by Hayes, Drew
Slipping on a coat to fight the failing winter chills, Adam tucked the playing card carefully into his pocket and got on the move. Not much time to work with, so he’d have to be quick. Nick didn’t strike him as the type to tolerate tardiness.
* * *
Eliza had settled on dinner as Vince’s distraction. By the time he’d finish with training and classes it would be too late for coffee, and dinner implied a longer engagement anyway. She’d gone out of her way to pick a place that didn’t send the wrong message: a chain restaurant with garish junk and pictures all over the walls. It was the least romantic destination she could picture, chosen specifically so that neither Vince nor Camille would get the wrong idea. If the dinner came off as suspicious, Vince might feel morally inclined to refuse or leave early, neither of which could be permitted. Instead, Eliza framed it as a meal between friends who needed to catch up with one another, the sort of meeting that could stretch on as long as she needed it to if Nick didn’t wrap things up quickly.
As soon as she arrived, Eliza knew she’d done her job well. Vince was already there, punctual as always, waiting for her in the restaurant’s lobby. Loud off-pitch voices could be heard over the awful music warbling from the speakers in every corner, probably the staff singing for a birthday. At least Eliza hoped that was what it was; if they sang like that through the whole evening she might cut dinner short and just hope no one went after Vince. Well, she’d be tempted to, anyway.
“Good to see you.” Vince wrapped her in the sort of hug that felt familiar no matter how many years elapsed between them. She hugged him back then pulled away quickly. Professional and friendly, that was her role here.
“You too. It’s been a while,” Eliza replied. She felt a pang of regret even as she said it, but making Vince feel a little guilty over his schedule now would ensure he didn’t leave before things were safe later on. “Senior year really kicking the crap out of you, huh?”
“Between the job, the classes, and the tests I feel like I’m living off a few hours’ sleep during the week. But it only gets busier in the real world, so I’ve got to adapt to this while I can.” Vince walked with Eliza up to the hostess station, where they were immediately led off to one of the booths along a wall. They passed three tables of children, two of whom were openly screaming, and Eliza barely resisted the urge to congratulate herself on choice of locale yet again. Not even Nick in his Vegas prime could have pulled a romantic vibe out of a place like this.
They were seated and greeted in rapid succession, their poor waiter looking as though he was on hour ten of a double shift, and then they were left on their own while he fetched their drinks. Eliza expected the conversation to start right up; however, she noticed that Vince had suddenly fallen silent. He was staring at the wall of their booth, and once Eliza followed his gaze it wasn’t hard to figure out why.
Among the knickknacks and frames on the wall there was a framed black and white picture, probably meant to evoke a rustic sentiment. If it had been of farm equipment or a log cabin it might have worked; unfortunately, neither was the subject of the photo. Instead there was a moonshine still propped up in the woods, poorly covered by foliage. For most people it was probably nothing more than one more bit of trash on the wall, but she and Vince had their own memories of an abandoned still, ones that were good and bad all mixed together in a way she’d never truly untangled.
“Do you want me to see about getting another booth?” Eliza asked.
Vince tore his gaze from the photo immediately. “No, no, this is fine. Sorry for spacing out. I just thought it was funny, how you and I keep happening upon these things.”
The flood of memories between them threatened to collapse the flimsy table of their booth, so Eliza lifted a menu and buried her eyes in it. That was not the part of their life to be thinking about right now. She had to be calm, collected, and in control. She had to keep Vince here happily, because there was no chance of overpowering him if he decided to leave. Sooner or later the nostalgic sentiment would evaporate and things would be back to normal.
Where was another screaming kid when she really needed one?
196.
Adam wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cross himself when he saw where the address led. Of all the places he’d expected Nick Campbell to call this sort of meeting, a church – let alone one as historic as this chapel – wasn’t one of them. It had been built around the time the town was founded; if he remembered correctly, the spot was even a protected historic landmark. Maybe Nick wanted to make sure if they started anything people wouldn’t be able to ignore it? No, trying to puzzle out that man’s thought process was a waste of time. Nick had his reasons, and so long as they didn’t end with Adam injured or dead, then they weren’t a concern he had to deal with. And this probably wasn’t a murder setup… unless there was a cemetery out back with a freshly-dug grave.
Circling the building once, Adam didn’t see any mobs of goons tucked away in the shadows or telltale mounds of fresh dirt in the back, so he went back to the front and shoved open the large wooden doors. They opened to show an interior lit by dozens of candles casting their flickering light on empty pews. Mostly empty, anyway. From the entrance Adam could just make out a head of sandy-brown hair in the very front row.
“Lock the door behind you.” Nick’s voice echoed all over the room, no surprise given the acoustics and high ceilings. Adam did as he was told, pushing an old lever on the door into place so that no one else could enter.
“Are we alone?” Adam asked.
“I rented the place out. If anyone asks, you were here for an all-night prayer group and lock-in.” Nick’s reply explained the empty chapel, although Adam noticed that he’d never actually said whether it was just the two of them in here or not. Adam’s eyes lifted to the shadowy rafters of the high ceilings. With only candlelight it was impossible to explore all the nooks and crannies up there; knowing Nick, there was zero chance that was accidental.
“So… you know, huh?” There was no point in beating around the bush. They both knew what they were there for. The sooner everything was out in the open the better Adam would understand his chances of surviving the evening.
“Well, I thought I did. Truth be told I put one of those cards on the pillow of every suspect I had, assuming the guilty party would be the one to show up.” Nick stood from his seat in the front row, turning to face Adam for the first time.
“No, you didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t,” Nick agreed. “It was just you. Not that it was easy by any means. Whoever doctored your paperwork did an incredible job. And please understand, I have extremely high standards for forgery, so I mean that with sincere regard for their skill. When this is all over, I may want to get their card or something from you in case I need work done.”
Slowly, all-too-aware that his movements were being watched for aggressive intent, Adam made his way toward Nick. “When this is all over, I don’t think any of my people will be in a position to do much. Mind if I ask what gave me away, or is that a trade secret?”
“A lot of research and critical thinking combined with a little luck. And maybe a dab of personal insight. I’ve played the same game as you: stay good enough to make the cut but never stand out too much. Only you are much better at it than I was. No matter how the class grows and changes, you stay right around the middle of the pack, safe from cuts while never having much attention paid to you.”
“There are plenty of people in the middle,” Adam replied.
“But they’ve all moved about more than you; their ranks are more volatile. Not you, not Adam Riley. Good old dependable, ignorable, forgettable Adam Riley. We never even see your face during real fights; you’re always wearing someone else’s. Even knowing that, I still wasn’t sure about you. That’s how good a job you’ve done blending in.” Nick pulled a coin from his pocket and tossed it in the air once, catching it with a blur of motion before it fell past his chest. “Funnily enough, it’s thanks to Globe’s little pu
sh that I had enough luck to be sure you were my mole.”
Adam had crossed the majority of the aisle; he and Nick were only a few pews apart now. “That doesn’t necessarily seem like information you should tell an enemy.”
“Maybe that’s because I don’t see why we need to be enemies,” Nick said. “I know you work for Globe, but I also know that people might have the wrong idea about him. And let’s be honest here: aside from one kidnapping, he’s never done anything against me and my friends. In fact, he or his people have helped us a few times. I called you here to have a talk, Adam. A talk about what you’re after, and what I’m after, to see if maybe you and I can’t be of some help to one another.”
It was hard not to wonder if this was how Faust felt as Adam stared at that candlelit smirk on Nick’s face. But that was a silly analogy anyway; he had no soul left to trade. That had been spent years ago on the promise of revenge. What wasn’t lost immediately had been stripped away day after day, lie after lie. “You want to know what I’m after? It’s not complicated, and I’m sure a man like you will understand. I want revenge, pure and simple. The man who killed my family is going to die, at my hands, when my work is done.”
“You seem pretty sure of that.” Nick was watching him carefully, as were his hidden allies, no doubt.
“Because that’s the deal we made. I do my job to help them bring everything to light, and when it’s all done, I get to take his head. Even if I didn’t trust the man who made the deal, I trust the others to make sure it gets honored. There’s your answer, Nick. I want vengeance. If your goals in any way keep me from that then you should kill me now, because I’m not going to let you get in my way. If, on the other hand, that works with what you want, then we can talk. I know the value in making strange alliances when the occasion demands it.”
The coin was moving between Nick’s fingers, tumbling effortlessly from one digit to the next so smoothly Adam wasn’t even sure Nick noticed he was doing it. “I’ve got nothing against settling scores, but the ‘who’ in this equation is important. It didn’t sound like you were after Globe, so who is it you want dead? If it’s someone I owe friendship or favor to, we might have a problem.”
“No, it’s not Globe.” Adam felt pretty sure his next words wouldn’t be the end of the conversation, but he readied himself to roll behind a pew just in case. “The man I want to kill is the Hero who took my family away from me: Relentless Steel. Or as we knew him in class, Coach George.”
197.
“You want to kill George? Have to admit, I didn’t see that coming. I can think of no shortage of people who wouldn’t mind slugging the guy a few times, but murder, that’s a new one.” Nick wasn’t entirely sure he bought this story; however, Adam didn’t seem to be lying. Granted, the young man had fooled the entire HCP staff for years, so he was obviously talented at deception. Nick still prided himself on sensing a bluff though, and nothing in Adam’s expression was giving away falsehood. “Mind if I ask you why, exactly?”
“It’s kind of a long story. One I’d like to tell in private,” Adam replied.
In response, Nick lifted his hands to gesture around at the empty, or almost empty, church. “I’ve got this bad boy rented all night under a name no one would associate with you or me, and I’m going to assume you’ve got enough skill that you made it here without being followed. If you’ve got a better idea for a private place to talk, I’d love to hear it.”
There was a stretch of silence, one that lasted so long Nick wondered if Adam was going to reject his offer of discussion, before Adam finally answered. “You’re the type that looks up everything on the people he deals with. Friends, enemies, all of it. So should I take it as a given that you know about what happened to Ralph Chapman’s children?”
“Raze and Relentless Steel were on the job, a fight got out of hand and Raze made a mistake that brought the whole damn bridge down, taking a lot of trapped civilians with it.” Nick had learned the story of Ralph’s motivation long ago; it was a necessary precaution to take when working with someone he didn’t fully trust.
“That’s the story,” Adam said. “But it’s not the truth. Things were bad on that bridge, frantic and panicked like you can’t even imagine. Lots of mistakes got made in the heat of battle. Having the training I do now, I can understand how things reached the point they did. However, it wasn’t Raze who brought that bridge down. Relentless Steel was the one who took a dangerous shot and missed, blowing out one of the main supports and triggering a collapse. It happened behind a pile of mangled cars, the sort of place with virtually no witnesses, unless you count a small scared kid who got separated from his family, hiding under a truck. Because of my position, I was the only one who saw how it really happened. That proximity to George is also what saved my life; he caught me as the bridge was falling out from under us. Even used his booster legs to slow our fall, giving me the treat of seeing my family, so close they could have heard me if I’d cried out, as they fell with the cars and rubble into the cold water below.”
Either Adam was a hell of a liar who’d decided to swing for the fences, or he was telling the truth. Every bit of Nick’s training had him leaning toward the latter. A year or two ago he might have dismissed the idea that such a massive shift of blame was possible, but after what he’d seen happen to Globe, Nick knew just how viable such tactics were. While he didn’t fully believe Adam yet, he was curious to hear more of the tale.
“George was always a bit of a bastard, but that’s a far cry from blaming a fellow Hero for his colossal screw-up.”
“Much as I want the man dead, I can’t say that part of the blame falls on him.” Adam was looking away in brief intervals, past Nick and the church to a day that was long past yet had never truly left him. “I didn’t understand at the time, but apparently Raze had been looking into some things that powerful people didn’t like. That includes the supposed villainous turn of his former classmate, as I’m sure you’ve guessed. Couple that with the fact that his power of raw destruction made the public a little nervous, the destroyed bridge was just the opportunity someone needed. Nobody knew what really happened except for me and George.”
“I’m a little surprised you didn’t speak up.” It wasn’t quite an accusation on Nick’s part, although it was a bit closer to one than it could have been.
Adam lowered himself into a pew, spreading his arms out across the hard wooden back of the bench. “I would have, if given the chance, and I’d probably have died for it. When the DVA agents arrived on the scene they pulled Relentless Steel off to the side. Once he came back he was in human form and pale as I’ve ever seen him. He told me that no matter what happened, I was never to talk to anyone about what I’d seen. That it would be the end of me. Someone had tampered with the evidence before the DVA got there and sent false reports up through the system. By the time they arrived, Raze was deemed guilty and no one was going to believe otherwise. If we made trouble or asked for a telepath, we’d almost certainly end up dead or framed too.”
Slowly, Nick walked over to a pew on the opposite side of the aisle and mirrored Adam’s posture, taking a seat and spreading out. While it looked like he was getting comfy, the truth was Nick wanted to make sure Jerome had a clean line of sight from wherever he was in the rafters, just in case the conversation unexpectedly went south. “I feel like I’ve been a pretty accommodating listener so far, but that last bit is pushing it a little. You expect me to believe that Charles Adair has a network of spies constantly keeping tabs on Heroes and getting rid of them if they drill too close to his secrets?”
“Given what you know about Charles, I’d be amazed if you didn’t already assume that,” Adam shot back. “But you’re missing the point. Charles used wealth and power to influence a system by compromising individuals; he’s not the first or last person in history to figure out that equation. While some aspects of that company who created you are genuinely helpful to Heroes, like what Numbers and Transport do, others exist to protect the com
pany itself. That means making sure the wrong people don’t stir up too much trouble. Do you want to know why Globe has followers? It’s not just that he’s a good leader, or charismatic. It’s that everyone on the team has either seen or experienced the broken parts of our system. Bringing down Charles isn’t just about proving Globe’s innocence; he’d never fight this hard for something that selfish. It’s about showing the world the truth and forcing those in power to start dealing with the corruption.”
“Quite a lofty goal, although given what I know about Globe that fits the bill.” Nick could believe that man would take on nearly any goal, practical or not. It was a trait he’d obviously passed on to Vince.
“I’m not sure things will go the way they want, even if they do take Charles down, but that’s not my concern. All I have to do is help get them to that point. When it’s over, I take George’s head from his shoulders. That was the deal we struck. Once he’s brought it all to light and hopefully cleared Raze’s name, George is willing to let me kill him. I don’t think he’s ever forgiven himself for that day on the bridge, and he shouldn’t. I’ll grant you it’s not the easiest path I could have taken, but he’s too strong for me to kill on my own, so this seemed like my best shot.” If Adam felt any remorse for his murderous intent, it wasn’t showing, not even in the deepest parts of his eyes.
“You want to kill him that bad, after he saved and – I’m just guessing here – helped raise and train you so you’d be skilled enough to pull off this job?” Nick asked.
Adam gave one quick, curt nod. “He killed my family. I don’t really have to explain more than that to you, do I?”