CHAPTER 31
IRIDIUM
You have to ask yourself what will happen when one of these heroes snaps—and we’re not talking about spousal abuse, drunk driving, or a public display of aggression. I’m talking nuclear meltdowns, whole cities wiped off the map because an extrahuman decided he wasn’t going to take it anymore.
From the New Chicago Century, an editorial entitled “Mad as Hell”
Single file. Paired students together. No talking.” The Superintendent looked at Frostbite and Chen Leung, his paired hero, code name: Red Lotus. Their heads, shocking blue and red respectively, were bowed together.
“I said no talking!”
Frostbite jerked upright. “Sorry, sir.”
“While you are in the city, you are representative of the Academy and of Corp,” the Superintendent said sternly. “So behave yourselves, or the consequences will be swift and dire.”
“‘Swift and dire,’” Iridium mocked. She saw Jet bite the insides of her cheek to keep from smiling. “He’s going to make us listen to one of his speeches if we misbehave.”
Night walked by and tapped her on the back of the head. “Be quiet, Iridium.”
“Sorry, sir.”
Night looked down at Jet. “Are you looking forward to this, little Shadow?”
She nodded silently, favoring Night with a bright, soft smile. Iridium almost rolled her eyes. If her roommate hadn’t been so head over heels about Samson, Iridium would have thought Jet had a serious crush on Night. Yuck.
From the front of the line of students, Celestina clapped her hands. “This way to the transport, everyone.”
They all filed in, sat down, and belted up, like the good little heroes-in-training that they were. And then they were off.
The hover took them through the towers of the new downtown, over the reclaimed grids, until they parked on a glassed-in stationary platform in Little Shinjuku. Even in the middle of the day, neon characters and signs glowed; somewhere far away, fireworks popped.
“Now, this area is very safe,” said Celestina. “But—”
Iridium raised her hand.
Celestina gave a small sigh. “Yes, Callie?”
“If it’s so safe, how come there’s bulletproof glass around the lander?”
Night clapped his hands together. “Here’s all you need to know. This is your first training patrol. You’ve each been assigned a sector of the neighborhood on your wristlets. You’ll patrol for one hour, then report back immediately. Any of that too complicated for you hormone cases?”
“No, sir!” Jet exclaimed.
A few of the other students snickered. Iridium shot them black looks. No one razzed on Jet for being all perfect except for Iridium.
As Celestina punched a code into the door of the lander, Jet nudged Iridium on the shoulder. “I’ve got our grid. Let’s get to the door. I bet we’ll be the first to complete the exercise!”
“Hey, hold up.” Iridium pulled Jet back by the sleeve of her uniform. Outside, the stairs unfolded, forming a path from the lander to the street. “This is a bad idea.”
“Little Shinjuku is safe,” said Jet. “Night said so.”
“I’m telling you, this is a bad idea.” As they filed out of the lander and down the stairs, Iridium glanced around to take in the surroundings. And she frowned deeply.
“It’s training, Iri.” Jet’s voice was full of happy thoughts. “It’s preparing us for when we’ll be heroes.”
“Yeah.” Iridium pointed to a hunched, shaking bum sitting on the curb. “And that’s a junkfreak.” She rotated to the cluster of buzzing hoverbikes and their satin-jacketed riders. “And that’s a speed gang. All preparing for when they’ll rob, rape, or kill us.” She looked back at Jet. “The city is a dangerous place. My dad at least taught me that.”
She felt more than heard Night at her back, his shadow blocking out the faint light from the pollution layer.
“Problem, Iridium? I know we aren’t discussing rabids during a class exercise.”
“No, sir,” Jet said, shoving Iridium forward. “No problem at all. We were just strategizing the best way to proceed.”
“Get moving,” said Night. “You don’t want to fall behind.”
Jet blanched, then hissed at Iridium, “I can’t believe you’re messing this up!” Furious, she stalked away.
“Christo, Jet,” Iridium called, hurrying after her. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Jet muttered as she paced rapidly along the alley, wristlet flashing data. “It’s just that …” She took a deep breath. “If Samson and the others have a more complete report because they started on time, that will be reflected in our scores.”
“No one is going to have a more complete report,” said Iridium. “We’re the best, remember?”
Jet sighed, relaxing. “Yes. I know. I’m sorry.”
“Forget it,” said Iridium, smiling so Jet would know she’d forget it as well.
“It’s a straightforward infogather patrol,” Jet said, reading the data. “We must collect information on illicit activity, which will be quantified by Ops, and then—”
“Perfect,” Iridium said, starting in a random direction. “Let’s do a look-see and get back to the hover.”
“We have one hour, remember?”
“Let’s finish, before the hour’s up. Dad told me stories about this neighborhood that’d make your toes curl up.”
A man’s voice said: “Stories about the boogeyman?”
Iridium whipped her head around and saw two men in ragged old-style clothes with yellow sunburst patches on the breast pockets. She hadn’t heard them approaching. “Shit,” she said clearly.
Jet frowned at them. “I’m sorry, citizens. This is a training area. You must not have been notified.”
“Who do you think you’re talking to, brat?” demanded the younger of the two. He had a blunt, dangerous face and glittering dark eyes.
“Jet,” Iridium said as the men walked closer, “I don’t think they’re part of the training exercise.”
“But … they can’t be here otherwise,” Jet stammered. “It’s not procedure.”
Iridium started backing up, forming a strobe in her hands. Find an exit, make a hole, and get the hell away. It wasn’t Academy training, but it was good common sense.
“Listen to the little freak. You think we let things like you tell us where we can and can’t go, freak?”
“I don’t understand,” Jet started. “Who …?”
“Everyman,” said Iridium, the sunburst insignia finally clicking into place.
“Look at that,” said the older one. “The tall freak’s got a brain.”
The younger drew out a Talon cutter. “You’re not welcome around here, little girls.”
Jet was frozen in place, chest fluttering rapidly, her hands shaking. Iridium cursed under her breath but stood her ground. As long as Jet wasn’t moving, she couldn’t either. Partners never strayed.
“You think you’re scaring me?” she spat at the Everyman with the cutter. “I’ve seen more frightening things in my lunch tray.”
“Shut your mouth, you little bitch,” he hissed. “A time’s coming when all of you are going to see how weak you really are. But I’m gonna teach you a lesson right now.” He slashed the cutter close enough to Iridium’s face that she could feel the heat from the vibrating edge. “Maybe you’d like that big mouth even wider?”
Iridium released the strobe like a baseball, straight at the man’s face. It exploded on contact. He screamed, dropping the Talon. Iridium kicked him in the crotch.
“Jet,” she snarled. “Help me.”
“Training,” Jet panted. “Just supposed to be training …” She started to gather a Shadow cloak around her, but not quickly enough. The older Everyman grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her into the air in front of him, like a human shield.
“Let her go!” Iridium screamed. She sent a fury of strobes at the man, but they all got absorbed into Jet’s Shadow cloak.
The man with the Talon was getting up, rubbing at raw red eyes running trickles of blood from the corners. “I’ll blind you, you piece of filth,” he snarled. “Every last one of you mistakes of nature is going to pay!”
Iridium saw the knife swing down toward her face …
… and then it just didn’t matter. A sense of well-being settled over her, and a faint lavender mist twinkled at the corners of all her senses. Dimly, she noted the Everyman setting down his knife, turning his face upward to the faint sun.
Celestina walked in front of Iridium, the woman’s hands shining like rays, her eyes glinting pure like amethysts. A small part of Iridium cried out that something was wrong, they should be fighting, struggling, someone should be dying …
“Put the child down,” said Celestina, her voice musical and quiet.
The Everyman complied, a broad smile on his face. He released Jet, who just stood there, the perpetual worry line on her brow soothed away.
“Jet, come here.”
Jet walked over at a measured pace to stand beside Iridium.
At Iridium’s feet, something chill and slick as the fabric of night passed over the ground.
Celestina snatched Iridium and Jet back, pulling them behind a Dumpster “Clear!”
Night surged forward, his creepers wrapping the Everymen in blackness. As Celestina’s mind mist lifted, Iridium heard their screams. She turned her head away from the sight, but Jet kept staring, more transfixed by Night than by any Mental trick Celestina could muster.
“Get to the hover,” said Celestina low in Iridium’s ear. “We’re evacuating. You’re responsible for Jet, Iridium. Make sure she’s all right. Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” said Iridium. Her voice came out papery and very young. “Yes, ma’am,” she barked louder, to cover it up. “Come on, Jet.”
Jet didn’t move.
Iridium turned to see what had captured Jet’s attention: Night closed on the two men, wrapping them in layer upon layer of Shadow, and now he was snarling at them, bellowing, “You like to frighten little girls?”
Iridium shivered, then tore her gaze away. “JET!”
She blinked and turned toward Iridium. “What …?”
“We gotta motor. Come on. Just run for the hover and don’t look at anything else.” She gripped Jet’s hand. “I’ve got you.”
Apparently that was enough, because Jet followed her as they jogged back to the hover. After they were safely inside and the Runner pilot had punched a heading back to the Academy, Iridium let out a very relieved sigh.
“I told you this was a bad idea,” she said.
Jet pressed her nose against the window, looking down on the firefly lights of Little Shinjuku with the rest of the students. “What’s going to happen to Night and Celestina?”
Iridium shut her eyes as the hover lurched into traffic. “Somehow, I think they can take care of themselves.”