Chapter 21

OUR FIRST INJUSTICE

The portal in Augustus’ apartment vanished with a faint whoosh of air.

Alexander leaned forward, hands braced on his knees, breathing through a nose that protested with every inhale. It wasn’t broken, but the sharp throb and wet sting said it had come close.

She nearly broke my nose.

Annie dropped into an armchair with a heavy thud, liquid metal arms rippling in agitation. Talia crouched near the door, her back and head pressed against the wall, cradling her hand against her chest. Her ponytail pooled on the floor beside her, a detail Alexander hadn’t registered during the fight.

Augustus didn’t sit. He stood in the middle of the living room, staring at a framed photo of the bar in better days. Fresh paint, polished wood, and four smiling faces. One of them was a younger Frank. Augustus looked like the happiest man alive in that picture.

No one spoke for a while.

Then Augustus drew in a deep, measured breath. Alexander felt the weight in it. The way a man boxed up his pain and shelved it. The way he forced himself to keep moving. Alexander recognized the act, though he wasn’t half as practiced at it as Augustus. Maybe it came from being a Ranger. Maybe it was just Augustus.

“Holy balls,” Annie exhaled. “What was that? That guy was nearly stab-proof! You—” she jabbed a finger at Alexander “—telling me to go for the eyes? Genius. You—” pointing at Talia “—threw my sword like a javelin. And you—” turning on Augustus “—what the hell, dude. You’re a wizard, Auggy? And back to you—” this time at Talia again “—are you still trying to arrest us? Because I’m emotionally unstable right now.”

Augustus blinked, then gave Talia a steady look. His voice was calm but firm. “I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t know why you’re involved. But if you’re after these two, you’ll have to go through me as well.”

There was no threat in his tone. The man was just making a simple, undeniable promise.

Talia shook her head. “No,” she whispered. Then her voice hardened. “I’m done. I’m done with AEGIS. The lies, the coverups, the hypocrisy. Letting monsters like Flashpoint burn people alive and get away with it.”

Her eyes went to her hand before rising to Alexander and Annie. “I’d already decided before he attacked. No, I think I realized it when I started hunting you. I just needed proof before I could accept it.”

She drew a breath. “I’m going to help you get Frank out.”

Alexander, Annie, and Augustus shared a glance.

“How do you know that’s what we’re going to do?” Alexander asked, curious.

Talia looked down at her hand. “Because it’s who you are. My powers may not dominate in a fight, but I see things for what they are. To the limits of my knowledge, I understand them. That includes people.”

They all listened closely. Curiosity about how another’s power worked was clearly universal.

“For example,” she continued, “I traced your blood back to your cell. If I ever see it again, no matter where or how, I’ll know it’s yours. I could follow a single fiber from Augustus’ pajamas back to the store, the factory, even to the animal it was harvested from.”

She lifted her gaze. “And with you? Everything you’ve done tells me you’ll protect your friends first. You fight even when outmatched. You make plans, adjust them on the fly, and push until you’ve met your victory condition.”

Alexander smirked faintly. “Outmatched is a polite way of saying you kicked my ass.”

“I could see every hole in your defense, predict every strike, narrow it to the most likely one in real time.”

Alexander hummed. “When I electrocuted you?”

“Exactly.” She nodded, pleased. “I didn’t know you had Electrokinesis. If I can’t perceive a possibility, I can’t prepare for it.”

Augustus broke in. “That doesn’t explain what you did to Flashpoint.”

“My first ability is called Cognitive Resonance,” she said. “The other is Mind Palace. I already have perfect recall, an eidetic memory, not a power, but the Palace lets me categorize, analyze, and recall everything a thousand times faster. That’s how I could pick up your katana and wield it like I’d trained for years. With Flashpoint… It’s hard to explain, but it was mostly desperation. I pulled his consciousness into the Palace. It’s capable of more, I suspect, but that’s enough about me for now.”

Annie turned to Augustus without pause. “Your turn, Auggy. Are you really a wizard?”

Augustus cracked a smile. He reached into the air and drew out a wand. It looked small in his big hand.

“I can summon this wand with a thought,” he said, a flicker of joy returning to his face. “And with it, I can perform many cantrips and spells.”

He gestured toward the minimalist kitchen. A cupboard swung open.

“I can move small objects…”

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A mug floated into his hand.

“…conjure minor things, like coffee…”

Hot liquid poured from the wand’s tip into the mug. Steam rose.

“…which I can heat.”

He sipped, loud and satisfied. “And yes, I can fire elemental bolts, conjure shields, clean dishes, and open small portals to places I can see.”

Annie gaped. Alexander only shook his head, half-amused at Annie’s awe. He imagined she might have started drooling if Augustus had taken any longer to explain.

Talia cut in. “What about the big portal we used?”

Augustus glanced at the photo again, but answered smoothly. “I can only open portals to places I’ve personally been. Distance, size, and line of sight all matter. After I received the alert that the bar was on fire, the portal from here to there took over a minute because I couldn’t see the destination.”

He gave Alexander a fragile smile. “And I recall asking you not to burn the place down like Frank’s.”

Annie wilted. “We’re sorry, Auggy.”

He shook his head. “No. Forgive the jest, little one. I understand. We don’t always choose our battles. Sometimes all we choose is survival. We all have a right to keep walking our path.”

Annie suddenly perked up. “Oh! Frank calls me Scrappy.”

Augustus smiled, genuine this time. “Scrappy. I can definitely see that. It is quite the compliment he has given you.”

Annie frowned, confused, but he moved on. His tone sharpened. “We must execute your plan immediately, Alexander. When Flashpoint limps back to report, they’ll be coming for all of us. A registered hero versus two fugitives, a traitor, and someone with a blacked-out military history? No one will believe we’re the good guys.”

“But we are the good guys,” Annie muttered.

Augustus tapped a section of wall. A panel slid open at his code.

Alexander frowned. He hadn’t sensed it. “How was that shielded?”

“Graphene and mu-metal alloy layers,” Augustus said. “Absorbs and redirects fields somehow. Don’t ask me about the science behind it, I don’t have a clue.”

So Technopathy can be blocked by more than just lots of rock and steel.

With a hiss, a seam appeared. The wall slid back, revealing a hidden room.

Benches. Racks. Weapons. Surveillance gear. Prepper-grade equipment stacked wall to wall.

“Help yourselves,” Augustus said with a smile. “And call me Auggy. All my friends do.”

He padded away toward his bedroom. “Going to get changed.”

The door clicked shut.

Annie squealed, darting inside like a kid in a candy store, clutching a sabre in one hand and a grenade belt in the other.

Talia stepped up beside Alexander. “Hey.”

He looked at her.

“Thank you… for not leaving me behind.”

He studied her for a moment, then smiled faintly. “Thanks for being a hero.”

Ten minutes later they were gathered around a reinforced bench, a tablet flat on its surface. Blue-white light cast their faces as Alexander swiped through the station’s schematics; or, as Annie had dubbed it, the ‘cop castle.’

“Sublevels two through four are the most likely evidence storage sites,” Alexander explained, tapping at possible rooms. “Could also be armories or a firing range.”

Talia swiped back to the second floor. “Why not this one?”

“Daily briefing room. Saw it in a documentary when I was studying up on the place.”

She nodded.

“Auggy said he can get us here,” Alexander continued, pointing to the rear fence. “It’ll bypass the front desk. After dropping us off, Auggy will wait nearby to portal us away.”

Augustus confirmed with a nod. “I’ve passed by the station before.”

“Annie handles the physical locks. I deal with any digital locks. We push for the elevators fast, here,” he said, tapping the screen. “I’ll be busy accessing their network to check for evidence that’s already been entered into the system, so I’ll need you two to quietly deal with any officers on the way.”

“My speciality,” Annie said brightly.

Alexander traced their path. “Once in the elevators, I’ll take control of them so no one sneaks up on us.”

He glanced around the room to ensure everyone was following. They were, mostly. Annie was busy strapping a bandolier of grenades around her waist.

“The problem is here.” He tapped the sublevel checkpoint. “Which is why this is my bet for evidence storage.”

Talia leaned in. “If you two hide, I’ll deal with it. Cameras will be down?”

Alexander nodded.

“Good. My credentials should still work until Flashpoint files his report. That will get us through. I’ll subdue any personnel and let you through after.”

Augustus frowned. “That leaves witnesses who can place you there. Are you sure about this?”

“I’ll handle it,” Talia said. “It’s possible I can… do something about it, if it comes to that.”

Alexander nodded. “We’ll start on that floor. If it’s not there, we search the others. Once we’ve found it—”

“I’ll blow the whole room up!” Annie chirped.

Everyone turned.

“…Annie,” Alexander said.

“Hm?” she looked up at him innocently. She’d donned a full black harness covered in ammo belts, three sheathed knives, a thigh holster with a sidearm, two bandoliers full of grenades, and a backpack that had rifles, shotguns, and what looked suspiciously like a compact rocket launcher peeking out the top.

Augustus hid a laugh with a cough. Even Talia grinned.

Alexander blinked. “That’s not a disguise. That’s a mobile armory.”

“I’m just worried, okay? I dress how I feel.”

He stepped over and removed the ammo belts. “You can keep one grenade belt. One. And lose the backpack. This is a stealth mission, not a boss fight.”

Augustus tapped a recessed drawer. It slid open to reveal a display of sleek facemasks sculpted like stylized demons and other folkloric monsters. The drawer underneath contained balaclavas and gloves.

“Auggy,” Alexander asked. “Should I ask why you have all this stuff?”

Augustus met his gaze. “No, probably not.”

“We can definitely use these,” Talia said, interrupting their exchange. “It’s important we don’t leave any biometric traces; hair, fingerprints, and blood.

Annie grabbed a red oni mask with silver teeth and horns. “Ooooh. Are we starting our supervillain arc already?”

Alexander couldn’t deny the aesthetic. “Finish gearing up,” he said. “Auggy, start the portal please.”

Augustus nodded and crossed back into the living room. He waved his wand in a circular pattern, and a white chalky-looking line began tracing through the air. From this side of the conjuration, there was a subtle crackling hiss as the magic formed.

Alexander picked up a mask. The tablet’s clock read 05:21 a.m. Forty-one minutes until sunrise.

“Let’s go fix our first injustice.”