by S. J. Delos
“He will,” Greg insisted. “I can promise you that.”
Richard nodded in agreement.
The following evening, Kurt was promising the same thing as the team.
“I’ve already been in five meetings today to discuss my report,” he said as he cut up a tomato for our salad. “All of them an attempt to get me to change my claim.”
“Let me guess,” I said, shoving as much sarcasm as possible into my voice. “They want you to amend it to say that it was ‘someone who looked like Senator Gordon’. Right? That way it leaves open the possibility he really was being impersonated by a metamorph.”
Kurt nodded. “At the very least, I was forced to admit there was a remote possibility that the person I caught on video was a shape-shifter. It was either that or be put on suspension while I wait for Internal Affairs to drum up some charges so they could fire me.”
“Instead of smashing the Delta Inducer, I should have smashed his damned head first. One little tap and he would have been on a one-way ride to hell.”
Kurt frowned. “And you would have been on a one-way trip back to the Max. Karen, it’s one thing to injure an Enhanced super-villain during a fight. It’s another thing altogether to kill or maim a Norm who happens to be a United States Senator.” He put the knife down to walk over, wrapping his arms around me. “Major Freedom still not taking your calls?”
“No. I managed to get through to Contriver. She said he’s torn between trusting me to know what really happened on the hotel’s roof and believing in his long-time ally. “Apparently, she and Scarab are the only members of the Brigade who think I’m right. The rest of their team think I’m lying out of some secret hatred of the people of the EAPF.”
Kurt blinked, then shook his head. “I guess they don’t know how much you love one of them, huh?”
I tilted my head up at him, smirking. “Love? I don’t recall ever saying that I loved you, Kurt.”
“You didn’t have to. I’m a detective, remember? I notice things.” He leaned down, kissing me lightly across the lips. “I love you, too. Very much.”
I felt my smile widen to its maximum. “This is a big step.”
Kurt nodded, hugging me again before letting do. “It is. But it feels right.” Then he gave me a sly look. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about and plan on moving to Chicago.”
I stared at him for a moment before laughing. “Not a chance, Kurt. This is where I belong. This city. Right here. With you.”
A week later, Alexis brought me a surprise. One I wouldn’t have expected in a million years.
“There’s a package for you,” Alexis said as she came into the living room where Darla, Zip and I were watching the Panthers lose horribly against the Giants. The teen grinned from ear to ear. “It’s postmarked from Chicago.” She held out the box.
I looked over from the television, arching a brow before taking the package from her, putting in on my lap. It didn’t seem all that heavy, and I wondered what I could have left behind that would have warranted it being shipped to me.
Zip turned the game off as the three of them gathered around, curiosity plastered all over their faces. I shoved my fingernail beneath the thick tape binding the box closed, slicing it open with almost no effort.
“What’s going on?” Greg entered the room with Richard and Sonya. He looked suspiciously at the four of us all huddled in a circle.
“Karen got a delivery from Chicago,” Darla said, tossing a quick glance in his direction. “We’re all just being nosy.”
Alexis giggled and nodded while Zip merely shrugged.
I opened the box to find a folded piece of paper on top of a thick pile of bubble wrap inside. I picked up the note, reading the crisp handwriting penned on one side.
The Committee made their decision before the evening started. If I could do it over again, I wouldn’t have voted in your favor.
The message wasn’t signed, but I didn’t need someone’s John Hancock to know who had written it. It still stung a bit to know that Major Freedom’s opinion of me was still less than that of something he might have stepped in. No one wants their childhood idol to think poorly of them.
I refolded the note, setting it on the sofa beside me. Slowly, I tore the protective material away to stare at the object inside.
“What is it?” Alexis asked, trying to lean in to peek over my shoulder.
I looked up at the assembled group, then pulled the plaque out of the box. It was a piece of solid mahogany about the size of a piece of paper. The wood gleamed in the overhead lights, but not nearly as much as the platinum plate affixed to the front. The letters etched into the precious metal were a pleasingly fancy font.
HERO OF THE YEAR
Karen Hashimoto
“Kayo”
My fingers trembled as I held the plaque, turning it so the entire team could see it and read the inscription.
“Congratulations, Karen,” Greg said with a big smile. “You’ve certainly earned it.”
My vision blurred as a few tears slid down my cheeks. I could hear my mother’s voice, telling me that she was so proud of me. I wanted to drown in that mental praise, swim in the dream that, if she were still alive, she would tell me in person how well I’d done. But a heavy spot hung in my stomach, and I realized that my mother might have called me out over one particular discrepancy.
The same one Nightfall had waved in my face: Martin.
I shook my head as I put the plaque back into the box, standing up. “No, I haven’t earned it.” I looked from him to the rest of the team. “At least, not yet. There is still one more thing I need to do before I’ll even entertain the notion that I deserved this. Something I should have done months ago.”
Richard, Sonya, and Greg all nodded in unison, having come to the same conclusion. Alexis looked at Darla and Zip before turning her eyes back to me, crinkling her brow.
“What do you have to do?” she asked.
I gave her a serious smile. “I’m going to arrest Doctor Maniac and take him to prison.”
EPILOGUE 1
DOCTOR MANIAC CAPTURED
The trees whipped past below us, creating a blurring sea of orange, yellow, and red.
“Just for the record, I find this is much more comfortable than being carried while you’re running. If I had known being conveyed in such a manner would be this relaxing, I would have given you flight years ago.”
I turned my gaze from the rapidly approaching concrete fortress in the distance to look down at Martin. He was smiling up at me with a smug expression on his face.
“Waxing nostalgic will not stop me from dropping you a hundred feet to the ground if you piss me off,” I said before glancing forward again. “You know, just for the record.”
The three-story granite and durasteel building glimmered in the late afternoon sun, the few omni-plex windows giving the appearance of watching green eyes. As we got closer, I spotted an EAPF hovercraft resting on a pad next to the parking lot.
“Are you okay, darling?” Martin asked. “It would seem the color in your cheeks has vanished.” His voice was heavy with a combination of concern and amusement. The concern probably stemmed from the worry that I might actually drop him.
“I’m fine,” I said between gritted teeth. I wasn’t about to confess to him that seeing the Max get closer was putting a huge lump in my stomach and a cold sweat under my uniform. Heading toward the place where I had spent two years in a cage put me on edge.
“You really sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to turn around and forget about this.” His voice rang with a sing-song tone. “You could claim I escaped somehow. Then you wouldn’t have to get any closer to that place.”
I glanced down at him again, glaring my hardest. “You wish. I’m hand-delivering your ass to the Warden. I don’t care if I have a full-on panic attack doing it. This is long overdue.”
We passed over the end of the forest, zooming over the expansive open field around the prison. The guard
s on the perimeter fence towers stood ready as we went by, but none of them brought their weapons to the ready.
I wasn’t surprised. After all, we were expected.
As the front of the building drew nearer, I spotted a pair of figures standing next to the heavy front door. One of the two was a Max guard, the helmet of his reinforced armor uniform glinting in the afternoon sun. The other was Kurt.
“I see your new lover has come to watch you make history,” Martin said with some bemusement. “I suppose it’ll make him feel better at night, knowing that I’ll not be around to tempt you back into my bed.”
“There’s nothing you could do that would tempt me enough to get into bed with you, Martin.”
I slowed our pace, drifting down toward the top of the steps. The guard brought up his plasma rifle and sighted Martin through the scope. Doctor Maniac was too high profile to kill, but I knew from experience those weapons could also cause a ton of pain. I secretly wished he would pull the trigger just so I could have the pleasure of watching Martin scream and thrash.
My boots made a soft thud as we landed. I pulled my arms from under Martin’s shoulders and clamped one gloved hand across the back of his neck.
Kurt smiled at me, then turned to look at Martin. His happy demeanor became something hard and official.
“Doctor Maniac, you are hereby under arrest for multiple Enhanced crimes. Until such time as you are to stand trial, you will be remanded to the custody of the EAPF, remaining incarcerated here.” Then the detective leaned closer. “I’m going to dance a damned jig when they sentence you to life in here.”
Martin turned to look at me over his shoulder, arching a brow.
“Do you seriously allow this man to have sex with you?” he asked with a bit of disbelief. “My opinion of you just dropped.”
“I don’t care what you think about me. Or who I let in my bed these days, Martin. Now, move it.” I pushed him ahead of me. The guard pulled a key card from his pocket, swiping it over a panel set in the concrete beside the door. The sound of a lock disengaging echoed from inside, and the door slid open.
“Want me to come with you?” Kurt asked.
I shook my head. “Nah. This won’t take long.” I patted the front of my uniform. “I’ve got everything right here.”
We stepped into a wide corridor that led to another heavy door. Standing next to it was another Max guard beside a man in a crisp black suit, who ran his hand through his silver hair as we walked toward them.
I remembered Warden Castle from my own stint inside these very walls. He had been in charge of the Max for the past ten years and carried the reputation of being a hard, but fair administrator. On my first day of incarceration, he called me into his office to inform me that he would not put up with any of “Crushette’s bullshit”, even if I was pregnant.
After watching me closely for several months, when I guess he realized I wasn’t going to try to escape or cause any trouble, he bestowed additional privileges as well as let me walk around outside to get some needed prenatal exercise. After I gave Harmony away, he made it a point to stop by my cell on a regular basis, just to see how I was doing.
Our shared experience didn’t make us friends, but there was a sense of familiarity and mutual respect between us.
“Kayo,” he said with a smile. “Good to see you again.” He turned his gray eyes to Martin. “I see you’ve brought us a new guest.”
I put my hand on Martin’s shoulder, giving him a little shove in the Warden’s direction.
“Warden Castle, may I introduce you to Martin Slorenzy. Also known to the world at large as Doctor Maniac. I believe there might be an outstanding warrant or two on him.” I reached into the inside pocket of my uniform, pulling out a stack of folded papers which I handed to him.
Warden Castle glanced between Martin and me before taking the documents, looking them over quickly. “I don’t believe it. Doctor Maniac captured at last.” His eyes drifted to the piece of metal encircling Martin’s hands. Then he glanced to me. “Had to make your own handcuffs?”
“Something like that,” I answered. When I found Martin relaxing in the depths of his Biltmore Estate lair, the first thing I did was tear apart an aluminum table so I could mold it around his hands. I wasn’t going to let him touch me during the flight here.”
Martin shook his head, looking at me over his shoulder. The expression on his face was a look I knew all too well: disappointment.
“Yes,” he said as he turned back to Castle. “I can scarcely believe it myself. However, I guess this is the ruination that love leads to.” He held out his contained hands toward the nearest guard. “If you would be so kind as to remove this hunk of steel from my hands, and fit me with a pair of proper shackles, I would be eternally grateful.”
I held up my hand before the guard could take a single step. “Don’t.” When he gave me a confused look, I elaborated. “Are you Enhanced?”
The big man nodded. “Strength and durability.”
I pointed at Martin. “Doctor Maniac has the ability to manipulate Enhanced DNA in whatever manner he wants. All with a touch of his fingers.” I turned to the Warden. “Do not allow him to interact with any of the other prisoners without having his hands securely contained in a pair of gloves. God only knows what he could do with access to so many potential victims.” I looked back to Martin. “Or allies.”
“Understood, Kayo,” Warden Castle said. “Any particular type of gloves? Durasteel or Kevlar weave?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Just something that prevents him from touching them skin to skin.”
Martin sighed. “Any chance we could speed this up? I have a cramp from being carried around like a sack of flour and wish to be shown to my accommodations.”
“It’s called a ‘cell’, Martin. You probably should get used to thinking of it in that manner. Chances are, you’re going to be in there until you’re old and gray.”
He laughed, still not looking in my direction. “Yes, let’s continue to believe that to be the reality of this temporary situation.”
“Goodbye, Martin,” I said, trying not to bounce up and down with the relief I felt in my soul. I was about to be free of Doctor Maniac. Really free. For the first time in eight years. I knew the moment I got airborne, I’d be doing flying cartwheels all the way back to Charlotte.
“How about ‘until we meet again’? I understand model prisoners here get visitors. Even the occasional conjugal time.”
“Negative,” I said, shaking my head. “Not only is there no way in hell that’s ever going to fucking happen. If it’s up to me, this will be the last time we are going to see each other. But don’t worry. I will take good care of our daughter.”
He slowly turned around, staring at me with a wounded expression. It might have broken my heart to see his face like that. You know, if I didn’t know what kind of a monster he truly was.
“What will you tell her about me?”
No, I wasn’t falling for the sincerity in his question. Of course, there was a small part of me that kept chirping into my thoughts, reminding me of the constant concern he had shown toward Harmony. The debate about whether or not he still loved me, particularly considering I just handed him over to the authorities, could still be made.
But his love for his child was beyond my ability to question.
“I guess I’ll tell her that her daddy was a very bad man. One who hurt a lot of people. But…” I sighed. “But despite all that, he loved her with all his heart.”
He nodded, looking away for a moment. “Thank you for that, darling.”
The Warden glanced from Doctor Maniac to me, arching an eyebrow. I nodded to the guard, who stepped forward, placing his hand on Martin’s upper arm.
“Wait,” he said, turning back to me. “Can you… will you give her something from me? When you see her?”
I tilted my head to the side. “What?”
“A kiss. Just a simple kiss from her father?”
I st
ared at him for a few seconds, trying to judge the angle in his request. Finally, I shrugged, stepping stepped closer to him while keeping one eye on his metal-covered hands.
“Fine. Make it quick.” I turned my cheek toward him.
Amazingly, he placed an extremely chaste peck right at the corner of my mouth. There was no passion, no lechery, in the action. It was, as he asked, a small token of affection. The kind a parent would want passed along to a small child.
“Thank you,” he said softly into my ear. “You’ve made me a happier man.”
I nodded, then stepped back. “Enjoy your cell, Martin. Good luck at your parole hearing. In fifty years.” I smiled as I watched as the guard escort Martin through the security door into the processing area. When the heavy slab closed behind them, I couldn’t resist doing a fist pump.
The Warden laughed and stuck out his hand. “Thank you, Kayo. For bringing him in.”
I shook his hand, shrugging. “I should have done it months ago. But I’m glad he’s off the street and safely contained. Call me if he starts causing too much trouble. I’ll swing by and tap him on the head a few times until he behaves.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary. Thank you all the same.” He turned around to walk toward the security door. “Have a good day, Kayo.”
“You, too.” I spun on one foot, heading in the opposite direction. Only instead of a maximum security prison, the door before me led to the open sky, fresh air. Not to mention, a whole new page in my life.
Stepping out into the sunny afternoon, I spotted Kurt sitting on a concrete wall, waiting patiently for me to emerge. When he saw me, he stood up and walked over, smiling.
“So, Doctor Maniac is finally right where he belongs.”
I nodded. “For as long as that lasts.” I sighed. “Sorry, lover. I want to be positive, but I also know Martin better than anyone else. He seemed too resigned to being incarcerated.” I shrugged. “I just don’t trust him.”
