A few chairs had been set up across from the large desk, enough to accommodate us. They were small, barely cushioned, and a stark contrast to the massive armchair Jupiter was seated in. It didn’t take a genius to understand the power move he was pulling.

  “You’ve already met Furnace, of course. My right hand, one of the best men I know,” he said, nodding to the armoured man. “This here’s Parody. Another man I put a fair bit of trust in. An Apex power like his? It’s invaluable.”

  “Nice t’ meet you.” His voice was deep and gargling, as if he was trying to speak through a mouthful of water. I’d be lying if I said I’d heard of him before, but if Jupiter was bigging him up then there was no reason to doubt him.

  “And this...” Jupiter hesitated a bit as he looked to the masked boy, who grew tense under his gaze. “This is my son. He likes to go by Volatile.”

  He gave us a lazy salute. “You’re the ones who took down Impact, yeah?” he asked, his voice flat. “Thought you would look more... impressive.”

  I glared at him behind my glasses but held my tongue. No talking back to Jupiter undoubtedly meant no talking back to his son either. Though I’d never even known Jupiter had a kid before now. Guess it was a need to know thing.

  “Now now. The Devils have done us a kindness, a valuable service. And I treat those who do good wok for me... rather well. Usually this is enough to encourage loyalty but...” He sighed, sinking back a bit in his chair. “Well, if Knuckle is any indication? The carrot is not always enough to get the loyalty of people. I’ll be sure to give him the stick, when we catch up to him. Got to set an eaple for people. If we don’t have loyalty? We have nothing.”

  Cheshire raised a hand and only spoke when Jupiter nodded at her. “We uh... we would have brought Zirconium and Knuckle but... we didn’t have room in the van.”

  “It’s fine. Impact was the main target, after all. And without her, her little fight club has fallen away to nothingness. Bad business, that. Nasty stuff. I’m a criminal, but even I have lines I don’t like to cross. Blood sport like that? Grotesque.” He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

  Volatile grunted, slowly folding his arms. “All that destruction underground was all over the news. Dunno why you trusted a job this big to these guys.”

  “It’s important,” Jupiter said, his voice crisp and firm, “to give opportunities to new talent. Particularly when they’re eager to prove themselves.”

  My gaze darted between father and son, felt the faint tension between them. Well, no doubt Volatile was in some kind of rebellious phase. Or whatever passed for one when your dad is a mob boss.

  Jupiter gestured vaguely to the bar several strides from his desk. I saw the wind rise and curl at his command, a gale that moved with impressive quickness and impossible precision. It split in two, one miniature cyclone lifting a bottle of white wine aloft while the second pulled up a sparkling clean wine glass. We all sat silent, staring as the wind tipped the bottle and poured a healthy serving into the glass.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Then, with just as much ease and precision, he guided the glass back to his hand. It balanced perfectly atop a small cyclone until he took hold it it by the neck.

  “I’m given to understand...” his gaze settled on me, and I felt my spine stiffen on a reflex, “that you want to get access to the Society?”

  I nodded slowly. “That’s... right, sir.”

  “I respect ambition. But that is... not an easy thing for me to give. Don’t misunderstand, I am grateful for the work the Devils have done for me. But... it pains me to say it, I am a small player in the scope of the Society. I have influence but... allowing you access to their resources? That might be a tough sell.”

  I raised a hand and waited for him to give me the go-ahead. Jupiter took his time, lifting his mask to the bridge of his nose to exposed a sharp jawline stubbled with coarse grey hair. He sipped slowly, languidly, then slowly set his glass on the desk before motioning me to speak.

  “Is it... possible, at least?”

  He nodded, adjusting his mask into place with a gloved hand. “I’d have to call in favours, but yes. You... certainly seem very passionate about getting in with the Society. More than I’ve seen from a lot of street-level villains.” He looked at me expectantly, the brows of his mask knit tight.

  “It’s... I... it’s personal, sir, if you don’t mind me saying. There’s someone I need to find, and I think the Society have the resources to help me.”

  Jupiter seemed to consider this, staring at is wine glass. “I see.”

  Volatile snorted. “C’mon, you’re not at least a little curious to know who she’s looking for? Gotta be something huge if she’s going this far.” I glowered at the boy. Pain in the neck prick.

  “It’s none of our business,” Jupiter said flatly. He lifted his mask, indulged in more wine, and then set it back in place. “On that note, if I am to start pulling strings, I would need a favour from you all.”

  I chewed the inside of my neck, the cords on my neck briefly flaring. Part of me wanted me to tell him to shove it. Nearly getting smashed into a thin paste by Impact wasn’t enough of a favour? Of course I held my tongue. This guy was our best route into the Society, after all. But that was always how it went, wasn’t it? There was always ‘one more favour.’

  “What er... what do you need?” Cheshire asked.

  “My boy here has been getting more and more interested in the family business. But... I don’t quite like the idea of him going along with my enforcers. Too dangerous for his level of experience. So, I’d like for you all to work with him for a bit.”

  Volatile stared at his father for several moments. “Seriously? You’re sticking me with these guys?” My eyes narrowed at him. Prick.

  “And uh... if he works for us, would that mean we’re officially part of your organization?” asked Cheshire, well aware of the weight behind that possibility.

  Jupiter considered this. “It would be... unwise to do anything that could harm my interests while Volatile is in your group. But otherwise you are still independent agents, free to do your own work in Argent and outside of it.”

  Cheshire nodded. “And what can Volatile do?” There was a note of hope in her voice, no doubt wishing he had some awesome power to offset his arrogance. Or at least justify it.

  “I absorb energy,” he said. “All kinds. Kinetic, solar, electric, whatever. And I can either direct that energy into a barrier, or charge things up to make ‘em go...” He flicked the fingers of his right hand out, “boom. Frankly, I’d be the best thing to ever happen to you punks.”

  Oh, I sure did feel lucky...

  “Not that I’m thrilled about it, but...” He gave an exaggerated sigh, “if this is what I gotta put up with to do villain shit? Fine. Just don’t slow me down.”

  The atmosphere around the Devils dropped significantly. It was like finding a lump on your body where you definitely didn’t want to find a lump.

  Cheshire cleared her throat, focusing on Jupiter. “Guess we’ve got a deal then.”

  “Wonderful, splendid,” Jupiter said, the fabric of his mask shifting into something resembling a smile. “I’m sure I’ll have a new job for your crew soon enough.”