Desperate Times

by Tom Andry

  Ted stacked up the last of the boxes, looking back at me expectantly. I waved and moved to the stairs since Ted had insisted I park outside. Given the mess and carnage, I could understand why. I walked up with Nineteen's hand in mine. I glanced back down the stairs just as we opened the door. Ted was busy adjusting his Persona Projector to remove the trench coat. I hoped he had the sense to change it into something more subdued. Given his track record, I doubted it.

  I let Nineteen precede me through the door then stepped through myself. I immediately dropped to the floor and peeked through the crack between the stairs and the ceiling of the lair. Ted had his back to me and was holding a box in his hands. On one side he had a stack of debris, obviously to be thrown out after being half disintegrated by failed teleportation attempts. The other was a stack of boxes to be shipped. After a moment he turned to the rubbish pile and dropped the box on top.

  I smiled. When Ted moved to the side, I saw hanging over the side of the box the sleeve of one of the henchmen unitards. Ted turned and walked back to the other boxes, moving them inside of the safety of the overturned tables. I planted my hands, readying myself to slowly make my exit as Ted moved back to the closet. I froze as he paused next to the trash pile. After a few seconds, he sighed and grabbed the box with the unitards and turned back to the tables.

  # # #

  Chapter 22

  "Henchmen," I spat.

  I could barely keep my mind on driving as I returned to my apartment. I'd always suspected that Ted might turn villain, but I never really expected him to have plans already in place. The unitards were obviously unfinished. He hadn't actually employed anyone, at least not yet. Or perhaps not with those uniforms? Could Ted already be a super villain under a different name? Maybe even Siddeon? No, that was crazy. Siddeon was too prolific for Ted to keep up that persona and still be around as much as he was. Even keeping up a small-time villain alter ego seemed unlikely based on his personality and how much time I knew he spent working and partying. He could be faking one or the other, but I doubted it.

  At least I hoped not.

  I could have just made a huge mistake. If Ted was not as excited about getting into The Bulwark as he seemed, if he was just biding his time until he could take the most advantage, I may have just handed him Nineteen. He had been distracted, but he was a super genius. He certainly could have figured out her power despite his distraction. I'd thought that the biggest danger of bringing Nineteen to Ted was that he wouldn't be a help. But what if he figured it out? What if she was the final element he was waiting for? A weapon he could use to take over the world?

  I shook my head. I must have been reading too much into it. What did I tell Nissa? The easiest answer was usually the right one. What was the easy answer? I laughed. The easy answer was that Ted just didn't want to throw away something he'd worked hard on. That was probably it.

  Probably.

  I just couldn't shake the image of those henchmen unitards. Siddeon’s men - they'd been responsible for what had happened to Liz. They'd been looking for something and either they'd found it, or not. Either way, they'd crossed a line. They may have thought they could act with impunity. That their viciousness and equipment gave them free rein. That the distraction of The Raven would keep all eyes off them. But my eyes were open. And I wasn't going to sit by and let them get away with hurting one more person.

  Getting back to the apartment, I had been so distracted by mulling over the Ted possibilities and thinking about Siddeon's men that it wasn't until I stood in front of the new security panel, looking for the buttons, that I remembered Mind.

  I was about to order my way in when I heard a mechanical male voice announce, "Scanning." Again, the panel melted away and I was bathed in orange light. What was most disconcerting though, was that the voice didn't come from inside my head, but from above. It meant that Mind was out of Stealth Mode. It was also using the robotic male voice I'd initially heard. There had to be a reason. I turned again, in a circle as directed by the light. "Identity confirmed. Bob Moore. Private Eye. Owner. Unrestricted access granted. Enter, Mr. Moore."

  The same as the first time I'd entered.

  I walked tentatively up the stairs. I suppressed the urge to whisper a question to Mind. It could tell me what was going on in Stealth Mode, but if there was a super up there, or one around with enhanced hearing, who knew what they would be able to make out?

  Entering the office, everything looked to be in place except that my office door was open. The double doors to my office were the only ones that hadn't been replaced by automatic doors that slid into the walls. I set Nineteen down on the couch in the front office and approached the door as if I didn't expect anything. If there was a super in there, I likely couldn't do a thing about it and attempting to sneak in wouldn't change anything. Better to show a little confidence, I thought. When I saw who was sitting at the terminal, that confidence shattered.

  "Saint."

  She turned to look at me. Her mohawk was as impressive as ever and was still highlighted with green as it had been at Inhumanitas. In fact, she still looked very much like she had last night, except that she no longer wore the arm cover that hid her green skin, and a stylized V had been add to the front of her outfit, accenting her vinyl covered breasts. Her matching eye mask was on my desk in front of her.

  "Don't call me that."

  "Why, isn't it your name now?"

  "It's what they're calling me. Feels weird though." She looked down, "Especially when you say it."

  I paused. Her voice still had the new quality I had noted when I last saw her. It didn't sound drastically different, but she sounded somehow...older.

  "V, huh? For Vanguard?"

  She stood and shrugged slightly, "A necessary lie."

  "To keep us tippys calm?" I pursed my lips, wishing I could have kept the bitterness out of my voice.

  She frowned and glanced around the office, "I see your system is worked out."

  "System?"

  "The new security system?"

  "Oh, that. Yeah."

  "Did you talk with Ted?"

  My eyes narrowed. Was this a test? To see if I'd tell her the truth? "Yeah. Just came from there. It wasn't him."

  She looked genuinely shocked, "Really? Then who?"

  I'd had some time to contemplate my cover story after the near debacle at Ted's, "Remember those paranoid friends I told you about?" She nodded. "One of them. Seems she thought she still owed me something. She had this planned for a while, but she wasn't quite ready. That's why the control interface voice thing was a little half-baked. It's been fixed."

  "I noticed. Recognized me and let me right in."

  "Good."

  We both paused for a long moment, both thinking about what we wanted to say and how we wanted to say it. Of course we made up our minds at the same time and started to talk over each other. Our laughter eased some of my tension. I motioned for her to continue.

  "I'd like to come back to work for you...you know...after."

  I smirked, "Really? You'll probably be granted Level 5 status. You'll have all the money you need."

  She looked at the floor, "It isn't about the money. It's..."

  I let the sentence hang for a moment. "What?"

  She shrugged her shoulders, "Them. Just...I don't fit in."

  I stepped forward, grabbing her shoulders lightly. She turned her face to me, "You're twenty years old. Of course you don't fit in. It takes most people years to get to Level 5. Khan was one of the youngest and he was five years older than you. Gale's my age, Rod's the same..."

  "Rod?"

  I cringed, "Force? Wait, you know that."

  She smiled and reached out, grabbing my waist, "See, you still think of me as your assistant. If I were a normal tippy or even a super, you'd watch your names closer. That's all I want to be. This," she touched the V on her chest, "this isn't me."

  Her hands felt uncomfortably comfortable on me. I stepped back, "Nissa, you say that now, but..."r />
  "But what?" she demanded. "I know what I want."

  "Really?" I countered, "And when they come to you with the next catastrophe, what will you say? 'Sorry, I'm just Bob's assistant now?' Be serious."

  "But Gale said if I helped out this one time..."

  I shook my head, "It doesn't work that way. She knows that. She won't want to call on you, but she will. And you'll say yes. Because you are both good people. Underneath all the power and bullshit, you're kind and you're good and you'll do the right thing. You can't be that way. You can’t want to always do the right thing, and work for me. It's a conflict of interest."

  She wrapped her arms around herself, "You're not going to convince me you're not a good person, Bob."

  "I didn't say I wasn't good."

  "Then what are you saying?"

  I exhaled slowly, "I don't know. That I'm not good at being good? That I think the world could take care of itself without all these supers mucking it up. That sometimes it's okay to do something selfish and tell the rest of the world to shove it." I laughed lightly, "To quote a friend, I guess I'm saying I'm not kind."

  Nissa shrugged and looked to the side. Her eyes were distant, but there was definitely something going on behind them. "I don't know if I agree. Was it Liz? The friend?"

  I nodded.

  "Well, I suppose she would know better than me. Did you find out what happened?"

  "Not...really."

  Nissa looked at me, eyes searching.

  "Liz said it was kids. That I should stay out of it."

  It was Nissa's turn to laugh, "Maybe she doesn't know you so well after all. Do you believe her?"

  "Believe?"

  "That it was kids?"

  I shrugged, "I believe that's what she believes."

  "How bad is she?"

  I took a deep breath, "Could be worse, from what the doctors say. But without a healer, there'll be scars."

  "You mean, a super to muck things up?"

  I frowned, "Already identifying with them I see."

  "Touché." She thought for a moment, "Bob, I think we need to talk about last night."

  I swallowed, "Wait. First, I have something to show you." I turned and exited the room and grabbed Nineteen's hand. I led her off the couch and into Nissa's view.

  Nissa blinked for only ten seconds or so, her hand on her temple, but the blood drained from her face. Finally, she looked up from the little girl and back at me, "It doesn't matter."

  It was my turn to blink, "Doesn't matter! What do you mean it doesn't matter?" I sputtered.

  "It's a good plan, Bob. You said so yourself."

  "It's a crap plan. You didn't stop him, she did. You're going to get yourself killed."

  "That's not what you said before."

  "It's what I'm saying now. Listen, what did Gale say? That he was some sort of energy sucker? What's it going to do to have all those supers to feed on?"

  She shook her head, "No, Ted worked on it. He thinks we can overwhelm him. He built some devices..."

  "And you're trusting Ted?" I exclaimed.

  "You trust Ted," she countered.

  "Tell you what, you trust him? Take a trip out to his lair and see what Ted's half-baked devices can do."

  "Yeah, I heard. Blew up some of his stuff. But we're talking weapons here. Stuff that will work around The Raven's powers. If they blow up? So much the better."

  I shook my head, "I can't believe I'm hearing this. You know you can't win. You saw what he did. This Raven? Picking a fight with him, with you and the other supers as bait? I can't believe you're agreeing to this."

  Nissa responded quietly, "I guess you're right then. Gale will ask and I'll say yes. I just can't sit by and do nothing."

  "People keep saying that. I fail to see how running off to die is in any way 'doing something' when the idea of 'something' implies that you'll be helping."

  She frowned, quiet for a moment. "So what do you suggest?"

  I glanced over her shoulder at the terminal, wishing I had a way of providing her evidence from a credible source. "Maybe he just siphons from supers. Maybe if you mobilized the police and had them face him. With some of these weapons that Ted made. Maybe..."

  "You're joking. Tippys against The Raven? Even if I thought it was a good plan, which I don't, who do you think would volunteer for that suicide mission?"

  I shrugged, hopelessly, "I'm sure someone would."

  "Would you volunteer?"

  I couldn't respond. I simply avoided her eyes.

  "Didn't think so." Nissa stood up straighter, chin angled up, "No, it's a good plan. It's the only plan. We're going to win. We have to."

  "And if you don't?"

  "Well, there won't be much to save for long."

  I sighed, circling my desk and landing hard in my chair. Nineteen stayed where she was, her eyes fixed on Nissa. Suddenly, she shot forward and wrapped her arms around Nissa's legs, hugging her tightly. I stood, transfixed. Nissa looked over her shoulder at me, eyes wide. She turned back to Nineteen and touched her head affectionately. Nineteen turned her face upward, dislodging her glasses. Nissa pulled them off and looked deeply into the young girl's eyes. After a moment, Nissa turned back to me, a question clearly unspoken on her lips.

  Can I take her? Can I use her?

  I pursed my lips, eyes hard, "You won't remember her when you leave."

  Nissa nodded, the implication clear. Finally, Nineteen released the super and turned and circled the desk to sit on my lap. She curled up comfortably, closing her eyes. I felt her head on my cheek. It was hot. I held her tighter, willing her fever down.

  "She's changed."

  "Has she?"

  Nissa nodded, "She looks...happy."

  I glanced down, only able to see the top of her head. Was that my doing? Was she happier? She must be. Compared to Tay, anything was an improvement. If only I could do something to save her.

  Nissa circled my desk and sat on the corner with a creak of vinyl. Her calf rested lightly on my leg, "Bob? About last night..."

  "Nissa," I interrupted, "it'll never work. You...me...I'm like twice your age."

  Nissa's raised eyebrow was followed by a smirk and eventually a smile as I spoke.

  "What?" I demanded.

  "I was going to say," she tried not to laugh, "that I was in a weird place last night. You know, the attack, the club, revealing my power not only to you but to strangers...I was vulnerable."

  "Vulnerable."

  "I wanted to thank you."

  "Thank me."

  “Yes, for doing the right thing. The noble thing"

  I laughed, only sounding slightly forced, "That's me. Mr. Noble."

  She laughed as well, hers more natural, "So, thanks." She stood, running her hands down her front as if to smooth her dress. Of course, all it did was draw my eye to her vinyl-covered body. She stopped at the doorway to my office, turning back to me. "See ya 'round, Bob."

  "Wait," I couldn't do much more than ask as Nineteen's breathing had become regular and her eyes were closed. There was something about her presence that was reassuring. Right. It was a thought that made my heart hurt just letting it out. "Tell me where you are planning on confronting The Raven."

  She turned all the way around to face me, "Why?"

  Nissa knew about Nineteen, but would likely forget as soon as she walked out. Would she remember that she'd told me? Would she remember why? I didn't have time to figure out what I could reveal to her. I decided to keep it all in, my plan with Ted.

  "I just...want to know. So if things go wrong, I'll know where to look for the bodies."

  She didn't believe me. I could see it in her face, her eyes, the set of her hips. It was amazing how well I knew her after only a few weeks.

  "I'm not supposed to."

  "Enough with the damn secrets!" I hissed, "Come on. Just in case."

  She laughed, "Well, it's in the desert. That much I can say. You're a smart guy, Bob. You'll figure it out." She turned again and called o
ver her shoulder, "Plus, there'll probably be a mushroom cloud to follow."

  Neither of us laughed at her attempt at humor. After Nissa left, I sat and held Nineteen for a long time, just brushing her hair with my fingers and thinking. I stared at her, memorizing the lines of her face, the set of her eyes, the shape of her nose and lips. I held her hand, examining her fingers, rubbing each gently. In my arms was the greatest weapon the world had ever seen. Probably the most dangerous person on the planet. But I couldn't see that. All I could see was a little girl. A sick little girl who probably wouldn't last the night. What I didn't see was that I had much of a choice.

  "Do you know where they'll fight him?"

  Mind's voice, female again, seemed to come from between my ears, "I anticipated this and have been researching. Eventually, they are going to power up some sort of computer system. When they do, I'll know. If I had the equipment, I could track them by their communicators. But I didn't anticipate needing that technology so soon."

  "Do you think you can find them before The Raven does?"

  "It is unclear. If they are using one of The Bulwark decoy bases, of which there are a few in the desert, and they power up the systems, yes. But that requires action on their part. They might just move in and wait, not bothering to power up the systems."

  I chuckled, "Oh, you don't know Ted. If there is a button, he'll push it." I paused, thinking, "Can you place a call for me?"

  "Affirmative."

  "Get me Alan...crap, I don't know his last name. It must be on the card." I leaned forward to look for it on my desk but Nineteen started to stir as I moved.

  "Wagner," Mind interjected. "The reporter's real name is Alan Wagner."

  I smiled. This relationship was working out well.

  * * *

  "Dirk Dirtwater here."

  "Hey, reporter."

  "Hey?"

  "It's Bob. Bob Moore."

  "Oh, PI, hold on." The sound of a phone set down on a desk followed shortly by a door closing. When he picked the phone back up, I could hear the spiraled cord sliding across the edge of the desk as he leaned back in his chair, "Hey, I don't remember telling you my last name."