Supers - Ex Heroes 4 Page 14

  I laughed. When they looked at me for an explanation, I shook my head. “Just loving life.”

  “You and me both.” Twitch came in for a kiss. Before turning to the door, she bit her lip and looked at Andromida. “Can I tell the others?”

  “What?” Andromida frowned. “For what purpose?”

  “To discuss the skills Breaker now has, of course. Strategy. Battle tactics.”

  “Oh… yeah?”

  After dressing, we exited, going through the small hallway back to the bridge, where Twitch put her hands in the air and announced, “They fucked!”

  It was a very Charm thing to do, I thought, but hey, maybe they were rubbing off on each other. Charm was the first to react, jumping up and clapping, then shooting a fist in the air. “Oh, hell yes! Next time, though, I want in on that.”

  Andromida actually blushed, a purplish shade similar to the color of her nipples, but she didn’t reject the idea out of hand. She did, however, turn to Twitch. “Battle tactics, huh?”

  “We’re getting to that,” Twitch replied, grinning. The others were up too, clapping us on the shoulders and all smiles. It was like they were congratulating us on finishing a marathon or something.

  The only one not into it was Aegriss, who had turned from the controls and was watching us with a very robotic stare, but one that almost seemed sad… left out. Odd.

  “So what exactly are we dealing with here?” Shimmer asked. “In terms of new skills available, I mean.”

  “Does he really need more?” Gale asked, shaking her head. “I’ve seen what you can do—shit. Lightning, illusions, all that.”

  “Well, that’s where the strategy comes in, I think.” I pulled up my screen, and then had an idea. Using what skills I had from Twitch and programming, I managed to apply them to the ship’s display for all to see.

  “Hot damn,” Charm said, impressed. “I wish we all got something like this.”

  “It helps,” I admitted, then indicated the blue eyes on the sword. “This here had been my newly-changed paladin skill set, which I was going to redirect skill points for, but it’s become… changed.”

  “Corrupted,” Andromida offered. “Or cursed, you could say.”

  “A cursed paladin?” I shrugged, thinking that actually sounded cool on some level. “Okay, whatever it is, it changes the dynamic. Heavenly Vengeance, see that one?” I scrolled to it, the next one after Heavenly Light, selecting it. The image that showed was of several people with lines going from them to one individual. “That used to be called Redemption. Quite different, I imagine. It’s not always easy to see what these mean, but that could be me pulling powers from you all, or life force, or it could be something similar but with enemies.” My thought was that it probably did more than Redemption, and without the checks and balances. Maybe it would even affect me in certain ways? Cursed or dark magic in games and stories often had a negative effect, so maybe this skill would work similarly.

  “So what’s the strategy here?” Shimmer asked. “Get rid of it? Upgrade to it?”

  “I’m not sure. It’s probably damn powerful, so worth trying. Along with some of the others.” I scrolled through, liking the sound of ‘Cursed Blade’ and ‘Shield of Thorns,’ and then closed it and turned away from the window. “I guess, from my side, I want to think about what skills will best serve the team, not just me.”

  “Because we already have someone who can shoot lightning,” Shimmer said, looking at Gale, then raising her hand and pointing at herself. “Or make illusions. Good point.”

  “Right.” Twitch found a chair and leaned against it. “So the question becomes, do we want to have some overlap, in case we need those skills and the other person is busy, or go with a new approach?”

  “Considering the fact that going up against Muerta and Plague wasn’t exactly easy last time…” Charm looked me over, thinking, and then seemed to lose track. “Sorry, I was just imagining you and Andromida fucking like bunnies. Damn. Maybe you two could do it again right here, for us all to watch?”

  Gale laughed and hit her. “You’ve got issues.”

  Charm grinned wide, but looked at me expectantly.

  “Sorry, no, that’s not happening.” A quick glance at Andromida showed she agreed. “Right, so… I’m going to reassign some skill points. I think changing them back later is doable, as long as I keep all of your skills in me.”

  “Meaning as long as we don’t go too long without a good fuck,” Gale said. “Hey, no arguments here.”

  A round of laughter, and nods.

  “That sounds smart to me,” Aegriss added, and we all turned to her. I felt like an ass, not having included her in the conversation to begin with. But… she was an android, after all. The whole dynamic with her on the team was very confusing. Was she even really part of the team?

  I nodded. “Thank you, Aegriss.”

  “And… while we’re on the subject,” the android continued, “I’ve been known to provide pleasure as well, should anyone so desire.”

  Silence followed that statement.

  When nobody said anything, she added, “Sorry if that was too forward, but I’ve observed that the team seems to bond over intercourse, and I would like to be fully part of that. It is nothing more than that, on my part.”

  “Ah, I see,” Twitch jumped in, thankfully. I had no idea where to go with that. “We’ll take your offer into consideration, Aegriss, and let you know. How about after this current mission, as we seem to be approaching fast?”

  “Of course,” Aegriss said, and turned back to the screens.

  Her being an android, I couldn’t tell if she was offended or merely returning to the job, considering the discussion over.

  I shared a confused look with Charm and then Gale, and we all took our seats. Aegriss pulled up the comms with the other ships at my command, and we waited until everyone was with us. To my relief, Trunk was not getting head while talking to us this time. We briefly went over the plan, then began to maneuver our vessels into position.

  20

  The Marine ships were finally pulling out, leaving only a small detachment for security purposes. Having arrived over an hour ago, we kept a healthy distance, positioning our ships where we didn’t think they’d be able to pick up our signal and waited for this moment.

  “Good luck in there,” Letha said over the comms, and Ezra put a hand to his heart. Trunk was grinning.

  “What’s up with that look?” Letha asked, and we all knew she was talking to him.

  “Breaker’s totally going to fuck the robot,” Trunk replied. “It’s what I would do. Glorious.”

  “You’re mistaken,” I replied, annoyed that he’d even bring up something like that at a moment like this. PK people weren’t known for their tact, but still.

  “Whatever, man. Just have fun, right? Hit it once for me.”

  “Keep talking this way and I will be forced to…” Aegriss turned to me, an eyebrow raised.

  “Oh, you want to threaten him? Yeah, that’s cool.”

  She smiled, then turned back and finished, “I will be forced to bitch slap you across the galaxy.”

  Trunk laughed at that, waving us on. He leaned in and said, “I might have found some fun pills on this ship, if anyone gets bored and wants to party.” Behind him, a large bear-hybrid man ran by, roaring and laughing. Trunk chuckled, pointing back at the guy. “He’s high as fuck.”

  “Someone see about relieving them of duty,” Twitch frowned.

  “Believe it or not, he’s better at fighting when he’s on something,” Letha said. “Fighting and… most everything else, too. As long as they can fly the ship, I’d vote for letting him be him.”

  Twitch’s nostrils flared, but she didn’t push the point.

  “And on that matter, I wish I was high going into this.” I shook my head as I watched the few Marine ships remaining. On top of that, there were the Orion Corp forces, the compound’s security measures, and who the hell knew what else.

 
“We’ll be in and out, no problems.” Aegriss stood, offering me her hand.

  “I got it.” Charm took the android’s hand instead and walked with her toward the back.

  “Get ready, Breaker.” Gale took the controls. “We’re going to get you in and out, real fast.”

  Surprisingly, no silly teenage-style jokes followed that one. I supposed we were all too caught up in the moment, taking it too seriously. Even Charm! The three of us climbed into space gear from the ship. Twitch adjusted our stats and oxygen for us, and asked if I was sure I had the skills set as I wanted them while we waited for the ramp to lower.

  With a hesitant pause, I considered, then nodded. Of course I wasn’t sure, but if I needed to adjust them on the fly, that was always an option.

  “Coming in hot,” Gale called out.

  The three of us stood there, ready and waiting. This part of the plan entailed her doing a flyby while Twitch and Shimmer worked to keep us off the radar and out of sight as much as possible, knowing that it wasn’t foolproof. The other ships hung back, but prepared to move in and open fire if needed.

  “All you need to do is get me close enough,” Aegriss started. “And from there I’ll find the point of entry, set it all up.”

  “Roger that,” Gale replied over the comms.

  We stood there, rocking about with our extra layer of space gear—just enough for the jump—and I wished I could remove it to at least feel Charm’s hand at the moment. Going up against a bunch of warriors or supervillains was one thing, but flying off into space without a ship would be quite another.

  “Analyzing,” Aegriss said, then turned to me. “Can you and Twitch get any more of a boost?”

  “I’ll try.” Then, speaking into my comms, “Hear that, Twitch?”

  “Already on max, here.” A moment later, as I found some coding I could adjust, she said, “Wait, I’m able to amplify what you just did.”

  “Fucking A,” I replied, making the adjustments and then closing my screen. The next thing I did was decide we needed a good boost in morale and bravery, so I used my Heavenly Light—still available, thankfully.

  The second I did, Aegriss was in my mind, the images she was seeing showing up for me where my mini-map usually went.

  Is that you, Breaker? Her inner voice asked.

  I nodded, barely, not wanting the others to know yet. This was too strange, and I wasn’t entirely sure it was actually happening.

  Feels good to be inside of me, doesn’t it?

  I chuckled, noting how the skill had made me more courageous, sure, but her joking added to it. Or maybe she wasn’t joking.

  “I feel it too,” Charm commented, referring to the Heavenly Light and apparently figuring that’s what I’d laughed about. “Thanks.”

  “We’ll need everything we can get,” I replied, analyzing the mini-map display.

  There, Aegriss’s inner voice said, and the map stopped on a rectangle on the side of the Orion Corp complex. The whole thing looked less like a space station than a series of very advanced shipping containers melded together, but we knew what it was capable of. Their headquarters would be all decked out, maybe even bedazzled, but this place was all about fortifications and getting the job done. They didn’t care about this place looking pretty, and in fact probably would prefer to keep a low profile with it.

  “Go!” Aegriss ordered.

  “Roger that,” Gale replied, and the area behind us closed off as the ramp began its descent.

  “We got this.” Charm’s hand gripped my arm through glove and armor. “But, just to remind myself… why’d you bring me?”

  I laughed. “Good timing. Because you can cloak, for one. Because you can charm anyone we run across instead of just killing them, for another. But mostly… You’re the silliest, so I figure you’ll keep my spirits up if I start to freak.”

  She rested her helmeted head against my shoulder. “Ah… I’ll take it.”

  “Now!” Aegriss interrupted the moment, running and leaping.

  We followed, our suits kicking in and Twitch adding the estimated additional momentum we required to get us where we’d need to go.

  “Careful now,” Gale cautioned as we left the range where we’d be able to communicate. “I’m showing a couple of their ships starting to turn our way. Pulling back until we’re clear.”

  “Got it,” I replied, but we were out now, and I wasn’t sure they could even hear me. The extra momentum threw us hurtling through space, and it was every bit as terrifying as I’d expected.

  With the slightest wrong trajectory, we could in theory go shooting off into space to be lost forever. I’d like to think my ship would be able to come and pick me up at that point, but the way my heart was racing and my imagination going all sorts of crazy places, it seemed at the moment that there’d be no hope of salvation.

  Luckily for us, we seemed to be on the right path and the military complex was so huge, there’d be little chance of us missing it.

  I turned to see Charm and Aegriss making good progress. Charm grinned wide through her helmet, clearly loving this. In the reflection of her faceplate, though, I saw movement—the Marine ships moving in toward where I imagined ours still waited, though I couldn’t easily turn to get a good look.

  Hopefully Twitch and Shimmer were keeping our little fleet hidden, so that the Marines could go and investigate but find nothing there.

  “Stay tight,” Aegriess directed through our comms. The rectangular area of the military complex was coming up fast.

  “What’re we doing, again?” I asked. “Going to break our way in?”

  She grinned. “No, silly. I’ve timed it just right, being able to get into their system and find the exact moment they’re about to launch several of their fighters to go with the Marines to fight, though I don’t imagine they know it’s these Nihilists you’ve spoken of, yet. Only that there’s an enemy attacking.”

  “And no signs of Muerta here?”

  Silence followed, then Aegriss answered, “Negative.”

  Damn, I hoped we hadn’t come to the wrong place. It was entirely possible Muerta had other plans, that she wouldn’t come here at all. Had she tricked us, led us on a wild goose-chase? Regardless, we knew what Orion Corp was now and needed to take it out, to stop them from interfering with the Oram system and using supers to experiment and create hybrids from. We would stop them, but in a much less horrible way than Muerta had in mind.

  “Prepare yourselves,” Aegriss said. “The door is opening.”

  Sure enough, as we hurtled through space, growing closer and closer, the doors slid apart and a fleet of craft emerged, ready for battle. Some carried mechs and others attack bots, while some were heavily-equipped space bombers and attack craft. If they managed to spot our ships and attack, we’d be totally fucked.

  I had to imagine, given their interaction with the Nihilists on some level, they were badass enough to have a way of fighting them off when it came to that.

  We were effectively cloaked, thanks to my illusion and Aegriss’s connection to the system, so we slipped past them and through the doors, and came to a landing platform right where they must’ve taken off from.

  I landed without a hitch. Charm came in rough at my side as her extra suit covered her tail and threw her off-balance. Catching her while holding onto the wall, we turned to see Aegriss already moving for the wall to our left, motioning us to follow.

  The doors behind us closed and the area pressurized. We took off at a sprint to catch up, bursting through a side door just as two figures emerged from the hallway opposite Aegriss. They turned toward us, confused.

  “Charm,” I hissed. Before Aegriss could do anything damaging, Charm had removed her helmet and was leaping forward, hitting the two with her purple breath.

  “Sleep,” she ordered, and caught one of them while Aegriss caught the other. The android had a blaster up, but I was there, pulling it back.

  “As much as we can, we’re not here for that.”


  “And if they cause trouble later?” she asked.

  “Then we take them out later. It might be stupid, but I can’t believe they’re much different from my brother. Following orders.”

  Aegriss considered this. “That’s why you don’t hate me for who I was before we met… because I was following orders?”

  I hesitated, then nodded. “Exactly.”

  We continued on, me taking the lead with Charm close behind. I had to wonder about this android. She was definitely helpful, but seemed to have an exaggerated idea of where our relationship was going.

  We paused at the next door, watching a small team of Marines jog by in space gear, clearly about to deploy. Hopefully not to attack our ships. After they were gone, Aegriss got the door open and we snuck in, ready for a fight.

  None came. The large room had a wall of equipment and several work stations, all abandoned. Secure. We were in.

  And then the alarms started.

  “Move fast.” Charm was already going for the workstations, ditching her suit in the process, as she needed her tail for better balance and fighting. “They know we’re here.”

  “No.” Aegriss didn’t move.

  “Excuse me?” Charm glared, then turned to me with a ‘fix her’ look.

  But I didn’t have to, because Aegriss elaborated. “I’m picking up that the alarms are not related to us, nor to our ships.”

  She didn’t even have to say it. Muerta had arrived.

  21

  Muerta’s arrival was a plus, in that it meant we were on the right track. But it also meant we needed to hurry our asses up. Aegriss was already sprinting over to the closest terminal next to Charm, plugging in, in a sense. The way she explained it as she went was that these were the same people who had programmed her, so there was already a connection.

  “The key,” she said as her eyes went white and the data flow began, “is to make sure they don’t reprogram me back. I’d hate to have you lose me. I’m a very valuable asset.”

  Charm chuckled, nodding. “I think she’s growing on me.”