The Prospects (Book 2): Nothing Poorer Than Gods (11 page)

“And I get some charges dropped,” said Vijay.

“He’ll stay locked in the bunker with no computer until Trista gets back,” said Professor Photon. “She’ll monitor his thoughts while he hacks for us.”

Kayleigh raised a finger. “Professor Photon, you designed Agent Exo’s exoskeleton, right?”

He nodded. “As Doctor Harry Von Dyme, I am the lead researcher for Griffin Industries’ biggest projects.”

“Can I talk to you about something?”

“Is this about infusing Chak’s healing-factor imbued blood?”

“That, and something else.”

“Magna will come down to watch Vijay for the rest of the night, then I’ll go back to my lab. Wait for me at the door. You’ll set off an alarm if you go in.”

The doors opened in the basement. Kayleigh stayed on the elevator.

As Professor Photon led Vijay to the underground bunker, Jenny hobbled through the freshly painted room that used to be the gym. Everything – the padded floor, the heavy bag, the exercise equipment, the treadmills – was gone. She never liked the dingy gym, but the emptiness gave her a twinge of remorse for the old days. As depressing as they were, they were parts of her life.

In the recreation room, Steve sat on the couch with crumpled tissues scattered all around him.

Jenny sat next to him.

Steve wiped tears from his cheeks. “I can’t stop thinking about Pete.”

Jenny handed him a fresh tissue. He took it with bandaged fingers.

“He was the best friend I ever had. We were going to move to LA.” Steve sobbed.

Jenny patted Steve’s shoulder.

“I talked him into joining the Prospects. I praised the hell out of him to Agent O’Farrell. I thought we could be real heroes.”

Jenny said nothing.

“He’ll come back, right? Heroes do that. That girl who got shot the night the villains attacked this building, she survived. Pete will too. I’ll bet he caught the edge of the island, but we didn’t see it because he was under water. The squid-men can’t bite through his skin, so …”

Jenny pursed her lips.

“Who am I kidding? He’s gone. My friend is dead. He wouldn’t want me crying like this. Goddamn monsters. They killed him.”

Iridescent auras enshrouded Steve’s hands. He thrust them forward and shouted, “They killed him!”

A beam of light shot from his hands. The air in front of it disintegrated with a loud crack. When the beam disappeared, a hole smoldered in the wall.

Jenny looked through the hole. The smoking trail cut through the freshly remodeled gymnasium and most of the way into the foundation.

Steve’s fingers were covered in ashes and singed bandages. “Did I do that?”

Jenny got back on her crutches and hobbled to the bedrooms. A child cried in the bedroom she once shared with Trista.

Jenny opened the door. A chestnut-haired woman sat on Jenny’s old bed and cradled a toddler in her arms.

“He just got to sleep when that noise woke him up,” she said. “What was it?”

“Laser,” said Jenny. “Things like that happen around here. You’re Emily, right?”

“Right, I’m Alex’s wife. But I guess you know him as Agent O’Farrell.”

Jenny turned away.

“Wait,” said Emily. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Jenny.”

“Oh, you’re Gale Force, the Prospect who became a New York Guardian.”

Jenny wanted to hobble away but was too angry to move.

“What did Alex say about me?” Jenny’s harsh tone made Emily uncomfortable.

“Uh, that you had a lot of potential.”

Jenny hobbled into the room and closed the door. “My parents did all they could to keep me from being a superhero. Every team but the Prospects rejected me, and they treated me like shit. Lady Amazing made me feel inadequate for being fat. Sergeant Hammer said I was only good for blowing away farts. The other New York Guardians don’t think I belong here. Alex is the only one who believes in me.”

“He’s a great guy.”

Jenny glared. “Then why did Stormhead find you with in bed with another man?”

“He told you?”

“He told the whole team.” Jenny put her hand on the doorknob. “I have nothing to say to you.”

Before Jenny opened the door Emily said, “He cheated on me first.”

“No, he didn’t.”

“He did, with a girl named Candilyn.”

Jenny spoke slowly. “Candilyn tried to rape Alex.”

“What? How could a woman …”

“I heard both sides of the story. Alex was vulnerable after you sent the divorce papers. Candilyn took advantage of that. He fought her off. Even Candilyn’s version makes her sound aggressive. It’s the main reason I ended my friendship with her. I can’t tolerate someone who does that.”

“Well, what about Trista? Did she and Alex …”

“Trista and I slept in this room while Alex was here. I know nothing happened between them.”

Emily said nothing.

Jenny asked, “How could you do that to him?”

“Alex left me alone so many times for so long. The guy, he’s only a coworker. I don’t even care about him, but I was so lonely, and Alex said he’d be home on time every night by dinner, then didn’t come home for two nights in a row …”

“Last night we needed him to save lives. Tonight, someone tried to kill him.”

Emily gently lay Calvin on the bed. “I know. Stormhead said I had to stay here until they know who is behind the attacks.”

“At least you won’t be able to cheat on him for a while.”

Emily looked down.

“You put us in a bad situation,” said Jenny. “Alex only stayed with the team because we promised to no longer keep secrets from him. But when he finds out, it’ll destroy him.”

“Why should that matter? Your team tried to get him killed.”

“James Griffin did. Stormhead and the others, even Sergeant Hammer, constantly disobeyed orders to save Alex. I’d die for him without a second thought.”

“So are you going to tell him?”

“Why? We didn’t do anything wrong.”

“What are you saying?”

Jenny opened the door. “If you love Alex, you'll tell him.”

Kayleigh didn’t feel how uncomfortable the stainless steel table was until she woke up.

She blinked. From the darkness around her came mechanical whirring and hammering and the scent of oil and plastic.

Her mind raced. She sat up and took the cropped shirt she used as a pillow. She was still wearing her red bodysuit.

She remembered waiting outside Doctor Von Dyme’s laboratory until he returned. She followed him in and pointed to every device she recognized from the comics. Each time, Doctor Von Dyme muttered, “How cute.”

She lay on the table as Doctor Von Dyme pulled a mechanical arm with lots of tubes hanging from it down from the ceiling. He swabbed her arm and inserted two thick needles into her arm. Dark red fluid filled the clear tubes leading through them.

After that, everything got blurry.

Kayleigh sat up. She touched the three rows of steri-strips on her cheek but felt no pain.

The lights came on. Doctor Von Dyme looked up from the array of electronic components on his workbench and lifted his goggles. “You’re awake.”

Kayleigh looked at her reflection in the table. There were no red lines under the strips.

“The infusion worked,” said Doctor Von Dyme. “You healed so quickly scar tissue didn’t accumulate. I forgot to warn you that metabolic acceleration causes fatigue.”

“I’m just glad to have my face back. Can I take the strips off?”

“They’re attached to your skin with a strong glue. They’ll fall off by themselves in about a week.”

Kayleigh wanted them off right away, but instead said, “I can deal with that. How long did I sleep?”

“Almost nine hours.”

“Did anything happen?”

“Agent O’Farrell and Trista returned.”

“Are they okay?”

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to them because I’ve been too busy working on your request.”

“My request?”

“You asked if I could do something to make you a superhero.”

“I did?”

“Well, ‘asked’ is the wrong word. ‘Begged’ is more appropriate.”

She remembered talking after everything got blurry. The memories came back like something she did after getting drunk. “Oh. I remember I said I’d do anything to get superpowers.”

“I took your measurements while you slept.” He handed her a mechanical harness with metallic gloved sleeves and a layered copper collar. “This is something I made from an early prototype of the Agent Exo project. Try it on.”

Kayleigh slipped it on. “It’s a snug fit, especially in some sensitive places. How much measuring did you do while I slept?”

“I used a 3-D scanner and didn’t lay a finger on you. Test your freedom of movement.”

Kayleigh stretched, shadowboxed, and hunched forward. “Not restrictive at all.”

“Good. Now slap the wrists together to active the stun gloves.”

Kayleigh slapped her wrists together. Currents of crackling blue electricity ran over her arms and small spikes popped out of the knuckles and forearm plates. “This is so cool.”

“It’s several generation improved from the stun gloves I invented for the MAB. These have an increased voltage and reduced amperage.”

“So I’ll knock out people better and the battery will last longer?”

Doctor Von Dyme cocked his head. “How did you know that?”

“I’ve been reading about electricity.”

“How cute.”

Kayleigh touched the bracers with cylindrical capsules around the wrists. “What do these do?”

“Press the button on your forearm to use them. Each contains concentrated aerosol capsaicin.”

“Pepper spray?”

“It’s a military-grade formula. The bracers will cycle after each shot to put a full chamber on top. Remember to put your hand down before shooting.”

“Awesome. You really are a genius.”

“I have something else.” Doctor Von Dyme handed her a white mask with imprints of roses on the cheeks and pink glass over the eyes. “This should protect your face from future injury. The lenses are polarized to prevent blinding from Pinwheel’s lights and the filters over the mouth and nose will filter out any capsaicin that gets blown back in your face.”

Kayleigh strapped it on, nodded, and shook her head. “It stays in place. Thanks a million.”

Doctor Von Dyme pressed a flashing button on his desk. “What is it, Gunnar?”

Stormhead’s voice came through the intercom. “Harrison, there’s trouble at the metahuman jail on North Brother Island.”

“Didn’t we fight a break-out there last month?” asked Doctor Von Dyme.

“This looks like a break-in. A boat ran aground and some armored men with guns are shooting at the guards.”

“Should I become Professor Photon?”

“Yes, but stay here. We have two supervillains in Griffin Tower. Gale Force and Trista are in the interrogation room and watching Asura. Agent O’Farrell is not fully recovered and Deon is not a fighter, so you must watch Quad-Clops.”

“What about the rest of the team?”

“Magna and I will fly there. Arbalest and Pinwheel will secure the bridge.”

Kayleigh asked, “What about me?”

“Knockout Rose, are you ready to return to action?”

Kayleigh didn’t show the trepidation she felt at the thought of getting into another superhuman battle when she said, “More than ever.”

“Assist Arbalest. Meet him in the lobby.”

Doctor Von Dyme pressed a button on his watch. Dozens of microscopic particles spread over him and transmuted his lab coat and Hawaiian shirt into his trademark Professor Photon suit.

“Tonight,” he said, “you can repay me.”

“Sure, but I don’t have much money.

“Did you forget out arrangement?” Doctor Von Dyme – now Professor Photon – drew his smartphone from his belt and played a video of her, half-awake, saying, “I’d do anything to be a superhero.”

Behind the phone, Doctor von Dyme said, “Would you be willing to do the things my wife would do?”

Kayleigh said, “Sure,” and passed out.

The video stopped.

Professor Photon leered at her. “There’s only one need I have that Magna’s metal body can’t satisfy.”

Kayleigh leaned back. “You sicko! What kind of girl do you think I am?”

“The kind that walks around in nothing but paint.”

“That’s a lot different than what you want.”

“I can’t imagine this being disagreeable to you.”

“So why did you have to wait until I was drowsy to ask?”

“You told me what you wanted, I told you what I wanted.”

“You’re a bigger creep than Arbalest.”

“Fine. Take off the harness. Your obsolete stun gloves are on my workbench. The batteries are drained.”

Kayleigh’s hands stopped at the bottom of the harness. “But if I take this off, I don’t have anything. Can’t I …”

“A deal is a deal. I did something for you, you do something for me.”

Arbalest’s voice came through the intercom. “Hey, soulless ginger, are you coming or not?”

Kayleigh gulped.

Pinwheel’s voice came through. “Kayleigh, this is our chance to be real heroes. Don’t chicken out now.”

She put her cropped t-shirt over the harness.

“I’ll get Mindy’s lingerie and a wig ready,” said Professor Photon.

Kayleigh felt Professor Photon’s eyes follow her out of the lab. As the elevator descended breathed slowly and thought of herself as Knockout Rose. She struck the confident poses Lady Amazing made in the comics and gazed at her reflection in the door. A good model allows herself to be whatever the viewer wants her to be. She thought about being a living idea of what was right fighting what was wrong.

But she couldn’t forget this was real life, not some fantasy world. She remembered Pete disappearing beneath the waves. Poor Pete. She thought he was stuck up at first because he didn’t talk to her. It turned out he was just shy. He was a great guy, even if he was more of a friend to Steve. 

That gave her a cold shock. The Young Sentinels’ days were done. She had to fight real villains, not cooperative stuntmen. Having her face slashed proved horrible things could happen to her too.

And there was still the matter of Doctor Von Dyme, or Harry, or Professor Photon, or whatever he was called. She got out of modeling because she hated the creeps who tried to manipulate her into bed. Dressing up like a man’s dead wife before having sex with him was a new low. For an instant she considered taking off the harness and mask and returning it to him.

On the other hand, this was her chance to actually be a real superhero. Most people never get that. She couldn’t count on a dying alien giving her a power ring or a meteorite landing next to her. And if no one found out what she had to do, would it be that bad?

But she would know.

The elevator opened up at the lobby. She put her shoulders back and held her head high and strode across the recently replaced tiles to Arbalest and Pinwheel.

“Nice mask, Raggedy Ann,” said Arbalest. “Want to save what’s left of your pretty face?”

Knockout Rose was too numb to care what he said.

They got into a police car. As it drove to the East River with sirens blazing Arbalest said from the front seat, “The only bridge to North Brother Island is through Riker’s Island, which is full of non-metahuman scumbags. The guards will have our backs so keep your eyes forward.”

Neither Pinwheel nor Knockout Rose said anything.

Arbalest slapped a teargas quarrel cartridge into his crossbow. “We’re going to a battle, not a funeral. What’s wrong with you two?”

“I can’t stop thinking about Pete,” said Pinwheel.

“Neither can I,” said Knockout Rose.”

“It’s a real shame what happened to your buddy,” said Arbalest. “Superheroes die all the time. We buried Scintilla last year and Lady Amazing doesn’t have much time left.”

“But in the comics, heroes always come back.”

“That’s crap. The hero may come back, but he’s not the same one. A new guy puts on an old suit to take over the role.”

“Really?” said Pinwheel. “But so many heroes have died at some point. Does that mean most of them are replacements?”

“Sure does. The great thing about masks is anyone can wear them. I should know. I’m the third Arbalest.”

Knockout Rose said, “Then that makes you the third-best crossbowman in the world.”

“No, it’s … I mean … I’m the best crossbowman now. The guy before me is dead, like the guy before him. The comics worked up some crazy story about my character escaping from hell while the New York Guardians auditioned for replacements. When I joined the team, the comics said I was him resurrected. That’s why Arbalest is a founding member of the New York Guardians, but I’m still boyishly young.”

“So you’re taking credit for what the previous Arbalests did,” said Knockout Rose. “You’re more of a phony than we are.”

“I liked you more when you were quiet. And who are you to judge? You called me creepy, then spent all night with Harry. That nerd built a creepy robot that looks like his dead wife. Come to think of it, that mask of yours looks like Mindy’s face.”

Knockout Rose looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror. The mask was identical to Magna’s face plate, and she heard Magna’s face was a tribute to Mindy. Doctor Von Dyme already made her look like his late wife.

This was too weird.

“I’m surprised he made anything for you,” said Arbalest. “He doesn’t give away anything without a high price. I mean, Jim paid him a fat salary, so the only person who got his creations for free was Mindy. And she slept with him, so that’s not really free. Hey, Pippi Longstocking, did you sleep with him?”

Knockout Rose was glad the mask hid her blushing face.

“Kayleigh wouldn’t do that,” said Pinwheel.

“I’m just saying, charity is out of character for our resident mad scientist. I asked him to build a better crossbow, he said he’d have to build a time machine so we could go back to when it was a relevant weapon. And this other time … never mind, we’re at the bridge to North Brother Island. Everyone out. I’ll shoot anyone in range. Rainbow Brite, blind them if they get close. Strawberry Shortcake, don’t make us have to rescue you.”

Arbalest got out and opened the back door for them. Knockout Rose scowled at Arbalest but forgot he couldn’t see her expression with her mask on. Pinwheel whispered, “I’m cool as Han Solo, I’m as cool as Indiana Jones, I’m a hero, I’m the man,” over and over again, just like he did to build confidence before one of their scripted performances.

On the other side of a long bridge was North Brother Island. It was far smaller than Riker’s Island but had a reputation as the place every supervillain who lost to a superhero ended up at. Inside were psychotic psychics, insane scientists, muscle-bound maniacs, evil sorcerers, superpowered assassins, and ultra-athletes deemed too much of a risk for general population. From where they stood, the escape alarm was louder than the midday traffic in Manhattan.