Gruefield 18 (Tarnished Sterling Omnibus)

by Robert McCarroll

"Oh, sorry."

  "You seem awfully calm," Pam said.

  Stoneclad shrugged. "I do what I'm told. Saves me the trouble of thinking."

  "Are you kidding me?" Pam asked. "What good are you if you won't think for yourself?"

  "I'm a hero," Stoneclad said.

  "Really?" Pam asked. "Even if the people you're blindly following have abandoned that path?" She pointed up at a wall board which was cycling through recent events. A screen stating that Arclight was rogue and to report all sightings to the nearest compliance officer hung there for a few moments before a new one scrolled into view. Stoneclad blinked in confusion.

  "What's going on?" he asked.

  "That's what we want to know," I said. "Arclight is setting off bombs, you and Jester are re-stealing the Rothbart Amulet-"

  "No!" Stoneclad said. "We were returning it."

  "Then where is it?" I asked.

  "Jester took it to the board."

  "Shiva, can you confirm that?" I asked.

  "I can confirm that Jester of Anubis is in session with the Fund Board. I cannot divulge the content of their discussion," Shiva said.

  "That actually makes more sense," Donny said.

  "Not to me," Pam said. "I'm confused. Why kick our asses?"

  "Jester is slow to trust," Stoneclad said.

  "He's powered by the Heart of Ma'at," Donny said. "Not the goddess, the concept. When you're literally animated by justice, well, you're not that easy to corrupt."

  "Did he think we were corrupt?" I asked.

  "You are strangers," Stoneclad said. He looked at Donny. "Most of you, anyway."

  "So now what?" I asked.

  "We should go up and wait outside the board room," Ixa said. "Depending on what Jester tells them, they might have new instructions for us."

  "Might as well," Pam sighed.

  "Sorry about the neck," Stoneclad said. "I was only trying to knock you out."

  "I think I'll get over it," I said. We turned and headed through the security checkpoint.

  Part 27

  Whatever evidence Jester of Anubis presented the board, it led to them declaring Cold Case to be rogue. They also requested that Shatterbrain and Silver Whirlwind come in for questioning. I wasn't sure exactly who Shatterbrain was, beyond the fact that she was the last of the All-Star Elementals. Jester marched out of there without so much as a glance in our direction. Neutrino didn't look happy to see us in the waiting room, but I can't say I've ever seen him happy. He waved in Donny alone, stopping the rest of us from entering. They spoke to Donny for a long time. I was starting to get agitated over the delay. What was going on in there? Whatever was said, they eventually invited the rest of us in.

  "I've been put on probation," Donny said. "No solo work."

  "With all due respect," Ixa said, facing the board. "This leaves me in a bit of a bind. Of my team, I have two members on limited duty, one with a day job, one out for medical, one whose key equipment is broken, three trainees and myself. Between nine and five, it is literally impossible to delegate field work, because my remaining team members require supervision."

  "We appreciate the bind you're in," the woman said. I guess she was Miriam, because the name didn't seem to fit the others.

  "Not counting the All-Star Elementals or Eight Beta," Neutrino said, "There are currently two class one license holders, four class two license holders, two class three license holders and five class four license holders in New Port Arthur. Plus the retirees, most of whom hold legacy class one licenses. The entire weight of this problem is not on your shoulders."

  "Who?" Ixa asked.

  "Myself, Razordemon, Omegaburn, Mister Thirty-Eight, Arrowwarp, Minispell, Wolfjack-"

  "She gets the point," Torquespiral said.

  "Actually, you missed my point," Ixa said. "If there are so many running around, loan us a few class threes."

  "The only two not associated with your team or the Elementals are Wolfjack and Photovolt. You can ask them for aid yourself," Neutrino said. "Your current priority is the remaining powered Morlock at large - Serar. Stay away from the Elementals mess unless called upon by the board or Razordemon, is that clear?"

  "Yes," Ixa said.

  "Good. Serar might not be the most powerful of psychics, but he isn't weak. He is a confessed multiple-murderer and associated with terrorists. Find him. Bring him in."

  "Is that all?"

  "Yes."

  A receptionist knocked on the door. "Security says there is an Ambassador Bussard in the lobby demanding to speak with the Fund board," she said. My face sank into my hands.

  "Tell security," Neutrino said. "He is not allowed any guards, and put him through the wringer. If he's serious, he'll put up with it."

  "Yes, sir," the receptionist said, stepping out.

  "This is your cue to leave," Neutrino said. We stood and filed out of the conference room.

  "Who's Arrowwarp?" Donny asked.

  "Some archer," I said.

  "How are we going to find Serar?" Pam asked.

  "I have an idea, but it's a bit of a long shot. While I'm following up on that, you're going to talk to Wolfjack and Photovolt," Ixa said. "After the ass-kicking he handed out at Vanguard, we want backup. They wouldn't be my first choice, but Miss Pain is out of commission."

  Pam glared at me. I deserved the dirty look, and worse. We boarded the elevator, and I stared out at the river as we sank down the side of the building. The fallout from this mess was going to be bad. I'm not sure how much of it was my fault, and how much had been brewing out of sight. I could only be faulted for not turning over Donny's concerns. But Donny didn't have evidence. Apparently, Jester did. As the elevator sank below the roof line of the neighboring buildings, I turned back towards the door.

  Photovolt wasn't that hard to find. We had his number. It turned out he was on Mount Kline. We regarded it as an odd place to find our technical adviser. As it happened, he wasn't alone. Omegaburn and Ersatz were there too. Given that her costume had changed to orange and yellow, I guessed that Ersatz had copied Omegaburn. She gave us a broad smile, matched only by Donny's stupid grin. Somehow, I don't think they were thinking the same thing. Arch was in costume, but carried what looked to be a fairly high end camera. Every so often, he snapped another picture of something. His subject matter changed from picture to picture, but Omegaburn looked to be his favorite.

  "You said you were looking for some help?" Arch asked, snapping another picture of the fiery redhead.

  "Serar," I said. "The psychic Morlock who didn't do what Victor told him to Sunday."

  "You mean the telepath who beat up a Vanguard SRT and several of your team members," Arch said. "How am I supposed to help? I mean, I get why you could use my help against Hypershadow, but what good am I going to do?"

  I grabbed his camera and turned him to face me. "I'm still going, and you've got more powers than I do."

  "No he doesn't," Ersatz said.

  "I think I know what I can and can't do," I said. "I haven't got any powers."

  "I've copied you both," Ersatz said, "And you were a lot more fun to copy than Photovolt."

  "There's no way you copied any powers off me."

  "I did too, and I'll prove it." Ersatz sat down cross-legged, touching her thumbs to her fingertips while resting her wrists on her knees. Her outfit faded to the usual white and gray. We stood and waited, and she gave me a very confused look. "This isn't right," she said. "I know I copied you last time we were up here together." Ersatz turned to Omegaburn. "You saw it."

  "I saw something," Omegaburn said.

  "I got nightvision, and flight, and that whole shadow form effect," Ersatz said.

  "That sounds suspiciously like a certain shadow," Donny said.

  "The difference being,
I'm not carrying Omicron's remote around anymore," I said. "I had it with me last time I was up here."

  "Can you copy an effect from an inanimate object?" Donny asked.

  "No," Ersatz said. "That's either technology, or magic. I can't do those."

  "Then there's no way she copied something off the remote," Pam said. "All Omicron does is tech or magic."

  "It's daytime," Omegaburn said.

  "What?" I asked.

  "Last time, it was night."

  I shook my head. "That shouldn't make a difference."

  "It did at Vanguard," Donny whispered to me. "You said you regained control when you got outside - into the sunlight."

  I shook my head. "This is academic, and off-topic. We're here because we need to deal with Serar. We can use all the help we can get."

  "Then I'll help," Omegaburn said.

  "Don't you mean we'll help?" Ersatz asked.

  "I'm not your mentor, I'm only helping you train while the board has to sort out some major mess," Omegaburn said.

  "They said they needed the help! I can fill almost any role."

  "Provided there's someone for you to copy," I said.

  "I can't believe I'm being shamed by a teenage girl," Photovolt said. "I shouldn't be running away from this. I'll help."

  We hadn't yet tracked down Wolfjack when I got a text message from Ixa, "1015 County Rte 14. Meet me there." While Pam drove, my mind was free to argue with itself. Analytical me was staring at the pile of clues. Uth-sk's test results, the incident at Vanguard, Lindenbaum's 'pattern of survival', Ersatz on Mount Kline, all pointed the same direction. So why was I horrified? Shouldn't I be excited, happy, even overjoyed at the prospect? On the other hand, my defining characteristic ever since I was little was that I was the one without powers. But that wasn't why I was horrified. Something in the back of my mind was telling me I knew the answer, but I didn't want to admit it.

  Country Route Fourteen was alternately called the Gruefield Highway because it ran along the edge of the old missile base. Few of the new developments had addresses along the highway proper, as the first thing most people built was a side road with a flowery name. It was no real surprise that 1015 turned out to be the house number of an old farm. A small wood ran down an unruly slope close to the river. The main house had long ago lost all paint and was the gray of old wood. Its roof had fallen in and a tree was growing through the front porch. The barn was in better shape, still having enough paint to look rust brown, and its roof was intact.

  "So," Pam said. "Where's Ixahau?"

  I pulled out my phone and called Ixa's number. A moment later, I heard the sound of a phone ringing inside the barn. Ixa, however, did not answer. I frowned as we listened to it continue to ring. Moving to the open door of the barn, I looked inside. The interior of the barn was mostly open, with a few wooden dividers for animal pens. There was a hay loft, but the ringing came from the back of the first floor. I hurried towards it. A feminine figure in a white and black hero suit lay near the entrance to one of the stalls. I knelt down and brushed aside her black hair.

  "Not Ixa," she said, jabbing a stun gun into my throat. Of the places I've been hit with electroshock weapons so far, just above the Adam's Apple ranks among my least favorite. The muscle spasms and the electric jolt set off my gag reflex and I promptly threw up. Somehow, she managed to dodge the projectile vomit as I staggered back, coughing and sputtering. My artificial eye was busy rebooting, and my natural eye hadn't yet adjusted to the gloom. A light figure passed in front of my vision, and there was the crump of a concussion grenade going off outside the barn.

  Hands like ice clasped my cheeks and my limbs went slack. A man in a fedora propped me against his shoulder as he lowered me to the ground. I couldn't move. My limbs simply refused to respond. Luckily, the barn had been abandoned so long that the floor smelled of old dirt and not manure. My eye finished rebooting, and I got a clear view of Cold Case making his way towards the door. Pam stepped into the doorway, and he slouched into a cower, holding his hands up before him.

  "Please don't hurt me," he said.

  I wanted to call out, to warn Pam about his touch, but my lungs stuck to their autonomic cycle and my voicebox lay still. Pam grabbed Cold Case by the wrists. Pam's costume had no gloves. Moments after their skin came into contact, Pam collapsed into his arms. Cold Case pulled the limp woman over to the side of the barn and leaned her against the walls.

  "You're not the first person to fall for that one, my dear," Cold Case said. "It's somewhat liberating now that my secret's out. I don't have to pretend any more." His gaze passed down Pam's figure with a look that skeeved me out.

  "Vincent!" the voice of his partner called from outside.

  "My help is needed," Cold Case said. "I'll be back for you." He kissed the tip of his finger and pressed it to Pam's lips. With a cry of rage, I hurtled across the barn and knocked Cold Case from his feet. His blue fedora bounced out the door and rolled out of sight. As I raised a claw to rip his face off, it was encased in ice, along with a line up the side of my body. Cold Case scrabbled back. Bringing his hands together again, he fired his ice beam from their combined palms. A blue-white stream of cold that piled on more ice than could be frozen out of the ambient moisture. Playing the beam over me, he liberally encased my legs and lower torso in ice. As I clawed at it, gouging chunks from the surface, he tacked my free hand in place, then coated the whole arm for good measure.

  "Huh," Cold Case said. "So that's why they call you Shadowdemon. Your brother left out a few details about your family I guess." Walking around me, he laid on a thicker coat of ice, wrapping me up to my neck in the frigid prison. "Perhaps, since I've been declared rogue, I should forgo this whole no killing thing." He covered my head in ice and scurried off, moving much like an upright beetle.

  My lungs burned as my limbs grew numb. My body screamed for air as I fought to move, to do anything to release myself from this icy tomb. Mini-Uth-sk fought to hold back the darkness that encircled my vision. Slowly, but surely, he was failing as hypoxia won out. In that last moment before blackness overcame me, I was oddly calm. Five words rolled through my mind.

  An hour and a half.

  I didn't hear myself sucking in air until the second or third gulp. I couldn't feel a thing, I was so completely numb from my icy prison. They'd only broken off the ice from around my head, but I was still thankful. The warmth rising off of Omegaburn's flame rolled over my face in a wave of pins and needles. The prickling pains infuriated me, but were no a bad sign. She was carefully directing the stream of flames parallel to the surface of the ice. The radiant heat melted the water without huge gouts of steam, or the risk of striking me directly with the flame. It was slow work, but I was happy to be breathing again.

  "I didn't know you could hold your breath that long," Photovolt said.

  "How long was it?" I croaked, my throat aching with every word.

  "Fifteen minutes since we started trying to get you out of there," Omegaburn said, "Probably more than a half an hour since you were entombed."

  "I can't hold my breath that long," I said.

  "Then how are you alive?" Photovolt asked. I glanced at Ersatz.

  "I'm not entirely sure. I'm starting to think I just die and revive when the problem goes away."

  "This is nothing to joke about," Photovolt said.

  "Where are Stamp and Baron Mortis?" I asked.

  "Stamp is watching the prisoners," Omegaburn said. "We have... an excess of Baron Mortises at the moment."

  "Barons Mortis I think. Anyway, care to elaborate?"

  "We found them brawling in the field. Both claim that little miss shapeshifter is impersonating him," Photovolt.

  "No nicknames," I said. "Please."

  "Apparently, Shatterbrain can imitate the appearance and voice of other peopl
e. She disguised herself as the Baron Mortis. We have to sort out which is which," Omegaburn said.

  "Since you know him best," Photovolt said, "We thought-"

  "You don't need me," I said. "The answer's standing right over there." I tipped my head towards Ersatz. "Have Ersatz copy one and see what powers she gets. That will tell you exactly which it is."

  A broad grin came to Ersatz's face. "It would work," she said.