by Wyatt Kane
“Ty, how are you doing? We missed yesterday. You all good?”
Ty nodded. “Yeah. Just had a case of the rumbles,” Ty lied. “I just needed to not come in for the day,” Ty said.
“I hear that,” Badger said, although he was among the least likely to take time off without due cause.
“You know where she is?” Ty asked, referring to Angie.
“I think she’s down in the office. There was a discrepancy or something in the take from last night. It’s got her raging, looking for someone to fire.” The big man grinned. “Probably a good thing you weren’t here.”
Ty groaned. Whenever anything like that happened, Angie made life a living hell for everyone. It could be days before she returned to her normal level of maliciousness.
“Thanks for the heads up,” he said. He couldn’t help but think how easily he’d slipped back into his old life, complete with his usual worries and issues.
Badger nodded amiably, but before Ty turned away, the bigger man gave him a puzzled expression. “Did you change something? Get a haircut or something?” Badger asked. “You look different.”
Ty grinned at him. “Yeah, I got these new shoes,” he said. “They make me look taller.”
Badger still looked puzzled, but he accepted Ty’s words. “Well, it looks good on you. Keep wearing them.”
“Thanks,” Ty said. With that, he left the bouncer alone and made his way through to the interior of the Club, which was already pulsing to the beat of strange music and strobe lights.
He found Angie where Badger had said, sitting at her desk in her office, going over the books. The green skinned, toad-like woman looked up at him with a glare that could have split rocks, and when she recognized who he was, her lips broke into a sneer.
“You!” she said.
On another day, the single word would have been enough to make Ty cower. Even now, the expression of hostility and rage made him want to be somewhere else. But now, instead of making him nervous, Angie’s attitude just annoyed him. He had bigger things to worry about.
“Yes, me. I’m here to start my shift. Is there anything in particular you want me to do?”
“Ty Wilcox, you are as useless as a week old salad that’s been left in the sun. I swear, if we weren’t already shorthanded, I’d fire you on the spot. For all I know you are somehow responsible for this mess!” She gestured vaguely at the books in front of her.
Ty almost laughed. “Badger told me there was a discrepancy. If you remember, I wasn’t even here last night. The problem isn’t me.”
The grotesque woman blinked at him in surprise, as if shocked that he would even think to talk back. She stared at him as if uncertain that it was him after all. Maybe she noticed the same changes that Badger had commented on.
If she did, she didn’t mention it. Instead, her sneer hardened into a mask of anger.
“If you talk back to me again, I will fire you. You just see if I don’t.”
Ty bit back a retort. It was a near thing, but he decided that the woman wasn’t worth his energy. “Yes, ma’am. Is there anything you want me to look at in particular today?”
The woman continued to glare at him for some seconds. Then she gave a snort, and said, “That’s better. The dance simulator is acting up again. No doubt you didn’t fix it properly last time. See what you can do with it. Then you can return to your natural habitat. Clean the toilets.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Ty said again, the perfect representation of a whipped employee who held no real hope for the future.
As he left the awful woman’s office, he wondered what might happen when Bane did show up. Personally, he wouldn’t care if the monstrous man destroyed the whole place, but the idea was for Tempest to take the villain elsewhere to limit collateral damage.
Ty himself had no plans of sticking around once that happened. He could cite fear as his excuse, but really, he couldn’t let Tempest face Bane all by herself. Maybe Angie would fire him anyway, although he judged it unlikely. She seemed to enjoy demeaning him too much.
With a heavy sigh, realizing that this part of his life hadn’t changed much after all and trying hard not to look for Tempest with every passing second, Ty got to work.
Fixing the dancing machine was simple. He could have done it with his eyes closed, one hand tied behind his back, and using nothing but a broken screwdriver. Yet he tinkered away with its workings for about as long as he would normally take and wondered what he could do to improve its overall performance.
Perhaps he could turn it into something more entertaining than a gaming machine focusing on dance. It was ancient technology, built around a CPU that had been obsolete for years, yet Ty still thought he could do interesting things with it.
Instead, he just shut the access panel and turned the machine back on.
Then there were no more excuses. He had to head to the bathrooms.
Almost, he wished that Bane would hurry up and make an appearance. It would get him out of this least favorite task. But so far, there had been no sign of him.
It was probably a little early, he thought, then made his way to the storage closet where the cleaning products were kept. Even if one of Bane’s men had already spotted him, there was no telling where the monster himself might be. It could take several hours for him to get there.
The thought might have been enough to make Ty despair, but he caught a glimpse of Tempest sitting at the bar, and that made him smile. She looked like the ultimate goddess with a drink in one hand, and she was surrounded by guys who were taking turns to try to chat her up.
Even though he knew that none of the guys stood a chance, Ty felt a twinge of jealousy that they were with her while he was not. He wanted to go over and talk with her, just to rub their noses in it, but everything had to appear to be normal.
Nevertheless, he caught her eye for a moment. She gave a silent small shake of her head and shrugged.
He understood. No sign of Bane or any of his henchmen.
Yet.
29: A Change Of Plans
The time passed very slowly for Ty. Normally, when working a shift, he would turn his brain off and just zombie through until he reached the end of the day. He would squeeze out whatever enjoyment he could from talking to the customers before Angie the Hutt inevitably found him something revolting to do.
This day was different. He couldn’t shut himself off. At any moment, he expected something to happen. Something to signify that Bane had arrived and that Tempest was dealing with it.
But there was nothing. It was like any other evening with the Club filling up with people looking to have a good time. With all the body modifications on display and the music thumping throughout, it looked and felt like a party of demons dancing and howling and drinking.
Ty found himself checking the time every five minutes until he accidentally bumped into one of the servers and knocked a tray full of drinks flying.
“Sorry,” he said. The server was a pretty girl whom he knew only vaguely. Angie had tainted Ty’s name so thoroughly that few wanted to spend time getting to know him. At first, the server rolled her eyes and made a noise of frustration, then she looked at him more closely.
Just like Angie, Badger, and even Brad had done, she frowned in confusion and reassessed.
“It’s okay,” she said.
But of course, it wasn’t. Angie the Hutt just happened to be near enough to see his clumsiness. She came over with all the grace of an angry hippo and roundly scolded him.
“That’s coming out of your wages!” she yelled. “You’re worse than useless! I don’t even know why you’re on the floor at all! What do you think this is, happy hour for losers? You should be cleaning the shit off the floor in the bathroom!”
Ty had made the mistake of talking back once already this evening. “Yes ma’am,” he said and turned away before she could say anything else.
The minutes ticked by with glacial sluggishness. Ty was starting to wonder if his shift would ever come to an
end when all of sudden there was an alert on his device. He was in the smaller of the bathrooms, and a quick check was enough to tell him that the stalls were all empty.
He thumbed the controls and a holographic image immediately appeared.
It was Tempest. And Ty could see that from her expression that all was not well. “Is he here?” Ty said.
Tempest shook her head. “No. He isn’t coming. There’s no time – meet me be out front. Go now.” With that, the holographic display disappeared, leaving Ty confused and deeply concerned. Without a second thought, Ty left his mop and bucket where they were and hurried out of the bathroom.
Luck was with him. Angie was nowhere to be seen. Ty kept his head down as he moved swiftly through the club. He didn’t even stop when he passed Badger at the door, even though he sensed the bouncer wanted to say something.
“Gotta go!” he said quickly. “It’s an emergency! Tell Angie if you see her.”
With that, he was back outside on the street.
The Concubine Club was popular, and there was a line of people waiting to get in. That didn’t interest Ty in the slightest. All he cared about was finding Tempest.
At first, he couldn’t see her. He looked left and right. “Tempest?” he said, unsure whether he should be shouting or not. “Tempest?”
Then Ty was hit hard in the back. He grunted in surprise and would have fallen except that it was Tempest who hit him. Nor was it her intention to hurt. She was already in the air and had simply picked him up at speed.
“Bane isn’t here!” she shouted, and even though Ty couldn’t see her expression, he heard the worry in her voice. “Somehow he found out where we live. He’s got Dinah!” she said. “He’s taken her!”
Dinah. Beautiful, gentle Dinah, the calm to Tempest’s fire, the yin to her yang. One of the two most incredible women Ty had ever known.
For Ty, flying with Tempest had always been an amazing experience. But now, it felt as if his stomach had dropped. He had never even considered what might happen if Bane found the mansion. All he could do was hold on tight to Tempest’s arms around him.
“Go faster!” he shouted back. All thoughts of work and what Angie might do disappeared under an avalanche of fear for Dinah’s safety. This was worse than anything he could have imagined. He was prepared to face Bane himself, and Tempest could take care of herself.
But Dinah? The deerkin was the most fragile of them all.
Tempest didn’t need to be told more than once. Ty learned then that she had been holding back, perhaps in deference to his more delicate constitution. Now, the blonde superhero sped through the night as fast as she could.
It was all Ty could do to jam his eyes tightly shut and grit his teeth against the cold and the wind.
It was a crazy, mad trip through the darkened sky. But it was also mercifully brief. When they arrived at the penthouse, the landing was rough. Nor did Tempest make any allowances for Ty’s balance. She let him go so abruptly that he stumbled and might have fallen if he hadn’t almost been expecting it. Yet there was no pause in Tempest. She virtually flew to the doors, barely pausing to allow them to open.
“Dinah! Dinah! Where are you?”
Ty followed and joined in with the shouting. “Dinah!” But other than Gremlin appearing in the doorway, there was no response. Worse, the entranceway felt different. Ty couldn’t specify what that difference was, exactly, but he just knew there had been intruders.
With growing trepidation, Ty and Tempest headed deeper into the mansion . “Should we separate?” Ty asked. “Cover everything more quickly?”
“No!” Tempest replied. “I want you with me!” Ty knew that the woman’s answer wasn’t necessarily logical, but that didn’t matter. If Tempest wanted him by her side, that was where he would be. “Dinah!”
Seconds later, Tempest changed her mind. She took to the air and disappeared, perhaps realizing that she could search more swiftly that way. Doggedly, Ty did his best to keep up, but it was a losing battle right from the start. All he could do was trail along in her wake, following the sound of her voice as she kept calling Dinah’s name.
Everywhere they went, there were signs that the place had been searched. The furniture had been shifted. Ornaments lay on their sides or in pieces. Even the paintings had been moved, some of them torn, and others just left dangling at angles.
The destruction wasn’t massive and could probably have been sorted out within a few days. Yet that the intruders would be so systematic with their destruction spoke of a malice that Ty could barely believe. He didn’t understand what had happened. All he could do was look around and call out Dinah’s name even though by then he was sure it would do no good.
Somehow, Dinah was gone. Somehow, when they thought the villain was after Ty, Bane had gone after her.
After several minutes had passed, Tempest found him again. Ty had made his way to the comfortable den where the three of them had spent the previous evening. Here too, everything had been disturbed. But not much was actually damaged, and Ty wasn’t familiar enough with the place to know if anything was missing.
Anything other than Dinah.
Tempest was no longer flying. She entered the den with her face smeared with tears. Yet she wasn’t grieving. She was angry. At him. She came at him in a rage, a perfect blonde bombshell who thought him a target. Not understanding, Ty instinctively brought up his hands and stepped backward.
Not quick enough. Tempest pushed him hard enough that he lost his balance and fell to the floor.
“Was it you?” Tempest demanded. “Did you do it?”
Ty stared up at her in confusion. He could have activated his mesh suit, to protect himself from her anger, but chose not to.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What’s happened to Dinah? What’s going on?”
“How did they find out where we are? The only thing different is you. Are you in league with Bane?
She loomed over him with her fists clenched and anger coming off her in waves. He knew that she was looking for a reason to take that anger out on him. But he still did nothing to defend himself. He just shook his head.
“Tempest, I don’t know what happened. How could I be in league with Bane? I was just passing when I saw him fighting Zach. Bane threatened to kill me for the device I now wear.”
Tempest wasn’t convinced. Her rage had blinded her. “How do I know you weren’t with Bane when the fight started? How do I know this isn’t all a complex plot to get all of our devices?”
Again, Ty shook his head. Yet he responded calmly, with confidence. “Tempest, it’s not true. I don’t know how Bane found your home. But it wasn’t me.” He cast about, looking for ways to prove himself. All he could come up with was the device on his wrist. As quickly as he could, he brought up his profile screen. “Look. Neutral good. It hasn’t changed.”
As Tempest looked at the holographic screen, Ty could sense her resolve wavering. This was evidence that he was telling the truth. Yet she still wasn’t convinced.
“Neutral good alignment can still do the wrong thing if they believe in what they are doing.”
“But why would I lie about it? The first time I saw Bane was when he murdered Zach in the alley. The only other time I saw him was when he came to my apartment with his henchmen.” Ty shrugged. “Tempest, I don’t know what’s going on. Tell me what happened to Dinah.”
It was finally enough. Whether she believed the device or the legitimate desperation in Ty’s plea, he didn’t know. All he knew was that the last of Tempest’s anger crumbled and she burst into tears.
Ty climbed slowly back to his feet. Carefully, not completely sure how she would react, he reached for her and drew her into a hug.
It seemed that she wasn’t sure how to respond either. For a moment, she stiffened. Then, as if dismissing any last doubts she still harbored, she collapsed against him, holding onto him as tightly as he held her.
Ty still didn’t know what was happening, but he knew that
she needed him. “It’s going to be all right. We’ll sort this out, whatever it is. You’ll see.”
30: Message
He held her for long minutes, murmuring words of comfort and stroking her hair. He cared about her more than he wanted to admit and would have done anything to help. Tempest just cried into his chest.
Then, abruptly, she drew away. “I’m sorry,” she sniffed. “I just don’t know what to think.”
“It’s all right,” Ty responded. “But please, tell me what happened. How did you know to come here? How did you know Bane wasn’t at the club?”
Tempest nodded. But instead of immediately starting to speak, she looked about and sat down on the same sofa they had shared the previous evening.
“I received a hologram message on my device. From Bane, although how he managed that, I don’t know. The device’s communication facility is supposed to be secure and encrypted. But he did it.” She looked both angry and worried at the same time, and frustrated by her inability to do anything about it.
“He was laughing through the screen. Gloating. He said he had taken Dinah and was holding her to ransom. Of course, I didn’t believe him. But then he showed me. He had his hand around her neck. She looked terrified.”
Ty was more than shocked. It was worse than he had imagined. Yet he still needed to know more. “What did he want?”
“The same thing as always. Our devices. Not just yours. Look, I saved the message. Watch it for yourself.”
Without waiting for Ty’s response, Tempest indicated that he should sit and brought up her device’s communication panel. Ty did as she suggested, and in moments he was staring at the brutal face of Bane sneering at him through the holographic screen.
The image wasn’t as clear as it had been when Tempest contacted him. But it was clear enough, as were Bane’s words.
