Of Heroes And Villains

In which a superhero meets his match, masks are uncovered and a mad scientist just tries to get some mad science-ing done without getting distracted by the antics of her magical minion.

Fanart by the talented Ian Samson, creator of City of Reality and artist of The Wotch


The earth shook and Diane raised her head, looking worriedly toward the ruined plaza where Shade was meant to meet her teammates. After much exasperation and bickering, Kara had dropped her off a block away, not wanting her anywhere closer to other heroes. Then she’d told Diane to stay as if she was some sort of dog. So, obviously, Diane had ignored that instruction and had been steadily creeping closer to the check-in point.

She yelped when debris crashed down not far from her, stumbling in her haste to back away. The decrepit skyscrapers of Faultline did not have a lot of stability to begin with; any tremor in the earth, even one as minor as this, could tip their precarious balance.

Diane huffed and got up, ignoring the dull pain of a bruise on her leg as she resumed her sneaking.

Then she realized – the pain wasn’t going away.

She wasn’t healing.

Diane reached for the earpiece Shade had given her. “Kara? Something’s wrong,” she whispered.

There was no answer.


***


Shade dropped to her knees as a pulse washed over her, gasping for air. This close to its epicenter, it felt like a tidal wave crashing over her. Her ears were ringing and she felt the sharp sting of her earpiece short-circuiting. She dimly heard a thump and a pained groan that could have been the Captain.

It washed over her, leaving her shaking and weak. She slowly raised her head.

Amethyst was holding herself completely still, lips parted, eyes closed. A multitude of expression flitted across her face. The rage that had twisted her normally pretty features gave way to ecstasy, and she gasped softly – only to grimace in pain.

And then there was nothing. Her face was perfectly still. She almost looked like she was at peace.

And then she opened her eyes.

They were like stars, shining and glowing and so very distant.

“Amethyst?” The Captain was groaning, shaking his head as if trying to clear it. He swayed as he stood up, and frowned down at himself in confusion.

And Amethyst laughed. It started as a low chuckle that escalated into giddy laughter. Shade slowly backed away from her, while the Captain hesitantly stepped toward her.

Shade’s mouth was dry. “Amethyst, you need to calm down.”

“But I am calm.” Her smile widened. “Do you remember what you told me on that roof, Shade?”

Shade didn’t answer. She had no idea what might set her off.

Amethyst didn’t seem to care, answering her own question. Shade realized with a start that she was monologuing. Never a good sign. “You said that we had to do the right thing no matter what. And I did. I have always done the right thing. Even when it was hard. Even when I could have walked away and been better off for it. I have sacrificed.”

Her heels clacked on the ground as she walked closer. The pavement splintered under each footstep.

“And they never appreciated you for it?” Shade’s voice was low, with just a hint of dry sarcasm. David shot him a furious look. Amethyst was slipping into speeches Shade had heard a thousand times before. From villains.

Amethyst cocked her head. “No. They did. I had action figures.” She paused for a moment, gaze lingering on the Captain. “But one so-called mistake took it all away. And I have replayed that night, over and over again. And do you know what conclusion I’ve reached?”

There was a long moment of tense silence.

“I would do it again. It was the right thing to do. I made the world a better place.”

She spread her arms wide and smiled. “This? All this? It’s a game we play. Heroes and Villains. We put them in jail, they escape, so we put them in jail again. And then they escape, again, and people die, but we can never kill them, because it’s wrong. Nothing, nothing we do ever makes a difference. Their taint just spreads more and more. Even to you, Shade. Well, I made a difference. I broke the rules. And they hated me for reminding the world that we have the power to do that.

“I was right to do what I did.

“This game we play, of pretending that it’s normal to live in fear of someone suddenly deciding to destroy the lives of good people just because they have the power to do it, is sick. Villains are a stain on this world.”

She paused and gazed at Shade for a long moment. “I thought you understood that.”

The Captain’s eyes were wide with dawning horror. He reached to grab her arm. She grew very still. “Amethyst, listen to what you’re saying. Okay, I don’t know what happened between you and Shade, but…”

Amethyst interrupted him by laying a finger on his lips. She cocked her head at him, looking at him as one might look at a bug one found crawling on one’s arm.

“You play the game very well, Captain.”

She turned her head fully toward him, that terrible gaze seeing right through him. Her lips curved into a serene smile. “People love you, do you know that?”

The Captain stood frozen.

“It’s not anything you did. You didn’t earn it. They just love what you stand for.” She smiled and reached for him, brushing her palm over his cheek. He leaned away from the touch, eyes wide. “I loved you, too.” And then he stopped trying to lean away, rocking back on his heels. “I wanted to be like you.”

Her finger gently stroked his cheek, down to his chin. And then she roughly grabbed it and her face contorted into fury. “Of course that was before I met you!”

The Captain’s body went flying, a purple burst of light hitting him square in the chest.

He collapsed a few yards away. He didn’t get back up.

“I am done playing the game. I will wipe every single villain off the face of the earth. They will hate me for it. But I, as always, am willing to sacrifice.” Those stars in her eyes gleamed as she raised her head, her eyes locking on something in the distance. “And I know just with whom to start.”


***


Diane had snuck close enough just in time to see a caped man hit the floor. Her eyes widened when she recognized the iconic costume.

And then she recognized the psychotic heroine from the hospital. Who was closing in on Kara. And without even thinking, she started running. Her chest hurt, heart pounding against her ribcage, and she tried accessing her well of blood magic in vain. It was just like in the hospital, and she hated this sensation. Hated being powerless.

The woman in white raised her head and met her gaze.

“Diane, get down!” Kara’s voice cut through the blood rushing in her ears and she barely dropped to the floor in time.

Heat washed over Diane, singing her hair. Somewhere behind her she heard the boom of an explosion, the slow screech of metal giving way, followed by the rumble of falling rubble.

Diane blinked and opened her eyes, gazing up.

Amethyst Star was standing in front of her, white cape billowing in the wind. How had she closed the distance so fast?

Her eyes were beautiful and terrible.

“Do you feel that? In your bones?” Her voice was so soft it was barely audible. “The weakness? Knowing that you are facing someone who is infinitely more powerful than you and who decides whether you live or die on a whim?

“It’s how your kind makes good people feel every day.

“Say goodbye to this world, Dionaea. I will eradicate every last one of you and no one can stop me.”

“I’d like to test that theory,” said Cinder Snow.

Amethyst Star turned toward the new voice.

There was a deafening screech as light shot past Diane by a hair’s breadth.

The earth shook as the nearest skyscraper began to crumble.

Amelia casually adjusted the laser cannon mounted to her arm as it neatly folded back into her tech-armor. The dust slowly settled around them. Her lips curved into a small yet triumphant smile.

“Science. It works, bitches.”