“You believe these—?” Alice said, curious in spite of herself.
“Some, yes, but regarding others, the time line of when they’d have had to be exposed to enhancing chemicals doesn’t match up.”
Alice’s ears perked up at the mention of ‘enhancing chemicals’.
“What if,” Victoria came from behind her desk, “these others were just born this way? What if this is random, and the person with the power was not examined for the possibility of nefarious actions. It would mean that superhuman powers would be in the hands of someone who could use them for evil, to subjugate humanity or destroy them.”
“You would attribute insidious motivations to anyone with powers?” Mrs. Frost asked. “That is perhaps too extreme, don’t you think?”
“Especially since some, like the Jet City vigilantes, help people,” Alice said.
“Yes, but what’s to stop even them from seeing themselves as above the law? To take matters into their own hands and stand in judgment, just because of their special abilities? What if they started to see themselves as better than us?”
Alice swallowed. She’d had similar concerns when she first found out about Lionel and Marco. And there were still moments when she wondered if they could ever feel their special powers might justify them stepping over the line.
And even if I believed they would never do that, what about these other people? Who are they and what do they believe?
She shook her head, disturbed at how quickly fear was taking root in her heart.
“It’s not...I mean, we can’t ever know what anyone will do with the abilities they’ve been given.”
“My thoughts precisely,” Mrs. Frost snapped. “You tread a very precarious line, Victoria.”
“I accept that and believe it is worth it to protect this city, maybe even the entire nation.”
“What are you proposing?” Alice said, trying to keep fear out of her voice.
Victoria’s gray eyes gleamed.
“For many years, the Veran Corporation has had a small Scientific Research branch, which has engineered a serum that, when injected, can enhance a person’s natural strength and stamina. Human trials have been very promising. So, I asked permission for select members of the Police force to have access to the serum in order to combat this new threat. They would become a sort of special unit.”
If Victoria’s human trials were anything like the two men Alice had seen at the warehouse, she didn’t think it was very promising at all.
“The Government canceled the Super Soldier program, because it was too risky,” Mrs. Frost said. “And you wish to re-invent it with a private police force? Do you not see the danger in this, Victoria?”
“No, I do not. I see a world still in need of protecting from a threat no one saw on the horizon.”
Mrs. Frost shook her gray head.
“You see villains where there are none.”
“I remember, quite well, what happened to my country when a man no one saw as a threat came to power. One man, Mrs. Frost, with no special abilities. What will dozens of men and women do if they possess god-like powers? We have the chance to make sure we are defended against them. But, we must do it now!”
Marco’s words from yesterday morning rang in Alice’s mind and she felt pity for Victoria. To live your life under the cruel taskmaster that fear could be, seeing potential threats everywhere, never being able to trust.
“It is too fraught with danger,” Mrs. Frost said. “What is to stop the person in charge of these Police from themselves becoming a villain?”
“That will not happen.”
“How do you know?” Alice asked.
“Because, I would be in charge of it.”
With sudden terrible clarity, Alice felt the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. She could see what Victoria, with all her fear and power, could do with a private army of enhanced people. A sick knot twisted in her stomach, and she was very glad she hadn’t eaten much today.
“I see you are both against me in this,” Victoria said.
In her voice, Alice could hear what she wasn’t saying.
If we do not stand with her, we are her enemy.
“I cannot agree with what you propose,” Mrs. Frost said. “There are too many terrible possibilities.”
“Worse than these — people — running around unchecked, able to do anything they please?”
“Victoria, I don’t think we have anything to fear from them,” Alice said. “They simply want to live their lives.”
She shook her head.
“My dear, I have seen what power unchecked can do. I do not wish that upon the world again. And if I can stop it, I will.”
Alice followed Mrs. Frost out onto the front steps of the house where a dark green Cadillac was waiting, the driver moping his brow before opening the door for them.
“Get in,” Mrs. Frost ordered as she walked down the steps.
Once Alice was sitting beside Mrs. Frost, the car rolled down the quiet drive.
Mrs. Frost tapped her cane on the floor of the car as if she were squashing a bug, her face set in a wrinkled scowl. After a few moments, it was clear that, for the first time since Alice had met her, the woman was speechless.
Alice took a deep breath, feeling a desperate need to break the silence that pressed around them so heavily.
“I was talking with Victoria before you arrived.”
“So I noticed. What were you discussing?”
Alice told her quickly, leaving nothing out.
“And you are sure this man you saw was at the warehouse?”
“Positive. He has a very distinct appearance.”
“So, then, what did you learn from everything this afternoon?”
“She’s Phantasm. I didn’t want to believe it, but...she is.”
“I believe you are correct, and I am sorry, truly, my dear. I know what she has meant to you.”
Alice felt tears burn her eyes and forced them away. She would cry later, if she still wanted to. Now was the time to think and act.
“A person like Victoria,” Mrs. Frost said, slowly as if she were weighing each word. “Who believes she is the only one to know what is wrong and right...a person like that is very dangerous.”
“Even though the police haven’t been our biggest supporters, there’s no way they would agree to such a risky venture.”
“Victoria will find a way to make them come around to her what she wants.”
Alice nodded. “Then, we have to stop her.”
“And quickly, too. However, Victoria is not some two-faced District Attorney or legendary drug lord that everyone will believe you are justified in hunting down. She is a respected woman, a philanthropist, and a wealthy individual with a very long reach. Speaking as someone with similar gifts, I can tell you it will not be easy to convince anyone of what she is doing, until it is too late.”
“So, no help then.”
“Until you have proof, no.”
They fell into silence, each lost in thought. Alice tried to be detached, to think like a hero and not let her feelings cloud her judgment, but each time she thought of a way to find proof or to harm one of Victoria’s interests, a pang of guilt and anger would spring up in her. She had looked up to this woman, wanted to be like her. Now, she had to face the fact that Victoria had a deep dark side, one that was threatening the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands, of people.
And even if she didn’t order Aunt Diana’s death, she was a leader, she could’ve stopped it and she didn’t. But why the Syndicate?
“What I still don’t understand,” Alice said. “Is why she became a part of the Syndicate? How does that help her achieve her aims?”
Mrs. Frost paused, and when she spoke, her voice was quiet but firm.
“It is very hard to be constantly undervalued and thought less of for wanting something more than the world is willing to give you. After a while, you begin to think of other ways to earn the respect you feel you deserve. If Victoria c
ould not find equality in a law-abiding part of the world, she obviously thought she could find it in the unlawful one. And, she did.”
“But you must’ve felt the same as Victoria and you never did anything like that.”
Mrs. Frost fixed Alice with a hard look.
“I may not have turned to crime, but I certainly did something that would be perceived as just as awful. I grasped for the power to accomplish my goals just like Victoria has. The only difference is I never crossed the line into villainy.”
“Yes, that’s true. So what now?”
“Since we now know that Victoria is leading the Syndicate,” Mrs. Frost said, her voice all business once again. “We must consider the criminal activities that the Syndicate is still engaged in. Perhaps we will discover clues about her ultimate plan.”
“Well, we know that they’re still manufacturing Fantasy.”
“How?”
“Because Percy was running it, and it’s still out there. It’s profitable, probably one of the most profitable drugs on the market despite its side effects.”
“And Victoria is a business woman. She would not harpoon her best product.”
Alice nodded. “And Gerald believes that whatever I was gassed with is either a form of Fantasy or very close to it.”
Mrs. Frost’s head whipped around, eyes wide in her wrinkled face.
It took only a second for Alice to come to the same conclusion, exclaiming, “She’s turning it into a weapon! But, why? Why would you do that to a population you’re trying to protect? If that’s what she’s trying to do.”
“Think, Alice. How could she use it to turn Jet City against the heroes?”
Alice rubbed her sweaty palms on her pencil skirt.
“Chaos. If she can cause enough of it as Phantasm, the city might begin blaming the vigilantes for encouraging people to take matters into their own hands, whether they be hero or villain. Then, she can swoop in, as Victoria, save the day and get the recognition and power she’s been craving. And, the Science Foundation is the perfect cover for making all the enhancements, or whatever she might see as necessary, to make her perfectly safe world.”
Mrs. Frost nodded. “Once the Science Foundation has opened and Victoria has worked her influence on the Mayor and City Council, she will have no use for Phantasm.”
Alice lay her head back and closed her eyes. How did they stop someone who was so powerful and respected — and whose plan was well underway?
They rode the rest of the way in silence, the revelations laying heavy between them. The driver pulled up in front of Atlas Books and Alice felt her heart break a little. She had been advised to stay closed until the inquiry was finished, and as each day passed, she was afraid the book store would never re-open.
“It will not be long,” Mrs. Frost said, as if reading her mind. “Another week, I would think, and you can re-open.”
“To what end? I don’t think anyone will buy books from me now.”
“Well, Rose speaks highly of the shop to her friends. Perhaps that could be your new clientele? Negroes are not allowed in many of the stores north of Park Side.”
Alice stared at Mrs. Frost. It was such a simple idea.
Why hadn’t I thought of that?
“Here.” Mrs. Frost handed Alice a small box. “A gift from Rose.”
Inside were three smaller, rectangular boxes. Alice saw a button on the side and pressed it. The sides of the box unfolded to reveal a strange oval mask with straps on either side.
“A gas mask,” Mrs. Frost said. “In case you come into contact with that Fantasy gas again.”
A fear Alice hadn’t realized she was holding onto dissipated, and she smiled.
“Thank her for me, will you?”
“Of course.”
As Alice stepped out of the car, Mrs. Frost leaned forward to give a final admonishment.
“Be careful, whatever you decide to do. Victoria has always been a formidable opponent in business. With something she believes in this passionately, she will be more so.”
“I will.”
Once in the loft, Alice felt her body humming with unspent energy, her mind whirling with a furious need to put together a plan of action.
Training was the only choice.
The minute her fist connected with the punching bag, Alice felt the exhilaration of all that energy directed at something. She let her mind wander in and out of possibilities as her body moved in ways that were as familiar to her as breathing.
After an hour, the sound of sirens in the distance penetrated her thoughts, but she didn’t stop to consider them until the police scanner in her bedroom screeched to life.
“All units report to the offices of the Jet City Chronicle, repeat all units to the Jet City Chronicle! There’s been an attack, smoke or gas in the building, unknown number of assailants.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Alice zoomed around cars, cutting them off and just barely missing a couple of jaywalkers as she sped on the Black Lightning toward the newspaper. It was odd to be out in broad daylight as Serpent, but she didn’t care. Uncle Logan was at the paper. Uncle Logan, who she hadn’t spoken to since they’d fought.
She refused to believe that those would be their last words to each other. He would be alive. Marco was probably there, he would protect Uncle Logan.
Unless he was hit with the gas.
Marco, with his powers, on Fantasy.
Alice opened the throttle up and sped through a red light, narrowly missing a car. As the traffic slowed in front of her, she popped the Lightning onto the sidewalk, barreling around pedestrians until she could take a right-hand turn.
The police had blocked off the street around the paper and it looked like they were trying to evacuate one of the nearby office buildings. The smoke was thin, and Alice was at a distance, but the wind brought just the faintest hint of something sweet.
Her heart began to hammer behind her ribs and she fumbled for the gas mask, slamming it on. She idled the Lightning down an alley, and turned just in time to see Lionel drop down from the roof, eyes quizzical behind his blue cowl.
“What the hell do you have on your face?”
She threw him a box. “Gas mask, courtesy of Rose.”
“That girl’s a wonder.”
“Was Marco—?”
“Right here,” Marco said, dropping down from a fire escape, duster swirling around his dark clad legs.
The breath rushed out of Alice in one relieved gush.
“I was so worried you were in there.”
“If I’d been on time I would’ve been. Lucky me, I guess.”
“What do we do if the police are also affected? Do we know how long this lasts?” Lionel asked.
“Couldn’t be that long,” Marco said, securing the mask. “We could still smell it in the bakery, but it didn’t affect us.”
“So, it must be most potent the first few minutes,” Alice said. “That works in our favor.”
“Yeah, but daylight doesn’t,” Marco said.
“What are the chances we could just talk our way through the barricade?” Lionel asked.
“Even if they weren’t still mad about the warehouse fire? Pretty slim,” Marco said.
“We’re wasting time,” Alice snapped. “The police have no idea what they’re walking into!”
Lionel and Marco stared at her for a moment, their expressions hard to read behind the gas masks.
“He’ll be alright,” Lionel said. “We’ll make sure of it.”
Alice swallowed, tears burning her eyes.
“I just...I can’t lose him, too.”
“Let’s go then,” Marco said, shooting his grappler into the top of a nearby fire escape.
They hopped half a dozen roof tops until they were on the roof of the building across from the Jet City Chronicle.
After the old Chronicle building had burned down, the city had scrounged up the money to build a gorgeous three-story complex. It looked more like a mini-skyscraper
than a newspaper office, with its large windows and gleaming steel exterior. In the spring, fruit trees blossomed along the wide walk that led people to the double glass doors and into a spacious lobby. The grass in front had turned brown in the heat of summer, despite the sprinklers, and some of the flowers that lined the bottom floor windows were dying. But, even so, the Chronicle was still a jewel in Jet City’s crown. And, taking in the presence of so many police officers, Alice could only assume that the Mayor and Police Chief meant to keep it that way.
A barrier had been set up several feet away from the Chronicle. Most of the police crouched behind their squad cars, brown and blue-clad detectives talking in a group behind the beat cops.
Alice felt her insides turn to ice as she took in the damage.
The windows along the bottom floor lobby were completely gone, chairs and a small table lay atop the shattered glass. Papers covered the ground and fluttered in the warm breeze. Here and there, a body lay, some looking as if they’d been beaten to death, others like they’d been shot.
The windows on the second and third floors were mostly untouched. Alice could see people on the roof. At first, she thought that maybe they were trying to get away, but then she saw two of them tackle another and throw him off the roof. She yelped as the person fell with a muffled thump
“It’s made them violent,” Lionel whispered.
“Or it’s a different gas,” Marco said, his voice strained.
“What’s wrong?” Lionel asked.
He shook his head. “I can’t...I don’t know. All those emotions...I can feel them from here.”
“Maybe you should stay, there’s no telling what it’s going to be like in there.”
“No, I can handle it.”
Lionel fixed Marco with a hard stare.
“You don’t have to go in just to babysit me. I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t know that,” Marco said. “I can do this, I’m just going to have to concentrate a bit more.”
“I think I see Garrick,” Alice said, pointing to the end of the barrier nearest the building.
They jumped to one more roof top, and then down, running to the police on the furthest side of the barrier. Several officers turned in fright, pointing their guns. Lionel, Alice, and Marco stopped, hands popping up.
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