Broker

Amos stared at the screen in silence, his jaw feeling just a little loose. His eyes were fixed not on the spot where Tenebra had fled, but on the young man standing almost dead center in the picture. His light combat armor had stretched slightly as intended. It was a prototype, and Amos hadn’t actually had time for a one-on-one with the kid to make something tailored. The gear wasn’t the problem, though. It was everything else about Nietz. His broad shoulders rose and fell, his hair fluttered, and a flash of gray caught Amos’ eyes again.

On the screen, Nietz turned around.

Amos leaned forward, and Colin took in a sharp breath next to him. A small hand grabbed onto his own and squeezed. Amos just nodded, lips pressed together tightly. Majordomo. He looks just like the image that Sonya projected for us of Majordomo. He flicked his eyes towards Colin, clearing his throat and meeting his stare. What do we even say to Sonya? Do we tell her? We have to tell her.

Colin seemed to read right into his thoughts. “...Babe, she adores the kid now,” Colin hissed.

“She’s going to find out once I show her the recording,” Amos hissed back. “She wants to see their performance!”

Colin clicked his tongue and tugged at his braid, lips pressed together as his eyes twitched with focus. His attention turned back to the screen, and he crossed his legs, foot flipping left and right with barely contained tension. The drone had shifted position to watch as the hero party did a quick check inside the building and secured the Styx-hired henchmen. Still think Styxmen is a good name, Amos thought dumbly, the white noise in his head from the revelation making even his own thoughts a little jumbled.

“I know, right?” Alex’s voice cut sharply into his thoughts. Amos blinked and looked down at the young hero who was standing up at his chair, eyes wide. “How’d she know?”

Snow rose as well and turned back to the two of them, static filling the air as she spoke. “Yeah, that was crazy prescient. Things played out almost word-for-word to what Sonya said would happen,” she crossed her small arms.

Cass didn’t turn around right away. Her eyes were still fixed on the screen as her shoulders tried to release tension. Sonya asked her to keep an eye out too. When she did turn back to him, she gave him an almost desperate look from behind her friends. Amos cleared his throat just as Colin leaned forward to cut into what was turning into a bubble of tension.

“She’s good at what she does, gang,” he said confidently. “She told you she’s got an eye for these things. This is just proof,” he said with a dismissive wave of his manicured hands.

Amos relaxed with a breath and gave an easier smile to Cass. “Yeah, she’s a professional. She might be a little wacky sometimes but she gets the job done right.”

Cass visibly relaxed, catching on to his secondary meaning. There isn’t going to be a blow up or anything, though I really don’t know what she is going to do in the long term. For now, I need to redirect. He resisted the urge to rub his nose and instead leaned forward to look at them with his usual tired grin. “Can’t wait to pick that whole thing apart and figure out some new gear for Wallbreaker.” He jerked his chin towards them. “You lot should come by my lab and get fitted too after you get a feel for your new abilities.”

Snow chuckled. “I don’t think the silhouette needs to change that much.”

Alex slammed a fist into his palm. “I’m gonna get big, Doctor Carter. Hope you got something in mind for that!” he grinned.

Amos leaned back in his seat and shrugged. “We’ll figure it out once I have a good look. Might not wanna go full power on the ship if that’s the case, though. Save it for later.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Marta was making her way up the steps with a grim look in her eyes. He glanced her way, and she nodded briefly before slipping past him and out the door. His eyes turned to the screen where Euclidia’s archway had already formed to guide the prisoners and the young heroes back to their destinations.

Sonya… he doesn’t know. Don’t take it out on him.

—

Sonya hummed to herself as she rode the elevator back up from the Children of Dawn hallway. She reached up and traced her fingers through her hair, lost momentarily in thought. The prophecy had been interesting. A good portion were things she was already anticipating, in particular, Otis’ rise. Without a way to kill the bastard, all she could do was observe him. Interfering too much was a good way to alert him that someone close was angling to discredit him. It was only a matter of time before he started his ascent, even if she had delayed it by a year or two by making him play house.

He has his service detail coming up; that should keep him out of the spotlight a little longer. Hopefully Crusader finishes her cultivation soon. I’d hate to assign someone else to him, Sonya thought.

You aren’t worried he won’t lash out and attack her? Erina asked.

He’s an idiot, but he knew how to handle his public perception. He won’t do anything since she’s an observer. Her lip twitched. Quite the contrary, he knows I favor Crusader. He wants her to report back good things. I am his sponsor after all.

A good point. He does seem different from our memories, though. Could he be adapting? Erina asked. I suspect he is taking a different approach to the previous timeline.

Sonya’s jaw tightened but she didn’t argue the point. Erina wasn’t wrong. He did seem like he was being more patient with increasing his popularity and took the assignment of the service detail with more outward grace than she’d expected. It doesn’t matter. Either way, once I get that hint to his weakness out of Mimir, I can start adjusting my own strategy. This is chess, sis.

Agreed.

A chime rang out in her head as the elevator opened. A message from Amos.

<Hey, boss. Marta’s looking for you. She’s got some important intel from the recording that can’t wait.>

Sonya shook her head and kept walking.

<I’ll meet her on the helicopter pad. I got a text from Nietz that they were on their way back. Hui is staying with the Committee for the debrief. It sounds like my prediction was correct.>

She chuckled and skipped towards the steps, slipping up the stairs and alighting on the landing pad. The archway Euclidia’s ability created was still fully extended from the surface, and Team Wallbreaker was just passing through. Kong and Dragoon were talking as they walked, the young martial artist gesticulating wildly as they went over something that had happened during the fight. Nietz was standing with Hammond and Locke closer to the portal, rubbing his neck and nodding along as Locke spoke up to him. Glint leaned against a helicopter with his arms crossed next to his sister, talking in low tones with his eyes fixed on his new party members. Armory just rolled her eyes.

Sonya spread her arms in greeting. “Wallbreaker returns! So fast!” She laughed and walked up the runway. “I heard it was a success!”

Dragoon snapped to attention with a small frown. “Minor arrests only,” she clipped out. “Wordsmith and Tenebra got away. We delivered the spear from the dungeon to the Committee.”

Sonya met her eyes and raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t keep it?”

Dragoon blinked and cleared her throat. “It doesn’t belong to us.”

Sonya's heart swelled with approval. “Well said.” She winked at her. “I’m sure its home country will send it to you anyway, though.” She chuckled and shoved her hands into her pockets, turning to Kong. “How was it?”

Kong popped his neck and grinned. “Better than I thought. Tough as hell, though. She looks small but she knows what she’s doin’,” he chuckled. “Nietz definitely scared the hell out of her, though.”

“Oh?”

Kong turned his head back. “Ey! That transformation is crazy every time I see it. Didn’t you say you called yourself Darwin originally?” he called back. “Makes more sense than ‘Nietz’ now.”

Sonya’s world stopped. Erina said something into her thoughts, but she didn’t register it. She felt Marta hustling up the stairs behind her, but she didn’t turn. The only thing she could do was slowly turn her eyes towards the happy young man that turned to walk over, a big smile on his face. His bright, crystal-clear blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Her pulse pounded in her ears until he stood over her, hands on his hips. Sound returned to her as he spoke.

“Haha! Yeah, I like Nietz, though. It’s less on the nose. More poetic,” he chuckled and tapped his nose, giving Kong a sidelong look.

Kong snorted and walked off with Dragoon as Sonya stared up at Nietz’s face. Majordomo, she thought. He’s… right here. It was like a pressure cooker inside of her chest. A faint whistling at the back of her mind of steam releasing. Erina was calling out to her in her thoughts. She felt Marta at her back. You… killed Chunhua, she thought as she searched his face. It was you? But… we made a deal. I can’t…

Her hand froze as she went to strike, compelled by her own deal to stop from ripping his heart out right there on the platform. Her heart was racing, bloodlust screaming in her skull.

“Hey, Sonya, you good?” he asked down at her with a smile. “I wanna show you my updated team later,” he added and held up his phone, waving it.

Her lip twitched and she cracked a brittle grin. “Sure!” she breathed, forcing herself to sound as natural as she could possibly manage. “Darwin, huh? What brought on that change?” she asked casually, fingers twitching in her pocket. A bead of sweat slowly traced its way down the back of her neck.

He raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “Oh, that was Locke mostly. She hated the name,” he said with a laugh. “We were training partners from day one back at the hero camps. She told me to change it before I registered.”

Her eyes flicked towards Locke as the blonde girl walked over. Locke slipped her arm into his and smiled at Sonya. “It was way too nerdy,” she said with a shrug. “Nietz is cool.”

Sonya caught her breath. Locke. ‘His’ Chunhua. His…

SONYA! Erina finally cut into her thoughts. Calm. Down.

Focus snapped back. The pounding in her ears ceased. Calm returned with a quick breath and an easy smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Oh, yeah?” she said, “I never knew.”

Hammond lumbered over and walked past them. “Let’s eat. I-I’m starving…” he stammered.

Nietz and Locke looked up at him and then back at Sonya. Sonya kept her face pleasant and neutral as she waved them off. “Go eat. We’ll do the debriefing later. I need to send it to your new Guildmaster anyway.”

“Thanks! See ya in a bit!” he said brightly and walked past, arm-in-arm with Locke.

Sonya turned to watch them go, her jaw clenching so tightly she felt like it was going to break. How could she have missed it? He was standing right in front of her this whole time. Smiling at her. Laughing with her. Eating snacks with her. The rage peaked for only a moment, and the helicopters around her creaked. A hand slipped onto her shoulder, gentle, and she snapped her eyes up towards … Marta.

“Marta…” she breathed, looking away from those clear brown eyes. “I’m-” she choked.

“Obviously not,” her friend said quietly.

Sonya fixed her gaze on anything other than her friend’s face, her hands clenching in her pockets as she forced the tremors down. “...He’s right there,” she hissed. “He’s right fucking there…”

“I know. I was coming to tell you. His transformation during the fight against Tenebra was uncanny,” she said soothingly. “He’s-”

Sonya whipped her head towards her and met her eyes. “I want to see the footage. Now.”

–

A few minutes later, she stood in a board room with Colin, Marta, and Amos. The fight was playing out in high definition on the full wall screen. Her hands gripped the table as Nietz evolved. He grew larger and larger, his skin turning pale and gray as his paragon-like form snapped into motion. One instant he was still on the ground, crumpled against a wrecked concrete wall, the next he was in front of Tenebra with his fist raised. The most update n0vels are published on N0veI.Fiɾe.net

“Majordomo…” she breathed as her fingers dented the table.

Colin looked down at her hand and up at her. “You made a deal with him. He’s got a year, right?”

Sonya’s teeth clenched, and she turned away. “Yes,” she bit out. “A little less - it's been a while since then,” she snarled, glaring at the wall. “But there are other ways to-”

“Hey, Sonya,” Amos cut into her fury. “Easy. He isn’t that guy anymore.”

She whirled on him and her mechanical pupils shrank with focus. “Do you think I don’t know that?” she barked. “Do you think I’m blind?” She whipped her hand towards the screen and then slammed her palm on the table, leaving an impression. “But he’s Majordomo! He-” She choked and slammed her palm on the table again. “He took her!” she snarled. “Not to mention the deal with Pandora!” She dug her fingers into the metal to try to steady herself, and she took a deep breath, her heart feeling heavy in her chest.

The boy had annoyed her at first, but he’d grown on her. It felt like a betrayal even if he had no idea. No, she thought. The Heralds have all been the same at their core. None of them have changed. What makes him any different? He’s still a monster on the inside. He fooled me. He knows… Somehow, he just knows.

“Sonya…”

She snapped her head towards Marta with a glare only to feel her shoulders go limp. She whipped a hand to her right and avoided her gaze as a portal opened. “I need time to think. Get my appointment set up with Erebus,” she said numbly and strode through it into the quiet of her bedroom.

The Heralds don’t change… They can’t. Because if they can… what the hell have I been doing?

–

Far from Sonya’s swirling thoughts and impotent fury, in Dharan, silence hung over the ruins. Survey teams made their way through the empty space, mapping out the upcoming demolition and construction plans. Amidst the broken buildings and eerie quiet, webbing spread across a wall inside the living room of an abandoned home. The webbing knitted itself into a ring. A low hum followed, and with a release of air, a portal opened at the center of the ring.

Nearby, a figure sat crosslegged on a couch, a face hidden in shadow. The low thud of stone striking the wood floor of the room caused the figure to shift and open its eyes.

Orange eyes, simmering with molten gold, flicked towards the stone-sheathed sword that had landed on the ground and the note pinned to it.