The SVE Club

47. The Fan

White Flame (or whoever he was) chuckled and smiled smugly. "Wow," he said to Midas. "And here I thought you didn't have it in you."

    The SVE club stared, all of them too shocked for words. Willow had gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, and she remained frozen. Rachel glared at White Flame and Nate couldn't stop looking back and forth between him and Midas. Taro looked as if he didn't quite grasp what was going on.

    Evan shook his head. "No," he said. "This isn't possible."

    "Oh, it's all too possible for a biotac," White Flame answered. "His face was in the ISH databank, so it was easy to copy. Almost like cheating."

    "Oh my God. It all makes sense," Sam murmured. "Why he never used his powers, why he disappeared so easily, how he got me into ISH... He's a biotac."

    "Who are you?" Midas asked for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. "And what do you want with us?"

    "People call me Asher. I'm a freelancer- I work for the highest paying employer. Whatever they want, I get done," he bragged. He maintained his form as Midas' gemini, down to the voice he spoke with.

    "Are you working with Insomnium?" Midas asked, gritting his teeth.

    Asher scoffed. "I was. Until someone with deeper pockets contacted me. At first I was supposed to keep an eye on you guys and make sure you got into ISH. But now I've got a more... generous offer. And I get to play the hero this time. Just so long as I can ruin the plans I helped you create in the first place. Pretty ironic, right?"

"Wait, you were working for the Insomnium?" Nate asked.

"Yeah. He's not exactly a fair employer, though. But don't take it from me- Just ask Midas," Asher said, raising an eyebrow.

The others looked to Midas, whose eyes went wide. "I'm- I'm not working for him."

Asher laughed. "What do you call this then? I know you stole the serum and the program for him. You might as well have a sign on your back- 'Sidekick to the world's most dangerous villain.' That sounds about right."

"You're helping Insomnium?" Rachel asked Midas.

"I can explain," Midas began.

"I know we signed up to be 'villains,' but everyone knows that Insomnium's a madman! A murderer!" Evan erupted. "You brought us into this and you didn't see it fit to tell us that this all led back to him?"

"I didn't have a choice," Midas answered.

"Why would you help him?" Taro wanted to know.

"Yeah. Is he paying you? Or are you actually on his side?" Nate questioned.

"No!" Midas shouted, disgusted. "Never!"

  "Midas?" Sam said.

   "Not now, Sam," Midas said. He addressed the team. "Guys, we don't have time for this. I'll explain things later, I swear. But now-"

    "Midas, they're coming!" Sam shrieked into the com.

    "Who's coming?"

    "Everyone," Sam said quietly. "All directions. You're surrounded."

    "Sam says we're surrounded," Midas relayed. "We need to get out of here."

    "How?" Taro asked. Even as they spoke, ISH students were coming from every direction. Surprisingly, Overdrive lead the charge for one group of students.

    "A common enemy can be a powerful unifier," Asher noted. "It's too bad you've made so many enemies, Dynamidas. You almost got Insomnium on your side- But I guess he'll have to settle for a puppet instead of a son."

Midas drew in a sharp breath. Without a word, he brought his mask back to his face and put it on. His face was void of any emotion besides anger, just as it had been his first day at Cherokee North.

    As the mobs grew closer, the SVE club instinctively drew closer together.

    "We're all going to die," Nate croaked.

"What can we do? Midas?" Willow asked.

Midas remained silent. He looked over his friends, his glare softening for a moment. But then it returned. He had been a fool to bring them here. It would have been better to have gone at it alone.

One thing was certain- He couldn't let Insomnium use him to wreck havoc. He couldn't let Insomnium make him hurt his own friends- or worse. This deal was the only way to prevent that.

He shook his head, unable to look any of them in the eyes. "I'm sorry," was all he said.

"Midas?" Sam asked.

Midas turned his com off.

And then he ran.

The first mob didn't know what hit them as an emotionally charged explosion shattered the earth beneath them and clouds of dirt and smoke wafted about. Midas' path was full of patches of earth being blown into the sky like geysers, disorienting and temporarily blinding anyone in his path. He couldn't control his powers during this pain- He didn't want to control them. He wanted to be free of this fear.

This is the only way, he thought as he raced alone towards the gate.

He glanced back at his team. They had already been subdued. They screamed for Midas to help them, screamed out violently as they were forced to the ground by several supers.

"You traitor!" shouted a nearby voice. Overdrive came running towards Midas. He responded by erupting the earth below her feet, continuing his mission without another backwards glance.

He was a villain, he told himself. Villains are traitors. And liars. And evil.

White Flame is dead, he forced himself to think, blowing another hole in ISH's outer wall. He escaped into the cold night, leaving the crowds- and his team- behind.

White Flame the hero is dead. I am Dynamidas. I am a villain.

<><><><><><>

    "Remain calm," Sam said in a panic. "Everyone remain calm!"

    B3 was in an uproar as the students ran to shred evidence and pack their belongings. Sam opened the link to the 'kill switch' on her phone and the computer screen immediately turned blue before blinking out entirely. Wincing, Sam packed up the laptop, trying to control the shaking in her hands.

    Midas had turned the coms off, so she had no way of communicating with him now. The others would be arrested and taken to who knows where.

    "Everyone hurry up!" Mr. Lee shouted. "Quickly, quickly! I am not going to jail today."

Sam turned to erase the 'Panic Plan' as many of the students began to run for the exit. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening," she said to herself. This had to be a ploy. Midas must be going back for them- He had to!

The room became quieter and Sam realized that she was the only one left. Shaking badly, she glanced over B3. All the evidence had been taken away. Hopefully nobody would ever peg this on them.

Sam grabbed her belongings and trudged towards the door, the sound of her heart thumping in her ears. She reached for the light switch and hesitated. How many important decisions had been made in this room? How many times had Midas burst in late with some new plan?

    Sam shook her head and turned away.

    It was all a lie, was all she could think.

    She turned the lights out. It was her turn to run.