by Gideon Mills
The drive over was difficult with the forces for both sides on the street fighting. It was the everyday person fighting Fenrir’s regular troops. Thankfully, he hadn’t fallen to the level of having his mecha suits battling ordinary humans.
“I love that the people are fighting for us,” Felicity said.
“Me too,” Fleur added. She had a determined look on her face.
“Are you sure you are up for this?” I asked.
She didn’t even take her eyes off the street. “I am.”
“Don’t you worry,” Felicity said. “I know our girl. She’s gonna pwn her dad.”
“Good.”
Once we arrived near city hall, the attacked happened. Lola was the one in charge and telling everyone it was a go. I heard her speak through our comms, telling everyone.
“Go, go, go.”
All at once, around the city, I could hear fights starting up. I hoped that they went well for our forces.
With the command from our Guardian, we jumped out of the car and raced up to the city hall. It was an iconic building in the city, located in Lower Manhattan.
Part of me didn’t want to fight here, as I feared we would cause unrepairable damage to the building, but it wasn’t possible to avoid.
Just as we reached the top steps, a half dozen mecha suits appeared. Out of the ground. Fenrir must have been busy, or planning this for much longer than we had realized.
“I got this,” I said. I didn’t want either of them to get to close to the weapons that could strip them of their powers.
I went to the one on the far left and summoned my blade. It would be able to slice them to shreds. The only mecha suit that I’d had trouble with was the one that Reign had worn not so long ago, and that was because it was made out of the same material as my sword. None of these would be.
There just wasn’t much here on Earth for them to use, and we made sure that Reign’s suit didn’t fall into the wrong hands.
With my speed, I sprinted down the line, taking all the legs off the mecha suits. I could have just as easily taken the heads off, but that would have been cruel. As it was, none of the men in the suits would be walking again.
All the suits toppled over, and blood poured from them all. Since I didn’t want them to die, I pulled out another item I had on my body. A torch, and used it on my blade. It was going to hurt them like hell, but I stopped the bleeding.
“Why’d you do that?” Felicity asked.
“Mercy,” I said.
The squirrelkin nodded.
“They deserve none,” Fleur said. “But we must be better.”
I could tell she was still having to struggle with it. It pained me that she was so torn on this. Hopefully, once we get rid of her father, it would be better.
The next obstacle that Fenrir had for us arrived in a blink of an eye. Forty men exited the building and formed a line in front of us.
“This is going to be fun,” Felicity said. She was licking her lips and baring her claws.
“That it is,” Fleur said. I knew that both my partners were among the best fighters in the world. Especially since that was Fleur’s Paragon ability: to master all fighting techniques.
The two women didn’t even wait for me. Fleur went to the right, Felicity left, and they began the fight. There was no way that these men stood a chance against them. I didn’t have to join the battle, but there was no way I would let them have all the fun.
Plus, if any of the thugs tried to use an anti-Paragon weapon on them, I was going to make them regret that choice.
I reached the one in the middle and punched him. Even though I didn’t use much of my strength he went flying backward into the doors of the building, cracking them. He would be in pain, but that was it. I spun to the next man, and he had a look of disgust on his face.
“You think you are helping,” he said. “But you’re not. Just making Fenrir right.”
I didn’t bother answering him. He was clearly wholly brainwashed, and I wasn’t going to get through to him. It was a shame that so many people had fallen under Fenrir’s spell. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, but that didn’t make it easy.
Dropping down, I did a leg sweep, and the man fell to the ground. Beyond him, I could see Felicity in all her glory. Claws slashing at the men, and her fangs bared to them. The men cowered in fear of her and her abilities. I fucking loved it.
Turning away from her, I prepared to take out the man behind me. He stood in awe, but not of her, but me.
“Fucking Ares,” the man said. He ran away down the stairs, and I let him go. He was not a threat to us.
“Stop,” another said. “Don’t be a pussy.”
I laughed. “You should follow his lead.”
It was the man who was next to him. “I’m not scared of you.”
“You should be.” I had put up my blade, as I didn’t need it, but I was in a funny mood and summoned it again. “You can’t possibly hurt me. I could kill you in a blink of an eye.”
“Then do it,” he said.
“No, you will be needed for the coming storm.”
The man flared his nostrils and rushed at me. I put out my free hand and stopped him in his tracks. He couldn’t get any closer. With ease I picked him up, my hand holding his head, and tossed him into the doors, letting him join his companion.
The fight for Fleur was going smooth. She danced around the men, making her way to me. She only had one more to defeat, leaving a pile of men and women on the ground moaning behind her. She made the fighting look like a ballet, one of the best in the world.
Turning around, Felicity had done the same, both taking out more than I had. I let myself play with them too much. Oh well.
Felicity was breathing heavy but had a shit-eating grin on her face. “Fucking brilliant.”
“You were right,” Fleur said. “Fun, and I needed that. Too much time cooped up and not fighting.”
“Sorry,” Felicity said. “Maybe I was the lucky one.”
“Maybe,” Fleur said.
“Shall we?” I gestured to the doors that were mostly cracked opened from the two men I’d smashed into them.
51
Worst Dad Ever
Just as we entered the building, we were greeted by Fenrir, who was by no means alone. With him was yet another large group of fighters. This time armed to the teeth, and I had little doubt that they all had anti-Paragon weapons with them.
I wasn’t going to risk it. Without waiting for anyone else, I made a dash around the front area and took all the weapons they had off them. A flash moving around the room and disarming them. I could have knocked them all out, and I might still.
Each and every gun they had, I bent in half and tossed to the ground behind them.
“Impressive,” Fenrir said. “And just proves my point. How can we let someone who can do that live? You could kill us all in a blink of an eye.”
“I could,” I said. “And yet I haven’t. Not even once have I killed a person here. I’ve gone out of my way not to kill. Out of my way to make sure every person I’ve fought was only hurt. That no one was sent to Hades, or whatever place they may go.”
Fenrir laughed. “No person that you have let us know about has been killed. Since you have been back, plenty of people have died.”
“At your behest, Father,” Fleur interjected. “You had them killed. The only killer here is you. You are the one making people scared. You are the one making the world a dangerous place. Not Paragons.”
“Don’t you dare call me Father,” Fenrir said. “My children are dead. My family is dead. All because of Paragons. They killed my mother, my wife, my son, and my daughter.”
Watching Fleur, she was barely able to stand. “I’m right here. You might not love me anymore, and I might not you. But I’m still here.”
“I see a villainous killer.” Fenrir didn’t even try to hold back.
“Fuck off,” Felicity said. “You are the worst father in human history. I saw t
he video. Your mother didn’t die from a Paragon. She died from an accident. Just like my mother. Stop blaming the world around you and own it, you prick.”
“Attack,” Fenrir said.
Felicity reacted before anyone else, leaping into the air with Paragon-enhanced speed and agility. She was slicing a man with her claws before Fleur and I joined the battle.
Without their anti-Paragon weapons, our foes were no match for us. We had them all on the floor in a blink of an eye.
Fenrir stood there with a clenched fist and pure hate in his eyes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a device. “I didn’t want to use this,” he said. “But I guess I have no choice.”
“What is that?” Fleur asked.
“I have set up several bombs across the city that will kill or strip all the Paragons of their powers.”
“You can’t do that,” I said. “You’ll kill millions of innocent people.”
“There are no innocents in the city,” he said with an angry tone. He was clearly filled with rage and hate. “They all turned on me.”
“I got you covered,” Lola said in our ears. I had nearly forgotten she was listening in. Watching it all. “McGarrett found one, and I hacked in.”
That was great news to hear.
Fleur smiled. One so big that there was no way that Fenrir couldn’t see her.
“What’s so amusing?” the man asked.
“Go ahead,” she said. “Blow up the city. You’ll be remembered with the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Ivan the Terrible.”
“Hardly,” Fenrir said. “I’ll be like Washington, Lincoln.”
“You have gone mad,” Felicity said. She rushed to the man, and he tried to blow up the city. Nothing happened.
“What? How?” Fenrir said.
Felicity reached him and knocked him to the ground. Fleur walked over to her father and kicked him in the head. He was out cold.
Now it was up to the rest of the team.
52
Victory
With Fenrir in our grasp, we made our way to the police precinct. McGarrett was there and in control.
He walked to us with a big smile on his face. “You did it,” he said.
“No,” I said. “We did.”
The man gave me a big bear hug. This might be the first time that he did anything like that.
“That we did,” he said. “Fleur, Felicity.”
“McGarrett,” Fleur said.
“Captain.” Felicity gestured to Fenrir. “You have a dirty, flea-infested cell for him?”
McGarrett laughed. “Not sure about flea-infested, but I got a place for him.”
Felicity shrugged. “I guess it will have to do.”
“What’s the latest?” Fleur asked. “Haven’t really had much contact with the Guardian.”
McGarrett nodded. “She’s pushed beyond the limits of a normal hacker, or controller, but doing a great job.”
That was true, and I was going to have to repay her. In whatever way she wanted. Lola might not have been on the ground fighting with us, but she was the hero of it all.
I was just a tiny part of today’s fight. A really small piece, and for once I was okay with that. Working with so many people even though I didn’t see them work, was great.
“So?” I asked. “Athena? Bionic Man?”
“From what I have heard, all have taken out their places.”
That was good news, but at what cost.
“How many?” Fleur asked.
She didn’t have to say, we all knew. How many had lost their powers? How many died today to stop this man? We might have been lucky where we were, but there were going to be some that paid the ultimate price.
“Six lost powers, and ten dead,” McGarrett said.
That was a lot to take in. “Who? Anyone we know?”
McGarrett nodded. “Lincoln didn’t make it.”
I couldn’t believe it. He might have been the leader of a gang, but he was a good man. “Fuck.” That was all I could say, all I could get out.
“I’m sorry,” Felicity said. “I know you liked him.”
“The world lost a good man,” Fleur said.
“It did.” We didn’t start off on the right foot, but in the end, Lincoln was trying to make the world a better place.
“Anyone else?”
“I didn’t recognize the names,” McGarrett said. “We got lucky here. A few of my men are hurt, but no major injuries.”
“That is great news,” I said.
The rest of the time at the precinct was a blur. While it was a victory, I didn’t feel like it. Losing a friend, no matter how many times, always hit hard.
Fleur and Felicity gave me some space to deal with the loss. To compose myself.
While we were there, more and more news came in about the fights. Victories across the city and the President of the United States signed a national state of emergency and was sending in the military to help clean up the mess. But was seen on the TV saying we did the right thing. That the Paragons saved the day.
The President was in full back-pedal mode and trying to save his bacon. A typical move, and I didn’t begrudge the President one bit.
53
Home
After the fight, and all the news, I was beat. Getting back to our place was exactly what I needed. Athena was already there, and of course, Lola. It was nice to see them both.
“Glad you made it, sister.”
Athena smiled. “I told you we would destroy our enemy.”
“Just one of many.”
“Way to be a party pooper,” Felicity said with a teasing tone.
I shrugged. “Can’t help it.”
Right now, I just didn’t feel like we won the fight. Fenrir was in prison; the government was back to backing up and supporting Paragons. All the old laws were already back into effect.
Any Paragon that wanted to be a hero could, so long as they told the police they were going to be out doing just that.
It wasn’t the best system in the world, but it had worked for years. There was no need to fix something that wasn’t broken.
“You okay?” Lola asked. She had a look of concern on her face, and one of love too.
“Not particularly,” I said. “It’s that we won, but the cost was high. Not to mention we still have my mother.”
Lola brought me in for a hug. “I know, but we can win. You all proved that. This was something that none of us thought possible. For the first time in history, a hundred Paragons and non-Paragons fought a battle together.”
It was true, and they would need to do it again. This was a cakewalk compared to what it would be like fighting an organized army of monsters and Gods.
Felicity and the others were right. I needed to be happy about this victory and not worry about what was to come. Not fret over the people that we’d lost. Even if I did lose a friend. I couldn’t let that cause me to lose sight of the big picture.
I knew that in this war with my mother I was going to lose friends, and maybe even loved ones. That was a harsh reality, but it was the way the world worked. It always had, and I knew that.
McGarrett and Janet arrived to celebrate with us. The officer carried a cooler full of his favorite beer, one that I had never heard of. He set it down on the table that we used for all our meetings.
The officer looked at us all and nodded to me. He handed me a beer, and to everyone but Janet. He held his cup in front of himself. “We had a great victory today,” McGarrett said. “Stopping a tyrant from ruining our great city.”
“Hear, hear,” several said.
McGarrett nodded. “Though we lost people today. Let us not forget those that paid the ultimate price for us. Helped us win. They will not be forgotten.”
Everyone took a drink. I followed suit and thought of Lincoln. Of the war to come.
We all sat at the table and talked about the battle. Each story was different but eerily similar. The officers thankfully only had one mecha suit to defeat, and the man in
it was not very good. McGarrett laughed so hard while he told the story that beer came out of his nose.
It was nice seeing everyone so happy and relaxed. This was the first time since I arrived that everyone felt this way. Everyone but me. That was okay, and I was at peace for the most, seeing my friends and loved ones happy.
Athena told the story of the raid from her perspective. She hadn’t been near Lincoln when he died, so she couldn’t tell me how, but she had tried to bring him back, and failed.
The talking and drinking went on for hours. Soon it was late, and we all needed to sleep. Tomorrow was bound to be a busy day.
I was the first to leave and head back to my room. It wasn’t often that a mortal could outlast me, but today they did.
I went into my room and showered. Letting the heat of the shower ease the tension in my muscles. The steam filled the air around me, and I stared up to Mount Olympus and thought of the Gods and Goddesses.
“What’s your next move, Hera?”
Not that she would answer me, not directly. But I wish I knew.
With that done, I went back to my room, and all three of them were sitting on my bed, waiting for me.
54
Showing their love
They still wore their outfits from earlier and were covered in the fight. All three of them were the most dazzling women in the world. Just seeing them sitting there on my bed with looks of concern and love on their faces. It helped. They knew that I needed them and wanted to make me feel better.
“Ares,” Lola said.
I walked over to her and sat in between Lola and Felicity. Fleur moved to be on my lap. They all leaned against me. Not saying a word. Just holding me. Letting me lead.
I didn’t want to talk about the day. What I wanted was to forget about it all. Move forward and be happy.
With that in mind, I put my arms around Felicity and Lola. I kissed Fleur’s head, and she looked up to me as I pulled away. She didn’t let me get too far. Her lips met mine, and the others’ hands begun to explore my body.