Was she just putting it out of her mind?
She felt the blood drip dowween her fingers and sptter on the ground. Whose blood was it? She looked over her shoulder at the body ying against the wall. Ah, right. The young man who had been a trainee years ago, she’d taken him under her wing as a scout. Now he y there, a k of his torso crushed by a lurker’s fist.
“Hello, little hero,” A cruel rasp called out behind her, sending a chill up her spine.
“Who?” She gasped, turning and looking up into a pair of glowing pink eyes that burned down at her through a faceless helmet. Her hands dropped, “Oh.”
Ishtar hung in the air in a rexed pose, “You ran after Otis , right?” The Supervilin asked.
Sonya’s eyes shifted back a bit, but she didn’t look at the body again, “Yeah,” She said with a sullen nod, “I’d been chasing him for days,” Sonya said ao her knees, “After he-”
Ishtar floated down a bit, kig her legs aing her on her palms, “That hasn’t happened yet,” She said, “But I think yetting distracted.”
“Distracted?” Sonya barked, looking up at her, “What’s that supposed to mean? I’m adhering to the pn! I’ve been training the geion, hua is on our side, right?”
“You’re pying house,” Ishtar said, “We kill her.”
Sonya smmed her fist to the ground, “You know that isn’t the point! Of course we kill her! We kill all of them except him! Why are you even doing this? We had a great day yesterday! Made some good deals!”
“We created a monster in the middle east, pissed off First Wind, ran away, and killed a nobody, the only real progress was the broadcast,” Ishtar said with a scoff, “In doing so I stayed in trol too long, I hurt you!” She nded on her feet, “You made a liar out of me! I promised you!”
Sonya bit her lip, g her fists and fighting down the scream of frustration boiling up in her gut. She got to her feet and looked Ishtar in the eyes, “What do you want from me? We both know that this is going to take time! We have to do it right!”
“I’m nuing that point,” Ishtar hissed, “But how long are you going to pretend to be something that you aren’t anymore. hua has ged, she’s a new person. The timeline has ged and she has been far too quiet! Stop coasting!” Ishtar shouted, “It’s time to wake up!” Her voice echoed as something huge roared in the distance, a building fell, and a cruel ugh filled the air as golden light bathed the sky.
Sonya jerked up in her bed and blinked, her chest heaving. She clutched at her head, her temples pounding. “Fuck,” She gasped and rubbed her eyes. She’d been out for hours. Sonya gnced outside. It was still pretty dark. She checked her clo her hud, Little while before sunrise here, should be ing close to su over there. She got to her feet and yawned. I o get back. She grumbled and dragged herself over to the mirror. She stopped in front of it and stared into it, “That was harsh,” She growled, “Now you want to talk to me?” She asked.
The face that looked back at her was her own and for o didn’t ge. She frowned and furrowed her brow, “Ishtar?” She called and the fa the mirror flickered for a moment. For a heartbeat she saw a tired face up at her before turning away and closing its eyes in slumber. She huffed out a breath, “Oh, you’re tired,” She murmured and reached up to touch the mirror, running her fingers down the cool surface, “I’m sorry, I pushed you too hard,” She said a out a heavy breath as she went over what Ishtar had done in her head. Things that she should have done herself. If only- she shook her head.
“The job’s done, let's just go back,” She said with a sigh, A hasty knock came to the door and she gnced up, sensing the presen the other side, “Mephisto? e in!”
He slipped inside hurriedly and shut the door behind him, “You o see this,” He said in a rush, walking past her and turning oV.
“What?” She asked, following him as the s came to life and the scowl of Liberty filled her vision. She narrowed her eyes as Liberty leaned forward on her podium.
“The Pandora ittee has failed again, Vilihe winners of the day in Pakistan. Make no mistake of it,” Liberty said, “Once more the so-called Queen of Vilins has swept in a with the problem while making heroes look like idiots,” She tinued, “Pathetic. They go about touting their heroism while they do nothing to back up their words. The ‘new iional hero’ First Wind is supposed to be some kind of problem solver, yet all he did was cause enormous property damage and disobey orders!”
She poi the camera, “That is what the Pandora ittee isn’t telling us, he was supposed to wait for the rest of his party to arrive before dealing with the vilins, but by then they would have already been too te. Inpetent!” Liberty barked, “These are the people telling you to restrain your powers! These are the people talking abistering every light-touched aing you,” She smmed her fist on the podium, “These are the people who have categorically ignored my demands to have by sister returned home!”
“Kidnappers, imbeciles, and tyrants!” She shouted, “They’ve made their bed and made their decisions, now it is time to reap the sequences,” She snarled and raised a fist, “Freedom is for the strong! It is for those who hold to an ideal while living their lives. I make you strong. I protect you. And I do what they ’t and won’t do,” She said and stood up straight, looking down on the camera, “I will tear the seeds of oppression out by the root aroy them,” She said before tilting her head, “Is that bad for business, Ishtar?”
Sonya took a step back as her ph in her head, she answered it immediately, “Bckrazor, what’s going on?”
“I’ve lost tact with my eeam at the main pound, they’ve gone dark along with three cells,” He said hurriedly, “You o return, quickly!”
She spun on her heel aured, creating a panel of light that distorted a into a portal, “I’m going! What other cells were lost?” She said, marg towards it. Why did she announce her attack so openly? Euclidia just send reinforts! She’s got something up her sleeve, but what? She thought quickly, not notig the faint red sparks that hid in the ers of the portal.
“The New York cell, the California cell, and the one monit the Chairman, mistress, I have never-” He cleared his throat, “I’ll deal with it, ma’am.”
Sonya gnced back at Mephisto, “Do you have everything covered here?” She asked.
“Y-yeah,” Mephisto said breathlessly, “I’ll handle Erebus, go!” He called and hurried out the door. She turo the portal and stepped through. Ishtar was right, I’ve been-
Before Sonya could plete ahought, her world turned into pain.
—
hua stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath. It was odd feeling nervous about iing with, well, anyone. Yet here she was steadying herself ahead of a versation. She brushed her hair back over her ear and kwice. A small voice called from inside for her to enter and she pushed the door open. The office was humble with minimal distras save for a few trophies and ndscape paintings on the wall. Ahead of her, Car sat at a desk and was cheg something on her puter. She gnced up and smiled, “Wele hua.”
The Pandora Administratot to her feet aended a hand. hua moved in and took it, shaking her hand, “Thank you for seeing me again and for ving the Chairman to ease the restris a little.”
“Of course!” She chuckled, “Least I could do,” She said with a breath and sat back dowuring for hua to sit, “How is Lily by the way?”
hua smiled with a bit of pride, “She’s certainly growing, I had my military training to fall ba when I awakened and so it took me less time to master some of my abilities. She’s achieved a level of skill that would be unheard of in these few months. Still early Epic I believe,” She said and rubbed her thoughtfully, “She makes up for it iility but she might be surprised by the growth of her friends who were already Epic to begin with..”
odded, “The Chairman is fasated by her ability, actually moving from oier to another.”
hua frowned a little and looked off to the side, “You and I both know it’s more plicated than that.”
Car closed her eyes and nodded, “I do,” She said and hua looked her way.
“You know she did it so-” She stopped when Car held up a hand and shook her head.
“hua, we shouldn’t talk about this, especially not with her absent, it isn’t fair,” She said softly, “I know you’re worried. I am too.”
hua bit her lip but couldn’t argue the point, she let out a breath and sighed, “You’re right, I’m sorry,” She said with a sigh, “When is she getting back?”
“She was supposed to be back earlier, holy,” Car said with a sigh, rubbing her fiogether, “But I haven’t heard from her. Probably getting some extra rest, she went a little wild.”
hua snorted and frowned, resting her against her knuckles. She was still struggling with reg her beliefs as a hero with what was happening with Sonya. She believed in her and what she was doing, the ultimate goal, but that didn’t make the colteral feel aer to her. She let out a sigh and reached back to rub her neck. She wished she had a ce to actually talk to her, but it felt like they kept missing one another. “
Car gave her a sympathetic look and reached under her desk, pulling out a small bottle and two gsses. She poured out a finger in each gss and slid one over. hua gnced down at the amber liquid and then up at Car. “But the meeting?”
“Are you really going to get tipsy over one shot?” Car asked with a chuckle and picked up her own gss.
hua ughed and grabbed her gss, leaning forward and holding it up, “To a certain idiot we ’t help but worry about.”
The administrator smiled and nodded, “What would she do without us? Cheers,” They brought their gsses together and took a quick drink. It burned just the right way. hua let out a sigh and rexed as Car turo the puter and started typing. She gnced up at hua, “He’s ready.”
The hero set her gss aside and nodded, sitting up straighter as Car turhe s around and a video call started. A few moments ter, as Car walked around her desk to sit in the seat o hua, the Chairman appeared on the s. He cleared his throat and graced them both with a broad smile, “Ladies! Gd to hear from you!” He said with a boisterous ugh befrowing serious, “I’ve been given discretionary power to oversee this matter directly. So let’s talk about getting Bck Lotus off the hook, shall we? Every day ts.”
—
Axel stood on the observation ptform, leaning against the rail and watg as the tirants made their through the obstacle course. Val hopped over areacherous trap with a rescue doll in his arms while Snow hurried up behind him, c their tracks with a gesture and creating illusory obstacles to fuse the dolls that pursued them. She hopped over the obstacle as well, nding steadily and tinuing to move, keeping her eyes ba the route behind them. Occasionally she would draw a small pistol from her thigh and point it at the approag attack dolls. The pellets it fired exploded on tact, sending the attackers hurtling away.
He tightened his grip on the rail, Reminds me a bit er. He thought, frowning a little. The image before him bringing him back to that first time Kingshark had made his way through his turf. Axel had been trying to get the growing gang problem under trol in town with the help of the local police, then they suddenly ganized and started retaliating. It was a little scary if he was being ho. Trigger had been the biggest problem, explosions could bypass his ability to a degree and even overload it. Fighting the guy off had been hard.
He watched Snow take a few more shots as they made their the st slope and he checked his watch. He smiled a bit as they passed the finish line, “Good job you two,” He said, “I was surprised when you said you were going for a two man group for this test but…” He trailed off as he spotted movement irees. He frowned, “What the?” He muttered befng down at the tirants, “You two, drop the dolls a up here now!” He shouted..
Val didn’t o be told twice, he dropped the dolls and grabbed Snow by the side before ung himself into the air and nding behind Axel. Axel threw his arms up in a cross just as a bullet smmed into it. He felt the momentum of the bullet absorb into his skin and pass through and into his muscle fibers. He bore his teeth and gnced back at the two, “We’re utack!” He barked. Val took a step forward and started to warm up his body rockets while Snow raised her hands in a ready pose. He would have smiled if it weren’t so serious, “No! You two get back to the camp, pronto. Let them know what’s happening and follow ot it?”
Snow hesitated, a frown creasing her features and Val opened his mouth to protest but he leveled the two of them with a gre. “Now!”
They nodded and Val k down, holding out his arms, “We move faster if it’s just me doing the moving, Snow. That alright?”
She nodded and hopped into his arms, “No problem, let's go,” She said hurriedly aurned away, firing up the rocket in his back, feet, and elbows before ung into the air like a thrown spear. He was just a glimmer of red a moment ter.
Axel turned back towards the field and saw a rge group of masked men and women marg towards him. He tilted his head and cracked a grin, “You chose the wrong camp to attack, assholes,” He said, “And the wrong training course to sneak in on!” He snatched up the tablet that trolled the training field and dialed the difficulty up to maximum, “e a me!” He bellowed as the attack dolls designed by his home pany sprung to life. “You aren’t getting anywhere hose brats!”
–
The Chairman nodded slowly, listening to what the two of them had to say. While they all agreed that the restris o be formally lifted, the debate had turo just what restris were really necessary for the Mythic tier heroes. The vote had codified the Vegas Act, but it had proven almost immediately to be faulty as shown at the Hague. Running in fear of a dungeon break wasn’t the way, but he had his own points to make himself.
“While I agree with you on some points, you have to uand that the threat of a dungeon break is an incredible deterrent. No one wants to set off a possible rea by sending multiple mythics to a strike zone,” He said ftly, “There’s no way to actively limit a mythic’s output either without simply getting their word that they’re holding back.”
hua nodded, No way except getting Ishtar to do it, which would never happen. She thought with a frown and leaned ba her seat, “Then at least administrators like Miss Mint here should be allowed to give a Mythic the go order,” hua urged, “I don’t want anue.”
“None of us do, which is why we’re talking about this,” The Chairman said and rubbed his , “At any rate we’re getting distracted,” He said with a huff and put his hand oable, “For now let’s focus on what we do in the immediate, yes?” He said and typed something into his puter before tapping a few more keys and grabbing his tablet and a stylus, “Let’s get that suspension lifted fully. As I said earlier, there’s only a few days left on it but I’d rather get you active sooner rather than ter.”
hua let out a breath, “Thank you sir.”
He smiled at her, “Your work is appreciate-” He paused and gnced up, frowning, “Excuse me? What are you talking about, where?” He demanded as he got to his feet.
A chill ran up hua’s spine and Car leaned forward, “Chairman?” Car called, “Chairman, what's happening?” Something l out in the background of the call and then it went dark. “Chairman?” Car shouted, “Chairman!”
–
Pain. For a heartbeat, Sonya’s world ain as she hit the ground, skidding across something hard. She let out a cry and rolled onto her side, her body twitg and fling as sparks skittered across her skin. She gasped and her eyes shot open, the pain starting to subside. She coughed and curled up on herself for a moment, taking a few steadying breaths. What the hell was that? She thought, wheezing and rolling over onto her arm. Her fingers found smooth grouh them.
She blinked and looked around, panic rising in her gut, “Where the hell am I? Where’s the camp?” She was standing in a room of some kind. Every wall was made out of either white ray stone or some variation thereof. Every surface was ridiculously smooth. She frowned, I don’t knoces like this. Her hud fshed and she g it.