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Chapter 19
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Half of the alleys in Paragon looked indistinguishable from one another, down to the placement of their doors and dumpsters. Yet, Maryann found herself in the same one she had visited only days before.

Either that, or there was another around Galaxy Park or Steel Canyon with a former den, and current crime scene, at the end that had been taped off.

Come to think of it, that’s Paragon for you.

Men died here. Mary’s conscience nearly did as well. How someone’s life could turn upside down so many times without ever landing on its feet, she did not know. Maybe she didn’t want to know, but here she was, gazing upon the place in which it happened.

Kyra appeared behind her by dropping the electric field that tricked all light around her. Mary turned and saw Kyra.

No words. There was none either one of them could find. However, their arms and bodies found one another at last. No one was going to deprive them of that. Not now, not ever again. Time could try, but over an hour would pass before even time decided that now was their moment.

“I still need to turn myself in you know,” whispered Kyra.

Mary said, “No, you don’t. We’ve both done things. So have the others. As fucked up as it sounds, we don't have to go anywhere.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Do the only thing either of us can do. Do right as a person, then as a hero.”

“I don’t know how.”

“Then we’ll figure it out together. For everyone’s sake.”

“Mary, why did you leave me back in Nerva? And why do I still love you so much after that? I should be pissed at you and plotting my revenge for breaking my heart, but I want to make this work between us more than ever.”

“I’m a woman now.”

“I don’t care. Love is love.” She rested a hand on Mary’s cheek. “Besides, you really can’t use that as an excuse when you were a man the day you left me.”

“No. No, I can’t. I haven’t been fair to you, have I? You have a right to know the truth. A right to know what I was afraid of back then.” Mary grabbed Kyra’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Kyra and Mary found the nearest blue pillar after about ten minutes of running across Galaxy Park. Mary kept a slow pace for Kyra the whole way since the latter didn’t have enhanced speed like Mary did.

“What are we doing here? I thought you were going to explain yourself.” Kyra asked.

Mary said, “It’ll be best if you see while I’m trying to explain her to you. Besides, I’ve decided that alley we were in was not the best place for this.”

“Her? Who are you talking about? Mary . . . .”

“Come on, let’s enter the League’s base. I will explain everything there.”

They accessed the Blue Portal System’s interface then. Each tried one time to select the Dallevan League. Nothing happened.

Mary tried again. It was still no good.

The air hissed like an alley cat mere feet from their side, and a circular hole opened in the same space. Mary recognized it as an arcane portal. She had her reservations, and was about to run when a voice, Warren’s voice, called from the other side.

“Mary, Kyra, hurry inside. The B-P-S blocked our access into the base. Someone’s going to be on their way soon to investigate the pillar, so hurry.”

They didn’t need another invitation. They required only a second to shrug before running and jumping into the portal. It closed right behind them.

Warren sat in a recliner chair, not even looking at the portal closing in the room behind him. He was watching the news on television, as Mary noticed seconds later. The Vambracemen and a number of heroes were under investigation for what had happened the day before.

“For a company that practically pulled out of the metahuman capital of the world,” said Warren, his voice impeded, “the B-P-S sure acted fast.”

“Is this your house?” asked Mary. “It looks like it might be bigger than the estate I was staying at.”

“It's marginally bigger. And no. A friend and business partner bought this place for cheap at an auction when he thought he might need a place to crash whenever he was in town. That only ever happens once or twice a year, so he lets me pay for the utilities and use most of the house as I need to. It’s got a great basement for a larger lab than I actually have set up down there.” Was there a tired slur in his voice?

“Warren? You’re talking like you’re drugged out of your mind.”

“Am I? I suppose it can’t be helped. I’ve gone the two nights without sleep, and a third only half deprived.”

Warren pointed to a table with books and printed packets on gadgets, runes, and arcane history. Also among the materials were schematics for a few machines that neither Mary nor Kyra had the slightest inclination to try to understand.

Kyra said, “That table looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in weeks.”

“That’s all from the past day, actually. I sometimes wish I had a second table and a lab assistant.”

Maybe he thought he finally found one in that mage, who was now gone. Maybe it bothered him that he declared there would be no more losses, and yet there were three in the last battle. Warren did not know. He got up and picked up a few closed vials, filled with a translucent lime green fluid and a few wires.

“I made this for the anomaly scanner,” Warren said. “I’ll be able to make it so the machine doesn’t drain energy like an army of competitive eaters at a buffet. Here I’ve found some possibilities on how to deal with your tactile hypnosis, as well as a diagnostic spell, but every one of them requires physical contact between you and the mage casting them, so we'd need to find a female one we can trust. I’ve looked through my records and notes on alternate ways to beat that Abomination of Tribunals; all I found were references to forbidden records as to where that monster had come from, and a means to go somewhere with a pool of magical energy like a battery. Yet, if I did manage to bring that with me, everything happened too fast for me to explain that I had the power already to destroy that thing, or seal him away if I knew how. No matter how much time I spend looking through this or thinking about what I could have done differently, I always come to the same conclusion. It’s not enough. What I do is never enough.”

“No one blames you, Warren,” said Mary. “I tried blaming myself for not knowing enough about Max or Genine or Sean. I blamed Tatiana for pulling me away when I thought I could have saved them. I might have hurt her in the process.”

“I did the same with Jeff when he carried me away from the stronghold. So, now that I know where our base is, I plan to go there later to enter them as honorary members of our group. They deserve more, but it’s the least of what I can do.”

Kyra said, “I still don’t understand. You said you would have survived that blast, but scarred by the magic?”

“Ah, yes, that.”

“Why wouldn’t those two mages have survived?”

“It’s because energy has to be directed. Higher level spells, regardless of their nature or whether you like to use runes, require a lot of energy. Tell me, have you ever lit a match and held it for a while? Have you ever jumped from a roof that was high enough and rolled on the ground upon landing to keep from breaking your bones? Energy always has to go somewhere. When you borrow magical energy from an external source, such as any realm, you have to keep it in motion and release it, often return it to where it originated, or else it will linger and burn.”

“You would think that casting a powerful spell would release that energy.”

“Not all of it. A small amount stays behind. One of the earliest lessons mages are supposed to learn is the technique to return the remaining energy to the world. The higher the level of the spell, the more likely that there will be damage to the human body if not handled properly.”

“I’m not sure I get it, but I’ll take your word for it,” Kyra lamented.

Mary said, “Maybe they learned before joining the Circle? Maybe they survived.”

Warren shook his head. He said, “I went back as soon as I was able. You don’t want to know what I saw; I’ve never seen it that bad.”

Arcane scars were never pretty. Enough of it in a short time was deadly.

“I’m sorry,” said Warren.

Mary asked, “Did they suffer too much before it happened?”

“There’s no real way to tell without getting closer and examining them more thoroughly.” Most of the stronghold had been cordoned off by law enforcement by the time he got there, and Warren could only get so far with a reporter’s pass. But, he did see enough for his stomach’s sake. “Believe there was little pain, and honor their memory. Honor them regardless.”

“Like Judy.”

A burst of flames rode up Warren’s arm and dissipated. “Like Judy,” he repeated, walking away. “Excuse me, I have to get ready. I’ve got a couple places to go today.”

Kyra, who was looking at some picture frames, picked one up that showed everyone she knew from the Dallevan League plus two other people. Even the kinder Vambraceman she had met last weekend appeared with his casual civilian outfit. They all did, except for the man Kyra did not recognize, who wore a tailored suit.

Who wears a suit to a pizza party?

Warren’s voice called from another room, “So where are you guys staying?”

“Nowhere yet,” said Mary. “I tried going back to the estate, but it felt empty without the others there. Empty and painful. So I spent the night on the roof of my aunt and uncle’s.”

“On the roof? Really?”

“I still haven’t talked to them or shown my face since the transformation happened. I don’t even know where to begin.”

“’Hey, guys, I’m back, and by the way, I’m a sex-crazed woman with horns now.’ Something like that?” He walked back out, refreshed as if he crammed a twenty-minute shower in less than one. Warren had on his pants and socks, but was only starting to put on his shirt.

Mary cleared her throat, and Kyra fought off a blush. Then she noticed something when Warren pulled his shirt down over his head.

“What is that?” Kyra asked.

“What’s what?” said Warren.

“It looked like a long strip of paper on your back.”

“Ah. I thought my back felt a little funny. Totally forgot to take that off. I don’t know why it didn’t come off in the shower either. Could you peel it off for me real quick?” Warren lifted the back of his shirt so she could reach it.

The paper came off with a rip, revealing some runic markings on either side of Warren’s spine. The man squirmed too before letting his shirt come down again.

“Again,” said Kyra, “what is that?”

“It’s a personal field that wards or confuses the eyes of anyone with god blood, enhanced foresight, or psychic power. I’ve been meaning to test it on demons since the Circle moved into Paragon.”

“You’re still the same enigma as always,” interjected Mary.

“Thank you. Now, you’re probably wondering why I wear that. Ever since I met my father, I have felt . . . watched. Not in a paranoia sense of the word. It’s more like I’m aware of the eyes that have been looking at all of us this whole time. It’s more than one pair, and, whenever their gaze feels strong or I feel the need to get work done with one of my hundreds of projects, I put these runes on. My girlfriend probably thinks it’s silly. She’s yet to say.”

Warren clapped his hands together, and continued. “Anyways, I need to go. You’re welcome to hang around here for a little while until I get back, or you can let yourselves out and use the key under that fruit basket. I don’t know how my buddy would feel about you guys sleeping here or anything, so let’s not push it just yet until I talk with him. Mary, I have an issue of SAM on the table there with your name on it. It’s got an article you and Kyra may wish to read. Also, I’m sure the others already know, but please use the phone to call them and let them know the base can’t be accessed right now.”

In all that time, he was ready to go, and one foot out the door.

Mary stopped him by saying, “Warren, wait. Your girlfriend. Is she . . . Maybe you should bring her along sometime to meet everyone.”

Warren looked back with a hint of sadness to his eyes. He said, “I would like that.”

Then he left.

Maryann sat down on a reclining chair and said, “That went well. Poor guy; he’s really been hit hard by more than the rest of us, I think. I sometimes wonder if he’s really coping with it, or if it’s bottling up until the day he does something really stupid or dangerous. I’m not sure if I’d stop him either.”

“Because you’re friends?” Kyra asked

“Kindred spirits. We drifted out of contact five years ago, but knew where to find one another in times of need. Four years ago, I thought I saw him on the verge of tears, then I turned to look again, and he was gone. I wanted to chase after him to find out what that was about, but I didn’t.”

“That was about the time you started protecting my mom and me.”

“Yeah. Yeah, it was. I really am sorry, by the way. Leaving you was a stupid thing to do. And here I was, thinking I’d be able to show you Judy. Thinking I could try to justify what I did.”

Kyra joined her on the chair with the picture still in hand. She pointed to the young girl.

“Is this her? Something about her seems familiar.” Kyra said, “Why don’t you tell me about her?”

Jeff stood on a hill overlooking the construction site, which was running progressively smooth and seemingly faster with every passing day. If he was a fool, he would walk away and let the project be finished on its own.

Chances were that it would need him only after his departure, and it would need him about as much as he still needed that paycheck.

Deciding to join back with the rest of the crew again, Jeff took a step to the side before he turned. Seconds later, his ears and nose were trying to decide which came first, the stench or the thump of a brutish villain—even larger in stature than Jeff already was—as he landed on the hill.

“Hello again, hero,” said Trash Knuckle. The villain choked in laughter.