by Logan Jacobs
Maybe I should have called Elizabeth over.
I wondered if his suit was blast-proof.
“That’s not your call,” the Shadow Knight’s voice was low as he took an aggressive step toward me. “You’re starting to sound more and more like a supervillain yourself. What makes you think you’re better than them?”
“Because I get results!” I threw up my hands in exasperation. “Are you really protecting anyone by letting supervillains live to steal, murder, and rape all over again?”
So-called heroes like the Shadow Knight and Optimo were really so far up their own asses that they couldn’t see that I was right. Besides the social media crap, it was the thing I hated most about all of these so-called superheroes. They were so caught up in their own obsession with morality that they completely ignored the big picture, and what they were actually supposed to do. They let innocents continue to die at supervillain hands just so they could feel like they weren’t murderers themselves.
And they called me sociopathic.
I wasn’t about to let him think he scared me, so I took a step toward him with my fists balled. We stared each other down, and neither of us would budge. The Shadow Knight’s entire body was tensed and coiled, so I guessed he was ready to spring.
“The prison’s security has been improved, and our prisoners aren’t going anywhere anymore.” The Shadow Knight spoke slowly, like the words were an effort to say, which they probably were because he was growling every syllable like a rabid dog. “You aren’t needed here, and if you don’t back off and leave Grayville alone, you’re going to end up joining them.”
I’d had enough of this guy. I flicked on my laser and shot up my hand toward him. At the same time, he finally lunged toward me--
“EMERGENCY!”
“BREAKING NEWS!”
Two simultaneous AI voices stopped the two of us dead in our tracks with our fists still raised. The alert had been so loud that I’d heard the Shadow Knight’s own, far more primitive, robotic AI alert through whatever earpiece he was wearing. It entirely drowned out Aileen’s sophisticated and sensual voice. I let my fist drop and switched my laser off, since the Shadow Knight was suddenly very focused on whatever he was being told. His face looked grim.
“Make it quick, Aileen. I was just about to teach this guy a lesson,” I said, and I wasn’t too happy with the interruption.
“You are going to want to hear this, Creator,” she began. “There has been a mass break-out at Grayville Prison’s overflow institution.”
“Overflow institution?” I questioned.
“A prison for small-time supervillains.” Aileen explained smoothly. “Usually henchmen and lackies to the main villains, or petty criminals, but they did have a few supervillains, and those have now escaped.”
Of course, this city had an overflow institution. The Shadow Knight needed to make sure his prisoners were comfortable and had plenty of space to roam around in. I wondered how much of his hard-working citizens’ tax dollars were funneled into it.
“How many?” I asked, and as much as I hated hearing that more supervillains were on the loose, I also couldn’t help but feel a little smug. I glanced over at the Shadow Knight, who was having a tense and quiet conversation with his own AI assistant.
So much for his newly secured prisons.
“At least ten. Maybe more.”
“Start keeping track of the ones you can find,” I ordered Aileen. “Make me a list of all escaped supervillains and rank them in order of most dangerous to least dangerous, as well as what known powers they have. If they have any. Some of them will probably stick together, but I’d bet a lot of them will go their own separate ways. Make note of the ones who group together, and where they’re likely to make their hideouts.”
“I will do it, Miles,” Aileen said.
As smug as I felt, ten was a lot of supervillains to contend with. The overflow prison might only hold the small-time villains, but there were so many of them that I didn’t think my kick ass team would be able to handle it on our own before they killed tons of innocent people. Especially if the Shadow Knight was going to get in our way at every turn. If we had to fight ten supervillains along with the Shadow Knight and his sidekick, it wasn’t going to end very well.
“Extra security measures failed already, huh?” I raised my voice to address him. “What was that about not needing me?”
“I still don't need you,” the Shadow Knight stiffly replied. “I can handle this on my own.”
“Oh, yeah?” I retorted, because I already knew we were going to need to find some sort of compromise here. “You can fight ten supervillains at once?”
My feathered friend looked very displeased. I didn’t blame him, and I wondered if this mass prison-break would even make a dent in his moral shield.
“I’ll go after them one at a time,” he replied with a tone that was much less firm.
I could see the gears turning in his head, because even if the Shadow Knight had a stupid, idealistic idea of what justice meant, he still wanted to keep his city safe. He just hated the idea of cooperating with me so much that he couldn’t bring himself to admit it.
“So, you’ll let the rest of them run wild and cause one of the worst crime sprees Grayville has ever seen, just to prove you don’t need help?” I asked.
The Shadow Knight growled wordlessly through his teeth, but didn’t respond. Instead, I used his frustrated silence to consider my own options. If I played my cards right, I might be able to use this to have the Shadow Knight see things my way. He just needed a solid push in the right direction, and this was as good as an opportunity for that as I’d ever get.
Besides, no matter how much I might disagree with his methods, I wasn’t spiteful or petty enough to let any city be overrun by criminals.
“Listen, you might not believe me, but I do everything I do to keep people safe,” I tried to reason with him. “That was why I came up with my C.D.S. in the first place.”
“So, it wasn’t just a tool for voyeurism?” the Shadow Knight replied dryly.
“Get off your high horse,” I snapped. “Right now, we’re each other’s best bet to save Grayville, and you know it.”
He continued to glare at me as he ground his teeth so hard that I could hear them practically crack.
“Alright,” his voice was still fake-deep, but I could hear hints of Dan Slade in there. “I’ll admit that I need your help.”
The words felt dragged out of him, but I still took pleasure in them.
“It takes a brave man to admit he was wrong,” I said, so I didn’t entirely alienate him. Besides, I did appreciate what was probably as close to an apology as I’d ever get out of him.
“I didn’t say I was wrong,” he growled.
“Oh, sure,” I snickered. “You just happened to change your mind when I pointed out you were wrong. We can call it ‘less right’ if that makes your ego feel better.”
“Do you want to work together or do you want to insult me?” he growled.
“Both,” I admitted, “but if there is an either-or option, I’ll pick the first one.”
“We do this on my terms, not yours,” he spat, and his voice was gruff again. “I’ll accept your help to recapture all the escaped supervillains. There will be no killing, except in self-defense if it’s absolutely necessary. And I’ll know if you kill when it’s not necessary.”
“You saw what just putting them in prison did, right?” I resisted the urge to groan. “You even said you added extra security measures, and they broke right out of them.”
“The overflow prison was not given the same security updates,” he explained, though it didn’t make it any better. “I’ll make sure they improve the security there. This won’t happen again.”
I doubted that, but there was no point in trying to convince him otherwise.
“Fine, fine,” I exhaled. “We’ll recapture them your way, on one condition.”
The Shadow Knight looked skeptical.
<
br /> “Which is?”
“Let my assistant and me look over the new security system you are putting in and make improvements. Then I can make sure that they never manage to escape again.” I offered what I thought was a pretty fair condition, all things considered.
It would also give me a good excuse to take a look at the Shadow Knight’s current level of technology, provided Slade Technologies was the one who had made the security system’s improvements. It was pretty likely that it was. I already knew that he had a secret hidden island base since he’d practically rubbed it right in my face when we rode together on his yacht, and the Shadow Knight was such a private and secretive man that I doubted he would let anyone else design a security system for him.
I could relate. My own home security had been entirely designed by my assistant Norma and I, though Norma’s style leaned the way of too sadistic for the Shadow Knight’s tastes. If only he would let me put in the circular saw blade I used in my house to keep out invaders, but I knew he wouldn’t approve of that. He’d probably just call me a supervillain again if he saw it. That would definitely be a step backward in our relationship.
I’d just have to come up with something else.
“I designed C.D.S. just for the purpose of protecting Pinnacle City,” I added as the Shadow Knight took too long to deliberate over my proposition. “You really have the wrong idea of me. I want to help.”
He watched me and still didn’t seem too convinced.
“Maybe I do,” he sighed. “Maybe you’ll prove me wrong.”
I grinned. “I’m sure I will.”
It took him another few seconds of quiet contemplation before he spoke again.
“Then you can make your own adjustments to the prison security system,” he relented. “In exchange, we’ll work together to recapture each escaped prisoner and make sure they get safely back into their cells. Your team will need to agree to this, too.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, like he thought I was going to try to find a way around his words. I smiled back at him, unphased by the daggers he glared at me. It was going to be rather annoying to have to capture every single supervillain and put them back into jail instead of just killing them on the spot, but I could deal with that. For now.
“They will,” I assured him. “We’ll help you and your team return every single supervillain back to their cells, where they’ll never manage to escape from again.”
The Shadow Knight gave a reluctant nod.
“Then we have a deal,” he choked out, and I could tell the words hurt him to say.
“And a partnership. Temporarily, anyway.” I gave him my best smile.
He looked reproachful at the idea, which amused me. It was difficult to imagine working together with him at all, but I’d just have to make the best of it. The idea of being in command of a full team of superheroes was definitely something I could get behind, and if this worked out well, then I could have a whole network of superheroes ready to protect any city. I knew that was a long shot, since it was unlikely the Shadow Knight would want to work with me beyond this, but it was an idea that I thought held a lot of promise. If not the Shadow Knight himself, then maybe the members of his team would be easier to sway over to my side.
But I wouldn’t let myself obsess over that for now. We had a huge task ahead of us, and I’d have to try to get along with him. At least so we weren’t at each other’s throats the entire time.
So I held out my hand.
“Deal?”
The feather-cloaked hero hesitated, but he reached out and shook my hand with a firm grip.
“Deal.” He confirmed.
I really had to wonder what was going through his head, and how far he thought he could trust me. Honestly, I thought the same. But if I had to give the Shadow Knight anything, it was that he was very straightforward and easy to read. He was grumpy, serious, and had absolutely no sense of humor to the point where even Aileen could probably make better jokes. As for his Dan Slade persona, well, if I’d learned anything from being on his yacht it was that he was a decent actor, but still not a good enough thespian to fool me.
I didn’t think I had much to worry about.
I pulled my hand back from his, and the Shadow Knight picked up our half-forgotten bank robber from the net he was trapped in against the ground. I felt a little bad for him at this point, but I felt worse about the fact that I hadn’t been able to murder him with my new toy.
“Then as a show of our new partnership, you can take care of him.” I gestured idly to the man that the Shadow Knight had already slung over his shoulder. “Oh. Your place, or mine?”
I flashed him another smile, because I already knew the answer.
“Yours,” he responded flatly.
“Great,” I said, and meant it since I’d rather have access to my own equipment while we planned anyway. “Gather up any allies you might have and meet me there. We’ll start compiling files on each of the escaped supervillains, but feel free to bring anything you have on them. You put them in there in the first place, so I’m sure you know more than we do.”
The Shadow Knight nodded, but he was clearly done with this conversation and had nothing left to say to me. I wondered if he regretted having to ask for my help, but he knew as well as I did that he didn’t have any other choice in the matter. I turned to walk back to my car and left the feathered hero to do his job and drop the Human Magnet off in prison. I had bigger fish to fry.
“Aileen.” I addressed her once I was on the way back to my car and out of Dan Slade’s hearing range. “Wake up Norma and catch her up to speed, then have her start laying out files on the various escaped supervillains.”
“Of course,” she purred into my ear, and I slid into my car to drive back home.
It was time to show the Shadow Knight how to do his job properly.
Chapter 2
By the time I arrived back at my new mansion, the sun was up and Norma and Dynamo were both awake, sitting on the couch, and looking through the files that Aileen had prepared. I had set up several large television screens in the living room, mostly for the purpose of watching the news and keeping an eye on Grayville’s happenings, but Aileen had taken them over to display information on the various escaped supervillains. She had, of course, finished her task before I’d even gotten back and changed out of my suit, so each screen was loaded up with everything we could gather on them.
Norma got up from the couch when I arrived, but Elizabeth remained seated and continued to click through the information on the screens.
“This is a mess, isn’t it, Miles?” My omni-average assistant asked as she adjusted her large, nerdy spectacles and smiled shyly at me.
She’d gotten dressed in one of her usual outfits, an oversized sweater to hide her figure and a flower-patterned skirt. I didn’t enjoy the way she dressed, but she found so much pleasure in flowery patterns and cute prints that I couldn’t bring myself to object to them. Everything ended up flattering on her in an average manner, anyway. Norma had mousy brown hair and an average figure. She wasn’t as stunningly beautiful as my girlfriend Elizabeth, but my assistant was still pretty in her own right. It was her own lack of confidence that held her back more than anything.
Elizabeth turned around to greet me with a lopsided smile and a wave, but she didn’t get up. She focused immediately back on the screens.
“Understatement of the century,” I replied as I walked closer to stand just behind the couch.
“We’ve dealt with worse.” Elizabeth craned her neck to look up at me, and her long locks of raven-black hair brushed against my hand.
“This wouldn't be nearly so difficult if the Shadow Knight was willing to play by our rules this time,” I said I petted her hair back into place and gave her a sly smile.
“But he won’t,” Norma said, “so we’ll just have to prove it to him.”
Elizabeth and I watched the screens of supervillains flicker past, and I made a mental note of the more dangerous ones.
My girlfriend leaned forward to get a better look at one of the screens, and I found myself distracted by her silky black wrap dress. It accented her curves and dipped low enough in the front that it revealed her ample chest, especially as she leaned forward now.
“Aileen informed you of my plan, right?” I asked as I tore my eyes away from Elizabeth’s cleavage to address Norma.
“Yes!” My assistant held up her tablet to show me the start of her plans. “I’ve already gotten started on the prison’s new security system. I’ll probably need a bit of help from you and Aileen, but it’ll be really easy to do.”
“Good.” That was one less thing for me to worry about, and I trusted Norma to handle it.
Then the screens beeped and shuffled around to show a view from one of the city’s security cameras several miles away from the house, and I watched as the Shadow Knight’s flashy, tech-heavy car flew down the road.
“The Shadow Knight and his team are approaching the mansion,” Aileen said through the speakers of the house. “I estimate they will arrive in approximately eleven minutes. Shall I keep myself hidden in the basement, Creator?”
“Yes, for now,” I said. “He has an AI system of his own, but it sucks. You’re my secret weapon.”
“It is true that I am the most advanced AI system,” Aileen observed. “I will stay in the basement, as you requested.”
“In your spare time, how about you try to hack into his system?” I suggested. “I want to know what Slade Technologies is all about, and what he’s hiding.”
“Of course. I will achieve quantum supremacy for you, Creator,” she replied.
It was true that Aileen was my secret weapon, and I’d rather not have anyone know about her in case I needed her to be a surprise. Of course, it was also true that she couldn’t exactly pass as human yet, even if she did have a full, working body, and sometimes her facial expressions could be quite unsettling to people who weren’t used to her.