Blackbird braced herself. As she tensed, she saw the Dragon Star bringing her powerstaff to bear. She smiled behind her mask.
"Bring it, bitch."
There was a crack and the wind from the broken wall gusted, causing Blackbird to sway on her feet. Then she heard a soft sound behind her, and spun around in surprise.
Linear stood behind her, arms folded, his sleek silver suit gleaming in the sunlight.
"That's no way to talk to a young lady."
Blackbird dropped to a battle stance, but she knew it was pointless. She was a champion fighter, but had only slightly augmented strength and agility. Against Hephaestus, the Dragon Star, Bluebell and Linear, she had no chance. The attack was possibly the biggest fuck-up of her entire supercriminal career.
Then again, if she was going down, she could at least break a few of their bones in the process.
She curled her left hand into a fist, said a quick prayer to the goddess of advanced body armor, and with a feint to the right hooked Linear from the left. The speedster fell for it and was propelled backwards, crashing awkwardly onto the glass-covered floor near the smashed window. Less than a second after her punch landed, Blackbird's mask picked up movement behind her as the Dragon Star shifted her grip on her powerstaff, bringing the weapon to bear as she jogged forward. Blackbird kicked backwards, throwing herself completely off balance but pushing the powerstaff back into the hero's face, to which it connected heavily. She too stumbled backwards, Bluebell stepping forward and around her as the Dragon Star collided with the conference table. The all-American beauty, all blonde hair and blue eyes, had a face as dark as a storm.
"Oh, Blackbird," she said with a smile. "I've been waiting for this for a long time."
They fell. As they did, Tony thought back to the bank robbery, to the first time he had met the Cowl in person. So, this was just like old times. He tightened his grip around Conroy's chest, letting just a fraction of superstrength leak out. Even with the too-long cloak flapping around his head, he heard a rib crack and Conroy yelp in pain.
The conference room had been fifty stories up. Tony's intention was to kill Conroy, but he wanted to do it with his own hands. As soon as he had broken through the floor he'd spun onto his back, holding Conroy above him as he pushed himself downwards, flying through floor after floor after floor, rending steel-reinforced concrete like tissue paper. He wanted Conroy dead, but he also wanted to frighten him a little first, terrorize him as he had done to the good people of San Ventura when he had been wearing the hooded mask, the famous cowl that had given him his name and that Tony now wore himself. Tony was pleased with the irony.
Twenty floors and the whole building shook. Positioned above Tony, Conroy had escaped major injury, but the flying debris that swarmed around the pair as they crashed through the building caught his legs and arms. Already his new costume was dirty and beaten. Tony assumed that he was now completely unpowered, which meant no matter how impenetrable the armor was, it wouldn't stop Conroy from hurting.
Twenty-five floors. They weren't alone. Tony was looking directly upwards over Conroy's shoulder. Above, the red glowing form of Aurora, arm outstretched as he flew downwards, his speed flaring his ever-present energy aura into a comet tail. From this distance, Tony could still see the smug smile, the blank white eyes, and the flaming hair pulled into the trail.
Farther up, a flickering, diffuse blue glow that hid whatever it was that made it. But it was growing bigger − Tony assumed it was the Dragon Star, or one of the other energy-based heroes.
Aurora and the blue glow were getting closer. Thirty floors. Tony put the gas on and sped away and downwards, the next floor exploding as he pushed through it. Faster. Forty floors, forty-five floors, then… space.
Tony swore and jerked a look behind him. Had he miscounted? No, it was the atrium, a five-story-high space filled with prismatic light. Which meant the next impact was going to be the big one.
The air around Tony and Conroy flashed red. Tony looked back up, and saw Aurora gathering energy from his comet tail and throwing plasma balls. But not at Tony, behind him. The plasma took a few seconds to dissipate and with careful timing, Aurora was managing to place them so the expanding globes hit Tony from behind, quite effectively keeping his hostage from harm. For Tony it was only a minor inconvenience, but it stopped him from concentrating. Which, he realized too late, was entirely the point.
Tony was also right about the next impact. This was the atrium floor, street level, the concrete thicker and laid onto a stronger steel framework that provided ground level support. Tony twisted and took the impact with a shoulder instead of his back. The shockwave vibrated through him to Conroy, who cried out in surprise and pain. But Tony didn't let the floor stop him, he powered downwards, rubble exploding out from around him. Two lower levels, much like the ones above, then space again. Tony was in unknown territory now, with no idea how far down the Citadel sublevels went. But he wanted to reach the bottom, and then bring the entire structure down on the Cowl. Flashy, theatrical, unnecessary. The perfect death for the last supervillain on Earth.
The space through which they fell confused Tony, so he turned to the vertical and slowed their descent to get a look. They were in another open chamber, larger than the atrium above but a similar shape. At floor level, the circular walls were lined with large blue server cabinets, LED indicators flickering red and green. From the ceiling hung various arms, chains, harnesses in a dozen different sizes and shapes, clawed arms and mobile platforms. The floor itself was mostly empty space, with only a few wheeled trolleys and cabinets scattered around. It looked like some kind of laboratory or, more accurately, a factory floor.
The workshop was illuminated evenly and brightly by a large circular portal in one wall. At three stories high, it was a brilliant white and yellow swirl of light and heat. The green metal door, three yards thick at least, was ajar. In front of the maelstrom, far too close for any normal person to be able to stand the heat, stood an old-fashioned blacksmith's anvil, and a bath of quenching oil. Tony realized where they were – the workshop of Hephaestus. Everyone in the city had heard of it, although none had seen it. It was too dangerous, nobody except the superheroes − and even then only four out of the seven − could enter the workshop. This was the Nuclear Forge where Hephaestus made superhero weaponry and armor. Where he had designed, shaped and hammered a robotic superhero, SMART, into being.
Tony touched down gently, releasing his bear hug around Conroy but keeping hold of him by one arm. Conroy didn't struggle as he was too busy shielding his face from the furnace. Tony wondered how long it would be before Conroy succumbed to the radiation, and then it occurred to him that he wasn't even sure he was safe himself. This wasn't the best place for a fight. If he brought the Citadel crashing down on top of his enemy, the furnace would go up and take out the entire city. That certainly wasn't the intention.
"Justiciar!"
Tony looked up and then dragged his hostage backwards, towards the Forge. Aurora swept down, hitting the spot where Tony had stood with one knee, cratering the workshop floor. He stood immediately as SMART descended on its blue rocket motors behind him. Tony looked at them both from under his hood, the famous cowl fluttering in the hot wind thundering from the open Forge behind him.
Aurora took a step forward, but seeing Tony retreat an equal distance, stopped and stepped backwards. He held a hand out, but not in anger.
"Tony, we must leave the workshop. The radiation level is too high for normal people. You and Paragon are in great danger if you do not leave now."
Aurora was one of the heroes who could enter the workshop. Hell, he could take a walk through the furnace, which would do nothing but recharge his energy aura. SMART was built here; the Forge was its home.
But maybe Aurora was right. Tony felt beads of sweat sliding down his forehead under his mask. He didn't sweat, not anymore, not since he became a superman. Seems he wasn't radiation-proof. Conroy practically hung from his grip, his l
egs bowed and eyes half-closed. A few more minutes and he'd be unconscious, the radiation poisoning irreversible. Paragon? Now there was a crappy superhero name.
This wasn't the plan. The plan had to be spectacular, historic.
Aurora spoke again, but Tony wasn't listening. He was looking up at the angled ceiling of the workshop, estimating a route. He swung Conroy by the arm, curling him into his chest, and launched himself at a seventy-degree angle. Fist held in front, Tony split the ceiling of the workshop and powered upwards.
Aurora and SMART watched his flight until the rubble from the ceiling stopped falling, but neither launched to follow. A shard of sunlight from the street above stabbed downwards, spotlighting Hephaestus' anvil.
Aurora touched his ear. "Hephaestus, the workshop is breached. Seal the damage to prevent contamination of the city. SMART and I will be in pursuit."
The communication crackled, reception affected by the radiation. Eventually the Greek's deep bass answered in the affirmative.
Aurora aimed for the ceiling breach, and looked over his shoulder at SMART.
"Let's fly."
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Their original plan – such as it was – had been foiled, not by the Seven Wonders, but by his own woolly thinking. Think, then act. Have a plan. Consider the possibilities. Do not let emotion rule the mind.
Think.
Conroy had already begun to recover, out here in the open and the fresh air, away from the radioactive glow of the Nuclear Forge. But he didn't struggle as they flew. He was learning; Tony had all the power − his powers − and falling from this height would be certain death.
Not that Tony would ever let him go. Oh no. Unable to drop the Citadel of Wonders on him, Tony had settled on something far easier. But in a way, the simplicity of it would send an even stronger message, not just to the Seven Wonders but to the whole city. Execution, in public. In fact, right on the corner of Busiek and Carey – the Moore– Reppion Plaza, the busiest shopping strip in San Ventura, packed on a sunny Saturday in summer.
Tony heard Aurora's call but ignored it, not looking back. To gather his thoughts, Tony had headed east, to the outskirts of San Ventura and had begun an orbit of the city limits. Their destination was only a couple of miles from the superheroic headquarters, but Tony wanted a moment to think and decide and be sure he was right. He paused in the air high out to the west over the coast, then angled down towards the broad pedestrian mall of Lafferty Boulevard and powered forward, carrying his helpless victim with him.
People stopped, and stared, and pointed. Some smiled, enjoying what they thought was a bout of superpowered aerobatics, seeing only a fluttering cloak and lithe, costumed forms, not recognizing the black on black on black of the Cowl from this distance, nor the nondescript black armor and white cross of Paragon, a new hero they'd never even met.
As Tony got closer, some shouted, and some ran as people recognized the costume. San Ventura had a population of nearly two million. All knew what their resident supervillain looked like. Some had seen him in the flesh. A few had felt his power and witnessed his crimes at close range.
Tony smiled, and to ensure maximum attention he dived low over the ground, scattering shoppers and tourists before arcing up into the cloudless sky, catching the top of the curve in a graceful pause, then plunging down again. He hit the ground in a dramatic pose, deliberately so, causing the flashy pavement of the shopping street to crack with a gunshot report. Tony threw Conroy to one side; the former supervillain rolled to a stop and remained still.
Tony had taken too long with the display. Aurora stood on the street, a hundred yards from him, SMART towering behind. They'd been waiting.
The crowd had transformed − half had fled to nearby shops or whisked children away as they raced for parking lots, taxi ranks, anything to get away. The remainder were too foolhardy or too curious − or both − or those unable to distinguish superheroic street theater from real warfare. The crowd naturally moved into a huge circle around the superheroes and supervillain. There was sporadic applause and hoots from the more carefree members of the public.
Aurora and SMART didn't make any attempt to get any closer. Tony suspected they were enjoying the spectacle as well. And then it occurred to him: this is what superheroes do, and especially what superheroes in San Ventura do. True, the Seven Wonders hadn't taken down a supervillain since Green Tiger, the last supervillain but one who took a swift one-two from Sand Cat before being thrown out into the bay with a single swipe of the Dragon Star's powerstaff. But they'd done it to ordinary criminals. Powered, superpowered, unpowered. It didn't matter. It was all theater to them. Just like this. This was what they wanted. Tony spit onto the sidewalk and was sure he saw Aurora's permanent smirk twitch just a little higher.
The leader of the superheroes moved his hand to his belt and pressed a button. His voice was loud, just enough for most of the crowd to hear and for the rest to ask friends and strangers what the mighty man had said. Tony was right. Aurora's smirk was now an arrogant, lip-curling smile.
"Seven Wonders, unite!"
With the sound of a low-flying jet, a silver flash streaked just over the heads of the crowd, making a circuit of the shopping plaza before materializing just behind Aurora's shoulder. Linear's silver suit shone in the sun. From out of that sun, the Dragon Star and Bluebell descended together, each with one shapely leg bent upwards in an arrival that was clearly choreographed and much rehearsed.
A murmur rumbled through one side of the crowd, which turned to shouts of surprise as a giant cat made of blue smoke leapt clear over their heads and into the arena, an armored Grecian warrior brandishing a huge hammer skywards riding the creature's back. As soon as the spirit cat touched down, Hephaestus leapt to the ground and Sand Cat spun in mid-air, transforming into her human warrior form.
As the Seven Wonders faced Tony in Moore–Reppion Plaza, Tony's confidence slipped. He wanted to back away… but he remembered Jeannie's defiance in the face of huge odds, and held his stance, fists closed. Shit. This was exactly what they wanted. He'd fallen right into their trap.
"Give it up, Justiciar." Aurora's voice came loud and clear. The assembled spectators hushed into silence, heads turning from superhero to supervillain and back again. "There's seven of us, and one of you, and you can't win. It's time to answer to the city of San Ventura."
Would it matter if he made the first move? Should he wait and see what happened? If they attacked first, would that give him the advantage? Tony wasn't sure. Last time he'd encountered the Seven Wonders he'd fled. Flight had been more important than fight. But now the fight had arrived. He kept quiet, deciding to wait for Aurora's move.
It wasn't Aurora that acted first. Their actions were synchronized, each member of the superteam so in tune with the others that any movement one of them made was matched and complemented by the others.
Linear dissolved into a silver blur as he charged forward, while the Dragon Star ascended vertically and let out a rapid-fire barrage of energy bolts from the glowing end of her powerstaff. Tony dodged these easily, swinging to the left, directly into Linear's path. The speedster collected Tony with a Mach 1 punch to the cheek, sending him flying out of the plaza and through two nearby parked cars and the glass front of a shop. People scattered and screamed, but overall the crowd just buckled before reforming in a slightly larger circle to watch the fight.
Linear stood in the center of the boulevard, the Dragon Star alighting next to him and firing another dozen bolts into the wrecked shop front. Behind them, Aurora, Bluebell and SMART were airborne, hovering ten feet above the paving. After the Dragon Star lowered her staff, the only sound for half a minute was the bleating of car alarms and the chiming tinkle of broken glass falling. Aurora lowered himself to the ground and wound up his aura to a bright crimson glow.
Tony exited the shop at speed, diving head first towards the heroes. Knowing Aurora to be the most difficult opponent, he flicked himself towards Sand Cat, aiming for her he
ad. Sand Cat saw this and transformed with a roar into her animal form, catching Tony in mid-flight. The pair were dragged backwards, wrestling for control. Despite her smoky, translucent appearance, Sand Cat remained a solid object, and grabbing the mane-like hair on the back of her cat form's neck, Tony managed to flip the hero onto her back, and then scooped her up by her two front paws and swung her across the road where she collided with spectators, toppling them like skittles.
Hephaestus yelled and, hammer high, charged at Tony. Tony met the hammer blow with his forearm, but the impact forced him to his knees, where a blast of blue laser from SMART's main gun arm caught him full in the side. Tony staggered sideways, only just blocking Hephaestus' second hammer blow with his other arm. Allowing the Greek's momentum to carry him awkwardly backwards, Tony rolled out and up onto his feet, swinging outward with his left leg as soon as he had purchase. His boot connected with Hephaestus' side, knocking the superhero a dozen yards away. Tony heard SMART adjust its aim, and just as the robot fired a second laser blast Tony shot upwards in flight, leaving the shot to create a smoking hole in the ground where he had been standing.
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