Chapter 9: Redemption (Victoria's Version)

Once Armsmaster kicked down the basement door, I charged in, unleashing waves of fear at the bearded gunman on the other side. Instead of falling on his face, he stood his ground and fired his shotgun, breaking my forcefield. I barrelled through, drawing his attention so that Armsmaster could bat his firearm away, jabbing his throat with the stiff end of his halberd. Coughing up a storm, he couldn't stop Armsmaster from taking him down.

The basement was tight, scattered lights stemming the claustrophobic atmosphere as it funnelled out into three different rooms. Another gangster charged out of the nearest one, clipping the hairs on Armsmaster's exposed beard with twin daggers. She didn't draw blood, but surged for the kill with a ferocity that Armsmaster was forced to match.

Our eyes met; he angled his head towards the other doors, I busted inside the next room. Nothing, not even a thug to beat down. When I left the room, I saw Armsmaster using his halberd's long reach to pressure his opponent, only reacting to counter her frenzied attacks. He feinted, she took the bait, and he slammed his armoured fist in her gut.

Spit flew out of her mouth, and Armsmaster zapped her, disarming her before she could rise.

"There's no one in the second room," I said.

Armsmaster nodded. "Then Hellhound's in the back. Good work, Glory Girl."

For something that small? He had to be complimenting me for everything I did tonight, I could just feel it.

"Thanks, Armsmaster."

He smiled, and warmth bloomed within me from sheer pride.

We reached the last door, and once Armsmaster gave me the go-ahead, I smashed it open. The room was stripped clean, two gangsters standing on either side of the lone chair. Hellhound was tied to it, still unconscious, and both of them had pistols.

"Go!" I shouted

Armsmaster pressed a button on his halberd and unleashed an EMP, shorting out any cellphones or electronics in the area.

"Step away from the hostage!" Armsmaster said.

One of the gangsters pointed his pistol at Hellhound's head, a red bandanna covering his mouth. "Stay right there or I kill the bitch."

I felt my spirits rise once Brandish and Gallant reached us. Gallant handed me my phone, while Brandish stopped a step behind me. Her breath hitched once she saw Hellhound, almost like she was worried about her well-being, even though she knew Hellhound was a villain.

"Drop your weapons," Brandish said, harsh and cold like the winds of winter. "Your allies have been defeated and you have no avenue of escape. Surrender now, and your punishment won't be so severe."

The gangster didn't holster his pistol, glaring at Brandish with contempt. "Oni Lee is about to arrive, and he'll unleash Bakuda's fury upon you. You're outmatched, heroes."

Armsmaster gave Brandish a nod. He was using his lie detector to judge everything these gangsters said, and when Gallant provided his insight into their emotions, it all but guaranteed that Brandish would have the knowledge she needed to succeed. We just had to keep this advantage hidden from the ABB.

We also had to be quick. A sadistic murderer was on his way, one that could create clones and loved grenades. Normally, I wouldn't be worried, but with that whackjob Bakuda's bombs, Flashbang and Laserdream could get caught off-guard. Against Oni Lee, that was a death sentence.

All I could do right now was focus on what was in front of me, trust my family to fight and win.

"That is irrelevant," Brandish said. "Oni Lee won't arrive fast enough to help you."

"Then we kill our hostage," the other gangster said, bigger than his partner in his red jacket. "And Oni Lee avenges us."

Brandish wasn't fazed. "You won't kill her unless Lung orders you to do so."

"Lung expects us to complete our task," Bandanna Man said. "We have earned his respect."

Gallant flicked two fingers at Brandish, meaning that he was nervous or doubtful. Brandish's eyes glinted.

"A man of his cunning wouldn't appreciate losing his sole point of leverage. I'd avoid that outcome if I were you."

"And let you escort us to your jail?" Bandanna Man scoffed. "I'd rather die."

"Then let's negotiate terms. I'd rather reach an agreement that benefits us all than deliver you to your demise."

By putting them in a max jail cell. I didn't need a lie detector to know that Brandish was fudging the truth, but it got results. Red Jacket clicked his tongue, engaging his partner in a terse conversation held entirely in Cantonese.

"You can talk amongst yourselves in English," Brandish said, stopping them in their tracks.

"We'll drop our weapons," Bandanna Man said. "But Glory Girl leaves this basement. She takes Armsmaster's halberd with her."

What? No freaking way.

Brandish shook her head. "Glory Girl will not attack you unless she's provoked. She'll stay."

Red Jacket scowled. "No. She leaves, or we don't talk."

I caught Brandish and Armsmaster staring at me, actually considering this crazy idea. They needed me, these goons were afraid of me. Brandish turned away first, completely detached.

"What you should concern yourselves with is what will happen if you refuse to negotiate."

"Time is not on your side," Bandanna Man replied, shooting a glare at me. "Oni Lee approaches by the second, and once he arrives, he shall inform Lung that you have come here to aid the Undersiders."

"And you'll tell your boss that the Undersiders are our enemy."

Bandanna Man grunted. "Perhaps. But only if Glory Girl leaves."

This again? They were so afraid I'd break them if negotiations fell through that they were stalling, even though they must have known that we could easily arrest Oni Lee once he arrived.

"Go and assist Flashbang and Laserdream, Glory Girl," Armsmaster said. "You won't help us here."

I scowled, barely believing my ears.

"You'll do better outside," Brandish said. "Go, now. Let us take care of Hellhound."

This couldn't be happening. Damn it, I was supposed to be rescuing Hellhound, I should be the one throwing these bastards behind bars. How was I supposed to redeem myself by beating Oni Lee?

I turned to Gallant, hoping that he could help, but he shook his head.

"Sorry, but they're not exactly at ease around you. They'll be willing to negotiate if they know they have a chance to escape."

If Gallant wasn't willing to help me, then there was no way I could stick around without looking like a jackass.

So much for my redemption.

"I'll go," I said. "But they have to drop their weapons first."

Bandanna Man gestured at Red Jacket, who dropped his pistol, kicking it to the side. In response, Armsmaster handed me his halberd.

"You're frustrated, I know you are," he said, "but sacrifice is part of being a hero. You'll get your chance."

I was supposed to just walk away from people perfectly willing to freeze me to death, bomb up buildings and kidnap people, and call it sacrifice? Armsmaster believed that heroes were ones who sacrificed, but I believed heroes were ones who triumphed.

If triumph meant giving up my glory, I'd do that if it meant Hellhound would be rescued. I grabbed Armsmaster's halberd, holding it tight against me, and turned to go.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Hellhound beginning to stir. Rescuing her, what was I thinking? She never apologized for the people she killed after her trigger event, and she'd never thank me for what I did. Once a villain, always a villain.

She could save herself, and if she couldn't, Brandish would. I flew out of the room and heard Bandanna Man set his pistol down. Seconds later, someone roared across the basement, and I glanced inside.

Hellhound was struggling against her bindings, kicking and screaming at the gangsters. Red Jacket slammed his fist against her skull, knocking off her plastic mask. Brandish was shouting out orders to calm down, while Armsmaster and Gallant moved to disable them.

This was my chance.

Dropping the halberd, I burst in, ramping my aura to the max.

"Get the fuck away from her!" I screamed.

Bandanna Man froze on the spot, quivering like the coward he was. Red Jacket hesitated, utterly terrified, but he grit his teeth and dove for his pistol. I got there first, kicking his ribs. He hit the wall hard, whimpering, but he didn't get up.

I turned my sights on Bandanna Man, saw him go for his gun, and threw his partner's pistol square at his chest, flying in to grab his vest and toss him on his back, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

Both of those fuckers were down, and neither of them were crippled. Now, to free Hellhound from her restraints. The cables were wound tightly around her arms and her torso, but they wouldn't be a match for my strength. Hellhound was staring at me as I arrived, eyes bulging out. She might've been panicking, but she'd realize who saved her in time.

Having this villain acknowledge my greatness was gonna be so awesome.

"You got lucky today," I said. "Glory Girl's here to save you."

She leaned back. I tried to grab her cables, but she kicked my shin.

"Keep still."

"No!" she shouted, baring her bloodstained teeth as her chair wobbled violently. "You're not gonna fuckin' arrest me!"

What the hell was she doing? She saw me beat her captors, she was supposed to be in awe of me.

"I'm trying to help you!" I said. "How are you going to get free?"

"Fuck off!"

Spittle was starting to gather around her blistered lips as she tried to kick me again, but her chair fell over before she connected. Past the mountains of fury, I caught a glimpse of mortifying terror.

I dialled down my aura and tried again, but a firm hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me away.

"You've done more than enough," Armsmaster said.

Brandish ran straight for Hellhound like I wasn't there, slicing her bindings with an orange knife.

"Gallant! Calm her down!" Brandish shouted.

"I can't," Gallant said. "My beams will make her even angrier!"

Because something about her brain wiring wasn't right. Armsmaster warned us this could happen, but I took the risk because my emotion power wasn't like Gallant's, and Hellhound would be grateful that I rescued her.

"Shh," Brandish whispered. "Listen to me, Hellhound."

Hellhound's panicked fright began to subside as Brandish tended to her, but the villain was still scowling.

"Bitch. Not fucking Hellhound."

"Bitch, then. We're here to help."

Brandish held out her hand. Moments passed, Hellhound staring at it like it had teeth. But eventually, she grabbed it, sitting up and wincing.

"We're going to take you to a warm place with lots of lights, and we'll bring you everything you need," Brandish said, in the same soothing cadence she used to make me fall asleep when I was a kid. "You're safe now. What happened today is nothing more than a nightmare."

I couldn't believe that she'd show more concern for a villain than Amy, her own fucking daughter. She wouldn't even look at me.

Gallant was looking at me, though, and I could feel him judging me. For what? I saved Hellhound, beat down her captors. Everyone should've been thanking me.

And yet, her terrified face was etched in my mind, filling me with a gnawing dread that turned my victory to bitter ash. That was the thing about taking a risk. Sometimes, it blew up in your face.


I fully expected Armsmaster to chew me out the second he pulled me away from the others. Instead, he picked up his halberd and asked me for a headcount of ABB casualties on the second floor, thanking me after I reported my findings.

"It's time to go," Armsmaster said.

I wasn't going to argue. There was nothing left for me in that basement.

Seeing Flashbang and Laserdream safe and sound on a street scorched by explosions was like a balm on my heart and mind. However, Oni Lee wasn't around, and Flashbang was holding his side, pale from exertion.

"Dad!" I said, flying over to Flashbang. "How are you doing? Are you okay?"

"Just a scratch," he said, so light and joyful as he showed me the bandages covering his right flank. "You should see the other guy."

"You mean Oni Lee," Armsmaster said, barging in.

Ugh. At least my dad was still standing. He was always prepared for any eventuality, except the ones he didn't know about.

"That's right," Flashbang said. "He came here a few minutes ago, tried to sneak inside the building. Laserdream fired a warning shot, but he wouldn't back down." He winced, jaw tightening. "He caught me with his knife, teleported away before Laserdream blasted him."

"Did he use any grenades?" Armsmaster asked.

"Mostly smoke bombs and a couple of flash grenades," Laserdream said, standing on a crimson forcefield with her arms crossed. "But he threw this one bomb in the air, and it made my eardrums pop. If I didn't contain it, well... let's just say I'm glad we can still hear properly."

Armsmaster frowned. "Bakuda's work. We've seen its effects."

I looked at the street below my feet so I wouldn't have to relive that torrent of fright. Flashbang patted my back with his clean hand, shooting me a tight smile. I returned it, but even though I was so grateful he could be strong for me, I wanted to keep that memory where it belonged: in the dark.

"Where's Oni Lee?" I asked.

"Gone," Flashbang said. "I nabbed him with a concussive orb and I was ready to follow up, but Laserdream warned me Purity was coming."

I looked up at both of their grim faces. No way. "Did she attack you guys?"

Laserdream frowned, adjusting her ruby red headband. "Believe it or not? Purity actually helped us. She attacked Oni Lee and drove him off, she even asked Flashbang if he was okay. She was also concerned about Hellhound."

My cousin was a straight shooter, always was, but Purity showing concern for a hero sounded like the biggest crock of shit. Nobody believed Purity was a real hero because she kept on attacking minorities and turned a blind eye to her old Nazi buddies. The only thing that changed was that the only minorities she blasted were criminals.

If I went outside like I was supposed to, I could've helped them detain Purity... or try to, anyway. But I made my decision, so there was no point in dwelling on what-ifs.

"It's true," Flashbang said. "Purity insisted that she wasn't a villain, just a hero who wanted to stop the ABB. Since she wasn't willing to attack us, I chose to let her go."

"Better to avoid a tough fight if you can," Armsmaster said, nodding his approval. "If Purity wants to be a hero, she can prove herself by serving time for her crimes."

Flashbang's fingers flexed, a habit that helped manage his tension. "I agree, but we shouldn't alienate her. This could be her chance to turn over a new leaf."

"Don't forget who you're talking about."

Flashbang frowned. "I haven't."

The sincerity in his voice caught me off-guard. If he was willing to overlook Purity's decade of hate crimes and murder if it meant she could be a real hero, would he be willing to accept me if I told him the whole truth? I had a feeling he could... but it'd probably knock him into another depressive spiral, and I wouldn't ever risk doing that to him.

Better to stick to the plan. I just hoped he could forgive me one day.

"Did you two reach Hellhound?" Laserdream asked, clearly trying to avoid an unnecessary argument.

Armsmaster's frown returned, sharper than the last. "She's in our custody. Brandish is taking care of her."

A half-smile crossed Flashbang's face. "She's in good hands."

Considering how kind my mom was to a villain, maybe he was on to something. He definitely knew her better than I did.

"I'll call in a PRT squad, start on clean-up. Where's the stash of bombs?"

"Up there," Laserdream said, pointing at the far end of the nearest rooftop. "Want me to get it?"

Armsmaster shook his head. "Glory Girl can help me." He looked my way, mouth taut. "We'll meet where I've parked my bike."

Judging from the sheer intensity radiating off his rigid frame, he wouldn't take no for an answer.

I found the stash in its plastic case, and even with no one to pull the pin, anxiety rose in my throat, screaming at me to run and save myself. They were just weapons. Terrifying weapons, but they could save so many lives in the right hands. More than that, they couldn't hurt me right now, so I steeled myself and grabbed the case.

My destination was an alleyway in between two buildings, and once I reached it, Armsmaster stowed the case inside his bike's storage compartment. I was ready to head back, but Armsmaster stopped me.

"What were you thinking?"

I forced myself not to frown or show any kind of weakness. "I saw Hellhound trying to break free while those criminals were beating on her, so I took my chance to surprise them and save her."

"We had it handled," he said, anger threatening to throttle his measured tone.

"If they grabbed their pistols, who knows what would've happened?"

"Gallant would have subdued them. Then Brandish and I would have calmed Hellhound down." He frowned; it cracked his cool façade. "Instead, you defied my orders and almost made a simple rescue exponentially more difficult."

Armsmaster was looming over me, oppressive and demanding. I wouldn't be cowed. I might have terrified the girl I was supposed to save, but I did not ruin anything else, and I wasn't going to let him think otherwise.

"I took the risk because I knew I could save her, and I did! I won!"

"You were impulsive!"

His sudden shout startled me, crushing my shaky composure and leaving weakness in its place. He wouldn't get to see it.

Armsmaster sighed and pulled himself upright, rigid but not threatening. "This doesn't end after you save the day. There are consequences, ramifications that we'll have to deal with because of what you chose to do."

Hearing his scathing criticism sliced me down, compounding my failure tenfold. As a villain, Hellhound had no trust in the PRT, so how could she trust them if she assumed her rescue was standard procedure?

"I'll do better," I said, because there was no point defending myself when I knew I made a huge mistake. "Be better."

Armsmaster's harsh frown didn't recede. "Don't disappoint."

He got on his bike and drove away. I followed, stewing in my shame.

Dad went with the PRT escort so Amy could heal him up, and Mom took it upon herself to take care of Hellhound, but not before she gave me a glare that seethed with her disappointment. Gallant lingered for a bit to hug me before he left... it wouldn't be long until he confronted me on what he saw.

Now it was just me and Laserdream. I wasn't sure if she was on my side or not, not that I had any right to be mad if she wasn't.

"So, how about that race?" Laserdream asked.

I smiled, relieved and just a little excited. "You're on."

We were off, destination: the Dallon house. Laserdream beat on the straightaways, but there were twists and turns I used and abused to close the gap. making it neck and neck as we reached the final stretch. This late at night, barely anyone would be watching our impromptu race, but this wasn't a fight for glory, it was a battle of pride between two of the best fliers in the city. Tonight, I would prove victorious.

But it wasn't meant to be.

"Woohoo!" Laserdream said, unveiling her name in lights with the spread of her hands. "I win, again!"

In spite of the loss, I couldn't help but smile at my cousin. "Congrats, Crystal. You won't be so lucky next time."

"Luck? Luck's just a part of skill." Crystal smiled. "But you were pretty good tonight, Vic. Those dashes of yours are something else."

"Came up with it this morning."

"Keep at it." She brushed away locks of hair that fell past her headband. "You might not win every time, but as long as you take whatever criticism you get on the chin, and learn from both your mistakes and your successes, well, nothing can stop you."

My smile began to wane. "You're not talking about the race, are you?"

"I am," Crystal said, "but you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. Everyone makes mistakes."

"Bucking orders to get the glory is a mistake?" I asked, incredulous.

"A big one. That doesn't undo all the good you did tonight, Vic."

She was right. There was a lot to be proud of: I saved Hellhound, beat down a lot of thugs, survived a freeze bomb and proceeded to kick even more ass.

"Thanks," I said.

Crystal smiled. "That's what I'm here for. Just lay off on the rule-breaking, okay? It might not work out the second time around."

I returned her smile. "Can do."

Our home was a shining beacon when I went inside, but as I closed the lights all over the living room and dining room, locked up the house and got ready to go to sleep, I felt drained in more ways than one. I lay in my bed for minutes that stretched beyond their measure, desperate for rest, but my thoughts kept me awake, echoing like a metronome that strengthened by the second.

I worried about Hellhound and how she'd cope without her team or those mutant dogs of hers. I wondered if she could move on from what I made her feel. Was that same look of dumbstruck horror hidden beneath Firefly's mask?

Damn it... I really fucked up.