Supervillains 2 Chapter 16 (Patreon)

Lachesis started barking out orders to her teams, but I switched off the comms and focused elsewhere.

I knew I didn’t have the ability to smack the Roc out of the sky with kinetic energy. It was just too large and had the strength to go with it. But by using its own weight, I had a hunch that I might ground it with gravity.

"Full power, Pulsar." I reached out with my power and wrapped it around the Roc before dialing up the gravity myself, joining Pulsar.

My body ached with the strain of how much I was using my power. Even the beads of destruction didn’t take this much out of me.

But trying to lock down a titan was a test of my powers I’d never get again.

Pushing harder, I enclosed its entire body in increased gravity, trying to weigh it down.

The Roc screamed and stalled in the air, beating its wings faster as it tried to remain aloft.

It was a silent struggle between me and The Roc. One that was nearly at a stalemate.

"Demoness, I need you to come at it from above. We are going to ground the Roc." I spoke through my teeth. Just a little push is all I needed to win this struggle with the titan.

"What?!" Demoness shouted over the comms. "Hell yeah! I'm on it."

She shot up over the Roc, and I spread my increased gravity to her as she rocketed down. She let out a scream of joy as she smashed into the Roc's back.

It was struggling and barely maintaining flight.

And that gave Angel just the chance he needed. A giant gold ring appeared behind him, glowing brightly. I had to squint against the light as he shot down similar to Demoness. But the difference was that his attack had enough concussive force to blow the other flying heroes away.

"That's impressive." I commented, surprised by his power.

Ribbit swooned. "That's our Angel for you. He's a power type of unbelievable strength."

I kept my face passive, but Lachesis' warning rang in the back of my head. 

And it had also surprised me I didn’t have a one hundred percent chance of killing him. I could strip powers; there should be a one hundred percent chance.

Curious, I reached out to see how strong his power was compared to others.

But for the first time in my life, another super’s power was hidden from me. Whatever it was, I couldn't touch it.

I wanted to poke around more, but I needed to pay attention to the surrounding battle. It had progressed quickly as Angel kept assaulting the Roc.

The titan was slowly sinking towards the ground, where a massive pool of concrete was flowing below it.

They were going to trap it to the ground.

"Demoness, Pulsar. Get out of there. I don't want either of you around it when it hits the ground. Venus, fire when ready."

Venus shot another beam, and it lanced through the titan’s other wing. The Roc hovered just over the pool of cement.

I raised a massive hammer of kinetic force and slammed it down in time with Angel's next attack, and the Roc splashed into the concrete. It started to stand, working to pull its legs up as the concrete hardened around it.

Angel didn't let up, continuing to hammer the Roc with his absurd strength. I couldn’t believe that he made Demoness look inferior, even after I’d boosted her.

The Roc thrashed as it panicked. More heroes piled their abilities onto it. Now that it was closer to the ground, more could get in range. Its wings were now covered with all sorts of gunk and goo.

Venus kept blasting as the Roc was rapidly locked down on the ground.

Its beak lashed out faster than heroes expected, snatching heroes off the ground like a chicken at an anthill.

"Demoness, stay back. I want you to help evacuate the injured." I warned her. She shouldn’t get mixed up in that mess.

The titan let out a piercing cry that made my ears ring, and I was standing much further away than most of the heroes.

Multiple heroes dropped out of the sky after the screech, but Angel and Demoness seemed fine. They were catching the heroes and flying them free of the conflict.

I joined Venus, gathering a second ball of light next to her while I let up on the gravity I was using to exert pressure on The Roc.

What ever hero used that concrete had it well in hand.

Venus helped cover me, holding up her hands, timing her movements with mine.

We both hit nearly the same spot, searing out a chunk of the Roc's neck. Blood was pouring out as it stumbled on its feet.

"Again. You'll get it this time." I promised her.

But before Venus could charge another blast, Angel swooped in. A giant gold ax appeared in his hand as he swung at the spot we had already weakened.

It was a picture perfect defeat of the Roc as Angel chopped its head off. Even before the Roc's head made the ground shake, I already knew what image was going to be plastered all over the papers and news.

It wasn't going to be Venus and the work she did. Nor would it be Stella and Melody’s efforts. It would be Angel cleaving the Roc's head off.

I was bitter that he had just stolen the spotlight.

Lachesis came over my comms. "Miles, don't forget the promise you made."

I didn't even bother replying. "Ribbit, unseal me and get me down closer."

"Can do, but it's still moving."

"Twitches post death. That hero with the concrete has it." That power was actually just as impressive as Angel to me.

"Slab. She doesn't actually do much hero work, mostly she does repairs and hires out to contractors. Without her we wouldn't be able to keep expanding this city as much as it has in recent years." Ribbit touched me and released me from the surface of the building before attaching herself to me and leaping off the rooftop.

"Miles!" Demoness shouted into the comms. "He stole the kill!"

"Calm down. I'm on my way."

"You should go get him." Venus offered to Stella. "The girl helping him is getting very handsy."

Demoness snorted. "On my way. She's the one jumping like a flea?"

"More like a frog, I think." I chuckled.

Ribbit picked up on my words. "Are you talking about me?" She paused on a rooftop.

"Yes. One of my heroes saw you and is coming." Even as I said it, I could see Stella dive through the air straight for us.

The jumping hero took the momentary pause let her hand wander down into my pants and squeeze my ass. She winked at me when I looked back at her, but I heard a thud and turned back to a pissed Stella.

I was glad Stella couldn’t shoot lasers out of her eyes as she glared at Ribbit’s wayward hand. "Get your fucking mitts off, my master."

"Just getting one last feel." She felt me up once more before smirking at Stella.

Stella's fist was flying a nanosecond later.

Ribbit flew backwards, rolling to a stop on the rooftop and shakily getting her feet under her. "What the fuck, bitch. I was just getting a feel. Learn to share."

Stella fanned her wings out and she walked forward, threatening the weaker super. "You're an ass. He would have said no if you had asked, because he's spoken for."

"I don't need you defending me, Stella." The super had needed to keep her hands on me for how she traveled. Fighting her about it while we'd been on the move would have been unproductive and a waste of critical time. "Let's just get going."

"You can't let her get away with pushing you like that." Stella's nostrils were flaring with every breath.

I gave her a flat stare. "Someone grabs my ass everyday on the subway."

"No more subway for you. I'll fly you to work every day." Stella grumbled.

It was just another outcome from the gender imbalance, and it was getting worse as the gap was growing.

Pushing all of it aside, I held out my arms, and Stella happily grabbed me, lifting us up into the air and flying me to the mass of supers that gathered at the edge of the city. They were splitting their efforts between helping sift through the collapsed buildings and ensuring that the Roc's body didn't draw in too strong of monsters on the mountain.

Melody and Mona were already at work at a nearby building, removing the rubble.

"Hey, Demoness, right?" An absurdly buff man with white feathered wings sprouting out of his back waved at us. "Good fighting out there."

Stella narrowed her eyes. I could feel her urge to pick a fight with him for stealing the kill. "Yeah --"

"Don't, Stella, not now." The words of Lachesis echoed in my mind. I couldn't help but wonder if this was how Stella set herself up to die by his hands.

I cursed, hating that I was second guessing myself because of their predictions.

"An angel and a demon. What a fun pair. Don't you think?" Angel bounced his eyebrows. "I heard you were a villain before; you should stick around Mountain City."

There was something about his wording that bothered me. He seemed to find her previous villain status appealing.

"No, thanks." Stella hung off of me. "I have all I need right here."

Angel sized me up. "I don't recognize you. Must be a weakling." He turned to Stella. "I could show you a much better time. Plus, there's a little extra fun on the side with me. Heroes should be worshiped by the populace for what we do."

I coughed, holding back a snarky remark. No wonder Lachesis saw us fighting in the future. I really wanted to knock that smug smile off his face.

But even this close, I couldn't grab onto his ki. It was too slippery, like it was resistant to being affected.

And I didn't like that at all.

But he couldn’t be too strong; Lachesis said I had an eighty-five percent chance of winning.

Sizing him up once more, I turned to Stella. "Well, we'll be going." I grabbed Stella's shoulder and had to force her forward with a little kinetic force.

"Let me hit him just once." She begged.

"No. I'll explain later." I looked over my shoulder at the smug grin on his face. He definitely thought he’d come out on top of that encounter.

Then he turned, walking straight to the reporters instead of helping with the recovery operations. It figured.

"Explain now." Stella demanded.

"There's someone able to see future possibilities here in the city. I've been warned that if I pick a fight with Angel, the most likely outcome is you die and I kill him." I ran my hand through her hair and rubbed just behind her horns. "My annoyance with him isn't worth risking you."

Stella's eyes looked up at me, suddenly blooming with joy. "Aww. The old Miles wouldn't have cared. I'm so happy you are changing." She squeezed me to her chest and pulled my head down into it. "Let me give you a big reward. Besides, I need to be topped up."

"No, you don't. You were draining the Roc."

At those words, I looked over at the dead titan. "First the Chimera and now the Roc. If we've reached a point where titans are starting to die, that will change the world."

"The Roc is certainly dangerous for its unpredictability and the damage it can do to a city, but it isn't exactly the toughest." Stella argued.

"You don't understand.” I replied. “A few years ago, everyone would have said they are all unkillable. Killing this one is... world changing."

Stella accepted it in stride. "Then we'll just change the world, one titan at a time. Besides, I want to get back home. Go play with Jelly Bags and maybe find this kitten mentor of yours."

"Don't call her a kitten." I had the sudden imagery of Emma trying to rip Stella apart for it.

"She has cat ears, though, right?" Stella held her hands up, miming ears.

"Emma is far more of a wild tiger than a domesticated kitten."

Stella looked at me like I was an idiot, blinking slowly. "Tigers are just big kittens."

I rolled my eyes, not surprised Stella would think about it. With her abilities, a tiger probably didn't pose much more of a threat than a kitten.

We continued on to find and collect Mona and Melody.

"Okay, I won't call her kitten, not until she likes me more. But then we have Gothy, Twinkles, and probably some more that are going to crop up."

"Twinkles?" I had already placed Gothy as Obsidian, noting that I clearly had gotten to know Stella well. "And you can't call her Gothy. That name is taken."

"Venus." Stella answered. "She twinkles like hope and light. We'll have to see what the real Obsidian is like; she'll get a good name for sure." Stella talked as if she were naming pets.

Talking to Stella always made me feel lighter. She had a way of taking something intense and making it simple.

I looked over at my succubus. "Do you want to grab dinner here before we head back?"

It was still bright outside; we’d be able to head back to the city before evening hit.

"Sure. I wonder what Mountain City food is like?" She walked with a smile on her face and a little drool pooling in the corner before she stopped to turn and help Melody with lifting some rubble.

We were still working, after all.

I swiped around on my tablet, inputting my request with the cargo plane, and got a confirmation that I sent out to the rest of the Point City hero managers. We'd leave tonight at eight, plenty of time for an early dinner with my girls and getting in a quick conversation with the triplets.

But I knew I needed to get out of the city. I could feel something was up with Angel, and if I stayed, it was going to get harder and harder not to take him down a peg.

A message from Lachesis popped up on my tablet, reminding me of one of my promises.

Swiping off all my comms, I opened a private line to her.

"Lachesis. Where am I going to speak with this boy?" Nothing sounded nicer than laying the foundation for how they wanted to deal with Angel.

"Miles, wonderful to see that you exceeded my expectations. Actually, taking down the Roc."

Walking away from the mess, I waited until there were no prying ears. "We all know that Angel is going to be the one blasted in the papers for that finish."

"Yes, sad to know that the Roc could have never been grounded without you and Venus' attacks. Who knew she could shoot two at once?"

I couldn't see her, but I knew there was a knowing smile on Lachesis’ face.

"Cut it out. Where am I going?" Walking around the corner, I checked to make sure no one could see me and went invisible before floating up into the air.

"Not far for you. Hayden College. I'll send you a map." Her words were followed by a ping on my tablet. I oriented myself using the mountain, which was a fantastic landmark. Once I confirmed the direction, I made myself invisible and flew that way.

Following the map was a second ping with an image of a pockmarked boy who looked like he'd been plagued by acne. "What's the guy’s power?"

"Don't know. If I send Atropos, it always foils the plan. But if you help him awaken his power today, then later this week we'll arrange a meeting between Angel and him. That should change everything." I could hear Lachesis smile.

"Change how?" I asked, not wanting to become part of a greater problem.

"First, you have to understand that Angel is a menace to the city. He is not only the premiere hero, but he's also an organized crime boss. All drugs, prostitution and money laundering go through his organization.”

She continued on. "But, for some reason, when he kills the kid, it all stops."

I frowned. "The kid dies? Why do you care about his power, then?"

"Because we think he uses it when he dies. After that, Angel becomes weak for a period of time and changes his tune drastically. I know it isn't what you want to hear, but it is the best way for us to remove the tumor living in our city without also destroying a large part of it."

I tried to reconcile my feelings with the topic. I’d certainly done worse in the name of 'the greater good'. But I hated to think that I was about to meet a kid that would become collateral damage. "Is there a risk of him doing anything to me?"

"Nope. He doesn’t even see you. You just go on your merry way to have that date with your girls. Careful, Venus is growing — that's odd." Lachesis paused and stopped talking. "I can't say more or suddenly there is a large chance of me dying."

Nosey. Venus spat over our link.

I chuckled. Whatever Lachesis had been about to say was going to piss Venus off. But I had a few good ideas of what that might be. "Then let me get this done."

Spotting the college and the specific location marked on the map, I landed.

And right where she had marked on the map, the kid was coming out of a building. He settled down on the lawn to do some class work. Clotho must track the young man.

I poked at his power, and it was pitifully weak. Him being able to weaken Angel made no sense to me, but I trusted the three women. And I just needed to fulfill my side of the bargain.

Using my powers, I sped up the cycling of ki in his power to activate it and boosted it just slightly, jump starting the power.

Stepping away, I asked over the comms. "That good enough?"

"Perfect." Lachesis purred. "Now, go have your dinner and I'll meet you at the plane so you can ask your three questions. Our city is eternally grateful for your help, even if no one knows it."

I didn’t respond, knowing if I did, it would be filled with grumbling. I wanted out of Mountain City and away from the fortune teller.