by Drew Hayes
Alice lowered the phone slowly, staring at her friends, who’d been listening to her side of the conversation. Damn Nick. God damn him. He was so good at lying, so much of the time.
Why couldn’t he make her believe that last line, even the slightest bit?
* * *
“What in the hell do you mean you can’t teleport? No neutralizer in the world has that kind of range, and I should know, because I’m the strongest one.” Dean Blaine wasn’t shouting, but his ability to keep up that feat of willpower was quickly deteriorating.
“It’s not a neutralizer. Mr. Numbers and Mr. V—Professor Fletcher are still able to use their abilities. My guess is it’s a teleporter who can block others, an anchor; probably several of them. They knew we’d want to have Heroes teleporting to our location, so they cut off the option.”
Dean Blaine very nearly crushed the phone in his grasp, not due to enhanced strength, but merely as a result of a life of training combined with blinding rage. “They’ll still be able to teleport near campus. That yellow wall you described will be a minimal burden to cut through.”
“If the distress signal even went out,” Mr. Transport replied. “Anything not run through our local system doesn’t seem to be getting through. I know the HCP has safeguards on top of safeguards, but so far, every move they’ve made has anticipated what we’d do. It would be dangerous to assume they weren’t a step ahead of us from the very beginning. What does protocol say you should do?”
“Exactly what we’re going to—remain in here and make sure our students stay safe. Gather as many as you can and get them to the lifts. I will not let these monsters have the hope of tomorrow.”
235.
“Dean Blaine . . . are there really no Heroes out there?”
The dean lowered his phone slowly. They shouldn’t know that, but he was hardly shocked they’d found out. After all, he’d been specifically training them to be self-reliant, ingenious, and determined. In the end, it didn’t matter though. They knew, that much was clear from Vince’s tone, and now he was going to have to quell the flame of action that was no doubt burning inside them.
“Yes, Vince. I’m afraid whoever has come to our school did so with a fair amount of preparation. The Heroes have been delayed, but they should arrive soon.”
“Assuming they get through the weird energy barrier and can receive signals through it, right?” Alice was standing next to Vince, a hard look set in her eyes. All of Melbrook was clumped together, save only for Chad, who was currently sitting with Shane and Amber.
“They’ll break through, have no fear of that,” Dean Blaine assured them. “These are nothing but stalling tactics; once they are hurdled, the situation will be well in hand.”
“And in the meantime, all we get to do is sit around down here, while all those other innocent people are in danger.” Vince was unexpectedly calm. Dean Blaine would have expected him to be frantic or delivering a passionate plea. Instead, the silver-haired young man seemed almost detached from what was happening. “Dean Blaine, sir, you know we can’t do that.”
“No, Vince. I know that that’s exactly what all of you are going to do. Fighting crime, especially when other Supers are involved, is a crime in itself. The sort that will get you expelled from HCP consideration. You may not like it, you may even hate me for it, but I cannot, in good conscience, permit you all to go out there. Without the proper training, you’ll just get yourselves killed.”
“So, we won’t fight.” Mary stepped up next to Vince, her small frame a sharp contrast to his height and wider shoulders. When had these kids grown so big? Dean Blaine could still picture them as the scared freshmen that had been waiting at orientation.
“We’ll evacuate the students down the lifts,” she continued. “If I can find Mr. Transport, he can start popping them out in groups.”
“No, he can’t.” Chad spoke from the across the room. “There’s at least one Super, probably more, blocking teleportation.” He turned to Dean Blaine with a somber expression. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing.”
“That’s all the more reason we should be out there, then, helping to get them down here,” Thomas said. Violet, Jill, and Will all huddled near him; Violet and Jill were bobbing their heads in agreement. Will didn’t echo the gesture, but from the way he watched Jill, it was clear he would go where she did.
“It’s a noble sentiment, but you still aren’t certified for rescue work either, to say nothing of the amount of exposure you’d get using your powers out there. You have my apologies, but I’m not permitting you to leave this area.”
“With all due respect, Dean Blaine, and I really do mean every ounce of respect I’m capable of giving someone, this is our choice. We’re not Heroes under the DVA; we’re still students. If we decide to leave this place, then you can’t stop us,” Vince said.
Dean Blaine met those sharp blue eyes with his own and stared the young man down. So much damned resolve was in that boy. If he wanted to stop them, Blaine was going to have to play hardball. “That’s right, Vince. You are physically able to walk out of here. And in the process, all you have to do is throw away everything you’ve worked for. Let me take the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ out of this: anyone who walks out that door will be removed from the Lander Hero Certification Program. If not by the DVA, then by me. If you aren’t capable of showing enough discipline to stand by while waiting for reinforcements, then you don’t have any place as a Hero. Sometimes, you’ll have to make the hard calls; consider this an object lesson in that. So, you decide, Vince. Go up there a few moments before the real Heroes show up and sacrifice any hope of helping people for the rest of your life, or sit down and stay on the path toward making the world a better place.”
The few seconds of quiet that came down after Dean Blaine’s speech seemed to last a lifetime. For a moment, he thought he’d succeeded. Then Vince carefully stepped away from the rest of his friends, over the students who were still sitting, and came up to Dean Blaine. He kept walking until he was only a few feet away, then stopped.
“You’ve been a great teacher. This has been the best three of years of my life, bar none, and as insane as it’s been, there’s nothing I would change. But you’re wrong, Dean Blaine. If I stand here and do nothing while I know people need my help, then I can never be a Hero. Maybe I’ll get the title, maybe people will love me, but it will always be a lie. Heroes help people. That’s what my father taught me; that’s what I believe to this day. I’m going to go save as many people as I can. Because you can stop me from being a Hero, Dean Blaine—there’s no question you have the authority and power—but you can’t stop me from helping people. No one has the right to take that away from me.”
“Sometimes, Vince, you’re a real prick about these things.” Roy stood where Hershel had been moments before, lowering the flask back down to his side-pocket. “I mean, how the hell am I supposed to stick around after you say something like that? I’d spend the rest of my life feeling like a world-class pussy.”
“If you two idiots are going out there, then I’ll have to come keep an eye on you.” Alice followed Roy as he walked toward Vince, with Mary only a few steps behind.
“Heaven knows what will happen to you lot without me around.” Mary was focused on moving forward, so much so that she nearly missed the people getting up and walking next to her.
“Truthfully, I’m ashamed I even let myself entertain the idea of staying,” Thomas said. He was right by Mary, with Violet, Jill, and Will in tow.
“I’m a little embarrassed, but I can’t think of a good Jedi quote for this occasion,” Alex admitted as he started heading over.
“Come on: ‘Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things.’ It’s like the first one that comes to mind,” Sasha said.
“Yeah, but I don’t see it fitting here. We’re definitely about to court a lot of excitement, but it’s probably the bad kind.”
Camille hurried over from the corner she’d been jostled into so
she could join up with Violet. “I’m sure there are a lot of people up there who need healing. Probably, some of you will too.”
Around them, many of the other students began walking forward as well, stopping by Vince and Dean Blaine. Not everyone chose to join, but it was well over sixty percent of the students that had been brought down, and almost the entirety of the junior class.
Just as the movement was starting to halt, one of the final holdouts stepped forward. Chad Taylor walked past the crowd, and past Vince, to stand directly before Dean Blaine, the godfather who had been looking over him since he was a baby. Guiding him, teaching him, all in the tireless pursuit of becoming a Hero.
“You here to join them, or help me talk them into staying?” Dean Blaine asked. His voice was unnaturally thick. Most assumed it was with fear or frustration; only Chad had an inkling of the true emotion trying to force its way to Blaine’s face.
“I wasn’t entirely sure until I got here,” Chad admitted. “I have wanted for so long to be a Hero like my father, and for the past several minutes, I’ve been trying to figure out if he would have stood with you, or joined with them. I was unable to come to a conclusion, however. The truth is, I never really knew Joshua Taylor; everything I have of him is stories and anecdotes. None of that tells me how he’d react in this sort of situation.”
Chad paused, looked at Dean Blaine, and then glanced at the small sea of faces behind him. “It occurs to me, however, that it ultimately doesn’t matter what my father would have done. I’m going to do what’s right; because that’s the path I want to be on. I’d really like to think my father would have done the same, but I know my godfather would, if the positions were reversed. We’re going up. Please don’t bar our way.”
Dean Blaine lowered his head, hands that had balled into fists falling limply at his side. It seemed as though he were completely beaten, but when he raised his chin and looked his students in the eyes, they were nearly knocked out by the ferocity in his expression.
“You’re all still probably going to be kicked out for this. I might have been bluffing, but the DVA has no tolerance for uncertified Supers getting involved in this sort of thing. You’re all idiots, the entire lot of you, and I can’t imagine how any of you got so far in my program. That said, I want you to know how impossibly proud I am of each and every one of you. The DVA might tear you down for this, but in my eyes, you all have the hearts of Heroes.”
“Actually, I may have a way to help with that.”
Of all the people that turned in surprise and confusion to the source of the voice, no one was more shocked than Dean Blaine. He’d been through enough hells to learn that sometimes, aid came from the unlikeliest of sources.
Even still, he’d never have expected to hear an offer of assistance pass the lips of Ralph Chapman.
236.
“These are what we call blank masks,” Professor Stone said. The ear of every student around her was perked and paying attention. No one needed to be told how crucial each bit of information they were getting was. They were walking the finest line they’d ever been on; if they wanted hope at a career after this night was through, then they were going to need every advantage they could get.
The professor held up a gray, neutral mask that left only the eyes, underside of the nose, and mouth exposed. She turned it around, showing a slightly open section in the back where those with longer hair could push it through. Demonstration done, she handed the mask to the person nearest to her, then grabbed two more and commenced passing them out.
“Why do you have these on hand?” Violet asked, handing masks off in the conveyor belt of a line they’d formed.
“While HCP students are not authorized to take action during situations like these, evacuations have had to occur in the past. We found it better to have a way to conceal identities in the event our entire student body had to suddenly flee aboveground. I never expected to have to use them like this, though.”
“I don’t think anyone could have seen this coming,” Selena muttered. She was near the back, and at last, a mask came into her hands. It was heavier than she’d expected. Dense, strong, and tough. Selena could only imagine the weight it would carry once it was actually on her face.
“Listen up, everyone,” Professor Stone said. “When you leave this room and go to the lifts, you are temporarily authorized as emergency responders. That means you are allowed to get the people up there to safety, and use your powers as you see fit in the process. You are not, however, allowed to engage our enemies unless it is in the capacity of self-defense. Don’t take the fact that we let you get your weapons as license to run free. I don’t know why Mr. Chapman found it in his heart to give you the emergency responder authorization, but do not try and test the limits of his kindness. Get up, get people to safety, and stay clear of engagement. The entire top floor of the HCP will be designated as a safe house for students, so bring as many as you can get.”
Professor Stone looked around the room, marveling at the change that had come over her kids just by donning those gray, featureless masks. Sometimes, it was easy to forget why she’d gone into teaching after retiring as Emerald Hydra. There was paperwork, politics, and so much more hand-holding than she was accustomed to dealing with. But as she looked at those masked faces and saw the determined eyes shining underneath, Esme Stone remembered exactly why she’d chosen this path, and she couldn’t imagine having gone down a different one.
“Keeping in mind what I said about self-defense, also realize that you’re running around in HCP uniforms and masks. You’ll be targets, and if someone tries to kill you, then I damn sure expect you to handle that threat. Consider yourselves declawed, not neutered. And one more thing before you go: you are going to be the only people who can activate those lifts. The professors will be topside, handing the problem in an official Hero capacity, so down here will be sparsely defended. If you can’t transport a group here without letting one of your enemies in as well, then don’t activate the lift.”
“What about any students we’ve gathered?” Thomas asked.
“Get them clear if you can, but they can’t be saved at the risk of endangering everyone else we put down here,” Professor Stone instructed.
“You want us to just let them die?” The shock in Jill’s voice said more about what she thought of the order than her words ever could.
“I want you to protect the greatest number of lives possible. Sometimes, that means making the hard choices for the greater good. It’s an awful, shitty thing to thrust on you kids, but it’s also part and parcel of what comes with being a Hero. You want to save everyone? Then you better have power on par with a god’s, because that’s about what it takes. For the rest of us, we save as many as we can, and find ways to cope with the guilt over the rest.”
To her surprise, there were no more objections, only hard stares and grim nods. They’d made peace with what was ahead of them, or at least thought they had. No one could really know what it was like until they were actually in the field, making those decisions.
“All right, everyone, this is about as prepared as you can be. Break into groups, get up those lifts, and go save this campus.”
* * *
“In the absence of the ability to escalate situational information up the chain of command, I am enacting rule nineteen of the DVA’s Emergency Hero Charter. As of right now, I am the highest-ranked official in the chain, and as such, all repercussions for our use of force will fall on my shoulders. Any objections?”
Dean Blaine looked around his office and was met with only agreement, and perhaps a bit of simmering rage. As he spoke, he stripped off his work clothes until he was down to only shorts and a tank-top. No one in the room was alarmed by the undressing. They knew perfectly well what was coming, and if anything, were a bit anxious to bear witness. He pressed a button under his desk, and a section of his office’s rear wall slid away. Behind it was a black suit, heavily fortified and stocked with gadgetry from every tech-genius Blaine ha
d worked with through the years. Mundane weapons might be a threat to him normally, but that’s what armor had been invented for, after all.
“Since everyone is on board, I am officially escalating this situation. There is no limit on lethal force once a target is confirmed. These people came here to kill; it’s only proper we meet them with the same resolve.”
“As a DVA representative, I support that escalation,” Chapman said. “So long as protecting the students comes first.”
“That, thanks to you, is what our kids are doing,” Dean Blaine replied. He began to step into his suit, piece by piece. It was still heavy, and still took strength to move in, strength that Blaine Jefferies had in spades. “They’ll treat the symptoms, while we handle the source of the disease. Everyone has their coms?”
Again, his team nodded, watching as he disappeared into his armor.
“Good. They’re run through the local network, which means we can keep in contact. If that fails for any reason, Emerald Hydra will coordinate communication. Impact, I want you up high, giving us the lay of the land while providing cover fire. Any issues?”
Professor Baker shook her head, sending copper strands of hair swirling around the green mask she’d donned.
“Seamstress, you’re on crowd control. Cut down as many of the mundane ones as you can. Wisp, I want you to find out where the Supers blocking our comms and teleportation are. If you can get the location of the dome projector too, that would be useful, but consider them second priority.”
Professor Cole gave a thumbs up to signal her agreement, but Sean Pendleton actually spoke up. “I know lethal force is authorized, but if I have to do in-depth information extraction
. . .”
“These motherfuckers have come to our home, murdered innocent people, and are trying to target our kids. Do what you have to do. I’ll deal with the fallout after.” Blaine had finished putting on nearly all of his black suit. The only piece that remained was the helmet with a small, white oval painted near the top.