Mod and Arsenal stared down Ichabod from across the hall. Despite the temporary truce and Athena’s barrier between them, the vampire loomed over them. Mod had relaxed his fusion rifle to his hip but didn’t dare take his aim off the vampire.

Mod turned to Arsenal, “I’m not convinced your dad was going to take over the world… but the Brotherhood is going to try to.”

He turned back to Ichabod. “The Brotherhood is going to use Venture’s surveillance algorithms to find unregistered masks and villains. And they’re going to use drones and mechs as their own police force. I don’t know what Venture was planning to do, but it wasn’t this. It had to be better than this.”

Ichabod smiled, and for once he didn’t remind Mod of a predator baring its teeth.

“That’s the crux of the issue. Which world do you think will be better? Which world do you want to live in? Venture was convinced that a world without supers would be better than this stagnant oligarchy you call peace. Why should the Brotherhood stall technological revolutions for fear of unrest? Why should Gnosis limit our research? Why should the Summit allow a parasitic hive-mind to survive?”

Arsenal replied, “Because peace is better than another massive war. Going to war with the Menagerie would make war with the Deep Ones look like a Saturday morning cartoon.”

“But what if the world that came after was better in every way?”

Arsenal shook her head. “You can’t suggest that the ends would justify the means based on a chance that the world would be better off.”

Mod couldn’t suppress his curiosity any longer. “What would you do if vampires won?”

Arsenal scoffed. “Probably turn everyone into vampires.”

Mod tensed. He knew Arsenal was on edge, especially with the revelations about her dad, but it wasn’t a good idea to antagonize a Class 4 super. Thankfully, Ichabod ignored the quip.

“Did you know that vampirism cures cancer? Once a vampire is sired, their body becomes naturally resistant to almost every human disease and defect. By contrast, vampires have a few superficial diseases—most of which Gnosis cured in recent decades.

“Imagine a world without death from old age, without disease, without children dying of cancer… That world is surely better than our current one.”

“We can do that too,” Arsenal countered. “And we can walk around in the sun.”

Ichabod shrugged. “A minor inconvenience. One that Gnosis could amend in the future.”

Mod replied, “You don’t speak for all vampires though. You’d have to keep some humans around for blood.”

“Fair point. There are more conservatively minded sects that resist change, but they cave out of necessity. Long ago, drinking animal blood was blasphemous, but thirst knows no morals. It became acceptable in times of famine. In the last thirty years, synthetic blood substitutes have become viable, though the adoption has been… slower. I think they taste perfectly fine.”

Mod replied, “A chance at a better future… One where humans could wind up being cattle.”

“Your mentor made a deal with me.” Ichabod’s fangs protruded from his smile. Even though his tone hadn’t changed, it made the delivery all the more sinister.

Mod’s thoughts raced. He didn’t trust Gnosis. He didn’t trust the Brotherhood, and he didn’t trust the Summit. Their allies had dwindled, and they desperately needed more.

Mod and Arsenal shared a glance. She nodded, and Mod took a deep breath before he spoke.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Dr. Venture trusted you. So we’ll trust you… for now. But that’s not the only reason we wanted to meet. I want you to let Lachlan Harris go.”

Ichabod’s smile faded. Flickers of emotion passed over his face, so fast that Mod certainly would’ve missed them without his brain upgrade.

“Did Dr. Venture leave an exploit in our security?”

TINA responded in Mod and Clara’s earpieces. “No. I used regular Email phishing to gain access. We accessed the recent report on Lachlan Harris.”

Ichabod sighed with disappointment. “Synthetic blood is not the only thing my kind have been slow to adopt… If you’ve read it, then you know that Lachlan Harris is unique, to put it bluntly. He is an asset to the company, a potential vector in new research, and also physically and mentally unstable.

“Even if you could get in and get out, what makes you think you can keep him stable?”

Mod replied, “If we get him out, then he’s not your problem.”

Ichabod put a clawed hand against Athena’s barrier and started walking forward. The barrier squealed against the wood walls. Across the hall, Athena winced at the strain, and Arsenal’s suit hummed.

Mod raised his fusion rifle.

Ichabod stopped and relaxed. He was twenty feet away now. This time, Mod didn’t lower his rifle.

Mod said, “You wanted Dr. Venture as an ally. Let Lachlan go, and we’ll honor that arrangement.”

Ichabod tilted his head curiously. “I know it wasn’t easy to meet like this. I can respect the lengths you would go to for your friend.”

“I do the same for my allies.”

Ichabod smirked. “What makes you think that your collaboration is worth the same as Dr. Venture’s?”

“He believed in us. He chose us. …And I think we’re following in his footsteps more than we realize. Even if we aren’t as powerful of an ally now, we won’t stop. One day, you’ll wish you were on our side.”

Silence settled between them as the vampire considered Mod’s words.

Ichabod said, “It’s not the first time I’ve worked across generations… Very well. Here are my terms. You must either sneak in or break into Gnosis. You must get past all security. Break out your friend. Keep him from going mad and killing you, and get back out of the compound again.

“I will neither help you nor stop you. However, I ask that you refrain from killing my men and other test subjects. Mishaps can occur, but if you kill too many, I will be forced to intervene. The same goes for Lachlin. If you cannot control him, I will intervene. If you cause more than superficial damage to Gnosis’s systems, I will intervene.

“If you make it outside of the compound, I will make sure that Gnosis doesn’t come after any of you. Are these terms acceptable?”

Mod tried to keep a straight face. This was both better and worse than he’d hoped for. At the very least, they’d needed to make sure that Ichabod wouldn’t kill them outright. And there was no causing a riot with test subjects to cover their tracks.

Even though Ichabod agreed not to intervene, that had only changed the difficulty from impossible to highly improbable.

Mod asked, “How much time do we have?”

Ichabod shrugged. “There are no limits. We’ve obtained quite a few samples already, and I doubt experimentation will accidentally kill Lachlan, so you have no worries there. However, if you are discovered while inside Gnosis, security will trip the alarms. If the Summit gets word, I imagine they will intervene, and if that happens, I will not stop them.”

Arsenal asked, “What about the other elders?”

Ichabod’s voice grew firm. “I am the only elder in Belport. This city is mine to do with as I please. That is what power affords me.”

Once more, Mod looked to Arsenal, but she answered for them.

“We accept the terms.”

The vampire nodded once. “Very well.”

Then he turned to leave.

Mod was ready to breathe a sigh of relief, but Arsenal called out to him.

“What was my father planning?”

Ichabod turned one final time. “I honestly don’t know, but I know him better than most… Venture is shrewd and calculating to his core. He would not pick a fight unless he was certain that he could win. So, young Venture, you’re really asking two questions: What was Venture planning that could so decisively defeat every other super on the planet?”

The vampire’s lips curled in a smile. “And why did he see it necessary to ally with me?”

Ichabod walked off down the hall, his final words echoing into the darkness.

“Think on those two questions. And think carefully.”

~ ~ ~