Threat Level: E

Destructiveness: E

Killability: C

---------------------------

Might: E

Survivability: E

Recovery: D

Mobility: D

Spark: D

----------------------------

Powers: Enhanced Sight and Hearing, Sonic Blasts, Durable Arms, Metabolic Regeneration, Desert Jackal’s Reflexes, Aether Drain, Elastic Tension

For the longest time, there was nothing when the darkness took over. Danny no longer felt cold, and his body didn’t hurt anymore. He floated in a black sea of nothingness before settling on a soft, damp surface. Then splashes of orange added light to the void. It fought back the black, turning parts of it a dark blue. The colours mixed, somehow producing pink and spread, pushing the darkness away. When the light reached Danny, the surrounding darkness separated into long shadows before receding. It took him a moment to realise that he was lying in a forest amongst titanic trees.

On sitting up, Danny found Kabandha standing not too far away. The single giant eye watched him intently, and a smile spread across his ugly face. Danny looked down at himself and found he had no clothes on. Kabandha waddled over and offered Danny a thick, stubby arm. It turned out that Danny didn’t need his help standing up. They were in a dreamscape—or afterlife, after all. The gunshot wound and blood loss didn’t matter here. Danny appreciated the gesture, though, and accepted his help.

“Why do you fight with fatal injuries?” Kabandha asked. “He didn’t have any essence you could consume. Don’t risk your life on prey that won’t sustain or empower us.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, breathing in the fragrant forest air. “Why could I feed on the woman earlier and not him?”

“She had a Vunderland Knight’s essence within her while he was just human. I’m not sure why but the creatures born of this dimension are bland. Their smell is off-putting, and I have no interest in tasting them. Their powers do not manifest as essences in their soul, and I have no use for them.”

Diya let out a relieved sigh. Kabandha feasting on humans wouldn’t be a regular occurrence, and the rakshas wouldn’t urge him to kill people.

“Why am I here?” Danny asked. “Am I at death’s door?”

“No,” Kabandha replied nonchalantly. “I just wanted you to be careful around the Sur Veda’s champion. I’ve smelled his trace on Fenrir. He’s much stronger than I am. My tongue and mouth might get overly excited when he’s around, but that’s instinct. Don’t give in to it.”

“I wouldn’t. He’s a hero and does good for the world. I don’t understand why the Asuran Veda claims there is bad karma in our dimension. What balance can I bring if he’s been doing good?”

Kabandha shrugged. “I barely know more than you. My knowledge is limited to what you’ve learnt and what the Asuran Veda tells me.”

“Perhaps Vish isn’t the source of bad karma. Maybe there are other texts out there in the hands of unsavoury elements. What if they’re the ones I’m meant to neutralise?”

“Speculation won’t get you anywhere,” Kabandha said. “Your current focus should be to feed me and grow stronger. I’m pleased with the abilities you’ve picked so far. Focus on the passive powers unless an exceptional active comes along.”

“What do you mean?”

“Elastic Tension alone takes a lot of focus. You need to balance how you uncoil your muscles consciously and then prepare for the next empowered action. If you pick up a dozen abilities like that, your attention will be split, and you won’t get the most out of them. Meanwhile, Metabolic Regeneration and Durable Arms are always active. You don’t have to give them much thought. They should be your goal.”

“This essence could’ve given me super speed, though.”

Kabandha held out his hands, and little wisps of light formed, floating above his palms. One glowed with a deep crimson but didn’t appear menacing. It carried a warm, reassuring aura. The other one, a silver sphere, felt cold but dangerous like it would cut Danny up inside and escape him if it got the opportunity.

“Since you don’t have access to the Asuran Veda to fill you in, I’ll do my best to explain your choices. Headless Speed gives you bursts of superspeed while you’re holding your breath. It will combine excellently with Elastic Tension for incredible bursts of power. However, Elastic Tension also requires large amounts of oxygen to enter your bloodstream to avoid a build-up of lactic acid in your muscles.

“This is Gasp for Breath,” Kabandha said, holding the crimson wisp close to Danny’s face. “It’s what lets the queens use their speed repeatedly without passing out after a couple of uses. It increases their lungs’ size, makes the organs more powerful, and increases their blood vessels' durability.”

“So one can help me end conflicts quicker at the cost of stamina, while the other will help me keep going for longer?”

A grin spread across Kabandha’s lips. “The decision is yours, but I’d say getting the most out of Elastic Tension has more value than faux superspeed. If you pick Gasp for Breath, I can make further improvements to your physiology so when true speed comes along, you can pick it.”

“What do you mean?” Danny asked, intrigued by the offer.

“I’ll turn you into a mouth breather.”

It took him a moment to figure out what Kabandha meant. “Go for it.”

Kabandha took the red wisp and thrust it into Danny’s chest.

“Thank you,” I said.

“It’s nothing. The longer you survive, the more I get to eat.”

“On the subject of eating, Kabandha. Why don’t you accept the same prey twice?”

“If you weren’t feeding me regularly, I wouldn’t be as picky,” he answered. “A variety of essences keeps me from getting bored and nets you more power.”

“Do you mean I won’t get new abilities if I feed you the same essence twice?” Danny asked.

“That’s not what I’m saying. If you find a specimen more powerful than its brethren, I’ll, of course, want to consume its matured essence. It might net you a new ability or upgrade a current one, but chances of that happening are low.” Kabandha paused, looking around. “It’s time to wake up. Good talk.”

Darkness washed over the world again, and pain spread through Danny's body. It felt concentrated around the right thigh. Danny’s head and back ached too. Opening his eyes proved impossible; it felt like someone had glued his eyelids shut. His fingers didn’t feel any tape or adhesives holding them closed, though. Then Danny realised he was no longer wearing a mask. The force holding his eyelids closed lost the struggle, and he found himself lying in a bed naked. Panic made his heart rate pick up, and the monitoring device next to Danny beeped loudly. He heard a door open, and two sets of footsteps rushed towards him.

Much to Danny’s relief, it was Beta’s creepy, blue face that entered his line of sight first. He looked down at Danny and sighed. Then he recognised the ceiling above them. They were in the basement below Becca’s offices. Danny took in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. The heart monitor’s beeping slowed almost immediately and became regular. Once Danny’s eyes focused, he spotted the blood bags hanging beside the bed and followed tubes connecting them to his strapped-down right arm.

“You kept ripping them out,” Beta said. “I had no choice but to tie you down.”

He undid the buckle on Danny’s right hand before moving on to the leg straps. Meanwhile, his left arm had already broken free of its bindings. Druid lay on the couch across the room, fast asleep. A stack of plates sat in front of him, and when Danny caught sight of the half roast-chicken, his stomach rumbled.

“He carried you here after your operation. Apparently, Fenrir wanted to take you in for a medical check-up and blood transfusion, but he didn’t allow it.”

“The League is impressed.” Danny scrambled to cover himself upon hearing Becca’s voice. She laughed. “I’ve seen it all already. I helped clean you up.”

“My blood is all over the scene!” Danny exclaimed. “The League or someone else could get a sample of it and check the NHS database to figure out my identity. The clinic I used for metagene checks has taken my blood—”

“The clinics don’t store the information with the NHS,” Becca said. “You forget. The National Health Service doesn’t cover the tests. It’s an independent procedure. Besides, I had the information scrubbed after you officially became my client. Beta sent a couple of drones over to investigate the site too, and you spilt vat fluid everywhere. What’s not washed away is contaminated. Your identity is safe.” Becca threw him a robe and turned away while he climbed out of bed and put it on. Danny’s limbs felt weak, but it was much better. “Either way, the League is impressed. You almost died, but you managed to take down an experienced power mimic. Even veteran heroes struggle when facing someone with their exact powers.”

“I got lucky.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.” Becca pressed a button on her wristband, and the screen across the room lit up. “Phillip Zimmerman has been a known criminal since his powers awakened at the age of fifteen. He’s eluded the League for almost twenty years, and now thanks to you, he’s in custody. Well done.”

“Is he the Power Merchant, though? His fighting was amateurish, and I had little trouble baiting him into a monologue.”

“That’s for Fenrir to find out,” Becca told me. “I’ve got a car ready. Wash up and eat something. You’re to report for a debriefing as soon as you’re awake.” She checked her watch. “It’s almost nine. If you hurry, you’ll get there just before the meeting starts.

Danny nodded and rushed into the shower.

It was close to noon when Danny entered the briefing in a local safehouse. It wasn’t just the infiltration team present for the meeting. Vowron and several other famous faces populated the room. Danny had grown up admiring several of them and tried his best not to stare.

There was no room for Danny or Mista Fista to sit. So, the pair stood by the wall while everyone talked in little groups quietly. Then Vish walked in, and everyone fell silent. Instead of his combat outfit, he wore a navy-blue suit with a white shirt and pink tie. Danny’s heart jumped into his throat when the famous super approached him instead of taking a seat.

“Fenrir filled me in on your performance,” he said, offering a handshake. “Good job.”

Danny’s heart pounded in his chest, and as he glanced between Vish’s face and the outstretched hand. The palm mouths hadn’t stirred yet, but Danny worried they’d react as soon as the pair made contact. Everyone was watching them, and Danny had no choice but to play along. So, he shook the hand. A gurgling blossomed deep inside his right forearm. It was quiet, and Danny hoped anyone with super hearing would assume it was his stomach. Fortunately, Vish let go before the orifice on Danny’s hand started spasming. He clenched his fist and kept it close to his side.

“Thank you,” Danny replied. “Just fulfilling the mission’s parameters.”

“Well, we’re looking forward to you officially joining our organisation,” Vish said. “I’ve instructed the staff to waive the psychological and intellectual tests. You’ll only undertake the physical trials.”

Vish nodded and moved on. More than half the people in the room were new to the operation. He greeted them before starting the briefing. It wasn’t just Vish’s outfit that had changed but his persona too. The stoic television persona appeared more personable and cheerful. Danny wanted to believe that it wasn’t a façade. He struggled to accept the man he had idolised all of his life was crooked.

After introductions, Vish handed the reigns over to Arma. She filled the group in on the three gang hideouts they had attacked. The mission was partially successful. They were successful with two out of three targets. An army of Assistants had appeared at the third and drove them back. League forces were now at a standoff around the facility. She suspected that Doctor Flux’s hideout was underground but not connected to the sewage system or London Underground. Unfortunately, they still lacked the means to reach it.

Fenrir spoke up next, confirming his suspicion. They’d spent the past several hours interrogating the prisoner, Zimmerman. Apparently, he wore the persona of Power Merchant, but that was nothing more than a figurehead. It was one of Doctor Flux’s many ventures. The villainous super had used his Technogogue abilities to create a device that could extract rift creatures’ essence. It took a lot of processing to make the accompanying powers compatible with a human’s, though. Zimmerman served as the test subject since his powers replicated the powers of whatever entity he tasted.

The revelation that Doctor Flux was the real Power Merchant resulted in the room bursting into a cacophony of whispers. Vish had to raise his voice to quieten everyone down. Fenrir then revealed that Doctor Flux had captured a creature that could open rifts, too but controlling said the beast was near impossible. The event of multiple rifts opening over London was due to Doctor Flux torturing the monster to use its power. Since then, Zimmerman would assist him once a week in opening small stable rifts, which they used to retrieve specimens from other dimensions.

“We caught Zimmerman just as he was due to visit Doctor Flux’s hideout for the first time,” Fenrir said. “The telepaths confirmed he wasn’t lying. Apparently, they had Doorman under their control—”

“Doorman is still alive?” Vish asked.

Fenrir nodded. “We found a cell with his artwork in it. Apparently, he was the only one in the building with access to Doctor Flux’s hideout. Zimmerman claims he’s been under their control for a year.”

“Where is he now?”

“The Freaks took him.” Fenrir fidgeted as he spoke. “Along with all of the test subjects and all the hard drives.”

“So, we still don’t know how he’s doing it? This gang of defective children took all the data we need to solve this mystery?” A cold harshness replaced Vish’s formerly cheerful tone.

“Yes, Vish. But—”

“You did well, but you’re off this mission, Fenrir.” Vish cut him off and leaned back in his chair. He massaged the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb. “I’m going to need someone more competent and reliable for this job.” He typed on an invisible screen, and a notification appeared in all of their HoloScreens. It showed Doctor Flux’s costumed form, and a red L appeared floating next to him. “We already suspected he’s an A-level threat, but I’m making it official. Everyone in this room—with a League license—has permission to use lethal force against Doctor Flux. If his Assistants get killed along the way, we’ll deal with that, too.”

“What about the Freaks?” Druid asked. He had entered the building with Danny but disappeared before the briefing. “They’re just children that got dealt a bad hand.”

“We need them captured quietly,” Vish said. “No lethal force, but let them have it. These kids are dangerous.”

“But—”

Vish held up his hand, silencing Druid. “The media will have a field day if any of them get seriously hurt or die. So use reasonable force. I want them captured and contained.”

A pit formed in Danny’s stomach as he heard the man speak. He felt bad for Nyx. However, the prospect of finally joining the League dominated his thoughts. It came with a mixture of excitement and distaste, and he couldn’t wait to tell Kaka about it.

END OF BOOK 1