by Drew Hayes
“Look, lady, this really isn’t the time for a deep-dive into my shit. It’s been a long, hard, dangerous life. Ivan is the first person in very long while to genuinely give a fuck about me. He’s helped me in ways I don’t know how to repay. I’m not letting his friend die while I’ve still got fight left in these bones.” Summoning flames in each hand, Tori turned back to the cubes, drawing steadily closer. Not long left until they’d arrive. “So get out of here and let me get to work.” It was an excellent performance, marred only by a minor wobble in her voice at the very end. Given what she was staring down, Tori felt it forgivable that a sliver of fear had made itself known.
“Tori... I’m sorry.” Helen stepped to her side, entirely ignoring the directive to run. Something had changed, though. The light joy was gone. In its place was not terror at the nearing onslaught, but rather remorse. “I was selfish. It’s been a long time since I could talk with someone like this, a person who knows our world but not my place in it. I never meant for you to feel this kind of fear.”
Based on the speed of the advancing cubes on legs, they had less than a minute left, and that was being generous. As if that weren’t enough, there were more legs rising from the second stone ring, these even larger than the first design. “Helen, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but if you’ve got a plan, now would be a great time to let me in on it.”
“Same plan as always, I suppose. Save the day.” Facing away from Tori, Helen carefully took off her glasses, folding the legs over one another. A ripple ran across her whole body, like an illusion shifting, except the changes Tori could see were minor, some slight shifts in weight and hair, with perhaps a small alteration in height. Still looking away, Helen continued to speak. “Time for your Starscout trivia challenge, Tori. Where does Lodestar’s name come from?”
The whole moment was deeply surreal, to the point where Tori was starting to wonder if she’d succumbed to fatigue and passed out without noticing. Dream or reality, her best bet was to play along. Perhaps it would do something about that damned mental itch Helen provoked, the one that was only growing stronger by the second.
“Corvix had just defeated Professor Quantum on national television. A bunch of other capes tried to swarm him, and he started cutting a swath like they were regular humans. Then, in a flash, she was there, putting herself in the path of his blows. He hit her with everything he had and couldn’t make so much as a dent. Before she dropped him in a single punch, and Quorum delivered the surprise finish, he asked her how she could be so strong, and Lodestar responded: ‘The darker the night, the brighter the stars.’”
“That’s the one.” Helen looked back, and Tori suddenly realized the shift was more dramatic than she’d noted from the back—it seemed as if several years had dropped away. “Do me a favor, hold these.” She extended the glasses, wiggling them slightly, until Tori took them in her grasp. “I’ll let you in on two secrets, Tori. The first is that I kind of hated that saying for a long time. It was told to me a lot during a particularly dark time, and didn’t quite deliver the hope it was meant to. All of which is to say that the line wasn’t planned. It’s just what popped out in the moment.”
“In the moment?” Tori could almost see the line connecting these obvious, blazing dots, yet her brain refused to connect them, even when it felt like it was right there.
“That would be the other secret.” Helen began to step forward, changing before Tori’s eyes. “I hope you’ll forgive minor theatrics. It’s not often I get to do these reveals.” Light poured out from Helen: blazing, brilliant, and instantly familiar. As her hair and eyes changed hue, Tori was truly struck by how little else shifted. Without the costume, the resemblance was even more uncanny. It was a strange combination of being thunderstruck with shock and also overwhelmed by a feeling she could only describe as “of course.” It was like her brain breathed a sigh of relief at finally being able to see what, in hindsight, seemed crazy obvious from the start, followed shortly by the near mind-breaking implication of what this all meant.
Tori had just spent the better part of the day palling around with the strongest superhero on the fucking planet, and that was barely the tip of the iceberg. Thinking about the way Helen and Ivan were around each other, as compared to their other identities, indicated that their story went way deeper than she’d been led to believe. Her brain buzzed with fear about what secrets she might have accidentally let slip, but none could find solid purchase. Part of that was due to overall exhaustion, though it also helped to have far more immediate concerns to focus on. The first wave of cube enemies was drawing close.
Too bad for them, it wasn’t Helen and Tori who were waiting to meet them. Instead, the first stone leg came down next to Lodestar, who remained unmoved as it settled down hard into the dirt. She stared the thing up and down, noting the others close on its heels.
“On the off chance there’s any sentience in there, now would be the time to give up. All evidence points to you being automated, so if there’s more, I’d really like to know before this gets rough.”
In response, the cube whipped one of its legs around, slamming it down onto Lodestar’s head. At the same time, several panels on its smooth surface opened up, various devices sliding out. What they were or did would remain unknown, however, as Lodestar returned the blow with one of her own. A single punch obliterated her opponent, sending chunks of it screaming into the air, up and through even the vortex of wind.
“Cobblord should be glad I’m the one here, instead of Fornax,” Lodestar noted. “He’d be insulted at the idea that these things are a challenge.”
“You’re not?” Tori asked, really unsure of where the hell else to go with conversation at this point.
“I’m a superhero, which means a whole lot more responsibility in the way I use my abilities.” With a motion of her hand, Lodestar formed and flung a ball of energy that detonated on impact, utterly decimating the nearest six cubes that were advancing from Tori’s direction. “For me, this is a chance to let loose with no fear about anyone getting hurt. No civilians nearby to protect, no need to worry about injuring my opponent. All I have to do is fight, and I tend to fare pretty darn well on that front.”
Truly, that might have been the greatest understatement Tori had ever heard. There wasn’t time to comment on it, as Lodestar was already moving forward, heading for the ring where multi-segmented stone lizard-like creatures were rising up. “Stay there and rest. I won’t let anything get close. After all, my dear friend Ivan asked me to keep you safe.”
Watching Lodestar race off toward the waves of enemies rising off the ground, turning into a shining missile of destruction, Tori finally hit her limit. She half-collapsed to the ground, letting her body rest as her mind went wild, reconciling this new information with everything she already knew. It was a noble effort, but one that quickly gave way to enjoying the spectacle of Lodestar annihilating the stone army.
Sometimes, it was nice to just sit back and watch the destruction unfold.
Chapter 86
It was early for visitors, which narrowed down the number of people potentially knocking on their door. Beverly was the only one up, with Tori at her scout thing and Chloe sleeping in. Everyone in her family tended to be early risers—whether it was genetic or ingrained barely mattered anymore. Whatever the cause, she beat the dawn on many a morning. Today’s sunrise had come and gone, at least, so odds were this wasn’t some bold robber about to make a hell of a bad choice.
Peering through the peephole—one could never be too careful—she was surprised to see Austin standing in the hallway. Given the early hour and his predilection for manners, she’d assumed if any of the New Science Sentries were going to pull such a move, it would be Ike. She opened the door quickly; Austin wouldn’t be here if he didn’t have good reason. Only after it was fully ajar did it occur to Beverly that perhaps she was the reason. If he’d learned Bahamut’s true identity, this could be the start of a very uncomfortable conversat
ion.
Thankfully, Austin seemed his normal self, which was to say that he grew flustered at the appearance of Beverly. It was almost cute, how helpless he was at hiding even his most basic of feelings. At first, she’d taken the whole thing for an act, that he was putting on the “aw shucks” vibe to better sell his cape-image, especially considering whose name he was borrowing. Still, for all her hatred toward Professor Quantum, Beverly refused to be the same kind of bastard he was. She denied herself the easy out of judging someone for the circumstance of their birth rather than the quality of their character, and over time had realized that whatever else Austin had going on, he wasn’t putting on an act. Unfortunately, that left her with the obvious dilemma of his not-so-subtle crush. She’d thought getting to know one another would move him past it, or at least lower the awkwardness, but so far, he was proving oddly static in that regard.
After a few moments, Austin had regained his composure, or as much as he ever managed when talking directly to Beverly. “Good morning. Sorry for the early hour. I wasn’t sure if calling or gently knocking would wake fewer people.”
“A text would also have been fine.” Her annoyance was fading to curiosity as Beverly studied Austin further. Shifting body language, eyes darting up and down the hall, there was definitely something off. He had a nervous energy different from the usual infatuation.
“Wish I could, but this was a little too important,” Austin replied. “Please let Tori know her security is going to be reduced tonight. I just got a message. There’s a big meeting at the AHC. Not sure what’s going down, but they’re calling in almost everyone. It won’t just be us who are gone. There probably won’t even be capes nearby if something happens. This is all private, of course. We’re not advertising a few hours of weakened forces. Still, I didn’t feel right leaving Tori unguarded without her knowing.”
Two extremely different parts of Beverly lit up simultaneously. On one side, she was consumed by duty, flooded with worry of what might happen to her friend. However, there was more to Beverly than there had once been. Deep within her, the Bahamut piece of her mind couldn’t help whispering that this was also opportunity. If she knew of a time when the capes would be compromised, it meant more dangerous guild jobs could be undertaken. Were Tori there at her side, the Bahamut voice might have been stronger, but concern for her friend ultimately triumphed over her budding villainy.
“Appreciate the heads up. I’ll let her know as soon as she gets back from her Starscout thing.”
“Any word on how that’s going?” Austin was still checking the hallway. Whatever this meeting was about, it clearly had his nerves agitated.
“Didn’t expect any. Cell reception outside of civilization isn’t exactly renowned for reliability,” Beverly explained. “Besides, I can wait until tonight to hear about the fun pinecones they spotted. Only so much interesting stuff can happen on a camping trip.”
It was no surprise that Lodestar made short work of her opponents. That was, to Tori’s estimation, the only part of this hour that wasn’t some form of mind-liquefying shock. Helen was Lodestar. Helen, Ivan’s good friend. Ivan, who was really Fornax, which Helen definitely knew. That whole concept was weird enough; when she factored in the times they seemed to be almost flirting... it was a lot.
Before she’d even realized it, the battle was done. Lodestar annihilated one final stone contraption—twenty feet tall with components of all the other types that had come from the rings—by dropping down from above and shattering it to rubble, before flying swiftly back toward Tori. Fast as she’d been, Lodestar never dipped into super-speed, even now avoiding tripping any of the labyrinth’s safeguards.
Floating down to the grass, the glow didn’t fade like Tori had expected. Lodestar wasn’t hiding anymore. She was unashamedly herself. “From experience, I’m guessing that revelation knocked you somewhat sideways. Would you like to ask questions, or should I start by running down the greatest hits?”
While Tori certainly had questions to pose, she knew better than to pass up freely volunteered information. Asking on her own, she might inadvertently skip something vital. “How about you go first while I compose myself?”
“You mean think of follow-ups,” Lodestar pointed out. “Told you, not my first time doing this. I don’t mind, there’s just no need to bother pretending.”
To that, Tori merely nodded. She wasn’t sure she trusted her own tongue at this particular moment.
Lodestar sat down, albeit in a peculiar way. She lifted each leg into the air, assuming a cross-legged position, before floating her whole body toward the ground. “The big one to get out of the way is no, you’re not stupid, crazy, or wildly imperceptive. Now that you know the secret, it probably seems obvious in hindsight. I’ve never been great at hiding my identity. I try, but tend to slip up on details. To put it simply: you couldn’t see the truth because I hadn’t revealed it to you yet.”
Now that she’d settled, Lodestar reclined, laying her back against empty air like she was resting in a lounger. “Took a long time to figure that out, but time has proved it true. Something about my power protects my secret. With a few very powerful exceptions, it’s impossible to put the pieces together unless I do it for you. Brains refuse to form the connection. Even if someone had been watching us remotely just now, it wouldn’t work. They have to be physically present when I knowingly reveal myself, hence why I avoid public transformations. And before you waste a question, no, I don’t have any idea how that works. Some of my abilities are harder to understand than others, and I’m still not sure I’ve found them all.”
To Lodestar’s credit, her selection of what to address first had been a fine one. Knowing the reason why her brain had been so ceaselessly bothered by Helen put a great deal of things into perspective, and also freed Tori from questioning her own deductive skills. “What’s the next big question you normally knock out?”
“Actually, that one we kind of covered,” Lodestar said. “The next question is usually if I’m the real Lodestar, the original, and if so, how do I look so young, but you already know that part. All that stuff I told you about my body was true, by the way. I just didn’t mention what else I could do.”
Behind them, shattered stone minions crumpled further, chunks of rock falling to join their brethren sprayed across the battlefield. An entire army, reduced to garbage in mere minutes. Lodestar paid it no mind, gently tapping the underside of her chin. “After that, things tend to splinter off. Different people have different concerns and reactions. Although, in these sorts of situations, they will eventually get around to asking one more identical question: why me? Why were they chosen to carry this secret?”
“You can skip that. I know a circumstantial emergency when I see one.”
“Is that what you think? Tori, I had the entire run over here to change if I wanted to. Even after arriving, I could have slipped behind a tree, or waited until your back was turned. I made a choice to tell you, the same way I have with everyone I choose to share this secret with.”
She wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that. Dealing with someone who wielded honesty and forthrightness so expertly compromised many of her usual social tactics. There was nothing to pry at, no secrets or shadows to take conversational refuge in. With few other options, she decided the time for being passive had drawn to a close. If Lodestar was offering answers, then Tori would take them.
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why tell me?”
“Because you were afraid, even though I knew you had no reason to be. Because I’m a good judge of character, and have had plenty of time to get to know yours. Because Ivan trusts you, and that puts you in very exclusive company. There aren’t many of us.” Lodestar paused, visibly taking her time to think. “And because I wanted to. I like you, and I don’t enjoy hiding things from people I like. I wouldn’t recommend sharing it around, though.”
“Obviously. No one will even believe me if you’re not the one to show them, right?”
Lodestar
seemed momentarily taken aback, though she recovered quickly. “Well, yes, that too. But mostly because of Ivan. Even despite of my power’s protections, he can be a bit overly concerned. There was a near miss some years back—story for another day—however, when the dust settled, he made it a point to crush anyone trying to uncover Lodestar’s identity.”
The story brought Tori up short, reminding her of the most insane aspect to all of this. Somehow, she had a feeling this particular tidbit wouldn’t be covered going through Lodestar’s frequently asked questions. “Yeah, on that subject, about Ivan. I mean... what the fuck?”
“Can you be a little more specific?”
“I honestly feel like ‘what the fuck’ summed things up pretty well.” Tori took only a moment to consider her phrasing; at this point, interest and curiosity were fast pushing diplomacy to the side. “You’re Lodestar. He is... was Fornax. The respect, I get. You were the biggest dogs on the block for a long time, the only ones who could really fight one another. But this is... it’s not just some person you used to trade blows with. You two are friends. There’s history and banter—hell, he even sang to your kid.”
A new thought entered Tori’s head, and as it did, her eyes felt like they might break their very sockets with the speed in which they expanded. “Wait a minute... your kid...”
“Let me go ahead and pause this train before it leaves the station. Ivan and I have never even come close to... you know... and therefore certainly couldn’t have offspring. Her father died before she was born, and if it’s okay, I’d like to leave it there. That’s more of a Helen question, and not an easy subject.”
It was odd, seeing sadness on the face of Lodestar, even for only a moment. “Sorry, didn’t mean to step on old wounds. Just seemed to make the most sense when I put it all together. The idea of Lodestar letting Fornax babysit is still a bit wonky.”
