Down with the Queen Read online

  Down with the Queen

  Benjamin Medrano

  Contents

  Foreword

  Character List

  The Story So Far

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Down with the Queen by Benjamin Medrano

  © 2018 Benjamin Medrano. All rights reserved.

  Contact the author at [email protected]

  Visit the author’s website at benjaminmedrano.com

  Sign up for the author’s mailing list at http://eepurl.com/cGPT-b

  Edited by Picky Cat Proofreading

  Cover Art by June Jenssen

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN: 1986163164

  Jessica, Joe, and Paul,

  Thank you for your help getting this right.

  Foreword

  After Marin’s Codex took on a life of its own, I’m glad to be getting back to a story which has been intended to be a novel from the beginning. Not that I’m saying that writing Marin’s Codex was bad, far from it! It very likely is my best-written book to date and part of me worries that I’ll never manage to do that again… though rest assured, I’m going to try. It’s also something of a relief that I’m not simply rewriting an older story this time around. While I had many of the concepts of Down with the Queen figured out when I first wrote Born a Queen, they weren’t fully developed and this gave me more freedom to work through and evolve the story.

  This novel is still going to be dark in segments due to those pre-existing plans. Bad things are going to happen to good people through no fault of their own, and good people are going to make mistakes and assumptions based on their own biases and experiences. There are a lot of scenes in this story that are unpleasant, and I don’t want those of you who read it to think that I like events like these. It’s part of the story I conceptualized, because I want heroes to be human and villains to be evil. Please keep that in mind, if you would?

  Character List

  The following characters are major figures from Born a Queen and are listed to make keeping track of them easier. If a character has a superhero or supervillain identity, it is listed in parentheses, unless this is the only identity known at the start of this story. Minor characters are not listed.

  Amber Meadow (Shadowmind) – Supervillain and ‘mother’ of Lilith, Amber is a feared supervillain with advanced technology and psychic powers.

  Black Comet – An African-American speedster with the ability to fly, Black Comet is a member of Ocean Shield and one of their first responders.

  Blooming Orchid – Of Chinese descent, Blooming Orchid is a member of Ocean Shield and functions as the team’s doctor.

  Blue Impulse – A villain, Blue Impulse is in custody, but was a mage with teleportation and other movement-based powers. Cocky, arrogant, and short-tempered.

  Circe – An AI created by Shadowmind which controls her various strongholds. She isn’t quite self-aware.

  Crimson Bull – A burly man with super-strength and toughness, Crimson Bull is a member of Ocean Shield and has a reputation for thinking with his horns. Has a crush on Warden.

  Doctor Johnson – An elderly villain, Doctor Johnson makes careful plans and has an android assistant in the form of a woman named Eve. He’s a specialist in technology.

  Dreamer – An attractive albino woman, Dreamer is a deadly, sadistic villain with the power to lull others to sleep and to deal damage to their psyche in the process.

  Ebon Dragon – An elderly villain of Chinese descent, Ebon Dragon is a villain and mercenary who appears to know Doctor Johnson well. He’s known to be an incredibly skilled spellcaster.

  Eve – An android AI created by Doctor Johnson as an assistant.

  Galvanic Action – A Hispanic hero, Galvanic Action is a member of Ocean Shield and often functions as their field commander. His powers allow him to rapidly cause corrosion on most nonliving substances, though it requires close proximity to work quickly.

  Gina Fairmont (Warden) – An artist in mundane life, Gina is a member of Ocean Shield and possesses powerful magic that focuses on allowing her to create magical shields.

  Heavy Metal – A villain who stands nearly seven feet tall, Heavy Metal isn’t the brightest man, but is able to turn his skin into steel, allowing him to make a living as a mercenary thug.

  Hypergizmo – Building and maintaining most of Ocean Shield’s technology, Hypergizmo is weaker than most superhumans, but is an intelligent, efficient man who does his best to support his allies and friends.

  Lilith Carpenter – Created by Shadowmind, Lilith is an artificial human with abilities far beyond what is natural for normal people. The method of her creation resulted in being declared a bioweapon that is to be destroyed if she’s discovered. Her powers are currently only partially known, but they cause others to notice her when she’s in the area.

  Megawatt – A tech specialist, Megawatt is a mercenary who wears power armor and focuses on heavy energy weaponry.

  Ocean Spirit – Leader of Ocean Shield, Ocean Spirit is a native Hawaiian and she has the power to control water and take on an elemental form that makes her nigh-invulnerable in water. She is one of the two most powerful members of the team.

  Pyroclasm IV – The most recent bearer of the name, Pyroclasm is an immensely powerful pyrokinetic who can fly, and he serves the remnants of the Third Reich, who remain in hiding.

  Rachel Moore (Morgan Le Fay) – Rachel is a magic teacher at UC Berkley and is also a member of Ocean Shield. Her magic is far more expansive than most other spellcasters but requires her jewelry, and it is slightly slower to respond to her command.

  Sky Defender – Using highly advanced power armor, Sky Defender is one of the two most powerful members of Ocean Shield. A relative unknown.

  The Story So Far

  By gathering genetic samples of hundreds of superhumans, the supervillain Shadowmind brought down the known world of heroes and many villains on her head. Most of those hunting her feared what her goals were, which was what garnered such a potent response. When she was captured by Crimson Bull and Warden of Ocean Shield, Shadowmind’s creation of a daughter was discovered, though the child was not found. Shadowmind had named her daughter Lilith Carpenter, and she woke as an adult to be educated by Circe, Shadowmind’s AI. Oddly, Lilith was created without biases toward or against heroes and villains.

  Lilith underwent extreme training to discover the limits of her engineered body, even as servants of Doctor Johnson began raiding San Francisco. This brought Warden into conflict with Blue Impulse, who managed to captu
re a fragment of her magic during his escape. With the tacit agreement of Doctor Johnson, he began working to disable and conquer the heroine.

  Moving to San Francisco, Lilith made a fortune by leveraging what she learned from Circe and started a company and bought a condo in the center of the city. She found herself mentally adrift about the time that Warden was ambushed by Blue Impulse, Ebon Dragon, and Megawatt. The heroine was cursed, her magic sealed away with fell purpose, and abandoned atop Lilith’s building, and Lilith rescued Warden against her own best judgement. Lilith’s hesitation was partially driven by the fact she’d been designated a bioweapon by the government and thus would be killed out of hand on being captured.

  A chance encounter caused Lilith and Warden to meet in the heroine’s mundane identity of Gina, and shortly thereafter she met Gina’s friend Rachel, the heroine Morgan Le Fay. A relationship began blooming between the three, whether that of friends or more of romance was uncertain at the time. When Lilith admitted that she’d known the identities of the two heroines from the beginning, they cut off contact in order to determine what Lilith’s motives were and if she was influencing them. Lilith was left almost heartbroken, while Gina began to realize she’d fallen for Lilith.

  Before things could progress further, Gina was kidnapped by Blue Impulse, who revealed the curse was part of an attempt to magically control her and it turned her lips and underlying skin tone blue in the process of attempting to complete the ritual. Wishing to hurt Gina as much as possible, he had her attempt to lure Lilith into a trap so he could hurt her in front of Gina. Lilith realized something was wrong and was so enraged that she nearly killed Blue Impulse. Lilith managed to break the device that he was using to enslave Gina before it could become permanent, though the aftershocks of the released magic had unknown effects on Lilith.

  Gina moved in with Lilith, despite protests from her team. Lilith confessed who and what she was to Gina and Rachel, knowing they could kill her with the information without consequence. Instead, they promised to help her try to get the death sentence for being a biological weapon rescinded. Rachel all but admitted she had feelings for both Lilith and Gina.

  The villain Black Harbinger attacked the city and Doctor Johnson used it as cover to attack several locations and steal technology from three facilities, killing people to cover his tracks. Ocean Shield engaged Black Harbinger, and Morgan Le Fay was nearly killed when the villain Pyroclasm IV ambushed her from behind. Only Lilith intervening and manifesting new powers that allowed her to heal saved the heroine’s life. The effort nearly killed Lilith in turn. Somehow empowered by the experience, Morgan and Warden defeated the villains.

  Having decided to explore the potential relationship between them, Gina, Lilith, and Rachel then went to the local SuperNet branch to have her powers evaluated.

  Prologue

  Friday, December 20th, 2030

  Sky Defender HQ, San Francisco

  Listening to the soft beeping as the computer ran diagnostics on his suit, Sky Defender sat back and sighed, pulling out the small refrigeration unit he’d brought back from Ocean Shield’s HQ. He felt a little bad about simply taking the blood sample within, but there was no way that Blooming Orchid would have given it to him if he’d asked. He didn’t like breaking the rules, but in the end, it was for the greater good. Sky Defender found that his instincts were rarely wrong about things like this.

  Turning away from his suit, he opened the unit and pulled out the vial as he spoke. “System, run this blood sample through a full spectrum of tests. I want to know everything possible about it, as well as the heritage of the subject.”

  “Yes, Doctor,” a synthesized male voice replied calmly as a compartment sized for the sample hissed open. “The tests will take approximately two weeks and will destroy the sample in the process. Is that acceptable?”

  “Of course.” Sky Defender replied, carefully placing the vial into the compartment. “I want the data secured with tier 3 encryption and stored only in the local database.”

  “Yes, Doctor. What file name should the analysis be listed under?” the computer asked as the compartment closed and machinery whirred within the counter.

  Sky Defender didn’t reply for a moment, frowning, then shrugged and replied softly. “Subject: Lilith Carpenter.”

  “Yes, Doctor,” the computer agreed readily, and the hero nodded to himself. Turning away, he moved to his desk and sat down to work on improving the power plant of his armor. Despite how important the project was, Sky Defender found himself unable to fully concentrate.

  A minute later, he sighed, murmuring. “Maybe this will finally help me figure out why she irritates me so much. I hope it does.”

  Dr. Johnson’s Lair, Santa Cruz

  “Hello, ladies! It’s wonderful to meet you at last!” Eve told her guests, her smile broad as she welcomed the pair of women, gesturing them inside. “Please, come in!”

  The women were striking in their own way, and each of them almost identical. With short, pixie-cut light brown hair and hazel eyes, they were pretty enough to draw the eye, especially with their relatively petite frames, and they stood close to average height. Each was wearing a white blouse and black jacket over a colorful skirt, one red and the other green. Eve could see a few other differences between them but it took her several moments to ensure that she could tell them apart. Humans would likely have a much harder time telling the difference between the pale-skinned women.

  “Thank you,” one of them said politely, smiling very thinly in return as they stepped through the back door and followed Eve to the elevator. “I’m Maureen, and this is Pauline. Who exactly are you?”

  “I’m called Eve, and the doctor has asked me to be your liaison and primary contact for the job you’ve taken.” Eve replied, nodding at them as she activated the override to head below the two listed floors. The elevator began to descend as she looked at them inquisitively. “Is that acceptable?”

  Pauline snorted, shaking her head as she murmured, “Considering what I’ve heard about the doctor’s attitude regarding women, I think I’d prefer it.”

  “Agreed.” Maureen nodded, then looked at Eve. “Now, the job was listed as a moderate danger replacement and infiltration. As the initial payment came through, we’d like some details before we finalize everything. There weren’t many details, though that’s understandable.”

  “That’s perfectly alright,” Eve assured them, smiling in return. “If you’ll wait just a minute, until we’re in a secure room? The doctor has a few employees whose services are coming to a close and he would rather they not know about your job. Or your presence, for that matter.”

  “That… seems reasonable. We can wait for a few minutes,” Maureen agreed, falling silent as the pair of villains studied Eve carefully.

  Eve ignored their examination, confident that she could deal with both of them if it was necessary. The pair were a relatively new supervillain team called the Doppelgangers, and so far, they had a good reputation in the underworld for reliability. The problem was that they were still new and unknown for the most part. They didn’t publicize their successes, as they didn’t seem to want to draw too much attention from heroes, which was a good thing from Eve’s point of view. It increased the safety of the operation that she was planning. What she’d found regarding their powers made her quite confident that they weren’t a threat to her, since their powers seemed to only affect humans.

  The elevator finally settled at the lowest floor of the shaft, far below the office above them. The doors opened to reveal the gleaming hallways of the lair which Dr. Johnson had made into his temporary home. Eve could just barely hear cursing in the distance, the voice of Heavy Metal, tiny but distinct, as he worked on preparing to move out of the lair. She doubted her two guests could hear him so Eve ushered them toward the nearest conference room, opening the door as she asked, “Would you like anything to drink or other refreshments?”

  “No, thank you. We had lunch before we came over,”
Pauline replied, the two of them following Eve into the room and each taking a chair around the table. “We’d rather talk about the job you had in mind.”

  “As you like, though it is the doctor’s job, not mine. A subtle distinction, but important.” Eve replied, smiling at them again as she closed the door and activated the room’s sound dampening. Taking a seat, she paused before activating the holographic camera to cause the image of a woman of Chinese descent, wielding a jian and wearing an elaborate, orchid-themed outfit, to appear in the center of the table. “Blooming Orchid, a core member of Ocean Shield, is the target he had in mind.”

  “Are… are you serious? Ocean Shield isn’t a minor player in this region! This doesn’t seem like it’d be a simple moderate risk job!” Maureen exclaimed, standing abruptly in obvious shock.

  “If the doctor were asking you to do more than replace her, perhaps you’d be right, but he isn’t. Intelligence reports indicate she’s going on vacation in the near future, and the goal is to replace her while she’s absent. Your task would be to keep them from realizing she has gone missing, and with the recent attacks on San Francisco, her team is somewhat distracted,” Eve explained pleasantly. “You’d be expected to keep up the charade and pass along any information that’s dangerous to the doctor for no more than three months, then to fake Blooming Orchid’s death, preferably pinning it on Omega Code or another villain. Nothing more.”