I waved the van off as it left me. Although Clara had been suspicious of my secret change of plan to begin with, she trusted me. Didn’t stop her from making some casual threats, but I was growing used to them. I turned away from the disappearing vehicle to look at the apartment complex beside me.
It wasn’t exactly what I had been expecting.
There was a slight element of drabness to them, but they looked well maintained. Most of the windows from this angle were curtained or had blinds up, not quite dark enough for lights to be switched on. The brickwork was smooth and had a slight off-white tone to it. Intentional, rather than from wear and tear. Detailed sections under each window were a darker brown, but were only on the first five floors. The top three were just plain.
I approached the metal gate and ran my hand down the list of names. Pressed the button and an amber light switched to green. Gate clunked as it unlocked, and I pushed my way inside.
Interior lobby was small and dimly lit. The desk on the left side told me that sometimes there would be someone sitting there - perhaps a manager or maintenance person. Currently vacant. Over to the right was an elevator, but I’d had enough of those for one week, so took the stairs ahead. It was just three floors, after all, and today was cardio day.
Stairwell was better lit than the lobby and had a quietness to it that I hadn’t expected. Maybe because I was used to the seedier side of the city that my views of these kinds of places had the hue with gangs and criminals. There were no barking dogs, loud music, graffiti, or the stench of people marking their territory in other ways. It was… pleasant, in a very sterile way.
Once I was up to the third floor, I pushed through a wooden door into a long corridor. This area was carpeted with burgundy - a contrast to the lighter walls. Each door was a dark wood, adorned with a silver number on the front just above peep holes. I continued on down this way, feeling only slightly like I was in a weird horror movie. Ah, that was it, the apartment scene from the gunslinger flick we watched the other day.
I stopped and turned, having arrived at my destination. As I raised my hand to knock, the door unlatched, and it pulled open in anticipation of my arrival.
[Hello, Belle.]
The woman paused, looking me up and down before opening the door wider. “Gunquake, you’re… quite the sight these days. Please, come in.”
I was slightly taken aback as I stepped into her apartment. Partly because she was not in her outfit of flowing robes, but just a peach colored hooded top and black leggings. Her pink hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she was barefoot. The usual pomp and airs she put seemed totally absent.
The other reason I was surprised was how… muted and simple her apartment was. With the League providing housing and amenities for their heroes, I expected something larger. The porch directly inside had a couple of plain coats and boots hanging up, a doorway to the left immediately opening up into her lounge.
Sparsely furnished in a way that reminded me of Roxy’s house, although rather than a rustic theme, there was a comfortable cream hue to everything. Cozy, in a word. Two small couches sat opposite a round coffee table of deep brown lacquered wood. There was a trio of small photo frames across the top of the mantle of an unlit fireplace, but the lower lighting made it difficult to determine who was in them.
“Please take a seat.” She gestured towards a couch. “I’d offer you a coffee or something, but I know you can’t partake. Shame, as I baked a cake recently that needs finishing.” With a half-shrug, she left through a doorway that led to the kitchen.
I went and sat down. The support super seemed muted, without her usual fervor. Even the messages we had exchanged didn’t have the buzz of her faith or a potential desire to ‘punish’ me, as she alluded to previously. If it weren’t for the pink hair, it felt as though I had entered the wrong apartment entirely.
It was barely a minute later that she walked back through, a mug of steaming coffee in one hand and a slice of cake on a plate in the other. She placed them down in front of her on the short table before sitting on the couch opposite to me.
I had gone over Wren’s notes beforehand to prepare myself for what I’d be up against. But I was at a loss with how normal this was turning out to be. Had me off-kilter for a change.
“Ren mentioned you’d had a glow-up.” Belle tilted her head. “Also, that I should expect a visit from you.”
[If anything, I apologize for leaving you for last.]
“There’s no need for platitudes. I was surprised to hear you and Roxy were shacking up, but now that you’ve had a clean, it’s more understandable.” She picked up the plate from the table. “To some degree, anyway.”
[I’ll be frank with you, Belle. I am looking for your commendation so that I can join the team.]
“Okay. You have it.” With a silver fork, she scooped part of the cake off into her mouth.
[Oh. I had expected a little more to it than that.]
Belle shook her head. “Team needs a fifth, and you actually want the job. If the League is giving you the chance, then that’s the simple solution to our problem.”
I nodded slowly. It wasn’t often I felt this out of sorts. If it was going to be this straightforward, I should have come to her first. That said, I wasn’t entirely convinced. She was too far divorced from the holier-than-thou person I had met at the housewarming party.
[You have no reservations or stipulations.]
“Nope." She placed her plate down to retrieve the coffee instead. “Although if I had asked you to bark like a dog, would you have?”
[Unlikely.]
“Then where’s the fun?” She maintained eye contact as she took a sip, although there wasn’t a lack of humor in her tone. “I am aware of your aura, are you?”
I shuffled in the seat. It seemed as though she had some manner of magic detection, which made plenty of sense, seeing as she was an experienced caster herself.
[Only recently have I come to acknowledge the passive effects I give off. I calm the emotions of those around me.]
“It is not active by intent, then?” Belle raised an eyebrow. “You may not know this, but it doesn’t affect me. You’ll have to win me over the hard way.”
[After you’ve already given me the commendation.]
“Of course.” She took another sip. “I’m sure the others have extolled the virtues of trust with a team. Anyone can tag along and get by, but if you want us to be efficient, we need to know each other really well. I’m sure you have plenty of questions for me.”
Where to begin?
[You’re much different from when we first met.]
“That is not a question, but the reasoning is simple. This is the only place in the city I can truly be myself, away from His influence, or the eyes and ears of the League and general public.” She cradled the mug in her hands. “There is a reason why I wanted to meet you here.”
[Your belief in ‘Him’ is a part of the character you have to put on as a hero.]
Her eyes wandered off to above me, as if she was considering this. “My belief in Him is real, although it is played up to a distasteful degree in the outer world. I am something of a beacon for his followers in Goldarch, so must lead the flock to the standard expected of me.”
[Not by the League’s expectations, though. Your financier.]
“Correct.” She looked back at me. “I assume that Ren gave you some information so that you’re not totally in the dark. There are plenty of rumors about my group…”
[That you’re a sex cult.]
Although her face soured, she gave a brief nod. “Neither word is an apt descriptor. There is a peaceful element of free love He embodies, but it is more of a polyamorous cluster thing. Optional, and often more about companionship than sex.”
[Yet there was your offer of ‘punishing’ me.]
“Had I known you and Roxy were more than cordial, I would have never been so forward. I respect boundaries more than anything.” She took a sip from the drink. “You looked like a lost sheep, and my vocation still allows me to have my own fun.”
Belle gave me a coy smile, perhaps the most confident she had appeared since our meeting begun. If she was immune to my purported aura, I wondered if it was just my natural charisma that worked on her. Did I even have that, or was that just some magic I apparently held as well? How much of a fraud was I? Rather than circle these thoughts, I changed direction.
[The notes I received didn’t mention who ‘He’ actually was.]
“There is a reason why every question you have asked has instead been leveled as a statement, isn’t there?” The smile went away, and she narrowed her eyes at me. “Either there is something you do know, or you’re much more perceptive than you appear, even if passively.”
[Let’s assume it’s the latter.]
She rolled her eyes. “Ren warned me about you, but I had to see it for myself. A cyborg with magical powers, a silver tongue, and an unnerving connection to things that lie in the shadows. Tell me, Dubs, do you know much of the fey?”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
I tilted my head from side to side, in hopes I could shake out some of my old-life memories. There wasn’t much that had filtered into my brain in the last five years. Eventually, I shook my head.
“It is said to be the lost land of the first elves. A different plane home to fairies, sprites, and other similar ancestries. The elves who weren’t kicked out were few and eventually became the fey - closer to demi-gods than any mortal.”
[So ‘He’ is one of these fey.]
She nodded. “I am unable to speak his name, even here. Usually, they are not to be trusted. Tricksters who meddle without a care when they do occasionally glance towards our world. But He is the kindest of those that remain and seeks to bring the feyland’s boons to the rest of Othea.”
No matter how well-intentioned that sounded, it couldn't be a good thing. I was starting to edge toward this being more of a cult again.
[Your flock must have a lot of elves then.]
Belle shook her head. “That view of elven origin is mostly disputed, and few these days believe the tale except for a sect or two of High elves. Some even see it as offensive, although Ren accepts what I am doing is valid to some degree.” She furrowed her brow, as if considering if that was true.
[Tell me about your financier.]
Her mouth opened and closed, before she leaned forward to put her cup down. “While I’m sure your magic puts others at ease enough to talk openly with you, we don’t have the rapport for me to bare any secrets just yet. I’m open to friendship, however, if you’re willing to put the effort in.”
[Of course. In fact, that is part of the reason why I’m here. We’re having another party soon, and I wanted to invite you.]
“Oh?” She sat back and crossed her arms. “Just the team again?”
[Correct. We have a dead zone set up so the League can’t spy on us. Might be a little home away from home.]
Her eyebrows went up, and she was silent for a moment. “Truly? We’d be undetectable?”
[It’s where I bare all my secrets, so I hope so.]
“It’s not often I get to be myself around the others…” Belle’s gaze lowered to the table, her brow furrowing slightly. She was silent for another few moments, before looking back up at me, her expression relaxed. “Alright, Dubs. Three out of four heroes can’t be wrong about you. Let me know when to arrive and I’ll be there. It makes me genuinely happy that Roxy has found someone who isn’t an asshole.”
[Oh, I’m an asshole. Just only to those who cross me or those I care about.]
She gave me a soft smile. “Well, I’d best make sure I’m on the right side of that line, then. We’ll talk more soon, Dubs, but I need to get to work soon. Meetings and evangelizing.”
I nodded and stood from the chair.
[Of course, thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I did have one actual question for you, before I leave.]
“Be my guest.” She stood and gestured for me to go ahead.
[May I take some of the cake to go? I have a canister synthesizer, so I can eat it in some manner.]
After a brief moment of confusion, she smiled again. “Only if you let me know what you think. It’s an old family recipe, but I haven’t yet perfected it.”
It was only a few minutes later before I was standing back out on the sidewalk, a small plastic tub in my hand holding the prized treat. I was sure I looked quite the sight already without transporting the cake, but without knowing how the meeting was going to go, I hadn’t planned much for after.
So, I started walking.
Belle had certainly surprised me. Perhaps the most difficult to crack, if you ignored how I earned my metal ribcage. She had given the commendation easily, but that was just business. The fact that my emotion-calming aura didn’t affect her meant that she was my foil in some ways. Wren still held some secrets from me, but the others had been open books. The supportive super would just be a slower process to gain her trust, but she was at least receptive.
//Dubs: How soon do you want to do the garden party?
//Roxy: Whenever, really. Would be good to get our minds off of work.
//Roxy: As soon as you’ve spoken to Belle and convinced her?
//Dubs: Consider it done. Is tomorrow good?
//Roxy: What? When? Did you just talk to her now?
//Dubs: It was on the way to my window shopping. She will vouch for me to join the team.
//Roxy: …
//Roxy: That’s great but… dare I ask?
//Dubs: All I had to do was pledge my life to Him.
//Roxy: …
//Roxy: I’m not sure where you get off on winding me up.
//Roxy: Clearly you need me to be break more of you, fucker.
//Dubs: Look forward to it. See you soon.
//Roxy: Fuckerrrrr x
Clara didn’t want me to disturb her while she was working. Something about having her pet project cyborg turn up and sit around while she was busy seemed to put her on edge. She still had rapport to build with the doctor before introducing me.
Given that I wanted a vehicle that could uphold a certain standard of protection and offensive capabilities, I had no intention of going to any regular dealership for civilian transport. Against better judgement, I managed to squeeze my tub of cake into one of my belt pouches.
I brought up my lense and decided how much trouble I wanted to get into today.
----------------------------------------
While the look on Roxy’s face as I arrived back home should have given me cause for concern, I felt reasonably good about my decision making skills.
I parked up beside the covered coffin on my yard, heavy wheels crunching through the thin glassed dust from the super’s previous training. Switched it off and hopped out the side.
“I am starting to believe meeting you was a mistake.” She stood just outside of the grass garden, hands on her hips as she glared at me.
[I got a good deal on it.]
“Motherfucker, you stole that from a gang.”
She had me there. They had been eager to give up the vehicle once I had hit them with a couple of Nerve shots from my selectloader. The off-roading truck had a flame paint job, the grill at the front designed to look like a wide set of teeth. Bulletproof, but few other upgrades aside from a ridiculously large sound system in the back.
It needed a little work doing to get it perfect, but otherwise would make a good transportation for the wastes.
[The good news is; I’ve named it.]
“You called it the Quakewagon, didn’t you?” Her eyes narrowed further.
[It’s… bulletproof as well.]
“Yeah, well…” She gave me a shrug, clearly too exasperated to admonish me properly. “Unless you’re Roxy proof you better watch yourself, asshole. Come over here and hug me already.”
It seemed like a reasonable request with only a low chance of her punching my head clean off my neck, so I accepted. Stepped over and she sighed as she wrapped her arms around me. Still warm from her training.
“Pretty ballsy of you to steal a vehicle, even if from criminals. But, I’ve given up on worrying about you getting us in trouble.” The super laid her head on my shoulder to rest. “You’ll keep us safe and make everything okay, won’t you?”
[Of course. To the best of my ability. Are you alright?]
“Who knows?” She leaned back so that she could smile at me. “Every day is some new bullshit, but I’m coming around to it. We make things work.”
[About that. You might want to pick our date destination, as I am sure I have a magical aura.]
“Oh?” Roxy tilted her head. “Some kind of danger magnetism?”
[Something that calms people’s emotions, at least.]
She didn’t respond at first, her fiery eyes just trying to read mine through my goggles. “So… you’ve been brainwashing me this whole time?”
I winced, knowing this would be the reaction. It was part of the reason I had arranged a getaway vehicle. I tried to pick my next words carefully.
[Not exactly. I don’t know how it works, but… you both have said you feel more relaxed around me.]
She hadn’t released the partial hug as she leaned back to view me face to face. It would be easy for her to crush me… although perhaps not if my aura was working.
“I… trust you. I’m not going to jump to conclusions, because I know in my heart you’re honest with me. It’s nice not being a huge bitch all the time. But it would be nice to know that it's nothing weird?” She smiled, but relinquished her grip on me. “You wanna go plan this garden party over a bubble bath? We’ll need to see if the others are free.”
[There’s one thing I want to do first.]
She followed me into the workshop as I flicked the lights on and went over to the canister machine. Out from my pouch, the wedge of cake had gone mostly unharmed.
“This from Belle?” Roxy took a chunk of it that I offered. “It's pretty good. What did you make of her? I’m surprised she didn’t melt your ears off.”
[She was surprisingly subdued, actually. Turns out it’s mostly an act when she isn’t at home.]
I put the rest of the cake into the large tray of the machine, while the super watched me intently.
“You went to her house? She usually takes visitors at her weird church thing.”
[Sorry for not telling you beforehand, but we have enough worries without you having that playing out on your mind. She’s actually immune to my magic and is very respectful and supportive of our relationship.]
“Huh.” The super pouted and looked off out the window as I finished fiddling with the settings. “She gave you her commendation just like that? That’s a fucking win then.”
[I have a feeling the team is actually eager to get back together and find their footing once more. The party will be our first step towards our new future.]
Roxy raised an eyebrow at me. “If you were secretly sent here to do just that, you’d tell me, right?”
[You forget that I was here first.]
She shrugged and glanced at the machine as it started the twenty-minute process. “Fuck me if I know anymore. I’m not so good at the mystery shit. I’ll be much happier when I can go back to punching things.” Her hand came up to hold the side of my face. “Clara said she is going to be staying at her apartment tonight as she is working late and needs to pack stuff for the eventual sale, but is up for the party tomorrow. I’m waiting for the others to come back to me.”
[Perfect. I am honestly looking forward to it.]
“Good. While this machine works, you wanna go earn that bath?” Her eyes narrowed as she smiled.
I said nothing, but she knew my answer without me even needing to.
----------------------------------------
The morning after brought with it only partial freshness. We had ignored the elephant in the room. Snake was a problem, and one I hadn’t really had the chance to fully consider. After our evening, we had just spent the time in relaxation, putting all our troubles behind us.
Today was meant to be more of the same. It was about the team coming together and having a chance to bond again. Start as we meant to go on. Throughout the evening, Roxy had received the confirmation from the other three. Wren was the last to agree, not too enthused about stepping away from the company for a time - but it was happening.
Clara would be over soon enough with all the food and other necessary things that would be too fragile for Roxy to jump from the city to here. We both agreed it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to roll up into Goldarch in a gang-affiliated vehicle… again. Despite that, I could see a look in her eyes. She wanted to go for a joy ride.
Sounded a little too dangerous - and she was insistent that I kept my new clothes clean.
Footwear called loafers. Shorts and t-shirt as usual, but she had gotten me a green zip-up hooded top. I looked casual as fuck. We did have to cut the right arm off of it so that my cybernetics fit through, but it was quite the look despite it being a simple addition. Saving the best for last, she had then handed me a baseball cap.
I was only vaguely familiar with the sport, although she assured me this particular one had no affiliation to any team. I could have guessed, as the logo on it was something from the zombie movie we watched the other day. Wearing it... I could almost pretend I didn't have a gas-mask affixed to my lower face. I was just a normal man, called Dubs.
After being unsure what she wanted to wear herself, I convinced her to go for the summer dress she had worn when we disabled my kill-switch. The yellow one with flowers on it. She was more comfortable around Clara and I, but was a little apprehensive in a wider social situation. Headwear of her own completed the look - a wide-brimmed straw hat. I was enamored.
From somewhere in the house, she procured a barbeque grill. Even more impressive than that, I told her that I was great at using them, and she believed me. Perhaps I was too powerful.
“You could do with a gun-arm attachment that is like some… tongs, or a spatula.” She shot me a coy smile as she twirled in the grass, her dress spiraling out as she turned.
[It would surprise me if Clara hadn't already designed something like that previously.]
"Oh, speak of the devil." The super stopped in place as gestured out toward the city, shooting me a wide grin.
I looked past her to see the techie's van approaching, and I felt…
Like all my troubles were forgotten. Even if only temporarily. I knew that this was just as much for me as it was for the team. Despite the circumstances of my existence, I was living a normal life.
No immediate danger looming in the shadows. Violence and hardship the last thing on my mind. A distinct absence of Gov officers breathing down my squad's neck to kill supers. My life as a killer like a bad dream - but even then, I had slept soundly and the day so far had been nothing but pleasant. I felt at ease.
Nothing was out of place.