Broker
Chapter 279

In the days since she’d sent a newly minted Mythic Amos off to the Backrooms, Sonya had kept herself busy. Planning multiple raids and schemes at the same time wasn’t a walk in the park. Even so, she had her Inner Circle to rely on to get things done. The Night Society was spread across the globe. Spies worked their way into the companies that had been a problem in the previous timeline. Villains that were too small to be a genuine concern but an issue enough to go against her ‘orderly’ image were assassinated. Information was gathered, blackmail prepared, any leverage she could get when it became necessary. It spread them thin, but it would be worth it in the end.

As for Kingshark’s army, they were causing their own kind of trouble. Fishmen waylaid transport routes and demanded fees for safe passage. To the shock of the companies involved, they were charged based on the weights of their shipments. Anyone who didn’t pay, paid in goods and were returned to where their journeys had started. Keeping killing to a minimum helped spread the story. All the while; dungeons all over were being hit by Villains eager to cash in on her bounty. The Heroes were spread thin, forced to coordinate and work together to manage the growing problem.

You’re a little tired today, Ishtar commented.

Just from all the walking, Sonya said dismissively. I need to get some new heels.

The couch was comfortable, at least; there were less comfortable surfaces to sit on while watching the news. The company, on the other hand, was far less so. Sonya leaned forward and pressed her hands together in front of her mouth as she watched what was playing out on the television. She did her best to ignore the odd couple of Qilin on her left and Colin on her right. Neither of them made eye contact with one another, nor did they show any sign of relaxing in the presence of the other. She pushed the sensory input that was reading their emotional states out of her mind as a small group of heroes engaged a dangerous man on a Sydney street.

Brian Cameron, the CEO of Throne Polynesian Group, was standing on the steps of a large building with both hands extended towards his surroundings. Rebar, concrete - materials from every object within his line of sight - broke and rose from the ground before racing towards his outstretched palms. The materials collided with each other and damn near melded together. In a matter of moments, what could only be described as a ‘street golem’ stomped towards the trio moving to engage him.

“...it’s unknown when Mister Cameron awakened his abilities, but we do know that the altercation involved a recent rare acquisition of his. The violence that followed led to the heroes being called in to…” The reporter rambled on while Sonya watched Brian move. His actions were jerky, twitchy, like a man not used to moving in his own body. The golem, on the other hand, moved so naturally it bordered on triggering an uncanny valley feeling. It charged at the first hero, swatting them aside as the second pulled back and conjured a halo of glowing arrows around their body that they sent hurtling towards their enemy.

Sonya flicked her gaze towards the third hero on the screen. Sol’s hands were both extended, and light was gathering around his fingertips. He was shouting something, though the camera wasn’t close enough to pick up audio. She read his lips and raised an eyebrow. “He’s asking for Cameron to surrender.”

“Waste of time,” Qilin said.

“Mm,” Sonya nodded. “That look in Cameron’s eyes is familiar.”

To her right, Colin leaned forward a bit and scowled. “That looks like Pandora Sickness. The guy is off his rocker.”

Sonya nodded again. “Disappointing, I figured his mind was strong enough to handle awakening a new power,” she said and shook her head. “At least I get a good view of how his ability works.”

After making our deal, I hadn’t bothered pulling it out. ‘Construction’ seemed rather dull, but perhaps I could make use of it, she thought as the arrow-wielding hero pushed the golem back. The other one that had been swatted away was now moving to engage Cameron directly. “He isn’t defenseless, fool.”

Cameron’s body twitched, and he raised an arm. A piece of twisted metal erupted from the ground and nearly impaled the hero, who dodged just in time. Sonya leaned back in her seat just in time for the golem to go down under the arrow wielder’s onslaught. Sol was still charging up. “He’s not even responding to Sol. Pathetic,” Sonya said with a shrug and turned to Colin. “Anything else on worth watching?”

Colin checked his phone. “Actually, speak of the devil, there’s another fight on the American news right now. One of my contacts says it might interest you.”

Sonya eyed him. “Did… did you really just say ‘speak of the devil’ out loud?” she asked.

He stared back at her without blinking. “You’re damn right I did.”

The two of them burst into laughter only to go quiet as Qilin cleared her throat. Sonya turned towards the woman on borrowed time and raised an eyebrow. Qilin merely nodded towards the screen, and Sonya glanced back. Cameron was creating a sphere of materials around his body to protect himself from what was coming next. The light on Sol’s hands was intensifying. Sonya gestured to the screen. I warned you, Cameron.

<Abuse of Ability Arbitration Clause breached. Initiating Sanction>

The gathered materials collapsed.

Light flared.

A ray of heat intended to cut through the material and subdue the Villain was now streaking across the space towards a powerless man staring in confusion at his hands. To Sonya’s mind it happened in slow motion. The footage cut just in time, and the reporter appeared on the screen. Sonya smirked and leaned back in her seat. “Switch to that other ongoing fight, Colin.” 

Sonya ignored the look Qilin gave her from the side. She still wasn’t entirely sure what was going on in the crazy woman’s head, but she had enough of an idea to know that showing off a little of what she was capable of without context would only benefit her. Colin just whistled appreciatively and grabbed the remote, tabbing over to a new scene. It was a familiar-looking cityscape. Sonya glanced down at the words on the bottom of the screen and narrowed her eyes.

‘VILLAIN ATTACK ON NEW YORK DUNGEON HAS ENDED’

“That was quick,” Colin mumbled.

Sonya leaned forward and clenched her jaw. How much do you want to bet?

I refuse to put money on something so obvious, Ishtar shot back.

He appeared on the screen. Perfect punchable face, bright blue eyes, and golden hair coiffed like it was sculpted from stone. He wasn’t in his usual fancy dress shirt and slacks but was instead in full hero gear. It had nauseated her when the order came in to ASTA to have it made. She honestly had forgotten to check up on it. To think it’s done already. The design was a blue high-collar jumpsuit designed to evoke the look of a military dress uniform. Over it were gold-tinted plates of post-Pandora metals and a cloak-cape that hung over his shoulders. The fabric glimmered slightly in the sunlight beating down on him.

Otis.

Behind him were Felwinter and Riot. Felwinter’s hero gear was far more casual-looking, a plated leather jacket and jeans made to handle the rigors of combat. There were black gauntlets on her hands that radiated an eerie mist. It looked nothing like her powers from when she had come to the camp. Sonya had seen them, of course, during the final exam, but it still made her wonder just what had happened to alter her ability so much. Does Otis’ ability suite have another feature I’m not aware of? What theme does it follow? I know he doesn’t copy powers, so what is it? What did you do?

She flicked her eyes towards Riot and felt her heart sink a little bit. She really had hoped he would somehow hang in there. It was a naive hope and one that had grown in her during the darkest period of her life, but it seemed like his heart was in the right place. Now he stood behind Otis with a smirk on his face and a single stream of tears cascading down his right cheek. His outfit was colorful, reminding her of a hippie smock complete with audacious necklaces. 

“These Villains were no threat!” Otis said proudly. “They might be acting bolder now because of Ishtar, but they couldn’t live up to the hype! If you want to cause trouble in New York, do a little grinding first!”

A nearby crowd cheered as he raised a fist. “Ishtar! I hope you can hear this! New York is under my protection!”

Sonya frowned even harder. Why is he grandstanding like that? Yes, he was quite famous in the previous timeline, but he preferred to keep his face hidden.

He did try to go for the kill with Liberty with a camera crew, if you recall, Ishtar pointed out.

Sonya leaned back and crossed her arms. That’s my point, though. That kind of fame wasn’t his thing in the past. He emphasized the mystique of the Faceless Hero.

I thought it was Nameless, Ishtar chuckled.

It was interchangeable, Sonya quipped. I can’t believe I didn’t realize how dim this guy is.

Regardless, you’re right that he is taking things in a new direction. It’s possible he is branching out in a different way than last time. Don’t underestimate him, Sonya, just because he is a fool. You said it yourself, didn’t you? 

Sonya set her jaw. Even a fool can learn if they live long enough. Yes.

“Is that man not one of your sponsored Heroes?” Qilin asked. 

Sonya nearly jumped but managed to school herself, glancing towards the Herald and keeping her expression steady. “Yes, that’s Otis.”

A man I will never let you meet.

“You detest him, though?” Qilin questioned, tilting her head a little before looking at the screen where Otis was raising his hands to the cheers of the crowd. A few reporters were trying to get some questions in. Sonya felt bad for Bluestar having to deal with the bastard. Sonya looked away from the screen and back at her. It seemed that even her excellent poker face couldn’t defend against a Qilin’s wisdom.

“You’ve seen the recording of our fight,” Sonya said flatly, crossing her arms. “What more do you need to know?”

“There is a history there that I am not seeing. Curious,” Qilin murmured as Sonya met Colin’s eyes. She sent him a quick text with Technopathy.

<How bad would it mess up the plan if I just killed her now?>

Colin’s phone buzzed, and he got up to walk to the nearby counter and grab a snack. Sonya pretended not to listen to Qilin’s muttering as she focused on the TV. The interviewers were asking all sorts of questions, some quite pointed. She smirked when one put a mic up to Otis’ face. “Do you have any comments on why you kept your invulnerability hidden up until now?”

Otis grinned at the camera. “It certainly surprised the Villains, didn’t it?” he said before holding up his hands. “That’s all the questions for now! My team and I need to get back to our patrol!”

The camera pulled back to the reporter who had questioned him. “Right off of an arrest and back to work, Hero Otis is certainly picking up the slack as his peers from Hero Crusader’s team are in Dharan. Does New York have a new champion?”

Sonya’s HUD flickered. <A lot, sorry. I’d love to see you put her down. The chick gives me the creeps.>

She pursed her lips as heavy breathing caught her attention. She closed her eyes and sought patience before turning to look at a flushed Qilin. “Is this all for him?” Qilin asked, wide-eyed as she played with her hair. Her eyes were fixed on the television. Sonya repressed the urge to vomit and looked back to the screen. 

Her luck is locked. It would be so easy…

Sonya, her end has to be of use to you. I know how you feel about waste; you’ll regret it if you kill her right now. Also, the cover-up would be a pain.

“If you want to keep interacting with me,” Sonya said evenly, “do not interact with him.”

“Very well,” Qilin said without hesitation.

At least she’s desperate to stay close to me. Not my favorite kind of obedience, though, and most certainly not from her, she thought with distaste.

A useful carrot to dangle in front of her. It’s not like you haven’t used your allure to get your way before, Ishtar said.

Rationally, it isn’t a terrible idea. However, the very thought of even flirting with her makes me ill.

At least consider it, Ishtar pressed. Whatever it takes, yes?

Sonya squinted at the TV and forced herself not to respond. She grabbed the remote and changed the channel, flipping a few times and distracting herself with the flickering images while Ishtar continued to talk.

I’ll drop it for now, Ishtar conceded. Tomorrow we need to spend some time in your inner world. It’s time to do a little training. That boy is training his body with First Wind. You should hone yourself as well. Our new powers are great, but mastering them is a whole different matter. Also, Set has agreed to explain how to move past the Claimant stage.

Sonya paused, hitting the channel button one more time. She was about to respond when a new image appeared on the screen. It was a podium set up in front of a large crowd of people. Blue, white, and red flags were hanging on either side of it as a man leaned forward against it. He was thin and rakish-looking in that ‘a little too handsome to be real’ kind of way. His dark eyes twinkled as he spoke, and Sonya shot to her feet. Qilin jerked away, and Colin nearly spilled the pile of snacks he brought over.

“Our France has seen more than its fair share of heartache after the flash. Monsters plagued us for weeks, and great Paris was subjected to a terrible outbreak as we reeled from the changes. The Heroes of France have taken a stand to return stability to you, the people,” Lucian Ducast, Astaroth the Herald, said into the microphone. “It is unfortunate, then, that the current party seems hell-bent on suppressing the rise of Heroes and, by extension, your chances at greater stability and safety!”

The crowd roared as he raised his hand to his heart and inclined his head. “As a Hero, it has been my pleasure to defend you, the people, on the streets. Now I intend to defend you all in the halls of power.”

Sonya clenched her fists and shot a mental text to Blackrazor.

<”I need a sitrep in France, now!”>

“It is with no small amount of consideration that I, Lucian Ducast, step down as Vice Guild Master of the Paris State Guild to announce my candidacy for President of our beloved France. With the endorsement of our newly formed Illuminated Party, I will carry our nation into a glorious future!”

As the crowd roared, Sonya set her jaw. She took a steadying breath and walked out of the room. 

What are you going to do? Ishtar asked.

Nothing for now. I can’t have the Night Society stretch itself any thinner than it already is. A sitrep is the best I can ask of them, Sonya thought. We stick to the plan. When the time comes, I’ll deal with Astaroth personally.

And Mimir?

Sonya stopped as the door shut behind her, and her expression went dark. I had hoped he was wise enough to see the danger of Lucian Ducast, but clearly he has reassessed his priorities. He thinks he is acting with impunity, but the next time I see a Vigilante, I will make it very clear how wrong he is.