We're getting closer to the end! Chapter seven out of ten. Hold on to your underwear cause things are about to get real.
Also, please check out TheSiegePerilous' profile. He's written a few stories based on this fic and they're phenomenal. He took my stories and make them better, fuck!
Special thanks to: Tristen, STR2D3PO, FanficFan920, Jeff, burtonfan422, and Violet Rose in the Clouds!
Chapter 7:
More than I could chew.
My encounters with Tetherby and Nova had a deep effect on me emotionally speaking, to the point where I had to end my patrolling earlier than I would have in any other day or circumstance. I simply couldn't focus, and I was so mad I feared that if I walked into someone stealing a bike, I might channel my frustrations into them. The last thing I wanted was to end up hurting someone due to my issues. Even if they weren't nice people.
I decided that what I really needed was a full night of sleep to unstress and find my inner peace. The whole situation seemed so unfair to me. In my heart, I had already decided that Tetherby was the mastermind behind Ace Savvy's death. I had no true evidence to back up my theory, but to be honest, I didn't need it. It all made sense, and even more importantly, if that was the case then I was given the best opportunity to redeem myself. If that evil businessman was as evil as he seemed and had orchestrated my idol's fall, then to stop him and put him behind bars would be my way of bringing justice to the world and amend my mistakes. I owed it to Ace. I owed it to Royal Woods.
I owed it to myself.
I wished Nova would understand me. With her and her sister on my side, I was convinced that we could accomplish something great in this case. What could someone like Tetherby do against three heroes with emotional ties as strong with Ace Savvy as ours looking to bring him to justice? I understood what Nova tried to explain to me regarding laws and what was heroically correct… but if only she knew about my mistakes. The role I had in Ace Savvy's death. Then, maybe, she would understand the unique position I was in, and why it was so important to me to stop Tetherby.
I had a multitude of clashing feelings inside of me, worst of all being the uncertainty of not knowing how to continue moving forward. There was no obvious answer. The evil side of me wanted to find Tetherby's house, break in, and beat the truth out of him. And the part of me that needed help and emotional containment wanted to talk to Nova, take off the mask, and reveal why this case meant so much to me on a personal level. Neither seemed to be a good approach. It was so stressful.
"I need to sleep," I thought as I got to my house, already wearing my civilian clothes. "If I keep thinking about this, I'll go insane."
I climbed with no issue to the partially-open window of the attic, hiding my Ace Savvy suit, my gadgets, and putting on my pajama once again. As I walked back into my room I became aware of just how tense I was. My back and shoulder muscles felt tight, and even though they didn't hurt, it was an uncomfortable feeling. I tried to move my shoulder blades in circular motions to decontract and relax, but it had no effect. I supposed it was because of all the stress the night gave me, but it could honestly be that my body was starting to suffer the consequences of all the new physical activity I was—
"AAGH!" I let out before I could cover my mouth, muffling a cry of pain.
I was so distracted that I accidentally stubbed my toe against the bedframe. It was kinda funny that even as a superhero that had taken kicks, punches, and big falls regularly, things as simple as hitting my toe against furniture were still quite painful.
"L-Lincoln?" On the other side of the room, Clyde began to sit up, rubbing his bare eyes, no glasses on. "What's up? Wha-? What happened?"
"Sorry, I, uh, I had to pee," I said, faking a yawn.
I couldn't see his face in the dark, but I thought I saw a small movement of his head like he was nodding.
"You should stop drinking so much water," he said, laying down on his bed. "Every night you wake up to go to the bathroom." He yawned, turning on his side, turning his back to me. "You take so long I always fall back asleep before you come back."
He put himself in a comfortable position, completely ignoring the way his words paralyzed me, forgetting about the pain in my toe and feeling only the cold sweat gathering on my forehead.
Falling asleep that night was a living hell.
And even when I did get to sleep, I can't say that I rested. Resting would imply that I managed to separate and at least temporarily leave behind what was stressing me and that I'd be able to recover my energies both physically and emotionally.
And that could have been the case if it wasn't because I had yet another weird dream that only further confused me.
The first half of my dream was pretty normal. Or at least as normal as any other of my dreams always were. My friends and I were all superheroes and we had formed our own organization, watching over the whole country to catch the most dangerous criminals. Funny enough, all our powers and suits were the same as our characters from the Dungeons and Dragons campaign we played. Maybe that's why I didn't feel like it was a weird dream or anything like that. Which was almost ironic, since the part of my dream that confused me and felt completely out of place wasn't the one about heroic fantasies, but rather the one about a mundane, regular day on a field.
Just like the odd visions I had on a dream weeks ago, I felt that I was but a camera, a spectator with very limited access to the whole information presented before me. It looked like I was climbing up a hill with very high grass. It was the early hours of the morning, with the colors of dawn bathing the sky above, and the golden rays of light reflecting on the drop of dew resting on each blade of grass. The field was filled with groups of wildflowers, opening up their petals at the first, soft touches of the Sun.
Birds and insects flew through the air, buzzing and singing to greet the new day. It was an incredibly pacific scene, and the only thing missing was a piece of classical music by Edvard Grieg playing in the background to crown the perfection and sublime beauty of the moment. The top of the hill kept getting closer the more the camera advanced, and with the clouds framing such a beautiful picture, it was hard to imagine what sort of spectacle was waiting beyond it. I didn't have to wait too long, since I soon got there, and it was truly a magnificent view. The horizon was interrupted by a line of trees so tall that they broke any sense of scale that one could have, and they looked twice as big due to their reflection on a beautiful lake. It was almost like a crystal ellipse that recreated not only the trees but the colors of the cloud and the sky. Seeing all the tones of pink, yellow, and orange on the water was a great privilege.
The breeze kept blowing, moving the treetops and dragging autumn leaves of the warmest colors. One of them passed in front of the camera, floating so slow and softly that it seemed to be inviting me to grab it. I wanted to, I wanted to touch it, to get a better look at it… so I stretched my arm and took it.
And just like that, I was no longer a camera, I was myself, and everything around me seemed much bigger than it should. The leaf in my hand, the grass that almost reached my shoulders, the flowers with their intoxicating fragrance.
"Lincoln!"
Someone was calling me, but I was more interested in the view. I began to try to follow the flight of birds until they got lost beyond the clouds or hid among the trees. The voice kept calling my name, but I didn't seem to truly register it. The beauty and peacefulness of nature captivated my every sense.
"There you are," said the voice, with unmistakable happiness. "You can't run away without telling us."
I didn't know why, but that voice soothed me. It was a voice that brought me happiness and safety. With a smile plastered on my face, I turned towards it and I ran to meet it. Every step I took was a challenge on its own, needing to make a big effort not to trip and keep my balance.
"Liiiincoooooln~" Sang the voice, getting closer to where I was.
And then, with great pleasure, I was able to finally see the figure. It was walking up the hill, so the first thing I saw was the top of its head. The sun was right behind it, darkening the silhouette but painting all its edges with a radiant, golden glow. I couldn't discern any detail, but it was clear that it was a woman, and to recognize her brought me an inner warmness greater than that of the sun itself.
I ran to meet her, stretching the hand that carried the leaf. Her precious voice laughed, and she crouched to be at my height.
"Is that for me? So pretty! You're such an explorer, Lincoln." She took the leaf as if it was a treasure, and I could hear myself giggle, but it wasn't my voice, it was at a much higher pitch. "Let's go, breakfast is ready. Lincoln. Lincoln? Lincoln?"
"Lincoln?"
A much lower voice woke me up, startling me, and taking me right out of my dream. I opened my eyes to notice that I was no longer on the hill, but rather my everyday bedroom, with Clyde standing next to me.
I sat up, rubbing my eyes. My augmented senses had me already wide awake and alert, even though it had been mere seconds after waking up.
"Clyde," I said, smiling at him. "What's up?"
"Breakfast's ready," he said, yawning and stretching his arms over his head. "They knocked on the door, but you were super passed out."
"Yeah, I was… very tired."
"Must be the gym. You're spending an awful lot of time there."
"Probably. I, uh… Go ahead, I'll be right there."
Clyde tilted his head as he stared at me. "You sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, absolutely. Don't worry."
"Alright. Just remember, if you ever need to talk about anything, whatever it is… you know you can count on me."
His words only made me feel guiltier, but I still managed to break a smile for him. "Of course, bro. Same to you. You know we always have each other's backs."
"Of course," he agreed, smiling back before leaving our bedroom.
As soon as he left, the smile died on my face.
What was that dream? It didn't feel like one. It all seemed so real. The colors, the scents, the sounds, it was all a major sensory bomb hitting me all at once. And it was a weird dream in the sense that the first person view was too perfect. Most of the time, in my dreams, I could see myself, like I was watching a movie where I was the main character.
And who was that woman? The contrast between her silhouette against the sun didn't let me get a clear picture of her, but even then, it was as if her facial features were blurred. At the moment it didn't seem strange at all, but trying to remember my dream, I couldn't recollect any sense of what her face looked like. It was like a nebulous memory.
Memory. My heart jumped when I comprehended that my dream hadn't been a dream, but a memory. One so distant that had yet set a great impression in my mind enough to be able to recollect it now. But what kind of memory was that? I had never been on a hill like that. And I couldn't remember any big important women in my life. Unless… Unless…
"Dads, do you know anything about what my mother looked like?" I asked in the middle of breakfast when I finally gathered the courage I needed.
Their reactions were just as I expected. Howard spat all the coffee he was drinking back into his cup, and Harold's fists clenched the newspaper he was reading so hard that he almost tore it up in two. Clyde lowered the spoon with cereal he was about to eat back to his plate, staring at me with a raised eyebrow and giving anxious looks at our dads.
I rarely felt any need to ask about my biological parents. The McBrides had adopted me when I was still a baby, and they had given me a life full of love and caring that I had nothing to complain about. I loved them and Clyde with all my heart, and it was more than clear that they were my real family, regardless of blood ties. They had explained to me when I was younger that my parents had died in an accident, leaving me with no family to take care of me. The McBrides were on a list of Social Services to take care of orphans until the state managed to find a home for them, but they had loved me so much that they immediately did all the paperwork necessary to legally adopt me.
I didn't even know what my last name had been before McBride, and that's because I honestly didn't have any particular interest in knowing more about my life as a baby before the accident that turned me into an orphan. Only on very specific occasions had I ever asked about my past, wanting to know what kind of accident had it been, or how old my parents were, or some random piece of information my curiosity drove me to know.
Every time I asked anything, however, my dads got alarmed and apprehensive. In their defense, they were always alarmed by everything, so it's not like it was something completely unexpected or out of the ordinary. Knowing them, they probably feared my questions as a signal that they weren't doing a good enough job as my adoptive parents. I loved them, but sometimes I wished they would give me the benefit of the doubt and not immediately assume the worst case for everything.
"Y-Y-Your mother?" Asked Howard, cleaning his chin with a handkerchief and shooting a desperate look at my other dad.
"What do you mean, Lincoln?"
"I mean if you have any idea of what she looked like. Did they ever show you a picture or anything?"
They exchanged a long, anxious look before they responded. "We never saw them. Only you," said Harold, faster than necessary.
"Why the sudden interest in her appearance?"
"I, uh… it doesn't matter."
I continued eating my cereal, not looking at them. I didn't want to worry them further by revealing that a memory of her had reached my dreams. They wouldn't understand. Or even if they did, they would wonder how I could access memories from when I was two years old, and I certainly didn't feel like explaining that a magic cube had granted me a body and mind that were superhuman and capable of many fabulous things.
From the corner of my eyes, I could see how Clyde shyly resumed eating his cereal, and my dads carried a silent conversation through their looks.
"Lincoln… I know it must be tough to have never met your biological parents, but I just want you to know that I love you just as much as I love Clyde," Harold assured me with the softest voice.
"You two are the best things to ever happen in our lives, and there's nothing we're prouder of," added Howard.
"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it awkward. It was just a silly question."
"N-No, it's fine. I understand that you're curious. Just—"
"Don't worry. It's nothing."
It wasn't, but I found myself suddenly frustrated for a whole new reason than last night. A worry that I had never felt in eleven years, and that now hit me like a truck out of nowhere right after a very stressful night. I had never been interested in remembering or finding out anything about my biological parents. My adoptive family was more than enough. But it was also the case that I had never been presented with a single memory or image about them. The woman in my dreams sounded so… overjoyed and amiable. Loving. She seemed to love me like I was her treasure. And I guess it should have been obvious, but I had never thought about her in those terms. Unconsciously, my reasoning had always been that had they loved me, they wouldn't have died when I was a baby.
I finished breakfast and, since it was a Sunday morning and thus I had no school, I decided to go to our house's backyard, where the garage wall had a basketball ring. Clearly, the sport had never been my thing, but even if I sucked at it, throwing some doubles and triples was always a good way of entertaining and distracting myself.
Or at least it used to be. Now it presented no challenge for me. I could throw from any position having barely looked at it, and every time I managed to score. It was still a nice way to keep myself moving, so I kept doing it as I reflected on everything that worried me.
The idea that my biological parents had loved me was a Copernican turn. It was easier to think of them as just some adults that had casually given me birth, but that held no emotional ties with me. Believing that I hadn't meant anything to them was the easiest way to convince myself that they didn't mean anything to me either. And if they didn't mean anything, then I had no reason to miss them. Until now, that had been one less issue in my life.
I closed my eyes and threw the ball without even looking, having previously judged the distance and force required for it. I didn't see the ball scoring, but I could hear it barely scraping the net.
"That was amazing."
Clyde's voice took me out of my thoughts. He still wore his pajamas.
"Pure luck," I said like it was no big deal. He smiled, but it was a sad smile.
"We both know that wasn't luck."
Some birds on a nearby tree took advantage of the long seconds of silence to sing a song.
"What are you talking about?"
"I've been watching you for a couple of minutes. You threw like twenty times, and you got them all in," he explained with the same tone he'd use if he was talking about a dead pet. "Since when are you so good at basketball? Or everything else you're suddenly good at?"
I was speechless. I felt like my throat was closed, not letting a single word out. Or maybe it was the fact that my mind couldn't think of anything to say. Up until now, Clyde hadn't given out any signal of noticing anything unusual about me. He still treated me like he always did, so I just assumed that I was doing a great job protecting my secret identity. I should have known, however, that my brother wouldn't stay fooled like the rest of my friends or even my parents. Clyde knew me better than I knew myself. It was inevitable for him to figure out something about me had changed, sooner or later.
That didn't mean I was going to confess anything, however. Being part of the secret would put him in as much danger as I was. With great effort, I found the motivation and courage I needed to answer him.
"I don't know. Must be puberty, I guess," I said, as embarrassing as the lie was. I couldn't think of any other plausible excuse. "I feel so much more energetic lately, and ever since I started the gym, I find physical activities to be easier. I don't know how to explain it."
"Are you sure, Lincoln? Cause I can tell something is bothering you and you're trying to keep it a secret. I don't… I don't know what it is, or even if it's related to the fact that you're spending much less time on your homework or that you're better at sports. But I do know that, whatever it is, you can count on me to help you."
I knew it, damn right I knew it, but I couldn't reveal my secret even though doing that would make things so much easier for everyone. I didn't want to endanger him in any way.
"It's nothing, Clyde."
"Yes, it is," he defied me with sorrow impregnating his voice. "I don't know what it is, but you're not the same guy you were. And… honestly I don't know if that's something good or bad. I can tell that you're happier, and the whole gang sees that you're so much more confident in yourself. Stella even says you look more handsome. Maybe it's something good, but it's pushing you away from me."
Quickly losing the blush in my cheeks that hearing that thing about Stella had caused me, I stepped closer to him and put both hands on his shoulders.
"Clyde, what are you talking about? Nothing could EVER push me away from you! You're my brother, my best friend! We're Clincoln McLoud, the best duo in the world!"
"We were. Now you're always busy. Every day you go to the gym or the library after school, and when you get home you're always distracted. We play together, but it's like your mind is somewhere else."
His words hit me harder than any criminal had done yet.
"I… had no idea…"
"I know you're not doing this on purpose," he assured me. "Just… if you don't feel ready to tell me… I want you to know that you can do it. At your own pace, whenever you want. Or never, if you don't."
"I don't—"
"I just want what's best for you," he interrupted me, softly touching my wrists so I would drop my grip on his shoulders. "I hope you can work out whatever's happening with you."
He seemed to doubt for an instant, but he quickly launched forward and hugged me. I hugged him too, closing my eyes and trying to show him just how much I loved him, prove to him that my fraternal love hadn't changed at all. He eventually broke away and wished me luck one more time before he went back to our house.
I sighed, hurt by this whole ordeal, but also resolved. This talk had proved to me one undeniable fact: my activities as a superhero were starting to affect my personal life. It was something that happened to all heroes sooner or later. I had to start making big decisions soon: would I prioritize my life as a hero or my family and loved ones? It wasn't an easy decision… but maybe I could find a way to feel good about both sides of me.
If I managed to fulfill one big objective as a hero, making sure that streets were safer for the citizen, then I could allow myself to focus more on my personal life without the leaden guilt weighing over me.
And I had a clear mission that, if I managed to solve it as soon as possible, would manage to satiate my search for justice, at least for a little while.
The moment I realized the incoming call was from Jordan, my heart made a somersault inside my chest. I dropped what I was doing and picked up the phone as fast as I could.
"Jordan! Hi! Uh, I mean..." I composed myself, trying to sound less enthusiastic and more casual, like having her call me wasn't the highlight of my days. "Sup?"
"You're such a dork," she said in between laughs. "I'm fine. And you?"
"Oh, you know. Nothing new. Just doing some stuff."
"Too busy to check your messages, I presume?"
"Uh…"
"I texted you like three times," she said, sounding rather piqued. It was a slap right into my soul, and I felt like a real idiot.
"Oh, shoot. Jordan, I'm so sorry, I swear I didn't hear my phone," I admitted with great chagrin. "I've been kinda busy, I wasn't paying attention. I didn't mean to ignore you, you know you're my friend, I didn't—"
"Lincoln, it's fine," she interrupted me, sounding entertained and pleased, and I had to wonder if she hadn't been faking her annoyance. If that was the case, she had rolled a crazy high deception roll. "Don't worry. I just wanted to see how you're doing with your part of the essay."
I facepalmed so hard I could have killed the nastiest of spiders had one of them been there. I hoped the sound it made wouldn't be heard over the phone, and also that I didn't leave a red mark with the shape of my hand over my face.
"Oh, yeah, I'm almost done with it," I lied, closing my eyes and feeling like a jerk. "I just need to finish some details, but I'll do that tonight."
"You sure? We need to turn in all our progress tomorrow morning. Do you need me to help you with anything? I can go over to your house and help you."
I was so anxious and distressed that I failed to detect the faintest glimpses of hope her voice was trying to hide.
"No, no, don't worry. You did your part and I promised to finish mine today. It's alright, I got this. I promise I'll have it ready in time."
There was a slight pause, and then I was able to notice the obvious deception in her voice. Disappointed because I didn't have my part ready yet, of course.
"Alright. But let me know if you need help, alright? It's a pretty big deal."
"Of course. Don't worry, you can trust me."
"If you don't, Circe will kill Silver Edge."
I had to laugh. "If I don't, Silver Edge will kill himself."
"Perfect, then. See ya, Linc."
"See ya, Jordan."
As soon as the call ended, I put my phone on the floor and fell on my back, covering my face with my hands and muffling a scream. How could I be so stupid? So many things had occurred to me in the past few days that I had forgotten we had a presentation to show our progress in our project. We had to deliver a report of at least eight pages, and then explain what we were working on in front of our teacher and our classmates. Jordan had finished her part the day before, but I had been too busy with my heroic activities to make much progress.
Besides, to be completely honest, I knew that my keen mind would be able to write my part in just a little while. I didn't need to sit for hours like I used to. The moment I pressed my pencil on the page, words flowed right out of me, unchained. I was convinced that I would be able to finish NaNoWriMo in two weeks if I wanted to.
So I wasn't necessarily worried about time, but I did feel ashamed for not having taken my project with Jordan with the seriousness it deserved. We had been working together incredibly well, and our teacher was happy with our progress. But now it was the time to make an official check-in of our work, and it'd be graded. I needed to take this seriously and do my best effort for Jordan and me to get the best grades possible.
I sighed, sitting back up. It was decided; tonight I'd have to pull an all-nighter to get our project done to the best of my ability. The ideal scenario would be for me to finish it as soon as I got home, but let's just say that I was busy with a second investigation project.
I was currently sitting in the middle of Ace Savvy's secret lair, with a huge number of folders, maps, notes, and pages scattered around me, occupying most of the floor. Nova wasn't lying when she said Ace Savvy had been investigating Tetherby for years. There were several black folders with his name on a tag and dates that went back as much as eight years ago. Newspapers articles, lab results, printed reports from different security offices throughout the State. The available information I had at my disposal was abysmal, and the only way I had to find what I was looking for was to take glances at the documents, looking for keywords that would help me get a glimpse of the big picture.
As far as I could understand, Ace was under the impression that Tetherby hated heroes and had been running a long crusade to get the media to hate them too. His metahuman control technology was the best in the business, and that's why most prisons hired him as their main contractor. That was already a fortune that the government had invested in him, but Tetherby wanted more. According to the little notes Ace wrote on the margins of different documents, it seemed that the company was developing a three-stage plan to completely replace police officers on the streets.
Stage one: provide police forces and the military with high-tech weapons designed to neutralize metahumans. Stage two: create medium-sized mecha suits for trained Special Forces Commandos and marines, that would allow them to fight with even the strongest metahumans on equal foot. Stage three: the creation of automated robots to fight metahumans, completely replacing humans and acting on an impossibly high level of efficiency.
Tetherby Industries called it the Sentinel Project.
It was captivating and lowkey terrifying to think that there was such a project to implement in our cities, with robots patrolling and no human police officers on duty. According to the notes, they hadn't yet managed any city to formally approve the implementation of the first stage, and the second one was still on a testing period.
Perhaps this information was worth sharing with the media or any independent journalist brave enough to call out these plans, but to be frank this was not what I was going after.
What I was searching for took me longer to find. On a black folder where Ace collected information about Tetherby's experimental weapons that were under development, a picture of an abandoned factory caught my attention.
"Abandoned warehouse, industrial district, 742 Evergreen Terrace," I read out loud. "Secret laboratory for weapon experimentation."
I smiled. This was exactly what I was after. Now I had a concrete address where I could potentially find evidence about the gun that had ended Ace Savvy's life. And if I could prove that it could be tracked down to Tetherby… then maybe there would be a way to prosecute him. Even Nova would have to admit what a great job I had done.
Fortunately for me, Ace had extensive notes about the lab, including the guard's schedules, floor plans, and the security cameras' blindspots.
I took a glance at my phone.
"Sorry, Jordan," I mumbled to myself. "I promise I'll finish this tonight. But this is important."
I spent the rest of the afternoon studying everything Ace Savvy knew about the warehouse.
Come the night, my nightly routine went the same as always. Go to bed early, wait for everyone to follow suit, and make sure Clyde is asleep. Only this time I had to be extra sure that my brother wouldn't wake up when I left my room. With the knowledge that he had been aware of me leaving the room, this time I did my best to be as silent as possible. I moved like a ghost, watching every step, every small movement as I readied the decoy under my blankets. Before moving to the attic, I even tip-toed to Clyde's bed, making sure that his eyes were closed.
Everything seemed to be in order, so I sneaked into the attic, where I changed into some comfortable clothes and put everything I'd need as Ace Savvy in my bag. I picked once again all the small papers with my notes about the warehouse. I had been studying it hard to remember as much as possible, but just in case, I grabbed the folded sheets of paper with the most important information to put them in my utility belt. I didn't have much space in the tiny compartments, so I left there in the attic the ones that weren't as crucial, such as the address, which I had deeply memorized.
"Time to deal out some justice", I told myself, raising a fist. "Tonight I'll find Tetherby's true role in all of this. Don't worry, Ace, everyone will know the truth."
I jumped out of the attic's window and walked away from my home, determined and with a self-imposed mission. There was nothing that could change my mind, I was laser tight focused on my goal. I never even considered looking back.
I probably should have, and what I'd seen might have made me reconsider my actions.
Getting to the industrial district meant a very long walk from home. It took me over an hour, walking at a moderately fast pace. Once I got there, though, it was easy to find a place to put on my Ace Savvy suit, and my mobility as a hero increased exponentially. With a bit of clever maneuvering and with a big display of dexterity and agility, I managed to position myself on the top of a nearby construction site, having a clear look at the abandoned warehouse.
It looked like your typical industrial building, with a big metal structure and a roof that covered the entirety of the main body, which seemed to be slightly bigger than a block. It had some industrial chimneys, but there was no smoke coming out of them. All windows were bricked up, and from everywhere you looked at it, the construction didn't seem to be either functioning or occupied. It seemed to have been abandoned months, even years ago.
Of course, under a more scrutinizing eye, it was easier to notice the dozen security officers that moved on predetermined patterns around the building, patrolling the perimeter in search of intruders. They all had pistols at their waists, and the ones that covered the main entrances carried shotguns. It was also possible to spot the tiny red lights of the security cameras at every corner of the complex.
Infiltrating it would have been a crazy idea for any person, including me. Thank God Ace had taken his sweet time surveying every necessary parameter to plan an infiltration. Knowing the guard's patrolling patterns and the security camera's vision angles were invaluable information. I didn't know how long it must have taken Ace to recollect all that data.
It was still a fool's errand to try to infiltrate the complex, an incredibly dangerous mission. I didn't know how the security guards would react if they saw me, but because they worked for a company that specialized in dealing with metahumans and that they were carrying guns, I assumed that it would probably not be a friendly encounter.
With one last look at my notes, I prayed to whatever cosmic entity was in charge of protecting me, and I sprinted right into the action. Or, best-case scenario, into a lack of action.
"The die is cast," I said, dashing through the street to hide behind a truck.
I peeked my head, looking for the security guard that was in charge of the sector I needed to sneak through. This individual was wearing headphones, probably in constant communication to the intelligence center of the building, ready to report the rest of the employees any sign of an intruder he—
"Oooh, girl! If I could…! Oooh, girl! Give you the…!"
I had to rub my eyes to make sure that I wasn't imagining stuff. The security guard was bobbing his head and shaking his hips to the rhythm of Boyz Will Be Boyz. I kept staring at him, no longer waiting for the right moment to sneak in, but just simply incredulous. Especially when the song ended and the man shed some tears.
"I love them so much…" I heard him say. He took out his phone and pressed the screen before turning around and walk away. "Oooh, girl! If I could…! Oooh, girl! Give you the…!"
That was the moment I was waiting for. As soon as he turned around, I jumped from behind the truck and ran full speed to the metal fence. With a hop to wrap my fingers around the wire and using my arms to pull me up, I managed to swiftly go over the fence. The moment I dropped, I let my body absorb the impact and roll to the side to find cover behind wooden crates. I tried to sneak a peek showing as little of my head as possible, and I patiently waited for the camera on the other side of the building would turn to the other extreme of his vision range.
The moment it did, I bolted out of my hiding place towards the wall right in front of me. I managed to push myself to it before the camera reached back to look at me, already protected under a blindspot. I had reached the first checkpoint. I only needed to go through… six more.
"Those weapons better be on display when I get there," I mumbled to myself.
Getting to the next checkpoints was a whole Odyssey. I needed to flawlessly manage my time to coordinate my movement with the camera angles and the security guards' behavior. Who, as I found out through my little adventure, weren't as systematic and predictable as the machines. After the guard that was a big stan of young male pop groups came a guard that was too busy with her phone to move away from the spot I needed to get into. I was running out of time, so I had to grab a small piece of debris and throw it to a different point to make some noise and get her to investigate it. There was also a different guard that, apparently, was not allowed to leave his station for a bathroom break, so he had the disgusting idea of relieving himself against the building.
That man deserved to go to jail. He didn't even wash his hands!
The scariest moment however was during my last checkpoint. Having snuck my way like a spy, I only needed to reach a small section of a wall where no cameras could watch. There, a rain drainpipe made its way down from the roof, secured to the wall with metallic anchors. I would need to use it to climb my way to the roof without using my grappling hook gun since it might make noise when it hit the tin at the top. I ran as fast as I could to avoid being caught on the cameras, and then I serendipitously began to climb up. But right when I was halfway up, two guards came, one to either side of me.
The thirty feet that separated me from the ground and the fact that my cape blended itself to the night were the only hopes I had for them not to notice me. I stood still in my place, my heart beating like a drum, praying for them to leave. This wasn't part of their patrolling, there was supposed to be just one guard in ten minutes. What were they doing?
Anxious like I had never been, I saw them getting closer to my position, without looking up. They positioned themselves right under the drainpipe, three feet away from each other. If they were trying to block my exit and get ready to aim at me with their guns, well, tough luck. I was already getting my smoke card ready to blind them and fall right over them. If I placed my elbows in the right position, gravity would do all the job and make the impact strong enough to—
"For the love of God…" I cursed, rolling my eyes.
The two guards were exchanging very, very passionate kisses, their hands roaming through each other's necks and backs. Was every single guard in here an incompetent worker? Maybe they had been patrolling for years without anything happening, and they didn't take their job as seriously as they should have. Well alright, good for me, since I didn't have time to—
I shouldn't have looked back again. They were starting to take their shirts off. Without turning back and now fully convinced that they were distracted enough not to notice me, I made my way to the roof. Once there, it was only a matter of moving carefully not to make any sound and reach the vents. These were indeed working, and I could notice a warm air flux coming out of them. I used one of my metal cards as a screwdriver to remove the grate.
Classic means of infiltration. Maybe it wasn't wide enough for the original Ace Savvy to use them —which might have been the reason why he never got inside—, but my childish size fitted perfectly. Once inside, I maneuvered my body to fish out my notes on the vent and evacuation plans that Ace had recollected. I wasn't entirely sure where I needed to go to find the weapons I was looking for, but for the time being, infiltrating inside the warehouse was the logical first step. I searched for a vent exit that led to a remote corner in the hangar, where it would be easier to stay hidden. It was relatively close to my position, so I put all my papers away and began to crawl in that direction, squinting my eyes to move against the warm air current. It wasn't painful or anything like that, but it was still pretty uncomfortable.
Moving like a soldier on the trench, but much more silent, I crawled until I found the vent exit. I could hear the sound of conversations, weldings, and mechanical elements being moved around. All I could see from my position was a thin, metallic bridge that crossed the hanged, and a pile of silver, industrial containers, all of them identified with a logo that resembled an I over a T.
"Thetherby Industries", I recognized right away.
With no security guard to be seen, I decided it was time to step in. The vent crate was made out of a weak sheet of metal, so making use of my new strength, I managed to push it open from the inside, breaking the corners and leaving a hole big enough for my body to go through. With a quick movement, I slid outside.
I muffled my fall, silent as a shadow. I could have a better look at the complex now, but my main priority was to secure my position. The large roof that covered the totality of the warehouse had a series of metallic trusses, at least twelve feet tall, with bright fluorescent luminaires hanging from the bottom. If I managed to get there, it would be almost impossible for anyone to see me. Between the height, the light contrast, and the darker shades of my suit, there was no way they could spot me.
I needed to act fast, so I stood behind a steel column that covered my body almost entirely and I immediately used my grappling-hook, rising to the metal truss above me. Once there, I could finally take my time to analyze the situation.
The warehouse was just as big on the inside as it looked from the outside. The lights on the ceiling structure gave the whole place a very artificial look, as they were reflected on the white, ceramic floors and the walls covered by sheets of metal. There were some bridges and metallic platforms that created a big ring on the perimeter, leaving the center free to be occupied with lots and lots of work tables. They were filled with computers and different pieces of technology.
At least I assumed they were pieces of technology. Without knowing anything about engineering, all of it looked like metal junk.
Dozens of people with white uniforms were walking around the entire place, reading tablets, carrying trolleys with boxes, and casually saying hi to security guards with assault rifles, standing every thirty feet.
"This isn't just a lab. This is something big, I can't waste any time. If I was an evil tycoon, where would I keep the dangerous weapons?"
Giving a glance around, I noticed that on the other extreme of the hangar were many computers and monitors, almost like a whole wall turned into a giant screen. There was a small platform next to it with what seemed to be a giant control panel, and standing in front of the computers, many adults wearing white coats that seemed to be arguing with a small, fat man wearing a top hat.
"Tetherby."
I closed my fist almost painfully around part of the metal structure. Determined to figure out what was going on, I began jumping from truss to truss, making my way through the warehouse without being noticed. It didn't take long for me to reach Tetherby's position, my eyes focused on him from above like a bird of prey. Even though I was many feet over them, the volume of their conversation was high enough for me to hear what they were saying.
"More time? Do I look like a watchmaker? I gave you plenty of time!" The businessman said.
"Less than two months hardly counts as plenty, sir," tried to argue one of the employees. Even though he was a very tall person, comfortably over six feet, his shoulders and head were down, as if the tiny man with the top hat was indeed the bigger of the two.
"Studying the human genome is a delicate process, hard to interpret most of the time," chipped in another man, wearing the same coat as everyone else.
"Believe me, Morgan, if I wasn't aware of how stupidly complicated these studies are, I wouldn't be paying you a salary with so many zeroes."
"I-I know, sir, but—"
"I have six of the best scientists specialized in the study of metahumans working for my company, and not even then do I get the results I need in a reasonable amount of time!"
Okay, so Tetherby was working with scientists that were experts in metahumans. Made sense, he would certainly need something like that to develop weapons to neutralize heroes. But, had they just mentioned "two months"? Had they been developing a new weapon since Ace Savvy's death?
The scientists stayed quiet after their boss' outburst, until one of them, a woman wearing glasses, found the courage to look up and reply.
"We understand your needs, sir, but nine pregnant women can't make a baby in a month."
A security guard let out a chuckle, causing Tetherby to turn around with fire in his eyes, focused on him.
"Uh, I'll, uh, I'll go take a quick look at the perimeter," the man said, leaving in a hurry.
Tetherby sighed and turned to look at the woman. "I don't understand. You always take much less time to finish these preliminary studies. Why, with all this expensive technology I've bought for you, you can't get the usual results?"
"This case is like no other," said who was apparently named Morgan. "Usually, it's simple to identify the genome causing the mutation to turn regular human beings into metahumans. But in this case… it doesn't seem to be the consequence of a genome."
I had no clue of what was going on, but the silent and anxious looks the scientists were giving each other made me think that those words meant a lot to them.
"Are you saying that he wasn't a metahuman?" Asked Tetherby, sounding less angry and more curious.
"Oh, no, the studies prove without a shadow of a doubt that he was a metahuman," the woman replied. "But we believe that the mutation didn't occur as the product of a modification of the metahuman genome."
"And what other explanation is there?"
A scientist that hadn't yet spoken raised his hand to stroke his chin.
"Impossible to know. There have always been rumors of soviet and Asian experimentation trying to manufacture metahumans, but nothing that has ever been recorded on the trustworthy scientific literature. The safest assumption would be that he managed to get in direct contact with the cosmic explosion in the eighties that released the energy wave over the planet, but there are no records of any human that had been anywhere relatively close to the explosion itself, so it's not a feasible theory. It's premature to suggest any hypothesis…"
He made a pause like he had something to say but was considering whether it was a good idea to say it or not. Tetherby noticed it just like me.
"But?"
"But… the rise of the new Ace Savvy has some interesting ramifications to our studies."
That man had singlehandedly risen my attention to its peak. I leaned down, like those extra four inches would help me listen better.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, whatever the mutation or genetic modification the original Ace Savvy had, this kid seems to have it, too. The metahuman genome has a certain hereditary component, but the effects tend to be random. So even if the rumors of him being his son were true, the possibility that their powers are the result of a natural modification is very thin. We believe… that there might be a chance that these powers are artificially achieved alterations."
I suddenly understood that the conversation was about Tetherby Industries running an investigation on Ace Savvy. Something regarding the origin of his powers. And somehow, those scientists were correctly deducing that both Ace Savvys had gotten our powers from whatever that shining cube was.
"Hold on a second, egghead," said Tetherby, moving a hand to his temple, like he was thinking too fast for his old-man brain. "Are you telling me that there's an Ace Savvy making machine somewhere?"
"It's just a hypothesis," explained the woman, "we can't even assume it's a machine. It could be anything."
"A chamber that manages to manipulate the residual cosmic energy in the atmosphere."
"A radioactive element."
"A supersoldier serum."
"Stop reading comics, Morgan."
"Silence! Why is this a theory and not something you found in your analysis?"
"The samples we received weren't big enough for us to explore all the possibilities, we had to limit ourselves to the standard procedures. If we could perhaps get a hand on bigger samples—"
"That's out of the question," said Tetherby, sounding pissed. "It cost me a fortune and I had to ask a lot of favors to get those hairs. You'll have to work with what you have."
"If that's the case, then I'm afraid there's not much else we can do," lamented Egghead.
The boss snorted and began walking around in circles over the platform, a hand behind his back and the other one stroking his second chin.
"In all these years, there was never even a word about Ace Savvy having a sidekick. He might have trained him in secret, but that's not his style. Even if the rumors about him being his son are true… are you sure there's no way he inherited his powers?"
"It's certainly possible, but highly unlikely."
"Very well… very well… If Ace Savvy and this punk didn't get their powers like everyone else… Could this explain why he was never affected by Royal Wood's curse?"
The scientists shifted uncomfortably on their place.
"Well… we don't like to talk about it as a curse," the woman explained. "There's no scientific basis to explain what happens, but to give it a paranormal explanation goes against—"
"Yes, yes, don't bore me with your rhetoric," Tetherby interrupted her. "The point is that it makes sense. And if it's true that there's a way to create new metahumans with Ace Savvy's skillsets… Goddammit, this is a goldmine!"
"Sir, this is but a theory, we can't—"
"I thought studying Ace Savvy's samples would give us something interesting to study, but I never imagined something like this," he continued. "Oh, Ace, and here I thought our relationship had ended when that bastard of William shot you. Who would have thought your death would open so many doors for me?"
he rubbed his hands like he was getting ready to eat a feast. I could almost see the drool running down his lips.
"This changes everything. We need to find out the source of this power. Morgan!"
"Sir?"
"Fetch me some doses of the truth serum, would you?"
"Technically it's not a truth serum, just an inhibitor of—"
"You know what I mean!" He hollered, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "Damn scientists and their technicalities… Just do it. If we're gonna explore Ace Savvys past, there's someone we need to pay a visit to."
I was getting unnerved. This was not what I was hoping to find out tonight. I had intended to simply infiltrate the facility and find the weapons that had killed Ace. I had never imagined that I would be hearing a conversation like this. Scientists studying Ace Savvy's DNA. Them correctly guessing the existence of the cube. And those last ominous words, perhaps foreboding a new objective for Tetherby Industries.
Part of me was considering that maybe there had been some truth to Nova's words, that maybe I was starting to get involved in things too big for me, beyond my hero tier. Tetherby had projects and ambitions that preceded me by several decades, and what to me had been a pivotal moment in my life, for him it had just been a Sunday. I was just a pawn inside the great game of chess the man was running, and staying around to play could be a catastrophic failure.
Yeah, I think it's fair to say that, most likely, right then I was ready to turn around and follow Nova's advice, staying away from Tetherby. I would have, honestly, if not for the sirens that blared inside the complex.
"ATTENTION. ATTENTION. INTRUDER DETECTED. INTRUDER DETECTER."
As the artificial voice of a computer echoed in the warehouse, I felt every nerve of my body shaking. My stealth check had been a failure. I looked around me. The guards were running to their positions, standing in front of each entrance and forming a circle around Tetherby. One of them, who wasn't wearing any gun, sprinted towards a squared container and began typing a code in the control panel.
Oddly enough, no one seemed to be looking in my direction.
"Show me," simply said Tetherby, his hands closing around the top of his cane and turning to see the computers.
The big screen showed the feed from a security camera, and I suddenly felt like passing out.
The camera was zooming to focus on a small figure that was struggling to climb over the perimetral fence of the building, falling prone after slipping from the top. The camera didn't catch his face, but I didn't need it to know who it was. That hair, those clothes…
Clyde was sneaking inside the complex.
"It's just a kid," said the security guard next to Tetherby. "Probably just trying to paint graffiti on a wall or steal a tire."
"Damn punks. Send someone to take care of him."
"Yes, sir," said the guard, grabbing a radio. "James, Hiro, go to sector six to deal with a kid, over."
A few seconds of silence.
"James, Hiro, do you copy? Over."
More silence. Tetherby raised an eyebrow, and the guard just shrugged.
"James, Hiro, go to sector six right away, there's a trespasser, over."
"J-James here!" Replied a very agitated voice. "We're coming. I mean! We're going. Over."
"Copied. Over and out."
This was bad, this was very, very, very bad. Two armed guards were being sent to "take care" of my brother. What the hell was Clyde doing there? Why wasn't he sleeping? How did he get there? What was he trying to do? Everything felt surreal, I didn't understand anything. It was like another one of my dreams: I was just a passive spectator.
But this wasn't a dream. This was real life, and my brother was about to be faced by Tetherby Industries' guards. I needed to get there asap. There was no other option. I searched for a quick exit, a window maybe, but the only windows were near the ceiling, and they were covered with bricks.
"So long for being stealthy," I resignedly said, standing up on the metal truss.
With one hand, I activated my grappling-hook, throwing it to another truss, but I didn't activate the pulling mechanism, I just jumped, using the cable as a swing to speed up towards one of the bricked windows. When I was halfway there, I took an explosive card and threw it at my objective.
The small explosion seemed to shake the whole wall. It didn't blow up a big hole between the bricks as I expected, but the damage was evident, with several bricks broken in several parts and some small holes leading outside. Enough for me.
Unfortunately, the explosion was the exact opposite of subtle.
"There, on the roof!"
"It's Ace Savvy!"
"Code Red!"
"Stop him! Don't let him get away!" Tetherby ordered.
By the time they noticed me, however, I was already flying at full speed into the damaged bricks. Hoping that my mental math was correct, I crossed my arms in the shape of an X over my face, and at the last second, I kicked with all my might. The combination of speed and energy on the impact was enough to tear down the wall, and my movement's inertia allowed me to go through. Some pieces of brick hit my forearms and my head, but I was too scared and desperate to feel pain.
I barely managed to hear one last yell as I exited the warehouse.
"Deploy the Meta-Basher! STOP HIM AT ALL COSTS!"
My fall was very, very painful. I rolled to try and reduce the impact, but even then I felt the bones in my legs, arms, and thorax being compressed to their limit. I groaned out loud, but I didn't have any time to lose. I started to run as fast as I could to the place I had seen in the cameras.
When I turned around a corner of the building I found myself facing two approaching guards, probably trying to find the source of the explosion.
"It's Ace Savvy!"
"Freeze!"
They tried to point their weapons at me, but they weren't quick enough. I ran between them and slid like I was trying to reach the base on a baseball match. As I did it, I stretched my hand and grabbed them both by their wrists, immediately pulling them in my direction as hard as I could. They weren't ready for it, so they stumbled to the middle, their heads violently crashing into each other and passing out right behind me.
"Hey, stop right there!"
Another good spotted me from a distance. I wouldn't get to his position to fight in melee before he shot me, so I simply grabbed an electric Ace, let it charge for a few seconds as I continued moving to my objective, and as soon as the buzzing told me that it was charged enough, I threw it. The guy tried to dodge it, but the card hit his stomach, and I saw him shaking for a few seconds before he fell to the ground, paralyzed.
I kept running, neutralizing all the guards that, taken by surprise, couldn't react in time to stop me. That's how I kept advancing, and soon enough I found Clyde. He had his back against some wooden crates, looking positively terrified. He was wearing his pajama pants, some regular sneakers, and a winter jacket. What the hell was he thinking?
There were two security guards in front of him, and even though I only saw their profile, I was painfully aware of who they were. They were the two dudes that had gotten all touchy and PDA underneath me. They looked disheveled and their uniforms were all messed up. One of them seemed to had forgotten to put on his socks.
"This is private property, kid!"
"What you're doing is illegal, you're gonna get in a lot of trouble with the police."
"I-I-I d-don't, I d-didn't know! I h-h-had no idea…"
"No excuses!"
One of them took a step forward and stretched an arm to grab Clyde by his shoulders, and that's all I needed to give my hundred percent out. I wasn't going to let any goon touch my brother. Especially not those dirty hands, that I didn't even want to think about what they had been touching a few minutes ago.
The first guy never knew what hit him. My right fist crashed right on the side of his face, sending him flying several feet back, knocked the heck out. The other guard tried to react, but I was faster. Turning around on my axis, I did a spinning wheel kick to take the gun out of his hand, getting it far away from him and making sure that it wouldn't accidentally aim at Clyde. With the same move I kicked his knee to make him lose balance, then I punched him twice on the chest, and just in case, a brutal hook to the chin.
Within seconds, both guards had been taken out of the fight. The immediate threat to Clyde was over, but I didn't know how many more guards would come to try to stop us.
"Y-You!" Said Clyde, staring at me in disbelief.
I grabbed him by his shoulders and dragged him behind the crates, trying to get some privacy.
"What are you doing here?! This is so dangerous!"
"I-Is that you, Lincoln?"
The question shattered my insides. I closed my eyes and moaned out loud, looking up at the sky. Why did I do everything wrong?
"Good golly Miss Molly!" He said, suddenly sounding a bit more cheered up, though he was still distressed and a bit apprehensive. "It all makes sense now!"
At that point, I had to accept the fact that my secret was ruined. Weeks of lying non-stop were finally catching up and turning against me, in the worst demonstration of karma ever. Why now? Why here? I didn't have the imagination or time to come up with any new lie to get myself out of that situation.
"Clyde, why aren't you home?" I asked him, mortified.
"I wanted to know where you were! I've noticed you always get up at night, and today I tried to see what you were up to, but you weren't home! I was worried sick!"
"How did you even find me here?"
"I found this address in the attic."
I covered my face with both hands, hoping for the Earth to split beneath me and drag me into Erebus, ending this pathetic excuse of a hero.
"This is bad, this is so bad…"
"How did you even become a hero? How...? How is this possible?"
"Clyde, listen to me, there's no time, we need to—"
An explosion shook the night. The fire lighted up the clouds, painting the night in the warm shades of orange and red. I instinctively grabbed Clyde by his jacket and pulled him into me.
"What was that?"
I didn't answer him. I took a peek over the crate just in time to see an arc of light approaching our position at full speed.
"WATCH OUT!"
Using every ounce of strength that I had left, I tossed Clyde away from me, just in time to make sure he avoided the explosion of the crates we were hiding behind. The sheer force of the impact propelled me on the air several feet until my back crashed against a metal container. Some kindling and splinters hit my body, but I barely suffered some superficial cuts on my face.
It took the air out of me, however, so I dropped to my knees as I took a few seconds to catch my breath. When I looked up, the image before me was terrifying.
One of the hangar walls had been obliterated, and in the process, some gas pipes must have blown up, since that localized area was burning up. The blazes gave it a baleful, destructive atmosphere, reflecting and illuminating the figure that stood among the fire and the flames like a herald of hell.
The figure itself was just a guy wearing a suit. But the suit wasn't, like, a blazer —even though it was on fire—, but rather a twenty feet mecha suit that looked like a human tank. It had four robotic limbs, with some kind of wide bracelets that seemed to carry different weapons inside. The torso of the exoskeleton was rather round at the top, and it held the cabin where the pilot controlled it. I could see his face since the shoulders and heads of the mecha suit were a crystal dome.
It took a step forward, and the pilot talked to me through speakers.
"Ace Savvy. You're under arrest for invasion and damages to private property, aggravated assault, and abuse of powers under article 7.B of the Metahuman Criminal Code. Surrender now or face the consequences."
