Queen's Move (Lilith's Shadow Book 3) Page 23

  “We’ll just have to find some of their tech, if anything,” Commodore Catastrophe muttered, turning away and stalking toward the door.

  At least she’d learned enough to know that trying to act personally was a poor idea. She was best suited for infiltration, and a psychic would make that virtually impossible, even with mental shields. No, tracking down the alien would be a task for other people, once the authorities around Paragon City had lowered their guard again.

  Though with her luck the general would want her to take charge of the search. Commodore Catastrophe dearly hoped he wouldn’t, though.

  Chapter 28

  Wednesday, May 1st, 2031

  Whispering Darkness HQ, Eureka, California

  The phone rang, and Christopher frowned at it in annoyance, but it could be Janice, so he reluctantly picked it up, expecting that it was probably just George. “Hello?”

  “Is this Whispering Darkness?” a woman asked calmly, and a chill ran down Christopher’s spine as he sat up abruptly, as he did not recognize the voice.

  “Who is this? How did you get this number?” Christopher demanded, his mind racing as he wondered how in the hell the caller had gotten through his network security. He’d set things up so that any unauthorized number was shunted to George, unless they had very specific overrides to bypass it. How she’d gotten through to him was incredibly worrying.

  “I’m Lilith Carpenter, and… is this not a public number?” the woman replied, sounding perplexed, then her voice grew quieter, like she’d pulled the phone away from her mouth as she spoke. “Circe! Did you give me a private number?”

  Christopher’s mouth opened, then shut as a thread of fear rippled through him, immediately followed by relief as he realized she hadn’t known what she was doing. It was still somewhat terrifying that she’d gotten through his security, but he’d always known that his precautions couldn’t stop any of the really powerful groups that had advanced technology or AIs.

  He didn’t hear what the response to Lilith’s question was, but Lilith’s response was rather informative. “You should have told me before I called him, then!”

  “My apologies; I thought that this was a public number, or I wouldn’t have contacted you this way.” Lilith’s voice grew louder again as she apologized. “Would you like me to contact you another way, or another time?”

  “Ah… no, I guess that now will work, even if this isn’t normal,” Christopher said, forcing himself to relax as he settled back in his chair again. “This is a private number, used almost entirely for internal communication. You gave me a bit of a shock.”

  “Again, you have my most sincere apologies,” Lilith said guiltily, but seemed to recover as she continued. “However, I contacted you because I had a business proposal for you.”

  “Oh? This wouldn’t be on the behalf of Shadowmind, would it? I’m trying to get out of the underworld business,” Christopher said, trying to decide how he felt about Lilith’s call. While he’d caught the periphery of the manhunt for her due to his relationship with Janice, he’d been personally skeptical of the entire mess, unsure if it was the ploy of a villain trying to prey on public sentiment or not. He didn’t think Lilith was working for Shadowmind, but it was best to be certain.

  “Oh, certainly not. I’ve been designing some items of my own, and while I can use Amber’s facilities to make things for me personally, I can’t if I want to produce them for sale on the market,” Lilith explained. “Beyond that, I sold off my company after the undue attention it was getting, so I don’t trust that I’d be able to work on my own.”

  “Ah, I believe I understand. You’re looking for someone in the manufacturing sector to work with you, and you feel like I, as a retiring villain, am the best choice. Since I wouldn’t have the same hang-ups other people would,” Christopher said, unable to help a wry smile at the thought.

  “Approximately. You’re also well-known for quality and keeping your deals, which I consider rather important, given some of the things I have,” Lilith said, pausing for several moments before she continued bluntly. “I have the basic design for light power armor that could be maintained by most police forces. It would still be expensive, but it requires no super-tech, and doesn’t use any of Shadowmind’s proprietary technology.”

  “You what? How in the hell did you manage that?” Christopher demanded, all distractions vanishing as he sat up again, shock rippling through him.

  Power armor maintenance was the bane of every superhero inventor he knew of, and while a few organizations could afford the incredible expense of maintaining power armor, it usually took entire teams of engineers for each suit. LANCE was one of the few that had the budget for it, and even most of those suits that were mostly mundane technology had certain pieces of super-tech incorporated into them to make them work. Christopher made some armor with powered components for purchase, like strength augmentation, shield packs, or the like, but he wasn’t confident of making anything like the full suit of power armor she’d described.

  “Mostly by studying her suits and figuring out how I would design them personally. They aren’t as good as hers are, and I don’t know how to incorporate a flight unit, but I’m confident that they’d work,” Lilith told him, a note of amusement in her voice. “The main question is if you’re willing to entertain a partnership. I’m specifically hoping to limit any sales to law enforcement, though I’m sure that other groups would manage to get their hands on some suits, given time.”

  “Yes, likely more quickly than you’d think, really. It doesn’t matter how careful I am about who I sell equipment to, someone always sells it or has it stolen,” Christopher said idly, his mind racing, and a smile slowly grew on his face. If he could sell power armor, even basic power armor, to law enforcement, that might do wonders to convince them he was serious about turning over a new leaf. That was probably part of why Lilith was looking into it, he realized, and he nodded unconsciously.

  “Alright, you certainly have my attention, Miss Carpenter. The question is, what sort of deal are you talking about? I have no idea how much work setting up a manufacturing line for it would be, not sight unseen, but there are a lot of other details to discuss first, like how to split any profit,” Christopher said, focusing his thoughts as he started preparing himself for an intense bargaining session.

  “Excellent, I was hoping you’d say something like that,” Lilith said, and the pleasure in her voice gave him a sinking sensation in his stomach.

  Unfortunately, his instincts about the bargaining session were not wrong.

  Paragon State University Hospital, Paragon City

  The smell of disinfectant and other chemicals was subtle but pervasive, and Lilith had a hard time ignoring it. The occasional, soft chirps from different medical equipment was also difficult for her, and she wondered how other people could put up with it. The sounds would slowly drive her mad, she thought.

  The thoughts were mostly beside the point as she walked down the hall, following the directions she’d been given. Unlike almost all of her expectations since emerging into the world almost a year and a half before, the hospital actually matched her expectations of what to expect. Oh, the smell wasn’t something she’d expected, but the rest of it was another matter.

  The hallways were well-lit and virtually pristine. As they walked she’d seen a janitor cleaning down a side corridor, though she’d been distracted by the sight of Lilith. The rooms often had a good view of manicured grounds, including a pond and artificial waterfall, and the equipment Lilith had seen was excellent, which she supposed it should be, with as often as Paragon City had to deal with different villains or visiting heroes. That was part of why she’d reluctantly agreed to carry the pistol Gina had insisted on.

  “Are you sure about this? I mean, you don’t even know Russel,” Gina asked, following Lilith down the hallway.

  “Of course. I’m the one who pulled him out of his awakening, so I think it’s only right that I at least go and say hello to
him and see how he’s doing,” Lilith said, nodding to an older man in a wheelchair being pushed by a nurse. She gave them plenty of room as she glanced back at Gina. “I’m certain that he has other people who visit, but I feel… responsible.”

  “Responsible? Really?” Gina replied skeptically. “Sure, you saved his life, but it isn’t like you put him in that situation!”

  “No, but I used my power to get his attention, and we have no idea how that might affect someone. The only other person I remember using it on is Rachel, and that was…” Lilith paused, trying to think of how to say what was going through her head. Finally, she shrugged and admitted, “I just want to make certain it isn’t having a negative effect on him. Besides, if no one has checked on him for some reason, I thought company might be appreciated.”

  “If you say so,” Gina replied, visibly relaxing.

  It took a little longer to reach the room than Lilith expected, mostly because they came across a waiting room first, but then they were in the right wing, and Lilith strove to ignore the surprised looks of several nurses as they passed a counter on their way to Russel’s room. She would have thought that the people downstairs would’ve informed them that she was coming.

  Lilith approached the room in question, from which she heard a couple of voices, then some laughter. She slowed down slightly, then shrugged. If she was interrupting, she could always leave, so she looked around the corner and rapped on the doorframe. “Hello, I hope we aren’t interrupting?”

  The two occupants of the room looked over, and both of them stopped talking as they saw her. The freckled redhead’s mouth made an ‘o’ of surprise as she looked at Lilith with pale blue eyes, freezing in place in her chair. Russel looked much like he had when Lilith had seen him last, though his eyes were brown, now, and he was wearing a hospital gown.

  “Uh, are you… Lilith Carpenter? And that… that’s Warden, right?” the young woman said, her eyes widening as she shifted, and Lilith resisted the urge to smile as she saw the caption on the woman’s t-shirt. It said ‘I don’t just fix things. I look good while I fix things’.

  “Gina, please. I’m not on duty,” Gina chimed in, grinning as she glanced at Lilith. “We just came to check on Russel and make sure he’s doing alright. Are you busy?”

  “Oh, uh, not at all! Please… call me Russ, I prefer it,” Russel said at last, his brain almost visibly shifting into motion as he glanced over at the young woman, adding, “This is Trish, one of my classmates. I wasn’t, um, expecting you two to visit! I thought… well, I thought you’d be busy.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Russ, Trish,” Lilith said, stepping into the room and raising the gift basket she’d been carrying, adding, “I understand it’s traditional to bring something to the ill, so I brought you some fruit.”

  “Lil’s idea of what’s normal is sometimes a bit odd,” Gina said, grinning as she stepped around Lilith, snagging the basket and plopping it on a table where Russ could easily grab one of the apples, bananas, or oranges inside it. “As for being busy, we don’t have much in the way of jobs here, yet. We’re still working things out with the local super teams and governments.”

  “Oh, of course,” Trish said, flushing as she looked between them, hesitating, then asked, “Do you mind if I take a picture of the two of you? I’d ask for a signature, but I don’t have anything to sign.”

  Lilith shrugged and looked at Gina curiously, not entirely sure how she should react. This was the first time she remembered someone asking if they could take a picture of her. Gina laughed and stepped toward Lilith, throwing an arm across Lilith’s shoulders as she spoke.

  “Go ahead! Too bad Rachel’s busy, but she had a meeting to go to,” Gina said, and Lilith smiled as the woman pulled out her phone, protected by a bright pastel-blue case, and snapped a couple of pictures.

  “Thank you! Oh, and, um, sorry, Russ,” Trish said, blushing as she looked at him. “I mean, they’re here to visit you, not me!”

  “Just send me a copy of the pictures, huh?” Russ said, staring at Lilith, then he shook himself. “Sorry I’m not… I’m just stunned. I didn’t expect you to come visit me at all. I… thank you for saving me. The docs said that I might not have been able to recover if it’d been a couple more minutes, and I was unconscious for a day and a half even so.”

  “You’re quite welcome,” Lilith said, hugging Gina gently before taking a step away, looking at him in concern as she considered what to say. Finally, she asked, “How do you feel? I don’t know if you remember much of anything, since I never even noticed my powers awakening.”

  “Mostly I’m sore, like someone beat me up, and my head feels swollen,” Russ said, wincing as he shifted in place. “After seeing the recordings I realize why, but it isn’t very pleasant. I think I know how to use my new powers, but the docs said not to do anything until I’m fully recovered, and definitely not in the hospital. Since I don’t want the repair bill if I go berserk again, I’m obeying instructions. As for remembering…”

  Russ fell silent, and Lilith glanced at Gina, whose lips were pursed as she studied the college student. Lilith was quite aware of Trish staring at her, which made her rather uncomfortable. There was also something about the woman’s gaze… she was fascinated, yes, but there was almost something defensive about her attitude. It confused Lilith, since she wasn’t sure why Trish would feel that way about her.

  “I don’t remember a lot,” Russ said at last, letting out a sigh. “Just what I told the others. We were preparing for the next experiment in the lab, Trish was doing the adjustments, and I went to grab some coffee. There was a sudden pain in my head and I blacked out. Then it was… weird. I saw a little red and white, and I was really, really angry, I can tell you that much, but I wasn’t aware of anything until you said my name.

  “It pierced through it all, and I came back out of… wherever I was,” Russ said, looking at Lilith now, his eyes bright. “I remember seeing you for a few seconds, then I blacked out again. The next thing I knew, I was here in the hospital.”

  “Hm, interesting,” Lilith said, tapping a finger against her leg as she thought. A part of her hated to ask anything more, but she inhaled slowly, then spoke. “I will admit, part of the reason I came here was because I was… concerned. I’ve only used my power to focus the attention of someone on me once before, and it was under rather dire circumstances as well, so I’m not certain what side effects it might have on someone. Are you feeling relatively normal? Any odd obsessions, or anything like that?”

  “Um, no?” Russ replied, looking a little taken aback, then flushed as he glanced at Trish and spoke hesitantly. “Well, aside from the usual sort of thing, when I run into someone wealthy and beautiful.”

  “You’re going to pay for that later,” Trish said, her voice perfectly level, prompting Lilith to blink as she looked between the two of them, and very belatedly she realized that they were probably in a relationship. Suddenly the slightly defensive attitude of Trish made a little more sense, and Lilith felt herself relax.

  “I’m glad to hear you’re doing well, then. I wish I didn’t have to use my ability to attract attention like that, but… it was that or let you burn yourself out. I didn’t want that,” Lilith said, glancing at Gina as she added, a bit wryly. “Beyond which, we weren’t certain how else to stop you. You were worrying Gina, as I recall.”

  “Really? I was that powerful?” Russ asked, his attention snapping back to Gina, his eyes lighting up with enthusiasm.

  “You were overdrawing your reserves massively, but yes, you were extremely powerful,” Gina said dryly, giving Lilith a chiding look. “If you’re able to control your powers after you’re out of the hospital, I’m not sure exactly where you’d land on the power scale, but definitely class B, if not class A. I wouldn’t be surprised if you get a few recruitment offers from the military or other superhero teams after your little display.”

  “Sweet!” Russ said, grinning broadly as he glanced at Trish, who rolled her e
yes.

  “You want to get shot at? I thought you wanted to be a professor!” the young woman said, giving him a pointed look.

  “Yes, but having powers like this is awesome! I could even have my own fan club!” Russ replied, and Lilith couldn’t help a laugh.

  “I think we’ll let the two of you have some privacy again,” Lilith said, a bit amused by how the two were acting. She’d seen couples around town before, but she hadn’t seen much of how they interacted, at least not this directly. It was surprisingly entertaining. “I hope you get feeling better soon, Russ.”

  “Oh, already? Well, thank you for the fruit and stopping by,” Russ said, his gaze drifting back to Lilith as he hesitated, then shrugged and smiled. “Thanks a lot, for saving me, I mean.”

  “You are quite welcome,” Lilith said, and glanced at Trish as she added, “Take care of yourselves, hm?”

  “Bye!” Gina said, and quickly followed Lilith out of the room, giggling as she murmured, “That’s going to be an entertaining conversation.”

  “Oh?” Lilith asked, glancing back at Gina curiously.

  “Well, he’s obviously liking the idea of being a hero, and she doesn’t. I suspect he also has no idea just how dangerous it is,” Gina explained, and her grin grew wider as she added, “And he left himself open to a world of hurt when he admitted that he liked you.”

  “He admitted he—” Lilith began, then stopped, thinking about what Gina had said as she walked, as well as the way that Russ had looked at her. Eventually she spoke quietly, trying to avoid letting any of the other people in the hall overhear. “This is another of those things I’m oblivious to, isn’t it? How I miss most social cues of that sort.”

  “Just a little, yes,” Gina replied, laughing quietly before she added gently. “It’s part of why I love you, though.”