Hero Unit (14 page)

Mickey then exploded.

Damn, that was extreme.

Mayhem smirked, “Damn right.” Suddenly Ace
was free and she barely caught herself from crashing to the roof.
She lost track of what happened next. It looked like someone tried
to restrain Mayhem, but he started firing off kinetic blasts and
the helicopter took one of them. It tore the vehicle in two, likely
killing everyone in or near it.

In the confusion Ace was able to actually get
a hand on Mayhem and he panicked, taking to the air. He didn’t get
very high before something drug him back down and bound him. Not
one to pass up an opening Ace slapped suppressor cuffs on Mayhem.
Not for the first time Ace was glad the cuffs were damn near
indestructible.

“Officer Ace, I believe this man is a wanted
criminal and should be brought to justice for the murder of Mickey
Valentine and for the attack on yourself and the E.E.D.” Again it
was a disembodied female voice that spoke.

“You know you both are responsible for what
happened at the precinct, just for being there and not trying to
stop him,” Ace said. She knew damn well that two Exceptionals like
this pair could have stopped Mayhem well before now.

She studied the rooftop carefully and was
pretty sure she knew where both of them were with the help of her
powers. She had a responsibility to bring them in for questioning.
Exceptionals who worked in organized crime were dangerous.

“Recompense will be paid to the E.E.D and the
families of all those injured in the attack. We regret that you
were unable to meet with our employer before his untimely demise,”
the voice said.

“Why didn’t he just talk to me in person?
What the hell was he thinking involving Mayhem?” Ace yelled. She
was probably too upset. She rarely yelled. As worked up as she was
her control wasn’t what it could have been. Her shout echoed across
the rooftops.

“Mr. Valentine was hoping that it would lead
to a direct confrontation between you and Mayhem, resulting in
Mayhem’s death. We were told to aid Mayhem in whatever way he
asked. We only isolated the E.E.D floor from the rest of the
precinct. We were unaware of Mayhem’s ability to teleport people
behind solid walls and kinetic barriers. Had we known we would
never have allowed such a course to be pursued. Our intent was to
simply capture you and bring you to Mr. Valentine. We were deceived
in a number of ways by Mayhem. We are turning him over to you to
deal with him as you see fit. We will no longer be a bother to you
or the E.E.D.”

Why didn’t Valentine just have the deadly
duo here kill him?

“Why the hell did Valentine want to meet with
me anyway?” Ace asked.

“Mr. Valentine was hoping to ask a favor of
you. He was going to go on a very suspect business deal and he
wanted to hire the best of the best,” came the reply.

What kind of bass akwards logic is that?

“Do you have any idea how stupid that is? I’m
an officer of the law. I can’t be bought! I would have turned your
boss in and if I ever catch either of you I’ll put you behind bars.
This whole damned mess could have been avoided had your idiot boss
come to me in the first place. I could have rejected him to his
face! It makes no damn sense!”

“We do not question our employer’s-” the
voice cut off as Ace moved and took a hold of the nearest invisible
Anti. She slapped suppressor cuffs on them faster than their
companion could react. Mayhem visibly relaxed as Ace’s newest
target came in to full view. She was tall and blond. Her outfit was
white and tight enough that Ace had to wonder how she was able to
move.

Before the first Anti could recover from her
surprise Ace moved again and tackled the final fleeing Anti. She
slapped another pair of suppressors on her. And just like that the
last woman was visible.

“Identical twins and Exceptionals, now that
is a rarity,” Ace said as she got off her prisoner. She hauled the
other woman to her feet. “I’m guessing you’re the quiet one.”

The woman glared at her. She was dressed in
an identical outfit as her sister, just in black. “Wow did
Valentine have a list of stereo types and clichés he was trying to
follow?” Ace said. The woman tried to striker her with her bound
hands, but Ace swatted the attempt away with contempt. The force of
even such a casual gesture spun the woman around and nearly knocked
her over.

“Someone was feeding Valentine bad
information about me and about Mayhem. I want to know who and why.
My guess was it was the HSO, but for all I know it was you two
trying to start problems. So now we’re going to go back to the
precinct and we are going to sort this whole mess out,” Ace said
lifting the black clad twin up and carrying her over to her sister.
She then hoisted both women up by their belts. “I wouldn’t struggle
too much if I were you, I really don’t want to drop you,” she said
as she took to the air after grabbing Mayhem’s belt. The mercenary
Anti was surprisingly calm, which was usually a bad sign. Ace just
hoped he didn’t try anything stupid.

When she saw the one in black trying to
wriggle free of the cuffs she said, “Not even Tomahawk could break
those suppressor cuffs so don’t expect to be free of them before
you hit the pavement if you do fall.” Both women went very still,
their faces identical masks of calm. With a suppressed sigh Ace
flew back to the precinct. Hopefully they would be able to get some
answers there.

Chapter
15

“But that doesn’t make any sense!” Emily stated.

“Tell me about it,” Ace replied as she pulled
on a spare shirt. She would have to wait until she got home to get
another bra. She put that on her list of things to keep spares of
in her locker.

Why that hadn’t occurred to you before now I
will never understand.

“I think someone is trying to cause chaos in
New Davenport,” Ace continued. “And if it’s not the HSO we have to
figure out who. If the twins don’t know we are going to have to
start bringing in Valentine’s people. The normal cops are going to
have a hell of a time keeping the peace when everyone rushes to
fill the power vacuum caused by Valentine’s death.”

“Mayhem killed him, just like that?” Emily
asked.

Ace nodded. “Mayhem is a psycho. If I had my
way he’d be put down for the betterment of us all. How many
casualties were there?”

“Only two, Deuce and Blip. A good number of
the gunmen and subdued Antis survived,” Emily replied.

“Two good officers lost and we still don’t
have any more details to go on,” Ace growled. She refrained from
punching the wall. The building had sustained enough damage for the
day.

“Torment is questioning them. Since Article
Two was already in effect it should go quick. Torment is pretty
upset. I’m just glad you didn’t have to kill any of the attackers,”
Emily said. They were walking back up the stairs from the gym. Most
of the elevators were still malfunctioning after what Mayhem had
done.

Ace was glad that Article Two existed. It
allowed for almost complete use of powers while pursuing or
interrogating Antis and their known associates. It didn’t come into
play very often, but this was one of those situations it was
specifically written to facilitate.

“Killing them wouldn’t have solved our
problem. Killing Mayhem might have, but he never gave me a clear
shot at him,” Ace said.

Of course not. Mayhem might be crazy, but
he’s not stupid.

“I’m pretty sure that was the point Ace,”
Emily said. They remained silent after that. Ace was still trying
to get her head around the idea that Deuce was dead. She hadn’t
known him all that well. He was very private, just like she was. It
would be strange to not have him around.

“You going to be okay?” Emily asked once they
were back in Ace’s relatively untouched office.

Talk to her, Ace.

“Hell, I don’t know,” Ace replied. “Despite
the fact I knew next to nothing about him, Deuce was a teammate and
a friend. Hell, he is one of the few people that have actually been
in my house. I’m never going to forgive Mayhem for his death. If
I’d have known Deuce was down I would have killed the gunmen
instead. I’ve had people I know die before, I was in the military,
I was Tomahawk’s apprentice, but this is different. This happened
because someone is deliberately trying to cause chaos. If I find
out who it is I’m going to make sure they suffer for it.”

“I’m taking that to mean you’re not okay. You
know Torment and Angel aren’t going to let you within fifty miles
of this case if they sense that about you, right?” Emily asked.

“I imagine they know already. You’ve told me
that my thoughts are hard not to pick up on,” Ace replied.

Emily nodded. “That’s right. Unless you are
actively suppressing them every Mental Class that can read minds
will hear them. So fine, Captain Angel and Torment already know.
Protocol dictates that they take you off the case if you can’t get
things under control. My question is what will you do?”

“I don’t know,” Ace said out of habit, but
the more she thought on it the more she realized she didn’t think
she could handle continuing the search for the HSO operatives in
New Davenport. She was tired of dealing with a suspect that was so
elusive that even some of the greatest Heroes the E.E.D had
couldn’t find them. She wasn’t that kind of officer. She was an
enforcer, not a finder. “Unless I get orders otherwise I’m done
with this case,” she said.

“I’ll let Torment and Angel know, but not
today. Since you brought Mayhem and the twins in there is no reason
for you to stay,” Emily said.

“If you’re here, I’m here. Just because
Mayhem isn’t out there doesn’t mean the HSO isn’t still going to
try and make a grab at you. This would be the perfect time to try
it. Now that we have Mayhem in custody a lot of people are going to
feel like the worst is over. They are going to forget that the HSO
is the real threat and we still have no idea where they are,” Ace
countered.

Emily nodded. “You’re right. I was just
hoping you could get some rest. I can see what being restrained
like that did to you. As a friend I recommend you speak to someone
like Torment or Angel about it.”

“Why not you?” Ace asked. Emily’s powers
exceeded Torment and Angel’s.

“I’m the wrong kind of person to deal with
that particular issue. I’ve felt vulnerable and helpless most of my
life. Security is a new thing for me. You need someone who has gone
through something like you went through,” Emily replied.

She’s got a point. Torment would probably be
the better one to talk to.

“I’ll think about it,” Ace said.

“That’s all I can ask. Now I’ve got to get
back down to interrogation. They want me to be the one that goes
after Mayhem.” Emily stood and Ace joined her. She wasn’t about to
leave her friend unguarded.

“You came all the way back up just to make
sure I was okay,” Ace said as they started back down the stairs.
Emily smiled but said nothing. “Thank you,” Ace said

“That’s what friends are for,” Emily replied
still smiling.

Chapter 16

The funerals for Blip and Deuce were held three days
after the attack on the precinct. All off duty officers from the
E.E.D were in attendance. The rest were on guard duty so their
friends and allies could pay their respects to the fallen. In
contrast to the somber occasion the day was bright and
cheerful.

Captain Angel directed the proceedings. Ace
stood at the front of those gathered along with the rest of her
unit. She was chosen to pass Deuce’s flag to his mother, his only
family. Einstein passed Blip’s to his wife. Both women broke down
and many of the officers on duty joined them. The death of a friend
or loved one was never easy to deal with.

As the caskets were lowered the only thing
that could be heard was crying. The police officers saluted, guns
fired in honor and deep inside Ace wanted nothing more than to tear
the city apart looking for the ones who had brought so much pain to
her friends. It had been the same at Tomahawk’s funeral, and
Hard-Head before him, and Deek, and Duke, and Blaze, and all those
that had come before.

Don’t dwell on it. Let it go, Ace.

Nothing could ever prepare you for the death
of a friend. Nothing helped ease the pain. It dulled over time, but
never truly went away. And every time it happened the pain of all
the rest came back, just as intense as if they had all happened
over again.

You cannot blame yourself Ace. You have to
let it go.

When at last Einstein had covered the caskets
in tamper proof concrete, Ace turned away from the graves. She paid
her respects to the families then walked away. Emily wasn’t far
behind. Ace knew the others were going to go to Front Street to
have a drink for the departed, but she didn’t dare. Her body
metabolized alcohol too fast for her to get drunk, but being around
the others as they traded stories of the departed would only make
her anger worse. The last thing anyone needed was her getting even
more upset.

She and Emily drove home in silence. There
was an unfamiliar car parked in her driveway when they pulled in.
It looked like a rental. “I made a few phone calls,” Emily
explained.

Mom and dad are excited to see you.

Ace all but ran inside. Sitting in her living
room was her family.

“Welcome home sweetie,” her mother said. Ace
favored her mother heavily in the looks department, even down to
the too cute face. Her father was tall and broad shouldered. His
usual smiling face was filled with concern for her. Without
thinking she picked them both up in a hug.

“Easy, Ace, we’re glad to see you too,” her
dad said with a laugh.

She set them both down gently and then hugged
her waiting brother and sister. “It’s good to see you too sis,” her
brother, Aaron, said returning the hug enthusiastically. He was the
only normal in a family of Exceptionals. Ace’s little sister, Amy,
was an upper-tier Speed Class. For a few years there had been a
rift between them, but time and distance had served to heal it.