Ex Heroes 5 - Chapter 2

(Unedited)

“Come,” Lamb gestured, leading us toward the crystals and the dais. of my group being led into the main docking bay, where smaller fighter craft were arranged. Apparently this was a staging point, and it was more than that, I noticed—tall statues rose up all around, some of them looking very lifelike. The walls of the place had no base, but simply rose out of the ground. 

“One of your mother’s creations,” Lamb said with a gesture at the building. “Since she’s returned, she has been quite instrumental in the redevelopment of the Citadel.” 

I nodded, taking it all in with excitement. Next my eyes moved about the small crowd moving about the ships, preparing them for war, I imagined. “My mother…?”

“Soon enough,” Lamb replied, but then indicated upwards. 

My eyes continued to roam, and I was soon very aware of the fact that I still didn’t see Drew anywhere. I did, however, spot something quite interesting—a glowing, golden pyramid-shaped object, seemingly floating in the middle of this room and on top of a dais of crystals. Or maybe it was more than one pyramid, it was hard to tell with all these people in here. 

“Come,” Lamb gestured, leading us toward the crystals and the dias. 

“What is it?” I asked. 

“That,” Lamb explained, “is how we’re fighting them.” 

“And proof that we can win this battle after all,” another voice said, this one deep, weathered. Light shone around the crystal, more than had before, and the figure stepped out from it, as if he’d gone through a gateway. A glance at his armor showed sign of combat in the form of scratches and signs of explosions, but his face was of an old man, visibly scarred on one side.

He stood there, tall and confident, until his eyes landed on Andromida. For a moment he stared, confused it seemed, and she let out a yelp, then ran to him. 

“I thought…” she said, wrapping her arms around him, and we all glanced around in confusion, even Lamb. “I thought you were dead.”

“And I you,” the old man said. “I don’t understand… The reports all said—” 

“And they told me you—”

Neither could finish, both hugging again. Finally, the old man stepped back and looked at us all with pride before turning to Lamb. “Lamb, everyone, I’d like you to meet my daughter.”

“Hadrian?” I asked, in awe at finally being able to put a face to the name. 

Andromida turned to me, smiling, and said, “Yes, this is my father.”

Here I’d been expecting to find my brother, and instead Andromida and her father were being reunited. 

“Come everyone, are you ready to see what we’re up against?” Hadrian said. 

“I’d like to know what the fuck is going on, first of all,” Cheri spoke up, and several others among us nodded, muttering in agreement. 

Hadrian laughed. “There’s a long story for you in that, but the simple version is we thought we were defeated. We made great sacrifices, and now, thanks in large part to Breaker and his brother, Drew, we’ve been making greats strides to retake the Citadel, to see that the Nihilists and the supervillains they’re working with are removed from the equation.”

“How?” I asked. 

He smiled at me. “It’s easier if I show you.” 

With a nod from me, he grinned and held out a hand toward the pyramid, though the gesture seemed more for show. Light burst from it, engulfing us, and when it was gone, we weren’t where we’d been. We weren’t on that ship, but on a clear platform high above, the Citadel far off, and several ships unlike anything I’d ever seen hovering around us. Metal camps were in place with that same feel as the curving blown glass feel of the ships below, while these ships were curved with one side like a blade. 

“Welcome to the front lines,” Hadrian said. He indicated a series of metal tents off to our right. They also grew out of the ground, so I imagined were my mother’s creation. “First, we must talk. There’s a bar there,” he indicated another to our left, “where the rest of you can grab a water and relax while I pull Breaker and Laurel aside.”

“Water?” Cheri scoffed. “Did you say a bar or a trough?” 

Lamb chuckled. “He’s only messing with you. Go for the whiskey. Made following old Earth instructions. Imported from the planet Inton.”

“No shit?” Cheri nodded, impressed, and nudged Charm. “Don’t worry, girl, we’ll take good care of you.” 

Charm laughed, shrugging my way and giving Laurel a look of ‘what can I do?’ before walking off with the rest of them to the ‘bar.’

I looked around, noticing the way the ground sloped and then came to an end like a large frisbee, one of several, that now I saw were holding the energy field at bay that protected the Citadel. At least, that’s what it looked like we were on.

As they entered, I noticed a woman with pink hair step up to them, wrapping her arms around Charm and laughing. 

“Is my brother there, too?” I asked. 

“He’ll be back shortly. Threed there is on his team, but stayed behind from the latest mission, along with Lamb here.”

“I’m technically on the same team as Drew,” Lamb said, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that it was more than just being teammates, the dog. “But we stayed back as the welcoming committee.”

“And we like to mix up the teams, at least for these missions. Better to train up the groups, until everyone is familiar with the enemy and we can make a large-scale assault.”

I walked with the two of them and Laurel, very confused. We actually didn’t go into any of the tents, but stopped outside one where Hadrian could be sure the rest had all gone into one of the tents. 

“What’s this about?” I asked. 

Hadrian turned his good eye to Laurel, then back to me. “Charm has been through a lot. But it’s more than that. I want to make sure you feel the whole team is really the best for you. Make sure you know what you’re getting into. See if you want to make any changes. 

“You mean if I want to swap out any of the team?” I laughed, certain he was joking. When it was clear he wasn’t, I shook my head. “They’re perfect. Charm especially.”

“Laurel, can you tell him what you’ve been able to see?” Lamb asked. 

Laurel breathed deep, then let it out. “My powers allow some entry into the mind. Not always reading thoughts, but in other ways. With her, the use of her powers can be confusing—she might be slightly unclear on what’s reality in her past and what was made up.”

“We didn’t intend for this, but…” Hadrian folded his arms. “None of us are perfect. All we can say is that we’d like you to keep an eye on her, with Laurel’s help. If there’s anything that raises a red flag, she’ll need help.”

“I don’t… No, I don’t believe you,” I said. “I mean, maybe you believe what you’re saying, but like I said, Charm’s perfect.”

“Agreed,” Laurel said. “But it’s for her health that we have to watch out. You’re not the only one here who cares for her.” 

I wanted to ask more about that, but Hadrian held up a hand and said, “She’s not the only one we thought warranted a conversation.”

“Who?” I asked. 

“I trust your judgment,” Hadrian replied. “You were put in a strenuous environment, could’ve just as easily died as made it this far. But you are here. To make it to the next step, are these women going to be there through thick and thin.” Before I could protest, he added, “Hear me out. Gale was with the Citadel, but—”

“No,” I interrupted him. “I know their stories, and whatever I don’t know yet is fine, because I know they’ll tell me when the time is right. One thing I’ve constantly made clear is that it’s not what we’ve done, but what we’re about to do. For that, I trust them all with my life.” I hesitated. “Well, I don’t know about Aegriss, but… she seems to be harmless.”

Hadrian allowed a smile. “The android? Yes, I had Lamb look into her—literally—and I’d say she’s devoted and her programming has it fixed this way. For her, you should be fine.”

“Then I’m good.” 

“In that case….” He motioned and I turned to watch as the doors of the largest war tent nearby opened.

Out stepped a sight for sore eyes—my brother! Drew had on his space armor, but it looked like it had evolved since we’d last seen each other, bulkier now with extra defenses and weapons holstered. He still had his shaved head, and at the moment his eyes were glowing a light gold. He looked every bit the god our father had been rumored to be. 

And on that note, a man stepped out from behind him looking very much like my brother, and then a woman, arm in his. At first I couldn’t make her out because of the shadows, but then saw she was my mother, whom I had rescued from the pyramid on Gurstrad. 

If my mother was there with this man, this man who looked so much like my brother, complete with the same rugged jaw and strong nose, even the same body type—muscular, manly like I’d always dreamed of being and only now was because of my superhero upgrades. This man… could he be my father?

“Welcome, son,” he said, and my mother nodded, smiling, confirming it was true. 

“We’ll give you a moment,” Hadrian said, and he gestured to the others to follow him. “Get acquainted, and I’ll catch up with my daughter, while one of our commanders shows the group around.” 

“But I don’t understand,” I said. “What are we doing here?” 

“We’ve found a way to reach their level,” Drew said, stepping closer, taking me in an embrace. “For now, they don’t realize we’re here. They seem distracted, and we’re using that to our advantage.” 

“They are distracted,” I said. “They’ve just been thwarted in their plans, but are with the supervillain Muerta, who knows how many others, and I believe they’re off to attack Earth and the other Paradise Planets.” 

“They’ve already dealt a major blow,” Aegriss interjected. 

Hadrian frowned. “They’ve reached Earth, you say?” 

I shook my head. “I don’t know how far they’ve gotten yet, but believe they are going that way.” 

“I thought they didn’t have our star system charted yet,” Drew argued, turning to Hadrian, then Lamb for an explanation. 

“That’s right.” Lamb, to my surprise, went to him and put a hand on his back, giving me reason to believe they’d become close. “They shouldn’t be able to. But…?”

“But they have,” I said. 

“Ranger led them there, with the powers from Gurstrad and some help,” Twitch said. 

My parents were still standing there, my dad now rubbing his chin in thought. “We can’t have this. Hadrian, our tent?” 

Hadrian nodded. “We’d hoped to recruit you to our cause here,” he said to me, looking at the others I’d brought too, and then sighing. “We have many superheroes who’ve come to join the fight, but fear it won’t be enough when the time comes for a major strike.” He took a moment, then said, “We might as well do this here. No reason to exclude anyone.” 

My father put a hand on my shoulder. “We discuss a strategy, and then me and my sons need to have our own chat.”

I nodded, definitely looking forward to that. 

“The dilemma being that we need certain kinds of warriors here, others to move to defend the Milky Way?” Andromida asked. 

“Correct,” Hadrian said. “So some of you will have to make a choice. If you feel strongly you belong on the Earth defense team, that’s where you belong. I don’t want anyone where their heart isn’t.” 

“Agreed,” my father chimed in, and my mother at his side nodded. 

“However, there might be a way in which Earth doesn’t need large numbers so much as the right team.” Hadrian looked at his daughter and sighed. “I’d hoped you could stay here longer, that we could have some time, but… they’ll need you.” 

Andromida looked at him and the ferocity in her eyes melted a bit, but she stood tall. “Whatever is needed of me, I’m ready.” 

“What kind of team are we talking about?” Charm asked, glancing over at Laurel, then me.

“The kind that doesn’t just shoot out of ships,” Hadrian said. “The kind that can find a way into the enemy craft and take them out, basically sending them back across the universe, banishing them again. Erasing our systems from their star charts.”

“And we can do that?” I asked. “I mean, of course we can, but… how?” 

“Actually, you can’t.” 

Murmurs rose among the crowd, and Letha stepped forward. “Then what’re we talking about here? I have business to attend back home, and… I don’t mean to be kept from it.” 

Hadrian held up a finger. “There’s someone that, if she were on this team… well, she would be the missing puzzle, let’s say.”

“Great, where is she?” I asked. 

“Missing,” Hadrian admitted, but before I could protest at this absurd conversation, he said, “But I believe she can be found.”

“Perhaps if you’d be less convoluted in your speech, old man,” my father said, earning a grin from Hadrian. 

“Here it is then,” Hadrian said. “There was a woman a long time ago, one who fought for the defense of Earth. To bring a final victory, she sacrificed herself to go into the other side, locking their entry into our world. Apparently, they’ve found another way in, however.” 

“From the Syndicate Event?” Laurel asked, and I was surprised by the calm, sing-song way she spoke. 

Hadrian nodded. 

“But then… she would have died long ago,” I protested. 

“She fought at my side, and I am still alive,” Hadrian said. “You might have heard of the Shadow Corps, of one who led them… one they call the Shadow Mystic. If you can find her, tell her what has happened, I believe this is the way to save the Milky Way.” 

Laurel was nodding enthusiastically, apparently the only one there to know this name, other than Hadrian and my parents. 

“Decide among yourselves what teams you belong on,” my father announced to the group. “The team out on the attack at the moment should be back soon, and then we’ll take out a group to fight them, to show what we’ve been able to learn about their weaknesses and strengths. And after that,” he paused to look at Hadrian, who nodded, “then we’ll split our ways, as much as it saddens me to say.”

“One day, it’ll all be over,” my mother said, smiling at me and then Drew. “My family will be reunited. All of us will return to the Citadel and have a feast the likes of which none of us have ever experienced. Until that day, bring us glory.” She held out her hand and spark surrounded it, similar sparks rising up out of the glass and forming a statue of a warrior, fist held high in the attack. “To commemorate this moment.” 

It was good to see my mother in full health again, to see hear her voice full of confidence and strength. A glance around at the metal surrounding the translucent area we’d arrived on made me realize the war tents and all that, pulled up out of the metal, it appeared, had likely been her doing. But I didn’t think it was anything like the power Andromida had—instead, more like what she’d used at the pyramids to control the station core of that pyramid.

I was in awe, and wondered if I too would be able to master this power someday, as I’d been able to manipulate the core. 

“Come,” my father said, guiding me to the camp. “While they decide their paths, let us talk. We need to come up with a plan for finding the Shadow Mystic.” 

“Actually, father, before we go do you mind if I have a moment with my brother?” Drew asked. 

Our father paused, nodded, and then walked off to give us some space. Drew lowered his voice, glancing nervously back at the direction of the bar where Threed, Cheri, and Charm had gone. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about Threed’s sister…”

I stared back, blankly. “Aren’t they all sisters?”

“Half-sisters, except the angel and demon looking duo.” He waved off the question. “But I mean Threed’s real sister. Didn’t—I mean, did we talk about that? On Abaddon?” 

“I’m drawing a blank,” I admitted. 

“Shit.” He ran a hand over his bald head, glanced back again, and leaned in. “Thing is, we’ve all been busy, distracted… but Threed mentioned it before, how her sister was on Abaddon. And with you going, I thought maybe you’d hear something. At first I didn’t think much of it, but then I found out her sis and one of your teammates had butted heads in the past, so…?”

“This really isn’t helping. She have a name?”

He nodded. “Plague. Your girl Twitch apparently had—”

“Yeah, I know all about it,” I replied, the blood rushing from my head. “Fuck.”

“That’s not a good ‘fuck,’ is it?”

I shook my head. 

“Fuck.” He exclaimed, catching on. “How?”

“Me. Mostly.” 

He nodded. “She was a supervillain, after all. But I think Threed had been holding out hope that her sister could be persuaded to come over to our side.” 

“What… I mean, how will she react?” 

Drew shook his head, then rubbed his chin, thinking. “Don’t tell her yet, okay? Let me do it. I think I can work the news in gently. She gets it—the supervillain part, and will understand… to a degree. I mean, eventually, but she might explode first. So yeah, I’ll deal with it.”

“Thanks,” I said. “And also… what the fuck?”

He laughed. “I know man, it’s fucked up. It’s just, after you all told me you were going there I was talking to the team and she mentioned it again. She’d told me about her sister before, but not when actually going was on my mind. And then when she said it again, you all were out of reach already.”

“And honestly,” I replied, “there wouldn’t have been anything we could’ve done differently. She was working with Muerta, actually was Muerta’s lover.”

“Hot shit.” He clapped my shoulder and said, “Let’s not make them wait, huh? I’m excited to get to this mission with you. Show you the ropes a bit. I just wish we’d been able to have more time together.”

“Me too, bro.” I wasn’t sure calling him ‘bro’ was my thing. It wasn’t like we saw each other often enough or even talked often enough to gauge it, but when the word left my mouth he smiled. 

“Let’s do it, bro,” he replied, and we walked back over together.