Broker

Chapter 140

Erebus sat in his throne room, chin resting on his knuckles as he stared into space. The stage for his scheme had been more than far enough away to keep any sense of the action far away from him and his own. That was the plan, after all. Why make a move and set yourself up to fail afterwards? Ultimately, every plan needed a favorable end, and that included ensuring that one got away with what one intended to do. His eyes narrowed and he glanced towards the small monitor that had been installed on the arm of his throne. Reports had stopped about the action, apparently the heroes were in control of the area now.

“First Wind, huh?” He murmured to himself, staring at the face on the screen, He’s very powerful. He thought grimly before turning to another recording. Marble statues stepping out of portals and laying waste to the police, cleaving vehicles in two, crushing one light touched man like he was an insect. Then the confrontation with First Wind, how they marched forward on him with merciless focus. The glowing plants that made his skin crawl, just seeing them put his instincts on edge, warned him to never tarry close.

Ishtar. He thought to himself. Just what manner of being did I sell my soul to? Does she really have the ability to retain such a thing? Is the soul real? He glanced up patiently as the air rippled a few feet away from the base of his throne. A line of white light appeared that opened into a large rectangle before the interior distorted and emptied, seeming to dive into a distant place. His lip twitched, Her teleportation power. He thought as his son stepped through, looking tired but very much alive.

“Saleh,” Erebus said with a nod, “Well done.”

Saleh glanced up at his father and nodded once before Guru, Broadside, and Grave stepped through. Mephisto came next with a jaunty strut and a smirk on his pretty face. The portal closed a moment later. Erebus frowned, “Where are Ishtar and August?” He asked.

Mephisto grinned, “My mistress wanted a private word,” He said with a flamboyant bow, “It’ll be just a moment, Spice King.”

Erebus narrowed his eyes, What is she up to?

–

The old bank vault was as good a place as any. In fact it was a little poetic if Ishtar had to say so herself. She sat down on the table and crossed her legs, resting her hands on the surface and relaxing a bit. She looked down at the figure on her knees in front of her, restrained by glowing vines and guarded by two agents of the Heavenly Legion. The two statues held their blades at the woman’s neck, “Not much of a talker, are you, Queen August?” She asked in that blood curdling rasp of hers.

Queen August was pretty, beautiful even, no regal was a better word for it. She had a mature countenance about her, a hint of age creasing the corners of her mouth. Her near-purple red hair had fallen out of the beehive bun on the top of her head and now was strewn messily about her face. Her eyes glowed an eerie molten gold, darker than the bright color Ishtar associated with other people, closer to orange. A result of her ability. The woman scoffed, “I do not speak to the dead, Ishtar.”

“Mind games can be a useful tool in a fight, you know? Talking to a foe allows you to push them to make mistakes, lower their guard, open up,” Ishtar pointed out with a chuckle. She shifted in her seat and uncrossed her legs languidly, recrossing them the other way and letting out a longing sigh, “It’s too bad that I prefer to keep to the background. I would love to go a few rounds with the heroes now and then,” She clicked her tongue and waved a coy hand, “Oh you know how it is, don’t you? It must be tough being famous!”

August narrowed her eyes, “Just tell me what you want.”

Ishtar pointed at herself, “Me? Oh, dear, it’s not about what I want, not really. Not this time I’m afraid. You see, the Spice King made a deal with me and now we’re going to uphold it,” She said and leaned forward, “He wants your power in exchange for your life.”

The woman paled, “Wh-what? My ability? It’s mine!” She snarled, struggling against the glowing vines that only squeezed down a little harder, forcing her to become still again. One of the statues grabbed her by the back of the head and fixed her gaze on Ishtar, “It is how I will bathe in the jewels of the world, they all belong to me! They’re mine! I deserve it! It’s owed to me!” She spat, trying to pull her head away from the iron grip of the legionnaire.

“I don’t need your backstory, August,” Ishtar said with a wave of her hand, “Either way, your story as a villain ends here.”

August narrowed her eyes, “Then just kill me. I’d rather die than-”

Ishtar clicked her tongue and waggled a finger in the air, “Your survival is indeed part of the deal he’s offering. He will spare your life,” Ishtar said, “But if you refuse we aren’t going to kill you,” She said, “No. I am going to make sure that you end up in the hands of the Heroes wearing power restraining cuffs. You will be defenseless and they will take you away and lock you up for a very, very long time,” Ishtar said coldly, “Far away from your precious jewels, far away from anything beautiful and shiny. Alone in a cage until your dying day, no doubt.”

The villain’s shoulder’s drooped and her eyes went wide. Real panic filling them as her pupils shrank, Yes. Now you see the reality. “You either surrender your power, Erebus spares you, you find a way to return home to what you’ve already stolen,” She flexed her power and her glove receded into her body momentarily, revealing her bare glittering skin, “Or these will be the last sparkles you ever see as the Pandora Committee puts you into a hole from which there is no escaping,” Ishtar hissed, “And trust me, I can make that happen. I am fully capable of pulling the right strings to have a cage built just for you, drab and lifeless.”

Ishtar tilted her head and watched as the woman’s breathing grew rapid, her chest heaving as she tugged and pulled against her bindings. She screamed, struggled, flailed, tried anything to move but it was no use. The woman’s eyes flicked down to Ishtar’s hand, staring hungrily, she gnashed her teeth, screamed again and wept. “It’s not fair! It’s not fair! I just wanted what was mine! Why can’t I have it? Give it to me! Those are mine too! Is the rest of you so beautiful? Mine!” She shrieked as Ishtar held up her hand and the glove returned to it, “No! Don’t go away!” She pleaded, “Please, don’t do this to me, I’m begging you!”

Ishtar slipped off the table, “That isn’t an option, August,” Ishtar said and walked towards her. She took her chin and looked straight into her face, “A deal has been made, I do not break my promises, give up. It’s over. Agree to the deal and Erebus will not kill you. You can try your hardest to go home. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

August croaked once, looking up at Ishtar with tears in her eyes. “He’ll let me go back?” She asked pitifully.

“He will,” Ishtar said.

The woman’s lips trembled and Ishtar saw something inside her break, “I accept,” She whimpered, “Please, no more.”

Ishtar nodded and held out her hand, the woman’s bindings loosened enough that she could move her own hand. “Give me your hand.”

Analyze.

<You have acquired the ability: Will of Midas>

Ishtar smirked behind her mask, “Good girl…”

<Deal Ready! Party: Queen August will be stripped of her ability and it will be delivered to Spice King Erebus. In exchange, Spice King Erebus will spare her life and make available sufficient resources for her to return home.> 

<Proceed?>

Proceed.

A flash of white light erupted between them, the flaring light turning and bending in the air before seeping into August’s skin. Her veins flared, visible beneath her skin as the woman screamed in pain. She thrashed, foaming at the mouth as the agony took her. Ishtar held her grip until the woman went limp, breathing hard. Ishtar pulled her hand away and stepped a few paces back before floating to the table in the room, alighting on it and crossing her legs. “Once more a mere mortal. How the mighty fall. You put up a good fight, but your ability was wasted on you, August.”

The woman stirred a bit as the bindings fell away, the white vines retracting into the ground.

<Deal Complete! The ability Will of Midas has been delivered to Spice King Erebus in accordance with the contract. Spice King Erebus’ payment will be delivered either willingly or automatically within a set period of time.>

Ishtar flexed her fingers a little and waited for the woman to wake up, “Powerless…” The woman moaned, coughing onto the floor as the last of the vines retracted and she fell onto her face. She looked diminished, her skin grayer, her hair dimmer, the vibrancy gone. She pushed herself up to her knees and looked up at Ishtar, “M-may I go now?” She asked, “Please?”

Ishtar wrinkled her nose, “You really are pathetic,” the supervillain said coldly, “How you could even think to call yourself a supervillain is beyond me. How the Pandora Committee could ever consider you a threat only tells me that they have a long way to go before I’m satisfied,” She snarled before gesturing once with her hand. The two statues grabbed the woman by the arms and dragged her across the floor. She was too weak to even protest as they hefted her up to eye level with Ishtar’s mask.

She grabbed the woman by the chin, “You saw my portals right, August?” She asked, “Can you tell me where home is?”

August’s eyes widened, “Y-yes! I did!” She said hurriedly, “It’s in the Alps! I-I have coordinates written down so I can give them to pilots if necessary,” She added and reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Ishtar took it from her and set it aside, “You’re going to send me home? That’s why you asked, right?”

Idiot. Coward. Nothing without her powers. No spine. She was so arrogant and proud when she could kill someone with a look. Now, Her lips curved down into a frown, Now look at her.

Ishtar scoffed and let her go, “Hold her,” She said as the woman hit the ground. It took half a second to process before August scrambled away and pinned herself against the vault door.

“Wait! You said that you’d spare my life if I gave up my power! You promised!” She shouted, “You said you don’t break promises!”

“I said that Erebus would spare your life,” Ishtar said and stepped off the table again, walking towards her, “I said that he would offer you a way home. You heard things today that damned you, I’m afraid,” She continued as the statues grabbed the woman by the arms and pinned her against the wall, “I made no such promises of my own. You were simply too gullible and desperate to think my words through,” Ishtar continued and grabbed the woman by the face, “You gave me the location of your home. What more use do I have for you? If I let you go now, you could very well talk about what you experienced today. My abilities, the nature of my dealmaking power,” Ishtar said, “The moment I opened my mouth you were doomed.”

Ishtar pulled Will of Midas out of her warehouse as the woman thrashed against the door.

“You will serve better as a warning to others,” Ishtar said quietly, “Your reckless use of your ability, your wastefulness, your arrogance, no higher purpose to pursue. You weren’t a villain, you were a wild animal.”

“Please! No-” 

The woman’s face stiffened as it began to take on a gilded hue, it spread across her body as a look of anguish and terror was frozen in time. In a matter of seconds, she was nothing but a statue. Dead. Ishtar pulled her hand away and walked over to the table, picking up the phone. She concentrated on it and it turned on, the screen flickering and changing several times before she got the information she needed. She waved her hand and a portal opened to her left, “Go. Deal with any security then locate and consolidate anything of value.” She commanded the two legionnaires. “Once you are done, maintain watch until I can visit to retrieve it all.”

The marble statues inclined their heads before marching towards the portal and disappearing through it. Ishtar glanced down at the phone and pressed her thumb against it, the circuitry sparked and smoked before it began to crack and fizzle out. She crushed it in her hand for good measure and dropped it onto the ground. She turned back to the statue of August, “So disappointing,” She said quietly before gesturing and creating another portal, “I wonder if it would look better at Erebus’ place or in the Styx? Might have more of an impact in the latter I think…”

She paused at the portal, “I should probably make a statement on the matter. It’s been a while since the world heard my voice,” She chuckled, “Pretty sure First Wind has already told everyone I’m lurking around. Why bother hiding it? May as well take advantage of the situation.”

<”Technocrat.”>

There was a pause before Amos’ voice came through, <”Yes, Ishtar?”>

<”I’d like to use that fancy new broadcasting toy you whipped up the other day.”>

<”Really? Hell yes! Just warning you the broadcast time is pretty short, then it’ll fizz out and I’ll have to rebuild it.”> Amos said excitedly.

<”That’s fine, connect me.”>

–

Across the United States and Europe televisions froze before a face appeared on them. The symbol of a glowing pink eye burning on a black screen. At the Pandora Committee, the chairman sat up in his seat wide eyed as the image appeared on every screen in the command center. Shouts rang out, men and women scurrying about to figure out where the signal was coming from. All the while the old man clenched his fists and glared at that all seeing eye.

He slammed his fist on his desk as reports quickly came in that the signal couldn’t be shut down. The loud bang drew the attention of everyone in the room. He nodded to the screen and everyone slowly sat down to wait as the hissing and crackling faded. There was silence for a heartbeat before a cold, rasping voice echoed out from behind that symbol. 

“I am Ishtar.”