Slumdog Hero

The dune buggy's steady rhythm had become white noise after the first hour, its modified engine purring through gear changes as Luke navigated the rolling terrain. The further they got from Haven, the more the landscape shifted from barren hardpan to sloping dunes and rocky outcroppings.

Serena slouched in her seat, feet propped on the roll bar, apparently finding it as comfortable as any luxury limo. The goggles protecting her face were mirrored, and Fii knew she was sleeping behind them. Or at least trying to.

Luke adjusted their heading slightly, following the navigation route Marcus had programmed. "You think Haven will be okay? Long term, I mean."

"They were surviving before we showed up," Fii pointed out. "Now they've got better equipment and supplies. Unless something catastrophic happens, I think Soren and her people will keep things going."

"That's good," Luke said. "Gives me some peace of mind knowing what we did there."

"I'm just glad we're gone," Serena quipped, her eyes still closed behind the goggles.

Fii rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, very funny."

"No, seriously. I was starting to get a tan from being out here. The last thing my skin needs is more imperfections. Thank God that's all over."

"I'm sure your skin will survive. There are worse things than a couple of tan lines."

The conversation lapsed into comfortable silence. Two weeks ago, the quiet between them would have felt strained—three strangers thrown together by circumstance, each carrying secrets and suspicions. Now it felt natural, the easy quiet of people who'd shared enough danger to trust each other's competence.

"So," Serena said eventually, "are we going to talk about what happens next?"

Luke's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "That depends on what Fii found in those expedition files."

The data scanner felt heavier than its physical weight in Fii's pack. She'd been dreading this conversation, but avoiding it wouldn't make the choices any easier.

"Remember I mentioned someone important to me might be in trouble?" she began.

"The personal stuff," Luke said.

"Her name's Edith Weiss. She's a geneticist who used to work for the corporate research divisions before she was exiled to the slums." The partial truth came easier than she'd expected. "She helped a lot of people there—treated injuries the official medical system wouldn't touch, provided medications that were too expensive for slum residents."

"And now?" Serena asked.

"The expedition files mentioned her specifically. They were trying to consult with her about genetic modifications they'd found in the Netherling specimens." Fii's voice caught slightly. "According to the correspondence, she's being held in a Metropolis research facility under 'special protocols.'"

Luke was quiet for a long moment, digesting her words. "Corporate detention. That's not the same as criminal arrest—it's usually research-related."

"They're using her," Fii said flatly. "Her expertise, her knowledge. Probably forcing her to work on whatever projects they can't get other geneticists to touch."

"How do you know her?" Serena asked gently.

Another minefield of half-truths. "She treated my injuries after some gang fights. Helped me understand how my powers worked, how to control them safely." Not lies, exactly, but carefully edited. "She was one of the few people in the slums who had real scientific knowledge."

"Powers can be tricky without proper guidance," Luke agreed. "Most of us went through formal training programs. Self-taught metahumans often develop dangerous habits."

The irony wasn't lost on Fii—her powers were the result of illegal genetic modification performed by the very person she was trying to rescue. But that truth would raise questions she couldn't answer without exposing everything.

"The thing is," she continued, "I think I know why Salvatore wanted her. Her research into genetic modification was groundbreaking before she got exiled. If the expedition team was dealing with artificially modified specimens..."

"They'd need someone who understood the modification process," Luke finished.

"Exactly."

Serena leaned forward between the seats. "So we're talking about a rescue mission. Into corporate territory."

"I know it sounds impossible," Fii began.

"Difficult," Luke corrected. "Not impossible. Corporate facilities rely on legal barriers more than physical ones. They don't expect direct assault—they expect lawsuits and regulatory challenges."

"You're actually considering this?" Serena asked.

Luke gave one of his rare, genuine smiles. "Corporations are like any other opponent, only with more lawyers. They can be outmaneuvered and outflanked."

Fii felt a weight lift from her chest. "Are you serious about helping?"

"The problem is access," Luke continued, thinking aloud. "Metropolis has gotten more paranoid since the Prime incident. Security sweeps, identity verification, surveillance at every checkpoint. Since you're not a Metropolis citizen, you wouldn't pass any of those."

She started to protest, but Luke shook his head. "The only option is if you take up the Ultimate Guardians' offer. Once you're officially registered as a Hero, you'll have your citizenship and identification processed quickly. You'll be able to come and go without issues."

"Use their offer as a way into Metropolis?" Fii chewed her lip, mulling it over.

"It does have some benefits," Serena chimed in, still sprawled behind her. "If they're sponsoring your registration, it would bypass the usual background checks. Everything would be fast-tracked and sealed up with a nice red bow."

"But I killed Prime. Would the people even accept me as one of their Heroes?"

Luke shrugged. "The investigation into Prime's death raised questions. People are asking whether the official story adds up."

"What kind of questions?"

"The kind that make some people in the Guardian hierarchy uncomfortable." Luke guided the buggy around a patch of unstable sand. "There's a faction that thinks the whole thing was orchestrated to eliminate inconvenient truths."

Serena sat up, her casual air gone. "You're talking about corruption in the Ultimate Guardians."

"I'm talking about the possibility that Prime wasn't the hero everyone thought he was." Luke's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. "And that some people are willing to consider alternatives to the official narrative."

The revelation hit Fii like a physical blow. She'd spent months assuming that returning to Metropolis meant certain capture and execution. The idea that some faction within the Guardians might actually believe her version of events seemed too good to be true.

"Who?" she asked. "Who's asking these questions?"

"People I used to work with. People who knew Prime's methods and had concerns about his approach to problem-solving." Luke downshifted as they crested another dune. "Even a few Guardians who were never part of his inner circle. They've been quietly gathering evidence for years, building a case against him."

"What kind of evidence?" Serena asked.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"Secrets from his rise to the top of the Guardians hierarchy. Disappearances, cover-ups, buried scandals. The way certain Heroes had their careers destroyed while Prime flourished."

Fii remembered the fury in Prime's eyes through his cracked helmet during that battle. The cold hatred and disdain. "You really think they'd accept someone who murdered Prime? It sounds unbelievable."

"The Ultimate Guardians' PR machine would smooth things over. They've probably already spun a story about a tragic misunderstanding or something. You'd be the new 'Rising Star,' lifted from obscurity by tragedy. It'd be a media circus, but people love that sort of thing."

Fii had never enjoyed being the center of attention. The thought of her life being put on public display sent a wave of anxiety through her. But if it was the only way...

Before Fii could respond, Serena pointed toward the horizon. "Contact. A buggy, approaching fast."

Fii followed her gaze and spotted it—a dust plume rising from the desert floor, moving toward them with the purposeful speed of someone who knew exactly where they were going.

"Definitely headed for us."

Luke slowed their vehicle and reached for the rifle mounted beside his seat. "Could be raiders, could be trouble."

But as the approaching vehicle drew closer, details emerged that made Fii's heart race for entirely different reasons. The distinctive silhouette of a duster coat. The battered old hat with the oversized brim.

She grabbed a pair of binoculars and peered through them, confirming what her gut already knew.

"It's Virgil," she breathed.

Luke's hand stilled on the rifle. "Who?"

"He's my mentor," Fii explained, lowering the binoculars. "And someone I trust."

***

The two buggies drew alongside each other at the crest of a dune, their engines growling as Luke and Virgil brought them to an idling stop. Fii leaped out before the wheels fully settled, her heart in her throat as she closed the distance between them in a sprint.

Virgil stepped out of his buggy, the long, lean lines of him as familiar and comforting as ever. The battered hat, the duster, the cocksure way he held himself—there was no doubt it was him.

"V..." Fii gasped, stopping just short of flinging herself into his arms. The urge to hold onto him was overwhelming.

Virgil regarded her for a long moment, his expression unreadable beneath the brim of his hat. Then, in a voice rusty with emotion, he said, "I didn't think I'd see you again."

Fii couldn't speak. She closed the distance between them and threw her arms around his waist, burying her face in his shoulder. The familiar smells of sweat and whiskey and gun oil enveloped her as Virgil returned the embrace. They stood like that for a long time, the two of them silent in the enormity of their reunion.

Finally, they broke apart. Fii wiped at her eyes, knowing she must look a mess.

"How'd you find us?"

"Luck. Ever since I heard news that you disappeared that day, I started tracking every rumor and blip in the wastes. It was just a chance that I thought I saw something on the horizon." Virgil shook his head. "I knew my gut was right, but I didn't think it'd take you this long."

"It's been a wild couple of weeks," she admitted.

Virgil's face split into a grin, and he ruffled her hair. "I knew you'd be okay. You're a survivor, just like me."

Fii laughed despite herself. "Stubborn, you mean."

"Stubborn works too."

Luke emerged from the driver's seat with cautious movements, his hand never straying far from his weapon. The two men sized each other up with the wariness of predators meeting on neutral ground.

"Well, well," Virgil drawled. "What do we have here? Diamond Ace, out of his suit and out of his element."

Luke's expression hardened. "Backfire."

Virgil tipped his hat. "Been a while."

Fii looked between them, reading the body language. Whatever passed between them, it wasn't friendship. There was something else, a history that crackled like live ordnance.

"You know each other?" Serena asked.

The two men faced off before Virgil broke the silence, his voice low and measured. "I'm guessing it ain't your fault that you three ended up out here, huh?"

Luke's eyes never left Virgil's. "No."

"I always figured there were more layers to this onion."

"Just don't cut yourself," Luke said.

"Fair enough."

Fii stepped forward, diffusing the situation. "It was my fault. My power's been unstable. Went haywire when we were... negotiating. Teleported us all here."

Virgil took his hat off and scratched his head. "Must have been some malfunction," he finally said.

"Yeah."

"Well, no one's perfect. I'm sure there's a good explanation somewhere."

An awkward silence descended like a veil until Serena stepped forward, extending a hand. "Glimmerstrike, just in case you never got the memo. Serena, when I'm not fighting supervillains."

Virgil took it, flashing his crooked smile. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am. Backfire's my old moniker—Virgil Maddox if you're feeling formal."

Serena arched an eyebrow. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"He gets that a lot," Fii muttered.

Virgil shrugged. "Reports were greatly exaggerated."

"So you two..." Serena gestured between Luke and Virgil.

"Years back, Virgil had already earned his reputation as a vigilante," Luke said, his voice clipped. "He was considered rogue, dangerous. A lot of high-profile missions focused on bringing him in."

"Lots of folks were after the bounty, Diamond Ace among 'em," Virgil agreed. "We crossed paths a few times, made some fireworks."

"The 'Fall of Khyber Bridge' incident," Serena recalled. "That was you two?"

"A misunderstanding that got out of hand," Luke said.

Virgil shrugged. "Look, I didn't come all the way out here to rake up old coals." He turned to Fii, his expression turning serious. "Come on, leave 'em. We need to head out to look for you know who."

Fii managed a meek smile. "Um, about that. I found out that Edith is actually being held in the Metropolis. There's no point in the wastes."

Virgil paused for a moment. "Is that so?"

"Yeah..."

"Guess our trip is cut short then. No skin off my nose." Virgil huffed a sigh, seemingly accepting the twist of events with grace. He moved back towards his buggy.

"Wait," Luke said.

Virgil paused, turning. "Yeah?"

"I offered Fii a sponsorship so she can go into the Metropolis and save her friend. Join the Ultimate Guardians as a Hero."

Fii swore she could hear Virgil's neck pop. It cracked several times as he moved his head from Fii to Luke.

"If I may ask, young lady, do you agree with this crazy talk?"

Fii crossed her arms. "I do."

He gave her a searching glance before he turned to Luke. "Let me guess—your new Guardian friend thinks the system can be reformed from within."

Luke's jaw tightened. "I think the system has factions, and some of those factions are asking the right questions about what happened with Prime."

"Questions." Virgil spat into the dust. "Pretty word for rearranging deck chairs on a sinkin' ship."

Fii cleared her throat. "What do you mean 'sinking'?"

"It means," Luke said, "there are people within the Ultimate Guardians who are willing to listen. Myself included."

The two men stared at each other, old rivalries simmering beneath the surface. Then, Virgil took a step backward, half turning toward Fii. "This your plan?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "It's the only way for me to get into the city."

Virgil sighed heavily. "Look. I ain't gonna stand in your way or say nothin' to stop you from doing what you think is right. But hear me out first."

She waited.

"What you're proposing... it ain't gonna work the way you think," he began. "You take this 'sponsorship' and register as a Hero, you're puttin' yourself square in the crosshairs. There's folks in power would sooner see you dead than out here makin' waves. And once you're in the Ultimate Guardian system, there's no gettin' out. Trust me."

Something in his expression made her pause—pain, regret. It was gone before she could place it.

"You've got power," he continued. "Enough to change things. Not by sittin' quiet and followin' their rules, but by bein' a voice in the wild. By remindin' folks the world ain't meant to be so goddamned small."

Luke's expression tightened, but he held his silence.

"And I think you know it," Virgil finished. "Which is why I figure there's more to this plan o' yours than you're lettin' on. Am I right?"

The weight of their attention settled on Fii. She glanced from Virgil to Luke and then back.

"I need to get to Edith. Even if it means playing by their rules long enough to get her out."

Virgil absorbed this in silence, his eyes never leaving hers. When he spoke, it was with the slow, deliberate weight of someone choosing each word as if it held the power of life and death.

"You walk into that viper's pit of a city and you'll find a world of hurt you've never seen before."

His warning hung in the air for a long moment before his voice softened.

"But if you're dead set on doing this, then I guess there's nothin' to be done for it except make sure you're ready for it, since I can't go with you."

Serena leaned against Fii's back, smiling as she tossed her hair over one shoulder.

"Look, I get that you care, and it's touching, really, but I'll look out for her. I'll make sure she's got someone to talk to who isn't one of those suits or brainwashed by their propaganda."

Virgil looked over at Serena, then at Luke. "And what about you? You really think your friends in high places give a damn about truth anymore? Or are they just lookin' to cover up another mess?"

Luke's jaw tightened. "Not all of us want to bury the past, Maddox."

"But enough of you do, and they'll win if they can get Fii into their web," Virgil replied. "Mark my words: If they take her in, they won't just let her walk when she outlives her usefulness."

"We won't let that happen," Luke said firmly.

Virgil gave a short, humorless laugh. "Just remember: All it takes is one bullet in the back, and no one's the wiser."