by Drew Hayes
Xelas and Tori turned down a hallway Tori had never been through before. It was largely bare, save for the usual red trim and a single dark wooden door at the end. Something static seemed to race down Tori’s arm as they drew closer—extra security, maintained by magic, technology, or probably both. At least she knew they were heading in the right direction.
“Thuggernaut’s apprentice is a fellow lady, one who can turn into dragons from what I hear. Balaam has a guy who can do magic by scratching symbols on things, which is weird even for a magic user. And lastly, Arachno Bro is training a kid who can summon swarms of insects. Have lots of fun with that one; just seeing those things makes me glad my skin isn’t soft and vulnerable like you humans.”
“Bleh. I might spend more time in fire-form than I expected,” Tori said. Insects didn’t send her scurrying up the walls, but she still wasn’t a fan. “Any hints as to what we’re going to be doing for training?”
“Sorry, even I know there are lines not to cross. Besides, Doc is way too excited about seeing the surprise on your faces for me to take that away from him.” Xelas reached out and pulled open the door, revealing a staircase that went steeply downward, obscuring whatever lay at the bottom from view. “Here endeth your guided tour. Good luck down there, and remember: don’t start anything, but don’t take people’s crap either. Grudges run deep, as do memories of weakness.”
“Cheery,” Tori muttered. “Thanks, though. When this weekend is done, maybe I can buy you a martini, or whatever your equivalent of booze is. You know, to show my gratitude.”
“Taste sensors are fully equipped, so a martini works fine by me.” Xelas pointed down the staircase with a long metal finger. “Now quit stalling and get down there.”
With a deep breath and a long stare, Tori began her descent. No sooner had she passed the first stair than the door closed firmly behind her. She didn’t need to check to know that it wouldn’t budge if she tried to open it. The message was clear: Tori and the others were being put here. Escape was not an option. At least, probably not yet.
Moving briskly lest anyone at the bottom mistake a slow pace for fear, Tori emerged from the staircase into a spacious room. Multiple large chairs and couches were scattered through it, and at the center was a massive table laden with food and drinks. Tasteful art hung on the walls, and an empty fireplace was set against the far corner. The whole place reminded Tori of a high-end lounge, or at least how she’d pictured them from movies and television.
Three other people were already in the room, each wearing a costume quite similar to her own. One was a broad-shouldered man who was helping himself to a plate of thick sandwiches that rested amid the array of food. Another was a thin, almost sickly guy who was sitting in a chair, eyes darting about the room. The final apprentice was a woman, taller than Tori and leaning against the far wall next to the fireplace.
All eyes turned to her as she stepped off the staircase and into the room. To her surprise, the gazes weren’t as unfriendly as she expected. The thin man gave her a courteous nod and the woman kept a neutral expression. Only the one stuffing his face had a non-subdued reaction. He set down his half-eaten meal and strode across the room.
“You must be our fourth apprentice! Damn, nice to meet you, we’ve all heard nothing but great things.” Before Tori could react, he’d swept her hand up in his and was shaking it firmly. “Seeing as we’re all technically named ‘Apprentice’ for now, how about you just go ahead and call me Lance. I don’t see any harm in giving you a first name.”
“I... um... Tori. My name is Tori.” She wasn’t sure why she was giving out her name so easily; it was just that Lance’s friendliness had taken her off guard. That was not how she had expected to be greeted by her fellow apprentices.
“Tori. Well, that’s a lovely name, if I do say so. The fellow over there who needs a sandwich is going by Warren right now, and our silent, strong lady at the far end is Beverly. Seeing as I’m sure someone with your connections already knows who we’re apprenticing under, that probably gets you all the way caught up.” Lance released her hand and headed back toward the table, where he waved his hand over the food. “We’re supposed to eat our fill while we wait for training to start. They seem to think the food is poisoned or something, but I’m five entrees deep and have to say that it must be some damn tasty poison.”
“Feel free to ignore him,” the lanky lad named Warren told Tori. “We’ve already begun to.”
Tori contemplated ignoring the food like the others, but she didn’t really see the point. If they were trying to drug them, there were easier, less obvious ways to go about it. Besides, she’d had a light lunch thanks to Ivan suddenly dumping a bunch of work on her, and the food did look pretty yummy.
“Screw it; there are worse ways to go.” She walked over and joined Lance, helping herself to some chips and chicken fingers, along with a cold soda. There was also beer in the bucket; however, that seemed to be tempting fate a touch more than she should. No matter what was coming, Tori suspected she was going to need her wits for it.
If Ivan’s training was any indication, whatever was waiting for them would be neither gentle nor easy.
* * *
“Hey, Dad.” Rick gave his father a brief hug before letting go and scurrying in the house. Ivan tried to remind himself that his son was simply at that age where being around any parental figure was, to quote, a drag.
“I missed you, Dad!” Beth jumped up and gave him a big hug, and Ivan took the opportunity to squeeze her tightly. Though she too had entered her teens, Rick’s younger sister hadn’t yet developed the inevitable impending allergy to parental affection. It would be a sad day when they both reached that point, and Ivan intended to get every drop of affection while he still could.
“I missed you, too,” Ivan said, finally setting his daughter down and ushering her inside. From the Jeep in the driveway, Janet gave a solemn nod to her ex-husband, which Ivan returned. Avoiding each other made keeping up a peaceful appearance much easier, especially given how much they couldn’t talk about in front of the kids.
Shutting the door firmly behind him, Ivan turned to find Rick sprawled out on the couch with the television already turned on, while Beth sat in a nearby chair. “I’m so sorry I had to reschedule our last visit. Did you all have fun at the theme park at least?”
“Heck yeah, we went on a ton of rides,” Beth said.
“But we missed the freaking event of the year in town,” Rick grumbled from his slouched position on the couch. “All everyone at school is talking about is that weird storm. They say a bunch of people even got superpowers from the lightning. Maybe if we’d stayed, we could have been able to fly or something.”
“Or maybe you’d have been turned into a fly-like monster with a proboscis for a face and tattered wings for arms,” Ivan countered. “These accidents are very dangerous things. Not every meta is happy about what they are, you know.”
“Progress comes with a price.” Rick clicked through the channels until he came upon a documentary about NASA’s newest probe being sent off in the direction of the last alien debris that had rained down on Earth.
“I’m set with a regular face and arms,” Beth replied. “Roller coasters beat weird chemical storms any day of the week.”
“And that’s why she’s the smart one,” Ivan said. Despite his teasing tone, he actually meant it. Rick might have a knack with mathematics, but Beth was the only one of the two who seemed to realize that metas and aliens and subterranean species weren’t always good things. More than one person with a relentless interest in metas had found their way to join the inhuman ranks, often with terrible results. Had Ivan possessed the power, he would have shielded his children against anything that might steal their humanity. Sadly, that was beyond even his exceptional abilities.
“Off the couch and go get ready for dinner,” Ivan commanded. “I’ve made a big enough meal that even the two of you should get full, but only washed hands get to eat.”
Beth took off quickly with Rick moving at a weary trudge. Ivan watched them go then turned his attention to the remaining work in the kitchen. He glanced at the table and noticed he’d forgotten to set a place. He quickly realized that no, he’d been right the first time. For a moment he’d forgotten that Tori wasn’t in the house with them and therefore wouldn’t be joining the family for dinner. It was a relief not to have to worry about her tinkering away in the basement, perhaps courting an explosion to blow up his house’s foundation. But, if he were completely honest, it was also a bit strange not to have her raiding his fridge and peppering him with questions he didn’t want to answer.
Ivan shook off the sentiment and continued into the kitchen. There was no point in worrying about his apprentice. She was in capable hands that would give better training than he could ever hope to. Assuming said training, or the other apprentices, didn’t find a way to kill her, of course.
* * *
Tori was on her third bag of chips when they heard the thumping of steps coming down the staircase. As soon as the figure stepped into view, it was instantly recognizable to her and she suspected to the others as well. Doctor Mechaniacal stood before them in all his metal-suited glory, spiked glowing helmet fixed firmly over his face. This was not the councilor or instructor she had met previously: this was the leader of their guild and the overseer of their future.
“You all have been chosen for the chance to join our organization. This is a burden we will place on you, a trust you must guard carefully, and a privilege few will ever see. Our lives are not easy, nor do we have the luxury of being soft people. Therefore, over the next few days, I will test the strength of your bodies, powers, and minds. If you can endure this hardship, you will be one step closer to true membership, and all that comes with it.”
From behind Doctor Mechaniacal, Tunnel Vision stepped into view, separating to flank their leader. The sister, who Tori suspected was Vision but had yet to confirm, stiffened as her eyes began to glow. Her twin brother, the most likely candidate for Tunnel, raised his hands and pressed them to a nearby wall. Before their eyes, the red-painted plaster disintegrated, revealing a long stretch of plains similar to the one Ivan had taken Tori to the weekend prior. Gasps came from Lance and Beverly, though Warren seemed oddly unfazed. Tori wondered if he’d already seen this trick before. Hell, for all she knew, he could do it himself; it wasn’t as though anyone had been forthcoming about their powers so far.
“All of you, step through.” Doctor Mechaniacal pointed to the open gateway to clarify, as though there were another place they could go. Tori bit down a sarcastic comment and followed orders, moving from the cool, air-conditioned room to a hot, arid landscape. By her guess, they were probably in the same general area where she and Ivan had trained, though this spot had mesas looming over them, partially blocking out the cloudless sky.
Lance, Warren, and Beverly followed suit, all three squinting as their eyes adjusted to the bright sun now glaring down on them. Doctor Mechaniacal followed, stepping out of the side of the cliff where the portal had manifested. Tori still wondered how they knew where to set the connecting spots up when they made these tunnels through space, though she had a theory that involved telepathy and far-sight.
“Your test for the following days is a simple one,” Doctor Mechaniacal informed them. “Scattered throughout this area are an array of robots designed to attack you on sight. Additionally, there are hidden caches containing food, supplies, and other useful items. Your primary goal is to survive. Anyone who is so injured that they require intervention is deemed a failure. On top of that, however, there is a secondary goal. Every robot has a metallic core inside of them, ones made of copper, silver, gold, and platinum. The more valuable the metal, the more difficult the robot holding it will be to kill. Those who survive and bring back those cores will be paid for what they collected. Copper wins you ten dollars, silver a hundred, gold a thousand, and one of the rare, precious platinum cores is worth ten thousand dollars. Additionally, whoever gets the most money is deemed the winner and receives one hundred and fifty percent of their orbs’ value.”
Tori’s eyes went wide. She could practically feel the excitement humming in her fellow trainees. That was a shitload of money up for grabs, all for the simple task of beating up robots. Then again, these were robots designed by Doctor Mechaniacal, so she’d be a fool to assume they’d go down easily. But damn... ten thousand dollars would buy a lot of high-end tech, and no doubt the others had their own uses for such large sums of money. For training villains, cash in hand was the perfect motivation.
“At sunset on Sunday, you will be here, waiting for us to bring you back. Failure to do so is just that: failure. Your test begins now,” Doctor Mechaniacal informed them, stepping back through the portal into the cool, safe room they had all walked away from. Seconds later, the window across space was gone, leaving them all staring at the plain, craggy side of a brown cliff.
A smile crested Tori’s face as she surveyed the landscape, wondering where those wonderful robots bent on her destruction might be hiding. The real training had officially begun.
Chapter 19
Warren hunched over and began to scrawl symbols on the dusty ground. Before Tori’s eyes, each one glowed as his finger traced the strange, arcane shapes into existence. When they were completed, each flashed with an emerald light before causing different effects. The first rune sent a wave of energy rippling out, washing over the four apprentices and continuing off in all directions. Warren’s second rune solidified the dirt around it, transforming it into a green stone that he plucked from the ground and stuck in his pocket. The third and final rune conjured a green fire before burning out, leaving an arrow pointing toward one of the nearby cliffs.
“That should buy us a little time,” Warren informed them. “My blast will scramble just about any manner of detection software the robots are using. You have perhaps an hour, at best, so I suggest everyone find a safe place where they can hole up and wait this out.”
“With orbs worth ten grand out there? No way I’m ducking down.” Lance reached out and a small swarm of flies materialized in front of his palm. The swarm grew exponentially, doubling in size every few seconds, until the sound of tiny flapping wings filled the air and set Tori’s teeth on edge. At last, Lance made a small gesture and his myriad of miniature minions took to the air, scattering in every direction as they buzzed through the dry desert air.
“And what exactly did that accomplish?” Warren asked.
“I’ll tell you if you explain the rock and the arrow,” Lance replied.
“Neat as both tricks were, don’t any of you think that maybe we should talk strategy?” Tori suggested. “Seems like there’s a lot of money at stake; might make sense to come up with some sort of coherent plan.”
The other three turned to stare at her with expressions that made Tori wonder if she’d somehow insulted their mothers, lovers, and honor all at once with her proposal. It was Beverly who finally spoke, voicing the sentiment that the others were clearly feeling.
“What strategy do we need to talk about? Everyone goes out, kills all the robots they can, and reaps what they earned. Or do you think you deserve a cut of everyone’s winnings just because your teacher is on the council?”
“The fuck?” Tori jerked a thumb at Warren, who did his best to look inconspicuous. “His teacher, Balaam, is on the council too, not that it matters in the first place. I wasn’t trying to take control or demand a cut, just pointing out that it might make more sense to work together, or at least coordinate. Think about it: four tiers of robot, four of us. Doesn’t it seem like maybe we’re only going to be able to take down the tougher ones working as a team?”
“Perhaps your teacher has placed you under some serious misconceptions,” Warren said. “We are all training under a guild of villains, people who personify the self-reliant ideology. While some collaboration is necessary for the guild’s survival, it is certainly not meant to be the focus of
our training. Look at the challenge itself: those who take the risks reap the rewards. All of it was built around the idea of us getting our own winnings.”
Warren, it seemed, either already had Balaam’s unwillingness for teamwork or had been taught it in their short time together. It wasn’t exactly a surprise to Tori; she’d hoped for better, but had expected the worst. What she hadn’t expected was Beverly and Lance to nod along with the sickly-thin young man, clearly on the same page. They were wrong, though; Tori had seen firsthand how much focus the guild placed on working together. The council meeting, the groups of friends, the code—all of it indicated that guild members were never entirely on their own, for better or worse.
“Look, I think you aren’t really seeing everything about this challenge. If we coordinate with one another—”
“So sorry that we foolish newcomers don’t have your depth of perspective,” Warren interrupted. “But I think it’s you who is missing something: no one cares what you think. We all know this is a competition, and we won’t let you trick us into wasting our time so you can pull ahead. Keep chattering if you like; I for one am done listening.”
With that, Warren jogged away from the rest of the group and toward the direction his arrow had pointed him in. Lance looked at Tori and gave a half-apologetic shrug before heading off at a brisk pace in another direction. For a moment, only Tori and Beverly remained.
“I get what you were trying to do,” Beverly said carefully. “Thuggernaut told me you probably wouldn’t be as bad as the rumors made you out to be, and it seems like you really were thinking of what was best for everyone. That said, I can’t work with anyone else. It’s too dangerous for all of you.”
