Twisted

by J. L. Meyrick

  Liliana thought back to the day of the fight, their quick trip for coffee. Johnathon gulped down a scoldingly hot coffee with no consequence. He didn’t feel the heat. Liliana focused the scan on his mouth for a moment. Her hunch paid off, no signs of a recent burn. What was going on here? She deactivated the helmet and turned back to Yates.

  “He’s perfectly fine. No injuries.”

  “Okay. So he got lucky during the fight,” Yates said, not grasping Liliana’s point.

  “No. I mean, no injuries, ever.” Yates looked at Liliana, confused. “There should at least be a burn from the scolding coffee he gulped down in front of me right before the fight. He has no signs of ever being injured or ill.”

  Yates’s jaw dropped a little as comprehension showed in their eyes. They looked back at Johnathon with a curious look in their eyes.

  “Do you know what this means?” Yates asked.

  “That he’s a medical marvel?” Liliana replied.

  “No,” Yates said. They stormed back towards Johnathon, a determined look on their face. Liliana hurried after them, wondering what Yates had planned.

  “How long have you known?” Yates asked Johnathon.

  “Known what?” He looked uneasy at the sudden questioning.

  “That you’re invulnerable,” Yates replied.

  Liliana gasped as it all made sense to her. He wasn’t a medical marvel; he couldn’t get injured or sick. Nothing would affect him.

  “He’s a Super?” Liliana asked, trying to get it all straight in her mind. “You weren’t lucky to escape. You got caught up in the building’s destruction. It just didn’t hurt you.”

  Johnathon hung his head in resignation. His secret was out.

  “Yes,” he admitted. “But I’m not a Super. I’m no hero. I’m a freak.”

  “What?” Liliana was taken aback by his words. “You’re not a freak. You have the gene.”

  Liliana could see this was something Johnathon had struggled with for some time now. She understood why he had never made his ability public.

  “How did you find this place?” Yates brought them back ’round to the major concern. Was their secret hideout no longer a secret?

  “I noticed Liliana had been disappearing somewhere. I’ve been trying to find you,” Johnathon said to them both. “I know you’re up to something. I saw you were together. Why would you be with Max Victor’s bodyguard if you truly believed him to be the villain?”

  “Fair point,” Liliana replied. “But how did you find the base? We had no vehicles following us, we’re out in the middle of nowhere.”

  “I always enjoyed hiking.” Johnathon shrugged his shoulders as he explained, like hiking through the local wilderness for days was nothing to him.

  “Why did you want to find Ms Masters?” Yates asked, taking everything in.

  “Because I knew that if she believed Max Victor to be the innocent party, I could help her,” Johnathon replied. “I saw the fight, up close.”

  “You saw Max?” Liliana asked, getting more curious every minute.

  “I saw them both. I saw the shot that destroyed the building,” Johnathon replied. “Max was trying to stop Sentinel from getting to the office building. He was trying to protect it. Protect you.”

  “Sentinel was trying to get to me?” Liliana asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

  “He was trying to kill you,” Johnathon revealed. “That energy blast? He aimed it at your desk.”

  Liliana stumbled backwards towards the nearest seat, collapsing into it as she realised she had a target on her back.

  “What did I do to deserve this?” Liliana asked.

  “Actually, it’s more of a question of who did you do?” Johnathon joked, not realising that this wasn’t really the time for humour. Liliana shot a glare at him which shut him up for the moment.

  “This is because of my relationship with Max?” she questioned. “So, Sentinel must have known it was Max he was fighting to start with. That’s why Max was trying to find out who Sentinel is, he wanted to protect me.”

  Liliana lent forward and ran her hands through her dark hair, running these revelations through her mind.

  “Until that fight, I thought the Supers were doing the right thing. That they had the public’s interests at heart. But if Sentinel could try to kill you like that, what does it mean for the city when they give him autonomy?” Johnathon explained. “That’s when I knew I had to do something. To stop Sentinel, and anyone like him.”

  “So you want to become a Super like them? Or a villain I suppose, if you’re planning to oppose them,” Liliana said.

  “Why must there be only two options? Good or evil, there’s really no binary if you really think about it,” Johnathon replied, making a good point.

  “You’re telling me,” Yates replied under their breath. They seemed to warm up to Johnathon. He was spouting all the right ideas and he wasn’t fighting back against them. Yates and Liliana had only two options before them. Trust Johnathon and set him free, hoping he wouldn’t rat them out to Sentinel, or lock him up until the mission was complete.

  “So, what should we do with him?” Yates asked Liliana.

  “I think we can trust him. If he were working with Sentinel, we wouldn’t be sitting here talking. We would already be captured or killed. Sentinel isn’t one to wait around,” Liliana rationalised. Yates nodded, agreeing with her assessment. Liliana walked over to Johnathon, deactivated the gloves on her suit and unlocked the handcuffs, releasing him.

  “So, what do we do now?” Johnathon stood, rubbing his wrists to get rid of the pressure marks of the handcuffs.

  “We prepare. We have two days to get Max out of prison,” Liliana said, looking between Johnathon and Yates. With a Super on their side, they might actually stand a chance at pulling this off.

  *

  Rose was stressing out. She hadn’t heard a word from Liliana since the news broke of Max’s prison move. She knew Liliana was planning something. It frustrated her that she couldn’t be told what it was. She wanted to help, somehow. She even suspected that the articles being pushed out on her tech were from her. They had appeared all over the city, on almost every device. The office was buzzing with them. The controversial opinions had been getting people talking. Most dismissed the articles for pure nonsense, but some looked to be swayed by the new information.

  She shot off another text to Liliana, hoping she might get a reply sometime soon. She was home, trying not to pay attention to the coverage of Max’s prison move on the television, her dinner left half eaten on her kitchen counter next to the mostly empty bottle of wine. True, she hadn’t started it that day, but she was drinking more than she probably should.

  She paced up and down her living room, glancing at the television occasionally, gulping down her wine. She checked her phone every ten seconds, waiting for a response that was probably not coming that night. A knock at the door jolted her out of her routine.

  “Who on earth? It’s eleven o’clock at night!” She opened her door, expecting to shout at whoever was knocking this late, only to see an empty corridor. “What the?” She stuck her head out to look up and down the hall, no one in sight. She locked the door and turned back around. Only to scream.

  “Hello, my dear,” Sentinel said as he hovered in her living room.

  “What the— How did—” Rose spluttered, trying to understand why Sentinel was hovering in her living room. “What are you doing in my house?” She finally got the words out.

  “I knocked,” Sentinel replied, completely missing how messed up his actions were.

  “That’s not really my point,” Rose said, still not understanding what was going on.

  “I wanted to talk to you, away from the cameras this time, if you don’t mind,” Sentinel said, ignoring the blatant invasion of privacy he had just committed.

  “About what?” Rose replied, unsure of how to act.

  “Ms Masters and her acquaintances,” Sentinel replied. “Have you he
ard from her since we last spoke?”

  “Only the drinks we had the other night, although I’m sure you know about that already,” Rose replied, deciding partial honesty might hide her suspicions.

  “Of course. But nothing since?” Sentinel asked. “You see, we are concerned about her welfare.”

  “Her welfare? She’s fine. She’s just trying to distance herself from all of this, that’s all,” Rose replied.

  “So as far as you know, she hasn’t fallen in with the wrong sort?” Sentinel hovered closer to Rose, staring straight at her, waiting for her to lie.

  “No. Max fooled her, but she knows better now. She’s keeping clear of that whole situation,” Rose replied, hoping against hope that Sentinel believed her.

  “Very well,” Sentinel said calmly. He moved back and took a smooth glance around the apartment. “What a lovely home you have.” A simple statement that sent chills down Rose’s spine. Her discomfort was reaching a discerning level.

  “Thank you.” Rose felt like she had to reply kindly. All she wanted was for Sentinel to leave. Although, did she feel safe in her own home anymore? Is this what Liliana felt like?

  Sentinel finished looking around her home, although he took his time about it. “I’ll be going now. Please let me know if you hear from Ms Masters. I would very much like to speak to her.” He hovered back towards Rose, arm outstretched, handing her a business card. His hands were remarkably well looked after, surprising for a man in his line of work. Not a chipped nail to be seen. There might have even been a glint of clear polish. A manicure?

  Why does a superhero need a business card? That didn’t seem right to Rose. She looked the card over. All it had was a number to call. No other details. She flipped it over to be sure. She looked back at Sentinel not a moment later to see an empty apartment. He had disappeared as quickly as he appeared.

  Chapter 23

  Liliana split her time between the gym and the broadcasting room, leaving a few hours in between for sleep and food. She was trying to fit two weeks’ worth of work into two days and finding it impossible.

  She was sore, sorer than after Max and Sentinel’s big fight. Yates had really been putting her through the ringer. But her mind was buzzing. The thrill of broadcasting an anonymous blog, showing the city the truth, had given her such a high. While the training was useful, the blog had given Liliana a genuine sense of purpose. She could imagine the people spread throughout the city reading her work, understanding the truth of the Super situation.

  While she couldn’t see how many people were believing her, she could see the statistics of the people reading her work. The numbers were climbing by the hour. She had been pumping out information as quickly as she could, putting her years of journalism training to use.

  Yates had pulled Johnathon into the design room. They were planning a suit for him as well. Although he didn’t really need a suit; he was invulnerable, after all.

  Their shared meals had become a quiet affair. They were run through. Between the training, the blog and planning for the fast-tracked mission, they all needed a break from conversation.

  Liliana logged off the computer after sharing her latest article showing how egotistical Sentinel was and how that mindset didn’t bode well to the city’s future safety. All she wanted to do was grab a bite to eat and then collapse on her bed for a couple of hours before they needed to set off for the mission.

  It would seem life had other plans. Her phone rang as she reached the kitchen. She wondered how the caller got through the base’s protections.

  “Ms Masters?” a familiar voice asked on the other end of the phone.

  “This is she,” Liliana replied.

  “This is Detective Berkowitz.” Liliana recognised the voice now.

  “How can I help?” Liliana replied. Yates had just walked into the room and looked puzzled at Liliana. She put the phone on speakerphone for Yates to hear as well.

  “I’m calling to let you know you need to come down to the station as soon as possible. We have a few more questions for you. Just routine, you understand.” The detective sounded like she was trying to keep a calm, reassuring tone. But Liliana could tell she was stressed.

  “Oh,” Liliana replied. She didn’t really have time for this. She still had to prepare for the mission.

  “It will only take half an hour. So if you could make your way to the station at your earliest convenience, I would be very grateful.”

  “Okay. See you soon,” Liliana replied, not sure when that would be. How could she fit this into everything else that needed doing?

  “Thank you,” Detective Berkowitz replied, hanging up the phone with a click. Liliana was left standing there, phone in hand, staring at Yates.

  “What should I do?” Liliana asked.

  “You should go. You need to maintain your cover; it could blow the mission if they suspect anything,” Yates replied. Liliana could tell they were thinking a hundred miles a minute. Trying to figure out how this new appointment worked into their plans.

  “Do we have the time for this?”

  “It shouldn’t be too long,” Yates replied. “An hour to get there, have the interview and get back. You should still be able to get some rest before we head out tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” Liliana replied. “Why do they want to see me now? I have done nothing to raise any suspicions.”

  “It’s probably because they are moving Mr Victor the day after tomorrow. They want to assess you one more time to make sure you will not do anything,” Yates rationalised.

  “What’s going on?” Johnathon asked as he entered the room with a plate stacked high with toast. Liliana’s stomach grumbled at the sight.

  “I have to go see the police. They want to question me again to make sure I’m not going to attempt a prison break.”

  “Which is exactly what you’re planning to do,” Johnathon replied.

  “Precisely.”

  “So, you have to lie your ass off, to the police?” he asked.

  “Yep.”

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks, Johnathon. Really helpful,” Liliana replied sarcastically. Resolved to having to tell a series of bald-faced lies to the authorities, Liliana grabbed her coat from the nearby coatrack and snatched a couple slices of toast from Johnathon’s plate as she walked down to the garage.

  “Hey!” Johnathon shouted after her.

  “I’m hungry!” Liliana shouted back as she made her way down the stairs.

  *

  Driving through the city felt odd now. She was starting to understand what Max meant when he said he was watching over the city from Hilltop. She saw people going about their normal lives, unaware that she was the one sharing the truth of the Supers to everyone. She was showing them that the Supers were just like everyone else, fallible, and that they should be held to the same standards as everyone else.

  It was an odd sense of power that she felt, almost like she was liberating everyone from the control of the Supers. She would have to monitor that feeling. It could get dangerous if left unchecked.

  The city looked almost back to normal after the fight. The only remnants of the fight remained at the office building, the centre of the fight. She’d heard that there was a small memorial being kept nearby for the lives lost during the fight. She wondered if there was one for Johnathon.

  She was half tempted to swing by the memorial on her way to the station, but she didn’t have enough time. It was taking everything she had to stay calm about the mission. If all went well, she would see Max tomorrow. She could finally work through everything with him. Probably not what he would expect from their reunion, but it needed to happen.

  She could only imagine his face as he saw she was rescuing him. After his letter it would be the last thing he expected. That thought put a smirk on Liliana’s face as she pulled into the station. Looking up at the building, she took a deep breath, keeping in mind the lies she was about to tell.

  She walked up the steps to the stati
on, running her lies through her mind, as a sudden gust of wind caught her purple coat. The gust ended as soon as it began. Liliana looked up at the sky, thinking a storm must be incoming for the wind to be that strong that suddenly. Not a cloud in sight. Strange.

  She didn’t even get to the receptionist before Detective Berkowitz walked out of her office to meet her.

  “Ms Masters, thank you for coming down so quickly,” she said, trying to seem friendly.

  “No problem,” Liliana replied, shaking the hand that was offered.

  “If you’ll just follow me.” The detective led her down the corridor, same as last time. Liliana expected to be led to the same room, but they walked straight past that door. Instead, she was led to an interrogation room.

  Liliana’s heart rate increased as Detective Berkowitz held the door open for her. This was remarkably different from her last visit. They were both on edge, she could tell. What was going on? After a moment of hesitation, Liliana walked into the interrogation room, dreading what was going to come next. She just reminded herself that she had done nothing wrong. Yet.

  “Why the change in location?” Liliana asked as she made her way to the far side of the table sat in the middle of the room. She turned as the detective closed the door behind her. Then she understood.

  “I just wanted a little privacy for our chat,” Sentinel replied. He had stood behind the door, making sure Liliana didn’t see him until it was too late to turn back. So much for avoiding him at all costs. Now she was trapped in a room with him, with only Detective Berkowitz between them.

  “Oh. I thought this was just an interview for the police?” Liliana asked Berkowitz.

  “It is. But Sentinel has asked to take part as a member of the Super Taskforce. Given the subject of the interview, the Mayor has granted the Supers access to the case,” Berkowitz replied, showing her unease at the situation. Liliana wondered if she might have found a friend in the detective after all.