Dashing devil 2 a superh.., p.19
Dashing Devil 2: A Superhero Harem Adventure, page 19
Boyd knows that many that can and do fight when the time comes can’t stand the build-up to it. They don’t know what to do with their nervous energy. Everyone’s brain works differently. He uses that energy and turns it into something useful. Silvie needs to expend it. She fidgets, fusses, and likes to chat about nothing. Based on the feelings he senses from his Bond with Raev she is much the same. She is stopped now, and he can sense her brain is engaged in something, but the conversation brings her comfort.
“Once a year.” Raev says with a smooth chuckle of her own. “Last day of October.”
“Darn, that’s so far away.” Silvie sighs. “And so infrequent! I was hoping for weekly.”
“I mean, we could just do costume night.” Raev offers.
“Pick a night of the week to wear sexy costumes?” Silvie asks.
Tinker makes a concerned “Umm.” sound and Royce chuckle in the background, covering his microphone but not muting it. Royce wanted Boyd to hear, he just knows it.
“We are not having a mandatory costume night.” Boyd grumbles.
“Not mandatory, Darling.” Silvie assures as if he was the unreasonable one. “Just a night of the week that the ladies on the team agree to wear costumes. You would be encouraged to join us of course. I know you are much too grumpy for that type of thing though, so I won’t push.” Boyd sees the trap and won’t fall for it. He isn’t that competitive.
Silvie continues with a much gentler tone, “Tinker, dear, you know you don’t have to copy me and Raev. Wearing a costume will be optional but there are plenty of sort-of-sexy options we can explore. Like your pajamas, those aren’t so bad are they?”
“W-well… After… N-no. I-like-them.” Tinker stutters but the comms allow her to be heard clearly anyway.
“So, what do you say, want to try a costume night?” Silvie continues brightly, her bubbly persona fully in the driver's seat. “Raev and I will be more than happy to help you pick something that you are comfortable with but will still draw a certain someone's eyes.”
“Ah, I think so, yes” Tinker replies and Boyd can practically hear the burning of her cheeks.
“Great! I know the new member will agree…” Silvie starts.
“Just how much contact have you had with this new member? You seem to know her pretty well.” Boyd cuts in hard, a little of his frustration showing through. It is misplaced and he knows it, but can’t help it in the moment. The tension builds as he prepares for a life-and-death struggle. Some comes from jealousy that Silvie doesn’t have to face such concerns. The claws won’t pierce her skin. The worst thing she’ll encounter is a wardrobe malfunction, which would probably upset Boyd more than her.
As he examines the thoughts that led to the words he realizes that there is a different kind of jealousy infused in them. The kind that came from possessiveness and, Boyd suspects, his Changed mind. It doesn’t seem to like that Silvie has so much knowledge about this unknown person.
“Several years, Darling.” Silvie replies a little sharply but he can sense concern coming from his Bond with her. She continues more gently. “No need to be jealous, Darling. Unlike Hopewing we have only ever been friends with a shared interest. We fell out of touch for a bit but got reacquainted once I started the interviews. She was first pick after Hopewing.”
“When you say it like that, I feel like the third string instead of second best.” Raev gripes good-naturedly. She would rather laugh than fight.
“At least you weren’t wait listed.” He can hear Tinker say under her breath. From the way she says it Boyd is all but certain no one was meant to hear the sassy remark.
“Aww, come on you two.” Silvie whines before defending herself, “You can’t be mad at me too! Raev, it wasn’t about second or third best. You were the top pick for the first two, which was all I thought I would get away with bringing in. At least for the first round. I just thought the order should be different.”
“I was just messing with you, babe.” Raev chuckles. “So was Tinker, she’s just starting to show that inner sassy queen I know is in there.”
“Good.” Silvie sighs, “Tinker, you were only wait listed from the top two. I like you and want you on the team. Definitely top ten. Only the top twenty-five ever interviewed and only the top ten remember it because they are all hopefuls. The other ten have had their memories of me and Boyd completely scrubbed.
“I didn’t think I could add ten all at once or Boyd would freak out. I picked…” Silvie cuts herself off before laughing. “Almost slipped there, I picked Raev and the other to get Boyd in the right mindset. Plus you were already in the city. I wanted Boyd to run into you. He’s always so careful not to offend. I wasn't sure if he really wouldn’t care about the height difference or if he just convinced himself he wouldn’t.”
“Ah, no, I understand.” Tinker fumbles. “I don’t know about an inner sassy queen but I was joking. Added a voice effect and everything, sorry it wasn’t clear.”
“Oh.” Silvie laughs. “No dear, it’s fine. I just haven’t seen this sassy queen side yet. If Raev says it’s there, it probably is. Let it out. Everyone loves the right kind of sass.” After a brief pause, Silvie asks somewhat uncertainly, “Darling, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Boyd rumbles, not ready to apologize for the mostly appropriate if ill-timed outburst.
“Alright.” Silvie adds a questioning inflection to the words, giving Boyd a chance to add to his simple statement. “Well, back to costume night then. When should we do it? Oh! Should we do themes or keep it freestyle? Oh! We could rotate through picking a theme but keep the costumes freestyle, maybe?”
Boyd sighs, “I’m going to be testing the propulsion pack. Tinker, could you move me to a separate comm channel? I want to focus.” He puts action to words by leaping off the balcony and spreading his wings to glide away from the tower. The comms go blissfully quiet and he only has the wind in his ears for a few moments.
Then Royce’s gruff voice interrupts it. “I’m with ya, kid. You are one lucky fucking bastard, you know that?”
“Sure.” Boyd grouses.
“Seriously kid.” Boyd can almost hear him shaking his head to match his wry chuckle. “I’ve never seen a woman so set on getting her boyfriend laid by other women.”
“Um, part of me thinks a lot of it is more for her than Boyd.” Tinker’s voice says, surprising Boyd.
“Oh, uh, hello Tinker.” Royce says awkwardly.
“Hello. Sorry, I thought it would be a good idea to monitor the channel just in case. I’m listening to the other channels as well but, oh, wait.” After a brief pause, she comes back, “I don’t think I will need to say much there.”
“I believe you are correct.” Boyd grumbles “Pretty sure Silvie is building herself a harem and I’m just the bait.”
“Umm, no. It’s not that.” Tinker states. “She is putting too much thought into the order and so on. If it was just about surrounding herself with women she would have just added a bunch at once. It’s definitely for you, I think she just really likes the idea of being one of your women. I don’t know why that’s better than being your only woman to her, but I am certain it is.
“It was clear to me in the interview, she believes being in your harem is like a higher calling. I thought maybe it was part of your Power but she was like that before you ever used it on her. I saw the transcripts of her psych evaluations. They had a mind Powered check her to make sure you hadn’t done something to her head at one point and everything.”
“Huh.” Boyd says, gliding in lazy circles and using the occasional flap of his large wings to maintain his altitude. That information is news to him. “Do you know when it started?”
“Uh, not sure I should say.” Tinker responds, a little awkwardly. “Then again, it sort of only seems fair, given the situation she’s put you in, oh, wait a moment.” After a few seconds, Tinker comes back. “Okay, they are sounding the emergency get-to-ground alarms.” On cue, Boyd can hear the automated message start to echo up from the streets below.
This high up, the message isn’t clear, but Boyd knows it will be a Code Yellow. Which means go to ground. Either get to a shelter or as deep into a building as you can. There were likely messages on every civilian and public view screen since The Authority became aware of the situation. This is the twenty-minute wake-the-dead alarm for those not paying attention. It is when the panic will start if there is going to be a panic.
“Okay, so it started in her mid-teens, but you are running out of time. Practice with the propulsion pack.” Tinker continues. “Just, play around with it a little. Should be pretty intuitive and will only get more so as you use it. Think about what you want to do, not what you want the pack to do, just like it is another muscle.”
Boyd shrugs, a slightly awkward motion when using his wings, then thinks about going faster. He sure does, rocketing forward a bit faster than he meant to. It eases right back with another thought though. That gives him a general idea. “Got you on cam,” Royce drawls, at least somewhat willing to work. “Things not going to explode or anything, is it?”
“Excuse me?” Tinker asks, appalled. Her tone makes it sound like Royce just insulted her, her mother, and her favorite puppy at the same time. “I personally made that propulsion pack. Of course, it isn’t going to explode.” She seethes. “It will perform exactly as expected.” Boyd makes a mental note not to ask a similar question. If Boyd spoke honestly, he would say it hadn’t occurred to him that the pack might explode. Maybe it should have, but he should never voice such concerns to its maker.
“Didn’t mean to offend.” Royce sounds sufficiently cowed. Boyd is just happy to see Tinker has something she is confident in.
“Hmph.” Tinker harrumphs. “You didn’t apologize, but I’ll accept it anyway.”
“That’s very kind of you.” Royce says sincerely but with a hint of wry amusement. Boyd only recognizes it because he knows Royce so well, he doubts Tinker will.
The pack is exceptionally intuitive. He thinks about flying and applies the right amount of thrust to match his intended path. While Tinker was giving Royce a bit of light scolding he figured out how to turn, bank, and roll using the pack. He is keeping the speeds to about what he would normally obtain himself, but not having to flap his wings to maintain it makes the flight much smoother.
The acceleration eases off when he begins to bank into turns then boosts up to maintain his speed after them. At one point he even tries a quick air brake into a one-eighty, successfully too. It felt like he was going to tear his wings off and the way he slowed, stopped, then slowly accelerated in the opposite direction would leave him wide open in a fight, but he’d done it.
“What do you think?” Tinker asks eventually.
“It’s fantastic. Thank you.” Boyd responds, easing off his speed but beginning a climb.
“You’re welcome.” Tinker replies and Boyd is convinced he can hear her blush.
“Fifteen-minute warning.” Royce states. “Should probably rejoin the team so we can join the mission comms in five… hold on. Boyd, why is that kid trying to call you during a Code Yellow? It only got to me because it's flagged emergency communication.”
Chapter 13
Boyd has no idea why Connor would be calling him during a Code Yellow, but it better be good. Especially with it being marked emergency. “I don’t know. Can you take it?” Boyd asks.
“I’m not a babysitter, kid.” Royce grouses.
Boyd takes a moment to enjoy the contradiction of Royce insisting on calling him 'kid' while also insisting he isn’t a babysitter. “So, put him through to me?” Boyd asks. “If he’s just scared or something I’ll get rid of him quick.”
“Fine.” Royce grumps but a moment later new audio joins his comms. It sounds like someone panting as they run, specifically a child. An adult male voice calls something, but it is muffled, as if far away from the microphone. “It’s video.” Royce interjects.
Boyd slows and returns to lazy circling while he raises his wrist so he can see the FDU there. The video feed is a blur of shadows and gray concrete for a moment but then he hears a feminine voice hiss “Here.” After another moment Boyd gets a look at Connor. More accurately, he gets a look at Connor’s split lip as the camera focuses on his lower face, chin, and chest.
“Connor?” He asks.
“Mr. Devil?” The young boy gasps quietly and the camera raises. “Oh thank the stars! We need help, bad men want to hurt Daisy!”
“Where are you?” Boyd asks, not needing to know more.
“Hiding!” He hisses in a whisper. “They were chasing us. We ran a bunch. I don’t know. I tried to fight them but they are so big.” Boyd can see the cold terror in Connor’s eyes. This is a child that is facing a nightmare for the sake of his older sister.
Then he hears a man in the background, “Find that Changed bitch. Can’t miss this chance, once we are done we can leave her out for the Diamond Claws to clean up.”
They mean to kill Connor’s sister. Most likely Connor himself as well, they couldn’t leave a witness after all. Boyd taps the button to mute his voice from Connor's line. “Royce, get me his location.”
“Can’t leave your post, kid.” Royce says, regret in his tone.
“Fuck that Royce. Get me his location. Now.” Boyd growls. This is what Heroes are for. He has fifteen minutes before the flock of overgrown birds gets here. That’s more than enough time to deal with some Un-Powered criminals and get back to his post. It may not be part of his job description, but it would be unheroic to allow a murder to occur when he could prevent it.
At the same time, it isn’t exactly heroic to abandon his post during an emergency situation. His years of training tell him he needs to stay where he is. What he is doing now is much more important than any personal tie or obligation. His training tells him that Connor and his sister are just two more civilians. He should save them if he can, but not if it meant disobeying orders though.
He isn’t sure why, but he doesn’t care. He should care, he knows he should. The Authority’s rules and orders exist for reasons bigger than himself. They have kept humanity alive on a very hostile planet for a thousand years, after all. At this moment though, Boyd is filled with a drive bigger than that one. In some small sense, Connor was one of his. A friend. Someone wanted to hurt his friend and Boyd would not allow that. “Now Royce.” He growls when his handler isn’t immediately forthcoming.
“Hands are tied, kid. I can’t.” Royce grouses, emphasizing the word I.
Boyd catches on right away. “Tinker, help me out, please.” Boyd rumbles but doesn’t growl at Tinker the way he might at Royce.
“On your FDU.” Tinker replies almost before he is done asking.
Boyd scans down to his FDU and see’s a blinking blue dot two blocks away from him in an alley behind where four of the tall buildings meet. The propulsion pack acts on his instinct to get there quickly, unfortunately sending him in the wrong direction. Boyd corrects his flight with a sharp turn to get on the right track. He doesn’t take the time to tell Connor he is on the way, mostly because he is over the alley in the time it would take to explain.
After performing another near-wing-ripping air brake Boyd begins to fall into the alley, wings outstretched to slow and give him time to scan the ground below. He spots a glint of sparkling color hidden between two containers, likely garbage cans waiting for a truck or civilly employed Powered to remove them. Zeroing in on it he sees a small young woman, who is most likely Daisy. She is huddled over Conner who she has pushed back deeper in the small alcove created by the containers.
Three men with improvised weapons are moving down the alley toward them. They are maybe five yards away, and with how brightly colored Daisy is there is no way they will miss the siblings if they walk past. So Boyd uses his wings to guide his drop and comes down between them. He lands with a thud on bent knees but leaves his sword and shield stowed in their respective places.
“Fuck!” One of the men yells, jumping back a couple of paces.
“Holy shit.” Another gasps. “It’s the Devil!”
“Hello, gentlemen.” He rumbles as he raises to his feet and sets his shoulders. At seven and a half feet tall he towers over the three men. To add to his intimidation factor he leaves his wings partially open, making himself look even bigger. “Did you hear the Code Yellow alarm? I must ask you to head to the nearest shelter immediately.” He tries to defuse the situation despite the large part of him that wants to teach these men a lesson. Boyd is a Hero though, he works for The Authority. Assaulting civilians without cause is inexcusable.
“Oh, of course, of course.” The third man replies. He is the one in the front and center of the other two and based on the body language of the group, their leader. He carries the only real weapon among them, an expensive blade about six inches long. Boyd can hear the faint telltale hum that identifies it as a Vibro-blade. They vibrate at high enough frequencies to allow them to pierce a Powered’s resistance. They wouldn’t touch Silvie or the Diamond Claws but the higher-end ones will cut Boyd. This one looks expensive enough to qualify.
The presence of the blade makes Boyd reassess the thugs. They are all well-dressed in expensive pants and blazers that speak of affluence. All three wear pure white, which seems like an odd choice to Boyd seeing as one carries a short blade, another a piece of pipe, and the third a fist-sized stone. If they made use of any of their weapons it would almost certainly ruin their pure white and spotless aesthetic.
The leader continues to talk, walking towards Boyd with the blade still drawn. There is a glint in his eyes that Boyd doesn’t much like. “We just saw a young woman with a boy run down the alley and wanted to make sure they made it to a shelter. You understand, just being good samaritans.”
“I don’t have eyes on you, kid. What’s going on?” Royce asks in his ear.
“I have a drone on the way.” Tinker adds.
Boyd makes a show of looking over his shoulder and scanning the empty alley behind him. He hears the shuffling steps the leader takes as he tries to close the distance. Boyd turns to look at the man who is now only five feet away with a raised eyebrow. While he is making amateur attempts at hiding it, he intends to attack Boyd. His two followers have also moved forward, but look nervous. Like they would rather bolt.
