by Hayes, Drew
“Yeah, but I can’t start punching someone until I know how to find them, so I was trying to come up with ideas.” Vince wondered if this was really coincidence or not. The son of Globe and the son of Intra being dropped off so near each other for what was, apparently, the year’s most intense exam. It smelled like the sort of situation cooked up to put people at ease with his connection to a famous villain.
“Smart. Forgive me for overstepping if this is the case, but can’t you sense energy? Dean Blaine indicated that the chain reaction would be building for ten minutes, so I have to imagine it will put out enough power to track,” Chad suggested.
That was a good idea. Pity it wouldn’t work. “I have to know what I’m sensing to find it. I can do fire, electricity, and kinetic because I’ve gotten familiar with all of them. Never had occasion to take in nuclear power, and given that I was a Powered most of my life, that’s probably a good thing.”
“I see. Just as well. I can only assume they’re using some sort of faux-nuclear power anyway; hardly seems worth the risk to use the real stuff just for authenticity. That means our best tracking options are myself and Amber.” Chad reached up to his ear and turned on his communicator, which reminded Vince he needed to do the same. As it turned out, they weren’t the first to have this idea, as they entered a conversation mid-sentence.
“-to the east. The only downside is that running all those drones is going to leave me highly vulnerable, so I need some defense until the search is complete.” The voice, to Vince’s surprise, belonged to Will. He wasn’t usually one to speak up a lot during these tests, which must mean he’d felt he had something serious to contribute.
“Hey guys, Vince and Chad just hopping on,” Vince said. “Did we miss something?”
“I’ll say you did. Will brought a new toy along for this trip, one that might end up saving our collective ass,” Violet informed him.
“After the test where we received help from the woman calling herself Dispatch, I was inspired by how much easier things were when the team had access to active information. So I created a fleet of small, airborne surveillance drones. Didn’t expect I’d have a chance to test them so soon.” Will was doing a masterful job of hiding what had to be annoyance at using precious time to re-explain the plan. “They have a myriad of camera functions, meaning they’ll be able to map the battlefield, including building interiors, as they explore it. And if someone is pooling enough energy for a nuclear chain reaction, I should be able to see it. I need a line of defense around me to coordinate them though, and then I can guide the rest of you. I’m near a supermarket on Baker Street on the east side of the city.”
Vince glanced to Chad. “We could get across the city fast, and I’m sure we could hold the line if needed.”
“You, perhaps, although your powers are better suited to self-defense than protecting someone else. As for me, I’m a poor fit for that job. Infiltration and assassination are among my best skills, so I’d serve the team best by joining the offense. Give it a few seconds. We have a strong team; the right people will take up the right jobs.”
Just as Chad finished speaking, the comms crackled to life once more. Shane’s voice came through them. “Will, I’ll be your front line of protection. I’m near the east side and can be there soon. We need someone to defend against ranged strikes, anything from an enemy too far out for me to hit.”
“If there’s ever going to be a cue for me, I’d say that’s it,” Thomas volunteered. “I’ll join Shane and Will.”
“Perfect. The rest of you, start moving.” Will didn’t slow down, issuing new orders as soon as the last situation was resolved. “Based on previous fights they’ll have put us all on the outskirts of the city and the action will be toward the center. You need to be somewhere you can move once I start piling up information. Alice, you’re the most mobile member of the group, who do you have with you?”
“Violet, Amber, and I all got dumped off at the same place,” Alice’s voice replied. “So we’ve got the makings of one hell of an offense.”
“Excellent. And Vince, where are you?” Will asked.
“Me?” Vince was taken off-guard, eyes sweeping his surroundings for some sort of context. “I’m with Chad down a small alley. There’s a museum across the street, if that helps.”
“I’ll find you once the cameras are up.” Will hesitated for a moment. Vince could almost hear him taking a breath and mulling things over. “Vince, if time gets low and the situation turns dire, you are the most immediately destructive member of our class. I may have to call upon you to unleash a significant amount of energy against our target, ignoring everything else around him. Can I count on you for that, or should I conceive of another contingency plan?”
Saying yes felt like it should be easy. They were all robots, after all. But while that was true today, it wouldn’t be in the future, when he was in this situation for real. Would he be able to do it then? Would he be able to kill innocent people to save the world as a whole? Truthfully, Vince didn’t know. He wouldn’t, not truly, until he was in that moment, faced with that choice. Still, this was probably as good a dry run as he’d ever get.
“Count on me, Will. I’ll make it happen if I’m needed. Let’s just try not to get to that point.”
Chad’s hand fell lightly on his shoulder, and Vince glanced over to see a rare smirk on his face. “See, I told you the right people would step up for the right jobs.”
206.
There was value in nonviolence. Some of Shane’s classmates understood that easily, others might struggle with the concept, but for him it was a lesson that had been ingrained since his powers first manifested. He had to absorb that teaching, otherwise he would have turned into a monster. Shane didn’t have a power like Angela’s – versatile and multi-functional, allowing her to fill various roles in a team dynamic. His ability was only good for one thing: cutting. Killing, if he were truthful with himself. Injuring people with it was a much harder challenge, and the reason he trained as hard as he did. To wound without taking a life demanded exceptional knowledge and control. But killing… killing was easy. So ridiculously easy that it could have become Shane’s instinctual reaction without his grandfather’s guidance.
Thankfully, Shane knew the value in holding back, in not striking just because a target presented itself. That was why he was able to sneak across the city, avoiding the gangs of Sims roaming the streets that were lighting things on fire and otherwise causing destruction. True, it would have been easy to gut each one as he encountered them, reducing the overall enemies for the others to deal with, but in doing so Shane would have left a trail of corpses to Will’s location. Better to hold back and preserve whatever seclusion Will had managed to find. Something tickled Shane’s brain, a nugget of intuition that told him guard duty wouldn’t be an easy task, and the less attention he drew on his way over the better off they’d be.
The city was, mercifully, a layout they’d fought in before, so it didn’t take long for Shane to sneak and sprint his way to Will’s location – maybe two minutes, tops. Those two minutes still felt like an eternity, given that they represented twenty percent of their total time to stop Armageddon. Shane was glad to see that he wasn’t the first to arrive, at least. Thomas was already present; he and Will had tucked themselves into a back alley surrounded by buildings and Thomas was in the process of throwing a dome over them. It was good thinking: the single point of entry into the alley would minimize the Sims’ numbers advantage. Of course, that assumed there wouldn’t be a Sim capable of smashing in through the rear, but they’d cross that bridge when they came to it.
Will was hunched over what looked like an old eighties-era desktop, except with all manner of wires and new electronics sticking out. Overhead, Shane could just make out a small device lifting higher into the air, presumably one of Will’s drones. Although his grandfather had never been especially fond of the idea of Subtlety Heroes, feeling that such work was best left to non-Heroes, Shane had gained a
deep appreciation for them in his time at Lander. They often came through with unexpectedly useful tools or creative solutions, often enough that Shane knew when he ran his own team, there would be a place for a Subtlety Hero on it. Maybe even Will, if he was interested. Heaven knew the man had demonstrated his value time and time again.
“How are we looking?” Shane asked. It was part genuine question, part identifying contact to make sure they didn’t attack him as he approached. Thomas paused lowering his dome to let Shane through, but Shane waved him off. He needed to be out here, to see and feel everything, if he was going to be a useful defender.
“I’ve found a few buildings pumping out abnormal amounts of power; however, those could be ‘Supers’ with abilities that condense energy inside themselves. There are more than enough Sims on the streets to allow for that possibility. I think our situation is one where people have accepted the approaching end and gone into full-blown riot mode. Getting around the main areas of the city will require exceptional stealth or a high body count.” Will paused, clacking away on his computer a few times before the orange dome lowered and he vanished from view. When Shane heard him next, it was over the comms. “Alice, I can see you, Amber, and Violet on that rooftop. We’ve got a potential target to the northwest, a red office building on 24th. Head that way and I’ll give you more directions as you get close. Vince and Chad, there’s a high-energy source in that museum you mentioned. Check it out for me. Roy, Alex, and Camille, it looks like you’re all to the south. Head down your street to the right and stop at the trailer park, I’ve got someone in there building up loads of power. Let’s see, the next group – well shit, that didn’t take as long as I hoped. Looks like one of the Sims can either track signals or spotted my drones flying up.”
Shane didn’t grow tense or anxious; he’d been ready for this since the moment he was dropped into the trial. “How many, Will?”
“From what I can see, at least five on this first push. They’re moving as a unit and should be coming around the alley’s corner in twenty seconds. Do you need Thomas for backup?”
“Thomas is fine where he is. I volunteered for this job because I can handle it. You just worry about coordinating with everyone else. The clock is ticking,” Shane reminded him.
He’d never told anyone, but Shane could feel it when the sclera of his eyes turned black. It came with the rest of his senses warping as he reached into the shadows and filled them with life and danger. There was no adequate way to explain what it felt like for part of him to be in those shadows – no existing sense captured the experience, although touch came the closest. Shane felt his senses expand as he readied for the impending squad of Sims to try and surprise him. Part of him, a part he wasn’t especially fond of, drifted back to the night in May, when he’d hesitated and nearly died for his mistake. A downside to habitually using his power in a diminished capacity was that it sometimes caused Shane to waver in critical moments. His near-death in May had been a lesson, one Shane knew needed to be taken to heart. If he wasn’t willing to kill when the situation demanded it, he would never be a useful Hero. Angela wasn’t here this time; it was just Will and Thomas counting on him to hold the line. Failure tonight meant the failure of everyone on the team, and the death of the world if the stakes had been real.
The Sims moved quietly, albeit not quietly enough to avoid giving Shane a few moments advance notice. They darted around the corner, each with fists raised or attacks charged, ready to drop whatever resistance they found. None of them made it farther than three feet into the alley. That was how far in the largest chunk of Sim clattered to the ground.
The entrance of the alley was a mess of circuits, metal, and sparks. It looked like someone had dropped five robots through a blender, which wasn’t all too far off from what had happened. Inky, dark, blades slithered back into the shadows, waiting for their next chance to strike.
“First wave is suppressed,” Shane reported. “Let me know when the next group of poor bastards is heading this way.”
There was indeed value in nonviolence; Shane would never stop believing that. However, that didn’t mean utter decimation didn’t have its usefulness as well.
207.
There was uncharacteristic tension in the air as the Heroes stared at the monitors. Usually the viewing room was full of conversation, kept politely quiet but present nonetheless. Today was different; any words spoken were spat out in a hurried whisper. All attention was on the screens and the students they showed, as it should be.
Dean Blaine didn’t blame them at all. Were he in their position, evaluating a potential intern, he’d be paying just as much attention. You learned a lot about a person in situations like these. When they were told they could destroy as much as they had to, did they grow bolder in their attacks or try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum? Did they ignore the panicked civilians in the streets or lend aid? Did they avoid groups of roaming gangs or mow through them without remorse? There was no right answer to any of those questions; in scenarios where the fate of the entire world was on the line, morality quickly became an abstract concept. Each way of acting had benefits and costs; only the end result would prove if they’d chosen correctly or not. So while a mentor wouldn’t necessarily base their decision on which direction a potential hire would go, they would want to select an intern whose way of thinking lined up with their own. Otherwise, facing a moment like this in the field could lead to arguing or disobedience, neither of which were acceptable when the stakes were high.
Personally, Dean Blaine took some small measure of satisfaction in watching Shane obliterate the group of Sims trying to move against Will. Like most people with powers suited to destruction, Shane was trapped on a tightrope. If he used his abilities to their full extent then he’d be tossed out for excessive force, yet limiting them every day made him appear weaker than he was. It was the same struggle Gerard, later known as Raze, had dealt with during his HCP years. The world wasn’t the HCP, however, and once they got outside these walls, destructive Supers found they not only had a place in the Hero system, they were high in demand. Jobs wiping out entire gangs or areas – the “scorched-earth” runs – weren’t exactly common, but when they came up, the DVA made sure to tap Heroes who could see the task through. And now everyone was getting a chance to see that Shane DeSoto could fill that role damn well, if he proved to have the stomach for it.
A rogue whisper reached Dean Blaine’s ears, its source opining that it had been good luck that Will had brought in his surveillance system. A smile threatened to twitch on the educator’s lip. Luck had nothing to do with it: Will had been tinkering with that drone case, along with a few other unused gadgets, since midway through last semester’s trials. He’d held it back, waiting until it was truly necessary to use it so the administration couldn’t counter him the next time. Creating brilliant tech was certainly useful on any team, but Will Murray was doing more than that. By using strategy, conserving resources, and wielding the element of surprise effectively, Will was proving that he had the sort of tactical mind befitting a Subtlety Hero. Professor Pendleton was certainly taking notice, as were the rest of the Subtlety Heroes hunting for interns. Dean Blaine had no doubt of that.
They were holding together well so far, but establishing a strategy was only the first of several hurdles. From here on, they’d have no choice but to start getting their hands dirty, and not all of them would take to the task of slaughter as competently as Shane had. But given their history and their brief journey into a real battle, Dean Blaine didn’t expect them to shrink from that challenge either.
At this point, he was just hoping the class as a whole didn’t come off as too bloodthirsty. The year wasn’t over yet, and Class of Nightmares was a bad enough nickname. There was still time for them to earn something worse.
* * *
It felt strange to be running away from fights, but Roy had to admit that this was the faster tactic. While he could have bulldozed his way through the gangs of Sims on the
streets it would have taken longer than going around them, not to mention it would have put Alex and Camille at risk. Swinging wide by a block or two when Alex sensed Sims coming saved them a lot of time, even if it did mean they never put themselves in a position to help any civilians. Roy didn’t care for that, nor did Hershel, but each kept reminding the other that the lives of everyone in the world were at stake. Citizens in every city, the brothers’ own friends, their family, even their mother. Titan… well, even in an apocalypse neither was sure Titan would die, though after long enough alone he might turn off his power and let himself pass on. These were the kinds of losses that the world would take if they failed. Theoretically, anyway.
They made it to the trailer park in no time, years of cardio in their gym sessions paying excellent dividends. Roy was about to call Will for direction on what to do next when he noticed the flickering light in the window of one of the trailers. That sure seemed like the target they’d been sent after. Deciding that a moment of prudence was better than charging in blind, an act which Roy would look back on and marvel at himself for, he put in a quick call to confirm with Will.
“We’re at the trailer park. There’s a green one with a white awning sticking out from it and glowing light in the windows, is that our target?”
“One moment,” Will said. There was a brief hum in the air as a drone whipped by, moving too quickly to be targeted by any Sims that might be lurking behind cover. “That’s the one. Be careful on the approach. Even if this isn’t our main enemy, it’s a Sim that obviously meant to bait us in to approach. It’s probably going to be a tough fight either way.”
“Yeah, I kinda figured that might be the case.” Roy hefted his bat into prime swinging position then checked with his impromptu team members. “Any thoughts?”
“If you can get the Sim in the open, there’s a high chance I can disable it with a touch,” Camille offered. “It doesn’t work on every Sim, but the ones who can resist me are pretty rare.”
