“This is a bad idea.”

I couldn’t shake my hesitation. Before, I had been cautious, even hesitant about this meeting. Who wouldn’t be, with Bayside’s Super underworld all meeting in one place? Gaea was going to be there, personally. That much was enough to put me on edge. Hell, that’d be enough to put most nations on edge.

All of that power concentrated into one place was bad enough, it was even worse now that Mia decided she had to tag along.

“I don’t care. I’m not about to sit this out,” Mia spoke up from the backseat. “You know what they did to me. I deserve to be included.”

“You woke up from a coma yesterday, with powers you can barely control, after being tortured for a week. No offense, but you’re a liability,” I argued back. It felt hypocritical to play that card considering how I had dove head-first into the world of Supers the week after I got my powers. Maybe if I had done things differently, I would’ve had more time before being dragged into this. I had been far too eager. “You should’ve waited back at the apartment.”

“What’re you, my dad?” Mia’s tone was like ice. “You don’t get to tell me where I can and can’t go. I’ll do whatever the hell I want, thank you very much.”

I bristled and was tempted to pull the car over and toss her out on her ass but Alice took that moment to chime in.

“The only reason we’re letting you come is because there is a truce and there shouldn't be any danger,” her eyes flashed Gold as an annoyed scowl appeared across her face. “And because you would’ve followed us regardless. At least this way you don’t end up wasting the life we worked so hard to save.”

I looked in the rear-view mirror to see Liam quietly sitting next to Mia. Sam and I had been arguing against bringing Mia along before Gold had popped up and declared that she was coming with us, much to my chagrin.

“I’m not a kid,” Mia retorted. “I know this is out of my depth which is why I’m not going to participate. I just want to be there so I know what’s going on. They kidnapped me and some of my friends. I’m not about to just sit around on my ass and let other people do the work. Not any—” she stopped herself and shook her head. “I’m not doing that. Besides, I’m pretty sure I’m older than all of you.”

“Good. I can trust you’re smart enough to keep your mouth shut.” Gold said snidely.

Mia just glared.

When she had come to her senses yesterday, we caught her up on everything that was going on. After that, she did her best to explain how her powers worked. With some help on Sam’s part, we were able to gauge that she could create and micromanage her statues which could only move whilst unobserved. They mimicked a material —how that was selected appeared to be random— and also allowed her to see, hear, and swap the location of her real body with that of a statue. Gold said there was a limit on the range and number she could create, but was unable to pin it down exactly just yet.

“Come on guys, lay off her,” Anomaly lightly defended. “It’s done. Let’s just deal with it.”

Alice pinched the bridge of her nose, flashing from Gold back to Blue. “Okay-okay,” she took a deep breath and straightened her skirt. “Let’s just move on. No point crying over spilt milk.”

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes, none of us quite sure what to say.

“Ugh,” Mia grumbled, sounding frustrated. “This stupid mask,” She didn’t have a costume so we had to help her throw one together quickly and it seemed like it was giving her some grief, considering how many times she had adjusted it so far. Coupled with a domino mask, she wore a hoodie and a bandana to conceal the lower part of her face. “How do you guys wear this stuff all the time?”

Alice’s reply was distant. “You get used to it.”

I continued to drive with Alice giving directions. Eventually, we pulled into an underground car park, similar to the one back in Groves Den. The only difference was this place actually had cars parked in it and a ticket system to keep track of what cars were parked here. I made sure to open the barrier without getting a ticket and loop the footage from the moment we drove in. It probably wouldn’t stop a dedicated search, but no need to make it easy for anyone looking.

“Everyone ready?” Alice asked. We all replied with steady nods. “Alright. Let’s hope we all make it out of this in one piece.”

As I exited my car, I made sure I had all my equipment with me. My pistol was fully charged and slotted nicely into a holster on my leg, while I fetched the sniper rifle from the trunk. I caught Mia watching with genuine shock as it magnetically attached to my back. While I’d probably have no use for it, Alice had mentioned that bringing it would serve to bolster our image.

“Do you… really need to bring that?” Mia asked.

“It can’t hurt,” I said, shrugging. I took that moment to test the extendable blade, just to make sure it was still fully operational. It slid in and out with a shrill metal ring which made Mia flinch. “I’m tired of not being prepared.”

“This way,” Alice called out. I looked over to see Liam standing off to the side with his hands shoved into his jacket. His transformation would draw too much attention at this time of day. “I’ve got a route that’ll keep us off the main streets, so I hope you’re fine with alleyways.”

Anomaly let out a false cheer. “My favorite.”

“We’re just going to leave the car here?” Mia asked, looking around. She even pointed to one of the cameras. “We’re going to come back and find it’s been detained or something.”

I opened my mouth to respond but Alice beat me to it. “Upgrade has already taken care of that.”

Mia turned and looked at me.

“I’ve hacked the system. Looped the footage,” I said, rolling my shoulders. “It’s a public garage, the security is just there to give to the cops in case a car is stolen. There won’t even be anyone watching it.”

Mia didn’t look entirely satisfied with that answer but she nodded.

“If we’re done standing around,” Alice said, starting to sound impatient. We all looked in her direction to see her gesturing toward the end of the garage where a fire escape door sat. “I’d like to get moving.”

I couldn’t help but feel like I had forgotten something. I went through my mental checklist of what I brought. My suit and weapons had all been repaired from our mission to save Mia. All the software in my suit had been freshly upgraded using today’s charges so hopefully, I wouldn’t be caught off-guard by whatever the Queen’s Court had installed in the Casino. I was as ready as I could reasonably be for this.

So why did I feel this sense of dread? Was it nerves?

“You know, only a real supervillain would schedule a mandatory meeting on a Monday at midday,” Anomaly quipped, trying to lighten the mood. “I mean, come on, right? Monday? That’s like, the most evil day of the week.” He looked around for any takers. I wasn’t really sure how to respond to that and from the looks of it no one else was either. “No? I guess we’re just walking in silence then.”

“Gaea’s scheduled it for today at this time because business is at its slowest,” Alice said, throwing Anomaly a bone. “Who in their right mind would visit a Casino at lunch time on a Monday?”

“Addicts?” I said, throwing my guess out there. “Sure it’ll be less busy, but I doubt it’ll be empty.”

“You’re right, but still, my point stands.”

We emerged from the fire escape and into filth. With my suit, the smell was muted but given how Mia gagged, it can’t have been pleasant.

“This is so gross,” Mia bemoaned. “But somehow, it’s still better than Ashton. I swear, that place was fucking vile. Dad would drive me to uni and people would just pile their trash on the streets. I was only there for like two months before we moved. Mum couldn’t stand it.”

“The Nine Circles really messed that city up,” Alice mused in agreement. “I didn’t spend that much time there. Trying to compete with them was pointless, any progress I could make would just be destroyed by Lust on a warpath.”

“I think I heard about him. He got reckless and bystanders started getting caught in the crossfire,” I said, trying to recall the details. Abby had talked about it ages ago back in January and the details were rather foggy. “The ECU imported a couple Supers to try and deal with him. Not sure how successful they were.”

“Very,” Alice replied. “Their last encounter with Lust ended with him dead.”

“Oh shit, they killed him?” Anomaly sounded shocked.

Alice nodded. “It happens. ECU can be authorized to kill if a Super is deemed too much of a hazard. Grim’s been on that list for a while now. The only reason he’s still alive is because his power makes him a pain in the ass to deal with.”

Anomaly rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly anxious. “Damn, I had no idea. I thought they were pretty strict on bringing people in.”

“They have orders to bring him in, dead or alive. But when you’re as powerful as Grim, people figure that there’s only one way to deal with you—”

“By getting rid of you entirely,” I finished for her. Alice nodded as she led us into another alleyway, keeping us well away from the view of the busy main street. “After what he’s done, I don’t blame them. That guy needs to go.”

Alice chuckled. “No arguments here.”

We turned into another alley, this one occupied by a few squatters. Many of them seemed to be harmless at first until I noticed the poorly concealed weapons. They had knives and other small weapons. As we got closer, I saw that they were sizing us up. A couple of them even started to approach before they saw me. It was a strange feeling seeing a group of people back away from me in fear.

They let us pass without incident.

“Huh… that’s the first time I’ve seen a homeless person,” Anomaly murmured under his breath.

“This is Queen’s Court territory,” Alice replied with a bitter edge to her voice. “Pandora can’t risk enslaving them. Gaea would kill them the moment they set foot in this part of town. Everyone here is under her protection, even the homeless.”

“That’s the reason there’s barely any homeless?” Anomaly asked, perplexed. “Because of Pandora?”

“You don’t know how they operate?” I chimed in with genuine surprise. It was no real secret what they did. They openly lorded their actions, painting themselves as saviors instead of the disgusting tyrants they were. “They snatch defenseless people off the street and turn them into slaves. Pandora believes that if you can’t Awaken, you’re basically a second-class citizen—”

“Nah, I know that bit,” Anomaly said, grumbling a little. “I just… never thought about it too much before.”

“They were armed…” Mia breathed, the realization striking her like a bolt of lightning. “…to protect themselves from Pandora.”

“Don’t justify it,” Alice said. “It might be for their own protection, but they’ll still gladly take everything you own. They backed off because they saw Upgrade. Anyone walking around in power armor isn’t someone to be messed with.”

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“It’s not power armor,” I mumbled.

“Definitely looks like it,” Anomaly countered.

I gave an idle shrug and rolled with the compliment.

We rounded another corner and arrived at the back entrance of Royal Flush. The main entrance to this place was grand, inviting, and extravagant. There were fountains in the foyer, sliding doors, and a long red carpet. The back entrance was nothing of the sort. It was dull with a simple metal door, guarded by two fairly built guys.

Alice approached without a shred of hesitation and we followed suit.

“Hiya boys!” Pink’s excitable voice emerged. “Madhouse here, as requested! Hope ya don’t mind, but we came dressed for the occasion.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by that.

The lead guard grunted.

“There’s four of you.”

Pink gasped. “Oh my gosh! You can count!” She turned and looked at us over her shoulder. “The henchies are getting smarter every day!”

“We were told there were only three of you,” the other guard sounded, crossing his arms.

“We got a new recruit,” Pink retorted sourly. “She’s a cutie as well, so let us through! Come oooon. We’re not up to no good, promise!”

“No.”

While Pink argued with the guards, I took the opportunity to scan the building. There were systems built into the building’s foundations that I would guess weren’t normal for a typical casino. There were automated turrets hidden inside the walls, all of which were Mechatech. The surveillance – while appearing mundane – had incredibly sophisticated software that I could say with certainty, had been created by a Mechakinetic.

Unlike the Bunker, I could actually brute force my way into the system if the situation called for it.

However, they do have Uplink and I have no idea if I can get past him. I know I can keep him out once I get access but what if he's already inside the system?

I weighed my options and decided against it. My breaching software was advanced enough that I could brute force my way into their systems in about a minute. So in an emergency, I did have that option, but I didn’t want to piss off our hosts before we even stepped inside the building.

“Are we seriously getting turned away?” Anomaly sounded annoyed. Alice couldn’t respond because she was still arguing with the guards. I wasn’t sure why she didn’t just switch to Gold but if I had to guess, it probably had something to do with keeping up her persona. “This is stupid.”

“I suppose we’re just going to have to wait,” Mia sighed.

I continued to observe the building until a signal caught my attention. I picked up an incoming transmission that was being directed to one of the guard’s phones before it started ringing. He stepped away to answer it.

The call was brief, but I had tapped into it just in time to hear Springsong’s voice order the guard to ‘let them in’. Reluctantly, he ended the call and resumed his post.

“You four are clear. Boss’s orders.”

“Geez, that’s what I’ve been tryna tell ya!” Pink exclaimed dramatically. “I take it back. You two would make a brick look like a scholar.”

They both muttered a string of curses under their breath before opening the door. The hallway we entered was narrow and dimly lit. When the door shut behind us, the noise from the outside world almost became muted. It was eerie and I felt like I had suddenly entered the lion's den.

“No turning back now,” Mia said.

“Getting cold feet?” Alice asked with an amused smile.

Mia frowned, lacking all the fire she had earlier. “A little bit.”

“Well, too late. Like you said, we’re in too deep to run away now. If we tried, Gaea would notice and probably just kill us on the spot.”

“Would she actually?” Anomaly asked with a hint of fear.

Alice thought for a moment before shaking her head. “Nah, she’d probably just knock us out or something. Gaea is one of the few Supers that will just act without much thought. It’s been decades since there’s been any real consequences for her.”

“Don’t scare me like that,” Mia glowered at Alice. “Just… lead on. Let’s get this stupid meeting over with.”

Alice snorted. “You’re the one that wanted to be here.”

Just like before, Alice led us through the building. It took some time but we eventually emerged from the casino’s back hallways into the main area. The place was filled with rows of pokies and tables. It was just how I expected a casino to look. The only thing missing was the people. There were barely any staff around and I only saw a couple of poor souls sitting in front of slot machines, completely hypnotized by their delusion of grandeur.

“You’re early.”

The voice came from our right and we all turned. Springsong sauntered toward us with the same confidence she had the night we had met.

“I don’t make a habit of being late,” Alice said. “Besides, I wouldn’t want to piss off your Queen.”

Springsong hummed, staring at Alice as if she were contemplating if it was worth letting her live.

“This way,” she turned on her heel and began walking. “I’d recommend you keep that cheek in check Alice, for your own good. I may tolerate you, but Gaea would sooner reduce you to dust than listen to your babble.”

“Aw, really? Are you sure? Give it some time, I tend to grow on people,” she quipped, strolling after her. I could almost hear Pink’s infectious attitude bleeding through, despite not being in control. “Gaea can’t be that grouchy.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

As we followed, I heard Anomaly snort.

“She’s so pretentious. Reminds me of the people who suck up to the teachers at school,” he said with an air of distaste.

“When you’re dealing with Gaea, that’s probably the smart thing to do,” I admitted. “Teachers can’t exactly turn you to dust with a thought.”

“Doesn’t mean you have to be an ass kisser.”

“If I had to choose between death and brown-nosing, I know what I’d pick,” Mia chimed in. “No offense Li– er, Anomaly. My pride isn’t worth my life.”

Springsong led us upstairs and through some doors. I noted that a few had V.I.P. plaques on them. When we finally arrived in the final room, I noted its size. There were a couple of blackjack and poker tables dotted around the room. In the middle, there was a much bigger wooden table that didn’t look like it fit with the rest of the decor.

Gaea sat with a bored expression, swirling a cup of… something. It was dark and I could only assume it was hard liquor given the fully stocked bar in the back of the room. She was young, not at all the elderly woman she was supposed to be. Her hair was a bright red and flowed like fire. She looked to be in her mid-twenties but everyone knew she altered the way she looked with her powers. In reality, she was in her seventies, having been born before people started developing powers.

I saw her on TV all the time, talking to the press about the various happenings in New Elpis. She was a woman of considerable power and there wasn’t a person on Earth that disputed her position in the Trinity. Even the ECU was too scared to go against her.

“Madhouse,” she addressed us, her tone betraying a hint of curiosity. “You seem to have gained a new member.”

“You know how it is,” Alice replied tactfully. “We have to survive somehow.”

Gaea didn’t spend much time pondering her words before the wood from the floor just stretched and contorted to form a chair. It stood to the far right of the circular table and Gaea gestured to it.

“Sit.”

Alice moved and we followed. As she went to sit, Gaea held up a hand.

“Not you.”

Alice blinked.

“I’m sorry?”

There was a hearty laugh opposite of us. Gaea wasn’t the only one at the table. Across from us, there was a group of people in their costumes. An imposing figure sat on the left side, dressed from head to toe in a red microfiber outfit. It had a sort of… feral design to it, like a wild animal. There was a tuft of fur around the neck of the man that even mimicked the aesthetic of a lion.

Just like Gaea, I had seen this one on the news, in a much less positive light.

Wildfire. Pandora…

Why was he here instead of Liberation?

“No Mentalists at the table,” he said, voice deep. There was a hint of familiarity to it but I just couldn’t place where I had heard it before. “I know you, Alice. You like to play head games. I won’t have it.”

His entourage let out a chorus of chuckles which only served to mock Alice. I could see each one and identify almost all of them. Stormchaser, Beringel, Ink Life, and Chatterbox.

“Neither will I,” Gaea agreed. “You will stand. Choose someone else to represent your group.”

Alice’s shoulders went rigid and I could feel the rage rolling off her. She straightened up before taking a stiff step back from the table.

“If you insist.”

She turned to me and took my hand. For a moment, I was worried she’d switch to Red and shatter every bone in my hand, but thankfully, she didn’t. I heard her breathe deeply through her nose before exhaling slowly to calm herself down. It was a blow to her ego, one of her strongest trump cards being used against her. It had to sting.

“Tagging you in,” she whispered, leaning into me. “Please don’t fuck this up.”

I wanted to protest that this wasn’t part of the plan but everything had gone to shit and the meeting hadn’t even started yet. I wasn’t prepared to sit in that chair.

Fuck.

Numbly, I sat down.

I eyed Gaea and the group of Pandora supers across from me. There was an awkward silence as the pack of them sized me up while Gaea stared into the bottom of her glass. I felt so out of my element that I didn’t even notice one of the people operating the bar walk over and tap me on the shoulder.

“What would you like to drink?” He asked politely.

I turned and considered my words for a moment. I was about to ask for water when I remembered I had a helmet on.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Can I—” Anomaly started, only to be stopped by a painful nudge from Mia. “Ow, nevermind.”

The awkwardness returned tenfold and unfortunately, I seemed to be the only one affected by it. The silence didn’t seem to bother Gaea and Wildfire was more than happy to just sit and stare me down. The moment another person entered the room, I took the opportunity to look away and observe them.

Over the next fifteen minutes, other independents started to come in droves. Most were solo or in pairs, with only a sparse few being a part of a group much larger than that. It was clear that most of them were young, some younger or around my age. Others were a bit older. It was clear though, that very few independents had reached adulthood. I turned and looked at Alice over my shoulder and she was observing the newcomers.

When I glanced back at Wildfire’s group, I felt myself straighten in my chair. Turns out, a lot of the so-called independents weren’t as independent as I thought. They were here for Pandora and they were slowly but surely making up a large portion of the gathering.

“Let’s get a move on,” Wildfire said, looking toward Gaea. “We don’t have all day.”

“We will wait,” Gaea said with finality. “There is one more group that is yet to arrive.”

Another group?

“Who?” I asked, without thinking. There weren’t any other names that came to mind – ones that were notable at least.

Gaea didn’t answer.

Wildfire grunted, clearly unhappy that my question was dodged.

“You play games with us, woman,” he sneered. I half expected him to dissolve into dust on the spot for the insult, but his comment didn’t even seem to phase Gaea. “Answer the boy’s question. This is supposed to be a congregation for cooperation.”

“Cooperation that will be unachievable should I speak too soon,” Gaea said carefully. Her head slowly turned to Alice and her eyes narrowed. “You will say nothing.”

I turned to see a look of shock spread across Gold’s face.

“You mean—”

“Nothing,” Gaea repeated with added emphasis. “They have arrived and will be up momentarily,” she took a sip from her glass. “None of you will speak or move until I say so.”

A silence and a sense of dread hung over the room. I saw groups of Supers exchange concerned glances. Alice even met my gaze and she mouthed ‘don’t freak out’. I was already shitting myself by taking a seat at the table. I don’t think I could freak out any further.

Then the door opened and my blood boiled.

Leading the last group was Mirage, followed closely by Banshee and a freshly rescued Bonesmith.

There was an air of confusion throughout the room as they approached the table. The three of them led a small group of four other supers that I didn’t care to do more than glance at.

Gaea conjured a seat for them and after a quick silent debate between the three of them, Bonesmith took the seat.

“Everyone is accounted for,” Gaea declared, setting her glass down. “Now, let us begin.”