Now that she had fled the city, Aria had to think about her destination. A villain’s lair. Well, that was never confirmed but if so many people were talking about it Aria had to believe there was some truth to it. Even if the Black Queen wasn’t there in person, it was still likely a safehouse of hers.
Realistically though, Aria had to wonder where else she could go. No matter where she went there would be the presence of heroes or villains. It’s not like she could drive yet either so she didn’t know too many places she could actually escape to. While her family might have travelled to that campsite during her childhood, her father was a former Baron ranked hero who could keep them safe. The area outside of London was far from safe for any ordinary civilian, though she supposed she wasn’t one of those.
Still the entire place was a wasteland of ruined factories, villain hideouts, Noblesse headquarters or toxic smog. It was still concreted, this was still land at the edge of the capital after all. Yet the concrete was cracked, pits and scorch marks left by the Noblesse who once fought valiantly on those grounds. That was what the news said anyway. Her father had a more blunt opinion. ‘Of course stuff gets smashed when Noblesse arrive. Did you think they asked the villains to leave over lavender tea?’
The few buildings still standing were old, made of materials that were meant to last. The rest had crumbled, gangs and homeless filling them with their distinctive chatter. Aria remembered there were a few efforts by some Noblesse to try and clean up the place, make it a better home for the homeless or maybe even re-integrate it into the city. Every single one of those projects faded from public consciousness eventually. It was as if they just said it and people took that as an attempt in and of itself.
Not to mention, the air stank. If she went there now Aria wouldn’t be surprised if her new senses let her feel disconnected electrical cables torn from the ground. Assuming her enhanced sense of smell didn’t knock her out first. Where smog didn’t linger in the air, Noblesse patrolled the streets and villains reigned from ruined castles. Most of them also happened to make drugs.
Sighing and removing the image from her mind, Aria focussed on what she needed to know.
She didn’t know how resistant she was to poisons so the smog areas were out. She’d heard the ruined factories were run by Lady Grim. Her goons woud patrol those fairly narrow streets looking for trouble and often an enterprising Noblesse would be there to greet them. Too tight, too likely to cause a fight, not a good nest.
The only other area she knew was the junkyard, run by Scrap Midas. The man was fairly kind, for a villain anyway. He let anyone take from that scrap heap if they really needed it.
Unfortunately in Aria’s case that meant he would be all the more protective of the villains who lived there. He wasn’t just going to let her set up nearby, no matter how benile she seemed. She wasn’t all that keen on having people scuttering about her nest regardless. What if she stepped on them? Plus, if she antagonised him now she would ruin any chance she had to ally with him once she figured out how to speak. He was one of the few grey villains, Aria wouldn’t waste that connection.
Especially since the only other active villain in the area wouldn’t be her friend either. The Smog Shogun was a man as toxic as his namesake. He lived in the smog-filled areas anyway and most of his men patrolled the wastelands in search of new toxins for him to inhale. ‘Think mad scientist with a fetish for smoking.’ was how her father had described him.
Her options for a nest were thus limited to conquering a territory from a villain or toxic wasteland. The least likely to cause a fight that wouldn’t involve inhaling poison was the Black Queen. She was mildly lenient on those who trespassed, wasn’t currently active in the area to anyone’s knowledge and even better she was smart enough to leave a calamity alone. Aria didn’t really want that reputation if she was being honest. Still, if she could use it like this to get some time to think and assess her situation, she would gladly do so.
Once she set up her nest, she could sit down and think. Take a moment to assess herself, just like her father taught her.
What would she say if she ever saw him again? Would her mother cry at what she had become or tell her to embrace it? She didn’t know and as she looked down at the tiny road below her, Aria wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer.
---
The Matriarch had managed to flee. It should be gleeful. It was gleeful. How did it express glee? Rats squeaked, spiders danced, insects buzzed.
It knew this. All drones knew this. They could not create incarnations without this knowledge, that would be silly.
Then this drone realised a problem.
It did not have an incarnation. It could not squeak, buzz or dance. It was sad. If it did not have an incarnation, did that mean the Matriarch had no purpose for it in the outside world?
What, then, would it’s purpose be in the hivemind?
It missed senses. Eyes to see everything new, nose to smell all those strange scents of the Matriarch’s home even those annoying things on the side of it’s head that were constantly irritated by the humans were something it missed now.
Still the hivemind was home. It’s fellow drones would return here when they lacked an incarnation and they hoped to make the space a comforting presence in the back of the Matriarch’s mind.
They existed for her. The swarm would defend its queen at all costs. She was their creator, their mother, a figure of reverence. Yet, according to the Matriarch, she was their protector. That did not make sense.
The swarm’s job was to protect her. To endanger the Matriarch was to fail as a drone. Yet it had seen through the hivemind that the Matriarch was willing to dive back into danger so that its siblings did not experience death. It did not understand why the Matriarch would go so far.
Death was an inevitability for any drone and they would do so gladly if it were for the sake of the Matriarch. Losing an incarnation was nothing in comparison to the safety of their only Matriarch. It should know, it lost one of its own.
It was proud of the actions its siblings undertook, forcing the Matriarch to flee by abandoning their forms. This was how it should be. When they re-entered the hivemind it had congratulated them. They had sacrificed for the sake of the Matriarch and its voice was not alone in its adulation within the hivemind. They all hoped they would be able to do the same some day. Though there were those who had remained within their incarnations as they were out of danger already. Their fully functioning forms had allowed them to escape early.
Many in the hivemind watched through their eyes the world outside, for they had not yet lost the desire to explore. It too had not lost this desire. It missed the stinky human buildings.
Surfing their minds to find their senses came naturally to the drone, as it did all in the hivemind. Fellow drones were always open with each other, every part of themselves available for the others to experience. All for the betterment of their hive and the will of the Matriarch.
As it surfed their senses, it experienced as they did. It felt the trepidation. The uncertainty. They had been left without instructions from the Matriarch. That was scary! How would they live?!
To be left alone, without the Matriarch’s guidance was terrifying. Yet these drones continued forward alone in the unknown frontiers. It was brave and many in the hivemind thanked them for it. This was because they had learned a lot from them. Like the fact that humans would naturally run away from fellow drones. It even prompted the Matriarch to answer the burning question making it’s way through the hive. Why?
Apparently it was to do with their appearance. They were different, alien to the humans. Humans ran away from the unknown, they feared death as much as the Matriarch did. Silly humans. It did not fear death and many in the hive agreed with it. Only their Matriarch should fear death. How would drones protect the Matriarch if they were afraid?
As it pondered this, it realised the time had come again. The hivemind buzzed. The Matriarch was currently on a journey to a possible nesting location. Sometimes, she would check in on them. Now was the time! It wished it had wings to flutter in excitement.
‘No’ it chastised itself. Only the most vital of thoughts were allowed when the Matriarch blessed them with her presence.
They wanted to present the best side of the swarm to their Hive Queen. Her presence loomed large in the Hivemind. She spread herself throughout every crevice, surfed all of their minds at once. As it felt her touch upon it’s mind, it melted in happiness. To feel the Matriarch so close, to be enveloped in her warm, comfroting presence, to be a part of something so vast. Magnificent!
Then it felt a stray thought. ‘What are stars?’. The question caused a stir. The entire hive hissed. One drone now sat entirely alone in the Hivemind, abandoned by its fellows. How dare it distract the Matriarch!
Yet, as they were readying to rip it’s mind apart, a gentle warmth enveloped them all. ‘THERE IS NO NEED FOR THAT’ came the voice of the Matriarch. Smooth, gentle, kind. The Matriarch was so kind. ‘I will answer the question. I encourage curiosity.’ she said in a softer voice, for she had recognised that her voice was powerful.
As she spoke, describing this concept known as stars, it listened with rapt attention. As did its fellows.
The concept of many shining lights in a group reminded it of the hivemind. As the matriarch’s comforting presence vanished it felt the pang of loss. It did not lament it however. The Matriarch’s kindness had inspired it. It was going to work!
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Hence, it dived back into the senses of those brave drones and watched as they navigated the city of London. Through sewers, hideouts and houses trying to either escape persuers or avoid detection. It learned. It memorised the patterns of those brave drones and the decisions they made so that it too could one day be of assistance to the entire hive. Perhaps it would get this opportunity sooner than expected. The Matriarch had arrived at her destination. It would prove itself worthy of the next incarnation she provides.
---
Once Baron Gareth had been removed from the webbing that stuck with more force than anyone had expected from the creature’s casual gesture, he was immediately face to face with the king of London. Of course, he knew his noble etiquette well enough to kneel.
Trained once he became a baron, his form was impeccable and his reaction immediate. It impressed even the council of dukes. Many below Viscount did not possess this level of sophistication and they were expectating Baron Gareth to be the same. The fact he knew his place was a pleasant surprise. “You may raise your head.” The Submission King spoke and Baron Gareth obeyed, lifting his head to gaze upon the man who ruled all of London.
“You did well to stall the creature until we arrived. Though you were incapacitated yourself, your bravery in the line of duty is to be commended.” He praised and Baron Gareth accepted this with grace.
“It appears we have another calamity on our hands now and worse it has appeared in our very country. This is grave news.” Spoke the Submission King theatrically, as they did have an audience of civilians watching this interaction. “The local Noblesse must take this threat seriously. For that reason I urge all Noblesse to co-ordinate their efforts with me. We must find and track the creature. If we can, we capture or kill it immediately but if that fails then it will be a threat the Noblesse must not take lightly. We need to be aware of its movements. This is what you have trained for, what you have been selected for and your noble duty. I urge you to work with me to rid ourselves of this threat once and for all.”
His speech finished he turned and Procession took them back to the hero building, Baron Gareth included.
Arriving at the Noblesse Oblige or what most people called the ‘Hero Headquarters’ was an experience not many would dismiss lightly. The building was beautiful. Each layer of the skyscraper was decorated in the colours of a Noblesse rank. The first were steel grey. A true display of the bastion heroes represented, a steel fortification close to the ground. Then the next few floors were a deep blue. This was where Baron Gareth spent the majority of his time and a place for fellow heroes to gather. They would help each other protect their districts and organise their knights.
Above that was the floors of crimson red. Gareth had heard the viscounts had their own lounge where they would drink beer and swap war stories. Perhaps if he had comrades who shared his conviction, those who believed in penitence as strongly as he did… If he made it to viscount, perhaps he could make up for the deeds he committed with those of like mind.
What most people strived for though were the floors above.
The royal purple they used for the count floors was absolutely gorgeous, like velvet had been layered over the building. Gareth didn’t even know what was on those floors. He’d heard all sorts of rumours: A private room with a mini-bar, women on staff for company, maps of the entire area you ruled, a personal elevator. They couldn’t be real though. They were heroes and they shouldn’t be in this for the money, it didn’t make any sense that the counts would get such luxurious treatment. He was sure it was just a bit more fancy than the Viscount’s lounge.
Finally there was the land of dreams. The purple trended darker, softer with golden trimmings accentuating the luxury. Above that, it was black with gold veneer. These were the floors of the people escorting him.
Not only did they get their own entrance, a platform for them to fly into, they also got pretty much anything they wanted. He heard each of the dukes had a personal war room. They’d lend it out to the Marquis whenever a crisis was afoot and it was filled to the brim with the best tech you could find. Holographic maps, detailed statistics from every hero in the field, even security camera feeds. Most dukes had saved the world more than once over their careers. This space was earned, a perfect area for hero work where the world is saved and tough calls are made.
Unfortunately that meant he must part with them here. Bowing reverently, he saw the Dukes off as they flew up toward their respective platforms. The Subission Regeant meanwhile had already flown ahead. He was now standing atop the Noblesse Oblige, his gaze scanning all his subjects below him.
Baron Gareth continued into the building through the front entrance. Glass doors slid open upon detecting his presence. Inside, a red carpet lead through the various statues of heroes. All of whom had managed to reach count rank during their careers. Sanic – The count ranked hero who had managed to single handedly distract Titus, the dragon calamity, for long enough in Singapore they managed to evacuate the entire city. Lilycove – Who built shelters for the destitute until she steadily rose through the ranks and became count in Sweden. Ingrained – Who had managed to reinforce the infrastructure in Tokyo right before a massive earthquake, saving millions of lives.
These were the people Gareth respected the most and he walked among them now. He gave a silent bow to those he personally owed his life to. He hesitated a moment at the end of the hall. Then, though he knew it would do him no good, he asked the statues in his mind. ‘Would you have tried harder? Would you have listened to the king, even if your gut told you it was wrong?’
Though he got no answer, he had a feeling he knew what it might have been.
To re-orient himself, he focused on the walls and ceiling around him, the deeds of various Noblesse around the world. Some were famous already, others had made sacrifices only depicted on these walls. The Submission Regeant was among those depicted, as he lead what would later become his team of dukes against a supervillain of his era.
The man who fought him was Shade, a figure cloaked in a black fur coat and wearing a pair of brass knuckles. Gareth had heard he was a mob boss in the King’s local area. Once Shade acquired his powers from the collective unconscious he set about terrorising the neighbourhood. The Submission Regeant’s first act had been stopping him. Permanently.
Gareth soon arrived at the hero entrance. It was split into ranks. He had earned the right to step through the deep blue Baron door and he did just that, greeted with the view of several reception desks.
The hall was large however and many of his fellow Barons milled about, their polite but animated conversations trickling into his ears. “You heard anything from the Black Queen lately? I heard she lived nearby…”, “Smog Shogun has been getting closer and closer to inhabited land, we should do something about it!”, “Did you hear about what happened to Starlight? Her boss is a right tool…”, “Has anyone seen Spinerett since the attack? She might’ve been a low rank but she made my coat and her parents have been asking all her clients about it…”
He walked through the crowd and they kindly parted for him, which he thanked them for. Why couldn’t everyone in society be so civil? Approaching the desk, he had to wait in line for a few minutes before a stunning young woman greeted him with a smile.
“Greetings Baron, how can we help you fulfil your Noblesse Oblige?” She asked with a polite smile.
“Baron Gareth Faulkner, reporting completion of a mission for the king.” The words seemed to jolt the receptionist like she’d been struck with a bolt of lightning. Suddenly she sat up straighter and her smile seemed a little brighter.
“Really, that’s amazing!” She enthused. “I’ll process it right away.” She immediately began typing something up on her computer.
As she did so Gareth knew he had some time so he decided to think about what he had encountered on his latest mission. He often reflected, something a senior hero had taught him. He should always take a moment after a mission to re-centre himself and think about what could have gone better. Unfortunately this time, his focus was not on his personal performance.
‘It did seem intelligent.’ He thought. ‘Almost non-hostile.’ Information on the calamities was hard to come by but they were all, without exception, violent and oppressive. Terrors the world would be better off without.
Now he found himself questioning that.
The spawn were horrifying certainly, it had also tried to attack the civilians yet it seemed to save them as well. Not to mention it had a clear escape. The wings would have let it fly off long before the high ranked Noblesse could arrive, something it was clearly wary of, yet it stayed. It seemed almost like it was protecting the civilians. That was impossible though. Calamities weren’t supposed to have reason, let alone empathy so they had no reason to spare civilians. That was why they were so feared. No one else seemed to notice either, it was as if they were all blind to anything but their imminent doom. He supposed he couldn’t blame them.
Yet he had to ask himself, did he just provoke a peaceful creature? He did not want to poke a sleeping lion again. It had not gone well for him last time.
“Your request has been processed Sir Baron. Would you like the payment now or should it be deposited into your account?” The receptionist asked, bringing him back to himself.
“Oh, just deposit it. Think I’ll head home and get some rest.” Truthfully, he was probably going to spend the whole night thinking about it.
---
Lia shifted aside the paperwork on her desk and held out her hand. One of her rooks was only too happy to fill it. She slumped back in her chair and stretched, turning her attention to the news.
“Today in the capital city of London a new calamity was discovered and its evil scheme thwarted by the King ranked Noblesse who guards all of England, The Submission Regeant. Here’s what he had to say on the matter:” On the podium stood the Submission king, a paper in front of him that he began to reference as he spoke.
“This creature’s a menace. Capa’le o’ not just crushin’ cities but also sending its minions to conquer them for it. I call all Noblesse to aid me in my effort to find and subjugate it. Before it is too late and this becomes yet another threat to the world that we did not crush while it was young. I urge action. I urge safety. For the sake of the citizenry, I urge you to join me as I set out to slay a calamity before it becomes yet another unstable, unstoppable force in this chaotic world of ours. I won’t be takin’ questions. Thank you.”
“Pfft.” Lia laughed. “I’m half tempted to thank the thing just for letting me see that, calamity or not.” She commented. “I’ve never seen Markus in such a foul mood. He even forgot to hide his accent in front of the press.”
“Indeed, My Queen. Should we not be concerned though. It was said to be heading in our direction when last it was seen? Should we not prepare to fight or evacuate?” Asked the Rook by her side.
“Oh, we definitely should.” Lia agreed. “I just don’t think it’s going to matter if that thing really shows up. It’s got me beat on every front. Sure, I can make ordinary people superhuman, but that thing can just make chimeric superhumans from thin air. Pretty much infinitely by the looks of it.” She took another sip of tea. “Honestly, I doubt we could even evacuate if it didn’t want us to. Did you see how many eyes it had? I’d bet it has a few other senses too by the looks of its body. Calamities are bloody terrifying.”
Lia did not look all that terrified as she leaned back in her chair and drank yet more tea.
“Wouldn’t be very queenly of me to just run though would it?” She mused. “I’ve got a reputation to uphold and even a calamity can’t send me running at the mention of its name, or the protection I offer you lot would be kinda moot.”
“We would be happy to protect you My Queen.” The Rook answered. “You have granted us power in a world where we had none. You granted us truth when we asked to see. Many of us see you as a saviour, though I know you hate being compared to the Noblesse.” The Rook, no Jonathan, took that moment to refill the once more empty tea. “We would be happy to put our lives on the line for you if it meant you could escape this situation alive.”
“That’s sweet Jon” Lia told him sincerely, using his real name for once. “I don’t really have a choice though. I’m a rallying point, they need to feel safe from everything when they come to me or there would be a lot less people to recruit.” Lia would rather throw herself at the thing than let anyone she raised come to harm. She wouldn’t use them like pawns, she refused to become what her corporate overlords once planned for her
Shaking off the thought, she jumped up from her chair, placing the tea back on her desk.
“Plus, I only grant a bit of strength, a bit of intelligence or some durability and even that’s limited to a few people. Most I just make really, reeeeeaaallly healthy. No matter how much you might be able to benchpress though, you aren’t gonna be able to punch through a shell even Eggcentric bounced off like a children’s toy. Pretty sure we just don’t have the firepower to fight this thing. I’ll call in some favours but I think looking like we can put up a fight while running for our lives is the best we’re gonna get.” She grabbed her phone from her pocket and began to dial numbers.
It reminded Jon of the days at the company. All she’d done was swapped a bespoke suit for a classy aristocratic dress, though Lia was far too practical to wear anything that actually had a skirt. The only concession she’d made on that front were the earrings. He’d never tell her but he thought they were gorgeous and so was she.
“Yeah.” She spoke to someone on the phone. “You can guess what I’m calling about can’t ya?” She asked. “No, no I get it but I’ll be blunt. You owe me, I’m screwed and I don’t actually need you to fight the thing. Just look like you could.”
She grinned. “I knew you’d be reasonable. Now, lets get down to brass tacks.”
The moment she put the phone down and Jonathan left the room, Lia curled up into a ball on the chair. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to be Black Queen much longer. Her people would make it out ok though. They had to.
