Blaze of Glory

by Sheryl Nantus

  He flipped the quarter skyward, snatching it again out of the air. Heads.

  “I tweak the odds over to the positive outcome for me. And for those around me, by default.”

  “Stop.” I dug in my pockets, coming up with a handful of change. Pennies, nickels, a few loonies. “So you’re telling me that you make good luck happen?”

  “It’s a bit more complicated than that with a lot of math, but, yes.” He stared at the coins as I dumped them in his hand.

  “Toss them all into the air. Don’t touch them. Let them hit the ground.” I raised my right palm. “If they’re all heads, then we’re still talking. If one of them turns up tails, you’re done.” I choked on the last word.

  The silver and copper coins spun in the air, falling to the ground at my feet.

  Heads.

  All heads.

  “What did you do?” I whispered. “What did you do to us?”

  Hunter smiled. “I went with you to the base. I went with you to Pittsburgh. I helped you win.” He extended one hand, touching my cheek. “And I want to help you win this last battle.”

  “You did it all?” I dropped my hands to my sides, discharging the last of my energy.

  “No.” He stood up, stepping forward to cradle my face in his hands. “You did it. You and May and Peter and Stephen and even Harris. I just helped the odds turn in our favor.”

  “Damn.” I exhaled. “I’d have loved to go to Vegas with you.”

  “I’m already banned.” Hunter laughed.

  “Not if we win.” I took his hands in mine. “Bet on it.”

  He nodded towards the bookcase and the rest of the team. “So, think we’ve been in here long enough for them to start talking about us?”

  “More than long enough.” I closed my eyes, still processing the events of the past few minutes. “And now I know how we’re going to help Kol’tak win.”

  When I opened them Hunter was staring at me, frowning. “I don’t understand. I can only tweak our odds. I don’t know how it’ll work with aliens. And I can’t guarantee a win. Eventually the odds will go the other way. It’s like expecting to win the lottery without buying a ticket, you have to at least engage in the process.” He drew a sharp breath. “So how are you going to make this work?”

  Leaning over, I scooped up the handful of coins. “That’s why I’m in charge.” I poked at his chest, expanding a small burn hole. “Watch and learn, Guardian.”

  I walked around the bookcase. “Jessie, give me a sitrep on how things are looking in the media.”

  “All looking good. A few media leaks here and there with some blurry images of you kicking ass in Pittsburgh, but nothing leading back here. Yet.” Jessie chewed on his bottom lip for a second before continuing. “Although I think it’s just a matter of time, really. Someone’s going to figure this out. There’s always some smart reporter who’s not panicking and looking for the angle, even at the end of the world.”

  “Or the Agency’ll leak it to the press to put pressure on us to give him up to the authorities.” I looked over at Kol’tak. “Which isn’t going to happen.”

  I walked over to the couch and sat down. “You need to contact your leader and challenge him for command of the fleet.”

  His eyes went wide at the request/demand. “I will lose.” He shook his head. “I will not win in a challenge.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Because if I could best him in battle I would already be leading the fleet.”

  “Yes. But I plan to give you a ringer.”

  His eyebrows shot up, his forehead furrowing with curiosity and confusion. “A what?”

  I lowered my voice to a whisper. “You gain your powers by watching what we do and then duplicating it, correct?”

  Kol’tak nodded. “It’s the only way to be totally fair. We can’t fight with what we don’t have. And it gives you just as much of a chance to win as we do.”

  “And all your warriors have the same powers. It’s just a case of who uses them best, yes?”

  The confused look stayed on his face. “Yes.”

  “Here’s your ringer.” I pulled Hunter close. “He’s a super. His power is some sort of probability control. He’ll push the odds over to a win for you.”

  “Ah.” The alien frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  The rest of the team gathered around us silently as I opened my hand, showing the coins.

  “Ten coins here. I want them to be half heads, half tails.”

  Before I could do anything, Stephen snorted. “Gonna have to get you into a poker game, girl. You don’t know anything about odds.”

  “Don’t I?” I locked eyes with Hunter as I tossed the coins into the air.

  The spare change bounced along the floor, some dangerously close to the steps. Eight pairs of eyes watched them settle down, one mischievous quarter taking forever to settle.

  Five heads. Five tails.

  Kol’tak’s eyes widened. “Ah!” He looked down at the coins lying on the hardwood floor, then back up at the two of us. “Ah.” The third time it seemed to sink in without me trying to explain the math. “This is good.”

  “What do you need me to do? To let you copy my power?” Hunter swallowed once.

  “Nothing now.” The alien picked up one of the coins, turning it over and over in his hand. “I have been recording the apparent odds of this encounter, and it is obvious that you are somehow changing the randomness of this event.” He smiled. “This is a most fortunate thing to have in battle.”

  “Ya think?” Limox snarled in my ear from behind, making me jump. “What the fuck is going on here?”

  May appeared at Hunter’s side, sliding in beside him and taking his hand. “Don’t be nasty to him. It’s not his fault.”

  My hand moved up to the back of his head, rubbing the small hairs gently. “A Guardian and a super.” The whispered words bounced around my head like I was in the middle of the wildest pinball machine ever. He leaned forward, almost resting his forehead on my shoulder.

  “A what?” Slammer chewed on his fingernails as he strode around the room, his steps reverberating through the floor. “Never been such a thing.”

  “Exactly. Because if anyone knew, other than the Agency, it’d skew the fights.” I released him. “He changes the entire balance of things without lifting a finger.”

  Hunter nodded, a sheepish look on his face. “Not exactly a power skill.”

  “Don’t pick on him.” May’s voice was low and threatening in our minds, the background static beginning to rise. “It’s not his fault.”

  “It’s not.” I allowed myself a smile. “But it explains how damned lucky we’ve been so far.” I continued to talk, letting my tone rise so everyone could hear. “Ever wonder how we got so lucky with the raid, finding each other and staying alive? It’s all due to Hunter here. The guy’s a walking good-luck charm.” My attention turned back to Kol’tak. “Which means that you just won the lottery, my alien friend. You call your boss and arrange the prize fight for Earth.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “This is insane.” Limox sat on the couch, hands wrapped around his knees with fingers entwined, rocking back and forth. “We are going to be so dead. Multiple times. Over and over.”

  “Technically you can only die once,” Jessie chirped in from his desk, his eyes flashing back and forth between the monitors. “News feed is looking good, seems the Agency really isn’t keen on everyone knowing their dirty little secret. There’s rumors that there’s a secret group of supers using Toronto as a home base, but there’s plenty of misinformation being planted to send them off the trail. Sightings in London, San Francisco and Hong Kong, among others.”

  “They’ve seen us fly overhead.” Slammer let out a rumbling snort. “Dumb Canucks.”

  “Never underestimate the ability of the media to change reality into fantasy. And the reverse.” David sat beside me with a tray holding not only a full pot of fresh tea but another plateful of sandwi
ches. “Although I think the local supermarket may be getting suspicious of me. This is the third time I’ve cleared out their deli counter and bread shelf.” He scowled as Peter deftly snagged a trio of bologna sandwiches so quickly that I wondered if he had another hidden ability.

  “So we’re just going to stand by and let Kol’tak take on this…what’s his name again?” Slammer leaned back on the couch, the weathered old springs creaking under his weight. His skin glistened in the light, and I wondered again if he hated to look in the mirror or relished it.

  “That would be Mal’tor.” Kol’tak had moved off to sit in an empty corner of the loft, his legs curled up under him in what had to be an uncomfortable position and his eyes closed in what I could only assume was some meditation scenario. “I’ve arranged for the fight to be over the lake, as you requested.”

  I nodded, aware of the stares. “Thank you. That way we’ll have less chance of civilian casualties.” I saw David give an approving nod. “As for standing by, we’re not going to be doing exactly that.” Picking up one of the mugs of tea, I added a splash of milk from the small ceramic cup on the tray. “According to the Chu’kar rules of engagement, no one is allowed to interfere in a command battle. Which means them. But it doesn’t mean us.”

  “Ah.” Slammer’s smile was wider than the Ohio River. “We’re going to smash and crash the party.”

  “No.” I took a sip, the hot liquid threatening to scald my tongue. “We’re going to let Kol’tak do his thing. But if he loses, we’ll have to take on the boss and then the ships. One by one.”

  “That’ll…” Peter pushed a lump of food into his cheek, making him look even more like a cute chipmunk you wanted to smother with hugs and kisses. “That’ll be a suicide run.”

  “Probably.” The room was very, very quiet. “Look, I don’t want to be like the Agency, telling any of you what to do. We’re done with that crap. But if Kol’tak doesn’t win, I expect the aliens to continue their hunt for a good fight, destroying cities while they look for the last super to brawl with.” The white ceramic mug was burning hot in my cold hands. “They won’t stop until they find every one of us, every one they saw on the shows. We can run and hide, but we’ll be sending thousands of people to their deaths as the Chu’kar look for us. I know what Mike would have done, what he did do. And I’m going to stand there on the beach and make my stand.” My eyes remained focused on the floor—I didn’t dare look up. “If any of you want to go, then go now. I won’t hold it against you. We never asked for these skills and we sure as hell never asked for the Agency or the plugs or this crap. But if you stay, we’re not going to stop until we’re dead or we win.”

  The room was silent for a minute, then Limox spoke. “I sure as fuck want a stack of money if we do this and win.”

  Slammer let out a roar of laughter, slapping the super on the back and sending him lurching towards the floor. “Spoken like a true capitalist.”

  May sat beside me, helping herself to a cup of tea. “I wonder if there’ll be cameras. I don’t really like cameras.” One hand pushed down a stray lock of dark hair. “That’s one of the reasons they kept me in the background. Not too photogenic.”

  I smiled. “May, you look great to me.”

  The elderly woman patted my knee with her free hand. “Don’t be too hard on Hunter. I think they paired him with me to keep him out of the way.”

  “He might be the lynchpin to us winning this thing.” David appeared behind us, resting his hands on the back of the couch. “I don’t mean to press, but we’re picking up the ship already. It should be over the lake in less than an hour.”

  “Okay.” I stood up, swallowing the last of the tea. “Anyone want to do some silent praying, now’s the time. Same with the bathroom—I don’t want anyone wandering off looking for a Porta-Potty at the last minute.” I put the empty mug on the tray. “Jessie, we’re going to need surveillance on the ship and the area. We’ve got to make as sure as possible that the area’s clear for our…” I bit my tongue, almost saying the word show. “Our battle.”

  The young man shook his head. “Right now you could walk down the street naked and no one would notice. They just put out an evac notice for the city.” He turned and looked at me directly, his face expressionless. “They’re saying that Toronto’s going to be destroyed.”

  “Not today.” My smile was forced and I think we all knew that. “Everyone on the roof in five.” Spinning on my heel, I strode towards the bathroom, hoping no one was in my way.

  After closing the door, I dropped to my knees and threw up the sandwich and tea I had just eaten.

  “Typical woman.” Mike knelt beside me, pulling my hair away from my face. One hand rested on my back rubbing wide circles as I retched. “Can’t take you anywhere.” He let out a chuckle. “Nerves, girl. Gotta get control over your nerves. Performance anxiety and all that crap.”

  “Oh, like you never throw up?” I warbled, spitting into the toilet.

  “Every time and twice on Sundays.” He reached for a facecloth, wetting it in the sink and wiping my face. “Not such a bad thing to be nervous. Keeps you on your toes. Keeps you alive.”

  I turned to face Mike, to tell him that this wasn’t a game and we weren’t going to play at being superheroes, and found myself staring at Hunter. His hand stopped on my back, burning through the dark fabric.

  “You feeling better?” the dark-haired man whispered.

  “Yeah.” I closed my eyes. “I just don’t know if we can do this, Hunter. I’m used to having it all fixed, all arranged before we walk out that door. We win, they lose and we’re all home in time for tea.”

  “I know.” He drew the damp cloth over the back of my neck, dabbing over the scar. “But this is what you were trained for. This is what you are.”

  I locked eyes with him. “Really?”

  “Really.” He smiled. “Mike believed that. Now it’s time for you to believe it.”

  “Then let’s go save the world.” Taking the cloth from him, I wiped my mouth and tossed it into the garbage bin in the corner. A small bottle of mouthwash sat on the shelf, next to a half-used tube of toothpaste. I rinsed my mouth out, then smacked my lips together. “Let’s get Kol’tak on his way and then get the fuck out of here.” I tapped the handle of the toilet. “People are going to start talking.”

  He stayed kneeling on the floor, grinning.

  I scowled at him then walked back out into the room. Jessie nodded towards the alien, who was now standing by one of the windows peeking out through the blinds.

  “I have to go now.” The blond man didn’t look at me, his eyes focused elsewhere. “I can’t guarantee that I’ll win this fight. He is a powerful warrior. He fought his way to the top with very little resistance. He may kill me and then take out his anger on the rest of you and your world for daring to support me. It would be illegal, but I doubt anyone would contradict him.”

  “Understood.”

  “I can’t promise that I’ll be able to control the fleet even if I do win.” A siren went off somewhere nearby, making me jump. Toronto didn’t have a habit of setting off air-raid sirens, and I suspected that they had dug these out of storage or pried them off some decrepit historical site to reactivate the old skeletons. “The command structure may not recognize my authority after I defeat Mal’tor and try to remedy the situation without us losing face or discrediting the warriors’ efforts. But I will do my best to declare a victory and lead the fleet back to our home world where I will discuss the situation with our leadership.”

  “Yes.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “I know that your culture doesn’t…doesn’t understand what was going on here. Tell the truth, I’m not sure if I do and I don’t know if we’re going to be able to ever tell the whole story to the public, not without sounding like we’re all crazy as loons. But as long as you do your best we’ll be satisfied.”

  He turned around and beamed at me, a grin that would have sunk a thousand ships if it had been
on a cover of one of the many romance books David had downstairs. “Thank you. And good luck.”

  Striding quickly past me, he nodded to Hunter and disappeared through the door, heading towards the roof.

  The Guardian/super looked at me. “They’re all upstairs, ready to go. Mayday’s a bit jittery. She’s going to ride with Slammer and Meltdown. Ani-Man and I are with you.”

  “What tag did they ever give you?” I moved closer to him. “Your nickname?”

  “Never had one.” He smiled. “I was a ghost, remember?”

  “Probably be something silly like Vegas Varmint or Lucky Lou.” I sighed.

  “Probably.” Hunter looked down at my hands. “May get nasty out there.”

  Jenny’s prophecy rang in the back of my mind. “It will.”

  “Then let’s get this over with. I hate being stressed.” He reached forward, one hand caressing the back of my neck as he pressed his lips against mine.

  I could tell you that it was the best kiss of my life, but that’d be lying.

  But it was good. Damned good. And as his arms went around me in a tight embrace, my mind started to shut down and just wallow in the moment. There was no guilt over Mike, no worrying about getting killed or getting the rest of the team killed, no Agency or plug or anything at all.

  “Damn,” I mumbled, tugging on his lower lip with my teeth when he threatened to back away. “You’re good.”

  “Fantastic,” he whispered, pressing in for a series of short, sharp kisses along the edges of my mouth. “Figure I’ll give you some incentive to get out of this alive.”

  “I’m definitely encouraged.” The throaty whisper came from me, but for a brief second I didn’t know who it was. “Just be careful out there. You’re in a dangerous spot ’round me.”

  Hunter released me and pressed his forehead to mine. “All I have to do is stay around. You’ve got the tough job.”

  A throttled cough from Jessie brought the two of us up to stare at the blushing technician. “Uh…isn’t it time to save the world or something like that?”