“Everyone knows your masked bandit look,” Alpha grunted. “We need to make you at least look the part of a hero.”
“Even if you’re nowhere near deserving of it,” Nightbane added.
“We wear the uniform so people can quickly identify us if they need help,” Beta said in a gentler tone.
“Uniform. Mask. Code name. End of discussion.” Alpha said, and I rolled my eyes. I looked at Alpha’s uniform, seeing it in detail for the first time. Mostly black, with areas of dark gray along the arms and shoulders. In the center of his chest, there was a symbol in dark gray. It was a Greek alpha, and, when I glanced at Beta, I saw his was the Greek letter beta.
“Not terribly original,” I said to Alpha, and he shrugged.
“Creativity is not our strong suit,” Beta said with a chuckle. I looked at Nightbane, who straightened so I could see his symbol. It was a crescent moon.
“So you’ll go to Outfitting to get measured for your suit when you leave here. We’re done discussing it.”
“You also need to come up with a code name,” Beta said. “It’s something for the media to hang on to. A good separation between you as a superhero and what you did in your former life. We’re keeping that to ourselves. I’m not sure how well the public would respond to knowing we have someone like you on the team,” he added, looking uncomfortable.
I stood, thinking, then shrugged. “I don’t know. You guys are the superhero name experts. Well, maybe not you two,” I said to Alpha and Beta, and Beta laughed. He was studying me.
“Daystar,” he said.
“Uh. That would be ‘the sun,’ and no.”
“Whatever. It’ll do,” Alpha said.
“It fits. ‘Day’ is a little bit of a play on your real name.“
“Ugh,” I said, as he kept talking.
“And yes, sun. For your sunny disposition,” he finished.
“Don’t be a smartass,” I said, and he laughed. “I can’t be, like, ‘The Shadow’ or something?”
“There’s already a Shadow on the French superpowered force,” Beta said.
I stood thinking for a moment, then shrugged. It wasn’t like I’d be using the name for long, anyway. “I really don’t care. I’ll take the damn name. It’s not any worse than Alpha or Beta.”
Alpha shook his head and gestured toward the table. “Now that that’s all done, we have a few other things to go over, then you can get settled.”
Beta picked up the discussion again. “You’ll have a suite of rooms here. Residences are in Tower Four. We all live there, and there’s a full kitchen and dining hall, gym, sparring area, indoor track.”
“What’s in the other towers?” I asked.
“R&D is in Tower Two and Equipment is in Tower Three. Prison is tower one.”
“Yeah, I’ve been there. We keep many prisoners here?”
“In the most secure prison in the world. Yes we do.”
I didn’t answer, just trying to take it all in.
“All four outer towers are connected, and connected to this tower as well, via a series of underground tunnels. There’s also an exit bay in each tower, for those of us who fly, if we need to move quickly. All towers except for the prison have that. There’s also an underground garage for employee parking. Very secure. We keep our vehicles there, as well.” Beta paused. “I’m not going to lie to you. In many ways, this is a job like any other. You do the work, you have co-workers, and some you’ll grow to like, and others… not so much. But in other ways, there’s nothing like it. In time, you may find that this feels like home. I hope you do,” he added.
I didn’t really know what to say to that. I sat at the table in awkward silence, and then Alpha dismissed me and turned around as if I was already forgotten. He and Nightbane started talking, and Beta walked over to me and ushered me out of the office.
“Jenson will show you to your rooms when you’re ready,” he said, and I nodded, feeling more than a little shaky, which wasn’t something I’d felt since gaining my powers. I wasn’t sure whether to blame it on the way my life was suddenly upside down, or the effects of the stupid dampener, or what. I walked out of the office, and was met by a Jenson, who took me back down the elevator, to the sub level, below where I’d started out.
“You’ll be assigned a comm. If you ever need anything, just say my name, which will route your comm activity to me, and then tell me what you need. Anything from directions to clean towels, to research questions. I’m here to help,” she finished, and I nodded.
“So you know everyone on the team?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“What’re they like?”
She gave a short laugh. “They’re… interesting. It’s never boring.”
“That could be taken a variety of ways,” I pointed out.
She smiled. “It could, couldn’t it?” The elevator dinged, and the doors opened, leading us into a bright corridor. People in uniforms rushed through it, and a few ran through so quickly I barely saw them. There was a woman who levitated, looking as if she was floating down the hallway. The corridor was essentially one giant round area, and there were four tunnels off of it, each with a number above it. I barely noticed that, staring as I was at the people. A janitor swept one area and, nearby, a cloth seemed to polish the steel walls of its own volition. If I hadn’t seen the janitor’s arm moving in the same motion, over a hundred feet away, I would have thought it was magic. One woman, trying to get through the crowds in a very businesslike way, thinned herself to almost nothing to squeeze between people and make her way through the crowd faster. Two women in white lab coats walked past, talking rapidly, as a third seemed to appear and disappear as she walked with them. All I could do was stare, not sure where to look first, feeling like Alice falling into Wonderland.
“I thought only a handful of us ended up with powers,” I said.
“A handful of you ended up with crazy powers. Something’s screwy in this area of the country, though. Many, many more of us ended up with lower-level abilities. So far, we’ve decided to keep this under wraps until we know more,” Jenson explained, watching me take it all in.
She patted my shoulder. “Welcome home, Daystar.”
Part Two
Heroes and Villains
Chapter Twelve
Once I felt ready to start moving again, Jenson and I started walking toward the archway marked with a four. “Tower four, residences,” Jenson said. “The top five floors are suites for the team, though we have several empty ones at present.”
I nodded.
“This sub-level contains the indoor track and weight room,” she continued as we walked down the well lit tunnel that took us to the tower. When we exited the tunnel, I was greeted with the sight of more steel and glass. The entire right-hand side was plate glass, and I could see a track there, surrounding an Olympic size swimming pool. In an area beyond, there was a weight room, with a bank of television monitors along one wall. There was no one in it.
“It’s near lunch time, so they’re probably all in the dining hall,” Jenson said. “The weight room gets a lot of use, the pool, not so much. Data suggests you might appreciate the weight room though.” I shoved down my irritation at how much they seemed to know. I just nodded.
“The next floor up is the kitchen and dining hall. Second floor is a team lounge. Third floor is laundry and maintenance. Four, Five, and Six will eventually have more suites for team members but they’re not finished yet.”
I nodded. We stepped onto the elevator, and Jenson hit the button for the tenth floor. “You’re on a floor with three of our other female team members. I’m sure you’ll meet Crystal and Chance quite soon. Crystal likely won’t warm up to you. Don’t take it personally. She’s not a people person, exactly.”
I nodded.
“She’s also engaged to Alpha,” Jenson added.
“Such a gossip, Jenson,” I said in mock admonishment, and she laughed.
“I’m just trying to save you any awkwardness should you have somet
hing to say about your esteemed leader. You might not want to say them to Crystal, whether they’re complimentary or not.”
“Thanks for the tip,” I said, and she gave a short nod of acknowledgment.
“So I’ll show you to your suite, and then we’ll head over to Outfitting to have you fitted for a suit.”
“How long does it usually take for them to make one?” I asked, hopeful that I wouldn’t be stuck with one too quickly.
“Don’t get too excited. You’ll be suited up by tomorrow morning, at the latest,” she said, and I groaned.
On the tenth floor, Jenson told me to head to the left, and at the last door of the curving hallway, she instructed me to put my eye to the lens. “I calibrated this door to your biometrics,” she explained, and I nodded before waiting for the retinal scan. A small green light lit over the door, and something clicked. I turned the steel knob, and pushed the door open.
I glanced around. It was a clean, open space. A gray sofa and chair in the living room, looking toward a curving stretch of glass that looked out over part of downtown. There was a doorway to one side that I guess led to the bedroom. To the other, there was a small kitchenette and a square dining table. A desk with a computer sat in one corner of the living room.
“You can rearrange it however you want, of course, and we can arrange for your things from your current home to be shipped here. Feel free to swap out anything you want.”
I really didn’t want my stuff there. I didn’t plan on staying and getting comfortable, but that wasn’t exactly the kind of thing I could say just then.
“No, that’s okay. I don’t have anything worth bringing.” Other than the cash stuffed into my dresser. Shit. I clamped my mouth shut.
Jenson gave me a questioning look, then shrugged. She gestured toward the wall of windows. “The glass is one-way. You can see out, but no one is able to see in,” Jenson said, and I nodded again. “Bedroom and bath are at that end. You’re sure you don’t want your stuff?” she asked again.
“It’s not important.”
“We could have your things here by this evening.” Jenson nudged me with her elbow. “I would oversee it personally,” she said.
“Or some version of you would,” I said, and she grinned.
“What can I say? I excel at multi-tasking,” she said. “If you change your mind, let me know and I’ll take care of it. Let’s get you to Outfitting.”
I followed her out the door, back down the elevator, through the tunnel to the central hub, then down the tunnel that led to Tower Two.
“Anything you’d need in Tower Two is at the sub-ground level. The floors above are all manufacturing areas.”
“What do they make?”
“Everything and anything we need. Uniforms, communications equipment, vehicles, weapons… you name it, we make it here.”
“That seems efficient.”
She gave me a smile. “Also helps us keep our secrets close. What good is it to have a great new weapon if the secret can be leaked to the villains?”
Once we exited the tunnel into Tower Two, my first impression was that it looked like a hotel lobby. Another version of Jenson sat behind the desk, and I looked between the two of them. They both grinned at me, and to be honest it was more than a little creepy.
“You can head back to room three,” the one behind the desk said. “They’re expecting you.”
“Can you find you way back to your suite?” Jenson, the Jenson standing beside me, asked. I nodded. “Okay. Well, should you get turned around, just head to the central lobby of whichever tower you’re in. You’ll find me there.”
“Thanks,” I said. I shook tour-guide Jenson’s hand, then headed to the room with a three above the door, and closed the door behind me. This looked like a really large combination of doctor’s examination room and department store dressing room.
There was a knock, and I expected it to be another version of Jenson. Outfitter Jenson.
“Come in,” I said.
The woman who walked through was definitely not Jenson. She was maybe in her fifties, with pure white hair piled fashionably in a loose bun. She wore the typical gray and black of the team, but in a more tailored, almost business suit type of cut. She smiled at me, her brown eyes crinkling at the edges behind a stylish pair of glasses.
“Daystar, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jarvis.”
Ugh. My codename had started making the rounds. Great. “Jarvis?”
“I’m an Iron Man fan, and when the chance came up to pick a code name, I took the one I aspire to,” she explained.
I shook my head. What in the ever-loving hell had I gotten myself into here? Bunch of nutcases.
“Let’s get your measurements. Stand on the circle, please.”
I stood up and went to where there was a gray circle, about three feet across or so, on the black terrazzo floor.
“Stand straight, and hold your arms out. Legs spread to shoulder width,” Jarvis instructed, and I did as she told me. She hit a button on the small console in the room, and several lasery-looking lights appeared, zipping over and along my body.
“I’m currently mapping your measurements. The measurements are going directly into the computer, and our uniform creators will get right to work. Just stand still for a few more moments.” The lights made their way up to my head, measuring the length of my face, the circumference of my head.
“What kind of mask do you want, Daystar?” Jarvis asked as she input notes into a tablet. “You can pick from eye mask, half mask, full cowl and mask, or something that completely covers your face and head.”
“Full coverage, please,” I said, and she nodded, inputting the information.
“You can step down now.” I did, and I sat in the chair near hers. “We need an insignia for your uniform,” she said. “I’m guessing we’re going with some kind of star, here? Or the sun?”
“Star,” I said.
“Five pointed, eight pointed?”
“Five, I guess.”
“Very well.” She spent some time drawing on the tablet, and then turned it around to show me. It was exactly as I’d asked, a five-pointed star in dark gray, with occasional shading in black.
“Great.”
“I’ll send this along it your measurements and make preference. Your uniform will be delivered to your suite sometime this evening, most likely.”
I nodded, and then Jarvis showed me out. I made my way through the curving tunnel back to the central hub, back to Tower Four, and up to the tenth floor. I walked around my new living quarters a bit, peeked in at the bedroom (a full-size bed, nightstand, dresser, and chair) and the small bathroom. I went to check out the kitchenette, and realized I was starving. Since there was no food in my suite, I’d have to stock it later, I guessed. For now, I supposed it was time to find my way to the dining hall and see if I could grab something there.
And scope out as much of the place as I could in the meantime. The sooner I figured out my escape routes, the better.
Chapter Thirteen
I took the elevator down to the second floor, and when the doors opened, the smell of pizza that hit me had my stomach growling even more. Across from the elevators, there was a set of swinging doors. I walked through them into a small cafeteria. Twelve square, black tables were spaced around the room, the windows looking out on the city along one wall, the usual monitors on the opposite wall. Along one end was a cafeteria-style buffet line. I took it all in without really seeing it; my attention was on the people who had all turned to look at me when the doors opened. Nightbane was with them, and he gave me what I was beginning to think of as his prissy little old lady look, as if something smelled bad. I wondered if he looked like that all the time, or if it was a me thing.
I was betting on option number two.
There were five more people there, three women and two men. All of them wore the usual, black and gray body armor. No masks here, though. Still, I felt underdressed and out of place in my jeans and swea
tshirt.
“Thanks to you, I just lost a sizable bet. Odds were about ninety-nine to 1 against you joining,” Nightbane said in greeting, and I didn’t bother replying. He nodded toward the table. “Come sit with us after you grab something. I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
I gave another small nod, keeping one eye on the group at the table as I grabbed a tray and pushed it along the counter of the serving area. I grabbed two slices of deep-dish pepperoni pizza, some garlic bread, and water, then I carried it all to the table and set it down as far away from where Nightbane was sitting as possible.
“Everyone, this is Daystar,” Nightbane said. “Though we know her as a thief,” he added, and I kind of wanted to punch him.
“Hey,” I said, feeling completely stupid.
“This is Crystal,” he said, gesturing to the trim brunette beside him. She looked to be in her late thirties, maybe early forties, and her hair was cut into a sleek bob. Brown, heavily-lashed eyes, and a narrow, pointed nose. She gave me a frigid nod, then focused her attention on her meal.
“That’s Chance,” Nightbane said, gesturing to the woman beside Crystal. She looked to be of middle-eastern descent, maybe. Golden skin, dark eyes, and long, thick black hair braided over her shoulder. She gave me a nod, and held her hand out. I shook it.
“And that’s Toxxin,” he said, pointing to the woman at the end of the table. She was petite, with dark hair streaked with blond, large eyes the shade of whiskey. She looked to be about my age, maybe younger. She reminded me of one of my neighbors, and remembering her gave me a little pang of emptiness, a momentary spike of panic as it hit me that I wasn’t going back anytime soon. I took a breath, trying to calm down.
Toxxin held out a gloved hand, and I shook it briefly.
“Sorry about knocking you out like that,” she said with a smile as we shook.
“That was you?”
She nodded. “Does it help to know that I was terrified you’d turn around and see me there?”
I shook my head and looked at the next person Nightbane was pointing to.
A New Day (StrikeForce #1) Page 12
