The Prospects

by Daniel Halayko

  But then Candilyn complained.

  Alex found himself reliving another memory. This time Trista was wore her full Mind Dame costume under the psychic nullifier. The sensation of a flowing cape and barely-covered skin was very uncomfortable to Alex, which meant it must have been uncomfortable for Trista too.

  Sergeant Hammer was nowhere to be seen. There was a piece of paper in the middle of the floor.

  Trista walked over and picked up the paper. She barely finished reading “BEHIND YOU” before she heard the gym doors close and lock.

  Sergeant Hammer stepped out from the shadow. “Do you know what that little bitch did to me?”

  “Who?”

  “The punk bitch.” Sergeant Hammer slowly walked towards her. “She complained to Mister Griffin. I did nothing to her I wouldn’t have done to a man. But Mister Griffin, that crippled old drunk, told me no more close-combat training for the purple-haired princess.”

  Alex felt Trista’s throat go dry when she said, “Good.”

  “What?”

  “I said good. I should tell Mister Griffin how you’ve been torturing me.”

  “Do you think he cares about trash like you? Do you think he’ll believe a villain instead of an American hero?”

  Sergeant Hammer charged. He threw Trista on her back and slapped his hand over her mouth.

  “I can do anything to you, and you can’t do anything to stop me.”

  Sergeant Hammer’s other hand went up Trista’s thigh. He started working through the fishnet’s mesh between her legs and tugged the mesh.

  The cold discordant sensation of powerless was overwhelming.

  “No! Stop!” Alex shouted, forgetting that he was only reliving a memory.

  The vision ended and faded as if he was waking up from a dream. Alex’s hands were shaking.

  Trista put the nullifier back on herself and locked it. “It was over before I believed it was happening. When he was done, he said if I told anyone someone would kill me and my brother. He knew my brother’s unit number and where he was stationed. I never told him that. He must have looked it up.”

  Alex kept trembling as Trista picked up her rosary. “I stayed away from Sarge as much as I could. I faked an ankle sprain to get out of group training. I stayed with the others. I didn’t say a word to them because all I could think about was how afraid I was, but no matter how much they picked on me I didn’t want to be alone.

  “That worked for a few days, but one night I woke up with his hand over my mouth. He … I haven’t slept well since. Everyone else’s door was locked from the outside so they wouldn’t see anything. He started finding reasons to dismiss the rest of the team and …” she sobbed and hugged herself.

  “The night before you came, I walked out the front door. I didn’t even take off the nullifier I knew the security guards would stop me. I wanted to go back to prison just to get away from Sarge. But instead of turning me over to the police, they gave me to him. He took me to a soundproof interrogation room with no cameras and,” Trista rubbed the bitemark, “hurt me worse than ever.”

  “I read the doctor’s report,” Alex said. He also remembered how Sarge had perfect teeth, just like the ones in the bitemark.

  Trista broke down again. “The next morning, in training, when I had trouble running, he whispered that next time he’d be even harder. I couldn’t take anymore.

  “Then you arrived. You said Sarge told you about our relationship and that I had to be your puppet and do everything you said. I thought you were going to …”

  “What? Me?”

  “I thought you were going to be worse. I had to escape. If you had taken off the nullifier that night I would’ve psychically attacked you and run away. Instead, you put me in the research lab.

  “I ran behind a table and screamed when the Iron Pirate came in. He ignored me and looked at that alien thing for a few minutes. After that, he went to the other end of the helio-cannon. You told Vijay it still worked, so I pulled the trigger.

  “I stood too close to the exhaust. The heatwave set my clothes on fire. It also set off the sprinkler. I got under the water and ripped my clothes off. Then I saw how hurt I was from what Sergeant Hammer did to me and … I couldn’t move. I couldn’t. You came in and assumed I was … that the Iron Pirate … I didn’t say anything.”

  “And I didn’t investigate,” said Alex.

  “When I found out you were waiting at the hospital, I tried to escape again. My plan was to wait at the church until someone called the police. I figured they’d take me back to jail, not back to you.”

  “You were that afraid of me?”

  “But when Lady Amazing said you weren’t bad, I didn’t know what to think. II thought about running away the night of the riot, but I saw you fall into the crowd and … I turned around.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me what happened?”

  “You said no one would care about Sergeant Hammer being mean to a villain like me.” Trista cried again. “I thought it was over, but … I was late … so I asked Lady Amazing to get the test, and …”

  “Did you tell her?”

  “No. I mean, she works with Sergeant Hammer.” Trista tensed with fear. “And so do you.”

  Alex looked ahead blankly. “Sarge. My boyhood idol. My trainer. I respected him so much. He was rough and even brutal, but … I made excuses for him for so long. I never wanted to believe he was bad or that every mean thing he did was for a greater good, so I always forgave him.”

  Trista wiped her nose.

  Alex took out his smartphone. “What’s your brother’s unit and location?”

  “Why?”

  “Trust me.”

  “Vincent is a mechanic in the seven-forty-third. He’s in Germany. Stuttgart.”

  “I can get an MAB agent at his base by tomorrow. No one will be able to do anything to Vincent. If there’s anyone else you think Sarge could hurt, I can arrange protection. When they’re taken care of, we’ll move you to a safe house. You’ll be under a full-time guard by the time Sarge knows you told me anything.”

  Trista raised her eyebrows. “You’re going to help me?”

  “I’m a MAB agent. It’s my job to protect people from superheroes. If there’s an accusation and evidence, I have to start a case. I can even do it without your involvement, although it would most likely lead to nothing but a mark on Sarge’s record.

  “If you want to make the accusation, and I’m not saying this to discourage you, it won’t be easy. There will be a full investigation. Every part of your past, including your villain history, will be used against you. You’ll also have to tell your story over and over again to many different people.”

  Trista clutched her rosary. “Can’t I just share my memories?”

  “Most people won’t willing let someone with a criminal past enter their minds.”

  “What about my probation? Will I go back to jail?”

  Alex shook his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Trista looked at the cross on the rosary. “What about the baby?”

  “You can figure that out when you’re safe. Whatever happens, Charlene – Lady Amazing - will be there for you. I can also arrange for you to stay in touch with Chaplain Monaghan. I’ll also put you in touch with a therapist.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll continue the investigation from an MAB office. Sarge, any of the New York Guardians, or Sarge’s old friends could retaliate. We won’t be able to meet until after the investigation, and that could take months. I won’t even be able to talk to my family. As long as I sign the divorce papers first, Emily won’t miss me.”

  “Would you want to do that?”

  “What I want doesn’t matter. It’s your decision. We don’t have to make the call, and we don’t have to do it right now. Think it over.”

  They sat together in silence for a long time until Alex spoke.

  “Remember when we talked about ‘Decision at Dachau’?”

  “
The comic book?”

  “I had a reprint of that comic when I was in the Agent Exo training program. I read it every time I screwed up, because Sarge – or whoever was writing for Sarge – gave a great speech about how heroes have to keep trying even when things get horrible when he couldn’t beat the Uber-Aryan, and another about anyone can be redeemed after he won.”

  “It was a good speech.”

  “Sarge found it in my footlocker during inspection. Tore it up in front of me and piled on the abuse in front of the other trainees. It was all I could do to keep from crying. But life doesn’t end when we want it to. We have to live with what happens to us.”

  Trista wiped her eyes. “Make the call.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Alex took out his smartphone, flipped through his contacts, and pressed a button. He raised the phone to his ear.

  He heard nothing.

  “No signal? That’s weird.”

  “We are in a basement.”

  “I should have full bars everywhere in the building. Mister Griffin set up an antenna in the elevator shaft. I mean, you got the call to Charlene.”

  Trista touched his hand. “Agent O’Farrell, I …”

  The lights went out. Only the smartphone’s glowing screen stood out in the darkness.

  Candilyn’s voice echoed through the hallway. “What the hell?”

  A thunderous crash followed. The building shook.

  Alex took Trista’s hand. “Come with me.” He shouted, “Everyone, grab any light source you can.”

  Jenny came out with her cellphone on. Candilyn came out with her jester’s stick. Neither wore their costume. Goldstreak’s metallic suit reflected their lights.

  “I thought we had emergency lights,” said Goldstreak.

  “We do, I don’t know why they’re not on,” said Alex. “Where’s Vijay?”

  “He wasn’t at dinner,” said Jenny.

  “He never came back from the lab,” said Goldstreak.

  The building shook again. This time a blood-curdling inhuman roar followed.

  Alex tensed in primal fear. “That’s the Bone Terror.”

  Candilyn said, “How do you …”

  “I fought him. I’ll never forget that roar.”

  The building shook again. The air smelled like smoke.

  “Why aren’t the alarms going off? Where are the internal defenses?” said Alex. “We’re going to the bunker two flights down. It’s built to withstand a nuclear bomb.”

  “We’re not going to fight?” Candilyn sounded disappointed.

  “We’re going somewhere safe until I know what’s going on.”

  “Not exactly the bravest plan,” said Goldstreak.

  “I thought running away was your thing,” said Candilyn.

  “What about Vijay?” asked Jenny.

  “When you're safe, I’ll find him.”

  Trista squeezed Alex’s hand. “Someone’s down there.”

  “It’s Monday night. All the maintenance people went home.”

  “I saw something move too,” said Candilyn.

  The emergency lights flickered on. Several men in bodysuits that shifted their shades of black with the light slithered down the hallway. Each carried at least one bladed weapon.

  The emergency lights flickered off.

  “Are those ninjas?” asked Candilyn.

  “It’s the Shade Blades,” said Alex. “Jenny, hit them hard!”

  A sharp chill stung everyone as Jenny threw a howling gale through the tunnel. Alex drew his pistol. He tried to shake his other hand free from Trista’s grip but she held on tightly.

  “Turn around!” shouted Alex. “Head for the stairs.”

  “But I want to fight a ninja,” said Candilyn.

  “No you don’t,” said Alex. “Ninjas fight dirty.”

  The Prospects turned and started running the other direction. They were almost at the gym when the distinct sound of Big Bad Roy’s power chainsaw starting made them stop.

  “Did I leave that at in the gym?” Alex said.

  “Yes,” said Goldstreak.

  The chainsaw revved loudly. A deep voice boomed, “Big Bad Roy is back to destroy!”

  The emergency lights flickered on again. A hulking man in studded leather straps raised the power chainsaw and slashed through the punching bag. Alex instantly recognized him as the real Big Bad Roy, who should have been serving a life sentence for a devastating rampage in Harlem.

  The whole building shook again with a loud crash.

  Trista pulled Alex’s hand. “Please, take the nullifier off.”

  Jenny threw another blast behind them. “The ninjas won’t stop coming!”

  Bad Roy looked directly at the Prospects and raised his saw.

  Alex unlocked Trista’s nullifier with his right hand, which also held his pistol because his left still held Trista’s hand. He tried to slip free but she held on tightly.

  Trista took off the nullifier and made eye contact with Big Bad Roy.

  Bad Roy raised his chainsaw and yelled, “Y’all gonna die now!” He turned sharply and attacked the rack of free weights. Sparks showered him and gave off enough light to see the door to the stairway out of the gym.

  "What the ...?" said Goldstreak.

  "I made him hallucinate," said Trista. "He thinks the weight racks are cops."

  The air got ice cold as Jenny threw another howling gust behind them. “They’re getting closer.”

  Candilyn spun her stick. “Ready to whack.”

  “Run for the stairs.” Alex took two steps before Trista stopped so quickly it yanked Alex’s arm straight.

  “He’s here!” she screamed.

  “Who?” asked Alex.

  Trista slapped the nullifier back on her head. “The Idea Man.”

  Alex swung his pistol. “Where?”

  “He’s in the building. He doesn’t need to make eye contact. He touched my mind. He saw what I saw.”

  Alex felt the sensation of frozen icepicks jabbing beneath his skull. It was just like what he felt two years ago when Mind Dame overcame his psychic defense.

  “Fight it,” Trista said, squeezing his hand tightly. “He can’t see you when I wear the nullifier. He can’t focus his power.”

  Alex tried to focus his thoughts, but the pain was too intense.

  "Remember the mandala," said Trista. “White flame.”

  Alex imagined each grain of the sand mandala coming into place. He remembered the painstaking tedium of performing this task for hours while the monk directed his every move. He ended it by watching the mandala brushed away before he could take a picture to commemorate his work. Where did it come from? Where did it go? Where did it still exist? How can we exist?

  He exhaled and imagined the colored grains of sand coming out with his breath.

  The icepick sensation subsided. He felt it leave him.

  “I beat him.”

  Jenny screamed. She fell to her knees and held her head.

  “What the?”

  “The Idea Man moved on to her,” said Trista. “He’ll give her an aneurysm if I don’t go back to him.”

  With no wind to hold them back, the ninjas surged forward.

  Candilyn stood in front of Jenny and pointed her stick at the ninjas. “Who’s first?”

  The closest ninja drew a black pistol.

  “A gun?” Candilyn shouted. “What kind of ninjas are you?”

  Alex pulled Trista’s hand. “Stay with me.”

  She put both hands on his. In one motion she yanked her hand from his grip and shoved her rosary into it. “Give this to Vincent.”

  “Don’t do this,” Alex shouted.

  Trista took the nullifier off of her head, put it on Jenny’s, and dashed towards the ninjas.

  One ninja shot Candilyn in the center of the chest three times. She made a wet gasping sound as she fell backwards over Jenny.

  In a flash Goldstreak was at Candilyn’s side with his first aid bundle unrolled.

  T
he ninja aimed at Trista but didn’t fire. She ran past him to the next ninja and screamed, “Kill me!” Another raised his sword but didn’t bring it down. Another thrust long needles at her but stopped before making contact. None of the ninjas could hurt her, and it didn’t seem like that was their choice.

  Trista fell to her knees.

  Alex shook Jenny’s shoulder. “Are you all right?”

  Jenny rubbed her eyes as the nullifier rolled off. “Why is it so bright in here?”

  Except for the radiant sparks from Bad Roy’s assault on the weight rack and the LCD penlight Goldstreak held in his mouth, the room was black.

  The security lights came on.

  Trista slowly rose. She moved with the jerkiness of a puppet, which smoothed to sensual grace. Her expression of terror gave away to an arrogant smirk.

  It was the same she gave when she ordered Alex to kill himself.

  Trista, who moved with the exaggerated swaying movements of Mind Dame, blew Alex a kiss and turned. The Shade Blades parted ways for her.

  Jenny’s legs wobbled as Alex lifted her up.

  Goldstreak pressed gauze against the hole in her chest. “The blood is gushing out.”

  Alex saw lithe silhouettes all around them. “The Shade Blades have us surrounded.”

  The ninjas drew everything from shurikens to swords.

  Alex’s mind raced. Despite his training and years of experience, he couldn’t think of a way out of this. He also couldn’t think of any last words.

  Big Bad Roy’s chainsaw’s roar stopped. The twangs of a snapping cord that followed were so close together that Alex didn’t understand what they were until three ninjas fell with plastic-feathered bolts sticking out of their chests.

  Someone new joined the battle.

  Arbalest stood in the stairway and slapped a fresh cartridge into his rapid-fire crossbow. “Get out of here.”

  Alex led Jenny through the gap in the ninjas’ line and shouted, “We have one injured.”

  Arbalest slapped a new magazine of bolts into his repeat-fire crossbow and fanned bolts at the Shade Blades. Each one exploded in a burst of blinding light. The ninjas scattered and tore off their low-light goggles.

  Alex ran back and grabbed Candilyn’s shoulders. Goldstreak picked up her feet. Arbalest provided another round of cover, this time with bolts that exploded into clouds of mace.