Hope

“How do we find bull-man’s weakness? Do we run some kind of psyche profile on the guy?” Halley asked.

“I don’t know how we could,” Dr. Quick grumbled. “We don’t know anything about him.”

“We know more than we think,” Recluse interjected from where he sat, working from Dr. Quick’s laptop. It wasn’t as good as his cave-computer, of course, but it would have to do. Halley stood studying the whiteboard now covered in various newspaper clippings and typed bios. They’d been working— Recluse had been working— for about three hours, barely pausing to eat or rest. Halley and Dr. Quick barely understood the connections. There was some stuff about the GabBox, Mr Greene, cultures who revered bovine deities, and a small blurb about an Italian mob. Apparently bull-man paid them a visit last month and the story and its photos were shocking to say the least.

“You might know something, Recluse, but I’ve got nothing.” Dr. Quick said, resting his chin in his hands. “As far as I can tell we’re blind, fighting an enemy who can literally will for us to lose.”

“Everyone has a weakness,” Recluse muttered. “Thankfully,” he said, spinning the computer to face the others. “I don’t believe in coincidence.” Halley leaned in, skimming the news article. It was dated last month, about the same time as the Italian mob’s untimely demise.

“They’re connected?” Halley said, meeting Recluse’s stare. He nodded. “You’re sure?” He nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Dr. Quick asked, finishing the news article. “So a mystery superhuman pops up within literal days of the bull, no background, no DNA matches, and goes on a crime spree seemingly without cause? Where is this woman?”

“She was being transported to the Ark, but ‘coincidentally’ her transport was interrupted.” Recluse explained. “She’s currently being held downtown.”

“I’m still hazy on her connection to the Bull.” Halley interjected.

“I don’t know exactly,” Recluse admitted. “But I know it’s strong. The GabBox reads your conscious and subconscious mind, so people close to our culprit will be affected by the psychic properties, without the culprit’s knowledge. Whoever this ‘Deep-Freeze’ is she knows-- or at least knew-- our bull.”

“Alright,” Dr. Quick paced. “What’s the plan, man-with-a-plan?”

“You and I are gonna go break Deep-Freeze out of prison, and then we’re gonna get her to tell us who the Bull is. Or we’ll just have her confront him and appeal to his humanity. It’s been a long time since I heard a ‘this isn’t you speech,’ y’know?”

Dr. Quick and Recluse were gone. Halley was alone, supposed to be regaining her strength. If everything went according to plan they wouldn’t need the Green Gladiator at all; the woman currently going by Deep-Freeze was gonna solve all their problems. Even so, as Recluse observed it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have somebody capable of throwing cars on their little team. Halley took off her rings and lay down on the couch, falling asleep. Halley awoke to Dr. Quick appearing in the apartment with a woman in a white super suit and mask who was clearly disoriented.

“What the--” She began to say, a pair of power-dampening handcuffs still on her wrists as Dr. Quick raced out of the room again.

“GottagogetRecluse,” he said as he disappeared, the door closing softly behind him. Halley began putting on her rings as their guest oriented herself.

“You guys some kind of super creeps?” Deep-Freeze asked, jerking on the cuffs. “Don’t think this’ll hold me long, I’ve got some powers too.” She struggled. “Gimme one sec,” she began muttering, rubbing and slamming the cuffs on the table.

“Stop.” Halley said, leveling her closed fist at her. Green light glowed around her hand, warning the villain to keep cool. “Deep-Freeze, right?”

“Gee, I must’ve done something right to get noticed by big-leaguers like Dr. Quick and the Green Gladiator. I’ve never heard of you guys working together, is this some kind of teamup?”

“We’re stuck on a name at the moment.”

“What about Vengeance League?”

“Not really our style.”

“Are you gonna tell me why I’m here, Gladiator?” Halley waited. Deep-Freeze couldn’t do anything to her, and if Recluse was right she wasn’t even the person they were after. If Recluse was right there was a person who existed before Deep-Freeze, who doesn’t exist anymore, who knew the Bull personally. She-- or he, cause you know, reality alteration-- could be their only hope. The door flew open in a flurry of papers and wind and Dr. Quick appeared with Recluse, the door closing behind them.

“Getting acquainted with our new friend?” Dr. Quick asked, Recluse needing to compose himself a little.

“She’s done most of the talking,” Gladiator said. “Though I wouldn’t exactly say she’s said anything yet.”

“Maribel Cane,” Recluse said, finally recovered.

“What?” Deep-Freeze’s unyielding expression of spite and confidence wavered as the name struck an unexpected chord with her. “Why’d you say that name?” She whispered. Recluse squatted down and met her eye to eye.

“Lucky guess.” Dr. Quick looked at Gladiator as if to ask what the hey was going on but she just shrugged; she was as confused as he was. “Maribel Cane-- that’s your real name, isn’t it?”

“No, I’m-- I’m-- Deep… Freeze…”

“That’s getting harder to say, isn’t it, Maribel?” The girl on her knees nodded slowly, beginning to cry. Her tears froze before they hit the ground and landed with soft clinks on the hardwood floor. “You’re not a villain, you’re not even a bad person. Someone has come in and warped your mind without your permission; I want to help you put it back, okay?” Recluse put a hand on her shoulder and she began to sob softly.

“Okay. What do you need me to do, sir?” Gladiator was stunned. The villain’s voice and demeanor had changed completely.

“There’s a man downtown who’s been affected like you have, and I think you know him. Do you know a man named Edmund?”

“Edmund?” The woman’s breath caught. “You’ve seen Edmund?”

“Not exactly, I’m afraid.” Recluse pulled up the computer and played back footage from his helmet cam of the fight with the Bull-- if you can call it a fight. Maribel/Deep-Freeze didn’t know what to say.

“You’re trying to tell me that’s Edmund? Edmund Sinclair who never even raised his voice at someone?”

“I’m telling you I’m 87% sure. Edmund fell in with the Italian mob some years back and was listed in their books as the man transporting an incredibly powerful object. This bull monster showed up the same day and destroyed the mobsters, the same day you developed your powers.”

“I don’t believe it…”

“Miss Cane, I need to know if you’ll help us.”

“I don’t know how I can, sir.”

“Edmund knows you, and you know him. The only way to stop him-- to help him-- is to get past the mind of the beast he’s become, to bring out the man he used to be, and the only way to do that is someone who knows him. You’re the only one here who can do that. You’re the only one who can save Edmund Sinclair.” Maribel nodded again and Recluse took her aside to debrief the important information with her.

“She’s terrified,” Dr. Quick said.

“Yeah,” Gladiator agreed.

“This is nuts, huh?” The Dr. asked. Gladiator nodded. “So she’s supposed to bring out his humanity and this all gets better?” Gladiator shrugged.

“We have to hope. And we have to be there in case it doesn’t work.”

“That monster mopped the floor with you--”

“You weren’t there last time, so we have that going for us.” Gladiator smiled at him. Dr. Quick shook his head slowly.

“We better hope it’s enough.”

The four of them moved quietly through the streets. It was dark now, and Recluse was pretty insistent on keeping it that way. Dr. Quick ran recon a few streets ahead, keeping them updated on comlink. Green Gladiator floated about a story off the ground surrounded in a soft green glow, glancing down alleyways and side streets. Recluse walked beside Maribel Cane. Aside from the occasional update from Dr. Quick all was quiet. For a city that never sleeps it was surprisingly quiet.

“I see him.” The voice on the radio crackled back, barely a whisper. Dr. Quick reappeared beside them. “Are we ready?” Recluse nodded, looking at Maribel. She nodded.

“I’m ready. Let’s go, Dr.”

It’ll be a little disorienting,” he told her. “But you’ll be perfectly safe.” The pair of them disappeared in a gold and white blur and Gladiator took Recluse up to one of the rooftops around Times Square. It was all in the hands of Maribel Cane now. God help them.