I placed Anomaly’s container down on the table with a heavy clunk. It was only a slight difference, but the dark goo was starting to become more active. As much as I was looking forward to seeing him up and about again, my attention fixated on Alice.
She paced the room, her eyes blazing Gold and a look of frustration on her face. If it bothered me that every Mentalist on the planet had missed such a simple weakness, I’m sure she’s downright furious.
“Alice.”
Her head flicked toward me, and I noticed Gold’s eyes glowed brighter than usual. They shone like miniature suns, and my only reasoning led me to conclude that she was pushing her power harder than she was regularly comfortable with. I wasn’t entirely sure what side effects that would lead to, but I doubted she would’ve heeded my advice if I offered any.
“We’ve got what we need,” I started, picking my words carefully. Gold was still staring at me, her expression completely unreadable. “Our next move should be sharing this information with everyone—”
“No.”
“No?” I repeated, giving her a confused stare.
So far, we had spent the night tracking down Splicer so we could get information off him – information that Pandora, The Queen’s Court, and the ECU could finally use to put Grim down. Were we seriously not going to use it?
The Old Man behind me cleared his throat. “I agree. Sharing this knowledge won’t do any good.”
“What?” I turned to him, trying not to sound bewildered at what I was hearing. “Sorry, did we not all hear the same thing? We’ve got his weakness, it’s water, and this city is by the fucking ocean. Why wouldn’t we be shouting this from the rooftops?”
“Consider the information we’ve received and our reactions to it,” The Old Man said, shaking his head. “We could tell them but the issue lies in the believability. Would I be right in assuming that you—” he said, turning his gaze to Alice. “—are struggling to believe his claims? I’ve worked with plenty of Mentalists before and they do not like simple solutions to difficult problems.”
Alice stopped pacing. Crossing her arms, she looked away from The Old Man and lightly bit her lip in thought.
“I believe him, but that’s the problem. There has to be something Splicer has missed. The solution he’s presented is far too simple. If his weakness really is water, then someone would have figured it out by now.”
“It’s likely that someone has,” The Old Man said evenly. “And they were probably silenced by Grim or a third party. Maybe they’re too scared to share the information or perhaps they didn’t believe their conclusions. It’s happened before with other Evos, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the case here.”
Alice clicked her tongue as she lifted a hand to chew on one of her fingernails. I could see how anxious she was. With Gold in control, it was easy to tell that Grim occupied every part of her brain. I could see her searching for threads – anything she had missed, recalling information to her brain that she otherwise would have ignored.
“Grim has been active for over sixty years. Outside of the Trinity, he’s one of the oldest supers and there’s a plethora of information on him. At no point in my research did I ever come across anything that would have led me to the conclusion that his weakness is water,” Alice said with a quiet edge to her voice. “Information must have been scrubbed, any trace wiped.”
“Difficult to do,” The Old Man said. “As far as we’re aware, he doesn’t have the resources. Never has.”
“Then he’s killed them all,” she replied. “Or scared the ones he couldn’t afford to kill into silence. He has enough resources and influence for that.”
The Old Man exhaled softly. “Sometimes all it takes is a reputation for someone to keep their mouth shut.”
I looked between the two of them and frowned. From where I stood, I could visualize this conversation heading toward a solution in which we do nothing. To say that didn’t sit right with me would’ve been an understatement. If I had to, I’d build giant water cannons to rid the city of the bastard myself. I didn’t care how ridiculous the answer was, only that it worked.
“So what do we do?”
Silence was my answer.
Alice was still utilizing Gold to make some kind of plan or to figure out if there was any way Splicer had lied or come to the wrong conclusion – at least, that’s what I believed she was doing. The Old Man – who I didn’t know much about – remained stoic. The lack of urgency started to grate at my nerves. The fight was still raging out outside, and we were down here standing around.
“Why only water? There are plenty of substances on Earth that can stand the test of time,” I wondered. Depending on how rapidly Grim’s power aged, some solids could last thousands, if not millions of years. Those ECU soldiers practically melted when his shadow swept through them, disintegrating their armor, bodies, and bones. His power must accelerate the aging process by hundreds of years. “How effectively can Grim affect rocks? I’m not big on geology, but I know volcanic matter can last a long time if not exposed to eroding elements. Do you know what scale his powers can age?”
Gold hummed thoughtfully.
“Thousands of years in a few seconds, give or take,” Gold rubbed her forehead with an unsatisfied scowl. “Could be more, could be less. When I try to extrapolate what I know, my power just gives up.”
I blinked owlishly. Since when could Gold not get an accurate answer?
Since when would she give up?
“Gives up?” I narrowed my eyes. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Most Mentalists I’ve encountered operate on linear simulations relative to the information they possess,” The Old Man cut in. Alice’s face twisted into something ugly, and I immediately knew she didn’t take kindly to his input. “Traditional Mentalists can process information and follow it to its most likely conclusion. I’ll stress that it’s most, not all. Some do it better than others. I like to call them Archival Mentalists.”
Not all Mentalists. Some were like Mirage and played with minds with illusions. I had no doubts there were other kinds I hadn’t heard of yet.
“Let’s not get off track,” Alice said, eager to keep us on track. “I’ve determined that Grim’s power operates like a gas, meaning it’s soluble in water. Some solids could work, namely rocks or noble metals, but the issue lies in acquiring those materials. Some are exotic and unbelievably expensive. We’re on a time crunch, so it's unrealistic. Water is easily accessible, and our most obvious solution.”
Alice looked like she wanted to bite her tongue off for saying that.
“Then it's a matter of volume,” I said. I felt myself begin to pace the room just like Alice had been moments ago. Ideas sprung to mind on weapons that could shoot high volumes of water. It wasn’t like it was hard to come up with – those things already existed in the form of riot suppression and firefighters, hell with my power, all I’d need is a crappy water pistol to get started. “How much is enough?”
Another thought occurred to me – the type of water.
Ocean? Fresh? Distilled? Did it even matter?
“It’s not like we can just lead him into the ocean. I can’t imagine a more obvious trap,” I muttered. When I wasn’t getting any feedback from The Old Man or Alice, I gave them an expecting look. “Well? Come on, we need ideas.”
“Grim’s not stupid. Anything that’s a direct approach he’s going to see coming,” The Old Man shook his head.
“So what, we just sit on our asses here and wait for him to grind the city to dust?”
“I never said that,” The Old Man shot back, his gaze drifting back to Alice. “What we need is a plan of action. Preferably one that tests our hypothesis. If he actually can be weakened by water, then we need to figure out how much we need. Grim is obviously aware of his own weakness, so if he sees someone trying to exploit it, he’ll drop any pretense about holding back and start attacking indiscriminately.”
“Is he not already doing that?” I said, disbelief coloring my tone. “The whole city’s against him and chances are Pandora and the ECU are calling in backup. His back’s against the wall. Sure, Gold Rush and Nemesis might still be on his side but they’re still vastly outnumbered.”
“And yet he’s still holding back,” Alice said, the golden glow of her eyes shifting back to blue. “His shadow is completely invincible, it’s only downside being his maneuverability. He can have a whole army against him and he’ll still eventually win.”
“He doesn’t want to destroy Bayside,” The Old Man added. “Since he’s been here, he’s built something. The Cains, while scum, are still a formidable force within the city. In his head, he’s not going to give up on that until there’s a real chance that he dies. He will fight, and he will kill to maintain his position in this city.”
Frustration bubbled in my chest and threatened to burst. I recalled a conversation I had earlier in my partnership with Alice, one that detailed Grim specifically.
“You told me that if Pandora and Grim came to blows, it would be a bloodbath – but that eventually, with all their firepower, Pandora would come out on top. The Queen’s Court and the ECU are also against him now,” I paused to gauge her reaction. Alice simply crossed her arms and waited for me to continue. “Are you telling me that’s changed, that they’ll all fail – that Grim will come out on top of all this?”
Slowly, she exhaled out of her nose, her gaze dropping to the floor. Then, after a few more moments, she met my eyes again.
“When I told you that, Gold was operating under the assumption that Pandora’s insane number of supers would mean one would eventually find his weakness. Throw enough bodies at a problem and the solution would eventually show.”
I wanted to rip my hair out at the absurdity of that line of thought.
“Throwing bodies at Grim doesn’t work! He turns them to dust, Alice. Grim has fought head-on with Ajax. AJAX! You don’t get more firepower than a two thousand meter spaceship with enough firepower to turn a small country into a glass floor!” I snapped.
Alice narrowed her eyes into a glare.
“Ajax’s methods are simple. Overwhelming firepower. What Pandora has is versatility. Don’t ignore what I’m saying. Gold’s conclusion was that Pandora would find his weakness eventually with their numbers – something I now know won’t happen,” she growled. “There are no Hydrokinetic Elementalists in Bayside and the few that do pop up either quickly end up dead, or leave the city. No prizes for guessing why that is. Unfortunately that leaves us without the easy option since the closest macro Hydrokinetic that comes to mind is a super called Riptide, and last I heard they were in China.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Japan, now,” The Old Man said, stunning the both of us. His expression didn’t change when we both turned to him. “He doesn’t work for us if that’s what you’re wondering. He’s just someone we’ve been keeping tabs on. He’s two weeks into his vacation.”
“It’s not like we can just hop to Japan and ask him nicely anyway,” I dismissed the notion. “Unless you guys have access to teleportation somehow.”
The Old Man stared at me, his expression unchanging. “We do not.”
I strolled over to the couch and collapsed, leaning back into the cushions.
It didn’t escape me that even now, there were people out there dying on the streets while I sat here in this air-conditioned room, relaxing on the sofa. I didn’t feel like the best person in the world when I had information crucial to Bayside’s survival. Unfortunately, The Old Man and Alice had a point. No one would believe us if we strolled up and claimed we all needed to give Grim a hydration check.
“There’s got to be something.”
“We’ll get there kid,” The Old Man said reassuringly. I turned to see that his gaze had softened somewhat. It wasn’t what I expected from the man, but I was thankful for it anyway. “We just need to keep our heads on straight and the answer will come to us.”
“I’m a Mechakinetic,” I offered, looking between him and Alice again. The latter was off in her own little world, staring at the ceiling. “Maybe I can build something.”
I checked the time on my visor. It was one-thirty in the morning. It would only be a few more hours before my charges reset at four forty-seven. I’d be able to do something then – make something that could potentially hamper Grim. A large bucket we could airlift overhead. Grim’s shadow didn’t have eyes, so it wasn’t like he’d be able to see us coming. Then again… he was able to navigate with his shadow pretty well. There was probably another aspect of his power I wasn’t accounting for.
Scratch the giant bucket idea.
“What would you be able to build in time?” The Old Man asked. “Mechakinetics need time, kid. I know you’re fast but I doubt you're that fast.”
I was that fast – or could be with the proper setup. If I had the right base components, I’d be able to skip steps and save on charges, but that was a best-case scenario. I’d need to know what I was building first, and I didn’t even have that. The best I could come up with was some kind of water bomb or water gun. Whatever it involved had to be something that utilized water and did it at a high volume. Maybe we could break into a fire station and steal a firetruck? I could improve it with my powers, but would the quantity of water be enough?
How much was enough? What if we hooked into a fire hydrant? But then we have to worry about Grim seeing us set up, and there’s no way we’d get the chance to—
An incoming call interrupted my train of thought, the caller ID highlighting itself on my visor.
Mom?
A new sense of panic seized my heart. I quickly shot up from the sofa and left the room. I drew the eyes of Alice and The Old Man, but they didn’t say anything to stop me. The door opened, and I found myself in an empty hallway. I looked around to ensure no prying eyes or surveillance devices were around. I spotted two cameras and quickly switched them off before answering the call.
“Hey,” I said awkwardly. No real excuse came to mind, and all I could do was prepare myself for the dressing down I was about to receive. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m just making sure you haven’t gotten caught up in anything. It’s quite chaotic outside and I have no idea where the fighting is,” Mom replied. “Your friend Sam didn’t give me her address when she let me know you were staying over. We thought it was for the best, since the situation escalated rather quickly. So, you are fine… right?”
My mouth went dry as I processed what I just heard. I couldn’t believe Alice had enough foresight to call my mother to explain that I was staying the night. The fact that didn’t seem to make Mom suspicious didn’t sit right with me. I quickly opened my messages and found nothing from her, not even a peep to see if I was okay.
It made me uneasy.
“Yeah…” I said, unable to hide the distance in my tone. “Look, sorry that I didn’t call you. I was caught up with something at school. I was hanging out with some friends and I had just gotten to her place when everything started.”
“Are you at least away from all the fighting? I’ve locked the house and I’ve managed to get down into the basement.”
“Yeah. Yeah, we’re out of danger. Just um…” I trailed off, my mind blank. “Just hanging out really, keeping an eye out for any danger. We’re a good distance away. I can see some flashes and hear the fighting in the distance, but that’s it.”
“Okay, good,” Mom said, sounding relieved. “Don’t do anything foolish, okay? No trips outside. You’re old enough to know that tonight of all nights isn’t the time to be stupid. Don’t take any risks.”
“Yeah, I won’t,” I said. “Take care of yourself. I’ll see if I can get home tomorrow, hopefully this has all blown over by then.”
“Well if it hasn’t then just stay put, but I’m sure it will be fine. After all The ECU has everything under control,” I didn’t miss the blatant mockery in her tone. “We’ll have to see how it goes in the morning.”
“I’ll keep an ear out.”
“Okay, stay safe now. I’m going to try and get some sleep. It’s not very comfortable down here but I’ll make do.”
“Okay… good night, Mom.”
The call ended, and a numbness spread throughout my body as I rested against the wall.
I had completely neglected my mother – to see if she was okay. Since this started, the thought of calling her hadn’t even crossed my mind. I had told Mia I’d much rather be at home making sure she was safe, but I didn’t have the decency to call her. She was the reason I involved myself in all this in the first place. I was doing it for her.
Are you?
The traitorous thought lingered like a buzzing fly I couldn’t shoo.
Once the thought had made itself known, I couldn’t ignore it. I wanted to fix my mother – to help her walk again and get out of her wheelchair, but I could no longer pretend like it was the sole reason I was doing this.
I wanted to use my powers. I wanted to learn how to use them more efficiently. There were problems in the world that I could see now, and with enough time, I could fix them. I didn’t want to stop there either. There were problems outside my current reach, but that wasn’t permanent. The Cains, Pandora, the ECU, the Queen’s Court. All of it. I just had to put the time in and then address them directly.
The door to the room behind me opened, and The Old Man stepped out. He turned his head and inclined it in my direction.
“Taken care of your business?”
“You knew what I was doing?”
“No,” he replied simply. “With the way you left, I assumed you needed some space to clear your head. Time’s up though, we need you back in here. Three heads are better than two, Mentalist withstanding.”
I grumbled and pushed off the wall, following him back inside.
Alice was bent over a table, propped up on her elbows, staring at the container Anomaly was still swirling around inside. There was intense concentration on her features as she studied the pool of black goo. I couldn’t imagine what she could be thinking about, but with the attention she gave it, it had to be crucial.
“I have a question,” she said suddenly, turning her head. “How did he bring you lunch last Friday?”
Evidently, I was wrong.
“What?”
“Your lunch. Anomaly brought it to you last Friday – you know, the week you took off to work?” Alice asked, giving me a knowing look. “Your workshop was locked so I couldn’t get in. He offered to take it to you.”
I stared at her, bewildered at the direction this conversation had gone.
“Uh, yeah?”
“How’d he get into your workshop?”
I thought for a moment and shrugged, recalling the throwaway comments he had made.
“I don’t know. Underneath the door? He can fit through small gaps, can’t he? I mean, look at him,” I pointed to the container. The black goo continued to pool and swirl around aimlessly. “He could probably fit through almost anything. His body might as well be made of—” I felt my eyes widen at the realization, but Alice quickly cut me off by shaking her head. “...No? But he survived Grim’s shadow before. What if—”
“He survived it for sure, but as far as we can tell, there was no effect on Grim.”
I frowned. “Then… what?”
Alice tapped the container, and the black goo shuddered like Jell-O.
“How’d he bring your lunch to you?”
I groaned, rolling my eyes. “I’m not playing this game. Just tell me where you’re going with this.”
“I have to agree with the kid,” The Old Man grumbled. “Get to the point. Time is short and people are dying.”
I didn’t miss her pout before she turned away and huffed. Alice reached for the container, grabbing the edge to pull it closer. She then stared down at it with trepidation. She lifted a hand, hovering it over the top.
“What’re you doing?” I asked, confused.
“It just sort of occurred to me. He managed to get your lunch into your workshop, underneath the gap of a door that couldn’t be wider than a few millimeters. Now, how do you think that’s possible?”
“I…” the words died in my throat. “Huh. I never really thought about it.”
“Neither did I,” Alice admitted. “Until now.”
She abruptly plunged her hand in, allowing it to sink deeper and deeper. After a few moments, she pursued her lips and nodded slowly. Humming, she pulled her hand out and examined the drippy bits of black goo that trailed down her hand and flowed back into the container.
“Now that’s interesting.”
“Alice,” I said, restraining my irritation. “What’s interesting?”
She held up her hand. Picking up Anomaly, she strolled to the kitchen sink and carefully placed the container in the basin. Angling the facet so that it was facing into the open top, she switched the water on and stepped to the side so we could look. Curiously, we approached.
“I was wondering what was taking him so long to reform,” I said. “Does… he need water or something?”
“What? No,” Alice laughed. “Look.”
We looked.
Nothing was happening.
We waited some more, and still nothing happened.
“What am I looking at?” I asked petulantly. My annoyance was starting to get the better of me. “You’re giving him a bath, which admittedly is probably a good thing. We never sanitized him after— why isn’t it filling up?”
“Hah! You see!?” Alice grinned.
The tap was still running, and I could see the water flowing into Anomaly’s liquid-like body, but it wasn’t rising. The goo wasn’t expanding, and the water wasn’t pooling. It was disappearing.
I looked up at Alice to see her grin widening before looking back down.
“Where’s it going?”
“There’s the question I was looking for! Where is it going, I wonder?” Alice clapped, releasing a sigh of relief. “Anomaly’s power has always puzzled me. It stumped Gold and I haven’t the slightest doubt that the ECU isn't much better off. They probably think he’s some weird freaky goo Morpher or something, and to be fair, it is an accurate description of him.”
The warning on Anomaly’s ECU file jumped to mind – the one Alex had shown me. They didn’t know how his powers worked, even with God knows how many Mentalists they had to consult about it.
“Is he absorbing the water or something?”
Intrusive thoughts had my hand twitching. I wanted to stick my hand inside just to see what would happen. Alice hadn’t lost hers in the attempt, so I was sure I would be safe. However, I resisted the urge.
“Absorbing, or transporting,” Alice replied with a knowing look. “That’s what I haven’t been able to figure out yet.”
“If he was absorbing it, then he would be growing,” The Old Man said.
“If it is absorbing, it's a question of volume. However, I don’t think it’s that,” Alice countered, gesturing to me. “Like I said, I’m wondering how he managed to get a full meal underneath the gap in the door. If he absorbed stuff, then he wouldn’t have been able to do that. If you ask me, he’s—”
“A portal,” I said, finishing her sentence. I turned to meet her gaze. “He’s a portal?”
“Well, I wouldn’t put it like that. He’s more of a—”
The container shuddered and exploded.
A torrent of water blasted out and practically shredded the sink and countertop to pieces while throwing us all to the floor. I was lucky to be wearing my suit. My two cohorts weren’t so fortunate.
I heard The Old Man and Alice groaning as they tried to sit up. However, in front of me, I heard coughing. I pushed myself up to see Anomaly, back in his human form, sputtering while lying in a pool of water. He rolled onto his back with his eyes squinted.
“I swear… I’m never doing that again.”