Death Makes Me Stronger 4, page 5
“And if he drools on my pillow one more time, then I’m going to lose my shit, man, for real,” Orion said as I came back to the present moment.
“Fair,” I nodded along like I’d been listening to the entire rant. “We’ll get this all settled soon. We just need to take down the Mastermind and prove that the Heroes Society hasn’t betrayed everyone.”
“That’s going to be hard,” the inventor said as he pried open the metal door to his main lab. “Vera already sent the news about Admiral Freedom. And that the Mastermind managed to make him kill himself.”
“No talking about that right now,” the Designer said from the other side of the metal worktable. “There are new costumes to try on.”
The Designer pushed a pair of thin wire-framed glasses up his nose and then tried to fix his disheveled gray hair. It was the first time that I’d seen the fashion super look anything less than perfect, and I blinked a few times as the older man tried to smooth the wrinkles from his clothes with his bare hands. He managed to do a decent job of it, but there were still coffee stains on his usually pristine white button-up.
“Have you slept at all?” I asked and glanced at the table.
There were still random nuts and bolts everywhere, but sharp needles and fabric had been splayed out on top of them. It was a surprise that Orion hadn’t completely lost his shit since the Designer had basically taken over everything, but then I noticed the new table off to the side, and in the furthest corner away from the fabric super.
“Who needs sleep when I have ideas,” he said and then swigged a thick black substance that I was sure used to be coffee. “Golden Weaver, this is your new costume. I’m so sorry, my dear, but I haven’t had the time to dye the fabric your usual black and yellow. But there are still stripes along it, like the banana spider that you like, to use as a starting point.”
“Thank you,” my partner said and took the offered costume.
“You can change in the bedroom,” Orion offered and then retreated to his corner to work on what looked like more psychic-blocking bracelets. “Don’t touch the pillow, though. The Designer managed to sleep like twenty minutes and somehow drooled the entire time.”
“Which is an improvement to your sweat stains,” the older man snapped back and pushed up his glasses again.
“Maybe you guys should both get some sleep,” I laughed and shook my head.
“After, after,” the Designer said as he handed me a costume. “You can change out here while Golden Weaver is inside. Don’t worry about your secret identity, we both know who you are already.”
“I’m aware,” I said with a shake of my head.
Anora slipped into the other room and quickly shut the sliding metal door behind her while I started to strip out of my sweats in favor of my new costume. The fabric was softer than anything that I’d ever felt before, like the Designer had somehow managed to harness water, and it glided over my skin just as easily. I noticed a few blue stripes along the black fabric that were a new addition, and the second that I noticed them they started to glow like the ones on my hoverboard.
Nanobots poured out of the stripes to cover the entire suit in a mesh pattern, and I ran my hands over them to test if they’d move. The tiny robots shifted underneath my touch but didn’t break their configuration, and I looked up as my partner came out to see that her costume had the same feature.
“This is fantastic,” I said and jumped up and down to watch the nanobots move like water that surrounded me.
“Those are my nanobots,” Orion said from the corner. “The ones that I told you about. I’m glad to let you have them, but he could’ve at least asked first.”
“Yes, yes,” the designer said and walked over to inspect Golden Weaver’s costume. “I’ve heard your woes already. Now, dear, how does it feel? The fabric is a little different from anything that I’ve made before. It was created with a mixture of silk and steel. Took hours and hours to get it to work correctly, but those threads should be able to withstand a direct blast from Inferno even if he’s hopped up on more Vis.”
“It feels like I’m not wearing anything,” Anora said from behind her face mask.
The Designer and Orion may have known who I was at this point, but they’d respected my partner’s decision to keep her identity a secret for a little while longer. The older man did fuss around the edges of her face mask when the nanobots started to crawl up her neck, but he didn’t pull it away to get a look at Anora.
“These little nanobots just go wherever they want,” he huffed and then grabbed a needle from the table. “I thought that you said they would be contained within the fabric once they were released.”
“They are,” Orion sneered. “But you told me that Golden Weaver’s mask should be impenetrable. So, they’re designed to create a mask all on their own.”
“You could have told me that,” the older man grumbled and put the needle in his mouth like a toothpick that helped him think. “Hmm… yes, yes. This might actually work better. Oh, and they’ve already matched themselves to the rest of the suit so there won’t be any discrepancies. I would hate to send you out in a mismatched costume.”
I watched as the nanobots formed a mask over my partner’s face, and the spider-like woman reached up to touch it like she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. I had to admit that I would be terrified if the little robots tried to cover my mouth and eyes, but apparently that wasn’t a feature that had been added to my costume. I sighed in relief at the thought, even though Anora seemed to adjust quickly enough, like the professional superhero that she was.
“How do you like it?” I asked.
“It’s going to take some getting used to,” she said in a nervous tone. “I don’t think I like them being directly on my skin, but they aren’t hurting me.”
“You’ll have this mask on when you’re actually out on patrol,” the Designer said.
He pulled out a mask from a pile of fabric and held it up for Anora to inspect. It had the same two lenses surrounded by six small cameras that her normal mask had, but the material was the same as the rest of the costume. The Designer handed it to Golden Weaver and then nodded as she slid it into place.
The nanobots immediately washed over it and then connected with the others that had turned into a mesh shield that covered the rest of the superhero’s costume. If they were anything like the ones that Orion had installed in my hoverboard, then they really would be able to take a direct hit from Inferno, and I sighed with relief at the extra protection.
“Why does my costume have nanobots?” I asked and glanced down at the flash of color that indicated that the tiny robots were present.
“Because we don’t want everyone to know how invulnerable you are,” the Designer said with a dismissive wave. “And I don’t want to take the chance that someone will figure out how to puncture your invulnerable skin. I’ve lost enough friends lately, and I won’t be losing anymore.”
“You wouldn’t be losing me for very long, but fair enough,” I said and then watched as Anora took off the mask again. “How does it feel?”
“Weird,” she shrugged. “But they did connect with my lenses, and then to some kind of computer that had access to anything that I thought about. Well, almost everything. There were some firewalls.”
“Those are from the Watcher,” Orion said and then soldered one of the psychic-blocking bracelets. “She wanted you both to have access to her computers. But with limitations, obviously. You know that she would never give anyone unlimited access.”
“That girl is even more paranoid than you, Orion,” the Designer said around a yawn. “Well, my work here is done. Neither of you are to leave this skyscraper without your new costumes. And if you do, and something happens to you, then I will personally find you in whatever afterlife is waiting for us and drag you back to the land of the living.”
“Yes, sir,” I laughed.
The older man stumbled into the bedroom and collapsed onto the cot without another look in our direction, and soon his soft snores filled the entire lab. He’d probably worked non-stop since he’d heard the news about Admiral Freedom, and I hoped that the Designer would finally be able to get some rest now that Golden Weaver and I had the best costumes he’d ever made.
“He’s been worried all night,” Orion said as my partner retrieved her sweats and closed the sliding door. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him work so hard.”
“It’s not easy losing more heroes,” I said with a sympathetic nod. “For any of us.”
“No,” Anora said and then slipped on her sweats over the costume. “But we’ll do everything that we can to make sure that we don’t lose any more.”
“Speaking of which,” the inventor said and snapped back to reality. “I made the psychic-blocking bracelets stronger. It took a little bit of work, but I think that they should be able to help you resist even the Mastermind.”
“You’re sure?” I asked and studied the thin metal bracelet that he handed to Anora.
“Mostly,” he grinned and motioned for my partner to put the new jewelry on her wrist. “I’ll have to run some tests on it. Don’t worry, the nanobots will keep you from taking any real damage. Of course, they’ll also be the ones doing the damage, so it could go either way.”
“Why don’t you test it on me?” I said and reached for one of the other bracelets. “Since we know that I can’t take any damage from a psychic attack.”
“That’s exactly why it has to be Golden Weaver that tests it,” he said and took the device from me. “If she can resist the nanobots trying to mess with her mind, then the bracelet works. I promise that I don’t think it will do any permanent damage.”
“You think it won’t?” I asked with a frown.
“It’s fine,” Golden Weaver said and put a hand on my shoulder. “We need to make sure that these are going to work on those of us in the field that don’t already have immunity. And I heal fast. Even if they manage to hurt me, I’ll be fine in a few hours. I trust Orion.”
I opened my mouth to argue with her, but nothing came out. She had a point about needing to test it on herself, but everything in me wanted to do it for her. I put my hands up in defeat and then walked over to one of the short steel stools around the worktable to show them that I wouldn’t intervene.
“Thank you,” she said and then turned to Orion. “Go ahead. I’m ready.”
“Okay,” the inventor said and bounced on the balls of his feet like a basketball player about to shoot from half court. “Here we go. These nanobots will try to influence your mind and force you to walk around the lab. Resist them as much as possible. The ones in your suit should protect you from any damage. They will.”
It sounded like Orion needed to convince himself more than Golden Weaver, but my partner didn’t even flinch as the inventor poured a glass vial full of nanobots onto her head. The ones that were already there immediately tried to block them, but the new tiny robots turned a bright red and managed to slip beneath the edge of Anora’s mask. Orion bounced up and down a few more times as he entered something into a tablet, and the spider-like woman shook her head like the nanobots were starting to work.
“You’re doing great,” Orion said when Anora lifted her foot and then put it back down. “I’m going to up their power now. We’re not going to get as high as the Mastermind, but as close as I can. The bracelet is designed to knock you out if the nanobots and your own willpower fail.”
“Sounds… good,” Anora panted as the inventor tapped the tablet again.
The bracelet started to glow like Harper’s had earlier when the device had helped to undo the psychic block on his memory, but this time a shooting pain pierced through my temple. I put a hand to my head and shook it as the lab swayed in front of me. The bright white light from the psychic blocking bracelet was the only thing that I could see, and a high-pitched whine filled my ears like the worst case of tinnitus ever known to mankind.
“I--” Golden Weaver started to say, and then the shadowy figure in front of me dropped to the ground.
“Golden Weaver!” I shouted and jumped to my feet, but a wave of dizziness stopped me in my tracks. “Orion, what happened?”
“The bracelet worked like it was supposed to,” the inventor said as the pain in my head cut off like someone had flipped a switch. “She held out for as long as possible.”
“Why did you knock her out?” I snapped.
“She told me to,” Orion said with a confused expression.
My vision finally started to clear, and I raced over to help Anora up as she came to. Rage filled every fiber of my being, and it took all of my self-control not to punch Orion straight in the face and break every bone in his skull. I took a few calming breaths and helped Golden Weaver stand, but the spider-like superhero pumped her fist in the air like the inventor hadn’t almost killed her.
“That was fantastic,” she said. “I was able to resist the nanobots so well. And just when I felt like I was going to give in, the bracelet knocked me out. Not exactly ideal in the middle of a battle, but at least none of us will have to worry about us turning on each other.”
“My thoughts exactly,” the inventor said and set the tablet down, grabbed the glass vial, and recalled the red nanobots. “Of course, you’ll get stronger with each attempt to control you as you learn to fight back, but for the moment, you managed to handle quite a bit. As long as you’re not going against the Mastermind one on one, then I think you’ll be able to stay conscious.”
“We’ll run this test again before we actually go into battle,” Golden Weaver said. “Every day until we find him.”
“I’m down with that,” he said and then turned to me. “I’m more concerned with your reaction right now. It seemed like you lost your hearing at one point.”
“I got a migraine,” I frowned and rubbed my eyes. “And there was a ringing in my ears. It was just like when we entered the tomb in the underground bunker. And like whenever I’m around Kyle Isles-- wait. Holy shit. It’s him.”
Everything started to click into place as I realized that it probably wasn’t the PR jerk’s cologne that always gave me a headache. It seemed so obvious in hindsight, especially since no one else seemed to be bothered by the strong smell. But I hadn’t really been hit with an obvious psychic attack since the battle with Pscythe, so I hadn’t even considered the possibility that I’d already faced the Mastermind. I started to pace around the lab as I thought about all the times that Kyle Isles had tried to talk to me and the resulting migraine that always accompanied it.
“He would have access to everything that Admiral Freedom has,” my partner said, like she could read my mind. “And he’s always hanging around the mayor and the higher-ups while he’s doing his PR work.”
“That can’t be right,” Orion said and plopped down on one of the stools. “He’s been around the Heroes Society for years. And he’s not a super. There’s no way that Kyle Isles can be the Mastermind that we’ve been looking for.”
“Have you ever talked to him in person?” I asked and watched Orion’s eyes for any telltale signs of psychic influence.
“No,” the inventor snorted. “You know that I don’t leave this basement. And the last thing that I need is Admiral Freedom’s mouthpiece coming down to bother me every chance that he gets. I just… I just can’t believe that such an unassuming guy can be responsible for all of the carnage.”
“It is hard to believe,” I said and leaned against one of the work tables. “But it would be the perfect cover.”
“And Admiral Freedom could have been under his influence for years,” Golden Weaver pointed out. “His mind would already be weak from the constant exposure, and that would make it easier for Kyle to make him kill himself.”
“That’s true,” I nodded and started to tap my foot. “If we’re right, then the real Mastermind behind everything is Kyle Isles, and he’ll definitely be at the funeral.”
“Right next to the mayor,” my partner said. “We can watch them both for clues.”
I still thought that the mayor was involved in everything somehow, but he might just be another unwilling participant in the Mastermind’s plans. There had always been something about Kyle Isles that didn’t sit right, and it was more than just a hatred of the guy’s cologne. I ran through every interaction again and started to add up every instance when I’d gotten a headache after talking to him.
There were a couple of times when it had been light, but those were during the City Hall press conference when he and the mayor had addressed the crowd. The worst migraines were always during one-on-one conversations when he was trying to convince me to hire him. Still, it was hard to believe that the suit-wearing PR agent could be the evil Mastermind responsible for so many deaths.
The comm system screeched as it came to life, and we all turned to stare at the speaker in the corner like we were about to be called to war. I didn’t hear the sounds of an attack, but we were far beneath the skyscraper, and Orion had fortified the basement like it was a military bunker, so we probably wouldn’t notice until the invaders came down the elevator shaft. Vera’s voice came through the speaker as the high-pitched shriek went silent, and I glanced over at Golden Weaver as the announcement was made.
“Admiral Freedom’s funeral will be tomorrow morning,” the eagle-woman said. “I know that many of you have already seen the news regarding his death that has been broadcast on the local and national news channels. However, all of you are expected to attend and mourn the loss of a great superhero. Please be ready at eight a.m. sharp. We will depart together.”
The speaker system cut out, and I could practically hear Blue Frost in the lobby bitching about how Admiral Freedom had already disgraced all superheroes and how we shouldn’t be forced to attend. It was bound to be a complete shitshow, especially once the reporters and protestors arrived, but it was also the perfect opportunity to watch the mayor and Kyle Isles.
