“He made a pact with the demon in the amulet. He wiped out all the powers. The only people who got to keep them pay him.”
“He’s a magical mobster selling protection?”
“I guess.” Of course, the teen dangling in my hands didn’t even know the definition of a mobster.
“What do you give him?”
“Half. Half of everything we steal.”
“And if you don’t agree, you lose your powers?”
He nodded. “I’ve heard him speaking to the thing.”
“What did he offer to the demon?”
“In return for power, he promised to let the demon free.”
I set the kid down. He jerked free and glanced over his shoulder, debating if he could outrun me. Thankfully, he wasn’t an idiot and stayed put. Unable to drive, and yet he already turned to a life of crime. Something in the system was broken. This is where heroes werereallyneeded.
“Aren’t your parents worried about you?”
“Foster parents don’t care about no one.”
Yup, the system was broken. “How about you stay out of trouble and when this is over?—”
“You’ll save me? Be my father figure? You’ll show me the errors of my way? Like I haven’t heard that one before.”
“I was thinking more like we’d see if a hero could train you to use your abilities. You can do better than scaring a bunch of cheerleaders.”
“Oh.”
“Everybody has to start somewhere, kid.”
Perfect line to end on. I shot upward high above Vanguard City. I felt like I had finally caught a break. It was pure luck that the source of the city’s problem revolved around the one man whose ass I wanted to kick.
It was time to add another victory to my list.
21
“What’s your next move,Mr. Superhero?”
While the streets below were a bustle of activity, high above the city provided a space to think. It was wonderful being able to remove myself from the noise of the city. When the other heroes regained their abilities, would this become a congested interstate of people flying about? It was almost comical to think of heroic collisions at this height.
“I can’t be the first one to know about Smoke, can I?”
Had nobody thought to ask the villains how they kept their abilities? There must have been a detective or a vigilante who already thought of this? With the ongoing panic of the super community, it wouldn’t shock me if they overlooked an obvious avenue.
I thought about finding a rooftop and sitting idly untilHellcat stepped out of the shadows. With this information, she could… What could she do against a villain with Smoke’s abilities? There were certain threats that required powers. But without her, how would I find the creep?
Bernard worked with the Centurions and their global network. As the head of public relations, he must have some sort of clout, but was it enough to casually control their satellites and hunt down a single man? I suspected it’d be a tall order, even after I revealed my identity. No, I couldn’t jeopardize him or his job.
“Aiden,” I whispered. We might not be in a good place, but if he cared about the truth, this would matter. Maybe he could get it out to the public. Once everybody knew the depowering boiled down a single man… The thought died as I imagined him trying to have that conversation with William.
“Such an arrogant jerk.” People like him and Damien were probably getting off on the lack of heroes. They were reveling in the fall of the mighty. I might have once agreed with them, but it was time to admit I was wrong. Heroes, at least some of them, were part of the solution.
“First, I beat up Smoke, then I give William a piece of?—”
Oh no. It couldn’t be that obvious. Shrieker spoke about an amulet Smoke wore that gave him abilities. Could it be the same tawdry necklace that William had at the gala?The two men revolved around Aiden, both using him to get to me.
