Don't Be a Hero: A Superhero Novel

19: The Last Domino

The midday radio news said there had been reports of a breakout at the Metahuman Correctional Facility, but the cape coppers had lips as tight as their arses. It must’ve been a hell of a breakout. All the meta prisoners would have kill-switches, so any guard who caught them escaping would be able to blow the back of their head out in seconds.

Everyone who had a hint of authority had been quick to assure the public that the AAU wouldn’t bow to Quanta’s threats. The media called him a terrorist, not a supercriminal, like they were trying to play down the fact that he just executed one of the world’s greatest superheroes on live television. Still, that didn’t stop the reporters from snooping around the Old City, trying to get comments from ex-heroes. So far, they’d failed miserably.

Other than that, Met Div were floundering. Some were suggesting the radiation bomb Quanta left at the TV studio was a trick—real radiation poisoning didn’t completely wear off after a couple of days. The cops had evacuated a mile radius from the studio, and had hazard teams cycling in and out to monitor the contamination. If it had all been for nothing, some people at Met Div would have red faces.

That said, she and Solomon weren’t doing any better. Her eyes hurt trying to make out the handwritten reports. Solomon looked as shattered as she felt. Thankfully, he avoided asking any questions about her fight with Gabby. The situation was awkward enough as it was.

While she chewed, her eyes drifted over the paper scattered across the table. Avin and Screecher were definitely connected. They’d communicated and even worked in the same teams a few times back in the old days, and they were both active in Heroes for Freedom. Avin was a prominent member, while Screecher was a behind-the-scenes guy, but the organisation hadn’t been large. It wasn’t hard to picture them becoming friends and following the same causes.

What could entice them to fall in with Quanta, though? And what about Daniel O’Connor, the Met Div officer who’d snatched Sam from the boat? Judging from some of the reports in his file, O’Connor seemed to have links in the meta community. Was that how he’d encountered Avin and Screecher? He’d started out as a beat cop in New Zealand, but he got friendly with some AAU bureaucrats and was promoted to some unspecified international government work in Europe in the ’50s. Interpol, maybe, or some sort of special unit, the documents weren’t clear. When he came back to New Zealand, he got tasked on some of the higher-profile stuff. Supercriminals and hostage situations and the like. He volunteered for Met Div when the unit was set up after the Seoul Accord was signed. He’d had a couple of brutality complaints, although nothing stuck. But then there was something interesting. The report of his dismissal was vague, but “indiscretions” were mentioned, along with veiled accusations of corruption. It wasn’t conclusive, but she had a pretty good idea what’d happened. He’d been leaking departmental information. He’d been spying for Quanta. And by the sound of it, it had been going on a long time.

But how did he get to know Quanta in the first place? And where was the link she needed? It was here somewhere. There was something in these files that could help her find Quanta and Sam. There had to be. Sam. He’s alone with that bastard.

She gobbled down the last bit of carrot and sat back in her chair. She’d never felt so satisfied. The Carpenter was giving her a funny look.

“What?” she said.

“Got any answers for us yet? I can hear your brain working from here.”

She opened her mouth to tell him she was fresh out of ideas. A knock on the door cut her off.

He raised his eyebrows at her and frowned. She met his look, heart racing, and gave a tiny shrug. She didn’t entertain visitors. Ever.

They stood silently. She reached for her gun before she remembered she’d left it in the holster in her bedroom, along with her mask. The Carpenter pulled on his mask and hat while she quietly padded to the bedroom and opened the door. Gabby was lying on the bed in a bathrobe, eyes puffy from tears. She sat up when Niobe entered.