NOVEL NEXT 171 - Trouble in the City
Despite my heroic intentions, I collapsed after delivering the cliché line.
Roxy had her arm around me, holding me up. A constant scowl on her face that switched between my sorry state and the now uncharacteristically awkward Silhouette.
[Just pump me full of drugs and let's keep moving.]
"No." The super shifted me into a more upright position. "There's nothing that will fix you short term without fucked side effects later down the line. You might have to sit some of this out."
My upper face contorted into a sour expression. Silhouette wasn't the only one breaking League orders. They ordered the Natural Disasters to quell some villainy, but Roxy had stayed behind, urging the others onward. There went my hope that we could have all defeated Chevalier with the power of friendship.
"I should leave," Silhouette spoke. "I'm not supposed to be-"
"What's the point in being S-Rank if you can't deal with one asshole?" Roxy immediately snapped at him, almost literally spitting fire. "If you had let Dubs die, not even your invisibility would keep me from finding you."
My brother had the humility to look a little ashamed, his singular eye dimming slightly as he rubbed at the back of his head. It amused me to see the usually calm stealth hero a little more animated. Still, I had to dig him out of this hole. It was the brotherly thing to do.
[The fact that the rest of his team weren't even here to help says more to me.]
Roxy grunted and turned her glare back to me. A powerful villain attacking such a highly populated area as the full Arena should have drawn more attention from the stronger heroes. With only the woman I loved arriving on the scene once the barrier switched off… I was clearly disposable in the eyes of the League.
Before she had the chance to needle us about more of our shortcomings, a figure approached from the side. I groaned and tried to load my gun-arm. It didn't respond to my attempts.
"Not quite how I imagined this going," Maestro said. He looked terrible. Lightly burned in places, his outfit singed at the edges. Sweat and stress marred his face. "Yet this is only the beginning, isn't it?"
[I suppose I owe you some thanks.]
His face relaxed slightly, with some of the old smarm returning. An eyebrow raised. "Whatever for?"
[I'm… too exhausted for this.]
Maestro glanced over at the corpse of Snake-guy. "If you hadn't told us to move, bravado would have Bulwark and myself in an early grave. Let's just say we're even. Plus, we have bigger problems."
Roxy was still glaring. "You mean uniting against the villains is a way to save face rather than eating shit from losing the Arena."
"It's open for interpretation." Maestro gave us a strained grin before jerking a thumb back. "My first port of call is getting Bulwark medical attention. He is stable, but will get worse if left alone. I guess we'll never know which of us was best."
I moved to kick him in the balls. My legs rattled a little, but otherwise I didn't budge from my position. Oh, how cruel life was. Either he could read my intent or he was eager to get away from Roxy's burning gaze, as he excused himself with a brief bow - then left to go rescue the other hero.
[Awkward. I held the belief that Chevalier would crush his head. Even foreshadowed it, if my memory is correct.]
Silhouette watched Maestro leave before tilting his head back to me. "Having an antagonistic ally is actually good for your personal ratings."
"Enough chatter." Roxy hoisted me straight again, intending to take me away. "The city needs us."
With a shrug, Silhouette went invisible. "Stay safe, brother."
The super huffed and turned us to the east side of the Arena. We walked toward the side exit, although despite all my efforts I was mostly dragged. Without the presence of my brothers, my internal thoughts had stabilized. It was only by force of will that I was conscious and hadn't succumbed to exhaustion, however.
Clara's backup drone hovered down beside us.
//Clara: Meteor is at the closest exit, continue east.
//Clara: The good news is that the teleportation technology was short range.
//Clara: So Chevalier is likely still within the city.
//Clara: I suppose that is also the bad news~
"It was difficult to see anything once the barrier went opaque," she said as we entered the tunnel into the bowels of the stadium. "Four heroes, including an S-Rank and you of all people… and you still got your shit kicked in? Explain."
While I didn't have the energy for it, I also wasn't in a position to resist. I clicked open a latch inside my mind and let the details flow out like a flock of sheep. Sheepses. Hmm, perhaps I had a higher regard for my sanity than deserved.
The super nodded along, not interrupting my slurry of words except to kick her own doorways through a couple of walls to shorten our travel time. Sometimes when superpowers clashed, it was a rock-paper-scissors type deal. Every power had a weakness. I imagined the thought in her head would be Could the Natural Disasters have beaten him together?
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Something I had also asked myself. The answer wasn't so clear-cut. For all his strength, Chevalier's weakness was that he wanted to fight me. Compelled to, almost. Designed for a singular purpose. He wanted to relish the success of that solitary mission. Any other hero or roadblock would be dealt with - full force and without care. The barrier had given him time to play with his food, but he didn't fancy his chances against an open invitation to the League as a whole.
Not that it made me feel any better about his escape. Now he had the chance to set the stage for another fight where he had the advantage. Something less about the spectacle and more efficiently lethal. That realization brought up two very important points. Red-hot needles into a sluggish brain.
"I'm not leaving your side," Roxy said, seemingly reading my mind. "League can get fucked. If you're the target, then I'll be there next time you get attacked. I promise."
[That's not my main worry.]
She furrowed her brow and looked at me, her fiery eyes burning. "Fuck. You don't think…?"
The fact that I had thought it meant it was guaranteed either my wayward brother or the World Government had as well. A problem that had always been a worry, and would continue to be for as long as we were in the limelight. Thankfully, we could all read between the lines. Despite my eyesight being slightly wavy.
//Clara: Although I pride myself on being prepared…
//Clara: I am ill-equipped to deflect an attack from Chevalier.
//Roxy: I'm surprised our home wasn't a target in the initial wave of trouble.
//Clara: Oh, it was. I didn't want to disturb you both, though.
//Dubs: Explain.
//Clara: Can you believe it took all this time since installing the turrets for them to be used?
//Clara: Private Military Contractors.
//Clara: It will be difficult to identify them at this stage. I am now running security at maximum.
Roxy grumbled to herself as she pushed through the last door, taking us to the outside of the Arena. "Sitting on our thumbs to protect her could mean just drawing the trouble her way, anyway."
[It also lets our enemies have free reign within the city.]
Not to mention being a little cliché. Chevalier kidnapping Clara to use as a hostage to draw me out wasn't his style, however. Home was so far outside of the city that traveling there just to kill her wasn't an option either. It would make him too easy to track, and every hero would be on his tail before our turrets could even lock on to him.
//Clara: Do not forget we have our own teleportation options.
//Clara: If threatened, Belle will return to take me somewhere less conspicuous.
//Clara: I lied. I am prepared for everything :)
The Meteor pulled up in front of us, sliding slightly ahead so that we could enter the back. A plan of action hadn't even been decided yet, but the prospect of sitting down was music to my ears. As the back door rose once more, I sank into the front seat and sighed. My re-breather rattled, as was tradition.
Roxy sat herself in the passenger seat and frowned at all the data windows cluttering the front of the vehicle. Most of them hurt my eyes, but it didn't look good. Even as tickers of news updates and video clips of heroes fighting villains popped up and vanished, I drew an optimistic take from all of this turmoil.
Despite all of this, it could be worse. That wasn't me tempting fate. Just a fact. We had killed some of the League of Villains and handed over their plans to Kingston. No doubt our efforts had severely blunted the coordinated attack on the city. It was a shame the villains were working with the Gov, because it was so short-sighted. The Government didn't like anyone with powers - this was just them using the animosity in Goldarch for their own benefit.
But that thought led on to the next.
[Do we have any information about Kingston?]
Roxy shook her head, briefly taking her eyes away from the screens as the Meteor lurched forward. "I have no idea who they assigned to that task… anything else I could say would be pessimistic as shit."
[How unfortunate that, out of all the Directors, it was ours who was kidnapped.]
"Makes you wonder, huh?"
[What did they assign to you and the Disasters?]
She grimaced and rolled her eyes. "Some gang of assholes looting in the southeast. Nothing worth our time. League might shitcan me for abandoning orders. Strip me of being a hero."
[I could certainly strip you.]
Roxy gave me a tired look and leaned forward. She pressed two fingers on my chest, inspecting the tear through my gear where I had been impaled.
"Two days of being run ragged. Part of me wants to suggest you go underground and hide. Wait this bullshit out and recover." She flared her nostrils. "Shit doesn't work that way, does it?"
We maintained eye contact for a few moments of silence, with only the hum of the moving vehicle painting this brief scene.
[Unfortunately for my brother, his appearance as a threat to my happiness means that my sole purpose in life is to erase him. I cannot rest or feel safe knowing he is out there.]
"Of course." Roxy slumped back in her chair. "But you're not exactly in the right condition for a second round."
[You'll be a much better battle partner than Silhouette, though.]
As much as she rolled her eyes, I could tell the compliment hit. Her face softened slightly. "So our options are to try to find Kingston, or to search on a lead to where your asshole brother went?"
Beating up opportunistic criminals and minor villains was also an option. As much as an easy win would be nice right now, I didn't have the excess energy to spend. It was touch and go on whether I could make it through this conversation without passing out, nevermind getting into a brawl.
[With any luck, they'll both be in the same place.]
"Is life that convenient?" She sighed and turned her attention back to the screens of information.
[Either way, we need to devise two things. A way for me to remain lucid and energized, for one. Secondly, some manner of fighting Chevalier effectively would be good.]
Shooting him had been only marginally better than punching him. With my current synapse fatigue, neither was an option.
//Clara: I can give an updated list of any armor-piercing shells.
//Clara: Developing anything new would be a stretch in such a short time.
//Clara: As for your mental clarity and energy, Gunquake…
//Clara: The only option is something reckless we will employ once it is time.
Joy. Even if I could stay awake, my sensibilities would just drain away until I received the necessary dose of magic juice. From there on, it was just do or die. Exclusive or. I should be thankful that my punctured lung was fixed and the hole in my chest healed over. If I were anyone else, or hadn't grown as I had in the last five years, I would be dead.
Still plenty of time to correct that. Before I had the chance to ruminate further, I caught Roxy frowning, bringing a hand up to the side of her head.
"Dubs, there's… I'm receiving a video message, but it's for you?"
[Put it up on the main screen.]
She nodded, concern and confusion wrinkling her face. With a gesture, a new window opened up in the middle of the wide screen.
My fingers tightened into fists.
A dimly lit room. Several armed goons, their faces obscured. Standing in formation around a figure tied to a chair. They had kidnapped someone else. I had just been way off base on who they would target.
Nausea ran through my tired body as my shattered memories put the pieces together.
It was Boss.