Forging Hephaestus

by Drew Hayes

  Cyber Geek kicked on his suit’s thrusters, giving himself enough force to pull the gun free mere seconds before one of those blue beams hit the ground where he’d been standing. Sweeping around, he scanned as he ran to see who needed help. As deadly and insane as the situation was, there was also an odd sense of familiarity to it. How many times had he guided digital avatars through situations just like these? Keep the party alive, minimize damage, meet the target goal; he’d drilled for this countless times at his computer. Yes, the stakes were much higher and the skills needed were far different than when it was pretend, but the strategic part remained the same.

  Hat Trick used her multi-colored scarves to cover the camera-eyes of an attack robot, allowing Medley to sink his claws into its metal hide and tear out its innards. Pest Control was swarming the cannons with his wasps, digging them into the circuitry and slowly destroying the guns from the inside. Glyph stood behind the cover of Cold Shoulder’s giant ice construct, but he was doing far more than merely taking cover. His wand swished through the air; when he stopped, a new rune glowed on the lower calf of Cold Shoulder’s frozen armor. Instantly, the ice darkened several shades. The next attack failed to do more than even chip the exterior. Cold Shoulder returned the blow, shattering the offending robot into debris with a single blow.

  Just as Medley pounced onto a laser cannon and Hat Trick filled a mine-shooter’s bunker with playing cards, Cyber Geek saw a path. It was thin and risky, but his teammates and the two villains had successfully managed to open a small avenue forward. Donald would have debated the idea, wondering if they should keep pushing back the forces to try for a more secure opportunity, but Cyber Geek didn’t have room for hesitation in his plan. He barreled forward, cycling through ammo options as he ran. The rune from Glyph still glowed on the side of his gun, and as the icon with only a single bullet appeared in his display, Cyber Geek said a silent prayer to the gods of video games that this would work.

  He darted past Cold Shoulder, who threw an arm out to intercept another mine before it could land and explode in his path. This time, the explosion only took off some of her icy fingers. She stomped the bunker down with the new magical strength in her frosty legs. Medley darted ahead, triggering an electric node that Cyber Geek had missed and then crushing it in his claws despite the voltage racing through him. Hat Trick flipped her top hat around, unleashing a dule of doves that flew above Cyber Geek’s head. Their beating white wings probably weren’t that strong, but hopefully they’d offer enough cover from the sky beam for him to take the shot.

  Then, almost at once, he’d arrived. The crackling energy of the dome was only inches away from him, a barrier strong enough to keep out meta-humans far more powerful than some upstart with video game powers. Much as he might have liked to indulge in self-doubt, it would have to wait. Right now, his team was counting on him. Cyber Geek raised his gun, got it as close to the dome as he dared, and fired.

  A blast of purple energy erupted from his gun, slamming into the yellow barrier with a symphony of hisses and pops, like a computer shorting out from a voltage spike. The collision burned with a phosphorescent glow, forcing him to turn away. When he was finally able to look back, Cyber Geek could barely believe what met his still half-blinded eyes.

  It had worked. There was a human-sized portal in the barrier, tinged with purple edges, just like it was in the game. He’d managed to break through the AHC’s dome, something designed by Professor Quantum, using only his power and a little extra juice from Glyph. Cyber Geek spun around to tell the others, cycling back to regular ammunition so that he might eventually cover their run to join him. But as he turned, he realized that while he’d been burning a hole in an impossible barrier, the entire landscape of the battlefield had changed.

  Everything was broken. Every robot, cannon, mine bunker, electric node, and even the massive drone that accounted for the strikes from above, all of it was shattered and spread out in front of the AHC headquarters. The only things still standing were his teammates, the pair of surprisingly helpful villains, and... Lodestar.

  She ignored the awed stares from the others, who were no doubt partly wowed by her legendary status as much as the destruction she’d visited on obstacles they’d seen as deadly. With a brisk pace, she walked over to Cyber Geek and examined the hole in the barrier.

  “Did you do this?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I mean, I did, I’m sorry, but we needed to get to Quorum, though I know I probably shouldn’t be breaking the barrier. I just—”

  “Relax.” She held up a hand to quiet him, attention still on the break he’d created. “I’m not mad; I was going to shatter the thing anyway. I’m actually impressed. There are a few metas who can overpower the field, like me, but breaching it like this was supposed to be impossible. Professor Quantum is going to be annoyed that you showed him up, and that’s a show I always like catching.”

  “I... thank you. Ma’am.” It felt strange to be saying ma’am to someone who looked half a decade younger than he, but there was no doubt in Cyber Geek’s mind who was more senior. He’d seen pictures of her flying around since he was a child, though she’d appeared older from a distance.

  “Thank you, this saves me some time,” she replied. “Tell your team to get inside; most of you need medical attention, and we’re already well on our way to taking back control of the streets.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Um, what about the two villains? Am I... should we bring them in?” Cyber Geek dearly hoped she wasn’t going to say yes, but at the same time, he couldn’t very well hide the fact that he’d led criminals up to the AHC’s front door.

  “The warrants issued to arrest the guild were provided under false evidence created by Apollo. By now, I bet they’ve already been suspended. So far as we know, those two were just a pair of meta-humans in the wrong place at the wrong time. We are the law’s enforcers, not the law itself, so I can’t see any reason to detain those two young men, especially in light of the assistance they offered.” Lodestar turned back to the starstruck capes and motioned for them to come forward. All three complied, while Glyph and Pest Control headed back out toward the street.

  As they were leaving, Cyber Geek caught Glyph’s eyes and gave the fleeing villain a small nod. There was no doubt these two had been at the museum robbery, but Lodestar was right: they didn’t have any proof or warrants, which thankfully meant there were no grounds to arrest either villain. One day they might have to meet one another again as enemies, but Cyber Geek would be content if that moment never arrived.

  Now, the dragon and Hephaestus who’d humiliated him and Medley, those were different stories. But as Hat Trick limped forward and Medley weaved about, Cyber Geek’s mind fell away from things as petty as revenge. He had a team to take care of. That was his real job.

  Cyber Geek ran to his team, dropping his gun and letting it dissipate, then sticking an arm around Medley and Hat Trick, helping them both through the hole in the barrier. Cold Shoulder was on Medley’s other side in a moment, doing all she could to support his sizable mass. By the time the hole in the barrier collapsed, they were all safely inside, and Lodestar was on her way to free Quorum.

  It wasn’t until several hours later that Donald remembered he was supposed to have a coffee date with Tori, though he took comfort in the fact that he had one hell of an excuse for missing it.

  Chapter 90

  Part of Hephaestus wanted to be surprised that amid a sea of battle, blood, and chaos, Balaam was waiting for them in a small park, an island of tranquility maintained only by his power. But she wasn’t. It was the sort of piss-poor theatricality that wannabes like him reveled in. He’d probably picked the spot out ahead of time, selecting it specifically in case Ivan managed to regain control, knowing full well that he would be the first target of Ivan’s wrath.

  Ivan didn’t seem fazed by it either, his face inscrutable under the thick coating of Blunderbuss’s blood. She’d sort of expected him to wipe it off after coming to his senses, but he�
��d left it in place, perhaps for intimidation, or simply because he didn’t have a mask with him and this offered at least some concealment. As she started forward, he held up a hand in front of her.

  “This is as far as you go.” Ivan turned to her, somehow staring into her eyes through the helmet between them. “He’s dangerous and even stronger than normal. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  “What the hell? Why did you tell me to follow if you weren’t going to let me help?” Hephaestus demanded.

  “Because your suit is one good punch away from falling apart, and if I hadn’t dragged you along, you probably would have thrown yourself back into the fray.” Ivan smiled—not the wild, deadly grin of Fornax, but the gentle, wheedling smirk of her teacher. “And besides, I assumed you wouldn’t want to miss this. Or would you rather just hear about my fight with Balaam?”

  “Okay, point taken. I guess it will make for a good show,” Hephaestus agreed.

  “I’m sure it will; just don’t try to become a participant. No matter how things go.” The smile faded, and Ivan looked as serious as he had on the first day he’d warned her about messing with his children. “I’ve already lived through the pain of losing family once today. Don’t make me repeat that experience.”

  Before she could respond, Ivan was gone, walking across the street to the modest park where Balaam waited patiently. The sorcerer seemed to be all but glowing with power, waiting as Ivan stepped onto the soft grass. Hephaestus backed up several feet, then thought better of it and flew upward, landing on top of a nearby building with perfect line of sight of the impending show.

  “Should be quite interesting.”

  The voice had come from behind her, and Hephaestus whirled around to find a pair of kaleidoscope eyes looking past her to where Ivan and Balaam were slowly drawing closer. Nexus ignored the gauntlet she had pointed toward him, stepping to the edge of the roof for a better view.

  “Even imprisoned, Quorum made quite the difference. His words softened Apollo, and his imprisonment gave the AHC hope that he could be freed. Although you showed some rare results as well. Generally, when you try that plan, Fornax kills you. You aren’t a unique by any means, but you are interesting, Hephaestus.”

  She was tempted to press for more, to find out what Nexus knew, but Stasis’s face flashed before her eyes, that look of lost terror when she’d talked about dealing with Nexus. No. Hephaestus didn’t need his kind of knowledge, and it didn’t matter, anyway. Whatever other versions of her he was talking about were irrelevant. She wasn’t any of them. She was her own Hephaestus, with her own path to forge. And she was going to start by bearing witness to Ivan and Balaam settling their score.

  “Why don’t you shut it?” Hephaestus snapped at Nexus. “My teacher is about to whip the shit out of this traitor, and I want to enjoy every minute of it.”

  * * *

  Ivan came to a stop twenty feet away from Balaam, who hadn’t moved once during the approach. His red irises were gleaming with a power that poured off him in waves, like heat from summer asphalt. While Ivan didn’t know exactly how Balaam had gained such a dramatic increase in his power, it didn’t surprise him. If he didn’t think he had the upper hand, Balaam would never have allowed himself to be found. The man was a snake, but also an experienced strategist and a survivor. Even now, seemingly ready for a final battle to the death, he no doubt had a few dozen tricks up his sleeve.

  “Pity. I thought I’d be facing Fornax,” Balaam said, breaking their silence.

  “I’m sure you hoped for it. A brainless monster you could use your magic to outwit, maybe even trick into serving your purposes. No, Balaam. No Fornax for you. No Pseudonym either. Today, you fight the man whose guild you betrayed, whose apprentice you ambushed, whose children you tried to murder. Today, you fight Ivan Gerhardt, and he has no mercy in his heart for you.” A nearby tree wilted as Ivan’s power fluxed slightly out of control. All that lecturing to Tori about keeping her heat in check, and here he went and let such amateur mistakes happen. Truly shameful.

  “Loud barking as always, but I wonder how you’ll back it up without Fornax’s bite.” Balaam turned his staff through the air, pointing it at Ivan. “That version might have been a brainless monster, but we both know what he’s capable of when properly harnessed. You’re in a precarious position. Hold back and you’ll die; use too much power and the real you will shine through. Show him to me, here and now, because it’s your only chance at survival. I’m too strong for even you right now. Ivan cannot defeat me. Fornax might have a chance.”

  “That’s your problem, Balaam. You always thought Fornax was the more powerful one. You never understood that control is far more important than brute strength.” As Ivan spoke, runes covered his skin for the second time that day, dark magic bubbling to the surface. He drew it forth carefully, in far smaller amounts than earlier. It wasn’t like before—at least, today’s before. No, this time the power served Ivan, not vice versa, and he could think of far better ways to use it than taking wild swings at his target.

  “Well then, let’s see you put—”

  Balaam’s reply was cut off as Ivan slammed his foot to the ground, sending out a wave of energy that had the dirt erupting from the ground in a massive brown cloud. Balaam fell back immediately, raising a spell of protection with a single flick of his staff and preparing a magical blast for his counterattack. The dirt swirled, twisting and expanding, blocking any view of his surroundings. After the first ten seconds passed without an attack, he switched tactics, summoning a mighty whirlwind that blew away enough dirt for him to see. What met his eyes was Ivan neither lining up an attack nor moving into a defensive position.

  Instead, Ivan had his hands pressed to the ground, muttering under his breath as magic poured out of him. Balaam fired the blast he’d prepared, but it was too late. Ivan leapt aside, letting the ground scorch in his place. A ripple of red energy flowed outward from the spot he’d been touching, across the park’s grounds and up into the sky, forming a perfect half-sphere around them.

  “A ward? You cast a ward in the middle of a fight? Half of your fighting style revolves around short-range teleportation!” Balaam’s smug veneer vanished as he probed the barrier sealing him off from the outside world. It was rudimentary but strong. Busting through would be no small task.

  “I didn’t want you trying to cast a teleportation spell if things didn’t go your way,” Ivan replied. “Like I said, Ivan is far more dangerous than Fornax. He knows how to anticipate his enemy’s plans. Though that’s not to say Ivan can’t also get into the fray, when properly motivated.”

  While he didn’t actually vanish—his magic barred such techniques from him as much as Balaam—Ivan did close the gap between them so quickly that it almost seemed like teleportation, striking at the sorcerer with a blow powerful enough to have knocked Apollo off course. His fist slammed against a different kind of barrier, though, one that flashed into existence several inches in front of Balaam’s face. The sorcerer didn’t waste the opportunity, jabbing his staff into Ivan’s ribs and sending him tumbling several feet back.

  “You must have put a lot of magic into that thing,” Ivan remarked, rubbing his side. It didn’t hurt, just mildly tingled. Balaam may wield enough force to move him, but injury was a whole other matter.

  “I have spent decades reinforcing every enchanted item I own, and with today’s ritual, I can fill them with more magic than I ever dared dream.” The air around Balaam flickered as large, bat-like wings grew from his back. The shadows at his feet rose from the ground. “Come and see what a true master of the arcane arts can accomplish.”

  Ivan watched as Balaam’s spells snapped into effect one after the other. Protection charms, shielding magic, metamorphosis, shadow-summoning, fire-warding, and a dozen smaller ones that Ivan didn’t even recognize. By the time it was done, Balaam the sorcerer was unrecognizable. He’d turned into a winged demon hovering in the sky, surrounded by flaming orbs and dozens of sharp-clawed shadow m
inions. This was Balaam as the capes had once fought him, a master mage whose talents had earned him back his freedom when a stolen artifact threatened the world. This was Balaam at the strongest they knew of him, and Ivan was certain that there was still more to be seen.

  With a small exertion of will, Ivan called on more of the dark power buried in his soul. Around him, the grass died and the ground splintered. This was dangerous; he’d already used too much of the magic earlier in the day. Bringing forth too much could cost him his control once more. Still, he pushed on, determined to see this feud finally drawn to a close. His rune-covered eyes met the burning irises of Balaam, all that was recognizable in this new form aside from his staff, and Ivan smiled with perhaps just a hint of Fornax shining through.

  “Show me what you’ve got. Show me everything you’ve got.”

  * * *

  One by one, the guild members were disappearing from the streets. Johnny Three Dicks and Thuggernaut finished off a small cluster of crooks then hopped into a sewer entrance tucked inside an alley. Glyph and Pest Control were ambushed by a gang of eight, which would have been a real issue if a giant white dragon hadn’t landed nearby, quickly turning green and evening the odds. Minutes later, they were clutched in the once-more-white dragon’s claws, being flown out of town as fast as she could flap. The Bytes found a fast food restaurant with free Wi-Fi and minutes later were picked up by a town car service, all being addressed by new names that matched their fresh identities.

  Morgana was the first of the councilors to disappear, simply walking down a dark alley and not emerging. A lovely woman with raven-black hair did come out the other side; however, since she wasn’t surrounded by blood or wielding a scythe, no one paid her much mind. Xelas vanished next, literally turning invisible after she paused long enough to pick up Gork and Stasis. Soon the three of them were tearing through the sky toward a safe house. Doctor Mechaniacal was the final member to depart, seeing things through to the end. Only when the vast majority of gang members were dead or apprehended and when the capes began to look at him with increasing scrutiny did he activate his own shielding system and fly away.