Meta Box Set | Books 1-3, page 57
part #1 of Meta Box Set | Books 1-3 Series
"You're preaching to the choir, Connor. I'm not saying it's right. I'm just trying to help you understand what the atmosphere is like here. It's quiet, too quiet. Crime is almost non-existent. The skies are empty, meta-free. It's only a matter of time before the other shoe drops."
"Are you okay? I mean you, personally? Couldn't you be a target for them considering you report about metahumans?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've been in this game for a long time, and there's no place I'd rather be than right here as far as reporting goes. The Alphas don't have a reason to do anything to me. We've been fair in our reporting of what they've done. If anything, we've brought people into the city to replace the ones who have left. People from all over the country who are tired of metas are coming here in droves. They think it's some kind of metahuman-free oasis."
"I'm glad to hear you're okay at least," I say.
There's no response for a few seconds, and I can see Derrick looking off screen at something else that has grabbed his attention.
"Sorry, I'm just- Are you seeing this?" he asks as he turns his phone's camera toward the television in our living room.
On the screen is what looks like a breaking news report. The camera is working to focus on the scene. Near the top of the screen is the word “LIVE.” At the bottom is a graphic that reads, "Metahuman Captured By Blanks Within Bay View City Limits."
There's a mob of people and confusion in what looks like somewhere near downtown. The streets are lined with nice stores and fancy restaurants. On the streets are at least two-dozen Blanks in the middle of a larger, angrier group of maybe a hundred or more.
The Blanks are struggling, almost causing a pileup of people, as they strain to hang on to another, unseen person buried somewhere in the middle of the crowd. The unmasked people along the outer edge of the crowd are all screaming and hurling garbage or whatever they can find at the middle of the huddle.
Suddenly the camera tilts up, seemingly at an empty sky, before it finds the subject it’s searching for. There, hanging silently in the sky, slowly descending toward the scene of chaos, is Charlie.
He looks different than when I last saw him. Behind him is a flowing black cape that hangs all the way down his body and past his feet. His identity is no longer obscured either. His face is older than I would have expected considering how quick he was even before finding his own pair of metabands. Across his cheek is a large scar, one that I would have to assume was inflicted prior to him becoming a meta. His hair is gray, as well as his eyes, both of which add intensity to his already steely glare.
Someone in the crowd yells to look up. One by one, this spreads throughout the assembled masses until they’re all looking up at Charlie and shuffling aside, clearing a space for him to land. It's only now that the camera can see what is in the center of the mass: a lone metahuman.
His uniform is yellow with purple accents running throughout his torso, culminating in an entirely purple cowl. His face is bloodied and the uniform is in tatters as he struggles to stand on his own now that the crowd has backed away from him. He's in bad shape and the faint blue pulse on his metabands indicates they're on extremely low power. By the look of the shape he's in, any reserve power is likely being used for life support systems at this point.
Charlie lands gently and takes his time surveying the crowd before turning his attention to the beaten metahuman.
"Who found this man?" Charlie asks the crowd.
A lone Blank steps forward.
"I did, sir. He was captured during a reconnaissance operation," the Blank says.
"Reconnaissance operation? You faked a mugging and waited for one of us to respond. It wasn't reconnaissance; it was entrapment," the bloodied meta yells.
"You'll have your turn to speak," Charlie says to the yellow metahuman without averting his glance from the Blank.
His tone is calm and slow. He's not afraid of this metahuman or any others. His patience sends a chill down my spine.
"His name's Utilitarian. We've been tracking him since yesterday, waiting for him to show off those shiny new metabands he's got. When he did, we pounced. I'd guess he's only a level two or three. It didn't take much to overwhelm him," the Blank says.
Charlie doesn't respond. Instead, he turns his attention to Utilitarian, sizing him up and down as though he's trying to figure out exactly what to do with him.
"Were you not aware that Bay View City is a metahuman-free district?" he finally asks.
"I knew, but I couldn't just turn my head when I saw a man being attacked. I wasn't going to use my metabands again, but I had to do something. I couldn't just walk away and do nothing," Utilitarian says.
"And if you knew metahumans were no longer permitted in this city, why, may I ask, are you still here?" Charlie says.
"Because this is my home. I was born here, and I intend to die here. Who decided you were in charge and got to choose who is allowed to have metabands and who isn't?"
"The people decided. They decided they'd had enough of false gods destroying their homes and killing their loved ones. It gives me no pleasure to use these ... instruments," Charlie says, looking down at the gleaming metabands wrapped around each of his wrists. "If it were possible to destroy them tomorrow and still keep the scourge that is metahumans out of this city, I would do so in a heartbeat. However, until that day comes, I will reluctantly use the same instrument as those who wish to harm Bay View City to keep them away."
There's a long silence among the crowd as everyone waits. No one knows what will happen next in this stalemate. One side will inevitably have to back down, and it's pretty clear who that's going to be.
Utilitarian holds his rib cage, wincing in pain, staring at Charlie through a swollen black eye. His expression changes as he seems to admit to himself that he's been defeated. Like a rubber band snapping, his uniform recedes back into his metabands. He then removes them, letting each drop to the ground. They both land with a thud you would associate with a much heavier object. Neither bounces or rolls, but stay exactly where they first hit the ground.
Utilitarian stands in front of Charlie, now as a regular man. His injuries are even more pronounced now that the metabands are off and he stumbles onto the ground. The person underneath the uniform looks like he's about Derrick's age, with dark red hair that's been shaved down into a buzz cut. Even without his powers, he's still physically intimidating.
Charlie takes a couple of steps forward toward the man who is now on his knees and places his hand on the man's shoulder.
"Thank you, I appreciate the gesture. However, the rules have been set in place. All metas were told to forfeit their abilities or leave Bay View City. You chose to do neither. To me, that implies that you think yourself above all the others, that rules are simply for other people and do not apply to you. Unfortunately, that is the type of attitude that has put this planet into the predicament it faces currently. It gives me no pleasure, but a society where individuals do not face repercussions for their actions is a society continually on the brink of anarchy."
"I understand. I'll do my time at Silver Island."
"Silver Island? No, I'm afraid that isn't an option any longer, but at least you'll get your wish about dying in Bay View City after all."
The man looks up in confusion as he puts together the meaning behind Charlie's words. Before he has time to form a response, there is a red glow from Charlie's eyes that transforms into a pair of parallel beams of light.
An instant later, it's over, and the man's lifeless body slumps onto the street.
Charlie takes a moment of silent observation directed toward the man he's just murdered. The crowd does not speak. Whether that's out of respect or fear isn't clear.
"I'm sorry you had to witness that. I'm sorry, but not regretful. If witnessing the punishment of one man who thought he was above the law means another watching tonight decides to lay down their arms, then it was worth it. This one death might mean the prevention of countless others in the future, and no price can be put on that."
Charlie turns his back on the corpse lying in the street and faces the Blank standing apart from the crowd who claimed to have brought Utilitarian here in the first place.
"Step forward," he commands the Blank.
The Blank freezes, uncertain that he should follow Charlie's wish. The Blanks rely on their anonymity. It's what gives them power in a world full of super men and women. After a reassuring nod from Charlie, the Blank slowly walks forward. Charlie reaches out toward him, offering his hand.
Part of me knew it before I even saw it, but I didn't want to give it weight by admitting to myself that it might be true. The clothes, the way he carries himself, the way he spoke. I knew who it was from the second he stepped forward and put out his hand. I knew even before I recognized the watch around his wrist—the watch his father gave him for his birthday.
How could you have done this, Jim?
18
For what seems like an eternity, Derrick and I just stare at each other through the tiny front-facing cameras on our phones, neither of us sure what to say about what we've both just seen.
"I need to come back home," I announce to Derrick, breaking the silence.
"No," he replies immediately.
"My best friend basically just brought a man to his own execution. I need to know if he knew that was what was waiting for him."
"What does it matter?"
"It matters because I need to know if my best friend is still inside that person or if he's just completely lost. This is my fault. I relied on him for everything. He wasn't just my best friend. He was my only friend from the day I met him until I found these bands. And once I found them, I abandoned him. He needed me, but I wasn't there for him. He would have never done any of these things if I'd been there for him instead of trying to help everyone else."
"That's not going to bring Utilitarian back. And Jim didn't kill him. Charlie did. Even if Jim knew that was a possibility, he's not the person who pulled the trigger."
"Does it even matter?"
"Yes, it does. Jim can still be saved, but not by you. Not right now."
"Then when? After it's already too late? Or after he gets himself killed when Charlie decides Jim's broken some rule too?"
"Connor, all I know is that if you come back to Bay View City now, it's a death sentence."
"I'm stronger than Utilitarian."
"I know you are, but that doesn't matter. All it means is you'll put up a little bit longer of a fight before they ultimately kill you."
He's right. I know he's right. I can feel it in my gut, but that doesn't change the other feelings I have. It doesn't change that I want to be there, trying to help, trying to make Jim see that what he's doing is wrong. And it won't change what's already happened.
"Look, Connor, my inbox is exploding. I'm going to have to go and deal with all of this. Are you okay for tonight, though?"
I consider giving him the silent treatment, but that would just be immature at this point. Derrick doesn't have all the answers, and neither do I. He's got enough to worry about without me needlessly worrying him about me doing something stupid tonight.
"You're not going to do anything stupid tonight, are you?" he asks, reading my mind.
"No, I'm not."
"Promise?"
"Yeah."
"Good. I know that all of this looks bad right now, but this isn't the end. You just keep your head down and do what you're there for, and I know eventually your time to make things right will come."
"Okay."
"I'll talk to you tomorrow. Try to get some rest."
The screen goes blank as Derrick disconnects before returning to the home screen. Getting some rest would be nice right about now, but even if I was able to put everything that's happening in Bay View City out of my mind, it's unlikely that I have a place to sleep tonight yet. My guess is that it'll take a while to issue tickets to everyone from Tyler's little soirée. Plus, it might not be a great idea to return to the scene of the crime since I'm sure Tyler suspects me of ratting him out.
I lock the screen of my phone and shove it back into my pocket before standing up and heading back toward my dorm. Even if I shouldn't go back to my bed yet, it's still probably a good idea to head in that vicinity. It's quiet tonight, but a nearly full moon means that it's exceptionally bright considering it's almost midnight. Hours earlier, this area was a sea of thousands of students, but now, as far as I can tell, I'm the only one. That is until I notice a shadowy figure rounding the corner of the dining hall.
This time I don't ignore my instincts, and I can tell who it is right away by her walk: Sarah. First I have to watch my former best friend serve someone up for execution on live television. Now I'm running into my ex in the middle of the night in the campus equivalent of a dark alley. Great.
"I thought that was you," Sarah says once she's close enough to not have to shout.
"Who else would be wandering around the campus alone in the middle of the night?" I ask jokingly.
It's maybe the first time I've spoken to Sarah like a real person since we broke up. I don't know, maybe it's the seriousness of everything else that's going on in the world. It feels like there's little left to lose, and the problems between her and me are infinitesimally small compared to everything else.
"Well, if I had known that, I would have come looking for you here sooner," she says with a smile. Great, now that we're not together anymore we're back to me having to try to figure out what's flirting and what's not again. "So what brings you all the way out here on this lovely autumn evening?"
"Just felt like taking a walk. Hadn't talked to Derrick really in a while, and since my room is currently filled with police officers anyway, it seemed like a good idea to take the call somewhere else."
"Police officers?"
"Don't worry. I threw them off my trail. Actually, they're just busting my roommate for a party. I'm giving him his space until they're all done. What about you? Any particular reason you're out here this late?"
"Just heading home. I was over at a friend's for a little bit but ... I decided it was time to go home," she says.
There's hesitation in her voice, and I'm not sure if she decided to be vague mid-sentence for my sake or for hers.
"Well, I can walk with you if you'd like," I offer.
"I couldn't ask you to do that. I'm all the way on the other side of campus."
"It's really no trouble. My room was packed like a clown car full of bros, so I think it's going to take a little while for the cops to get through them all and clear out my room anyway."
"Okay then, that'd be nice. Thanks."
"No problem," I say and we begin walking across the campus’s mall in the direction of Sarah's dorm.
"So how do you like this place so far?" Sarah asks me.
"Aside from having a jerk for a roommate, missing home, and being swamped with classwork, you mean? It's pretty good. How about you?"
"I like it, I guess. I miss Bay View too, though."
"Did your dad move out here?"
"No. He's traveling for work." I don't know if that's true or not, but it's not worth pressing the issue since even if she knows, she can't say. "That's another thing that I miss: the internship he got me at his company. All of that kinda went on the back burner when everything got crazy back home."
"Yeah, I can imagine."
"Derrick's still holed up in Bay View?"
"Yeah. I don't feel great about him running a meta-news site in the middle of the only city in the world where metahumans are banned, but he's stubborn. Says that he needs to be there to do his job the right way."
"Ha, yeah. He sounds like my dad," Sarah says before seeming to catch herself having said something that might have hinted at what her dad actually does more than she's comfortable with.
I can tell she's wracking her brain to think of a subject to change to, but she doesn't have to.
"Sarah!" someone yells from behind us.
We both turn to see a guy who looks a year or two older than us. He's wearing a canary-yellow polo shirt and khakis. His hair is frozen in place by what looks like an entire container of hair gel, and judging by the way he's walking, it looks like he's drunk. He jogs to catch up with us.
"I thought you said you were gonna tell me when you wanted to leave so I could walk you home?"
"Oh, yeah. I just got really tired all of a sudden so I ducked out early. My friend Connor here is walking me home, though, so I'm all set. Thanks," she says and turns her back, continuing her path back home. "Just keep walking," she says to me under her breath.
"Hey," Canary Yellow says to our backs. He yells, "Hey," again, but Sarah gives me a look that implies she wants me to ignore it and just keep walking, so I follow her lead. Suddenly I hear him yell, "Hey," a third time, but he's much closer now.
Then a hand violently grabs Sarah by the shoulder and spins her around.
"Whoa," I yell, putting myself between Sarah and this idiot so quickly that I don't even realize what I'm doing until I've already done it.
I immediately have to focus my mental energy on making sure my metabands don't materialize right now. I can feel my heart rate rising and adrenaline pumping.
"This doesn't concern you," he says to me as I stand my ground. "Look, I'm the one who told Sarah about this party tonight, and I'm the one who got her in, which wasn't easy, so she should be going home with me tonight."
He's trying to reason with me like Sarah isn't standing there, or like she's an inanimate object instead of a person.
"I'm not going home with him, and even if I was, that's absolutely none of your business," Sarah says to the guy. "Come on, Connor."
She turns and continues walking. I've barely turned my back on this lunkhead standing in front of me when there's a quick flash of light and everything goes dark. Before I realize what's happened, I'm laid out on the ground.
