Free Forced Betrayal by Robert T. Jeschonek Page B

monster form) charge in, along with three other people--heroes and Protectorate members, one and all.
    There's Thunder Perfect Mind with her giant blue head, mistress of all mental powers. Beside her stands The Jupitarian, the walking gas giant, a swirling mass of colorful streaks of cloud with a stormy red spot on his chest. Hovering over all of them is Widening Gyre, the falcon-headed bird-god with the power to sow chaos and destruction.
    Lots of muscle there, a real hardball lineup. But they don't move on us...yet. They just wait there behind the back row and watch.
    So our course is set. Nowhere to go but down front.
    When we reach the stage, Stalwart hops down with cape flapping and greets us with a big smile. "You ladies are a sight for sore eyes!" He wraps Hericane in a hug, then releases her with a quick kiss on each cheek. "It's been too long, my dear."
    He seems like the friendliest, handsomest sixty-something-year-old guy you could hope to meet. His features are craggy, his silver hair thick and wavy, his physique cut like a statue of a Greek god underneath the black leather. He could be your favorite uncle, the cool one who never does you wrong and always gives you the best advice.
    I can't help smiling when he takes my hand. And kisses it. "Enchanté, Madame," he says.
    "This is my friend, Bonnie." Hericane touches my shoulder. "She works for the Protectorate."
    "Oh, does she now?" Stalwart grins.
    "She's an investigator in the Internal Affairs Division," says Hericane.
    Stalwart holds my hand a moment longer, gazing up into my eyes. And then he gently lets go. "So what can I do for you, ladies?"
    Hericane reaches into her hip pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. "These names." She unfolds the paper and holds it out to him. "These 57 people. What can you tell me about them?"
    It's the list, the one coded into Mardi's nail bed. Hericane's cutting right to the chase.
    Stalwart takes the list, skims it for all of five seconds, and shrugs. "I don't understand. Should I know these people?" He tries handing the list back to her.
    But she won't take it. "Actually, better make it 58. I left one off." She folds her arms over her chest and stares him in the eye. "My lover, Mardi Gras."
    "Mardi Gras?" Stalwart looks confused. "I remember you brought her here once. What a sweet kid."
    "Well, she's dead." Hericane's stare is unflinching. "Murdered, along with at least half the people on that list."
    "But..." Stalwart's confusion grows. The list shakes in his hand. "Sweet little Mardi Gras? Dead?"
    "Those people. Every last one of them is dead or missing." Hericane points at the paper. "And the trail ends here." She raises her finger to point at him. "Now tell us what you know."
    Just then, CEO the hyper-muscular purple monster stomps halfway down the aisle and roars. "Don't say a woorrrrd! You don't have to tell her anyyythinggg !" Lashing out, he swats the end seat of a row of chairs, knocking down the whole row like dominoes.
    "Didn't you hear what I just said ?" Hericane whirls and fires a crackling double blast of lightning bolts out of her eyes. The bolts hit CEO square in the chest, sending him crashing to the floor in a smoking heap. "My lover is dead !" Eyes still arcing with electrical current, she spins back around to face Stalwart. "I'm not leaving here until I know who killed her and why !"
    "But...but I..." Stalwart is losing his composure. "I don't know!" Looking at the gathered heroes in the back of the theater, he shakes the list overhead. "Who did this? Who killed Mardi Gras?"
    For a long moment, no one moves or says a word.
    With an angry cry, Hericane leaps into the air. "Tell me!" Her body's glowing with power. "I'll cripple you all and tear this place down! I swear to God!"
    "Tear down the Portcullis and you'll end the world!" shouts Mogul.
    "Do I look like I give a shit about the world ?" Hericane spreads her arms wide, and the glow around her intensifies. "The one person in it who I cared