Dark Skies

"Twelve," I hissed, shoving the bar over my chest. That was a new personal best. I hadn't had the opportunity to work out since reassigning the Novas, so a solid pump was long overdue. My body appeared to agree. It’d put on the performance of a lifetime by breaking three of my previous PRs.

"Sure you're not Alpha?" smirked Angela.

Today, she wore a baby-blue dress shirt with a white pencil skirt and six-inch stilettos. Angela often described heels as a double-edged sword. She loved the height and style but hated the pain. Her complaints about it when I sent her on errands often led to bickering.

I rolled off the bench and threw a towel over my head. "Has that ever worked for Blacklight?"

"Boss, I promise accepting a compliment won't result in injury."

"No, but it could end up with me delegating your assignments, which is substantially worse."

"So I am thawing you out."

I scrubbed sweat from my hair. "You should stick to flattering me.”

She posed and flicked hers. "Even I fall prey to my own irresistibility."

I raised an eyebrow and nodded to the file in her hand. "Am I going to like that?"

Her playful aura faded.

"That's a no," I sighed, roping the towel around my shoulders. "After my shower, then."

"There's a stink to this one, boss. You'll need to wash it off."

"Sounds to me like you just want to run back upstairs."

She grimaced guiltily. "These pegs are drilling a hole to my legs."

"Really?" I rolled my eyes. "Who could've guessed prancing around on chopsticks is bad for your feet?"

"Fine!" she snapped, clopping for the door. "It'll be on your desk!"

"Lab," I corrected.

She turned back to me. "I completely forgot. Fuck. Alright, see you there."

My shower was brief and cold. I scrubbed the grime from my skin before throwing on my suit. As I always carried a few weapons on me, it took a little longer than I liked. Nevertheless, I was in the elevator twenty minutes later.

The lab wasn't on the lowest level, as aquatic Rogues might try to burrow through the base of the island to get to the tech. It was still deep underground, though, three levels under the Sheath’s ‘main floor’.

Lucas and Angela awaited me at the doors, the latter of which smacked her file into my chest.

"Read."

My brow arched, but I did as instructed.

She was right. I should've waited.

"When did we get this?"

"Six. I had a mountain and a half of emails to sledge through beforehand, so we only just saw."

"They didn't mark it as urgent?"

"I don't think they understood what it was."

"Sorry to interrupt," Lucas piped up from my right, "but what are we talking about?"

"Remember the phone I had you flip?"

Lucas scowled. "Another?"

"This time," I growled, "she was thirteen. No training. Barely even understood herself. Fuck!"

"We're sure it’s the guy?" asked Lucas.

"Same MO," Angela confirmed. "Emaciated, blackened body. Traces of gravitational residue, this time in a park."

"Park?" I repeated.

"She was walking home from school. He used the force to lock her in place."

"We've gotta kill that guy," Lucas snarled.

We absolutely were not going to kill that guy, but I understood the sentiment and let it slide.

The R&D floor was the length of a football field and three times the width. Balconies put the hundred-foot ceiling to use, while androids, weapons and inventions pushed some of the most advanced security systems on the planet to their limits. It felt like something was blowing up every other week.

Weighed against the results, though, that was a price I was willing to pay.

The automatic doors parted, allowing me to spot Professor Ivo Benton tinkering in his personal booth. Temporary, as his real office was in California, but his, nonetheless. No one used his real name, though, as his bright, frizzy rose hair birthed a far catchier one.

"Professor Pink," I greeted as we approached. "Pleasure to host you at the Sheath."

Pink, as usual, was engrossed in his work and jumped at my voice. "Skies? Oh, hello. How long have you been there?"

"We just arrived," I assured him. "You had something to show me?"

Pink nodded. "Two, actually. How've the Droids performed?"

"Terrifically," I replied, remembering how I'd summoned them against the Novas. "Response time, analysis and recharge efficacy are all great."

"Good, but not good enough," he sighed. "The processors fall short when dealing with quicker threats. Even with the suits’ physical power, the decision-making speeds can’t contend against stronger Rogues."

I raised an eyebrow. I hadn't yet deployed any for combat. "I wasn't aware. Is there a solution?"

"No. Eh, yes, but no."

I rubbed my forehead. "Thank you for the clarification."

"The Droids themselves can’t be improved," he explained. "They just can't replace top-tier Heroes, not to mention their cost. The solution, then, is to take what works and drop what doesn't."

"Which is?"

"The armours are suitable, but the computer isn't. So we keep the armour and put in a brain that is." He pressed the tablet on the table, projecting a hologram into the air.

"Oh wow," Angela muttered.

Lucas was also gaping. "That's what you've been working on?"

Before us stood a sleek, panelled power armour. The material appeared to vary, with thicker plates across the chest and thighs, and thinner padding built into the joints and sides. I couldn't tell for sure, but there also looked to be an energy field coating the model.

Speaking of, I noticed something interesting.

"Why am I in the super suit?" I asked Pink.

"I designed it with your measurements in mind, so you can test it yourself and determine practicality."

Angela grinned at me. "Told you you're Alpha."

I ignored her. "How do you solve the speed issue, though? The armour may help me move faster, but it can't make me think faster, which is the crux of your robot issue."

"Neuroelectric stimulus," he replied. "An electronic pad is magnetically sealed to the back of your neck, which accelerates cerebral reactions by a factor of three."

"And my brain won't pop?"

"Of course not. It's a controlled reaction. Neurological stress only begins once you push past seven."

"And you've tested this?" I asked.

Pink smiled sheepishly. "That's what your evaluation is for."

I stared at him, then looked over at Angela, who had the presence of mind to cringe.

"You're a guinea pig," she correctly concluded.

"I am a guinea pig," I agreed.

"You're not a guinea pig!" Pink scowled. "You're a... test driver."

Lucas looked at me. "You're a guinea pig."

"We'll worry about that later," I decreed. "What was the other thing?"

"Oh, yes, the Gate." Pink started excitedly packing his things.

"The Gate?" Lucas repeated. "As in, the giant ring on the roof?"

"Is there another Gate?" Pink snapped. "Help me bring this up."

Angela looked at me. "There is no way I'm going to the roof."

Thirty minutes later, standing on the roof with wild winds buffeting her hair, Angela fixed me with a glower. "One day, I'm going to quit. That day, when you have to make your own coffee, filter your own emails and put Alpha hotheads back in their place will be the day you truly rue your choices."

I patted her on the back. "Next time, wear flats." I looked over at Lucas and Pink, who were putting some final touches on the machine. "How long will this take?"

"We're done," Lucas replied, brushing his hands off on his lab coat. He did a couple stretches before jogging over to the laptop resting on a supply crate, linked to the machine through cables.

"This," Pink exclaimed, taking a remote connected to the base of the massive ring via tangle of wires, "is the Gate."

"What does it do?" I asked.

"What any gate does," said Pink. "It gives you an opening."

Lucas punched a few more figures into the keyboard before shooting Pink a thumbs up. The professor, really living up to his mad scientist image, grinned uncomfortably wide and smacked the remote's red button.

Gravity, wind and light momentarily bent around the ring as a bright white swirl spun to life inside it. The entire island shook as the Gate thrummed, drinking in power to keep the portal alive.

"Where does it lead?" I shouted.

Pink pointed up. I followed his finger to find a white circle hanging over our heads, identical in appearance to the one in the hoop.

"Watch!" Pink instructed, picking up a screwdriver and throwing it through. There was a bright flash as the Gate swallowed it, then I glanced up to see it tumble from the second portal and into my hand.

Apparently, though, that was all the Gate could stomach as it quickly sparked, shuddered, and died.

"Yes!" grinned Pink. "I knew it would work!"

I again found myself staring at the scientist suspiciously. "You've never tested it before?"

"Not at this scale. There wasn't a way to reliably power something that big."

I crossed my arms. "So an outage is the worst-case scenario?”

Pink laughed boisterously. "If only! No, compressing space and time and challenging the fabric of reality comes with far greater risks. The worst-case scenario is a singularity."

I had to fight to keep my jaw from clanging against my ankles. "You could've opened a black hole over my office?"

"Oh, calm down. It's not like you don't have lunch with Alphas able to sink this island and be home for dinner."

Thank God he's not a Rogue.

"Right. Any other hiccups?"

"It's got a thirty-two-hour cooldown," Pink replied, looking frustrated. "The power demands of holding a Gate fries the circuits. Holding that eight-second portal burned three gigawatts, which, for the uninitiated, is too much. I'm working to get it to a usable figure."

"What would that look like?" I asked before a sonic boom interrupted us.

We all spun to see a figure I instantly recognized drop out of the sky and float down in confusion.

"What are you doing up here?" Jason asked, looking disapproving. "It's dangerous."

"There's a rail," I replied. "Pink had to show us something."

Jason glanced at him, then the Gate. "The fuck is that?"

"A portal," Lucas pointed out helpfully.

Jason blinked, then shook his head as he turned back to me. "We need to talk."

"I’m aware," I responded. “I take it the reunion went well?"

"Alone," he growled pointedly.

"Ditto," a voice interjected from behind. We all spun to see Blacklight pulling himself from the Gate's shadow. "If you're done here, that is."

"Can none of you people use a phone?" snapped Angela. "Who just drags himself out of the floor?"

"I'm done!" Pink told us. "You're free to go!" He snapped in recollection as I handed him back the screwdriver. "I'll have the armour shipped to your office."

I nodded. "Let us know if you need anything else before you fly back out. We can give it to you here or have it in LA by the end of the week."

"Would a new facility work?" he asked hopefully.

I blinked. "Why would you need a new facility?"

"Portals are hard to make."

I sighed. "We've probably got a warehouse. Give me a week to put together the team and security detail."

"You're too kind," Pink told me. "Even after I almost opened a black hole."

Blacklight did a double take. "He did what now?"

"Don't ask," I sighed.

"You were right," said Jason as he lowered himself into the chair facing my desk. He shot a quick look at the spot on the wall the chair struck when he lost his temper last time. It'd been repaired the following night. Blacklight followed his eyes in confusion. I took a seat and tapped a command into my keyboard that locked and soundproofed the three of us in the office.

"Naturally," I replied before reining myself in. I was supposed to be Director. Snotty sarcasm was beneath me. "How right, though?"

Jason bristled but was also trying to remain civil. I saluted him for that.

"I tracked him to Denver, where I coordinated with local Hero Eye-Lie to smoke him out of a weapons nest."

I nodded. "I heard. And saw. As did most people in the West. Crackle joined in on the fun?"

"Unfortunately," he sighed. "It seems the old flame still burns hot."

I ignored the disgusted shudder running down my spine. Crackle was one of the few things Elise and I agreed bore no benefit to society. "Word from the Chasm came in last week. She's secured."

Jason nodded. "Any word on Titan?"

"No. Eye-Lie's reports indicate he's left the state. Where, though, we don't know."

"Fuck," Jason growled, rubbing his eyes.

I studied him. "What exactly happened?"

He explained the intelligence he'd received from the middleman, then he and Eye-Lie's thought process on tagging the station. His description of the battle checked out with what forensics and CCTV reported.

"I left Eye-Lie and did a couple laps of the town just to be sure," he finished, "before heading back to make a report and catch some sleep."

"Right." I spun the ballpoint pen between my fingers. "This is troubling."

"Any tracks? At all?" asked Jason, drumming his fingers against his knee.

"Aside from a dashcam catching him in a cargo train headed south? Nothing."

Jason nodded. "I'll start looking."

"Where? The whole of southwestern America? We need to be smart. Not only that, but we have things to consider outside Titan."

"No shot,” snorted Jason.

"Andre Church was killed, and the Breakers are still at large."

Jason’s snark shrivelled. "How?"

"The same way Sarah Underwood, a sixth grader from Philadelphia, died last night. Through some Alpha form of energy-nutrient drain."

"From where?" croaked Blacklight.

I gave him a funny look. "Philly. Why?"

Blacklight’s head dropped into his hands. "Fuck!"

Jason glanced between us. "Who’s the merc?"

"We're not sure," I explained, still trying to understand what the issue was with Blacklight. "But he drains you. We don't know how or why. He appears to be working with a multiplier."

"A serial killer?" Jason asked.

"Unlikely. We’ve got an audio recording saying he's chasing an 'evolution'. What that means, though, is anyone's guess."

"Not for long," Blacklight promised. "When I find him, he'll sing like a fucking bird."

Jason crossed his arms. "Why didn't you come to me earlier? Church is royalty. Coming after his blood is unacceptable."

"I know you and Titan well enough to know what happens when you fight him distracted," I replied. "You aren't flexible enough to fight a King-Class with your head up your ass, let alone a million miles away."

"That's kind of you," Jason retorted, "but next time, act like a fucking Director. At the very least, I should've paid my respects."

I looked over at him. "Fine. But you're still on Titan. He's the biggest known threat, and you’re the best suited to handle it.”

"It's not just him, though," Jason explained. "Like I said, he has a... benefactor. He's part of something."

I frowned. "Do you know what it is?"

"Would I phrase it like that if I did?"

Blacklight narrowed his eyes. "What exactly did he say?"

"That she's a power player," Jason recalled. "Nuclear hierarchy. The biggest bombs sit in the largest seats. According to Titan, he and I are atomic, so she'd welcome me with open arms."

Blacklight sat forward to grab a glass from my tray. "What'd you say?"

"Can't remember, but I think it involved him screwing himself."

"Attaboy," commended Blacklight, pulling off his mask to take a sip of water.

I scowled. "That's against protocol."

"What was it you said, Nova? Something, something screw, something, something self?"

I set down my pen. "We'll keep on the lookout for Titan. He's bound to pop up somewhere, but in the meantime, you need to stay on call in case we get a lead." I opened a notetaking app on my computer. "Describe Titan’s combat ability."

"Less," Jason said. "Though still just as tough and quick, he's rough. Happens when you drop out of the game."

"And when that wears off?"

"Everyone but the Novas, Blacklight and the CC are probably fucked."

I sighed. "I see."

Blacklight whistled. "Ouch. Even Dwarf? Mammoth? Fer and Cryo?"

"Dwarf and Fer can't take the hits he dishes." Jason leaned back pensively. "Mammoth can, but he's too slow. Cryo honestly stands the best chance, but I don't think he's got sufficient horsepower. Titan is built for attrition. The longer it drags, the worse Cryo's chances get."

"Any idea why he chose that location?" I asked Jason. "The stash specifically?"

"If I had to guess, his boss needs iron." Jason shrugged. "Everyone wants some these days."

I cocked my head. "That... huh."

"What?" he asked.

"Doesn't smell right. We recovered most of the weapons, and Eye-Lie is dismantling the network as we speak. If his patron really cared, Titan would've attacked before you compromised the shipment. He didn't seem bothered when you two nearly brought the cavern down on the crates."

"Your point?" said Jason.

"This is a picture, Nova. The motive gives us a background, which we can study to draw the rest. Once we understand what it is they want, we'll know where to look."

"We know what they want," Jason shot back. "Power. Control. He disagrees with your appointment as Director, as you're blank. Says society should be based purely on who hits the hardest."

I raised my eyebrow. "You two truly were made for each other."

He ignored me. "How's your mother doing?"

"Elise," I corrected, "and Matthius have been sparing with their updates. Local authorities say they've been in correspondence, but no real progress on Plague's hunt has been made."

"Maybe they really can't find him," Jason suggested.

"This is a man who flattened fifty acres of farmland in an afternoon. Last Thursday afternoon. This is a man who can't even sneak through airports due to stench alone. A man who is constantly surrounded by a ring of insects." My knuckles pressed into the desk. "A blind, deaf paraplegic could find him, as all they'd have to do is roll after the smell. They're still in Norway because they can't get over themselves and listen to orders. I don't know about you, but that sounds entirely like their problem."

Blacklight snorted with laughter, earning a glowing-eyed glare from Jason. He snorted louder and flipped him off.

"It's sad because we could use them here," I agreed, "but they shit their bed. I can't help them if they don't want to change the sheets."

"You can, though. Recall them," Jason demanded. "They're wasted there."

"They should've thought of that, shouldn't they, when trying to circumvent protocol. Oh well. I’ll get you locations for the Titan case. Correspond with the Pommel for updates."

Jason looked to continue his plea for the Novas, but I cut him off by addressing Blacklight.

"You had something to say?"

Blacklight looked up from the glass he was spinning on his finger. "Oh, yeah. I'm pretty sure I know who killed Andre."

Jason spun to join me in staring at Blacklight.

"What ?" I exclaimed. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"You were talking," he replied, looking offended. "Interrupting is needlessly rude."

I rubbed my eyes. "Next time, start with that."

"Mhm. Do you have any grapes? I'm feeling peckish."

"The name, Blacklight."

His mask was on the table, so I saw his lips purse in a pout. "Apparently, I'm the only one with manners."

"Micah ," growled Jason.

"Fine. God. They're called 'The Family', and they're considerably bigger than we originally anticipated. By, like, a lot. I don't mean to jump the gun, but we might be a little underprepared."

Jason and I shared a look.

"Huh," we responded in unison.