by Drew Hayes
“No.” Thuggernaut shook his head under Johnny, the deep rumble of his voice carrying through the street. “Not when Fornax is like this, and not alone. What about Lodestar or Professor Quantum?”
Many of the older capes shuffled uncomfortably, until Combust stepped forward. “We haven’t seen either of them in years. Lodestar is apparently off on some secret mission, and Professor Quantum doesn’t usually leave his island. The only ones that know how to get in contact with them are Quorum and Apollo.”
“Then it looks like we have to find a way to break in to AHC headquarters,” Johnny declared.
“Quite an interesting theory, but I wonder how you’ll accomplish such a task.” The disembodied voice of Balaam hung over them until a giant pillar of flame appeared down the street seconds later. Other pillars could be seen popping up throughout the city—at least five that Johnny could see. When the nearest one vanished, Balaam appeared with at least sixty other people clustered behind him. A few were recognizable members of the guild, Endless Blitz and Torkak among them, but the rest were total strangers.
“Guild, meet the meta-human crooks that you’ve been lording over for the past several years. Capes, meet the meta-criminals you’ve been trying to bust and bring to justice. Is it any wonder that when I approached them about wiping you both out, they jumped at the opportunity? So go ahead and free Quorum from the AHC, if you can. Meanwhile, my new guild will be doing its best to kill you all, along with terrorizing civilians and destroying whatever they feel like.” Balaam leaned his staff forward and called to the gang behind him.
“Bring forth chaos, and kill to your hearts’ content!”
And with those words, war poured into the streets of Ridge City.
* * *
Fornax’s rage was, somewhat ironically, the only thing keeping Apollo alive. The villain was more monster than man at this point, every blow so powerful it made Apollo feel like little more than a mere human. But he was so angry and wild that his attacks mirrored his feelings, which made them just a bit easier to dodge. Apollo had tried blocking one blow early on and now had a fractured left forearm to show for it. It had been so long since anything hurt him, yet a mere glancing punch had been enough to crack his bones. Thankfully he healed quickly, and within five minutes or so, his arm would be back to normal. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure he would survive that long.
Apollo had made a lot of miscalculations—that was all too evident as he spiraled through the sky, skirting to the side to avoid yet another attack by the almost-untrackable Fornax. Trusting Balaam had been foolish; if the burned school didn’t tell him that, then the pillars of fire and sudden flood of criminals certainly did. And he’d certainly misgauged how powerful Fornax was. Had Lodestar really managed to fight this beast? No, to defeat him? Apollo’s respect for the absentee superhero ticked up a few notches.
He shot through the air, taking note of the metas rioting in the streets. Had... had he really caused this? All because he couldn’t stand one small group of criminals playing the system. At the time, it had seemed so noble as he worked tirelessly to take them down. But now, with both a literal and metaphorical bird’s eye view, Apollo could see that it had been his own pride driving him, not a sense of justice. Even if the guild’s existence had been wrong, it was certainly much better than the chaos he’d unleashed. Neither was right, but the guild was more right than this.
Apollo’s distraction came with a toll. Fornax suddenly appeared above him, landing a blow directly into Apollo’s shoulder and sending him to the ground like a falling star. The superhero slammed into the earth with enough force to leave a crater and send everyone nearby tumbling. Before he could get up, Fornax was there, looming over him with that damned smile, still soaked in Blunderbuss’s blood.
“Is that all your little shard of divinity is good for?” That voice, it didn’t belong to Ivan, Apollo was sure of it. Whatever he was fighting, there was no trace of the man they’d captured anymore. It was more like something that was wearing Ivan like a puppet. But no one had ever mentioned a split personality or other entity. Had it never come out before? Was this the real Fornax, seeing the light of day for the first time?
A powerful hand pulled Apollo up from the ground, gripping his broken shoulder so tightly that he knew escape was impossible. “The others might go quickly, but you’re going to suffer for your sins.”
Mustering all the power he could, Apollo focused his energy into his eyes, met Fornax’s, and let out a blast powerful enough to carve through an entire block of steel. It hit dead on, right in the rune-covered targets that were Fornax’s eyes. A sharp cry rang out, and Apollo felt the merciful release of freedom as Fornax’s grip loosened for an instant. That instant was all he needed. He raced into the sky once more, leaving the villain rubbing at his eyes.
Apollo was fifty feet into the sky when he heard the howl, an unholy torrent of sound rising up from Fornax’s gullet. All around him, glass shattered, concrete cracked, and plants wilted. Those red-runed eyes were locked on Apollo. If anything, Fornax was angrier now than before.
Having learned his lesson, Apollo didn’t stick around for the show. He raced across the sky, trying to get as much distance as possible.
It might have been the cowardly action, and it certainly felt that way as Apollo tried to lead the monster out of downtown, but there wasn’t any other choice. He couldn’t beat Fornax alone, and as soon as Apollo died, all of Fornax’s wrath would be turned on the other superheroes. Every minute he stayed alive bought them time to prepare a counterattack.
Apollo knew he was dead no matter what happened. He’d made a terrible mistake and would pay the price for it. The least he could do was try and die like the superhero he’d always aspired to be. If he could buy the others even a slightly better chance of survival, he’d run to the ends of the Earth, no matter how cowardly it made him feel.
* * *
The crowd was now nearing the remains of the school when the energy beam tore out from the far side. Screams filled the air as the people ran, which meant only the bravest of the bunch got to see the figure in black-and-red armor making its way out of the newly-carved hole, a student slung over each arm. Hephaestus took careful steps forward, making sure not to pointlessly jostle Rick or Beth. They’d both gotten knocked around quite a bit in the collapse, but neither seemed to have any major injuries that she could discern.
It was Beth’s power that had saved them, those strange silver blades whipping out of her at impossible speeds, neatly slicing through every large piece of debris that had come down toward them. The small bits had still gotten through, and despite Hephaestus’s best efforts to shield the kids, they’d both been pelted with more than their fair share of rubble. Both were conscious, though, and no bones seemed broken, even if they were sore all over.
She’d barely made it ten steps out of the building before several police officers ran up to her. Probably came when she set off the fire alarm. Damn, this place really did have good security. If she ever had kids, she’d have to look into sending them here. Assuming it was rebuilt in time.
“Release the hostages and put your hands up.” This came from a cop with a bushy mustache and a hand resting a little too firmly on his firearm. Thankfully, before she could curse him out, Rick took charge.
“We’re not hostages. He saved us from the collapse,” he told them. Hephaestus let him and Beth go, careful to make sure they were steady on their feet. “He’s a hero.”
“Let’s not go quite that far,” Hephaestus protested. “But, officer, these two need immediate medical treatment. Did an EMT and ambulance come too?”
The officer nodded, not drawing his weapon but not releasing it either. “We’ve got several. They’re already digging for any who might still be stuck inside. Not everyone is accounted for.”
Hephaestus felt the bottom of her stomach fall out. She hadn’t been thorough enough. She’d missed someone. Even if Rick and Beth were safe, that was a heavy weight to bear. With
a lot of effort, she pushed the overwhelming sense of guilt to the back of her mind. There would time to deal with it later; right now, someone was plotting against her guild. She needed to see what had happened while she was buried.
“Please get these two medical attention right away,” Hephaestus ordered while she refreshed the news feed inside her helmet. “Top of the line, bill it to Indigo Technologies. They can call for confirmation if need be.” She had no idea if Wade’s company had any provisions set aside to take care of Ivan’s kids, but it seemed like a safe bet. And if not, a call would certainly set things straight.
The news feed finally refreshed, and Hephaestus was very glad she’d already barked out the orders. If she’d tried to talk right then, the words might have choked in her throat.
All of the coverage was either about the blood-soaked man chasing and gaining on Apollo or the sudden war of meta-humans that had broken out in the streets. The former was Ivan, but what on earth... the explosion. He knew. He’d seen it. He must think Rick and Beth had been killed.
Moments later, the news replayed Lady Shade’s confession for the hundredth time in only so few minutes, confirming Hephaestus’s suspicions. She’d have shivered if she weren’t largely composed of fire within the suit. If Ivan believed his children were dead, then he’d gone completely off the deep end. The truth might be able to calm him down, but only if he would listen and believe it.
Hephaestus tried to take a step away so she could launch off again, but Beth’s hand held her in place.
“Thank you for saving us.”
“You did most of the work,” Hephaestus told her. “That’s some power you’ve got. Maybe one day, you’ll get to tell me how it happened. But for right now, I have to go help other people.”
Beth didn’t respond verbally. She just hugged Hephaestus tightly, the silver blades shrinking back so as not to pierce the suit. She released the embrace and walked over to join her brother, who was standing by the ambulance that had pulled up.
The officers began to approach, which Hephaestus took as her cue to leave. She blasted off into the sky, zipping out of sight before they could even think to take a shot at her, and made a beeline for downtown Ridge City. Someone had to talk Ivan down, and it was too risky to try and bring his kids into that fray. She just had to hope that the bond between teacher and apprentice was enough to pry open his ears.
Otherwise, Hephaestus was flying at breakneck speed to her own funeral.
Chapter 84
“I have to stop them.” Beverly’s eyes were already beginning to glow green as she peered around the booth to spy on the robbers across the street.
“Why? We’re just a coffee shop. They might not want to rob us in the first place,” Chloe pointed out. “And even if they do, I can jump us somewhere safe.”
“No, you don’t get it,” Beverly said, rising slowly from their hidden position. “I’m not saying I need to do it to protect us, I’m saying I have to stop them. I might hate the AHC with a fiery passion, I might be a secret meta and have bent my fair share of the law myself, and it might be the stupidest thing I can do right now, but I still have to do it. This is my town; I’m not letting these people turn it to shit.” She paused, looking at Chloe carefully. If there was ever a time for honesty, at least with someone outside the guild, then it was before she went to take on three unknown metas and potentially died.
“And I have to do it because I’m a member of that guild they’re talking about,” Beverly admitted. “We’re not doing what they claim, though, at least not all of us. Mostly we commit crimes that don’t hurt anyone, and we put down a lot of the criminals that do hurt people. These little punks are intruding on my guild’s turf just because we’re busy, and as a point of pride, that pisses me right the hell off. So I’m going to show them the error of their ways.”
“You’re... you’re part of that guild?” Chloe glanced at the television screen then pulled herself up from under the booth. “Liar, liar, pants on fire. Now, was what you just said true? Are you really not the ones doing all of this?”
“Not that I know of. The guild we were shown, the code we were taught, it would never allow for any of this. Whoever is pulling it might be members, but they don’t represent the guild that I joined.” Beverly glanced down at her pants, happy to see they were still intact.
“Then I’m going with you,” Chloe declared. “They’ll have to deal with the power of... maybe I’ll go by Cliché.”
“Probably want to work on that name. And the offer is sweet, but you’re not a fighter,” Beverly countered.
“No, I’m not. But I am a friend, and you never know when my power will come in handy. Now, do you want to debate, or do you want to take them by surprise?” Chloe walked over and unlocked the coffee shop door, pushing it open as quietly as possible.
Much as Beverly didn’t like it, Chloe was an adult who could make her own decisions. And honestly, having a little backup was a comforting thought, even if said backup was just a meta with a power that hinged on wordplay. Beverly followed her and stepped through the open door, fully shifting into her green dragon-form. She surveyed her enemies. Bahamut had arrived, and it was time to do some damage.
The first looked like a wolfman from a bad 1950’s television show. Shaggy brown fur hung off him, almost (but not quite) covering the thick muscles knotted under his skin. The second had a mostly human appearance, if one discounted the bug-like eyes and giant horn on his face. He also had to be pushing three hundred pounds, almost none of which was fat. They seemed to be doing most of the heavy lifting while the third supervised.
She was somehow the oddest of the bunch, despite looking totally human. The woman appeared to be in her twenties, with pale skin and lips that were too red. Smudges of makeup gave away that the complexion was artificial, however. Her outfit was what was most striking—a giant pink-and-black frilly dress like one might see at the turn of the century with a skirt that stuck out three feet in all directions, matching leggings, platform shoes, and a parasol that was clutched carefully in her dainty hands.
Meta-human 101 dictated that the woman would actually be the strongest of the bunch, both given their group dynamic and the fact that her powers weren’t obvious. That said, Bahamut wasn’t sure she could handle all three at once. If the big guys were all physical, she could knock them out and then focus on the weirdly dressed lady. For a moment, she considered yelling a warning to the group of robbers, but then remembered that even if she was temporarily playing the part, Bahamut wasn’t a cape. She didn’t need to bother with that kind of nicety.
Her charge was thunderous and quickly noticed by the group, although not quick enough to matter. Bahamut slammed a shoulder into the wolfman, sending him flying through the remains of the broken glass window, through the store, and into the back wall, where he crashed heavily and slid to the floor. Bug-eyes reacted quickly, reaching for her with hands too big for his body. She responded by punching him right in the gut, sending him stumbling backward but not taking him off his feet.
A soft giggle from behind her was all the warning Bahamut got before a platform shoe whizzed toward her scaly green temple. She ducked the attack, twisting around to counter, only to have her claws—claws that could gouge through stone—bounce harmlessly off the surface of the pink-and-black parasol. Bahamut was so shocked that she didn’t notice the second kick toward her head; this time it connected. The blow shouldn’t have even registered, but suddenly Bahamut was airborne, tumbling until she crashed into the brick exterior of a nearby building. Pulling herself up took effort. Her bell had been rung so hard that her vision was blurry.
“Oh my, just another brute after all.” The woman in the dress giggled, twirling her parasol through the air in an artful pattern. “And here I thought you might be a little more fun than my underlings. Someone with the power of dragons seems so unique and mystical. Pity you’re no better than a pair of barely passable mutagen experiments.”
“And what does that make
you?” Bahamut spat, doing her best to buy time so her body could recover. Unfortunately, that tactic cut both ways. The wolfman made his way out from inside the busted store and the weird bug-eyed guy seemed to shake off her attack.
“Me? I’m what true success looks like. I’m the pinnacle of what metas can, and should, be! A perfect—AAAAA!” Her lilting taunts turned into a high-pitched scream as the leggings beneath her skirt suddenly burst into cascading blue flames. She smacked at them, so desperate that she dropped her parasol and beat at her burning legs with both hands.
“What... ‘liar, liar, pants on fire.’ Guess arrogant false claims count too,” Bahamut chuckled. The wolfman and bug-eyed horn guy looked distressed at their leader’s sudden terror. That was all the invitation she needed to pounce. As she tore through the street on a crash course for the two dumbstruck hulks, she saw Chloe’s familiar pixie cut darting forward toward the woman with the burning legs. Part of her wanted to yell at the barista to steer clear, but the truth was she needed the help.
And besides, that parasol lady had kicked Bahamut around like a toy, yet Chloe had managed to stop her cold. Maybe she could handle the weird little thief better. But just in case, Bahamut decided to make short work of the other crooks.
If Chloe needed help, Bahamut would be there.
* * *
A sledgehammer bounced off Cyber Geek’s armor, sending him sprawling to the ground and knocking a huge percentage off his shields. He spun around to find a woman clad in a spiked leather jacket. She had glowing yellow eyes, and a matching light flickered across the hammer. Augmentation, probably, which was why a mundane object had managed to pack such a wallop.
Cyber Geek rolled to the side, just missing her follow-up strike that shattered the concrete below. Leaping to his feet, Cyber Geek aimed his gun, pausing only to do a quick check of his surroundings.
Everything had turned into chaos within seconds, the gangs that Balaam had brought swarming over cape and villain alike. Medley was fending them off three at a time, and Cold Shoulder had formed her ice construct to try and cover him. Hat Trick, while not great in combat, was proving herself invaluable in evacuating citizens. She could throw an endless rope of rainbow scarves from either sleeve and was using it to swing around the battlefield, snaring civilians out of precarious situations and throwing them toward the fringes of the fight. More than a few people were going to have bruises and scrapes, but it was a lot better than them seeing the inside of a coffin.