The Prospects (Book 2): Nothing Poorer Than Gods (25 page)

“What about what you did to other people? You betrayed our team. Your father told me how you stole his credit cards to buy your costume. You also uploaded that video of Lady Amazing taking a shower. She was kind to you before then. And we all got along in the Prospects before you told everyone that I used to be a villain. That made everyone hate me.”

Vijay stood. “So what? What about what the world did to me? Do you think it was easy getting beaten up on the playground because I’m not white? Or being too skinny to get girls to like me? Did I deserve to have my mom shot to death for the fifty dollars in her cash register? Too bad I hurt your feelings. You don’t care about me, why should I care about you?”

Trista picked up a piece of the Silver Shiva battlesuit. “The world is a cruel place. You want to protect yourself and fight back. And you don’t care who you hurt to keep from being hurt.”

“Who are you to judge me? You tried to take over the world.”

“Not me personally, but … I can’t judge you. And I don’t want to.”

Vijay looked at the disappearing space. The image of his mother was vague yet vivid, a scattered presence like the sky after a sunset. His mindscape was serene again.

“You returned what you stole.” He tapped the air as if typing on a keyboard. The mindscape turned to the black-and-dark-green shades of a hacking program’s visual interface. Small green numbers appeared on the screen. “Everything.” He stood straight. The bruises faded from his face. He grew into a young man in his full Asura costume.

Trista said, “I saw what the future holds. There are too many people who can impose their wills on the world and force it into their image. I don’t mean only the villains. Heroes are every bit as capable of being arrogant and short-sighted. We have so much power, but we'll still make mistakes. That’s what the Handler figured out.”

“And, for that, he had me shot?"

“You and the other hackers were a threat to his spyware network. His power came from information. I took your talents to beat him.”

“Good. Screw that guy.”

“He did horrible things because he truly believed he was saving the world. And he may have been right.”

“How?”

“He wanted to end the age of heroes and villains to make the world safer for everyone. The constant fighting among us escalates our worst qualities. Suffering makes our convictions much stronger. It makes us ignore the wrong things we do. The Handler has an artist’s vision of what the world can be, but like anything created by an imperfect person it was flawed. He could've succeeded if he didn't underestimate the selflessness of true heroes, men like Agent O’Farrell can sacrifice everything for the benefit of the world.”

The mindscape quaked as a seizure rocked Vijay’s brain. Trista focused her energy on calming the storms of neural energy all around them. The discordant energy subsided.

“Why should I care about the world?” said Vijay. “I know I can’t really see or hear. This isn’t real, but I can’t wake up. I’m trapped in this endless dream.”

“Maybe not. The doctors said your brain is healing thanks to the healing-factor blood Deon spread through it. You should regain some functions. And when the bullet hit your brainstem, it spared your frontal lobe. Your thoughts and memories are intact.”

“So, if I’m lucky, I’ll live as a brain-damaged cripple and remember when I wasn’t one.”

Trista gestured to the piles of tarnished silver. Their tarnish vanished when they came together to form a silver Shiva statue identical to the one on the table next to Vijay’s hospital bed.

“They didn’t teach me about Hinduism at Catholic school, but this mean something to you. It was on your home computer.”

Vijay admired the statue. “The undefeatable and terrifying god of destruction.”

“That’s what you want to be? Undefeatable and terrifying?”

“It’s what every skinny kid wants to be after he gets beat up.”

“You can be undefeatable and terrifying without being bad. I read about Shiva on the way here. He fought demons to save the world.”

“Those are stupid stories, where it’s clear what’s right and wrong. In the real world, everything is wrong.”

“You don’t have to be bad because bad things happened to you. And if you don’t believe in good, that doesn’t make you bad.”

"No one cares what I believe. Everyone hurts me, and I hurt everyone. I hurt you badly enough.

“I could hate you, but that won’t help either of us to become better people.”

“How? I can’t even wake up.”

“I already used your hacking skills to get you started on the way to redemption. I transferred money from your hidden bank account to pay off your father’s debts. I also programmed a worm to crawl through the internet. It'll erase every video of Lady Amazing taking a shower and keep circulating to make sure it doesn't get uploaded again. It was fun solving the problems to make that happen. I see why you enjoy hacking so much.”

The dreamscape fell away to shapeless shifting. "I don't know. I can't do anything. No one trusts me. What do I have left to live for?" 

“You can either live your life suffering from everything that’s wrong with this world, or you can make it a better place. The choice is yours.”

Kayleigh carried her Knockout Rose costume in a GAP shopping bag back to Griffin Tower.

Arbalest stopped her at the front door. “You don’t want to go that way. The lobby’s kind of a mess. Follow me, carrot-top.”

“I’m sick of your stupid cracks about my hair.”

“Gettin’ snippy, gingersnaps.”

“Just knock off the third-grade jokes.”

“A little respect would go a long way.”

“I fought a horde of villains while you rode off in the wrong direction. How about giving me a little respect?”

Arbalest and Kayleigh stared at each other for a tense moment. It ended when Arbalest walked around the corner of the skyscraper.

Kayleigh followed him to the emergency exit. Arbalest slid a false brick aside and entered his code. He held the door open for her. She stepped past without a word.

Bosillos’s voice echoed through the hallway. “That wasn’t the deal I made with Gale Force. We smoked on it.”

Harry’s voice followed. “She had no power to make any deals. You broke into my lab. I decide whether or not to press charges.”

“So my choice is to go to jail or be your slave?”

“Not slave, assistant.”

“No pay and I can’t leave. That’s slavery.”

Kayleigh approached them. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t have time to argue,” said Harry.  “Arbalest, take this cyborg to jail. I need to inspect the cloning facility in Jersey City.”

“Wait,” said Kayleigh. “That cloning facility can save Lady Amazing, right?”

“It’s her only hope, but I don’t know if I can figure out how to create a new body before she dies. I've never worked with a cloning facility before.”

“I helped dismantle one when my crew raided an old Alerion Incorporated plant,” said Bosillos. “I don't know the technical names, but I know what goes where.”

“Right.” Kayleigh turned to Bosillos. “Listen, I understand that Doctor Von Dyme isn’t easy to work with. He’s full of himself, has no social skills, and he says ‘How cute’ so condescendingly I want to punch him.”

“Hey,” said Harry.

“But we need to get this cloning facility running. It’s for Lady Amazing. Remember that time she saved a busload of people during Hurricane Sandy?”

“So? Don’t mean nothing to me.”

“Fine, Bosillos. Let’s try something else. You don’t really want to go to prison, do you?”

“That’s where my crew is.”

“If you wanted to be with them, you could’ve turned yourself in.”

Bosillos shrugged. “I only broke in here to save a teammate.”

“And that was noble of you. We want to save one of our teammates. What if you worked with Doctor Von Dyme long enough to make a new body for Lady Amazing? When you’re done, you walk away a free man.”

Harry said, “I didn’t agree to …”

Kayleigh raised a finger to silence him. “If it doesn’t work out, you’ll at least get most of the charges dropped. That’s actually Agent O’Farrell’s decision, not Doctor Von Dyme’s. And if this guy does anything out-of-line or asks you do to anything you don’t like, tell Agent O’Farrell. He’s itching for an excuse to make an arrest.”

Bosillos's cocked his head. “What happened to your cheek,
pelirroja
? It’s all stripped up but there’s no cuts.”

“Long story. Can we make a deal?”

“Why should I trust you? Or Agent O’Farrell?”

“We already saved your life. What else can we do?”

“Give me the deal in writing, ten thousand bucks, a place to stay away from Professor
Pendejo
, it can work.”

Harry said, “Of course you’d want money.”

“It’s for my family,” said Bosillos.

“I think we can do that,” said Kayleigh. “Wait here while I find Agent O’Farrell.”

Harry said, “You did a good …”

Kayleigh interrupted him. “Last night I knocked out a guy named Klipspringer. He had jumping boots. I want a pair, size seven. And paint roses on them.”

“Why would I ...”

“I did something for you. You do something for me, or I won’t be your spokeswoman again.”

“My first priority is saving Lady Amazing’s life. After that, you’ll get your boots.”

“Agreed.”

“If you’ll excuse me, I have to collect some equipment before I head to Jersey City. Arbalest, watch the cyborg until I return.” Harry walked to the elevator.

Arbalest said to Kayleigh, “Alex is in the interrogation room down the hall, but there’s something I want to talk to you about first.”

Kayleigh crossed her arms.

“That’s a heck of a way to get Harry to make you a superhero.”

“I don’t care about the boots. I want him to get the cloning facility going to save Lady Amazing. She was – is – my idol.”

“And she’s my friend, so I know she’s a diplomat first and a warrior second. She ended more fights with handshakes than punches.”

“She had super-strength and indestructible skin. I'm just above-average in everything.”

“All the same, she couldn’t have done better.”

“That’s the most you’ve ever said without mentioning my hair. Are you being nice to me?”

“I’m showing respect. You earned it.”

Alex sat across the table from Ujimushi. “Think it over. I can press a list of charges against you, including trespassing and assault. The fact you jumped a girl from behind won’t help when the judge considers your sentence. I’m giving you a way out.”

Ujimushi leaned back in his chair. His fine-boned face showed no emotion.

Alex added, “The way things are now doesn’t work. If you go to prison, we’ll fight again after the Shade Blades reform. You'll do some bad things, maybe embarrass us, we’ll win in the end, repeat. I want to break this cycle. What the Shade Blades do, the theft, the extortion, the killing-for-hire, is a loser’s game. Everyone who plays ends up in prison or a cemetery.”

“Other gangs could use a ninja.”

“They’ll screw you over, like the woman who sent you in here did."

"I could work alone."

"Until when? You get killed for someone else’s plan? You get too old to skulk? Or, and this is the least likely outcome, you get so rich other criminals rob you?”

“Is it any better for heroes? Sergeant Hammer is in a mental institution and Lady Amazing is a giant tumor.”

“I could argue against calling Sergeant Hammer a hero, but ultimately the fact remains that the New York Guardians triumphed over villains for almost forty years by setting aside their differences and rising above their flaws. In that time, how many villains fell to treachery, backstabbing, or personal problems? Heroes don’t win by being individually stronger, they win because they stand with the world against whatever tries to destroy it.”

“So I should join you because you’re the winning side?”

“I don’t want to win, I want the fighting to end. This is a chance to change your life. You can become a Prospect, or I can turn you over to the police.”

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

“We met?”

“One month ago. The Idea Man enslaved me. I was away from my clan when you slaughtered them.”

“I saved as many as I could. Me and Deon, the speedster medic. Ask the survivors if you don’t believe me.”

“My clan told me to return after an hour. I was gone for longer than that. None of them looked for me.”

“They were too busy playing with their hostage.”

“You let me escape. Why?”

“I didn’t go in there to make arrests. I went in to rescue people.”

Ujimushi nodded. “If I accept your deal, will I get a place to stay?”

“And food. Not great food, but I’ll spring for the occasional pizza.”

“How much freedom will I have?”

“Legally, you’ll be under probation. I’ll keep an eye on you. Keep your nose clean and that won’t last long. Screw up, you go directly to jail.”

Ujimushi drank from a Styrofoam cup. “Let me think.”

Alex left the interrogation room and locked the door behind him.

“Agent,” said Kayleigh, “I talked to Bosillos. He'll help Doctor Von Dyme with the cloning facility, but he has conditions. Could you talk to him?”

“Sure. By the way, how are you doing?”

“I’ve got a few bruises. They would’ve had broken bones without that smartfabric MAB agent suit you gave me.”

“There are a lot of villains out there in worse shape. Every thug you and Steve took down made the city a little safer."

"We wouldn't have survived if you didn't send those agents to rescue us."

"I couldn't handle any more memorial services. Losing Pete is tough enough."

"Arbalest told us how heroes end up mourning friends."

"And arguing with Ujimushi made me realize how a hero’s prospects are as bleak as a villain’s. Good people, bad people, we all die.”

“But I couldn’t let those monsters murder my old teammates. I mean, that new girl could’ve been me last month.”

“You would’ve fought back because you’re as brave as they get. I’m real proud to have you on the team.”

Kayleigh smiled. “My old manager always said I was replaceable T and A.”

“I spoke to him last night. It made me believe every horror story you and Steve told me. Later today, I’ll write a warrant for his arrest.”

“I’ll testify against him. Steve will too.”

As Alex and Kayleigh approached Bosillos, Emily appeared at the stairs leading to the basement. Calvin toddled at her side. “Daddy.”

“Alex,” said Emily, “Can we talk?”

“Not now,” he said. “I have way too much to do.”

“Then when?”

“We have counseling tomorrow night.”

Kayleigh said, “I can show Bosillos around so you can …”

Alex interrupted. “I told you to stay out of this.”

“I will. Steve’s right, you have to work this out for yourself. I’m only saying, if you want to take some time now, you can.”

Alex thought for a second. “Thanks. I should do this while I’m thinking about second chances and making a better future.”

Candilyn didn’t say a word.

She didn’t answer paramedics’ questions after the firefighters used the Jaws of Life to get her out of the crushed Porsche. She didn’t say a thing when the doctors at the hospital asked why her bruises were gone the next morning. She didn’t make a sound when the police told her she couldn't leave. She kept quiet while the MAB agents took her from the police station to an interrogation room in their office.

She stayed silent when a professionally dressed woman with a laptop under her arm entered. “Agent Gretchen Sparhawk, MAB.”

Candilyn didn’t shake her extended hand.

“Taking the fifth?” Gretchen set the laptop on the table. “I want to show you something.” She lifted the screen.

Candilyn saw her mother, her stepfather, her older stepbrother, and her younger half-brother on the screen.

“Hi honey,” said Candilyn’s mother.

“Candilyn where?” her half-brother’s swollen tongue made his speech hard to understand.

“Yo, sis," Her stepbrother looked skinny in his oversized Insane Clown Posse t-shirt. “I’m clean. You don’t got to beat no one else up.”

“What did you get yourself into?” said her stepfather.

Candilyn’s mouth tightened. Her cheeks twitched.

Gretchen said, “Those men in suits behind them are armed MAB agents.”

Candilyn looked at the screen and back at Gretchen.

“No one will hurt your family. We’ll protect them.”

Candilyn exhaled in relief.

Gretchen turned the laptop back to herself. “I have to talk to Candilyn in private for a few minutes.”

“Wait,” said her stepbrother, “shouldn’t she have a lawyer?”

“She’s not under arrest.” Gretchen closed the laptop. “I want to talk to you about Portia Fimbriata.”

Candilyn shook her head.

“She can’t hurt you. She’s in a critical care unit under close watch. When she’s stable, we’ll move her to a maximum security facility and keep her in solitary confinement. She confessed to so many crimes there won’t be a trial. There’s no way she’ll get a message out to anyone or learn what you told us.”

Candilyn sucked in her lips.

“As I said, you’re not under arrest. Portia accepted full responsibility for every action you committed. We know she threatened your family to make you get arrested and infiltrate Griffin Tower.”

Candilyn’s eyebrows raised.

“There’s one thing I don’t understand. Portia said you attacked Dwight Perine, a small-time drug dealer in Poughkeepsie, under her orders so you’d be put on the same prison van as her. How did you meet her before the van was hijacked?”