by Hayes, Drew
While he was mulling, Kennedy had produced a rag and some ice, wrapping the latter in the former and then handing both to him. Once he’d pressed the compact to his nose, she began to explain.
“To head off your first question at the pass, there is no Kennedy Dawson. Not really. We created her digitally and may have planted a few fake memories here and there. Nothing too personal; people can almost always catch those, and plus, if you set them far enough back people blame inconsistencies on the erosion of time. I stepped in at the beginning of the year as soon as we saw this little group form. The original plan was to do a quick infiltration and make sure they either disbanded or stayed on the straight and narrow. We’ve seen too many groups like this turn ugly not to keep an eye on them. Then you showed up to a meeting, and suddenly we had another opportunity.”
“Hang on; you were working against Take Back Lander? But you’re all that held them together,” Will reminded her.
“After I made sure we took as many polarizing stances as possible to drive reasonable people away. After I let the meetings grow cumbersome and pointless so that there was no sense of progress. After I whittled down the group to an ‘inner circle’ composed only of the least likable people we had to make sure any sense of relationship that might have formed never got traction. After I made us take up a course of action that would ensure we found virtually no empathy from anyone. Disperse a group too soon and members will take their passion and try to reform into something new. You have to make them hate the cause and everyone associated with it so they aren’t tempted to take up the fight once more. Again, though, most of that was because I had to shift to a long-term solution.”
“Right, and you did that because I was there.” Will was finally getting past the shock and thinking straight again. He’d have to work on this more; in the field he wouldn’t have the luxury of long recovery times. Being able to predict a lot of potential scenarios made him vulnerable when one came from left field. One more weakness to train. “So this was a test then? To see if I could handle dispersing Take Back Lander?”
“No, Will. This was a test to see how far you would go to disperse Take Back Lander.” Kennedy, since that was how Will still thought of her, suddenly had a very serious expression on her face. “To put it bluntly, you were on the bubble this year. We know about your past: your mother, your sister’s boyfriend, all of it. Some felt that you crossed the lines too freely, others pointed out that you’ve stayed within certain moral bounds. Subtlety Heroes are already under a lot of scrutiny, and every time one of us goes rogue it makes things worse. You’ve got talent, no one can debate that. What we didn’t know was if you had self-control. How far you’re willing to go as a Subtlety Hero matters, especially because you’ll often be the only one to keep yourself in check. So we gave you a test. We threatened your friends and waited to see how you’d respond.”
Carefully, Will adjusted the bundle of ice on his nose. “How did I do?”
“Like most of your past work, it went up to the line without quite crossing it. Having Nick punch you was smart; I couldn’t very well let it slide if you had him beat up civilians. And the part about letting them keep protesting legally was a nice touch. You made it about hunting identities rather than the group as a whole, more payback than oppression. Will, you’re a smart guy – too smart for your own good sometimes, but you’ve got a strained sense of morality and you’re still better with tech than people. My judgment is that you should be allowed to graduate, though you’ll need to intern under a Hero who knows your past and challenges. You need a watchful eye and a firm hand to make sure you become an asset to the Heroes, not a future liability.”
“A bit harsh, although I can’t say it’s an unfair assessment.” Will snapped to a new realization as the discussion turned to internships. “Wait, is this why I’ve gotten so little interest? Because I was being tested?”
“Mostly,” Kennedy confirmed. “Since I was the one willing to put in the work on vetting you, I got to call dibs. If I passed, then someone else could snatch you up, but they probably wouldn’t. Subtlety Heroes tend to have something of an honor system among ourselves. Plus, if I’d judged you to be a risk then there’s a good chance you wouldn’t have graduated.”
Will lowered the bag of ice and tentatively touched his nose. This whole situation had him feeling railroaded, like he had little say in the matter. The sharp jolt of pain helped bring him back to his senses. This woman might have been in charge of seeing how far he would go, but that didn’t mean he was obliged to intern under her. Both parties had to consent to an internship, even if the result was Will getting paired with someone as a leftover. Then again, he’d been impressed by her control of a room at every turn, and she’d definitely proven capable of deception. It wasn’t an idea he was entirely against, but there was still a major hurdle left to clear.
“If you want me to intern under you, I should probably know who you are first. Your Hero name, I mean.”
“Was wondering when you’d get around to that.” Kennedy held up her arms, and her entire shape rippled as a cloud of darkness formed around her. Seconds later it cleared to reveal a woman in a simple costume, her entire head obscured by a black mask. “The name is Misdirection, master of illusions and Subtlety Hero for Elemental Fury.”
“You work with Gale.” Will could have smacked himself in the face if not for the already wounded nose. “She more or less told me that people had their eyes on me. I just thought she meant in general.”
Another ripple of darkness. Misdirection vanished and a smirking Kennedy took her place. “Like I said, you’re still better with tech than people. That’s useful too, though, and it would be nice not to have to lean on Modus Operandi for all our hacking and gadget needs. I’m not going to be a gentle teacher, Will. I’m going to watch you like a hawk to make sure you don’t give in and start crossing lines. If you want to look for another Hero to intern under, I’ll give up my dibs and put you back on the market.”
Interesting an idea as it was, now that Will had figured out he had a choice, he found he didn’t want to exercise it. Misdirection was right; he did sometimes go too far when people he loved were involved: having a teacher who knew that and wanted to help him through it was his best shot at being a real Hero, not just someone who graduated with the title.
“I’ve got some friends already going to Brewster. Seems like as nice a place as any.” Will stuck out his hand to Misdirection. “If you’ll have me, teacher.”
She grasped it and gave a firm shake. “Don’t get overconfident; you still have to make the cut. But if you do, then a spot at my side is waiting for you. It’s the home stretch, Will, don’t fuck it up now.”
238.
There wasn’t much time left. Sure, in theory they still had a couple of months, but with every passing day the options grew fewer as other students locked their mentors down. Vince had accepted Jeremiah’s offer and was heading to Brewster, as was Will apparently. Chad might still be on the fence, but loads of others had gotten their futures set up. Meanwhile, Hershel and Roy were sitting on an offer from a respected strongman on a legendary team, unable to pull the trigger and accept.
Sitting at his desk, looking over Granite’s history, Hershel couldn’t find a single reason to decline the offer. The Hero had been great at his job for years; by all accounts he was tough, thorough, and careful. He’d already mentored one intern who was having a respectable career so far. Not to mention interning under Elemental Fury was a nice start for any Hero, given how well-known they were. It would offer him a solid education, a good boost to notoriety, and he’d even be in the same town as some friends. There was also the added bonus of being in the same city as Titan, so they could continue slowly repairing their relationship. Going with Granite was the smart, prudent move to make.
And yet… Hershel opened a new tab on his browser, pulling up the latest reports on Titan. The new incarnation of the Gentle Hammers was doing good work. Brewster didn’t seem to trust th
em entirely yet; there were more than a few articles questioning whether a fallen legend on a team of disgraced Heroes really had any place in their city. They were winning some people over – being publicly linked to Elemental Fury didn’t hurt in that regard – but there was still a long way up to go. Anyone starting out on that team was putting themselves in a PR hole. They’d be lumped in with those that many considered to be failures, and that reputation would extend to the interns as well.
Aside from the Gentle Hammers’ reputation, there was the more pressing issue that internships weren’t easy to terminate or transfer. If he and Roy were to intern under Titan, they would be pretty much stuck for two years. Yes, things were going well right now, however that was with everyone being careful and going slowly. Slapped on the same team, under Titan’s tutelage, there were countless ways for things to take a perilous turn. The relationship still felt fragile, like one bad fight could undo everything they’d managed. Hershel didn’t want that. Neither did Roy, even if he had more trouble admitting it. They finally had found some manner of peace with their father.
Hershel’s hands clicked back over to the tab with Granite’s information, but he wasn’t really looking at it. Instead, he was thinking about Ashley in that training cell, and Roy casually paraphrasing their father’s advice. Roy had come a long way in these last four years; it was hard to imagine the struggling relationship that the brothers once had. Much of that was due to their friends and teachers dragging him into adulthood. But there was no one, no teacher, no guide, whose words seemed to stay with Roy more consistently than the ones imparted by Titan. He’d been the lone soul who could get them over their limitation in sophomore year, he understood their power better than anyone else, he was the strongman among Heroes.
When things were scary, most people hoped for a Hero to appear. But when a Hero was hopelessly outclassed, they hoped for someone like Titan to show up. Roy had experienced that sensation for himself in May when defeat, if not death, seemed inevitable. As bad as that night had been, as scary as the amped-up Super had seemed, the minute he’d heard Titan’s voice he’d known without question that things would be okay. Because when Titan appeared, even gods grew fearful. Hershel and Roy wanted to be like that one day. Not just good Heroes, or even great ones, but nigh-unstoppable beasts of battle whose very presence could change the course of fate.
Granite was a fine Hero, and by all accounts a good man, but he wasn’t Titan. From the beginning, Roy had been consumed with surpassing their father, and even as the relationship mended that hadn’t changed. Hershel was with him, too. If they ever wanted to get out of the long shadow of Titan, Ettin had to be better than he was. Neither brother knew if such a thing was possible, since their power was different than his. But Titan seemed to think they could overtake him one day, and he’d yet to be wrong about their abilities so far. The thing was, if they ever wanted to do that, then the best path to it was by learning from Titan firsthand.
“I need to run.” Hershel closed the browser entirely and walked over to his closet, changing into workout clothes so he could go for a jog around campus. In the years since he’d had to start exercising, he’d taken to using running as a way to clear his head. Perhaps when he got back, he’d down a shot of whiskey and let Roy grapple with this for a while. The two of them would have to make the choice together, ultimately. If either of them was against the idea, then they’d intern under Granite. It wasn’t right to force the other into that situation. For his part, Roy still seemed uncertain, although he was beginning to entertain the idea of rolling the dice on a Titan internship more seriously.
In the end, it was a matter of pitting risk against reward. Working with Titan could go dangerously, powerfully wrong, but it also had the potential to make Ettin a better Hero. Learning from Granite was as safe as Hero work could get, and Ettin would come out well-trained… just perhaps not as well-trained as he could have been. Hershel wasn’t sure where they’d end up, only that they needed to make the choice soon. There was only so long left.
For his part, though, Hershel was leaning toward interning under their father. Yes, it was dangerous, but that was the nature of being a Hero anyway. And sure, he’d start with a PR demerit, but he was already a freak, a Powered turned into a Super. Once that leaked, he was going to be reviled by some folks regardless. If he was honest, Hershel almost felt more at home among the castoffs and the oddballs than the put-together legends. His time in Melbrook Hall had certainly prepared him for such company.
Stepping into the evening air, Hershel took a deep breath and began to run. For all the stress the choice was causing him, he was grateful to have it. There was a time when he and Roy would never have imagined seeing their father wearing the mask again, let alone considered learning from him. This was worlds better than what it could have been, and he made sure to stay thankful for it.
Being grateful for the good things, even when there was plenty of bad to be upset about, was just another of Owen’s lessons that he’d long ago taken to heart.
239.
For a moment, several of the students wondered if they had somehow forgotten about a Hero mixer. As they filtered into the gym, they found an abundance of men and women milling about waiting for them. The Hero idea was tossed out quickly, since none were in costume and few were in the sort of physical shape that Hero-work demanded. Dean Blaine stood in the center of the crowd, waiting patiently for his students to fall in line, which they all quickly did. A few noticed a familiar bald man among the sea of faces, and suddenly things clicked into place.
“Students, today we are holding a special session during your gym time, one that any of you with a decent memory should have been expecting.” Dean Blaine held out his hand, gesturing to the people scattered around the room. “As Mr. Nicolo was kind enough to inform you last year, agents are a key part of the Hero world. This is the time where you can meet, mingle, and see if you find one who feels like a good fit for you. Usually we hold these a little closer to Intramurals; however, protocols and schedules have been changed after last year. Those of you with no interest in an agent are free to train as usual if you’d prefer; not every Hero makes use of one. For those who would like to learn more about agents or find one to work with, please spread out and speak to as many as possible.”
Dean Blaine paused, glancing to the agents, who had all fallen silent and were watching him. He stared at them for several moments longer then coughed loudly. Finally taking the hint, several pulled laminated signs out from their briefcases and purses. Once that was done, Dean Blaine continued.
“Many of these agents have certain specialties or aversions. One might only work with advanced minds, others prefer male or female clients, and so on. I’ve asked those with such limitations to hold signs declaring them so that you can spend your time as efficiently as possible. Those of you who have a Hero name and image picked out, be prepared to discuss it at length, as your agent will absolutely want to know what sort of Hero they’re signing on to manage. Those of you without those aspects figured out, be aware that there is some limit on how deep you’ll be able to take the discussion. Also of note: while it is tempting to choose an agent located in the same town as your internship, do keep in mind that they are used to working with people all over the nation, so don’t consider geography to be a disqualifying limitation. Other than that, I believe the agents are capable of explaining themselves to you all, so start mingling.”
“Blaine, aren’t you forgetting something?” Lenny had sidled up to the dean’s side unnoticed, his stature and overall appearance allowing him to blend into a crowd easily.
“Ah, yes. As thanks for taking the time out to come speak with us last year, Mr. Nicolo has requested to chat with a few students before they enter the general meet-and-greet fray,” Dean Blaine said. “Who would you like to talk to?”
“It’s a short list, don’t worry.” Lenny didn’t so much as pull out a post-it note, he clearly had these names committed to memory. “Roy Daniels,
Vince Reynolds, Alice Adair, and Shane DeSoto, let’s have a chat.”
There was some mumbling from the rest of the agents, although none of them were stupid enough to try and argue with Dean Blaine in his own school. This was a courtesy the HCP offered for the sake of its students; any agent who made waves would find themselves uninvited from the next year’s session.
“Those four, to Mr. Nicolo; the rest of you, find an agent and begin talking,” Dean Blaine ordered. No sooner had his words ended than the students broke off in different directions.
Vince, Roy, Alice, and Shane all made their way to the center of the gym where Lenny was waiting for them. He gave each one an enthusiastic handshake before motioning for them to huddle closely around him.
“All right, we’ve only got so long for this so I won’t beat around the bush here. I called you over because I’m looking to take all of you on as new clients. Now, you can go talk to the other agents if you want, I’m confident enough in my skills that I’m not threatened by some competition, but I do need an answer before you leave this gym so I can start everything moving. There’s a lot of groundwork to do with you all.”
“Wait, why us? You haven’t even heard our Hero names or anything,” Vince said.
Lenny snapped and turned his hand into a finger gun, pointing at Roy. “Ettin.” His hand moved as he motioned to Alice. “Legacy.” Another snap and the finger was aimed at Shane. “Styx.” The last snap and Vince was staring down the length of the finger. “And you, Mr. Reynolds, are undecided.”
“Styx?” Alice turned to Shane. “I figured you’d take your grandfather’s name. Why Styx?”
