by Wyatt Kane
But there were no guarantees he would be lucid if they woke him, and doing so gave rise to the possibility of the toxin in his system completing its job.
It was a conundrum that had no immediate answer, although Ty did have a theoretical one. He was more determined than ever to work on his neural link idea.
“Okay,” said Ty, his head still throbbing as badly as ever. “That might also explain why Concussion hasn’t been seen since doing the damage he did. If it’s the same as the drug I took, it gives you one hell of a headache when it’s leaving your system,” he said. “I’m guessing he will want some time to recover before doing anything else.”
He looked at Tempest, Dinah, and Lilith, who were all still processing what he’d said. “So now what?” he asked. “What do we do?”
22: Toxicology Report
“Now,” Dinah answered, “we get you to the med bay so Gregory can have a look at you.”
Ty started to protest that he was fine, but Dinah would brook no argument. “No buts,” she said. “You haven’t been right all day. We’ve all seen it. And let’s get real here. If the Master is behind this, he has no interest in your ongoing health. All he cares about is what the drug will do for him.”
Ty knew she was right. At the same time, he wondered just how he’d managed to be part of the AZT-407 trial. He wasn’t a great fan of coincidences, and to him, it would be straight up miraculous if the Master had selected him as a guinea pig by chance alone.
Yet he’d had found out about the drug trial seemingly at random. How could it have been anything but coincidental?
He shook his head, puzzled by where his own thoughts had taken him.
Dinah wasn’t done. “And I think we might want to investigate this clinic as well. I’ll follow any paper trail and see if I can track down who it belongs to, but it might be handy if someone went over there to see what they can find out. Maybe we can find proof of a link to the Master, as well as learning who he is.”
It was late by then, and Ty didn’t think the clinic would be one of those that operated over twenty-four hours. Yet that was probably what Dinah intended. They might find it easier to learn what they needed without staff on site.
“I’ll go,” Ty said.
All three women spoke up at once, and their message was clear. Dinah said it best. “No, you won’t. Not until I’ve given you the all clear. Tempest, how about you and Lilith check it out?”
The blonde superhero and the demon woman agreed, and Ty gave them the address. With the mansion’s shield turned off, Lilith stepped in close to Tempest. For an instant they stood together, as if an embrace, and Ty noted with some surprise that Tempest was smaller. To him, the blonde woman was larger than life, a being of power. Yet Lilith, as well as being more voluptuous, also topped her by a couple of inches. And her wings seemed to grant her additional size as well, making her look bigger.
Just before they disappeared, Ty saw an unusual expression appear briefly on the blonde woman’s face. For just a moment, she wasn’t a powerful superhero, the strongest of anyone Ty knew. Instead, she was a blushing schoolgirl, feeling secure and protected in the arms of someone stronger.
Ty couldn’t help but wonder at it. At one point, Tempest had expressed a feeling of insecurity around the demon woman. Could that insecurity have turned into enjoyment at being the weaker one of the two?
Not that Tempest actually was weaker, if you didn’t count Lilith’s power. Yet still, Ty thought he understood something about her then that he hadn’t before.
Tempest enjoyed feeling feminine. Not weak, not exactly, but for a change, no longer did she have to be the protector.
Then they were gone, leaving behind no more than a hint of ozone in the air.
“Come on, you.” Dinah said. “Let’s get you looked at.”
◆◆◆
“Diagnosis?” Dinah asked.
It was Ty’s turn on the surgical table once again. Gregory, the house robot, had scanned him from head to toe, prodding here and there as it went, taking samples with an array of tools so gently Ty barely felt it.
“Subject displays evidence of fatigue, dehydration, extensive 1st, intermittent 2nd degree burns, moderate bruising. Blood serum analysis shows heightened ESR, CRP and PV levels indicating inflammation, also raised levels of adrenaline, serotonin, magnesium, iron, selenium. Foreign bodies detected on skin, within structure of right hand, in sub-cutaneous location inside left elbow, microscopic foreign bodies detected in blood. Trace amounts of multiple toxins detected. Impaired liver, kidney, pancreas function.”
Ty hadn’t expected Gregory to describe so many issues, although it seemed more than likely the ‘foreign bodies’ were his healing nanites and other tech. Except, what was the one inside his left elbow? He didn’t have anything there, as far as he knew. Yet, now he thought about it, the spot had been vaguely itchy ever since his visit to Clinic 104.
Of much greater concern were the toxins the med bot had found. How bad were they? Was AZT-407 in itself toxic, or were the resulting metabolites? Or was it something else entirely?
As the med bot spoke, Dinah became noticeably worried.
“How extensive is the organ impairment?” she asked. “And what is the cause?”
“Impairment of up to seven percent. Cause unknown, likely associated with toxins present.”
Ty didn’t know how bad that was, but Dinah nodded to herself at the robot’s answer, and when she next spoke, her voice was less strained. “Treatment and prognosis?” she asked.
“Recommend generic analgesic and general restorative, generic anti-toxin, and bed rest. Recommend follow-up scan in forty-eight hours to ensure biochemical equilibrium has returned.”
It seemed to Ty that his life had become a roller-coaster swinging between fear and relief. For now, that pendulum seemed to have come to rest on the positive side of that scale. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and moved to sit up.
“Well, that’s good,” he said.
“Yes, it is,” Dinah agreed. She turned to the storage shelves at the back, found what she wanted, and handed him a number of pills of various shapes and sizes. “But don’t think that means you’re free to join Lilith and Tempest. Not until you’re feeling better. Hopefully, these pills will clear up your headache and mop up those toxins in your system, and your medical nanites should help repair any damage done to your internal organs.”
Despite the smile on the deerkin’s exquisite face, Ty understood more than just her words. He knew with absolute certainty that the deerkin wasn’t going to let him out of her sight until she was satisfied he was back to full health.
He didn’t know quite how to feel about this, and his uncertainty must have been written clearly on his face.
Dinah’s grin softened into one of genuine affection. “Silly man,” she said, teasing him lightly. “Haven’t you figured out yet that I want you around for a very long time? Come on, let’s get you some water to help with those pills.”
23: Heart to Heart
Ty and Dinah moved to the breakfast bar at the kitchen, and Ty learned he was thirstier than he realized. He downed his glass of water in one go, and within a very short time began to feel better. It was as if new strength was flowing into his body, and for the first time that day, his headache started to fade.
It was like a weight lifting from his shoulders. All of a sudden, all his problems seemed minor. Not even the Master’s declaration of war against them worried him as much as it had done before. Perhaps the Master would keep throwing challenges their way, but if he did, Ty thought, they would handle it. Him, Tempest, Dinah, and Lilith.
One way or another.
Ty took a moment to just look at Dinah. Really look at her, as he hadn’t done since taking the AZT-407 drug. He had been too much in his head to just relax and be with her, or any of the girls, and he realized then what a mistake that had been.
Dinah was a living work of art. The perfect deerkin, a blending of woodland g
race and femininity unmatched by anyone Ty had ever seen. The deer-like coloration mottling on her skin gave her an exotic look even in a world where body modifications were accepted as the norm. Of the three women, Dinah was physically the weakest, yet Ty was starting to suspect her mental strength could put them all to shame. She knew her own self better than Tempest, Lilith, or Ty himself, and had a capacity to understand more than just what was said.
Where Lilith might have blushed and looked away under Ty’s gaze, and Tempest might have seen it as a challenge, the deerkin simply looked back, completely at ease, with a knowing smile twisting her beautiful lips.
If Ty had any doubts about the depths of the deerkin’s understanding, she dispelled it completely with what she said next.
“There’s another reason you didn’t tell us about the drug trial,” she said gently.
At first, Ty didn’t know how to respond. He looked down at the empty glass on the table and said nothing.
Dinah didn’t press him. Didn’t say anything at all. She simply waited. And, eventually, Ty looked back into her large, captivating brown eyes.
He nodded.
“What was it?” she asked.
“I needed the money,” he admitted, feeling a deep sense of shame beyond even what he’d felt when admitting he’d taken the drug.
Still the deerkin said nothing. She just tilted her head to the side and continued to wait.
Ty had opened the floodgates a crack, and that was enough. He was stubborn, but had a sense of pride as well. He had no intention of telling her just how desperate he was, but there were some things he could say.
“Since all this began, I haven’t been able to keep up with my shifts at work. And there’s a hole in the side of my apartment the size of Bain and Tempest. The money to fix it has to come from somewhere.”
The deerkin raised her eyebrows in an expression of surprise.
“Insurance?” she asked. But Ty just shook his head. The deerkin nodded. “Well, why didn’t you say something? Tempest and I–” she began, but Ty cut her off.
“No,” he said. “The both of you have been more than generous. But this is mine to sort out.”
Once again, the deerkin understood more than Ty said. She didn’t press him, but instead sat back and contemplated him for a moment. “So, you no longer work at the Concubine Club?” she asked.
Ty shook his head. “A friend has a second-hand technology shop that might need someone who can do the things I can do. But he hasn’t got back to me yet, and I thought he would have done so by now. So maybe that isn’t going to happen at all.” He shrugged. “And I’m not sure if I have the time, anyway,” Ty admitted out loud. “Not with all of this going on.” He gestured vaguely at the mansion, but it was clear what he meant.
Again, Dinah was silent for a moment. She studied him from behind an expression Ty couldn’t penetrate. He didn’t know what she was thinking.
“You don’t have to generate an income, you know,” she said finally. “Tempest’s father knew how to turn his ideas into money. She’s loaded. And I have a deal with the police. I charge them consultation fees based on the crimes we help to solve.”
She frowned as she mentioned this, and added, “Although there’s something going on there that I’ll have to look into. It isn’t working as well as it should any more.” Then she continued. “Zach never had to work for a living. Not once he was with us. Why should you be any different?”
But Ty had already started shaking his head halfway through Dinah’s speech. He wouldn’t live on Tempest and Dinah’s charity. Yet he couldn’t find the words he needed to express his position.
“Zach might have been okay with that, but I’m not,” he said.
Dinah nodded. She was still smiling, and Ty thought he detected a note of pride in her eyes. For some reason, she approved of his stubbornness.
“So, to sum it up, you’re looking to pay your own way. You need a source of income that will take all your worries away, but at the same time won’t take up all your time. Is that about it?”
Expressed like that, it seemed to Ty like no more than wishful thinking. If he’d been able to find an option like that, wouldn’t he have already done so?
“Yeah,” he said, the laughter still clear in his voice. “That’s about the size of it,” he said.
Dinah’s knowing smile grew broader. She didn’t say anything, but this time her silence was not a technique designed to gain more information. It was no more than companionable, a comfortable silence between two people who enjoyed each other’s company immensely. It gave Ty the time to reflect on what had been said, in particular the implications of how much time he was spending fighting for justice.
“Is it always like this?” he asked out of no more than curiosity. “So many threats, so much to do?”
Dinah shook her head. “Not like this, no. I mean, sure, there’s always been plenty to do. It’s a big city, and there will always be people doing things they shouldn’t. But this is different. With the Master, and Rubio as well, there’s a change taking place, and I’m not sure if we can stem the tide.”
It was a sobering answer to Ty’s question, although not unsurprising. They had talked about it a little in the past.
“So, what do we do about it?” he asked.
Surprisingly, the deerkin grinned even more broadly than usual. “Well, to start with, you can help me with dinner.”
24: Unexpected Absence
As had become her habit, Gremlin appeared while Dinah and Ty were working on the evening meal. The cat leapt up to the top of the counter and moved to inspect what the deerkin was working on, which happened to be a healthy fillet of fish.
“No you don’t,” the deerkin said, waggling her finger in Gremlin’s furry face. “That’s not for you.” Gremlin didn’t heed her words in the least, and did her best to step to one side of the deerkin’s hand, her determination to get to the fish clear in every action she took.
Ty was working on the dessert, which was a type of mousse made using avocado, banana, and the best cocoa powder Ty had ever tasted. He paused to watch the battle of wills between the cat and the deerkin, and laughed when Dinah gave up, plucked the cat from the counter and deposited her on the floor.
“Now, you just stay there, and I might find a treat for you later,” Dinah said as she returned to what she was doing.
Gremlin didn’t object to her treatment. Instead, she found a spot in the middle of the floor and flopped down on her side with her head raised and proud. She started purring at nothing, her tail flicking back and forth.
To Ty, the cat’s expression suggested she counted the interaction as a victory of sorts, and he let out a laugh, understanding why the Pharaohs of old Egypt had worshipped the furry monsters.
As he returned to what he was doing, he reflected that he still hadn’t completed re-fabricating all the tech he needed to function within their superhero team. Yet this was important too. Spending time with Dinah, helping out in the kitchen, engaging in tasks that wouldn’t have far-ranging effects. As much as the analgesic and restorative helped his head and returned some of his vigor, simply being with Dinah restored his soul.
At the same time, their conversation was more than just idle chitchat. As they worked, they spoke of how Lilith was doing, and Tempest’s reaction to finding her father still alive. Eventually, the topic turned to the efforts Ty had gone to in order to help those in need. And to his disappointment that he had been helpless to do anything more than watch Jason die.
Dinah had placed four separate fillets of fish on individual squares of baking paper, and added an assortment of herbs, spices, thinly sliced bell peppers, part of an onion and an artichoke heart on each, and was in the process of wrapping each so that the baking paper sealed like a bag.
“I think you did all right,” the deerkin said, “from what I’ve seen and heard on the nets.”
Ty should have known the deerkin would have studied every piece of footage she could find of the
event. She was, after all, still hunting for Concussion.
Ty nodded. “I just can’t help but feel if I was faster or stronger, I could have done more.”
Dinah seemed unconcerned. “You did all you could. Perhaps your skills are more suited to combat than looking for survivors in the rubble of ruined buildings,” she said.
“You’re right,” Ty said as he smashed a pair of bananas with the back of a fork, trying to attain that level of smoothness Dinah had said she required. “But they’re also more flexible than most. I should be able to do better.”
Dinah paused in what she was doing. “And you will,” she said. “But really, it’s not like you’ve had a lot of free time just lately,” she said.
Free time, Ty thought. It very much was a key issue. As a team, they’d spent so much time dealing with immediate threats that he hadn’t been able to do much else at all. In a very real way, that’s what made the AZT-407 such an appealing drug. In Brad’s vernacular, it was like he’d found a cheat code that leveled him up, but which had proved to be only temporary.
It would have been better if the effects had been permanent. Or at least controllable.
Or, even better still, if the drug’s effects were incremental.
Tempest had once said their stats would increase over time, as they used their skills. But from Ty’s perspective, any gains made that way were far too slow. Sure, he’d leveled up a couple of times, but not that way. First, he had improved the function of the device he wore, and then there was the drug. But that was it.
He couldn’t help wonder if there was a better way. If he could work out a mechanism to increase the speed of improvement.
Like in a game, where defeating an enemy or completing a task resulted in an increase in XP. In such games, the effort required to gain the rewards was both defined and predictable. In the real world, unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.