Dashing devil 5 bold beg.., p.2
Dashing Devil 5: Bold Beginnings, page 2
She pursed her lips. “And for that, we will need to change our position as much as possible. Now, go grab some supplies and be prepared to get back on station. I’ll take you over to drop off six on my way in to report what I just did.”
“On it.” Wilkerson dissolved into dust that floated away just a little faster than he could have walked.
Stepper frowned, staring at the screen for a long moment before typing out a message to her second, who was currently leading their team through some training drills. ‘Did something dumb,’ she typed. ‘Gotta go face the music. Shouldn’t be too bad this time, though. She never stays mad at me for long.’
She only hoped she was right. Lilith could be testy when it came to anything related to Crimson Paw. But Stepper had some leeway, even there. After all, Lilith intended Stepper to be one of the women in the stories she told about his future.
Stepper hoped that was good enough for her mentor to cut her a little slack.
Chapter 1
Boyd was holding up in his separation from his silver-haired love much better this time than the last, even if it had dragged on nearly four times as long. He ended up having to remind himself several times over the past thirty-eight hours and seventeen minutes that Director Davis was doing everything in his power to get Silvie and Hope back to him as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, the news segment he was watching over the scraps of his breakfast wasn’t doing much to improve his mood.
“New World New’s has received confirmation that the Deep Storage and Research site which was attacked by a group of Powered Criminals contained some of the more dangerous equipment, artifacts, and items of unknown origin that The Authority kept secure,” the traditionally handsome and brightly toothed anchor said with a big grin.
Boyd got the impression displaying his teeth was more important to the man than conveying the proper emotional message with this information.
“These dangerous things included items used by some of the most dangerous Powered Criminal’s, such as the recently defeated Omega Ray. The Authority has not confirmed which items were taken during the attack, but it appears damage was extensive and spread throughout much of the facility in the footage that was leaked by an unknown source.”
They played some of the footage to prove the point. It showed several images taken from different angles that featured a concrete and steel fortress set in an undisclosed location deep within the Wild Lands. The fortress had once been covered in automated defenses, but they had been blasted or twisted into tangled heaps of metal.
Boyd also recognized the signs of a Powered struggle. Someone strong had thrown someone solid through several walls. Someone tough had caught part of an energy or flame blast that left their outline on the wall behind them. Whoever had been posted there to defend the facility hadn’t gone down without a fight.
“Based on this footage, our analysts speculate that many items may have been taken, as much as the entire inventory,” the anchor continued as the camera settled back on him. “The Authority’s official statement is that only a few items were removed from the facility, but that is all the information they can provide at this time. We at New World News will keep you up to date on this developing story as more information becomes available.”
Boyd flipped the channel while scowling at the screen.
Royce was working toward getting information on whether Omega Ray’s equipment had been stolen. Unlike John Q. Public, Boyd had access to a list of items stored there. It was the obvious target, given that the attack happened just two weeks after that monster’s things were transferred to the storage facility. It had been over two years since they’d added items to that location.
Changing the channel didn’t lift his scowl.
“…and while it is true that nothing Dashing Devil did in the duel was against the written rules, his use of underhanded tactics trampled all over the spirit of Hero Duels.” Derek Clash, New Eden’s News5 version of Phil the Powered subject matter expert, supplied his ‘expert’ and ‘completely unbiased’ analysis.
Boyd had only checked in on the station in hopes of catching a glimpse of Silvie or Hope.
“And the only reason it isn’t against the rules is because no Hero would ever use such a tactic!” Clash continued. His pudgy cheeks burned a ruddy red to match the indignant rage in his beady little eyes. Unfortunately for Clash, News5 now carried the Fact Checker seal in the bottom left corner that happily signaled his lie.
Boyd couldn’t help his snort. It was a tactic any Hero with a mental-based Power would use.
“Mr. Clash,” the camera panned out to show a dark-haired man in a light grey suit sitting at the gaudy silver and gold desk with Clash, “analysts from many other networks have been saying that Dashing Devil’s use of his Mental Domination was perfectly timed and well executed. They’ve commended his performance; what makes you say no Hero would use it?”
“It was a perfectly executed underhanded trick is what it was,” Clash sneered at the News5 lead anchor, a Mark Sullivan who most certainly wasn’t on Boyd’s side. “If this was an engagement with a Powered Criminal when lives were on the line, then I wouldn’t have any issues with it. This was a Hero’s Duel. There is a certain expectation to behave in an honorable manner at such events. Dashing Devil totally ignored that expectation and abandoned honor to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.”
Boyd supposed that was one way of looking at it. He was of the opinion that any Hero worth their salt would have worked a little harder at their mental defenses and then might have stood up a little better against his admittedly powerful but fairly simple mental assault.
“Meanwhile,” Clash continued, tapping at a display in front of him, “Archangel behaved as he always does, displaying the very pinnacle of what a Hero should be. Here, I created a little comparison clip to make the differences clear. It’s obvious right from the start, look at the way Archangel majestically soared around the entire stadium.”
About fifteen seconds of footage showed Archangel circling as his hype song played. His supporters cheered while most of Boyd’s supporters politely clapped, though a few of the more passionate booed the pseudo angel.
“He acknowledges his supporters and those of his opponent just the same,” Clash stated firmly from the little box in the top right corner of the footage. “Archangel just wants to be everyone’s Hero, even those that have fallen for Dashing Devil’s manipulations, and he shows it right here. Meanwhile, let’s look at his opponent’s entrance.”
About fifteen seconds of Boyd’s entrance played, with him proudly marching onto the platform, waving to his supporters and offering them a salute. Those same supporters’ chanting was so loud that it shook the frame of the very expensive and heavily stabilized camera that captured the moment.
“He never once acknowledges his opponent’s supporters, not once through the entire duel. He doesn’t even glance their way.” Clash sneered as his little frame grew until it took up the screen. “He’s made it clear that he is only interested in those who have fallen for his manipulations and support him. The Devil only cares for his own. That is a very poor trait for a Hero to have.”
Boyd glanced to the Fact Checker’s seal to see it remain unlit and chuckled, wondering how the man justified his belief. If Boyd was the sort that wanted to subvert the world into supporting him, wouldn’t he have to care about what everyone thought of him?
Raev joined him with a much prettier velvet chuckle of her own. Their Bond was stronger than ever, and he detected that she’s come to a similar conclusion.
“Hmm,” Sullivan intoned, the camera panning back out to include him, “it certainly brings into question whether The Devoted should be assigned the role of a Regional Response Team, as is being discussed. If a city that was less than receptive to having a demon who has admitted to going Primal protecting them were in their assigned region, how could they expect fair treatment?”
“Exactly!” Clash agreed, smacking the gaudy desk they sat at. “That’s why honor is such an important trait for a Hero to have. It’s what makes them trustworthy. Dashing Devil displayed a disturbing amount of dishonor, so we can’t trust him! What if he is assigned to respond to a crisis in New Eden?” He asked this last with a grave, warning tone as his eyes brown eyes burned their intensity into the camera.
“How could we trust him to risk himself to protect us instead of biding his time in defensive action and letting Archangel’s supporters die?” he asked in a hushed tone. “He could act as he did in the duel, technically meeting the letter of the law without acknowledging its spirit. He’s shown he’s good at that, laying low and biding his time. I’ll show you in the next clip.”
“Right from the start of the fight, he goes on the defensive against Archangel’s nearly perfect attack,” Clash continued as he once again shrank down to the top corner of the screen as a clip of the beginning of the duel began playing. “Look at that form, that precision! Archangel used his Flash ability in perfect conjunction with his new attack that he is calling his Celestial Sword Storm.”
Raev snorted from beside him, “You’ve got to be kidding me. How old is he?”
“Emotionally? About nine or ten,” Boyd rumbled with an amused smile. “Physically… Archangel is two years older than you. He turned twenty-seven a few months back.”
Boyd tried and failed not to growl the last as he finished, “There was a big party.”
“Nope, no, nuh-uh,” Raev complained, and he sensed revulsion across their Bond. “No using me in any sort of comparison that involves the Blonde Buffoon. Ughh.” She ended with a shudder that worked its way through her tails to create a soft rustling sound as the fluffy appendages shook together.
“This new attack is impressive,” Clash continued. “It’s a duel sweeping attack that closes in simultaneously on his target. It will serve Archangel well in his ongoing responsibilities of keeping the fine citizens of New Eden safe. His approach was perfect; note how he kept Dashing Devil turning and defending.”
“It became clear that once Dashing Devil’s infernal Black Flame was able to disrupt Archangel’s Golden Swords. He shifted to wearing his opponent down, looking to force a mistake. He almost had him too.”
Clash highlighted several of the times Boyd had intentionally left a perceived opening trying to get Archangel to overcommit and close the distance. He had realized quickly that it wouldn’t work, but not because the Blonde Buffoon didn’t want to go for the opening. Boyd had seen the desire in his eyes. It was because that dumb ass stance of his made it hard for him to react in the time he would have needed to take advantage of any openings he saw.
“Other analysts have been saying that Dashing Devil displayed an impressive defensive ability in fending off Archangel’s Celestial Sword Storm for so long,” Sullivan replied from off-screen. “Some go so far as to say that Dashing Devil was the one controlling the flow of battle from the opening moments.”
“Hogwash,” Clash spat. “They must have been watching a different fight. Or maybe Dashing Devil already has influence over them. One of his publicly assigned names is the Corruptor, after all. It was clear to anyone that watched that fight that Archangel was in control until Devil used his underhanded tactic.”
The Fact Checker’s seal flickered at this; it would seem Clash only half believed what he was saying.
“Archangel was pressing his advantage hard, and he had Dashing Devil completely on the back foot. Look at this desperate attempt to force a change in the fight’s tempo here,” a clip of one of the times Boyd dove away and performed a sweeping attack played. “But Archangel was ready for even that. He displayed his skill as a Hero as he continued to press his opponent, keeping him locked down no matter what Devil tried to do.”
“This is how a Hero should fight,” Clash pressed on. “If this were a Powered Criminal, he’d have him completely contained. He’d be preventing any chance of civilian casualties while wearing the target down. It’s perfect form, and New Eden couldn’t ask for a better Hero.”
“Meanwhile, what’s Dashing Devil’s impressive defensive ability accomplishing?” Clash took on a nasally tone and pushed up invisible glasses while saying those three words. “What’s he protecting what during the entire fight?”
After a pause that lasted longer than Clash wanted it to, he shot a look off-screen, presumably at Sullivan who replied with a surprised, “Oh! Um…” There was another pause as Sullivan figured out how he was supposed to reply. Clash glowered off screen until Sullivan asked, his uncertainty clear, “Himself?”
“That’s right!” Clash shot a finger into the air and pressed on hotly. “He once again displayed a lack of honor; Devil was clearly interested in only protecting his own self-interest. I don’t see a Hero who’s only ambition is protecting civilians, I see a selfish demon who will only act for himself. Mark my words, he is only a Hero because it is convenient for some reason. I shudder to think what that reason could be and I hope The Authority comes to its senses and removes him before too much damage is done.”
“Wow, Clash, you sound rather vehement about that,” Sullivan replied with a tone that implied awe more than anything like concern. “Would you care to explain why?”
“Darn right I would,” Clash spat, “but first let’s play the final clip so I can really drive the point home.” The footage jumped to the moment Boyd had activated his Mental Domination and Archangel had folded like a wet paper bag under the weight of the big demon’s fears.
Boyd chuffed out a short chuckle at witnessing it again. It happened every time, he couldn’t help it. Raev joined him with another of her velvet chuckles that he enjoyed hearing so much. He briefly thought about recording a series of them and playing them on loop, but decided that would be on the weird side of things, and settled on making sure she had reasons to laugh as often as possible.
“This is why I am so passionate about Dashing Devil being removed from the Heroes,” Clash continued gravely as his frame expanded to take up the full screen again. “His aptly named Mental Domination ability. It’s a terrifying Power for anyone to have, let alone someone of such moral ambiguity. If he fought honorably, like Archangel, I would be much less concerned.”
“But such a Power in the hands of someone like Dashing Devil?” Clash visibly shuddered and continued with a grimace. “The fact that he was able to have such an overt affect on Archangel, who is stated as having average mental defense skills for a Hero, makes me question the agency of anyone close to him. In fact, I can’t even be sure that there wasn’t outside interference in the duel.”
Boyd squinted at the Fact Checker seal as it flickered once more. This had to be good.
“What makes you say that?” Sullivan asked from off-screen. Evidently, he couldn’t be trusted to have a more active role in this particular broadcast.
“I’ve heard some rumblings from some of the Heroes I keep in touch with,” Clash continued in his grave tone, leaning back in his chair and shaking his hands out.
Boyd recognized his expression and the tactic as one used to make the viewer think what you were about to say made you nervous, like you weren’t really supposed to say it and were preparing to face the repercussions.
“It’s public knowledge that Mind Witch and Dashing Devil were trained in the same Powered Adolescence Center or PAC, but I’ve heard some more information that borders on what would be classified. I think the world needs to know though, so I’m going to risk being censored and tell you anyway.”
“Wow Clash, that sure is brave,” Sullivan sounded more than a little worried, likely concerned that he would be censored as well.
Being censored by The Authority was the end of anyone’s media career. It literally became illegal for them to appear in any form of broadcast or online media. They couldn’t even hold social media accounts.
“Yeah, well, let’s just say that Archangel’s spirit might have rubbed off on me a bit,” Clash said smugly before continuing with his earth-shattering revelation. “When they were in the PAC, there was a period where the two of them used their Powers together to terrorize the other kids. They were able to exert complete control over other Powered and forced several of their peers to perform shameful acts in public.”
“Wow, that is terrifying,” Sullivan still sounded more concerned for his job than anything else to Boyd, but at least it fit the line.
“Yes, it truly is,” Clash gave a slow nod as he continued, “and because of it, how can we be sure they didn’t subvert the members of The Authority that were present to detect and prevent outside interference? For all we know, the pair took control of them before the match started and it was Mind Witch’s Power that interrupted Archangel’s perfect attacks and allowed Dashing Devil to turn the tide.”
The Fact Checker seal flickered again, which Boyd took to mean that he thought the scenario was unlikely. He wondered if News5 had been able to arrange one of the Fact Checker’s less effective members to monitor their broadcasts, one that would often be uncertain and trigger the flickering that Boyd hadn’t seen elsewhere.
“Listen up, folks!” Clash’s words dripped with skepticism and disdain; his eyes fixed on the camera with an unwavering intensity. He’d evidently decided to push on to his closing. “What we witnessed in that Heroes Duel was nothing short of a masquerade! Dashing Devil may have the world fooled with his polished veneer of heroism, but mark my words, he’s the devil incarnate beneath that facade!”
Clash’s fingers jabbed at the screen, highlighting moments from the duel as if they were damning evidence that appeared in a small box above the pointing finger. “Look at this! Archangel, a paragon of virtue and justice, was fighting valiantly using only honorable methods, and what does Dashing Devil do? He reveled in the chaos, and exploited every opportunity to sow discord and confusion. That grin on his devilish face, that gleeful malevolence—it’s all there, plain as day!”
