The Pantheon Saga | Book 5 | Absolute Power

by Ekeke, C. C.

  Spencer stared at the scene, fascinated. The test subject meant nothing to her. But an experiment she had the privilege to witness was starting. Spencer paused on the woman’s face. Sharp and approachably attractive features haloed by a pool of curly golden hair.

  Spencer knew her. “J-Tom’s aunt?” Her mind whirled. “But she died—”

  Riva raised a hand for silence, and Spencer meekly complied. “The OSA staged her death and blamed Paxton-Brandt as an excuse to axe their contract.” She tossed back her hair. “Since then, the OSA is putting on a pretense that Helena Madden is on some Eat, Pray, Love walkabout.”

  Spencer gaped at Helena’s chest rising and falling on the table. “That was some Jason Bourne shit.”

  Riva kept talking. “She’s not the first disruptor the OSA has disappeared for opposing them.”

  Those words shivered through Spencer. And these were the good guys? “Paxton-Brandt doesn’t know?”

  Riva’s pitiless smile disturbed Spencer further. “This lab is separate from them. Paxton-Brandt is part of my kingdom, querida.” She returned her attention to the window. “The OSA has mostly used Madden to train telepathic operatives. Altering, suppressing, and erasing memories. Implanting false memories.” Riva gave a harsh laugh. “Her mind’s probably been turned into scrambled eggs.”

  Spencer didn’t want to know this. Part of why capturing supers had been easy was never seeing them get tested on. But that long needle lodged in Ms. Madden’s belly made her queasy. Spencer felt rock-bottom awful wondering how bad the OSA had scrambled Madden’s brain. Is Hugo right about me?

  Riva seemed not to notice her internal struggle. She pressed a button on the wall beside the window. “Are we ready, Dr. Kashanian?”

  “Yes, Ms. de León,” one masked lab worker stated through the viewing room speakers. “Starting now.”

  Spencer watched as the lab workers left the room, leaving Madden alone on the slab. A low hum sprang from the testing room, deep and droning.

  At first, nothing happened. The hum increased. Madden’s back arched, tendons and muscles in her neck and arms standing out. The woman’s closed eyes tightened, her teeth clenching in agony.

  While Riva watched expressionlessly, Spencer grew more uncomfortable. Was this necessary? The hum intensified.

  Madden’s eyes popped open, burning bright red. Madden’s scream didn’t sound human as crimson energy poured out of her eyes, pounding the ceiling.

  Spencer backtracked from the window. “Holy shit!”

  The hum stopped. Helena slumped on the metal lab, eyes rolled back into her head. Lab workers scurried into the room to examine the body.

  Spencer gaped at this woman whom she’d met several times.

  Riva tapped the speaker console eagerly. “Did you get blood samples?”

  “Yes,” Dr. Kashanian answered. “Plus, we know the EM radiation and dose that triggers her transformations.”

  “Perfect. Clean Ms. Madden up and return her to her quarters. Then start testing.” Riva turned from the window.

  Then Spencer unloaded. “You turned Helena Madden into a super?”

  The businesswoman’s eyes gleamed under the room lights. “Not quite.”

  Spencer was lost. “I don’t understand.”

  Riva steered her to the room exit. “Back in 2003, Ms. Madden was a war correspondent during the Iraq War,” she began. “She and several American aid workers got kidnapped by al-Thawra, a more forward-thinking terrorist group. They brutally experimented on the captives to create Titan-like sleeper agents. Al-Thawra had planned to unleash them on the Middle East posing as American supersoldiers and destroy its global reputation.”

  The vast conspiracy left Spencer gobsmacked. “Since I’m just hearing of this, I guess al-Thawra failed?”

  Riva steered them to a hallway with no people traffic. “The project got stopped when a joint US and British military unit led by Lieutenant Noah Huntley located and rescued the captives.”

  The name seized Spencer. “As in Senator Huntley?”

  Riva nodded. “Six of the fourteen captives survived the experiments. Including Madden. She and Huntley grew close afterward until she left Iraq.” She winked. “But that’s a story for another time.”

  Spencer almost vomited thinking of Huntley having sexy times.

  Riva continued. “Since the survivors all checked out as normal, the incident was forgotten until 2010.”

  Spencer hated not knowing things. “What happened in 2010?”

  Riva stopped and faced her. “An al-Thawra operative activated three assets to kill Titan, which brought Lady Liberty out of retirement.”

  Spencer felt a heady rush of nostalgia. That had been Titan’s, Geist’s, and Lady Liberty’s first time teaming up. “I remember...”

  “The OSA tested one survivor.” Riva stated. “When his programming was deactivated, his DNA changed to normal, no memory of his crimes. He died two days later.”

  Spencer sagged under the weight of these revelations. “Wild…”

  “The OSA kept tabs on Madden,” Riva went on. “Obsessed with finding what triggers this change.”

  “The OSA failed?” Spencer asked.

  Riva grinned again. “Yes. But someone has activated Ms. Madden many times in the last three years. The traces of excessive thyroxine in her blood are hallmarks of someone who’s endured metamorphosis.”

  Spencer’s inner nerd made the sin easy to ignore. “Who activated her?”

  Riva grew somber. “A disruptor the OSA is hunting.” Her eyes glazed over with lust. “The secrets within Madden’s blood could provide a new way of protecting this world, rendering superheroes obsolete.”

  “Obsolete.” Spencer wasn’t sure how she felt about that, being an ex-superhero daughter.

  Riva noticed this. “Does this scare you?”

  “A little,” Spencer confessed. “Maybe that’s good?” The questioning tone was accidental but honest.

  Riva gave a light chuckle. “Change frightens people, until they see the benefits a new world offers.”

  Spencer considered what her family and former friends might think. The same people who’d called her irredeemable. Riva’s the only one who chose me. “Whatever you’re doing, I’m all the way in.”

  Riva looked genuinely proud. “As I predicted, Spencer.”

  Epilogue

  Hugo treaded through the drab, iron-grey halls in full Aegis gear, following the stocky bald man in a black suit. He hadn’t known of this OSA Waystation in Creston outside Paso Robles. Then again, Hugo had learned how much he didn’t know about the world around him this past week.

  The stocky agent stopped at an open door near the end of the corridor, gesturing for Hugo to enter.

  Inside were all the tenets of an interrogation room. Bland grey walls, steel table, and a mirror-like one-way window with four agents on the other side.

  Hugo’s attention zeroed in on the featured attraction. Devon Strauss hopped off the table, wearing dark slacks and a tucked-in white blouse with rolled-up sleeves. With the shiny badge and holstered gun on her belt, Devon looked every inch the OSA agent.

  “Hey, Devon,” Hugo greeted in his rumbling Aegis voice as the door closed behind him.

  She approached, her loose ponytail putting her delighted face on display. “Glad you reconsidered.” They shook hands. “After Atascadero, the Paragons will need our support.”

  Hugo expected such overreach. “I haven’t accepted.” He produced a small jet-black square from his pocket. The other side of the one-way window erupted in protest.

  Hugo glanced their way and smiled. The silencer had been a gift from Dr. Michelman. That should scramble any recording/listening devices around this room, except in his costume’s bodycam.

  Devon rolled her eyes tartly. “Is that necessary?”

  Hugo ignored her, twisting the cube once like a Rubik to activate and placing it on the table. “This meeting isn’t happening, remember?”

  “Fine.” Devon p
ulled out a chair from the table and sat heavily. “What assurances do you need?”

  Hugo faced her, buoyed by having something this agency wanted. He drew back his hood and half-mask. “Is Helena Madden in OSA custody?”

  Devon was stone-faced, but her eyes widened a fraction. “Where’d you hear that rumor?”

  “Choose your next words carefully,” Hugo warned. Or I’m gone.

  Devon turned a mild pink, temperature spiking. “Madden’s being held at one of our black sites,” she admitted after seconds of unblinking silence.

  Hugo felt a jolt down his spine. “Jesus!”

  “Madden possessed stolen classified data,” she stated, defiant. “Were we supposed to let her disclose that?”

  “By illegally jailing a US citizen!” Hugo couldn’t mask his contempt. The OSA was just like Paxton-Brandt.

  Devon looked away, having the humility to be ashamed. “Helena had to ‘die’ for OSA management to break ties with Paxton-Brandt. And she has to stay dead until Paxton-Brandt is destroyed.”

  Hugo scowled, realizing the position she’d forced him into.

  “I maneuvered Quinn far away from Paxton-Brandt for months, until Helena dragged her into their line of fire,” Devon stated, smoldering with hate. “She would go kamikaze on them if she knew her mentor’s alive.”

  The passionate pleas reached beyond friendship. Hugo wasn’t expecting that. Nor was he expecting Saracen to be right. “I’ll help with Paxton-Brandt on three conditions,” Hugo announced. “One. Hand Ms. Madden over to me afterward unharmed.”

  Devon pursed her lips, considering this briefly. “Done. Number two?”

  Hugo breathed deep. “I know Dr. Michelman was working for you. Paxton-Brandt captured him.”

  Devon seemed almost bored hearing this. “We know. And we’re searching. What are you asking?”

  Despite Hugo’s issues with Michelman, there was still good in the former superhero. “When he’s found, please go easy on him. Michelman went against Paxton-Brandt to protect his daughters.”

  Devon’s frown deepened. “Being a good parent doesn’t make someone a good person,” she lectured patronizingly. “It just gives a predator one more reason to kill.”

  The hypocrisy left Hugo breathless. But he calmed and stood firm. “Immunity for him is nonnegotiable.”

  Devon softened. “I’ll run that up the food chain. And three?”

  Here we go. This ranked highest. “Damocles.” Hugo caught Devon’s face shift when that name was uttered. “The villain who beat the Natural Born Thrillers?” Hugo stated. “I need help finding him.”

  Devon held his gaze and lifted her chin a little. “That’s a new name to us. But it’s just new paint over an old vehicle.” She moved past Hugo. “Remember Hurricane’s murder last year?”

  That jostled dark memories loose from Hugo’s sophomore year. “A student betrayed him.” He snapped his fingers. “Greyson Hirsch.” Quinn’s Washington Post article on Hurricane’s murder came to mind.

  Devon winced. “We tried capturing Hirsch in Mexico months ago, with Paxton-Brandt as a go-between. Yeah, big mistake,” she added upon Hugo’s angered reaction. “He slaughtered our contractors and escaped.” She stared at the ground in resignation.

  Hugo studied her body language. “What else happened?”

  Devon looked up, incensed. “A computer virus struck several agencies this summer, ours included. Once we recovered, Hirsch and Constance Ishibashi’s government files now said Damocles had killed them.”

  That floored Hugo. Was Saracen’s clairvoyant behind this? “What about families, friends, coworkers?”

  Devon was shaking her head before he finished. “All brainwashed to believe the same story.” Her confusion was barefaced. “Whoever orchestrated this coverup leaked this fake story to the news media, added Hurricane as one of Damocles's victims. Now Hirsch is back in the US, hunting superheroes.”

  Terror surged through Hugo’s veins. Damocles wasn’t just dangerous, but well-connected. Saracen was right. Scared as he was, two months shy of seventeen, Hugo couldn’t hide from this threat. “When you find him—”

  “We’ll tell you.” Devon smiled for the first time this meeting, highlighting her attractiveness.

  “I want everything in writing,” Hugo demanded.

  Devon nodded understandingly. “Yessir.”

  Hugo pulled his hood and mask back on. “Later.” Grabbing the silencer, he disabled it and walked out. He didn’t realize how badly his hands were shaking until he lifted off from the waystation.

  The golden-yellow sun had risen high enough to burn away the morning fog and gloom. Hugo waited until he’d soared miles away before tapping his hood. “Get all that?”

  “Yeah.” Simon sounded spooked. “Holy shit.”

  “I know.” Hugo’s insides were ice-cold, yet his nerves felt fried. “Saracen was right about everything.” He slowed to a hover above Morro Bay. The coastline cut a jagged, foaming divide between land and sea.

  “Can you trust the OSA?”

  “Hell naw,” Hugo snapped. “We recorded them admitting to illegally holding a US citizen.” Hugo had another feather in his cap. “We also have that OSA dirt Quinn sent to Clint.”

  “Us against the OSA,” Simon sounded thrilled yet scared.

  “They’re a temporary ally,” Hugo corrected. To defeat his enemies, this devil’s bargain was necessary.

  “Should we tell J-Tom about her aunt?” Simon asked.

  “Not until the OSA hands Ms. Madden over,” Hugo shot down. “And the other Paragons can’t know either. We tell Lady Liberty…and Becky Knox.” But with Saracen’s words being true, he’d give Becky a chance to prove her loyalty. He watched his city. San Miguel and its suburbs were still waking up.

  “I watched what Damocles did to the Natural Born Thrillers.” Simon’s voice shook. “He’s scary as shit.”

  “So am I,” Hugo said to mask his own fears. Another call flashed on his eyescreen. “See you at school.”

  Hugo switched over to answer the new call. “Hey, Annie!”

  “We have a problem,” Annie replied, panic in her voice. “Something big is about to drop. On you.”

  Hugo instantly braked in mid-air. “What happened…”

  Then he heard a cacophony of reports on TVs, mobile devices, and car radios all across San Miguel discussing Aegis. Hugo froze in mid-air, barely hearing Annie above what the broadcasts were declaring.

  Many sources have confirmed that Aegis is Titan’s son.

  Only one response came to Hugo’s mind. “Oh shit!”

  Hugo and Greyson will return in UNITED WE STAND, coming in late 2020

  Read on for a special note from the author

  Author Notes

  That’s a wrap for another volume of the Pantheon Saga! Big thanks to Carlos, Emmy and Corine for making this story pretty and coherent. Shout out to Ron, David A, David J and Jason for your feedback!

  This book was an interesting challenge. I’d resolved a number of plot threads in Gods of Wrath and Quinn no longer being a POV character closed off that view of the larger superhero community. That’s why we expanded Hugo’s world much more. Plus, it was a naturally fit to integrate characters like Annie Sherwood, Helena Madden and Devon Strauss into Hugo’s life as he seeks to build his own support team. And making sure that Quinn still had a presence in this book, even from afar, was vital. By the way, what are your thoughts on that trifecta of Helena Madden twists?? The J-Tom/Helena connection as well as her still being alive came to me during the plotting of Absolute Power. We’ll see more of that in the future. Along with that, are you interested in exploring what Quinn and Therese’s adventures in Berlin are?

  Now that Hugo is a publicly known hero, keeping him confined to San Miguel/Central California didn’t make sense. And that includes being on a superhero team. It was the next natural progression for his journey. However, I wanted to show that his earlier resistance was to joining an existing team. There was a level
of trust he wasn’t willing to relinquish, but now that he is mostly surrounded with people he can trust, Hugo can embrace forming his own team. The name Paragons was a nod to Hugo’s respect for the veterans that came before him. Granted, I was annoyed when the Arrowverse called their team Paragons, but I was like “fuck it” and used the name anyway. Expect to see more team action in Book 6 as well as the normal growing pains a team might face. Hugo also is now in an exclusive relationship (finally). I know there have been issues with Hugo’s bedhopping, but again its part of his journey. Now the struggle will be maintaining that relationship while juggling his superhero adventures and leading a team. Drama to come!

  BTW, I was not expecting to enjoy his chemistry with J-Tom so much. They fit together much better than I could’ve anticipated. But their relationship was a bit codependent and a way to treat their mutual wounds. But now they can focus on being teammates on the Paragons. However, we have not seen the last of Spencer causing trouble for them both. She’s just getting warmed up. Most importantly, Hugo finally knows about Greyson! It’s been a long, slow burn. So expect for them to finally meet in violent fashion. And don’t worry, this conflict between them will stretch out beyond Absolute Power.

  Speaking of conflict. Ms. Riva de León! Now many people might wonder why do we need her when Steve Olin is around? Both oligarchs might be closely aligned on Paxton-Brandt business, but their larger goals differ greatly. This woman can bend foreign presidents to her will and replace the heads of state who don’t serve her agenda. To say she’s well-connected and dangerous is an understatement. And she has much more ‘foresight’ than Olin. Plus, there is the Michelman connection. More to come…

  And how about Brie? I told ya she’s worth the wait. I always saw Brie’s arc as a rise and fall then redemption. Someone with flaws and dimensions who needed to grow up. I wanted to depart from the usually flat arc we see female love interests on, even though she did play damsel in distress more than a few times. And just for the record, Brie is not losing her mind. The creature she saw, Knightmare, is very real and very powerful. Knightmare will become a big problem for Hugo, Brie and their friends in Book 6.