by Drew Hayes
Hexcellent snorted then snickered in a combination so perfect that everyone at the table instantly knew she’d practiced it. “Which means Titan will get peppered with questions for half an hour while we sit around with our metaphorical dicks in our hands. The dudes could probably literally do that, too, and no one would even notice.”
Galvanize began to reply but stopped himself. He took a moment to look around the table at the faces of his team, and then sat down in the only open chair remaining at their breakfast table. “Look, the simple truth of this is that Titan is far more famous than the rest of us. You know it, I know it, and Mordent certainly knows it. So they want to put him out in front of the cameras as much as possible, with us right there alongside him to make sure the logos get seen. I’m not saying it’s going to be great, but it’s only two events. The rest of the time we get to do our own things.”
“Galvanize, chill,” Hexcellent told him. “No one’s actually pissed about the extra events. We know Titan is a fucking legend, and at this point, hanging out in his shadow can be kind of fun. We just didn’t want you trying to sell us shit by pretending it was chocolate.”
“Not how I would have put it, not even in the slightest, but I second the general sentiment,” Bubble Bubble said.
“I’m in for whatever the team wants,” Owen told them. “Technically, Mordent doesn’t have the right to sign me up for events I don’t agree to, so if you all aren’t feeling these two then I’ll drop out. Pretty sure they won’t try and force you four to handle them without me.”
“No, we should do them.” Zone lowered his packet, and, in a rare display, actually looked Owen in the eyes. “Who cares if it’s really all about you? That’s business as usual for us corpies. At least there’s the chance some good will come of these. And besides, I think we might not entirely hate the idea of spending a little time together at this thing. You know, as a team.”
Owen scanned the table, watching for dissent but finding only agreeable smiles and nodding heads. Personally, he wished they had asked him to call it off, at least the tug-of-war. He had a feeling that SAA members and Heroes weren’t going to take well to losing to one washed up Hero and his team of corpies. But what his team wanted, Owen would deliver.
“Tell Mordent we’re good to go,” Owen said, looking over at Galvanize. “And ask them if I’ve gotten any mail yet today. If we’re spending most of the week out in public, I’d better get my new uniforms pressed.”
78.
Owen was surprised by the knock at his door. Given the team’s busy day of helping out at a multicar pileup, not to mention the upcoming public spectacle, he’d expected everyone to have already hit the showers and be heading to sleep. Getting up from his bed carefully, he walked over and pulled open the door to find Hexcellent standing on the other side.
For a moment, Owen didn’t even recognize the thin, pale young woman in front of him, as it was the first time he’d ever seen her face free from its caked layers of makeup. Adding in that she was adorned in a t-shirt bearing Spyda and his band along with a pair of sweatpants, she could have easily passed as a different person. In spite of all the moaning and complaining about Mordent and the rules, she was possibly the most dedicated to never being seen out of character.
She looked younger than usual and a bit more frail, as though he were seeing her without her armor for the first time. The impression of weakness was quickly shattered as she strode past him, scanned the meager room, and let out a sharp whistle. “Man, they really fucked you good on the accommodations, huh? Pretty sure this was a storage room back when Mirror Fog worked here.”
“Was it now?” Owen had known from day one Greene was sending a message, but he hadn’t imagined the corporate puppet had gone quite so far to send it. “What’s up kid, can’t sleep?”
“Yeah, they make drugs for that,” Hexcellent replied. “I just wanted to see what you had scheduled around eleven tomorrow.” Reaching into the pocket of her sweatpants, she pulled out a half-crumpled piece of paper and tried to smooth it out. “I’ve got a gap in ye olde schedule, and if we do lunch together in public then Greene can’t really bitch about me eating from the food stands that will be there. I mean, team solidarity and supporting a good cause, that’s two fucking birds right there.”
Owen repressed a chuckle and went across to his dresser, picking up the packet and pulling his own schedule out of it. By the time he turned back around, Hexcellent had crossed the room and was now examining the pair of pictures on his desk. She glanced up, stared at him for a long moment, then looked back down.
“Were you wearing a wig in these? Your hair is way longer, but you look almost exactly the same.”
“Those photos were taken over ten years ago.” Owen moved to join her, staring down at his sons. It was hard to believe so much time had passed. He could still remember watching Roy struggle to get the washing machine off the ground, then slowly moving it higher and higher. By the time he’d managed to hold it over his head, the kid was so proud he may as well have been Atlas holding the earth. And Hershel, nervous as could be to speak in front of all those people at the spelling bee, had still pushed through. What he lacked in strength, Hershel easily made up for in heart and guts.
“Ten years?” Hexcellent looked back and forth again then stood up straight. “Are you a fucking Highlander?”
“Just a Super whose body does not want to play along with the aging process,” Owen replied. He tried not to think about his body’s rebuffing of something as natural as growing older. It meant that there was no peaceful end in sight somewhere down the line. The only options were to be killed or to keep living until it became a curse. At least there were Supers out there who could kill him. After so many years of being untouchable, Owen actually took a measure of comfort in that knowledge.
“Damn. The kids still that age too?”
“No, they’ve both grown up into fine young men.” Owen smiled, unable to suppress the fatherly pride that beamed within him. Even if they hated him until the end of time, he would never stop being proud of what his sons had made of their lives. “They're my kids, actually. Going through the HCP right now.”
“Oh yeah, I saw some videos speculating about what would happen to your family after. . . well, you know, the fucking another dude thing.”
“I’m familiar with it, yes.”
“So are they like you? Immortal little bad asses destined to whip the shit out of every bad guy who crosses their path?” Hexcellent stepped away from the picture slightly, more interested in Owen’s current expression than his photographed past.
“They’re similar, but with gifts all their own.” Owen shook his head, still looking at the boys as he’d remembered them until they came striding into his bar looking for answers. “But they’re better than me by a mile. Those two are going to make the world a more decent place, in and out of costume.”
“In costume? Ah, I get you. Titan’s kids in the HCP. Bet they’re knocking the teeth out of all the other students.”
“The HCP isn’t as cut and dry as you might think,” Owen told her. “Even I got knocked around in my early days. It’s not as much about the beatings, but what you learn from them. Actually, I’m hoping to get time off in a few months to go watch their end of the year exam, assuming Greene doesn’t find a way to keep me penned up here.”
“As long as you put on a good show this week, I bet you’ll be able to swing a favor or two,” Hexcellent advised. “And if worse comes to worse, ask Galvanize for the time instead of Greene. Fearless leader has a knack for making the suit come around.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Owen realized he was still holding his paper, so he pulled it up to check the time Hexcellent had asked about. “Looks like I’m free from ten to noon. Lunch at eleven, then?”
“Kickass, I’ll meet you at the entrance to the food alley.” Hexcellent pulled out another piece of paper, this one diagramming the different eating options available to those attending the charity event.
She skimmed it with a growing expression of delight. “I say we hit the cotton candy and funnel cakes first.”
“That’s your idea of lunch?”
“That’s my idea of what I’m eating with my very rare access to a free pass.”
Owen glanced down at his schedule once more, the unmistakable sense that he was being played creeping into his mind. “You’re going to get me in trouble, aren’t you?”
“Fuck yeah I am.” Hexcellent turned and headed out the door, but turned back around and gave Owen a genuine smile. “But hey, you’ve only got yourself to blame. Before you showed up, there wasn’t any trouble to get in.”
Then she was gone, leaving Owen torn between whether he should feel complimented or worried by her statement. Ultimately, he settled on the former.
79.
The hectic, half-mad energy of the sprawling grounds felt strangely familiar to Owen as he rode past the few security barriers, crammed with the rest of his team into the Mordent-issued SUV. Once upon a time, Titan had been a mainstay at many such events, putting on displays of strength and signing autographs until his pens ran dry, all in the name of giving back to the community. Many of his fellow Heroes undertook such activities as necessary obligations, something to generate good PR and make their agents happy. And, in total truth, Owen hadn’t been so different from them when he first started doing Hero work. That changed when he found out about Hershel and Roy’s status as Powereds. Suddenly all those unfortunate souls he’d had the chance to help seemed closer to family than strangers.
As they cruised past various stalls and tents being set up on the Brewster fairgrounds, which the city generously allowed for the SCCS’s use, Owen felt pangs of both nostalgia and regret. While it was good to be back in a position where he could make a difference, the weight of all his years pissed away on seclusion and self-pity weighed heavy on his heart. He looked away from the window, turning his attention to the team that was excitedly gabbing inside the vehicle.
To them, none of this was familiar in the slightest. Mordent had put them in charity events before, but never one as big as what they were currently heading into. It just hadn’t made fiscal sense; few corpies had any fans that would want to see them, and their powers generally weren’t strong enough to compete with Heroes and professional athletes in a meaningful way. Sending them into situations like this was a good way to make a team look foolish while also tearing down their self-esteem. Unless, of course, they had a big wave of public accolades to ride or a very famous Hero backing them up. Even so, Owen knew Mordent was taking a risk putting them out there like this. Most likely, they were counting on him to keep his team looking—and more importantly feeling—good.
Thus far it was an easy job. Zone was listing all the events he wanted to watch rapid-fire, Galvanize was reminding everyone to stay ahead of schedule whenever possible, Hexcellent was almost leaning out the window as she tried to catch sight of food trucks setting things up, and even Bubble Bubble seemed cheery as she spotted the occasional famous Super. Everyone was in costume, under strict orders not to be out of them unless they were safely inside the penthouse. Given that some of their activities were going to be physical, sweaty, and downright dirty, Owen imagined whoever did the team’s laundry was in for a hellish week.
At last the SUV angled into a covered parking area near the rear of the fairgrounds. Following the direction of several men in vests, Galvanize pulled into a large parking spot and killed the engine, then swiveled in place to face his team.
“All right, what’re everyone’s first events? Hexcellent?”
“Fiery Discussion is sponsoring a temporary tattoo booth where I’m going to stand around and help people pick what designs they want.” She watched as Galvanize began to open his mouth then cut him off. “And the designs have to be on the pre-approved board. I am not allowed to try and talk anyone into making the artist draw a dick on their face, no matter how funny I think it would be.”
“Very good. Bubble Bubble?”
“Cosmetics company is doing a raffle for free makeovers. I’m there to sell tickets and answer basic questions about the products.”
Galvanize nodded. “Given your extra burst of notoriety, Mr. Greene approved having some plainclothes security stationed nearby, just in case anyone decides to forget that we’re all here for charity.”
“I’ll stop by when I’ve got downtime too,” Owen promised. Bubble Bubble gave him a grateful look and seemed to relax visibly. In his experience, people tended to use a lot more manners when staring up at a tree-trunk of a man who could juggle cars like cotton balls.
“On that note, Titan, can you remind us what you’ll be doing with the morning?” Galvanize asked.
“Private panel for new Heroes, ones still in or only a few years out of their internships,” Owen replied. “They’re paying to get in and ask some of us experienced folks questions and advice for a couple of hours.”
“Hot damn, that sounds cool,” Hexcellent said. “Who else is in there besides you?”
“Not a clue,” Owen admitted. “I was the first name on the list when we signed up, and I sort of forgot about all this anyway, so I never checked to see who came after me. I’m assuming some people did, though, otherwise they’d have canceled the damn thing.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Galvanize told him. “Plenty of people would pay good money to learn from your experience alone. All right Zone, you’re the last one, tell me you remember where you’re supposed to go.”
“Like I could forget.” Zone leaned back in his chair and set his sneakered feet up on the SUV’s dashboard. “Punch Juice is teaming up with a sports equipment company, so I’ve got to be on hand demoing what their stuff can do in order to get people to buy it. Which, by the way, I’m logging as work-out hours.”
Galvanize reached over and swept Zone’s legs down from the dash before responding. “I’m sure Mr. Greene will have no objection to that, since you are burning calories.” He looked away from Zone, making sure to meet the eyes of each member of his team at least once. “Now everyone, today is basically a warm-up. All the events are small and simple, with none of the showy stuff scheduled to start until at least tomorrow. Use this time to get familiar with the area and plan your routes for the more hectic days. Remember, we’re here on the job, and everything we do reflects on our team and sponsors.”
“Hey fearless leader, since we had to be quizzed on our schedules, what are you doing with your morning?” Hexcellent asked.
“I will be spending my morning at a meeting for organizers and team leads. Lots of slides, handouts, and boring details. Anyone who dislikes their plans up for trading jobs with me?”
Deafening silence was the only reply, and Galvanize allowed himself a smug smirk in the privacy of their SUV.
“I thought not. Now everyone get out there and do your best!”
80.
Owen made his trip through the fairgrounds as quickly and covertly as a man made of muscle and bordering seven feet tall was capable. Thankfully, the team had arrived early enough that the majority of others in attendance were either workers getting the booths set up or fellow Supers who were preparing for their own morning activities. Many, some Heroes and no doubt a few corpies, were in costume, but by far the majority of attendees wore uniforms from their respective Super Athletics Association teams. Just in his immediate proximity, Titan spotted several Fort Worth Juggernauts, a couple of the Tampa Atlanteans, and one relatively massive quarterback from the L.A. Crushers.
While Owen took in the crowd, it was also clear the crowd was taking in him. The more polite ones simply glanced in his direction and looked away, but a few felt free to stare at the famous, disgraced Hero hurrying through the grounds. As for the Hero himself, he dearly wished he’d paid more attention to the map in his schedule packet. For the most part, people kept their conversations about him whispered low enough to where he was unable to hear them, thankfully. On occasion, though, a word would rise up to g
reet his ears, and it was rarely a kind one.
His brisk pace waned as Owen forced himself to slow down. This wasn’t a mission or rescue where he could get in and get out. He and his team were going to be here for several days. This walk was likely to be the easiest one he’d have in that entire time; at least these people felt some professional courtesy towards him. If he wanted to get through it, Owen would have to do more than act like it wasn’t bothering him; he would actually have to not let it bother him. He’d known this was part of what he was walking back into when he put on the mask; there was no wiggling out now.
Taking his time, moving slowly across the grounds, it took only a few more minutes of searching before he found the small building where he was supposed to do the morning’s panel. Old, brick, and no doubt built for some utilitarian purpose long before Brewster converted this area to fairgrounds, it was still a high step up from the open tents that were being set up all around him. Near the front entrance, a small line of people in costumes was already forming. People younger than some of Owen’s teammates stood milling about in the morning sun. He was a bit surprised at the number; Brewster alone didn’t have this many interns or rookies. Seemed folks from out of town had traveled in for the event, which made Owen worry all this might be a bigger deal than he’d realized.
Pushing that thought out of his mind, he made his way around to the back entrance before anyone spotted him. He gave a polite nod to the lone worker stationed at the rear, a teenaged girl who looked to be in awe of all the famous figures around her, then pushed his way through the door and into the building. Owen had barely made it five steps before he heard a familiar, though not altogether friendly, voice call to him.
“Well I’ll be. Seems you really did sign up for this event. Aether was certain someone had put your name down as a joke.” Gale, fully-costumed and a bit bleary-eyed from the early hour, stood from her small metal folding chair and walked over to Owen, giving his hand a quick shake as soon as they drew close.