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Chapter II: Prioritising is Hard

The mood in the Facility wasn’t very bright.

Though Megaton had been beaten, everyone felt a heavy cloud over their heads for one reason or another. For Mary, it was the threat of these Genesians, a concern that she shared with Elliot. The moment she passed the trap-laden hallway leading into the secret base of Arsenal, she excused herself and headed into Elliot’s wing of the compound.

Madman’s bruised ego was only matched by Caleb’s. Both of them felt a little humiliated and emasculated at the sheer might of the three heroes that had wiped the floor so easily with the Genesian. They barely lasted ten minutes against the super-level mutants. Madman retreated to his wing of the Facility, known as the Metal Works, to lick his wounds.

For Lars and David, they were incredibly territorial.

“Who do they think they are!?” Lars shouted, throwing his paws into the air. “This is our territory! We didn’t need saving! We could’ve handled it ourselves!”

“Immature children,” David agreed, his arms folded firmly. “Especially that Jacob. They weren’t even wearing masks! Arcturus I could understand but the other two? They’re endangering their friends and family! Worse! They gave their real names!”

Caleb didn’t feel like adding fuel to the fire and just stood off to the side, feeling the green of jealousy bubbling up in his chest. In many ways, he and Jacob shared rather similar powers. Both of them produced weapons to catastrophic effects but Jacob was in control of his and he was far more skilled with them. Jacob could also produce what seemed like living creatures from his weapons who acted autonomously. Then there was this ‘Realmbreaker’ that Rhiannon whispered about. The sheer awe in her voice struck him both with fear and envy. The slight when Jacob tried to claim the name ‘Weapons Master’ was just the final sting to Caleb’s already shattered self-esteem.

“They have no idea what it’s like to be a super!” Lars barked.

“The Alliance will be on them,” growled David. “At least they’ll get off our back for a while.”

Rhiannon stepped into the atrium of the Facility from Elliot’s room. “I wouldn’t be so sure,” she said, her normally psychotic demeanour deadly calm and serious. Even the Christmas decorations that she had littered all over the atrium did nothing to brighten her expression. “I somehow doubt Reaper and Gwen have any ‘family’ here and I doubt they’ll care what the Elemental Alliance thinks of them.”

Talking about the new superhero trio just depressed Caleb all the more and he began shuffling towards his Armoury.

Lars asked. “What makes you say that?”

“Because neither of those two belong here.”

Caleb perked his ears but kept moving albeit at a slower pace.

“They’re a race called ‘No Ones’. They exist outside of space and time. Extremely powerful. They work on a divine level. Basically, if the gods find themselves in a stalemate, throw in a No One and you’re guaranteed to end the conflict. Whether or not it’ll end in your favour is debatable.”

There, the disheartened wolf turned around. “What do you mean? They’re demigods like Arcturus?”

Rhiannon shook her head, her red eyes filled with worry. “No. You can’t define them as gods. They’re… undefinable. What Arcturus was thinking dragging them into this conflict…”

Suddenly, Arcturus’ deep, rumbling voice cut through their conversation. “As I recall, Rhia, you were the one that brought in Jacob first.”

Standing directly in front of the entrance, the three heroes stood. Arcturus stood in the middle, the leader and stoic as ever. Gwen stood by his side, wary and suspicious but like her leader, still like a statue. Jacob had his phone out and was tapping away at the screen.

“That was to deal with one case!” Rhiannon exclaimed. She pointed directly at Jacob. “And that was only for him! I didn’t call her!” She hike a thumb at Gwen.

There was an antagonistic smile on the purple-eyed Outsider’s face. “Oh Rhiannon, don’t tell me you’re still mad about the multiple times we’ve clashed blades and I have come out on top. As I recall, you still owe me.”

“And that is why I hate you,” she answered with a snarl. “He doesn’t keep score. You do.”

A soft chuckle came from the woman. “Life is very much a numbers game, my dear. You need to balance the books. How many deaths, how many births. How much is consumed, how much is produced. It’s usually why I am the one playing the accountant.” She lifted her chin lightly, practically looking down on Rhiannon who was physically taller. “It is a philosophy I apply to everything.”

Rhiannon grunted loudly and turned her attention towards Arcturus. “Why don’t you tell us what this is really about, Arty? What are the Genesians? Why would you pull them into the fray? Are you really that desperate?”

The Hound of Death’s face remained still and unreadable. The two Hounds were truly a contrast to one another. Arcturus’ fur was jet-black and his posture stiff and unmoving. Rhiannon was pure white, her eyes red like an albino but she was full of expression from the multiple piercings in her ears, the vibrant colours in her hair and her confused, hurt and angry expression.

“Not just I, Rhia,” Arcturus said grimly. “The gods themselves find themselves paralysed by the events that have unfolded here. The Gene Stealers are beyond their sight and now the Genesians have been deployed. Likewise, they too are beyond their sight.”

“So you brought in the one that is attuned to all life and the one that can see into all possible realities and dimensions at once.”

Caleb glanced from Gwen to Jacob, in awe of their power. Though Gwen certainly exuded as air of superiority befitting someone beyond the gods, Jacob was so casual as he stood there, one paw in his pocket and the other with the phone now to his ear.

“Their abilities have been severely limited,” said Arcturus. “Part of the deal to allow them to interfere.”

“Allow? You mean they asked?”

“Actually, the restrictions were Jacob’s idea,” Gwen said, glancing towards her partner with a look of annoyance. “While it would have been infinitely easier to resolve this problem at our full potential, he insisted the gods put restrictions on us. Honestly, I think he was just manipulating them to make them feel empowered so they don’t decide to throw a divine war upon us.” She regarded her nails absently, perfectly manicured and lifted so that Rhiannon was right between them. “Crushing gods is often such a tiresome chore.”

Caleb could feel the air sizzle with Rhiannon’s rage and he took a step back. Gwen likewise regarded her with something akin to distaste and looked about ready to pounce. Even Lars and David who had been smack talking the trio behind their backs began backing away.

Then Jacob diffused the situation.

“Hey, can we cut this convenient bout of exposition short?” said the blonde wolf, tucking his phone away. “I’ve got to head to work.”

Caleb inclined his head to the side. “You go to work?” He slapped his forehead. “Oh right. You work at the hospital as an orderly.”

Jacob shrugged and began taking off his sleek, black armour. “Actually, I work two jobs. Nine to five at the hospital and then nine in the evening to two in the morning at this club where I’m a bartender.” Beneath his armour was a white tank top and a pair of shorts that hugged his thick legs quite well. “As it turns out, entering a reality with no money, no formal education, no family or friends to speak of and really no history up until a few months ago puts a guy in a bit of a bind in terms of living. I need to work two jobs to pay for rent and surviving.”

“Looks like you’re not all powerful,” Lars rumbled with a cocky smirk.

Caleb shot him a foul stare but the Doberman didn’t notice. Not too long ago, he had fretted over the possibility of having to make it out on his own if his father decided to kick him out for keeping his identity as Weapons Master a secret. Jacob was effectively living that reality while also moonlighting as the superhero, Legion.

“Won’t… Uh…” he began. “Won’t your co-workers know you were out just fighting a supervillain?”

“Might be better for business,” answered the black wolf, folding his nanofiber weave armour over his shoulder. “Might get more tips that way.” He gestured at Arcturus. “Arty, you were going to tell them about the Genesians?”

Arcturus took a breath and let it out slowly. “The Genesians are the culmination of science, sorcery and gene splicing. Headed by a government initiative under General Vernon Washington, the Genesians are what happens when the military obtained a means to control the Gene Stealer’s abilities to not only grant powers but also ‘infect’ other people.”

Rhiannon’s eyes widened and David slowly unfolded his arms. Caleb was glad Bren wasn’t in the room to hear this.

“Wait, are you telling me that the US government…” David began.

“Has weaponised the Gene Stealers’ abilities,” Gwen confirmed. “Megaton was just their first field test. Where the Gene Stealers focus on physical shape and then grants superpowers afterwards, the Genesians focus on the powers first and the body later.”

“This is what makes them inherently unstable,” Arcturus continued grimly. “The armour they wear contains their abilities and prevents them from going critical. It also provides a sort of powerful compulsion rendering those within vulnerable to suggestion by their controllers. From their bases, Washington and his group can direct the Genesians to do as they please while the Genesians themselves are fully capable of autonomous thought as long as it doesn’t override their basic programming. Further, the armour which is built from some sort of bio-mechanical substance, can latch onto others and control those that they transform using their powers.”

David let out a thoughtful noise, rubbing his chin lightly. “Just like how Zapper transformed people. He used his superpowers, the power to control electricity, to infect other people and turn them into raccoons… The military must have been watching.”

“It was the inspiration for medium of infection for their project, yes.” Arcturus turned grimly to them. “As you can plainly see, the Genesians are far out of your league.” He glanced towards Jacob, checking that he has used the term right. The blonde wolf nodded in return. The Hound turned back to them. “Leave them to us. Focus on the Gene Stealers.”

Again, Caleb felt like he had just been shoved aside and forced to sit on the second place podium while Arcturus and his new group stood in first place.

“We can help!” Lars exclaimed. “They’re an offshoot of the Gene Stealers, right? They’re our responsibility as well!”

Gwen shook her head at him. “No. You’ve seen their power. You know that destroying their armour can cause them to go critical. You could die.”

“And you can’t!?”

“If we die, there’s no consequence,” Arcturus said. “I am a demigod, I am immortal. If these two die…” He gestured at Jacob and Gwen. “They are actually freed from their mortal forms and return to being the No Ones they are with their full power.”

Jacob suddenly jumped up and down, waving his paws in the air. “Oooh! Oooh! Let’s call ourselves the Suicide Squad!”

“Trademarked,” Gwen said dryly.

“Dead Men?”

“Girl right here.”

“Death Squad?”

“Also trademarked. And has terrible connotations.”

“Dead Ones?”

Gwen opened her mouth to object but then stopped. “Huh… That’s actually a little clever.” Then she shook her head. “But still no. We’re not a team here, Jacob.”

Those words surprised Caleb and he perked his ears towards the three. “You’re not?”

“The Genesians are widespread and have far more resources than we do,” answered the stoic purple-eyed ‘diplomat’. “At least on the material level. We need to consider that now that we are very much in the public eye, our image will be grouped together and given that we don’t exactly have secret identities, the military could very well strike at us from anywhere. Splitting up and scattering is the most efficient way of remaining in operation.”

Caleb scratched his cheek absently as he tried to process the logic of that statement. “Wouldn’t it be better to stick together then? I mean, in case they do hit you, at least you’ll have the firepower to beat them back.”

“As much as I hate to say it,” Rhiannon grumbled, “we could offer you the use of the Facility…”

“What!?” David shouted, echoed by Lars. “We are not giving these three sanctuary here!”

Arcturus raised his paw, demanding silence before the issue could escalate further. “We do not need sanctuary. I am still a Hound with divine-level powers. I will remain out of Washington’s reach. Gwen is going underground and can take care of herself. Only Jacob is really in the public’s eye.”

There, David Hale snarled at the black wolf. “So you would endanger everyone around you then? That’s just careless and almost criminal! It’s your responsibility as a super to hide your identity to prevent your enemies from harming those you care about!”

The goofy, almost manic look on Jacob’s face faded and was once again replaced by that cocky smirk, his sapphire eyes dead serious. “And if I were attacked, who would be the one to benefit the most? If there were massive loss of life in their attempt to capture or neutralise me or if they sent another Genesian against me, who will be the one to feel the sting of the aftermath?”

“The people!” David growled, his eyes flashing angrily. “Everyone who is around you! The people at your job at the bar! The patients in the hospital! The doctors! The nurses! The –” He cut himself off and his anger faded, replaced by surprise. Caleb didn’t quite get it.

“He purposefully put himself in two jobs that could have the most public backlash if he were attacked by the military,” Gwen explained. “Bars get busy with lots of people. It’s a small place, lots of people. A raid there had a high risk of casualties. A strike at a hospital has the potential to become very high profile. The sick, elderly and valuable doctors could come to harm. Anyone that is hurt as collateral damage will likewise damage Washington’s credibility. The Genesians are still a government initiative and if Washington does anything that puts him in the bad books of the politicians ultimately funding his project, he runs the risk of losing everything.”

A lightbulb just flicked on in Caleb’s mind. “He’s your bait.”

Jacob winked at him and gave him a lopsided grin. “Bingo.”

It was the reason why Jacob was the only one in the aftermath of Megaton’s attack to give his full name or at least a name that mattered. He was effectively playing a very high stakes game of chicken with the military and this General Vernon Washington! A big bullseye had been painted on Jacob’s back and dangled in front of Washington’s face.

The young lupine Outsider wasn’t too sure if he should be impressed or disgusted.

“Anyway,” Jacob said, turning back towards the exit. “I really have to go. My boss made it clear that just because I’m a super and I saved all those people, it doesn’t mean that I can be late. Later!”

Arcturus turned towards Gwen. “We should leave as well.” Then he glanced back towards Rhiannon. “As before, focus on the Gene Stealer threat. We will take care of the Genesians. Arsenal simply is not equipped to deal with such a catastrophic threat and its repercussions.”

The Hound and his ally suddenly erupted into a burst of white light, momentarily blinding everyone in the atrium. They were gone by the time the light faded. Jacob could be seen striding through the hallway, whistling a little tune to himself, growing smaller and smaller as he pulled away from them. The Facility’s blast doors closed, barring him from view a moment later.

“Who do they think they are!?” David shouted, throwing his paws into the air. “So they’re some sort of ‘super-god’. They have no right to muscle us to the side like that!”

“I know, right!?” Lars sneered. “We all have a responsibility to this city! We can’t just be selective on who we save!”

Caleb opened his muzzle to say something. Not too long ago, these two canines were at each other’s throats for the very same reason. David, as Feral Steel, had practically put a ban on Outsiders from doing any sort of superhero work while Lars, as a super who supported Outsiders, was trying to muscle his way into doing exactly that. But he snapped his muzzle shut, knowing just how hot headed both of them could get.

Oddly enough, he agreed with them both. He felt… brushed aside and discarded. It was exactly the same when his own father had tried to restrict him from fighting the Gene Stealers. Admittedly at the time, Feral Steel only knew him as Weapons Master but still… They had butted heads and it only resulted in a metaphorical ulcer forming in Caleb’s stomach from all the times his innards twisted into knots.

No, this time he decided he’d try a different tactic.

“Guys,” he said loudly. “Maybe he’s right.” Everyone in the atrium gave him looks akin to open-faced horror. “You saw what happened out there with Megaton. With the Gene Stealers, we could deal with Gen 1s and a couple of Gen 2s. But these guys…” He shook his head and gestured towards Lars. “If Lars is meant to be a Gen 3 according to Shark Tamer, then these guys are like him only infectious. They’ve got coordination, power and numbers. Maybe…” He fought with himself to get the words out. “Maybe we should really leave this to the guys with the bigger guns.”

“Cale, you can’t be serious…” Lars began.

“We’re talking about the US military here, Lars” He gestured vaguely towards the large, steel doors leading to the exit. “They’ve got way more resources and backing than we do. Hell, the goddamn president probably signed off on this. Do you really want to go up against that kind of backing? Remember, Arsenal started out as a government initiative. The FBI is just barely letting us use Bren’s bodies on some technicality. If we start throwing down against the military, who knows what could happen? They could reclaim the Facility. They could take Bren from us. And then what? The Alliance won’t take us in.” He shot a look at his father. “I know you won’t go to the Connors for a loan.” Regarding everyone in the room, he spread his arms and said, “Like it or not, we can’t be involved with the Genesians. It hurt, I get it. It sucks that we’re letting someone else save our town but we have to think about this.”

David closed his eyes and took a deep breath, all the anger and frustration in his stance fading. He let out a soft breath and nodded slowly. “You’re right, Caleb. Of course you’re right. Let’s leave the Genesians to them.”

Caleb let out relieved breath. “Thanks, dad. I appreciate that.”

******

The alarm clock blared. Caleb instinctively reached for it, ripped it out of its socket and sprang to his feet. As with every morning, he stretched his tall, muscular frame, jogged a bit in place to get the blood rushing into his tree-trunk legs and braced himself. However, unlike every morning, the walls didn’t suddenly get covered in steel plating and the door didn’t abruptly seal shut. A timer indicating how much air he had left didn’t miraculously spring up above his door, bathing him in red light. His dad’s death trap didn’t spring.

“Huh… Wonder what’s up?” he voiced aloud and strode out of his room.

He found both Lance and his older sister, Abby, pressing their ears against a large steel wall that had suddenly sprung up out of nowhere in front of the stairs, preventing them from going downstairs.

“What’s going on?” he asked. “Did Dad throw the entire house into a drill?”

Abby shook her head, her soft, brown curls waving with the gesture. “Dad is having it out with Leon.”

There, Caleb winced.

Lance’s twin and the eldest of the Hale kids had recently announced his intentions to drop out of college and join the police academy. He started just a few weeks ago and David Hale didn’t take the news very well. In the initial aftermath of the revelation, the two growled and snarled at one another constantly, often breaking out into arguments over little things. Eventually, Lillian put her foot down and called a ban on the two snapping at one another in her presence. Since she was the omnipresent goddess of the household, they couldn’t breathe in the house without her knowing.

But the two continued to seethe.

“What the hell did Leon do to cause this?” he asked, gesturing at the wall of metal.

“I don’t think it was Leon this time,” Lance whimpered. “Leon was in his uniform, about to head to the academy when he asked Mom for a ride. Then Dad told him to take the bus and… it sort of escalated from there.”

Caleb winced. He did not want to think what was happening beyond that wall but considering what had happened the previous night, he feared that David Hale was a little short tempered and might do something he would regret. It spoke a lot of the relationship between the two that despite their animosity, David hadn’t kicked Leon out. But sticking the two in an enclosed space like this…?

“Hang on,” he said, turning back towards his room. “I think I got a way to fix this.”

He quickly picked up the seemingly harmless pinwheel he had brought to his room the previous night just after he got home from the Facility. With his father constantly locking him in his room day in and day out to test his powers, Caleb had taken to bringing all sorts of random junk in the hopes that it would help him break out of his dad’s insidious trap.

Armed with the toy, he stepped towards the metal wall. Abby and Lance gave him some room as he quickly activated his powers. Bright, blue-white light erupted from the toy, ethereal white feathers springing from the glow. The silhouetted form of the pinwheel grew, becoming a heavy, two foot, bulky shape. The light faded, drizzling the area in little flecks of light like glistening snow. In the place of the pinwheel was a rather colourful handheld buzz saw that latched onto Caleb’s wrist nicely.

He triggered the weapon, the saw letting out a shrill buzzing noise. A mechanical arm extended from the weapon and pressed the spinning blade against the flawless wall of steel. Sparks flew as he easily sliced an opening into the wall, big enough for all three of them to step through. The moment the block of metal fell away, they were assaulted by the angry shouts of their father and brother.

“… me! You have no right hold me hostage! It’s my life!”

That was Leon.

Caleb led the way down the steps, tip-toeing down the stairs with Lance and Abby right behind him. Abby was clutching his arm and he positioned himself in front of her defensively.

“As long as you live under my roof, you obey my rules!” David snapped back. “Seeing as you’ve already wasted all your money enrolling in that pig factory, you have no choice!”

“If that’s how you feel, why don’t you just kick me out then!?”

It was the same old mantra over and over again. One of them triggered an argument, it would ultimately go back to Leon enrolling as a police officer which David saw was far too dangerous and wholeheartedly opposed. Leon would call his dad on letting him stay in the house and David… David would say…

“Because you’re my son!”

“Then act like a fucking dad! Support me!”

Caleb reached the bottom of the stairs and poked his head around the corner into the kitchen. There, David and Leon were having a standoff, the kitchen isle standing between them. There was a stack of bacon, eggs, sausages and because Lilian Hale constantly attempted – and failed – to enforce a balanced diet, grilled tomatoes. For wolves to completely ignore a meal of any sort meant that this was a very serious matter.

“I am acting like your dad!” David bellowed, shaking the entire room. “I’m trying to look out for you! You’re putting yourself in needless danger!” He waved his large paws in some arbitrary direction. “There are supers out there and Outsiders who aren’t as nice as me, Lance or Caleb! You want to be waving a gun in their faces? How many police officers have been turned into Gene Stealer Gens in the past couple of months!?”

Leon threw his paws into the air. “Wolf Christ, dad! It’s the fucking police academy! I’m not out on the streets waving guns at people! I’m just training to be a cop! I don’t even have my badge yet!”

“But you’re going to get it.” David was fuming. “You’re going to get your badge and drive out onto the streets pretending you’re helping people and throwing yourself in the path of supervillains when you know you can’t do shit about! You’re signing up to be a meat shield! A distraction! You’re there to buy time and wave your gun around so that other supers can come in and save the day!”

“What? Like Legion!?”

The three wolves spying on the argument collectively winced. Upon returning from the Facility last night, David was on a rampage about Legion. It didn’t help that the broadcast of the events ran all night and there was a hoard of news casters and patrons at the bar that Jacob worked in, called Dive Inn. Business was booming and everyone wanted to know about Legion. Jacob was humble, funny and charming, handling the media perfectly.

That really pissed off David and he dragged Lillian upstairs where they locked themselves in their bedroom for the rest of the night. Caleb didn’t want to know what happened behind those closed doors.

But he also didn’t want for his dad to go nuclear just like Megaton.

“Hey dad,” he exclaimed, stepping out from around the corner.

Both David and Leon shot him with piercing, laser-like stares and he balked for a second. Suddenly, he understood what it felt like to be Arthur, Abby’s otter fiancé. Quickly regaining his composure, he said, “Where’s mom?”

David blinked a couple of times and then his eyes went to the large wall of steel that had curved around the refrigeration. The wall shrank into the ground, disappearing from view to reveal Lillian Hale, gasping for breath.

“David!” she snapped between ragged breaths. “You almost suffocated me!”

“Please, you love it,” David muttered.

“No, you do and only in the bedroom.” She growled at her husband and eldest son. “What have I told you two about not fighting under my roof!”

“But –” both male Hales began.

“No buts!” she shouted, stamping her foot. “Now you are both going to settle this like men.” Her eyes tore into David. Even the mighty Feral Steel withered beneath that stare. “David, loan Leon your keys. You’re not planning to go anywhere today anywhere apart from that Hero Memorial after Caleb comes back from school. You can both get there without the van.”

Caleb could tell that David was going to fight tooth and nail not to give Leon the keys so he decided to step in.

“I’ll take him.”

Everyone gave the youngest Hale a wide-eyed stare.

“You will?” Leon asked, his ears perking and his tail swaying from side to side.

“It’s the only way we’re going to settle this,” Caleb said with a shrug. “Dad won’t loan you his keys and you won’t take the bus out of principle. So I’ll take you. That way, Dad gets to keep his edict and you get to stuff it to Dad for one more day.”

“Caleb –” David began, sounding hurt and a little disappointed.

“I’m not taking sides here,” he answered, raising his paws. “I really just want this argument out of the house so I can have breakfast.”

That and he didn’t want to deal with it until after his holiday. This mess with the Genesians really had him wound up and it felt like the universe was trying to stack everything onto his plate just before he took a break.

“Fair enough…” David grunted. “Food is getting cold…” He turned his back to Leon, heading for the toaster. “Here, let me make you a sandwich while you take a shower. Something to tide you over before you get back.”

At least he hadn’t made an enemy of his father… again. “Thanks dad.” He glanced over to Leon. “I’ll meet you out at Ballistic in about fifteen, okay?”

Leon nodded, turning towards the garage. “Thanks Caleb.”

Now that the crisis was settled, Caleb headed back upstairs but didn’t get more than two steps before his mother – despite nearly suffocating a few moments later – shouted at him.

“Claws, Caleb!”

He grimaced, ears folding back as he headed back down the steps and plucked a pair of slippers from shoe rack. With his claws no longer cutting into the wooden floorboards, he headed up the stairs and got ready for one of the last few days he had at school before winter break. After rummaging around his closet for some clothes, he became aware of his phone quietly buzzing away, a text message.

Curious, he found that it was from Mary.

“You know you’ll have to deal with them eventually, right?” it said.

He sighed and headed over to his bedroom window which had a clear view of Mary’s bedroom next door. She was absently leaning against the windowsill, her eyes down towards the Hale household’s garage where Leon was likely fuming away.

“Why is it my problem?” he texted back. “It’s dad’s love for his family against Leon’s desire to do good. Admittedly, dad is being a little overprotective but Leon is being antagonistic. I don’t want to get caught in the middle.”

Mary stared down at the garage for a few more minutes before picking up her phone to answer, locking gazes with him. “But you know this is causing turmoil in your house. Why not step in like you did today and solve the problem?”

“How am I supposed to solve it? Am I supposed to just tell me dad to stop being my dad or Leon to drop his dream?”

“Compare how your father’s overprotectiveness stifled you at one time and sent you right into Gabe’s arms. Talk to Leon about how he used to adore superheroes and he should know that if he was in your dad’s shoes, he’d do exactly the same.”

Caleb scowled at her. “Why don’t you do it then?”

“Please. If I step in between them I’ll drown in all the testosterone those two are giving off. I’m pretty sure I’d get pregnant just being there! I don’t know how your mother does it.”

“They’re both adults. I’m sure they’ll work it out. And if they don’t work it out after the Christmas Spirit has come and visited them, then I swear I’ll get involved.”

“I don’t know… You’ll be away for Christmas. Chances are, they’ll tear each other apart anyway.” She suddenly looked up, staring past Caleb. “You better hurry up. Your dad is getting impatient and is thinking about going into the garage and ‘talking’ to Leon again.”

He couldn’t understand how David could be so hostile to Leon when not too long ago, he was in his eldest brother’s very same shoes. David had found out that he was doing something against the Hale patriarch’s wishes but instead of a shouting match every morning, David was oddly supportive and… maybe a little insane. Then again, Caleb had been rather… submissive to his father instead of standing his ground and arguing back. Part of him wondered if he had openly rebelled against his father’s stance if he would be in very much the same situation as Leon.

Pushing the thoughts out of his head, he decided he was running out of time before another Leon-David-class nuclear explosion arrived. He grabbed his clothes and bolted for the shower, praying that the rest of his day would be far simpler.

******

Across the street, Mary set down her phone gently and grimaced loudly. Brushing a strange of blonde hair behind her ear, she straightened her back, ran her delicate hands down her skirt but refused to turn around to face her visitor.

“As much as I appreciate the visit from someone who could piss of Rhiannon…” She glanced over her shoulder at Gwen. “… I don’t really like strangers just popping into my room like this.”

“It’s my Outsider power,” Gwen answered shortly. The other woman was leaning against the back of Mary’s door, effectively keeping anyone from anyone entering.

“I thought your Outsider power was that invisible, shapeshifting weapon of yours.”

“Diplomacy? No. That is an artefact that I convinced the gods of this world to let me keep when I transitioned into this place. No, my power is teleportation. Quite handy if I do say so myself.” Little purplish-green crystals began glistening off her body before quickly consuming her entirely. A sound akin to wind chimes filled the air and Gwen’s entire form became a flurry tiny shards of glistening amethysts and emeralds that curled through the air powered by some unknown force. The crystals cascaded towards Mary’s bed where they coalesced back into Gwen’s form.

“Seems a little slow for teleportation if you ask me,” Mary said. “That took a whole three seconds just to cross the ten feet from my door to my bed.”

“We may be No Ones but as we’re integrated with your world, we are severely limited.” Gwen pressed a hand against her chest and shrugged. “My teleportation was just the power offered to me by the gods.”

There, Mary frowned. “The gods didn’t let you choose your own powers?”

“Not at all. They were quite specific on that. In fact, they wanted to deprive Jacob of being a super at all but they realised that if they wanted him to help, they needed to give him a modicum of strength to defend himself with.”

“Seems to me he has a lot of power.”

There, Gwen snorted and waved a hand absently through the air. “Oh that? That’s Jacob giving your gods the middle finger. I was allowed to bring my weapon into this world. Jacob was allowed to bring his.”

This seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn more about their new… rivals. Mary, put on a sweet smile and sat at the head of her bed, a good distance from Gwen. “And each of his weapons are incredibly powerful.”

“Let him describe his limitations to you,” Gwen said, leaning back slightly. “I am actually here because of you.”

“That much was obvious.” She batted her eyes innocently at this No One. “So tell me, to what do I owe this honour?”

Gwen’s purple eyes locked with hers and Mary felt her heart fill with dread. “Your mother.”

In slow, even tones, Mary said, “My mother is dead. She died in a –”

“There are means by which individuals can discern which spectrum their powers fall into,” Gwen interrupted, reaching into her pocket. “Within this world, there are many sources of power from the divine, magical, superpowers and even the purely scientific.” She took out small glass ball. There was a golden band wrapped around its circumference and inside was a tiny, glistening miniature star. As Gwen held it in her hand, the star abruptly winked out. “This is an Etherial. I believe one of the first superheroes to come to this world created it as a means to detect what kind of power an individual has and therefore find a means to disable it.”

Gwen held out the ball towards her. “If the star turned yellow, you have been blessed with divine powers. If it is red, magical powers course through your veins. Blue and your abilities are those of a superhero’s. Slate grey means the power is purely scientific and green simply means you have no power whatsoever beyond those that you hone yourself.”

“What that absolutely nothing mean?” Mary asked, regarding the empty device.

“You cannot be defined,” answered Gwen with a shrug. “This device was built around the laws of this universe. If the someone who holds it are somewhat beyond those laws then it cannot work.” She offered Mary the ball.

“I thought you were restricted by those very laws?” Mary asked, slowly reaching for the crystal sphere.

“It looks beyond any form of interference be it magical, divine or otherwise.” Gwen offered her a benign smile. “The one who made this was rather special, after all.”

Holding the Etherial in one hand, Mary held up the ball to eye level. She watched as the little white star began to spark up again, emitting a soft white glow. Her breath got caught in her throat.

The star… turned yellow.

“It’s not true,” she said, fighting to temptation to throw the ball at the wall. “I don’t know what Rhiannon told you –”

“Rhiannon didn’t tell me anything. Your mother did.”

Mary’s eyes widened and she spun to face Gwen in shock. “She…? She did?”

There, Gwen nodded sagely. “She is very concerned for you. Being unable to see your fate because of the Gene Stealers concerns her. I am here on her behest.” The No One glanced off to the side and muttered under her breath. “And also to keep Jacob from doing something idiotic.” Then she glanced back towards Mary and rested a hand on her shoulder. “But mostly to watch over you.”

Mary brushed off her hand. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Perhaps not but there’s one thing everyone needs, mortal, god or undefined.” Gwen rose to her feet, her body slowly dissolving into those glimmering crystals again. “A shoulder to cry on, a sounding board. When you’re ready to talk, you know where to find me.”

******

The West California Island Police Academy was fairly far from where the Hales made their home, the sole reason why Leon didn’t like taking the bus. There was no direct route and he would have to hop from one bus to the other, take a train and then take another bus to get to the academy. Perched on a hill on the eastern side of the city, the facility was one of the oldest buildings in all of West Cali.

But still very far.

Already a good twenty minutes into their ride, Caleb estimated they’d be at the academy a little past eight. He would have enough time to go back home, finish up breakfast, brush his teeth and then race to school to take the last final exam he would have for the rest of the year. It was an advanced math class but he wasn’t too worried.

“Hey Cale…” Leon said over the communicator in his borrowed helmet.

“Yeah?” Caleb replied.

“Thanks for standing up for me back there.”

He had to remind himself that he wasn’t going to take any sides in this conflict. Both parties were justified in their own way but in his opinion, they were approaching one another the wrong way. Getting dragged by his tail into the storm that was clearly raging between his father and brother was not something he wanted to do especially if it involved him cancelling his trip to New York.

“Let’s be clear,” he said. “I’m not taking your side. You and dad both have good points. This is a career you want to follow so I say go for it. Dad wants to protect you because there are Gene Stealers out there and, take it from me, I know they’re dangerous.”

Leon’s hostility started rising up again in his voice. “So you’re saying I should back down?”

The last thing his brother needed was more hostility. The bigger Hale seemed to feast on anger. Caleb secretly wished that police training would mellow him out but at the same time, he feared it would make him more aggressive. “No,” he answered calmly and patiently. “I’m just saying you both have a valid point. How you guys solve it is up to you.”

Leon sighed heavily. “If you were in my shoes, Cale, what would you do? Would you just sit around and do nothing? I mean Lance is a goddamn super. You’re the hottest Outsider in California and Abby is getting married! As far as I’m concerned, the only ones not really changing are me and mom but mom has her career and me…”

The sad part was Caleb understood what Leon was going through. Being constantly told to ‘leave the big guys alone’ by Arcturus and his group echoed his father’s loud statements against Leon. It was like being back to a secret FBI initiative and fighting the Elemental Alliance over who got to deal with the Gene Stealers again. Fighting back had only led to more strife and heartache for him. He still remembered how Lars had stunned the whole world when he revealed that a super was backing the Outsiders. The storm that hit afterwards had everyone on edge.

A similar storm was brewing on the horizon and he wondered if he was smarter for his previous experiences, at least enough to weather the oncoming onslaught.

“You saw what happened with Legion last night, right?”

“Yeah.” That spark of hero worship came up in Leon’s voice again. “He was so cool. So much power. And all those weapons!”

“Yeah… those weapons,” Caleb muttered bitterly. The evil green burning sensation of envy began burning through his chest again and he could barely hold it in check. “Well, Legion and his gang told us to stay away from the Genesians because they’re ‘out of our league’.”

“I sort of get it. I mean, Megaton wiped the floor with you!”

“Yeah. He did.” He swallowed loudly, keeping his own hostilities down. “And he’s right. The Genesians are out of our league. So instead of being an idiot and throwing myself into danger to prove that I’m stronger, I’m going to do what I do best and be smart about this.”

The words sounded fake and contrived in his ears. In his imagination, he could almost see Mary sitting on his shoulder whispering in his ear and telling him what to say.

“How does relate to what’s going on with me?”

There was a red light and Caleb pulled the brakes on Ballistic. It was the perfect opportunity to glance over his shoulder at his brother. “Because it’s exactly what’s happening between you and dad.”

He let those words sink in for a moment.

“Oh…”

“Yeah,” he continued. “Dad is Legion. He’s telling you, AKA me, to stay away from trouble especially if it’s trouble that’s way out of your league.”

Leon ducked his head. “So you are telling me to back down…”

“I’m telling you to keep being a cop but don’t do it for the wrong reasons.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Leon, level with me, man. The only reason you’re trying to be a cop is so that you can be right there, in the middle of the action, fighting supers and hoping that your one bullet will be the one that’ll save the day, aren’t you?”

For a long moment, Leon was silent. When he ducked his head again, that was all the answer Caleb needed.

“I know you want to help, bro. I’m not saying you can’t. Just be smart about it. Don’t go looking for trouble. Cops are meant to protect the peace not go charging off raiding supervillain secret lairs.”

“I just wish I has superpowers like you…”

“And I wish I had baseline superpowers so my bones don’t break when I go up against a Gene Stealer. But we can’t have everything. But we can be smart about it.”

The light turned green and Caleb kicked up Ballistic again.

“Help people for the right reasons, Leon. It’s why I’m doing this.”

Again, Leon was silent, remaining quiet until the rolled up to the Academy. He took off his helmet as Caleb parked in front of the big, red brick walls. The pop-pop-pop of gunfire could be heard from the nearby firing range and several aspiring policemen and women were charging through an obstacle course, working up a sweat. Beyond them all was a big, white building with the US flag fluttering atop it.

Leon hopped off Ballistic and tore off his helmet. He looked… pensive and also a little relieved.

“Thanks for the peptalk, Cale,” Leon said, handing him back the helmet. “You’re right. I’ve been doing this for the wrong reasons.” He gave Caleb a wry smile. “Thanks.”

Caleb flicked the visor of his helmet up so his brother could see his eyes. “No problem, man.” He held up a fist which Leon happily bumped. “And hey, if you want a ride to the Academy every morning, I can give you a lift.”

Leon’s tail wagged happily and his features brightened. “Really? That’d be sweet.” Then he frowned. “But… I need to be here at six. We’d have to get up pretty early.”

“If it means avoiding dad’s daily death trap, I’m cool with that.” Then Caleb frowned. “Hang on… It’s a little past eight now. Does that mean…?”

Leon winced. “Yeah… I’m late. Lieutenant Matlock is going to have my hide… again.” He began to turn away and waved back at Caleb. “At least I’m a little earlier than last time. Thanks again!”

Caleb waved back and watched his brother race up to the Academy. With a smile, he turned Ballistic back towards the road, muttering one sentence under his breath.

“Take that, Mary.”

******

“Awwww yeah!”

Caleb was the first to emerge from the classroom, practically bowling the doors open as he leapt into freedom. He immediately spun around, knowing full well that Lars was right behind him. Arms lifted, the two canines slammed their palms together in a titanic high five. Various other students poured out of the room in differing emotional states. Some were over the moon like the two jocks, others were mildly depressed and some just rolled their eyes at the overly testosterone-charged display.

Lars swung an arm around Caleb’s neck and the two chanted ‘Freedom’ over and over again as they headed down the hallway, heads held high. Their advanced math final was gruelling to the point where Caleb spent every last second scribbling on his tablet before hitting ‘submit’ but it was finally done. The last of their harrowing six hour exams were done.

Alex Connery, another friend and former victim of the Gene Stealers caught up to them, holding his head low. “Urgh… that was horrible…” he moaned loudly. “Why would they put us through that!? How many people with real jobs would go through six hours of math!?”

“Take it easy bro!” Lars exclaimed, swinging an arm into the air. “That’s the last test! No more for the rest of the year! No more finals for at least another six months!”

“For you maybe,” the red headed gymnast grimaced, rubbing his temples. “I’ve still got Dimensional Physics tomorrow. Who can endure five day’s worth of six hours exams non-stop?”

Caleb beamed at him. “Cheer up, man! It’s just like our history exam topic!”

“‘Why was twenty-first century high school examinations futile in preparing students for their future in the workforce’,” he and Alex recited in unison though Alex spoke with an almost zombie-like monotone while Caleb was almost singing.

“Right!” continued the cheery wolf. “Back then, you sat for, what? Two hours max in a room, had to memorise everything off by heart and answer dumb questions. What the hell does that teach, man? In what scenario would that actually happen?”

Lars shrugged his broad shoulders and finally let go of Caleb. “Hostage situation where the supervillain is a really anal supervillain obsessed with classrooms and will kill you if you don’t score above a certain percentile?” Both Alex and Caleb gave him a puzzled look. Other students streamed past them and as common courtesy, they stepped aside, backs against the windows.

“What?” Lars replied. “It’s happened before. Ever heard of the villain the Examiner? She had no superpowers whatsoever but was really clever and obsessed with exams. She’d capture people and force them to take exams like ours. If you scored in the upper percentile, you survived to take another test immediately afterwards. If you got a D and below, she killed you.”

Alex leaned against the window and shook his head. “I’m kind of glad she’s not our proctor… But I would kill to just have a two hour exam.”

“Our six hour ones are meant to facilitate a normal working day,” Caleb said. “That’s why we get an hour break in between for lunch and it’s all open book. Only time PATROL actually opens up the internet to us. We can even discuss questions amongst one another.”

“Doesn’t even really matter,” Alex grumbled. “All the questions are randomised anyway and the chances of you getting the same question as another person is a billion to one. If I could get a two hour open book exam…” He shook his head, green eyes closing. “If it’s all the same with you, I’m going to go home and lie down. My brain is fried and I have to do it all over again tomorrow this time with physics. Dimensional physics.”

Lars could only laugh, his voice filled with sympathy. “Have fun bro. Wish you could come with us to NYC.”

“Yeah, me too but Mike is taking me to see his parents for Christmas.” He gave Lars a shaky grin. “Have fun with Caleb for me, okay? Don’t tear too wide open. Your next game isn’t too far off and it wouldn’t do if our star receiver can’t run.”

Both footballers laughed as Alex turned and left just in time before the awkwardness began to creep into both boys’ humour. Truth was, given that it had only been such a short time since they had officially become a couple, neither Lars nor Caleb had actually done anything sexual since Gabe had fallen into his coma and Lars had obtained the power to transform into a big bear thanks to his mutation. There was the underlying fear that since Lars was effectively a Gen 3 Gene Stealer, he could literally split Caleb open.

Not that they’d ever really discussed who would be on top of whom. They cuddled and certainly played coy with one another but they never actually had sex… not yet.

And every time the conversation came up…

“So… New York?” Caleb asked.

“New York bro!” Lars exclaimed, happily switching the subjects. “Just a couple more days! I’m so psyched!” His eyes couldn’t meet Caleb’s and he immediately lashed out and grabbed Mary’s arm. “Hey Mary! How’d you go?”

The moment Caleb saw his best female friend, he knew something was wrong. They had been neighbours and friends since they were kids and while she may have been the empath, he could read her like a book. Her distant eyes, slightly slouched shoulders and the way she was holding her tablet close to her chest as if trying to protect herself screamed of something incredibly wrong.

“Mary?” he asked.

“What did you end up putting for that question about the ladder set up against the wall?” she asked abruptly.

“I… Uh… 46 point –”

“No you didn’t.”

With that, she turned and headed down the hallway, disappearing into the rest of the crowd.

Lars exchanged glances with Caleb. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Since the questions are randomised, I guess she can’t read people’s minds and couldn’t get any answers…” Caleb responded, unsure of his own answer. “I mean, advanced math class is pretty hard… After what happened the past few weeks, maybe she didn’t get time to study…”

Though he seriously doubted that was the issue.

What really was bugging Mary though, he couldn’t quite tell.

“Should we talk to her?”

Caleb agreed that it was a good idea and using their noses, they hunted down Mary to the cafeteria where the rest of the students were gathering for an evening meal before heading home. The large hall was a buzz with the latest round of tests. Mary sat with a visible gloom over her head with Ben and Rhiannon. Ashton, Mary’s boyfriend, was there beside her as well. Even the jovial British tiger with the painted stripes couldn’t cheer her up and he seemed to be trying to feed her while making baby noises.

“Hey guys!” Caleb said, trying to sound like he wasn’t too concerned about Mary. “How’d your tests go?”

“Aced it!” Ben said, stretching his arms over his head. “Multilanguage is so easy. As a Connors, I have to learn multiple languages. My kind need to be fluent in all sorts of languages, after all.”

“How’d you learn so many languages if you’re only eighteen?”

Ben gave Caleb a coy smile and glanced over to Rhiannon. “Shall I tell him or would you like to do the honours?”

The pure white Hound of Destruction dressed as an emo goth with bright pink hair clapped her paws together in glee. “Oooh! Let me! Let me!” She cleared her throat and stood up theatrically. “Caleb. Ben isn’t eighteen.”

Caleb’s ears perked. “Huh? What? Is his a year older?” Seeing Rhiannon’s smile, he added, “Younger? Did he skip a few grades?”

Lars gave him a confused look. “What? Don’t tell me you don’t know?”

“Know what?” he insisted, glancing around the table. “Know what?”

“Werewolves age at a much slower rate than anyone else,” Rhiannon said, her voice rising with glee. “The moment you get bitten, because your metabolism and regeneration accelerates to superhuman levels, your cells don’t suffer as much damage over time. Add to that the fact that members of the Alpha Pack are supers, it means that they also have baseline superpowers. Stacked on top of werewolf regeneration and that means…”

Caleb’s eyes widened as he turned towards Ben. “W – wait… Are you telling me?”

His nerdy bespectacled friend who was, in reality, the incredibly horny, masculine and virile Blood Wolf, turned towards him with a grin. “Caleb, I’m actually ninety years old.”

…

“You’re ninety!?” he exclaimed, loud enough that his voice carried over the entire cafeteria. Thankfully, with all the chatter, it was drowned out.

Ben laughed and Rhiannon toppled backwards in glee, clutching her stomach as she rolled onto the table, kicking her legs wildly into the air. It didn’t matter to her that as she rolled, she squashed Ashton’s tray of food and crushed Mary’s meal.

“In Alpha Pack years, I’m eighteen,” Ben clarified with a shrug. “But Rhia’s right. I age way slower than any normal human or even a super. It’s one of the signs of being a member of the Alpha Pack. You’re a baby for like five years.”

Caleb was still struggling to comprehend how this could be possible. “So you age five times slower than everyone else. That must mean your parents are…”

“Centuries old, yeah,” Ben said. “I told you we’re a pretty powerful group.” He winked at Caleb. “Sure I can’t entice you to live a couple of centuries with us? Even without baseline superpowers, you’d at least live three times longer than the average wolf.”

He ignored Ben’s often tiring attempts to convert him into a member of the Alpha Pack and turned to Lars. “Wait… so does that mean you age slower than I do?”

Lars shook his head. “No, not really. I age at the same rate. Just…” He ducked his head a little. “I’ll probably live longer.”

His heart did a few somersaults. “What?”

“Supers have supernatural regeneration,” Lars answered with a shrug. “Aging is really caused by your cells constantly dividing over time to repair damage to your body and the process degrading the integrity of the cells. A super’s regeneration actually stalls this process. We reach maturity at about the same time but we don’t start sprouting grey fur at least until we’re ninety. On average, we’ll live to be about two hundred.”

Seeing Caleb’s crestfallen look, Lars quickly said, “But not many supers live that long! Most of the time we get killed because of some villain or something!”

Ashton sucked a large mouthful of air through his fangs. “Oooh… Mate, bad move. You just told our old boy Caleb that it’s either you’ll outlive him by a whole lifetime or he’ll lose you to a supervillain.”

Lars fumbled, his tongue doing twists in his muzzle. “Oh… Erm… Uh… Well… see…”

Mary suddenly slammed a fork into the plastic table top, cutting through the conversation. “This is stupid.” Her sharp, blue eyes snapped towards Caleb. “You shouldn’t care how long Lars lives and cherish the time you spend together. No matter who dies first, as long as you’re with one another, you’ll live forever.”

A metaphysical dagger stabbed for Caleb and Lars in the chest and the two jocks flinched, clutching one another’s paws instinctively.

Then she whirled around towards Ben. “You shouldn’t be so smug. By the time you were twelve your biological parents were old, wrinkled and broke from moving all over the place and promoting you from their son, to their second son when the first died to their nephew, their grandson and then their great grandson. You still visit their graves every year.”

Ben opened his mouth to protest but immediately shut it tight. His eyes dropped a moment later.

Mary then shot her laser-like stare at Ashton. “Stop trying to treat me like I’m your child! You fuck me for god’s sake! That either makes you a colossal weirdo or a goddamn paedophile.”

Lastly, her eyes levelled on Rhiannon who lay on the table, her head over the edge and looking up at Mary challengingly.

“And you…”

Rhiannon smirked at her. What could faze the Hound of Destruction?

“L4.”

Rhiannon’s bright red eyes snapped open and she immediately lunged at Mary, claws outstretched. “I’ll kill you!”

Caleb and Lars lunged forward, pulling her arms back while Ben pinned down her legs. It took all three of them – a super, an outsider and a werewolf – to restrain her. Her claws flailed through the air, froth gathering at the corners of her mouth and her eyes wild and filled with murder. All the while Mary just stood there, unmoving and with her eyes cold and uncaring.

“How dare you mention that name in front of me!?” Rhiannon screeched. She was completely psychotic. Her claws raked across Caleb’s arm and clawed at Lars’ face. “That bitch is nothing you hear me! I can crush her with my tail!”

“Calm down, Rhia!” Caleb cried, using all his might to pull the Hound off the table. “Wolf Christ! What the fuck does ‘L4’ even mean!?”

“It’s a name Gwen goes under. A ‘No One Name’,” Mary responded. “Jacob’s is ‘R3’.”

“Does the ‘L’ and ‘R’ mean anything?”

Mary shook her head and got up. “Why don’t you ask them?” she replied coldly. She turned and strode out of the cafeteria.

Ashton looked after her worriedly, the tiger glancing towards the boys and the calming Rhiannon. “She’s been like this all day. I can’t rightly say I know what’s gotten into her.”

Rhiannon, slightly calmer, huffed loudly and shrugged off those restraining her. “Bitch.”

Caleb wasn’t sure if she meant Gwen or Mary. “Rhia, why do you hate…” He caught himself from saying ‘Gwen’. “Her so much?”

The Hound sat back down, arms crossed and still fuming. “No matter what name she goes under, she’s still the same goddamn annoying bitch I know! Even back in the old fur world, she was smug, arrogant and constantly kept count. She wouldn’t stop rubbing it in my face whenever we met! Constantly reminding me how many times I owed her or whatever! Bah! Makes me glad when they both die.”

“How could you say that?”

“You heard them. Death has no consequence for them.” Rhiannon grinned devilishly. “Only thing is, if they die, then any debts they may have held will be wiped. Clean slate.” She made a slicing motion through the air. “They can’t call ‘favours’ from the gods anymore and Gwen certainly can’t keep count anymore.” She growled, fangs bared. “I’m halfway tempted to kill her myself just to get it over and done with. If they weren’t keeping the Genesians at bay…”

Ashton let out a thoughtful noise, bringing all attention to him. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, the miniscule lines from Shakespeare tattooed onto his arms to look like tiger stripes showing. “If get this bargain right… Jacob and Gwen are here to help against the Genesians upon Arcturus’ behest. However, there are restrictions put on them by the gods. Further, if they die any leverage those two may have had over the various pantheons of our world will effectively be wiped clean. Am I right?”

“That’s the gist of it, yeah.”

The tiger frowned deeply, wrinkling his nose. “My, the gods can be colossal dicks.”

Lars inclined his head to the side, pears perked. “What do you mean?”

Caleb’s brow furrowed. Conflicting emotions roiled inside of him. Part of him was happy at his realisation while the other felt a little bad for Jacob and Gwen. That caused him to sort of half-smile, half-frown. His friends called it his ‘confuzzled’ look. “They’re getting the short end of the stick. They’re effectively slaves to the gods. They really can’t win except… well… if they win against the Genesians. Losing isn’t an option for them.”

“I wouldn’t put it past them to lose on purpose,” Rhiannon said gruffly. “Though that wouldn’t be Jacob’s MO. He’s like to butt in and get involved to help people but he’s smart about it as well. He’ll only let himself get killed when its most beneficial to people. Gwen though…” She let out a low growl. “She may be the Liaison of Life but she’s just at adept at death. You know she actually induced a state of hyper fertility in a bunch of canine furs to the point where the island they lived on became so overpopulated that they all starved to death!?”

He pulled his head back, appalled. “Why?”

“Something about balance or something,” the Hound answered. “Apparently, the canines were disrupting nature or some hippy crap. Killing them all with ridiculous amounts of birth was apparently the best way to solve the issue.”

Though he was afraid to ask, Caleb said, “How would you have done it?”

A manic glint entered Rhiannon’s eyes. “I would have caused a slow withering disease of the mind, slowly driving everything and everyone on that island mad. I would unleash untold horrors from underground, spewing fire and brimstone upon the hapless villagers so that they know the very air, sea and land that they have plundered and polluted has turned against them! Ash would fall down upon them, fire burning their flesh and charring their bones until it is a black as the night! They would not be able to breathe and their eyes would boil in their eye sockets while their very blood evaporated in their veins!”

She threw her head back and let out a cackling, maniacal laugh. Anyone else who was left in the cafeteria gave her one glance and began shuffling out, leaving the four furs alone.

“Oh… Okay…” Ashton began. “Lady Rhiannon, would I be overstepping my boundaries if I were to assume you would very much like something to destroy?”

Rhiannon cut her laughter short abruptly, turning a very pleasant smile towards the tiger. “Why yes, please.”

“Excellent.” The thespian tiger ducked underneath the table and pulled out his backpack. A moment later, he pulled out a large box wrapped in generic golden gift wrapping and with a red bow on top.

Caleb’s eyes lit up upon seeing the little device. “Oh. I get it.”

Lars didn’t. “What is that thing?”

“Oh right. You weren’t there why I made it.” Caleb pointed at the box as Ashton handed it over to Rhiannon. The Hound of Destruction began tearing at the wrapping paper but right beneath the layer of coloured paper and the bow… was yet another layer only this time it was a green bow with a white gift wrapping with red polka dots. “It was one of the first things I actually used my powers on. When Bren and Mary were training me to use it, Mary got me that present as a ‘Welcome to the Outsiders’ present. I was so excited that I accidentally used my powers on it.”

His boyfriend backed away from the present. “What does it… do?”

“Nothing really. It’s just the Gift That Keeps on Giving.”

“Huh?”

Ashon chimed in as Rhiannon, now sneering ‘Gwen’ under her breath tore through layer after layer of the wrapping paper. “Basically, this little parcel is covered in an infinite layer of wrapping paper. No matter how much you tear into it, it will never reveal what is beneath it. You can shake it and hear something rattling inside. You can set it ablaze, try to slice it with a laser and even shoot it with bullets. The wrapping paper will simply never expire.” He glanced towards Rhiannon. “After Madame Gwen’s appearance at the Facility last night, Bren thought it might be rather therapeutic for our resident Hound of Destruction. I’d say he was quite right.”

A large pile of wrapping paper was slowly forming around Rhiannon as she had picked up a discarded fork and began jabbing the package with almost demonic glee.

“She’s really starting to scare me now,” Lars admitted. “Anyone else want to ditch her and do something else? As in, anything else?”

“Seconded,” Caleb replied.

The three boys got up and, keeping their eyes on Rhiannon, backed away from the otherwise empty cafeteria. They left, shutting the doors behind them. All the while, Rhiannon continued to attack the Gift That Keeps on Giving, occasionally cackling madly.

******

The Hero Memorial was located in Glimmer, commonly considered the ‘Jewel of West California Island’. In generally, the further north one travelled, the classier and more expensive it became while the further south became more industrial and where newer suburbs were added. The suburb of Glimmer received its name simply for what was called ‘The Golden Cross’ which was two intersecting roads that contained the most expensive jewellery stores in all of West Cali. People went there all the time to gawk at the thousand dollar rings or chains that would cost a lifetime to pay off. It was also a hotspot for villains and common thieves. With all the wealthy families living there and the copious amounts of extravagance, it was little wonder why Glimmer had the highest crime rates in all of West Cali.

Amidst the pristine roads, lush avenues and gilded street corners was the solid diamond pillar of the Hero Memorial. Built during what was known as the Diamond Dawn of Superheroes, the memorial had the names of all the names of heroes engraved into the pillar that had ever passed and contributed to California as a whole. Regardless if they were predominantly on the Island or on the mainland, they had their name permanently immortalised on the glistening, crystal surface.

Caleb followed his dad along the red brick path of the Memorial leading to the pillar. Each brick had the name if a victim of supervillains on it, a way for the superhero community to remember that they ultimately bore an incredible burden on their shoulders. The path would usually be flanked by brilliant, blue rose bushes but given that it was winter, snow had fallen coating the garden in white.

David stopped in front of the memorial, going oddly quiet. Lance was right beside him, a look of reverence on his face. Maybe he had to be part of the Elemental Alliance to truly grasp the gravity of the pillar’s symbolism but Caleb still bowed his head in respect for these fallen heroes. It was a stark reminder that despite all their power, they could still be killed. The thought left a rather bitter taste in his muzzle considering how Jacob and Gwen were exempt from that rule. They would die here and there would be consequences but they wouldn’t actually die. It wasn’t permanent.

It was like a giant ‘fuck you’ to the laws of the universe.

He pushed the thought from his mind and tried to focus on the reason he was here.

Sensing his eagerness, David smiled and said, “Come on then. Let’s head down into the museum.”

Just behind the memorial was the large metal doors leading down into what had been the first ever superhero group’s base of operations. Originally known as the Coalition of Valour, the group that consisted of Songstress, Telepath, the Blaze and Raptor had built the bunker in what was a time of turmoil. People were just realising they had superpowers. Human nature had drove fur and human alike to do some rather villainous things and it was only through the combined powers of the four original founders of the Coalition did they stop California from falling into anarchy. They recruited Red Blade later on in their tenure and it was with the addition of the Super Killer that peace was truly enforced.

David went up the guard station in front of the bunker. Having been here many times before, Caleb knew the old song and dance where the tour guide would take them around the garden and the pillar, telling them all about the history of the Memorial before taking them to this very guard station. They would then make a show of saying that they shouldn’t be taking the tour group down into the underground facility, pretend to plead with the guard and get the kids to promise they’ll be good and be ‘good young superheroes’. Then the doors would open and they’d head down into the museum.

This time, David when up to the guard and flashed what appeared to be an ID badge. The guard shrugged and beckoned him to enter, the large double doors swinging open to reveal a large flight of marble stairs leading downwards into the well-lit museum. From the sounds of things, there were already tour groups down there. No surprising as most primary and middle schools were cramming the last few field trips they could before Christmas break.

“What did you use to get in, dad?” Lance asked as they headed down into the museum.

“My Alliance ID,” David answered with a shrug. “It just shows that we’re allowed to pass on their monitors. Doesn’t actually show me as you-know-who.”

Caleb frowned at those words. “You still have your Alliance ID?

“Well, I haven’t exactly quit from the Alliance, you know.”

“I thought you resigned?”

“Once a superhero, always a superhero, Cale,” his dad answered with a smile. “Besides, I’ve still got friends in the Alliance. A lot of people want my membership revoked but my friends outnumber them. Being a founding member helps too.”

The museum itself was just like any place where various artefacts were on display though in reality, they were really just replicas. The Infernal Golem that stood near the entrance greeting them wasn’t the actual Infernal Golem that Sinister Sorcerer brought to life and rampaged downtown. The suits of fallen villains set up on mannequins were not their actual suits. They were just there for display with handy little holographic versions of the superheroes that eventually defeated them popping up with the press of a button to give detailed information about the artefact.

David took them off to the side, away from the tour groups and towards a maintenance door. He again swiped his ID card and the door let out a soft clicking noise. He pushed the door open and stepped through. Caleb followed and suddenly, he was in an entirely different part of the museum, a place he had never been to before.

“Holy shit…” he gasped.

His dad puffed out his chest. “Yep. This boys, is the real Hero Memorial.”

Enormous statues of all the fallen heroes lined a tremendous hallway. It stretched an incredible distance from where they stood, looking to almost go for an entire mile. From where he stood, Caleb could see that Red Blade, the eventual leader of the Coalition of Valour stood at the very end. It may have been a mile away but he was just too excited and bolted down to the exhibit. Various displays for all the other supers sped by him. He ignored Songstress’ concert dress, Raptor’s mechanical wings after his own were sliced off and Telepath’s cane.

His eyes were on the pure white longswords sitting crossed in a diamond display case. Caleb practically pressed his face against the glass, drooling and eyes wide.

“Holyshitholyshitholyshit!” he squealed bouncing in place. It was a rather odd sight as the three hundred pound wolf hopped in place even though he kept his head glued against the glass. “That’s Validation! It’s the real Validation!”

“We are all cogs in a greater Machine,” David recited, coming up beside his side. His eyes were on the words etched into the blade of the pure-white weapons. “We are defined by how we turn the gears around us and how we are in turn moved by them.”

“I choose to validate my life by taking yours,” Caleb finished, an enormous grin on his face. “The original badass!” His eyes lifted from the two swords and towards the fifty foot statue of wolf wearing a short sleeved jacket and with a scarf wrapped around his right arm so that it dangled by his side. “Jack Denver Clarke… the Red Blade.”

Lance peered down into the display case. Apart from Validation, there was the first ever Etherial, that very same scarf perfectly preserved and lastly a handwritten manuscript, the original ending to the Tower Thirteen series currently bound in a black hardcover. “I never really thought Red Blade was really that much of a hero,” admitted the largest of the Hales. “He was more of an… anti-hero, I guess. Killed people. Even supers.”

“Some people think of him as the great equaliser,” David responded. “He helped remind supers that they were mortal and they could be killed. During his time, when people were just emerging with superpowers, it was mostly anarchy. Anyone with a power would take what they wanted if they didn’t have a just heart. Even the Coalition couldn’t do much more against them. There were no prisons that could hold supers back then.” David’s eyes lifted towards the large statue. “Clarke was the one that developed the anti-super fields we use today and created preventative measures against supers. The Clarke Academy in D.C. is built for average people to learn how to take down supers and how to restrain them. It’s where he taught after he retired from being a super.”

Caleb straightened and frowned. “I thought he was killed?”

“That’s just the lie he fed to the public to disappear from superhero scene. Bastion was formed with his guidance and his later years, he served as its Director.”

“Bastion?” Caleb frowned. “That world initiative that was built for top secret operations and was supposed to have the highest level of technologies in the world? Kind of the black-ops of the black-ops but sort of public?”

“Didn’t they get disbanded when their Hovercarrier blew up thanks to some sort of genetic supersoldier that was cryogenically frozen?” Lance supplied.

David nodded and rested a paw on the glass case. “They were but they took a leaf out of their founder’s book and used the opportunity to hide from the public’s eyes and rebuild their resources. Instead of a single Hovercarrier, they now have several massive dreadnought-class starships hovering in space capable of launching troops down onto the surface at will. The FBI’s technology to wipe memories actually came from them as a sort of peace offering to the US government because our politicians were getting paranoid about a sort-of-not-quite national initiative that was above the laws of most countries.”

“Sounds a lot like Red Blade,” Caleb chuckled. “He never really cared for the laws and just did what he wanted.” His eyes went down towards black book. “Is that really the manuscript for the original ending of Tower Thirteen?”

David nodded firmly, fighting the grin on his face. “Yep. That is Chrysalis, by Jack Denver Clarke. Never published though.”

“Yeah. He never finished it before he ‘died’.”

“Actually, knowing what you know, do you really think he didn’t finish it?”

Caleb’s eyes widened and he stared at his father in shock for a whole minute. “You’re kidding.” Then he switched his eyes back to the book. “So that means… It’s actually… He really…?” He started frothing in the mouth and pressed his paws against the glass case. “I must read it!”

His dad gently gripped his shoulders and pull him away. His claws raked across the glass. “Actually… that’s not a very wise idea, Cale.”

“Why not?” Lance grunted. “It’s just a book.”

“Just a book!?” Caleb retorted. “Just a book!? It –”

“Can drive you insane,” David finished, bringing both his sons’ attention back to him. “I’m serious. When Clarke’s editor read the manuscript, he clawed out his own eyes and was thrown into an insane asylum. Anyone who has ever read it has gone completely batshit insane. One guy who once stole it, read it and he gave himself up only to detonate the bombs that he had strapped to himself. A supervillain, Mercurial, read it aloud in public once. The brains of everyone who heard his broadcast exploded the moment he got past the first chapter where it deviated from what was actually published by Clarke’s son.”

David’s eyes went back towards the black book. “It’s why the book is kept here.” He waved a paw to indicate the entire exhibit. “It may have seemed like it was easy to get here but we’re actually in a pocket dimension. Without an Alliance pass, that maintenance closet would have just been a maintenance closet. If you take any item out of here without permission from at least ten different heads of various superhero organisations across the globe, this place will lock down and you’ll never get to leave.”

“All because of one book?” Lance whispered in awe.

“Because there are artefacts in this exhibit that could potentially be world-ending,” David responded grimly. “Imagine if someone posted the contents of Chrysalis on the internet, assuming they wouldn’t go insane beforehand. It could end the world.”

Caleb turned never took his eyes off the book. “Wow… I never thought Clarke would create anything so… devastating.”

“I don’t think he did it intentionally,” answered David. “Apparently, his son and a few others could read it because he’s told them some things that mentally prepared them for it. But those unprepared or unworthy, just break down.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking up at the statue once more. “Clarke really was an amazing wolf. Despite what the fact that he had no real ‘secret identity’ and he was very much in the public eye, despite being criticised for his methods, accused of murder and being a villain, he still stood firm by his beliefs and didn’t let anyone else tell him what to do or who to be.”

He grinned at his two sons. “And you’re part of his family!”

Caleb took a step back from the display case, a strange tugging in his chest. “Dad… I need to go.”

David gave him a puzzled look. “Don’t you want to see the other exhibits?”

“Maybe later, dad. There’s someone I need to talk to.”

******

It was a big surprise to find someone as powerful as Jacob Reaper standing ankle-deep in the snow, a heavy parka over his shoulders and a beanie on his head waiting for a bus. But there he was. Caleb rode up to him, parking Ballistic away from the bus stop to avoid any fines. Jacob had a pair of headphones plugged into his big ears, eyes closed and just quietly listening to his music. No one else was at the stop, oddly enough. Though admittedly, the very same stop was rather secluded and off the main road.

Caleb tapped his shoulder. Jacob seemed genuinely surprised to see him.

“Hey Caleb,” said the black wolf. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Don’t you have some sort of god-like ability that can see the future?” Caleb responded with bitterness in his voice.

“Well yes,” laughed Legion. “But two things about that. Seeing into the future means you need to be specifically looking for something. The future is a vast ocean, you know. It can go in various directions. And secondly, I’m highly restricted while I’m here. No altering reality or looking into the future.” He tucked his phone into his pocket, headphones included. “So what can I do for you today?”

Caleb had practiced his speech the entire ride here and had been ready to blow up in Reaper’s face when he reached the hospital. When the nurse at reception told him that Jacob had left early to avoid being mobbed by reporters, most of which had camped out outside the hospital eager for a snap at Legion, he understood. It had been a miracle at all that Caleb had found Reaper. It would’ve been like searching for a needle in a haystack if he hadn’t asked Elliot to look for any bus stops that were away from the main road.

“When you fought Megaton yesterday, I was jealous,” he said. “Hell, I’m still jealous of you right now. I mean, you’ve got weapons just like me but you’re more in control of them and you’ve got baseline superpowers. Better yet, you’re not afraid to show your face, you know how to handle the media and you’ve got blonde hair and blue eyes! That’s like… I dunno! For me, it’s like you kicked me down and teabagged me in front of the whole goddamn Island!”

Despite the hour or so since he began thinking about what he was going to say and telling himself over and over again not to raise his voice, he couldn’t help it.

“I mean why did you have to step in and stop the Genesians? I had it under control! I could’ve won! You just came in and stole the show for no apparent reason!”

Jacob gave him a rather bemused smile and glanced off towards the road. “Huh.”

He waited for something more than ‘huh’ but when it didn’t come he could feel his blood boiling. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say for yourself? ‘Huh’? What does that even mean!?”

A degree of sadness touched Jacob’s eyes as he spoke even though his lips remained somewhat curled in a smile. “Just marvelling at how a simple fact can be true all across time and space. I believe in this world, it was Newton who said ‘For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.’ How true that is.”

Caleb fumed. He bent down, picked up a pawful of snow and threw it at Jacob, striking the other wolf’s shoulder. It wasn’t meant to be hard. “What the fuck does that mean?”

Jacob regarded him with a soft smile. “It means that in this case, you do something for someone and someone else gets pissed.”

Caleb inclined his head slightly but didn’t want to look too confused. He was angry right now and he liked it. “You think you’re doing someone a favour?”

“Several actually,” Jacob answered dismissively. “This world’s ‘gods’ were quite loud when they asked me to help. But of course, people will get annoyed that I’ve stepped in. I don’t belong here after all.” He let out a short laugh, shutting his eyes momentarily. “It’s really quite hilarious. Over the countless millennia, they have asked for my help individually but because of that, another one would get mad. Not at the one that asked but at me for lending a paw.”

“I have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about.”

Jacob regarded him and with pleasant smile. “The gods have always been at war with one another. Whether it’s between pantheons or internally, they are at war. It got worse when the furs entered this world and brought their gods with them. However, the gods ultimately care for their followers and don’t want any harm to come to them. They may raise the occasional fanatic of radical but they don’t want to drag all of this multiverse into a colossal war that could wipe everything and everyone out even if it means destroying their enemies.

“Paralysed as they are, when they want something done they can’t just do it or they’d face the repercussions. When Jesus came back as a wolf in an attempt to bridge the gap between human and fur, it pissed a lot of deities off. What was intended to be a sign of good faith and a peace effort infuriated a lot of people. So instead of doing a big bold move like that again, they call consultants.”

“You guys,” Caleb said accusingly.

The blonde wolf nodded slowly. “And while we can do something nice for one god, ten more get annoyed. I may not keep score but they certainly do. And it seems to apply to anyone. No matter what you do, people will find reasons to criticise you. Help someone in need and they ask why you couldn’t have been there sooner. Give someone something and they demand to know why you couldn’t have given something better. Aid someone in getting into paradise and they complain about having to go through hardship and pain to get there. Rid the world of a villain permanently and the get up all up in arms about why you couldn’t have done something else for them despite all your power. Save someone…” He glanced over at Caleb. “… and they tell you to butt out.”

Those words stung… mostly because he had those same demands thrown at him from time to time. Why couldn’t he have done better? Why couldn’t he have prevented so much pain? Why didn’t he do more? He also remembered feeling annoyed that he was out there risking his life, helping people and they never showed gratitude. It suddenly felt like he was the GG Guinness to Jacob… and that made him feel dirty.

“I… I didn’t mean it like that…”

“And I certainly didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” Jacob answered. “But it’s the cold hard truth. Even for me where I can die and there’s very little consequence to me personally, there are still consequences as a whole. Ones that I have to wear on my conscience. In the end, people can be colossal dicks. You do something for them for free or out of the goodness of your heart and they will still demand more.” He chuckled softly. “I once helped a civilisation rebuild out of a nuclear apocalypse and you know what they said?”

“What?”

“‘Why couldn’t you have been there to stop the bombs from going off?’” Jacob shook his head. “Little wonder the gods rarely intervene anymore. People will just blame them for all the things that’s gone wrong in the world. Not that they don’t already do that. And yet here I am, their little puppet to do what they want even though ultimately, they’re going to throw a fit for what I’ve done and want me to suffer and die.”

He remembered Rhiannon saying something about if Jacob were to die, there would be a clean slate. So he began to wonder… “If you’re making the gods mad, then why do you help?”

“Because they asked.”

“Don’t you get anything out of it? I mean, isn’t the only reason you’re here is so that you can die and make it so that none of the gods are out to get you?”

“Is that what you think?” Jacob laughed. The darker wolf shook his head and glanced down the street. There was no bus yet. “The whole ‘clean slate’ thing isn’t for me. It’s for the gods. While their ire falls on me, they still bear grudges against those that invoked me. I’m like the trump card in a Trading Card Game. The ‘I Win’ Button. The instagib. Everyone hates using me but the moment they have me in their hand, they’ll go ahead and pull the trigger. They’ll ban me from the game but somehow, they’ll still make excuses to bring me back in.”

That sounded… like a terrible life to live. He was effectively just a tool to them. “So… when you die, it’s like they’re wiping the board clean for them. That’s it, isn’t it?”

Jacob nodded without a word.

“So why do you do it then?” Caleb asked, remnants of his rage still burning within him. “Why do you let yourself get used? From what I hear, you’re stronger than all of them. Why subject yourself to that bullshit? As far as I’m concerned, you’re perpetuating their game and getting people hurt!”

He was yelling again.

Through it all, Jacob kept his voice calm and collected. His answer was simple that it hurt. “Because everyone deserves their happy ending.”

Caleb had to run through that sentence multiple times in his head before he could fully digest it. His mind instantly went to the gutter and he thought Jacob was performing these acts of ‘charity’ so that he could jack off the gods… Then he reconsidered. “What?”

“Even the gods deserve to be happy. This constant state of war isn’t something that makes them happy. Eventually, they will die. Everyone does. There are no gods. Just mortals. When that time comes, they’re going to look back on the things I did for them, look back on their existence, and make a choice. They can choose to make their own story free of the one true creator of this multiverse or continue to exist within the confines of this existence.” Jacob grinned. “Either way, it pissed them to no end that I’m a constant reminder that they aren’t as all powerful as they think they are.”

The weapon-making Outsider scratched his head, his rage replaced with confusion. “Wait… What?”

“Suffice to say, Caleb, that the gods like to think they are at the top of the food chain. Someone reminding them that they aren’t is a serious blow to the ego even when that same someone is only there to remind them when they’re asked. It’s kind of why they were colossal dicks when they put the restrictions on me.” Jacob glanced at his watch. “Just trying to prove once more that I am their puppet and nothing more.”

“But you’re really not. Are you?”

“No. I’m here helping because they asked and they needed it. I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t see any benefit in it for them and all this multiverse.”

“And how does showing me up help the multiverse?” Caleb asked hotly.

There, Jacob smirked. “Because it’s something the Ring wasn’t expecting.”

There, Caleb pulled his head back in surprise. “The who?”

The enigmatic wolf gave him a smirk. “Don’t concern yourself with it as of the moment. You’ll meet them eventually, I think.” He glanced back down the street. “Where is that bus? I’m going to be late…”

“Can’t you just… I dunno… poof your way to your bar or something?”

Jacob shook his head. “First of all, I can’t ‘poof’. I may be a super but the gods only gave me baseline superpowers and a choice of three powers as part of our agreement.” He held up a finger. “The first was the inability to feel pain.” A second finger went up. “The next was power over fish. Not all marine animals. Just fish.” He raised a third finger. “And the last is flight and near invulnerability so long as I am in the presence of the Earth’s sun.”

“And that’s the one you took, isn’t it?” Caleb growled.

“Actually, that one came with a drawback. If I took that power, I would be rendered completely powerless, no baseline superpowers and in complete agony if I’m in the presence of an object that was composed of 90% or greater and the remaining percentage as copper.”

Running through his trivia, Caleb realised there was only one thing with that sort of composition. “So… you’d be rendered powerless by a penny?”

Jacob growled, the first flash of frustration on his face since they had met. “Why do you Americans even have those still? Seriously, most currency is purely electronic now yet you still have once cent coins! Why?”

There, Caleb had to laugh. “It’s a historical thing, really. I think everyone just likes having pennies around. No one really uses them.” His ears folded back, his rage mostly spent. “So you didn’t take that power then?”

“I took the one where I’m impervious to pain. In effect, I won’t know if I’ve been stabbed in the back until I feel faint from blood loss or I move my arm and feel the blade brushing up against my bone.”

“Really? What about your weapons?”

There, Jacob smirked. “A giant ‘fuck you’ to the gods.” He flashed Caleb a mischievous grin. “Those assholes asked me to help them and then they restrict me. It’s saying, ‘Hey, I need your help moving my stuff to my new apartment this weekend but you can only do it blindfolded, hopping on one foot and I’m going to stick you with this concoction of deadly venom that’ll kill you in six hours but I’ll give you the antidote once we’re done’.” He said the last in a taunting, high-pitched voice. “Assholes,” Jacob grumbled. “But they never said anything about me bringing in reinforcements. My Advocates saw what was happening and decided to help.”

“Your Advocates?” Caleb asked.

“I go from universe to universe, reality to reality helping people find their way and earning the right to their own stories. I basically elevate them to godhood. They get the power to make their own universes or multiverses even. Sometimes, though, they don’t want to be gods and would much prefer to just hang out in a community of like-minded people. So we No Ones have our own little dimensions that we build up so they can stay there.”

“You’re their gods then?”

“Nah.” Jacob scratched himself behind his ear. “Naught has kind of become like a multiverse on its own. People’s ‘houses’ are their own little pocket dimensions and I’ve had to build little ‘roads’ between them so they can visit one another. There are common places like the Advocate Academy and the Library but really, we just keep to ourselves. I don’t have the power to kick them out or destroy their pocket dimensions because their stories are their own. Same way I couldn’t stop them from coming with me. They’re only letting me use their power.”

That was a rather incredible show of loyalty if even after these ‘Advocates’ obtained godhood and the power to create their own worlds, they still stayed loyal to Jacob. Caleb wondered if any of his teammates would stay by him if some better opportunity came around.

“Anyway,” Jacob said, shoving his paw into his pocket and taking out his phone. “Long story short, the Advocates aren’t part of the deal. They’re outside the reach of the gods and are here to help. The gods don’t want to step in and kick them out because… well, they’re basically at the same level. Like I said, no one wants a divine war especially when this world’s gods have more to lose.” Jacob dialled something on his phone. “Sorry, I’ve got to check where that bus is.”

Caleb nodded and let Jacob dial the bus service hotline. His anger was spent and he came to realise that Jacob really hadn’t intended to one-up him. It was just that he was asked to interfere by the gods and it just seemed that way. Being told to leave the Genesians to him and his team was just an attempt to keep him safe and away from danger. In a way, he could understand that and it was why he insisted Arsenal stay out of it. But it didn’t stop the feeling of inadequacy he felt. There were dozens of times he had told others to stay back and leave the fighting to him. He ever recalled when he had first revealed his powers to Ben and Lars. Even after repeating over and over again to leave the Gene Stealers to him, Mary and Bren, those two still got involved.

And now one of them was his boyfriend.

“Well fuck me…” Jacob sighed, lowered his phone. “Another thing that the gods keep doing to me, screwing me over while pretending it wasn’t them. Then again, I guess I’m sort of a victim of the same thing any mortal is. Something unfortunate happens, blame someone higher up than you and never take the blame yourself.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Guess I’m hoofing it.” He threw a smile over his shoulder at Caleb. “Anyway, thanks for the talk, Caleb. I got to head to work.”

Caleb glanced at Ballistic not too far away and then at the wolf with his head ducked in an attempt to remain warm. Just as Jacob was heading off, he seized the black wolf’s shoulder. “Hey, why don’t I give you a ride?”

Jacob gave him a curious stare. “You’re still not angry about me showing you up or the fact that I haven’t apologised for it? Because I didn’t mean it. And I am sorry. You were unprepared for Megaton and he would’ve killed you.”

“No, I’m not mad,” Caleb replied. “A little annoyed, yeah, but I’m not mad anymore. I guess we both have our troubles. Yours just deals with the divine entities that rule this world and me… Well… You know. Honestly, I don’t envy you anymore. You’ve got a pretty shit life.”

The blonde wolf’s sapphire-blue eyes narrowed in sarcasm. “Thanks. That makes me feel so much better.”

“That doesn’t mean that I still don’t want to kick your ass and show you that I can take down a Genesian as well as you can,” Caleb said, grinning broadly. “You won’t be able to stop me from doing it either.”

“I’m sort of tempted to say that I can especially if I were to break your legs but I know that’s futile. I’ve seen that look in your eyes before. It’s the same look my Advocates gave me when I said I was going into a world where the odds were stacked against me with pretty shitty powers.” Jacob shrugged absently. “Okay, sure. Feel free to step in and try your hand against some Genesians if and when they pop up. Just don’t blame me if I save your ass.”

There, Caleb grinned. “Trust me, I’ll save your ass one day.”

They hopped onto Ballistic, Caleb offering Jacob his spare helmet. After being given the address, he programmed it into the GPS of his bike and they were off, zooming down the streets. There wasn’t any disgust or temptation to throw Jacob off his bike, despite his earlier reservations. In fact, he did feel a sort of… healthy competition between them.

Maybe he could keep score of how many Gene Stealers he defeated compared to how many Genesians Jacob knocked down. At the very least, he was a couple of Stealers ahead.

“Hey,” he said into his communicator, “so given that you’re all powerful in a way, does that mean you know how the multiverse began?”

“First thing I asked when I got full control over my powers, yeah,” Jacob responded.

“So… Am I going to go anywhere if I ask or are you going to be enigmatic and tell me I’ll have to find out later?”

Jacob chuckled softly. “Little from column A, little from column B.” His passenger let out a thoughtful noise. “You’re a fan of the Tower Thirteen series, right?”

“Yeah?”

“How many gods were alive and active during the events of the series again excluding the big bad.”

“Um… Fifteen I guess.”

“Well, funnily enough, in the universe I was born in, we had these things called ‘Seals’. Basically little pocket universes built from great sacrifice that could then be used through a magical symbol to affect the world around it. Like a Seal of Ice had a dimension built entirely out of ice inside of it and when invoked, it could do ice… stuff. But there were there really powerful Seals. We called them the Forbidden Seals. Reason is, invoking them came at a very steep price. For instance, there was the Oblivion Seal. Call upon that and you can had the power to kill anything but someone must die when invoked and someone must die to stop its power as well.”

“That’s… kind of overpowered.”

“You’re telling me. And you want to know something?”

“What?”

“There were fifteen Forbidden Seals.”

Caleb shrugged. “Um… okay?”

“And my world was called ‘Mortaelis’.”

Caleb balked and he swerved. Jacob clutched him from dear life, letting out a loud ‘Whoa!’ before Caleb managed to pull over to the side. He tore off his helmet and gave his passenger a stunned look.

“Are you saying…?” he began.

Jacob likewise pulled off his helmet and gave him a smile. “We’re all connected, Caleb. Just like JD Clarke said.”

Boom!

An explosion rang out a few blocks away and they both turned.

“If it’s worth anything, I did not plan that,” said the blonde wolf, pulling out his phone. “General evacuation has been called for Hallowmire. Apparently, someone called Ronald Price is running around with a tank and a private militia shouting conservative propaganda.” He turned his phone towards Caleb. “You know this guy?”

Caleb gave him a sour look. “Yeah… Yeah, I know him. Come on, let’s get over there before he blows up half of the island.”

“This really should be something for the Alliance to take care of.”

There, he gave Jacob a sly grin. “Now don’t tell me you’re going to back down from a fight against a tubby multibillionaire-turned-supervillain with a blatantly obvious comb over.”

Jacob tossed the spare helmet back at him. “Not a chance. Race you there!”

******

About a decade ago Ronald Price was a multibillionaire who had a monopoly on various hotels, properties and business investments. The quintessential self-made American man, Price worked his way from the ground up, made smart investments and eventually got to the top of his industry and branched out. Rumour had it that he earned a million dollars per minute and only kept investing. One of the most influential men of the twenty-ninth century, he had his own reality TV show called ‘The Intern’ and had countless endeavours that made him a household name.

Then he got into politics.

With the turn of the millennium, Roland Price put his hand up for presidency. As a conservative, he had quite a strong backing especially on victims of supers who considered the empowered to be akin to illegal immigrants. They wanted them tagged, rationed across states like they were property and deported if they didn’t have proper registration or documents. It was the platform of his entire campaign and he made incredibly compelling arguments.

But when asked about other topics… his response became far more… controversial.

His response to Lunar Orbit decay due to excessive use of the portal network to the moon was, ‘We’re wasting money on this ridiculous fear campaign that the tides are being affected by a decay in the moon’s orbit. It’s just a tactic made up by the Australians because they’re too scared to send anyone to the moon.’

When asked about the constant warring over territory on Mars and the fear that Martian terrorists were on American soil, he said, ‘If elected president, I’m going to spend money out of my own pocket to build nuclear warheads that I’ll use to bomb the shit out of Mars. Wipe all those filthy Martians off the Solar System and then repopulate the Red Planet with good, hardworking red-blooded Americans’.

This campaign just went downhill from there and became even more ridiculous. Even the strongest gun in his arsenal – the topic on supers – was ruined by his most damning statement, ‘Supers aren’t human. They aren’t American. They are aliens. Just like those land-grabbing, lazy furs.’

And with that, he alienated the furs that supported him and his campaign failed.

Bitter and eschewed, Price vowed that he would return to make the United States of America – indeed all of Earth – into a place that God intended.

So he collected his wealth, started various puppet corporations that couldn’t be traced to him and sold all of his assets. He amassed an enormous personal army and reappeared as a conqueror intent on trying to take over the United States and bringing it under his rule by force. Having criticised supers so much, he refused to adopt a supervillain name. Ironically, it was a combined force of supers and the US military that defeated him.

Unfortunately, he escaped thanks to some legal shenanigans his lawyers unleashed on the court. Every now and then, he would reappear with another plot, another army and another scheme to take over the states.

Today, he had a plan in mind.

“I will free you all from the oppressive force of this so called ‘democratic government’,” he bellowed through the speakers mounted on his very large, very angry looking tank. His army rolled through the streets, men dressed in red, white and blue armour marching beside his similarly coloured tanks and trucks. “Within moments, I will detonate the bridges that link West California Island to the mainland! Engines that I have attached to the underside of the island will pull us away from the so called ‘United States of America’! You will be free!”

The tank suddenly ground to a halt. Price, who was standing on a podium sitting just behind the two barrels of the vehicle, glanced down at the obstruction. The African-American stood at an impressive 6’1’’ and was naturally dressed in a red, white and blue suit with a distinct American flag motif on his body. He wore a cape over his shoulders made entirely to look like the American flag before Canada became part of the States. His stance on that was that he didn’t want any ‘northern, moose-kissing hicks’ polluting the genes of red blooded Americans.

Price’s blue eyes, a unique mutation despite his heritage, frowned at the two young men standing in front of the tank. “Out of the way, you grimy freaks of nature!” he bellowed.

“I wonder…” Jacob said loudly. “How the hell did he manage to ride into the middle of the city without anyone noticing?” He looked unimpressed, his arms crossed and still dressed in his parka and beanie.

Caleb, on the other hand, had adopted his Weapons Master costume complete with the magical enhancements that made him appear like a different canine to anyone looking at him, scrambling his fur pattern, eye colour, hair colour and even species in some cases. Over his shoulders was the spotted coat of Funny Bone, the heavy bone armour components wrapped around his arms.

“Better question is why no other supers have come,” he said.

“Are you the best the so called ‘protectors’ of this island can muster?” Price laughed, flinging his head back. For a brief moment, the ridiculous comb over he had revealed his rather evident balding pate. An incomprehensible amount of styling and hair products kept it otherwise in place. “A greenhorn superhero and an Outsider, a half-super!? Where is your Alliance_? Where is the rest of_ Arsenal?”

“If I had to guess,” Jacob said, glancing over at Caleb, “given what you’ve told me about this guy, he’s probably got the Alliance locked up with some legal shenanigans or bribed people to keep them from being alerted to this disturbance.”

“My team is on their way,” Caleb answered, absently pressing the earpiece in his left ear. “But they’re held up by a lot of traffic. He’s messed with the city’s traffic system as well.”

“Money is power, after all,” chuckled the blonde wolf. All of Price’s guards lifted their guns, levelling them at the two heroes. “What’s your bet that those guns have some sort of anti-super tech in them?”

“No bet,” Caleb growled. Beside him, a dozen of ghostly, feral hyenas sprang from the ground, letting out terrifying giggles and unnerving laughs. “I heard that Price likes to keep a personal anti-super field on him as well. That tank will probably render your baseline powers useless.” He glanced sideways at Jacob. “Got any ideas?”

“Yeah.” Jacob swung his paw behind his back. Writhing white light danced between his fingers. A moment later, the big, black, menacing scythe appeared. “My Advocates aren’t supers.”

He swung the scythe through the air. A high pitched keening filled the air followed by terrified cries. The guns and armour of the mercenaries directly in front of them were suddenly sliced and diced, leaving the men in nothing but their undergarments. Price let out a shout of surprise as invisible blades cut through the speakers mounted on his custom tank. The microphone in his hands was sliced perfectly in two.

“Impossible! My anti-super fields should have rendered your powers useless!” Price shouted. He turned around to the rest of his army. “Get them! Get them now!”

Caleb snorted and shook his head. “I sort of feel bad for them.” He slammed a fist into the ground. The earth shook right behind Price’s tank. Enormous bone spikes shot out of the asphalt, rising well above the nearby buildings and barring Price for the rest of his army. There was a small contingent still with him but it was nowhere near the large army he once had. If that wasn’t enough, similar bone walls sprang up all around the combatants, sliding between alleyways, cutting off shortcuts and avenues. They were enclosed with Price in an arena made of fearsome bone walls.

“Your level of power with that thing is really impressive,” Jacob observed.

“You think that’s good? Check this out!” He straightened and pointed straight at Price. “Get ‘em!”

The ghostly hyenas flanking him charged on his command. As they left his side, a dozen more sprang up from the ground and followed the rest of the pack. Over and over again, the hyenas kept spawning until at least fifty of them were swarming over the soldiers. Some of Price’s men were still armed and they worked in coordination with their unarmed comrades, tossing them spare weapons to keep the hyenas at bay.

Within the arena were two trucks armed to the teeth and about a dozen of Price’s men on board ATVs with mounted automated turrets. Training kicked in and the commanders began shouting orders. The ATV-mounted men zoomed through the ethereal pack, ripping them to shreds with bullets and heading straight for the two heroes. They ran a tight circle around the two but strangely not firing.

Caleb realised that if one of them so much as missed, they ran the risk of shooting their own comrades. Their commanders were smart. But now both he and Jacob were pinned in the one place… which meant…

“Where are you powers now, heroes!?” laughed Price. “You put up an impressive show but ultimately, your performance was disappointing! If you were my employee, I would only have one thing to say to you!”

Jacob folded his ears back. “Please tell me he’s not going to say it…”

“He probably is,” Caleb said, crouching down and ready to leap away at a second’s notice. “It’s his catchphrase after all.”

“We are so going to get sued…”

Price pointed at the two and the dual cannons of the tank levelled at them. “You’re fired!”

The two wolves instantly leapt away. Jacob’s natural superpowers allowed him to jump past the circle of ATV riding soldiers. For Caleb, a pillar of bone shot out of the ground and catapulted him away from the two enormous shells. The explosion that followed caused his ears to ring even though he was a good distance away.

Now that they were at no risk of hitting each other, the soldiers opened fire. Caleb immediately summoned a wall of bone behind him, barring the attacks. He growled as his ghostly hyenas were being mowed down by the anti-super vehicles. His eyes fell on a toppled trashcan and grinned. Using both FBI combat training and his skills as a wide receiver, he shot out from behind his barrier, weaving and dodging past the rain of bullets to the garbage bin. The agile three hundred pound wolf seized the bin and it immediately let out a scintillating, blue-white glow.

The entire trashcan suddenly leapt towards his shoulders in a dizzying dance of light, it shape changing and twisting until it came to resemble a shoulder-mounted bazooka. The soldiers, to their credit, only paused for a second but it was enough for Caleb. The moment the light faded to reveal a silver cannon, he pulled the trigger. There was a strange, whomp noise akin to an object shooting down a chute and big, grey projectile came shooting out of the weapon’s muzzle.

The nearest soldier was struck on the chest and hurled to the ground. He somersaulted multiple times in the air and hit the ground with a loud squish. He was suddenly buried in a mound of garbage, a sickly green goo seeping between the pieces of trash that made it impossible to move.

That was one down.

Caleb grinned and swung one paw into the air. Another barrier of bone shot up from the ground and protected him a hail of bullets. A second later, pillar of bone shot out of the ground and hurled him into the air to the stunned looks of the soldiers beneath him. He fired his Trash Cannon, each projectile homing in on a target each. Star spangled soldiers cried out in shock as they were abruptly pinned to the ground and even buildings by sticky pieces of garbage.

Bone pillars erupted out of the walls and the ground, catching Caleb and forming a makeshift flight of stairs. He ran back down to ground level just as the tank’s cannons levelled at him.

“Die, Outsider worm!” Price shouted.

Caleb summoned another bone wall –

BOOM!

And was hurled to the ground as the explosion and massive shells tore right through his barrier. Jacob was suddenly by his side, quickly yanking him over his shoulder and pulling him out of the line of fire and into a nearby alleyway still within the arena’s confines.

“Fuck! That thing hits hard!” Caleb exclaimed.

“You’re telling me,” Jacob mumbled. He rolled his shoulders and Jacob noticed there were was a rather like piece of bone sticking out of the wolf’s shoulder.

“Uh… Jacob. You got a little something there.” He reached over to the shard and yanked it out. Jacob didn’t even flinch.

“Drawback of not being able to feel pain,” said the blonde wolf. “It’s good for when Gwen hurls bricks at my face though. I have no idea where she gets them though.”

They ducked their heads as another explosion hit, striking just at the entrance of the alleyway.

“When’s your team getting here?” Jacob asked.

“I don’t know. For now, we’re on our own.” He glanced at Funny Bone. “Kind of which I had brought Ballistic in here so I can swap weapons…”

The super crawled over to the other side alleyway. “We’ll need to make do then.” He nodded towards Caleb, particularly the cannon his shoulder. “Hey, think you can produce a peach from that thing?”

Caleb shrugged. “I don’t know… probably. Why?”

“Because I’ve got an idea for a witty line.”

He levelled the gun at the wall and fired. Jacob then rummaged through the trash and pulled out what appeared to be a rotten peach.

“Okay, you up for being the distraction?” he asked.

“Shouldn’t you be the distraction?” Caleb countered. “You’re the super here and you can’t feel pain.”

“I just need two seconds.”

Rolling his eyes, Weapons Master said, “Okay, fine. But I better not die!”

He then bolted out of the alleyway, sweeping his paws forward. A wall of bone shot up from the ground, flanking him as he ran.

BOOM!

The force of the blow hurled him to the ground, shards of fiery bone raining down around him. Fangs gnashed together, he propped himself up on his paws and knees just in time to her the ominous mechanical keening of two high-calibre cannons being levelled at him.

Price, still standing on the stage atop his tank, grinned. “So falls the great Weapons Master.”

A black figure appeared behind the tycoon-turned-supervillain.

“Hey Price.”

The man froze and spun around, meeting Jacob’s sapphire blue eyes.

“You’ve been impeached.”

Splort.

Caleb’s eyes went wide. The smelly, rotten peach slowly dripped down Price’s face, the sickly orange juices running down the multibillionaire’s expensive custom suit and soaking into his hair. The look on Price’s face was one of confusion, anger and incredulity.

“That’s it!?” Caleb shouted. “All that and that’s all you’re going to do!?”

“Nope,” Jacob answered, popping his jaw. “Roland Price, you’ve been kicked out of office!”

WHAM!

The full might of a super came crashing against Price’s chest and the man was hurled off the stage by Jacob’s shoe. Before he could get too far, though, Jacob caught him on his scythe, the black blade hooking onto Price’s ridiculous cape. He dangled the helpless man in front of the tank’s cannons, blocking the pilots from firing.

“Care to say a few words before you’re resignation?” Jacob asked the supervillain.

“Don’t shoot!” Price roared, waving his hands desperately in front of the cannons. “For fuck’s sake, don’t shoot!”

“I thought so.”

Caleb sighed with relief but was only halfway up when, for the second time that day, a black figure appeared on the stage. He never got to shout out a warning. Five thin, sharp bone-like blades shot out of Jacob’s chest, piercing his lungs. The super’s eyes went wide and he let out a gurgling gasp.

“Jacob!”

Legion fell to his knees, dropping his scythe. Price toppled to the ground with a crash. As the black wolf spat out blood between his lips, he glanced over his shoulders, fangs bared. A pair of big, black wings unfurled, practically blotting out the sun around him. A long, black cloak kept most of the creature hidden and his features were obscured by a menacing hood. Only a single, blue eye shone through the darkness.

“Who the hell are you!?” Caleb shouted, readying himself. Ghostly hyenas sprang up from all around him as the newcomer met his gaze.

“You should know me,” came the deep, rumbling voice. “You have foiled and engaged my troops over and over again since you received your powers, Caleb Hale.”

His heart suddenly seized up.

“I…” A long, black tentacle slipped out from beneath the Gene Stealer’s cloak, seizing Jacob’s throat and lifting the super into the air with frightening ease.

“… I am Chimera.”