Broker

Chapter 1

She gripped the knife in her hand. Bloody tears flowed down her cheeks. Her messy black hair was askew. She looked down into his eyes, pleading, hoping, begging. He looked up at her without a shred of doubt or guilt. The city, the world burned around them. Her fingers trembled as the tip of the blade grated against skin inured to such mundane weapons. Her lips bent down in grief, her teeth bared, her heart breaking in her chest. She could smell it, the bodies of her friends, of every living person on the planet. 

“Can’t believe you survived that, girlie,” He croaked, blood leaking from his lips. His eyes were bloodshot, his jaw cracked, his nose streaming. “You’re one lucky bitch, if nothing else.”

She clutched at her chest and gasped out a sob, raising the weapon again and bringing it down against his chest. With a twang and scraping sound it clipped off of his body. She tossed it aside with a frustrated scream.

“Otis!” She howled his name, slamming her fists against his nigh-indestructible body. “Otis! Otis! Otis! Why?!” 

“It was fun, so why are you bothering? I’m dead anyway,  you’re dead, the world’s dead, it’s over,” He chuckled, smiling at her. “Why do you even care?”

She gripped the collar of his costume and tried to pull him up to look at her. She couldn’t lift him. She didn’t have the strength anymore. She rest her hands on his face and let out another sob as the flames raged around them, explosions, screams, life on earth was coming to an end. Ruination. It wasn’t just his fault. All of them had become so god damn corrupt, obsessed with their power rather than using it to fight, to do the right damn thing! She hated them, she hated how petty and stupid humans could be. She screamed in his face, “YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!” She howled, slamming her fists on his chest again.

He didn’t respond.

Otis, the Nameless Hero, the most powerful man on earth, was dead.

She was the last hero alive. A nobody. A nothing. Sonya Chernovna was barely even enough to be classified as a hero. All she had were her eyes that clicked and whirred like clockwork contraptions in her head. The glow that was once bright and pure had dimmed to barely a luster. She dragged herself off his corpse and rose, clutching at her chest, her costume was torn and bloody. Everything hurt, her heart, her arms, her legs, her universe was nothing but pain. 

She turned away and started walking, towards the center of it all, towards the epicenter of the chaos. The monsters ravaging the city paid her no mind, it was as if she didn’t exist. She trudged along as people screamed, but she didn’t have the power to save them. She grit her teeth as a mother sobbed in the distance, her heart splintering again. 

“The League of Heroes,” She muttered, “The American Heros Guild, The Japanese Hero Society, The Korean Hero Association, The Russian…” She trailed off, the words tumbling from mouth. The groups that had once been a beacon of safety for the world, the organizations that had stood stalwart against the creatures that had appeared more and more often, that were supposed to fight the worst of the worst. In the end, they’d become what they fought against.

Otis was just the fulcrum, the governments of the world, the greed of the organization leaders, the corruption of the heroes. They’d styled themselves like gods to the ordinary people of Earth, lording over them until their arrogance pushed them to war against one another. Earth couldn’t survive it, not as monsters ran rampant and heroes fought one another. 

Sometimes, Sonya, people are just like that. You can’t make them change.

“Bullshit!” She snarled, stepping past a ruined car and over the corpses of another pair of heroes, their faces and costumes burned beyond recognition. “Heroes should work together!” She croaked.

It’s okay, love.

She staggered into the city center, heedless of the soft voice in the back of her mind. So warm, so full of love. She could smell her still. She could feel her hands on her face. Sonya felt her legs go numb but she just forced feeling into them, slamming her fist into her legs and trudging onward. “No it’s not,” She swore, “I’ll never forgive them.”

You don’t have to forgive, but you can’t forget the good in people too.

Sonya squeezed her eyes shut and collapsed to her knees, gripping the sides of her head, her chest hurt so bad it felt like it would burst. “Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! If I could I’d kill all of them! Over and over! I’d turn their lives into a living hell and never let them escape!”

Is that what you really want?

Sonya’s hands dropped to her sides and she looked up at the red sky, “No, but if I could, I’d make things right. Even if…” She drew a ragged breath into her chest, “...even if I have to be the worst there is! I’d do it!”

A familiar scent washed over her, her eyes opened and she gasped. “Chunhua?” She asked, dazed, desperate. Something heavy thudded to the ground in front of her and she looked down. It was a box, a chest, two blocks of marble on a hinge. It was engraved beautifully. She’d seen it before, the source of everything that had happened on earth since that day. According to the stories, the box had opened on its own in the middle of a crowded museum and the flash of light that followed had turned the world upside down. “Pandora’s Box,” Sonya breathed.

Then let hope out, and try again.

Sonya grabbed the sides of the lid, she wasn’t sure what the voice meant, but if it meant she could have a second chance to make things right, she’d take it. Her bloody fingers slipped on the lid and she grunted helplessly before finally getting a grip, trying to pry it open. The old story said that hope had been left behind when the box was opened the first time by Pandora herself. Sonya forced the lid open and her world became nothing but blinding light.

—

“It’s the top of the hour and we have had recent reports of unusual seismic activity taking place throughout the eastern seaboard, no injuries have been reported at this time but folks at home are encouraged to remain vigilant of your surroundings, seismologist Lincoln Atwood said…” It was a familiar voice that Sonya woke to, the sound of a man talking over the television. She tried to open her eyes and was met with nothing but darkness. Her head hurt, her memories muddled and languid.

What happened? She thought numbly, reaching for her cane, her fingers wrapping around the smooth, reflective surface. She felt the plushness of the couch beneath her, the familiar fruity scent of the air freshener she liked in the air, it was her apartment. Small, a bit on the unkempt side, but home.

She struggled to remember, the thoughts coming in jumbles at first before hitting her in a deluge. A world of heroes, monsters, violence, death, war, fire, Chunhua, Otis. She let out a cry of pain and grasped the sides of her head, letting out a wretched sob as fresh agony burned its way through her brain. The sound of hurried footsteps, a hand touching her shoulder, someone’s voice, calling her name.

“Sonya! Sonya are you okay? Is the TV too loud?” Another familiar voice, she wrenched her arm away and tried to scramble to her feet. What was happening? Why couldn’t she see? Wait… she’d been blind before the box had opened.

I’m blind again? She thought, her fingers wrapping more tightly around the cane. And that voice? Marta?

“Marta?” Sonya asked, trembling.

“Bad dream, Sonya?” Marta’s voice offered with a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

Sonya felt an ache explode in her chest. Marta had been killed so early on during the war, slaughtered with everyone connected to the The American Heroes Guild, anyone remotely close to her had been annihilated, even if she had been a nobody. A glorified scout. She felt her body try to cry, but her damaged tear ducts couldn’t weep. The terrible acid burn that had rendered her disabled had ruined it for her. She reached for Marta’s hand, the caretaker who had been by her side even after being let go by the government who had paid for her employment with Sonya. She squeezed the woman’s hand desperately. Warm, real, solid. She was alive.

Pandora’s Box had sent her back! Her mind whirled first in disbelief, then in panic.

“Marta! What day is it? What’s going on right now?”

“Sonya, seriously dear, are you okay? You sound terrified,” The woman trailed off as Sonya gripped her wrist.

“The date!” She begged.

“It’s March Third!” Marta gasped, “What’s gotten into you?”

“The time!” Sonya insisted.

“Ah! Uh… just a bit after noon? Sonya, seriously, you’re scaring me, did we miss an appointment?” Marta asked.

Sonya dropped to the couch and scrambled, muscle memory guiding her to where she always left the remote on the coffee table. She snatched it up and fumbled with it for a moment, remembering where all the buttons were before hurriedly punching in a new channel. She felt Marta sit down next to her and could practically sense the caretaker’s concern. The sound clipped out for a moment on the television before a new voice cut in.

“I'm here at the National Archeological Museum in Athens where a new exhibit featuring artifacts discovered during the Hesiod Ruin Excavation is on display. Of note are numerous weapons found at the dig site and an unusual marble cube, as you can see, the cube appears to be hinged but researchers have yet to find a way to open it,” A reporter said.

“Was this what you were worried about?” Marta asked, “It’s just an exhibit-”

She was cut off as sounds began to come from the tv, shouts of surprise and confusion. Sonya braced herself, she’d barely been awake a few moments after coming back and already things were kicking off. It looked like she didn’t have any time to prepare. “Marta, make sure the front door is locked,” Sonya urged her, gripping the seat as the shouts from the tv grew more frantic.

“There seems to be something going on inside, excuse me!” The reporter called.

“Miss Sonya?” Marta started but Sonya turned and did her best to give the woman a sightless stare. Marta hopped to her feet somewhere nearby and hurried to the door, “It’s locked!”

As if those words were a gunshot fired at the beginning of a race, screams erupted from the screen. Marta let out a gasp of horror, “What is that light?”

Sonya pursed her lips together, Here it comes…

Sonya braced herself before she felt something wash over her like a tidal wave. She was knocked onto her back, prone on the couch as a burning erupted in her head, her eyes were on fire! She cried out, she’d forgotten how much this had hurt the first time it’d happened. She grit her teeth, focusing on the pain rather than running from it. Her memories of what had happened before raging to the surface with a white hot fury. Anger boiled her blood and she snarled, she wouldn’t black out from the pain this time. She wouldn’t wake up on the ground while chaos erupted in the streets.

Light assailed her and she winced, the light began to dissipate and soon colors and shapes began to make themselves known, particles that consolidated into recognizable forms. Like the first time, her sight had returned to her. She looked down at her pale fingers for a moment. Even after all she’d experienced the first time around she couldn’t believe how easily that flash of light had changed everything. She felt that odd heaviness in her head, the strange ticking, the sensation of those mechanical eyes in her skull once again.

Tick tick tick tick tick.

It was the same as before, a remarkably mundane power that because of its weakness she’d never been able to properly foster. She heard Marta groan nearby and got to her feet, hurrying over to the caretaker. She pulled the woman to her feet. Marta looked up at her in bewilderment. “Miss Sonya! Your eyes!” She gasped, raising her hand to her mouth.

Sonya shook her head, “We’ll talk about it later, do you hear that?” Sonya urged her and took the woman by the wrist. She looked into the woman’s face, a middle aged woman with brown hair and frantic brown eyes. Her hair was a mess and her blouse was askew from having been knocked off her feet. She always looked a bit harried. Just as she remembered her. She tried to remember what else came next, the light, her vision, there had been so much confusion.

A bestial roar sent the windows shuddering and a chill rushed up her spine. Marta froze in terror. 

That’s right! A monster appeared in the street outside the complex. Ah come on Sonya! What happens next? Remember!

“What was that?” Marta cried, stepping back against the wall.

Sonya opened her mouth to say she didn’t know and choked, she tried to speak again but her voice came out strained. She grabbed her throat, confused, and looked up at Marta’s face. She was growing paler and more terrified. She tried again and choked once more. Why? Her mind raced, because what she was going to say wasn’t true? That hadn’t happened before! Sonya grit her teeth, she didn’t have time to think about it, “Whatever it is, isn’t friendly!” Sonya said and the words came out easily. She frowned, avoiding a direct answer worked, it seems.

A noisy crash outside shook the building, Marta screamed, and Sonya grabbed her again by the wrist and started to tug her towards the door to the bedroom, her training as a field hero kicking in. They needed to get away from outside windows and walls. Monsters rarely spawned inside of buildings, she knew that for certain, they needed to appear in areas exposed to open air or the sky for some reason. The building shook again. Why couldn’t she remember what had happened the last time? It was all a blur.

Her thoughts raced as Marta finally found the strength to stand and move, Sonya guiding her to the bedroom and shutting the door behind them. 

“What is going on?!” Marta cried, “Was that a monster? What was that light? What happened to your eyes?”

Sonya opened her mouth again to lie and say she didn’t know, but the words choked in her throat. She coughed and turned to look at the door, she had to figure out a way to calm Marta down without sounding like an absolute crazy person. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Marta, frankly she was one of the few humans on this planet worthy of any kind of trust. How did she tell Marta that she knew exactly what these things were, that they’d been granted powers by Pandora’s Box, and that the world was about to change forever? Marta would ask her how she knew and Sonya would have to lie again, which clearly she couldn’t do for some reason.

She thought fast, “I don’t understand it either, Marta,” Sonya said, which was true, no one understood how Pandora’s Box worked or what forces were involved that caused all this to happen, “My head feels heavy and I can see.”

Another crash followed by a shout and then an explosion. Someone was already trying to fight the monster? Why didn’t she remember that? She couldn’t have been out from getting her powers for more than a few seconds, it was the same with every person who got powers from Pandora’s Light. Marta grabbed her hand, “Sonya! We should call the police, right?”

Sonya turned and was about to say that someone probably already had, when she saw something she’d never seen before. Her new sight had given her the ability to see at great distances and make out fine details, but she’d never had a heads up display like feature before. Words hung over Marta’s head. 

<Marta Daphne, Unawakened>

Something like a charge ran up her hand from her contact with Marta’s hand. She felt it wash through her and into her brain. Images, thoughts, confusing details, instincts. It was said that once someone acquired a power from Pandora’s Light, they instinctively knew how to use it or at least the bare minimum of its functionality for more complex abilities. It was like she could see something in Marta, an untapped font of power that had been missed by Pandora’s Light. Marta had been an ordinary civilian till the end the first time around, but why? What was different between her and Sonya?

Luck?

Luck was bullshit.

She instinctively shifted her grip in Marta’s hand, holding it like she was shaking the woman’s hand. More words appeared in her vision.

<Appraise Product>

<Provide Temporary Sample>

<Broker Deal>

Appraise? Temporary Sample? Deal? What is this?

Another crash, this one shook the entire room, picture frames fell off the wall and furniture toppled over. She could hear the screams from outside more distinctly. It all came back to her in a rush. While fighting, the monster was sent careening into her apartment. The feral beast had lashed out at Sonya and knocked her out. She’d awakened days after the initial blast from Pandora’s Box in a hospital and had been forced to move afterwards.

“Miss Sonya?” Marta's face was pale, her entire body trembling as she looked at the door.

Sonya looked at the words again and swallowed, “Marta, do you trust me?”

Marta turned her eyes to Sonya, shocked, “Of course! What’s happening?”

It was like she’d done it a hundred times before, it came so naturally. She felt a strange connection between herself and Marta, specifically an untapped feeling of power hiding just beneath the surface. She reached for it, Appraise and Provide Sample, she willed the thoughts into being, following the breadcrumbs created by the instincts that governed this new ability. It was like a new limb, raw, it ached a little when she activated it. Sonya winced and Marta let out a cry of alarm, gasping as her body began to glow with a familiar light. Pandora’s Light. The light spread from Marta’s arm and into Sonya’s body, sizzling against her skin, she felt it burn into her muscles like an inferno.

The wall behind them exploded, Sonya was sent hurtling towards the bed and skipped over it like a stone, hitting the wall and blacking out for a moment. A roar woke her and she scrambled, trying to get her bearings.

<New Product Acquired: Heroic Strength>

The words hung in Sonya’s vision even as a more impossible sight drew her attention. Marta was standing tall, her arms outstretched, and her hands gripped around the jaws of a horrific creature that looked like something between a dog and a panther, its smooth body coated with muscles. It tried to swipe at Marta but its arm wouldn’t bend in such a way to reach her.

“How is this possible?” Marta cried out, terrified despite her advantageous position.

“Doesn’t matter!” Sonya shouted back, back on her feet even as her body ached from the impact. “Can you kill it?”

“I think so!” The caretaker said, surprised at her own certainty, she wrenched her arms and with a titanic effort pulled the creature down to the ground, slamming its head on the apartment floor. The room shook with the force and a noisy crack of something breaking inside the body of the beast that sent a chill through Sonya. For a moment, no one moved, no sound, no breathing, nothing. Then the beast let out its last breath and shuddered.

Sonya stared in awe at Marta’s back. The humble caretaker, the housewife, the woman that had died ignobly at the hands of Sonya’s enemies in the future, was strong! Really strong!

Marta turned and looked at Sonya, her eyes wide with shock, “I… I did it!” She gasped as light began to build on her skin again, and then faded. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed into a heap. Sonya darted forward and caught the unconscious woman. She held Marta in her arms and looked down at her own hand that still tingled from the handshake. She clenched it into a fist as a dark smile began to spread across her lips.

“Maybe I can do it too…” Sonya whispered as sirens approached.

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