Dark Skies

"Where is he?" grumbled Angela, peering across the stormy Atlantic sea. Given the presence of both night and inclement weather, I thought that a waste of time. I understood the sentiment, though. I was annoyed myself.

Either way, we’d likely hear it first.

Two minutes later, a telling boom of sonic velocity snapped heads skyward. Prime Nova hit the wet, reinforced roof of the multi-billion dollar prison complex with perfect form.

In his early days as a hero, my father assumed a white, and blue costume. It'd been his brand until he'd married my mother, where a wardrobe reshuffle shifted the blue to red while spreading some more white across the collarbone, boots, and fists. Elise also made concessions, going from an eye-catching red and orange outfit to one similarly tempered by whites.

From youth, I knew their costumes were designed to repel every known form of attack, whether it be poison, pressure, heat, or extended use. Now, though, my level ten directory clearance granted access to the full blueprint, including how R&D also made the suits waterproof. Given the threat posed by villains like Floodgates and Blood Rain, it was something of a necessary feature.

All this to say, the image of Jason's slick costume, though not actually wet , hugging his mass while glowing white eyes peeked through drapes of thick, dripping brown hair painted quite the picture. So impressive a picture, in fact, I caught several slackjawed female technicians staring.

And if I noticed, so did Angela.

"Gate!" she snapped, startling one of them from her reverie.

It might’ve been funny. Maybe. With Jason, though, the ogling got old years ago.

The Chasm, as its name suggested, went deep. So deep it reached the ocean floor, two miles down. Most of the powerful villains were kept there. At that depth, the pressure reached over five thousand pounds per square inch. Now, we held Rogues capable of riding that out, but swimming was another story. Sans aqua-centric powers, they'd lay immobilized and quickly drown.

All intentional, of course. It wasn't possible to staff the complex with personnel powerful enough to compete, so we weaponized the environment and gave them a choice.

Go ahead and try.

No one would find the body.

Access doors built into The Chasm's roof fanned open. And, of course, instead of using the ladder normally, Jason floated down like a pretentious cretin.

As if equipment was beneath him.

The hatch clapped shut; then the secondary door slid open. I was already on my feet, facing the elevator at the opposite end of the room, when Jason stepped into the upper atrium. It didn't take long for him to find myself and Angela, where he again decided to glide instead of just walking.

"When'd you two get here?" he asked, shaking water from his hair.

Angela made a face as she flicked droplets off her shoulder. "Earlier. And we can't break the sound barrier."

"Hmm." That was about as close as we'd get to an apology. "Crackle's cooperated?"

She nodded. "So far."

Jason frowned. "That's concerning."

Despite our mutual distaste, I had to agree. Crackle, and Rogues of the like, posed two important problems. One, she was a flier. Drowning for her wasn't really a concern, as she could just run up instead of out.

Two, she was completely crazy. I'd implemented some additional security protocols to deal with her inevitable breakout attempts, but so far, nothing.

Crackle, as a rule of thumb, always tried to get out within the first five days.

It'd been over a week. Not so much as a peep.

An optimistic man would call it luck. I wasn't an optimistic man.

Angela tried and failed to catch Jason flatfooted with an over-the-shoulder tablet toss. He picked it out of the air.

"What am I looking at?" Jason asked, rotating the pad.

Angela watched the elevator doors slide open. "Accelerated track of her last three days of activity."

He stepped in beside me and frowned. "She's not doing anything."

"Hence our unease. Crackle is never calm."

"Don't I know it," he grumbled tiredly, returning the screen to Angela. "Has she said anything?"

"Not yet."

I felt Jason's eyes on the side of my head before he spoke. "Is your intern going to answer all my questions?"

"Why not?" smirked Angela smugly.

"Because I'm not addressing them to you." Jason snorted haughtily. "Figures. Steals the hottest seat in the castle and can’t even act accordingly.”

That got me. Jason's eyes flicked down irately to observe me chuckling.

"Something funny?"

"Yes."

He scowled further. "Want me to beat it out of you?"

"As opposed to suffering through this elevator ride? Still deciding."

Jason appeared to be considering as well, but the opening of elevators doors beat him to the punch.

"Remember," Angela instructed, "you're muscle, not mouth. He'll–"

"I would ask your name," Jason interrupted, "but I won't remember it, as I don't give a shit. He might care about you or your wants, but I don’t. Keep the attitude and snark for the guy who is interested, and even that is debatable. Believe me, Bernard is either celibate or fucking retarded. He doesn't care. All this to say, I know the game. Go warm the bench."

Angela, shockingly, did not bite back. She almost seemed to wilt into herself, going pale and hugging the tablet close to her chest.

I hadn't even realized I'd moved until Jason had to stop a few feet down the hall. He appraised me with an upturned eyebrow.

"What was it you said?" I asked. "Five seconds ago? Workplace maturity? Were hypocrisy an officially recognized ability, you'd rank leagues over King."

"See? Respect isn't that hard," he laughed. "Hurricanes are chopping up the Bangladeshi coast. They need me for relief efforts, so let's hurry this up, yeah?"

"No. I don't work with children."

"No? Then what's the midget doing here?" Jason smirked, nodding to Angela.

I glanced to my left, where she still hadn't recovered from his comment. My blood was boiling. I wanted to grab his head and smash it through the nearest metal surface. Even if I could, it wouldn’t do any good. The wall would give, and he’d continue flashing that ever-present smirk.

"We're done," I told him, regaining my stride. "You're needed in Asia."

Jason crossed his arms. "And what? You're going to go alone? What happens when she gets agitated?"

"I find a solution, as I always have."

"Except with Tremor. And Crypt. And Demon Ranger. Hell, even Night Rat –"

"Leave. The. Prison."

Jason laughed. "No. Despite your badge, that won’t be possible. Whether I like it or not, you're Director. That makes me responsible in some part for your life, especially when you go out of your way to make stupid, silly decisions."

"Interrogating is stupid?"

He laughed. "Of course. This is a Queen-Class Rogue. Why you insist on going is beyond me."

"I don't–" I began before Angela touched my elbow.

"Boss, you should go with him. I think I need to sit this one out."

I frowned. Her eyes were wet. Considering the hits I’d seen her take, that worried me. Of all things, why had what Jason said thrown her?

"Alright. Take your time."

She nodded, shot a last, angry, almost humiliated look at Jason before striding back to the elevator.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I growled.

"Please." He waved me off. "I'm doing you a favour. She’s wound tighter than Eviscerator’s chains."

I'd nearly ground my teeth to stubs. "You are bewilderingly stupid."

Jason cackled. "She's an Alpha. If she can't take a simple–"

"I put you on Titan. I can do it again, especially now that he's really disappeared. I could put you at the bottom of the ocean, if I so wished, or even this prison. I don't care. Never, and I mean never , presume to speak to my assistant in such a fashion. Try that shit again, and I will make your previous posting look like an exotic getaway. Am I clear?"

"Such fire–" he tried starting.

"Answer."

Jason rolled his eyes. "You need me. The scale–"

"Answer the fucking question, Jason ."

He did a slow turn. "Watch your mouth."

"Rich. Very, very rich. Hmm. Rich. Angela's due a raise, don't you think? How much is currently in your account?"

Jason got angrier. "Careful."

"Answer." I didn't budge an inch, even when he stalked over. He had five inches on me and was probably twice as wide. The strength gap was even more pathetic.

The list of ways he could overpower, maim or straight-up kill me was infinite.

Yet I met his furious glower.

Jason actually relented, rolling his eyes irately. "If you care so much about this girl, why not just get it over–"

"Good. We're done with this conversation. Further comments made outside a professional framework will be awarded with suspension." I stepped around him and made to continue down the hall.

He tried and failed to stifle his laugh with a snort. "No, they won't."

We reached the interrogation room. I took a second to readjust my suit while Jason only rolled his shoulders sorely, then nodded to a nearby guard.

"Time?"

"Quarter to ten, sir."

Jason grimaced. "Alright. Open up."

The door, eight inches thick of tempered titanium, hissed dramatically as its pins slid out of the wall. I took the moment of reprieve to mentally recentre, trying to ignore the moron standing at my back.

Bigger things at stake. Bigger things at stake.

The pins finally set with a click, and the man heaved the door open. Jason gave him a look of contempt as he strained. I, on the other hand, focused on our guest of honour.

"Welcome," grinned Crackle, letting sparks dance through her eyes. "Lemme guess, power grid's gone funny?"

I stepped inside, dismissed the guard, and sat opposite her. "Good evening, Miss Johnson."

Crackle's eyes narrowed. "Wait... where have I seen you before?"

"Several places, though I doubt you’d remember. However, I have been told I bear a passing resemblance to–"

"JAY!" she shrieked, nearly exploding with power.

Jason might as well have teleported. One second, Crackle's energy was tearing the steel table to chips as she rushed in to reach me. The next, she was against the wall, Jason having effortlessly waded through her energy to bury her head in stone.

"Don't try that again," he warned, releasing her. She didn't fall, though, since her body was still lodged in place.

"How could you?" she shrieked. "Bring him here ? Why would you do that to me?"

Jason rolled his eyes at me with an expression that clearly read, ‘let’s see your assistant try that'

I did us both the dignity of ignoring him, instead choosing to wait for Crackle to extricate herself from the impromptu cast.

"You're disgusting," she snapped at me. "A revolting, disgraceful, abomination of a creature. You shouldn't even exist."

I observed her neutrally as she offered no opportunity to reply.

"You think because you have a nice job and suit, that gives you meaning? You're a fucking blank. You're disappointment personified. Had he chosen me , we could've sired legitimate offspring. You would've been something he could be proud of. Now look at you. Look at what you've become. All because you chose the slu–"

This time, there was no warning before Jason's backhand lifted her off the damaged chair and bouncing off the impact-resistant window glass. To no one's surprise, it cracked. Extensively.

Crackle spat blood before continuing. "I know he cares. Would he have touched me otherwise? You keep forcing him to pretend he hates me. The only way he can be close to me is under the pretense of conflict. You force him. All without even having the decency of strength. At least the other one can fight."

I rubbed my eyes tiredly, then motioned to her chair. "Sit."

"I'm going to cook you like a chicken."

Despite our spats, Jason didn't miss a beat, seizing a fistful of hair and dragging her back to the remains of the table.

"Give it time," she growled, crawling up to the seat. "He already can’t help but pull my hair.”

I coughed. "Right, of course. Until then, I need to know about the Mother."

Her manic frenzy dimmed somewhat as she turned to regard me. "How do you know that name?"

"So you're familiar with it? Who is she?"

"Who told you the name?"

"Blacklight," I answered truthfully.

Crackle grinned. "She's converted him?"

My eyes narrowed. "For his strength, yes? Why is she so interested in powerful Alphas?"

"You'll find out soon enough," she promised. "So soon. Joel and Andy probably already have her blessing. You'll never stop it now."

I leaned forward. "Stop what?"

"Mother is... wise. She sees the truth. Through the falsehoods of the enemy. And you. The head of the snake. The tip of the lying tongue. You command a legion of warriors while being nothing yourself."

"Hmm. Then there's a physical hierarchy, then? Top slots allotted to the heaviest hitters?"

"Those with power," Crackle said simply. "Either way, it doesn't concern you. You'll be dead long before they take over."

"Yes," I remembered, "I was attacked recently. I take it that was part of their... what should we call it? Takeover?"

She only smiled, but there was a strange tint to her voice. "You can't stop it. No one can stop them."

"Joel and Andy," I recalled. "That would be Floodgates and Plague, yes? They've been assigned?"

"Blessed, dumbass. Mother's Kiss will..." she trailed off with rambunctious laughter, then looked up at Jason. "Don't worry, Jay. You won't have to pretend for much longer. Whatever happens, Mother swore she'd keep you alive. I know it'll be hard, but once the bitch is dead, I will be there for you and give you–"

"You can hit her, by the way," I interrupted while using a stylus to open up my tablet's notetaking app. "I've got to put some of this down, but don't take–"

Jason again blitzed the room and shook the floor with a kick. I jotted down some bullet points before looking up and snapping my fingers. He immediately stopped and walked back over to his corner.

"This doesn't change anything!" she shrieked. "I know you love me! Deep down, I–"

"Are we done?" sighed Jason.

I almost let myself smile. Seeing him uncomfortable was a victory in its own right. "Almost. Johnson, you need to be specific. What is the Mother's Kiss, what is their mission, and what do the two have to do with each other?"

"I'm done," she snapped. "The audacity to stand before me, considering who and what you are, is offensive. You don't understand how truly vile you are. I'll need to keep some goodwill with him after I kill your mother, which is the only reason you're still alive."

I nodded. "Very considerate. Thank you."

"Go fuck yourself. Many more will try, anyway. You have no idea what's coming." Again, the tinge was there.

"I have some idea," I told her. "Thanks for your help."

She tried another cheap shot to my back as I turned to leave. Apparently, our treaty was a short-lived affair. Jason outpaced the electricity, intercepting it with his hand before bringing his other one up to clap. The shockwave staggered and nearly deafened me. Crackle ate the whole thing and punched another impression into the wall.

I grimaced unhappily, banging on the reinforced door. "We're done."

This time, Jason didn't wait for guards and pulled it open before dragging my still-stunned self from the interrogation room.

It took a minute for my ears to pop, and then another to hear what Jason was saying.

"So?" he asked after I showed signs of reception. "If that was as pointless to you as it was me, then we've taken a huge risk for–"

"The Mother has an army," I interrupted. "Organized, widespread and competent. She's also not the muscle. There are other commanding parties, and ones of immense power. Powerful enough to scare Crackle, and not even in an idolized way. She's petrified of them. Not only that, but Floodgates and Plague's mission is a hit, with one of the terror-inducing commanding parties and Mother's Kiss playing a majority part."

Jason, like a buffoon, stared at me in astonishment as I produced my phone.

"How–"

"Quiet." I raised it to my ear. "This is Skies. Recall Fer, Cryo, Valkyrie and Vortex immediately. I want them stateside by Wednesday. Bring in Blacklight, Dwarf and Eye-Lie as well, then give me a report on the Committee." I waited for confirmation, then hung up.

"How did you guess all that?" growled Jason.

"I pay attention." I pocketed the device. "You should try it, as opposed to drooling out everything that glances across the hollow ball you presumptuously call a 'brain'."

"I'm not operating off 'whims' you–"

"If there's to be a takeover, there are systems in place to establish a regime once we leave. That requires manpower, and based on their elitist manifesto, none of them will be blank. Like the Breakers. And what do you call a legion of trained, unified Alphas working toward a singular goal?"

"Army," groaned Jason.

"When she speaks on the Mother, it's with reverence. The same way someone would speak about Jesus, or in a more modern sense, MLK. Almost religiously reverent. But there's no fear. That comes when she talks about whoever carries out her missions. There's no reason for her to be afraid of Floodgates or Plague, as they’re batting way lower, which leaves an unknown.

"If this Mother, who has comprehensively eluded all our tracking attempts, trusts them to carry out what seems like a major mission, then we can be sure they're high on the food chain. I mean, this person is on par with enhanced versions of Plague and Floodgates. But how do I know they’re also a commanding party? Simple. With the Family, the harder you hit, the higher you sit."

"Shit." He rubbed his chin. "I hadn't noticed that."

I couldn't hold back the sarcasm. "No, really? Hmm. Next time. Either way, Asia is still in distress. It's time for you to go."

Jason nodded and turned to the elevator. "Keep me informed. When and where their hit happens. I'm the only thing that can compete with anyone who can put Titan on a leash."

I didn't like it, but he was right. Well, almost right.

"Get going."

Jason noticed the odd twitch in my eye. He reviewed his preceding statement and ended up with the same conclusion.

"If they're working with Plague, then he's left Europe. You–"

"Nova, go."

"Bernard." His mocking tone was gone. Now, I sensed warning. "You put me on Titan: you, all brittle, breakable bones. I didn't have a tantrum. I didn't break your office or limbs. I didn't even shirk duties. I did what you told me because that was the right thing to do and because lives were at stake. I put aside my feelings because I knew what had to be done and the consequences if it wasn't."

He levelled a finger at me.

"It's one thing to be childish and angry at me. But if your childishness and anger cost lives, I'm validated. I think the chair is too big. That you don't have the stones to fill it. This will make me right, but more importantly, it will make people dead." He spun and stalked for the elevator. "A lot of people could've died, had I ignored your orders. Be like me. Be better."

I didn't reply. I didn't move. In fact, I remained standing with my arms crossed in that stupid, monitored hallway as I mulled over his words. The truth was, it didn't matter how long I stayed there. The thing I hated most, more than my past, more than Rogues, even more than being like my father, was proving him right.

I'd worked to be where I was. And letting resentment cloud my judgment was about the clearest evidence I wasn't ready.

"Fuck!" I spat furiously, ripping the phone from my pocket. The line connected after four rings. "Recall Crimson and Novax as well. Have them in my office by Wednesday."

I hung up, then ran fingers through my hair.

I hate this. I hate this so much.

No matter how high I climbed, how much effort I allotted, it always fell back on one thing.

Strength. Whether I had true, superhuman power or not.

And the way this world worked, the answer always came unbidden.

Prime Nova cracked his neck, rolled his shoulders, and strutted out of the elevator with a grin. Bernard was smart, but he wasn't the only one. If an old dog couldn't be taught new tricks, you could bet it'd remember the old ones.

As far as tricks went, super hearing was one of his best ones.