Present Day - Minutes Before The Power Went Out In Hammerton

  Pinn’s stroll down the sidewalk was punctuated by an unsettling, eerie feeling that started at the base of his spine and bloomed outward, causing him to shiver. The notion of something big coming. He was almost certain it was inspired by one of his powers, but he couldn’t pinpoint its validity. The maddening sensation had only taunted him once before.

  Was Boli about to launch an assault like what brought on the Silent Scream? Would he have to return as Lightcrown?

  And risk failing again?

  Looking over his shoulder, Pinn tried to shake the feeling. This was supposed to be an exciting time. He was out on his own, in search of the Antiserum. Part of him wished he had asked Sami about more details, but another part knew Sami was good at discretion. Or maybe he would have been forthcoming because of how he idolized Lightcrown, but Pinn didn’t want to abuse his connection with the teen.

  All he had to go on was “Weldon Steele,” a man who could probably buy the entirety of Hammerton if he was so inclined. But all he seemed interested in was running for mayor, along with Burr and Crede, once Sugar was out of the picture. Rockwell thought it was all some conspiracy for the wealthy of the city vying for the position, but Pinn thought it was just the status quo. After the pursuit of money, there was always power, and not the Awakened kind.

  Pinn imagined Steele was gunning for a position as president or the surrounding cabinet, and wanted an impressive resume of running the city that was seemingly uncontrollable. He wondered what his plans were for controlling the Awakened, their unpredictability undoubtedly part of some 100 day plan. Maybe the Antiserum was the plan.

  Pushing through a double door, Pinn entered one of the largest buildings in Upham — The Steele Mill. A lone-standing skyscraper looking down upon the rest of the city. The lobby was massive, at least two thousand square feet of open space before a desk and doors that led to even more space further back. Expensive chairs, couches, and plants covered the area, filled with waiting clients in suits sipping on teas and coffees, some discussing deals in the millions of dollars.

  Towering above him were twelve stories of steel and concrete, employing most of the white-collar workers in the northern Hammerton district. Pinn wondered if the view from the highest floor would allow someone to see all the way into Indus in the south. And the crater. He could always use Flight and check himself, but he didn’t want to break every window on the way up.

  “Good afternoon, sir.” The secretary adjusted glasses and sat up. “Do you have an appointment today?”

  “Errm, no,” Pinn said, embarrassed. “I come from the homeless shelter in Central Hammerton. I was wondering if Mr. Steele had any interest in assisting a local humanitarian cause? We could use all the help we can get, whether some employees volunteering their time or a donation. It would go a long way.”

  “I see. Thank you for your help around the city,” she said robotically, like she was trained to say it regardless of his explanation. “Mr. Steele doesn’t take on things like this himself, but I can direct you to the humanitarian department. Can I see some ID or proof of employment at the shelter?”

  “Sure.” Pinn slid both across the counter, coming prepared.

  Entering some data in the system, she nodded and returned everything to him. “It’s a little late in the day, so I can’t promise that anyone will be available. Do you want to come back tomorrow?”

  “Can I just wait in the lobby in case someone’s free? I really don’t mind, even if no one can talk to me today. This was just the only time I could make to come out today.”

  “Of course, sir. I’ll call your name if anyone shows. Please help yourself to tea or coffee while you wait.”

  “Thank you.”

  Pinn made his way to some couches furthest away from anyone in the lobby and sat back, looking over his ID papers like he had something to scrutinize. Glancing around the room with quick shifts of his eyes, Pinn made sure no one was paying any special attention to him, including the helpful secretary.

  Then, squeezing the sides of the paper tightly, Pinn expanded a power in his mind, letting it fill the area all around him like smoke and take in the building. The invisible strands of his energy raced out, darting past the doors inside and racing up the elevators, sending siblings of power through each floor as it ascended. As if hundreds of pictures were being rapidly uploaded into his brain, he constructed a fuzzy mental map of the building’s inner workings, visualizing echoing hallways, dozens of conference rooms, and endless desks in open areas.

  Nothing came clear to him, the strands sent something like echolocation pulses out in each area and fed the bounce-back into him, creating a sound silhouette of each area it passed through. Pinn concentrated on the 3D map building into his mind, looking for anything out of place. But he quickly realized he had no idea what industry The Steele Mill operated within.

  Multiple floors were wall to wall cubicles with hundreds of people sitting inside, break rooms littered with people discussing things he couldn’t hear. Some rooms had heavy equipment for something that looked vaguely shaped like a workshop and that same floor had several beakers and vials for experimentation.

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  Was that an expected part of the business? He assumed it was more of a tech and consulting company for construction based on the vague messaging on their website. Maybe they ran internal tests on construction methods before offering consulting advice? How did consulting even work?

  Still, it gave him a place to start. If he could find his way into the building, he could examine the vials and discover whether they were innocuous. Hopefully. He didn’t exactly do well in chemistry classes. But maybe an inconspicuous label like “Antiserum” would help him.

  “Sir?” The secretary broke his trance, and he severed the connection to his power, letting it clear his mind. He got what he needed.

  Looking down at his hands, his heart suddenly leaped in mortification. Smoldering, his shelter paperwork was on fire, the side effect of his power sending small embers to the corners. How was he going to explain that?

  Panicking, Pinn let out another power and put out the flames with the blink of his eyes. The burned, blackened pages would still be difficult to explain, but better than an active fire.

  Suddenly, the moment his Extinguish power was emitted, a small boom passed through the building and all the power went down. Looking through the glass walls of the lobby, Pinn saw it stretch across the city, shutting off building after building in an invisible shockwave.

  His heart pounded loudly in his ears. Had he caused that? Side effects could be random, but they didn’t normally go that badly. Normally, the side effects were proportional to the power he used.

  Except during the Silent Scream.

  Suddenly, a massive flame erupted from the front doors of the building.

  * * *

  “Everyone got their goggles on?” Predator checked again, the car’s lights providing enough view in the early darkness.

  “Yes sir!” His EUE team saluted him, all of them pointing to or adjusting their black goggles.

  “Good. We’re here.”

  Popping out of the car, Predator looked over the team of some of the best members in EUE. Nero, his second in command, looked forward with determination in his eyes. Chanter, the muscle, who could shout down any enemies. Atomic, who could shrink inanimate objects, even incoming projectiles. And Flo, with Flight and Strength at her disposal. Together with him, the greatest living Awakened, no one would be able to stop them.

  MacTrack gave them coordinates based on the earbuds that the criminals in the bank vault wore with Atomic and Helios. They had finally arrived at the Underground.

  “All right, good people, this is a battle for our identity!” Predator said boldly, beating his chest once for effect. “The Underground have gone on their tyrannical rampages long enough under our names! It’s time for us to reclaim the black goggles for ourselves and rid the city of these disgusting copycats!” Predator brought his hands up to his ears and Nero, Flo, and Atomic followed suit. “Are you with me?”

  “Yeah!” the others cheered proudly, the effect of Chanter’s affirmation enough to reduce the nearby dumpster to a crumpled heap.

  “I’m proud to have you by my side. Between the five of us, we’ll be more than enough to take down their organization. Let’s go.” Predator turned and marched with long strides to the tall, tilted building.

  They parked a few blocks away to save Predator’s personal sedan from any errant blows that might fly as a result of the incoming battle. Just as MacTrack explained, there was a kiosk in front of the dilapidated building, with two people sitting casually inside. A man with oddly shaped arms and a girl leaning on a chair and playing a game on a small handheld console.

  Increasing their foot speed, Predator grinned as he approached. The goggles would finally return to their rightful owners and the Equality Unification Entity would stop being compared to any other lesser organizations.

  Just as the thought passed his mind, another dozen footsteps sounded their way to him, somewhere off to his right. Scrunching his face in wonder at what kinds of civilians would be out in Indus so close to nightfall, Predator turned to scrutinize them.

  Only a few hundred paces behind the EUE team was a group of HUE members, Apex at the forefront and dozens of chickens following behind.

  “Oh, no!” Predator hissed. “Hurry everyone, before they steal credit!”

  Pushing from a brisk walk to a jog, Predator was the first to reach the kiosk, long before the meddling HUE members would be able to speak. Predator was about to deliver his planned, historically epic opening line for the raid, but a man with arms bulging like oddly shaped pizza slices beat him to it.

  “Hey, bud, what team are you part of?” he asked, tapping something into a console below his desk.

  Predator rolled with it, voice even and authoritative. “We’re from the Equality Unification Entity!”

  “We didn’t send anyone to attack EUE.”

  “They’re not with us,” the girl spoke without looking up, bored.

  “Oh! Defectors!” The man looked pleased. “Is this because their name is way too similar to HUE?”

  “It’s not!”

  “Then what was it about? I like hearing the downfall of other organizations. Their pay too slim?” the pizza-handed man asked.

  “No, you’re not getting it—”

  “Hold that thought, I think that’s Apex and his crew.” The man looked serious, slipping his goggles on and pulling up a microphone from under the front of the kiosk. “Hey, HUE is here with our person of interest. Repeat, we’re being raided. Night Vision goggles on. We’re going dark in moments.”

  Predator flinched uncomfortably. They had Night Vision goggles? Their use of black goggles was more than an aesthetic choice? Turning back, he saw Apex approaching with arms glowing gold.

  “Whenever you’re ready,” the man behind the kiosk said to the girl.

  “Just when I was about to beat the level, too,” she sighed, annoyed. Turning off her game, she slipped it into her pocket and leaned to the microphone. “Going dark!”

  A wave emitted from the girl, frazzling Predator as it passed through him. Blinking in shock, he noticed every single light in the area turning off, followed by the lights in the buildings beyond. The girl had just let out an electromagnetic pulse across the entire city.

  “Good luck with them. We’ll recruit you later if you survive!” the man said pleasantly, and flicked a switch under the kiosk.

  Two trap doors opened beneath the people in the kiosk swallowing them into the ground below. Steel grates shot up every side of the kiosk, surrounding it in a protective prison and leaving EUE in near darkness.

  Except for the golden glow of Apex’s fists, washing over the five members wearing black goggles.