Free The Prospects (Short Story): Above the Stars by Daniel Halayko

 
    “I called in a favor from by buddy Chak. You know him?”
    “Short Canadian, scrappy as hell, says he’s a loner but is always with someone?”
    “That’s him. He gave me a few pints of his healing-factor-powered blood in exchange for a nomination to be a New York Guardian. Harry infused it into my veins, and the skin came together so well I don’t even have a scar.”
    “Even if Chak is a good bloodbank, I won’t second the nomination for him to join the team. The guy is annoying. He chases anything in a skirt and talks like a Charles Bukowski character.”
     
    -- Bart “Arbalest” Houston and Special Agent Alexander O’Farrell
     
     
    “Hello, Agent O’Farrell. I’m Detective Max Zheng, your liaison with the Seattle Police Department. How was your flight?”
    Alex shook the thin Asian man’s hand and followed him into the high-rise apartment building. “Relaxing. Is Chak here?”
    “He’s inspecting the crime scene. I was told to respect his legally recognized superhero status, so I didn’t ask what he’s doing.”
    Alex lifted the crime scene tape in front of a luxurious apartment and entered. “Has he done anything weird?”
    “He sniffed everything. He’s really strange.”
    “He’s a mutant.”
    “I thought that word wasn’t politically correct anymore.”
    “His old team, De Novo, used that word to describe themselves.”
    “I remember those guys. Mutant rights activists. He looked taller in those comics.”
    “The artists put him in the foreground so he looked bigger.”
    “I’m not clear on why he got involved or why he specifically requested you as his supervising agent for his independent investigation. No offense, but there are hundreds of Metahuman Affairs Bureau agents between here and New York.”
    “I don’t know why he got involved either, but he requested me because I have enough influence with the New York Guardians to make him a member.”
    “Not sure why he’d want to. That team is going through a rough time.”
    “They need new members. Arbalest nominated Chak, but I’m not going to second it.”
    “Why not?”
    “Chak is unpredictable, uncontrollable, and antisocial.”
    “Yeah, he’s definitely not polite. He won’t even acknowledge the policemen.”
    “Wait until you get to know him better. Take a few of his insults, catch him in a lie, or watch him turn an argument into a brawl and you’ll know why he doesn’t stay with any team for long.”
    “If you don’t want him to join the New York Guardians, why did you come out here?”
    Alex straightened his tie. “I had to get away from New York. It’s not just the job, I have some personal things I need to forget about for a while.”
    “I’m sure you’ll find Seattle is a world of difference from Manhattan.”
    Alex instantly recognized Chak despite the brim of a Stetson hat covering his face. His flannel shirt, ragged jeans, and bare feet set him apart from the police officers in their pressed uniforms and polished shoes who carefully took photos of the apartment. He crouched in front of the dead young Asian man spread out beneath a wide window that showed a lit-up skyline punctuated by the Space Needle.
    Alex flashed his badge to the officers and crouched at Chak’s side.
    Chak held out a small dark red cube that glistened like glass.
    “That’s the same stuff we found at that overdose last week,” said Max. “It must be some new drug. We’re calling it MacGuffin as a code until someone on the streets suggests a better name. All we know is at least three people who took it are dead. All wealthy, all Asian.”
    Chak rubbed his thumb over its smooth sides and held it up to the light.
    Alex looked over the young man. “He’s better looking than the last victim of that stuff. That girl grew antlers so big the weight of them crushed her skull. At least he’ll fit in a body bag.”
    Chak unbuttoned the victim’s shirt. Alex gasped when he saw the sharp spikes of thorny ribs protruding from