Chapter 366

The liquid metal bindings pinched into Saleh’s skin. The stink of wet dirt against his nose made him pull his head back instinctively only for the hand against the back of his head to slam it back into the ground. He tilted just enough, just enough to look into that man’s eyes. Glowing, blue, and cold as a glacier, they didn’t just send a chill down his spine, they made him ill on a level he didn’t even know he was capable of. All the images circulating the internet of the hero that had faced Ishtar directly and survived were wrong, so horribly wrong.

The image he’d had when he’d seen Otis pictures was of a vapid, arrogant boy who wore his heart on his sleeve. Capable of anger, but it was a righteous fury that Saleh had thought - foolishly thought - that he could manipulate. The world saw some perfect boy, some golden child who had arrived simultaneously with the force of destruction called Ishtar. Indestructible, immortal, and willing to suffer to stop her. Saleh had sent his brother to try to draw Otis over to his side. His brother hadn’t returned after Kerauna’s attack.

He’d blamed Ishtar, mostly, but that look in Otis’ eyes and what he now knew about Riot’s powers? He knew who was at fault. He knew who was at fault for everything.

Otis knelt down and cracked a too-white smile at him. “What’s wrong, Saleh? Not what you were expecting?” Otis asked into his thoughts. Saleh narrowed his eyes and ground his teeth behind the metal plate. Otis snorted and looked away from him. “You said he was interesting. What good is a heroic-tier earth manipulation ability to me?” he asked Riot coldly. “I’m actively suppressing two mythic’s attention right now, so this better be good.”

Saleh shifted his gaze towards that bastard, Riot. Riot kept his head bowed even as his eyes were wide, pupils small, a tear streaming down his face. His lips were pressed together in a tight, wobbly line. Riot looked more scared than he was. He knows what Otis is really capable of. What kind of monster did I try to make a deal with?

“His ability is different,” Riot finally croaked, trembling on one knee. “Something’s changed.”

Saleh’s eyes snapped open wider. What? How does he know?

“Oh?” Otis asked above him. Saleh tried to look up at Otis again, but Riot’s hand slammed him back into the dirt. “Explain.”

“After his father died, his soul changed. The surface altered so much that it snapped my connection with him briefly,” Riot said with a shuddering laugh. “It felt like one end got pinched and twisted until it broke.”

There was a long pause. For a moment there was only the utter quiet of the moist, humid forest around them and Riot’s slow shuddering breaths. He could feel that hand on the back of his head trembling more and more as terror built with each passing second. When Otis finally spoke, it was like Riot let out a soundless breath of relief. “Fascinating, yes, you were good to bring him to me.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Riot exhaled.

Majesty? A king? This brat? Saleh tried to turn his head to look up at Otis again but Riot’s hand was firm. He shifted again but the liquid metal that strange woman in the brown suit had wrapped around him simply adjusted itself to hold him taught. With the power suppressor cuffs around his wrists, he was as helpless as any normal man. At least let me face him, you wretched creature! He thought and shot an accusing glare at Riot. As if sensing his gaze, Riot’s eye slowly shifted to meet his, multicolored irises trembling and small opened just a little. His smile turned down fractionally. Unworthy. He’s saying I’m not worthy.

Unworthy.

“Well! There’s an easy enough way to see if your theory is correct!” Otis hummed over him. Riot’s hand left Saleh’s head and planted down between his shoulderblades, keeping him restrained as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Otis was tapping at the air lazily, a smug smile on his face. When he stopped he looked down, and his eyes crinkled a little. 

He’s having fun.

Otis’s fingers wrapped around the back of Saleh’s head, and he tensed. Something deeply wrong pulsed through him at that point of contact. It was like a sonar click against his very being that rippled through every inch of him. It was horrifyingly invasive, violating, like his soul was being caressed and examined by slimy hands. He retched and tried to pull his head away, but he just couldn’t move, he could only press his face into the dirt and suffer through it, a tiny part of him cracking a little more. I deserve this, for what I’ve done.

“Well well well!” Otis laughed over him. “I see! Somebody got his inheritance!”

If Saleh’s blood could go any colder, it did. His eyes snapping open as his entire body went very still. Next to him, Riot hummed thoughtfully. “Inheritance, Majesty?”

“Touch of Midas and Grandeur of Bahamut. They’re in our little prince’s body now,” Otis said with a chuckle. Fingers bound up in Saleh’s hair and dragged him, painfully, up to his knees. When his eyes fluttered open again, he was staring straight into those sapphire lights in Otis’ head. “How does that work, little prince? You want to explain to me how you got your father’s abilities? Or how he managed to snag two for himself? Multiple abilities aren’t common. I doubt he started with them.”

Saleh narrowed his eyes.

Otis glanced once towards Riot, and the metal plate over his mouth was painfully pulled away. Saleh hissed and then drew his lips back to spit. Otis eyes widened as bloodlust so cloying Saleh could feel it burning in his nostrils washed over him. “Do it,” Otis dared him. “Right now. Do it. See what happens.”

Saleh’s jaw shook once, then he spat, a snarl on his face as he ground his teeth together. “I will say nothing to you, demon,” he snapped. “A man does-”

His hair was released, and a hand gripped his throat. He was dragged to his feet, the words dying as Otis lifted him to the tips of his toes. Otis tilted his head, reached up with his free hand, and thumbed the glittering splotch on his cheek off with a sneer. “Still have some embers left in  you? You looked so broken a minute ago,” he said lazily before glancing away as he squeezed a little harder. Saleh felt his breath cut off. “How did Erebus die?”

“Saleh requested my help in separating him and Ishtar, Majesty,” Riot said from where he knelt. “I severed Ishtar’s connection with Erebus, and the man went berserk, I’m not sure what the reason for that reaction was. The news says heroes arrived to put Erebus down.”

Otis threw his head back and laughed. “Too good! Patricide by proxy! How delightfully hellenic of you Saleh!” he cackled and turned his attention back to Saleh. “So daddy dies and you get his toys, yes?” he sneered before pausing. “Don’t think I didn’t catch that you engaged Ishtar directly, Riot…” Otis added, and the tone in his voice made even Saleh want to retreat into his own mind for security. “...you faced her alone. An intolerable risk.”

“Majesty I-”

“I. Hate. Risk,” Otis ground out and took his fury out on Saleh. “You do as you are told, you accomplish what I set you to do, and nothing more. Do we understand one another, Riot? You are of no use to me as a corpse. If you’re going to do something stupid, come back alive enough for me to dissect you.”

Riot’s response was barely audible over the shaking. “Y-yes, Majesty.”

Saleh’s vision was starting to darken as Otis turned his attention back to him. Otis' eyes widened a bit, and he laughed, easing his grip. “Ah! Right!” he chuckled as Saleh coughed and spluttered, gasping for air. Otis pulled him closer and grinned. “Now… shall we have a quick talk before I send you back to Craftsman, Saleh?” he asked, “I have expectations for you now.”

“What…” he wheezed, “...expectations?”

Otis smiled. “Why, service to a real king, of course.”

–

A flicker of light traveled across the New York skyline. A crackle of energy that danced across thick clouds. A pop of noise and a snap of thunder announced a flash of light as a bolt of lightning struck the Empire State Building. Kera appeared at the base of the lightning rod, back pressed against it as she grinned at the city beneath her. Her eyes glimmering with a wicked violet. She tapped her foot once and hopped, landing on the observation railing below. She crouched and reached into her pocket, pulling a slip of paper out.

“Address, address, lead me to my mark,” she sing-songed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. The thick, rugged device wasn’t super cute like she would have preferred but it held up when she shifted into her pure energy form. It would do, and Amos had been super duper nice to make it for her. She hummed and stood up, turning around and falling backwards off the building with a laugh. “Time to play!”

The wind whipped past her as she plummeted and the moment she hit the ground she exploded into a shower of sparks and energy. Her mind ripped through the electrical grid at the speed of thought. Powerlines sparked, buildings went dark, stoplights flickered, villain attack sirens blared. She didn’t care. She wasn’t trying to be subtle. When she found her destination, she stepped out of a light fixture into a quiet wood-floored apartment. It reeked of books, despair, and hypocrisy. She wrinkled her nose and raised her voice.

“Ri-ot!” she called, holding her hand over her mouth. “Oh Riiii-ooooooot!” she sang and skipped into the modest kitchen, then back into the living room that was filled with bookshelves. She poked her head into the bedroom and squinted, looking around. “Daw! I know Bay-Bay's spies said he was home!” she clicked her tongue and huffed, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. She pursed her lips and then just shrugged. “Oh well!”

She cracked a grin and snapped her fingers. “BURN!”

Bolts of electricity erupted from her fingertips and danced across the polished floor, scoring and scorching it. The energy ripped across the bookshelves and ignited them. The light fixtures shattered, bulbs exploding like little bombs. She danced through the chaos, planting her hand on the refrigerator and cooking everything inside. She spun and pointed to the television and shot a bolt straight through it. She skipped to the couch and sat down, leaving an ass shaped burn mark in the seat before hopping up and taking a breath of ozone and smoke.

She pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture, hammering out a text with a giggle and sending it off. Then a flicker of red drew her attention. She turned to see a tear in the air form, and her eyes widened with barely contained delight. When Riot emerged into his burning apartment, Kera gave him a cute little wave. “I’ll be back!” she chirped and with a crack of thunder, blasted through the windows and into the clouds, leaving a crater behind.

–

Sonya crossed her legs on the beach chair as the warm air washed over her. Even at this time of year the temperature was magnificent in Maui. She smirked to herself, her sunglasses glinting against the sunlight flashing against it. On the white sands, Team Pyrolysis continued their well-earned vacation while their leader continued her assigned work. Sonya grabbed the chilled can of cola next to her and popped a straw into it, sipping lazily as a text came into her HUD. There was an attached image.

<Thought you could use a pretty picture, boss! Riot’s personal living room!>

The attached image was beautiful. Sonya chuckled as the next image came through. A selfie of Kera standing on a building across from a burning apartment building, throwing her fingers up with her tongue sticking out. 

<He showed up just as I was wrapping up. Gonna harass his next patrol!>

Sonya willed a response into text.

<Keep it up, he’s got to maintain appearances to keep working as a hero. Since I can’t prove his actions at Cairo, we’ll ruin him another way. Make it impossible for him to do his job. Without Otis present, New York is your playground, Kera.>

Kera’s response came instantly.

<LOL! This is so much fun! Send Bay-Bay my love! Oh wait! I can text him! Later!>

Sonya chuckled. “She’s so cute.”

“Having fun?” a gruff voice asked. She glanced up to see a big man standing over her, a baseball cap set firmly over his eyes. Tan skin and strong features striking against the blue sky. He grinned down at her, and she saw a flicker of sharp teeth. Barry was getting good at maintaining his human appearance now that he was a Claimant. “You look like a cat that got a mouse.”

Sonya chuckled. “Something like that. Kera’s having some fun in your old stomping grounds.”

Barry chortled and crossed his arms over his chest. “While the cat’s away, right?”

Sonya squinted at him, “You’re making a lot of cat jokes.” She raised an eyebrow. “Something I should know?”

He hesitated and took a step back, glancing left and right. “U-um… no?”

A laugh from up ahead drew her attention, and she turned to see Levi change into his lurker form and lift Cass and Alex, hurling them into the water. She chuckled and sipped at her drink, not glancing up as Barry made a hasty retreat. The next presence that came up behind her had a smoother gait. She set her can down. “Do we need to buy a litter box?” she asked, eyes not pulling away from the scene before her.

“That won’t be necessary, Miss Chernovna,” Marta said behind her. “My idiot has a new friend staying in his room in the Marianas Base, and he can’t stop talking about it. He said he found the little thing while extorting a tanker off the coast of South Africa.”

Sonya pursed her lips. “As long as it’s taken care of.” She paused and glanced up. “Is it cute?”

Marta smirked at her. “He has about a hundred pictures.”

Sonya hopped up with a laugh and walked over. “Let’s get them out of him,” she chuckled and started walking. She didn’t make it far, though, when she felt Erina’s presence rise up in the back of her mind. The sense she immediately got from her was urgency. Sonya slowed in her steps and furrowed her brows.

Sonya, I need you in your inner world. As soon as you can.

Sonya raised an eyebrow and glanced at Marta who was looking at her with concern. What’s up? She asked.

Unless you’ve been messing around without telling anyone in here, Erina said. There’s something new you need to see.

Sonya pursed her lips and glanced towards her beach house. “Looks like cat pictures are going to have to wait.”