Chapter 76 (Patreon)

Martin burst into the room, his gun raised and at the ready. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of blood and sweat that permeated the room. He took a quick look around, frowning when he didn’t see anyone at first from where he stood. He didn’t notice the way some of the shadow in the entry hall thickened beneath his feet for a moment before passing like a whale cresting beneath the surface of the ocean. He crept inside slowly, still ready for whatever might come, still prepared to fight if he had to. His phone rang in his pocket and he snatched it up, opening it and pressing it to his ear.

“I’m in the room, Sir,” Martin said quickly. “No sign of Ishtar.”

“I’m sending Vytal and Black Lotus,” The Chairman said, his voice grim, “Any sign of Ironsides?”

Martin took a few more steps, moving through the entry hall and into the main part of the small hotel room. He glanced down at the ground, first, where a puddle of blood still lay sticky on the carpet. He panned his view up and to the right, his eyes trained to focus on the space immediately in front of him in order to not miss clues or relevant details. It was kind of like putting on blinders. There had been a struggle, the wardrobe was smashed into numerous pieces from what looked like an impact from above. He panned his vision to the left, to the far bed first which had its blankets tossed and splattered with blood. There were spots of blood all over the walls as well.

Then he focused on the bed nearest to him and his time stopped. Ironsides was just laying there, on his back, eyes closed as if he’d just fallen asleep. Martin felt his shoulder go numb for a moment and his weapon fell to his side. He swallowed, “I found Ironsides,” Martin grunted. He walked over to his friend and leaned over the bed, checking his pulse. “He’s dead,” Martin said, his voice stiff and clinical even as his mind seemed to spin. He took a few steps back and sat down on the bed across from his friend. His gun locked in his grip, his eyes fixed on the still corpse. 

He looked so peaceful.

The only signs that he’d even been in a fight were the bloodstains and tears on his clothes. The fatal wound wasn’t even truly evident. He regarded the man he had worked with these past few months since the flash, the man who had demonstrated to him that the light-touched weren’t all bad. He’d seen the heroes do their work but Martin had always seen them as grandstanding even as they’d demonstrated their honor time and time again. He just couldn’t let go of the understanding that they were vigilantes in his mind. Lucian-no-Ironsides had been someone who didn’t need the recognition, his only goal was to use his abilities to do a little good in the world.

He’d changed Martin’s mind about heroes. He’d helped him accept reality even while his single-minded obsession with Ishtar had inevitably led to this point. The thought brought a frown to his face. No, it wasn’t his fault. Ironsides would never feel that way. As evil as that woman was, she was right to warn him against devaluing what Ironsides had tried to do. The thought that he agreed with anything Ishtar had to say made him even more sick now than it could have ever possibly made him before. He looked away, glancing at the nightstand between the beds. There was a large envelope there, held down by the alarm clock.

Ishtar’s letter. He realized and finally engaged the safety on his gun before slipping it back into his coat. He picked it up and opened it. He numbly pulled the two sheets of paper out. The first was on the white lined paper of the complementary notepads that one could find in the drawers of the hotel. The other was on a thick paper that reminded him of some kind of parchment. He read the note first, he’d seen his name at the top. The text was a bit unsettling, it had been clearly written in pen but it was so rigid and straight he could have been convinced it was printed by a computer. Won’t even let me get an idea of your penmanship. His detective brain groused, grasping for some details to distract himself from the reality he sat across from.

‘Chief Investigator Martin,

For what it is worth, I am sorry it came to this. Your partner was a good man and fought me valiantly. I gave him a choice at the end, to die standing and as a hero or live but never be able to tell a soul of what he had learned from our fight. Perhaps it is the compulsion of my ability, the implication of the deal offered, but I am compelled as I write. I am incapable of telling lies. 

Do with that information as you will, detective. Your friend earned it for you. 

As for the contents of this envelope. It contains a contract. This contract is capable of awakening the unawakened abilities possessed by a non-light touched person who signs it. The terms are simple. It is you who must make a choice now. Right now you are but a fish in the ocean where I own the sharks. You can allow yourself to fall behind, slide into obscurity and be consumed. Or you can use this opportunity and attempt to catch up. 

The choice of whether or not we continue this game of cat and mouse is on your shoulders, detective. I am curious as to which is more important to you, your principles or your need to be the one to catch me. In full transparency, I will likely endeavor to kill you tonight if you choose not to at least consider my offer.

My Condolences for your Loss,

Ishtar’

There were striations on the paper, signs that it had endured more than just the movements of the pen across it. She had used superhuman speed to write it, if he had to guess. It had only taken him a few minutes to arrive at the room after her first contact. Those observations were the first numb thoughts that occurred to him as the rest of it sank in. She was compelled? She can’t lie? He looked up at Ironsides’ body, his lips trembling as he moved to the next document. It was indeed a contract. He felt something inside the paper that tingled against his fingers, something unidentifiable to his senses.

Just like she’d said, the terms were straightforward and simple. Signing this document would awaken powers for him, but Ishtar would be able to withdraw one favor of her choosing at the time of her choosing from the signator. While the contract remained unfulfilled, the signator could not speak of anything related to the contract or its creator, Ishtar. If an individual touching the contract chooses to expose information about the contract or the creator before signing the contract, the contract will be voided and its powers dispersed. He stared at the names at the bottom.

‘Endorsed by: Ishtar

Notarized by: Mephisto’

A new henchman, probably one with a dealmaking ability given his name. Martin shuddered. He didn’t notice his phone buzz in his pocket, nor did he notice the small gathering of shadow in the corner of the room, observing him. He only hung his head, both pieces of paper clenched in his hands as he wrestled with it all. I should hand it over, this is wrong to even consider this while sitting here. He thought as the shadow behind him grew deeper. He swallowed hard, She read me like a book. Damn it. His phone buzzed again and he finally answered it.

“Martin,” He said hollowly.

“Are you alright? I’ve been trying to contact you,” The Chairman said.

Martin looked at the document in his hands, “I’m fine. Just sitting here.”

“I understand,” The Chairman said after a long pause. “Black Lotus and Vytal are on their way, the elevators in the hotel have been disabled, likely by Ishtar. They are taking the stairs. They should be there in just a few moments.”

Martin folded the document and note without thinking, slipping them into the inner pocket of his coat. “Understood sir,” Behind him, the growing shadow faded away.

–

Black Lotus watched as the Chief Investigator left the room, his eyes sunken, his expression filled with a mixture of grief, resolve, rage, and confusion. She looked over at the still body of his partner. She had to give the man credit for being so stoic in the face of such a terrible loss. It was not easy to lose a comrade. She squared her shoulders and glanced around the room. There was evidence that another corpse had been in the room at one point, the blood pooling on the carpet being the indicator. They weren’t sure who she’d killed, but Ironsides had indicated that there had been a body in his message to the Chief.

“It’s unblemished,” Black Lotus said thoughtfully, standing next to the body.

Vytal stepped over and placed a hand on Ironside’s body before abruptly pulling his hand back, his blue eyes going wide. “This man was completely healed before his death. There are several incredibly small puncture wounds remaining. Such precision,” Vytal said hesitantly, “He was killed painlessly, though based on the state of his clothing and the room he clearly put up quite the fight.”

Black Lotus frowned, what kind of person would do such a thing? Was it out of some sense of honor? In her brief conversation with the Chief before sending him away, she’d learned a bit about what Ishtar had to say when she took Ironside’s radio. “She wanted him presentable for a funeral. We’re not dealing with a normal mind here,” She said evenly, crossing her arms and glancing around the room.

“I could have told you that, this woman is insane,” Vytal said darkly.

“No,” Black Lotus said with a shake of her head, “I get the feeling she is very, very sane. Something far worse than a crazy person.”

–

Ishtar sat in the dark and empty hotel room with a smile on her face. Blackrazor had been very kind to move her into the room rather than her using technopathy to open the door and alert the hotel’s computers that the room had been accessed. She had taken pains to disable the motion sensors that controlled the lights, she had a feeling they served a greater purpose than illumination. Her helmet was at her side as she leaned back, her eyes closed. She was sharing everything that had happened with the real body.

The shadows around her stirred and she opened her eyes, turning to where Blackrazor was taking shape. The man stepped into physical being and regarded her as she returned his stare with a smile. “How did it go?” She asked as he lowered himself to a knee.

“It would appear he is considering it,” Blackrazor said, his tone thoughtful.

“You disapprove?” She asked curtly. He shifted a little and she grinned at him, “It’s okay to have your own thoughts, Blackrazor. Speak your mind.”

“There is a lot that could go wrong now that I am no longer observing him,” He said.

“The man sticks to his decisions,” Ishtar said, “If he took the document with him, he will sign it. Even if he doesn’t, that’s still beneficial to me.”

“I don’t understand,” Blackrazor said after a long pause, his shoulders slouching a little.

“If he divulges the information about my so-called weakness and the contracts, that will only be a net positive. People talk, Blackrazor. Word spreads. Leaks happen. Information from a reliable source like the Pandora Committee’s investigation unit is very trustworthy. People will know a deal with me can be made with confidence,” Ishtar said, “They will know that I can give them power with only a favor in exchange.”

She tilted her head to the right and beamed at him, “And if he chooses to sign, he will have compromised his morals and turned into a far more interesting opponent. He will also be unable to speak about my abilities until I call to collect, which I have no intention of doing unless absolutely necessary,” She let out a laugh. “In other words, regardless of the outcome, I win.”

He looked up at her and his expression grew thoughtful. He smiled, “Masterfully done, Mistress.”

She snorted, “A bit improvised, in my opinion, but I am not one to avoid capitalizing.”

She slid to her feet and began disrobing, ignoring the startled look from Blackrazor as she folded the garment and set it on the bed next to her helmet. She glanced over her shoulder at him, “Take this to my hotel room, please.”

He got to his feet and nodded, “What about you?”

She shrugged, “What about me? I am nothing more than a highly functional clone made from an ability and my time is at an end. Persisting only serves to trouble your true mistress. Now go,” She said with a dismissive wave. He nodded brusquely and scooped up her regalia, turning into shadows without another word and disappearing into the floor. She watched him go and let out a sigh, rubbing her shoulders and popping her neck. “This was fun,” She hummed to herself as she walked to the shower and slipped inside, standing beneath the showerhead and turning it on. She closed her eyes and her body began to melt into naught but a grayish sludge that dissolved in the water, disappearing down the drain without a trace.

–

Sonya sat across from the Chairman who hung up the phone and let out a sigh, “Very troubling,” He said with a shake of his head. “He was a good man.”

“So I’ve heard,” Sonya said, sounding equally saddened, “I have only encountered him a few times and read his dossier.”

The Chairman glanced her way, “You followed up on him?”

She sighed, “Of course I did, your new Chief Investigator is his partner and the man has had a very singular interest in me for quite some time. I like to know who my potential enemies are.”

The Chairman’s shoulders slumped, “It’s plain as day that his suspicions are unfounded, just look at the situation. You’ve been down here with me the entire time,” He shook his head and rubbed his temple, “It’ll be a bit indelicate but I’ll order him to stay away from you. I think giving him a lengthy break might also be in order.”

She smiled, “I think you’re being rather kind.”

He smiled back at her, “Now, about tomorrow. I assume with the situation as it is you’d rather not risk yourself in going to the dungeon? My son is still very excited and I’m sure my future daughter-in-law would be very disappointed to not go. She seems to like you.”

Our little deal seems to have quite the effect, is it really coloring the direction of your thoughts to the point of rationalizing? Fascinating. I wish I could study you longer. She thought before she held up a hand, “Chairman, your son will be with us, what do I have to be afraid of?” She asked with a small smile, “As far as I’m concerned, despite the tragedy of the evening, our plans for tomorrow remain unchanged. You do need to see a dungeon first hand after all, right?”

He smiled, looking a little relieved, “Right.”