CHAPTER 60
IRIDIUM
Betrayal of a cohort is unusual in supervillain circles. But when it comes, it is swift, deadly, and leaves broken hearts and bodies in its wake.
Lynda Kidder, “Flight of the Blackbird,” New Chicago Tribune, July 2, 2112
Iridium looked up into Taser’s face, saw her own bloody mess reflected in his goggles.
She tried to struggle up, but vertigo overcame her. “I’m going to kill you,” she ground out from the floor.
“I’m just doing my job, sweetheart,” Taser said, stepping back as if her glare could sear him. “You can’t blame me for your mistakes.”
“The only mistake I made was not dumping you headfirst off that rooftop,” Iridium snarled. “You planned to be there, with the Undergoths. They sent me right to you. You used me, is what’s the worst.”
Taser laughed. “You’re being pretty easy on yourself, doll. You swallowed my origin story. You let me into your sanctuary, you told me your secrets, you left me with the opportunity to neutralize you, all because you trusted me. That’s not a mistake, Iridium—that’s just sloppy.”
There was a note of reproach in his voice, and he didn’t appear to be mocking her, which only pissed Iridium off more. “I never trusted you, Taser,” she lied. “I just never thought you were a threat to me. You’re pathetic.”
He shook his head. “Now, that isn’t true. You left me alone in your warehouse. You trusted me, if only a little. But it was there. Weakness.”
“Trust isn’t weakness,” said Iridium. “Letting trust blind you is. And I was never blind, Taser.”
“Oh yeah? Then how come you’re trussed up in here?”
Jet looked at Iridium. “You left him alone? In your house?”
“Shut up, Joan,” Iridium said wearily. “All that matters now is that we’re seeing his real face.” She looked back at Taser. “Treacherous, and crazy.”
“Crazy?” Taser laughed softly. “You’re one to talk, Iridium. I don’t dress up in a wig and go visit my father every week because I can’t let go. I don’t think that Corp can be knocked out by a stupid spy-novel scheme.”
“Not nearly as stupid as pissing me off,” she snarled, feeling impotent and hating it. “You seemed pretty keen on the idea.”
“I was paid to be. Just like I was paid to get close to Joan.” He turned to face Jet, but he kept speaking to Iridium. “She was harder than you, Iridium. Mistrustful. Totally living in a world of her own creation. That ought to tell you something.”
Jet spluttered, “What are you talking about? Until the tunnels, I’d never seen you before.”
He looked at Jet, long and hard. “You so sure, honey? You need me to take off the mask? Really? Maybe tell you again about how I’d fallen for you when you saved me and the others from Crusher Jones all those years ago?”
Iridium saw the blood drain from Jet’s face. Joan whispered, “Bruce?”
Taser doffed an imaginary cap. “Hi, honey. Was it good for you too?”
“You played me.” Jet’s voice was so low, Iridium could barely catch the words. “I let you in, trusted you. And you played me.”
“Like a violin. Don’t feel too bad. You couldn’t help but feel a tingle every time we touched.” He rubbed his fingers together, and through his gloves, sparks flew. “Perk of working with electricity.”
Jet gasped, then let out her breath in a long hiss. “You made me feel that way?”
“Oh, don’t get all high-and-mighty, honey. You sure didn’t complain last night, when I made you see stars … what was it, three times? Or four? I sort of lost count.”
“You bastard …”
Iridium stared at Jet. “You let him into your bed?” Oh, Christo. In that moment, her slip of leaving Taser to steal her neural inhibitor seemed minor. Joan would never recover from something like that. Iridium’s gut knifed, thinking of what it must feel like to know the man in your bed was scheming to kill you, or worse.
Jet ignored her, said to Taser, “I trusted you.”
“Lesson learned, eh, darlin’?” He shook his head. “That goes for both of you. You want to survive, you have to stop trusting. Heh, trust me on that.”
“I swear,” Jet whispered, her slight body trembling, “when I get out of here, I’m going to make you regret using me. I swear it.”
“You’re going to have to wait in line,” Iridium snarled. “Let me guess, Taser—you’re with Everyman?”
He snorted. “Not hardly. They hate anyone with powers, Iridium. That includes me.”
“Then who?” Iridium said.
“Sorry, I’m not going to blab about who’s employing me. Merc code. I do have a system I follow, you know.”
“Mercenary,” Jet said tightly. “I should have made you. I should have—”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t,” said Taser, crossing his arms. “You expected me to be strong and true, like in those damn novels you’re always reading. And Iridium expected me to be cruel but pure-hearted, like her precious daddy.”
“Shut up,” Jet muttered. “Just shut up.”
“Oh, ignore him,” Iridium said. Taser might have worked under Jet’s skin, but if her five years away from Corp had taught Iridium anything, it was adaptability. “He’s just trying to upset us so we’re nice and compliant when his boss shows up.”
“Got me there,” said Taser, shrugging.
“You are such a sanctimonious piece of crap,” Iridium hissed. “How could you ever think I bought your line?”
“Didn’t you tell me yourself that arrogance is death?” Taser said mildly. “I never assumed anything more than that I’d finish my job. You two were both so desperate for something that you didn’t care what I really was. And you, Iridium—you never assumed I was a threat. Arrogance. And you paid.”
Iridium fell silent.
“You’re scum,” Jet muttered.
He cocked his head. “I did my job, Jet. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Who’s your boss?” Iridium snarled. “Are they going to ramble on for as long as you have?”
“He’ll be here shortly,” said Taser, glancing at his wristlet. “And my job goes no further than that. You’ve both been delivered, on time. That’s all I care about.”
“Delivered where? Come on,” Iridium drawled, “this is the part where you reveal everything.”
He cocked his head. “You really want to know? You’re in the Academy, in the old meditation room. Specifically, the storage closet.” He chuckled. “Want to take bets on whether a hero’s going to walk through that door and save you? Oh, wait—the heroes are a little tied up, aren’t they, Iridium?”
Her lip curled, but she said nothing.
“Well, ladies, I’ve got to go. It’s been a pleasure working with you both—a real pleasure, in Joan’s case.”
“Bastard,” Jet spat.
“And Callie,” said Taser, her name sounding like a slur, “if you ever get past your daddy issues and that raging ego, we may really have something.”
His comm beeped, and he tapped it. “I understand, sir. Yes. Yes, everything is in order.” He turned and gave Iridium and Jet a salute. “And now I must bid you farewell. See you around, ladies.”
The door behind Taser slid open before he could key it.
“Not so fast,” said Night.