by Hayes, Drew
Blake replied to that, or at least his mouth started moving, but the sound seemed to cut out like on a busted TV. Not long after, the image flickered and began to fade.
“It seems our time is done once more,” Abridail said, his voice echoing despite the lack of nearby vast spaces. “Today, however, you have seen all I intended to show. There are many smaller moments that contributed to your current situation, but they are only pieces that helped shaped the larger scenes. You know now what truly happened to Shelby Adair, as well as the truth about Globe and Intra. Alice… I’m sorry.”
She shook her head, nearly losing sight of Abridail as the world steadily faded. “I’m not. This wasn’t exactly easy, but I’m glad I know the truth. Even if it means realizing that the Adair legacy is one of betrayal and murder.”
Abridail smiled at her, a smile that lingered as the rest of him continued to fade. “There have been good Adairs as well. Your grandmother worked hard for her family, and Phil was, by all accounts, a true Hero. And you, Alice, are part of that lineage as well. The Adair legacy is in your hands to shape now. Perhaps you’ll bring something good back to the name. If it helps, know that your mother has always believed you will do just that.”
Then he was gone, as was the dream-world as a whole. Slowly, Alice lifted herself up from the mattress, groping around until her hand closed on a glass of water. She downed it swiftly then refilled a few more times while Nick and Mary did the same. The cottonmouth side effect of Rich’s power really was annoying.
It was Nick who spoke first, to the surprise of no one, as he polished off his third round of water. “Well, that’s at least one more mystery solved.”
“Way more than one, by my count,” Alice pointed out.
“I’m not talking about what Abridail showed us.” Nick put his glass under the cooler, refilling it one more time. “I meant our little mystery from freshman year, when someone, presumably Globe-related, used Mary’s kidnapping as a distraction to steal files out of the HCP system. Or do you think there was some other batch of data Globe wanted as badly as proof of what Charles did with Intra’s corpse?”
166.
The room was silent as Alice finished recounting what she, Nick, and Mary had borne witness to. Mary sat to her left, filling in the occasional detail, while Nick was on her right. Normally, he handled the covert communication himself, but this time… well, there was too much at stake, too many details they had to make sure were recalled precisely correct. Because if one was going to accuse an HCP professor of murder, it was important to have all the evidence prepared perfectly.
“Somehow, in my truest of hearts, I always suspected that Shelby’s misfortune was at the core of things, even if I didn’t have proof.” Dean Blaine was staring at the table, wavering somewhere between the urge to vomit or scream out his raw, unmitigated fury. “And Charles has always been… determined, I suppose is what we called it back then. Just like his brother. Only where Phil’s refusal to budge was born of the desire to protect everyone he cared for, Charles’s came with a more ruthless, pragmatic edge. But to think Blake would be party to such crimes—”
“That part I would have guessed.” Professor Pendleton leaned back in his chair, looking for all the world like he hadn’t just heard about his half-brother helping to murder Intra. But Alice knew him better; she could see the grief and anger lingering at the edges of his expression. “I loved Shelby, and Blake too for that matter, but they were twins. The bond between them was deeper than anything I could have matched. When Shelby got sick, Blake took it as hard as Charles. He was there all the time, caring for her, doing what he could to make things better. And then, when the procedure went wrong… to be honest with you, I lived on his couch for a few weeks. I told him it was because we needed each other as family during a tough time, though the truth was I thought he might try to kill himself with no one around.”
“Instead, he conspired to kill Intra.” Of all the teachers, Professor Stone seemed to be taking the news better than anyone else. Then again, as a telepath she was probably more accustomed to finding out dirty secrets than the rest of the staff.
Those three were the only ones in attendance today. Mr. Numbers and Mr. Transport, dedicated though they had proven themselves to be, were still outsiders in the Hero world. Until Dean Blaine gave permission, it didn’t seem right to bring them in on something like this, especially given Charles’s comments about bribing people in a certain company.
“This is a lot to take in,” Dean Blaine said. “Sadly, I fear we lack the time for a proper period of mourning and adjustment. If what you’re saying is true, then we have the very proof we need sitting in the HCP right now.”
“But the minute you make a request to withdraw it, someone out there is going to tip off Charles. We should assume that’s a given at this point,” Professor Pendleton pointed out.
“Not to mention, we’re working off very old intel.” It was the first time Nick had spoken since they’d settled in to recount the story, and heads turned toward him automatically as he did. “Assuming everything Abridail showed us was accurate and true—which is a huge leap to make in the first place—that meeting still happened around seventeen years ago. Do we really think, in all that time, they didn’t add more safeguards, or change things up in the slightest? I’m sure something is on that HCP computer; Globe doesn’t strike me as the type to put in so much effort for no return. But we need to brace for it not being the silver bullet we might want.”
Dean Blaine considered Nick’s words, tilting his head just a hair to the side as he mulled over the idea. “True as that is, it doesn’t change the fact that getting the data is our obvious next step.”
“Obvious is the right word there. Obvious, predictable, and exactly what Charles would be on watch for.” Professor Pendleton rose from his chair, the nervous energy he was hiding too great to contain while seated. “He might not know we’re pulling these threads, but he’s been prepared for somebody to do so at some point. While we can say a lot of things about Charles, everyone who has worked with him knows he’s methodical and cautious. He pulled off this trick with Intra and Globe after all, fooling the whole nation. If we move on that data, we need to do so with the assumption that Charles will activate countermeasures of his own. That’s not entirely a bad thing, mind you, it just means we might want to explore other options first.”
“Such as?” Dean Blaine asked.
It was Alice who spoke this time. She could see a next step forward, one that might let them progress without tipping off Charles Adair. Maybe the professors couldn’t see it yet because they were too ingrained in their way of thinking. Maybe she was the only one who could say it, because she had blood on both sides of the game. Regardless, once she had the thought, there was no way to ignore it.
“We reach out to allies. People we know we can trust. People we know are working against Charles. And people we know have a copy of the data we need.” Alice paused for a heartbeat, watching as the realization hit everyone seconds before her next words. “We make contact with Globe and his cohorts.”
Silence crashed through the room as all of the HCP educators exchanged slow, thoughtful glances. Mary’s eyes widened as well, although Nick merely nodded in agreement with Alice. It was nice to have some backing, and she gave his hand a brief squeeze under the table as thanks.
“Even if the murder of Intra was orchestrated by Charles, Globe has still committed serious crimes. He kidnapped Mary, broke George out of prison, and has been evading arrest for years now.” Dean Blaine didn’t sound terribly sure of his words; they seemed forced and detached. When he spoke again, a measure of his usual certainty had returned to his voice. “But if all of that was done in an effort to covertly bring Charles down, it does explain most of the actions quite well. And we do need some allies in this fight. Learning that the company has been compromised is a heavy blow, I must tell you.”
“Not for me; I’d always assumed they were dirty,” Professor Pendleton sai
d. “But that comes part and parcel with working in Subtlety. You don’t see that much work in the shadows and assume there aren’t a few things done in true darkness. I agree with Alice, though. Now that we know Globe isn’t a bad guy—something I don’t think we ever fully swallowed in the first place—it makes sense to work with him rather than against him. Plus, you know, easy access to the data.”
“Not that easy,” Dean Blaine replied. “For one thing, the entire Hero world is hunting Globe and coming up empty, so it’s not as though we can easily contact him. As for the data, since what they pulled wasn’t authorized, it’s still encrypted. Breaking through DVA system security is no small feat.”
“Unless one happens to have access to a shifter who turns into a full-blown robot.” Mary’s voice was gentle, yet it carried through the room regardless.
“Something tells me if they had what they wanted out of the data, we’d know about it by now. I doubt Globe is going to all this trouble to bring his brother down quietly,” Nick said.
Dean Blaine let out a heavy sigh and rested his hands on the table in front of him. “You’re all right, in different ways. We know enough to be dangerous now, but that means we also know enough to put ourselves at risk. For the moment, none of this information leaves the room. Not even your fellow Melbrook residents, including Vince and especially Chad, are to be brought in until we’ve decided how to proceed. Reaching out to Globe may be our best move, assuming we can find a way to do it that doesn’t alert Charles or the DVA. However, there are still too many unknowns to be sure of anything right now. We have to move carefully from here, gleaning every bit of intel we can get. This means I have good news for you, Mary; it looks like you’re getting your wish. Since you’re a piece of the puzzle still unaccounted for, we can’t risk wiping your memories when you quit the HCP.”
Alice looked at Nick from the side of her eyes, checking for any expression of surprise. She found none there, although that didn’t really tell her if he’d known Mary was quitting or not; he was good at hiding such things.
“So, what’s our next step?” Alice asked.
“For you kids, the next step is to go home, rest up, and come to Lander prepared. Your last semester is a tough one, and I imagine that’s going to be true even for those of you no longer in the HCP.” Dean Blaine glanced to Nick and Mary briefly as he spoke. “As for you, Alice, come ready to bring your all. After everything that’s happened, I want to see you make it to graduation. If I’ve learned nothing else today, it’s that the world could use more Heroes with integrity.”
Nick leaned over and let out a stage-whisper for the room to hear. “Bet this is the first time a dean has ever said that to a Subtlety student.”
167.
Winter Break, as all things do, eventually came to an end. As the students made their way back to campus, a little softer from the relaxation and home-cooking, there was an air of finality among those who were part of the HCP. Three and a half years of constant training, fighting, and effort to get here, and now, at last, they were in the home stretch. One semester left. One semester to determine if they were living a grand tale of effort and success or were simply waiting to be told they were not quite good enough. There was always re-applying to be a senior next year, of course; however, none of them could entertain such a notion. To do what was necessary in this program, to put in the time and work needed to triumph, they knew by now that they had to fight like there were no second chances. Only by putting it all on the line, every time, would they have a prayer of making it to graduation. Except, of course, for those who were no longer trying.
The news had gone over… well, not great, but nothing was broken or on fire, so it wasn’t the worst bombshell they’d ever experienced. Mary stood in the center of Melbrook, surrounded by Hershel, Vince, Alice, Chad, Camille, and Alex. Neither Alice, Hershel, nor, unsurprisingly, Alex, looked too shocked, although Mary realized she should have expected her fellow quasi-telepath to have picked up on how she was feeling throughout the year.
“So, that’s just it. After all these years, you’re quitting?” Vince asked, breaking the silence at last. He looked leaner than he had when they left for Winter Break, and a little more tanned on his face. Apparently all that time in the snow came with lots of sunshine.
“Yes, Vince. After last May, and the training we’ve been doing, I took a long, hard look at what this job would demand from me, and I knew I couldn’t bear it. I’d break, sooner rather than later, and then I’d still be out of the Hero world, only I’d have taken a spot from someone else in this year’s class in the process. I’m not walking away entirely, though. I’m finishing my education and then going for a psychology Masters. One day, I might be able to do for Heroes what Dr. Moran does for you.”
Vince nodded, solemn but accepting. He didn’t like it. Mary could have figured that out even if she didn’t have telepathy; however, he did respect her decision. “When they do the wipe, you get to keep memories of people who give permission, right?”
It took more control than she was expecting not to let thoughts of the truth about her “memory wipe” bubble to the surface. Much as she trusted Alex, the fewer who knew what was really happening, the better. “That’s right, Vince.”
“Then I want you to know you can keep the ones of me,” Vince said. He smiled at her, and she felt unexpectedly reassured. “And know that I’m always here if you need me, HCP or not.”
Sometimes, Mary wished they were all like Vince, able to blurt out their thoughts as words with little to no pause in between. How much happier would humanity be if they could cut through the obfuscation and simply be honest with one another?
“I said it when you told me this last night, but I’ll repeat myself: you’d dang well better keep your memories of me.” Hershel smiled at her too, though there was a touch of melancholy in his grin. She’d given him this news the night before, when they arrived on campus. It had only felt right to break it to him privately. Since Alice had figured it out on her own, Hershel was the first person outside of the staff that Mary had told, and she knew it had to be that way. He still hadn’t shaken the surprise from his face or the sadness from his eyes, but she hoped that would come in time. This was going to be a transition, and a difficult one at that. All they could do was work hard to show each other that they had more than the HCP connecting them.
“Please add me to that list, as well.” Chad didn’t look shocked by the news, which might have been due to either his deductive abilities or his stoic nature. A few faces did light up with surprise as he consented to be remembered, though, and he visibly took notice of them. “I trust Mary. On the battlefield and in my life as a friend. That trust doesn’t diminish because she looked inside herself and found a lack of willingness to kill. If anything, I trust her more now. Facing that sort of honesty is no small task. I must say, I am disappointed, though. Part of me always hoped for a true rematch of our freshman year bout.”
Mary laughed in spite of the tense situation. It was funny to think back to being a freshman, when she’d only defended by tossing up some crude telekinetic wall and Chad hadn’t adopted his bone armor yet. Calling it a rematch was hardly accurate; they’d both changed so much it would be an entirely different bout. “I’d say maybe one day, but with me dropping out, I think you’ll be past my league in a span of months.”
“Your league is bigger than you might expect. The world is losing a valuable Hero today,” Chad told her. “But I support your decision. The toll you imagined is very real; I have seen it on the faces of many Heroes. Better to turn away than to break, or worse, be twisted to evil by such a burden.”
“You can remember me, too,” Alex volunteered, mercifully taking them off the topic of secretly evil Heroes before Mary had to work too hard at marshaling her thoughts. “And, by the way, you know this news is going to throw a big upset into Intramurals. I think you and Chad were the only people we all knew would be going in.”
“We’re the Class of Nightmares;
I’m sure there will be no shortage of worthy contenders.” Mary noted the confused looks on many of her friends’ faces. Right… that was a nickname the Heroes used for them, not one they tossed about among themselves. “Sorry, just something the observing Heroes have called us. Apparently, seeing real combat last year has made us a little more… aggressive than the standard senior class. Add in that we’re unusually powerful and you get a silly nickname.”
A dark grin cut Camille’s face, betraying the stalwart warrior beneath her innocent exterior. “I kind of like it. If the Heroes think we’re scary, just imagine how the criminals will feel.” She paused, her face resuming its usual gentle appearance. “Count me in for being remembered. I need someone else to drag along when Alice has her shopping binges; otherwise she’ll put me through trying on a dozen outfits.”