by S. J. Delos
“Karen, we are talking about the same person, right? Doctor Maniac? The villain who has terrorized the world for almost a decade? How many people has he killed or had killed?”
I frowned. “Quite a few.”
She nodded. “Were any of them former associates?”
I nodded. I could name ten people off the top of my head Martin had destroyed because of some treachery on their part. He possessed little patience with people who didn’t go along with the plan. “Several,” I said.
“But not you, right? I’m going to guess that this recent incident isn’t the first time you’ve seen him since your parole.”
I shook my head. “No,” I said softly. “It’s been like five or six times.”
“So, he apparently has a soft spot for you,” she said, looking up at me. “If he didn’t, he probably would have killed anyone close to you before killing you. Right?”
I hated to admit that she was right. Demented and twisted as he may be, there was no doubt Martin was still in love with me. I wasn’t sure how I could use it to my advantage, though. I waved my hand.
“Blah!” I said, dropping down to land next to her. “Enough of Doctor Maniac. Can we talk about something else? Anything else.”
She shrugged one shoulder in agreement. “Sure,” she said, giving me a wink. “Which female hero do you think Captain Awesome will piss off first tonight?”
I felt a little smirk form on my face. “I think you might be surprised, Cassandra. Richard’s turned over a new, less-lecherous leaf since the incident with Power Brain. He actually refrains from using his powers on other heroes.” Accidents notwithstanding.
The look she gave me told me that she doubted my assertion more than a little bit.
We gave the rest of the building, plus the one next to it, another sweep before heading back to Chicago. When we arrived the Tower, we found Major Freedom in the Infirmary, talking to Gravatix.
The big guy’s battle with the Turquoise Tornado hadn’t been as intense as it might have, due to the fact that Tornado was only trying to help spread out our forces.
Gravatix had taken an airborne cargo carrier right in the back, ending with several broken ribs and a fractured shoulder blade. The advanced medical unit in which he was recuperating was designed to accelerate his already fast healing. However, he looked to me as if the itching of his rapidly-mending bones was about to drive him insane.
“You’ll be on your feet patrolling again before you know it, Mike,” Major Freedom reassured his bed-ridden teammate. Then he looked at Cassandra and me, nodding for us to step outside. “I’ll come by later to see how you’re doing.”
When we were outside the infirmary, Cassandra gave him the bad news about our return to Gary.
“I was afraid of that,” he said, rubbing at his chin. “What makes it even more frustrating is Delgado’s refusal to admit that anything was stolen. Even though they have five employees in the hospital and another dozen or so who were treated and released.” He sighed loudly. “None of them are talking. The EAPF has asked us to back off the investigation, and let them take the lead on this.”
“Seriously? If Captain Awesome couldn’t get an answer from Delgado’s CEO, what makes the EAPF think they can?” I asked.
Hank shrugged. “Not sure,” he said. “All I know is that Agent Parker has asked that we let them try so that’s what I’m going to do.”
Scarab frowned. “I don’t like it,” she said. “The Harbingers came into town, in full force. They spread out their attacks so that they can steal something from Delgado Corp’s secret vault. However, the victim company isn’t cooperating with the Justice Brigade. That doesn’t strike you as suspicious?”
Hank frowned. “We can’t make a civilian corporation tell us anything they don’t want to share. All we can do is give the EAPF some room and see how it all plays out.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t like having nothing to do while the EAPF ‘checks it out’.”
Hank and Cassandra looked at each other. Then they both turned to me.
“You do have something to do, Karen,” Cassandra said. “You need to start getting ready. We all do.”
“Ready?” Ready for what?
Major Freedom tapped on his watch as he looked at me. “It’s getting late. Richard will be here before too long. Then it’s off to the banquet.”
I blinked, looking between them. “The banquet? Really? There are criminals on the loose, stealing shit from a company that makes some really dangerous tech. And you want me to be concerned with putting on a gown and smiling for the paparazzi?”
It felt like the same argument with Greg all over again. Sure, I did agree to partake in the festivities. Mainly because everyone thought it was a good idea. Plus, I felt it was a way to give my mom the last thing she ever really wanted.
However, I needed to be a real hero first. Not just a celebrated one. I thought the best way to do that would be to catch the Harbingers and turn them over to the EAPF.
“Look at it this way,” Cassandra said with a smile. “If Kayo is at the party, then maybe the Harbingers will show up for a rematch.” Her fists shifted into metal mode, and she pounded them against each other, emitting a dull ring. “Then we can get some payback.”
“Fine,” I huffed. I couldn’t fight it anymore. “Everyone wins. I’ll go.”
“Great,” Hank said, clapping me lightly on the shoulder. “By the way, Richard swung by with your suitcase while you were over in Gary. Miss Amazing put it in your room.”
I sighed, then walked away, managing to resist the urge to punch a hole in the corridor wall.
Back in my room, I got ready for the night’s main event. As I stood under the scalding spray of the shower, I found my thoughts continually drifted back to Martin.
“Have them mail you the award”, he had said.
I couldn’t help but worry that whatever scheme his mysterious acquaintance planned for the Windy City would take place at the Heroes’ Ball. The more I considered it, the more I was sure of it. That was why Martin was insistent that I stay in Charlotte and have the postal service deliver the award.
The problem was, whatever diabolical plan was in the works, it wasn’t Martin’s. Which was going to make it doubly hard to anticipate.
I shut off the water and climbed out of the shower, grabbing the thick towel hanging on the wall. I dried off, then began getting dressed. Following through on Sonya’s suggestion, I slipped a flesh-toned, sleeveless leotard on over my underwear. Sitting down in front of the mirror, I styled my short hair as best as I could.
I waited until after I put on a light touch of makeup before finally getting around to unzipping the bag holding the Rumpet dress, I held my breath. Part of me screamed that just putting the thing on was tantamount to begging to get into a brawl. The other part of me wasn’t saying much in response, probably due to all the drool.
I stepped into the designer outfit, pulling it slowly up onto my body. When I zipped it closed, the material fit perfectly all over. It truly was made expressly for me and me alone. I spent more than a few minutes turning back and forth in front of the mirror, admiring the way the dress flattered my form.
Too bad Kurt wasn’t there to appreciate it.
I thought about taking a couple of selfies to send to him, but thought he might get a little upset that I was looking this good while being so far away from him. The door’s chime tore me away from my narcissistic behavior and the associated guilt. I opened it to find Richard standing on the other side.
The billionaire playboy was dressed in a well-tailored black tuxedo that likely cost more than most ordinary people made in a year. His hair was slightly disheveled in that way which makes it seem like extra work had been done to make it look like nothing had.
His eyes widened when he saw me, and a small smile formed on his face.
“Karen, you look… wow. You look very lovely,” his words were sincere, completely devoid of any conceited, lecherous tone.
I did notice, however, that his eyes drifted down over me more than once. Although there was a look of appreciation in his eyes, rather than an ogling stare.
“Thank you,” I said. “You look very handsome as well.”
He shrugged. “A guy in a tux doesn’t exactly turn heads like a beautiful woman, especially one in a Rumpet.” He grinned, extending extended his arm. “Shall we? The limo awaits.”
I nodded. “Just a sec,” I said as I slipped into a pair of black, strappy heels and grabbed my cell phone from the nightstand. I stuck it into the little black purse that Alexis insisted I borrow, then gave myself one last glance in the mirror before turning back to Richard.
“Ready now?” There was an amused smirk on his face.
“What?” I held up my fist. “Tell me what you find so funny or you’re going to be accepting any accolades from the emergency room.”
“It’s just strange to see you primp.”
I rolled my eyes, taking a step toward the door before pausing. “Wait. Did you say there was a limo?”
He nodded. “How did you think we were going to get to the banquet? Were you planning on flying us there? In your dress and heels while carrying me?”
I felt my face warm. “No. I thought it would be in, you know, the hovership.”
He shook his head, laughing. “Nowhere to land it at the banquet. At least, not on the ground.”
“Why couldn’t you land on the roof?”
The look on his face showed that he really didn’t understand why I didn’t understand. “Because all the press is going to be on the ground. You know, along the red carpet.”
“What? What red carpet? With paparazzi?”
“Yes. Karen, this is the social event for Enhanced individuals. Not just heroes, but all Enhanced.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. The shy side of my personality vanished not long after meeting Martin. But the recent events with the press and the tabloids had left me feeling a little worried. “I don’t know, Richard. Couldn’t I just show up, nod to some former opponents, and then leave?”
He linked his arm through mine and laughed again. “Not a chance, Karen. You are the one person everyone is going to want to see tonight.”
“Yay,” I said with as much deadpan as I could muster.
He arched a brow. “It will be okay. I promise.”
“Well, I’m not going to be responsible for any fights that happen because someone wants to get revenge on Crushette,” I said.
Richard laughed. “Just keep the damage to a minimum,” he said. “The security deposit alone for the ballroom was outrageous.”
“I’m not making any promises that something won’t get broken. I can just promise that I won’t start any trouble that does arise.”
“Well, I guess that will have to do.”
CHAPTER 29:
PARTY TIME
The journey from the Justice Tower to the banquet took us along Lake Shore Drive and seemed to go by a lot faster than the twenty minutes the journey actually took. Along the way, Richard kept asking pointed questions about the past couple of days.
It didn’t take Enhanced intelligence to see he was trying to gauge how invested I might have become in Chicago and the Justice Brigade.
“Caught the footage of that fight with the Harbingers,” he said turning to look out the window for a second before glancing back at me. “Was that a new uniform you were wearing?”
Sitting across from him in the gigantic vehicle, I smirked, arching a brow. “My Good Guy uniform got damaged on the trip up. Took a lightning bolt to the hip. Contriver was nice enough to make me a new one to wear while I was helping out.”
“I noticed it didn’t have the Double G on it.” Yep, there was the hurt tone I figured was coming.
“I guess they didn’t have our logo in their database. Or maybe they felt I would get less static if I was sporting their sword and shield.”
He nodded once, turning to look back out at the lake next to the road.
“Oh, come on, Richard. Why don’t you just say what’s on your mind? Do you think I’m planning on jumping ship? Worried I’m going to abandon The Good Guys for the Justice Brigade?”
He shrugged. After another second, he looked back at me. “It would be a step up. They are one of the top five super teams in America. You would get more exposure, not to mention more respect, as a member.”
“I don’t need more exposure, Richard. I feel like I’m too much in the spotlight as it is.” I sighed and reached out to pat him on the knee. “Besides, it wasn’t the Justice Brigade who gave me the chance to prove I could be a hero. They aren’t the ones who thought Crushette might actually make a worthy addition to their hero team.”
The billionaire turned back to me, smiling slightly. “Not all of us thought so at first. I would just hate to lose you as a member of my team. Hell, if not for you, there wouldn’t be a team left.”
I flashed him a big smile. “The Justice Brigade is a good group, true. I admit I would be flattered if they offered me a spot with them. But I have a whole life in Charlotte. Not just as Kayo, but also as Karen Hashimoto. I have no immediate plans to give that up.” I sighed. “Kurt and I had a similar conversation before I left.”
Richard laughed. “I’m sure Detective Braddock was simply worried as well. I guess we both know a good thing when we see it.” The limo changed lanes and slowed to a stop. Richard smiled, nodding at the window beside me. “Well, here we are.”
I turned to look out my window. For a second, I wondered why there was a throng of people crowding along the sidewalk outside the hotel’s mammoth structure. They looked like a mob waiting outside the mall for the Black Friday sales to begin.
Then I realized that they were all there to watch the heroes arrive at the ball.
“Uh, that’s a lot of public,” I said. “I thought there might be, you know, about fifty or so. That’s like… hundreds.”
He studied the crowd for a second, then leaned past me to rap his knuckles on the partition separating us from the driver. “Well, I did tell you this was the biggest Enhanced social event of the year. Only stands to reason there would be plenty of adoring fans.”
The driver climbed out of the car and walked around to the side closest to the mass of waiting citizens. He opened the door, standing like a sentry beside it. Richard gave him a nod before looking at me.
“Take a deep breath, smile, and wave. We’ll be inside faster than you can say ‘Zip’.”
I wished the little speed rat was there at that moment, just so I could make him carry me inside the hotel at top speed.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s get this over with.”
I took Richard’s hand to slide out from the confines of the limo. The excited din coming through the open door exploded into a cacophony of shouts, screams, and squeals. I let go of Richard and spun around, expecting to see some super-villain swooping down to cause trouble. Instead, I saw only the cordoned off street, lined with several CPD patrol cars to block traffic.
I didn’t even realize I had come off the ground until I felt Richard’s hand wrap around my ankle. I glanced down to see a mixture of embarrassment and amusement on his face. Then I brought my gaze up to the assembled crowd, who were watching me with wide eyes and even wider mouths.
“Karen, what are you doing?” Richard gave a little tug on my leg. “No one’s attacking us.”
I drifted down to the sidewalk, shaking my head. “But the screams…”
“Those were for you.” He grinned from ear to ear as he gestured at the people around us. “They saw you climb out of the car and screamed with excitement. Not with terror.”
“Oh.” My face burned as if just hit with a thrown bucket of lava. Way to go, Karen. Don’t think that little faux pas isn’t going to end up on the six o’clock news.
Richard patted me on the arm, linked his through mine, and guided me away from the limo onto the middle of the sidewalk. True to his promise, there was a nice long crimson car
pet that lead to the front doors of the hotel. Force field generators lined either side, keeping the public, and the press, out of the way.
As I stood there, I tried to keep a smile on my face. The flash of photos being taken was like a million starbursts going off in random sequence. Part of my mind, the part honed by Martin, mused that an ingenious attacker would disguise a plasma cannon as a Nikon so they could zap a hero of their choice at close range.
“Come on,” Richard said as he led me down along the pathway toward the door. There were people screaming, people waving, and people pressing themselves against the energy barriers to get as close as they could to us.
My smile began to become harder to hold. Every face that looked at me seemed to radiate craziness. However, I had seen enough E-Groupies in my life to know that their fascination with superheroes—and villains—was no different than the way other people felt about athletes or movie stars.
Crushette had received many letters from fans during her stint in the Max.
Closer to the entrance were the members of the press assigned the task of covering the event. As we neared them, the microphones extended in our direction, and the questions came like rapid-fire plasma bursts.
“Kayo, are you thinking about joining the Justice Brigade?”
“Kayo, is it true that you and Silver Scarab can’t stand each other?”
“Captain Awesome, why isn’t Omega Girl here with you tonight? Have you dumped her for Kayo?”
I just kept smiling as instructed, nodding politely at the pushy jackals. I sincerely doubted that Richard would be pleased if I grabbed one of them to use as a bowling ball to knock down the others.
When I glanced toward the end of the carpet, to the doors leading into the hotel, I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Max King standing there. The shady reporter was dressed in a charcoal gray tuxedo, and the grin he wore grew wider as he watched me approach.
I glanced over at Richard to see that he had spotted King as well. His own glowing smile turned into something hard and very unRichard-like. Then Darla’s story came back to me, and I leaned closer to the ear of the leader of the Good Guys.