Page 208 of Villainous Rise

“He can hear you,” Halcyon taunted, crouching in front of me. “He’s screaming inside. Shall I let you hear it?”

Suddenly Helios’s face contorted in agony, his mouth opening in a horrific scream that made my stomach lurch. Then, just as suddenly, the scream cut off, replaced by Halcyon’s cruel smile.

“That was just a taste,” he said. “Would you like to hear more?”

“Fuck you.”

He made Helios walk in a slow circle around me. “William here has been quite useful. Did you know his power can be focused into a tiny seed of energy? Plant it inside someone or something, activate it remotely, and...” He made a small explosive gesture with Helios’s hands. “Quite elegant, really.”

As he spoke, I concentrated, reaching out with the senses I’d taken from Havoc. I could feel Helios’s signature, warm and golden and vibrant. But it was tangled with something else. Something dark and oily that pulsed obscenely.

“Remember the Keeper at the Nexus? That was our first experiment with the equipment,” Halcyon continued. “William here planted the seed during a routine meeting. Then all it took was a simple remote trigger when the shield generator was active. The energy feedback was spectacular.”

I saw Helios fighting harder behind his eyes, anguish breaking through Halcyon’s control.

“The others were even easier. A handshake here, a friendly pat on the shoulder there.” Halcyon made Helios’s voice sound gleeful. “And they never suspected this fucking Hero everyone loves. The perfect puppet.”

I needed to get closer. If I could just touch him, I might be able to separate those signatures, pull Halcyon’s corruption away from Helios.

But I had to be careful. Every time I’d tried to nullify powers, I’d absorbed something different, Havoc’s chaos energy and ability to sense supers, Halcyon’s mind control. There was no guarantee what I’d take from Helios if I touched him.

But what choice did I have? If I could touch him, I would temporarily incapacitate his powers. I might have a chance to save him or at least escape.

“William,” I said, ignoring Halcyon’s taunts. “I know you can hear me. This isn’t you.”

Halcyon sneered with Helios’s face. “He can’t hear you anymore. I’m breaking him, piece by piece.”

I pushed myself up to my knees, wincing as the movement jostled the metal fragments embedded in my wrist. “You remember Keeper Parker? She always talks about how you bring donuts to the rookies on their first day.”

Something flickered in Helios’s eyes. Recognition, maybe.

“And how you visit the children’s hospital every week,” I continued, putting more force behind my words. “How you make little suns dance above their beds to make them smile.”

Helios’s body shook, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

I took a careful step forward, then another. “You’re Helios. You’re warmth and light and hope.” I put everything I had into my voice, willing him to hear me. “You’re stronger than he is.”

“ENOUGH!” Halcyon roared, but the voice cracked.

I was close enough now. Just a few more steps.

“Fight him, William,” I urged, my voice growing stronger despite my fear, letting more power lace through my words. “You’ve been fighting all along. You can win.”

Helios’s eyes cleared for a moment, filled with pain and determination.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Helios gasped, fighting for each word as sweat beaded on his forehead. His eyes were clear for that brief moment, truly him, not the monster using his body.

“I know,” I said softly, taking another careful step toward him. “This isn’t your fault, William. None of it is.”

His face twisted as Halcyon wrestled back control.

“Such a touching moment,” Halcyon sneered through Helios’s mouth. “He’s quite fond of you, you know.”

He stalked toward me, all traces of Helios’s gentle demeanor gone. I backed away, my shoulders bumping against the wall behind me.

“Nowhere to run now, little Annie,” he said, reaching for me with Helios’s gloved hand.

His fingers tightened around my wrist, pressing deliberately into the metal fragments embedded in my flesh. White-hot pain lanced up my arm as the shards dug deeper.