There was a long pause where Bill thought that he was going to be brushed aside again. But, then Austin started explaining, and Bill’s eyes were opened.
“I wasn’t going to show you this,” Austin started, stepping closer to Bill with his hand on his sleeve. “It’s given me nothing but ridicule whenever I bring it up. But, seeing as you’re now my partner, I think it will help to explain things. You think that I created these mind control powers with my own technology, but nothing could be further from the truth.”
Bill raised his eyebrows as Austin lifted up the cuff of his shirt sleeve until it stopped at his elbow. Turning his arm over, Austin revealed a strange mark on the underside of his arm - one that didn’t look like any sort of tattoo that Bill had ever seen.
Right beneath the crook of Austin’s elbow was a small one inch by one inch square made up of tiny rows of dots. They were not black like ink, but rather appeared to be a darker shade of Austin’s own skin tone. Looking closer, the skin where the marking was branded was raised slightly, as if something were transplanted beneath Austin’s skin.
“What is that?” asked Bill, examining the markings closer. “And where did you get it?”
Austin continued to hold out his arm for Bill to see as he began his answer.
“I tried to tell Jeff about this back when we were business partners,” he said. “I even tried to tell Shaun about it, but neither of them wanted to see reason.” He lowered his sleeve roughly. “When I was twelve, I went with my scout troupe on a camping trip by a lake. I woke up in the middle of the night for obvious reasons and stumbled through the dark until I found a good spot to relieve myself. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I heard this humming sound. It started off low, but then kept going up and then down again. When I looked up, I saw a disc-shaped saucer hovering in the air. There were no lights on it, but I could tell its shape because of how it blocked out the stars.
“It wasn’t far off, and I was curious - and shocked - to see it, so I tried to get closer. There was a blinding flash of light and then I blacked out. When I awoke, I was back in my tent under my sleeping bag. The thing is, I can’t remember how I got there. I thought I might have dreamed the saucer incident.”
Austin paused to swallow, then continued.
“The next morning I was headed to the makeshift shower to get ready for breakfast when I saw this mark on my arm. At first I thought it was a smudge of dirt or some ink from a bleeding pen. But, no matter how hard I scrubbed, the mark wouldn’t go away. I’m convinced that I was abducted by whoever was in that saucer that night and that they branded me with this mark. For what reason? I’m not sure.”
Bill had to try to keep the smirk from appearing on his face. He wanted an explanation, but never imagined one like this.
“Aliens?” he said.
Austin did not give in to the bait. Instead his face remained stern.
“You can laugh if you want,” he said, “but, I can see no other explanation for what has happened to me since the sighting that night. The mark on my arm isn’t the only thing that the aliens gave me, as you can probably guess.”
The smirk disappeared from Bill’s face. There was more to Austin’s story than a funny tattoo and a sleepwalking dream? He was definitely intrigued.
“What else is there?” he asked.
“Oh, don’t be so thick-headed!” Austin continued. “The aliens are where I got my mind control powers.”
“But…how?” Bill blinked.
Austin’s brow furrowed as he fixed his stare on Bill. He tapped the marking beneath his shirt sleeve.
“This marking has to be some sort of implant - a set of data that unlocks part of my brain, my consciousness. You know how I can infect people’s minds by touch or sound. Both of those came from this implant. I got the sound recording by holding a microphone against the implant. The touch was from rubbing a needle on the device inside me and transferring the microscopic substance to other metallic objects.”
Bill’s eyes widened.
“The tacks you put on Shaun…” he muttered. “It’s all making sense.”
Austin let out a single, forced laugh.
“In a strange way, to be sure.” He continued eating his sandwich. “Without this device in my arm, I would still be a normal man, period. But with it I become something much more powerful, the same way that when you hold the Vestige, you are enhanced. Both of these things come from the heavens, and there’s a higher life form watching to see what we do.”
Bill folded his arms as he considered this idea. It was crazy of course. But, it still made sense to him. And yet even Jeff never seemed to figure out where the Vestige came from. Was it possible that he wasn’t capable of accepting the truth that Austin presented?
Bill looked down at Austin’a arm and he salivated.
Having the Vestige was his ultimate goal, but he couldn’t shake the idea of having Austin’a mind control powers as well. If he had it all, he would be truly unstoppable. He couldn’t accept defeat one more time. It was do or die from this point on.
Austin finished his sandwich and wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin.
“So, what do we do now?” Bill asked. “Do we go looking for the ‘heroes’ and make our attack?”
Suddenly a new musical sting sounded on the monitor in front of them. Austin turned up the volume and a smile broke out on his face as a real-time news update appeared before them.
The video showed Shaun and Mae, both in full costume, landing from their flight on the front steps of the Marshall-Crichton publishing building. Before anyone could get to them for questions or apprehension, they darted inside.
Austin paused the live feed and gave Bill an anxious glance.
“It’a like I said,” he told Bill. “They’re practically handing the medallion over to us. This will be like taking toys from a toddler.”
“I hope so,” Bill grunted.
“Don’t worry,” Austin continued. “By the end of the night, we will be kings of the planet.”
27
One Last Phone Call
Our arrival at Marshall-Crichton is more publicized than I anticipated. Somewhere along the way a civilian must have spotted us (which, admittedly, is a lot easier in our brightly-colored costumes) and alerted the news media.
As Mae and I approach the massive building, there are no less than two news vans following us as best they can, weaving in and out of side streets and creeping traffic to keep us in sight as we zoom towards the publishing offices.
We descend, touching down beside some construction vehicles parked out front that are nestled behind some orange cones and caution tape. There is a large section of the front sidewalk that has been ripped up and the crumbled concrete has been deposited into a pile off to the side of the building. A few reporters and camera guys try to rush at the two of us, but they are stuck going around the construction site because some fresh concrete has been laid out, held in place by wooden frames.
This obstruction gives Mae and I enough time to hurry into the outer lobby and out of sight of the public - though we have used the media for what we intended: To broadcast our location on the news stations so that The Cloak and The Drone will come to us this time.
We hurry through the darkened lobby which has been vacant of business activity for at least an hour or two. Aside from a security guard who is off making his rounds somewhere in the building, the lobby is monitored only by the cold glass eyes of surveillance cameras along the ceiling. There is no need for more security than this because everything from the doorways to the ground level offices, to the elevators and staircases are off limits to all who do not possess an access card.
Luckily for me I do have one such card and swipe it at the nearest elevator. The doors open and in a moment the two of us are up on the higher floor where my temporary office is located.
We close ourselves inside the moderately sized room and take a breather.
“Now what?” asks Mae, un-shouldering her bag with our secret weapon
inside.
“Now we wait,” I reply.
Mae nods and sits down in an office chair to conserve her energy for the battle to come. The brown leather chair practically swallows her up, and this makes me laugh. I could use some humor before our lives change forever.
I walk over to the large glass windows and my mind wanders to my family. It’s amazing to me that I have been able to keep my Aberrant abilities a secret from Mom for so long. She has no idea that I am even here - or what I am about to face.
If I should die tonight, she will never know what truly happened. I’ve kept no diaries like Dad did. There’s no record of my battles, achievements, or failures. All of that will die with me.
I want to tell her everything, but there is no sense in worrying her to death. What will come will come, and I have no control over that.
But, then I think of Mae’s parents and wonder if they, too, will be in the dark about their daughter’s Aberrant story. It seems wrong for them to lose their daughter without an explanation.
I pull out my phone and dial the one person who I know I can talk to in a time like this.
“Hello?” says Grandpa’s voice on the other end.
A faint smile filters onto my face for a moment and his voice calms my nerves, though it doesn’t last.
“Hey, Grandpa,” I reply.
“Shaun! This is certainly a surprise,” Grandpa says. “I haven’t heard from you in a good long while.”
“I know,” I say, feeling a pang of guilt in my stomach. “The book launch has been eating up all my free time.” At the mention of the book launch, my mind fixates for a moment on another casualty of failure tonight - the Super Guy series. I still haven’t put the finishing touches on the last few issues. Those might not even be finished if I don’t make it out of here.
“That’s understandable,” Grandpa replies. “I went through that book launch stuff with your father. You’re sounding more and more like him every day.”
“I suppose so,” I say to him. “In some ways… In others, I’m finishing what Dad started.”
Grandpa is silent for a moment, then he says, “What’s going on, son?”
I reach up and rub my eyebrows.
“This might be the end,” I say. “By the end of the night it might be all over for me and Mae.” I swallow, but the lump in my throat refuses to go away. “I’m going up against The Drone...and The Cloak.”
Grandpa sounds confused. There’s the clinking of dishes and silverware in the background and I know that my grandparents must be finishing up their dinner. I wish I was there instead of here.
“What do you mean?” asks Grandpa.
“I’m at my office waiting for Bill to get here,” I reply. “Turn on the news and you’ll see it all.”
There’s some rustling on the other end of the line as Grandpa instructs Grandma to put the news on. He doesn’t sound any more impressed once he sees what’s going on.
“Shaun, they’re calling you and Mae vigilantes! This can’t be right?”
I shake my head.
“They’re all under The Cloak’s mind control,” I explain. “That’s why I’m calling. If I don’t make it out of this, I need you to tell Mom everything.” I pause. Then, “I love you. Tell her and Grandma that for me.”
Grandpa snaps back - something I didn’t expect to hear.
“No!” he says. “I won’t be telling her that because you’re getting yourself out of there! I wish you hadn’t taken that shard, then I could have come there to help you. You and Mae are no match for two villains! No - you’re getting yourself out of there now!”
I want to obey him, but I stand firm.
“No, Grandpa. I’m finishing this once and for all. Tell Mom.”
Grandpa tries to protest again, but I have already hung up the phone with tears in my eyes.
This could really be the end.
Suddenly Mae rests a hand on my shoulder.
“It’s time,” she says, nodding to the street outside the window, just below us. “They’re here.”
28
The Arrival
Down in the lobby a few minutes later, Mae and I stand back by the elevators. There is an electric current in the air, and we both know the gravity of the situation.
I glance over at her through the glass display of my visor.
“Are you ready?” I ask.
Mae takes a moment, punctuated by the cacophony of the growing crowd of spectators outside. Finally she nods.
“I guess so,” she says. “What point is there to say otherwise? Our time is up.”
I grit my teeth. This must have been what soldiers on their way to D-Day felt like. I can practically see my doom playing out in meticulous detail in my mind. So many things can go wrong…
But, Mae is right. There is no point in admitting fear or giving in to it. All we have now is our abilities, our wit, and our bravery. Whoever said bravery is not the absence of fear was absolutely right!
Mae clears her throat beside me as she straightens her stance.
“I just hope this plan of yours works.”
“Hey,” I start, giving her a side glance. “It’s our plan, remember? Partner?”
This gets a slight smile from Mae. Then it’s back to seriousness.
“Just communicate with me, alright?” she says in finality.
I nod.
“Don’t worry about that,” I reply. “When the time comes, we’ll both know what to do.”
The jeers of the crowd, no doubt hypnotized by Austin, become the most deafening yet, and Mae nods to the revolving door in front of us.
“Here they are,” she says.
If the arrival wasn’t apparent before, it definitely is now as The Drone uses his mechanized foot to smash open the door. Glass goes shimmering through the air, catching the light of the security fixtures, while bits of metal casing screech to a halt about ten feet away from the entrance. The glossy floor is now marred by the rough edges of the steel beams.
As the dust settles and the noise subsides, Austin steps through the gaping hole where the door once was. His body changes colors and textures in the holographic suit I’ve seen him wear before - like multiple video cameras are projecting the background onto him like an invisibility cloak.
Behind Austin comes Bill Flagrant, dressed in his full Drone outfit of lower body armor and dark jacket covering the rest. He clanks across the floor, a malevolent glare aimed at me and Mae, while Austin remains in one place about ten feet away from us.
“Funny I should find you here,” says Austin. “You finally came out of hiding.”
“I could say the same for you,” I reply, nodding at The Drone, who walks back and forth slowly, menacingly a few paces behind Austin. “I see you brought your bodyguard.”
This makes Austin chuckle.
“Not my bodyguard,” he says. “My partner, the same as yours.”
Mae stands just behind me. Her jaw is clenched and her expression is dripping with despise of these two destructive men. They don’t deserve to wear costumes or even have super abilities. I note that one of Mae’s hands is clenched into a fist. The other is slightly behind her back, gripping tightly to our wireless signal disruptor.
Things are about to get crazy very fast.
I get the ball rolling.
“Enough with the introductions,” I say. “Let’s get this started.”
29
Civilized Conversation
I stand in place as Austin opens his arms in a grand gesture.
“Finally,” he says. “Some civilized conversation.”
I grit my teeth. There is nothing civilized about this. I am entertaining a psychopath, and just behind him is Bill Flagrant, a man guilty of murder. If it weren't for Mae being with me, I don't know how I would be so calm.
“Let's get this over with,” I say.
Austin raises an eyebrow.
“You know what I want,” he says. “What we both want. The Vestige. You have been keeping it a s
ecret for a long time. Before that, your father kept it a secret. How different do you think our world would be if he hadn't been so selfish?”
“My father wasn't being selfish,” I reply. “He was trying to protect everyone from people like you who would use this power for your own gain.”
Austin chuckles.
“I think you're giving your father too much benefit of the doubt. He was scared. He was afraid of what would happen to him if he used the power that he had. As for me, I'm not afraid. There are bigger things going on outside of our skies, and if you will just join us, we will be ready when the invasion starts.”
I begin to laugh. The sound of my laughter echoes off the empty glass walls.
“Again with the alien invaders,” I say. “I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not you really believe what you're saying, or if it's all just a bunch of crap. You know, there have been many other people who have led hordes of followers to their doom over supposed doomsday prophecies. All of them are dead now. Do you really want to join them?”
This is the first time in our conversation that Austin seems to take true offense. He clenches one of his fists.
“I am saving these people,” he says. “All of these people. The world. You don't believe me, but you will when you see it happen.”
“You're wasting your breath,” I say.
“And you are wasting yours,” Austin snaps back. “These people behind me, just outside these walls, are loyal to me.”
“More like they are slaves,” says Mae behind me, speaking for the first time.
Austin lets out a single forced breath, his eyes locking onto Mae.
“So she finally speaks,” he says. “I was beginning to think that you had lost your voice. No doubt you take your leader’s stance on things?”
Mae doesn’t even need to respond, but she does anyway.
“Those people are not acting willingly. You are using them as puppets.”
The Aberrant Series (Book 3): Super Villain Page 12