by Drew Hayes
“These are my friends from the program. The mandatory one. That I go to on weekends.”
Donald knitted his eyebrows together in confusion; then, all at once, comprehension set in. “Oh! Right. The, um, the… thing.”
“It’s okay, Donald, you can say drugs.” Without a moment of hesitation, Lynn stepped forward, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. “I’m Dr. Faye, but please call me Lynn. I’m the group’s supervisor. You must be one of Tori’s coworkers.”
“Yes, ma’am. We’re cubicle neighbors,” Donald confirmed.
“How lovely. Well, these are my other patients: Alexis, Beverly, Gretchen, and Stacey. Tonight, everyone is out for a night of proving to themselves that they don’t need drugs to have fun.”
The other women nodded, seemingly unbothered by having their business put on display. Tori, however, looked like she wanted to dig a hole and climb inside. While Donald searched for something to say, one of the other women—Alexis, he was fairly certain—clapped Lynn on the shoulder.
“No drugs, no doubt about that, but booze is still on the table, right, doc? I didn’t use my father’s connections to get us in here for nothing.”
Lynn frowned slightly but gave a nod of her head. “While I don’t recommend it, controlled, carefully monitored drinking is all right, since none of you have any history of alcoholism.” She turned back to Donald and gave a small shrug. “This is a readjustment group, and part of that process is allowing them to define their own limitations.”
“Donald, who’s your friend?” Tori asked, less out of curiosity and more out of a desire to get her supposed drug-abuse history out of the limelight.
Spinning around, Donald realized that Ren had gotten up from their couch to join the group and was now waiting patiently to be noticed. “Crap, I’m so sorry. Everyone, this is my friend Ren. We know each other from... the gym.”
As soon as Donald finished speaking, he knew he’d made a mistake. Six sets of mascaraed eyes told the clear story that they weren’t buying his shit. While Ren looked like he probably lived in a gym, Donald would have been out of place even changing the towel bins. Even Ren seemed surprised by the explanation, which didn’t help sell the story in the slightest. Donald fumbled, trying to think of a more believable reason that would also account for the lie, but, fortunately for both of them, Ren was a little more composed under pressure.
“Donald, it’s okay, you don’t need to be embarrassed,” Ren said before facing the women. “We’re actually in the same raiding party in Legacy World. I just moved to town for work, and Donald was nice enough to offer to show me around. He’s a little skittish about admitting that we’re friends from an online game, though.”
Unlike the gym lie, this went over almost without question, as it was easy to believe Donald was the sort who’d spend hours playing around in the digital world. The only one who found it suspicious was Tori; she’d worked with Donald long enough to know he was anything but shy about his love of the MMO. It was an issue she might have pressed if she weren’t so concerned with keeping her own lie undiscovered.
“So, Donald and Ren,” Alexis said, sliding forward while carefully avoiding touching either of them. “I know how we got up here. What’s your deal? One of you invent a search engine or something?”
Tori’s stomach, finally recovered from the shock of seeing Donald in such a strange environment, fell through the floor. In all the oddness of seeing a coworker while out with her guild-mates, she’d nearly forgotten why she hadn’t seen Donald all week in the first place. While she was supposed to be in the hospital, he’d no doubt been getting settled in at his new job... with the Alliance of Heroic Champions.
The slender hope she held out that Donald would be too modest to mention it evaporated as Ren threw an arm around his friend’s shoulder and proudly proclaimed, “Guess you folks haven’t been watching the news. My buddy here single-handedly stopped an attack on his office last week. He got scooped up by the AHC within hours.”
“Wait,” Beverly said, her eyes darting back and forth between Donald and Tori. “You mean he’s...”
“That’s right,” Ren confirmed. “Standing before you is one of Ridge City’s newest professional superheroes.”
* * *
On the far side of the fourth floor, across the open space that looked down on the dance area, sat a man with kaleidoscope eyes, all but bathing in the awkwardness of the scene unfolding across the way. He shouldn’t have been there, of course, as he was not a VIP, or at least not the sort that was ushered into high-end lounges. He also shouldn’t have been able to see or hear what was occurring with any clarity, but Nexus had long ago learned how to extend the range of his senses with a few pinhole-sized rips in dimensional space. It was fascinating to see the budding metas squirm as they met each other on unfamiliar ground, both spinning lies as quickly as they could conceive of them, but it wasn’t why Nexus had come out this evening.
Stasis so rarely indulged in leaving the guild headquarters; he liked to be on hand to watch what might occur when she did. This was not a habit predicated on anything about her, in particular; across infinite multiverses, she was among the few creatures that only occupied one. There were many versions of her as she’d been before, of course, yet she was the only one to transcend. The lone Stacey to become Stasis. Nexus was fascinated with all the singulars he encountered. Singulars were beyond rare, and this world hosted two of them. Nexus often wondered if Quorum’s existence was part of why Stasis had survived her accident, though he’d never been able to find a tangible string of events to tie the two together. It might be chance—that was always in play—but the longer Nexus ricocheted through the multiverse, the more he found almost everything was connected in some manner or another. Occasionally, Nexus would wonder if he was, in fact, the inadvertent cause of Stasis surviving when every other version of her perished or survived unchanged. While he couldn’t fathom how he might have impacted things, the potential was impossible to deny. After all, the accident that created her had been based on his theory and experiment.
He sipped a cosmopolitan taken from the corpse of the man who’d actually rented out this area. Around Nexus were smoldering bodies, flash-fried in a burst of heat from a dimension that was almost entirely composed of lava. Nexus had never been big on sharing his personal space. Unlike the general VIP lounge, this spot had a closed door and low lighting, making it the perfect place to sit peacefully and observe the evening’s events.
As the women went over to Cyber Geek and Medley’s table and had the staff bring another couch and chair over, Nexus frowned. Things weren’t spinning out of control as he’d hoped. After going through so much trouble to pick a good seat, it would be a shame if there was no show to enjoy. Fortunately, Nexus was not a mere spectator. With a bit of effort, he could provide entertainment for everyone to enjoy.
It was just a matter of choosing the right props.
* * *
What Tori was most taken aback by was how unfazed everyone else seemed to be by the revelation. Gretchen was quiet and stoic—no big surprise given Gork’s usual personality. Alexis had clapped her hands and began fawning over Donald, asking to hear the story of how he’d saved the office. This was weird, sure, but no weirder than any of the other behaviors Xelas exhibited. Stacey seemed unbothered by the revelation—a bit bored if anything—and Lynn had merely smiled politely and complimented Donald on his prestigious position.
The only one to actually seem surprised and uncertain by the revelation was Beverly, who shot Tori a curious glance. Tori replied to with a shrug that said, “Yeah, I know it’s weird. I’ll explain later; this isn’t the time or place to talk about it.” She hoped it said that, anyway. Regardless, Beverly let the silent exchange end, following the others to the section where the guys had been camped out as Alexis had the staff bring in more chairs.
Within moments, everyone was comfortably seated, a few with drinks in their hands, as Donald regaled the table with the harrowing
tale of how he’d stopped the three armed gunmen that had taken their floor of Vendallia Industries hostage. Tori noticed that Donald squirmed a bit when he got to the parts where he had to glaze over Chloe, and, by extension, her own contributions to the story, so every time he looked over, she gave him a reassuring smile. She liked that he felt guilty. Tori had never been fond of those who liked to steal glory, but ultimately this version of the story was for the best. Powers had unquestionably altered the course of her life and the lives of everyone seated around her, with the possible exception of Ren. If Chloe wanted to live as a normal person, Tori could understand why. As fun, exciting, and tumultuous as the meta life was, it also came with a lot of danger and uncertainty. For some people, that wasn’t a worthwhile trade.
“... and I managed to get off a shot to his face with my freeze-gun, which finally did the trick and knocked him out,” Donald said, concluding the harrowing yarn of his triumph. “After that, things were kind of a blur. Cops came pouring in, EMTs rushed Tori and Mr. Gerhardt to the hospital, and then the last thing I could have ever expected happened. Apollo, of all people, showed up to help me make sense of things. He told me the AHC was impressed with what I’d pulled off and wanted to offer me a spot in their ranks. After that, it was pretty much just a press conference and paperwork.”
“Wow! The Apollo came to court you? That’s got to be something special. Your power must be really incredible.” Alexis would have come off as sarcastic if not for her wide eyes and properly captivated tone. Tori was impressed with her senior’s acting chops, as well as a bit surprised at how much she seemed to be enjoying her role. She also felt the slightest twinge of annoyance; even if Donald didn’t know he was being mocked, Tori still did, and it felt unwarranted. Regardless of what jackasses other capes might be, Donald was just some guy who’d gotten powers tossed in his lap and was trying to do his best with them.
“It’s not all that amazing,” Donald replied, fidgeting nervously as Alexis inched closer to him. “Like I said, I just manifest digital objects. There are lots of way cooler powers than mine out there. I mean... did you catch that new guy, Medley, on the news? He’s got some real strength, if you ask me.”
“Well, strong or not, Medley wasn’t the one there when our whole office needed help,” Tori replied. She lifted her drink—soda with the barest splash of gin—higher than needed off the table and held it in the air. “Here’s to you, Donald Moss. You saved a lot of lives that day, mine among them. I hope you get to spend the rest of your career saving many more.”
The others joined in, clinking their glasses and drinking to Donald’s honor. As she sipped her own, Tori wondered if there would ever come a day that she could tell Donald four members from the council ruling over a guild of villains had toasted to his good fortune as a superhero. Probably not; in fact, she might even take a little heat for it once they were back in the limo. That was fine, though. Donald was her friend, and he deserved to feel good about what he’d done. Besides, heat was one thing Tori never had any issues handling.
“That’s... strange.” Ren tilted his head to the side like a dog trying to puzzle out the mysteries of a doorknob, a crease of worry appearing on his forehead. “Why are people... ?” Without another word, he rose from his seat and darted over to the edge of the railing which encircled the entire floor. The others joined him, more curious than concerned.
As she walked over, Tori realized what had caught Ren’s attention. While it was hard to hear over the pumping music and carefully-designed acoustics, a new sound was emerging from the dance floor. It wasn’t bass or treble or even people hollering their drink orders at overworked waitresses. No, this was something she’d heard before, and never on good occasions.
People on the dance floor were screaming. Screaming in fear, panic, and pain.
Tori peered over the railing with a gasp that escaped her lips without waiting for permission. There amid the chaos on the ground level was a bizarre creature that looked like a mix between a rhinoceros, a gorilla, and a truck. Dark, scaly armor coated nearly every part of its body as four muscular, misshaped arms reached out and snared the innocent dancers that tried to run away. Its thick, trunk-like legs cracked the ground as it moved, far too nimble for a creature of its size. It dropped screaming people into a toothy maw mere inches below the six-foot horn on its face.
“What... what the hell is that thing?” Donald was even paler than normal, no small feat for a man with his complexion, and his hands were shaking as he stared down at the monster currently murdering people by the handful.
Though the question hadn’t been addressed to her and she doubtlessly didn’t intend for Donald to hear the answer, Stacey still muttered a single word beneath her breath. Since she was next to Tori, it was just barely loud enough to make out each syllable, and when Tori put them together her blood ran cold.
“Nexus.”
Chapter 47
There was no telling how long Donald would have stood there clutching the railing and watching innocent people die if a firm, slightly painful squeeze to the shoulder hadn’t brought him back to reality. Ren was staring at him as he gripped Donald’s flesh, clearly waiting for something to click. But what was there? They should be safe up here, hopefully. Probably not forever, but at least until the capes arrived.
That was when it finally hit him—they were the capes. This mess, this monster, they were the ones who had to deal with it. No cavalry was coming because it was already there. Donald nodded—a weak, shaky gesture that made him feel slightly dizzy as he did it—and Ren let go of his shoulder. Moving more on instinct than intent, Donald unbuttoned his sleeve and yanked it up on his arm, revealing the small, black digital pad. He brushed a finger across the surface and the device hummed to life. A half-dozen categories were there to greet him. He clicked on the very first one: weapons. He needed something to stop that monster, and something told him a freeze-gun wouldn’t cut it this time.
“Donald?” Tori was looking at him, clearly worried. He wasn’t sure if it was for her own safety or for his, as even he knew he must look like a wreck. “What are you doing?”
Donald took a deep breath, trying to force himself to calm down. If he panicked, if the cape lost his composure, then everyone else would too. Beyond his responsibility to keep them safe, he also had to make them feel safe, even if he was lying out of his ass. That was part of what it meant to be a superhero.
“I’m grabbing something to deal with the rhino-monster down there,” Donald said, much louder than he needed to for Tori to hear. It wasn’t just for her; it was for all of the others up on their floor, the scared men and women who’d just been forcibly reminded of how very mortal they all were. He skimmed through the digital display, looking for an item with high damage that would still give him a controlled shot. Power was useless if it caught innocent people in the crossfire. It took three screens, but Donald found what he needed. A spark of blue electricity came from his hand as he pulled the item out of the screen, out of the game program running in the interface’s background and into the real world.
“The Buster Burster Blaster should handle this.” Donald nearly fell backward under the weight of the massive gun, almost as long as he was tall, but he managed to keep his balance long enough to rest the edge of it on the railing. Peering through the eyepiece in the back, Donald suddenly felt a wave of familiar comfort wash over him. The display was just like in Blaster Brahs, only this time, he was the first person whose perspective was being used. With a flick of the wrist, he cycled through the settings, choosing the plasma ray and locking on to the massive target below. Of all the elements the gun fired, this would be the most precise. Plus, it had a massive damage output, even if the cool down cycle was annoying. It would be okay, as long as Donald could end this in one shot.
“Here goes everything,” he muttered under his breath. Exhaling slowly, he squeezed the trigger, a soft whir of gadgetry filling the air just before the plasma beam cut through it.
Thoug
h Donald was the one firing, it was everyone else in the room who got the best view of what happened. A blinding white light tore from the oversized gun, heading directly for the creature’s torso. At the last instant, displaying more speed than anyone would have believed if they hadn’t seen it, the monster turned to the side. With this new angle, the beam struck the creature just to the right of its shoulder. The beam hit the dark, chitinous armor and for a moment, the plasma ray was actually stopped. Less than a second later, a loud crack filled the air, followed by an inhuman roar from the beast. As the beam thinned and vanished, one of the creature’s arms fell to the ground with a mighty thud, dark orange blood trickling out from the stump.
“Well, it stopped eating people,” Alexis said from behind him. She was right, too. The alien rhino-monster wasn’t attacking random dancers anymore. Now its attention was solely focused on the gun that had taken its arm and, of course, the red-headed man shakily holding it. With two steps forward, it reached up a giant hand, gripped the edge of the second floor, and began to climb.
“Shit... shit, you all need to get out of here.” Donald pulled away from the gun, only pausing to check the remaining cool down time. It would be over a minute before he could get off another shot, and at the rate the thing moved, he wasn’t sure he’d live that long. “Ren, get everyone to safety.”
“Yeah, your buddy slipped out of here while you were fiddling with your tablet,” Alexis told him.
“Why would he—”
The familiar roar from below answered Donald’s question before he’d fully formed it. A glance over the railing confirmed that Ren, now back in his furry glory as Medley, was charging across the bloody dance floor. He leapt onto the creature’s back. His claws, always so sharp, were scratching ineffectually on its hard armor, causing annoyance rather than pain. Still, it was enough to make the monster swat at him, which slowed its ascent. At this point, Donald would take whatever good fortune he could come by.
