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Chapter VI: Stress Relief

“Sweeping declaration,” Ben announced. “Caleb is not allowed near the media.”

“That asshole deserved it,” Caleb rumbled, massaging his knuckles. He, Ben and Lillian sat in the lavished bedroom within the Connor’s mansion where David lay on one of the massive four poster beds, shivering and drenched in sweat. “Saying shit like that about us, about Mary and my dad… Fuck, I should’ve ripped his head off!”

“There are better ways to deal with dicks like him, Cale,” Ben replied. “Look, the Alpha Pack has enough pull with the media to twist what happened to our favour and –”

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough!?” Caleb roared.

He instantly regretted his outburst and was halfway through an apology when Ben lowered his gaze and sighed.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.” He looked towards David and Lillian who was crouching beside her husband. “I knew my dad was up to something but I didn’t have the balls to go behind his back and uninvite you. He’s still my Alpha and my dad after all. I have to obey him. I just didn’t think he’d go out of his way and announce your names in front the most powerful Packs in the world…” He nodded towards David who let out a grimace in his fitful sleep. “What your dad did was really brave…”

The werewolf let out his own wince and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s gonna be fun around here. Two Alphas of the Alpha Pack…”

Caleb counted to ten and exhaled softly. “Sorry I blew up at you, Ben. It’s been a long day…”

“Yes it has…” Lillian murmured, stroking David’s hair gently. “You and your father are a lot alike, Caleb. Very impulsive. He let himself get turned into a werewolf and you punched GG Guinness…” She shut her eyes, a few tears running down her cheek. When she opened her eyes again, they were sharp and full of ferocity. “We’ve got a lot of damage control to do.”

Rising, she said, “West California Island is now without a mayor and the senator will want to know everything. I’ll try to allay his fears but the fact remains that we have a large power vacuum where the mayor once was and now this will act like a rallying call for supervillains and crooks alike to rush towards the Gene Stealers.”

Ben nodded in agreement. “David’s induction into the Alpha Pack has actually served to pull back most if not all the werewolves from joining the Gene Stealers for now. Everyone knows about Feral Steel and now that he’s a werewolf and part of the Alpha Pack, well that’s more than enough for werewolves to avoid joining an unknown like the Gene Stealers. How long that’ll last, I’m not sure. But there are other criminals and supervillains out there…”

“We can’t be worried about them now,” said Lillian with a shake of her head. “Doubt is being thrown around and with it, suspicion. One of the highest ranking officials in the city is a Gene Stealer. We don’t know who else is a Gene Stealer and more, the people don’t know who’s a Gene Stealer. We need to avoid witch hunts. Arsenal needs to be shown taking the initiative.”

Caleb rose to his feet. “What do you want us to do, mom?”

Lillian looked sorrowfully towards her husband. “Your father would know better than I but…” Her fierce eyes switched back to Caleb. “Caleb, dear, get some rest for tonight. You have that interview with GUYS tomorrow, right? Make sure that you talk about the events tonight. Spend tomorrow talking about your official stance and make sure everyone is on board. Like the Alpha Pack, you need to show a united front. Especially with your father… out of action.”

That was right. Tomorrow’s interview and photoshoot wouldn’t go over so well since Feral Steel was down. But then again…

“Jacob is coming along,” he said. “GUYS asked me to bring him along and he agreed. I’ll see if I can ask him to go along with the whole thing. Maybe we can at least show people that we’re making allies. Dad may not be there and I know Jake is a poor replacement but if we show that he’s with us, I think we’ll win a few votes.”

“I’ll pull my connections as well,” Ben said. “I’m sure my dad will want that too. We’ll show that the Alpha Pack is with you or at least to the criminal underground.”

“I’ll convince the senator to put their trust in Arsenal as well,” Lillian said with a nod. “My only concern is the Elemental Alliance. They’ve been suspiciously silent throughout all of this. I’m afraid of their statement…” Again her eyes went towards David. “… and what they’ll make of your father becoming a werewolf. There’s never been a werewolf superhero…”

Caleb grimaced. Yet another faction that they had to deal with. The media, the werewolves, Genesians, the Elemental Alliance and the Gene Stealers. It seemed the whole world was against them. “I’ll ask Lance to snoop around.”

“Thanks sweetheart.” She nodded towards Caleb. “Head on home. Get some rest. I’ll stay here with your father.”

“You sure? I can…?”

She shook her head and gave him a brave smile. “I’m sure. You’ve had a very long day. Three hours sleep, right?”

He laughed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Y – Yeah… It’s a record for me.”

“You really are like your father,” she laughed. Her eyes had turned back to her husband, a distant look in her soft green irises but a nostalgic smile on her muzzle. “I remember when he used to go without sleep for days whenever there was a villain that was bugging him.” Again, she began stroking David’s hair. The feverish super calmed a little from her touch. “Get some rest, Caleb. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Reaffirming his silent promise to his father, Caleb turned and left the room with Ben in tow.

“Cale –” began Blood Wolf.

“I know it isn’t your fault, Ben. I don’t blame your dad either. It’s just the stupid power struggle between your dad and mine and I think this was really the best course of action. I was the one that was stupid and punched Guinness.”

“Like you said, the asshole deserved it,” Ben growled. “Just say the word and I can get all the funds for this stupid show pulled or get him fired in the most humiliating way possible.”

An evil glint entered Caleb’s eyes. “You know what? I’ve got a better idea. But for now, let’s head to the Facility.”

“The Facility? I thought your mom said to get some sleep?”

“We’ve still got two Gen 2s locked up with two Gen 3s on their way. I want some answers. Now.”

Ben was not about to argue with the short-tempered Weapons Master. The Connors party had wound down, thankfully, so they were left in peace as they hurried into their respective vehicles and zoomed back to the Facility. There, the other members of Arsenal were already waiting for them as well as some other unexpected guests.

First there was Arcturus and Jacob though they weren’t unwelcome.

Then there was a blue-clad owl, a black-clad raven and two Dobermans, Shockstorm and Siren also known as Lars’ parents.

As they entered, Siren was screeching.

“You’ve had two Gene Stealers in custody for all this time and you couldn’t have extracted this information from them earlier!?”

“I’ve told you before,” Bren answered crossly. He was doing that thing where he had his arms crossed and his claws out, just barely keeping himself from clawing at his own suit. “Smokestack seemed to be a victim who had no knowledge of what was happening while Unicorn is still suffering from the debilitating effects of the weapon used on him.”

“And whose fault is that?” she sneered. Though she was speaking to Bren, her eyes were narrowed at her son, Lars. “If your Weapons Master wasn’t so unpredictable, you would’ve known the mayor was in league with the Gene Stealers! In fact, if you had handed them over to us, we would have him cured and that information would be in our paws!” She caught sight of Caleb entering and scowled. “Speak of the devil. There’s the media-hating orphan now.”

“Mom!” Lars exclaimed.

“I am not your mother,” she snapped back. “I don’t care what DNA tests, family records or even the fucking gods say about that. You are not my son.”

Caleb felt like punching someone again.

Jacob stepped in between them, paws up. “Whoa now. Easy. We’re all on the same side here. No need to go hurling insults at one another.”

She seized his paw and twisted it painfully behind his back. Her muzzle, fangs bared, were levelled at his ear. “And you. You fucking traitor. You should be with us not running around on your own! We had high hopes for you. You were like a better Weapons Master. You had weapons, you could control them and you’re a super not a filthy Outsider. But here we find you serving a bar in public, your identity out in the open and two-timing with Weapons Master! As far as I’m concerned, you’re a goddamn villain just like the Gene Stealers!”

Jacob’s eyes narrowed dangerously and his normally jovial manner died. The room actually felt a little colder. “Hey Arty… Would you mind if for this one instance, I broke my little agreement with the gods to put this fine lady in her place?”

Arcturus looked briefly towards the ceiling. “She blasphemed. Go for it.”

For the briefest moments, the black wolf’s eyes changed; his pupils morphed to become eight-pointed stars. Then they were back to normal and he arched his neck back so that his lips were near Siren’s. He spoke in a whisper that even the others couldn’t hear. Whatever he said, caused Siren’s eyes to widen in horror and she immediately released him.

“How… How did you know about that?” she stammered.

“You are speaking to Lord Reaper,” the raven Nightingale said solemnly. “Known as the enigmatic Hound of Destiny, he is the mysterious third Hound of Shin-Lazar. Or so I’ve heard. He has chosen to take mortal form just as the Hound of Destruction.” He nodded towards Rhiannon. The raven bowed respectfully towards Jacob. “I apologise on behalf of my colleague, m’lord.”

Jacob let out a short laugh and moved back towards Arcturus. “Don’t worry about it. Tempers are hot. I understand.”

“Third Hound?” Hocus said. “I never heard of you.”

“I’m big on threes,” answered the black wolf. “And anonymity.” Turning back to the collective, he said, “The fact remains that West California Island is in turmoil right now given what’s happened. Going at each other’s throats isn’t going to solve anything. Let’s also remember that the attack from Smokestack and Unicorn only occurred yesterday. I don’t care what your capabilities are, I’m sure even the Elemental Alliance would not have been able to figure out the mayor’s true allegiances before his reveal.”

“It’s probably why they attacked so suddenly,” Rhiannon chimed in. “They knew we had Unicorn and he could’ve spilled the beans. This attack was as much to save their assets as it was to sow turmoil in our ranks. They’re running scared.”

The owl, Hocus, nodded sagely. “I agree. They couldn’t have known we couldn’t have extracted the information from their colleagues and never before have they attacked so frequently. There was Chimera’s assault, Smokestack and Unicorn and now Pegasus and Sleipnir. I believe we need to be on high alert and cooperate with one another.”

“Cooperate?” Madman growled. “Where the fuck were you assholes when the fucking mayor began snatching people up from the ground and shoving cum down their throats!? Fuck, where were you when Chimera fucking attacked!? All you assholes have been doing is hiding behind your fucking tower and throwing shit at us!”

“We were… indisposed,” Nightingale answered.

“Indisposed!?”

Arcturus gently pressed a paw against the enormous hyena’s chest. “Madman. We have our problems as do they. Just leave it at that.”

“We!? Who the fuck is we!? As far as I’m concerned, you fucking abandoned us to chase some fucking military project that’s designed to make fucking controllable supers!”

For a moment, Caleb was shocked at the surprised looks on the members of the Elemental Alliance. Then he remembered that the information of the Genesians was given just to Arsenal. He mentally winced and shut his eyes.

The fireworks were about to begin.

“What did you say?” Siren began. “What did you say!?”

“You heard right,” Madman growled. “The fucking US Government has come up with a way to create fucking supers. Remember Megaton? He was a Genesian. A guy who has a suit to control him and has superpowers that he can use to infect others just like a fucking Gene Stealer. The US Government based it all on Gene Stealer tech.”

Siren was seething and even Hocus and Nightingale looked rather worried. Surprisingly, Shockstorm had his gaze averted.

“You knew about this and kept it from us?” Siren sneered.

“This wasn’t our business,” Bren answered calmly though he shot Madman a scathing stare. “Arcturus insisted that we leave the Genesians to him and his group. Involving you or the Elemental Alliance may have been against his wishes. Besides, you weren’t exactly welcoming to us. You still aren’t.”

“And it was,” Arcturus replied. “We fear that if you became involved, you might be captured by the Genesians and your amazing powers cloned. Worse, if one of those suits were latched onto you, you would fall prey to their suggestion and would be their pawns.”

Siren stomped her foot angrily. “That’s still vital information that concerned national security and the security of the Elemental Alliance! We should have been told!”

Shockstrom placed a paw on his wife’s shoulder and gently pushed her back. “What proof do you have of this?”

“None,” Arcturus said plainly. “Simply that I am the Hound of Death and Destruction –”

“Seriously,” Rhiannon interrupted. “You’re just standing in for me. I can take back my portfolio anytime I want.”

Ignoring her, the Hound continued. “And I have the knowledge of this.”

“Let’s not forget the No One standing right here,” Jacob said, pointing at himself.

“Putting yourself down and pretending you’re not of importance isn’t helping your case,” Hocus said.

But Nightingale was frozen in place. “No… You’re a…” He immediately fell to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground. “I am deeply apologetic my lord! I had no idea!”

“Nightingale!” Siren screeched. “What’s gotten into you!?”

The raven immediately snatched her arm and pulled her to the ground. “Kneel, you fool! You’re in the presence of a No One!”

“A what!?”

“I’ll explain later!” Nightingale lifted his gaze apologetically towards Jacob. “Provided we live.”

The blonde-haired wolf rubbed his temples. “Urgh… This is why I prefer anonymity… Arty, we seriously need to talk about who you tell about us. And for the record, Night, I’m no one special. Really. Just a guy trying to lend a helping paw. Get up.”

“Of course, master! Of course!” The established super got up, stiff and rigid.

Then Jacob shot Arcturus a piercing look. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Caleb couldn’t be sure but he thought he saw Arcturus’ lips twist upwards ever so slightly. “Maybe.”

Nightingale turned to the rest of the Alliance members. “Suffice to say if my lord Legion says the Genesians exist and their origins, then I believe him.”

“You’ll forgive me if I do my own investigations on the matter,” Hocus grumbled.

“Please do,” Arcturus said. “Vernon Washington is the man in charge of the project. I advise against acting against them, though. We still do not know their motives or their end goal.”

“So much for being gods,” scoffed Siren.

“You mistake omnipotence for omniscience,” answered the Hound with a dangerous edge to his voice.

The blue-clad Doberman turned her back to him, waving a paw dismissively over her shoulder. “Whatever.”

Nightingale bowed low towards the two. “We shall take our leave from you, my lords. If you would allow.”

“God…” Jacob rumbled. “Before you go, please, please, please don’t tell anyone else about me. I’m only here for one lifetime and I seriously do not want to come back and do a rewrite. Those are such a pain.” Then his eyes widened. “Oh fuck me…”

Nightingale’s eyes widened in terror. “Oh all the lords in heaven! You are none other than R3 the Writer of Reality, Leader of the No Ones, Ruler of Naught, Mate to EX the Existent He Who Embodies All Existence!”

The wolf growled and turned towards Arcturus. “When I end my tenure here, I am so reincarnating you as fucking squirrel!”

Now there was no doubt. Arcturus was smiling.

The dark and mysterious co-founder of the Elemental Alliance fell to his knees again, the raven muttering prayers and making gestures throughout the air.

“Wolf Christ!” Siren exclaimed, yanking the raven back to his feet. “Have some dignity! Hocus, get us out of here!”

The owl waved his clawed hands around and murmured some magical incantations. The four Alliance members vanished in a flurry of dazzling lights and a gale of wind leaving Arsenal with Arcturus and Jacob.

“Well that could’ve gone better than expected,” Bren muttered. He sighed softly and unfolded his arms with great reluctance. “Wait until they hear that you’re a Gen 4, Lars.”

“I’d rather keep that away from them,” Lars said. “No one saw me transform back and they don’t really know how we defeated the Ursa strain. Keep them in the dark about the whole ‘supers can get infected’ thing for now. It’s not going to end well if they of all people start panicking.”

“Your parents were greatly disturbed by these events,” added Mary. “I only got fragments of what’s really happening in the Alliance but seems that there’s some power struggles. Nightingale was all for the Outsider reforms but was still conservative enough to support those who wanted to keep superhero business to supers. Siren was counting on his support but considering how he broke down in front of them because of a certain someone…” She eyed Jacob who in turn shot Arcturus an exasperated stare.

“You wanted that, didn’t you, Arty?” Jacob accused. “You’re fully aware of the turmoil occurring in the Alliance and you’re either trying to keep it going or shift the balance towards favouritism towards Arsenal. That’s why you dragged me from work to be here.”

“I wasn’t the one who declared my true nature to Nightingale,” replied the Hound of Death smugly.

“I wasn’t the one who told the religious super about the No Ones. They could’ve just asked what a No One was like Hocus began and I could’ve replied with some enigmatic statement.” Jacob’s scowled at the Hound. “But you went ahead and told Nightingale. Even so far as attaching several titles to my name. Good job.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“We do what we must. And remember, you are a here due to the Gods’ will.”

A smug smile crossed Jacob’s features. “If your Gods wanted a real commitment from me, they should’ve put a Ring on it.”

There, Arcturus’ face dropped and he scowled at Jacob in return.

“Enough you two,” Rhiannon snapped, stepping forward. “The Alliance is in shambles right now and we can’t afford in fighting amongst Arsenal and their… tentative allies.” Glancing around the room she said, “David isn’t here to do much damage control so we need to make do without him. Let the media do what they do best, blow this out of proportion and whatever else. I’m sure Guinness will have some choice words over what happened tonight.”

Caleb whimpered softly and ducked his head.

“But tomorrow, we have that photoshoot with GUYS magazine. Let’s use that as a means to make our official statement.” She glanced at Bren. “We’ll work on our official stance tonight. We’ll discuss with GUYS to add an extra interview element to the issue so we can release it. You okay with that?”

The tiger shrugged. “I don’t need sleep and I’ve already died once today. Let’s do it.”

“Great. Everyone else, get some rest. I’ll call if we need anything.”

******

As expected, the media was all over Caleb’s assault of Guinness. The two major issues on everyone’s lips were the mayor’s defection and Weapon Master attacking a news reporter. Naturally, this divided the news outlets. One side claimed that Caleb was just stressed over what had happened and Guinness was being antagonistic and ungrateful. The other side said that Guinness was in his right to question Weapons Master and echoed his arguments that Arsenal should have done more.

Heading up to the GUYS building, Caleb wasn’t sure how he’d be received. When he stepped past the sliding glass doors, he was immediately met by a short, scruffy fox by the name of Hank Frankfurter.

“Well, you’ve certainly caused a media stir, haven’t you?” said the vulpine dryly.

“Yeah…” Caleb muttered. “Listen, I understand if GUYS doesn’t want to get into this.”

“Are you kidding?” laughed the gay interest reporter. “I’ve been on the phone all morning with my boss and interested parties. News outlets want to film the interview live or at least get permission to add the interview onto their mediums. My boss rejected the offer. He wants GUYS to be the first ones with the exclusive statement from Arsenal.”

“So this hasn’t been a total disaster for you?”

“I’m lacking in a bit of sleep but otherwise, I couldn’t be happier.” Hank clapped Caleb’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you into makeup and then let’s get the interview rolling.”

The rest of the team was already in the makeup room being made to look TV ready. Since Rhiannon’s magical spell kept both him, Mary and Lars concealed, they could only do so much but they were having a field day with Madman and, of course, Jacob.

“Still can’t believe you got Legion to come in,” Hank said, shaking his head in awe. “Think he’s gay? My gaydar can’t get a read on him and he hasn’t had any official press releases since his first appearance and the times when reporters invade his privacy at his jobs.”

“Oh he’s gay,” Caleb chuckled. “He’s married in fact.”

“Really?”

“Yeah but that’s for him to say, not me.” Caleb smiled down at the vulpine. “Hey, did you ever give any thought to the idea of being my agent? I think given recent events my dad would like some time off from managing the whole team and me superhero identity.”

“I was going to take the holidays to give it some thought and then I’ll have an answer for you probably mid-January.”

“Thanks Hank. I’d appreciate it.”

The vulpine nodded and pushed him to the makeup room. “Well, as a friend just make sure to stick to the topics. The interviewer will be respectful, of course, and we can edit things out but things can get leaked. Be careful what you say.”

Caleb gave his friend a thumbs up and sat down in the makeup chair while people began pampering him. He was in the seat for a good hour or so before the makeup artist finally declared that he was ready and hurried him off to the interview room. It was a bland, tan room with two seats sitting opposite to one another. Apart from a coffee table between the two chairs and a few potted plants, there wasn’t much other furniture apart from the cameras, lights and microphones. It came as a surprise when there was only one seat there and a blue-scaled dragon female was there to meet him. She beamed at him brightly, her green eyes shining through her rosy glasses.

“Weapons Master, a pleasure,” she greeted, holding out her clawed hand. “My name is Anna Solace. I will be conducting your interview today.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” he responded, shaking her hand. “I honestly thought this was going to be a group interview or something…”

Anna shrugged and beckoned him towards the seat opposite to her. “I’m sure our readers would like to have Weapon Master’s individual statement given the events of last night. Don’t worry, it’s not like you’ll be getting your own column or anything. We have other things to report on for this issue of course.”

“That’s true,” he laughed. “You’re not a hero magazine, after all.”

“Very true!” she answered brightly. “Shall we begin?”

Nodding a little nervously, he sat down on the offered chair while the camera crew began taking up positions.

“We’ll just be giving you some standard questions,” said the dragon. “I’m sure you have your opinions on them so please feel free to speak your mind. Don’t worry about the cameras.”

Caleb glanced at the jet-black cameras that were like big, black eyes hovering in the darkness beyond the set. “I’ve been on Oprah, I’m good.”

“I watched that. You really know how to get the town talking.” Anna flicked on her tablet and began skimming it. “Alright, we’ll be ready soon. Was there anything you wanted to ask me before we began?”

“I’m good,” he repeated.

“Great. And we’re rolling in… three… two… one.” She cleared her throat softly. “Weapons Master, I’m sure all of West California Island is dying to know what you think of this latest strain, I believe it’s being called the Trojan strain, correct?”

Rhiannon had given them all official responses based entirely on the questions handed to them by GUYS beforehand. Having practiced and memorised football plays, he had committed them to memory.

“That’s right, Anna,” he said, trying to sound as natural and non-robotic as possible. “We would’ve liked to make an official statement sooner but sadly, the recent attacks came in such rapid succession that we were caught off guard. Never before have we had attacks from the Gene Stealers occur basically in three consecutive days. Even a team like Arsenal was stretched by the effort of protecting the whole island with given all the pressure we’re put under. I mean,” he laughed softly, “under all this, I still live a normal life after all.”

Anna nodded, pleased as that easily led to her next question. “I see that especially given that you recently had a little session with Legion at the bar that he works at, I believe called the Wildog Pax bar. Any comment on that?”

“I’ve actually established gainful employment over there,” Caleb said, recalling the fun he had at the bar. Though he came out as Weapons Master, it was great to be amongst people who adored him and who weren’t out to do him arm. Plus, working with Jacob was a lot of fun. That brought out a natural smile out of him. “I had a lot of fun that one night I had with Jacob and I thought I’d make it a regular thing. The manager accepted and you can catch me over there every now and then.”

“May I ask why you chose to work there given all that’s happened?”

That was a little off script but Caleb understood the need for a follow up. “Believe it or not, I was there for Jacob’s advice. Though he’s new to West Cali, he’s actually very experienced with the world and I look up to him. He’s a great guy. Very fun, easy to talk to and offers some great advice.” He lifted a paw. “And before you ask about that kiss, I wasn’t drunk and I certainly wasn’t two-timing with my boyfriend, Flare Blue. It was just a bit of fun over something he said earlier that night.”

Anna smiled at that and nodded. “It’s great to see two heroic individuals getting along. Speaking of heroes though, I’d like to ask why Feral Steel wasn’t at the scene last night given what happened and the gravity of the situation.”

Rhiannon had prepared a response to backup what had been said earlier that night explaining that David was dealing with ‘family problems’ and to reinforce that he cherished family over all else. While that was true, it just didn’t sit well with Caleb. It sounded… rehearsed and artificial; an excuse not a reason.

“Anna, do you know about the Alpha Pack?”

There, the dragon frowned at him. “Yes…?” she answered cautiously.

“You know that they’re a group of werewolves who are also supers, right? So on top of being baseline superpowers and a unique superpower that grows, they also have the benefits of being a werewolf which compounds on their baseline powers and gives them a lot of power. I’m sure you also know that Blood Wolf is a member of the Alpha Pack and that we have dealings with them to ensure the security of West Cali.”

“I do…” answered the dragon cautiously.

“Well, my dad had to cement a deal with them. Given all that has happened, people are feeling scared and unsure. They’ve lost faith in not only Arsenal but in the superhero teams that protect them. I completely understand this. We haven’t exactly been on the offensive and people are getting hurt or worse. But that is no reason to turn to the Gene Stealers for aid as our source from the Alpha Pack have hinted at. My dad was there to make sure that the Pack feels safe, secure and are unwavering in their alliance with us.”

He turned his gaze straight towards the camera. “But for the record…”

“Camera two,” Anna whispered softly and he shifted his gaze to another camera.

“…to all the people of West California Island, please, don’t lose faith or hope in us. Civilian, Outsider, super or villain, the Gene Stealers are a common threat. We’ve seen last night just how deeply rooted they are and just how much damage they can cause. These are scare tactics; attempts to cause you to lose trust in those who have sworn to protect you and thus to turn to them. Please, please, don’t fall for them. The allure of a body and powers like that is tempting, I know. I mean, there isn’t a day that I wish I wasn’t a super so I wouldn’t break any bones out there or risk getting snapped like a twig by someone even stronger but take it from someone who knows the Gene Stealers: the true measure of a person is not the powers they wield or in how much power they can gather but in how they wield the powers they have.”

He nodded firmly, indicating the end to his speech. Anna beamed brightly and gently coughed to bring attention back to him.

“Inspiring words,” she said. “So why don’t we bring the mood into something a little lighter? What does West Cali’s first openly gay Outsider and hot topic hero do for the holidays?”

Caleb grinned. “Well Anna…”

The rest of the interview went smoothly from there and they chatted idly as the topics became more inane. Caleb even confessed his dick got a big bigger with each new ‘form’ he obtained and that made Anna gasp and giggle. When the interview was over, Anna got up and shook his paw.

“Despite what the world may say about your media expertise, you certainly know how to handle yourself,” she said.

“I’m good if I have time to think about it. But put me on the spot and I might just punch you.”

“Like you could take me,” she laughed, giving his shoulder a light punch. “I take boxing lessons, you know.”

“You should speak to Mary.”

A moment later, Jacob emerged from the waiting room and clapped Caleb on the shoulder. “I take it went well?”

“Yes it did,” Anna replied, holding out her hand. “Anna Solace.”

“Jacob Samuel Reaper,” responded Legion, shaking her hand. “So you’re a dragon, huh? Or this world’s rendition of one. You should meet a good friend of mine, Max.”

She gave Jacob a puzzled look and then glanced over to Caleb. “Uhm… Okay?”

“He says weird things sometimes,” supplied Caleb. “Actually, would you mind if I hung around a bit?”

“Not at all. Just try to not to make any noises. I try not to do any retakes. Anything after the first always seems so unnatural.”

“Just like me and rewrites,” Jacob chuckled, striding over to the nearby seat. “By the way, since it was Christmas, do you think I can wear this really tacky Christmas sweater?” He held out a horrible green woollen sweater with a big cartoony reindeer head on it. The nose was actually a little lightbulb that was flashing.

“No,” Caleb and Anna said in unison.

As Anna went off to begin her interview with Jacob, Caleb went over to the snack table and got himself a few nibbles.

“So Legion,” the busty and professional dragon began as the cameras began to roll, “it’s certainly a pleasure to have you here. This is your first media outing since you hit the streets of West California as the new up and coming superhero, right?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that I’m exactly hitting the streets,” Jacob laughed softly. “Honestly, the superhero thing is just a side gig. I work at the Tower Hospital helping those injured as part of super battles and then work nights at the Wildog Pax bar. Being a freelance super doesn’t exactly pay very well, you know.”

“That’s an interesting choice of words. You’re saying you’re not paid to do all this?”

“Oh of course not. Just like Arsenal, dealing with the Gene Stealers and threats to the island isn’t something I’m paid for. We do it because we can and because we want to. Yes there’s collateral damage but that’s the unfortunate thing about the world we live in. People will want to destroy what others have built so hard to construct and we, as the good guys, are there to stop them. Sadly, the very nature of being a superhero is that we’re reactive. We adhere to the law. If a supervillain is out there free it’s probably because they’re either hiding or they’ve pulled some legal mumbo jumbo that makes them untouchable. Until they actually do something wrong, we can’t act.”

Caleb nodded in agreement as he munched on a carrot stick. A nearby stage hand hushed him to keep it down and he lifted his paw in apology.

“One could argue that Mayor Dalton was doing something wrong in conspiring with the Gene Stealers. Couldn’t you argue that supers like the Elemental Alliance should have arrested him?” Anna asked.

That was the part where Jacob was meant to say something about how the rapid-fire attacks of the Gene Stealers didn’t give them enough time to find out that Dalton was in cahoots with them. But just like Caleb, Legion went off script.

“See that’s the thing about choice, Anna.” Jacob leaned on the armrest of the chair, cupping his chin. “Until you make that choice to do something wrong, you are not nor have you done anything wrong. You can arrest a person on the grounds of conspiracy but you have to ask if Dalton actually did anything wrong. Perhaps he created a culture for the Gene Stealers to fester and grow. Perhaps he siphoned funds to them to allow them to expand their operations. Those are the things that we can catch him on but unless we have the power to discern exactly what choice a person will take throughout time, we won’t be able to nab people before they do something wrong. It is the very nature of the law that we can only act when a law is broken. We cannot pre-emptively attack someone because at some time in the future they’ll make a wrong decision. That just sounds like a dystopian society to me.”

“Wise words,” Anna replied, ever calm and professional. “Do you think more could have been done to avoid what’s happened?”

“Honestly? Yes.”

Caleb choked on a carrot there and he quickly grabbed a cup of water to down in. Jacob was meant to say ‘no’ to that.

“There is a distinct segregation between the roles of the protectors of this fair island,” Jacob continued. “There are the police, the Outsiders and then the supers, each doggedly guarding their ‘territory’. Police look after petty crime and are generally the first on the scene. Then there are the Outsiders who look exclusively after the Gene Stealers and finally the supers, who look after everything else. Why can’t we have supers who are part of the police force? Or take the hint from Arsenal and mingle super and Outsider together? I know there are Outsider reforms coming but we’re already embedded in a culture where we inherently turn to supers to solve anything that cannot be done by normal people.

“If we all worked together as one, wouldn’t we make for a much more effective force in defending this island, or in fact, this country? Against threats like the Gene Stealers who are apparently so deeply embedded in our society, we should show a united front not this fractured wall desperately trying to plug holes where they appear.”

That was… surprisingly true. Sometimes, Caleb just wished the Alliance would stop being so antagonistic and territorial and helped out with the Gene Stealers. They had the resources that Arsenal desperately needed and Arsenal had the knowledge they could use to help against the Gene Stealers. But Arsenal was just too popular these days and there was a clear divide between the two now.

A message of unity… It was a pipe dream, unfortunately. Any merger of the two would likely lead to one side completely absorbing the other. There was always the fear that since the Alliance had greater numbers, more funding and essentially more power, if Arsenal were to join them, the little group would get pushed to do the little jobs over and over again until they were simply pushed back into obscurity. If Arsenal won over, members of the Alliance would feel disgruntled at bowing down to a ‘lesser’ team.

It would’ve been nice to have one less front to fight but Caleb knew it would never be possible.

“A strong message,” Anna said with a nod. “Let’s talk about your activities then. Why weren’t you out there fighting the mayor?”

“To be honest? Because I working. Got to earn a living somehow!”

Caleb zoned out for the rest of the interview as he mulled over Jacob’s words. He jumped in surprise when the blonde-haired wolf clapped his shoulder and told them that it was time to head over to the photoshoot. He gave Jacob a smile and headed up to the top floor where the photo studio was erected.

The flamboyant Jacques was there, wearing high heels of all things and brightly coloured scarf. The Labrador squealed when Caleb stepped in and headed over. He gave Caleb a hug and kissed his left cheek and then right lightly.

“Ah! Zere iz mah favourite canvas! ‘Oo zid not scratch zat coot face of yours zid ‘oo? Ah vill shove a zilooh up zat horse’s as ‘till it comes out of ‘iz muzzle!”

Caleb laughed brightly and shook his head. “No, no. I’m fine Jacques.” He gestured at Jacob. “This is my friend, Legion.”

Jacques appraised Jacob with a cocked eye. “Oooh, yez. Iz it true ‘oo haz chest ‘air shaped like ze ‘art?”

“Uh…” Jacob began. “Yes. Why?”

“Vere ‘oo born wiz zat or did ‘oo shave it?”

Jacob glanced towards Caleb. “Um… Born. Originally a little ashamed of it because it was kind of… cutesy given that I’m a big buff wolf you know…”

“Oooh, so ‘oo iz okay wiz it now?”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“Brilliant!”

Jacques suddenly seized the collar of Jacob’s shirt and tore it straight down the middle, making the black wolf cry out in surprise. The Labrador’s eyes glimmered at Jacob’s golden chest hair perfectly shaped like a heart over his pectorals before trailing down in a treasure trail towards his crotch. Ignoring all personal boundaries, the Lab’s paws reached forward and squeezed Jacob’s pecs, eyes hungry.

“H – hey!” cried Legion.

“Don’t worry,” Caleb snickered. “He only gets ‘hands-on’ with guys he thinks are really ‘photogenic’.”

Jacob slapped Jacques’ paws away and the Labrador grinned at him saying he had ‘spunk’. “Did he do that with you?”

“Me? No. Remember, my uniform scrambles people image of me so I need to communicate with my body language. You’ve got the benefit of being out to everyone.”

“Lucky me…” grumbled the wolf.

The theme of the photoshoot was naturally Christmas. There was a traditional Christmas tree erected in an outdoor winter setting. Thanks to the holographic stage, it looked like they were standing out in the snow-covered wilderness with a full moon in the background and all the stars out. Only the fans and artificial snow being blown down from the ceiling of the stage actually offered any real effects.

Inspired by the piece, Caleb quickly excused himself and headed back down to Ballistic. He retrieved Branding Iron from the bike and hurried back up to the stage. Lars, Mary and Ben were already dressed in their own costumes. Given the anonymity they had to keep, it really involved Santa hats and a red, fluffy coat. They watched him curiously as he used Branding Iron’s power to create immense diamond statues on stage.

Each statue was crafted like beautiful angels and they caught the light in just the perfect way that they cast a myriad of colours down onto the stage. Jacques went wild over it.

“Vait! Vait!” cried the Labrador, scrambling over to Caleb. “My vonderful, canvas! Can ‘oo make some stairs around ze tree?”

Caleb snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah! And we can be posed all the way up and around the tree!”

“Yes! Yes! Make it zo! And make the angel status look up at ‘oo.”

Caleb adjusted the scene as instructed. A large, diamond staircase emerged from the ground around the broad Christmas tree, curling around the tree so that they all had enough space to stand on top of it. The angelic statues he moved towards the tree more and shrunk them so they looked like they were looking up at the tree and the staircase. Jacques quickly yelled at people to get some lights on the tree and they spent the better part of an hour trying to get the lights right so that when they were switched on, the shone through the staircase in a brilliant way without distracting from them.

And then Madman came in from wardrobe.

“Oh no…” Caleb winced.

“What?” Madman said, grinning broadly. “It’s Christmas!”

And he was dressed like a reindeer complete with bondage-style red straps with bells attached across his chest, legs and a big red, leather strap over his sizeable junk. As if to add more to the ridiculousness of his attire, he had ‘Merry’ written in red pain over his right bicep and ‘X-Mass’ in the other.

“Wow,” Jacob gawked as the huge hyena strutted over to the stage. “Are we allowed to dress like that?”

“Oh hell no. You’ll give Jacques an aneurism.”

“So we’re encouraged to, then?”

The team started got into position. Madman naturally posed at the bottom, flexing his huge arms for everyone to see. Lars was next up on the stairs while Ben, in his Blood Wolf shape, came afterwards. Mary followed shortly afterwards and then Caleb, remaining as a wolf, sat on the edge of the stairs, looking straight at the camera with a brilliant, room-brightening smile. Jacob stood at the very top of the stairs but he was blocking the star.

“Hmmm…” Jacques mused. “Legion iz covering ze star… Vhat can ve doo ‘bout that? Weapons Master? Any ideas?”

Caleb considered just extending the stairs around so that Jacob would stand behind the star but then there’d be a sizeable gap between him and the other wolf. Everyone else was fairly stuck closely together. Then an idea came to mind.

“Jake, summon your weapons and make them appear behind you like they’re wings. Just like you did when you first told the media your name.”

“Uh… Alright,” Jacob began. “And it’s Jacob, thanks.”

Legion summoned his weapons and mentally controlled them to spread out behind him. Jacque’s eyes widened as Jacob effectively became the angel at the top of the tree.

“Get ze star out of there! It iz distracting! Legion, hold zat pose! Also, take off your shirt!”

Jacob hugged his chest. “Are you kidding me!?”

“Come on, Jake,” Caleb said, nudging the wolf’s calves. “Do it.”

“Urgh… fine. And it’s Jacob.”

“Sure thing. Jake.”

The blonde wolf rolled his eyes and took off the rest of his shirt. Then the cameras began snapping. They chased poses every now and then just to give some variety to the shot and upon Jacques direction. After an hour or so of flashing lights and fake snow, they were finally done.

“Ah! Zat was amazing as always!” Jacques exclaimed, hugging Caleb and again dotting his cheeks with exaggerated kisses. He then excitedly turned towards Jacob and gave the wolf’s thick chest hair a playful pat. “And ‘oo…” He just left it at that and bit his lower lip, appraising Jacob shamelessly. When the Labrador turned to leave, Caleb caught him sniffing his fingers just to memorise Jacob’s scent.

“I think you have a fan,” Caleb snickered.

“Wonderful,” answered the wolf, looking at his ripped shirt with dismay. “Now I’ll need to buy a new shirt. At least the money from this photoshoot will offer help.”

“I’d have thought you’d be more thrilled at the exposure?”

“I’m a No One, Weapons Master, we’re not meant to be worshiped or even idolised. I have my concerns over Arcturus revealing my true nature to Nightingale.”

That had been bugging Caleb throughout the day. “Why were you so miffed at him? And why was he so smug about it?”

“Probably some game he’s playing to make sure that Alliance starts to accept Arsenal as equals instead of rivals. But it’s a dangerous game he’s playing. The gods won’t be too pleased to know someone is out there praising me instead of them.”

Caleb grabbed a few more carrot sticks and began heading towards the door with Jacob beside him. “Oh right. Because you’ll be detracting worship from them.”

“Not only that. But people shouldn’t be reliant on us. We’re a last resort. If we’re called for every little thing, it’s like Mary suggested to Guinness last night. No one will be able to write their own stories and will just be relying on us to write it for them.”

“I suppose.” They stepped out of the studio while Mary and the others were dropping off their costumes back at wardrobe. “So will you be doing anything about Nightingale?”

“I suspect Arcturus has it covered but I’ll just need to keep my ears open.” They stepped out into the cool, night air, crunching through the snow as they approached the car park. “So, since I don’t have work tonight, want to grab a bite to eat?”

Caleb hiked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m actually going to grab dinner with others at this place downtown. Why don’t you come with?”

“Sure I won’t be imposing. I am ‘out’ to the world, you know. I might attract media attention.”

He grinned broadly. “It’s okay. This place is pretty discrete. No one will bother us.”

Jacob smiled and he looked genuinely happy to have the invitation. “Alright then. Sounds good.”

******

“These tacos are so good!”

Though Hero Taco had undergone a lot of renovations since the last time it had opened and changed management, it still retained its reputation for churning out the best tacos in West California Island and being the hotspot for supers to have a nice, Mexican-themed dinner. It also offered some distinct security against the media predominantly because its current owners were former Gene Stealer victims who still retained their powers and could very easily expel paparazzi or anyone trying to interrupt a good super’s dinner.

Caleb bit into the famous tacos and had to admit that Miguel Ramos had done an excellent job in recreating his father’s recipe. Though certainly not as good since Gabe used his powers to amplify the taste of the tacos, it was still very good.

“I know right?” he said. “Izzy and Migs did an awesome job bringing this place back up.”

Jacob glanced over to the buffet table which was currently being stocked by a powerful looking bear. The second floor was exclusively for private parties only which was generally only hero groups. Currently, it really only them. The first floor was for the restaurant itself. It afforded them a lot of privacy.

“And is that an honest to god honey fountain?”

“Migs and Izzy were once Gummy Bear and Honey Bear,” Mary explained. “One had the power to transform into an enormous bear made completely out of gelatine and the other could conjure honey in mass quantities. They were tricked by a Gene Stealer but now they own this restaurant on behalf of their dad.”

“Right, Gabriel Ramos,” Jacob said, munching away at another taco.

“Aren’t you supposed to be doing something to fix him?”

“I am. And he’s doing well. Before you ask, he’ll wake up when he needs to.”

Caleb wasn’t going to pry as he enjoyed his meal with his friends.

Izzy came over a moment later, clapping Caleb’s back in a friendly manner. Once human, he had taken to his bear form rather well given the form that Gabe had adopted as well. They truly were a tight family. Caleb missed Gabe very much.

“Hey guys,” greeted the ursine. “How’s everything going?”

“Steller my good man!” Ashton exclaimed, lifting his beer bottle. “Could I get another? I do believe I am not inebriated enough to break the fourth-wall! Oh wait…”

Jacob laughed, raising his own beer bottle in a toast. “Trust me, you’ll get used to it. First time I started spouting fourth-wall breaking quotes, people thought I was crazy. Have you started messing with the reader’s heads yet?”

The tiger gave him a quizzical look. “No, I dare say I haven’t. Exactly how do I do that?”

“Let’s start small. Try speaking on bold font?”

“Oh, you mean like this?”

Caleb glanced at the others who just returned a shrug. “Uh… Anyone know what they’re saying?”

“See?” Jacob continued. “Despite the fact we’re speaking in English, everyone else can’t understand us for some reason.”

“I say, this is hilarious!” Ashton laughed.

“I get the eerie feeling they’re making fun of us,” Lars said, frowning. He waved his paw between the two. “Yo! Guys! It’s rude to speak in another language in other’s company, you know!”

“Oh! What else can I do?” Ashton asked happily.

“Well, you can start saying unpronounceable words. For example, Xrblkradrrk.”

“Oh! Let me try! Xrblkradrrk. How as that?”

“Pretty good. Wait until you start speaking in footnotes.”

“Hey Mary, can you get what they’re saying?” Caleb asked.

Mary’s face was scrunched up as she tried to focus on the two. “I honestly can’t. All I got is some sort of gibberish. Zerb-el-crad-eerk?”

“Should we stop?” Ashton asked.

“Probably. Though you can only do this when you’re drunk?”

“Apparently so.”

“Huh. Neat.” Ashton cleared his throat. “Sorry everyone,” he said normally. “I was just having some fun. Speaking of…” He placed his beer bottle firmly on the ground. “Izzy, may I have another?”

“I’m not sure that’s a wise choice,” said Izzy Ramos. “You guys technically are underage…”

“Don’t worry about them,” Jacob said, smiling. “I’m the responsible adult and a super. I metabolise alcohol quickly. I can look after these kids. Besides, Ashton is the only one drinking. Everyone else is just having root beers.”

“I dunno about you kids, but I’m here to fucking celebrate. I’m having some hard cider,” Madman snickered, pulling a can from the table and downing it entirely. “Speaking of celebrating, you folks still heading up to NYC?”

It was a topic that Caleb had avoided the entire day and he sensed everyone else was inclined to leave unsaid as well given recent events. That and the fact that his father was now a werewolf. He glanced around the table and eyes were cast down.

Jacob regarded them all with a curious look, clearly puzzled. “You guys are heading over to the Mirror City? When?”

“Supposed to be tomorrow, late evening,” Ben answered softly. “But with Trojan’s attack and… well, other things. I don’t think we should go.” Before anyone could ask him about the price of the trip, he absently waved a hand through the air. “Don’t worry about the flights or anything. Like I said, we were going to take my private shuttle and we’re staying somewhere the Pack owns so really, it doesn’t cost anything.”

“Given Trojan’s track record, we’ll probably be attacked tonight or tomorrow,” sighed Lars. “He’s probably due for one any minute now…” The burly Doberman checked his watch for emphasis. “I was looking forward to it as well…”

“Only because you were hoping to finally get Caleb to mount you.”

Both Caleb and Lars went rigid.

“Hey!” cried the fiery superhero.

“How’d you know…?” Caleb whimpered.

“Please, the sexual tension between you two is so thick I wouldn’t be able to cut it with a fucking laser,” Ben said with a roll of his eyes. “Being werewolves would’ve been much easier. It’s just fuck and screw the consequences.” The lycanthrope shut his eyes and quickly raised his paws. “Sorry, sorry. Touchy subject, I know.”

Jacob glanced from face to face in confusion. “Okay… I’m in the dark here.” He pointed at Ben. “So you’re paying for the trip to NYC but with the Gene Stealers so active, you’re all thinking you shouldn’t leave.” Then he pointed at Lars and Caleb. “You two are a couple but haven’t done it at all and you’re afraid for some reason. Now what’s the thing about werewolves that’s so touchy?”

The group exchanged glances but Caleb considered Jacob one of them. He sighed and turned to the other wolf. “My dad… recently became a werewolf. Ben’s dad sort of cornered him and to turn the tables on him, he forced Samson’s hand and made him into a werewolf right there in front of the most powerful werewolves in the world. He’s… currently struggling with the transformation.”

“Huh… I see.”

Caleb suddenly caught Mary’s smile and her firm nod.

“Thanks Jacob,” she said suddenly.

“That came out of left field,” Ashton said. “Oh wait! You can read minds! Great, since we know Jacob is now going to say something to fix the issue…” He got up from his seat. “I’m going to go grab another beer.”

“Oh no you don’t!” Mary snapped, seizing his paw.

“Awww, come on. I can just look up a few paragraphs and I’ll understand exactly what happened!”

“Best you sit down for this, Ashton,” Jacob said with his eyes closed and a degree of seriousness in his voice. That caused the tiger to park his bubble butt back down. When Jacob opened his eyes, they were hard, blue lasers locked straight at Ben. “Let me tell you a little bit about my story. My original story. Spoiler free as well for those of you watching from home.”

That last part confused Caleb but he was indeed curious about Jacob’s origins and leaned back, ready for a tale.

“Before I became who I am, I was a courier. Called a Worldrider. We weren’t just a simple package delivery company either. A Worldrider was a spy, a warrior, an assassin and more. We could defend ourselves and could be asked to deliver ‘death’ as our package. We were feared as we were considered neutral parties. We always saw a job through. We had a distinct combat style that was designed to get to our delivery point with the least amount of effort and death as possible. It was about planning your next move and thinking on your feet. And before you ask, yes there was a form of ‘superpower’ in our world but it was a little more complex than that. Just consider it ‘magic’. Worldriders didn’t use it, however. We preferred not to.”

Looking straight to Ben, Jacob said, “Take it from someone who made a life out of working for someone else and putting my life on the line so some faceless client could get what they wanted, take the break where you can. You’re not going to find happiness if you’re not looking. You have the opportunity to take a great holiday in NYC but if you’re worried about the consequences if you leave the city especially with the Gene Stealer threat, then make plans on how to get back here immediately if that’s the case. Or, make a contingency plan. Why not ask me, Arcturus or Gwen to help out?”

Caleb leaned forward. “You’d do that?”

“Hold on,” Lars growled. “You can’t just say that. You said that we couldn’t help out with the Genesians.”

“But something tells me that regardless of what we said, you’d still have rushed on ahead to fight a Genesian at the next possible instance, right?” Jacob countered. Lars leaned back, falling silent. “As I said at the GUYS interview, we should stop this segregation between our responsibilities. It’s just tearing the island apart. I regret ever going along with Arcturus’ plan about leaving the Genesians to the three of us. Especially when that and the Gene Stealers could deprive you kids of a well-deserved break.”

“What about your holiday?” Mary asked.

The blonde-haired wolf snorted. “Please, if one of the gods caught me worshiping them, I’d never hear the end of it. Besides, my story is over. I’m just here to help out with everyone else’s. So go, have your holiday. I can hold the fort for a little while.”

Caleb smiled. He was really looking forward to NYC but with so many roadblocks along the way, he feared he’d never get to go. “Thanks Jake.”

The athletic black wolf’s ears twitched in agitation and he glanced towards Caleb. “Moving onto the next topic, let’s talk about sex.”

That send Caleb’s heart into a vat of liquid nitrogen and he could sense Lars was likewise frozen. “Uh… Come on, man. We’re having dinner…”

“I’m not entirely sure what the culture is for teenagers here but if I recall,” the No One pointed at Caleb. “You masturbate at least three times a day and you…” He pointed at Lars. “Are effectively a super-super so the moment let loose with your fire hose, your tank immediately starts refilling at a supernatural rate to the point where you could win a sex marathon. If you two aren’t having sex right now, either someone messed with your hormones or Mary’s grip on your balls is tighter than I thought.”

That made Mary smirk and Madman laugh.

“Well… you see…” Caleb began, heat rising from his cheeks.

“You’re right,” Lars sighed. “I am a super-super and that means I’m stronger than other supers. I was eager to do it. I was looking forward to it and I hoped that Caleb and I could… you know, sanctify our relationship on our holiday.”

“Not sure ‘sanctify’ is the right word there but go on.”

Lars ducked his head, his eyes avoiding everyone else’s gaze. “But after what David went through and the possibility that he can’t have sex with his own wife because he might snap her in two… I just feared that in the throes of lust I might… you know.”

That had not been an issue that Caleb had ever considered. Whether or not he was on top, Lars was still a super and a Gen 4. Sure Lars had been with Ben but Ben was an Alpha Pack werewolf and was clearly stronger than Lars had been at the time. Caleb was just an Outsider! One wrong move and…

He swallowed hard.

“That’s not what you were afraid of, was it Caleb?” Jacob asked.

All eyes were suddenly turned towards him and he let out a grimace. “No… I… I sort of was afraid of bottoming.”

“You were?” Lars replied. “Why?”

Caleb let out a whimper.

Mary supplied the answer. “When you two were just realising you were in love with one another, Caleb tried to practice. He grabbed a dildo from Lance’s boyfriend and tried to… ‘loosen himself up’. He ended up curled up into a ball at the base of his bed crying like a pup.”

Lars was fighting a grin. “Really?

“Really,” Caleb answered shamefully. “Honestly, this whole GUYS photoshoot was a desperate ploy to get you to stave off on the whole ploughing me thing. I mean, we were just awkwardly avoiding the topic and suddenly, after Chimera’s attack, you’re ready to take our relationship to the next level. I mean I get it but… I wasn’t really ready…”

Lars gripped his paws lovingly. “Cale… I have been dreaming of your cock inside of me since the day I first saw you on the field, trying out to be a wide receiver.”

“Y – You were?”

“Yeah. Your gear was too small for you and you weren’t wearing a jockstrap. Your junk was jostling around your pants for everyone to see.”

His cheeks burned all the brighter. “Oh hell…”

His boyfriend and best friend nudged him with an elbow. “Come on, man. You know I bottomed for Ben. I had every intention of letting you mount me, claim me as your own, tie with me and…”

“Ahem,” Madman rumbled. “Still having dinner here.”

“Right. Sorry,” Lars chuckled. “You know, I don’t care about that, right?”

“Well…” Caleb murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. “I spoke with Jake –”

“Jacob, geez…” grumbled the blonde wolf.

“… that day I went to his bar. And he told me something that really stuck with me.” He gripped Lars’ paws in his. “Our relationship shouldn’t be defined by who’s on top or bottom. We love one another. We should just do what feels right.”

“He said that?” Lars asked, glancing towards Jacob.

The black wolf held up his paws. “Hey, we were talking about my sex life there. Not his. If he took it that way…”

The Doberman shook his head and gave Jacob a smile. “No. It’s good advice. I may have misjudged you.” He then turned his broad muzzle towards Caleb, a gentle, loving smile in place. “And you’re right. We should just do what feels right. Doesn’t mean I’m still not worried about snapping your spine if I hug you too tightly…”

“Yeah, I wasn’t thinking about that until you brought it up,” Caleb confessed.

“So change,” Jacob said bluntly. He was given a rather strange look by everyone on the table. “Change into one of your alternate shapes. I mean, as a hyena or a bull, you’re far more durable than you are as you are now. Sure, you don’t have the baseline superpowers but you were able to take a beating from Sleipnir as he charged through buildings. Besides, your alternate forms are basically pornstars so I imagine that could easily get the mood going.”

Caleb stared at Lars in wonderment. Neither of them had thought about it but as their brains processed the concept, their tails began wagging even if Lars’ was just a little nub.

“I think that could work!” Lars exclaimed.

“Heh, we could have ‘Hyena Week’ or ‘Bull Week’.” Caleb’s eyes widened. “Bro, you are so going to get split open when I get my horse form.”

“Fuck that, dude!” Lars laughed, giving him a light punch. “You already have two! It’s my turn to get another form!”

“It doesn’t work that way and you know it!”

“Fine! Give me the Original Serum you have and let’s work it that way!”

“Hell no!”

Mary rolled her eyes as the two began acting like jocks again. She gently tapped Jacob’s shoulder. “Thank you. I couldn’t have done it better myself.”

The black wolf laughed softly and shrugged. “I’m sure you would’ve gotten around to it eventually. But I think you wanted to stay here instead of go to NYC anyway, right?”

“I would have felt guilty over leaving the people of West California Island. Besides, what would our image look like if we weren’t here to fight the Gene Stealers if they attacked again?”

Jacob leaned forward and spoke to her in a whisper. “About that… When we met Chimera, there was something he said that bugged me. He mentioned that he was worried about my appearance and that I was not part of his plan. He said that Arsenal should be facing the Genesians and the Gene Stealers and not delegating it.”

Mary’s brow furrowed. “I remember…”

Jacob’s voice grew grave and hard. “Something tells me that Chimera knows more about you guys than he realistically should. Either he has a mole or can somehow predict the future. In this world of superheroes, gods and alternate realities, I can’t be sure. But I get this feeling that you guys are his targets.” He glanced towards where Caleb had Lars in a headlock. “I’ve got the terrible feeling that they’re trying to push Caleb to using that Original Serum that he was given.”

“So if we were to leave for NYC and someone else were to stop Trojan…”

“You’d actually be stalling his plans,” Jacob finished with a quiet nod. “Go on your holiday. I’m curious to see exactly how Chimera moves as a result. If his momentum is stalled because of it then we confirm Arsenal is in his crosshairs. If not… well, we still stop him.”

Mary smiled softly. “You’re pretty good.”

“I’ve been at this for a very long time. Even without my ability to see through all realities, I still have my experience.”

There was suddenly a clank on the table as Ashton returned with a whole dray of beverages. “Huzzah!” cried the tiger. “Celebrate ye simple folk! For I have returned with libations!”

Mary’s expression soured. “Oh shit, I forgot about him…”

“I figure I shouldn’t get drunk,” Caleb said, rolling his eyes. “I spurt out enough shit sober. Imagine what I’d say or do if I was drunk.”

Madman sorted loudly from where he sat, taking up a large portion of the table. “Guinness deserved what he got. That dickwad just couldn’t appreciate what we did for pricks like him. Leeches, the lot of them.”

A grunt left Jacob and he pulled away from his whispers to Mary. “You’ll always have critics no matter what you do. Guinness is doing his job and that’s to stir up controversy. It’s what he’s paid for. You’re doing yours by saving them albeit you’re doing it pro bono and gets paid thousands.”

“I just wish we could give him a taste of his own medicine…”

Cogs began ticking away in Caleb’s mind. A sinister smile crossed his muzzle as he watched his fellow lupine grab a beer. “Hey Jake, remember that time you offered to do just that?”

Legion gave him a slightly frightened and curious look. “Vaguely… Why?” He then straightened as he reached for his pocket. “Hold that thought.” Flipping open his phone, he lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “Huh… A text message from Gwen. ‘Your turn.’” He tapped away at the dual screens of his flip phone again and a moment later said, “Ah… seems there’s a Genesian attacking at the docks. I must be off.”

Caleb sprang to his feet. “I’m coming too.”

“Wait, what?” Ben exclaimed. “Cale, you can’t be serious. Remember what happened with Megaton?”

“I do but I promised that I’d help out Jake with a Genesian fight in exchange for coming to the photoshoot. Right?” He asked the last towards Jacob.

“Sure,” answered Legion with a shrug. “So long as you don’t mind giving me a ride on your sweet bike? I heard your Time-Space Fold Engine feels all tingly when you use it and I’m eager to try it.”

******

Seraph Suppliers was an international transport company with contracts from everyone like investment banks, fishing companies and even the military. They were known for being one of the only transport companies that still used large freighters to transport their goods instead of using the portal network. It was arguable whether or not was cheaper as they don’t have to pay portal costs which could get very expensive especially in terms of energy consumption or rent but the maintenance and fuel used for the freighters and the crew manning them could easily out-weigh it. They prided themselves in being an ‘American company that provided Americans with jobs’. There certainly weren’t very many experienced freighter pilots these days.

Their big emblem showing six wings over their company name was currently pierced by dozens of thick, thorny vines. The warehouses under their name were shattered and broken. Thick, green vines had emerged from deep within their dark recesses with enormous flower buds hovering overhead, dripping with some sickly, yellowish-green liquid. Amongst the twisting masses of vines, there stood a human-like woman with bright, green skin and hair made completely out of strands of foliage tumbling well down to her feet. Thick, metallic armour wrapped around her lean figure just like Megaton.

As Caleb pulled to a halt in front of mess, he noticed the news crew in their copters already hovering overhead.

“I am getting a distinct ‘Poison Ivy’ feel from this girl,” Jacob said, stepping off Ballistic. “Not that I’m complaining. I think we’re due for a female villain.”

“Who’s Poison Ivy?” Caleb asked, stepping out after him and brandishing his new weapon, which he had dubbed Thunder Wire.

Legion rolled his eyes and swung a paw absently through the air. His ruby-red rapier appeared in a flurry of red petals. “Philistine.”

Ignoring him, Caleb stepped forward, dressed as Weapons Master, and cracked his whip. The sizzle of electricity snapped with the whip. The noise caught the woman’s attention. “Hey lady, looks like your hedges need a trim!”

“Dude, that sounded really nasty.”

Caleb processed his words for a second and winced. “Sorry…”

The woman turned her bright, green eyes towards them. She strode down the mess of vines towards them, every step of her bare feet elegant and well-placed despite the uneven ground. “Weapons Master and Legion.” Her voice echoed with an unnatural metallic twang just like Megaton’s. “I had hoped you would make an appearance. I had hoped to test my strength against you both.”

“Can we get a name?” Jacob asked. “I’d like to put something other than ‘I forgot to water her’ on your tombstone.”

Her green lips twisted into a smile. “Flytrap. I am Flytrap.” She lifted her hands into the air. The flowers bulbs around her lowered to the ground and began to blossom. Yellowish-green slime poured out of each flower and with it, another instance of the green woman. The uttered the next phrase in unison. “We are Flytrap.”

“That’s creepy…” Caleb muttered. “So… Uh… How’d you want to do this? Do we buy time until Arcturus can do his thing to stop them from going nuclear?”

“I’ve got a way around that,” Jacob replied. “Just strip them of their armour to stop the commands coming in. It’s the only way they can remain organised.”

“Okay then,” he responded, cracking his whip. “Get rid of the armour. Got it!”

“Go!”

Vines suddenly lunged towards them like long, green spears. Jacob swept past them, his rapier flashing through the air and slicing through the thick creepers, a shower of red rose petals flying through the air with every slash. Caleb cracked his whip and live wires shot from the ground, wound together to form thick masses and slammed into the remaining vines. The conflicting masses crashed to the ground. Electricity bounced from the wires and sparked a fire across the vines.

Flytrap screamed in fury. Her flowers began spitting that same cloying fluid at the flames, dousing them immediately. A splash landed on Caleb’s foot. He grunted with effort as he pulled his leg free. It was very sticky like liquid rubber.

“We are the future!” screamed the Genesian. “You both will –”

Jacob appeared in front of one of the women, blade tip pressed against her neck. “Oh no, please continue,” the wolf said. “You’ll find I’m an excellent listener.”

With a slash he cut through her armour and delivered a powerful kick to her gut. The Flytrap clone was sent slamming into the ground.

Caleb grinned and cracked his whip. “Hey!” he shouted. “Don’t pick him! I’m great with electronics!”

Wires sprang up from the ground, wending their way through the vines and seizing several of the Genesians. Electricity slammed into their bodies, causing limbs to convulse their armour to immediately shut down.

He noticed Jacob rolled his eyes.

“Please, that chump?” Legion laughed. “He didn’t even bring you any roses. Unlike me!”

He swung he blade through the air, a shower of red petals springing all around him. They hovered in the air for a moment before abruptly lancing forward like lasers, cutting right through Genesian armour.

“Roses? Come on, man! Live in the modern age! What a girl really wants these days is that special spark!”

With a crack of his whip, arcs of lightning lanced out from all the live wires scattered about. They shot straight at the enormous, spewing flowers. The flowers instantly caught fire, petals bursting into flames and the vines wilting into charred, black lengths. Flytrap screamed as she desperately tried to put out the flames but Caleb just kept launching bolt after bolt of lightning at them.

Pain suddenly erupted from his right paw and he grunted. Thunder Wire became encased in a vivid blue glow. The light swept up his arm, over his shoulders and across to his opposite arm. The soft touch of leather brushed against his skin. In a flurry of feathers, the light vanished to reveal a tight fitting brown, leather jacket securely around his shoulders. There was even a little star badge sitting on his breast pocket.

“I’m getting a distinct cowboy feeling here…” Caleb muttered.

“You alright there WM?” Jacob shouted.

“Yeah,” he answered, cracking his whip one more time. “Hey, you know what girls really like?” A horde of black wires came bursting from the ground, twisting and reshaping itself beneath him. It lifted him off the ground, a distinct equine shape forming from the mess. Brilliant, yellow eyes crackled atop the wild horse’s head even though it was made completely out of wires.

Jacob looked honestly impressed as Caleb swung his whip and a peel of thunder rumbled around him. The black equine reared up and bolted forward, rushing up the length of vines and dodging in an out from Flytrap’s desperate attempts to fend him off. His steed launched boldly into the air, leaping over the stunned Genesian. He cracked his whip one more time and the horse erupted into a storm of black wires, lashing out in all directions like electrified vipers.

“Jake, if you’re going to do that thing to stop them from going nuclear, now is the time!” Caleb shouted.

Legion let out a soft laugh. “I suppose so.” He swung he blade in a tight circle around himself, scattering red petals all around him. Each petal emitted a bright, red glow before scattering around the battlefield in a vague circle. Crimson lines danced between each petal drawing an intricate design that overlayed the vines.

The rune glowed brightly before bathing the entire battlefield in a warm, delicate light.

Caleb got a sense of… calm from it.

The light faded a moment later. All the Flytraps lay unconscious on the ground, unmoving and their bodies looking much less green; still an unnatural grassy colour but certainly still better than their vivid colour from before.

“Trick Arcturus taught me,” Jacob explained. He flashed Caleb a grin and held out a fist. “You know, we should so be straight.”

Caleb returned the grin and bumped the offered fist. “Dude, we should so be straight.”

******

Vernon Washington kept his features stoic as he regarded how easily Flytrap was defeated. It seemed that Arsenal and this Legion were growing accustomed to fighting Stage 1 Genesians rather quickly. They had pinpointed the weaknesses of the armour and thus the control being implanted. Their use of magic to nullify the overload protocol certainly was unprecedented. But there was little they could do for those that had become Genesians.

None of them would remember ever being exposed to the Genesis Device.

“How is the development on the Stage 2 Genesians?” he asked.

Archimedes Rowe shook his head sadly. “Unfortunately, we are lagging behind. The shielding technology offered from the Milharts does offer more defences but without the control armour, they are still very vulnerable. Baseline superpowers aside, there is only so much we could do to ensure their integrity…”

“I see,” replied Washington, ever calm. “What do you need, doctor?”

“We need some way to limit the output the Genesians are developing. It is this that causes them to overload. Perhaps some form of localised anti-super field? I know there is research on such fields in North Carolina.”

“I’ll bring the tech to you then. Anything else?”

“Yes. I have a list.”

“Perfect. Keep me up to date on the progress.”

Rowe saluted. “Of course, sir. Will there be anything else?”

Washington narrowed his eyes past the various screens displaying the battle. He peered through the slanting windows into the vast desert where his base was located… and at the enormous, shimmering orb that was the Genesis Device.

“Yes. How are our new recruits from Reacher doing?”

“They are adjusting, sir. Many were shocked at the… conscription but they are coming to terms with their situation.”

“Any idea why the Gene Stealers were after them?”

“So far, no. The people know nothing save for the attacks made on their personnel and assets.”

“Keep searching. Someone must know something.” Washington narrowed his eyes as he flicked the screens to the latest news reports coming from West California Island. Amongst the chaos of another attack, he eyed the questions about who will succeed the fallen mayor. “And get the Senator of California on the line.”

Rowe saluted once again.

“Yes sir. Of course sir.”

******

Like clockwork, the media arrived shortly after the battle was over. Arcturus arrived before them, of course, and began the clean up of the Genesians. When Caleb asked where they were being taken to, the Hound of Death told him that it was better if he didn’t know.

Naturally, there were questions from the media if this was another Trojan attack.

“No, it isn’t,” Jacob supplied. “This is a different threat. These are Genesians. Where the Gene Stealers are obsessed with transforming people’s bodies into super-like beings, the Genesians force powers onto people with the exception that their minds are completely taken over and they become open to suggestion. They are being controlled by someone whereas Gene Stealers follow Chimera.”

It was curious that Jacob hadn’t mentioned Vernon Washington in the equation though Caleb guessed that if he had, he’d be making an enemy of the US Government.

“Does this mean you’re part of Arsenal now?”

Jacob laughed softly. “I –”

“He is,” Caleb said happily, clapping the fellow wolf’s shoulder. “I guess as an unofficial member. He’s been a good friend to me and he has offered to lend a paw with the Gene Stealers where he can. Of course, he’s got his own schedule to keep up but just like tonight, Arsenal is willing to help with the Genesians where possible.”

The smile on Jacob’s muzzle showed that he approved.

“Mighty words,” came a booming response, one that instantly made Caleb’s blood boil. GG Guinness emerged from the crowd and just like before, he caused a part amongst the other news crews as he stepped forward. Cameramen and news reporters were ready to snap up any pictures. “Words that were echoed your earlier statement made today through a gay interest magazine.” Guinness smirked at him challengingly. “A pity that you couldn’t call a press conference to make your statement known to the wider public and had to rely on a specialist outlet to let the world know how you feel. Then again, I suppose we can’t expect that much from hard, working-class heroes such as yourself, right?”

Twisting their words again in a passive-aggressive way. Caleb’s fist was already tightening and was envisioning caving in the smug lion’s face with a well-placed punch. He recalled his earlier thought, however, and forced a smile.

“You’re absolutely right, Mr. Guinness,” he said. “There is a lot I and Arsenal have to say but we simply do not have the time nor do we trust anyone else with our thoughts than GUYS magazine. But if you are willing, I or another member of Arsenal would be happy to come onto your show and discuss current events.”

A hush fell onto the crowd.

Guinness pressed his tongue against his cheek, probably still feeling where Caleb had knocked out his tooth. Even then, the lion couldn’t help but grin; no doubt relishing at the idea of humiliating Caleb. “A special live show, then?” challenged the feline.

Live. In front of the whole country.

“Perfect,” Caleb responded. “But how about we do it in a week? Wouldn’t want any unexpected Gene Stealer attacks to interrupt what I anticipate would be a heavily watched screening, right?”

“Agreed. I’m sure the world would very much like to watch such a riveting event after all the Christmas specials. I’m sure there will be fireworks.”

Caleb matched Guinness’ grin. “Count on it.”

******

There were dozens of calls that came in the moment Caleb was released from the press. Thankfully, Guinness had backed off after their little confrontation. There were a few more generic questions about the Genesians and Legion’s help but both he and Jacob answered them rather blandly. Once the media got bored, everyone he knew started calling him about exactly what he had said and basically calling out Guinness. He ignored them all.

Home, bed and sleep were exactly what he needed.

Tomorrow evening, he was heading off to New York City. The troubles of the world would be waiting for him when he got back. Right now, he needed some time to rest. His plan was to basically spend tomorrow with his dad if he was conscious before they left and then go into full holiday mode. He still felt rotten for leaving his dad for a week while he was undergoing such a transition but David was a strong guy. Feral Steel wouldn’t want anyone dotting on him.

The best thing for his dad was to give him space.

He dropped of Jacob at a nearby train station and then headed straight home.

Along the drive there, his phone constantly buzzed with Mary, Bren or whoever else desperately trying to get an explanation from him. He wasn’t in any mood to explain himself except for the simple fact that he had a plan.

And Guinness was going to get what was coming to him.

He drove up to the Hale household, parked Ballistic in the garage and hung up his helmet. With a sigh, he ruffled his hair lightly and headed into the house.

The moment he stepped inside, he caught a familiar scent but one that did not belong in his house. His hackled immediately rose and a soft growl came up from his throat. The scent led him directly to the lounge.

“Samson,” he snarled.

Ben’s dad and the patriarch of the Alpha Pack stood in the lounge room opposite to his mother.

“Caleb,” Samson said calmly. “Good work out there. You handled the media well except perhaps for calling out Guinness like that. But a week is more than enough time for us to come up with something to humiliate him.”

“What are you doing here?” he sneered.

“I brought your father home,” answered the werewolf with a solemn nod. “He was rather insistent on coming back here and I was more than happy to comply.” His eyes switched over to Lillian. “And I also wanted to discuss a matter with your mother.”

“If it’s about dad, we can take care of him.”

Lillian lowered her gaze. She had one paw wrapped across her shoulder, a gesture she rarely used. It showed that she was… thinking over something and that something troubled her greatly. Caleb’s mind began racing with countless possibilities and there was only one thought that popped into mind.

“Mom, you’re not thinking of turning into a werewolf, are you!?”

Her eyes snapped up in surprise. After a moment of shock, she let out a laugh. “Oh no. Caleb, honey, no. Your father was very insistent on that. It was rather… a proposal from Samson.”

Caleb’s eyes switched back to the Alpha Pack leader. “What proposal?”

Lillian pursed her lips.

“To run for mayor of West California Island.”