by Wyatt Kane
The crime boss seemed to appreciate it as well. “My dear Dinah, aren’t you a delight?” Then he nodded. “Yes, I can indeed see how you might reach that conclusion. But the question you have to ask yourself is this: does the Master know he is working with me? Or not? And another question: do you think someone with a skill listed as Tactical Intuition would just sit back and watch a competitor make himself too powerful to contend with?”
To Ty, it sounded like an admission, and Dinah seemed to see it that way as well.
“So, you are infiltrating his organization?”
Again, the crime lord didn’t answer directly. “It would be a good tactic against a superior opponent, would it not?”
Dinah nodded. “It would indeed. But wouldn’t it also be a good tactic to ally yourself with those who wish to put an end to the Master once and for all?”
At this, Rubio burst out laughing again. Ty understood that he really did enjoy the verbal byplay of conversations like these. As for Ty, not so much. He just wanted to get to the point.
But this time, he held his tongue. If Rubio was going to say anything useful, the time was now.
“It would indeed. However, I regret to say that the Master keeps himself insulated from all. If I knew who he was, he would already be part of history. I am sorry, my dear, for I would dearly love it if you lovelies and Ty were to end the Master’s disruptions to my city. But alas, I cannot help you.”
Ty was disappointed. He wondered if the crime boss might be lying, but figured it was probably true. If he was going to infiltrate the Master’s organization as he had, then he probably would have murdered the man in an instant as well.
“That all said,” Rubio continued. “I am kept informed of some parts of the Master’s thinking. His plans have only just begun. The next phase will be starting shortly, and if I were you, I would pay attention to the news nets. He will soon make his intentions known more widely.”
Ty had no clue what Rubio was talking about, and his whole way of speaking annoyed him.
“Can’t you just tell us what you’re on about?” he said, letting his frustration show clearly.
Rubio’s expression hardened a little. “Ty Wilcox, you are young yet. In time, you will learn that there is more to life than just reaching your goals. As you get older, the journey itself becomes increasingly important.”
He didn’t wait for Ty to respond, but instead broadened his gaze to include Lilith, and Vixen as well as Dinah.
“As for me, I do apologize, but I have to bring this call to an end. I have things to attend, and if I do not, my entire empire will crumble around me. Ty, Dinah, Lilith, and Vixen, it has been a true pleasure. Until next time,” he said, and the screen went blank.
◆◆◆
Ty stared at the empty screen for some moments. To him, Rubio’s pronouncements had an ominous feel. The Master was an agent of chaos who wanted nothing short of global destruction. He was cunning, dedicated, and willing to tend the seeds of long-term plans to get what he wanted.
He also had a flair for the dramatic. Concussion was the prime example of this, but Bain, Sparkles, and Spit Bitch all did their part. Whatever the shadowy villain planned next, Ty couldn’t know, but the uncertainty alone was enough to fill him with dread.
Nor was he the only one to feel that way.
“Well,” Vixen said into the silence. “He’s a piece of work, isn’t he? And you let him acquire one of the Architect’s devices?” The way she said it was a mix between an accusation and simply expressing her incredulity.
Once again, it was like she was deliberately needling them. Ty bit down on a retort, and even Lilith looked askance at the dark elf. But Dinah took a moment to speak up in their defense.
“It wasn’t exactly our preferred outcome,” she said. “The Master was behind that, as he appears to have been behind so many other things. If only we’d known he had the Architect in his grip from the start, we might have been able to prevent all of this.” Vixen offered a sniff in response, but said nothing.
From Dinah’s expression, she didn’t much like Vixen’s attitude, but instead of saying anything more, she turned to Lilith.
“I’ll set up an alert to capture the Master’s next message. In the meantime, we’ve still got work to do. Shall we continue?”
The demon woman nodded, and Dinah gestured at the screen, bringing up the images of the city once again.
There wasn’t much Ty could do to help, so he asked Dinah to let him know when the Master’s message turned up, and left them to it.
31: The Master’s Next Move
There wasn’t much point in resuming his and Vixen’s quest for information in the real world. They’d followed the trail from the drug dealer as far as it would go, and ended up with nothing useful. So, without any immediate call on his time, Ty headed down to the Architect’s workshop, intending to work on one of his many projects.
To his surprise, Vixen chose to come with him. But instead of asking if she could, she simply left the communications room when he did, muttering under her breath.
When Ty hesitated outside in the hall, Vixen gave him one of her genuine smiles. “It’s been a while since I was last here in the mansion,” she said. “And while I’ve seen the results of your skill in your glowing blue energy shield, I still haven’t seen it in action. So, what do you say? We’ll let those two carry on with their work, and you can show me what you can do.”
As she said the last, she could have twisted her face into a predatory leer and made her intentions obvious. But perhaps Ty’s ongoing habit of ignoring of her advances, whether they were serious or not, was having an impact. Vixen reined herself in enough to keep the words neutral, with only a slight quirk of her lips to indicate she knew she could have done more.
Ty took a moment to study her. From the moment they’d met, she’d seemed brash and demanding. She’d run roughshod over his, Dinah’s, and Lilith’s grief for Tempest, and had said the wrong thing—or the right thing with the wrong attitude—almost consistently since.
It would have been easy for him to dislike her completely. But she had also proved to be capable, and more than willing to help them solve their problems. As well, there was something about her that suggested a vulnerability hidden behind the brashness.
She hadn’t left his side since the morning. Perhaps that was due to the devices they wore, flaming any attraction into something far stronger. But Ty suspected there was something else going on at the same time.
Dinah was typically a warm, welcoming person. Yet, with Vixen, she was more distant. And Lilith’s response to the dark elf was clear. The demon woman didn’t know what to make of her.
At the same time, Vixen was sharp. She clearly knew when the dealer had been lying to them, when Ty hadn’t known at all. She had to be aware that her sudden appearance at the mansion was not universally appreciated.
Perhaps she wanted to hang out with Ty to avoid feeling isolated and alone.
“Sure,” he said. “Although I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do.”
His acceptance, however, was more than enough. Vixen gave a sharp nod and fell into step as they made their way to the stairs.
However, once they entered the workshop itself, the dark elf’s attitude changed yet again.
Ty had forgotten that Tempest still rested in the cryo chamber in the workshop. Or, perhaps not forgotten, exactly. He knew very well that Tempest was there. It was a fundamental understanding he had, like the fact that he loved Dinah, Lilith, and Tempest herself. He didn’t need to think about it every moment of the day.
So, while Ty accepted Tempest’s cryo chamber with a casual reverence that bordered on acceptance, Vixen hesitated.
“Is that…?” she began, and Ty nodded.
All at once, Vixen changed. She drew a deep breath only to let it out once again. If Ty had been able to see feelings, he would have seen sadness coming off her in waves.
Tentatively, as if unsure she was allowed, Vixen approac
hed the cryo chamber and looked in through the window.
“Oh, Tempest,” she murmured. At the same time, she reached out a hand as if to touch the blonde superhero’s face, but the cryo chamber was in the way. She held her hand where it was for just a moment, then dropped it to her side.
For some seconds, she just stood there, not even moving when Ty stepped up beside her. Once again, Ty felt a sense of relief that Tempest’s horrible injury wasn’t easily visible. Tempest wasn’t the tallest woman in the world, and the cryo chamber’s clear window was only so big.
“Do you think you can help her?” Vixen asked quietly.
Ty shook his head. “I don’t know. I hope so.”
“But you haven’t given up?”
Ty thought about it. Just at that moment, he didn’t know of anything more he could do. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t think of something in future.
“No. As long as she’s in stasis and I have a copy of her consciousness, there’s still hope. I haven’t given up.”
“Good,” Vixen breathed. She repeated her gesture, this time resting her hand on the chamber. “Hang in there, Tempest.”
Ty once again studied the dark elf. “You knew her well?” he asked.
Vixen nodded. “We all knew each other. But Tempest—she was special. If it weren’t for Dinah, I think Tempest and I would have paired up.” She gave another small shrug. “Hard to say, though. These things never turn out as you imagine they might.” Then, surprisingly, she broke into a grin. “Although I have to admit, it was always fun when I borrowed her power. Such strength! And she could fly! Although, I wasn’t ever the best with that. Afraid of heights, can you believe it?”
It felt like it had been a long time since Ty had been able to offer a genuine smile. He did at this, and wondered what it would have been like in the mansion, with a whole bunch of superpowered people just getting to grips with their powers.
The dark elf returned Ty’s considering look.
“Don’t give up on her,” she said. “She is the best of us, and I want to be able to tell her that in person again.”
Ty nodded, but before he could think of how else to respond, the device, still sunk into his flesh, gave an alert.
Ty willed his device to return, ignoring Vixen’s curious expression, and answered the call. It was Dinah.
“The Master?” Ty said, anticipating why she’d called.
The holographic image of Dinah nodded her beautiful head. “Yes. You’d better come back up here,” she said.
◆◆◆
All four of them were back in Dinah’s communications room. Ty’s heart was beating too fast in his chest. For some reason, he felt a greater sense of anxiety about this message than he expected. Or perhaps it was Rubio’s ominous buildup that led to his increased sense of worry.
Whatever the reason, Dinah and Lilith’s expressions did nothing to calm him down.
“You’ve seen it already?” Ty asked.
Dinah shook her head. “Only fragments. Still images from the message.”
Ty felt a sense of foreboding. There was something the deerkin wasn’t telling him. “And?” he asked.
“You’d best see it yourself,” she replied.
There was a wariness to her voice that Ty didn’t like. With some impatience, he nodded and gestured at the screen.
Dinah looked at the others, seeking a consensus. “Is everyone ready for this?” she asked. And for Vixen’s benefit, she added, “The Master’s messages can be … well, insane, for lack of a better word. They can be painful to look at.”
Vixen simply nodded. “Show it,” she said.
Without further hesitation, Dinah did so.
The Master’s past messages had indeed been insane. They were harsh and grating. Fingernails on blackboards couldn’t compete. They were like the rending of metal, and the sounds accompanying them could give Ty an instant headache.
He was expecting more of the same, and girded himself in preparation.
But this time, when the Master started to speak, it was like nothing Ty or the others had heard from him before.
The voice that came through Dinah’s speakers was calm and collected, with no hint of the madness of the man coming through. Instead, it sounded almost friendly.
“My friends,” the Master began, and Ty wasn’t even sure it was the same voice he’d heard before. “This message is for all those who have shown the courage to try something new. For all those who hope for a better life, and are willing to take steps to achieve it. You know who you are. You know what I’m talking about. Over the past few days, the streets of our city have been flooded with a better chance for the future. Upgrade, we called it, and the name is appropriate.”
All through the Master’s opening message, the screen on the wall remained blank.
“The drug was designed for one purpose, and one purpose only: to unlock the almost unlimited potential buried within us. Now, that may seem a lofty goal, but consider this. Our genetic code has long been the key to what we’ve been able to achieve, and also what limits us in our lives. But that is no longer as true as it once was. Already, many of you have taken advantage of the genetic splicers. No longer are we limited to our ordinary human appearance. Look around. Is that a cat girl beside you? A demon made flesh? Did the old man across the way always have a mobile tail?”
The Master paused for a moment, then continued.
“Already, we are a far cry from what our grandparents might have called normal. But that isn’t the limit to what we have become. For a price, we can be taller. Slimmer. More muscular. We can even give ourselves an additional digit, or prevent ourselves from ever going bald.”
Ty listened to the Master talk, and knew with certainty that his intended audience would have no idea of the malice driving his words.
“But even that is just the beginning. As you all know, Upgrade has been specifically designed to tap into that potential I mentioned before. No longer will it be necessary to visit the splicers to gain that extra few inches of height, to lose those few pounds around your middle, or to function at your physical best. A simple dose of the drug will get you started toward the physical perfection that is yours by right. But more than that, for some special few, Upgrade will do even more.
“The effects should already be starting for some of you. For the rest, it might take a little longer. But if you are one of the lucky ones, you will develop abilities beyond what is considered normal.
“Telekinesis. Telepathy. The ability to control fire with your mind. We don’t know what gifts you may develop. All we know is that some will be minor, but others will be truly spectacular.”
At this point, the screen on the wall finally started to clear. Ty found himself looking at someone. A young man dressed in what could have been the robes of a wizard, except that they seemed to be made of modern leather. Ty couldn’t make out the man’s face, because shafts of black lightning were flickering all around him, dancing this way and that and somehow sucking much of the light from wherever he was.
The black lightning wasn’t a threat to the man. He was controlling it, his hands raised and full of power, darkness clinging to them like a halo about the head of a saint.
On the man’s wrist, there was a device just like the one Ty and the others all wore.
“Some of you will gain real power,” the Master continued. “But there is a catch. That power is temporary, and at first, it will not be all it could be. If you develop the ability to turn rocks into powder, for example, then over time, that ability will fade.”
The Master paused again, perhaps for dramatic effect.
“Unless, that is, you come back to us. Show us what you can do. If you do that, then we will supply you with as much of the drug as you wish. And, if we like what you can do, if you are one of those with true power like that shown by the man on your screen, we will do even more. We will provide you with a device that will work with the drug, doubling or even tripling the effect. Then you will be a true
power in New Lincoln, and everything you ever desired could be yours for the taking.”
As the Master spoke, Ty understood that his worst fears had come true. This was indeed the Master’s intent. He would flood New Lincoln with superpowered people, but he would choose which ones he wanted and let the others fade away.
In a very short time, New Lincoln would be overrun by the Master’s superpowered minions, with only Ty, Dinah, and, if he couldn’t resurrect Tempest, Lilith to stand against them. And maybe Vixen, if she chose to stay around.
But if Ty expected that to be the greatest shock in the message, he was sadly mistaken.
The Master continued.
“That is my offer to you, my friends. Power. The chance to actually get what you deserve for a change. The ability to live the life of a god rather than under the thumbs of the greedy megacorporations, the corrupt politicians, and all those who live well at the expense of the weak.
“And for those of you who do not develop any special ability, don’t despair. This is just the first stage. Where it is now, the Upgrade drug is only the beginning, and we are already working on the next generation.”
Again, the Master paused, and Ty and the others were left watching the man on the screen. The display continued as it had begun, and Ty had to admit it was spectacular, even though he didn’t quite understand what purpose he might be able to put it toward.
“And now my friends, I must bid you farewell. You know where to find my people. Present yourself to them, and with luck, you will be one of the chosen few.”
With that, the Master grew silent. As if taking his cue, the man on the screen let his black fire fade away, and just before the screen reverted to black, Ty recognized who it was.
“Brad,” he said out loud. “Oh my God, that was Brad!”
32: A Step Too Far
Ty didn’t know what to think. All by itself, the revelation of the Master’s next steps would have been shocking enough. But to have seen Brad, alive and wearing a device on his wrist almost defied belief. And displaying such power!