The tour had been largely uneventful and frankly boring as far as Sonya was concerned, she’d observed the gymnasium and found that they were reinforcing it as best they could for whatever might come up when they tested the first round of potential heroes. She’d endured as long as she could before having Marta make up an excuse to get them back to the lab. Sonya had bemoaned not going back to the apartment but Marta had reminded her, again, that what they were planning to do was probably best done behind secure walls.

Specifically, in the room that had been set up for the task.

The room was on the smaller side, only large enough to walk around comfortably and spar a little. What was more impressive were the walls made entirely out of layers of steel, concrete, and lead. There were no cameras permitted in this room and the only way in or out was through a hidden door that could only be accessed by Sonya’s inner circle. It was the place where Sonya could merge her powers with peace of mind while still being within reach of Marta or Amos in case she overdid it like last time.

Right now, though, she wasn’t here to merge her powers. Not yet. Instead, she stood across from Marta who was looking more than a little excited. Sonya smiled at her, “I want to apologize, first, I should have done this with you sooner,” She said, “I’ve actually been thinking a lot about what I wanted to give you.”

Marta pulled her brown hair back and cracked a rare smile herself, “You’ve been busy, Sonya. I have just been regretting not being stronger when it mattered.”

“You’re already crazy strong,” Sonya laughed, “But what I have in mind borders on the unfair.”

Marta raised her eyebrows, “Huh?”

Sonya just extended her hand, “Let’s make a deal, Marta.”

Marta looked at her hand in trepidation but nodded, “Yes, lets,” she said and took Sonya’s hand.

“As before, I want to give you a new power as a reward for your dedication,” Rehashing the statement she’d used last time she’d done this for her. I just hope Broker allows it…

<Broker Deal: Deal Ready!>

<Party: Marta Daphne, will receive a reward from Party: Sonya Chernovna, with the gift of the ability Baldur’s Body as the selected product.>

<Warning: Granting a full, permanent ability from your warehouse will remove it from your warehouse.>

<Checking… services rendered are insufficient to act as payment, calculating additional costs…>

Sonya froze, Insufficient? What the hell? Is there anything I can do?

<Payment must come from recipient, calculating...>

Marta tilted her head, “Is everything okay?”

Sonya shook her head and smiled a bit sheepishly, “It would seem the power I want to give you is pretty valuable.”

Marta blinked, “If it’s so valuable why not keep it for yourself? Sonya!”

Sonya laughed, “Oh come on, what kind of boss would I be if I kept all the good stuff for myself, besides, having you around is as good as having the ability anyway, right?” She teased with a wink, “Now give it a moment.”

<Calculated, suggested payments are as follows;

• One Limb
• One Sense
• One Notable Biological Function
• 5 Years of Lifespan

Please suggest the options to the recipient.>

What the actual fuck? Are you kidding me? What about a financial transaction? Property? Anything other than that!

<Recipient’s personal property is not sufficient for payment. Also, Recipient is Broker’s subordinate and receives payment from Broker, financial sacrifice is insufficient.>

Well shit, you got me there.

She let out a sigh, “My ability gave me some options, but none of them are pretty,” She said hesitantly.

“Just spit it out,” Marta said, squaring her shoulders and squeezing Sonya’s hand tightly. She wasn’t going to back out, clearly.

Sonya sighed, “A limb, a sense, a ‘biological function’, or five years off your lifespan.”

Marta paused, her eyes going wide for a few heartbeats before they settled and she eased into a relaxed smile, “Alright.”

“Alright?” Sonya blurted, “What do you mean, alright? How is any of this-”

<Broker Deal: Deal Ready!>

<Party: Marta Daphne, will receive a reward from Party: Sonya Chernovna, with the gift of the ability Baldur’s Body as the selected product. Party: Marta Daphne will sacrifice the ability to procreate as part of this transaction.>

<Warning: Granting a full, permanent ability from your warehouse will remove it from your warehouse.>

<Checking… services rendered and sacrifice are sufficient to act as payment>

<Proceed with exchange?>

Sonya gasped and tried to pull her hand away, “Marta!” She shouted, “Are you crazy?!”

Marta’s grip was unbreakable, though. Damn that heroic strength of hers, it’s even greater than mine! “Marta let go! No way! I’m not going to let you-”

“SONYA!” Marta shouted back, fixing her friend with a stare before smiling again, “It’s okay. Whatever you’re planning to give me, it’ll be worth it if it means I can protect you.”

Sonya felt a lump form in her throat, “Marta, I-” She grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, feeling her heart crack a little, “But…”

“It’s okay, this is my choice, my deal,” Marta soothed, “Do it.”

Sonya lowered her head, Proceed.

Sonya felt Baldur’s Body leave her warehouse, the sudden vacancy making her feel strangely hollow. She hadn’t realized how much mass it carried until it was gone. Light began to burn brightly between their palms before it rushed into Marta’s skin, blazing incandescently. Marta gasped, clutching at her abdomen as she fell to the ground, her skin glowing brighter and brighter and brighter. She let out a cry of pain and slammed her fist on the ground, leaving a divot behind as the room filled with light.

When the light faded, Marta was on her knees, breathing hard. She was drenched in sweat.

Sonya hurried to her side, “Marta! Marta are you okay?” She pleaded, holding onto her dear friend.

Marta nodded slowly, her eyes glazed over a bit, she looked up at Sonya and smiled at her, “I’m okay, it hurts a little, but I’m alright,” She looked down at her hands in awe, clenching her fists, “Just like Man of Many Faces, the knowledge is just there, the understanding of it…”

She let out a low breath, “I’m… What the hell is this? What power did you give me?” She asked, bewildered, looking up at Sonya.

“Baldur’s Body,” Sonya said, “The physique of the Norse God Baldur. He could come back from any wound or injury and his body could withstand terrible punishment. His only weakness was mistletoe.”

“The body of a god? I’m invincible?” Marta asked, getting slowly to her feet.

“Close to it, you could still probably get hurt with enough punishment but you’ll bounce back pretty quick,” Sonya tried to joke only to get a scathing look from Marta.

“You really should have kept this for yourself,” Marta said, “I wouldn’t have to worry about you if-” She was cut off when Sonya wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in her friend’s shoulder. 

She let out a hard breath, “After what you gave up, don’t say that, please?” She croaked.

Marta went silent for a few moments before returning the hug, “I will never, ever, let you down, Sonya.”

“I know,” Sonya nodded, “I know. Just do me a favor and stay away from mistletoe?”

To that, Marta could only laugh.

–

It was a little while later that Sonya found herself sitting in the center of the room. She was breathing slowly, mentally preparing herself for what came next. Marta had stationed herself nearby and was still examining herself with curiosity. Sonya paid it little mind and focused on what came next. She needed to have a clear head in case this got messy and the mergers overwhelmed her again.

Okay, lets do this.

She pulled Steelskin out of her warehouse. She felt her skin grow tense and hard after a moment. She opened her eyes and peeked, noting the glossy and shiny texture of her skin. Neat. Okay, Merger.

<Steelskin has been selected. Steelskin is compatible with Cyber-Punk, Efficiency Level: High>

<Would you like to proceed?>

Proceed.

She braced herself this time, taking in slow breaths as the tension in her skin began to fade momentarily. Then in a flash she felt something burning beneath her skin and eating into her bones. She jolted, gritting her teeth and throwing her head back as agony worked its way through her entire body. She clenched her eyes shut, forcing herself not to bite her tongue or lip. Every muscle in her body howled in protest against the invasive changes taking place. Somewhere in the distance she could hear Marta call her name. 

Come on, you can do it… She fought through the pain, it wasn’t nearly as bad as when she’d enhanced her body the first time, but it definitely hurt in different ways. Eventually, though, the pain faded and she let out a gasp, catching herself on the ground. She noticed Marta hovering over her and held up a hand, “I’m fine, just… let me catch my breath…”

<Abilities Steelskin and Cyber-Punk have been combined and improved. New Functionality added for Cyber-Punk: Enhanced Physical Reinforcement>

She barely processed the words on her HUD for a moment before she clenched her fist, her body felt a tad bit heavier. More curious was the strange glittering on her skin, like she’d been sprayed with a glitter-filled body mist. She frowned at the cosmetic change, Details, she concentrated on her skin and body, her cybernetic brain examining every inch in a matter of seconds.

<Dermis has been reinforced to 10 Mohs, equivalent to Diamond. Flesh has developed a shock absorption capability to reinforce dermis, skeletal system has been reinforced as well.>

“It’s so pretty!” Marta marveled now that Sonya seemed to be fine.

“My skin is like diamond now,” Sonya explained, “Feel a little better?”

“You’re still not invincible and you can’t regenerate like I can,” Marta cautioned.

“Better than nothing!” Sonya laughed in response, clenching her fists, “Lets see that assassin stab me now.”

“You still want to deal with him?” Marta asked.

“Actually, no,” Sonya said, “I’ve changed my mind, I want you to handle it.”

“Really?” Marta asked, elated.

Sonya shrugged, “It’s time I started acting like a proper supervillain.”

Marta crossed her arms, “As long as you don’t call me a henchman,” Sonya gasped, bringing her hand to her heart and giving Marta an aghast look. Marta narrowed her eyes, “You aren’t saying anything.”

Sonya winced, “Just once?” She asked, trying to look cute.

“No,” Marta grunted and raised an eyebrow.

“Okay fine, I won’t do it,” Sonya whined.

Marta shook her head, “You’re a real handful, you know that?”

“Guilty as charged,” Sonya laughed and got to her feet, “Let’s go.”

–

Park Beyol stepped out onto the airport terminal and scanned his surroundings. He fixed the coat around his shoulders and straightened his cap, he hadn’t been back in the United States for a long time. He was glad that he’d at least taken the time to pick up the language despite most of his work being in Asia. There were just some jobs that the other members of the Night Society couldn’t handle, so they’d sent him on occasion.

This isn’t a Society sanctioned job, though, don’t forget. He reminded himself, walking out to departures with nothing but his suitcase in hand. He didn’t need anything else now that he had his abilities.

He glanced up at one of the televisions as he passed through, frowning. The Villainy enhancer… He rumbled inwardly, So I’m a villain now, huh? All because of this smart mouthed Russian. She schooled his expression and kept walking, Not that it changes how I do my work, but the label irks me.

He waved down a taxi and hopped inside.

“Where to?” The driver asked.

Beyol handed him a slip of paper with the address of the hotel on it, the man nodded and started driving. He pulled out his phone as the vehicle made its way into traffic, Heroes are popping up everywhere, he thought, they’re just as arrogant as that woman. Crazy too, who in their right mind would run around dressed like that? Some of them don’t have any business fighting monsters either. He glanced at his wrist, Guess I can’t fault them for trying. I’m curious about my limits too.

He glanced up from his phone, “Any monster attacks recently?” He asked, causing the driver to jump a little before settling back down.

“There was one on sixth avenue yesterday, heroes took care of it pretty quick,” The driver said absently, “None today though, thank god.”

“Heroes, huh? What do you think of all that?” Beyol asked.

“It’s a mixed bag,” The driver said, “Some of those folks like Firestorm really are doing it for the right reasons, some of them are in it for the kicks though and once licensing starts I hear they’re going to be paid for it. Every Light-touched and their mom is gonna come out for that.”

Beyol blinked, “They’re paying them?”

“Well yeah, would you fight those things for free if you had a choice to get paid?” The driver asked incredulously, “Seriously, way I hear it, if you’re really good at it and make a name for yourself you might even get sponsorships and business deals. That’s corporate America for you.”

Beyol crossed his arms and leaned back into his seat a little bit more, “And the government is funding this?” He asked, glancing out the window. On an enormous screen overlooking the street there was an image of the hero Firestorm with the words ‘I want you to join me in protecting humanity. Get licensed, hero!’. Beyol snorted, drawing his thumbnail across his wrist.

“Pretty much as I hear it, they finally did something about that bloated defense budget, threw a whole crapton of money at the Act,” The driver said, taking a quick turn. “Coming up on our destination.”

Interesting, maybe the Night Society should get in on this after all. If we start our own guild then we could move a bit more freely, He frowned at the thought, I wonder if those old farts would even consider it, though?

“We’re here!” The driver said, “The fare is-”

SHINK

Beyol got out of the cab and shut the door, pulling his hat down over his face, I’ll worry about that later, he thought, leaving the dead man behind him, First thing’s first, you need to die Miss Sonya Chernovna.