by Pozel, Derek
He walked away and did not look back. “I’m sorry,” he whispered and focused on the path ahead.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The tempered glass door swung open and Patriot strolled into the large well decorated conference room. Photographs adorned the walls, displaying the triumphs of the Assembly throughout the years.
The gathered Assembly members sat around a beige granite table in wait of their leader. Some dressed in their uniforms and costumes, others sat in casual everyday clothing. Patriot wore gray slacks and a white button up shirt, this was his uniform now more than ever.
Patriot stepped to the head of the long table. “Thank you everyone for coming today. I wouldn’t call this emergency meeting if it was not important. My friends, we have a bit of a situation.”
His attention wandered to Bloodhound who leaned against the wall behind Valkyrie and Crimson. He gave the other founder a short nod before he sat down at the table and flipped open his laptop.
“One moment before we get started,” Patriot leaned back in his stiff leather chair and looked to the two rows of heroes on either side of him.
“What I am about to tell you cannot leave the Assembly,” Patriot glanced from face to face. “This is an internal matter which we will handle ourselves.”
Patriot rested his elbows on the armrests and folded his hands in front of his face. “You may have heard Harvard Hotel has been comprised, it’s true. There has been a breakout from the facility.”
Whispers and nervous stares flowed forth from the gather heroes.
“Who escaped?” Valkyrie asked from the back of the room.
He raised his steady hands. “Please settle down, I will give everyone the full details. Please be patient with me.”
Patriot waited until the room calmed before he continued. “One of the detainees’ lost control of their powers. They incinerated the personal stationed within the facility. Scientists, guards, everyone is gone.”
Patriot exhaled and bit his lower lip. “The survivors were the Afflicted who emitted the power and the hunter.”
Gasps and murmurs flowed forth from the gathered members.
“You said he escaped two years ago,” Valkyrie said.
“No, he did not escape,” Patriot said. “We fabricated the story to keep his location a secret. We did not want our enemies looking for him under our noses. We did not want him used against us. We created the story he escaped to hide him and to keep him safe and secure.”
“Whose we? I had no part in this decision and Sage already quit by then,” Bloodhound said, his brown eyes stared down Patriot from across the room.
Patriot ignored Bloodhound’s comment. “I feared this day would come and I am sorry I hid the truth from everyone. It was for the best that we moved on and forgot about the hunter.”
“It still does not make it right what you did to him,” Bloodhound said.
Patriot bared his teeth. “He’s a threat to us and he murdered of one of our own.”
Valkyrie exploded from her seat. “You’re lying, he’s not a murderer. Granite had a gun to his head, he protected himself.” She pointed at Cannon. “He saved your life Cannon and mine too. A murderer would not save us.”
Cannon sniffed his nose and glanced back to Patriot.
“You’re not going to say anything. You inconsiderate,” Valkyrie said.
Bloodhound reached forward and gripped Valkyrie’s shoulder. “Easy, Morgan.”
Crimson leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desk. “I was actually there that night. You all have seen the video from the night Granite died. I stopped Granite from executing him right there in the snow in front of everyone. I can’t believe I’m saying this, he did act to defend himself. Even after we fought, he was ready to sacrifice himself when Falling Star wouldn’t stop.”
“Valkyrie, sit down,” Patriot glared at her. He shifted his eyes to Crimson and shook his head. “Let me finish.”
“This is unbelievable,” Valkyrie said under her breath.
“Valkyrie, sit down and shut up,” Cannon burst into the conversation with thunderous fury. “I don’t understand how you can defend someone like him. You saw what he did. He killed your boyfriend.”
“Quiet yourself Cannon,” Bloodhound said.
“Granite was not my boyfriend you moron,” Valkyrie said.
“Whatever,” Cannon said.
Patriot covered his eyes and sighed.
“The hunter was the only one to help us,” Valkyrie said, her eyes burned holes through Cannon. “The guy jumped in front of you when you were down. He dragged your body through the snow. He saved your life.”
“Shut up already,” Cannon said. “It doesn’t matter, he still killed Granite.”
Valkyrie stabbed her index finger forward. “Don’t you dare tell me to shut up! At least Patriot could tell us the truth.”
“Enough,” Patriot said across the conference table with a deep growl. “I will not defend my actions. Something had to be done with him and I decided the best course of action for the Assembly. If you have a problem, bring it to me afterward. We have to deal with the situation at hand. We do not have time to bicker and question my decisions while the hunter is on the streets.”
Crimson reached over and gripped Valkyrie’s arm to bring her down to her seat. “Not now.”
“Fine, whatever,” Valkyrie said and fell back into her seat. She glared at Cannon.
“What do we know about him?” A skittish man said who sported wild orange hair.
“This is everything we know,” Patriot moved his left hand to the keyboard. On the opposite side of the room, a screen flickered on with the information they had acquired. Everyone turned and looked at the information, except for Bloodhound.
“Our scientists believe they discovered the full extent of his abilities,” Patriot cleared his throat. “He is unique, like everyone in this room.”
“He doesn’t look strong or special,” Cannon said.
Patriot changed the screen to a list of his abilities. “At first, we were quite unsure of his abilities from the initial contact we had with him. Since his capture, we have discovered a great deal about the hunter. First and foremost, is his immunity to Afflicted abilities. That’s right, you heard correctly, all of our abilities.”
“Wow,” someone in the room mumbled.
“The powers we have come to depend on are useless against him. They cancel out before they touch him or when an Afflicted comes into contact with him. For example, Shadow Guard’s and Obsidian’s armor were negated when he touched them. He had the advantage against us before because we lacked information. Now, the fight is in our favor because of what we have learned about him.”
“Really? How do we have an advantage?” Valkyrie said over her shoulder. “Those energy beams he can shoot are a pretty big advantage for him. His are bigger than yours Cannon. Feeling jealous?”
“Want to see how big mine is?” Cannon replied.
“Enough, both of you shut your mouths,” Patriot slammed his hand on the table. “He is not invincible. He is not more powerful than any us. Because we have each other, we are a team.”
Bloodhound scoffed from the back of the room loud enough for everyone to hear.
“It doesn’t change the fact he is immune to our powers,” Crimson said. “It gives him an advantage.”
Patriot cracked his knuckles. “Not true. We didn’t know what he was capable of when he first attacked Shadow Guard and Granite. Now, we know how to stop him. Whatever hurts us, can hurt him.”
“What does that mean?” a voice spoke up.
“You can punch him, stab him and shoot him,” Cannon said.
“Yes, but we will not be shooting or stabbing anyone,” Patriot said. “We are heroes, act like it.”
“Crimson got to stab him,” Cannon said and stared at Valkyrie with a grin on his clean-shaven face.
Crimson opened his mouth to speak and closed it right away.
Valkyrie glanced over at C
rimson. “He told Crimson to stab him to save their lives.”
“Everyone shut it!” Patriot said and the room fell silent. Cannon and Valkyrie continued to exchange icy glares across the table. Crimson closed his eyes and Bloodhound watched from his little corner with a smirk on his lips.
Patriot rubbed his temples and slid his graying hair behind his ears. “I want everyone to remember this. The greatest threat to us, is his ability to shut off and seal away our powers, permanently,” Patriot said in a steady clear tone. “There is no way to regain the power once they’re gone. You will be like everyone else in the world. This is why you will not engage him alone. I want our teams to stick together from now on. No gung-ho actions if he is encountered. This is why we need him back in custody ASAP. Our enemies would love having an Afflicted like him at their disposal.”
“Does he just have to touch us to steal our powers?” Cannon said.
“Not exactly,” Patriot said. “You must be physically exhausted for this draining ability to work. The force that fuels our own abilities has a connection to our body. By exhausting us, he is able to free it from us. We don’t know exactly how this works since we still can’t find the definite cause of where we gain our powers from.”
“Ok, don’t get your butt kicked and you’ll be fine,” Cannon said. “It won’t happen to me.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t let him take yours away,” Valkyrie said out of the corner of her mouth.
“Shut up already,” Cannon said.
“In so many words, you’re correct Cannon,” Patriot said. “This draining ability is why I have come to call him incomplete or a parasite. He feeds off our own abilities to fuel his own. The bolts or beams of energy are extremely powerful. One blast cracked Obsidian’s nearly impenetrable armor with ease.”
Patriot looked at the faces of his members. “It is also what killed Granite.”
“Jesus,” someone whispered.
“Yes, he can control the strength of these bolts and beams,” Patriot said. “He can change the nature of the energy from kinetic to something akin to plasma. I believe this is the true power he began to develop. For whatever reason it formed incomplete. This is why he must feed on our abilities.”
Bloodhound heaved himself off the wall. “What if he’s not incomplete? His power might be a counter to the Afflicted.”
“He is incomplete,” Patriot’s voice was cold in response.
Bloodhound raised one of his eyebrows. “What if he’s a failsafe so we don’t grow too powerful? Have you ever considered that? Someone has to keep the Afflicted in line. This man has the power to stop us, without killing us. I can smell the fear coming from many of you. You are right to be afraid of him.”
“Quit filling their heads with this nonsense,” Patriot said. “He’s dangerous, that is what matters. He misused his gifts. We have seen what he can do. This is why we need to find him immediately. We cannot allow him to wander the streets. If the AIA finds him before we do, they will use him as leverage against us. He is a weapon we must have in our hands to defend ourselves.”
Valkyrie sprang from her chair and slammed her fist on the desk. “This is insane. This is a person we’re talking about, not a weapon. You used him. I know you used his powers. Isn’t it why you want him back?”
Patriot pointed at her. “You listen to me. He will do everything in his power to topple the Assembly. Then he will turn his attention to the other teams of Afflicted across the country. Mark my words, he will be used against us. We need him and we have no choice but to seal him away, for the greater good.”
“I won’t have any part of it,” Crimson raised his head. “This is not right. These guys are going to get destroyed by him.” Crimson looked to the other members. “No offense, but he is in a whole other league. Let the AIA have him. Let them bring him in.”
“Now listen!” Patriot slammed his hands down on the table and broke a large chunk of the table off with his super strength. “I did not sacrifice so much defending this country so one man can destroy it. Do any of you even understand what’s at stake here? If we give him to the AIA you can kiss the Assembly goodbye. Then what happens to you? The government will use him and we’ll be powerless.”
Valkyrie placed her hands on her hips. “I’m done. I quit.” With those words she turned and made her way to the door. “I am not going to be a part of this anymore. We don’t imprison people because we are afraid of them and use them as a weapon.”
The heroes in the room watched her make her way to the door. Not a single member made any effort to stop her.
Patriot stared at Bloodhound who offered a smile to his old friend and shrugged his shoulders.
“Have it your way, turn in your Assembly equipment. You’re not one of us anymore,” Patriot said.
“Fine,” Valkyrie said before she left the conference room.
Patriot looked around the room and raised his hands. “Anyone else too afraid to face him?”
The room remained silent.
Bloodhound raised his eyes from the floor to his friend Patriot. “Why don’t you tell everyone why he is even hunting us and what you were doing to him when we had him?”
Patriot tugged at his shirt collar. “We tested him to learn the true extent of his abilities.”
“You experimented on him,” Bloodhound said with a cough. “Don’t say you tested him. He did not have a choice. Tell them about the 17 Afflicted used in the experiments. Tell them how this started because of you.”
Patriot’s face molded into something sinister which caught everyone off guard. “Yes, I authorized the use of his abilities to negate the powers of the violent Afflicted. He has the power to stop the Afflicted and it is what I used him for.”
Crimson turned away from Patriot and looked over his shoulder to Bloodhound.
“Blame me if you want, Bloodhound,” Patriot said. “But I did not bring this on the Assembly. The death of his friend was an accident. It is something I must carry within my heart until my final breath. It is my cross to bear. Every one of us has made mistakes and we must atone for them.”
“It’s what he’s doing. He’s making you atone for her death,” Bloodhound said.
“An accident like the death of Granite?” Crimson decided to speak. “He blames you for his friend’s death, like you blame him for Granite’s. You want to hunt him like he was hunting us.” Most of the heroes nodded in agreement with Crimson, a few scowled.
“The kid has a point,” Bloodhound pushed his body off the wall. He walked the solemn path to the doorway. The other heroes’ eyes moved between Bloodhound and Patriot. Both of the heroes remained quiet when Bloodhound swung the glass door open.
Bloodhound stopped at the door. “I’m done too. This is not why I helped start the Assembly. I am not paying for your mistakes and neither should they. Don’t drag them into this.” He strolled out the door.
Patriot stood in complete silence over the table.
“Patriot?” Cannon broke the awkward silence.
Patriot fell back into his chair. “He’s right,” he whispered.
“What?” Crimson cupped his ear.
“Damn it, he’s right,” he said louder and raised his eyes to the faces around the room.
Patriot stroked his chin and clicked his tongue. “Bloodhound is right. I have to face him alone. It’s time to put an end to this once and for all. If you come into contact with him, you are not to engage. You are to contact me immediately. I will finish this for the Assembly. I will bring him to justice. Is that understood?”
The heroes nodded in agreement.
“Boss, we can help,” Cannon said.
Patriot shook his head. “No, I will end this. I don’t need your help. I have been dealing with the Afflicted before you even hit puberty.” The room erupted with a few chuckles. Cannon sunk into his chair and frowned.
“Thank you everyone, that is all for today,” Patriot said. “Please contact me with any questions. Remember, this one is mine.” The h
eroes began to rose from their soft leather chairs.
“Crimson, can I speak with you for a moment?” Patriot said while the others began to shuffle out of the room.
Patriot waited for the last hero to leave and rose from his chair. His hazel eyes met Crimson’s green eyes and they clashed for dominance.
“You stood up to me, in front of everyone,” Patriot said.
“I had to set the story straight,” Crimson said.
“It’s fine. I like that you think for yourself,” Patriot said. “It shows character and leadership.”
“I know what I saw that night. Is it true, about why he’s coming after us?” Crimson said with a scowl on his face.
Patriot looked out the window. “Yes, it’s true.”
“Now what do we do?” Crimson leaned in closer.
“You? You’re not doing anything,” Patriot said. “Go home to your fiancée. How is my daughter doing? Good I hope.”
“Zoe is fine,” Crimson said. “She’s getting antsy about the wedding and making sure everything is perfect.”
“She’s my little perfectionist,” Patriot said. “You’re a good man and I am proud to have you part of my family.” He flashed a smile and turned back to the door to ensure they were alone.
“I’m pulling you off patrol and the training of the new recruits,” Patriot said.
“What, why? Because of what I said?” Crimson’s nostrils flared and his brow dropped into a wicked glare.
“No, you’re entitled to your opinion like everyone else. I need you to stay close to Zoe,” Patriot looked Crimson straight in the eyes. “I think she’s going to be the next target.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Garrett placed a hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. Memories began to rise to the surface from his previous visit, under the cover of darkness. It felt like a lifetime ago. The sorrow that surrounded this particular house was gone, replaced with a purpose once again. He turned the handle and found it open, like he did before and he could not resist a devilish smile. It was too easy.
“You need to learn how to lock your doors,” Garrett moved through the darkened kitchen back to the large den.
