Chapter 210: Chapter 177

Sonya sat in silence at the desk in the room she’d occupied as the portal began to open up behind her. She rested her elbows on the surface, her hands under her chin as she stared at the wall in thought. The panel of white light parted and spread open, distending until it became a formless off-white void that rippled within the panel. A moment later Colin stepped through, dragging Drastic along with him. His expression was haggard. His usually perfectly kept appearance was a mess, his long hair in disarray, his makeup running, his collar askew. She turned as the portal closed and he staggered forward, catching him as he fell, the red light dimming in his eyes until nothing was left but the natural ruddy brown.

“I’ve got you,” she said into his ear.

“You saved my life,” he muttered.

“I put you into that position,” she said, reaching up to stroke his head as his shoulders shook. She glanced past him and narrowed her eyes at Drastic who still lay unconscious on the ground. Her hand rose and another portal opened as she held her friend close. She whipped her hand to the left and the portal swallowed Drastic up, sending him where she needed him to be. She didn’t condescend Colin by asking if he was okay. He most certainly was not.

He pulled away from her and searched her face, “You warned us about the Heralds,” he said before swallowing and looking away, “I didn’t really believe it until today.”

“An Set was a pathetic man,” Sonya said with a sigh, “A larva compared to what he could have been.”

“As bad as her?” He asked, shuddering.

“In some ways, worse,” Sonya said before reaching up to hold his cheek in the palm of her hand, “Take some time off. Clear your head. Go see Amos,” she said softly, “You’ve done more than enough. You survived. We have Drastic, and while the time to take Qilin down is a long way off, we’ve set the groundwork and this deal will keep her at bay, for now.”

Colin nodded, “Can you beat her?” he asked.

Sonya frowned at him, “As I am now? No. Not even with her fortune manipulation bound by my sanctions. She possesses the wisdom of a Qilin,” she explained, “She awakened with a full mastery of her abilities and instincts. She’s aware that I’m trying to get her to become a repeat customer. She just doesn’t care.”

“That’s… ridiculously unfair,” Colin said with a frown.

“You’re telling me,” She said with a scoff and shook her head. He met her gaze, his lips pressed into a thin line. His eyes asking a question that he didn’t want to voice. She shook her head, “I won’t have you deal with her directly in the future. We’ll send her contracts if she comes back wanting more.”

He visibly relaxed and let out a sigh, “I’m sorry. I-” he shook his head, “I’m not ready to face her again.”

“I’d be surprised if you were,” Sonya said before turning serious, “It’s time to merge your abilities, Colin. The international heroes are responding faster than before and I can’t bear to have you put into a similar position. You need to be able to fight back and escape. You’ve earned a new power too, I think. Not an investment. One that belongs to you and you alone.”

He held her gaze for several moments before nodding firmly. Of all of the members of her Inner Circle besides Marta, he was the one who understood the functionality of Broker the best. He knew the difference between an ability granted by a deal and one that was invested. Invested powers didn’t truly belong to the one she granted them to, upon their death the power would be returned to her with all the expanded instincts that they’d managed to uncover intact. It was a simpler process to invest, for certain, but there was an ownership that came with truly granting the ability that made it more. She didn’t truly understand what that meant, but the instincts related to Broker were clear on that detail.

She returned his nod and closed her eyes, diving into her warehouse before snatching up a few powers she had saved starting with Titanboa which she had copied from Alex and Mighty Asterion that she had copied from Cass. She allowed the instincts associated with her ability and the feelings she got from Deus ex Machina to guide her through the selection process.

An interesting combination, proceed.

She raised an eyebrow, “Well that’s a bit on the nose,” she said with a chuckle before turning to him. “I wonder what it will turn into once everything settles,” she turned and held out her hand, “For everything you’ve done and endured, my dear Mephisto. I have a gift for you. Will you accept it?” she asked.

He looked at her hand and swallowed before nodding. “I accept,” he said and took her hand.

I will never allow you to be put on the backfoot again. I promise.

She thought as the words appeared on her HUD.

Proceed.

–

Sonya stepped back into the venue and adjusted her tie while straightening her hair. She kept her expression as smug as always as she met a few eyes and winked now and then as she slipped into the crowd. As she did, she felt another presence approach her. That reminds me, I need to track down that man who gave me that note. How did he know? He sounded like a messenger. I want answers and to extend my thanks to whomever got me out of that situation, she thought as she turned towards Crusader.

“Lillian!” She said brightly, brushing her hair back a bit more and adjusting her coat, “Are you enjoying the party?”

Lillian stopped in front of her, “Uh, yes ma’am. You disappeared for a bit there.”

Sonya tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, “So?”

“Where did you go?” Lillian asked, frowning, “I was looking for you.”

Sonya smirked at her and reached up to wipe at her lip wordlessly as she adjusted her collar a bit to straighten it out. Lillian blinked at her several times before making a resigned face and sighing, “Right. I should have figured,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “There was some weirdness out in the hall earlier and I was wondering if you knew anything about it. Obviously not,” she shook her head and laughed, “Anyway. I wanted to let you know that a Pandora official was looking for you. They said that they’ve arranged for that interview or whatever for you.”

Sonya brightened, “Really? That’s wonderful news! Thank you, dear. Is everyone else having fun?”

“Marc is making a spectacle of himself as always,” she said with a shrug, “So is Alex. Cass and Jessica almost got into a fight but Ollie calmed them down. It’s a party, that’s for sure.”

“Cass and Jessica?” Sonya asked, “What happened there?”

“I think Cass had a bit of a soft spot for Greg since he was one of the first among our group to really let her in, like Ollie. She’s not exactly the most socially conscious person in the world so uh… she just found out about Jessica dumping him,” Lillian said uncomfortably, “She’s pretty mad about it. She’s with Alex now and he’s keeping her distracted.”

Sonya whistled before chuckling and shaking her head, “Of course. As long as things didn’t get out of control it’s fine. I’ll talk to her later. Did you meet any of the other new heroes?”

Lillian’s expression grew complicated, “I don’t know how to feel about some of them. Many were wonderful to talk to but some of them made me feel like they think our work is a competition and I’m the enemy,” she sighed, “We’re not just in this to get paid.”

Sonya smiled at her, “There are going to be people like that, Lillian, in any line of work,” she said and tapped a finger on Lillian’s chest, “Your heart is in the right place. You’ve got the right mindset. Don’t let it bother you and keep working hard. I know it’s tough but this is just part of the job, dealing with that kind of stuff.”

Lillian returned her smile, “Thanks, Sonya,” she said brightly before rubbing the back of her neck, “Oh um… Cass said something about a trip next week?”

Sonya crossed her arms, “That girl!” she shook her head, “I’ll have more information for you guys tomorrow. I’ll be at the Guild Headquarters to talk to you. Don’t worry about it and enjoy the party.”

Lillian beamed at her and turned away, hurrying back to join her friends. Sonya watched her go and kept the dark expression off of her face as her eyes narrowed slightly.

She suspected you for a moment there, Ishtar said.

Yes. She did.

–

Sonya walked down the hall with Marta in tow, her hands in her pockets as the guard led them to what looked like a blast-door straight out of a certain sci-fi franchise. A guard stood at either side of the door with weapons at the ready. Both of them glanced her way before one stepped forward and nodded to the guard guiding them. The one that moved in pulled out a device to check their security badges. After confirming their identities the door opened and they were allowed inside.

“I’m shocked that a prison like this has already been built,” Marta said thoughtfully.

“Many Common and Mundane abilities are great for construction related tasks and are plentiful compared to the upper tier abilities,” Sonya said, “Difficult projects go by quickly, the same goes for the new headquarters for ASTA. Heck, I recommended that the Pandora Committee hire as many light-touched with such abilities as possible early on before construction companies jumped on it.”

“You did?” Marta said, glancing her way, “Should we be talking about the new building?”

“We’re in a Pandora facility, it’s fine,” Sonya said with a wave of her hand, “Besides, the project will be done next week. What’s the big deal?”

“True,” Marta said with a small frown before glancing up at a door along the right side of the newest hallway they were being guided down. The guard had stopped there and turned to face them. Marta stepped back a bit and fell into pace behind Sonya, resting her hands at her lap and closing her eyes to shift into the more dignified pose of the Handmaiden.

“He’s inside. You have fifteen minutes with the prisoner,” the guard said gruffly.

She brandished a winning smile at him, “Thank you. Any rules I should abide by?”

“Minimal physical contact for a greeting is permitted if necessary. Do not harm the prisoner. Do not give the prisoner anything that may have made it through security. Do not use your abilities inside the interview room. If the prisoner reveals any pertinent information to ongoing investigations you will be asked to debrief,” the guard said flatly before inclining his head, “That is all, ma’am.”

She nodded, “Understood.”

I make no promises, she thought merrily as the guard turned and placed a card against a panel next to the door. The door hissed open to allow the two women inside. Inside was a simple room of four steely-gray walls and long light fixtures attached to the ceiling. She turned her attention to the center of the room where a large table was bolted to the ground. There were four chairs, one of them occupied opposite from where she had come in.

Sir Ewen sait with his hands clasped together and his eyes fixed on her. He wore a pair of cuffs on his wrists that were bolted to the table by a chain. His eyes were a bit sunken in, his presence diminished from what she’d imagined based on what she’d heard. He hasn’t taken in mana in a while. It won’t kill him but it doesn’t feel nice, I imagine, she thought as she examined him. His cropped blonde hair had grown out about half an inch and looked messy. He cracked a grin at her despite his disheveled state.

“I’ll be damned,” he said, “I wondered who wanted to talk to me. The great enemy herself.”

“An interesting title,” Sonya said with amusement, walking towards him. “James Carter Ewen, correct?”

He frowned, “I don’t use that name anymore.”

“So I’ve heard,” she said as she drew close, extending a hand, “Sonya Chernovna,” she greeted him before nodding to Marta, “This is Handmaiden.”

He stared at her outstretched hand before looking up at her and narrowing his eyes, “What do you want? I’m busy.”

She snorted and pulled her hand away, Tch, asshole. She sat down across from him and rested her hands on the table. Marta stepped in behind her and remained there, “I wanted to talk to you, about you and about your boss.”

“Straight to the point?” he said with a sneer, looking her up and down. “Man, your eyes are freaky.”

“I’m not an investigator,” Sonya said dismissively, “I’m not here to pretend like I care and lie to you. I’m here because I’m willing to at least try to make your life a little less terrible.”

He blinked and relaxed his shoulders, “I see,” he said with a bit less strength than he had earlier, he slumped down into his chair. “I don’t suppose you can tell me what’s happening outside? No one’s told me anything. Has she tried to break me out?”

Sonya kept her eyes on his, “She has not. She’s completely turned inward towards her organization, expanding compounds and constructing new buildings within her territory. She has made no overt moves near this location or the Pandora headquarters, nor has she made any statements about your situation,” she said unapologetically.

He met her pitiless gaze before looking down at his hands, “That’s… unfortunate.”

“I need you to give me a good reason to help you, Ewen,” Sonya said, “Can you tell me anything that would be of benefit to me?”

He pursed his lips, “She’s probably creating domains right now if she’s feeling threatened,” he said, “They’re places that have powerful effects on those who are on her side.”

“I know about that function of her ability,” Sonya said, “I’m looking after her sister.”

He winced, “Right,” he grumbled and wrung his hands and licked his lips. He looked back up at her and met her eyes for a moment, “She really hasn’t said anything?”

“Nothing on public broadcast, no,” Sonya said, “We don’t have access to her internal networks so I can’t confirm whether she has used your situation to rally her people or not.”

“The truth is a cold thing,” he said as he held her gaze before looking up at Marta, “Are you using an ability? I can feel that she isn’t lying.”

“Handmaiden’s ability is rapid regeneration and superhuman strength,” Sonya explained, drawing his attention back to her. She tapped hers, “And you know these.”

He slumped, “Damn it,” he grumbled as he mulled it all over. She rest her hands on the table and leaned forward, looking at his face. He glanced up at her on occasion and shifted in his seat. “You really can make it less shitty in here?”

“I can, I happen to know the Chairman pretty well,” Sonya said with a smirk.

He sighed and nodded, “She has someone working for her, well, not for her,” he pursed his lips, “He’s crazy. A mythic who can make magic tools and stuff. He gave Kant one and was working on ones for me and the others. They amplify our abilities when we’re holding them. He made a crazy powerful one for her. She doesn’t pay him anything except give him supplies and materials,” he shivered, “The only thing he wants is to hear the aftermath of using them, like he gets off on the carnage his toys cause.”

This is what I needed, perfect. “Do you have a name? A monicker? Appearance?” she asked.

“I’ve seen him enough to help a sketch artist,” Ewen said, deflated, “He calls himself Craftsman. His ability has something to do with the red glowing anvil he can conjure. I only heard his real name once.”

Sonya sat up in her seat, “Excuse me?” she blurted before she could reign herself back in. He knows Craftsman’s real name? She forced her excitement down but not in time for him to miss it. He met her gaze and smirked just a little. She let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Damn it, Sonya. “I can arrange for a comfortable bed, books, and video streaming. I can also make the meals a little less awful.”

That seemed to mollify him, he nodded and sat up straight. “His name is Graham Taylor.”

Sonya searched his face, every microexpression, the temperature of his body, any detail she could find to pick out a possible lie. Nothing. She broke into a smile, “Thank you for the information, Sir Ewen,” she said and extended a hand to him.

“James is fine,” he grunted, “I don’t think I’m a member of the Round Table anymore,” he added morosely and leaned forward to take her hand. She smiled at him.

Analyze.

“You’ll be well taken care of, James. Thank you for your time,” she said brightly and got up to leave.

“Wait,” he called after her.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She turned and looked back to him with raised eyebrows, “Hm?”

“She’s only going to get stronger. Her powers scale up every day. Can you guys really win?” He asked.

Sonya grinned at him, “I think she’s about to realize that she’s made more enemies than even she can handle. Goodbye, James,” she said, and stepped out into the hallway.

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