Corpies (Super Powereds Spinoff Book 1) (50 page)

Hexcellent let out a long whistle. “That was about as close as our fearless leader gets to telling corporate to go fuck themselves with a pineapple. Well damn, if Galvanize is willing to piss off the handlers, then I don’t see any reason why the rest of us would turn down the chance to stir the pot. Just tell me you’ve got some sort of plan, Titan.”

“Plan is a bit of a stretch,” Owen admitted. “More like an idea, or a series of partly-formed ideas that might form a whole one. We’ll probably still lose, you all know that going in, but I think you can hold out long enough to put on a good show.”

“You’re in luck,” Bubble Bubble said as she leaned in, prompting the others to mirror her movement and collecting them in a makeshift huddle. “Putting on a show is one thing this team definitely knows how to do.”

96.

The whispers started softly, mere confusion, not yet fully-formed. Soon bewilderment turned to speculation, and as it did the whispers grew, snaking about in the silence between cheers. Eventually, the whispers began to overtake the yells as more and more people stared down at the three figures approaching the rope, none of them a near-giant of a man with legendary strength.

“You really think they have a shot?” Zone asked, carefully watching the crowd as they scrutinized his teammates.

“At winning? It’s not likely. The people here haven’t exactly been wimps. But this kind of event isn’t just about raw power. Footing and grip also come heavily into play. On at least one of those, we’re going to have a clear advantage, plus a little oomph of our own pulling. The odds that it will allow them to snare victory are slim, but they shouldn’t go down easy. That might be enough.” Owen tried to sound more optimistic than he actually felt; the truth of the matter was that without having tested the other team himself, there was no way of knowing how powerful they were. It was entirely possible they could win the match in seconds, humiliating everyone on his team. That was life, though. There were always risks, always unknowns. At least the others knew what they were getting in to.

“Oh, what’s this? It seems our local PEERS team has pulled their Hero Liaison out of the rotation for this turn,” Jade announced. She skittered over to where the next match was being set up, ignoring the one currently in progress. No one in the crowd seemed to object, as their attention had also been stolen by this unexpected roster change. “That’s a. . . bold strategy. Can one of you tell me what prompted such a decision?”

“What do you mean? We saw everyone else switching people, so we just thought that was what we were supposed to do. Did we make a whoopsie?” Hexcellent’s voice was dripping with both sarcasm and an almost infantile naivety. A few titters of laughter could be heard as the crowd tried to pair the sickly sweet voice with the smirking girl in heavy makeup. There was no telling how long she would have milked it, but Galvanize stepped in before she got a chance.

“We just wanted to give the people a good show so they got their money’s worth,” Galvanize replied. “And while Titan is unquestionably the strongest of us, he’s also only one member of our team. We decided it was time to spice things up a bit.”

“Interesting. I’m assuming one of you also has enhanced strength then?” Jade sounded polite but skeptical as she looked the three competitors over.

“Not directly, no, but since you made the rules so flexible, we do have a way to fill that need.” Galvanize gave a nod to Hexcellent, who couldn’t quite resist rubbing her hands together with glee.

Slowly, she parted those hands and lifted them into the air, muttering softly under her breath. Owen knew she could use her ability without all the showboating, but he didn’t begrudge her a little theatricality in this sort of situation. They were, after all, trying to win the crowd, not the match.

A familiar burst of smoke suddenly appeared, and when it dissipated many members of the crowd let out gasps and a few half-muffled shrieks. Big Henry was a bit unsettling the first time anyone saw him. Hexcellent’s demon paid the crowd no mind as he reached down and picked up the end of the rope. He didn’t seem to grimace from the effort, and Owen let out a small sigh of relief. If Big Henry couldn’t even handle the rope, they were pretty much done for.

“See, we’ve still got a strongman to pull for us.” Galvanize was flashing the pearly whites and turning up the charm, waving to the crowd as they tried to figure out what to make of a demon suddenly appearing on the field. “And not to worry folks, he’s harmless. Or he’s as harmless as Hexcellent, so you can all make your own judgments there.” More laughter this time, as the crowd’s nerves settled and they got used to Big Henry.

“Anyway, I think we’re about to begin, so if you don’t mind, we’ll all get in position.” Galvanize turned away from Jade to where his team was clustered together. It was far enough away that she almost didn’t catch his next words, but they still managed to crackle through the intercom.

“Okay everybody, remember:
do your best
.”

Owen was glad Galvanize could target his power; otherwise he’d have just brought everyone in the stadium, opponents included, to their peak level. Instead, only Hexcellent, Bubble Bubble, and Big Henry got the boost, each of them standing a little straighter as his words worked their magic. Galvanize took his spot at the front of the rope while Hexcellent went to stand next to Big Henry. She couldn’t pull with him, that would be more than three people, but she did still need to stand near her proxy.

Bubble Bubble, however, made no attempt to grab the rope. Instead, she walked around her other teammates, summoning spheres of energy on the ground directly in front of them. Foot by foot, Galvanize and Big Henry braced themselves against her orbs, until she called forth a final pair on the ground for herself. Pressing her feet against them, Bubble Bubble took hold of the rope and flashed the audience a brief, measured smile.

“Well folks, this match will certainly be different, no doubt about that,” Jade said, finally moving away from the team of oddballs. She walked across to the match still in progress, a hard-fought one where neither team had been giving or gaining more than a few inches at a time. Fatigue, however, had finally set in, and bit by bit one team was dragging the other forward.

Owen watched, not caring who won the bout, only knowing that as soon as their match ended his team’s would begin. None of the ones holding the rope spared any glances for what was happening around them. They were all braced, ready, and focused completely on the task at hand. Even if they couldn’t win, they were going to fight like it was still on the table.

It was one of the many stubborn qualities he admired about his team.

97.

               The first tug of the match nearly cost Owen’s team everything. Their opponents put a lot of power into the opening move, clearly intent on throwing the weaker Supers off balance and claiming an early lead. It nearly worked, too. Only Big Henry’s stalwart readiness coupled with Bubble Bubble’s footholds kept them in the game, as the lumbering demon halted their movement forward and brought the match to a state of momentary equilibrium.

Now that they had a chance to react, Galvanize and Bubble Bubble both dug their heels in, pulling with all they had, using their whole bodies as wedges. The match would ultimately depend on Big Henry, but, unlike when Titan was at their backs, they knew every little bit they could add would make a difference. In seconds, both were sweating from the effort of staving off a team of strongmen, Bubble Bubble’s makeup smearing around her eyes as she gritted her teeth and continued to pull.

“Well now, look at this. Seems like the team of PEERS is able to hold their own even without their Hero Liaison. But how long can they keep it up?” Jade stood near the center line, the point which would mark the failure for one of the teams. It seemed she was going to be there at the exact moment this match was decided, and from the way the crowd seemed to be leaning in, they no doubt wished they had her vantage point as well.

Every member of the Mordent Holdings team was visibly shaking with effort. Even Hexcellent, standing on the sidelines, had her eyes narrowed and fists clenched as she willed Big Henry to pull with every ounce of power he could muster. By contrast, the other team seemed to be giving it quite a bit of effort, but they weren’t exhausting themselves. Owen couldn’t blame them; why would they? From the outset, it was clear that all the PEERS were doing was buying time, going down with a fight. At their very best, giving all they had, the most they could manage was to hold the rope steady. No, the other team would wait until the PEERS tired themselves out then drag Galvanize across the line for a simple victory, preserving energy for their next match. It was the smart move, tactically.

Of course, there were always more than one set of tactics at play in any engagement.

The first cheers came less than a minute after the match had started. It was a mishmash of syllables as people tried to yell the names Galvanize, Hexcellent, and Bubble Bubble on top of each other all at once. Eventually, someone hit upon the idea of just chanting “PEERS,” and in seconds it had caught on like wildfire. Soon, whole sections of the crowd were cheering for the straining, sweating figures that were barely holding on. They hadn’t exactly won over everyone, but it was a far cry from what had happened when Titan was on the rope.

Owen smiled to himself as he watched uncertainty ripple through the players of the Cincinnati Cyborgs that were holding the opposite end of the rope. It was a hard and fast rule every Hero learned in their first years on the job: people always liked to cheer for an underdog. It was what they identified with, what movies and television had taught them to believe in. David was always more fun to root for than Goliath, which was precisely why Titan had made such a boring competitor to watch.

True as that was, though, underdogs were underdogs for a reason, and life didn’t often echo the fable-like stories of triumph people adored. Slowly but surely the stalemate ended and Owen’s team began to move forward. Bubble Bubble pushed her orbs along with them, allowing them to keep their footholds as they were dragged, but even that wasn’t enough to turn the tides. Their opponents were stronger: always had been. But they’d put up a good fight, and Owen was proud of them now that it was over.

Except. . . it wasn’t over. They were still being dragged, there was no doubt about that, but not a one of them seemed to have accepted their fate. Galvanize leaned back, straining with every fiber of muscle contained in his body. Bubble Bubble was pulling so hard that her pale, freckled face had gone completely flushed. Sweaty red hair was matted to her forehead, the sort of sight she would have never allowed cameras to glimpse before. Even Hexcellent was right next to Big Henry, whispering encouragement in the demon’s ear as it grunted and strained against the combined might of its opponents. They were losing and they knew it, but each one of them was still fighting like they had a chance to turn things around.

The crowd, fickle though it could be, had taken note of their efforts, and the cheering in the stands reflected it. Everyone knew the eventual outcome, yet the harder Owen’s team fought to deny it, the more those in the stands loved them. Even Owen felt impressed and surprised by the depth of their determination. This was more than he’d expected them to give, to be capable of giving, and if it hadn’t been in bad taste he would have cupped his hands to his mouth and screamed for them right along with the crowd.

Owen was seconds away from saying to hell with bad taste and cheering anyway when the match finally came to an end. Galvanize, moving his leg backward to adjust his stance, slipped, and was dragged several inches forward, sending his foot across the line. A whistle blew, and the rope fell to the ground.

“Looks like our winners for this match are the players from the Cincinnati Cyborgs!” Jade announced. Their triumph was greeted with applause, a dimmed sound compared to the yelling that had been taking place only moments prior. Luckily for all involved, Jade wasn’t a novice. She knew the importance of keeping a crowd pumped and exactly how to make sure they stayed that way.

“And let’s have one more round of applause for their competitors, the team of PEERS-”

Jade was cut off by the screaming enthusiasm of the crowd. Yes, they still did and always would like Heroes and sports stars better, but for that moment it didn’t matter. In this coliseum, all that mattered was who put on the better show. And in that regard, a demon, energy orbs, and visible effort definitely made for more interesting entertainment.

“Well, that went exactly as expected,” Hexcellent said. She was the only one of the three who could speak without panting, as Galvanize and Bubble Bubble were both trying to catch their breath. “Greene’s going to be pissed.”

“I don’t know about that,” Owen replied. “Let’s see how the coverage comes out before we assume we’re in trouble. Worse comes to worse, we’ll tell him I refused to go out and you all did the best you could.”

“You know he won’t buy that,” Zone said.

“Probably not, but he already dislikes me, so he’ll happily let me be blamed.” Owen nodded to the field, where Wild Bucks were getting into position for their next match. “Now let’s be good sports and watch the rest of the contest. Some of these are bound to be interesting.”

98.