Chapter 21: Hero of Tomorrow
"I promise."
Jenny gives Travis a menacing look but keeps talking.
"The thing that attacked you was called the Wisp—he's a well-known contract killer. I know you probably just assumed he was there to protect the warehouse, but…"
"He followed me there to kill me?" Travis finish, stunned. "Was the Wisp waiting there for me in the first place? Was it a trap? Do we have any idea who hired him? How long-"
"Hold on, let me finish," Jenny says, holding a hand up. "I don't know how or when he tracked you down, but I did do some digging and managed to find out who hired him."
Jenny just looks at the floor and works over her elbows, clearly not wanting to deliver whatever news she has.
"Well, who was it? Was it The Splice Circle? Rexford? Is Smyther back? Was it-"
"No, Travis," Jenny says, "it was…"
"Jury."
The name rings in his ears, causing a cold rage to spill through him.
Jury did this? Travis knew he'd be out for revenge but trying to have him killed—could he really be that ruthless? Or that bold to think he'd get away with it?
Then he think about what Victon did to him and his family and he has the answer.
"Are you sure?" Travis ask Jenny, his whole body beginning to quake.
"He tried to make an untraceable payment but it didn't work. The MCPD tracked the deposit back to a hidden account linked to Jury's H-Chip."
Jenny looks like she wants to say more but he don't let her.
He's not about to compromise his moral standards for anyone, especially not scum like Jury. But that doesn't mean he can't use this position to his advantage….
"I know that look," Jenny says. "What are you planning?"
"Just trust me," Travis say, turning to leave.
Travis make sure to be late to his meeting with Jury, letting him sweat it out in Ringe Square for a while. The pretty, rich boy definitely won't be used to hanging out in derelict parks. Plus, his Power to see through multiple perspectives will only worsen his nerves, considering he'll be able to see exactly how many eyes are on him….
Once he see a droplet of sweat begin to run down Jury's forehead, he decide it's time to fly down to face him.
"There you are, cutie," Jury says, flicking a half-finished cigarette into the nearby bushes. "Let's get one thing straight from the start: I didn't hire that Wisp weirdo to kill you."
"Right, of course you didn't," Travis start, "except that the MCPD already traced the Wisp's payment to one of your hidden accounts."
"A transaction they have since discovered was not cleared by me, considering my account was hacked yesterday morning," Jury says, reveling in the doubt that crosses his face. "Looks like someone out there wanted to take you out and set me up for the fall."
"That's a bit of a stretch," Travis say, though he immediately think of Veta and The Splice Circle.
"Believe what you want," Jury says. "It doesn't matter to me."
"Well it should. Just because I haven't told the press yet doesn't mean that I won't."
"Watch it, Gravitate," Jury says. "Blackmail doesn't look so good on you. Please tell me this pathetic little showing isn't the reason you called me here?"
"No," Travis say, gearing up.
"I'm going to resign from The Millennial Group reserve spot." Travis say. As much as you want that spot, he need to keep the peace with the Victons somehow. He can keep Mayor Victon off of his back with his Fade identity. And whether or not Jury really did hire that assassin, this gesture might keep him at bay, too.
"Why, that's mighty big of you," Jury says, a broad smile smearing across his face. "I think that'll do quite nicely for now. So what do you say, truce?"
Jury holds out his hand, Travis slap Jury's hand.
"Truce," Travis say.
At least for now…
Travis fly back toward home once again, feeling completely worn out. Despite the ever-growing list of problems piling up in front of him, all he can currently think about is paying next month's rent.
It may be time to apply for hero unemployment….
Whatever his next move is, he know he need to focus on one thing.... finding Veta.
But right now, all he's going to do is get some much-needed sleep.
Or at least that's what he hope he'll be doing, until he find yet another surprise visitor waiting for him on his roof…
Karla Yuu.
Travis don't have any time for pleasantries, however—especially because if Karla is standing on his roof, that means she must have figured out his secret identity.
"What are you doing here, Karla?"
"Don't worry, I'm not in the business of outing heroes," Karla says, almost as if she's reading his mind. "I'm in the business of making stars. Though it really is far too easy to track you down. I'd set up some illusion holos and anti-trace charms around your building, if I were you."
"I told you I didn't want you writing anything about me, so why are you saying all this?" Travis ask wearily.
"So that villains and fans can't follow you home to learn your identity. All eyes will be on you, whether you like it or not. I'm about to make you very famous, Gravitate."
"Excuse me?"
"You had better thank me," Karla says, cracking a rare smile, "because the article I've been writing about you just got approved."
"I'm about to name you Hoshi City's Hero of Tomorrow."
Travis mouth falls open.
That's…not possible. The HoT grant? The same award that launched the careers of Rebellion, Ellaine, Black Magic, and more importantly the most famous solo hero 'Retribution' although he doesn't show up on his own HoT grant. There's no way Karla could be the reporter chosen to write the HoT article…there's just no way.
"I've already forwarded the HoT profile to your H-Chip. Check it if you don't believe me," Karla says, flashing a quick mental photo of Travis. "That's great, the dumbstruck look will be perfect for the cover shot…."
He's currently unable to form any coherent thoughts but luckily, H-Chip Aphrodite is a few steps ahead of him—she appears with a copy of the article.
"We're finally going to be Legends…" Aphrodite whispers, wiping at her tear-soaked cheeks.
Travis stagger backward on the roof, trying desperately to catch his breath. His life is never going to be the same.
Because this is it.
He made it.
Travis wake up the next day with a pounding headache. So much has happened, he doesn't even know where to begin sorting through it all.
"Rise and shine, sugarplum," H-Chip Aphrodite says, appearing this morning in a Haus of Kolson romper. "Today is the big day! I'm finally going to be a star! Oh, and you've got four new Messages waiting. You really should call that delicious bit of Magic back…."
Ignoring Aphrodite's helpful suggestion and scrolling over the three Messages from Black Magic, he open a
Message from Karla instead.
"Gravitate, don't forget that tonight you need to come in through the maintenance entrance. No one can think you're special…at least not yet."
Every two years there's a big HoT party to announce the honored hero and publish the accompanying article. As it turns out, that big party is tonight—Karla neglected to mention that the HoT Board actually chose a different hero to receive this year's award, but they had to switch to their alternate choice when the hero's legs were tragically broken two days ago.
He and Karla were the runners-up, which is why he only found out about the party yesterday. Of course, the late notice doesn't help him feel any less overwhelmed….
He's also rather exhausted because he stayed up most of the night reading and rereading Karla's HoT profile. The beautifully written article recounts everything he done since his very first night on the Trackr case, all the way up through his recent dealings with Jury. It paints him as a flawed-yet-promising hero and only hints at his heroic family legacy, creating a healthy dose of mystery.
Every prior recipient of the HoT grant has been catapulted into superstardom, so he can't even fathom what's going to happen to his career after tonight. And out of all of the perks of the HoT award, he's most excited about is the credibility to do the kind of heroing work he always dreamed of doing.
No one will block him from the good cases or the really dangerous villains now—he'll have access to all of the finest heroic opportunities. It might even be time to start thinking about signing with a hero agent—many will be pursuing him after tonight, anyway.
Travis know he should be focusing on finding Veta, sorting things out with Black Magic and the HG, or dealing with the Victons, but after all he been through, he think he deserve at least one day off to enjoy this big break.
Travis bet days filled with this much success will only come along once in a while, so he better soak this up while it lasts.
And right now, he just can't wait to tell Grandma the big news.
"Well, look who's finally up," Grandma says as Travis enter the living room. She sits on the couch, reading an old gardening magazine (one that's actually printed on paper—how retro).
"Grandma, I have some news for you."
"Jenny called to tell me all about what happened last night," Grandma sighs. "From the sound of it, you could use all the help you can get. You should dress before Tarana Rain gets here."
"And why did you invite Tarana Rain here without asking me first?" Travis say, barely able to hide the impatience in his voice. The last thing he want to do is fight with Grandma right now, but this whole sidekick thing is getting rather annoying.
"Tarana Rain worships you, whether you know it or not. And you have a lot going on right now, so let her help you. It's good for you both. You know, Travis, it shouldn't be that-"
"That's not important right now."
"Nonsense," Grandma says, "what's more important than finding Veta right now?"
As Grandma speaks, De Milo snaps menacingly from her pot next to the couch. Grandma's plants tend to match her mood, most days….
"Well, I guess being named Hoshi City's Hero of Tomorrow isn't all that important, is it?" Travis nearly shout.
He certainly didn't want to deliver the news like that but Grandma does know how to work his last nerve sometimes….
All of his anger washes away, though, as Grandma stares up at Travis, her bottom lip beginning to quiver.
"You…what?"
"The Board chose me last-minute, so I just found out. The party is tonight," Travis say, calming himself. "Grandma, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout."
"Travis," Grandma starts in a hushed voice, "your father dreamed of being named the Hero of Tomorrow when he was your age, but it never happened for him. If only he could see you now…"
This is the one thought he forced out of his mind from the moment he found out about the HoT grant. He has dreamed of delivering his HoT acceptance speech since he were a little kid, rehearsing it over and over to perfect the dramatic pauses and heartfelt tears.
But he never, ever imagined his parents wouldn't be there to hear him deliver it….
"I always hoped you'd follow in their footsteps, someday," Grandma says. "It's just, after all that has happened, I was afraid…"
"I know," Travis mumble.
"Wait right here," Grandma says, dabbing her eyes, "I have something I need to give you."
As Grandma heads for her bedroom, Travis take a deep breath. All he can feel is excitement.
It doesn't matter what the circumstances are, his dreams are actually starting to come true, against all the odds. And that's because he made the right choices to get where he is today.
"Travis," He hear Grandma call from inside, "can you come in here and help me with something?"
Travis enter Grandma's bedroom to find her staring up at her closet, hands on her hips.
"Can you grab that box for me? I can't reach it," she says. "I'd have Brill snatch it down for me, but she's busy photosynthesizing at the moment. No peeking, now!"
"Sure," Travis say, walking up to the closet and wondering what else Grandma could possibly have to give him. He reach up and pull down the small, wooden box but as he do, a stack of papers underneath it slides off the shelf.
"Whoops," Travis say, reaching down to pick up the stack.
"Oh, wait. I'll get that!" Grandma starts but it's too late. Travis already seen the envelope on top, addressed to his parents at The Devoid…
With a return address in his name. Travis stare down at the the envelope, his heartbeat picking up its pace.
"Gran, what's this?"