Hunting Heroes: A Superhero Novel (19 page)

Patriot’s face molded into something sinister which caught everyone off guard. “Yes, I authorized the use of his abilities to negate the powers of the violent Afflicted. He has the power to stop the Afflicted and it is what I used him for.”

Crimson turned away from Patriot and looked over his shoulder to Bloodhound.

“Blame me if you want, Bloodhound,” Patriot said. “But I did not bring this on the Assembly. The death of his friend was an accident. It is something I must carry within my heart until my final breath. It is my cross to bear. Every one of us has made mistakes and we must atone for them.”

“It’s what he’s doing. He’s making you atone for her death,” Bloodhound said.

“An accident like the death of Granite?” Crimson decided to speak. “He blames you for his friend’s death, like you blame him for Granite’s. You want to hunt him like he was hunting us.” Most of the heroes nodded in agreement with Crimson, a few scowled.

“The kid has a point,” Bloodhound pushed his body off the wall. He walked the solemn path to the doorway. The other heroes’ eyes moved between Bloodhound and Patriot. Both of the heroes remained quiet when Bloodhound swung the glass door open.

Bloodhound stopped at the door. “I’m done too. This is not why I helped start the Assembly. I am not paying for your mistakes and neither should they. Don’t drag them into this.” He strolled out the door.

Patriot stood in complete silence over the table.

“Patriot?” Cannon broke the awkward silence.

Patriot fell back into his chair. “He’s right,” he whispered.

“What?” Crimson cupped his ear.

“Damn it, he’s right,” he said louder and raised his eyes to the faces around the room.

Patriot stroked his chin and clicked his tongue. “Bloodhound is right. I have to face him alone. It’s time to put an end to this once and for all. If you come into contact with him, you are not to engage. You are to contact me immediately. I will finish this for the Assembly. I will bring him to justice. Is that understood?”

The heroes nodded in agreement.

“Boss, we can help,” Cannon said.

Patriot shook his head. “No, I will end this. I don’t need your help. I have been dealing with the Afflicted before you even hit puberty.” The room erupted with a few chuckles. Cannon sunk into his chair and frowned.

“Thank you everyone, that is all for today,” Patriot said. “Please contact me with any questions. Remember, this one is mine.” The heroes began to rose from their soft leather chairs.

“Crimson, can I speak with you for a moment?” Patriot said while the others began to shuffle out of the room.

Patriot waited for the last hero to leave and rose from his chair. His hazel eyes met Crimson’s green eyes and they clashed for dominance.

“You stood up to me, in front of everyone,” Patriot said.

“I had to set the story straight,” Crimson said.

“It’s fine. I like that you think for yourself,” Patriot said. “It shows character and leadership.”

“I know what I saw that night. Is it true, about why he’s coming after us?” Crimson said with a scowl on his face.

Patriot looked out the window. “Yes, it’s true.”

“Now what do we do?” Crimson leaned in closer.

“You? You’re not doing anything,” Patriot said. “Go home to your fiancée. How is my daughter doing? Good I hope.”

“Zoe is fine,” Crimson said. “She’s getting antsy about the wedding and making sure everything is perfect.”

“She’s my little perfectionist,” Patriot said. “You’re a good man and I am proud to have you part of my family.” He flashed a smile and turned back to the door to ensure they were alone.

“I’m pulling you off patrol and the training of the new recruits,” Patriot said.

“What, why? Because of what I said?” Crimson’s nostrils flared and his brow dropped into a wicked glare.

“No, you’re entitled to your opinion like everyone else. I need you to stay close to Zoe,” Patriot looked Crimson straight in the eyes. “I think she’s going to be the next target.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Garrett placed a hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. Memories began to rise to the surface from his previous visit, under the cover of darkness. It felt like a lifetime ago. The sorrow that surrounded this particular house was gone, replaced with a purpose once again. He turned the handle and found it open, like he did before and he could not resist a devilish smile. It was too easy.

“You need to learn how to lock your doors,” Garrett moved through the darkened kitchen back to the large den.

“I was expecting a visitor,” Walter raised his eyes from the book he read. “A fugitive of the Assembly, quite the scoundrel I hear.”

Garrett entered the large den where they had their previous confrontation. “I hear he’s a handsome devil too.”

The room lost the depressed feeling, which seemed to permeate the air on his prior visit. Garrett dropped the large black duffle bag he had slung over his shoulder and sat on the same leather chair as before.

“Still comfy,” Garrett said. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, please go ahead,” Walter said. “I told Ethan and Denise you can take refuge here. The offer still stands.” Walter placed the book down on his knees and stared at the ragged young man.

“You look like hell. I guess it’s expected after your ordeal,” Walter rubbed his gray kissed goatee.

Garrett squirmed in his seat. “It’s been a rough couple of days.”

“I should have known he would have kept you hidden away,” Walter said.

Garrett waved him off. “It’s ok, I’m tired. I need to close my eyes for a minute.” Garrett took a long blink. “Then you can apologize and whatnot.”

“You have been through a lot,” Walter said. “There is plenty of time to catch up on the events of the world.”

Garrett rested his head back against the chair. His eyes wanted to shut and he hoped he would be able to wake up in his apartment, far away from this nightmare.

“Why are you been helping me and my friends?” Garrett said, his voice showed his grogginess.

“Because I needed to,” Walter looked straight in the eyes of the man who took his powers. “You gave me back my life and saved me from my powers. I know you are not an evil man. I saw it in your eyes the first time we met. You’re misguided and you let your hatred for the Afflicted and Patriot blind you.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that I killed Granite,” Garrett said. “I took a life and there is no excuse for it. When I close my eyes, I can still see his face; feel his blood on my skin. I’m a monster.”

“You are not a monster,” Walter said. “You did it to defend yourself. This isn’t a comic book or a movie, where there’s a happy ending in those types of situations. You let the power slip and it took control, it defended you. You have a burden now, like the rest of us. My burden is I spent too much time trying to cure my wife’s cancer. I should have been with her more at the end, but it was too much for me. I would give anything for another minute with her, another kiss or a smile. I have to carry my guilt with me. We’re human, we are imperfect by nature.”

Garrett opened his eyes. “Thank you, for taking me in and helping my friends find me. I know the risk you’re taking in having me here.”

“You’re welcome,” Walter said.

“I should have looked up to you as a kid instead of Patriot,” Garrett said and showed a brief smile. “Things might have been different if I did.”

“Patriot is still a great man and a friend,” Walter said. “What he did to you is not acceptable though. He kept you imprisoned without any kind of trial. He used one of my formulas to keep you subdued. I can understand why though.”

“Because he’s afraid,” Garrett said.

“No, because your powers are useful. I know you have plenty of questions for me,” Walter said. “They can wait. You need to get some rest.”

“It will be nice not to be constantly looking over my shoulder,” Garrett said. “All I remember is a little girl waking me up. There were piles of clothes and ashes everywhere.” Garrett stared at the wall. Many emotions raged inside of him, anger, frustration, and most of all, guilt. Each powerful in their own right, together they formed a broken man on the verge of collapse.

“The girl is Amanda,” Walter said. “She was an  Afflicted, but I heard you took care of her. She lost control of her powers and incinerated everyone in the facility except for you. The Assembly kept her in the facility because she was dangerous.”

“Is she ok?” Garrett asked. “I took her powers and I don’t remember doing it.”

“Your memory will come back, it’s a side effect of the drug,” Walter said. “She will be fine. She has no family left so Bloodhound took her in for now,. You see, you are capable of doing good things. Our mutual friend was not too happy learning you had escaped though. I can picture the look on his face when he found out his prize was gone. They will be looking for you everywhere. I doubt they will look here though.”

“I’m glad. I did something right with this curse of mine.” Garrett said.

“It’s only a curse if you make it one,” Walter said.

“Why are you helping me?” Garrett asked through half closed eyes watching Walter squirm in his chair.

Walter exhaled through his nose. “You helped me by taking my powers. You saved Cannon and Valkyrie. You were ready to sacrifice yourself.”

“I was thinking about saving my friends, not them,” Garrett said.

Walter shrugged. “Those scars on your body are reminders of the good you can do. I want to help you learn to use your gifts for good. You have a tremendous power, the power to stop the most dangerous Afflicted without having to kill them. Patriot used your powers without your consent and I have issues with his actions. Need more reasons?”

Garrett tilted his head forward. “Thank you again. But I need to find out if Patriot was telling me the truth before I do anything else.”

“Tell you the truth about what?” Walter scooted forward in his chair. “What did he say?”

Garrett squinted and looked off into the distance. “Before he injected me with that stuff, he said she was still alive, and everything I’ve done was for nothing. I need to find out if she is.”

“She’s still alive? Ethan’s sister? It’s not possible,” Walter said. “I pulled the file on her after you escaped. It says she died during the battle with Coldfire, a civilian causality.”

“You’re sure?” Garrett said.

Walter sank back into his chair. “Why would he say that if there is no truth behind it?”

Garrett gave a slight shrug. “This is the same guy who told everyone I escaped. He could be lying to screw with me. Can you see what you can find out about her?”

“I’ll see what I can dig up,” Walter said, and folded his arms across his chest. “Now get some sleep. You need to get your strength back and get back on the road. Hiding from the Assembly will not be easy. You’re still a villain in their eyes.”

Walter stood from his chair and walked over to Garrett.

“There’s no running or hiding. This ends once and for all,” Garrett whispered, and sleep cradled him in its arms. He dreamed of revenge and the day Emma died. Even in his dreams he could not save her from his enemy.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Walter stepped down into the garage, dressed in khaki shorts and a plain white t-shirt. “Looks like someone shaved and got a haircut this morning.”

“I borrowed your car,” Garrett said, “and some money.”

“It’s fine. The long hair and beard didn’t suit you,” Walter tilted his head to examine at the young man sprawled out on the concrete. “What are you up to?”

Garrett sat shirtless on his knees, hunched over working on something hidden from Walter.

“I never thought you would have so many scars,” Walter said.

Garrett looked over his shoulder. “Most of the scars are from your friends.” He held up his hands. “These are from when Emma died. It is not a big deal. Scars mean I’m alive.” 

“It’s only been two weeks and you’re already up to something,” Walter said. “You need more rest.”

“There’s no rest for the wicked like me,” Garrett said.

“I know the saying,” Walter said.

Garrett leaned back to sit on his heels to reveal what he crouched over. His face expressionless while he looked over his handy work, his fingers coated in light gray and red paint. Spread out on the cement floor before him was a black bulletproof vest he had pilfered from his prison. Tally marks now covered the upper left chest area of the vest. There were six gray marks and a single blood red one.

“The vest is one of my designs,” Walter raised an eyebrow. “It’s light, flexible and has superior stopping power. Where did you get it?”

“The prison,” Garrett responded in a stern tone. “Found it on the ground.”

“I figured as much,” Walter said. “Have you been getting sleep?”

“Did you forget what Bloodhound told you?” Garrett said, his eyes never left the vest. “They want to catch me before the AIA does. There’s no time to rest.”

“Yes, I remember,” Walter said. “Patriot is not a man who accepts failure. He is going to do everything in his power to catch you.”

“Let him try,” Garrett said from the corner of his mouth.

Walter sighed. “You forget he has the manpower to do it. It’s only a matter of time before he finds you. From what Bloodhound told me he’s going to bring you in himself. You have them scared. You are the bogeyman to them. You’re the one who steals their powers and they are afraid of that more than anything.”

“I’m done dealing with the rest of the Assembly,” Garrett said. “This isn’t like before. I’ve seen how far he will go to get me.”

“Garret, you pushed him,” Walter said. “What happened to Ethan was an accident. Crimson apologized to him and he accepted it. It was an accident like what happened to Emma and Granite.”

Garrett groaned and shook his head. “Everything can’t be an accident. What happened to taking responsibility? I killed Granite, Patriot killed Emma and Crimson stabbed Ethan. It’s that simple.”

Walter rubbed his temples. “Everything is not so black and white. There is gray in the world.”

“I know, I thought I could stay in the murky gray,” Garrett continued to tinker with the vest. “Not anymore, the world does not work that way for me.”

“You are a difficult man,” a sigh escaped Walter’s lips.

“I’ve heard that a few times in my life. How is Amanda?” Garrett said. “She saved my life. I hope she’s doing ok.”

“She’s doing great. She asked about you,” Walter said.

Garrett’s face softened from the news. “Good, I was worried about her.”

“You gave her a new life,” Walter said. “You used your powers for good and gave her a chance at happiness.”

Garrett rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you keep saying I can be do good things. Pretty much every day since I’ve been here.”

“What are those?” Walter asked when he looked over Garrett’s broad shoulders.

“The gray ones are for the Afflicted I’ve taken powers from,” Garrett’s voice was a soft whisper. “The red one is for Granite. It is my way of remembering them. You’re the fifth one.”

“I hope you change your mind about adding more heroes to the vest,” Walter said. “You made up your mind already or you would not be making a mess in my pristine garage.”

“I’ll clean it up,” Garrett whispered.

“The AIA does want you to help with their investigations,” Walter said.

Garrett scoffed. “They want me for my powers, like everyone else does. More than half my life has been about adding these tallies. I can’t stop until the most important one is on here.”

“You’re more than your powers,” Walter said. “You’re a son, a friend and to someone like me and Amanda a savior. No matter what you think, we are grateful to have met you. You have people in your life who love you and want to see you safe.”

Garrett sat on his heels and stared at the gray concrete floor in front of him. “How can they love a murderer? How could they love someone who hurt good people for revenge? I don’t deserve their love. I’m a coward who hid behind the death of a little girl.”

Walter slid closer to Garrett and placed a hand on Garrett’s back which caused him to shiver. “You’re not a coward and you’re not a murderer. You broke into my home and ended up saving me from myself. Don’t forget you protected Cannon and Valkyrie. She hasn’t forgotten about you.”

Garrett exhaled and shook his head. “I came here to hunt you down remember? I didn’t know you were going to give them to me. I took Amanda’s power because she needed to be free. I saw how afraid she was after what happened in that prison. She deserves better.”

“You only see the negative,” Walter said.

“You keep telling me Patriot is a good man,” Garrett said. “He had me for two years and did not take away Amanda’s powers. She could have been out of there a long time away. Or does Amanda fall into the gray area you keep talking about?”

Walter’s body deflated. “I don’t why he did what he did.”

“I’ll ask him myself then,” Garrett said with a cold stare.

Walter reached in his back pocket and pulled free a folded piece of paper. “Garrett, this is what you’ve been looking for.” He lowered the paper over Garrett’s shoulder.

Garrett heard Walter exhale when he reached over his shoulder and grabbed the paper with a slight tug from Walter’s hand.

“What is this?” Garrett furrowed his brow and scanned the piece of paper. His eyes grew wide when he unfolded it to reveal a photo. It was a group shot of the founders of the Assembly. Walter, Patriot and Bloodhound huddled around a young woman who looked familiar.

“She looks like Emma,” Garrett said, his eyes glued to the woman. “Who is she?”

“That is Patriot’s adopted daughter, Zoe,” Walter said. “She looks like Emma because it is her. Bloodhound put it together. It can’t be a coincidence his adopted daughter is the same age as Emma. He said he found her lost and confused in the street a few days after the fight with Coldfire.”

“How can she still be alive? I know it was her hand under all the concrete,” Garrett said. “I don’t get it.”

“There are Afflicted who could heal themselves,” Walter said. “She could have a form of that power. When I met Zoe, she had no memory. It could be from the injuries she sustained.”

Garrett sat in a daze, his eyes locked on the picture. “Why didn’t he bring her home?”

Walter drew his lips tight. “He was lonely. He only had fighting crime. She’s the connection he needed to the people he protected.”

“He kept her from her family,” Garrett clenched his jaw. “They had to bury their daughter, because he was lonely? Are you kidding me?”

“Garrett, calm down. He had no idea who she was,” Walter said. “He told us he found her on the streets and he took her in.”

“You’re forgetting about the part where he killed her,” Garrett said in a growl. “He found her? The smartest man in the world believed that?”

Walter dropped his head. “Who was I to question him? I remember when I first saw Zoe and Patriot together. He found the same kind of happiness I had with Elizabeth. He had someone to come home to. That’s what matters at the end of the day.”

“I know people who wished and prayed she would come home to them,” Garrett said. “Her death devastated her family. If he brought her back home, then Granite would still be alive. I never would’ve gone after any of you and I wouldn’t be in your garage right now.”

Garrett rose from his knees and picked up the vest. He held the vest in front of him to show Walter the tallies. “Look at what I have done because she didn’t come home. He should have done the right thing.”

“I would still be Sage if it wasn’t for you. Amanda would still be in the Afflicted prison,” Walter said. “Valkyrie and Cannon might be dead too if it wasn’t for you.”

Garrett placed the vest at his feet. “This is making my brain hurt with all these possibilities and whatnot. At the end of the day, one thing matters. He took her away, not once, but twice.”

Walter nodded his head and shoved his hands into his pocket. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Can you do me a favor?” Garrett said. “Can you get a hold of Ethan and tell him to get any pictures of Emma he has. There’s a chance she could remember us.” He trembled with nervous energy while butterflies fluttered around in his stomach.

“I should be able to pick something up for you,” Walter said. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but I can guess what it is. So, help me God if you do anything to her. You will have to deal with me.”

Garrett looked at the photo again, his eyes drawn to the beautiful woman who might be his Emma. The same smile, the copper eyes he dreamed about those years. “I would never hurt her or use her against him. I want to see if it’s her.”

Walter’s arms hung at his side. “Don’t make me regret this.”

Garrett tilted his head, his eyes met Walter’s and he noticed the doubt they cast across the room. “You won’t. I need to know the truth. I need to know my life hasn’t been a waste.”

Walter cleared his throat. “There are two addresses on the back of the photo. It is up to you now, to do what you think is right. I can no longer help you after this. I’ve done too much already.”

Garrett hesitated before he turned the photo over to the addresses scribbled down the back. He clenched his jaw. “I know you have and I don’t know why you helped me. But I’m in your debt.”

“We’re even now. You saved me and you saved Amanda,” Walter said. “I’m going to have her come live with me. She lost her family and I lost mine. This house is too quiet and too big for an old man like me.”

“This will be a good home for her,” a wide smile formed across Garrett’s lips. “Take care of her, because Amanda deserves better than the hole she was in. She never asked for those powers, none of us did. But, she’ll be good for you, she’ll keep you young.”

Walter narrowed his eyes. “Don’t do this, run away or join the AIA. That’s how you can get back at him.”

Garrett rolled his eyes and groaned. “Not a chance. Can I ask you another favor?”

“What is it?” Walter said.

“I want you to erase me,” Garrett said.

“What do you mean?” Walter furrowed his brow and then raised his eyes. “Your identity?”

“Yes,” Garrett drew his lips tight.

“Are you sure? It’s permanent,” Walter said.

“Garrett Wilk is gone,” Garrett lowered his head. “I shamed my family and I can’t pull them into this. I need to disappear and be forgotten.”

Walter covered his eyes. “I understand. You have wonderful parents and I can see why you would do everything to protect them. I know someone Garrett. Your identity will be completely erased.”

The words stung Garrett and he could not meet Walter’s eyes. “Thank you.”

“Now clean up this mess.” Walter walked back into the house with a nervous smirk on his face.

Garrett stood in the silent garage and could not take his eyes off the addresses. Blood rushed to his head and the room began to spin. He stole another peek at a grown up Emma, his knees wobbled and his heart raced. Warm tears flowed down his cool cheeks and the guilt swelled with every tear.