Heroic

by H D Forth

  Trace was an excellent example of just such a situation. He was a known adversary, but he was also smart enough to realize that any direct opposition would end badly. Instead of joining the other splatters on the floor, he fought in the shadows. In the beginning, he had left five, now there were seven. The scent of the most recent one's bowels as he crushed him to the floor was still evident in the air.

  It was people like Trace that would eventually have come to lead a gang like the Tenners once it had matured some. With age came the need to expand, and they were doing precious little of that, never having gone much further than 27th street.

  Someone’s coming.

  "Yes, milady." Eric's deep bass voice echoed in the recently emptied hall. He ran a careful finger over the green pustule that hid the fragment of metal in his skin. He wasn't expecting anyone, so it was likely Trace with another report. That was the trouble with his kind. He was officially showing support for Leric, he had managed position himself as someone of import. Leric got to his feet, he went over to his throne. Pacing it like a caged animal.

  There was no way in a million years that Trace’s current position would be enough for him. He would try something, eventually. This wasn't a long game, this wasn't something Leric was willing to play out and see what he was going to try. He paced behind his recliner, underneath which he had stoved something for just this occasion.

  He withdrew the hammer, holding it tightly in his left fist. It was small in his large hand, and he could hear the handle groaning under the pressure of his powerful fingers. He spotted the door to the adjacent hallway just starting to open.

  With a violent swing, he threw the hammer at the floor, shattering the concrete under him, and ultimately breaking all but the head of the hammer. His pacing had taken him far enough that he was unable to see Trace’s reaction. He had timed it poorly, though he thought he might need the extra time to keep control of his face.

  He couldn't be a wild animal, ready to kill a subordinate just because he was prepared to commit treachery. He either had to catch him in the act, or he would have to force his hand. Like acting like a barely in control animal.

  He appeared on the other side of the recliner again to see, Trace standing there. He was a smaller man, young though his beard was growing in strong. He wasn't built like the old leaders, all menace and muscle. He wasn't made like Leric. He was skinnier and smaller, but he was sharp as a knife. He was looking at Leric slightly wide-eyed.

  Good.

  Leric paused for a moment, flicked his eyes from Trace to the door and back again. He tried his best to over exaggerate the movement. He knew that something as subtle as eye movement could be lost in the sheer mass of his frame. HE could see Trace swallow enviously from where he stood.

  Instead of addressing Trace, he started pacing even faster growling to himself. He grabbed one of the pieces of loosened concrete as he walked once more around the chair. Finally, he was standing and glaring at Trace again.

  He took in a deep breath, looking like he was trying to calm himself. "What?" He growled, low and menacing. The young man hesitated, but he didn't take a step back. Ambitious indeed, he wasn't so ambitious he might've been useful. Now, now he was an obstacle. Unfortunately for him, he was five years too early and a decade too young to really challenge Leric.

  He coughed nervously once, then twice before speaking. "One of our newcomers have returned, she seems nervous." He spoke. Somehow the young man stopped his voice from quivering with evident fear.

  Leric leaned his head, looking up at the ceiling of the room. Clenching and unclothing his right fist, making sure not to use his left as it held the concrete shard.

  “Why?” Even to Leric’s own ears, it sounded like he barely managed to get it through his teeth before biting the words off.

  There was a beat of silence. Just long enough for Leric to look down and take a step towards Trace before he spoke again. "There was a man. Everything suggests that he's a new hero. Doesn't even have a name yet."

  Leric let out a frustrated growl, throwing the shard hard and fast in the direction of Trace. He'd made it seem like an act of anger rather than an attempt at Trace's life. The stone passed Trace with inches to spare, before burrowing if not through then at least a few inches into the door behind. The young man immediately froze where he was standing.

  This was good. A new hero was rarely the issue young criminals thought they would be. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to be a hero. You would have to be willing to risk your own body and safety on the worst of times, at the best of times it was dull, mind-numbing work that would slowly drive anyone mad. The slow indulgence of the people you had to greet and act like you care.

  Most people weren't that genuine. It was all domination in the end. The difference only lay in the kind of mind-numbing work one had to put in to gain dominance. He was putting in an effort to control and dominate the crowd of young people. Give it another month, and he would have them eating out of his hand.

  "Keep an eye on him," Leric told Trace. The young man nodded, of course, very afraid for his life. Leric waited a moment, before growling, "Leave." He had been careful to not make too much noise. The only thing really loud had been the hammer against the concrete, but these kids trigger control was poor enough that it wasn't the most deafening noise that had been heard that day. Not counting the latest coup for his command of the gang.

  He smiled a wicked smile as Trace closed the door behind him, revealing a little sliver of light that poked through a small hole. A month then he would be in full control, then they would start training, and he would begin expanding. Any luck and the young hero would’ve already quit by then. At least after he’d fulfilled his purpose.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Leric was sitting in his court room, the main room of the warehouse. He had managed to dig out another recliner and he spent most of his day sitting on it, even though it was clearly made for a smaller man.

  Not that he really could complain. His powers were strong enough that it really didn't bother him too much that the chair was uncomfortable, it was more the fact of being stuck in the same place all the time that bothered him. He wanted to move, fight, dominate. Instead he was stuck here, discussing, planning and solidifying his hold on the criminals.

  That was in the end the biggest issue with the most gangs. They rarely come together because all the leftover people in the neighborhood wanted a place to have fun and play board games. They were angry, they were scared. They didn't know their place in the world. All of this didn't lend itself for a stable hierarchy.

  Trace was an excellent example of just such a situation. He was a known adversary, but he was also smart enough to realize that any direct opposition would end badly. Instead of joining the other splatters on the floor, he fought in the shadows. In the beginning he had left five, now there were seven. The scent of the most recent ones bowels as he crushed him to the floor was still evident in the air.

  It was people like Trace that would eventually have come to lead a gang like the Tenners once it had matured some. With age came the need to expand, and they were doing precious little of that, never having gone much further than 27th street.

  Someone’s coming.

  “Yes milady.” Eric’s deep bass voice echoed in the recently emptied hall. He ran a careful finger over the green pustule that hid the fragment of metal in his skin. He wasn’t expecting anyone, so it was likely Trace with another report. That was the trouble with his kind. He was officially showing support for Leric, he had managed position himself as someone of import. Leric got to his feet, he went over to his throne. Pacing it like a caged animal.

  There was no way in a million years that Trace’s current position would be enough for him. He would try something, eventually. This wasn't a long game, this wasn't something Leric was willing to play out and see what he was going to try. He paced behind his recliner, underneath which he had stoved something for just this occasion.

  He withdrew
the hammer, holding it tightly in his left fist. It was small in his large hand, and he could hear the handle groaning under the pressure of his powerful fingers. He spotted the door to the adjacent hallway just starting to open. With a violent swing he threw the hammer at the floor, shattering the concrete under him, and completely breaking all but the head of the hammer. His pacing had taken him far enough that he was unable to see Trace’s reaction. He had timed it poorly, though he thought he might need the extra time to keep control of his face.

  He couldn't be a wild animal, ready to kill an subordinate just because he was ready to commit treachery. He either had to catch him in the act, or he would have to force his hand. Like acting like a barely in control animal.

  He appeared on the other side of the recliner again to see, Trace standing there. He was a smaller man, young though his beard was growing in strong. He wasn't built like the old leaders, all menace and muscle. He wasn't built like Leric. He was skinnier and smaller, but he was sharp as a knife. He was looking at Leric slightly wide eyed.

  Good.

  Leric paused for a moment, flicked his eyes from Trace to the door and back again. He tried his best to over exaggerate the movement. He knew that one his face something as subtle as eye movement could be lost in the sheer mass of his frame. HE could see Trace swallow enviously from where he stood.

  Instead of addressing Trace, he started pacing even faster growling to himself. He grabbed one of the pieces of loosened concrete as he paced once more around the chair. Finally he was standing and glaring at Trace again.

  He took in a deep breath, looking like he was trying to calm himself. “What?” He growled, low and menacing. The young man hesitated, but he didn't take a step back. Ambitious indeed, he wasn’t so ambitious he might’ve been useful. Now, now he was an obstacle. Unfortunately for him he was five years too early and a decade too young to really challenge Leric.

  He coughed nervously once, then twice before speaking. “One of our newcomers have returned, she seems nervous.” He spoke. Somehow the young man stopped his voice from quivering with obvious fear.

  Leric leaned his head, looking up at the ceiling of the room. Clenching and unclothing his right fist, making sure not to use his left as it held the concrete shard.

  “Why?” Even to Leric’s own ears, it sounded like he barely managed to get it through his teeth before biting the words off.

  There was a beat of silence. Just long enough for Leric to look down and take a step towards Trace before he spoke again. “There was a man. Everything suggest that he’s a new hero. Doesn't even have a name yet.”

  Leric let out a frustrated growl, throwing the shard hard and fast in the direction of Trace. He’d made it seem like an action of anger rather than an attempt at Trace’s life. He stone passed Trace with inches to spare, before burrowing if not through then at least a few inches into the door behind. The young man immediately froze where he was standing.

  This was good. A new hero was rarely the issue young criminals thought they would be. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to be a hero. You would have to be willing to risk your own body and safety on the worst of times, at the best of times it was boring mind numbing work that would slowly drive anyone mad. The slow indulgence of the people you had to greet and act like you care.

  Most people weren't that genuine. It was all domination in the end. The difference only lay in the kind of mind numbing work one had to put in order to gain dominance. He was putting in effort to control and dominate the crowd of young people. Give it another month and he would have them eating out of his hand.

  “Keep an eye on him.” Leric told Trace. The young man nodded of course, very afraid for his life. Leric waited a moment, before growling, “Leave.” He had been careful to not make too much noise. The only thing really noisy had been the hammer against the concrete, but these kids trigger control was poor enough that it wasn't the loudest noise that had been heard that day. Not counting the latest coup for his control of the gang.

  He smiled a vicious smile as the Trace closed the door behind him, revealing a little sliver of light that poked through a small hole. A month and he would be in full control, then they would start training and he would start expanding. Any luck and the young hero would’ve already quit by then. At least after he’d fulfilled his purpose.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Kani took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Her hands shook lightly as she stood outside Val’s door.

  She hadn't been there since that night. 3 years? Kani thought It’s really been that long?

  Then again, Val had agreed that they shouldn't do it again. Not long after that, she had changed jobs. In terms of rejections that one was pretty harsh.

  Could she do it? Of course, she could. All she had to do was ring the doorbell. Just push the button. Use the finger on her hand, like she had done so often before. A click, that was all that was needed. Simple. Easy.

  So why had she been out here for nearly 15 minutes?

  Beast-burn it! She yelled at herself mentally. Get your act together!

  She started pacing up and down the hallway. It was a good thing that she hadn't called Val beforehand, or she might've noticed it when she paced by her window. Though pacing was being excellent, though she was a little too close to running for her tastes.

  Her breathing sped up as she reached one end of the hallway, the one with the elevator, the other end had the stairs. She took a deep breath, then ran for the other end.

  Her backpack slapped against her as she ran towards Val’s doorway. As she passed the door, she haplessly slapped against the general area of the button. Though she couldn't be certain she had hit it, she wasn't sure she could do that again.

  She reached the other end, heaving for breath. She really should start biking again, it wasn't exactly fun, but at least she wouldn't have gotten winded running from one end of a hallway to the other.

  She looked down the stairs, the steps descending in a square spiral to the bottom. She could look over the side and see all the way down. She got dizzy for a moment, looking down from such a height. She gripped the railing tighter, just making sure that she didn't accidentally flip over the railing and fall down.

  "Kani?" Val's voice asked. Kani turned around in surprised panic. She almost yelled out her name in surprise but mastered herself before she did so.

  “Hi.” She managed to say instead, though she sounded a tad breathless.

  “What are you doing here? Were not meeting until tomorrow.”

  "I know. I wanted to talk to you about something." Val only now seemed to really notice her. Kani shivered slightly as Val gave her a blatant elevator stare. She had worn clothes that she knew would attract Val, so she had come prepared. She just hadn't been prepared for the emotions such a stare would rise in her.

  Heat suffused her entire upper body as Val blatantly stared. She had picked a sleeveless black top and a white pleated skirt that ended just above the knees. That one night after the company party, Val had revealed that she thought Kani should wear skirts and dresses more often since she had some pretty legs. Though Val had been thigh deep between at the time, so maybe it had just been in-the-moment flattery.

  "Maybe you should come inside," Val said, retreating from the door. Kani shot a glance down her own body when she saw Val had disappeared from the doorway. She had worn a bra that offered a little more support than usual. That was what you were supposed to do when you were to seduce. Right?

  Her palms had gone completely clammy by the time she reached the doorway. Stepping inside, she could see that Val had done some definite cleaning since she’d last been there. While it was a massive improvement, it was still cluttered to all hell in her apartment.

  Kani slowly stepped her way from the hall and into the living room. Seeing Val sitting on the couch.

  "I believe we decided that we weren't going to be doing that again," Val said, blatantly staring at Kani.

  You can do this Kani. She
told herself. Vanys wants you, and he’s a hero. Of course, she knew that he wasn't really a hero, more like someone that plays at being a hero rather than being an actual hero. For now. That was subject to change.

  She clenched her jaw, squeezed her palms into fists and stepped in front of Val. “If I remember correctly,” she said. “Then it was mostly you that decided it couldn't happen again.”

  She wasn't elegant and didn't have the same grace as Val had in her movements, but she did the best she could manage, as she slipped one knee on either side of Val and sat down in her lap. For a moment, Val’s eyes lit up with violet energies. Arousal almost seemed to sparkle off those eyes.

  “If we’re to do what I think you want to do,” Val said. “Then I have to know if you’re really in this with the rest of us. It’s not going to work if there’s someone who’s not fully committed.”

  Kani gulped at Val’s words. “You make it sound like there’s going to something between all three of us.” She managed to get the words out in one quick jumble, without falling all over them. Her heart was pounding away a mile a minute. She gripped the cushion on either side of Val’s head, less seduction more for stability.