Andrey gave him a stern look, imploring the teenager to understand the seriousness of the situation they had gotten themselves into. “Add perfect voice imitation, and you’ve got a fairly accurate picture of Gentleman’s powerset.”
“So you could be him now, for all we know,” Nora said.
“Could be. But since you’re sitting here with me right now, I don’t believe you think that.”
She didn’t have any more questions for him, which meant Andrey passed the test.
“What else do you know about him?” Christina raised her cigarette for Peter to light.
“Well, unlike Mirage, he can only imitate voices. He can’t project them anywhere, though. Since he’s working with Data, we have to assume he has access to all kinds of audio equipment.” He let the statement hang in the air, allowing the teenagers to draw their own conclusions.
“Can he actually teleport himself around?” Peter asked. “Or is that only a rumor?”
“I suppose it’s possible. I have no doubt that he would do anything in his power to get a teleporter on his side, but for the moment I believe he’s faking it with his illusions.”
Christina pulled a face. “Always the actor.”
“So you know about his background?” Andrey asked her.
“He used to be Scott DeLuca, a stage actor who didn’t make any waves until he landed a big Broadway role back in 2009. A King Arthur piece, right?” Christina paused to take a drag. “He later stole a bunch of cash from his colleagues and disappeared. Went on to start the Conglomerate with Data, a master of robotics, artificial intelligence, and information networks.”
Knowing that the Wardens had done their homework, Andrey allowed himself to relax. “That’s the gist of it, yes. In my opinion, Data is the key to whatever power Gentleman has and the reason he’s stayed under the radar for so long.”
“Because Data manipulates or erases any information that inconveniences the Conglomerate, you mean?” Peter clarified.
“Yes. So far, knock on wood, Athena has been able to keep him out of the Covenant’s servers.”
Nora grinned. “She’s one kick-ass chick, that Athena.”
Andrey felt a rush of affection inside him. “Right, she is. When it comes to intelligence networks, she’s the only one who can hold a candle to Data. But even with Athena’s help, the UNEOA could never trace more than a fraction of the Conglomerate’s server farms and resources.”
Peter raised a hand. “Wait. Didn’t they try back in February when the whole World Wide Web was temporarily shut off? I remember because I couldn’t stream Anime all day.” His face had a faraway, sad look. When Nora kicked him under the table, he jumped.
Andrey went on, unfazed by their antics. “The shutdown was an international effort to track Data and disrupt his data flow manipulations. It failed, unfortunately.”
Christina brushed the pad of her thumb against her cigarette filter. “There has to be a way to track him.”
Don’t I wish, Andrey thought.
“I guess it’s only going to get harder from now on,” he told them. “I don’t know about the Conglomerate’s current resources, but we have to assume that they kidnapped the Visionary who transitioned after they murdered Queenie. We have to expect that they’re aware of our moves the instant we make them.”
“But how would they know?” Peter’s brows furrowed in thought.
“Data has the means to intercept reports about newly Evolved transitions anywhere in the world,” Andrey responded. “Unless they were delivered by carrier pigeons, that is.”
“So powers really come back after one of us dies?” Christina asked, a frown passing over her already serious face.
Nora slumped in her chair. “That sucks. I hoped those TV villains in Liverpool were shitting us.”
“So it’s possible the Conglomerate murdered the Traveler,” Christina murmured thoughtfully. “Honestly, I think the EU’s new teleporter will need bodyguards if they don’t want the same to happen to him. To anyone with any good powers, really.”
“Exactly,” Andrey said, impressed by the girl’s conclusions. “Now do you understand why I’m concerned about what you’re trying to do?” He gave her the serious look he had practiced on Denis on more than one occasion.
To his surprise, she smiled back at him. It was a sad, tired smile, but it was an improvement over how she had guarded herself around him before. “Hey, all I’m doing is starting a conversation. If they want to murder me, they’ll find a way to do it whether I get involved or not.”
Nora snorted. “They can try, but they’re gonna fail. Like Legion failed, like that telekinetic asshole at the stadium failed, and Data’s monster robot, too.” She looked Andrey straight in the eye. “That’s right, Superhero. Chris kicked all their butts.”
Peter grinned. “Yeah, our team mascot is a badass.”
Teenage optimism. Andrey waved away the cigarette smoke that was drifting in his general vicinity.
And luck. There was something about Christina that he hadn’t seen in most other Evolved: the ability to inspire others, and the drive to make things happen. But he had more questions for her before he could put aside his concern. “Again, what exactly do you hope to achieve by talking to Gentleman? And what makes you believe that he would even agree to talk with you? He’s just as likely to kidnap you.”
Christina put out the cigarette on the bottom of her sneaker before tucking the extinguished butt in her pants pocket. “Like I said before, all I want is to get information from him. I mean, didn’t you learn anything new when you talked to Gentleman two days ago?”
“I did, yes. But believe me when I say that it wasn’t worth it. If I could undo what happened on Tuesday, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.”
“Well, maybe what he’ll tell me will be worth it. Did you know he tried to recruit me once? I have a feeling he’s going to try again.”
Andrey didn’t like what he was hearing. “I hope you’re not thinking about playing double-agent to spy on the Conglomerate. Because I’ll tell you right now, it won’t work. This isn’t a stupid cartoon villain.”
“I know he’s not stupid,” Christina snapped. “That’s why it’s so hard to get intel about him. So if he wants to talk, I’m going to listen. I’ll figure out the rest as I go.”
“It’s too risky,” Andrey argued. Judging from the looks on the Wardens’ faces, he could tell his words didn’t have any impact. He needed to find a way to reach them. “You want to know why I wasn’t there on Tuesday? Because he went after my family, that’s why. He’ll do the same to yours if you bait him.” He looked at the table where his fingers were pressed into fists to keep them still.
His words got the Wardens’ attention at last. Peter raised his eyebrows while Nora froze in her chair. Christina stared at him as if she was seeing him for the first time.
“So he used your family to blackmail you?” she asked.
“You could say that.” Andrey moved his fists beneath the table to grip his knees, willing the angry red haze to clear out of his mind.
Peter broke the silence. “Shit, man. That sucks.”
“If anyone ever came after my mama, I’d rip their balls out through their throats,” Nora declared.
“Look, guys, I didn’t come here to discuss my situation.” He struggled to keep his voice calm and unaffected. “It’s my problem, not yours, and I’ll deal with it. In the meantime, I can’t allow you guys to bait Gentleman like he’s a pawn.” He looked between Peter and Nora before his gaze landed on Christina. “Listen to me. You’re the only Guardian we have left now that Saint is in a coma and Sanctuary is hiding away God knows where with the Oracle.”
Christina threw her hands in the air. “Look, I know it’s risky. But I can’t sit around doing nothing. We’ve already put the message out there so there’s no way to take it back now. If it’s going to happen, we’ll find a way to deal with it.”
I can’t sit around doing nothing. Her words hit him hard in the
chest because it was a sentiment he was all too familiar with.
“Yes, I guess it will,” he conceded. “But you have to promise you’ll contact me for help if any villains take the bait. I’ll support you any way I can.”
“All right.” Christina looked him right in the eye. “But only if you make us the same promise.”
“She’s right,” Peter said. “You shouldn’t fly solo, man. It will get you killed.”
The kid wasn’t wrong. “I’m already working with Rune and Calavera’s teams,” Andrey informed them, trusting them with that little piece of information. “But if those are your terms, I agree. I’ll call you next time I need help if you promise to do the same.”
Something about his words transformed Christina’s face. It was a subtle, but noticeable, change, like the way the sky brightens when rain clouds give way to the shining sun.
“Deal.” The corners of her mouth turned into a smile.
“Deal,” he echoed.
“Brofist on it!” Peter added, excited.
Teenage rituals. As Andrey bumped his fist against Peter’s, he was surprised to find that his hand had relaxed. The tension was gone.
“Works for me.” Nora added her own fist.
Christina touched her fist to the group’s. “OK.” The deal was done.
“I’ll make sure Athena’s AI relays any of your calls directly to me. That goes for all of you,” Andrey added, looking at each Warden in turn.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about you Lightshapers,” Christina said.
Andrey was intrigued. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Light shaping isn’t the only thing you guys have in common. The important thing is that you’re all leaders. Wisp has her kiddie gang. The Sun King has his court. You fly around and tell people to work together, and in return they all gather around you. Moths to a flame and all that. It’s like you’re a beacon or something.”
“A beacon?” Andrey echoed, though he wasn’t sure if he said the words out loud or in his head.
White lines on black paper.
The memory of Denis’s drawing surfaced to the edge of his mind. There was something underneath that recollection, something deeper, older, and much more meaningful. As he tried to grab the fleeting memory, he was overcome by a dizziness that scattered it before it had a chance to surface. Fragments flashed through his mind like after-images, gone before he understood their meaning.
Darkness. A flashlight. And a voice that said … what, exactly? He tried, but he couldn’t remember. The flashback was gone.
“Hey, Radiant?” Peter’s voice filtered through his confusion. “Everything okay, man?”
Before he answered the teenager’s question, a memory of Preacher’s voice drifted through his mind’s haze. The Pulse has left a mark to guide you in the right direction. I’ve seen it at work with some of our Godkin.
When Andrey shook his head, the dizziness passed. He noticed the three Wardens were watching him, curious. “I’m all right,” he managed, forcing a smile. “Not enough sleep, I guess.”
“Uh-huh.” Christina wasn’t even trying to sound convinced.
“So,” Nora broke in with feigned casualness, “if Lightshapers are beacons and leaders, what about Darkshapers?”
“Raven’s a Darkshaper, and he’s a leader too,” Peter pointed out. “But the people he attracts are criminals and troublemakers. He wants to be a villain, so I guess it works out for him.”
Nora made a face at him. “I don’t wanna be a villain.”
“I know that, jeez! All I’m saying is maybe it’s your lot in life to swim against the stream and outrun your villain potential or whatever.”
Andrey didn’t like where this conversation was headed. “Whoa now, Freud.” He held a hand in the air, stopping Peter short. “There’s no such thing as villain potential. Anyone can choose to cause as much trouble as the next guy, just like they can choose to do the right thing. You’ve got to show the world who you are through your actions, not based on whatever hand the Pulse dealt you.” He kept his eyes on Nora as he spoke for emphasis.
The girl stared at her hands on the table. “Okay,” she mumbled.
“Good.”
He knew from his earlier research that there was something peculiar about Darkshapers, such as the fact that many of them had short life spans. He decided to keep that bit of information to himself.
“Hey, we know who you are,” Christina told the other girl. “That’s what counts, right?”
Nora’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Right. Who cares what people say?”
“Exactly,” the Guardian declared.
So you’re not as hard-hearted as you like people to think.
Christina nudged Peter under the table with her good foot. “Isn’t that right?”
Peter was too absorbed in staring at Andrey’s sunglasses to hear what they said. “What? Oh, yeah.”
“See if they fit you.” Andrey pushed the shades across the table to the teenager, who eagerly snatched them.
“Really? Cool! Thanks, man.”
Christina smirked before fixing Andrey with a serious look. “Speaking of rumors, what about the Antithesis? People say she was in Liverpool. Do you know anything about it?”
Andrey tapped his fingers on the table top. “I’m not one hundred percent convinced this is true. Either way, I’m ninety percent certain that Gentleman’s the one spreading the Antithesis rumors.”
“Why?” Nora asked.
“My latest theory is that he sees himself as a director who arranged the stage before watching the events unfold. I believe he kidnapped Dancer to turn her into a villain.”
“Dancer? No,” Peter protested. “You’ve got to be kidding. The girl’s an angel on earth. No one’s going to turn her.”
Nora let out a strange sound that she turned into a cough. Christina snapped her fingers in front of Peter’s face. “Earth to lovebird! We’ve already talked about this. Her powers fit with what happened in Liverpool.”
Peter crossed his arms, defensive. “It still doesn’t fit. She’s a nice girl who happens to be a knockout who wants the whole world to be flowers and butterflies. Did you talk to her? Because I did, and she was awe…some,” he said drawing out the word.
Nora and Christina exchanged an eye roll, and it was easy for Andrey to see why. He might have found the teenage antics amusing if they didn’t concern something so serious.
“I didn’t see a whole lot in Liverpool that looked nice.” Christina was all dry sarcasm now. “Between kidnapping a UNEOA official and putting Checkmate in hospital, I mean.”
Nora snickered. “Dancer’s boobs were nice, maybe.”
Andrey knew how to steer this conversation back. The Wardens were already in deep, so they should know what they were dealing with. “The Covenant believes Dancer inherited Shanti’s power classification. If I find her, I’m going to prove it.”
The Wardens fell silent as three pairs of eyes bore into him.
Peter’s voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. “You mean they think Dancer’s another ultimate Healer?”
Christina answered for him, her voice deadpan. “She might be. Unless Gentleman turns her, in which case she’ll be the opposite.”
“Holy shit,” Nora breathed.
“I have to get to Gentleman,” Christina insisted.
“Trust me, I feel the same way,” Andrey replied. “If it comes to it, I’d like you by my side.”
The girl didn’t say anything for a while, frowning at the table in front of her. “You know,” she finally said. “I wonder if the Healer classification is misleading. All the other known power types have been around since the Pulse, but Shanti’s unique classification only made the lists late last year. Right after her transition.”
“She’s right,” Nora said.
Christina closed her eyes in thought. “If the whole power reincarnation idea is right, maybe someone else started with Shanti’s powers and was offed, but we never knew it.”
“Why don’t you try talking to her?” Nora suggested. “Warn her away from Gentleman and all that?”
Andrey scratched his stubble. “If I had a means of talking to her, I would have done it already.”
A slow grin spread over Peter’s face, and he wagged his eyebrows at Andrey. “We know how to fix that problem.”
“Don’t tell me that you mean….”
Peter’s grin broadened as he slipped the new shades onto his face. “Yep. Talk shows.”
7.6 Beacon
San Francisco, USA
Thursday, the 14th of June, 2012
7:03 p.m.
“Talk shows,” Andrey repeated. Hearing the words from his own mouth didn’t make the idea any less outrageous. “Are you making a serious suggestion?”
Peter grinned at him. “You won’t know until you try.”
“Not a live show, of course,” Christina amended. “You don’t want to let the bad guys know you’re looking for Dancer.”
Nora scrutinized Andrey, one hand cupped to her cheek. “It shouldn’t be hard for you to get a television interview.”
“I’m sure any channel would broadcast a video of you,” Peter suggested. “You’re still a hero, and they still need their ratings.”
Andrey scratched his jaw. “I’m not sure about it. I’m not real popular right now.”
It was a massive understatement. In truth, he had grown so tired of hearing the media trash him that he instructed Iris to stop forwarding broadcasts containing his name. He could only listen to himself described as ‘the turncoat’ or ‘the hero who wasn’t there’ so many times before his brain triggered another full-blown identity crisis.
“You don’t have to be popular to make headlines.” Peter glanced at Nora, who returned a mock glare.
The more Andrey thought about it, the more plausible the idea became. He didn’t have a clue where Dancer was now, and he didn’t know any other way to contact her. Her cell phone was confiscated by Swiss authorities after she left it behind to go off-grid, and it didn’t make sense for her to use her old email address. If she was still using it, Athena would have tracked her a long time ago.
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