Death Makes Me Stronger 4, page 11
“No,” I said with a shake of my head.
Alexiar coughed again to hide another laugh, but a few of the other heroes didn’t bother to smother their giggles. Even a few of the cops chuckled at my one word answers despite Ingle’s obvious attempts to get me talking.
“Osiris,” the lawyer started again and paced in front of me. “I understand that as someone new to the Heroes Society that you must have looked up to Admiral Freedom. It must have been quite a shock to find out that he was the one behind the entire Vis drug traffic ring.”
“No,” I said.
“No?” Ingle asked and whirled around with an excited expression like a puppy given a treat. “No? Then did you sense that Admiral Freedom was the evil mastermind behind the drug trafficking ring? And how long did you know? Did you bring it to Lady Vera’s attention?”
“I did not,” I said.
I pressed my lips together to smother a laugh as both of Ingle’s eyes started to twitch. If the lawyer wanted me to help him discredit all of us after we’d risked our lives, then he was going to have to work a little harder. I’d personally died several times just to protect the citizens of New Liberty, and my partner had also come close to death’s door on more than one occasion.
“You did not what?” the lawyer asked as he recovered. “You didn’t suspect Admiral Freedom? Or you didn’t report it to Lady Vera?”
“Admiral Freedom was not the one in charge of the drug trafficking ring,” I said as flatly as possible.
An excited murmur ran through the courtroom at my statement, and a few of the reporters smiled like it was officially the best day of their life. It was one thing to try and crucify Lady Vera on the stand and to make Blue Frost look like an idiot, but everyone in the city knew about how much Vis had been personally taken off the street by myself and the drug task force.
“Of course you want to believe in him,” Ingle laughed and shook his head like he was a sympathetic father trying to get a kid to confess to stealing the last piece of candy. “You probably grew up watching him on TV and dreaming of being a great superhero like Admiral Freedom. It’s hard to watch our heroes fall from grace. And even harder to watch the Heroes Society fail so miserably to protect the people of New Liberty.”
I was glad that my mask hid my face, because I rolled my eyes so hard at the lawyer that they felt like they’d pop out of my skull and roll across the courtroom. Ingle definitely had a knack for long speeches that didn’t have any questions, and if this had been an actual trial, then someone would probably call him out for it, but this was a stage, and he was the lead actor. I just sighed and waited for the guy to actually ask me a question, especially since anything that I said to his little monologue would only look like a weak defense.
“But, Osiris,” Ingle pressed forward. “You can’t really think that Admiral Freedom isn’t the mastermind behind the Vis drug trafficking ring. Your own colleagues on the task force discovered the bunker filled with Vis, weapons, and dead bodies.”
It took all of my self-control not to glance in Kyle Isles direction, just in case my body language gave me away. The psychic had remained quiet the entire hearing, but there was a room full of innocents that he could easily manipulate, and I wouldn’t be able to stop them from killing themselves if the psycho gave the order. And it didn’t help that I wasn’t really supposed to know about what was in the underground bunker, though that could easily be explained away by saying that Harper shared the files with me.
The two detectives on the drug task force hadn’t made an appearance at the hearing, and I scanned the crowd again for any sign of them. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach as the worst-case scenarios flitted through my mind, but then Vera gave me the smallest nod as if to reassure me that they were okay. Harper and Marty probably hadn’t been invited in the first place since they might take Admiral Freedom’s side, and the cops would definitely defend the Heroes Society, so the mayor had likely sent them on some idiotic assignment so that they’d be out of the way.
Still, I’d have to call Harper the second that the hearing was over and hear that he was okay with my own ears. Vera would lie to me until we were free and could do something about them being in danger, and I couldn’t blame her. If I ran out now, then it would look damning for the Heroes Society like I’d gone rogue, and then the National Guard would hunt me down.
“Are you going to answer my question?” Ingle asked as silence filled the courtroom.
“You didn’t ask one,” I pointed out.
“Do you really think that Admiral Freedom is innocent even with all of the evidence that has been presented?” He laughed and made eye contact with the cameras like an actor breaking the fourth wall on a TV show.
“Yes,” I said and then tilted my head to the side in question. “Do you really think that someone who’d operated a successful drug trafficking ring for years without anyone noticing would take his own product and go berserk? And do you really, truly believe that someone under their own mental control would rip out their throat and eyes?”
Hot white pain shot through my right temple like someone had pierced it with a fiery arrow, and I swayed a little as my head started to spin. My stomach churned as the migraine spread through the rest of my body, and it took everything in me not to lift my mask and throw up on the witness stand. I managed to breathe steadily until it started to subside, and a sideways glance in Kyle Isles’ direction showed the PR man glaring at me like I’d killed his dog.
No one in the courtroom had the tell-tale red ring around their eyes, so the psychic hadn’t taken control of anyone, and his attention was solely focused on me. Another wave hit me as if Kyle was trying hard to take over my mind, but thankfully, the psychic immunity was stronger than the Mastermind’s power.
“Osiris,” Ingle said in an agitated tone like it wasn’t the first time that he’d called my name. “Are you still with us?”
“Yes,” I said as the ringing in my ears subsided.
Vera and Golden Weaver had both tucked their arms under their legs like the women wanted to hide the bright light from their psychic-blocking bracelets, and the eagle-woman quickly swiped at a trickle of blood that dripped down her beak as if just being near the psychic wave had done damage to the strong woman’s mind. My partner sniffed since the mask blocked access to her nose, and the nanobots shifted as if they were struggling to protect the spider-like woman.
“As I was saying,” Ingle continued with a frustrated expression. “Whether Admiral Freedom was under the influence of his own product, or whether he just went crazy and killed all of his men before taking his own life, it’s still very clear to everyone that he was the mastermind behind the Vis epidemic in New Liberty.”
“Or he’s being framed,” I said as casually as my tensed throat muscles would allow.
“And who would frame him?” the lawyer laughed. “Who could? He was the number one hero. And did that same person go into his house, a verified fortress, and steal his bag to deliver the drugs to the prison for the prison break? Isn’t it more likely that he is in fact the villain behind all of the recent deaths? And that the guilt simply became too much for him and his fragile psyche broke?”
“Are these rhetorical questions?” I asked as my own anger flared. “Or do you actually want answers?”
“I think that this has gone on long enough,” Judge Warren interrupted before Ingle could continue. “It’s clear that Osiris is too blinded by his affection for Admiral Freedom to believe the truth. You may leave the witness stand.”
“Sure,” I shrugged and stood.
My head swam as I walked back to my seat, but at least Kyle didn’t try to hit me with another attempt at mind control. The PR man still glared in my direction like a pouty toddler that couldn’t have a new toy, but at least he hadn’t attacked anyone else in the courtroom. And I’d managed to avoid giving any indication that I knew who he really was.
“You may call your next witness,” Judge Warren said as Ingle glowered in my direction.
“Thank you, Judge Warren,” the lawyer said and then took a deep breath, smiled at the cameras, and called Alexiar to the stand.
Ingle went through the same line of questioning that he had with Blue Frost and me, though Alexiar gave the lawyer just about as much as I had. The stoic superhero may not have had Admiral Freedom’s back when his bag was found at the prison, but it was clear that he’d come around since the number one hero had died. The pitbull in a pinstripe suit did manage to get the number two hero to confess that it was suspicious that the bag found in the prison had his colleague’s initials on it and that it would be hard for anyone to have retrieved it, but that was all the superhero gave up.
It didn’t take long for Ingle to turn back toward the Heroes Society and its supposed incompetence, and hero after hero testified that they’d been told to be silent about the Vis epidemic while the drug task force worked to bring down the whole system. The lawyer somehow managed to make the cops sound like they were all heroes for their daring attempt to take Admiral Freedom’s drug network down while making the late hero the obvious culprit, and while making my colleagues seem incompetent at best, or downright negligent at worst.
“You may leave the witness stand,” Ingle told the mouse hero. “Judge Warren, that was my last witness. I believe that it’s time for your decision on what the next steps should be.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ingle,” Judge Warren said and then took a long swig of water. “I appreciate everyone’s patience today as we have heard multiple testimonies. The task in front of us is not an easy one. I have admired the Heroes Society for years, and many supervillains have been brought to justice thanks to their help.”
The judge paused to glance in the heroes’ direction, and for a moment I saw regret in his eyes, but then it was swallowed up with anger as if we’d spit in the judge’s face.
“However,” he continued. “It is now clear that while they have done some good things, that the Heroes Society has become complacent. And they have forgotten why they were started in the first place. The Heroes Society has taken the leeway that the city bestowed upon them and used it for their own selfish desires. Admiral Freedom may be the worst example, but it is clear that the supposed heroes were more than willing to turn a blind eye to the drug epidemic that has taken so many lives. Whether that was because they truly believed in their leadership, or because they simply wanted a reason to have a paycheck, the city of New Liberty can no longer support them.”
“That’s ridiculous!” one of the heroes shouted. “We’ve put our lives on the line for years. And now we’re being punished for Admiral Freedom’s fuck-up?”
“Order!” Judge Warren bellowed and motioned for the cops in the back to subdue the heroes that started to protest. “We have heard repeatedly that many of you turned a blind eye to the drug epidemic. Many lives would have been saved if it had not been for the negligence of the Heroes Society. It’s clear now that most of you are only licensed so that you can earn money. That is not the action of a hero. Nor is the damage that the city has endured just so that all of you can have a paycheck.”
“Can I kill a judge?” Golden Weaver hissed.
“No,” I said. “And we both knew this was going to happen.”
I reached over to take her hand while the National Guard moved in to help subdue the enraged heroes behind us. The whole courtroom had erupted into angry shouts, and cold air washed over me as Blue Frost stood up and stomped out like the diva he was. I risked a glance over at Kyle Isles, and the PR man smiled as he talked to one of the reporters.
“I know,” my partner huffed and squeezed my hand. “But he’s going too far.”
“Everything will be fine,” I said as the judge banged his gavel.
“I will have order in my courtroom!” Judge Warren shouted over the angry protests. “Silence!”
Vera stood and turned to stare at the remaining heroes until one by one they all sat down to hear the verdict. We all knew where it was headed, but Judge Warren hadn’t given his official ruling yet. The eagle-woman nodded once at her subordinates, sat down, and then motioned for the judge to continue.
“Thank you,” the older man frowned and then straightened his robes. “As I said… It’s clear that the Heroes Society has failed in its one mission. Because of that, and with a heavy heart, I find that the Heroes Society will hereby be disbanded. All heroes licenses will be revoked, and anyone caught acting as a superhero in New Liberty will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The Heroes Society skyscraper will remain under Lady Vera’s ownership as she is the rightful owner of the building, but it, and its residents, will be under strict surveillance for any vigilante activity.”
The judge banged his gavel again to signify the end of his verdict, and silence fell on the courtroom. Shocked expressions covered my colleagues’ faces when I looked over my shoulder, and even a few of the reporters seemed surprised that the man had actually revoked everyone’s licenses. Judge Warren stood up, straightened his robes, and then walked into the judge’s chambers as if it was just another day.
“What are we going to do now?” someone asked. “I-I don’t know how to be anything but a hero.”
“We’ll figure it out,” someone else said. “I guess I can always go back to construction work.”
“Heroes,” Vera said as she stood up and turned to look at everyone. “We may no longer be able to serve New Liberty as we once did, but we are still a family. I promise that the light will shine on us again. And you are all still welcome to live in the Heroes Society tower as you decide what you would like to do next.”
The eagle-woman nodded once and then strolled toward the back of the courtroom and out into the late afternoon light. Vera’s head was held high even as the reporters all rushed to catch up with the former leader of the Heroes Society, and I sighed heavily as the other heroes scurried after her like little ducklings.
“We should go,” Golden Weaver said as the courtroom slowly emptied.
“Yep,” I said and then turned to Alexiar and Sun Streak. “It was nice working with you. Even if it was just for a little while.”
“You, too,” Sun Streak said with a teary smile. “The sun will shine on us again. Just like Vera said. And the mayor is right… there’s hope for a better future.”
I nodded and then walked out after the dynamic duo with Golden Weaver right beside me. Kyle Isles had already followed the reporters out into the courtyard by the time that we made it outside, and the mayor was on the top of the stairs with microphones all around him. I wanted nothing more than to punch both of them in the face and tell everyone that the PR man was the real evil mastermind, but there still wasn’t any proof. He’d already proven powerful enough to take over a lot of people at once, and that would mean risking a lot of innocent lives if people actually believed me.
“This verdict is exactly what the city needed,” the mayor said as Golden Weaver and I walked around the reporters. “The city can start to heal now. We can move forward to a brighter day. A day where we no longer have to be afraid.”
I paused on the steps as the thin man spoke directly to the cameras with the same political smile that he was famous for. There was no red ring around the mayor’s eyes. And I was close enough that I’d be able to see it underneath his colored contacts.
And that could only mean one thing.
The mayor was in league with Kyle Isles.
Chapter 8
“You can’t disband the Heroes Society!” a woman’s voice rose above the rest of the protesters.
I turned to see the young woman that had once vandalized the statue of the big three with a panicked expression on her face. Uniformed officers quickly stepped between the girl and the press like she was some dangerous supervillain instead of a scared college kid. I looked just behind her to see more supporters had gathered behind her, and all of them shouted about how the Heroes Society needed to stay together.
“Please,” the mayor said as a headache formed behind my right eye. “Please, calm down. I promise you that I will not leave the city unprotected. The vulnerable will be safe. There will be a better future for New Liberty.”
“How can we be safe without the Heroes Society?” a man in grease-covered overalls shouted. “Who’s going to keep my car shop safe when Inferno comes back and tries to set fire to everything? Are you going to freeze the flames before they reach the oil drums?”
“I have every confidence that our wonderful police force will be able to subdue any supervillains that may try to attack the city now that the Heroes Society has been disbanded,” the politician said in a soothing voice.
“And how are they going to do that?” the young woman snapped. “Are they going to hope that there’s no more Vis on the streets? Or are they just going to stand in front of the supervillains and die?”
“Our police officers are very well trained,” the mayor said. “They are more than capable of stopping a supervillain. I appreciate your concern for our lovely city, but I assure you that we did not come to the conclusion that the Heroes Society needed to be disbanded lightly.”
The young woman scoffed and then turned to glare at one of the cops that had started to move her back down the stairs. She stumbled, and the grease-covered mechanic caught her while the other protesters started to shout about police brutality.
Angry shouts echoed off of the nearby buildings as more protesters arrived, and those who supported the disbanding started to get louder so that their cheers would be heard over the outraged cries. Someone near the street threw a punch, and soon a full-blown fistfight had exploded in the back of the crowd. The cops and National Guard rushed in with riot gear like they’d expected the craziness, and I stepped forward to help, but a taloned hand clasped my shoulder.
“No, Osiris,” Vera said with a sad shake of her head. “It’s not our job anymore.”
“It is,” I said and motioned to the citizens stuck in the middle of the fight. “It doesn’t matter if we have licenses or not, we can’t just stand on the sidelines and let people get hurt. We became heroes to help people, not to watch people get hurt just because some judge decided that we were dangerous.”
