9-2: Lion-Hearted Girl, Part Two

Radiance #9: Answers.

Welcome to The Story Scrapbook, a fiction newsletter by E.B. Howard. If you’re new in town, check out my Fiction Directory for navigation.

Radiance is a hopeful fiction serial about one of Earth’s darker timelines. It takes place around 2014 in a world where atypical abilities have become increasingly common, with the storyline following a group of minor-league superheroes based in Washington, DC. Our protagonist is Lady Radiance, former teen sensation, aka Christabel Jones, professional ray of sunshine—or, at least, she's trying her best.

Previously, Lady Radiance thought she’d successfully broken out of Archangel’s influence—but it may not have been as simple as that. This time, she must ready herself to face Hades again, despite the complications.

<#9, Part One || Directory || #10, Part One>

Given the gravity of the situation, Christa was pleasantly surprised to be released within the week, and after a minimum of interrogation about why, exactly, she needed to recover from a complete bodily takeover. She supposed that part would come later, when the bureaucrats caught up on their paperwork and discovered the omission. Jacob bundled her home, muttering about neighborhood gossip and fanblog rumors instead of admitting—at least when he knew she was listening—that it had shaken him to find out her powers were still bound up somehow with their adversary. It was uncomfortable for her as well, staying cooped up in the quiet house with so many reminders of what had seemed to be a game under her control. Even her fabric stash held a stack of off-cut remnants from her costume, made when she was so determined to be a force for good, so convinced she’d been doing the right thing.

At least those thoughts could be pushed away. Liam haunted her far more persistently. Christa couldn’t lie to herself now; she had given him the chance to come with her, and he’d refused to take it. He’d proven that he would rather be her enemy than risk angering his dark Master. All the same, her heart ached with an emptiness she could feel. She wanted him back, like a missing part of herself, and knowing better didn’t help the pain. Knowing that there was a chance—a dangling temptation—that she could summon him by using her powers only made it all worse.

Her mind in shreds, she found herself numbly picking at whatever food Jacob put in front of her and racking her memories for a way out. Together they reviewed and re-reviewed everything from her first encounter with Lord Hades to her waking up safe in the hospital, filling in each other’s gaps until they had one mostly coherent story. It was a thoroughly unpleasant process—after all, there was a reason she hadn’t shared much of this with him at the time—but it had to be done. This morning was no exception.

“We could always—” Jacob eyed her warily, seeming to suddenly think better of the suggestion.

Christa looked up from her pancakes with a raised eyebrow. “Always what?”

“You said the treatment plan I was on should work for anybody who got their abilities from Archangel,” he said carefully, like he was hoping that she would work it out herself and he wouldn’t have to say it. “It takes some time, so we couldn’t really weaponize it directly, but if you…I mean, it’s an option. It might at least cut off the connection.”

“It might not,” she said sharply. “And it’s not an option. Maybe I didn’t choose it, but this is who I am.”

“So what are we going to do?” he asked, folding his arms on the table and leaning in. “Do you really think you can fight him like this anyway?”

“I can try,” Christa said, and then, more quietly, “All right, I don’t know. But neither do you.”

Jacob stood up to walk away. “I’ll see what Leila thinks,” he said. “Come on, you need to eat that. We’re leaving in twenty minutes.”

It would be a relief to get out of the house, but Christa wasn’t thrilled with the trip’s purpose: now that she was out from under such close scrutiny, she needed to follow up with Dr. Marcos and talk to Leila, who was back in town this morning. Neither prospect was something she was looking forward to. Still, she took another quiet stab at her breakfast rather than argue the point. Whatever the situation actually was, avoiding it could only make it worse.

The polar vortex hadn’t let up while she was in cryo, and it was still bitterly cold as she and Jacob trudged, heads down, past the piled-up snow in the lab’s parking lot. The ground was cold through her shoes and the air was cold against her clothes, and every halting breath over the top of her scarf was a fresh invasion. Christa walked a little faster, trying hard not to think about being frozen alive. She was grateful to get inside and, as she struggled to compose herself, even more grateful that the elevator was empty. Her brother held her by the shoulder as she shivered, wishing she weren’t afraid of what might happen if she summoned any degree of light. Then he left her to the examination, to be poked, scanned, and asked to confront that fear head-on.

Christa didn’t realize until the medical portion was over that she’d been too distracted by her worries to even notice the needles, or the usual miserable, squirming feeling of being put under a microscope and picked apart. Well, maybe that was progress. It had saved her life—or at least her life as she knew it—and she didn’t want to be ungrateful. The least she could do was to try to pull her grimace into a brave face. That failed too, though, as soon as she did try to do magic.

“You were doing well,” Dr. Marcos said, adjusting his glasses as he paused with the other hand over the keyboard. “What happened?”

“He was there.” Christa half-turned, then turned all the way around like a cat trying to catch its tail. “I—he was there. He had a hand on my shoulder. You didn’t see him?”

The doctor shook his head as he returned to typing notes. “I only saw you. Who are you talking about?”

She swallowed the nerves and pushed some of her hair back into place, feeling embarrassed already. Stupid not to give it a second thought and stay calm—but the perception had been so vivid. She’d felt a solid warmth at her back, and his breath across the top of her head. “L…ord Hades. He came up behind me as I was starting the second braid…I mean, I thought he did. Of course he didn’t actually. Obviously.”

“Hmm.” The sounds of more typing. “You’re operating at a much lower power level than usual, but I expected something like that after cryostasis…I wonder, though.”

“Wonder what?”

But Dr. Marcos was muttering to himself in Spanish now, and it was all Christa could do to wait politely for him to remember he’d been speaking to her. At last he seemed to find something, pulling his hand back from the trackpad and falling silent.

“What did you wonder?” she ventured to ask again.

“Oh—” He looked up, apparently surprised. “It’s not something I see often, myself, since we exclude bonded abilities from the longitudinal studies. When you have two people sharing powers, there are just too many variables.”

Christa stopped twisting her fingers together. “Sharing powers?”

“It happens occasionally—though a simple psychic link would be more likely, by the numbers.” Dr. Marcos started to scroll again. “You should discuss that with Leila; she would have a better idea of what he was trying to accomplish. For my part, it will take some time to confirm, but I believe your cellular damage has stabilized. With your family history, though, it will need watching.”

Christa nodded silently, losing his next words to a sudden rush of emotion that obscured the rest of the world. These were her own feelings, at least. No one else would feel that precise mix of nostalgia, fear, guilt, and relief on realizing that a certain kind of life was, after all, off the table. Jacob could never understand, but it wasn’t just about the allure of being Lady Radiance. When she was dreaming of following in their mother’s footsteps, it hadn’t been lost on her that she could so easily get sick and die young the same way. After they left LA, she’d given ordinary life its best second chance, but what did it have for her?

No, she couldn’t possibly take Jacob’s suggestion. There was no more trying to choose a path; there was only one left open. She would devote herself to being the Lady, whatever that meant.

Christa clasped her hands tightly again behind her to hold back her anxiety, wishing she knew.

✨✨✨

When Christa stepped into the hall again, relieved but disoriented, she heard voices from around the corner that shocked her down to earth before she was quite ready for it.

“Oh, I bet that went over well,” Jake was saying.

“Ha, you’re tellin’ me.” That was Sebastian. Christa felt her steps start to shorten, but made herself keep walking. “Honestly, and I told him this, they’re lucky I ain’t in a position to skip town, or else I’d by in Uzbekistan by now—well, look at you,” he said, noticing Christa and turning a brilliant grin on her.

“Hi,” she said, her voice small. She hadn’t known exactly what to expect, but Baz did look well, considering how massively he’d been overdosed with their friends’ experimental formula. He’d grown some, again—in most directions—and seemed not quite at ease with the new proportions yet. Still, he had more energy than Christa could dream of at the moment. It took a concerted effort to return his smile. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you yet…or to apologize.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “No need for that.”

“You’re sure?” she said.

“Occupational hazard. Besides, I had to smack your evil boyfriend around. I think we’re even.”

“I don’t think that really evens out,” Jake said, frowning as always now at the mention of Hades.

He shrugged. “Is what it is.”

Christa felt herself relaxing a little, almost. “Should I ask about Uzbekistan?” she said.

“What…oh, that.” Baz shook his head. “Legal stuff. We figured the atypicals department would have to reclassify me, but I thought it’d be one or two steps, maybe. Not the level where policy says they hafta treat you like an unsecured missile.”

“That sounds…terrible.”

“Oh, it sucks,” he said cheerfully. “I mean, it’s all theater anyways—wouldn’t do ’em any good if I did plan on breakin’ bad—but I’m on the books, so it was go along with it or, y’know. Central Asia.”

“Apparently he’s barred from entering three states now,” Jacob said.

“Four. An’ Canada.” A spark popped between two of his fingers. “Archangel’s place is under the Ohio part of the lake, right?”

“I thought so,” Christa said.

“Cool. That’ll work, then.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow sharply. “You’re not thinking about going back?”

“Well, yeah,” Baz said. “Now that we’re both outta custody, I thought that’s why you three were here.”

Christa opened her mouth to ask what he meant by three, but didn’t manage it before the elevator doors opened. “Good morning,” Leila said as she stepped out, businesslike as always.

“Oh—good morning.” Christa rolled her shoulders, trying to settle her ruffled nerves. “I thought we were meeting you in town?”

“That was the plan, but Jacob told me you were running late. It was no trouble to meet you here instead.”

“Which I now regret. I didn’t realize I needed to clarify that nobody is going running off after a supervillain today.”

“Why not?” Leila said. “I know what to do now.”

They all looked at her. “You do?” Christa said.

“Yes. Your memories and my discussions with the others were both very helpful. His consciousness is the expression of two souls trapped in the same space, correct? I should be able to enter that space as well and take them apart. It would be very much like what I did for you.”

Jacob didn’t look convinced. “Or you could get trapped too.”

“That’s unlikely, as long as my own soul doesn’t become separated from my body,” Leila said. “Christabel will keep Hades out of the way, and Sebastian’s more than capable of dealing with the remaining cloned minions. I don’t see any obstacles.”

“You don’t see…”

Jacob was interrupted by a ringtone, muffled by a shirt pocket, that Christa eventually recognized as Avril Lavigne’s “The Best Damn Thing”. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m a lot to handle, you don’t know trouble, I’m a hell of a scandal—”

“Hey.” Baz picked up the phone, raising a hand and giving a small wave to the camera in the corner. “Maybe we like standin’ around in the hall.” He paused to listen to Marissa for a minute, eyes crinkling up warmly. “Yeah, sure, we’ll come up. I know you’re bored.”

“We’ll join you in a minute,” Christa said, surprising herself by taking Leila’s arm to pull her away. “I need to talk to her.”

Through the window at the end of the hall, Christa could see little flecks of ice starting to fall again and accumulate on the sill. She turned her back on it, wrapping her arms around herself. She needed answers. “Leila. What did he do to me?”

Leila’s expression was studiously neutral. “The Master wanted you to be Queen,” she said. “That meant you needed to be able to keep up with Lord Hades, which meant you also needed to be able to channel some of his power. Your powers have a biological basis, so new abilities require new mutations. Infecting you with a custom retrovirus allowed him to control that.”

“Right,” Christa said. “But it’s more than that. There were permanent changes. And when I do use my powers, I—I can feel him there. Liam, I mean. The doctor said we might have shared abilities now.”

“Probably so. Using your powers to permanently bond the two of you sounds like something he would do,” Leila said. “It would make you both far more powerful, and ensure neither of you could turn on the other. And since Hades was the vector, it would be easy.”

She breathed in slowly, feeling her fingers tighten around her arms. Permanently bonded. And what were the implications of that? She looked back to Leila, searching her taut expression for clues. Something wasn’t right. “You keep calling him Hades,” she said, confused by the distance Leila was creating from her brother. What was she hiding—or hiding from? “…you were in my memories. You know Archangel’s power is what’s keeping him alive.”

The older woman let her eyes drop just slightly, like a veil slipping away. “I’ve known for much longer than that.”

Christa stared at her silently. It hadn’t occurred to her until now that, perhaps, Leila was also someone she shouldn’t have trusted. She’d taken her at face value when she said her goal was only to save Liam and weaken Archangel, but Leila had known about the complications, and said nothing. “You used me,” she said finally.

“Yes, I did,” Leila said, completely calm. “I don’t care how you feel about me, as long as we come out of this with the Master defeated—and you wouldn’t have helped me get close enough to him if I’d told you the whole truth.”

“I might have.”

She smiled slightly, but joylessly. “No, you have too much faith in your Lord Hades. I love him, too, but I know he’s never had the strength to stand on his own. Our father warped him too badly. If taking something that evil out of the world means that I have to let my boy die with it…it’s the last thing I want, Christabel. But I can live with that, if I have to. It wasn’t a burden I wanted to put on you before time.”

Christa could feel heat building under her skin, embers trying to set her alight. True—she hadn’t wanted to think about this. The facts were clear, but she couldn’t imagine just giving up. Not on Liam. Not when she thought there might actually be something she could do. “Maybe he doesn’t have to die. If I’m in the mix now, that changes things.”

“Even if the Master isn’t holding him together, he chose to stay,” Leila reminded her. “I don’t know what could shake him free, but it would have to be something stronger than either of us has had before.”

“Well, I’m stronger than I was before,” she said fiercely. “I’ll get him out. You’ll see.”

Leila paused, appraising her. “I hope you’re right,” she said, her tone sincere.

“I am. Let’s go.” Christa headed for the stairs, brushing her aside. She didn’t look back as she climbed, trusting that the other had followed. How long it would take to feel right with Leila was something she could work out later.

Jake had only said vaguely that Marissa was ‘taking things hard’, and Christa didn’t know what to expect. The office layout had changed again since the last time she’d been in—the intern must have his own space now, because most of the equipment had been moved out and her project area had reverted to paperwork and engineering use. Marissa got up less quickly than usual to come meet her; she looked very tired, Christa thought, though in a translucent sort of way. “Hey, hon,” she said, glancing with concern at Christa’s expression before she offered her a hug. “I’m glad you’re out. Everything’s okay?”

Of course it wasn’t, but it seemed counterproductive to bring that up now. Lady Radiance had a mission in hand. “Mostly. I’m glad I’m out, too,” Christa said. “And I’m glad you’re not mad at me.”

“Oh, I can be mad at you and hug you at the same time,” Marissa said as she let go. “Lots of practice there.”

Baz looked up from the drawer he was rummaging in, loose wires in hand. “Well? Are we on for today?” he said.

“Hold on.” Marissa spun around. “When you said you had a plan to take Archangel down, I thought you meant like next month. I’ve barely done any work on your armor. The Mk. 2’s the only thing that even turns on right now.”

He shrugged. “You know I don’t really need it anymore, with the super-strength an’ the fast healin’.”

“You don’t have to heal what doesn’t get smashed up in the first place—ugh, I can’t with you. Wait there and don’t you dare sneak out, I’m coming right back,” Marissa called as she disappeared behind a wall of cabinets.

“You can’t be serious about this,” Jake said, turning to Christa with a wary look. “You’re not ready.”

Christa took off her backpack and pulled out the sleeve of her costume to show him—she hadn’t felt right leaving the house without it. “Yes, I am. I can leave anytime.”

“I just need to change into flats,” Leila said.

“That’s not what I meant.” He lowered his voice as he looked at her. “Chris, I just got you back.”

“I’ll be careful,” she said. “I promise. This is something I have to do.”

Jake frowned. “I know. But…keep your head on straight around Hades this time. Or else I’m getting you a bracelet with I will not allow the enemy to seduce me engraved on it, so you can’t forget.”

“Jacob!” she said, blushing hot. Her aura whipped up in a whirlwind of shining white flame, and she quickly raised her hands to rein it in. The flames dispersed, while their light turned solid under her command, gold threads weaving around the white core.

Baz raised an eyebrow. “All right, cool.”

“I guess so,” Christa said, looking down at the ropes in her hands. She opened her fingers and let them dissolve before she could attract Hades’ attention again. “We’ll see how much it actually helps.”

“You only have to keep Lord Hades from interfering with what I’m doing,” Leila said. “That should be simple enough.”

Jacob sighed and put an arm around Christa’s shoulder. “I’ll make that bracelet an early birthday present,” he said. “Maybe two of them.”

Marissa emerged with an older model of Chained Lightning’s armor in hand, the one that he’d broken the arm plate on last fall. It was retracted into the harness at the moment, but some of the metal looked like it’d been replaced, at least. Christa hoped that would be good enough.

“Okay. Do not…I can’t believe I’m saying this. Look at me, Sebastian, I am serious,” Marissa said. “Do not get yourself body-snatched by an undead psychic.”

“He’d have to catch me first.” He reached for the armor, and she pulled it back. “Rissa, c’mon.”

“And if you lose this one, don’t even bother coming back,” she said intently. “Do you hear me?”

“Yeah, I got it. With the shield or on it.”

She let Baz take it, and he kissed her for long enough that Leila checked her watch. “Are we going?” she said. “It’s just Cleveland, but I didn’t think that we had much in the way of travel options.”

“Nah, it’s a road trip this time,” Baz said. He picked a duffel bag up and tossed it to Christa to catch. “We can still make it back by tomorrow. It’ll be fun.”

“Fun.” She pulled the strap over her shoulder. “If you say so.”

<#9, Part One || Directory || #10, Part One>

Thanks so much for reading! Next week: Radiance #10, Until She Saves My Soul…

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