blasted by Ridge City Grinders multiple times. On try number six, Kyle arrived outside the window just in time to see Tori laying her hand on Donald’s arm. His pulse spiked, in a way that had nothing to do with the speeds he was operating at. Unlike many of his peers, Kyle was somewhat in touch with his own feelings, meaning he understood quite well what was happening.
At some point, he’d become taken with Tori. It wasn’t all that shocking—his past romantic affections had often landed on headstrong women with forceful personalities. Mix in that she was one of the few people outside of the island who’d treated them all like their positions didn’t matter, making her the only outsider he’d ever been able to open up to, and it was practically inevitable.
Recognizing that those feelings existed wasn’t the same as giving into them, however. They were in Ridge City to continue a legacy, while building something new of their own. One day, maybe, he could free up enough of himself to put into a relationship, but for now, Kyle knew he would always pick the job and team first, which wasn’t fair to any prospective partner. Especially one who clearly had other prospects. So while he did feel his pulse rise, it wasn’t accompanied by any sort of impulse to dash over and interrupt.
While a piece of Kyle was tempted to slip inside and listen in, he’d already made enough mistakes where Tori was concerned, and for this one, he wouldn’t even have the power of self-delusion. Catching a moment in happenstance was one thing; if she caught him purposefully snooping, there rightfully might be no forgiveness.
With one last look through the window, Kyle disappeared in a sudden blur.
Finding the right response was no easy feat. For a dangerous heartbeat, she almost tried to laugh it off, but the look on Donald’s face was much too vulnerable. Her next impulse, a new standard in terrible, was to blurt out that she was really Hephaestus. Both were resisted as Tori opted—rather than blow up the conversation and attached friendship— to try to muddle her way through. Not being sure about her future friendship with Donald didn’t mean she wanted to hurt him, regardless of how things went.
“Look... I’m about to say something, and it’s going to sound like a line, so you have to hear me all the way out, okay?”
“Of course,” Donald replied.
Tori took a sip of her coffee to steel her nerves. “You’re a great guy, but—”
The groan that slipped out of Donald was plainly unintentional, as his eyes went wide in embarrassed surprise moments later. “Sorry, sorry, just wasn’t expecting an actual verbatim dumping line.”
“Warned you.” Tori tossed a small smile on, lightening the mood as much as she dared, given the subject matter. “And like I was saying, you are a great guy. The issue is me. I’m... there are a lot of parts of my life that you don’t know about. Really, truly messed-up parts.”
“I get that things were rough for a long time. Losing your parents, the addiction—I can’t imagine what you went through. That said, none of it would change who you are today.”
&
nbsp; “You’re wrong. It’s done nothing but shape who I am today.” Tori felt the rage in her gut rising without provocation, just because she’d dared look into her own history. It was always there, in the spot where happy memories of her family and childhood were supposed to live. The endless blaze of fury over a life stolen from her, not even by something as ineffable as fate, but by simple greed and apathy. One more broken piece in the pile that was Tori Rivas.
“I have a lot of trust issues. I mean, a shitload. Right now, the only way I can seem to make genuine friends is to share some sort of near-traumatic battle with them, which isn’t really a healthy or sustainable tactic. As for romantic relationships, they aren’t even on my radar. I don’t know what sort of emotional bandwidth you need to open up like that, but I don’t have it. Not now. Maybe not ever.”
It was Donald’s turn to use his beverage as a way to buy time, an extra-long slurp punctuating the pause after Tori’s words. At last, he lowered it, reply finally formed. “That might be the first time someone has used ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ and been entirely sincere.”
“Molds were made to be broken.”
His gaze softened, despite the bad news. “Clearly.” After a moment, he composed himself, looking a tad bashful at the earnest admiration. “If that’s how you really feel, then I can respect it. While it’s not the answer I wanted, I didn’t honestly expect you to feel the same way. I’m sure I’ve got a type out there, it’s just very specific.” Donald leaned back slightly, eyes moving toward the shop at large, as if scanning for an exit from this now embarrassing situation.
To no one’s shock more than her own, Tori’s hand shot out, grabbing him by the wrist. “Hey. Stop. I meant what I said. You are a solid guy, Donald. Kind, honest, and loyal to a fault. Even brave, nowadays. You’re a damn cape, for god’s sake. There is no shortage of women out there who would love to be on Cyber Geek’s arm. Just because I’m not one of them doesn’t mean I’ll let you shit-talk my friend.”