Broker

Nietz went low; Crusader went high. He slammed into Kingshark’s leg with a grunt and grabbed on, gritting his teeth as his body changed and claws dug into the floor beneath him. The big man looked down and raised his fist, only for a flaming sword to crash into the side of his head. Bolts of fire and gunfire splashed against his chest. A serpentine limb wrapped around his other leg as Crusader kept striking over and over. The clanging gave way to a sound that alerted Nietz that the attack was beginning to break through the supervillain’s defenses.

“Aaargh! Get off!” Kingshark bellowed. “Pests!”

“DON’T LET GO FOR ANYTHING!” Nietz shouted and spotted a flash of blue and red out of the corner of his eye. Medved grabbed Kingshark’s wrist and held him. They needed to throw him off just a little more. Is his other arm held? He glanced up and saw that BLF was pulling double duty on the other side. Crusader’s voice was rising to a fever pitch as her swings accelerated. Hammond was spread too thin, firing from afar and having his familiars cover the other heroes in the area. Just a little bit- He raised his voice. “LOCKE! SNOW! CAN YOU DO IT?”

A hiss of static filled his ears. “Already on it. Hold on tight, I can’t stop him from making those tentacles when I’m doing this.”

“Is the girl coming?” Medved shouted.

“Just hang in there!” Nietz shouted back and increased the pressure with his arms. Kingshark’s movements were growing more fierce, the illusory sounds no longer disorienting him. Nietz clenched his teeth as BLF let out a gasp and strained to hold on. Come on! Come on! Locke!

She stepped out of thin air, off of a floating platform of glass that dissolved behind her. He didn’t know Snow could make her illusions solid. Must be a team secret. She held out her hand and touched Kingshark. Two things happened simultaneously: Locke was thrown back, her eyes rolling back in her head as Kingshark went momentarily limp. Nietz gasped. “Locke! Shit! PUSH!” he bellowed and threw his back into it. “HAMMOND! GET LOCKE!”

“GO DOWN!” BLF bellowed.

“ON YOUR ASS, BRAT!” Medved roared.

“FINAL STEP!” Crusader shouted, and heat became Neitz’s world for a heartbeat. Flames exploded everywhere as Kingshark let out a roar of pain followed by a heavy thud on the ground. Nietz felt the supervillain go horizontal as his eyes cleared, and he looked, wide-eyed, at the monster of a man lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Crusader landed on his chest and leveled her sword against his throat as Nietz and the others moved to hold his limbs down. “We got you,” she panted, blood on her face. Nietz could feel the sympathetic ache in her bones just from how she stood.

Kingshark barked out a laugh. “Aha! Got me on my back! Not bad,” he rumbled and tilted his head up to look her in the eyes. “I’ll remember our fight and your name, Crusader.”

“You sound like you’re getting away,” she said. “You won’t-”

Nietz’s hand fell through Kingshark’s leg, and he let out a gasp of surprise as he pulled his hands out of a solid mass of water. He blinked and looked up. “Crusader! Get off him!” he shouted. Too late. Kingshark exploded, his laughter filling the expo building as water went everywhere with enough force to break bones. Nietz hit a wall and blacked out for a heartbeat before coming to, peeling himself out of the divot he’d made and hitting the ground. The water was racing across the floor and into any exit in the building.

“Damn it,” he panted. “He got away.”

“Nietz!”

He looked up, and a head of blonde hair nearly bowled him over. He hit the wall again with a grunt and caught the small form in his arms, arms wrapping around his neck and holding on for dear life. He let out a sigh of relief and sank to his knees. “You’re okay,” he breathed. “You’re okay. I’m okay. We’re okay.”

Locke pulled back from him with a small laugh. “It was just some psychic feedback. Hammond had me on my feet in a single healing.” She rested her head against his arm. “You fought hard.”

“And we’re far from done. Can you move, Nietz?”

He looked up at Crusader. She was soaking wet and looking irritable. There were definitely a few spots on her face and the skin exposed beneath broken armor that would bruise, but otherwise, she was fine. Thunder rumbled overhead, and lightning flashed outside the front of the expo building. He patted Locke on the back, and she let go. He got to his feet and looked her in the eyes. “I’m with you.”

She nodded and turned to the rest of the heroes in the expo center. The number of monsters had thinned to almost nothing at this point. It was mop-up inside now. “Any able-bodied heroes available, we’re heading outside to support! Move!”

Shouts of confirmation rose, and they broke into a jog. Crusader chuckled next to him, and he glanced her way. “What is it?” he asked.

She smiled at the doors. “Ishtar tried to break the unity we’ve been building with that offer, but all she managed to do was make us stronger. Those villains really have no idea what they’re up against, do they?” she said as her eyes glowed brighter and brighter. “We just knocked down one of her chief lieutenants.” She looked at him and smiled so big it shook him a little. “We can win!”

He felt like he could fly. He nodded as they burst through the doors and into a fresh war zone. Technocrat’s giant robot was on the retreat, weapons systems firing, shields cracking beneath the force of blows from both Harbinger and Gravitic. Harbinger bounced around like a cricket, leaping enormous gaps and heights with a single bound, her body glowing with violet light. He’d never seen Gravitic use his powers in combat before, and Nietz was happy to know he was on the same side. A flash of lightning crackled to the right amidst what looked like some kind of stone structure that had been pulled out of the ground.

“She’s trying to find a way out!” someone shouted.

“Herd her!” That was Dragoon. “Don’t let her escape!”

“You heroes can’t hold the lightning!” Kerauna cackled as a shape blasted out of an opening in the maze. He watched Dragoon soar through the air, gritting her teeth while a slightly bloodied Kerauna held onto her spear. Nietz turned to charge and help, but Crusader grabbed his shoulder. He looked her way, and she shook her head as Dragoon hit the ground and a bolt of lightning shot into the sky before trailing off along the clouds. He hurried over to Dragoon but found her only a little scorched. She was sitting up and glaring up at the clouds.

“You okay?” he asked and held out a hand. She looked at his hand for a moment and then at hers, electricity visibly coursing between her fingers. He grabbed her hand anyway, and the charge went through his body. It was nothing compared to a bolt of lightning. He pulled her to her feet and smirked. “You guys did a number on her.”

Dragoon smiled and turned towards where Technocrat was falling back even more. A hammer blow from Harbinger pushed him away from toppling over a building. The speakers on the mech clicked on, and Technocrat laughed. “Time’s up, heroes! This boss fight is entering its rage phase! Better luck next time!”

Nietz narrowed his eyes only for them to widen as silver rockets launched off of the machine’s back, exploding and scattering metal shapes like flechettes into the air. Dragoon was already creating a protective shield as she shouted. “Everyone! Get down!”

A rapid-fire rumble of heavy shapes hitting the earth kicked dust into the air. It kept going for a few moments before it finally stopped. When he could see again, Technocrat’s machine was dissolving into some kind of silvery mist and scattering into the air. As for the things he’d launched, a bunch of statues of a skeletal-looking man in a lab coat with his middle finger raised were spread all over. They remained only long enough for the heroes to see them before dissolving into that same silvery mist.

“Careful! Don’t breathe it in!” someone shouted. “They’re machines!”

“Did we do it?” another hero asked nearby. “Did we chase them off?”

“We won!” a cheer went up. “Eat shit, Ishtar! We’ll take your people on any day!”

Nietz panted and chuckled a little, exchanging a look with Dragoon and a distant Crusader, who carefully kept her mouth shut as well. We didn’t win. We chased them off. Which, honestly, feels fucking amazing. It took all of us working together to handle the three of them, but we did it. He sighed and shook his head. “You think they used their full strength?” he asked Dragoon.

“I doubt it. Kingshark didn’t transform into that big form of his,” she said quietly. “We still have a long way to go, but today I feel like we really can get there.”

Thunder rumbled again in the sky, and the clouds boiled. He frowned at it, knowing that Ishtar and First Wind were fighting on the other side of that dark wall. Seeing her again was… terrifying. She existed on a scope that he just couldn’t grasp at yet. But if he could one day go toe-to-toe with one of her Inner Circle, then maybe, just maybe, he could be part of the team that brought her to justice. It would be just under a year before he could make a direct move against her, according to their deal, but that was plenty of time to get stronger.

He glanced at Crusader. “What now? We can’t join that,” he said, pointing up at the sky.

“You’re not going to,” Gravitic called, walking over with Harbinger next to him as the heroes gathered in the little plaza. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a device that flickered for a moment before extending into a holographic display. Nietz had never seen anything like it. Gravitic grinned at his expression. “It’s a Carter-made projector, proprietary for now. It’s a tablet, basically.”

He tapped on the screen as the others looked on in mild confusion, glancing at one another. Gravitic turned to him and Crusader as Medved stomped over to join them as well. “Nice to meet you all. I’m Gravitic, second to Euclidia in the logistics department. Technically, that makes me the highest-ranking Pandora official here, so I’ve got orders.”

Nobody argued, a few murmuring about him being able to clap a direction out of existence.

“We’ve got monster formations all over the city, and three dungeons in the city limits are looking rough. We’ll split into patrol teams and-” He paused and tapped his ear. “Yeah? Great!” He grinned and nodded for a few seconds before turning to the others. “China is sending backup, and it sounds like the Shanghai heroes were locked up in their guilds. Whatever was keeping them in is gone, so they’re on their way as well. Russia is sending people, as are a few other countries.”

Relieved laughter spread through the gathering, and Nietz turned to see Kong sidle up next to him. He clapped his friend on the shoulder. “I heard you caught lightning.”

Kong smirked. “It’ll make tribulation easier,” he said with a snort and rested his hands behind his head. “Boss-guy!” he shouted. “What’re we doing?”

“We’ll split into teams and suppress the monsters throughout the city. Harbinger tells me that Doctor Kaidan is responsible for the messed-up ones. She’s here somewhere. Find her if you can. If not, just make sure people are safe. Our priority is lives. That fight up there is going to keep the monsters coming for a while, and it won’t stop until it’s over,” Gravitic said before frowning. “As for heroes that can intervene, Black Lotus is the closest, and she’s in a Heroic Dungeon, and Qilin is MIA.”

“In other words,” Hui chimed in, popping up on the other side of the circle. “We are playing damage control while they kill one another. It sounded like Euclidia is injured, so getting more Internationals portaled in isn’t an option.”

Gravitic nodded. “Right. They’ll be here, but I don’t know if it’ll be in time for one of them to win.” He turned and pointed into the distance, where a dragon was flying in the air. “That fight, though, we might be able to help. Handmaiden is a regenerator, so she should hold on for a while. One of the patrol teams will go that way, while the others scatter and keep things under control. That’s all.”

The heroes looked at one another, and Crusader stepped forward. “You heard the man! Team up with people you worked well with here if you’re solo and get ready to spread out. Let’s save Shanghai.”

–

Kaidan chewed at her thumbnail, watching the heroes talk through the eyes of one of her hidden babies. She tapped her nail on the ground next to her and hopped to her feet, pacing. They rallied so fast. The heroes were supposed to be a bunch of self-interested punks. This is completely wrong! She ran her fingers through her hair and whirled. They’re killing my babies! She snarled and turned towards that damn brat sitting on the upper level of the apartment they’d commandeered. “Are you going to help me?” she demanded. “They’ll track me down at this rate. Get me out of here! You said-”

“Otis knows,” Melinoë said lazily and shrugged, kicking her feet back and forth. “He says you need to see it through, and I can only intervene if he gives the order.”

Kaidan stared at her. “Y-you- He- He’s not here!” Kaidan pleaded, spreading her arms. “He doesn’t know the play-by-play. Just say they found me and we-”

Melinoë’s black eyes turned white, and she scowled. “You haven’t learned loyalty yet, Kaidan. You will live by his good graces,” she said. “His Majesty’s orders are absolute.”

“You barely know the guy! You’re the new girl!” Kaidan protested.

“Yes, and you haven’t been making a very good first impression,” Melinoë said with a yawn. “Figure it out on your own. I won’t disobey Otis.”

Kaidan growled in her throat but kept her mouth shut. This girl is talking to him directly. I better not mouth off anymore; I’m in for it as it is. There’s no running from that bastard. Not with Craftsman practically licking his boots. She paced again. I could use one of the Kaiju, but she’s not done yet… Fuck it. Damn heroes.

“I’ll use the Kaiju then,” she said with a shaky laugh. “I’ll burn this city down if that’s what it takes to get away.”

Melinoë sat up. “You have a Kaiju?”

Kaidan sneered. “I have three. I just need to-”

Before she raised her hands, Melinoë’s head snapped up and her eyes went wide. She turned towards the doors to the apartment and hopped to her feet with the irritated sound of someone asked to get out of bed too early. “Someone’s coming, and they’re moving quickly. I feel their minds, but they are shielded slightly by some technique. It looks like we’re fleeing early. Get your things.”

Kaidan blinked at her as the door to the apartment was ripped open, cut into pieces by a sword. Red light burned in the dark, and Kaidan felt her gut twist. She knew that light. The woman strode in at the head of a pack of warriors all carrying similar weapons to her, her wild black hair and glowing red eyes unmistakable. The woman sneered. “Sup. Kaidan now, right? Been a while.”

“Doctor Kaidan. You survived the Liberty War, Kant,” Kaidan rumbled. “I was hoping you died in a ditch somewhere.”

The swordswoman frowned. “It’s Tianmo now. How many times do I have to correct everyone?” she said exasperatingly and slung her sword over her shoulder. She examined the fingers on an arm made out of molten-looking stone and flicked her gaze towards Kaidan. “I figured you’d scurry off to hide under someone else. Did kneeling at Craftsman’s feet give you a way out?” Follow current novels on novel✦fire.net

Kaidan ground her teeth. I need to summon monsters, but-

“You don’t have time to prepare to fight back,” Tianmo said and pointed her sword at her. “You always needed prep time, you crazy bitch, and I’m not giving you any.” The lights flickered overhead, and Tianmo looked up. She snorted. “You picked the one upscale apartment in town with power trouble?”

The lights flickered again, and Kaidan felt the air change.

Then, she saw a shape looming behind Tianmo and her gathering - a man wearing coveralls and an expressionless, white mask soundlessly raised a huge kitchen knife. Somewhere else in the apartment, a chainsaw revved to life as the ground beneath her feet opened, and Kaidan fell.