Published at 5th of November 2026 9:32 am

Chapter 62 - Bingo

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

“Holy shit,” Sy exclaimed.

“What?” I asked, looking up from my omelet.

Playing on the television inside the restaurant is a breaking news story about Quinstin’s Heroes’ Union. On the screen is a Cape I’ve never seen before, standing in front of the Union headquarters and holding a press conference. The title on the television says “Union Ethics Committee Investigation Bears Fruit; Time to Root out the Rot says Union Spokesperson.” The woman is shapely, like a gourd, and despite the wrinkles on her face, her eyes are sharp and clear. Passion. Unbridled intensity in her gaze. Her costume is an evergreen-colored hyperweave number, with a raised collar, mini cape, and what look like rose thorns covering the arms and legs. Her chest has an H on the front of it, comprised of flowers.

“Excuse me, could you turn that up?” Sylvester asked the waitress.

The two of us are grabbing breakfast at The Hunny Bun, the Quinstin diner my father calls an institution. It’s also the place where the rude waitress who hates me works. If I hadn’t put the new personality pieces inside a few of Kai’s Flesh Drives, I’d probably be thinking of ways to kill that wretched bitch. Instead, I’m smiling politely at her when she looks over at us. What is a bit surprising is Sy’s reaction to her. He’s being polite, but reserved, like he’s avoiding being too friendly. Interesting. The waitress ups the volume, drowning out the noise from the other diners.

“Approximately a week ago, a member of the Quinstin Heroes’ Union brought to our attention reports of corruption, cover-ups, and political favoritism. During our investigation, we discovered that these reports were valid and had credence. Following that, the Cape, Virtue has been imprisoned after her involvement in the murder of seven individuals belonging to the Cowl organization, the Villains’ Syndicate. The Cape, Sequence has been relieved of his position as squad leader and will be moving following a restructuring of the Quinstin Charter. To fill in the gaps, we have two Capes who will migrate to this fine city. It is my pleasure to introduce BeShemoth and King Midas."

Two Capes emerge from the building behind her, a man and a woman. The male Cape, King Midas, is a dark-skinned man wearing a silver hyperweave suit that mimics body armor, instead of the usual skin-tight fabric. The pauldrons are gold and rounded, and his helmet is similar to ones that the Spartans wore. The helmet has a pointed crown built into the top instead of the plumage or crest. It covers his eyes and nose, and follows his jawline. He has a half-cape over his right arm that ends at his waist, which is silver and lined with gold embroidery. The right arm is noticeably bulkier and bigger on top of being golden. The asymmetry reminds me of professional arm wrestlers. All in all, the outfit screams gladiator, not king.

The female Cape, BeShemoth, is a gorgeous black woman. Her honey-brown skin is on full display; her outfit shows off plenty of flesh, and I'm not mad at it. She's wearing a crop top and a pair of shorts that are both ruffled, dark gray, and covered in tons of straps. She’s wearing a full mask that goes down to her collarbone, which matches the other two pieces of her costume. She’s not wearing boots or gloves, and it clicks where I know her from. This is one of the Capes that were involved in Kai's debut that got handled by Subject Ten.

“Hello, Quinstin, I am, of course, King Midas; the Cape with a heart of gold,” King Midas joked. A few people in the crowd give a light chuckle that can be heard on the broadcast, but he recovers with a small cough and continues. “I am excited to get to know this city and protect the people within it.”

BeShemoth walks up and jokingly wedges herself between the microphone and King Midas. He gets the hint and cedes it to her.

“I am sorry for all that this city has been through these past few months; you've all suffered at the hands of Cowls and rogue Capes alike. I swear to you to restore the faith you placed in the Heroes' Union. That is all from me, Hydranger,” BeShemoth said.

“Thank you, to both of you, for stepping up when this city needed it. You've done the founders proud,” Hydranger said to the two new Capes. “As I said, there will be more changes and shakeups as the restructuring commences. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

Immediately, reporters start shouting questions at her, and the video feed switches back to the new station where a set of anchors and talking heads discuss the announcement. Half of them are happy with the development, and the other half aren't happy to hear that our local Union branch is engaged in shady business. I am surprised at the rapid turnaround. I was prepared for months to go by without any changes. A week later, Violet is not only arrested, but announced as a part of the Villains' Syndicate murders. This is the best-case scenario. I need to meet with Aubrey. She’s going to flip when she sees the news.

“Dude, that's insane,” Sy exclaimed.

“Is it?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

“Duh. Dude, we live in an age of unaccountability. The rich and powerful take what they want and do whatever they feel without care for the little guy. People disappear, and the people in charge don't give a fuck,” Sy said sadly. “Like, look at what happened with Violet and your friend Jean-Luc. No court case, no arrests, and no charges brought against her. Her last name shouldn't matter; the fact she has powers shouldn't absolve her of wrongdoing.”

“Don't worry, Violet will get what she deserves. The world has a way of helping those who help themselves,” I said.

“You mean like karma? I didn't take you as the type to believe in that stuff,” Sy remarked.

“Oh, I'm not. I just have faith that she'll get hers.”

“That just sounds like karma, but whatever. I've been meaning to ask you, but how is Emma doing?” He asked me.

I would like to tell him I haven't seen her since I dashed her hopes of being a lazy housewife. But that would generate a line of questioning I can't answer without exposing the sham that was our relationship. I don't know where Emma has been, and I don't really care. I can still feel her powers within the city, and if she does anything stupid, I'll just retrieve the powers and let her die.

“She's good; we've both been so busy,” I laughed. “But what about you? How's that girl you're texting doing? I noticed you've been a little chilly to the waitress, and that can only mean one thing.”

Sy blushes, looking down at his food as if it's the most interesting thing in the world.

“Okay, Sherlock, you caught me. Dinner went awesome. Her name's Maribelle and she's so bad it should be a crime. But dude, I'd do consecutive life sentences just to see her smile. She's everything you could want in a woman. And somehow she's content to slum it with me, dawg; I feel like a million bucks when we're talking,” Sy gushed happily.

“So that's good, right? When do I get to meet her?” I asked.

“Not any time soon. I don't care if I sound insecure; I'm not letting you anywhere near her. It might snap her out of whatever spell I've managed to cast on her,” he joked. “We've been on a few coffee dates since dinner, but technically I'm not sure if we're even dating yet. Like I haven't asked her to be my girlfriend; I mean, we've made out and shit, but we haven't taken the next step, if you catch my drift. All that to say our relationship is still a caterpillar, and until we hit the chrysalis stage, I can't risk you coming along and preventing us from becoming a butterfly. I can't be a superlarvae, bro, I just can't. You gotta let me hatch.”

What is he talking about?

“Sy, you have once again lost me,” I responded.

“Eventually, through osmosis, you'll become fluent in Sy-inese,” he said. “Wait, that didn't sound great. Uhh, gimme a few, and I'll figure out a better name for it.”

“I'm not sure one exists, bud,” I said.

“Well, if you’ll allow me to make a hard turn and pivot out of me shoving my foot in my mouth again, what’d you think of the trauma group?” He asked curiously.

Real smooth. Sy not being able to shut up is actually a charming quality to him. It makes him relatable and marks him as a real person. It’s the quirks that make people tangible and real. It’s what I lack. I’m missing the idiosyncrasies and odd habits that everyone else has. His overtly obvious attempt to switch topics works for me. I can learn more about Claire. Coursework and Cowl activities have kept me too busy to learn about her. I don’t even know her last name.

“Father Brandon did a good job running it. It wasn’t like I thought it would be at all. Interesting cast of characters: Albert, Carmen, Claire, and the other one,” I said.

“The other one?” Sy asked with raised eyebrows.

“I’m uninterested in learning her name after our previous interaction,” I said.

“You talking about that Triad club we went to? I didn’t think you’d bring that up; you seemed pretty intent on not talking about it ever again. For what it’s worth, Kristina was very scared. I don’t blame her; I was scared shitless as well. I don’t know how you kept cool back then, but most people can’t stay calm in the face of The Triad. Oh, and if I didn’t say it back then, thank you. Kristina and I owe you for whatever happened back there,” he said.

So that Bitchy Traitor’s name is Kristina. I file her name away and focus back on what I really want: information about Claire.

“You’re welcome. It’s not like I wasn’t terrified; I’m just good at keeping a poker face. It’s just not the first time I’ve been face to face with criminals. Especially in this city, crime seems to be rampant,” I snorted.

“Still, man, I owe you,” he insisted.

“I’m planning on going back to the group; I don’t know if I’ll talk yet, but I’m definitely interested in it. It would make me feel a hell of a lot better to know if anyone else shared my brand of trauma, if you know what I mean.”

Sy looks nervous. I’m basically asking him to give up the other’s trauma. Let’s see whether he’s willing to bend. I take another bite of my meal, savoring the bacon and Swiss taste, while keeping my face passive. This place serves a genuinely delicious omelet. With a bit of elbow grease and change, this diner could be brought into the current century. Seeing the flaked paint on the walls has me wondering what kind of shitshow the kitchen is.

“Albert is the only one who's been through something similar to you. The rest of us have our own burdens to carry, but nothing like yours. That’s all I’m willing to say; I don’t feel comfortable talking about other people’s problems. Sorry, Eryk,” he said.

“Don’t worry about it. What’s Albert’s last name, by the way? Figured I could friend him online; that is, if you don’t think that I’m being weird,” I said, making my voice quiver slightly.

Self-deprecating grin, head tilted slightly to the left. Fluctuating volume to make me seem uncomfortable. If I can get him to give me Albert’s, I can use that as an opening to get the others as well.

“Nah, not weird at all. His last name’s Chen. I have everybody from the group added, so I’ll just send you everybody’s info in case you want to add them too,” he said, taking his phone out to tap away at it.

Bingo. I keep my face from smiling too much even though I’m downright giddy. My phone vibrates in my pocket as soon as he finishes typing.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t sweat it. So, I’ll see you tomorrow then?” He asked.

“Definitely.”

I pull my phone out to see the contact information for Albert Chen, Carmen Nogueras, Kristina Hale, and Claire Rothsford. Claire Rothsford. Rothsford. Where do I remember that name from? The name is ringing bells in my head, but I’m having trouble recalling why. The only Rothsford I know of is Mayor Rothsford. OH. Holy fuck. I try and fail to keep the joy from showing on my face. Claire Rothsford is the Mayor’s daughter, the one who tried to kill herself, but failed. He hushed it all up, and that’s why she isn’t in therapy; she’s still under his insurance. The trauma group is the only real chance she has to talk about her issues without her dad putting a stop to it.

I read all about this in her file from the Curtis Drax blackmail folders. All of which went up in smoke along with the old base. Luckily for me, I have a very good memory. The file said that she had taken a bunch of pills and slit her wrists in the tub. Her father found her quickly enough that they were able to save her life, and then all it took was a few payouts to have a surgeon and nurse work off the clock on her. This is great news. I can use her social media to learn everything I can about her, and now I know what to be on the lookout for in terms of her problems. Just like with Maria, I will learn everything I need to know about the type of man she wants and needs. And then, I will become that man.

Share