Enhancer 2

by Wyatt Kane

  22: An Unexpected Call

  Ty took his cue and filled Tempest in. He took care to include all the details that he wanted to say earlier. That it was Lilith who had warned him about the impending attack. That her father – or stepfather – was likely being held hostage. That he could see no other motivation for what she had done aside from coercion.

  Tempest listened to everything Ty said, but it was obvious she wasn’t yet willing to extend trust Lilith’s way. From time to time, she asked questions or made comments.

  “She hit you pretty hard with that talent of hers during the fight,” she said.

  Ty nodded. “She did.” He could have told Tempest that Lilith had apologized even before she did it. Instead, he chose a different direction. “What would you do if Bain or the Master had a knife to Dinah’s throat, and there was no way to rescue her right away? Would you rob a bank if he told you to?”

  Tempest didn’t answer, but her antipathy towards Lilith softened. Her expression gained an aspect of doubt.

  After that, Ty spoke of his efforts to secure the building, and described what he and Dinah had done to set up the shields. “It didn’t stop Lilith, though,” he added ruefully, going on to describe the demon woman’s appearance in Dinah’s bedroom.

  “Her power is substantial,” Tempest murmured. “Did you figure out what it is, exactly?”

  It was a good question. If Ty had thought of it, he would have asked to see Lilith’s character sheet. But he hadn’t, so he shook his head. “No. Sorry,” he said. Then he described how he’d brought Lilith down with the police baton.

  Even though Ty still felt guilty about doing that, Tempest obviously approved. She seemed to swell with pride as Ty described what he had done.

  “And that’s pretty much it,” Ty finished.

  Tempest nodded. She was silent for a moment, just absorbing everything Ty had said. “So,” she said finally. “We may have a spy in the enemy camp. Although we can’t count on any active assistance from her. It’s a start, at least,” she said.

  As they had been talking, Dinah had been quietly working away in the kitchen. By the time Ty finished his story, the deerkin served up the first plate of waffles. Somehow, she had conjured a side of strawberries and cream with a sprig of mint in the center. She had also dusted the waffles in icing sugar, and tipped one single corner of each in melted chocolate.

  The whole looked more like a desert than a breakfast, but Ty wasn’t complaining. It looked delicious. Yet Dinah placed the plate between him and Tempest and spoke to the blonde superhero first.

  “Are you sure you won’t stay for waffles before heading to bed?” the deerkin asked.

  Tempest stared at the waffles with desire so open that Ty had to stifle a laugh. If it had been him, he would have wolfed down the waffles without a second thought. But he always knew Tempest was stronger than he was.

  She shook her head. “I’m too tired to eat,” she said. With that, she stood to go.

  Then she changed her mind. “What the hell,” she said. She plucked one of the waffles from its companions and took a bite with obvious relish. “Good night,” she said as she headed away.

  Ty imagined Tempest’s flagging health bar already showing new life.

  <<<>>>

  Ty couldn’t stuff the waffles into his mouth quickly enough to satisfy his hunger. He had never eaten so well in his entire life before meeting Dinah and Tempest. In his mind, staying with them came with a legitimate threat to his waistline.

  If Dinah kept serving up food like the waffles – and everything else she made – Ty would get fat.

  He took another huge bite of a chocolate and sugar-sprinkled deliciousness and savored the richness of its flavor. He didn’t understand how Dinah had done it. Ty knew for a fact that there was nothing particularly special about the waffle recipe. He had put it together. Yet somehow, by the simple fact of her being part of the process, Dinah had elevated them so that the result was luxurious.

  And yet, despite Ty hoeing into them as if he was starving, Dinah barely nibbled on hers.

  “Tempest will probably only sleep for an hour or two,” the deerkin said as they ate. “She’ll be back to her normal self when she wakes. I think I might spend the time looking into our friend Lilith a bit more. If it really is her stepfather that she was talking about, I should have caught it before.”

  The way Dinah said it, she sounded disappointed with herself. Ty might have tried to reassure her that she had done her best, but his mouth was filled with waffles and cream at the time.

  “If I can find something, it might even lead us to figuring out who this Master is, and where he and Bain might be.”

  It made sense to Ty. As for himself, he would have liked to spend the day upgrading all of his tech. The limitations of his mesh suit had been exposed. He wanted to make it easier for Tempest, Dinah, and himself to get in and out of the building. And he had to move Tempest’s device back to her wrist.

  But the real world was calling him. He hadn’t forgotten the message Angie left him the night before. He needed to talk to her, perhaps beg to get his job back. Or, if that wasn’t going to happen, he needed to talk to Martin about his cousin in the repair business.

  He might have expressed all this to Dinah, but he was being far less delicate with the waffles than she. His mouth was never empty enough for him to speak.

  Yet even before Ty and Dinah finished eating, Ty’s plans changed.

  Ty’s phone was sitting on the kitchen bench next to where Gremlin had chosen to position herself. The phone pinged to signify that it had received a message.

  Ty swallowed and reached for it. His first thought was that perhaps Angie had reconsidered her words from the previous evening. But a glance at the screen told him that it wasn’t Angie calling, but Brad.

  He swiped the screen unlocked the screen and read the message with a sinking feeling.

  Dinah read Ty’s expression. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  Ty sighed. “Yeah, fine,” Ty said. “Just apartment stuff. That was Brad, my roommate. He’s set up a meeting with a repairman of some sort.”

  “Oh?” Dinah asked.

  Ty couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah. When I was there last, Dinah and Bain punched a big hole through the wall.

  Dinah grinned in return. “I can imagine them doing something like that,” she said.

  Ty just grinned.

  The meeting was scheduled for within the next hour or so. “Um, you don’t happen to know if we are on a bus route here, do you?” he asked.

  The deerkin’s brow furrowed. “I think so. But you don’t need to worry about that. You can just borrow my bike,” she said.

  “Bike?” Ty repeated.

  The deerkin nodded. “Motorbike,” she clarified. “If you can ride?”

  Before she had died, one of Ty’s sister’s favorite things had been her motorbike. It was just a little runabout. Nothing fancy, but she’d loved it, and had taught Ty to ride.

  It had been a long time since he’d thought of that bike. With a nostalgic smile, Ty nodded.

  “I can ride,” he said.

  23: Bike

  Ty didn’t want to turn up to the meeting wearing nothing but a sheet, so he took a quick shower and got dressed. Once again, he wore his mesh suit under another of Zach’s less ostentatious shirts.

  Ty’s own jacket had been too small for him to wear since the device had given him his additional height and bulk. Fortunately, the dead superhero’s wardrobe included a selection of jackets as well. Many of them reflected Zach’s colorful, eclectic tastes and sported patches of fur in pink and purple, but there was also a simple, leather bomber jacket of comparatively muted design. Ty put it on and left Zach’s room only to run into Dinah in the hallway.

  The deerkin had also showered and changed. She looked Ty up and down and gave a nod of approval. Yet her expression also contained an echo of sadness.

  “I always liked that jacket. A little subdued compared with
what Zach normally wore. It suits you,” she said.

  “Thank you,” Ty said. He still wasn’t altogether comfortable wearing the dead man’s clothing. It was as if he was carrying a ghost around with him wherever he went. But both Dinah and Tempest seemed to actively encourage him to do so. It was as if they liked the reminder of Zach.

  Nor did he really have any choice. His old clothes were uniformly too small for him now, and he hadn’t exactly had time to go shopping for more. Nor did he have the funds, and without a regular job, he didn’t know when that might change.

  “Are you ready to go?” Dinah asked. Ty nodded. “Then follow me.”

  She led him down to the ground floor. Ty had been there only once before, when affixing the projector disc to the floor. But he hadn’t exactly explored the entire place. Dinah took him to a door marked private and placed her palm on the sensor. It clicked open, granting them access to a small parking garage.

  “One of the benefits of penthouse living,” Dinah said with a smile. “Tempest doesn’t need a vehicle, but I do from time to time.”

  The lights turned on automatically as they entered, and Ty found himself in an open space that could fit maybe four different vehicles. But the only thing in it was Dinah’s bike.

  It was sleek and black and made his sister’s old runabout look like a toy. Ty couldn’t help but admire it. It was a Ducati, the type of thing that a middle-aged man might buy to satisfy the urgings of a midlife crisis. It wouldn’t look out of place on a race track, and while it was currently quiescent, Ty wouldn’t have been surprised if it lit up like a Christmas tree as soon as the key was turned.

  Ty let out an unconscious murmur of appreciation.

  “Cool, huh?” Dinah said. “She’s my pride and joy. Every once in awhile I just get on her and take off for a ride. What do you think?”

  Ty was having trouble reconciling the bike with the impression he had of Dinah. To him, she epitomized grace and delicate beauty. She was a forest creature, a deerkin, and would be perfectly at home in a woodland setting.

  To think of her speeding along a highway in black leathers and helmet seemed like a contradiction. In Ty’s mind, it was Tempest whom he might have expected to own a bike like this. Not Dinah.

  “It’s amazing.” Ty said. “But how do you wear a helmet?” he blurted.

  Dinah laughed at him. “I have a modified one. My antlers poke through. Not ideal if I’m ever in an accident, but still better than nothing.” She grinned. “Well? Are you going to get on, or just look at her?”

  When Dinah had mentioned she had a bike, Ty’s immediate thought was that perhaps she had a scooter. This black monster of a machine was not what he had in mind at all.

  He couldn’t help but be uncertain. “Are you sure?” he said.

  In response, she gave him a broad smile and walked over to where a couple of helmets hung on the wall. She selected one and held it out to him, along with the key.

  There were no more reasons to hesitate. Ty gripped the handle bar and climbed clumsily on board. Even with both feet still on the ground, one on each side, the bike felt surprisingly comfortable. Like it had been made for him.

  He could do this, he thought. Even though it had been years since he’d last ridden, he still knew how. He put on the helmet and flipped the face shield up, then accepted the key.

  He was ready.

  “Just bring her back in one piece. And yourself, of course,” Dinah said.

  “Will do.” Ty said. At the thought, he activated his mesh suit once again. It might not protect him from fall damage, but it should help soften the blow if anything went wrong. Then he thumbed the ignition button and was rewarded not with a throaty roar, but the delicate hum of a finely tuned electric motor.

  “There’s an anti-theft system you can activate with the key, and the remote for the garage door is on the fob,” Dinah said. “And don’t forget to turn off your shield for this wall.”

  Ty nodded and thumbed the appropriate buttons. Then he gave the deerkin a wave and a grin, and, very gently, accelerated out into the street.

  Fortunately, the building’s garage was at the other end of the building from where Lilith had ripped up the road. Ty could see temporary barriers put in place by the city maintenance workers, but where the garage door opened, the streets were in good condition.

  It took Ty less than a minute to become familiar with the marvelous machine. When he did, he lost much of his tentativeness and started to enjoy himself. He felt an almost irresistible urge to open the throttle and see what Dinah’s bike could really do. But he reined himself in, sticking mostly to the speed limit as he made his way through the city.

  He quickly left the comparatively up market area where Tempest and Dinah lived and found himself back in the rundown neighborhoods with which he was more familiar.

  At ground level, New Lincoln was a city made mostly of alleyways and dark corners. The streets were lit by pink and blue neon, covered in refuse, and rife with potholes. The pavements, such as they were, were home to furtive pedestrians, many of whom may have been up to no good.

  Yet to Ty, viewing it all on the back of the bike, it was different as well. He felt a freedom almost akin to what he felt when flying with Tempest. Ty found himself grinning within his helmet, and even though the city air was not fresh, he breathed it in as if it was.

  The bike itself performed wonderfully, and even though it wasn’t his, he really felt like he was leveling up on life.

  All too soon, Ty found himself back in his old neighborhood. He parked the bike, made sure to set the anti-theft system, and headed into his building.

  It had only been a few days since Ty had last been there. Yet to him, it felt as if he’d been away for weeks. So much had changed that it seemed a different life entirely. It was as if it wasn’t Ty who lived there but someone else whose memories Ty happened to share.

  At the same time, it was familiar as well. The same careless garbage littering the stairs up to his floor. The same faded paint and smells of disappointment and defeat. He could even predict which apartments would be quiet as he passed and which would project thumping music, angry shouts, or TVs turned up way too loud.

  Yet when he reached the door to his apartment, he found himself preparing to knock rather than simply letting himself in.

  He grinned at his own foolishness and palmed the door open.

  24: Catching Up

  His apartment looked the same as it had when last he’d seen it. The security bolt was still broken. The microwave and toaster still lay in pieces on the kitchen bench. And Brad, Ty’s roommate, still sat on the couch with his holo-visor down as he played a game on the screen in front of him.

  The only differences were that when last he’d been there, the apartment had been filled with people. Bain’s mercenaries, whom Ty had fought with his home-made stun gun. The police, who had come to take the mercenaries away. And Tempest, with whom Ty had left out of the hole in the wall.

  As for that hole, it was no longer visible. Someone – Brad? – had taped a large sheet of cardboard that looked as if it had once been a box over it. The only visible damage was a few cracks in the wall that the cardboard didn’t cover.

  Yet aside from that, everything was exactly the same. It was almost as if the last few days hadn’t happened.

  “Hey,” Ty said to Brad.

  The gamer barely looked up. “Hey back,” he said. Ty glanced at the screen and saw that instead of the more usual fantasy landscape where Brad plied his trade, he was looking at a battle in the expanse of space.

  Brad spoke into his visor. “Real-world interrupts. AFK.” Then he flipped his visor up and studied Ty with greater interest. “You look different,” he said.

  “Yeah,” Ty replied. “You said that before. The device, remember?”

  Brad was the only person Ty had told about what had happened. He knew all about the device, Tempest, and Bain. But the gamer frowned and waved Ty’s answer away.

  “Yeah, the
device. That isn’t what I mean.” Then he grinned broadly, showing teeth that hadn’t been cleaned in months. It fit the rest of his slovenly nature. “You got laid, didn’t you?” Brad said.

  The accusation caught Ty off guard, and his own face betrayed him. He grinned like a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

  “I knew it!” Brad said. Then he took on a calculating look. “It wasn’t that superhero chick, was it? No way! She’s like, so far out of your league she’s playing a different game entirely!”

  Ty couldn’t help himself. He grinned even more broadly. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he said. “She’s out of your league. Turns out she’s not out of mine at all.”

  The incredulous expression that passed over Brad’s features was priceless. He looked both impressed and disbelieving all at once. It was as if he couldn’t believe the Ty he knew could score a woman like Tempest.

  Out of no more than a whim, Ty decided to drop the other shoe. “Turns out I’m not out of her roommate’s league, either.”

  “Roommate?”

  “Yeah. Dinah. Another superhero. Just as stunning as Tempest, but completely different. Full deerkin, with antlers, hooves, and a tail she can wiggle.”

  “You’re shitting me!” Brad said.

  Ty just grinned.

  For a moment, the gamer stared at Ty as if he was a stranger. Then, slowly, Brad shook his head. “Unbelievable,” he muttered, and Ty couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I take it that’s where you’ve been over the last few nights?” Brad asked.

  Still grinning broadly, Ty nodded. Then he realized there was something wrong with this picture. When last Ty had seen him, Brad had been packing up his gaming gear. He’d been intending to stay with a friend.

  And yet, here he was, playing as usual.

  Ty made the connection. “Have you still been living here?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I was staying with a mate, couch surfing, you know. After the wall got blown out. That lasted a day before his missus gave him an ultimatum.” Brad grinned and gestured to himself. “Seems that the Brad was too much of a good thing for her.”