Broker
Chapter 300

Greg cracked the can open and rested his head against it, sitting down in the small break room. He took a long, centering breath, letting the emotions work their way through his chest and out through his lungs. The cool can helped a little. He took a sip and stared at the wall, his lip twitching as that face popped up in his mind. That perfect smile. Those glittering blue eyes. That sculpted hair. It changed as he put context to it. He didn’t have enough evidence to prove it, but he had something he trusted more.

Trust your instincts.

The smile turned to a smug sneer. Those glittering eyes were filled with malice. His hair became a flamboyant distraction. The appearance of perfection wielded like a weapon. All those nice things he said, looking at it differently, didn’t it seem like he was just some guy standing on a stage? Spouting whatever he needed to in order to get ahead? To make everyone like him? Greg’s teeth clenched tightly, and the can began to glow purple in his hand.

Lies.

The chair beneath him shook a little, and he tried to calm down. Sonya had clearly been hesitant to bring him in. It was only after his big showing during the raid that she made the call. Greg exhaled hard. She knew something was up with the guy, but what could she say? This guy is suspicious? He scoffed, and the can shuddered in his grasp. We couldn’t have known. No, we chose not to notice. He was just so disgustingly ‘heroic’ that it worked on us.

The can compressed into a sphere; not even the liquid inside escaped. He tossed it into the trash can with a grunt. He got to Jessica. He’s probably done something to Ollie too; he’s been kinda weird recently according to Snow. And we left Val with that maniac!

He shot to his feet and paced. “I shouldn’t have gone to The Hague-”

A merry Eurobeat began playing, and it took him a second to realize his phone was ringing. He pulled it out and stared at the name. He closed his eyes and answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, Gravy Train!” Euclidia’s merry voice came over the other end.

“Hey, Molly,” he mumbled. “I’m surprised you’re calling. Aren’t you busy?”

She scoffed. “Hell yeah I am. That’s why I’m callin’. I got a hit, Greg. I think I can sync it up. I wanted you to be here for it.”

“I can’t leave, Mols,” he said patiently.

She sighed. “I know. I just wanted you to know that we did it, bud. I think we’ve got it.”

He exhaled and tried to feel happy for her. “Great!” he chuckled. “I’m happy for you, Mols. Poke your head in and let me know how it is. I’ll join you for the second trip.”

She laughed. “This is your achievement too, man! You better make sure you’re back in time for the second go.”

He laughed as well. “Will do. Thanks for calling me, Mols. I needed it, I think.”

The pause that carried between them grew thick, and his lips twitched upwards as he realized she was not the kind of person to lose laser focus from her work. She was the kind of person to have already gone through the portal to the Backrooms without even remembering to tell him. Which meant she was calling for another reason. She sighed. “Feel better, aight? I need Gravy Train.”

He rested his head against the wall. “Yeah. Later.”

“Later.”

The phone clicked, and he let his arm drop. He tapped his forehead against the wall and tried to push Val’s happy face out of his head. It just wasn’t happening. He punched the wall and took a deep breath. “Fuckin-”

Smooth jazz shook him from his thoughts again as words rose to his ears. ‘Gravity… is workin’ against-’

He frowned and checked his phone again. I’m popular today, he thought irritably. Unknown caller? I don’t get spam. The hell? He squinted at the number itself. It’s a Pandora line at least. He pulled the phone to his ear and cleared his throat. “This is Gravitic.”

“Gravitic.” It was a young voice, barely older than his own, but there was such a weight behind it he felt himself be rooted to the spot. Something was off about it, though. A modulator, perhaps? He opened his mouth, but the speaker interrupted. “Don’t talk. Just listen. You and Crusader are on the right track. I can help, but you’re going to need to take a leap of faith. Ask your sponsor to send you to the coordinates I’m sending you now, off the books. Tell her it’s an opportunity to fight against him. She’ll listen; she hates him more than you do.”

What? I can’t just ask Sonya to send me to some random place.Who does this guy think he is? She’s not going to do something illegal just to-

“She’ll bend any law to beat that guy. Trust me. Just ask her; the worst she can do is say no. If she agrees, you know I was right. The only thing is, she can’t come with you. You two have to come alone, or not at all. I can’t see her, or it’ll ruin everything.”

Greg frowned and spoke anyway. “So I’m just supposed to trust you?” he demanded. “This could be a trap.”

There was a long pause, and the voice on the other end hesitated. “I… suppose I handled this poorly. People are not my-” He coughed loudly before clearing his throat. “Not important. Just tell her the loom knows.”

Greg blinked. “Okay, you’re a nutcase. Who is this?” he demanded. “What’s your codename?”

CLICK

He scowled at his phone and rubbed his head. “People are so friggin’ weird. Who does he think he is? Conspiracy nut.”

He turned away and walked to the fridge, grabbing another can and promising himself he wouldn’t gravitationally compress this one. He opened it and stared out of the break room; he’d wasted enough time at this point. As he did, his thoughts drifted to the creepy conversation and the desperate young man on the other end. He scowled and shook his head. This is stupid. I can’t ignore that he knows about what we’re looking into somehow. It really could be a trap, though. I’ll ask her after the event or something. I dunno. I just hope she doesn’t laugh at me.

He grumbled and pushed into the room where the others, except for Cerebella, who had also gone on her own break, were arguing. Or rather, Crusader and Black Lotus were arguing. Sonya was eating chocolate-covered potato chips in silence, and Medved was grinning ear-to-ear as the pair debated.

“It was necessary,” Black Lotus said. “He had to prioritize clearing the monsters before he could move on to protect his ally. If he had changed his positioning at that point, they could have been overrun.”

“I disagree,” Crusader said with a shake of her head. “He had more than enough room to maneuver, and he knew that Rokka was on the roof. She could have taken the shot if he had asked. He wanted to get those extra points for himself, even if Figure got hurt.”

Black Lotus crossed her arms. “I understand what you’re saying, Crusader, but the point stands that he made a move to ensure the fight ended faster than prolonging it. It was a calculated risk.”

“That predominantly paid off in his favor,” Crusader finished for her. “Not in the favor of the entire team. Figure got hit from behind because Starman couldn’t shake the tunnel vision, and Rokka only wants to see her leader win so she can get in on an International’s team.”

Greg walked over to Medved, who was smirking with amusement as the two continued to argue. “How long have they been going on like this?”

“About five minutes or so,” the big man grunted. “It’s fascinating.”

“What’s your opinion?” Greg asked, sitting down on the couch next to him.

The big man shifted his bulk a bit and eyed the screens. “The spirit of the event is about cooperation and forming an international bond between heroes. Not to celebrate the individual, correct, Sonya?”

Sonya glanced up at him from her chips and nodded. “Correct. Certainly, there will be winners and losers, but this is celebrating our new society and a historic moment.”

He gestured to the CEO. “There you have it. Cooperation and teamwork always trumps efficiency in this event. My opinion doesn’t matter, although in this case it coincides. Starman should have repositioned to back up his ally.”

Crusader and Black Lotus had stopped speaking to listen, and Black Lotus leaned back and looked contemplative. “I suppose if we wanted ruthless heroes, Sonya wouldn’t have picked Dharan as the trial ground,” she said thoughtfully. She nodded slowly. “While I still stand on the effectiveness of Starman’s decision - it was a snap judgement moment after all - in the spirit of the event, this should be a demerit.”

Crusader sighed. “You’re right that he didn’t have enough time to make a fully informed decision, but that comes from experience and from one’s heart as a hero. Let’s make it a half demerit and leave it at that rather than awarding the points.”

“Agreed,” Black Lotus said, and one of the screens floated down to her. She tapped a few things, and the screen appeared in front of Greg as well, asking if he agreed with the judgement. He consented, and the screen vanished.

Black Lotus leaned forward and tapped a key. “Half demerit to Starman,” she said into a microphone. “Scoring chosen over the safety of a teammate.”

He could almost hear the mixture of reactions from those that were still in the viewing building. People were coming and going now that time had worn on. The initial action of the big fight outside the city had held a great deal of attention, but now the live stream was flicking between fights and observations of the combat. The judges only chimed in on important matters, while news sources receiving the footage on a delay in case a hero died did their own commentary.

“You speak like a seasoned veteran,” Medved rumbled next to him and leaned forward to look at Crusader. “I would very much like to hear about your adventures since the war. You must have seen a lot.”

“How about we talk during our next break?” she suggested and turned her eyes towards the screen. “I don’t mind sharing.”

“Hah! Good!”

Greg sipped at his drink and watched the screens. They flicked by one after another. Most of them weren’t anything to write home about. It was getting close to the wire for some groups to start setting up camps and secure their surroundings. A few large groups had gathered in a market, and one-

<ALERT! UNIDENTIFIED ENTITY>

The screens flashed red and vanished altogether, leaving only one that blew up so all could see. Greg’s can slipped a little in his hand. Nietz!Hammond! His eyes went wide as a hulking shape charged at them. It looked almost human, but not. Its face was… No way. A cold lump formed in his gut and then turned into ice as it raised a clawed hand and red lightning danced. He hopped to his feet. “We need to intervene!” he shouted.

“What?” Black Lotus asked, examining the footage. “It’s a new monster. Strange-looking, though. A hero should be able to adapt-”

“That isn’t a monster!” he barked. “That’s Rift! Sir Halloway!”

Crusader looked at him in confusion. “Greg, he’s dead. They found his blood on the battlefield. Way too much of it was filled with poison. There’s no way-”

“They didn’t find a body,” Greg snarled. “Kaidan’s out there too.”

Crusader’s frown turned horrified, and she turned to Black Lotus, who was already on her feet with a grim expression on her face. “Understood, but we won’t take any direct action until they need it. It would be best if this was a footnote rather than a serious situation,” she said sharply and marched towards the door.

He nodded reluctantly and followed her. “I’m coming with you.”

“That goes without saying. Your ability can nullify his. If that’s really him, it would be foolish to leave you behind,” Black Lotus said before looking back at Sonya. “I’ll handle it either way.”

Sonya’s eyes turned hard for a moment, and Greg felt himself wilt just a little as he saw a grimmer side of his patron than he’d ever seen before. Her eyes were cold. “Don’t hold back. No one interferes with my event,” Sonya bit out, and Black Lotus pushed through the door. Greg felt his chest tighten, and he followed suit.

Maybe… it might not be a bad idea to ask after all.

–

Something was very, very wrong.

Animal instinct born of his evolutionary power screamed in his head. It warned him with every ounce of urgency not to let those claws touch him. Nietz pivoted back a step, and the claw sailed past his face. He responded and threw his shoulder back as his fist traveled up into the gut of the creature that was attacking them. The blow connected, and he released a shock of what Kong had called qi for good measure. The blast rippled across the creature’s body, and it jerked once. It stilled, and he almost caught a breath before its head turned and it opened its mouth.

Teeth sparking with red lightning shot for his throat, and he pulled away, but not without a deep gouge forming in the arm that came up in reaction. He gasped. It hurt more than anything he’d ever experienced before. Pain screamed through every nerve as blades cut through flesh like butter. It cut me! Something cut me!

“Ya-HOO!”

The creature whipped its head up in time for a blur of red and black to collide with it. Nietz was cupping his arm and inching back as he took in Kong using his ability in full for the first time. He was holding what looked like a bo staff made out of marble. His face was covered in fur, and his teeth had become razor sharp. When the blow collided, the creature was driven into the ground beneath it up to its knees. It snarled and whipped its arm out, and Kong blocked, the red, lightning-coated limb striking the staff. There was a crack of thunder, a burst of repulsive force, and Kong was sent flying.

“KONG!”

“BLAAAAAAAAKKKKK!” The creature shrieked and ripped its leg out of the ground.

Bolts of flame, lightning, and stone peppered the creature’s body. “Nietz! You alright?” Hammond shouted. “I’ll have more out in a second! Do you need healing?”

The creature howled and pulled back a few steps, covering its face as Nietz examined his arm. His regeneration was trying to kick in, but it was going slowly, as if from a wound his ability hadn’t adapted to yet. “Yeah! Check on Kong first!” he shouted back. “This thing-” His eyes bulged as another red claw swung at him, and he ducked beneath it, throwing out a few punches with his good arm, which had just about as much effect as the last punch. He shot his leg out and caught its ankle, forcing it to catch itself from a fall. He pulled back a fist and drove it down into its spine.

“Stay DOWN!” he bellowed as the ground cracked beneath it.

It frog jumped from its prone position as if it hadn’t even been struck. Shit, it’s tough! He ground his teeth. I’ve already forcibly evolved twice today. I-

The creature ran towards Hammond. The trio of elemental nymphs around his comrade moved to intercept as red lightning bloomed on both of the beast’s hands. Nietz’s mind took it all in. Two options skittering across his brain in a flash. He needed time to try to shift into his evolved state a third time. Hammond wasn’t a pushover, but that power could cut through anything. Without his familiars, his friend was defenseless. No way in hell. He blasted forward with every ounce of strength his natural body could muster and nearly flickered off the ground. All that hard work turned into speed. “HAMMOND! MOVE!” he shouted and slid to a stop, one fist flying over the other as a flash of mana-turned-qi erupted from them.

He felt… pain.

The creature flew back and crashed through one of the residences as Nietz looked down at his arm. Or rather, the stump left behind. He gasped and gripped it as the wound struggled to regenerate. Pain shot through his nerves, and he coughed. He could feel the red electricity in his brain, making every muscle twitch spasmodically. He tried to keep standing but only grunted as he dropped to his knees. Hammond was at his side in an instant, and a black stone creature with green gemstones for eyes appeared with him. It held out its hands, and the wound began to close more rapidly.

“Nietz! Are you-”

“I’m fine!” he grunted. “Kong?”

“On his feet. He-”

That same blur of red and black shot over their heads with an angry whoop and leaped into the building. Nietz watched his friend enter and scowled. I can’t let him go after that thing alone. He turned to the stone creature healing him. “Enough, I gotta do this.”

“You’re hurt!”

“Not enough to let a friend die.”

Evolve! He grunted and hunched over. Evolve! He felt his muscles grow denser. His body expanded. EVOLVE! He pushed every ounce of mana his stamina could allow into his ability. He’d have nothing left after this, but he wouldn’t rest until he put this thing down. He didn’t notice his skin turning grey, and his eyes began to glow as a new arm burst out of the stump with a wet squelching sound. He clenched his teeth and roared. EVOLVE!

He was in the building before his rational mind caught up. Instinct was all he needed. He knew how to fight already. First Wind had hammered combat into him. Training at the camp had honed his understanding of what needed to be done. Protect. Assist. Defeat. Secure. 

Four words became Nietz’s existence.

Four directives would be single-mindedly fulfilled.

He became Unstoppable.

Kong was pulling back from a swipe of red lightning in slow motion. Nietz’s hand caught the offending limb, and he bent it. No sound registered; he was moving too fast. He snapped the limb and drove a fist into its chest. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. He whipped the creature down towards the ground with a roar and pivoted to put his body between the staggered Kong and its flailing limb. He didn’t register the pain; he just grabbed it as well and crushed the arm with his bare hands.

He pulled up once and then slammed the creature down into the ground as a wash of something came over him. His first instinct was to retaliate before the second instinct analyzed it. It wasn’t affecting him, but it was pinning the monster down. His scowling face looked up, and he saw a brown-haired man standing in the doorway with a dark-haired woman behind him. 

“Hero Nietz?” Gravitic asked. “You good? That thing isn’t part of the event. I’ve got it weighed down now. You can back away.”

Nietz looked down at the creature and nodded. “Understood.”

He rose to his full height and turned to check on Kong. His friend was sitting on top of a table with a wry smile on his face. “You got big again.”

Nietz let out a sigh of relief, the sigh sounding deeper, as if he had suddenly become a movie trailer narrator, and held out a hand. “Oh? I thought you got shorter.”

Kong grabbed his arm and hopped to his feet, the two of them making for the door as the judges made their way inside. Or rather, one of them did. He realized that the dark-haired woman was Black Lotus herself. He blinked. “Uh. Hello, ma’am.”

She just stared at him. “...Majordomo?”