Page 44 of Infamous Heart

“You can do it.” Despite the positive affirmation, my feet didn’t move. “You’re going to prove you deserve that position.” I only hoped once I got it, going out into the field would be a rarity. I was willing to get my hands dirty to land the position, but I’d be perfectly content staying in a cubicle with my computer for the duration of my tenure at Revelations.

“Prove yourself to them.” But it wasn’t them that I needed to impress. “You’re good enough. You’ll earn this job.”

The first step had been the hardest. As my feet shuffled down the stairs, the musty smell of wet Earth filled my nostrils. The oppressive heat of the city transformed into a cool, moist sensation, equally gross.

Another staircase and I reached the turnstiles leading to the subway platform. The attendant had left their booth, probably running, terrified by the supervillain. There were no traces of her, none of the darkness she wielded, but the silence signaled something was wrong.

Opening the handicap gate, I snuck through, ducking behind a wide column. I hugged it closely, my face pressed against the beige tiles that lined nearly every surface of the station. The color might have been popular when it had been built, but now it made the entire space feel neglected.

“Where are you?” I whispered.

The platform covered several hundred feet, lined with benches and posters promoting a new television show. It widened near the end, where another exit led to the other side of the street above. I couldn’t be sure with the dim fluorescent lighting, but I swore Wraith’s signature darkness clouded the end of the platform.

I checked my phone, scrolling through the HeroApp™ to see if anybody had responded to the distress signal. Were Zipper and Cobalt back in the field after she bested them? If they were gone, it would be up to a hero outside the Ward to save the day. At this hour, I imagined most were safely tucked away in their beds.

“No, please don’t hurt me.”

There should be dozens of people in the station, but so far, I only heard a single voice. Wraith’s victim sounded familiar, but in the cramped space, it was difficult to identify. I held my breath, as I shimmed over to the wall, trying to stay out of sight. From this angle I couldn’t see them, but it meant Wraith couldn’t spot me either. I needed to chance it if I was going to identify the voice.

I pushed off the wall, stepping behind another column. From here, I could see further into the alcove where Wraith held her hostage. I could only see the feet of a woman who must be kneeling on the tile.

“Shit,” I mumbled. I had come here searching for the truth about Wraith. I wanted answers, but I had hoped it wouldn’t put me face-to-face with a woman who had threatened me twice in the last two days. If I ignored the fact she had abilities, all that remained was a vindictive woman attempting to sabotage my life. I could handle confronting Rebecca.

I repeated the earlier maneuver, getting me one column closer to the Wraith and her victim. As I peeked around the side, I let out a gasp. I recognized the stylish hair immediately.

Sofia, Mr. Bossman’s assistant.

I didn’t know her well, but I couldn’t let Wraith get away with this. If I had Sebastian’s abilities, I would have charged in beams of light pelting her skin until she ran away or I managed to capture her. He wasted his gifts, hiding away from the world. Meanwhile, here I was putting my life on the line and the only gift I had was a sarcastic wit.

“What do you want? You can have my money, my jewelry.”

Sofia pulled off her watch, tossing it at Wraith. A black tendril caught the time piece, absorbing it into the nothing. The villainess could have extorted money from Vincent or anybody who lived in his haughty high-rise. She didn’t want money. Her brand of evil relied on instilling fear in her victims.

I slid my phone into my pocket, leaving the HeroApp™ open so I could feel it shake when somebody responded to the crisis. Wraith relied on the same trick as the day before, a blade forming from her arm. And stupidly, like before, I got involved.

“We meet again,” I announced in my best blockbuster movie voice.

“G-G-Griffin?” Like all citizens of Vanguard, Sofia expected a hero to swoop in and save the day. Unfortunately, she got me. Sorry, Sofia.

Wraith held her arm still as I approached. I didn’t have super speed, and I could barely bench my own bodyweight, but I had something most heroes lacked. For years, I buried my nose in comic books. Now that the heroes were flesh and blood, these rags served like a college text book. I had an advanced degree in supers.

“You really should leave her alone.”

Wraith laughed. “Did you develop powers? A chemical accident? Another wizard bestowing his abilities to a dim-witted human?”

Supervillains were notorious for their egos. It served as the most common motivator for why they got into the trade. I reached into my pocket, tapping the screen five times. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. On the fifth, it shook, and I tapped twice more. Tap. Tap. The HeroApp™ was now broadcasting a distress call, elevating the villain's appearance to a situation needing immediate superhero intervention.

“What’s your game, Wraith?” I just needed her to talk, she’d buy us all the time in the world. “What made you like this?”

“Perfect, you mean? What made me powerful? Are you jealous, Griffin?”

Sofia gasped. “You know him?”

“Yeah, Rebecca and I go way back.”

Wraith laughed, amused by my attempts to deter her efforts by using her mundane name. “Rebecca is a disguise, a mask I wear. I’ve been given unbelievable power. You wouldn’t understand what it’s like to be a god.”

I definitely didn’t, but she was about to tell me anyway. Rebecca’s superiority complex required a speech that put herself on a pedestal, looking down at the insects. If Zipper had been released from the hospital, he’d be on his way. If one of the Centurions arrived, they’d make short work of this B-List villain.

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