Broker

Chapter 143

She could hear the crackling again, it’d been a while. Every night was another nightmare, but at least they were tamer and tamer these days. She’d been wondering when the peace would end. She let out a breath and opened her eyes. The street was decimated, lurkers everywhere, hounds darting past them in clumps as they sought out any bright sources of mana in the area. Sonya ran her fingers through her hair and looked down at her fingers. Everything was all mixed up now. Her nails were manicured and long, pink nail polish gleaming against pale near-white skin. White locks hung past her head as her eyes clicked. Why hadn’t she heard them recently?

Was she just putting it out of her mind?

She felt the blood drip down between her fingers and splatter on the ground. Whose blood was it? She looked over her shoulder at the body laying against the wall. Ah, right. The young man who had been a trainee years ago, she’d taken him under her wing as a scout. Now he lay there, a chunk of his torso crushed by a lurker’s fist.

“Hello, little hero,” A cruel rasp called out behind her, sending a chill up her spine.

“Who?” She gasped, turning and looking up into a pair of glowing pink eyes that burned down at her through a faceless helmet. Her hands dropped, “Oh.”

Ishtar hung in the air in a relaxed pose, “You ran after Otis next, right?” The Supervillain asked.

Sonya’s eyes shifted back a bit, but she didn’t look at the body again, “Yeah,” She said with a sullen nod, “I’d been chasing him for days,” Sonya said and fell to her knees, “After he-”

Ishtar floated down a bit, kicking her legs and resting her chin on her palms, “That hasn’t happened yet,” She said, “But I think you’re getting distracted.”

“Distracted?” Sonya barked, looking up at her, “What’s that supposed to mean? I’m adhering to the plan! I’ve been training the next generation, Chunhua is on our side, right?”

“You’re playing house,” Ishtar said, “We can kill her.”

Sonya slammed her fist to the ground, “You know that isn’t the point! Of course we can kill her! We can kill all of them except him! Why are you even doing this? We had a great day yesterday! Made some good deals!”

“We created a monster in the middle east, pissed off First Wind, ran away, and killed a nobody, the only real progress was the broadcast,” Ishtar said with a scoff, “In doing so I stayed in control too long, I hurt you!” She landed on her feet, “You made a liar out of me! I promised you!”

Sonya bit her lip, clenching her fists and fighting down the scream of frustration boiling up in her gut. She got to her feet and looked Ishtar in the eyes, “What do you want from me? We both know that this is going to take time! We have to do it right!”

“I’m not arguing that point,” Ishtar hissed, “But how long are you going to pretend to be something that you aren’t anymore. Chunhua has changed, she’s a new person. The timeline has changed and she has been far too quiet! Stop coasting!” Ishtar shouted, “It’s time to wake up!” Her voice echoed as something huge roared in the distance, a building fell, and a cruel laugh filled the air as golden light bathed the sky.

Sonya jerked up in her bed and blinked, her chest heaving. She clutched at her head, her temples pounding. “Fuck,” She gasped and rubbed her eyes. She’d been out for hours. Sonya glanced outside. It was still pretty dark. She checked her clock on her hud, Little while before sunrise here, should be inching close to sunset over there. She got to her feet and yawned. I need to get back. She grumbled and dragged herself over to the mirror. She stopped in front of it and stared into it, “That was harsh,” She growled, “Now you want to talk to me?” She asked.

The face that looked back at her was her own and for once, it didn’t change. She frowned and furrowed her brow, “Ishtar?” She called and the face in the mirror flickered for a moment. For a heartbeat she saw a tired face glance up at her before turning away and closing its eyes in slumber. She huffed out a breath, “Oh, you’re tired,” She murmured and reached up to touch the mirror, running her fingers down the cool surface, “I’m sorry, I pushed you too hard,” She said and let out a heavy breath as she went over what Ishtar had done in her head. Things that she should have done herself. If only- she shook her head.

“The job’s done, let's just go back,” She said with a sigh, A hasty knock came to the door and she glanced up, sensing the presence on the other side, “Mephisto? Come in!”

He slipped inside hurriedly and shut the door behind him, “You need to see this,” He said in a rush, walking past her and turning on the TV.

“What?” She asked, following him as the screen came to life and the scowl of Liberty filled her vision. She narrowed her eyes as Liberty leaned forward on her podium.

“The Pandora Committee has failed again, Villains were the winners of the day in Pakistan. Make no mistake of it,” Liberty said, “Once more the so-called Queen of Villains has swept in and dealt with the problem while making heroes look like idiots,” She continued, “Pathetic. They go about touting their heroism while they do nothing to back up their words. The ‘new international hero’ First Wind is supposed to be some kind of problem solver, yet all he did was cause enormous property damage and disobey orders!”

She pointed at the camera, “That is what the Pandora Committee isn’t telling us, he was supposed to wait for the rest of his party to arrive before dealing with the villains, but by then they would have already been too late. Incompetent!” Liberty barked, “These are the people telling you to restrain your powers! These are the people talking about registering every light-touched and regulating you,” She slammed her fist on the podium, “These are the people who have categorically ignored my demands to have by sister returned home!” 

“Kidnappers, imbeciles, and tyrants!” She shouted, “They’ve made their bed and made their decisions, now it is time to reap the consequences,” She snarled and raised a fist, “Freedom is for the strong! It is for those who hold to an ideal while living their lives. I can make you strong. I can protect you. And I can do what they can’t and won’t do,” She said and stood up straight, looking down on the camera, “I will tear the seeds of oppression out by the root and destroy them,” She said before tilting her head, “Is that bad for business, Ishtar?”

Sonya took a step back as her phone rang in her head, she answered it immediately, “Blackrazor, what’s going on?”

“I’ve lost contact with my entire team at the main compound, they’ve gone dark along with three cells,” He said hurriedly, “You need to return, quickly!”

She spun on her heel and gestured, creating a panel of light that distorted and bent into a portal, “I’m going! What other cells were lost?” She said, marching towards it. Why did she announce her attack so openly? Euclidia can just send reinforcements! She’s got something up her sleeve, but what? She thought quickly, not noticing the faint red sparks that hid in the corners of the portal.

“The New York cell, the California cell, and the one monitoring the Chairman, mistress, I have never-” He cleared his throat, “I’ll deal with it, ma’am.”

Sonya glanced back at Mephisto, “Do you have everything covered here?” She asked.

“Y-yeah,” Mephisto said breathlessly, “I’ll handle Erebus, go!” He called and hurried out the door. She turned to the portal and stepped through. Ishtar was right, I’ve been-

Before Sonya could complete another thought, her world turned into pain.

—

Chunhua stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath. It was odd feeling nervous about interacting with, well, anyone. Yet here she was steadying herself ahead of a conversation. She brushed her hair back over her ear and knocked twice. A small voice called from inside for her to enter and she pushed the door open. The office was humble with minimal distractions save for a few trophies and landscape paintings on the wall. Ahead of her, Carla sat at a desk and was checking something on her computer. She glanced up and smiled, “Welcome Chunhua.”

The Pandora Administrator got to her feet and extended a hand. Chunhua moved in and took it, shaking her hand, “Thank you for seeing me again and for convincing the Chairman to ease the restrictions a little.”

“Of course!” She chuckled, “Least I could do,” She said with a breath and sat back down, gesturing for Chunhua to sit, “How is Lily by the way?”

Chunhua smiled with a bit of pride, “She’s certainly growing, I had my military training to fall back on when I awakened and so it took me less time to master some of my abilities. She’s achieved a level of skill that would be unheard of in these few months. Still early Epic I believe,” She said and rubbed her chin thoughtfully, “She makes up for it in versatility but she might be surprised by the growth of her friends who were already Epic to begin with..”

Carla nodded, “The Chairman is fascinated by her ability, actually moving from one tier to another.”

Chunhua frowned a little and looked off to the side, “You and I both know it’s more complicated than that.”

Carla closed her eyes and nodded, “I do,” She said and Chunhua looked her way.

“You know she did it so-” She stopped when Carla held up a hand and shook her head.

“Chunhua, we shouldn’t talk about this, especially not with her absent, it isn’t fair,” She said softly, “I know you’re worried. I am too.”

Chunhua bit her lip but couldn’t argue the point, she let out a breath and sighed, “You’re right, I’m sorry,” She said with a sigh, “When is she getting back?”

“She was supposed to be back earlier, honestly,” Carla said with a sigh, rubbing her fingers together, “But I haven’t heard from her. Probably getting some extra rest, she went a little wild.”

Chunhua snorted and frowned, resting her chin against her knuckles. She was still struggling with reconciling her beliefs as a hero with what was happening with Sonya. She believed in her and what she was doing, the ultimate goal, but that didn’t make the collateral feel any better to her. She let out a sigh and reached back to rub her neck. She wished she had a chance to actually talk to her, but it felt like they kept missing one another. “

Carla gave her a sympathetic look and reached under her desk, pulling out a small bottle and two glasses. She poured out a finger in each glass and slid one over. Chunhua glanced down at the amber liquid and then up at Carla. “But the meeting?”

“Are you really going to get tipsy over one shot?” Carla asked with a chuckle and picked up her own glass.

Chunhua laughed and grabbed her glass, leaning forward and holding it up, “To a certain idiot we can’t help but worry about.”

The administrator smiled and nodded, “What would she do without us? Cheers,” They brought their glasses together and took a quick drink. It burned just the right way. Chunhua let out a sigh and relaxed as Carla turned to the computer and started typing. She glanced up at Chunhua, “He’s ready.”

The hero set her glass aside and nodded, sitting up straighter as Carla turned the screen around and a video call started. A few moments later, as Carla walked around her desk to sit in the seat next to Chunhua, the Chairman appeared on the screen. He cleared his throat and graced them both with a broad smile, “Ladies! Glad to hear from you!” He said with a boisterous laugh before growing serious, “I’ve been given discretionary power to oversee this matter directly. So let’s talk about getting Black Lotus off the hook, shall we? Every day counts.”

—

Axel stood on the observation platform, leaning against the rail and watching as the two aspirants made their way up through the obstacle course. Val hopped over another treacherous trap with a rescue doll in his arms while Snow hurried up behind him, covering their tracks with a gesture and creating illusory obstacles to confuse the dolls that pursued them. She hopped over the obstacle as well, landing steadily and continuing to move, keeping her eyes back on the route behind them. Occasionally she would draw a small pistol from her thigh and point it at the approaching attack dolls. The pellets it fired exploded on contact, sending the attackers hurtling away.

He tightened his grip on the rail, Reminds me a bit of Trigger. He thought, frowning a little. The image before him bringing him back to that first time Kingshark had made his way through his turf. Axel had been trying to get the growing gang problem under control in town with the help of the local police, then they suddenly got organized and started retaliating. It was a little scary if he was being honest. Trigger had been the biggest problem, explosions could bypass his ability to a degree and even overload it. Fighting the guy off had been hard.

He watched Snow take a few more shots as they made their way up the last slope and he checked his watch. He smiled a bit as they passed the finish line, “Good job you two,” He said, “I was surprised when you said you were going for a two man group for this test but…” He trailed off as he spotted movement in the trees. He frowned, “What the?” He muttered before glancing down at the two aspirants, “You two, drop the dolls and get up here now!” He shouted..

Val didn’t need to be told twice, he dropped the dolls and grabbed Snow by the side before launching himself into the air and landing behind Axel. Axel threw his arms up in a cross just as a bullet slammed into it. He felt the momentum of the bullet absorb into his skin and pass through and into his muscle fibers. He bore his teeth and glanced back at the two, “We’re under attack!” He barked. Val took a step forward and started to warm up his body rockets while Snow raised her hands in a ready pose. He would have smiled if it weren’t so serious, “No! You two get back to the camp, pronto. Let them know what’s happening and follow orders, got it?”

Snow hesitated, a frown creasing her features and Val opened his mouth to protest but he leveled the two of them with a glare. “Now!”

They nodded and Val knelt down, holding out his arms, “We can move faster if it’s just me doing the moving, Snow. That alright?”

She nodded and hopped into his arms, “No problem, let's go,” She said hurriedly and he turned away, firing up the rocket in his back, feet, and elbows before launching into the air like a thrown spear. He was just a glimmer of red a moment later.

Axel turned back towards the field and saw a large group of masked men and women marching towards him. He tilted his head and cracked a grin, “You chose the wrong camp to attack, assholes,” He said, “And the wrong training course to sneak in on!” He snatched up the tablet that controlled the training field and dialed the difficulty up to maximum, “Come and get me!” He bellowed as the attack dolls designed by his home company sprung to life. “You aren’t getting anywhere near those brats!”

–

The Chairman nodded slowly, listening to what the two of them had to say. While they all agreed that the restrictions needed to be formally lifted, the debate had turned to just what restrictions were really necessary for the Mythic tier heroes. The vote had codified the Vegas Act, but it had proven almost immediately to be faulty as shown at the Hague. Running in fear of a dungeon break wasn’t the way, but he had his own points to make himself.

“While I agree with you on some points, you have to understand that the threat of a dungeon break is an incredible deterrent. No one wants to set off a possible chain reaction by sending multiple mythics to a strike zone,” He said flatly, “There’s no way to actively limit a mythic’s output either without simply getting their word that they’re holding back.”

Chunhua nodded, No way except getting Ishtar to do it, which would never happen. She thought with a frown and leaned back in her seat, “Then at least administrators like Miss Mint here should be allowed to give a Mythic the go order,” Chunhua urged, “I don’t want another Hague.”

“None of us do, which is why we’re talking about this,” The Chairman said and rubbed his chin, “At any rate we’re getting distracted,” He said with a huff and put his hand on the table, “For now let’s focus on what we can do in the immediate, yes?” He said and typed something into his computer before tapping a few more keys and grabbing his tablet and a stylus, “Let’s get that suspension lifted fully.  As I said earlier, there’s only a few days left on it but I’d rather get you active sooner rather than later.”

Chunhua let out a breath, “Thank you sir.”

He smiled at her, “Your work is appreciate-” He paused and glanced up, frowning, “Excuse me? What are you talking about, where?” He demanded as he got to his feet.

A chill ran up Chunhua’s spine and Carla leaned forward, “Chairman?” Carla called, “Chairman, what's happening?” Something loud rang out in the background of the call and then it went dark. “Chairman?” Carla shouted, “Chairman!”

–

Pain. For a heartbeat, Sonya’s world was pain as she hit the ground, skidding across something hard. She let out a cry and rolled onto her side, her body twitching and flinching as sparks skittered across her skin. She gasped and her eyes shot open, the pain starting to subside. She coughed and curled up on herself for a moment, taking a few steadying breaths. What the hell was that? She thought, wheezing and rolling over onto her arm. Her fingers found smooth ground beneath them.

She blinked and looked around, panic rising in her gut, “Where the hell am I? Where’s the camp?” She was standing in a room of some kind. Every wall was made out of either white or gray stone or some variation thereof. Every surface was ridiculously smooth. She frowned, I don’t know any places like this. Her hud flashed and she glanced at it.

<Non-Euclidian has been temporarily disabled by an outside force acting on it. Time until restored: 11:59:32>