Meta (Book 3): Rise of The Circle

by Reynolds, Tom

  Um ... no, sir. We received word that a meta was at this location. We wouldn't have called you for backup if we hadn't."

  "Backup? You think that I'm backup for you? You work for me, not the other way around. What good are you if a team of five can't even take out one metahuman, let alone if you can't even see if one is actually here before you come crying to daddy to help?"

  "You're right, sir. I apologize, sir," Jim says.

  "Are you in charge here?" Charlie asks.

  "No, sir. He is in charge here."

  The floorboards creek as Charlie walks across the room toward the person Jim has indicated. It's quiet for a brief moment; then there’s a loud snap and a heavy thud against the floorboards above me.

  "A man who doesn't speak up and take responsibility for his own mistakes isn't a leader. Congratulations, young man, you just got yourself a promotion. Now, if we're done here, I imagine you all have places you can be of more use than a kitchen. I suggest you find those places," Charlie says. There's a popping noise, which I recognize as the sound of air being displaced by someone moving incredibly fast. It's followed by the hurried footsteps of the Blanks as they exit the house. Outside, faintly, I can hear a truck's engine start up, followed by tires squealing as they drive away.

  I continue to wait, though. Without my enhanced vision, there's no way of knowing that they're all gone for sure, so I leave that decision up to Halpern and Sarah. A few seconds after the truck is out of earshot, the trap door is opened and the light from the kitchen illuminates the tiny space I'm huddled in.

  "You need to get out of here now," Halpern says, offering a hand to help bring me out of the converted crawlspace. I take it and pull myself back out into the kitchen. Turning around, I see the body of a Blank lying on the floor, his head turned completely around in the wrong direction.

  "I'm sorry," I say.

  "Don't be. It's not your fault that man's dead. You were here because you were trying to do the right thing, and in the end, doing the right thing always saves more lives than it costs. Don't forget that, Omni. We're still the good guys."

  I look over at Sarah, and while she's putting on a stoic face, it's obvious she’s upset.

  "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be upset. It's not very professional of me," Sarah says, directed more toward me than Halpern, but her words seem to be intended for both of us.

  "It's not a sign of weakness to have that upset you. They stormed your home and killed one of their own right in front of you. It's easier to pretend things like that are just the new normal now, but that doesn't mean that we have to accept it," I say.

  "I don't think I could have said it better myself," Halpern says as he puts his arm around Sarah's shoulders. "Come on, kiddo. Grab whatever you need from here and let’s get the hell out of here. There's not much more good we can do inside the city anymore."

  Halpern nods at me. I'm not sure if it's in thanks or just a reminder that I have to get out of here too. If it is a reminder, I take the hint. The front door is still wide open. I turn toward it, dig my feet in, and start running. I'm grateful to find that my speed's still here, even if some of my other abilities have apparently decided to call in sick today. Within seconds, I've sped through the entire city, moving fast enough that anyone would be hard pressed to even see a blur. There's no one on the street to see me anyway.

  I slow down just enough to make sure I don't blow out the windows of my building and head for the stairwell, making short work of the forty-seven flights. I flip the light switch on my way through the front door and have my metabands powered down before the electricity has even reached the bulbs overhead in the living room. In retrospect, it would have been a better idea to have powered down before I breezed in the front door, but I don't realize that until I see Derrick and Michelle sitting on the couch, waiting for me with their arms crossed like parents who just caught their kid sneaking in late after being grounded, which I realize isn't that far off as metaphors go.

  "Oops."

  3

  "Do you have any idea the kind of trouble you could have gotten yourself into by powering up those bands tonight?" Michelle asks me. I look in Derrick's direction, but I'm not really sure why. I think part of me hopes that he'll step in and back me up, even though he probably has no idea where I went tonight either. Instead, he shares a look that tells me I'm on my own with this one.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" I begin before Michelle interrupts me.

  "Connor, we don't have the option of diverting from the plan whenever we feel it's inconvenient. You're not the only one involved here, and you're not the only one who'll suffer the consequences if something goes wrong."

  "I know. I'm sorry."

  "It doesn't matter if you're sorry or not."

  "It won't happen again. This was a one-time thing. I promise."

  "You're right. It was a one-time thing because we're leaving Bay View City. All of us. Tonight."

  "What? What are you talking about? I'm not leaving Bay View City. This is my home."

  "You've lived here for six months."

  "That doesn't matter. This is my home now, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to protect it. I'm not just going to pick up and run at the first sign of trouble."

  "Connor," Derrick says, "this isn't the first sign of trouble anymore. No one is saying we're running away. We're just regrouping."

  "More than regrouping. We're gearing up," Michelle says.

  "Have you even seen the news yet tonight, Connor?" Derrick asks me.

  I shake my head no. Derrick reaches toward the coffee table and picks up a remote control, which he uses to turn on the television. The screen comes on, and it’s immediately filled with an image of Charlie speaking into the camera.

  "This just happens to be what's on at the very second you turn on the TV? I thought that only happens in movies," I say.

  "It's DVRed, smartass. Just watch," Derrick says.

  "Citizens of Bay View City. Thank you for offering me the chance to explain my actions as well as the actions of my colleagues. As most of you know by now, a number of days ago, we were summoned to the Silver Island Metahuman Detention Facility to assist in stopping a breakout ..."

  "What? That's not true! They were the reason the breakout happened in the first place. If they hadn't shown up, none of this would be happening!" I burst out.

  "I know that, Connor. We all know that. Just watch the video. It'll be much easier if I don't have to pause it every time you argue with the screen," Derrick says.

  "... unfortunately that breakout has resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians, people like yourselves who were simply going about their day-to-day business, regular, hardworking Americans. And sadly, some who were not even old enough to fully grasp the new world we're dealing with today.

  “These deaths were all unnecessary. They did not need to happen. They happened only as a result of a policy that not only excuses metas from the consequences of their crimes, but dangerously gathers them together into facilities like Silver Island, facilities that taxpayers spend millions of dollars on to ensure that these metahumans are cared for and babysat, even when they refuse to remove and surrender their metabands.

  “To that I say enough. The rumors you may have heard are true, but in case you haven't heard them, then let me be perfectly clear. Starting today, the people of this city will no longer have to lie awake at night wondering if or when a metahuman attack might take the lives of their loved ones. That's because as of midnight tonight, we are hereby giving notice that all metahumans within the Bay View City limits must surrender their metabands to us for destruction or vacate the city limits immediately. This is a decision that has not been made hastily, and unfortunately, we have learned over the past few days as we have worked around the clock to round up the remaining escaped prisoners from Silver Island that it is not a choice that could go any other way.

  “Up until now, people who wish to live in a normal, metahuman-free society simply had no choice as of
a few months ago when the metabands returned. Even if a city was completely devoid of metahumans, it simply would become a target for those who wished to cause harm, steal, or worse. This catch-22, as it were, made it impossible to have a city free of metahumans unless it wished to risk its own safety from outside attacks. Now, we can provide that safety and protection. As you witnessed a few short days ago, myself and my ... colleagues possess an ability many thought previously impossible: the ability to destroy metabands.

  “Does this mean that no metahuman will ever try to cause harm to Bay View City again? I wish I could tell you it did, but of course it doesn't. That is why we will stand guard and protect this city from any outside threats it may face, foreign or domestic. It is our firm belief that knowing Alpha Team is watching over this city will mean anyone wishing to cause it harm will think good and hard before even trying. We will not distinguish between so-called good metahumans and bad metahumans, as if such a distinction could indeed ever even be made.

  "Instead, we will simply stand behind our warning: If you are a metahuman, you are no longer welcome in Bay View City. We care about this city, and we care about its people. We will no longer risk the deaths of many for the privilege of the lucky few. This will be the only warning. We will not hesitate, and we will not take prisoners. There is no longer anything waiting in Bay View City for metahumans except death."

  The video pauses and it feels like all the air has been sucked out of the apartment. Michelle and Derrick are both quiet, waiting for my reaction.

  "Is he serious?" I finally ask.

  "I'm afraid so. There've already been reports of metahumans forfeiting their metabands in droves downtown. So far it seems mostly to be the ones with weaker powers. We suspect the more powerful ones are weighing their options before they decide to give them up or vacate the city," Michelle says.

  "Is it true that they can really destroy metabands?" I ask.

  "We don't have any firm evidence of that, everything so far is anecdotal, but yes, we think that they can, at least in certain circumstances."

  "Didn't they try to destroy yours, Connor?"

  I look down at the still present, yet powered-down metabands on my wrists, specifically at the hairline cracks that have developed in both.

  "They did, but Midnight stopped them before they could. Or before they could completely, that is. They were still able to damage them."

  "Have you suffered any ill effects from the damage?" Michelle asks.

  "Wait. That must be it. Tonight, when I used my metabands. It was the first time since Silver Island and my powers ... they were different."

  "Different how?"

  "Maybe not different, just some of them weren't there. It's like I just couldn't access them anymore."

  "Which powers?" Derrick asks.

  "Teleportation. That's the big one. My senses seemed to be dulled too. I couldn't see through objects any more."

  "Hmm," Michelle says, "that's not good. Any others missing?"

  "Not that I know of, but I didn't get a chance to test them all out yet."

  "What do you mean, 'yet'?" Derrick asks. "There's no 'yet' here, Connor. Did you not hear what Charlie said on TV just now? I'm sorry, but they almost killed you the last time. You're not making me an only child."

  Before I have the chance to say anything in return, Michelle interrupts.

  "Surrendering your metabands isn't the only option here. There's another. Connor, it wasn't an accident that I sought you out. You know that by now, don't you?"

  "I know that you've said that to me, but outside of that, not really. You've been keeping whatever you're doing a secret from me and Derrick ever since you told us who you really are. I'm not sure how you expect me to just keep waiting here with my bands powered down, trusting that you have some big solution to everything when you won't even tell either of us what exactly it is that you're planning."

  "That's not exactly one hundred percent true anymore, Connor," Derrick says.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Michelle has explained to me what her mission was, and what her goal is in being here."

  "Great. That's just great. Everyone knows what the plan is except for the guy who actually, you know, has the superpowers."

  "Connor, you're not being fair. It's not like you've been exactly forthcoming about everything lately. I know things are crazy right now, but you have to know that I still trust you. Trusting you wasn't the problem. The truth is, I didn't trust Michelle, not completely," Derrick says.

  I look to Michelle, expecting to see something resembling surprise on her face, but it's not there. I'm guessing, hoping, that they've had this conversation already. Otherwise, even I know that Derrick's getting himself into a world of trouble saying these things. I may only have a couple of months of girlfriend experience under my belt, but one thing I picked up on was: don't say you don't trust your girlfriend while your girlfriend is standing right next to you, even if you have plenty of probable cause. You know, like she lied about her name and her job and pretty much everything else because she was actually an undercover spy the whole time you were dating her.

  "I needed to know I could trust Michelle for myself before she talked to you about all of this," Derrick continues. "I know you're a metahuman and you could throw me across the state if you wanted to, but you're still my little brother and technically my legal ward."

  "Don't call me your ward. You know I hate that."

  "Well regardless of what you think about it, it's the truth. I'd trust Michelle with my life, but I needed to see what she was talking about with my own eyes before I could trust her with yours."

  "Okay. So now that all of that melodrama is over with, are either of you actually going to tell me what's finally going on?" I ask.

  "Yes. Please, Connor, have a seat," Michelle begins. I consider telling her that I'd rather stand, but decide that it's immature, and I'd be doing it just for the sake of trying to show that she's not the boss of me. The truth is that I'm out of options and ideas. I'm hoping whatever she has to say is a better alternative to what I've been doing so far.

  "The solution is moving to Skyville," Michelle says.

  "What? That's it? We're just going to move? This is the genius plan that your secret little organization has come up with? You've got to be kidding me. If I just wanted to save my own skin, yeah, of course we could just move. You're not telling me anything new."

  "Are you done?" Derrick asks.

  "What?"

  "I said, are you done? Because Michelle isn't done talking, and if you kept your trap shut for a minute, you'd be able to hear the entire plan."

  "Honestly, I don't really care what the plan is if it means just running away to hide."

  "I'm sorry. He gets like this sometimes. I apologize for my ward," Derrick says to Michelle, trying to get a rise out of me. It almost works, but I decide to shut up and let her finish so this will all be over with and I can tell them I'm not leaving this city.

  "Connor," Michelle begins, "Skyville wasn't chosen randomly out of a hat."

  "I figured it wasn't. It's right across the bay and half the city's already moved there to get out of Alpha Team's way," I say.

  "Half the city is an exaggeration, but the fact that many of Bay View City's residents have decided to move to Skyville is certainly something that is in our favor. It will attract less attention to move there," Michelle says. I scowl at her for the certainty in her language. "If you move there," she corrects herself.

  "Do you know about Skyville Preparatory Academy?" Michelle asks.

  "Sorry, I've been kinda too caught up lately to work on my college applications, so no, I don't."

  "Well I think you would have a very hard time getting in," Michelle says.

  "Thanks," I reply sarcastically.

  "That's not what I meant. What I mean is that you'd have a very hard time getting in because the school itself never actually opened. It was nearly completed almost a decade ago, until The Battle happened. After
that, pretty much all new construction around the country was stopped. Countless tons of equipment, cement, steel, and tens of thousands of construction workers were all moved to Empire City to help rebuild."

  "Yeah, I remember that," I say.

  "By the time work could be reconsidered on the academy, much of the interest had moved on. We were still in a deep recession caused by the fallout from The Battle and every metaband around the world deactivating overnight. No one wanted to spend millions and millions of dollars to finish building a school that was already over budget and that many people couldn't afford in the first place."

  "I don't see what any of this has to do with anything."

  "The economy and waning interest weren't the real reasons that construction was stopped. The real reason that Skyville Prep Academy was never finished was because there was no reason to continue pouring money into it if there weren't metahumans any more."

  "I don't get it."

  "Connor, Skyville Prep was just a front. Sure, it was a real school. You could enroll, take classes, get a degree, all of those things. For it to work it was essential that no one suspect what the school actually was."

  "And what was that?"

  "A training center for metahumans."

  "Okay. And how exactly were you planning on keeping that a secret? Real school or not, I think once people saw metas flying in and out of their dorm windows, the jig would’ve been up pretty quickly."

  "Very, very few of the students enrolled would have been metas. The rest would have been normal, everyday run-of-the-mill students. The students, faculty, staff, all of them, would have had no idea about the training facility since the training facility itself was built nearly a mile underground. Not even someone like you could have caused enough trouble down there for anyone on the surface to notice.

  “Plans were drawn up for facilities around the country. The government had identified the importance of metahumans in the twenty-first century. They knew that nothing would ever be the same, and that if a group of metas decided to overthrow the government, there would be chaos, even if they didn't succeed. It was for that reason they wanted to at least try to have some kind of influence over as many metas as they could.