The Prospects (Book 2): Nothing Poorer Than Gods

by Daniel Halayko

  “Pete died? I liked him.”

  “Is there anything else I should know?”

  “Our attackers forged a suicide note that mentioned Alex’s family. We should protect them.”

  “Magna and I will retrieve his wife and son immediately. Should we be concerned about your family?”

  “They already have MAB agents watching them in case some of Sergeant Hammer’s old friends try anything.”

  “Very good. After picking up Alex’s family, we’ll have a team meeting to discuss how to get you two back from Boston.”

  Trista hung up. Alex touched her hand.

  “You have to stay out of my dreams,” said Alex. “This isn’t right. I’m married.”

  Trista pulled her hand back. “I know. And you love Emily.”

  “But she doesn’t love me.”

  “I’m sure she does.”

  “Maybe she did, but now …” Alex passed out.

  Trista tucked the blankets around his neck.

  Chapter Ten: Crutches

  Jenny and Stormhead looked at the scattered lights of Manhattan’s skyscrapers. They said nothing in the still air as the City that Never Sleeps made sounds below them.

  “We met up here, Jennifer, back when you were ready to quit being a superhero. If you had, you wouldn’t have a cast on your leg and problems on your mind.”

  Jenny shifted from one sore armpit to another on her crutches. “If I quit, I’d be back in college, studying to get a job I’d hate until I retired. And I don’t have any talents beyond making wind.”

  “At least you would be unharmed.”

  “It’s only a broken leg.”

  “From here, things will only get worse. I wonder if putting you on the team was a bad decision.”

  “I chose to accept your offer.”

  “If you regret it, you may leave.”

  “Do you want me to?”

  Stormhead wiped his forehead. “Losing Griffin Island was a huge blow. The Coast Guard has it surrounded and the other metahuman teams on the eastern seaboard were notified. Until we know who is behind the attack and why, we’re not going to retake it. We need to stay defensive.”

  “Whatever happens, I’ll follow your orders.”

  “I order you to get some sleep. Your personal apartment isn’t ready yet, but there are beds in the Prospects’ living quarters. You should have a spare costume down there as well. Suit up as Gale Force in the morning.”

  Jenny hobbled past Billy Two’s pen to the elevator and pressed the button for the basement. She only made it a few flights before the elevator stopped. Magna stepped in, pressed the floor for the medical ward, and stood facing Jenny.

  Magna’s eyes glowed light blue as she looked at Jenny’s leg. “Your tibia is aligned nicely.”

  “It hurts like hell.”

  “I suggest you come with me to the medical ward for analgesics.”

  Jenny slid back on her crutches.

  Magna said, “Your heart rate has accelerated and perspiration is on your forehead despite low humidity in the air. These indicate you are frightened.”

  “A little. I guess I’m robophobic.”

  Magna’s shiny metal face showed no expression. “It is unfortunate that you did not know Mindy. It would make my presence easier for you to accept.”

  “That weirds me out even more. I know Scintilla, or Mindy, and Professor Photon, or Doctor Von Dyme, or Harry, or whatever I’m supposed to call him loved each other, but it’s like, by building you, he’s telling the world he can’t let her go.”

  Magna’s robotic brain went through a billion algorithms to come up with a reply. “Your reservations arise from a disconnection in your logical perceptions. In time, I am sure you will see that I am an effective New York Guardian.”

  “I have to prove that too.”

  “You more than me.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “All you’ve done is injure yourself.”

  “I killed a bird-creature.”

  “I killed many and suffered nothing that could not be polished out. I am made for battle, yet you have the audacity to question Doctor Von Dyme’s sanity for my design.”

  “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “Of course not. You made a mistake. Just like how you made a mistake by joining the New York Guardians, and Stormhead made a mistake when he asked you to join.”

  The elevator doors opened to the medical ward. Magna strode out before Jenny processed what she said and muttered, “Robo-bitch.”

  In a white flash Deon was at Jenny’s side. “How’s the leg?”

  “Hurts.”

  He vanished and came back in an instant with a bottle. “Here’s some Tylenol with codeine-three. Take two before bed and two when you wake up.”

  “Thanks. We’re lucky everything’s new and fully stocked here.”

  “The contractors turned the bioscience lab into a medical ward after they repaired the security system. You’d never know it was the site of a Skreak massacre.”

  “How is everyone?”

  “Joey’s stable, but Ruby, Gary, and Noah won’t leave his side. Everyone’s sad about losing Marcia and Pete, especially Steve. He’s in the basement. It’s too bad about Marcia. She knew her stuff. I wish I could’ve saved her.”

  “Deon, you were really brave on the island.”

  “Did the best I could.”

  “Still, I didn’t know you had that in you to run back and forth through a horde of squid-men.”

  “What, you think because I don’t fight I’m a coward?”

  “Maybe I did.”

  Deon straightened up. “I’ve got patients to take care of.”

  In a flash Deon was back in the medical ward to check on Joey’s vital signs as Magna examined Gary’s arm.

  Noah sat next to Joey’s bed. He fixed all four eyes on Jenny and said, “I assumed you decided my fate at your superhero meeting.”

  Jenny leaned back on her crutches. “You’re going to remain in our custody until we find out who is behind the attack on Griffin Island and your farm.”

  “And then I’ll go back to prison?”

  “You have to finish your sentence, plus whatever they add for the escape.”

  “But what about me?” asked Gary. “I can’t go back to my parents.”

  “Why not?” asked Jenny.

  Noah touched his shoulder. “Tell her.”

  “My parents won’t accept what I am,” said Gary. “They tried to cut off my wings when they started growing in. It really hurt. I heard them talking about some sort of gene therapy that could stop my mutation, but when I looked it up I saw there was a chance it could kill me or make me more of a mutant. I told them I didn’t want it. I flew away when they literally dragged me into the clinic.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” said Jenny. “You’re under eighteen, and they want you back. Legally we can’t keep you.”

  “But I won’t undergo that therapy,” said Gary, “At the farm, I felt comfortable being who I am. That’s all I want.”

  “Joey doesn’t even have parents,” said Noah. “He was made in a lab. Where will he go?”

  “I’d offer to adopt them,” said Ruby, “but I don’t have a dime to my name. Or a place to live. Are you going to throw me out like garbage? Because that’s been done to me before.”

  “We’ll figure something out,” said Jenny.

  “No you won’t,” said Noah. “You ‘heroes’ don’t help anyone. All you do is keep things the way they are.”

  “Stormhead told me not to argue with you.” Jenny spun on her crutch.

  “And, of course, you follow orders without thinking,” Noah said as she hobbled away.

  On the way back to the elevator Jenny stopped at the clear plastic quarantine room’s door. The thing once known as Lady Amazing was an unconscious mess of tumors and warped bones. Only the respirator and IV tubes gave any indication of where her face once was.

  Kayleigh, still in her red bodysuit but
without the red domino mask that made her Knockout Rose, stood next to Jenny. “It’s horrible to see here like this. Was she as cool as she was in the comics?”

  “She was cooler. “ Jenny looked at Kayleigh’s swollen cheek, which shone from the antibacterial gel on her stripped-shut gashes. “By the way, did you get the vial for the infusion yet?”

  The non-damaged side of Kayleigh’s face twisted. “What do you mean?”

  “Arbalest was supposed to give you some of Chak’s blood to heal your face.”

  Jenny didn’t notice Arbalest was behind her other side. “It’s my vial, not Stormhead’s.”

  “Stormhead told you to help her,” said Jenny.

  “I don’t want his help,” said Kayleigh. “He’s been mean to me since I turned him down for a date.”

  “I didn’t ask you out,” said Arbalest. “I offered to help, and you insulted me.”

  “Kayleigh, this isn’t about you,” said Jenny. “This is about Bart, or Arbalest, making amends with Alex for the fistfight. Stormhead said everyone on the team has to set aside their problems, and since Alex wants your face healed this will do it.”

  “Besides,” said Arbalest, “Stormhead wants you in fighting shape when the next bad thing happens. You may not be able to do much, seeing as how you have no training, talents, or powers. Without your looks, all you got is a pair of old stun-gloves any moron can use.”

  “Stop making this worse,” said Jenny.

  “If she showed respect, we’d be fine. I’m the best crossbowman in the world, I …”

  Jenny spun on her crutches to get in his face. “Instead of being the best anything, why don’t you try being a good guy?”

  Arbalest shook his head. “Alex was wrong about you being a team player.”

  “Give her the vial, or I’ll tell Stormhead you ignored his order.”

  Arbalest took a vial of dark-red liquid from a refrigerator and handed it to Kayleigh. “Harry has an infusion suite in his lab. Talk to him.”

  Arbalest went into the medical ward while Kayleigh and Jenny went to the elevator.

  Kayleigh said, “Thanks for standing up for me.”

  “I’m only doing what Agent O’Farrell would do.”

  “Shouldn’t he be back from Boston by now?”

  “Someone tried to kill him.”

  Kayleigh gasped. “Is he okay?”

  “Trista saved him. I’m not real clear on what happened. Stormhead and the MAB agents brought his wife and son here. They’re in the basement, in the Prospects' old living quarters. There’s an extra bed for you and Steve too.”

  “Please tell me there’s more than one bed.”

  “You and Steve aren’t a couple?”

  “I thought Steve was gay for the first three months we worked together because he stayed in character so well. By then, we were solid friends.”

  After the elevator doors closed and Jenny pressed the basement button, Kayleigh said, “Arbalest is right. I don’t have any powers, talents, or training. I shouldn’t be here.”

  “How did you end up on a superhero team in the first place?”

  “I wish I could say it’s because I had a traumatic experience or got too close to a falling meteorite or something, but it’s nothing like that.”

  “Then why?”

  “I liked sports and school, but I wasn’t good enough at anything to stand out. I got into fashion so people would notice me. I started reading comics to study the poses and got sucked into Lady Amazing’s stories. I mean, I really liked the theme about how we’re all responsible for protecting ourselves and society, so we have to become our best.”

  “And walking around in just paint was you being your best?”

  “I never considered really being a hero, but I really liked the messages. I made copies of every version of Lady Amazing’s costume.”

  “So you liked to dress up for attention?”

  “It’s the only thing I thought I could do. I mean, I switched my major three times in college because I couldn’t find anything I really liked. So I dropped out to give modeling a try, and went to cosplay conventions to promote myself. The Young Sentinels’ manager saw me in an old version of Lady Amazing’s costume, the really skimpy one-piece, and hired me on the spot.”

  “In other words, you can be a superhero because you look good. I saved lives by stopping a school shooting, and no one thinks I can because I don’t look right.”

  Kayleigh rubbed her arm. “I thought I proved myself last month. I mean, I never thought of being a hero before, but the MAB agents said I did great.”

  “You threw a few punches. That’s not exactly saving the day.”

  “I did what Agent O’Farrell said.” She looked down. “But you’re right, it wasn’t much. It’s just, there are so many bad people in the world, I thought I could do something good for myself and society. Maybe I can’t.”

  Jenny sighed. “I’m being as mean to you as the New York Guardians are being to me. I shouldn’t do that. We both have a lot to prove.”

  “You kicked ass last month,” said Kayleigh. “I don’t know why Agent O’Farrell accepted me for the Prospects.”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  Kayleigh nodded, but her chin quivered as if she feared the answer.

  “I have powers but was ready to quit, and Deon has powers but wasn’t brave. He wanted to see how someone who was determined and brave but didn’t have powers would do.”

  “All I can do is use what I got.”

  The elevator’s doors opened on the ground level. Professor Photon entered with a handcuffed skinny boy in an orange jumpsuit. Jenny didn’t recognize him until his floppy black hair fell aside. “Vijay?”

  “Hey there, panda bear.” Vijay looked Kayleigh up and down. “You sure became a butterface.”

  “I punched you out before,” said Kayleigh. “I’ll do it again.”

  Professor Photon yanked Vijay’s handcuffs. “Shut up.”

  “What’s he doing here?” asked Jenny.

  “Magna couldn’t infiltrate the CIA’s computers without setting off the system’s internal alarms,” said Professor Photon. “Since they’re the ones most likely behind the attack on Quad-Clop’s farm and Griffin Island, we need a hacker to find out why they attacked us and what their plan is.”

  Jenny said, “But he betrayed us.”

  “We can’t get another super-hacker on short notice,” said Professor Photon.

  “And I get some charges dropped,” said Vijay.

  “He’ll stay locked in the bunker with no computer until Trista gets back,” said Professor Photon. “She’ll monitor his thoughts while he hacks for us.”

  Kayleigh raised a finger. “Professor Photon, you designed Agent Exo’s exoskeleton, right?”

  He nodded. “As Doctor Harry Von Dyme, I am the lead researcher for Griffin Industries’ biggest projects.”

  “Can I talk to you about something?”

  “Is this about infusing Chak’s healing-factor imbued blood?”

  “That, and something else.”

  “Magna will come down to watch Vijay for the rest of the night, then I’ll go back to my lab. Wait for me at the door. You’ll set off an alarm if you go in.”

  The doors opened in the basement. Kayleigh stayed on the elevator.

  As Professor Photon led Vijay to the underground bunker, Jenny hobbled through the freshly painted room that used to be the gym. Everything – the padded floor, the heavy bag, the exercise equipment, the treadmills – was gone. She never liked the dingy gym, but the emptiness gave her a twinge of remorse for the old days. As depressing as they were, they were parts of her life.

  In the recreation room, Steve sat on the couch with crumpled tissues scattered all around him.

  Jenny sat next to him.

  Steve wiped tears from his cheeks. “I can’t stop thinking about Pete.”

  Jenny handed him a fresh tissue. He took it with bandaged fingers.

  “He was the best fri
end I ever had. We were going to move to LA.” Steve sobbed.

  Jenny patted Steve’s shoulder.

  “I talked him into joining the Prospects. I praised the hell out of him to Agent O’Farrell. I thought we could be real heroes.”

  Jenny said nothing.

  “He’ll come back, right? Heroes do that. That girl who got shot the night the villains attacked this building, she survived. Pete will too. I’ll bet he caught the edge of the island, but we didn’t see it because he was under water. The squid-men can’t bite through his skin, so …”

  Jenny pursed her lips.

  “Who am I kidding? He’s gone. My friend is dead. He wouldn’t want me crying like this. Goddamn monsters. They killed him.”

  Iridescent auras enshrouded Steve’s hands. He thrust them forward and shouted, “They killed him!”

  A beam of light shot from his hands. The air in front of it disintegrated with a loud crack. When the beam disappeared, a hole smoldered in the wall.

  Jenny looked through the hole. The smoking trail cut through the freshly remodeled gymnasium and most of the way into the foundation.

  Steve’s fingers were covered in ashes and singed bandages. “Did I do that?”

  Jenny got back on her crutches and hobbled to the bedrooms. A child cried in the bedroom she once shared with Trista.

  Jenny opened the door. A chestnut-haired woman sat on Jenny’s old bed and cradled a toddler in her arms.

  “He just got to sleep when that noise woke him up,” she said. “What was it?”

  “Laser,” said Jenny. “Things like that happen around here. You’re Emily, right?”

  “Right, I’m Alex’s wife. But I guess you know him as Agent O’Farrell.”

  Jenny turned away.

  “Wait,” said Emily. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

  “Jenny.”

  “Oh, you’re Gale Force, the Prospect who became a New York Guardian.”

  Jenny wanted to hobble away but was too angry to move.

  “What did Alex say about me?” Jenny’s harsh tone made Emily uncomfortable.

  “Uh, that you had a lot of potential.”

  Jenny hobbled into the room and closed the door. “My parents did all they could to keep me from being a superhero. Every team but the Prospects rejected me, and they treated me like shit. Lady Amazing made me feel inadequate for being fat. Sergeant Hammer said I was only good for blowing away farts. The other New York Guardians don’t think I belong here. Alex is the only one who believes in me.”