Sentinels

by Darius Brasher

  The video cut away from my picture, replaced by a recording of Seer. She was in the Situation Room. Part of the room had collapsed, no doubt because of my attack.

  “We have no idea why Kinetic would launch this unprovoked assault on Sentinels’ headquarters,” Seer said. “Clearly he is a very troubled young man to attack us without reason or warning. We are just grateful that no one was injured in this dastardly attack. Rest assured that the Sentinels are devoting our considerable resources to locating Kinetic before he lashes out again and hurts or kills an innocent member of the public. Kinetic is unstable and obviously dangerous. Anyone who spots him should avoid all contact with him and immediately report his sighting to us. We have set up a hotline for that purpose. Kinetic, if you are listening to this, please turn yourself in. You have my personal assurance you will be treated fairly.” The number for the hotline filled the bottom of the screen.

  The leggy anchor filled the screen again. “We have sought a comment on Kinetic’s behavior from the Heroes’ Guild. Other than also encouraging Kinetic to turn himself in and stating that it had opened an investigation into his behavior, the Guild had no comment.”

  The video shut off. I glanced at the number next to the video’s icon. It had millions of views. I took the phone out of Isaac’s hand and scrolled through some of the comments about the video. The gist of them was that I should not only be thrown in jail, but castrated, drawn and quartered, burned at the stake, and then buried under the jail. So much for innocent until proven guilty and keeping an open mind until you heard the other guy’s side of the story.

  A wave of weariness washed over me. Life had given me tons of experience in not being well-liked, but being universally hated even by people I hadn’t met was a new experience. I didn’t like it. “Tell me Vixen is the only network reporting this story,” I said hopefully.

  “Nope,” Truman said. “Every television news network is playing the footage of the attack on almost a constant loop, including the major international networks. Not to mention it being discussed to death on talk radio and getting above-the-fold coverage in the major newspapers. Including your employer, by the way.”

  Disgusted, I leaned back on the couch. I regretted it. I grimaced in pain. The pressure against my aching back made it hurt worse. “I’m famous. Or rather, infamous. Fantastic. Not only are the Sentinels looking for me, but every Tom, Dick and Harry in the world who pays attention to the news will have his eyes peeled for me too.”

  “On the plus side,” Truman said cheerily, “you take a real good picture.”

  “You should call yourself Silver Lining Man,” I said. Still leaning back, I closed my eyes against the brightness of the light. Knowing the world thought I was a crazed terrorist wasn’t doing my pounding headache any favors. I hadn’t even been a licensed Hero for a year and I was already a household name. And not in a good way. From obscurity to infamy in just a few hours. It must be some sort of record. The enemies I’ve made in the years since I became a Meta such as Pitbull, Elemental Man, and others—pissing people off might as well be one of my superpowers—must have been having a good chuckle at my expense right about now. What’s that German word meaning taking pleasure from someone else’s pain? Oh yeah—schadenfreude. People like Pitbull must have been luxuriating in schadenfreude right about now. The Germans were probably pissed at me too.

  “You’re not going to turn me in to the Guild, are you?” I asked Truman.

  “Of course not.” He sounded offended. “Remember, I’ve had less than positive experiences with the Sentinels in the past. If you blew up their mansion, I’m guessing they deserved it.”

  “Are you going to tell us what happened between you and the Sentinels, or am I going to have to be the one who turns you in to find out?” Isaac asked impatiently.

  I reluctantly pried my eyes open. I told them everything, beginning with the revelation Cassandra had made to me up through me crashing into Truman’s office. Well, almost everything. I still left out the fact I had cheated during the Trials and Hacker’s role in it. Isaac would flip his lid if he knew he had his cape because of cheating.

  Once I finished, Isaac leaned back on the couch along with me. His eyes were wide.

  He said, “So not only did Mechano try to kill you during the Trials, but he and two Sentinels have been trying to kill you ever since you developed your powers? And now that you’ve refused to become their protege, they’re looking to kill you so this Omega spirit thingamajig will pass to another host? If I didn’t know you like I do, I’d think you had been hallucinating, smoking crack, or both. And thanks to your pyrotechnics at the mansion, anybody who pays any kind of attention to current events is going to be looking for you too.” He shook his head in wonder and disbelief. “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten us into.”

  Truman blinked in surprise. He said, “I would’ve thought you were too young to be quoting Laurel and Hardy. Hell, I’m too young to quote Laurel and Hardy and I’m older than both of you.”

  “Isaac and I had the same Hero sponsor. He had a taste for the classics,” I said. I turned to look at Isaac, wincing as I did so. My body was telling me to quit moving around so much, but my body wasn’t the boss of me. “We’re in a mess? I didn’t see a picture of you on the news.”

  “You’re my brother. If you’re in trouble, I’m in trouble.” Isaac said it matter-of-factly, as if he had said water was wet or the sky was blue. I felt the same way about him, but to hear him express the sentiment made me get a little misty-eyed. Apparently, being seared like a steak and being a wanted man made me maudlin.

  “Please tell me you two lovebirds aren’t going to start making out on my couch,” Truman said.

  “I can’t kiss him,” Isaac said, sounding shocked. He dropped his voice to a whisper, as if afraid Truman’s neighbors might hear a terrible secret. “Theo’s a honky.”

  “So am I,” Truman said. “Nobody’s perfect.”

  Sweet Jesus, I thought. There’s two of them. I blinked away my forming tears and cleared my throat in embarrassment. “I wonder why the Sentinels didn’t release my real name and likeness to the public. It would be a lot easier for them to locate and dispose of me if everyone in the world was on the lookout for not only Kinetic but also Theodore Conley.”

  “It’s against the law to expose the secret identity of a licensed Hero,” Truman said. “The Sentinels probably don’t want to face a bunch of awkward questions from the Guild about why they’re breaking the law by exposing it. Not even the Sentinels are above the law. At least that’s how it’s supposed to work. Clearly the Sentinels haven’t gotten the memo saying they aren’t above the law. Plus, them releasing your real name and face would beg the question of how they got that information. The Guild’s computer records are supposed to be secure and confidential. The Guild would have a fit if it knew Mechano used them as his personal address book.”

  “That makes sense. Thank goodness for small favors. I’m in a big enough fix as it is without having to put a bag over my head every time I go outside.” I shook my head, which didn’t do my headache any favors. “We need to figure a way out of this mess and how to bring the Sentinels to justice. Well, Isaac and I do. You didn’t sign up for Sentinel wrangling when I hired you, Truman.”

  “True, but I’m signing up for it anyway,” he said firmly. “As much as it would pain my accountant to hear me say it, I’m a Hero first and a businessman second. If a villain needs to be thrashed, I’ve got an obligation to try to thrash him. As Heroes sworn to protect people and yet who are guilty of multiple counts of murder, felony murder, and attempted murder, the Sentinels certainly qualify as villains.” He shook his head in disgust. Then he sighed. “But at the risk of jeopardizing my daredevil reputation, I must admit that if the three of us go up against these three Sentinels, we’re more likely to be the thrashees than the thrashers.”

  “Well that’s awfully pessimistic,” Isaac said.

  “Nope. It’s realistic. Lying to yo
urself about what you’re up against doesn’t help you figure out what to do about it. We’re talking about three of the world’s most powerful and experienced Heroes with nearly unlimited resources. No offense, but you two are freshly minted Heroes, even if Theo has the Omega spirit. If I checked behind your ears, you’re likely still wet back there. I’m a lot more experienced than you, but I usually deal with street crime. I’m not going to kid myself by pretending that the Sentinels and I are in the same league.”

  I sank lower into the couch. My headache seemed to be getting worse. “That’s quite a pep talk. You really should become a motivational speaker,” I said.

  “Just calling a spade a spade.”

  The office fell quiet for a bit as the enormity of the odds against us sank in.

  “Truman’s right,” Isaac said. “If I had to bet on who would win a fight between the Sentinels and us, I wouldn’t flush my money down the toilet by betting on us. At the risk of you calling me a tattletale again Theo, maybe the right play here is to turn this whole thing over to the Guild and let it sort it out.”

  I shook my head. “I hate to agree with Mechano on anything, but he was right about what he said in the Situation Room: I have absolutely no proof the Sentinels did anything wrong other than what they told me. I’m willing to bet Mechano has by now scrubbed from Overlord any trace of him tampering with it. Without that, it’s my word against the Sentinels. I know who I’d believe if I were the Guild. Here’s a hint: Not me. I know I’m telling the truth about all this, yet I can barely believe it myself. If I go to the Guild, the only thing I’ll accomplish will be to tell the Sentinels where I am so they can try to kill me again.”

  Isaac said, “We could go to the Old Man. He’d believe us. What he says carries a lot a weight in the Guild. He’s on the Guild’s Executive Committee after all.”

  “Who’s the Old Man?” Truman interjected. “If you say me, I’ll pull my gun out and shoot you.”

  “The Old Man is Amazing Man,” Isaac said. “He was our Hero sponsor. He’s the guy who taught us Laurel and Hardy weren’t Ed Hardy’s less fashionable brothers.”

  I shook my head. “The Old Man is just one voice among many on the Executive Committee. Even with him in our corner, the Guild isn’t going to believe our accusations about the Sentinels without proof.” I left out the other reason why I didn’t want to go to the Guild: I had no doubt Mechano would carry out his threat to expose me cheating during the Trials. Though I had no interest in being defrocked and losing my Hero’s license—I had worked too hard and been through too much to get it—if my license was the only one on the line I would give it up with a whistle on my lips and a song in my heart to bring Dad’s killers to justice. My license was not the only one on the line, though. Hacker’s and Isaac’s were too. I would not snatch from them something they had worked so hard to get. I would not risk them going to prison, either.

  “Going to the Guild is out,” I said firmly. “We have to figure out a way to deal with this ourselves. I think the key to this whole thing is me being the Omega. The Sentinels said there is an Omega weapon out there that will help me fulfill my power’s potential. If we can find it, maybe it will give us a fighting chance against them.”

  Isaac said, “This Omega thing is the most incredible part of all this. Theo, do you really buy the whole savior of the world stuff the Sentinels are peddling? No offense, but the idea of you carrying around some ancient, world-protecting spirit like Dr. McCoy lugging around Spock’s katra in The Search For Spock sounds like woo-woo, crystal healing nonsense. Maybe the Sentinels are lying about that, manipulating you for reasons we don’t understand.”

  “I wouldn’t believe the Sentinels if they told me water was wet. But Cassandra also told me that I’m the Omega. What do you think, Truman?”

  He said, “While I agree the whole Omega thing sounds incredible, the fact that people like us with superpowers exist is pretty incredible all by itself. I’ve seen too much to think that anything is impossible. Besides, I’ve known Cassandra a long time. I’ve never known her to be wrong.”

  “Okay, let’s assume for the sake of discussion that Theo is this world-protecting Omega,” Isaac said. “Let’s further assume that the Omega weapon is not a made-up red herring. How are we three not-on-the-level-of-the-Sentinels knuckleheads supposed to find something that they have already looked for? Especially when their teammate Avatar was the last one to have it? As you said Truman, they have nearly limitless resources. What can we do that they can’t? Rub a lamp and ask a genie where it is?”

  “Maybe you don’t need a lamp,” Truman said. He tapped the corner of his book on his desk thoughtfully. “Maybe you just need me. And if one of you gets up and tries to rub my belly, I swear to God I really will shoot you this time. I know where Avatar may have hidden the Omega weapon. Years ago, back when the Sentinels hired me to find Avatar’s killer, I started by trying to figure out his secret identity. The fact he hadn’t told the rest of the Sentinels his real name says something right there about how he didn’t fully trust them. For good reason, as we now know. Anyway, while figuring out his secret identity, I stumbled on a hidey-hole he maintained. He called it ‘The Mountain.’ If there is an Omega weapon, it’s liable to be there. I didn’t see anything that fit the bill the times I was there, but I wasn’t looking for it, either.”

  “Surely that would’ve been the first place the Sentinels would look for it,” I objected.

  “They don’t know about it,” Truman said. “Avatar didn’t tell them about The Mountain, so I sure as hell didn’t either. I figured if not telling them about The Mountain was good enough for a paragon like Avatar, it was good enough for me. Besides, I didn’t trust them any further than I could throw them considering how shabbily they had treated me during my investigation of Avatar’s death.”

  A spark of hope ignited within me. Maybe things weren’t as hopeless as they had first seemed. “The first thing we’ll do is go to this Mountain place and look for the Omega weapon.”

  “Let me see if I’ve got this straight,” Isaac said. He sounded incredulous. “We need to go to Avatar’s secret hideout, find the Omega weapon which may or may not exist and may or may not be hidden at The Mountain, figure out how to utilize it, use it to defeat three of the most powerful Heroes in the world, bring them to justice, and clear Theo’s name. And, after that, there remains the little matter of Theo saving the world.” He scratched his bald head with a look of bemusement on his face. “Oh, is that all?” he said sarcastically. “I’m surprised we haven’t done it already since it’ll surely be a cakewalk. Did I miss something? Anything else we need to do?”

  “No,” Truman said. “Once we’re finished, on the seventh day, we’ll rest.”

  CHAPTER 21

  Isaac and I rode the escalator to the top of the exit of the Bladenburg Avenue subway stop in southwest Astor City. We both wore civilian clothes. Since the public had been alerted to be on the lookout for Kinetic, flying in costume to where we needed to go was out of the question. Also, we had paid cash to ride the subway instead of utilizing the monthly passes both Isaac and I normally got on the subway with. The passes were registered in our real names, and we had figured that it would be easy for Mechano to hack into the Maryland Transit Administration’s computers to see if we had taken public transportation somewhere. For the same reason, we were afraid to use our ATM cards to get cash. Truman had spotted us our subway fare. Being on the run from a group of murderous Metahumans was putting a real damper on my ability to get around.

  After leaving the subway station, we walked on Bladenburg Avenue toward the EZ Keep self-storage facility Truman had told us about. We were in a commercial area full of strip malls and fast food restaurants. Truman wasn’t with us. He was off chasing down a fresh lead he had gotten about Antonio’s location. “A Hero has to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time,” he had said when I questioned him pursuing Antonio at a time like this. While I appreciated his dedication to my case, i
t had seemed like the Sentinels should take priority. “A hot lead tends to cool off pretty quickly. You have to pursue it while it’s fresh. Besides,” Truman had added, his eyes twinkling, “surely the Omega isn’t afraid to go to a scary old storage facility without a chaperone.”

  “Bite me,” I had said.

  It felt like everyone we passed stared at me as Isaac and I walked down the street. Since I was not in costume, the stares were likely because I was only a couple of shades away from being beet red thanks to Mechano’s energy blast rather than because people thought I was Kinetic, terrorist and iconic building ruiner. If being a Hero continued to go this disastrously, maybe I could switch gigs and hire myself out as a one-man mansion demolisher.

  A young boy walked by, hand in hand with his mother. His mouth fell open as he stared at me. His tongue was purple from sucking on candy. He pointed at me, his eyes big and round as his embarrassed mother pulled him past me.

  I pulled my baseball cap down lower on my head, uncomfortable with all the attention. Walking was a chore. The pain I was still in helped keep my mind off all the looks I got. What a crappy silver lining. Thank goodness Isaac had thought to pack me some long-sleeved shirts. I was glad my burned arms were covered despite the warm weather.

  “I feel like a circus freak,” I said to Isaac.