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Winter Solstice

Night Force #11

By Leo HojoPublished 3 years ago 16 min read
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Miami Beach. Miami, Florida. 12:00

The Night Force station wagon shifted into park with a heavy clunk. Heat radiated off the black paint, shimmering the air around it and similarly cooking the leather interior.

From the driver’s seat, Alice groaned. “We need to get that A/C fixed.”

Eddie popped the car door and stretched his arms. “I dunno. I’d take hot over cold any day.”

He wore a pair of floral swimming trunks that contrasted his bright red skin. He grabbed a bottle of sunscreen and began with two thick dabs on each cheek. He was looking forward to the sun, surf, and sand, but mostly, he was excited to finally have a day off.

“Eddie, what are you doing?” Jennie said, confused.

“Aunt Marla always said it’s important to use at least SPF 50.”

Jennie started to reply, “But you-” She stopped herself. “Nevermind.” Traci pursed her lips, suppressing a laugh.

Eddie didn’t pay them any mind. “It sucks that Director Kane made Joey go with Cosme. It must be tough when your mom is your boss.”

“And when she’s Adeline Kane, too” Alice said, setting the guns beneath the driver’s seat.

“Alice.” Jennie said. “Are you sure you should leave the guns behind?”

Alice crossed her arms. “I thought this was supposed to be our day off. Why would I need them?”

Eddie picked up on the uncomfortable glances. The past few months had been a nonstop fight, and a losing one at that. His friends deserved this. He clapped his hands together. “Well, let’s hit the beach! We’re burning daylight!”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Traci said, sliding on a pair of round-rimmed sunglasses.

Eddie smiled and started walking to the beach with his friends.

HIVE Headquarters, Somewhere in the Mojave Desert. 13:00

Joey walked down the base’s sleek hallways towards his mother’s office. He wasn’t especially looking forward to that conversation. Upon landing with the immoral Spaniard, Joey got a text from his father, Slade Wilson. His relationship with his dad had always been tense. He knew his father as a violent, vindictive man driven by ego and profit. But Grant was dead. If Slade was making the effort to reach out, well... Joey knew that if he was going to reconnect with his dad, this might be his last chance.

First though, he needed leave from Director Kane, his mother. Joey arrived at the frosted glass door marked with ‘A. Kane’ and knocked a few times before pulling it open. The Director was sitting behind her desk, wearing a fine tailored suit. “Hello Joey. I’m told you failed to retrieve the sample.” Her words betrayed no emotion.

But Joey wasn’t in the mood to explain himself. ”I’m going to see dad.” He signed.

That did elicit a response. Kane’s lip twisted, just slightly, into an annoyed frown. “Is that so?”

”He wants to reconnect. I won’t be gone long.”

“Joey. Your father doesn’t deserve your sympathy. I am confident he’s in the process of drowning himself in tequila at the moment.”

”I am doing this for me. Don’t try to stop me.” Joey truly hoped she didn’t. He locked eyes with his mother for a few seconds before she spoke.

“I see. No, I know better than to try to keep my son from running into Slade’s arms.” Kane was already pulling her phone from her pocket and tapping on the screen. Still, her attention remained on Joey. “You’re free to do as you wish. I must ask you to watch this first, however. It's a recording of your father that he made. I’m aware a written version exists as well, but… well, it’s best you watch.”

Joey’s phone buzzed and he shot a confused glance across the desk. A recording? Joey pulled his own phone out and hit play. It was Slade alright, though several years younger.

“If you’re listening to this, it means something has happened to me, or is about to. Never in a million years did I think I would fail, but I had to be prepared for that eventuality…”

Miami Beach. Miami, Florida. 13:00

A churning, foamy wave rolled through the water. Eddie braced, digging his feet into the sand and squatting until the water was up to his neck. Then, the wave broke against him with a crash, a few drops sizzling against his skin and evaporating.

A few paces later and Eddie knew he was juuust far enough out. The beating sun and fine white sand reminded him of his home back in California. The only thing missing was a few friends joining him in the waves. Eddie turned and saw Alice stabbing the sand with an umbrella.

“Why! Won’t you! Stay!?” She said before finally letting out a sigh and dropping the brightly colored beach umbrella.

Beside Alice, Traci and Jennie were lying on towels, soaking in the sun. It looked like a waste of a beach day to Eddie. After all, the sun was everywhere! HIVE was even based in a desert!

“Hey, come on in.” Eddie said. “The water’s fine!”

Jennie was the first to answer. “Sorry, Eddie! Maybe later.”

Traci shifted, then pulled herself to her feet. “If you say so.” She said.

“Yes!” Eddie said. The ocean was way more fun than laying on some sand. A thought popped into his head. “Hey Traci, have you even seen the ocean befo-”

His words were cut short as a bright bolt of energy struck Traci in the head. Her body collapsed in the sand. As Eddie saw her face land in the dunes, he gripped his fists. “Traci!”

Approaching from behind was a grizzled older man wearing a snow white cloak. It billowed with the wind coming off the sea. Eddie recognized him in an instant. Jasper Winters.

The Wolf’s Den, Arizona. 16:00

Joey saw himself as a patient person. Slow to anger. Forgiving. At that moment, though? He wanted to make his father pay. For years, he’d thought Robin had forced him off of the Titans because he thought he was weak, not that his dad had bullied his friends into booting him off the team.

It was despicable, even for Deathstroke. And now some demon had its hooks in his soul. Joey fumed as he approached the shitty dive bar Slade invited him to. The flickered neon sign in the window struggled to stay alive.

Joey batted open the door with a creak and the thick alcohol fumes bombarded him. From there, it wasn’t difficult to find the white-haired veteran with an eyepatch sitting in the corner. Half-empty bottles surrounded him. Still, they didn’t seem to cloud his perception. “Joey!” Slade moved a collection of the bottles to the side. “It’s good to see you.”

Joey scowled and threw up his middle finger. Slade nodded and clicked his tongue. “Yeah, I deserve tha-” Joey’s fist collided squarely with Slade’s jaw, snapping his head to the side.

“What the hell, Joey?!”

”I watched the tape. I know what you did.”

“The tape? I-?” A flash of realization appeared in Slade's face. “Right. Look son, that isn’t how I wanted you to find out, but I did it for your own good.”

”Screw you.”

Slade managed an exasperated sigh. “We shouldn’t be fighting. If you watched the video, you know that I don’t have much time left.”

Joey was acutely aware. That fact was the only thing keeping him from attacking his father.

Slade continued. “How’d you even find that tape?”

”Mom.”

Slade grumbled. “That… She had no right to give that to you. I guarantee she found it months ago and was waiting for the right moment to use it as ammo against me!”

Joey considered it. He wouldn’t put it past his mother. She could be vindictive against her enemies and when it came to Adeline Kane, ‘enemies’ was a pretty broad category. ”Then you should’ve told me.”

“Told you that your father made a deal with a demon to save your life? Told you that I had to make the hard decision to keep you from getting hurt again? I kept that tape from you for your own good.” Slade leaned over the table and locked his eye on Joey.

Contac- No. He wasn’t going to use his power on his father. Especially since it was clear he was being baited to. ”If you tell me you did something for my own good another time and I’m going to hit you again.”

“Son…” Slade leaned backwards. “The reason I called you out here is to ask you- beg you not to go back to HIVE. Neron’s gambit is coming to an end. Soon. And when it does, I don’t want you anywhere near that shitstorm.”

”If HIVE is in danger, then that’s all the more reason I need to be back there to protect them.”

Joey turned to leave, but Slade grabbed his wrist before he could take a step.

“Joey! I thought you were finally through with this hero bullshit! Can’t you see I’m trying to keep you away from HIVE to keep you safe?!”

Joey glanced down at Slade’s hand, still grasping his wrist. Then, with a single fluid motion, Joey left hand swung around and crunched against Slade’s face. As Joey pulled himself from Slade’s grip, a trickle of blood began to flow out of his father’s nose.

"I'm not going to let you ruin my life now that you're done ruining Grant's."

Joey strode to the door, glancing at his father for what he hoped would be the last time.

Miami Beach. Miami, Florida. 13:00

Before anyone could begin to grasp what happened, Eddie forced his way through the water towards the shore. Jasper Winters spoke an incantation to himself, his stern expression focused on the sea. As a wave broke against Eddie’s back, the water solidified into ice, encasing him up to his neck.

“You can’t hold me like this for long!” Eddie said. His body’s extreme heat radiated through the ice.

Winters kneeled to gently lift Traci. “I know that, Devil. I’m hoping I don’t have to after I explain myself. I’m not trying to hurt your friend.”

Alice took a more metered approach, slowly rising to her feet. She reached to her sides for the guns, then stopped herself. Alice didn’t have time to berate herself. She wasn’t going to fail her friends again, but lacking her weapons, she made do buying time. “Really? That isn’t what it looks like from here. I hope you remember my warning old man.”

Winters nodded with solemnity. “I do. After you stopped my ritual, I realized how far Neron had driven me into depravity. I refused to serve his plans any further. Instead, I travelled, like you, seeking out those affected by Neron’s influence and countering it where I could.”

Alice stared Winters down, scrutinizing his words. If nothing else, he seemed to believe what he was saying. Alice was less sure how fighting Neron led him to Winters attacking Traci. “So this is what? Extra credit?”

“In my travels, I discovered the source of Traci’s magic. Neron is responsible! He’s the one who granted it to her!” Winters looked tired, and a little desperate. If he’d been travelling alone since New Jersey, his quest had been a long one.

Jennie moved to Alice’s side. “We know. And now she’s using that magic to fight Neron. It doesn’t matter where her magic came from, just how she uses it.”

“Really?” Winters asked. “After all you’ve been through, can you honestly say Neron doesn’t corrupt every single thing he touches?”

Jennie was silent. She let her arms hang limp at her sides.

Winters sighed. “I heard about what happened to your friend. You’ve all suffered enough loss, that’s why I’ve created a spell that will take away Traci’s abilities without harming her.”

Alice crossed her arms. “And if I stop you?”

“I assumed you’d try. That’s why I waited for you to be separated from your powerful little trinkets.”

A glint of green light sparked in Jennie’s hand. She took a step forward, but before the blast could leave her hand, the sand beneath her surged away, drawing Jennie into a sinkhole. Alice managed to leap out of the way and steady herself on the beach umbrella.

“I’m sorry it had to come to this, Alice.” Winters cast his free hand off towards the ocean and the water surrounding Eddie refroze, undoing any progress he’d made towards the shore.

Meanwhile, sand lifted up off the ground. Thousands of grains pressed together to form the loose shapes of people.

“Don’t make this more difficult.” Winters said. Three sand golems trudged towards Alice, surrounding her. She felt the abrasive sting on her skin as the golems drew in more mass. Alice tightened her grip around the umbrella. She could hear her heart beating in her ears, just under the white noise howl of the wind whipping around her.

One of the golems charged Alice. She pulled the umbrella from the ground and flipped it in the direction of her attacker. The golem skewered itself on the metal and collapsed into a pile on the ground.

A quick glance in Winters’s direction revealed the effects of his spell. The incantation he was chanting over Traci was already having its effect. A deathly pallor spread over Traci, turning her skin a sheer white color. Alice could swear she saw bits of frost forming on her eyelashes.

Alice turned on her heel and cut clean through another golem. Unfortunately, the creature was already starting to reconstitute itself. She couldn’t put these things down. Not nearly as easily without the guns at least. Instead, she shoved the top of the umbrella into the third golem and pressed a button on its rod. The multi-colored umbrella flew open, sending chunks of wet sand in every direction. With its torso exploded, the golem stumbled backwards for a moment, then collapsed.

Alice began to turn but another golem collided with her. The blow knocked her off balance and left a long red scrape across her back. She retaliated, leaping in the air and planting the umbrella through the golem’s head and torso.

Alice pulled on the umbrella, trying to rip it out of the sand, but two more golems slammed into her, forcing her to the ground. More sand swept over her, and, despite her struggling, Alice wasn’t able to escape the weight as more golems collapsed on top of her.

From the waves, Eddie was finally making progress. As Winters tossed his friends around like ragdolls, as he hurt Traci, the heat coming off Eddie only increased. He thrashed through the ice, turning ice to water and water to steam. Eddie’s single-minded devotion to stopping Winters pushed away any feelings of fatigue or pain. Instead, he felt powerful and fearless. Eddie saw Jennie, trapped in sand up to her neck and Alice, similarly buried.

“Stay back! I need focus for the last part of the spell!” Winters shouted.

Eddie could barely hear his words. The harsh wind that blew against him was a token defense at best.

“Stop! I’m trying to help-” Winters couldn’t finish his sentence before Eddie struck him in the chest. The punch sent him into the air. A soft click came from his abdomen as he hit the ground again, tumbling another few feet.

Eddie grabbed Traci as she fell from Winters’s grip. “Traci, are you okay?” The teenage girl didn’t respond and Eddie prodded her further. “Traci? Say something.” Still nothing. Eddie took a sharp breath and gently laid her down on the sand then walked over to Winters. The old magician was still lying prone on the sand.

Eddie grabbed him by his collar. “What did you do to her?!” He roared. Heat poured off of him and small motes of flame sparked in the back of Eddie’s throat.

“You, disrupted the spell…” Winters wheezed.

Eddie grimaced and brought his fist down on Winters’s face. A small trickle of blood ran from his nose. Eddie hit him again, this time breaking a few teeth.

Winters managed to get out, “I didn’t want to hurt her.” before Eddie hit him again. Eddie remembered from his sparring sessions with Grant that if you had to fight someone bareknuckle, your hands would usually end up more beaten and bruised than your opponent. With Eddie’s enhanced durability, he hardly felt anything as he hit Winters again.

“Eddie!” A voice called from behind him, out of focus.

Eddie hit Winters again. Now, there was fresh blood coming out of a few contusions in the man’s face.

“Eddie, stop!” He felt a force pulling against both of his arms. Finally, he realized what was happening. Eddie was being pulled off of Winters by Jennie and Alice.

Jennie shouted. “She’s okay, Eddie. She’s alright!”

Eddie swallowed hard. Traci was okay. He glanced down at his hands, trembling. Winters’s blood was only one shade lighter than his ‘natural’ pigment.

“She’s okay.”

The Wolf’s Den, Arizona. 18:00

Slade pressed an ice pack against his face. He breathed a heavy sigh. Reconnecting with his son had not gone the way he hoped, but then, when had anything in his life. He’d have to be content with the mark he’d made on the world, for better or worse. When Neron’s deadline finally hit an end, it’d all be over.

For now, Slade nursed a bottle of vodka and looked out at The Wolf’s Den. Then, his phone rang. Only three people had that number. His sons, and…

“Wintergreen.”

“Hello Slade. I hope you’re well.” A smooth, refined voice came through the receiver.

“I told you I’m done. I’m not taking any more jobs. Don’t try to convince me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, friend. No, I’m calling because there’s a girl who wants to see you. She’s been quite persistent.”

“Dangerous?”

“Hardly.”

“A girl, huh?” Slade laughed. “What’s her name?”

Miami Beach. Miami, Florida. 20:00

Traci was wrapped up in a blanket, trying to forget the events of the day. The black Night Force station wagon was still sitting in the beach parking lot. She and the rest of the team were gathered around the trunk.

She had been enjoying a day at the beach with her friends, and then-. It was still painful to think about what happened. Worse, she felt something different about her usual magic. Since that ritual, part of it felt foreign to her, alien even.

Eddie put an end to her introspection. “What’s even the point of all this?”

“What do you mean?” Jennie asked.

“I mean all of this.” Eddie gestured around. “We turned Winters over to the police, sure, but Neron is just going to send someone else. Winters wasn’t our friend, but you heard him! He tried to fight Neron and look what happened to him.”

Alice started to object. “Eddie, you can’t-”

“What? Are we really any closer to stopping Neron than we were when we met? I don’t think we are. All this has done is get you all hurt!”

A silence fell over the rest of the team. No-one had an answer for Eddie. Neron’s deadline was approaching fast and the demon was no less of a danger than when they’d faced him and failed. But they still had a job to do, and HIVE was calling them back to Nevada.

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