The Division, page 22
“Powers or not, I can still take you down.” Peter crossed his swords, and they flickered ominously. Socket wished he’d given in to the impulse to really examine those weapons.
Peter actually could hurt Valor—really hurt him. Valor was the only thing keeping Peter and Socket on this side of the portal. With so much at stake, Peter wasn’t about to let Valor get the upper hand. Socket had only one chance to do something to help Valor. He grabbed Peter’s weird device and wrapped his bare hand around it. For a moment he froze—the last time he tried to communicate with alien technology it had landed him in a coma, but he had no choice—the world depended on him and so did Valor. He couldn’t let Peter kill Valor.
Talk to me. He closed his eyes and let his consciousness merge into the device, a bit more tentatively than he normally did with his computers. It was like introducing himself to a new person—it lacked the familiarity of his own machines.
He remembered when he had tried to communicate with Tiana’s staff he’d been enveloped in ice—a cold so frigid it had reached into his core. Socket braced himself for the same feeling, prepared to push through it. He was surprised when he was met with familiar warmth, like when contacting any new bit of technology.
It reached back to him, astonished at being spoken to this way. Most computers were so grateful when he touched them, and this little device was no different. Maybe his powers had changed—adapted somehow to talk to alien tech? Socket shouldn’t have waited so long to try again. They might have had answers about the Overseers much sooner.
What are you? He got a smug little giggle in return, and the device showed him all it could do—pierce the distance between two universes and communicate with its fellows over on the other side. The portal had opened because Peter had sent the command on this little guy.
So if Socket sent the command to close the portals, could it do that? He got an enthusiastic yes in response, and then the communicator opened up to him, sending Socket’s consciousness hurtling through the portal and out the other side.
It should have been disorienting to have his mind flung so far away from his body, but Socket was anchored to the device itself. He’d done this before with his own computers, machines he’d built up a long rapport with, whose processing units were as familiar to him as his own consciousness. This device seemed to recognize him, treating him as if they were already familiar. Socket only guessed that came from being in contact with Peter for so long. They were essentially the same genetically, so maybe the communicator couldn’t tell the difference between them. Whatever it was, Socket wasn’t going to question the gift.
Especially once the device hooked him right up to the computer that controlled the portal-making device. It was so vast…so incredibly huge that it made Socket feel like a mouse in a football field. If he started poking around he would get lost here, trapped by information that would keep him from ever returning to his body. He forced himself to focus against the pounding in his skull. Socket couldn’t waste any time. There was one goal he pursued with his single-minded stubbornness.
Close the portal. Close all the portals.
And never open one again.
It was a long shot—who knew if this computer even had the power to do so—but Socket had to try. Otherwise they’d be helpless and at the mercy of the Overseers returning again and again. Socket pushed, harder than he’d ever had to before. He was lucky—in some ways it was simple, there was no firewall to punch through, no anti-hacking software—just his will and the machine’s, and the little communicator that gave him an in to the system.
“Close them all, forever.” He opened his eyes to blinding pain as he snapped back into his body, and felt wetness pouring down his chin. Socket wiped at it, staring at the crimson blood on his fingertips.
Oh, that couldn’t be good.
Valor watched the blood drip down his arm in shock. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually been cut in battle. None of the drones had been able to do more than bruise him. Peter’s swords were different. The Overseers had to have been hiding their best weapons while scoping out this dimension.
And Peter had been their spy. He’d conned them all with his sob story and they’d bought it. Valor shouldn’t have been fooled by a familiar face. Peter was nothing like Socket.
“This entire time you were working for them.” Valor shook his head as he backed up, Peter following him and moving away from Socket, which was his entire goal. He had to protect Socket now, especially after failing him so spectacularly.
“You’re not going to ferret out my secrets, Michaels.” There was so much anger in his voice, and it lacked any trace of the man he once called friend. Peter charged him, swords flashing with that strange lightning effect.
Valor darted a few feet off the ground to avoid him, only for Peter to vault off of a nearby tree and into the sky, one sword slicing Valor’s calf as he came down. Peter was like a cat—he could climb and jump like nobody Valor had ever seen before.
He had to get those swords away somehow. They were Peter’s best advantage, although not his only one. Valor had always relied on his superior strength and speed to get him by. Peter had been trained for combat. He was fast and smart.
Valor dove toward the ground, making to sweep Peter’s legs out from under him, but Peter anticipated and back-flipped out of the way. Instead, Valor ate dirt, landing hard on his chin. He scrambled to his feet, but not before Peter leapt close and brought his blades against Valor’s side, opening him up from shoulder to waist.
The blood loss was going to be a problem soon. Valor pressed his hand against the latest cut, but it didn’t do any good. He was still dripping. If he could stall for a bit, his natural speedy healing might kick in, that is, if the swords didn’t affect that, too.
“What do you want, Peter?” Valor gestured to the portal. “You really want to go back there and be a slave again? Or was that all a lie?”
Peter kept circling, holding both of his swords in front of him. “You think I’m going to open up and share?”
“I thought we were friends.”
“That ended when you tried to fuck me.”
Valor really hated the other version of himself—he had messed Peter up something fierce. It had been stupid of him to kiss Peter, but Valor would never have taken something not freely given. “I’m not him, Peter. I offered to help you.”
“I don’t need your kind of help.” Peter charged.
This time Valor was ready. He side-stepped and knocked one of the swords out of Peter’s hand. Managing to grab it, he snapped the hilt and the lightning effect died. Peter whirled around and steadied himself. Valor might have been able to trick him once, but he couldn’t count on doing it again.
Then Peter’s eyes widened. “No, what did you do?”
“What?” Valor looked down at the broken weapon, wondering what had startled Peter.
Peter ignored him and charged the pulsing light of the portal—which was in the middle of collapsing.
Valor took advantage of the distraction, tackling Peter to the ground before he could make it through. The remaining sword went flying somewhere. Peter struggled, kicking and clawing, but Valor finally, finally had the advantage. “You’ve ruined everything. You’ve killed them, you bastard.”
He slammed his fist against Peter’s head, once, twice, before he finally knocked him out. Valor stumbled to his feet, a little shaky from the fight and still losing blood.
“Socket?”
Socket was sitting up, staring at his own crimson-stained hand, one arm cradled to his chest. “I closed them. I closed them all.” From his glassy eyes and trembling lips, it looked like he was in shock.
Valor ran to his side and fell to his knees. “What?” That’s when he saw the device on the ground, smeared with Socket’s blood. He must have communed with Overseer technology. That could have killed him.
He took Socket’s face between his hands and kissed him. “Socket, I’m sorry.”
“Shut up. Just shut up.” Socket touched their foreheads together. “And get me a damn earpiece. We’ve got a cleanup to coordinate and a traitor to take care of.” He tried to stand, but immediately crumpled back to the ground.
Valor caught him. “The only thing I’m getting you is an ambulance.”
Socket’s eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he collapsed.
Epilogue
Portals opened yesterday in China, Africa, Europe, and throughout the United States. For a moment, it looked like the Earth was about to be invaded by aliens from another dimension. Then, just as mysteriously as the portals opened, they all closed. It was the members of The Division who spread out across the world and destroyed the remaining robots that did come through.
None of the authorities will explain why they arrested Wilson Barnes, twin brother of BarTec CEO Peter Barnes or why he’s incarcerated at the super villain prison in Arizona.
The story only gets more interesting. The superhero Valor rescued Peter Barnes from his own brother, and wasn’t content with just a handshake. The image comes from a concerned bystander with a cellphone, but it’s unmistakably Valor kissing Barnes.
—Hutton News Service
Socket had the remote in one hand, but it didn’t matter. All the channels on his private hospital room TV were showing the same damn thing. The news was a toss-up between The Division cleaning up the drones that had tried to start the invasion, and the shocking images of Valor kissing a man.
It had been one hell of a thing to wake up to. He had hazy memories of Valor coming to visit while he was very high on painkillers and Socket wasn’t quite sure what they’d talked about. The docs had set his arm—at least Peter had broken it cleanly—and kept him for observation over the head injury. Luckily Socket had a hard noggin.
When the nurse’s aide came in with his meds this morning, she had mentioned that he might want to look at the news. She’d blushed when she said it, so Socket knew something was up. He just hadn’t expected to see himself on national television. Without so much as a cellphone, Socket couldn’t check any of his online sites for info, nor could he contact the members of The Division. Of course, it might be smart to not use his powers for a little bit—at least until he was able to get out of here.
But what would he find outside that door? Thanks to the media, Valor couldn’t hide their relationship anymore, even if he wanted to. Socket couldn’t help feeling annoyed—it wasn’t anyone’s damn business. He never wanted their relationship to be revealed in such a shocking manner. Shouldn’t people be more concerned about the whole invasion thing that almost happened? Maybe it was easier to dwell on the latest superhero scandal than panic about the danger that had nearly destroyed the world.
“Look who’s awake.” Valor stood in the doorway, although without his costume and mask, he was just Mitch Michaels. Funny, they’d spent so much time in costume that it seemed like they both forgot how to be just men. Valor looked uncomfortable in his jeans and jacket, like he was missing something vital without the cape.
Socket felt himself flushing—damn meds. Valor had come to see him, but where exactly did they stand? He gestured to the screen. “Just where were the photographers hiding? I didn’t know the paparazzi were following me.” It was far easier to joke about it than ask the burning questions.
“Not the paparazzi—just some jogger with a cellphone.” Wasn’t that the kicker? Technology had made fools of both of them. It wasn’t the reporters with their probing questions. It was just some kid who wanted to go viral.
Valor held out a netbook that he’d been hiding behind his back and Socket made grabby hands at it. He was going insane without an Internet connection. Trust Valor to know what he needed. “You sure you can type one-handed?”
Socket stuck his tongue out at him. He wiggled the fingers of the hand on his broken arm. “I don’t need to type, remember? You are going to sign my cast, right?”
Valor put the netbook on the meal table before pulling a marker out of his pocket. Had he planned on this? Or did he always keep one handy for signing autographs? “Of course. Which name to you want?”
“You could sign both—put little hearts around Valor’s name.” Socket held his breath. He hadn’t been able to outright ask about them. This was Valor’s chance to either confirm or make a joke. They could still be friends—Socket swore to himself he wouldn’t let his feelings get in the way again. He just needed to know what was going on in Valor’s head.
“I don’t know. I think a little heart with MM loves PB looks better.” Valor twirled the marker around between his fingers, a nervous gesture, as if he didn’t think Socket would understand. But Socket did.
Valor sat on the edge of Socket’s bed and leaned forward. Socket stretched up and curled his unbroken arm around Valor’s neck, bringing him in close. This time he could enjoy the kiss, not being on the verge of unconsciousness.
His lips tingled, and it felt different, like this was the real thing. They weren’t going to be hiding—couldn’t hide anymore—and it was glorious. Socket pulled away long enough to murmur. “Mmm. Should have closed the door behind you.”
Valor chuckled against his neck. “Not having sex with you in the hospital.”
That was fine. Socket wasn’t that much of an exhibitionist. But he had to ask the question, even if Socket already knew the answer. “You okay with all of this? The public knowing about us?” Things were going to change for Valor—who would no longer be the squeaky-clean media darling. It had been bad enough when the reporters were clamoring for more rumors about Liberty. This time they had confirmation of something that hadn’t been staged. Socket didn’t know if the country was ready to deal with a bi superhero.
“You know, it does explain exactly why Pete Barnes is funding The Division. He’s doing a favor for his boyfriend.” Valor’s grin twisted into a grimace. He sat back and stared at his hands. “I didn’t like it when I woke up alone, at my apartment. And then we weren’t talking, and it just felt so wrong not to have you with me when I was at the UN. That’s when I realized I was an idiot.”
Socket snorted. “Took you long enough.” He laced his fingers with Valor’s. “It’s not going to be easy.”
“I’m anticipating the hate mail already.” Valor squeezed Socket’s hand in return. “Although, I think I can do some good with this. I wasn’t the only one who grew up hating himself. I can be the gay superhero that kids can look up to.”
Socket’s heart hurt for the ashamed teen Valor had been—so twisted up inside he couldn’t even confide in his gay best friend. “I think that’s a fucking fantastic idea.”
Valor laughed and ducked his head, his cheeks flushing a bit. Socket decided to change the subject. There would be time to deal with the repercussions of this. “What happened to Peter?” Being kept away from his computers meant he lacked any useful information. Peter’s existence had been kept from the media, so Socket hadn’t learned a damn thing from the news.
Now Valor’s gaze darkened, his brow furrowing with anger. “He’s being held in the super villain prison in Arizona.”
“No trial?”
“Not a public one. As far as I knew, there will be an underground one run by the military.”
Socket didn’t like that. As much as Peter’s existence complicated things, it was a vital part of the story. Maybe Holly Hutton had a point—there were some things the people deserved to know. Even if Peter had been willing to sacrifice this entire universe, he still deserved a trial and his day in court. Hell, Valor was rubbing off on him. “Are they going to keep him imprisoned? It’s not like he can do it again. I broke the Overseers portal machine.”
Valor dodged the question. “You still have to explain how you did that. Last time I checked, you couldn’t interface with alien tech.”
“It’s not alien tech.” This was the secret Socket had learned while deep within the Overseer’s computer system. He’d gotten a glimpse, just the tiniest peek at the Overseers themselves. “They’re human, all of them. They just come from yet another dimension with highly advanced tech that’s warped them so much they appear inhuman.”
Valor shook his head. “Well, fuck. But they won’t be coming back here?”
“I hope not.” Socket would never be a hundred percent sure. He’d always be looking over his shoulder for portals. “This means we don’t have a reason to keep The Division together.”
“I wouldn’t say that. If you read the Hutton News blog, there’s apparently a group of super villains who’ve gotten together to form their own team. And if that’s not important enough, Tiana is worried about these sea creatures from outer space that showed up on her radar.”
Socket stared at him, not sure if Valor was kidding.
“The point is that we still have work to do, even without the portals. That’s if you’re game?”
“And I bet there are still some drones that need cleaning up, too?” Socket itched to grab the netbook and connect to the world. He needed to be doing something to help.
“As soon as you’re cleared. Head injuries are nothing to sneeze at.”
There was another knock at the door and Socket looked up in surprise to see the other members of The Division pour in—all of them in their civilian identities. The girl with short black hair who he didn’t recognize had to be Dash. She carried a tray of cupcakes into the room, followed by Doc and Mace, with Tiana bringing up the rear—still standing out in the crowd. Liberty was nowhere in sight, but she’d kept her other identity incredibly private. It would have been odd to have seen her without her mask.
