Mod Superhero

The spymaster of the Summit of Heroes rode in the passenger seat of a military truck, watching the derelict city pass by. He shifted his legs every few minutes so he didn’t cramp up. The main artery through Belport was mostly clear of debris, but there were plenty of relief workers, construction crews, and those damn mechs. There were supers too, most wearing shirts or vests to identify themselves as Summit capes. 

With all the activity on the road, the soldier driving the truck stayed cautiously below the posted speed limit. 

Wight suspected it was partially his fault as well. Another day, he would’ve bantered to put the young soldier a little more at ease, but Wight didn’t have the stomach for it today. He had enough on his mind without having to bullshit his way through small talk.  

A biomech stomped across the street, and the driver slammed on the brakes. They skidded to a halt, the truck bumping against the mech’s leg. All of Ava Savanus’s biomechs shared the same basic configuration—like two-legged robotic chickens—but this particular mech was almost twice as tall as their truck. It didn’t so much as stumble when they bumped it. It continued walking across the street like it hadn’t even noticed them. 

Wight shook his head, but said nothing as they continued down the road. 

Wight hadn’t been back to Belport since the war… Since his last visit with Venture. And he probably wouldn’t have been back so soon if not for Venture and the Brotherhood.  He’d been seeing to other national security matters in DC when he got the news. Supervillains may have put feuds on hold while the war was going on, but that didn’t mean corporations and mages guilds stopped their scheming. 

Seeing Belport now brought mixed feelings. It was inspiring to see people of all walks working together to repair the city. Wight knew from reports that similar scenes were playing out across the coasts, not just in the Allied States, but all along the Atlantic. 

As nice as that was, Wight had seen too much in his line of work to ignore the undercurrents. Every time there was instability or tragedy, there would be vultures. Some just hid their intentions better than others. 

The biomechs in the street and drones in the sky may have been shiny, but Wight recognized them for what they were. 

~

They drove through Belport in silence, continuing East toward the lab. Wight was content to watch the landscape of the city change from the central highrises of downtown to old town shops and apartments, and finally, to industrial warehouses. Recent construction or decay were easy enough to see. but if you knew what to look for, you could see a city’s history written in its layout, like reading geological strata in the ground. 

As they drove, they passed under one of Belport’s elevated railways, and Wight studied one such divide. The railway bisected the area, marking a clear strata between North and South. To the North, businesses were already cleaning up their storefronts. Trucks and work vans lined the street, and uniformed workers bustled about. The grime left by the flooding might’ve been fresh, but the signs of gentrification beneath stood out even more. Windows were damaged or destroyed, but the brick fronts of each shop looked like they’d been renovated in the last year or two. The store signs also had a unified design and color scheme. 

In contrast, the stores to the South of the tracks stood out. The brick fronts were weathered and chipped, and even missing bricks in places. The signs above the stores were each unique, if a little faded. There were only a handful of cars. No work trucks. Far fewer people, and none of them were in uniform. Families worked on the businesses to the South, and likely lived above their shops. They didn’t have the means to hire additional help. Most hadn’t even been allowed back in the city yet. 

The war and the flooding would accelerate the changes he was seeing. Even with insurance, most families couldn’t weather losing so much. Wight couldn’t help but think he was seeing another geological strata appear in the city. It wasn’t as shiny or imposing as the drones and biomechs, but no less impactful. 

~

As Wight’s truck neared the lab, they saw more and more drones in the sky. By the time they reached the Gnosis compound, the sky was swarming with Fast-Response drones. Wight had never seen so many in the air at once. Even during the war, he’d never seen more than a few at a time because they’d been spread out across the coasts. 

Wight couldn’t help but stare up drones. He never would’ve believed that Venture had so many.

Wight muttered, “What a shitshow—”

The truck screeched to a halt, bringing Wight’s attention back to the road. Barricades and barbed wire secured the block around the Gnosis compound and the parking garage where Venture’s lab was located. 

“Staring at the drones, soldier?”

The driver glanced up at the drones again before stammering, “Sorry, sir.”

“Eyes on the road.”

They drove forward slowly to the checkpoint at the gate. There were two groups on either side of the entrance: A group of biomechs stood on the left. A cluster of Gnosis guards, clad in black and white body armor, stood on the other side. Each of them carried automatic weapons and cast glances at the mechs on the other side of the checkpoint. 

A medium-sized biomech stepped up to the driver-side window. A small arm unfolded from its chest, the camera lens at the end of it flickered. The driver tensed up as the camera turned 

“Orders, sir…” 

“It’s just a camera,” Wight replied. Then to the mech, he said, I’m here to see Ava Savanus. Where is she?”

The camera pointed in Wight’s direction and, after a moment, the mech spoke in a staticky voice. “Ava Prime will meet you on the first floor of the lab. Please, proceed.”

The truck pulled around to the front of the parking garage. Wight got out near what used to be the secret entrance of the lab, tucked under an overhang of the garage. Now the door was wide open and chicken-sized mechs came and went through it. The truck and driver were ordered to wait inside the empty parking garage. 

Wight spared a glance across the street. The Gnosis compound was buzzing with similar activity, though all of them were notably humanoid. 

Wight descended into the lab, trying to ignore the robots scurrying around his feet and the stiffness in his legs. At least they’d turned the lights on instead of opting for red emergency mood-lighting. 

As he walked, Wight almost wished he could change the lighting back. 

Maybe it was nostalgia or regret… Either way, the halls seemed more drab and dusty. Even his boots sounded different on the floor. Something had changed—besides Venture no longer being in charge. 

Wight suspected that something was himself. 

He used to enjoy coming here. He even enjoyed hearing what new project or gizmo Venture was working on. Maybe that was it… Wight used to think of these inventions as gizmos and do-dads—not as serious threats. At best, they were tools in the Summit’s arsenal. There was no chance the Brotherhood would proliferate them, and Venture was too much of a good guy to turn into a supervillain. 

And Venture was no longer in charge. 

Now, Wight had no choice but to take the threat of all that technology with a deadly seriousness. 

~

True to the mech’s word, Ava Savanus met Wight in the first floor hallway. 

She was still wearing her uniform, a synthetic-leather catsuit that was far more high-tech and protective than it looked. She’d neglected her helmet, but her makeup was flawless. Then again, she probably had some kind of tech to spray it on in a fraction of a second.  

Ava crossed her arms at the sight of him. “You could’ve told us you were coming.”

“I could have.”

Ava raised an eyebrow. “You could’ve told me that you were coming. We’re still on the same side.”

Wight glanced sidelong at her. “You don’t get the benefit of the doubt right now. Neither does the rest of your organization. Is Midas here?”

“No, but I can assure you he’ll hear about this conversation.” Ava’s expression remained perfectly neutral, except for the flicker of her eyes to a speaker in the ceiling. 

Wight nodded. So, no chance of speaking to Ava alone, after all. 

“We don’t have to be enemies, Wight.”

Wight ignored the statement. “I want to see him.”

Ava shifted uneasily on her feet. “You mean Venture?”

“Yes.”

“Wight, you know as well as I do that you’re not in charge here. And you’re outside your jurisdiction.” Despite the warning, she delivered the statements as neutrally as possible. 

Wight met her eyes unflinchingly and didn’t repeat himself. 

The moment dragged on, Ava glancing away several times before another voice interjected.

Midas’s voice came through the speaker above them. “It’s okay, Ava. Let him see.”

Ava breathed a sigh of relief before waving for Wight to walk with her. “He’s a few floors down. What do you want to talk about in the meantime?”

Wight stuffed his hands in his pockets while they walked. “Tell me what you’re doing to help Belport.”

~

For the next ten minutes, the spymaster of the Summit of Heroes listened to Ava’s spiel about the good that the Binary Brotherhood was doing for Belport and the other cities on the East coast of the Allied States. 

Using drones and biomechs to rebuild… Using recently acquired nanotechnology to recycle material… And of course they were revitalizing infrastructure—running fiber optic cables and adding public wireless hotspots… Then there were talks with military and law enforcement agencies about how to incorporate drones into surveillance and biomechs into police patrols. 

Wight had read the briefings and knew all of this already. But cross-checking one’s sources was always valuable. Someone like Ava Savanus said a lot by what she readily volunteered, the questions she dodged, and details she omitted. 

Interestingly enough, she was recounting, almost verbatim, information given to Wight during his last three briefings. Not exactly impressive for someone with a perfect memory, especially since she’d augmented her brain with technology. 

The interesting part was that she was recounting it in order, like she was reading directly from a presentation. Wight doubted that she was bored with their current interaction… It was possible she was nervous. Or preoccupied.

Wight continued listening as they passed down another stairwell. The halls smoothed out somewhat, changing the concrete and metal paneling of the bunker for a seamless, futuristic metal. The stairwell was narrow, yet it arced around wide. Wight couldn’t help but imagine some kind of drone passageway or industrial elevator in the center of the stairwell. 

“There was one of your large walkers on Woodburn avenue. We nearly ran into it.”

Ava glanced over twice, clearly thrown off by the sudden change in subject. 

“Did you get the VIN number?”

“Excuse me?”

“It was a joke…” Ava continued walking, but her eyes unfocused and her gaze drifted upward. Suddenly, she snapped back to normal. “I’ve corrected the problem. Walker 228 will be more careful next time.”

“Hmm… How did you find the number?”

“There are a limited number of heavy mechs in Belport. I played back their pathways over the last forty minutes. Walker 228 was the only one in the area.” She smirked. “It also registered a non-threatening collision with a motor vehicle. “

Wight rubbed his temples. “How much farther?”

“Not much.”

Ava led Wight past several doors, all out of numerical order. Finally, she stopped at section number 95. 

“AI, open this door, please.”

“Ava Savanus. Authority recognized by Midas. Access granted.”

Wight recognized TINA’s synthetic voice, but it was different… Lifeless… It was a subtle change, but unmistakable to him. 

Wight suppressed a sigh. He really hadn’t wanted to see what was going on. He’d lied to himself a long time about TINA and about Venture. 

The door hissed and slid open. Ava walked through the threshold and into the room. Wight was a step behind, feeling a pang of sadness for the lost AI. 

There was a small room inside, similar to the biolab on the first floor. Sterile medical equipment lined the walls. But in the center was a single large tank, big enough to fit a person. 

Wight walked up to the tank. The top half had a large viewing window. Venture was completely submerged, with only an oxygen mask to cover his face. Magnus almost looked peaceful. 

“He’s asleep?”

“Suspended animation,” Ava corrected. “His vitals are on the screen.”

Wight ignored her. “Did he give himself up?”

“No. We had to storm the lab. He only gave up after Midas got to him.” 

Wight glanced back and saw Ava still standing across the room. She hadn’t moved from the doorway.

Wight turned back toward his friend in the tank. “You regret it, don’t you?” 

Ava didn’t answer right away, and when she did, she didn’t answer it directly. 

“How is it you can always tell?” Ava asked. “I have implants to regulate my facial expressions and speech.”

Wight put a hand on the glass. Behind him, Wight heard Ava shift uneasily—for good reason. He could do any number of things, including reaching through the glass, and phasing Venture out. Almost as easy as it would be for Wight to phase Ava’s lungs out of her chest or walk out unscathed through all the lab’s defenses.

But Wight’s hand on the glass was only a symbolic gesture. A goodbye. 

What we say and what we choose not to say, speak more than our words ever could. Wight just hoped he’d said enough when his friend was around to hear it.

Wight turned and stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. He almost walked out without answering her question.

He stopped beside her. “You’ll always be human, as much as you try not to be.”

Then he walked past Ava, leaving her standing in the doorway. 

~ ~ ~