Yet another cup smashed against the wall.

“HE DID WHAT?!”

Lady Song was on her feet, stalking back and forth. The jade sculptures lingering in the corners and on the walls shifted in response to her irritation. She reached up and tugged at her hair before turning to point a finger at her son. The brat wasn’t nearly as cowed as he usually was. Instead, he glared back at her with that same dark-red glow in his eyes that woman had. She clenched her teeth and lowered her hand, trembling with rage.

“Details. Now.”

Her son rose to his feet and put a hand over his heart. “Ma reached out to the President first and expressed his regret over the confusion concerning Sonya Chernovna’s relationship with China. She extended an offer through him to host the final ceremony of her event in Shanghai. After losing the tourism money from the initial event being cancelled, the President was pleased to assent. Chernovna is already in the country.”

A tooth cracked. “You already said that,” she growled. “I want to know why my man did not report to me first!”

Her son returned her stare. “That is all the information I have available for you, mother.”

She stepped off the platform in a flash of movement, her jade sculptures diving with her. Her hand swept down and nearly reached his face before his own hand rose to block it. Since when did he have a spine? Since when was he so strong? What is happening? When did I lose control over my family? What is Qilin doing? He didn’t say a word. He just stared back at her as her mind reeled. “It’s Chernovna isn’t it? She got to him, didn’t she?” she demanded. “Tell me!”

“The Heavenly Demon gave her warning,” he said flatly. “If you make a move that will endanger China, you do it on your own.”

THONK

THONK THONK

THONK

Her eyes trembled as she turned slowly to look towards the jade soldiers that had come to aid her. Their heads fell to the ground at his feet. He stood up straight and slowly pushed her arm down before turning away. “Good evening, Mother,” he said and walked out the door. 

She watched him go, breath coming fast. She spun and raced towards her chair. Mimir. Mimir will fix this. Mimir has to fix this! She grabbed her phone and dialed. It rang once before he answered, and she felt relief wash over her. Until he started speaking.

“Hui Lan, judging by what I’ve heard, things went poorly in Nepal. Chernovna is hosting the ceremony in China,” he said calmly. ”Your scheme put my reporter plant at risk, and I lost one of my best spies. I warned you about touching Chernovna’s family, and your plot nearly killed Cassiopeia.”

“Th-that was the Russian!” Lady Song babbled. “M-Mimir! It-its me! Come now, we-”

He sighed audibly. ”Hui Lan, it was your plan. She knows who you are and where you live. There’s no getting out of this. I told you that to take Chernovna down you need to be patient. You underestimated her and now you are going to die. If it is any consolation, you helped me a great deal. I’ll remember you when it’s over.”

“Mimir! She’s just a-”

“Good bye, Hui Lan.”

Click.

The phone cracked in her grip. She grit her teeth. “Like hell!” she snarled, “I’ll kill her first! She won’t leave China alive!”

–

The transport helicopter landed, and the doors opened, revealing the group of armed men and women inside. The moon shone down upon the Shanghai rooftop, illuminating the equally large group that approached, weapons held close but not at the ready. From within the helicopter, a woman slipped out, her blood-red hair glittering as she set her feet on the ground. She checked her weapons and turned them over. “Looks like things turned out as he expected,” The Major said evenly. “Are we set up here?”

The man at the lead of the group that had been waiting nodded. “All six cells are ready to mobilize. There are going to be a lot of heroes, though. Is this okay?”

“Mostly Rares and Epics,” she said absently as the group on the helicopter started filing out. Each one of them carried a weight with them, a presence that pressed down a little on the air around them. Their eyes glowed as they examined their own weapons and made final checks. “It won’t be a problem. We can avoid the heavy hitters.”

One of the waiting group members stepped forward. “We should kill any Heroics and Mythics we can! They’re the real prob-”

She raised her gun and pulled the hammer, pointing it at him. “We follow the plan. No excursions, no changes, no deviating. If you want to kill yourself, do it on your own time and not while the others are relying on you. Got it?”

The man froze then stepped back. “R-right. Sorry, Major.”

She huffed and turned back to her team. “Our target is Chernovna. If we can get her alive, great. If not, put a bullet in her head.”

That’s all you need to know, she thought, licking the false tooth in her mouth. As for me, I have a different goal.

“Let’s move! We need to be in position for the ceremony.”

–

KRRSSSSS

The respirator hissed as Doctor Kaidan removed it, setting it aside as she kicked her feet off the side of the Minpu bridge. She stared down into the water thoughtfully before checking her watch and frowning. Slow, she grumbled. A few seconds later, a creature surfaced in the water. It had the body of a crocodile and the long head and neck of a plesiosaur. She scowled at it as it squeaked up at her. When she was done hearing what it had to say, she snapped her fingers, and it let out a croak of pain before dissolving into multicolored light.

“You’re cruel to your pets,” a somber voice said behind her.

“And you are nosy,” Kaidan replied with a snap, getting to her feet and adjusting her lab coat. She turned to look at the dour-looking girl in a simple yet elegant gown. Her dark eyes seemed to suck in the light. “Did he send you?”

“No. I came on my own after asking Craftsman for a lift,” Melinoë said. “His Majesty is getting ready for a punishment tour after the Kerauna debacle.”

Kaidan snorted and turned away. “No idea what Craftsman sees-”

Something bubbled up in the water beneath the bridge. She narrowed her eyes as a head rose from the water. Golden eyes burned beneath matted blonde hair. An armored palm slammed onto the surface, pushing down and pulling a broken body out of the water. Her eyes went wide as Liberty sneered up at her.

“ITO,” Liberty gurgled. The broken figure rushed to the pier below and began to climb up at an impossible speed before launching itself the remaining distance towards Kaidan. Kaidan gasped and nearly fell off the bridge, catching herself as the haunting visage of Liberty vanished mid-arc. She turned and fixed the girl with a glare. “You brat!”

“Do not speak ill of him,” Melinoë said coldly. “You’ll learn to appreciate what he’s given you, if you don’t get yourself killed doing this.”

Kaidan tilted her chin up. “You aren’t going to stop me?”

The dour girl shrugged. “I don’t care either way. If that woman is here, then Ishtar is sure to follow. That means Kerauna will be here,” she explained, her tone becoming colder and colder with each word. “I may not get along well with the other two, but they are still my fellow Heralds. I don’t take kindly to slights.”

“I’m not here for Ishtar,” Kaidan said with a shrug. “Chernovna is a problem. She makes Heroes as easy as she breathes. She might be a valuable sponsor, but her daughter would be easier to control. I know her. Kill Chernovna, control the girl, and then we have no problems.”

Not only that, but the prick that killed my favorite little toy is getting an award! An AWARD! She clenched her fists. I can make more, but that was the first! My baby!Craftsman can let it go, but I can’t!

Melinoë swayed and started walking along the side of the bridge, her body flickering now and then as she moved like a specter or wraith. Kaidan could barely make out the girl humming under her breath. She halted after a few moments and looked her way. “Have fun with that.”

Kaidan put her respirator back on and chuckled. “Oh, I intend to.”

–

The sky trembled.

A solitary figure sat in the air, his legs crossed and his head tilted forward in deep concentration.  He felt the air, the wind, the storms; he could push the sea and send it crashing about. He felt a momentary pang of jealousy for the man who currently ruled the oceans before setting it aside. In this moment, he was above such things. Pettiness, jealousy, avarice - they were all second to his greed. His need for more. He drew the clouds together, and with a grunt of effort, pulled a bolt of true lightning from the sky and struck the sea. 

Turbulence. A rising and falling of something. Rockiness. Perfection does not need to mean symmetry, only mastery. The wind blows around every obstacle, and any wall too large to blow around it will wear down with time. His lips curled up. Or with enough force.

Another bolt of lightning struck the same spot. 

Practice. Practice. Practice. There is always more to learn. More to master. More to study. Only someone with talent can push the envelope past mastery. I’m so close to something more, I can feel it. I was inching there yesterday. I’m almost there. His eyes twitched as he remembered the scolding from Mint. That woman was just another obstacle to him reaching perfection. There was nothing more important than the training, the honing. I’ll kill her too.

He closed his eyes. Focus! He clenched his fists, and wind spun around them. Blades of off-gray mist spun around like the blades of a blender. He whipped his arm out, and the cutting force struck the ocean, parting a length of it. He rose to his feet and raised a hand. The split water churned into a water spout that rose to touch the clouds.

He clenched his fist again and whipped it to the right.

The sky cleared. The moon was like a pearl above him.

He grinned. “Just imagine what I can do with two abilities, maybe more. I’ll take them all! If you think a public event will deter me, you have another thing coming. Just hand them over nice-like, sheila. Cuz if you play any games, I’ll tear you and the entire world apart.”