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Chapter IV: No One Alone

“Trojan.” Elliot swivelled around in his chair, facing the gathered members of Arsenal. “The name of our newest strain is the Trojan Strain and it’s clear that it is of the equine variety.” Behind him, his monitors were filled with images of the immensely powerful, hung equines.

Ben, still in his Blood Wolf form, narrowed his gaze at the images and let out a soft rumble. “They seemed a little off from the last ones we fought. The Ursa Strain, right from the get go, each individual has baseline superpowers and a common power amongst them; their ability to devour anything they touched. But these guys…”

The orca waggled a finger at him and nodded. “Exactly which is why I believe that they were only, at most Generations 1s and 2s.”

Caleb flicked his ears forward. “Wait… so they have baseline superpowers and one unique power? No shared superpower between them like Gen 3s?”

Elliot flashed him a sarcastic smile. “Would you look at that? I don’t have to explain myself entirely to Muscles. Guess you’re already in holiday mode so that must mean your brain can finally catch up while all that meat takes a break.”

“Elliot…” Bren growled. “If that’s the case, what happened to the Gen 3s we faced during the Ursa Strain?”

“And how did they manage to cut through my diamond minotaurs so easily?” Caleb chimed in. “Those guys don’t go down so easily…”

The orca turned back towards his monitors and tapped a few buttons. “I don’t know and I have a theory. I suspect it might have something to do with the fact that there were two Gen 2s there and they didn’t actually get along…”

“Dissent within the ranks…” David rumbled softly. “Any idea what their identities were?”

“Who cares what their identities were?” Rhiannon said brazenly. “Right now, they are Unicorn and Smokestack.” She licked her lips, a predatory gaze in her red eyes. “And what a smokestack…”

“Wolf Christ, Rhia… Those guys nearly ripped us to shreds with their powers!”

“Oh don’t worry about that,” she said absently. “Now that we know exactly what we’re dealing with, we can find ways to counter them. After all, they just have superpowers and there are other sources of power.”

“Just superpowers?” David repeated. “That’s they’re potentially devastating superpowers! One of them can shoot rockets out of their forehead at rapid succession and the other can release a choking smoke around them and stab us with his… sword.” He hesitated at the last sentence and he actually looked a little uncomfortable speaking of Smokestack’s dick.

“You’re exaggerating.” She eyed David who was still in his Feral Steel attire, particularly the way he was not-so-subtly trying to cover his crotch. “You know, given that you’re Arsenal’s field commander, shouldn’t you have your outfit updated? The whole slate grey thing with metal armbands is so a decade ago.”

The metal-controlling super frowned at her. “Hey, this outfit is recognisable. Everyone knows I’m Feral Steel when I’m in this.”

“Everyone should recognise you for your deeds and powers not some gaudy getup you slap on.” She rolled her red eyes at him and smacked her lips. “Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be able to make you look fabulous, dah-ling! I’ll just need your measurements.” She grinned lewdly at him, her eyes directly at his crotch. “All of your measurements.”

David shied away from her. “H – Hey! I’m married!”

“Fine,” Rhia said with a roll of her eyes. “Your wife can watch too.”

“No!”

“Alright! Alright!” the Hound said, throwing her paws into the air. “Lillian and I will dress up as slutty tailors, undress you oh so sensually, take your measurements while you flex and strut for us and then we’ll have a steamy, toe-curling threesome there and then on the floor. Then I’ll make your costume. That’s my final offer.”

David’s incredulity fell. “Wait… Really?”

Caleb’s tail fluffed out in terror. “Dad!”

“How exactly would you make a tailor look slutty?” David continued.

Caleb glanced towards Mary. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this!” But Mary was still off in her own world, her eyes focused on the screen but her mild was elsewhere. He really worried what was going on in her mind.

“Oh you know,” Rhia said waving a paw absently through the air, “it’s basically like a slutty math teacher except instead of rulers we have measure tapes that we can use like bondage ropes.”

David swallowed hard and loud. “Oh… Oh wow.”

“Focusing on the matter at hand,” Bren interrupted and bringing them all back to Elliot. “Most of the Ursa strain also developed secondary characteristics. Why didn’t these guys?”

Elliot mulled that over and turned back towards the team. “See, I don’t think they were ever meant to be Gen 2s or Gen 3s. I think Unicorn was just a Gen 2 and always meant to be. Smokestack was only meant to be a Gen 1 and evolved into a Gen 2 on the fly, at least based on interviews had with the smoking equine.”

“Hmmmm…” Rhiannon hummed. “Smoked horse. Goes really well with Hoisin sauce.” Everyone stared at her in terror… except David who was trying to adjust himself and his eyes were in the distance. “What?” she replied. “Feral horses are a delicacy in Asian countries. You should try it.”

Bren began pacing Elliot’s room, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “It sounds like they’re not just trying to constantly evolve from the previous generation. They’re slotting every generation into their own roles. Thralls are disposable conscripts. Little more than cannon fodder. Gen 1s are the shock troops. Their sheer numbers and baseline superpowers can easily overwhelm even the strongest of superhero groups.”

“Gen 2s are like lieutenants and sleeper agents,” Ben grunted. “They go out, find people to infect and then create a little outbreak. They can slip in behind enemy lines, cause an infection and boom!” He slammed a fist into his palm. “Your enemy is in disarray…”

“And Gen 3s are like commanders on the field,” Elliot agreed. “They can imbue others with much more power than anyone else but their rate of infection is lower than the others. In fact, looking at it across the board, the higher the generation, the lower the rate of infection. If we look at Thralls, we’ve had to deal with hundreds of cases all across the continental United States alone, at least according to FBI records. Gen 1s we saw a whole construction crew, a football stadium worth of people and potentially more. Gen 2s were probably just in the dozens but Gen 3s, we were limited to twenty in each case at most. I guess that just brings us to the question of exactly what’ll happen when they start churning out Gen 4s…” He turned towards Lars in particular. “Eh, Hotrod?”

“I am not a Gen 4,” the muscled Doberman growled.

“According to Shark Tamer, you are.” The orca began tapping on his keyboard with one hand, keeping his eyes on Lars. “I’ve analysed your DNA and there’s no denying that you have been altered by the Original serum that was injected into your body and turned you into a savage bear. Caleb’s powers stabilised you, yes, and it’s because of that that you aren’t infectious. You’re far stronger than the average super in all respects and I suspect your powers will evolve soon as well. I think at Gen 4, you just cannot infect anyone.”

Lars looked relieved and sighed. “Well… I suppose that’s a good thing. But still not a Gen 4.”

“That remains to be seen,” Elliot said ominously. “My concern is that if it gets out that supers can now get infected by the Gene Stealers and we’ve got these Genesians running around, some superheroes and supervillains might just start turning to the Gene Stealers for help.”

Ben grunted in acknowledgement. “There are murmurings in the underground of that stuff but it’s just rumours. Nothing concrete yet. No one knows how to contact the Gene Stealers.”

“Doesn’t anyone think we should at least tell the Elemental Alliance about the Gen 4s?” Caleb suggested. “I mean, if they find out we’ve been keeping this a secret and Lars is one, wouldn’t they declare all-out war on us? We’d have another PR nightmare. It’ll be worse especially since the Alpha Pack already knows about this and they don’t.” He glanced towards Bren. “And we might lose what little government support we have if we kept this a secret from them.”

The tiger let out a long thoughtful noise and shook his head. “Don’t jump to conclusions just yet, Caleb. While I was made by the FBI and through government funding, I am not totally ignorant and a mindless drone.” His features darkened. “I was made a spy and capable of thinking on my own. The government created the Outsider Initiative and now that the Initiative is basically disbanded and being placed under the guidance of supers, one has to question whether the Genesians are the next race of Outsiders.”

Caleb hadn’t thought of that. Arcturus and his team had mentioned that the Genesians were funded entirely by the US military. Were these ‘infectious supers’ basically Outsider replacements? Having lost the Outsiders, did the US government switch to these genetic abominations in an attempt to have controlled supers?

“It might be that the government is just as afraid of us as we are of them,” Bren continued. “Both us and the Genesians came from them but we’re no longer under their control. We’re currently in a stalemate and anything that might disrupt that balance might throw us to the figurative wolves.”

“Even better reason to disclose what we know,” Caleb insisted.

“I agree with Bren,” David grunted. “If we reveal to the world that even supers can be infected by the Gene Stealers, then it means that no one is safe. There’ll be panic and we risk all support going to the US government. When faith in superheroes fails, who else can people turn to?” He snapped his fingers. “That might even be the reason behind the Genesians. Expose the weakness of the supers, get public support for them and boom. Supers become obsolete.”

Madman huffed loudly and leaned against the nearby wall. Elliot gave a cry as the big hyena crushed one of his posters but the tank of team didn’t budge. “What’s the big deal, anyway? Why the hell do we care whether or not supers turn to shit in the public’s eye. They spent a hell of a time slandering us. You included, Steel.”

Feral Steel flashed his fangs briefly at the hulking hyena. “Supers act within the law but aren’t entirely bound by it. It’s a sort of… grey area. Everyone agrees that only superheroes can really beat supervillains and the government is really there to either pose as a distraction, buy time or repair the damage. That puts tension between the two sides. Supers are just trying to help but the government doesn’t like anyone stepping on their toes.”

Caleb was once again reminded of Jacob’s words.

No matter what anyone did, someone would always find a way to criticise them.

A quick check of various news feeds with his phone and his suspicions were confirmed. While good majority of the media praised them, there were others that were pointing out how Arsenal wasn’t unified. Only Feral Steel, Weapons Master, Blood Wolf and Blade Babe were on the field. They asked where Flare Blue, Madman and Bren were. They also questioned why they couldn’t be more proactive. Yes, there were only a few people infected but there was so much destruction caused. Why couldn’t they have suspected these attacks and prevented them entirely?

The biggest of their critics was none other than G.G. Guinness.

On Chatter, Guinness posted a rather lengthy rant.

‘This evening, the Gene Stealers once again unleashed hell upon our city and Arsenal was once again late to the scene.’

“What?” Caleb sneered softly to himself. With the others still arguing, no one else noticed him. “We were the only ones on the scene!”

‘Dozens of men were transformed into hung equines with superpowers. I don’t know about you folks, but given the incompetence of our so called ‘protectors’, I’d almost be inclined to surrender myself to the Gene Stealers because they seem to be winning this ‘war’ that Feral Steel has so claimed. Exactly what do they think they’re doing?’

“You smug, smarmy bastard…” he growled. “Just bashing the guys that are on top. If it wasn’t us, it’d be someone else.”

He told himself that he’d just let it go.

Then Guinness added another chat line.

‘Prediction for the future: Weapons Master gets to transform into an equine. He’ll finally be the ass that he really is.’

Caleb’s blood boiled and with a growl, he immediately began tapping away as a response. To the rest of the world, he was just a teen but thanks to his dad, he had his own private Chatter feed and another social media accounts protected by the FBI. No one could trace it back to his phone.

As Weapons Master, he replied with, ‘Hey GG, if you’d rather offer up your ass to those horses out there, be my guest but I like to think we do more than just chase after the Gene Stealers. We’re protecting this Island, risking our lives on our own volition. Yeah, you didn’t ask for protection but would you rather we didn’t defend you or for this city to be overrun by hyper-sexualised hyenas, bulls, bears and horses?’

The moment he hit send, he was instantly hit with regret. Something was off with the scene and it took him a moment to realise that he had done something extremely stupid. Normally, Mary would be there crash tackling him or smashing his phone against the wall. But she was standing off to the side, distracted in her own thoughts.

“Uh-oh…” he murmured softly.

Almost instantly, Guinness replied.

‘Of course you do more than protect our city, <Arsenal_WM>. You also whore yourself out to publications in a desperate bid to ride your popularity and show off your sculpted body in a way only the most arrogant and narcissistic individual could. The latest issue of GUYS magazine was simply sizzling.’

This time, he growled audibly, enough to catch everyone else’s attention but he was already tapping away before they could stop him.

_ ‘Congrats <GG_Guinness>. You’ve just proven that you read a gay-centric magazine. Do you get your rocks off watching me flex my muscles or do you secretly fantasize for an ‘exclusive interview’?’_

“Caleb!” David cried but the send button was already hit.

His dad immediately swiped the phone from him and stared at the reply in horror.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, I give you <Arsenal_WM>. So insecure about his own sexuality despite coming out to the nation that he needs to accuse others of being homosexual to feel comfortable. Or perhaps he was flirting with me and enjoying the idea of someone being dominant. Someone with a penis that big surely can’t be a top. No one would dare open themselves up to someone who is effectively a Gene Stealer themselves.’

David winced and held out the phone to the others. “Oooh… this is going to sting…”

“I’m sorry,” Caleb whimpered, folding his ears back. “I… I just saw his chat line and… It just made me so angry that he’d say that about us. I mean, we risked our lives out there and he has the balls to call us out for doing our best? We do this for free! Our funds come from other stuff we need to do!”

His dad rested a paw on his shoulder. “I know son, I know. It sucks but that’s how all budding hero teams start. Even now, the Alliance as critics. The best thing to do is to ignore them and get on with our jobs.” He glanced over to Rhiannon and the others. “How can we deal with damage control?”

Rhiannon’s red eyes glimmered with glee. “How about I make him believe his intestines have turned into venomous snakes on live TV! Let’s have him claw out his own guys and eviscerate himself in front of everyone! Oooh! That’ll be so much fun!” She was clapping her paws together happily.

“No,” Elliot stated bluntly. “Let’s not do what the Sadistic Demon of Destruction wants to do.” He waved at the computer. “I can hack into the Chatter servers and easily delete the chat lines. Remove all favourites and re-chats.”

“That’ll just stir up controversy,” answered Bren with a shake of his head. “Remember, we still have government affiliations. If we do that, fingers will be pointed at the FBI, the CIA or whoever else and then it’ll come back to bite us. Something else.”

David turned apologetically towards his son. “Caleb, why don’t you let us handle this? You’re tired and I know this thing with Jacob and the Genesians not to mention your holiday coming up has you stressed. Head on home. I’ll see you there.”

“But –” he began.

“Don’t worry about it, son. We got this.”

With his ears folded down and tail tucked between his legs, Caleb turned around and slinked off out of Elliot’s room. He had caused so much damage in such a short time. What sense of victory he got from defeating Smokestack and Unicorn had vanished it weighed heavily on his heart.

“Fucking Guinness…” he growled softly but more at himself than anyone else.

It took him until he reached Ballistic to realise that his dad had confiscated his phone so he had no way of contacting anyone for advice. That left him with no choice but to head back home…

Unless…

He dug into the pocket of his riding jacket and fished out the address that Jacob had given him for his night job. Realising he still had to convince the black wolf to join him for the GUYS photoshoot, he drove out of the secure parking lot that led to the Facility and straight to the Wildog Pax Bar. The bar was in the Red Light District of town, a place that Caleb had only been to in passing. There were a lot of neon lights, flashy posters, vivid holograms and rather a lot of scantily dressed males and females showing off their goods on the streets. Prostitution was illegal but with the Alliance around, police tended not to get so much funding and as such there was a lower police presence.

It made him proud that Leon got into the police academy when there was limited space. Then again, with the attack from Minos at the West Marrington Police Station, there were quite a few openings. He wondered what happened to the victims of the previous attacks.

The Wildog Pax Bar was surprisingly mellow in comparison to the rest of the district. The sign wasn’t flashing with neon or holograms and there wasn’t anything overly sexual about it though there was a huge line in front of it. Caleb parked in front of the bar and instantly got a few startled stares. For a moment, he wondered why he had attracted so much attention; surely kids like him rolled up to bars in motorcycles before?

Then he remembered he was still wearing his Weapons Master outfit.

“Holy shit! That’s Weapons Master!”

His ears folded back. “Oh…”

Again, he realised that Mary would’ve kept him from doing something so stupid but with her so distracted with… whatever, he felt so lost.

Caleb stepped off Ballistic and raised his paws while the crowd began storming towards him. “Hey folks, just walked to speak with Legion! Can I get through?”

Of course, no one was letting him through. With the Trojan attack fresh on their minds, they were storming him for answers. While they weren’t media, he was fairly sure that the paparazzi and news outlets would be swarming the bar within moments. Thankfully, there was a huge moose that ploughed through them and shoved the partially drunk and overly excited away from Caleb; a moose he recognised.

“Gerard!?”

The moose who was a centre offensive lineman in his high school football team, gave him a startled stare. “Oh… Uh… How’d you know my name, sir?”

It was weird thinking that the huge hulk of a fur referred to him as ‘sir’. As a wide receiver, Caleb was built more for speed but with his training under his dad, he had really put on the bulk. Gerard had been training as a centre for his entire football career was built like a tank; big broad shoulders, huge chest, thick legs and a little bit of a belly for extra mass.

“Erm…” Caleb thought fast. “You guys were infected as part of the Gnoll strain way back. I made it my personal mission to know your names during the outbreak.”

Gerard grinned at him broadly. “Hey, thanks Appreciate it.”

“You work at this bar? Aren’t you underage?”

The moose shrugged and hiked a thumb over his shoulder. “Ain’t that kind of bar. They don’t serve beer or alcohol. They exclusively serve mocktails.”

“Oh. One of those bars, huh?”

Called ‘Mock Bars’, the bar was geared towards people who wanted to drink socially in a bar-like attitude but not get drunk. Such bars became extremely popular when the outwardly gay superhero-slash-celebrity Allie Powers made personally visited one and endorsed it. She even got a mocktail named after her: ‘the Power Surge’. From there on, wives and girlfriends took their partners to the bars and then guys realised that other guys were attending and the rest was history. Mock Bars also became a hotspot for superheroes who had a higher public profile than most and didn’t really care or didn’t have about ‘loved ones’.

“Yeah. Come on in,” Gerard grunted, using his enormous body to barricade the other patrons from clawing at Caleb. “Jacob is at the bar doing his thing.”

And by ‘doing his thing’, Caleb realised he meant ‘practically stripping’. His jaw dropped open in shock as the black wolf zoomed across the bar using his super speed dressed in nothing but a pair of tight, black shorts. It exposed his rippling, lean body, soaked with sweat and every muscle accentuated by glimmering lights. There was music blaring and Jacob was dancing, tossing shakers and mocktails in the air with flair and excellent showmanship.

“Whoa…” Caleb gawked.

“Yeah… Helluva thing bein’ a super,” Gerard grunted.

“No. I never thought Jacob had chest hair.”

It was true. The black wolf had a thick crest of blonde chest hair conveniently shaped like a heart over his pectorals.

Gerard chuckled. “Yeah. We call him our ‘Care Bear’. He just laughs it off. He’s a good guy. Being super means he can serve more drinks than anyone else.”

Jacob was zipping from one end of the bar to the other, tossing colourful drinks here and there with amazing coordination. It surprised Caleb how many of the people receiving drinks actually caught their beverages with little more than a drop. That spark of jealousy began crawling up Caleb’s chest again but he pushed it down.

“I can see he’s busy,” he said. “I guess I’ll come back later when –”

“Naw, let some of the other guys take over for a sec,” Gerard said. With a shout, he waved a big, meaty hand towards Jacob. “Hey, Legion! You’re buddy Weapons Master is here!”

All eyes instantly swivelled over to him. Male and female alike stared at him with wide eyes, each pair like blazing spotlights. Jacob grinned and waved back before shouting for someone to take over quickly. He leapt nimbly over the bar, immediately zooming across the bar floor until he was right in front of Caleb, blocking him from the others hoping to swarm him.

“Hey WM,” greeted the blonde wolf happily. “Why don’t we go out back? I’m sure you don’t want people eavesdropping on us.”

“Yeah,” Caleb answered numbly. “That’d be great.”

Jacob led him to the rear of the bar out through an employees only door. Gerard blocked the door from anyone intruding. They entered what looked like a staff break room which was currently empty. Still, Jacob swung his paws absently through the air and a grey staff appeared in his paws.

“Serena, would you mind?” he asked. The staff immediately let out a soft hum and bathed their surroundings in a brief, grey light. “There, that should keep anyone from listening in on us.” Jacob turned his sapphire-blue eyes towards Caleb, leaning absently on the staff. “I heard about what happened this evening with this new ‘Trojan’ strain. Nasty stuff.”

“Everyone already knows the next Gene Stealer’s name?” Caleb asked.

“Nah. Arcturus blabbed. You guys doing alright? I imagine things are kind of hectic down at your place.”

‘Hectic’ was putting it lightly. “Yeah. Everyone is a little confused why they only generated Gen 2s this time around and not Gen 3s like with Ursa.” He shook his head, remembering that such troubles were not for Jacob and his group. They were to take care of the Genesians and Arsenal would deal with the Gene Stealers. But he did need help with one thing…

“Hey, you’ve got a lot of experience dealing with the media and critics, right?”

Jacob shrugged. “I’ve been handed around like a rusty blade by your world’s gods and they still blame me instead of one another for my interference so yeah, I’m pretty well-versed on the topic. Why?”

“Do you have any advice with dealing with G.G. Guinness?” Caleb lowered his gaze, his cheeks starting to burn a little. “I… sort of blew up at him for his comments on tonight’s events and… He made me look like an idiot.”

The No One inclined his head to the side curiously and reached for his phone. “Really? What did you…?” Jacob’s eyes widened and his ears folded back. “Oh… Oh I see.”

“Look, I know you said that it doesn’t matter how my critics feel just so long as I’m good with my actions and how the people I saved feel but…” Caleb winced loudly and let his shoulders droop. “But honestly, I feel lousy every time someone like Guinness says that I’m incompetent. I mean, I’m out there risking my life for them and he has the balls to say I can do more!? What the hell!?”

The half-naked wolf gave him a sympathetic look. “I feel much the same way in many occasions, Caleb. Trust me. It happens. No matter which reality I jump into, I can’t help but feel aggravated or irritated when people point out how I could’ve done better. Hard truth is, I make mistakes as well. So can they.” Before Caleb could respond, Jacob held up a paw. “Now I’m not going to spout out some bullshit about how you can just learn from it and move on. You already know that. There’s a whole thing about not feeding the trolls, not stoking the fire or whatever else but there are two approaches you can take to this.”

He held up two fingers. “One, just ignore them. You’ve got your followers, you know what you’re going is right and you’re constantly improving. It’ll be hard but you can look at it from the perspective that they have some valid points and learn from it. Or…”

“Or?” Caleb prompted, watching Jacob’s grin turn a little sinister.

“Or you remind them that they aren’t infallible as well. That they have their own critics and failings.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, frowning.

Jacob began scrolling through his phone, smiling softly. “This line Guinness said about surrendering to the Gene Stealers seems ripe for the picking. You could easily say that he’s a Gene Stealer sympathiser. Hell, you could even take it another step forward and accuse him of being a Gene Stealer and perhaps his infection vector is through television.”

Caleb shook his head and took a step back. “I don’t know. I don’t want to stoop down to his level…”

The bartender shrugged and tucked his phone away. “Guys like Guinness thrive off drama and get their ratings based entirely on how much controversy they spout. He’s a contrarian. He will always stand against popular opinion so that he will have someone to argue against. But even he is mortal and has mortal vices that can be exploited. I’m not saying lower yourself down to his level, Caleb. Just… If you want me to have a go at him, I’m happy to help. Hell, maybe if I were to attack him, he’d turn his attention to me instead of you for a bit.”

His ears perked up. “You’d do that?”

Again, Jacob just shrugged. “Hey, I’m being watched and criticised by the gods themselves. A loudmouthed, controversial lion with dyed grey hair isn’t going to hurt me.”

“His hair is dyed?”

“Of course. Have you ever seen any lion with perfectly grey hair like that? Even down to his mane without some black creeping onto his muzzle or fur?”

Caleb scratched his cheek and brought up images of Guinness. “Uh… I guess not. But why would he dye his hair grey? Shouldn’t he make himself look more… I dunno, youthful?”

“It gives him the sense of authority. Generally, people respect the older generation and the older generations can relate more to people of their own age group. By casting the illusion that he is aged and wizened, he convinces people that he knows what he’s talking about.”

It was all about image. Caleb wondered how his constantly changing appearance affected his image to the people. David mentioned that his attire was recognisable and that made him easily marketable. Those that saw him were reminded of a guy who fought for decades against villainy and established the Elemental Alliance. Him…? What exactly did they see?

Shaking those thoughts from his head, Caleb decided to change the subject. “Hey, do you think you could spare some time Friday to come to a photoshoot with me?”

“A photoshoot?” Jacob asked. “Why? Is this for a different publication?”

“No, no. Still GUYS just…” Caleb felt his cheeks burn again. “I… Uh… In light of the recent situation with Guinness, I thought it’d be good to have a bit of positive publicity and called an interview and photoshoot… They said they’d do it but on the condition that you get involved as well.”

Jacob jerked his head back in surprise. “Whoa! Hang on! ‘Involved’? I’m not going to strip down and get naked. My husband would kill me!”

“No! It’s not that kind of –” Caleb stopped himself in mid-sentence and then stared at Jacob for a long moment. “Wait… Did you just say ‘husband’? You’re married?”

It was Jacob’s turn to give him a puzzled stare. “Uh… Yeah. I would’ve thought Rhiannon or Arcturus would’ve told you by now. I’m happily married. At last count, we’ve been married in 145,873,992,124 different multiverses. And that’s not counting individual realities.” A dreamy smile crossed the wolf’s features, his eyes off in the distance. “Ah… renewing our vows in different realities… Always so amazing. Plus the post-ceremony sex is always fun. There was this one time where we took the shape of amorphous blobs and we… Well, you know…” He stuck out his tongue and chuckled mildly.

“Erm… I don’t but I don’t think I want to know.” Caleb inclined his head to the side in typical canine confusion. “Seriously, though? You’re married? I… I would never have guessed.” He glanced at the other lupine’s fingers, searching for a ring.

“Yep, happily mated since the end of my story,” answered Jacob with a grin. “Now we just help people all when they ask. Of course we renew our vows every so often. It’s sort of a crowning achievement for some reality owners that you can get ‘R3 and EX’ to renew their vows on your reality. But for us, it’s just a way of reaffirming our love.” Then Jacob’s face turned sour. “And it keeps him from doing ‘the thing’.”

“The thing?”

“The thing.”

“What’s ‘the thing’?”

Jacob shook his head grimly. “Just… It’s the thing. Don’t ask again.”

Now he was really curious. “Alright… I guess. But you’ve been married for that long? And… you’re happy?”

“Don’t think I could be anything else,” answered the wolf proudly.

“Do you bottom?” Caleb mentally kicked himself for the question and didn’t want to take it back. He wondered about himself and Lars and if someone as powerful as R3 could bottom, why couldn’t he?

Jacob gave him a curious look. “Little personal there, don’t you think?”

“Erm… Yeah. Sorry. Forget it.”

“No, you asked it.” Jacob shrugged absently. “Honestly, for us it’s not a matter of who bottoms or tops. Our relationship isn’t defined by roles. Sometimes, he’s on top, sometimes I am. Sometimes we sixty-nine. Sometimes we get my dads in the picture.”

Caleb’s tail fluffed out in shock. “Your dads!?”

“Oh yeah. I’ve actually got three fathers. It’s a twisted history involving time travel, interdimensional relationships, entities of pure malevolence, souls of pure good and light and even stillborn babies.”

“Not the part I’m focusing on,” Caleb exclaimed, waving his paws. “You fuck your dads!?”

“Oh yeah. We’re one big happy family. Like I said, we aren’t defined by roles. Whether or not it’s father or son, lover or husband, top or bottom it doesn’t matter. We love one another and we don’t let that define our relationship. We do what feels good and being with one another is what feels good.”

Caleb pursed his lips. Wise advice and one he couldn’t find fault in. Why should he let the idea of being on top or being a bottom define his relationship with Lars? Surely the hunky superhero Doberman wouldn’t care if he could never pound Caleb’s ass or if Caleb was always on top. Would he?

“Getting side tracked,” Jacob said. “Not going to strip down for a publication.”

A cock smirk crossed Caleb’s features. “Why not? I thought your relationship wasn’t defined by roles? Slut shouldn’t matter.”

Jacob snarled at him, baring his fangs. “It’s certainly not that.” Clearing his throat, the wolf said, “It’s more like I’m not allowed to bring anything back from this reality back home. He made me swear that if I ever had sex with anyone while on the job or posed naked, I had to take pictures and he got a copy.” He looked like he was blushing. “Honestly, I have no idea why but it’s just utterly embarrassing to think that your husband is jacking off to an image of you reaching orgasm in another man’s arms…”

“How?”

“I don’t know! It just is, okay?” growled the blonde-haired wolf. “So no. Not doing the photoshoot.”

“We’re not going to get naked,” Caleb snickered, amused at how aggravated Jacob could get. He was almost tempted to seduce the wolf just to see how he would react. Then again, he couldn’t do that to Lars. “It’s just a Christmas-themed photoshoot and hopefully some damage control…”

He watched Jacob give the idea some thought, the other wolf’s features going still and becoming unreadable. There was something unnerving about the laser-like stare of those sapphire-blue eyes that reminded Caleb that he was in the presence of someone who was even more powerful than the gods.

“On one condition.”

Of course there had to be a condition. It was Hank’s condition that Legion be involved in the photoshoot and now Jacob had his own condition. He was starting to regret even coming up with the lie. But he had committed to it and it would give him some nice pocket money for the trip to the Mirror City.

“Sure, what is it?” he asked.

“You help me with tonight’s shift.”

Caleb’s pulled his head back in confusion. “Huh? Why?”

There’ Jacob’s features turned sour. “Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but in the fifteen minutes or so we’ve been in here, the bar has doubled in customers. People are swarming in here. It’s turned into a celebrity outing and everyone wants to see you or me. I may be a super but I can’t handle this many customers and getting all these people here is a fire hazard. So I need backup. You in?”

He glanced towards the door leading back into the bar and could hear the noise rising from the other side. A riot was about to break out and they were chanting for him and Legion. “I… Uh… I dunno…”

“Come on,” Jacob begged, looking awfully desperate. “I’ll even throw in an opportunity to help me with a Genesian out there.”

Help fight a Genesian and prove to the world that he wasn’t a weak, pathetic pup? Maybe give G.G Guinness something to ponder about. Funnily enough, Jacob seemed more concerned about the bar than fighting the Gene Stealer knock-offs.

“Sure,” he confirmed. “But I’m not good at bars… I’ve never mixed a drink in my life.”

“Doesn’t matter. Just wait the tables. Send out the pre-bottled drinks. Think you can do that?”

Caleb gave Legion a thumbs up. “Yeah. I think I can manage that.”

Jacob waved a paw. A golden chain appeared in his paws and at the end of it was a golden dart about as long as Caleb’s paw. At the base of the dart was a clock face.

Talking directly to the weapon, the No One said, “Hey Carlisle, I’ll need you to work with Caleb here. He’s new to the bar and will need your powers.” He beamed. “Thanks man.” Jacob nodded towards Caleb and handed the weapon to him. “Carlisle here has the power over time itself. Just tell him what you want to do and he’ll help out. Slow down time, stop it entirely, speed it up if it’s dead, whatever. Feel free to pull me aside if you need help out there.”

Caleb grabbed the weapon with a sense of reverence. “Whoa. Really? Cool.”

“Not to keep,” Jacob warned. “Like me, Carlisle doesn’t belong in this world.”

“Sure.” Caleb tied the chain and dart around his waist like a belt. “So what do I need to know?”

After a quick rundown on the ordering system, Jacob dropped the silencing field around them and headed back out to the fanfare of the countless fans. As expected, there were countless people snapping pictures with them. Caleb smiled and offered a few waves. When people demanded quotes from him given what had just happened, Jacob took control of the situation saying that Weapons Master wouldn’t answer any questions unless they ordered at least two drinks and a meal. That shut people up.

But as predicted, it was extremely busy. Jacob took control of the bar, serving up drinks and creating colourful concoctions while using his superpowers with ease. Caleb controlled the till and served up meals from the kitchen to the tables. He was a quick study and he picked up how the ordering system worked. Thanks to his experience at Gabe’s store, he was accustomed to waiting tables and quickly took up to cleaning them as well even though he was really just meant to deliver food. The rest of the bar crew and even the manager appreciated his initiative.

Carlisle was extremely useful.

Early on, paparazzi seized his shoulder while he had two plates in his paws. After a quick flash for a photo, Caleb stumbled with the food. Carlisle immediately stopped time. It was bizarre watching everyone just frozen in time like that. He also felt a little giddy as this reminded him of Chronomancers from the Tower Thirteen series.

“Hey kid!” Jacob shouted from the bar. “Mind hurrying up and doing what you need to do and starting time again? Having to pick up a conversation when you’re in mid-syllable is kind of hard.”

Clearly Jacob was unaffected by the power of his weapons. “Right! Sorry!” He quickly reassembled the food onto the plate. As an experiment, he slowly pulled his paw out from underneath the plate and saw it just hover there, suspended in mid-air. Once he got the food ready again, he asked Carlisle to restart time and he was off again, serving food.

At about eleven in the evening, loud music began blaring in his ears and most of the reporters had left after Caleb had just given them bland, generic remarks like ‘Please wait for the official Arsenal opinion’ and ‘I did my best and I can only strive to better’. Loud whoops and woos started erupting from the patrons. One of the other bartenders, a panther with a chiselled chest, threw off his apron and jumped onto the bar itself. He gyrated his hips to the music which the patrons eagerly cheered him on, male and female alike.

“Whoa… Is he allowed to do that?” Caleb asked.

Jacob who was juggling a few martini glasses gleefully swept past him. “Gone are the days when bartenders are just wizened, well-travelled men who listen to your woes as they get your completely and utterly shitfaced, my friend! You want to rake in the tips? You give them a show! Like so!”

The blonde-haired wolf threw the glasses high into the air. He set one in front of a customer and grabbed one of the spray hoses, filling it with some bubbling liquid. He caught a second and set it in front of another and against sprayed some fluid into it. The third he caught between his jaws while grabbing a drink shaker. He concocted a drink there and then, pouring the contents into the two glasses. With the third glass, set it in front of him, mixed another drink from multiple hoses and pushed it down the bar where it was caught with thanks from a patron.

His job done, Jacob jumped onto the bar, letting out a howl.

The jock in Caleb just kicked in and he was reminded of one of his touchdowns when he was playing football. He grabbed one of the hoses, making sure it was just water, and fired it straight at Jacob. The wolf let out a yelp much to everyone’s cheering.

Time just flew by. Caleb found himself having more and more fun. While he didn’t jump onto the bar like the other bartenders, he grew more and more confident and flashy. The smile on his face became less mechanical and more genuine.

The bell for last call ran gout before he even knew it and the bar patrons groaned in disappointment.

“Come on, folks!” the manager, a big boar with a fiery red mane. “Let’s all get a group picture! You too, WM!”

A photograph to commemorate the night? Why not? He figured that if he ever got assaulted by Guinness or was thrown some negative press, he’d just look at this photo again and remember what it was like just to be a normal guy. The entire crew of the bar and patrons all piled in front of the bar itself while someone took a photo. With glasses of colourful drinks.

“Say ‘cheers’!” exclaimed the cameraman.

Caleb grinned and along with the rest of the bar, shouted, “Cheers!”

******

“Caleb Hale!”

That was certainly a surprise. When Caleb arrived back at home at 2:30 the following morning, he had fully expected a verbal berating from his dad. David’s opinion of Legion hadn’t improved and he expected his dad to be very short tempered considering what had happened. But the shrill, angry cry had actually come from his mother, Lillian Hale.

Which was infinitely worse.

She stood over him. Though he was a few inches taller, he ducked his head making it appear like he was shorter. Her nostrils were flared and her eyes were afire.

“What is this I hear about you working at a bar!?” she demanded.

“I… Uh…”

He had a whole speech prepared for his dad on this very subject with a slew of excuses. Spying on Legion, earning extra cash for Arsenal, practicing his hand-eye-coordination. But for his mother…

“Erm… I just…” He flicked his ears at her. “Where did you hear I was working at a bar?”

David poked his head out from the lounge which was actually a whole room and a hallway away. Clearly he was hiding from Hurricane Hale. “Mary called, son,” he said both sounding sympathetic and at the same time very glad that he wasn’t within the firing line. “She said she could feel where you were halfway across the island but since you were with Jacob, she didn’t want to call us.”

“I’ll deal with Mary later,” Lillian snarled, fangs bared. Her eyes burned down at Caleb like holy fire from Heaven. “A bar, Caleb!? A bar!? You’re underage!”

“It’s a mocktail bar…”

“That doesn’t matter! Mocktail bars are worse! Statistically speaking, they have more fights than actual bars! Their bouncers are young and experienced!” Her eyes widened in terror. “Oh my god! You’re not a bouncer are you? You’re not big enough! I know you’ve gotten your growth spurt but you’re just coming into it! And bars are dangerous! In the Red Light District as well!?”

Just how much had Mary told his parents.

“Mom, I was just waiting tables,” he whimpered. “And it was just an excuse to –” He cut himself off. With his father listening in, he wondered if it was wise to mentioned that he had been coaxed into working at the bar by Jacob whom he likewise coaxed into the GUYS interview in less than 24 hours. “… hang out with Jacob. He seemed like a nice guy.”

Lillian crossed her arms. “I’ll be the judge of that. Tomorrow, he’s coming over for dinner.”

Caleb waved his paws. “It was a one time thing, mom. I just needed to talk to him, that’s all. He was busy and the only way I could get some time with him was while helping around the bar. It’s pretty busy there. It was all business.”

She glowered at him and lifted her phone, showing him the screen. The words ‘Weapons Master and Legion: West Cali Isle’s Hottest New Bartenders’ were on the screen. “Oh really?”

The image on the article showed Jacob, completely shirtless standing on the actual bar, shaking his tail for everyone to see while Caleb was laughing and spraying him with water from one of the bar hoses. Looks like someone had taken a snapshot during their little bit of fun.

He also felt a little terrible in feeling that he was more concerned about how Jacob’s husband would deal with the fact that he had a photo of him practically stripping on the internet than his mother’s ire.

“It was… Uh… Work related?” he offered meekly.

Lillian’s eyes were practically on fire and Caleb could actually feel the tips of his fur start to sizzle, his whiskers frying from the roots.

“Now honey,” David began, creeping in from the lounge. “Remember what we discussed.”

The raging Alpha She-Wolf spun and David froze in spot. His positioning wasn’t just an attempt to hide. There was strategic value in him being an entire room away. In a rather bizarre game of Red-Light-Green-Light, the moment Lillian turned away from him, David took a step forward only to freeze again when the floorboards creaked under his feet and she snapped her gaze back at him.

“I still don’t like it,” she growled through her fangs.

“Caleb will be out of school,” David continued. "And since he no longer has a job at Gabe’s place given the... uh… circumstances…” The mood turned sombre for a moment and Lillian’s fury ebbed somewhat. David breathed a soft sigh of relief and took another step forward. “It’ll be a good opportunity for Caleb to earn a little extra cash for us and it’ll teach him responsibility.”

There, the young wolf had to frowned and inclined his head to the side. “I may have skipped a page here. Mind if we rewind?”

Halfway across the hallway, David craned his neck so that he could see his son over Lillian’s shoulders. “I convinced your mother to let you continue working at the bar.”

Caleb’s eyes widened. “Whoa! I didn’t want to work there!”

David looked panicked and made slicing motions across his neck.

At the same time Lillian’s eyes flared up again. “Then what do you say about this!?” she snarled, flashing her phone at him again.

There, the pup had to wince. There was the image of him grinning broadly and posing in front of the rest of the bar crew just before last call. The rest of the patrons were there as well. It had been the manager’s idea to get them all in a group photo and had hoped to put it up on the bar wall as a memento. Sadly, it was one of those occasions where after a serious, professional photo, there was a ‘silly’ photo afterwards. In it, Caleb had grabbed a stunned Jacob and gave him a kiss full on the lips. Everyone else looked utterly surprised or where cheering while Jacob looked utterly horrified.

On Caleb’s part, he wanted to see how the cool, collected black wolf would’ve reacted to having photographic evidence of himself kissing another man and explaining it to his husband. Needless to say, Jacob was a little miffed at it but the wolf just shrugged it off and said that since they still had their pants on it didn’t count.

“How could you do that to Lars!?” Lillian exclaimed, waving her paws in the air hysterically.

“It was a joke, mom. See, Jacob has a husband that –” He squeezed his eyes shut. “Aw crap…”

“He has a husband and you kissed him!? I did not raise a homewrecker!”

“It’s not like that! His husband is really open about their relationship and even gets off on photos of him doing other guys!”

Lillian’s phone suddenly rang and before she turned it towards him, Caleb saw that it was from Mary with the word’s ‘Stop! Just stop digging your own grave!’

His mother glared at him.

“Honey please,” David said, moving forward again. “Remember, this is exactly what we want and why we agreed to let Caleb work at the bar. We need to know more about Legion, his powers and the Genesians. They’re keeping something from us and if Caleb can get close to Reaper and learn more about him, his powers and what he knows about the Genesians, we’ll be in a better place to defend ourselves from both them and the Genesians. The senator would be really glad to know you came up with this info, right? You’ll be saving lives.”

Slowly, Lillian’s mood began to ease. “Right… I suppose…”

“And if he happens to unnerve Legion a little on his way…”

“Dad!” Caleb exclaimed. “I’m not going to sabotage Jacob! He’s a good guy!”

David gave him a smile but it was one of those smile accompanied by a gentle pat on the head followed by the words ‘Of course, son. When you’re older.’ “Of course, son. Just tell me everything you learned about him when you can, okay? We need to know everything about your allies.”

Somehow, he seriously doubted his dad considered Jacob an ‘ally’. Perhaps he was taking that old saying about keeping your friends close but your enemies closer to heart.

“Right… Well,” Caleb began. While he hated the idea of revealing something about Jacob to his dad, he had to get rid of the searing spotlights which were his mother’s gaze. “I know he’s got a staff that I think can affect sound and he has this rope dart that can affect time. He let me use it. Called it ‘Carlisle’. Could stop, slow down and even speed up time.”

“See?” David said, finally reaching his wife and resting a paw on her shoulders. “He already has info. I’m sure if he were to work at the bar, he’d learn more.”

Lillian shut her eyes and massaged the bridge of her muzzle. “I suppose…” She shook her head and looked down apologetically at her son. “I’m sorry I blew up like that, Caleb. The senator is just being extremely demanding and the mayor isn’t being any help.”

It was then that he realised his mother was still dressed in a suit and tie. It was almost three in the morning she was still dressed for work. In fact, he could smell oily takeaway in the kitchen. Given the Trojan attack, she likely hadn’t gotten home until late.

“Sorry mom…” he began.

“Don’t worry about it.” She reached up and gently ruffled his cheek ruffs. “Just take care of yourself, okay Caleb? You’re still my baby boy.”

He pulled her into a hug, one she eagerly accepted. David completed the hug.

******

Two hours.

That was all the sleep Caleb got before a gentle paw shook his shoulder.

“Cale, come on,” Leon urged. “Get up.”

He grumbled and rolled away from his eldest brother, pulling his sheets over his head. “G’way.”

“Come on. Get up, man. I need a ride.”

He growled at the noise, his eyes refusing to open. “Mmmmrf… no…”

“Caleb!”

He threw aside his sheets and sprang up, flashing his fangs at Leon. “For fuck’s sake, Leon! Just stick your dick in me already and get it over with!”

His brother stared at him, the quilt hanging over his muzzle. It took Caleb a moment to remember the reason his brother was wearing a police uniform and why he had been woken up two hours after falling asleep after a very long day. Still, he was pissed and it had only felt like he had just shut his eyes before again being rudely awoken.

“That the kind of ‘ride’ you were after?” he snarled, grouchily rising from his bed. “I bet you’d love to ride my ass.”

Despite the lack of sleep, he was surprisingly aware and sharp. He was already thinking up of various counters for Leon’s eventual verbal lashing.

Bzzzt.

He perked his ears just as he was putting on a pair of pants. Leon had pulled the plug from his alarm clock.

“I heard mom yelling at you last night,” Leon said with surprising calm. “I barely saw the time but I guess you didn’t get much sleep. Sleep deprivation is just as bad as drunken driving. I can take the bus if you’re too tired.”

His brother’s mellow attitude and control was very surprising. Turning back towards Leon, he saw no barely controlled fury in those mismatched eyes. Just understanding.

“Whoa…” he said aloud.

“What?” Leon asked in return.

“You’re… You’re not blowing up in my face. Any other time and I swear you’d have pinned me to my bed and threatened me with your police baton or something but you’re actually okay with this?”

His brother crossed his arms with a shrug. “I’m trying to be a cop. I got to keep my cool. You know every cop’s badge is fitted with a mirco camera, right? We can get our asses handed to us if we don’t follow regulations to the letter.” He shrugged again. “Plus cops have a record of being one of the highest sources of domestic abuse second only to military men and former criminals. If I can’t keep it cool now, I’m not good enough to be a cop.”

Leon hiked a thumb over his. “Come on. How about I drive today? I’ll buy you a coffee so that you’ll be awake to drive home.”

He forgot Leon had taken motorcycle lessons. “That sounds cool. Let me just get showered and let’s head off.”

After a quick shower which woke him up somewhat, he headed down to the kitchen. The familiar scent of breakfast was missing as Lillian was still fast asleep after her hectic night last night. Whatever was happening in the government office was certainly stressing her. Even though she was only a secretary, she was running around like she was an errand girl. He was glad she wasn’t actually in office. That would just give her a grey muzzle.

Leon was fully dressed and waiting for him at Ballistic by the time he got down. It felt a little strange when someone else was riding his bike and he felt a little possessive of it. Before they headed out, Caleb asked Leon to open the garage door and he made sure sniff his bike a little. Some primal part of him wanted to mark his bike just to make sure that it was his but he just shrugged it off. Sleep deprivation was messing with him.

The drive back to the police academy passed quicker than before and it was only when they arrived at the coffee shop did Caleb let out a snort and realise that he had drifted off. A very good thing that he wasn’t driving. Leon parked Ballistic in the To Percolate and Serve car park and led Caleb inside. There was a booth free and Lieutenant Matlock was already there, sipping some brew.

“Morning lieutenant!” Leon greeted.

Matlock seemed genuinely surprised at Leon’s appearance. “Morning recruit. Is this going to be a regular thing?” He nodded at Caleb in greeting who vaguely waved in greeting.

“Hope so, sir.”

“Well then.” Matlock leaned back in his booth, shuffling his legs back to give room. “Grab a drink and sit down. I’m sure you have some theories given what happened overnight. Everyone is talking about the Gene Stealer attack.”

Caleb was suddenly very awake and he caught Leon’s glance. “What are they saying?” he asked, sitting opposite to Matlock.

The lieutenant’s face grew grim. “The usual. Who’s the next target? Who is the new Original? How is the infection being spread? And of course, what are the Gene Stealers after.” Matlock shook his head with disgust. “Honestly, they’re asking the wrong questions.”

“What questions should they be asking?”

Leon went off to get their drinks while Matlock remained silent for a long moment. After a short while, the lieutenant let out a sigh and glanced off out the window.

“I’ve been running this theory through my superiors over and over again since the Gene Stealers first appeared a few months ago. I used to be a detective, you know.”

“Yeah. You told me.” Curious, Caleb leaned forward towards the lieutenant. “What theory?”

Matlock began tapping the table thoughtfully. “Reacher.”

The Reacher Investment Corporation was a local investment company that had a string of bad luck ever since the Gene Stealers appeared. Companies and assets that they had invested in seemed to bear the brunt of attacks even if it isn’t directly. Whenever an outbreak occurred, it was using Reacher-related assets that were destroyed. During the Ursa strain, there was even an attack on the corporate headquarters itself. Elliot had been trying to discern a link to Reacher but could never find any solid proof that they were related or any reason why the corporation was being targeted. From all appearances, the Gene Stealers were just working towards creating their ‘perfect Gene Stealer’ and Reacher was an unfortunate coincidence.

“I think I’ve heard of them,” Caleb answered, feigning ignorance. “You think the Gene Stealers have Reacher as a front or something?”

The former detective shrugged and shook his head. “Up until last night, yeah.”

What changed, Caleb wondered.

“What do you mean?”

“I think Reacher is just a victim,” Matlock said grimly. “They’re fairly young but were fairly prosperous until the Gene Stealers started striking at their assets. But a few days ago, the military seized all of Reacher’s assets. Fired over half of its staff and recruited the remaining staff, the CEO included, into their financial division. I guess you could call it conscription.”

That alarmed Caleb. He hadn’t heard about that. “Can they do that?”

“Under the Super Defence Act of 2831, the military personnel can commandeer civilian assets if they believe it is for the betterment of the world. If the assets in question are supervillain-related, they can perform these appropriations without notice. Ordinarily, they’d have to go through their top brass and what not but you know how these things are.” Matlock shrugged and took a sip from his coffee. “When you’re dealing with people who can cross the country in thirty minutes, you need to act fast.”

Caleb vaguely remembered that law. It was something he studied in Social Studies but it wasn’t really delved into. That was for the Super Studies class that Mary took. He missed her and wished she was here or that he could talk with her. She had been so out of it lately. Even in battle, she seemed… distracted.

If he didn’t do something, she might get hurt.

His phone burned in his pocket but he dismissed it and resolved to fix that issue after he got Matlock’s opinion.

“So you don’t think Reacher is involved anymore?” Caleb asked.

“Not anymore,” answered the handicapped lieutenant. “I told myself that if they were related, now that the military had seized their assets, the Gene Stealer attacks would stop but given last night…” Matlock shook his head with a heavy sigh. “I honestly thought I had something there.”

Suddenly, the seat beside him heaved like a tonne of weight had been set on it. The distinct musk of an equine mixed with strong sweat, deodorant and aftershave filled his nostrils. Caleb whimpered as Reggie set one huge arm against the back of the booth seat, just hovering behind his neck. Every ounce of him just wanted to give in to weariness and lay back in those arms.

“Hey lieutenant,” said the friendly, laid-back equine. “Caleb.” He jerked his chin at Caleb in such a manly way that the gesture alone was like a bullet straight into Caleb’s head. A weaker wolf would’ve toppled back and swooned. “What’re we talking about?”

“Just old theories put to rest,” answer Matlock with a smile.

“Oh. Your Reacher thing? Guess it didn’t pan out given what happened last night, eh?”

“No, it did not.”

Leon arrived and set a steaming cup in front of himself, Reggie and Caleb. “You were banking on that, weren’t you lieutenant?” he asked. “Can’t believe those assholes at the precinct wouldn’t listen to you.”

“Just as well they shouldn’t have,” Matlock laughed softly but it was hollow and forced. “It would’ve wasted their time. And don’t go speaking about your superiors like that, recruit.”

“Sorry sir.” But clearly Leon wasn’t sorry.

Caleb sipped his drink and felt a bolt of energy shoot through him. Hot chocolate with a strong energy drink spike in it. “There was more to that theory than just stopping the Gene Stealers, wasn’t there, lieutenant?”

Matlock gave him a small smile. “You’re sharp, kid. You should be a detective.” The broad shouldered man shrugged absently. “Not that I don’t regret teaching the next generation of cops but sometimes, I just wish that I actually arresting crooks, you know? You don’t forget that kind of thing. Being pushed aside even after you sacrificed so much for your home, being told that you’re just not capable of handling it out there anymore without even being the chance to prove yourself… Well…”

Those words stung. Arcturus had said pretty much the same thing. Even Jacob.

Matlock had been thrown into the same situation. After sacrificing the use of his legs, he still kept trying to fight, trying to do good. In him, Caleb saw a kindred spirit. Even as he was told over and over again not to fight the Genesians, he felt he still needed to try. He was actually looking forward to the day when Jacob would make good on his promise and bring him along to fight a Genesian.

“Don’t worry about it, lieutenant,” Leon said. “There’s plenty you can do to help. You don’t need to fight the Gene Stealers. Leave that to Weapons Master and the like.”

And there was his brother spouting the same thing. Those words stung hard.

“Bullshit,” Reggie said. “Keep looking, chief. I know there’s something in there. It can’t just be a coincidence that Reacher was targeted. There must be a reason.”

Matlock waved both of his protégés concerns away. “Don’t let this old man’s concerns worry you.”

Caleb could see that though he put on a brave face, Matlock was crushed. An idea sprang to mind. Recalling how his last two ideas had led him in hot water, he took a moment to think it over as he sipped his hot chocolate. In the three seconds it took him to lift the mug, drink from it and then set it back down, he came to a conclusion.

“You know…” he began, reaching for his phone. “Leon and I actually have it in with Weapons Master.”

Leon’s eyes widened and he kicked Caleb from underneath the table.

Showing no signs of the hit, Caleb continued. “See, I was actually a victim of the Gene Stealers. Twice. Turned into a hyena and a bull.”

Reggie winced. “Shit dude… That sucks.”

“Yeah. I know. Don’t think anyone has ever been so unlucky. But…” He waved his phone. “I actually have Weapons Master’s contacts. If you want, lieutenant, I can forward your findings to him. And if you hear anything, you can send it to us. We could be like his early detection system or something.”

Matlock laughed softly and this time, there was some genuine mirth in his voice. “You know what? Sure thing. Give me your number.”

They exchanged numbers all the while with Leon looking on in concern but otherwise staying silent.

“You know,” Reggie said, rubbing his chin. “Something you might be interested in while we’re theory crafting… You know that Gene Stealer that attacked Milhart Island? Well did you know that because of what happened, the Milharts have actually handed over their shielding tech to the military?”

“Why is that important?” Leon growled.

“Kind of funny don’t you think? The Milharts kept the shields away from the military for a reason and then a Gene Stealer attacks and suddenly the military get the tech. Reacher is an investment firm with a large number of interests. Gene Stealers attack and then suddenly the military get them as well.”

Caleb’s brow furrowed. “Wait… Are you suggesting that the military and the Gene Stealers are in cahoots?”

The huge equine shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. It’s too much of a coincidence, don’t you think?”

Before Caleb could answer, he looked to his phone and saw the time. “Oh shit! I gotta get to school!”

“Aren’t your exams over?” Leon asked.

“Yeah but attendance is still being marked. I could still get my ass kicked if I don’t turn up.” He smiled apologetically at Reggie who again had to shuffle off the booth to give him room. “Thanks guys. Thanks for the drink Leon. See you at home.”

He bit the police officers a good morning and headed out of the shop, now very awake.

Before he jumped onto Ballistic, however, he pulled his phone to his ear and dialled a number.

“Hello?” came the weary response.

“Hey,” he answered. “I need a favour.”

******

“Sweeping declaration!” Ben exclaimed, waving his hands over the lunch room table. “Caleb is not allowed any access to social media. Ever.”

Caleb groaned. He was not in the mood for arguments or accusations. After the late night he had followed by the early morning and then several hours of just sitting in class doing absolutely nothing, he was feeling rather short tempered. Considering how he no longer had any exams, he just needed to pop in for afternoon homeroom before he was allowed to head home. As soon as lunch break was over, just a quick roll call and he could head home, get some much needed sleep and then it was off to a werewolf gala.

“It wasn’t that bad…” he mumbled.

Rhiannon gave him a pointed look. “You’ve caused more destruction in your one night than I could have had I called Shiva the Destroyer to kill all the demons in Hell thus causing a cosmic imbalance between good and evil leading to an inundation of benevolence in the world, making the angels bored again and thus leading to another rebellion in Heaven."

Caleb regarded her curiously. “Wait… Is any of that even possible? Can you really get Shiva to kill all the demons in Hell? I mean, isn’t she a Hindu deity? How can she invade Hell?”

“He,” Rhia corrected. “Shiva is a male. You’re thinking of those videogame representations which are completely off base. And I’m exaggerating. I could as Shiva to do that but since he belongs to the Hindu pantheon, I can’t get him to touch the Hell of Catholicism. I can ask him to attack Naraka which is the Hindu equivalent of Hell but my point is if I get him to attack Hell, that’d not only cause the cosmic imbalance but also a war amongst the pantheons.” She grinned brightly at him. “I’d be ending the world!”

“Right…” He turned away from her and looked directly at Ben. “So I had it out with Guinness over Chatter. What’s the problem? People do it all the time.”

“It’s not just that,” Lars said. “It’s the fact that not three hours later, you were at a mocktail bar kissing Legion!”

Caleb had been dreading this conversation especially as Lars held up his tablet and showed the image of him kissing Jacob.

“How could you, Cale!?” Lars whimpered, his big brown eyes wide. “I thought…”

“Dude,” Caleb said calmly. “Remember that time when Ashton tried to coax us into kissing one another at the movie theatre and then we totally turned the tables on him and made out with him like crazy? It was like that.”

And just like that, Lars’ agony faded. “Oh! You were trying to squelch him.” The Doberman grinned malevolently. “So what did that kiss actually mean? How’d it get to him?”

“He’s actually married. His hubby doesn’t mind him hopping around from world to world doing what he needs to do but he’s made Jacob swear that if he ever sleeps with another guy, that he needs to take a picture so that his husband can jack off to it. It’s gotten to the point that I’m pretty sure Jacob purposefully avoids that kind of thing because it makes him uncomfortable.”

The evil look Lars had on his face was mirrored on Rhiannon’s face. “Oh really?”

“Yeah! So I kissed him and there’s photographic evidence of it! Imagine what he’ll have to say when he gets home!”

Rhia rubbed her paws together. “I need to grow a dick.”

The mirth on the table faded into wonder.

“You can do that?” Ben asked. He shook his head quickly and turned back towards Caleb. “Point is, Cale, your attack on Guinness and then the media frenzy with the bar has painted you as this hard core, partying, careless, irresponsible maniac. People think you sort of drunk-chatted that Guinness response at that bar.”

“But I was working and it was a mocktail bar.”

“They still have those?” Again, Ben shook his head free of the wandering thought. “And it doesn’t matter. The pictures and the chat-lines are already making their rounds. The story is that after defeating the Gene Stealers in this latest attack, you went out partying and blew up at Guinness for having an opinion. You know how that affects us?”

Caleb sighed and his shoulders sagged. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Bad publicity. Fuck…”

“I would’ve thought this’d be a golden opportunity,” Ashton began. “There’s no such thing as bad publicity. Now media outlets will be giving Arsenal the opportunity to explain themselves. More exposure. More money.”

“That just means more work… And our holiday is just a few days away.” Caleb sighed and slumped into his seat. “Fuck… I think we’ll need to cancel.” He gave the others an apologetic look, his ears folded back. “Sorry guys…”

Lars clapped his shoulders. “It’s okay. I guess we really need to focus on Trojan right now…”

“As much as I would have loved to torture people on Christmas Day…” Rhiannon said. “I agree. Problems here take priority.”

“With the Pack party happening tonight, you guys can spend Christmas at our place,” suggested Ben. “Not exactly a NYC holiday but you know…”

WHAM!

Mary suddenly sprang to her feet. “No. Just no. We are going to New York City.” He eyes were steely and unwavering, her jaw set. “We need the break away from all this. Away from Trojan. Away from Guinness. Away from Genesians.”

Somehow, Caleb felt that there was another ‘away from’ there but he didn’t pry. “Mary, we can’t. There’s –”

“I have dirt on all of you,” she snapped, sweeping her gaze over the group. “I suggest you all grow a pair and realise that West California Island doesn’t need us on duty every day of the year. Just as the West California High Raptors realised that two players don’t make the whole team, the Island needs to learn they can’t always rely on Arsenal to save the day.”

“This isn’t the same as football, Mary,” Ben said. “I mean, yeah we’re just one portal jump away but you’ve seen how much damage one Gen 2 can do in an hour.”

“We have Arcturus and his team and the Alpha Pack. We can leave them to take care of the place for a week.”

“But what if they get turned into Gen 4s?” asked Lars softly. “Gen 4s like… me…” He pressed a paw against his chest. “I’m stronger and not infectious but can you imagine how tempting that is? The Alliance could…”

“And so could the Pack,” Ben added. “And if not the Pack, then any other werewolves wanting to outdo the Pack. It’s a huge concern for us.”

“It’s one week,” Mary snapped, slamming her palms on the table again. “What is one week?”

Rhiannon glared at her and rose so that they were both standing. “Just what has gotten into you recently? You haven’t been to training. You haven’t been competing against me for Caleb’s sanity and you certainly haven’t been yourself. What has gotten into you?”

Mary’s glare was fiery and would’ve withered anyone but Rhiannon stood her ground. “None of your business.”

“I make it my business as the tactician of the team. If you have –”

Mary’s eyes narrowed sharply. “White Rider.”

Caleb had never seen Rhiannon unnerved before but with those two simple words, Rhiannon’s eyes went wide and her jaw went slack. She was silent for a long time, the chatter in the entire cafeteria just as deafening as her silence. Her paws were actually shaking.

“How did you…?” began the stunned Hound of Destruction.

“Are we going to NYC?” Mary asked mercilessly.

Rhia swallowed loudly, shutting her muzzle. Without a word, she nodded and sat back down.

“Whoa…” Ben began. “How did –”

“Ben,” Mary began ominously. “Langdon Heights.”

The werewolf went rigid as a board… then dropped his gaze. “I vote for NYC.”

Those piercing, blue eyes turned towards Lars.

“Whoa! Whoa!” Lars exclaimed. “I haven’t –”

“Locker 183. Bridgeton Station.”

Lars’ whimpered. “NYC for me.”

Now Caleb was curious what Locker 183 at Bridgeton Station was but couldn’t get time to ponder it when Mary’s eyes turned to him.

Before she could say anything he immediately shouted, “New York! New York! I vote for New York!”

Mary’s eyes turned to Ashton who met her gaze defiantly.

“You don’t have anything against me, madam,” said the tiger haughtily. “I have shared every aspect of my life with you and bear all with pride. Go ahead. Expose me darkest secrets and I shall not waver.” His glanced around the table and sighed. “Though this is merely a formality given I am already outvoted…” He puffed out his chest and glared back at her. “I shall be the last bulwark against this madness. Let my resolve inspire the others so that they may change their votes against your cruel tyranny.”

Caleb winced.

Ashton was practically begging for Maelstrom Mary.

She lifted her head to the challenge. “Marissa Apolapova.”

“Two years ago,” Ashton said, turning towards Caleb with a shrug. “Had sex with her. Well underage. Got her pregnant. She couldn’t take the idea of being pregnant and had an abortion even though I was completely ready to be a father, had hyped myself up to the point and had the support of my parents. Took me a whole two years to allow another into my heart even if that very same harpy is now attempting to blackmail into making a terrible decision that’ll surely send her down the path of denial.”

Again defiant, he turned his stare back towards Mary. “Your turn.”

Caleb shuffled away from him. He could almost see sparks flying between Mary and Ashton. Lars held him tightly for support.

“Your little black box,” Mary stated.

This time, Ashton turned towards Rhiannon with a shrug. “I have a box of memorabilia from when my father actually lost his memory and became a supervillain under the name ‘Stage Master’. With his ability to enthral audiences, he almost mesmerised the President of the United States into giving him unrestricted access to the nation’s defence systems. He was stopped because my mum and I tipped off the local hero group. The box is locked tight by magical and technological locks to prevent it ever from opening again in case my father remembers and reverts.”

He smiled smugly at Mary. “Est-ce que tout ce que vous avez?”

Lars’ gripped Caleb’s paw tightly.

Was Ashton actually going to win against Mary?

Did they have a weapon against Blade Babe?

Then Mary’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Fine. The Grail.”

There Ashton’s jaw dropped. “I see…” He folded his paws and took a deep breath. A glimmer of a tear appeared from the corners of his eyes. “Very well. I vote for New York City.” When he opened his green eyes again, they were staring hard at Mary. “Though I suspect we shall need a discussion of our relationship after this.”

Caleb’s heart sunk and he looked towards Mary. “Mary…” he began. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing that I can’t leave behind at Christmas,” she answered sharply. “Forget it.”

He lifted his phone from his pocket and hit the ‘send’ button on the message he had been waiting on for a while. “No Mary… I can’t. We just… Can’t.”

She caught his gesture. “What was that? What did you just do?”

Caleb closed his eyes and focused all his attention on their previous conversation about his lack of social media experience. A sharp jabbing pain suddenly stuck the side of his head and he gasped.

“Caleb!” Lars exclaimed.

It was like someone was jabbing a nail through his temples. He grit his fangs and –

The pain suddenly ceased.

“Mary. That’s enough.”

The calm, collected, solemn voice made everyone turn.

Jacob was suddenly standing beside Mary, a silvery gauntlet wrapped around his paw while the golden rope dart was wrapped around his other paw. The entire cafeteria was just frozen in time. No one was moving and no sound was made.

She immediately shrugged him off and glared straight at him, a vein popping on her forehead.

The black wolf smiled slightly and showed her his gauntlet, wiggling his fingers. “Doliria here has incredible psionic powers, Mary. Ones that far outstrips yours. After all, my Advocates don’t remain static when they ascend. They continue to grow, hone their powers and learn. Unlike the gods who seem to be stuck in their ways, huh?”

That set her off and she immediately thrust a fist at his face. Her knuckles stopped halfway between them, frozen in time.

Gently, he raised his gauntleted hand and brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek. “With a word, Doliria and I can lock away all these memories, this realisation and the burden of this knowledge. None of you will remember a thing. You won’t even know you have these powers. Conversely, I can even alter everyone’s memories so that instead of just an Outsider with the powers of an empath, you will be recognised exactly as you are.”

Ben lifted his head, brow furrowed. “And what is that…?”

Jacob gave Mary a lifted eyebrow.

She lowered her fist, eyes squeezed shut and her teeth gnashed together. “A demigod.”

Everyone on the table had their own reactions. Ben jerked back in surprise. Ashton took a sharp breath. Lars gripped onto Caleb’s paw tighter while Caleb looked on sorrowfully.

Rhiannon… she looked towards Jacob with concern. “You confirmed it?” she asked.

“Does it matter if I did or not?” countered the No One. “The fact is, I was asked here by your gods to assist. You asked me here. That didn’t account for Gwen. She’s a No One just like me so she can’t enter this world without someone asking.” His eyes turned back towards Mary. “And someone did. Mary’s mother… The Greek Goddess Athena.”

That Caleb hadn’t been prepared for. He knew something was eating up Mary but to think that she was actually a demigod and to Athena no less.

“You can make it all go away?” Mary asked. “Make everyone not remember?”

Jacob gently cupped her cheek with his gauntleted paw. “I can.” Then he let her go, his paw falling by his side. “But we’ve all seen X-Men: The Last Stand and we all know what a terrible idea locking away near-godlike powers in feeble mental barriers is.”

“Huh?” Ben asked. “I consider myself a connoisseur in all things comics but I’ve never seen that movie.”

“Good,” was Jacob’s short, blunt reply. His eyes never left Mary’s. “Mary. I’m not going to go into some spiel about how keeping all this up inside is a bad idea or how it could be catastrophic for your powers. But I will say this: whatever your choice, be sure you can live with the consequences. You’re a smart girl. You’ve done the research. The mind is a terrible thing to waste especially one as powerful as yours.”

“Hang on!” Lars exclaimed. “I’m still lost here. Mary is a demigod? Like Rhiannon and Arcturus?”

“No. Not like us,” Rhia answered. “Arty and I were created. Mary was born. The Greek Gods have a pact with the more mainstream pantheons. They don’t meddle with mortal affairs anymore since the modernisation of the world and in an effort to ensure that a divine war doesn’t occur, they are content to live out in their planes with their worshipers. However every century, they are allowed to spend one year on Earth. Mary’s mother…”

“Was impregnated by Mary’s father…” Caleb finished. “But I remember that Mary’s mom ‘died’…”

“I asked around,” said the Hound. “Athena got an extension to her stay given that she gave birth. Year after year, she had to renew the extension but when Mary became old enough that she was no longer dependent on her mother… She had to leave. The car accident was staged.”

“It’s just like applying for a visa over and over again but with divine mumbo jumbo,” Jacob added with a shrug. “Athena was deported.” Turning back to Mary, he said, “When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Supers usually don’t come into their powers until they reach puberty. Mary, however, had her powers since birth. That suggest her powers come from another source.”

That was right… Caleb remembered how he had met Mary and it was because she stayed indoors all the time since her powers revealed to her the emotions of everyone around her. People thought she was crazy.

“So… what’s bene happening?” he asked softly. “Can Mary…?”

“Mary is, for all intents and purposes, still an Outsider,” Jacob responded. “The term ‘Outsider’ is really used for people who don’t have baseline superpowers but have a power regardless. It’s poorly defined in that the source of these powers could be anything. Mary is an Outsider with a divine source. And just like an Outsider, her powers have been growing. Before, it was just sending emotions. Then it was actually sensing what people thought if she knew them well enough. Now, it has come to mind reading and even light psionic attacks.”

Caleb rubbed his temples. “That was light?” Mary shot him a piercing look and he lifted his paws up in surrender.

Her eyes dropped. “I don’t know what to do…”

“I can’t tell you what to do,” Jacob responded. “But you’ve got friends here to help you through it. You’ve got another demigod who can introduce you to the world of the divine.” He nodded towards Rhiannon. “A werewolf who happens to have a family member who has psychic capabilities.” He gave Ben a jerk of his chin. “A super who has experience with mind readers.” He smiled at Lars and then finally turned to Caleb. “And a pup who was abandoned when he was fresh from the womb and found by his parents.”

“Hey!” Ashton exclaimed, throwing his paws into the air. “What about me, guv?”

“And yes, the fourth-wall breaking tiger.”

Ashton blinked a couple of times in surprise. “Fourth-wall? Wait, you mean the gibberish I say when I’m drunk? That’s breaking the fourth-wall? Who is the audience?”

Jacob smirked at him. “Let’s talk later.” He turned back towards Mary, resting both his paws on her shoulders. “It won’t be easy. No one said it would and that hurt, those confusing emotions, they aren’t going to go anywhere. But you’ve got people looking out for you. You don’t have to do this alone.”

Mary let out a soft sob. She looked up at him and gave the wolf a wry smile. “Thank you… I… I never thought of it that way before.”

“That’s what a No One is,” Jacob answered with a shrug. “I offer a different perspective. An Outsider’s perspective so to speak.”

WHAM!

Everyone on the table jerked back in shock when a big, red brick came flying from somewhere and slammed into the side of Jacob’s face. The wolf went down with a slam. Gwen stood at the entrance to the cafeteria.

“Will you please restart time already!?” shouted the other No One. “It’s been thirty minutes already! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to travel when there’s a perpetual traffic jam!?”

Jacob sat up and laughed softly. “Right. Sorry.” He rose to his feet and smile down at Mary. “Just don’t go at this alone, okay Mary? I know what it’s like to be alone. I tried to fix the world alone for a time as well. Fucking impossible. That’s why I recruited others who shared the same goal and dream as me.” He glanced around the table, flashing them all a grin. “And you’re lucky. You already have them here. You just need to find the courage to ask.”

“Sam!” Gwen shouted. “Now!”

“Sam?” Mary asked.

“Full name is Jacob Samuel Reaper,” shrugged the blonde-haired wolf. “When I met Gwen, I called myself ‘Sam’. She still likes to call me that from time to time.” He turned and headed towards his comrade. “And don’t forget to thank Caleb. He’s the one that asked me to come in and help. Said something about you not being there to be his sounding board and thus he was making stupid mistakes.”

Mary turned around, a little surprised, with her teary eyes at Caleb.

The large wolf just shrugged.

Time restarted a moment later and though the chatter of the cafeteria resumed, the entire group was still silent.

Only after the lunch bell rang did anyone finally say something.

“Thank you,” Mary whispered.