“I’m sorry,” said Malcolm. “He… was so angry. We were fighting a monster that he just couldn’t find a way to beat. It was nothing that he, or I, did wrong.”
And so I start with the lies. It was my fault that Melt turned.
“Oh, of course not,” said Greenthumb. “I’ve known for a while now that Melt was at risk.”
“You have?” asked Malcolm.
Greenthumb smiled, but it was more a movement of muscle than something genuine.
“Melt has always been a rather volatile man,” said Greenthumb. “He… has a good heart. He truly does, but when combined with his emotions and personality… he was always getting in his own way.”
“He fought bravely, in the end,” said Malcolm.
Another lie. Melt quite literally stabbed me in the back.
“I’m sure he did,” said Greenthumb. “And he will fight bravely to the very end. When I find him.”
Greenthumb, as he often did, was carrying a small potted plant. He reached his fingers out and caressed one of the leaves.
“You’re going after him?” asked Malcolm. “You were his partner, though.”
“Yes,” said Greenthumb. “And that’s all the reason for me to be the one to put him down. It’s a shame, it truly is. But with Melt’s powers… well, let’s just say he can kill very effectively when he wants to.”
“What if…” Malcolm hesitated, thinking about his phrasing. “What if there’s some way to bring him back to reality? What if we trapped him, somehow, and tried to see if we could… I don’t know? Domesticate him?”
Greenthumb gave him a curious look.
“That’s a very odd thing to say,” said Greenthumb. “You should speak to Multi about your concerns.”
“I just think that it would be a better alternative,” said Malcolm. “Better than you having to kill your old partner.”
“It’s like I said before, Malcolm,” said Greenthumb. “I’ve had a strong suspicion that Melt would break eventually, for a while now. I have good sense of the kind of people that turn into monsters.”
He locked eyes with Malcolm, holding his gaze, dead silent. Malcolm felt a chill run down the length of his spine. He didn’t move.
“Anyway,” said Greenthumb, conversationally. “You should report in to Multi. Thanks for being open about what happened.”
“…Right,” said Malcolm.
He turned to head down the hallway toward the command center, and managed to take a single step before the entire building shook with the force of a massive impact.
CHAPTER 34
“We’re under attack!” shouted Greenthumb.
Malcolm took off down the hallway alongside his fellow champion. An alarm blared through the intercom overhead. Another explosion made the floor shake, and Malcolm had to call the wind to steady himself.
They burst through the doors into the command center and came to an immediate halt. Malcolm almost couldn’t believe his eyes. Rain Dancer stood off to one side in the room, head held high, electricity crackling across his body. His eyes had an intense white-blue gleam to them, and his dreadlocks danced through the air as if he was underwater.
Multi was still in his command seat, which he’d swiveled around to face the demon, instead of looking at his screens. Tapestry and Morph had come in through another door, but both quickly circled around to form a united front with Malcom and Greenthumb.
The ceiling had a massive hole in it, and the effect of it made the curved roof look like the retractable dome of a sports stadium. Malcolm glared at Rain Dancer, who seemed to be waiting until he had the full attention of the room before proceeding.
“Champions,” called the demon. “I am known as Rain Dancer. I am one of the star touched. I come here not to bring violence, but opportunity.”
Opportunity? Just like he gave to that defenseless boy, locked in his cell?
“Stand down,” said Rain Dancer. “Bring no violence against me, or any other of the chosen people you refer to as monsters. Accept your seeds, and inherit the hidden power within your gifts. Stop with all the pretending.”
Malcolm was watching Multi, waiting to see how he would react to the demon’s demands. The leader of Vanderbrook’s champions looked comfortable. Even without his copies to back him up, Multi’s expression was confident, and perhaps even a little bored. Rain Dancer was waiting, and seemed to decide after a few seconds to continue with his dramatic oration.
“Together, we will overthrow the hidden rulers of this world,” said Rain Dancer. “The shadow government! The illuminati! The deceitful scum of the world! They will all be brought into the light and removed from power. It’s only a matter of time, you know.”
Now there’s the unhinged conspiracy theorist I’ve come to know and love.
Multi finally reacted. He started a slow clap, drawing it out for effect, and even rising out of his chair as though giving a standing ovation.
“Really, Multi?” muttered Malcolm. Tapestry glanced over at him.
“It is a little over the top,” she whispered.
Multi finished clapping and furrowed his brow, staring Rain Dancer down.
“That was quite the speech,” he said. “Did you practice on the way over?”
From a purely visual standpoint, the two men could not have been more different. Multi was a short, chubby, balding redhead. Rain Dancer was a massive, muscular black man with long dreadlocks. But as far as Malcolm could tell, the intensity brewing in the air between them did not discriminate based on appearance.
“You should take my words seriously, ya?” said Rain Dancer. “I offer you an olive branch. A chance to keep your lives, and join me as brothers and sisters in the new world order.”
“I thought the NWO was another conspiracy theory?” asked Multi. “Hmm, no matter.”
Multi took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a few puffs.
“This is your last chance!” shouted Rain Dancer. “You hesitate because you sense my strength! You should trust the fear you’re feeling, and-”
“Do you know why it is that this base is so large?” asked Multi, cutting the demon off. “There are only a half dozen champions in Vanderbrook at any given time, and yet we have this massive base… Why do you think that is?”
“It does not matter why!” shouted Rain Dancer.
“The correct answer is, the same reason why I’ve been stalling you for the past minute.” Multi grinned. Next to Malcolm and the other champions, the floor shifted, sliding metal panels pulling back suddenly to reveal a hidden staircase.
Rain Dancer crackled with electricity. He shot a burst of lightning at Multi. Multi ducked behind his chair in time to avoid it. He stood halfway, gesturing for Malcolm and the others to stay where they were.
“They’ve been kept in cryo stasis, so they’ll be a little groggy,” said Multi. “But they’re fully equipped, fully trained, and fully aware that the only time I’d pull them out of storage is if and when our base came under attack.”
As if on cue, a company of Multis began charging up the stairs, fanning out as they came into the command center. Each of them wore body armor and a helmet, and carried an assault rifle. They ran in formation, all of them keeping their guns trained on Rain Dancer from the moment he came into their view.
Malcolm had been expecting perhaps a dozen or so Multis. There were easily close to a hundred, separated into three divisions, two of them flanking Rain Dancer, and the third standing to shield Malcolm and the other champions.
“Now,” said the original Multi. “Shall we start this conversation over again?”
Rain Dancer let out a roar and unleashed a blast of lightning at the group of Multis trying to sneak around behind him. The one in the lead took the brunt of the attack, convulsing for several seconds before bursting into flames.