Ex Supervillain

by Shouse, Brenden

  “If they had hellhounds,” I said, swallowing, “that would not be good.”

  Alice sniffed, “And the understatement of the year award goes to…”

  “We’ve dealt with them before.”

  Alice cocked her head at me, “I wonder if that Hellhound knocked you in the head when he slashed your leg open.”

  I winced, “It was more like a gash, wasn’t it? The one that tore your leg muscles, snapped your hamstrings, and shattered your femur?”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah, don’t remind me,” I suppressed a shudder.

  “To be fair, I don’t think that any official government agency would be allowed to use them.”

  “True, is the put-down procedure still in place then?” I asked. Alice nodded. When someone that was Enhanced died that meant someone else in the world got their power, it was less of course because of thermodynamics, but it would grow back to its original strength in a couple years and keep growing. It was more like magic than science, despite what the scientists wanted everyone to believe. “Hellhounds will cause some issues,” I muttered.

  “The now two-time winner of the understatement award of America goes to…” Alice said in her football announcer voice.

  “Let’s not focus on that right now.”

  Alice nodded, “If they have dogs, my gift will help us stay ahead of them for a while, at least.”

  I nodded, “Plus if Brittany is willing to help, it will make our lives even easier with her portals.”

  Alice frowned, “It won’t work forever.”

  I know, I didn’t voice it, I didn’t have to. I stood up and headed towards the armory. It was full of everything someone who was up to no-good would love to see. Alice even had military-grade armor in there. I turned back at the doorway and stared at her.

  “You should leave Prudence here.”

  Alice sighed, “She should be safe here. I can’t see the outcome of events that I am not directly involved in.” I opened my mouth, but she raised her hand and interrupted me. “I don’t know how else to explain it. I just can’t think of a reason she wouldn’t be safe. Leave it at that.”

  This was going to be one long night. I walked into the makeshift armory. I rummaged through the guns and wondered if limos had coffee makers.

  Limos are overrated. They’re ridiculously expensive things that people get for their senior proms to impress their dates. Things that rich men and women get to flaunt their apparent wealth. That being said, this one was awesome.

  It had everything. There was technology that would stop anyone from eavesdropping on our conversations. The interior was made exclusively with black leather and velvet. A coffee maker hissed at the front by the mini snack bar that was full of healthy and pricey looking snacks. I motioned for the two candidates to enter first. Brittany Happy and Alexander Coldera. They were the only two remaining members of the team that we needed.

  Alice slid in. I followed, closing the door behind me. I sat down and swung my finger in a tight circle. The limo accelerated smoothly. I watched for a few minutes. It turned at every intersection in a pattern that would frustrate pursuers and make it more challenging to prepare an ambush. I smiled, yet again, admiring Alice’s ability to find good help. I’d always struggled with that.

  “So,” I said, looking over towards the two of them, “Do you know who I am?” They nodded. “Good,” I said, smiling and leaning back, “We’ll skip the introductions then.”

  Brittany nodded and leaned back. She crossed her legs and rested them across her knees. Usually, it would look cute and dainty, but not when a visible bulge was in her brown leather boots, indicating that there was a gun in one of them and a tactical knife in the other. She had plenty of room to pull them out in a second if need be, but, most likely, she would chuck them while jumping back through one of her portals. She was wickedly fast, or so I’ve heard.

  Alice smiled and rested her arms against the back of the seat cushions. It intimidated some people to see someone like her while relaxed. Crime lords had nothing on Alice because when a Pre-cog was relaxed, it usually meant bad things for anyone who tried to screw with them. Old school crime bosses had to fake it and bluff all the time. Brittany’s smile froze. She leaned back and tried to look relaxed, but failed.

  “Markus, dear, why don’t you fill them in on the job?” Alice suggested. She turned her back to them and started pouring four cups of coffee. I smiled. That’s my girl. She’s still just as smooth and feline after all these years.

  “An old associate of ours kidnapped my daughter, and we’re going to get her back.”

  Brittany nodded, “How much?”

  I raised my hand, “Hold on, there are two parts to this job. Overall, everyone is looking to make a little over thirteen million apiece.” Alice handed the two of them their coffee and then sat down and handed one to me. Alice crossed her legs and leaned back against the cushions again, the image of being lazy comfortability.

  Brittany sniffed the coffee, “Three sugars?”

  “Yes, dear, just the way you prefer,” Alice said with a smile. Brittany sipped her coffee. She had a decent poker face. I had no idea what she was thinking. Then again, Alice says I’m clueless sometimes. We turned, and I splashed some of the coffee on myself. It would stain the jet-black combat armor I wore, but that wasn’t important. At least it wasn’t too hot. I downed the rest of the cup.

  “As I was saying, we’re breaking Erik Cobalt, Elias’ son out of prison. And then once we get my daughter back, we’re going to come for Elias’ organization.”

  Alexander picked at his teeth with a tactical knife, “Forgive me, but I fail to see the profitability in stopping kidnappings.”

  I smiled, “Oh, the paycheck comes later. Elias Cobalt’s cash house is estimated to have eighty million dollars, as I already stated, your shares are about thirteen million after split 6 ways.”

  “About?” He questioned.

  “Depends on the accuracy of our information.” The two of them looked at each other and nodded.

  “So why should we start with the first part and not go straight to the second phase of the plan?” Brittany asked.

  I smiled, “If you want help for the second part, you get to help us with the first phase of the job.”

  Brittany looked at Alice and cocked her head, “I’m guessing that Elias is okay with that, right? A level four Enhanced crime boss, the biggest crime boss, by the way, is going to be okay with us taking his money?”

  “Perceptive,” I said, “no, he kidnapped my daughter. I’m making sure people get the message that kids are off-limits, especially my kid.”

  Alexander spoke up, “Revenge is bad for business.”

  Alice butted in, “Thirteen million dollars says otherwise.”

  “I need time to think about it,” Alexander sighed.

  “You don’t have time, yes or no?” I shot back, growing impatient.

  Brittany cocked her head at Alice, “What does the Pre-cog-”

  Alice waved her hand, “Yes, yes, yes, someone gets caught, someone dies. It’s probably Markus. Any other questions?”

  “If I don’t, then I will bring his organization to shreds. Which makes way for new management,” I said.

  An alarm beeped. A TV monitor dropped down from the ceiling. The TV blinked on and showed the cars behind us. One of them was circled in red.

  A pair of soft tones sounded, “Escape protocols initiated.”

  The limo accelerated and turned right, slamming us all back into the seat cushions. Tires squealed as the limo sped up. Horns sounded every couple of seconds, and I grabbed onto a latch to stop bouncing around as the limo swerved from side to side.

  “This is worse than your driving, Alice.”

  “What was that?” Alice asked, gripping her seat.

  “Nothing.”

  Alice raised an eyebrow, “Mhmm. That’s what I thought.”

  The view on the TV monitor changed. The live street footage was now showing a group of six cars th
at were following us. Bright red circles surrounded all of them. I pulled the shotgun out from my coat. The people following weren’t cops, which was good because I didn’t need another charge on me. The gun was sawed off far below the legal limit.

  I looked at the map. The six vehicles were on an intercept course. There was no way that we could get out; all escape paths the computer-generated showed all cars converging on the location at the same time. I looked at Brittany and Alexander.

  “We need to get out of here.”

  “What happened to make our decision now?” She asked. I turned partially toward the door and did my best to ignore her. Alice smiled at Brittany. Her eyes started changing, the color fading to pure black.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  Alice waved a hand at me, “Shush. I’m concentrating.”

  Brittany smirked back at Alice, “Stop the car.” The car lurched as it slowed down. My face flew to meet the bulletproof glass sheet that laid between the snack bar and the driver’s seat.

  Britany held her hands out with her fingers splayed and swung them in a circle counterclockwise. A portal opened. The two of them hopped through, and I lurched forward and flew through the portal. Alice jumped through after us. Brittany swung her hands in a circle again, and the purple-blue light swirled back into her fingers.

  “We’ll be in touch,” Brittany said.

  I crossed my arms, “No, decide now.”

  “If you haven’t noticed, we’re being followed,” Brittany hissed.

  I tried to use the look reserved for disobedient toddlers and idiots, “If you haven’t noticed, you can create portals at will.” Brittany rolled her eyes and hmphed.

  Alexander looked over at Brittany, “I’m in.”

  Brittany’s eyes blazed, “Really?”

  Alexander threw his hands up, “I’m sorry, but I think a bit over 26 million dollars is a nice retirement for both of us.”

  I looked at Alice, and she looked back at me out of the corner of her eye. That hadn’t been on the dossier.

  “Look,” I pointed out at the limo. Cars surrounded it, and even though I couldn’t see them, I felt snipers watching from other buildings. Someone dressed all in a suit of white leather walked up to the limo and knocked on the driver’s window.

  Alexander placed his hand on Brittany’s shoulders, “Easy does it. Let’s go somewhere safer.”

  Brittany glowered at me, “What about the driver?” Okay, maybe she wasn’t as qualified as I thought.

  “Artificial intelligence,” I said.

  Brittany’s eyes bugged out of her head as she made a choking sound, “What kind of person uses AI? You just don’t freaking let a robot—”

  Alexander looked her in the eyes, “We need to go, babe.” Brittany shuddered and shook her head. Her hands flew in front of her, and her fingers splayed. She rotated her hands. The purple light poured out of them and formed a glowing circle. The light through the portal showed a streetlamp and trees, General Cicadas park. I started whistling. If I was right about the snipers, that would be a horrible mistake. Cicadas Park was only a good three miles from here. Brittany went through first, followed by Alice, then Alexander, and finally me. I sniffed the air, people said to stop and smell the roses, but roses have nothing on lilac trees in full bloom.

  The light behind me faded and slurped back into Brittany. She shuddered like someone who got a chill before standing up straight.

  “How far can you go?” I asked.

  Brittany smiled at me again, “A girl never shares her secrets.”

  Alice cleared her throat, “Are you in?”

  Brittany bit her lip and looked up at Alexander, “I’m in.”

  I handed them our cards, “The next meeting place is on there. Don’t be late.” Brittany turned on her heels till her back was turned. A portal formed in front of her. From behind, it looked like she made a big smoke ring, only way cooler. Alexander walked through first, and Brittany turned to face us.

  She flicked her hair and looked back at me, “Only fashionably late.” She hopped through before the portal snapped shut, leaving us in darkness other than the street lamps scattered through the park. I closed my eyes and felt exhaustion flood over me.

  “Alice, it’s been a long day.”

  Alice smiled, “Well, it’s not every day that you get in a car chase.”

  “Believe me,” I said, rubbing my eyes, “I’ve started getting way too used to it.”

  11

  Chapter 11

  I paced in the tiny living room. This was the third safe condo I had been at in a matter of a week. Alice’s fingers flew over the keyboard. I turned back and started pacing again.

  “Cut it out. You’re going to ruin my carpet.”

  “Who still has carpet?”

  Alice leaned back and folded her arms, “Me.” I rolled my eyes and walked into the kitchen. I grabbed a glass and started pacing again. “I can still hear you,” she said again from the other room.

  I muttered under my breath. The faded click, click, click of her long fingernails drummed against the keys again. I swear that woman’s typing was worse than Chinese water torture. I banged my head softly into the fridge.

  “Where are they?” I asked, checking my watch.

  “They are not late yet. Just calm down,” she sighed.

  “I would’ve been early,” I huffed.

  “They aren’t you,” Alice said, muttering under her breath. “In more ways than one.”

  I bit my lip. I wasn’t going to tell her off. The more logical and not stir-crazy side of my brain knew that I was just stressed out by the inactivity. The other side of it didn’t care. I flicked the faucet on and cleared my throat.

  “I’m singing in the rain.” I could FEEL Alice rolling her eyes in the living room. Call me Ben because I could sense a disturbance in the force. I started humming an old Southern Baptist song off-key. The disturbance in the force became more disturbed.

  “Some of us are trying to work here,” Alice groaned.

  “Some of us are feeling chipper this morning,” I shot back. Now it was Alice’s turn to mutter under her breath. I started whistling. The disturbance was as disturbed as possible now. A knock sounded at the door.

  “I’ll get it.” I resumed whistling and tried to saunter across the living room and to the door with as much fake spunk as I could summon. I opened the door. Jonathan and Brutus came in, “Goooooooood morning,” I sang. Alice took a deep breath, and I turned towards her, smiling.

  She shook her head, “You’re such a child.” I bit my lip. I wanted to call her an old grandma, but as angry as she was right now, that comment would probably end with a butter knife in my chest. Nonlethal, but hey, it hurts a lot.

  “I’m done now,” I laughed. Jonathan looked from me to Alice. Then he sat down, slowly.

  “You two are here early,” Alice said, shooting daggers at me.

  Brutus shrugged, “We try.”

  Another knock sounded. I opened the door and admitted the other two. Jonathan took a deep breath. Alexander and Brittany glared at something over my shoulder. I turned around and saw a pair of glowing cubes had appeared in Jonathan’s left hand and bounced around, clicking, never losing momentum, just bouncing again and again. I rubbed my temples and regretted thinking ill about the obnoxious typing noises that Alice had made.

  “You.” Brittany seemed to spit; her eyes flicked behind me to where Alice was sitting.

  “You got these jokes—”

  Jonathan started choked and grabbing at his throat.

  I glared at Alexander, “Don’t go all Vader right now.” Jonathan wheezed and coughed.

  I felt my estimation of him go slightly up, the kid had guts, or was stupid and felt like he needed to pick a fight with every bully that came along. I felt myself liking him. Then again, he wasn’t like me. He was weaker in some ways, but a lot stronger in others. If they were out there, they sure didn’t last long.

  Alice cleared her throat. Everyone lo
oked over at her, even me. Her face seemed perfectly calm, but her eyes blazed.

  “Gentlemen, if your quarrel will get in the way of the execution of the mission, then settle it now.” Alice looked from Alexander to Jonathan and back. “It obviously will, so settle it now.”

  Jonathan coughed and took a deep breath, “Well?”

  “Outside,” Alice growled.

  Boy, am I glad I never tick Alice off. No siree bob. I am an angel that, in no way added to Alice’s anger because I’m far too smart. The two of them glared daggers at each other. The door slammed behind them. I got Alice a coffee. It calmed her down, usually. That being said, giving energy to one of the most terrifying mental Enhanced was probably the second smartest thing I had done today.

  My hands tingled. Alice’s face was twisted up. She looked like she was trying very hard not to do something. Great, my life couldn’t possibly get more complicated. I summoned up a false sense of cheer and turned back to her and smiled.

  “Soooooooo, should we start?” I asked.

  Alice shook her head, “I’m not in the mood to repeat myself.”

  I sat down, crossed my legs, and laid my hands on my knees. Doing, I admit, something that could be construed possibly as a mockery of the position Brittany had taken the previous day. I looked over at her and flicked my luscious and very imaginary hair.

  Brittany rolled her eyes and Brutus grinned. He might not have realized I was mocking Brittany, but my pose was very cute. The only person not enjoying this was a certain pouty mc-pouty face.

  “Who peed in your cornflakes?” I asked Alice.

  Alice sighed and shook her head, “I didn’t sleep very well. It’s okay though, coffee will help.”

  I looked over at Brutus and Brittany, “I’m guessing introductions between the two of you are in order.”

  Brittany smiled, “We’ve been on a mission or two before.”