The SVE Club

19. Heroes

    Midas stared the girl down, scowling for all it was worth.

    Hardwire seemed unfazed by his manner and proceeded to sit casually on a table. She turned to address the other members of the SVE club, who stared in shock at the masked intruders.

    "You can stop this now," she told them. "Don't listen to anything he has to say. He'll betray you like he betrayed us."

    "Midas?" Nate asked. "You know these guys?"

    "I used to," Midas answered, his gaze never leaving Hardwire.

    Hardwire stood up. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm-"

    "Hardwire, the techna."

    Everyone in the room turned to look at the speaker, Sam. She stood up.

    "Hardwire the techna," she repeated, louder. "You're best known for your silver and aqua chain-mail armor and manipulating the drones attached to your suit to attack your enemies."

    Hardwire was taken aback. "You- you know who I am?" she scoffed.

    Sam didn't answer. She pointed to a tall, lanky hero dressed in fiery colors. "Red Phoenix, sensun. You've been interning with the local fire and rescue team to gain some experience, but your goal is to become an internationally acclaimed hero."

    Sam moved onto a pretty girl in a white lace dress who wore a matching mask. "Bondette, conjoiner. Stopped an armed robbery when you were just eight by bonding the getaway car to the pavement." She gave a little wave. "I'm a huge fan of yours by the way," she whispered.

    She then addressed the girl dressed like a normal student besides the full, golden face mask and her hood drawn around her head. "Masquerade, biotac. Your once shifted into thirty people in one day to help the police shut down a dog fighting ring. You love animals."

    "Iron Ice, forzatac," Sam called to the last ISH student.

    A burly student dressed in blue and grey stood up tall.

    "Well," Sam said after hesitating, "You haven't really accomplished anything notable... that I've heard of, anyway."

    Iron Ice slumped in disappointment.

    "But your suit is really cool!" Sam said quickly.

    Iron Ice smiled proudly. "Thank you."

    "Anyway," Sam continued, "They're all class A, all professional, and all very, very dangerous."

    The room was silent as everyone tried to comprehend what had just happened. Everyone continued to watch Sam even as she sat back down. Finally, Midas spoke up.

    "Thank you for summing that up, sidekick. Now why don't you go wait in the hall while the real SVE members settle this?" Midas suggested.

    "Settle what?" Willow asked anxiously, watching as Hardwire and Midas approached each other menacingly.

    "You didn't come here just to chat, did you, Wire?" Midas asked.

    "I don't want to do this," Hardwire said softly. "Not if it can be avoided. Please... Midas? That's your real name, right? Please, Midas, just stop this. Don't force them to become... like... like you!"

    Midas was silent for a moment, his expression never changing. He stayed statue still, still glaring at Hardwire.

    "Actually, he's not forcing us to do anything," Evan said, standing up. "We're all here of our own accord. Some of us are even here against his will." He glanced at Sam, who chuckled nervously.

Evan left his seat and stood next to Midas. "Is he trying to turn us into villains? Yes. But is that necessarily a bad thing? I don't think so."

    "Being a villain is like being a hero, only more fun," Rachel stated, standing up and joining them, arms crossed. "Besides that, in my experience I've found that heroes generally suck."

    Hardwire, who was quite tall, bent down to look at Rachel. "You're... what, eleven?"

    Rachel quietly simmered.

    Midas looked over to Nate, Sam, Willow and Taro. "Are you guys with us?"

    Silently, the questioned stood and gathered around Midas.

    "Looks like we'll have a fight after all," Hardwire murmured, looking somewhat impressed. "Come on guys." She led her group of heroes to the opposite wall.

    "Never say we don't fight fair," Hardwire called to Midas. "We'll start in five."

    "Wait, time out!" Taro shouted, holding his hands up. "What exactly are we doing?"

    "Didn't you hear her?" Midas asked. "We're fighting."

    "But why?" Taro asked.

    Midas groaned. "It's an ISH thing. Just go with it for now, Taro, I'll explain later."

    "I don't know, Midas. I don't think I can eat my way out of this one," Taro joked halfheartedly.

    "I'm sure you'd surprise us," Rachel shot back shakily. Across the room, the ISH students were preparing themselves.

    "Five!" Hardwire shouted. Suddenly, miniature drones detached from her armor and began hovering in the air around her.

    "Oh, snap!" Nate shouted in surprise, clutching his deck of cards desperately.

    "Four!"

    Iron Ice cracked his knuckles.

    Bondette removed her lace gloves.

    Willow's lips quivered.

    "Three!"

    Masquerade adjusted her mask.

    Rachel felt her muscles tense.

    Evan took a deep breath.

    "Two!"

    Red Phoenix bounced with energy.

    Sam muttered to herself incoherently.

    Midas smiled slyly.

    "One!"

    As if communicating telepathically, the entire SVE club (excluding Midas) darted out the open door at the same time and ran for their lives into the dark, unexplored basement. The ISH students stared after them, dumbfounded.

    Midas laughed and shrugged. "They're villains. I never said they weren't cowards."

    "After them!" Hardwire ordered.

    "I hope you know what you're in for!" Midas shouted as Red Phoenix, Masquerade, Iron Ice and Bondette filed out the door in search of the SVE members.

Midas turned to leave in order to help his teammates just as the door was slammed shut by the drones Hardwire controlled.

"Not you," she said. "We have a lot to discuss."

"Since when did you 'discuss' things?" Midas laughed.

Hardwire sighed. "I guess you're right Midas. I just wish things hadn't turned out like this."

A drone hovered in her hand as she looked away sadly.

"But things can't stay the same forever, can they?" She looked up at Midas determinedly. "If you won't talk, you'll fight. End of discussion."