by Gideon Mills
He had gotten under my skin, and I wanted to punch him. The man was just doing his job, and I had to understand that. But I wasn’t someone to ambush like that. He invaded my home, and now I had to move. I couldn’t stay there. Soon everyone on TV would see me leaving that place.
It irked me that he had done that. I was used to being a celebrity in many of my trips here. Way back in my golden years, the warriors were the celebrities and were worshiped. Now they were shunned and ignored. At least the Paragons were changing that.
Since I had been found at my place, I did my best to avoid being followed. I ended up in Times Square, which caused a commotion that I hadn’t predicted. A dozen people walked up to me and asked to have a photo taken with me.
I obliged. It slowed me down, but it let me see if anyone else hesitated with me. None did.
Though some of the people in the area sneered at me. They clearly thought I was the vile man that had attacked their precious hero Thunderdick. I let that go, and then went through Central Park before heading back to Fleur’s.
By the time I got there, she was outside, and she didn’t look happy.
23
Learn how to act
“What have you done?” she asked.
I looked at her, confused. “I just changed and came back here.”
“Philip Storm?”
“What about him?” I asked. “He ambushed me. I’ll have to move, but otherwise, it was nothing.”
“Nothing,” Fleur said. She led me back into the hideout. On the monitors, my interview was playing, but it wasn’t my interview.
It had been edited in a way to make me look bad. On the screen, I was talking and saying words.
“You attacked the Cities hero,” Philip said.
“No comment,” I said.
I shook my head. That wasn’t how it went.
“You harmed the people in the city.” That wasn’t a question asked of me.
“Look, I’m new here, but I know this…”
I stopped listening; I had said none of that. My words had been butchered and sliced together in a way that made me sick.
“Turn that off,” I said. “That isn’t what I said.”
Lola nodded. “He’s not lying. I’ve been using my back door. The video and audio have been altered.”
“You sure?” Fleur didn’t look happy.
“I’m sure.”
“Believe me,” I said. “I would never. The man ambushed me. We talked for like thirty seconds. Then I left. Nothing was said that was bad.”
“Okay,” Fleur said.
“Lola, can you find the real interview and release it?”
“Consider it done.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Any news on the tap of your brother?”
“No. with the interview coming out, we got distracted.”
That sounded like the point of the interview. “Philip must work for your brother.”
“Channel two does, or is owned by one of my father’s puppets,” Fleur said.
That didn’t surprise me one bit, but it angered me. “We have some shitty families.”
Fleur laughed. “We do.”
It was a waiting game now for both of us. Waiting to learn if we could find my sister and clear my name. Our names.
Lola found the actual interview on the station's computers and released it to the world. But the damage had been done. I knew it, and so did they. Whoever got word out first controlled the game. Controlled what the world thought of people.
The phone I had gotten when I arrived rang. I had had only give that number to the McGarretts.
I answered it. “Hey.”
“You aren’t having a good week,” Officer McGarrett said.
I groaned. “You know it’s a smear campaign by my sister and whoever she is working for.”
“I know. Still don’t know who she is working for?”
“No, just know that she is working with Finn Walker.”
McGarrett groaned. “That isn’t good. I like Fleur. She’s a good hero, but the family. They are vile. Money and power. More than once, I had a reason to take her brother in, but his money got him out of it.”
“I see. Money is the true ruler of the world.”
Fleur looked at me funny. Lola was typing away and not paying attention to anything but the computer. I waved the redhead off.
“It is,” McGarrett answered. “Look. I know you got all this going on, but we could use some muscle, and I talked to my Captain. Could you help with a prisoner transfer?”
We talked for a few more minutes. They were taking in the people that we had taken out yesterday. Getting them out of the city, and into the facility to the south that was made to handle the upper-level Paragons.
“I’m going with,” Fleur said.
“You sure?” I asked. We had decided that I should go, since they were dangerous, and we didn’t want them to break out and attack us again.
“I am,” she said. “Lola needs time. My brother is nothing if not methodical. He’ll be slow, and probably knows we are listening. We might have to find another way to find your sister.”
I hoped she was wrong and that Finn was overconfident and called Eris. “Very well.”
We left the place to join McGarrett and the NYPD in the prisoner transfer.
24
Riker’s Island
Riker’s Island was nothing like I had imagined. On TV it looked very different and not so bad. In reality, it was a shithole and filled with some of the worst people around. It was no surprise that was where the city held Paragons.
But it wasn’t rated for God-level or even Omega. To my surprise, that was what ThunderBolt was.
“Really,” I said. “Omega?”
McGarrett shrugged. “He wasn’t always a bum, and his powers can kill most.”
I guess the man could be dangerous. These days he wasn’t much of a threat, but he wasn’t the only one in the group. Half of the people that attacked us were in the group. Even Stronggirl, who I had feared got away, but they found her on the ground, miles away, unconscious.
As Fleur and I walked into the facility and past the bus that the Paragons were already in, Stronggirl snarled.
“I’ll get you back, Ares. You are no match for me.” Pure hatred covered her face as she looked at me.
I laughed. “I already took you out.”
We continued past with McGarrett. “Nice of you to join us, White Angel.”
“These people worked for a bad person,” she said. “They could have harmed a lot of people. We got lucky; we have to make sure they don’t get free.”
McGarrett nodded. “Agreed. Why I talked to Captain Sing to get Ares.”
“I see how I rank these days,” Fleur said.
“You know how much I respect you,” McGarrett said. “But you don’t have the raw power of Ares.”
“Not many do,” Fleur said. I could tell she was thinking of me pulling my sword and drawing in the power of Olympus.
Something I rarely did, in fear of harming too many people. That power was pure and immense, something most mortals wouldn’t be able to understand, fearing what they don’t understand, and I didn’t want that. Over the years, I had to learn to be picky with summoning the weapon and using it. More than once in the past had I used it, and turned the tides of a battle, but at a great cost. One that right now I wasn’t sure I wanted to pay anymore. The millennia had mellowed me out it seemed. I was still adjusting to the new me. This was hard to comprehend, but the power of the sword was something I didn’t want to unleash unless I had to.
“I’m a God,” I said. “God of War. Remember.”
Both gave me looks of “Sure, buddy.” And then laughed.
“One day,” I said.
“Sure,” McGarrett said. “God. I’m in the presence of a heavenly being.”
“Kid all you want,” I said.
We went into a small building, and it was filled to bursting with police officers. Fleur leaned in. “This
is the Paragon unit. Most of them are the lowest-level Paragons, no way to be a hero, but want some of the rush of being one.”
I nodded. I hadn’t thought about it before, but it made a lot of sense that Paragons that might not be powerful enough to save people themselves would want to help in some way. Being a police officer, or in the military, was a great way to do just that.
A big burly man with black hair in a high fade walked over. “McGarrett. I see you got what you wanted. I could have been the muscle.”
McGarrett shrugged. “You know as well as I do that your power only lasts five minutes.”
“That’s long enough,” the burly man said. “I’m Archer.”
“Ares,” I replied, taking the man in. There was something about him that rubbed me the wrong way, but I couldn’t place it.
“White Angel,” Archer said. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“These people attacked me, or have you forgotten that,” she said.
“Still, being with this brute. He’s beneath you.”
My jaw clenched and I had to force myself from hitting the man. He might have a police uniform on, but he didn’t act like an officer.
“Ares is a God-level Paragon,” Fleur said. “He’s already saved the city more times that you have.”
“Whatever,” Archer said. He went back to the group.
I rode in the front of the caravan. All the villains sat in the bus behind us, shackled in. Fleur sat next to me. “This is overkill,” I said. “We don’t need this thing.”
“You might be bulletproof,” she said. “But I’m not.”
“I’d save you.”
She groaned. “That is the last thing I want.”
“Hey, I’m a chivalrous man.”
“Sure you are,” Fleur teased. “I heard you and Lola.”
I smiled. “I’m sure you did. You can’t tell me you don’t want it too.” I gave her a sly smile, trying to be playful.
She didn’t say a word. There was definitely hope yet.
The drop-off point for this meet-up was well out of the city. We were going north and out, and then the military would take them into custody. They had the capability to hold God and Omega Paragons, but wouldn’t come into the city.
The ride was slow and boring until we left the city. Filling the middle of the road was a line of people dressed in costumes.
25
Ambushed
Before even I could react, one of the costumed men attacked, sending a burst of fire at us so hot that I thought the metal of the truck was going to melt. The driver, one of the low-level Paragons whose ability was to spot Paragon skills, screamed.
“These are all Omega or God-level,” he said. “We’re fucked.”
“Not if I have anything to do with it.” I wasn’t in the mood to be gentle, and this was undoubtedly my sister’s doing.
I leaped out of the truck and summoned my sword. My weapon would end each and every one of them if I wanted to. I was very tempted to just kill them. I let the full might of my godly powers swell into me.
To most, I probably didn’t look different, but to these people, I knew I had the look of a man ready to kill.
The fire attack stopped, and that man glared at me, no longer as firm in his stance. “Eris warned us about you,” he said with a southern drawl. When that accent first appeared, it just rubbed me the wrong way. It made me dislike this man even more.
“Listen, buddy,” I said. “Whatever Eris said, take that to eleven and you might possibly know how I feel. You’ve annoyed me, and I’m itching for a fight.”
Resting my blade on my shoulder, I casually walked towards him. Like I had no care in the world. Not even Fleur had left the truck yet. She probably noticed my anger and wanted to steer clear.
A smart move at the moment, but I knew if I needed her that she’d be here in a blink of an eye. We hadn’t worked together long but I already knew that about her, that she had my back. It was a good feeling.
I was in the zone and ready to kick some major ass. As much as I wanted to slice these thugs in half and see their insides litter the street, I wouldn’t.
I had studied many uses for my blade. I stopped in front of the group, within striking distance, and took up a stance that would allow me to use many different styles. I was ready.
The evil Paragons eyed me with hatred in their eyes. The leader of the group licked his lips. “This is going to be fun.”
He rushed at me and I easily sidestepped him. As he went past me, I smacked him on the ass with the side of the blade.
Soon they were all attacking me with all their might. Before I realized it, Fleur was in the midst of the fight with me. The two of us were using our superior fighting knowledge to clean house with them.
My weapons sliced many of the Paragons. While I drew blood, I made sure not to strike any fatal blows. Going out of my way to only leave flesh wounds was draining me. It took some of the fun out of the fight, but it was what I had promised.
The Police Paragon force set up a perimeter around use as we fought. Mister alpha man was back with the prisoners to use his ten-second power to keep them contained. I was sure that he hated that part of the plan, but he did it. Like the good little peon that he was.
In a matter of minutes, the street was covered in blood and limp, moaning bodies. They were in pain, but they would survive. I barely broke a sweat. Fleur was next to me.
“You look like death,” she said.
I glanced down; I was covered in blood. The sprays from all the cuts I made. “You should see them.”
She laughed. “I do see them. They look like a God took it easy on them.”
I shrugged. “We got the job done.”
McGarrett and the men slowly advanced with more of the anti-Paragon handcuffs. A second transport had been deployed from the city in case. This was expected, but still troublesome.
“One of the men told Eris,” I said.
McGarrett was next to Fleur and me. “Yeah. I have a feeling I know who too.”
Leading the way back to the original transport vehicle, it was empty, and Archer was nowhere to be seen.
“That little bastard,” Fleur said.
This didn’t surprise me one bit. Archer wanted more than he had in life, and someone like Eris would be able to tempt him. She made him a promise of power, and he took it. Little did Archer know that in a blink of an eye, she would slice his throat and bathe in his blood.
Well maybe not bathe in it, but laugh as he died in front of her. She was a vile woman and used people. I should have remembered that, but I had forgotten. I made a vow to not have to learn that lesson again.
“We’ll find them,” I said. A trail led to the south, and at the edge, we found several injured or dead police officers.
“We better,” McGarrett said. “Archer will pay for this.”
I had never seen him so angry. This was the ultimate betrayal to McGarrett and his team. While he might not be a Paragon, he was still in charge of the unit. These were his men, and no matter what anyone might say, it was never easy losing men. Even in war, and this was war. Trust me on that.
Making our way back to the city, Fleur and I traveled in a car alone. McGarrett and the others had a lot to do.
“That was a mess,” I said.
Fleur nodded. She was behind the wheel and drove slower than normal. “Just a little.”
It had been intense for both of us, and I was still on edge. “We have to stop this,” I said.
“We do,” Fleur agreed. “You really are a broken record on your sister.”
I chortled. “I guess I am.”
“Not a bad thing,” she said. “I like how you are trying to fix a wrong. It’s commendable.”
“Much like you are trying to do with your own family.”
“If you say so, Doctor Phil.”
One of the rare times she made a joke, and I liked it. Seeing her relax around me was nice. She really was one of the most fascinating women I ha
d ever met. Fleur knew how to take my breath away.
“We’re alike,” I said.
“Maybe a little too much,” Fleur teased. Both of us were a bit alpha by nature and I suddenly realized that was part of the reason I was enjoying this chase.
“Not a negative.”
For the rest of the ride back we kept up a bit of playful banter to help take the edge off. To distract us from our failure.
26
Chaos in the city
By the time we got back to NYC Lola had contacted us and told us the escaped Paragons were at work. They had attacked several different gangs, or mafias, at once. Eris got what she wanted.
New York City was at war, all of the criminal underground was about to start a full-scale attack on each other. That wasn’t good, and we had to stop it. Eris had won this round of the battle, and I didn’t know what to do.
“Fuck,” Fleur said.
We went back to the hideout to regroup. There was little we could do without gathering more intel. McGarrett was heading back to his station to brief his Captain and the Mayor. We would learn about that soon enough.
I wasn’t looking forward to it. There was little doubt that McGarrett was going to take the blame, even though it wasn’t his fault. He did his job, we did our job. We couldn’t be blamed for a traitor in the group.
Lola greeted us at the door. “It’s all over the news.”
The monitors in the hideout were tuned into both local and national programs. And sure enough, they were covering both the escape and the attacks that happened right afterward.
To no one’s surprise, Philip Storm was out there blaming Fleur and me. “That little weasel,” I said.
“Don’t worry about him,” Lola said. “He’s the only one blaming you. For the most part the news has been reporting Sergeant Archer and his double-crossing.”
That was good to hear, but it still didn’t sit well with me. I wanted to have a talk with Philip and show him I’m not one to mess with. That would have to wait, but before I left Earth, I was going to put the fear of the Gods into the man.
