by Hayes, Drew
From the ground, Bette’s eyes looked everywhere, catching sight of Alice just as she ducked back behind the chimney. “You climbed up to a roof? Quiet little thing, aren’t you? Credit where it’s due, you’re clearly good at this. But I hope you don’t think I’m out of the fight yet.”
Dragging herself quickly along the ground, Bette made it to a nearby bench where she pulled herself into a sitting position. Alice watched all of this from the chimney, ready to drop behind the townhome in a second if needed. Much as she wanted to press the advantage, something in her gut told her to keep playing this match carefully. Bette obviously wasn’t giving up yet, nor did she think the fight was over. Either she was on Nick’s level in terms of bluffing, or she still had some cards left to play – cards Alice would probably prefer to first see while behind cover.
Finally seated, Bette’s skin began to glow, lightly at first, then with increasing intensity. “Bring the pain, disrupt my concentration, limit my ability to move or shoot back. You’re way better than my last opponent. But you’re mistaken about something, Subtlety Girl. Losing my control doesn’t make me weaker. It makes me much more dangerous. Don’t worry though; I’ll keep it on the stun setting, just like I promised.”
The air around Bette was burning brightly, so much so that it was hard to look at. On instinct, Alice dropped below the roof and into an alley between the townhome and a one-story residential. More cover than a chimney seemed prudent. Besides, if this next attack wasn’t avoidable, she didn’t need to risk adding falling injuries to whatever was coming.
Just as the light coming from her seemed to reach critical mass, Bette leaned back against the bench and looked over to where she’d last seen Alice. “You want to play hardball? Okay Lander, let’s play.”
272.
The massive blast of light tore through the city, shattering windows and setting off a few security alarms, a detail no doubt meant to make sneaking around more difficult. Alice was glad she’d dropped down; there was no way the chimney could have protected her from that wave of power. Bette was probably expecting her to go tumbling off the roof, unaware that Alice could float rather than waste time climbing. It was a hell of display, but once the light show faded, Alice was ready to get back to the fight. Unfortunately, Bette apparently wasn’t done yet.
Blasts of energy were peeling off of her, dozens of beams firing in every direction as she sat there calmly on her bench. “I can’t bust this out very often, you know. Usually we’re working as a team, so I’d risk stunning the others. On the rare occasions I’m surrounded by enemies, it’s a nice trick to unveil. Feel complimented, I’ve only had to use it for one-on-one fights twice before.”
This was bad. Alice couldn’t even risk sticking her head out with how many wild shots were going at once. True, Bette was stuck, and she’d probably run out of energy eventually, but how much damage would be wrought before that happened? This wasn’t just about winning, it was about showing her skills as a Hero, and Alice was pretty certain nobody would be impressed by her letting a block get demolished while she played it safe and ran out the clock.
Taking a deep breath, Alice mentally stepped back and broke her task into increments. First and foremost: she needed to see her enemy. Until she could warp the gravity around Bette’s exact position, Alice couldn’t retaliate without putting the whole area at risk. At most right now she could float Bette up or pin her down, neither of which would help with the firing energy. So, how did she get line of sight without risking taking a stray shot?
Well, they’d gone to all the trouble of installing alarms in fake stores. Maybe they’d added other details to this city too. Warping gravity nearby, Alice collapsed part of the wall of the townhouse and jumped inside. She was in a living room, with a couch nearby. Furniture was a good sign, so she kept going, racing around and throwing open doors until she found what she was after: a bathroom. More specifically: a bathroom mirror. Popping it off the wall, Alice floated the mirror behind her, back out to the alley, and positioned it so she could see around the corner.
It was shaky and not at the best angle, but Alice could finally see Bette again, even as more blasts were firing off. Damn, this woman would be a hell of a scorched-earth style Hero, and she knew it. That would explain why Bette looked so unbothered by all the collateral damage. First part was done, now on to the next task: how to incapacitate Bette.
Tossing Bette up and spinning her like Alice had done to Nathaniel was tempting, but it would just give her a better vantage point to shoot from, and concentration disruption clearly wasn’t a reliable tactic here. Even if Bette was bluffing and she did need to focus on the attack, she’d already had her knees knocked out of socket and was keeping up this pace, so dizziness might not be an insurmountable hurdle. No, Alice either needed to knock Bette completely unconscious, or stop her from damaging the city while she wore herself out.
Now that she was seeing the whole scene, Alice noticed that while every piece of glass near Bette had shattered, nothing else seemed to be affected. A few chips of paint here and dinged doors there, but the damage was very limited. It made a certain amount of sense: if these bolts were meant to stun, then they couldn’t be strong enough to crack brick or stone without doing the same to any person they struck. Pinning Bette and calling for a capture victory would be simple enough, but it would require permitting this attack to continue for three more minutes. If there were people here, then they’d be taking multiple shots as they lay helpless, and it was possible the injuries would pile up. Her other option would come with a higher degree of property damage, but it would keep Bette contained. Of course, it would also show off much more of Alice’s power. At this point, however, that seemed like a trade worth making. If nothing else, at least it would be a chance to demonstrate just how effective Alice could really be.
Shifting her focus, Alice started with the debris. There wasn’t much; Bette had done a good job keeping her energy level controlled even as she let loose. That was fine, though. Alice didn’t need debris, she could make her own. Collapsing the wall of the very store she’d hidden behind, Alice created a flow of gravity that dragged the bricks and assorted other materials into position. Bette barely had time to register the sound of a cracking wall before she found herself surrounded by various materials. They wound around her, forming a barrier between Bette and the rest of the city, absorbing her strikes before they could travel more than a few inches.
“Walling me off, now that’s not a bad idea. But just because I’ve been playing nice, don’t forget I can hit harder.” Bette raised a hand, clearly planning on blasting a hole in the wall. Before she got the chance, the bench under her gave way and Bette found herself suddenly pinned against the ground, unable to lift her limbs. Even talking was a struggle, as she worked to squeeze out every word. “How… the… hell?”
“You’re not the only one who can play hard when properly challenged.” Alice stepped out from behind the alley, letting the mirror fall away. Cover had been smart when she was on the defensive. Now that she was seizing control it was time to be seen: today by the Heroes watching, and one day, when this was all real, by the people she was protecting. They needed to know that a Hero was there, and that meant everything would be okay.
As she walked, Alice continued building up the wall around Bette, reinforcing it in case any wild, powerful shots ripped through. To her credit, Bette hadn’t escalated the power of her barrage; the energy was still set on stun. Wild as the attack seemed, Bette was still training to be a Hero. She knew where the line was.
The three minutes seemed to take forever, as Alice waited, tense and ready to respond. Rogue beams would fire upward into the air, unimpeded by the wall, and a few of them curved back down half-heartedly. Bette was hoping to get lucky, but she couldn’t see Alice through the barrier of debris. At last, Victor’s voice came through the speakers.
“Three minutes of capture have passed, making the winner of this match Alice Adair, of Lander. Let’s get some heal
ers out to the field now; I don’t think Bette will be able to walk this one off.”
The crackling energy died down, and Alice released the pinning force of gravity. She also ripped the makeshift wall in half so that Bette would be easier for the healers to reach. For the first time since the match started, they were looking each other in the eyes again.
“You’ve got some neat tricks for an advanced mind. Guess that Subtlety major was a good choice.”
“It suits me,” Alice agreed. “That was some assault though. How much longer could you have kept going if I didn’t seal you off?”
“A pretty damn long while. I may not have the most unique ability in my HCP, but I do have a ton of energy. It’s what got me here in the first place.”
Across the room, a door opened and staff came running out to heal Bette. Alice backed away to give them space to work. Her mind was already off this match anyway, thinking ahead to what came next. She’d probably be fighting Chad, or someone who was strong enough to defeat him.
Either way, the next match ahead of her was going to be a tough one. Alice just hoped her luck held. She was halfway through Intramurals now. It seemed a shame not to go ahead and win the whole thing.
273.
The knock was brief, two swift strikes on the door before it was shoved open. That fact alone drew Charles Adair’s attention. Barging into his office was not something he tolerated, as a rule. His most trusted employees understood the extent to which Charles valued privacy, and very few others would be permitted anywhere close enough to make such an intrusion. So for someone to come bursting in like this, there were really only two possible options: either something incredibly important was happening that demanded his immediate attention, or one of his employees was about to be fired so hard they’d never find work again.
“Sir.” Simon, usually the picture of composure, was sweating as he made his way past the guards, who were visibly torn on whether to let him through like this. “Mr. Adair. I have a report to make. An off-the-books report.”
“Guards, shut the door behind Simon. He’s obviously bringing a vital matter to my attention.” There were few employees whose judgment Charles would trust so immediately, but Simon had a good head on his shoulders and loyalty to spare. Whatever he needed to say, it would almost certainly be worth hearing.
The guards did as they were told, and once the door was shut Charles flipped a hidden switch on his desk to activate security and anti-monitoring devices built into the room. “Proceed, Simon.”
“Thank you, sir.” Simon dug into the pockets of his khakis, ultimately pulling out a wrinkly sheet of folded-up paper. He smoothed it out as best he could before handing it over. “This came a few minutes ago. From the special device. The one you told me to have monitored at all times. I’ve got an intern posted there twenty-four hours a day, and when one called to let me know this was printing, I dashed over. He didn’t see what was on it, the locked tray ensured that, and I folded it as soon as it was in my hands to protect from prying eyes.”
Charles scanned the page. All that security, and they probably wouldn’t have been able to make heads or tails of it even if they’d seen. To most, this was nothing more than a string of numbers. For Charles, it was so much more. It was the beginning of the end. In a strange way, he felt a sense of relief at that message. Deep down, he’d always known this would come. Phil never gave up, especially when he was in the right. Eventually, Phil would find the lab: Charles had been all too aware of that from the very beginning. And now, at last, they could finish things. This was the end of their cold war, and when the day ended only one Adair brother would be left standing. If this were a just and decent world, it would be Phil, but that was not the world they lived in. Charles had seen that firsthand as his wife withered away.
“Thank you, Simon, that will be all.” Charles started to reach for the phone then paused. “Actually, I need you to do some other business for me. That deal in Venice we’ve been working on, it could use a soft touch. Take one of the private planes and see if you can’t charm them into a better deal; I’ll let the airstrip know you’re coming. And take your husband along as well, I’m sure he would love to see the sights. You have to make room for time together. You never know how much you’ll have.”
Simon was staring at him, confusion replacing the frantic energy he’d burst in with. “Mr. Adair? Is everything okay?”
“Time will tell, I suppose. But you’ve been a good employee. Perhaps even a friend. There is a chance this day ends without any incident whatsoever. There is also a chance that today is the day my entire world comes burning down. Most of my people have been carefully compartmentalized, kept so far away from understanding that the light of suspicion could never fall on them. You, however, have been with me too long. I fear there will be those who won’t believe your honest innocence. If all is peaceful, then do your job and enjoy a few days away. If things go wrong… well, arrangements for my staff have been made. Take care of yourself, Simon.”
“I will.” Simon paused, looking at the boss he’d spent years working under and learning from. “Sir, whatever you’ve had to do, I want you to know that I have complete faith it was necessary. You may be a hard man, but I don’t think you’re a cruel one.”
A flicker of a smile appeared for a flash on Charles’s face. “Optimism and faith. I do enjoy those, even if they are things I can no longer have. Now go. I’ve got work to do, and you have a plane to catch.”
As Simon left, Charles picked up the phone and began to dial. The upside of always assuming the worst, always knowing this battle would come, was that it allowed one to plan for such contingencies. Phil was strong, determined, and capable of building a powerful team, but foresight was never his greatest asset. That was something the lesser Supers had to use, ones like Charles who lacked the raw power to force an outcome to unfold the way they wanted. Plans were already laid; they just needed a small push to get moving.
“Reports are in, Globe is making his assault.” His voice echoed through the spacious office as Charles spat orders quickly into the phone. “Security staff on site will no doubt be responding, but we need to flank him to have a chance. Gather the secondary force and pin Globe in the moment they breach the first layer. Once that’s in motion, activate all contingencies.”
Charles had to pause as a voice came over the line, asking a question. There weren’t a lot he would tolerate in a moment like this, but it was a fair one to ask. Turning to the window, Charles stared out into the sunlight streaming down onto his garden. Shelby’s garden, really, since he’d planted it for her. He wanted her to see it, just once. He wanted her to walk through the vines and flowers, smiling as she took in the wonders of nature. Sometimes, Charles liked to picture Alice with her too, the pair of them looking so alike, happily strolling together. He never put himself in that fantasy, though. That sort of moment was beyond him. Charles had done too many horrible things to ever stand at Shelby’s side again... so in the end, what was one more if it meant that someday she might get that stroll in the garden?
“Yes. The latest contingency as well. Send someone right away, and offer whatever it takes. Overpay as much as needed. Speed is more important than anything else right now. Globe will come in gently at first; he hates to kill if it can be avoided. We use that time to prepare. Once the fight turns deadly, all hell will break loose.”
Swiveling the chair, Charles turned away from the garden, a sight more lovely than he felt he deserved. “When it comes to that, let’s make sure we have the biggest demons.”
274.
If Vince had been nervous about the first fight, he was bordering on skittish for the second. Not only had he gotten a very real reminder of how even the best of the class could lose, but by the accounts he could gather, Lucinda had handily crushed her first opponent. Although Grave Robber had been strong, he let the chip on his shoulder about Lander’s reputation slightly cloud his judgment, and that had opened up opportunities. If Lucinda was really on
top of her game, Vince couldn’t count on the same advantage. So far in the second round of fights Chad had lost and Alice had been driven to show her real power to the crowd. Between the two, Vince would rather be in Alice’s shoes than Chad’s, so he was entering this fight ready to give whatever it took.
They were in a large area: rocky, open terrain without any grass or landscaping. No fake sky, but a ceiling much higher than in a normal combat cell. Everything was bigger, in fact. The whole thing sort of looked like a battered reproduction of a coliseum. It occurred to Vince that maybe not every battlefield here was designed specifically for Intramurals; maybe some of these were old Lander training grounds that had been repurposed to the task.
Across the terrain, his opponent stepped into view. She didn’t bother waiting for Victor, signaling Vince with a cheerful wave. “Hey there! I’m Lucinda Cherry, Control major, and my code name will be Slow Burn.”
“Vince Reynolds, Close Combat major. Still no name picked out yet.”
“Sure, what’s the rush, graduation is only a few weeks away. Can’t imagine you’ll need a Hero name anytime soon.” While her tone was playful, there was something dangerous in the half-smile that hung lazily on her face. Without fully understanding why, Vince shifted his footing, mentally preparing for defense. His instincts were screaming that she was dangerous, and with so much on the line, Vince couldn’t risk ignoring them.
The crackle of the speaker sounded slightly annoyed, somehow. “Since you both jumped ahead of the script, we may as well go ahead and start the match. This fight begins now!”
Lucinda’s hands both rose instantly, and she met Vince’s eyes for a split-second. “Sorry, but I heard you’re strong. That means I can’t take any chances.”
