Bolts And Feathers

Chapter Three: Repercussions

Toby sat on the small bed, staring at the ground. It had been a hard morning.

After Archer had taken him back to the base, the Boss had confined him to a small room while everyone decided what to do with him. The room was definitely not what what Toby would call luxurious. It was pretty much a glorified prison cell. There was a small sink and toilet in the corner behind a mildew-covered curtain. The tiny, rock-hard bed was against the opposite wall next to a wooden dresser and chair. The walls of the room were painted a light green color in an attempt to make it look more cheerful.

The curious thing about the room, Toby noticed, was that there were no electrical outlets. The light was provided by a battery powered lantern on the dresser. He realized that Boss had probably done this on purpose so he could not gather enough energy to escape. For some reason, this angered him. He thought it was probably the lack of trust that made him mad. He had been working with these heroes for nine years, and in a split second he was suddenly a criminal confined to a prison cell. Didn't his teammates trust him?

The anger churned as he sat in the cell. The only thing the other heroes cared about was the opinion of the citizens. They didn't care about him, all alone in this miserable room for hours. They had taken away all his gear, but they hadn't given him food or water. Didn't they care that he had just come back from an exhausting mission? Didn't they realize that he hadn't slept at all the night before? Didn't they know that he couldn't control the energy when had killed Black Bullet?

Or could he? A cold shiver ran down Toby's spine as he thought about this possibility. Did he purposely kill Bullet? Yes, he did. Was he in control of himself when he killed the villain? Yes, he was. The realization hit him like a truck. He had killed on purpose. He had killed an unarmed, defenseless man while fully in control of himself. He put his face in his hands despairingly.

But why? Why had he killed this man? What was so important that he had extinguished a life for it? His family. If he had not destroyed the information that Black Bullet was carrying, his family might already be dead. All the people he loved would be gone. And what about the other heroes' families? The would be dead also. Archer and Leia's son, Howl's older brother, all of them. They would all be dead or hiding if it wasn't for him. Shouldn't his fellow heroes be glad he killed the man who could have destroyed them and their families? Wasn't it better to kill one man to save the lives of many others?

Toby thought about these things, and the more he thought about them, the more convinced he became that he had done the right thing. Each thought twisted his mind for himself and against the other heroes.

***

Leia slammed her fist on the table.

"Volt is dangerous! Didn't you see the video footage? There weren't even ashes left. He needs to be contained!"

"Leia, he's just a kid," Archer protested, pulling his bandages a bit tighter.

"That doesn't matter," the heroine growled. "He could have killed you!"

"So?" Archer winced and pressed an icepack against his side. "I've been worse off."

Leia threw up her hands in exasperation. "Fine! You don't agree with me. But something needs to be done, or the public will never trust us."

It was a little while after the incident involving Toby and Black Bullet. The Boss had called an emergency meeting, and the available heroes were gathered in a conference room at the base. Those heroes consisted of Archer, Leia, Howl, Chirp, Brassy Buttons, Justice, and the Boss, of course.

The one hero mentioned on that list who has not been described yet is Justice. Justice, Vortex's cousin, was also a Racarian. However, his skin and short hair were white instead of grey. He was very sturdily built with broad shoulders and muscular arms. Like his cousin, he wore a hooded cloak and armour.