Interlude: The League of Reform

It only took Droneacharya a moment to spot the distortion by the wall.

Smiling, he walked over to the chair at the head of the table, keeping his back to the distortion. He sat down slowly, savouring the seconds as the distortion gradually - slowly - moved forward, feet lighter than a cat’s tread. He waited for it to stealthily crawl behind him, almost ready to strike, before he spoke.

“Good to see you, Yamini.”

Behind his back, the shifter shimmered into visibility. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Spot me, every time.” 

“Attention to detail.”

“That’s a load of bull. What is it? Pressure sensors? Heightened perception? Special lenses in those glasses of yours?”

Droneacharya chuckled. “I keep telling you. You are easy to spot.”

“I’ve killed elite commandos without them realizing I was even there.” The annoyed shifter flounced to the chair at the other end of the table, all stealth forgotten.

“So you have. It is a sad commentary on the quality of today’s commandos.”

“You’re going to tell me someday, old man.” 

“And someday you’ll believe me. Thank you for reaching early, Yamini.”

“Didn’t want to be the one buying pizza.”

“And, it seems, neither did Dandadev,” commented Droneacharya as the door opened. 

The Master walked in, his green cloak pristine as usual. Droneacharya had once wondered how Dandadev managed to keep his secret from his dry cleaners, considering how distinctive the cloak was, and initially chalked it up to standard Master intimidation-and-mind-control tactics. 

The truth, as revealed by a stealthed monitoring drone, was far more prosaic - the man owned and operated a power laundry.

That moment was when Droneacharya had finally decided to approach him, actually. 

Dandadev took the chair next to him, keeping a safe distance between himself and Yamini. “Didn’t expect to see you at the event.”

“I monitored your interaction with him. It seemed safe.”

“You shouldn’t have taken the risk.”

Droneacharya shrugged. “We must all take risks, now and then. I wanted to take the measure of the man.”

“And?”

“It’s not often that I am impressed.”

Yamini scowled. “He’s a boy who lucked into a strong powerset.”

Droneacharya leant back in his chair. “While we wait for the others, do you want to rethink your assessment? Apply logic and observation, as I have taught you.”

Yamini blew a raspberry at him. 

Mock-sorrowfully, he shook his head. “Such disrespect for one’s elders. Not at all in line with our culture.”

“As fascinating as this by-play is, when are the others expected to arrive?” asked Dandadev.

“In minutes,” Droneacharya replied. “Twinsight and Mahaplumber are just outside the door.”

A splash of water accompanied the entry of the two ultras. Twinsight wore his single-piece orange bodysuit with the number ‘2’ in blue emblazoned on it, while Mahaplumber wore what looked like an oversized raincoat and a construction worker’s helmet - normal enough, except for the thin film of water that coated it almost continuously.

“Rainy today,” grumbled Mahaplumber. “I only have an hour; high tide’s at six, and if I’m not there when the storm drains shut we’ll have six million angry commuters ready to rampage.”

“Is it going to get that bad?” asked Dandadev. “My son’s school lets out at five; wouldn’t want him stuck in traffic.”

“Depends on when Vajyajyot gets here,” replied Yamini. “Preferably with pizza.”

“Not pizza again,” groaned Mahaplumber. “My cholesterol isn’t going to survive too many more meetings like this one.”

“Then maybe you should do some actual exercise, instead of banging interns all day,” remarked Yamini.

“That only happened a few times!”

“Enough,” cut in Droneacharya. “We are the League of Reform, everyone. We continue the traditions of great leaders like Vidyasagar, Ambedkar and Amte. If we cannot act like our idols, let us at least act like adults.”

The ultras nodded in acknowledgement, Twinsight and Mahaplumber taking their seats. Even Yamini piped down.

The moment of silence was interrupted by a bang on the door. “Sorry I’m late!....” Vajyajyot stuck his head in. “... oh. I’m the last one here, aren’t I?”

“Yep,” Yamini’s reply was smug. “Last one to reach, and late. Pizza’s on you for next meeting.”

“You’re not still mad about last time, are you?”

“You ate three full pizzas on my account. I intend to collect.”

“I have to say, Droneacharya, the pizza rule is the most brilliant thing you’ve come up with,” Twinsight said. “At least our meetings now start on time.”

“It’s stolen from a management book,” sighed Droneacharya. “Anyway, now that we’re all here and it’s agreed Vajrajyot will bring pizza next time, I call this meeting of the League of Reform to order. Vajyrajot, sit down and shut the door, please. First item of business - the conference at Bombay Gymkhana and the public interactions with Belessar. Dandadev, would you share your impressions first?”

“Certainly,” Dandadev’s voice took on a professional tone. “For a man of action, Belessar talks a lot. He’s surprisingly good at it. Convinced some very reluctant ultras to sign up for alien defences.”

“Including you?” asked Yamini.

“Peripherally, yes. Much to my surprise. He made an offer that puts me at very little risk, and yet offers the opportunity for reward.”

“And his combat capability?” the female ultra continued.

“Impressive, but we all knew that. We’ve all seen the footage from London, Tanisport, and even Lonavala. The man seems nice, but he can solo multiple Carnotaurs.”

“Even Chikaradzuyoi can’t do that,” said Vajyajyot. “Hell, even Bastion can’t do that.”

“And despite all of that, he wants other ultras to assist him,” Dandadev continued. “Is willing to pay good money - or at least persuade the Stratospheric Guard to part with money - in order to get others on his side. My impression is that he wants - or needs - to be liked, and is using his money and influence to get others on his side.”

“That’s a bit of a stretch, isn’t it?” commented Droneacharya. “Explain your reasoning.”

“Simple enough. He has been the target of many attacks in the press in his home country, and there are a lot of people there who don’t like him. He wants positive press, and potentially new markets for his products. So there’s money, and a need to be liked.”

“Interesting,” Droneacharya said. “Twinsight. What do your connections tell you?”

“The highest levels of government are keen to have Belessar work with them,” Twinsight replied. “Prime Minister Narayanswamy thinks highly of him. Home Minister Chowdhary doesn’t trust him, but then he doesn’t trust anyone so that’s hardly new. The Finance and External Affairs Ministries are keen to have him in-country for as long as possible, and Defence is singing his praises because he’s very popular with the rank-and-file soldiers - more popular than any ultra in recorded history.”

“And the reason for the popularity?”

“He healed thousands of soldiers personally after the battles of London and Tanisport. He’s also adopted the Gurkha kukri as a weapon, although his version is six feet long and made out of black magic as far as they’re concerned. Plus, he dated Agni, and with what is known now about her soldiers are convinced he seduced her to the side of light.”

“Seduced her?” sputtered Yamini angrily.

“Patience, Yamini,” Droneacharya’s tone was mild but firm. “This is the opinion of the common soldiers, not the officers or leadership and much less of Twinsight.”

“As long as no-one thinks a woman will change her mind because of a pretty face….”

“We understand your concerns. Please go on, Twinsight.”

Twinsight, looking absolutely unbothered by Yamini’s concerns, continued. “The biggest supporter is the Union Health Ministry. Belessar’s efforts have already contributed to reducing the cost of Aerovascar, and they are confident more breakthroughs are coming. They were part of the coalition that pushed for the Bombay Gymkhana meet, along with Defence and Finance.”

“The Prime Minister didn’t initiate it?”

“The Prime Minister lets individual ministries fight it out amongst themselves to understand who is going to solve what problem, and then takes credit for the best solutions. It’s the way he is.”

“Everyone seems to have high hopes from the meet,” muttered Mahaplumber. “I hope they’re not disappointed.”

“What do your contacts say, Mahaplumber?” asked Droneacharya.

The elemental shrugged. “The city authorities I deal with mostly want to stay far, far out of his way. Given how much bribe money is slushing around in the municipal corporation, no-one wants Nanocloud taking a closer look at their affairs.”

“That aligns with what I’m hearing,” Twinsight said. “The government welcomes Belessar, but not so much Nanocloud. Too much dirty laundry.”

“Dirty laundry is cleaner than some of our ministers,” muttered Dandadev.

“And what is your feedback, Vajyajyot?” asked Droneacharya. “What do the city’s other superheroes think of Belessar?”

“They’re mostly fanboys,” shrugged Vajyajyot. “And some fangirls as well. He’s hugely popular with the teen crowd, both for landing Agni and for his, uh, friendship and support of Indradhanush. Who, since hooking up with Mahotsukoi and being called to Skyguard, has become the new epitome of ‘cool’ among teens. Nobody’s calling him ‘Rainbow Splash’ anymore, for sure.”

“I never understood that nickname,” grumbled Mahaplumber. “Isn’t Rainbow Dash supposed to be fast? How is that an insult?”

“I assume the ‘splash’ refers to the rumoured ineffectiveness of his powers,” said Dandadev. “Which was a fact, right until they figured out how to hook him up to a sufficiently strong power source. At which point he knocked a battleship out of the sky.”

“Until Belessar figured it out,” Droneacharya pointed out. “Something to keep in mind.”

“Still don’t get why it was ‘splash’ and not, say ‘crash’,” Mahaplumber grumbled. “What’s wrong with a little splashing? We all get wet sometimes.”

Vajyajyot choked off a laugh.

Yamini smiled evilly. “Mahaplumber. ‘Splash’ is slang for premature ejaculation.”

Mahaplumber stuttered. “Oh. Um. I, er, I didn’t know that.” The six foot tall elemental’s watery cloak wavered, almost as if reflecting his embarrassment.

“You’re too cute,” grinned Yamini.

“Let us keep in mind that a hydrokinetic might assign different meanings to moisture-related words than we do,” Droneacharya said gently. “Yamini, your views on Belessar?”

“Like I said. He’s an overgrown kid who lucked into a strong set of powers, and mostly coasts on them. He’ll get called up to Skyguard eventually, and then he’s Bastion’s problem.”

“I see. What do you think his powerset is?”

Here, the ultras around the table shifted uncomfortably. 

“Inventor, for sure,” muttered Mahaplumber, “though he probably has some other stuff in there.” 

“Herculean,” added Yamini grudgingly. “And Elemental, given how he shoots lightning from his fists.”

“Partial precog,” grumbled Dandadev. All eyes turned to the Master. 

“That’s a wild guess,” Vajrajyot spoke up. “He’s never shown any signs of being one.”

“I’ve watched videos of him fight. He dodges blows and bullets in a manner that should be virtually impossible.”

“It could be an advanced AI-based evasion suite.”

“Which he didn’t have in the fight against Lumina and Grumman. Plus, I’ve seen Twinsight fight - they move similarly.”

Twinsight nodded carefully. “That thought had struck me, but it seemed - outlandish. Even I do not move that … fluidly.”

“You are a only a precog. I suspect his Herculean powers give him improved dexterity - at least, if the way he manages to twist around blows is any indication. And also, he never misses.”

“Excuse me?” asked Vajrajyot. “What do you mean?”

“There’s some internet enthusiasts who track the accuracy of various ultras in hitting their targets. For those with ranged weapons, at least. A few well-known names are near the top - mostly ultras whose power doesn’t require aiming skills, or has area-effect impacts - but Belessar has a 99.9% hit rate with ranged weapons, at least according to them. The only times he’s missed was in that aerial battle with the flying Raptor leaders.”

“That is a stretch. Aim-assist software could help with the same thing.”

“I don’t believe it’s aim-assist. The armours that he sells to the Brits don’t have it built in, unless they’ve been deliberately missing thirty per cent of their shots in combat. I think it’s an additional power he has - partial precognition.” Dandadev paused for a moment, as if to let that sink in. 

“Besides, Belessar was preparing for London months in advance of the attack,” he continued. “He had specialized weapons, equipment, a support force, and pre-planned coordination with the authorities. I think the ‘unreliable precog’ he was referring to was himself, and he simply masked his answers to throw me off the trail.”

“You didn’t challenge him on it?” asked Twinsight.

“At the Gymkhana, I didn’t even consider it. He can be … very persuasive. It wasn’t until I went home - and replayed the conversation in my mind - that it struck me he could have been playing me.”

“Inventor, herculean, elemental and partial precog,” summarized Droneacharya. “Anything else?”

Nervous looks around the table. 

“He’s also a weak Master,” added Mahaplumber. “He can influence people’s minds, officially by using some sort of purple beam that links to them.”

“And he used some sort of panic weapon on the enemy at Tanisport,” added Twinsight, “plus he can be very persuasive, as Dandadev found out. Which everyone assumed was part of his tech, except…”

“Not to mention his healing fields,” put in Twinsight.

“Six powersets,” nodded Droneacharya. “Each completely independent. In spite of the fact that most ultras rarely get more than one power, and usually the stronger ones have some sort of built-in limitation. I can understand a dual-category power, but one that falls in six completely separate categories?”

“We still don’t know that much about powers,” suggested Mahaplumber. “And without knowing the specifics - it’s hard to infer how he could do, well, so much.”

Droneacharya cocked his head. “As you may know, I had the opportunity to interact with him at the Gymkhana.”

“It was mentioned,” Twinsight murmured. “You went a little off-script, sir.”

“It was worth the risk,” Droneacharya replied. “First, it seems that Belessar has solved the Aerovascar cost problem.”

“That… hasn’t made the news,” muttered Vajrajyot weakly. “How?”

“He was able to fill in two missing links in the synthesis process for Rasayan and the others. Your prediction was accurate, Twinsight; do remind the ministers of that, we could use the influence. What is equally interesting is that he doesn’t just have inventor powers, he understands the science behind them extremely well - far better than most inventors.”

“He has a 3.9 GPA,” Dandadev acknowledged. “I take it that wasn’t earned by leaning on his powers?”

“No, he does in fact have the intelligence to back that score up. Also, he has the charisma - at least in public speaking - to win over audiences. All abilities that could be the result of human talent and hard work, of course. However, the odds of him having multiple, independent powers are?”

“One in ten thousand, to the sixth power,” muttered Yamini. “Roughly one in a trillion trillions.”

“Which is a very large number, indeed,” said Droneacharya. “However, there is another possibility. We know he is brilliant. We also know - from his track record, again - that he is ruthless.”

“More than thirty humans dead at his hands,” nodded Mahaplumber. “Granted, most of them were villains, but still…”

“Smart, ruthless, and in possession of many powers,” continued Droneacharya. “There are very few possible powersets that could lend themselves to this kind of flexibility - but there is one.” Standing up, he walked over to the corner, where a flip chart stood, and wrote two words on it.

POWER THIEF

There was a sharp intake of breath around the table. “That’s impossible,” said Mahaplumber. “Those are… ghost stories. Fiction.”

“Someone able to take your powers definitely sounds like a horror story,” added Yamini.

“Which is why we’ve always assumed it’s impossible,” responded Droneacharya. “Year after year, the world has looked - quietly - for that one ultra who can take the powers of others to strengthen themselves. Always looking, never finding, until we started to assume it’s impossible. And yet, why should we? Why assume that such an individual would announce their powers to the world - when it’s so much more convenient to quietly take those powers from weaker ultras in secret, while presenting yourself to the world as nothing more than an inventor?”

“How would that even work?” asked Vajyajyot. “I don’t mean the mechanics, but the first anyone heard of Belessar, he’d already built his first suit. That sounds like an inventor to me.”

“There is a gaping hole in the history of ‘Andrew Drake’ prior to 2080,” said Droneacharya. “Everyone assumes that Belessar hacked into various government records and changed his data, erased his social media presence, and other standard security precautions. What if he did more than that? What if he had, in fact, killed and taken the powers of a few other people, and he deleted the evidence they existed … as well as his past records?”

“He’s barely twenty,” said Vajyajyot. “He’d have to have done it as a child.”

Droneacharya fixed a stare at him. “He’s already shown that he can, in fact, grow taller in a short period of time. How difficult would it be for him to get access to a body-modification power?”

“You mean he might not be a child,” muttered Mahaplumber.

“He certainly doesn’t act like one. He talks, as an equal, to Army generals twice his nominal age, and wins their respect. He negotiates commercial deals with full authority as a shareholder of BAE-Dragonfly. He keeps a cool head in battle and leads troops and ultras into the teeth of enemy fire. Does this sound like a nineteen-year-old to you?”

“Meaning he could be older,” said Dandadev. “Much older.”

“Smart, ruthless, and able to steal people’s powers,” Droneacharya continued. “And the reason no-one has complained, or claimed that he ‘took’ their powers … well. You know the statistics - one ultra for every ten thousand people, and less than thirty per cent of people with powers establish any sort of public persona.”

“He could have stolen from dozens of ultras,” Vajrajyot murmured. “Hundreds.”

“And now he’s here, in India,” Droneacharya went on. “Which raises a question - why would an American ultra care to stay here, in Mumbai, when he could do his research just as easily from London?”

“The Home Minister thinks it’s for the money.”

“Even you don’t believe that, Twinsight,” Yamini pointed out.

“He’s already a muti-millionaire,” pointed out Droneacharya. “And, if no-one has come forward claiming that Belessar ‘stole’ their powers - there’s only one reason that would happen. They didn’t survive the process.”

“This is sounding more and more like a horror movie,” Vajrajyot commented. “But that doesn’t explain why he’s in India.”

“My thesis, ladies and gentlemen, is fairly simple. India leads the world in two things. The world’s largest population - and the world’s slowest criminal justice system.”

“You mean….” Vajyajyot’s voice trailed off. “He’s not here for Aerovascar. He’s here to sniff out promising ultras - and to harvest them.”

“Bringing their powers under his control. And therefore, bringing them to bear on his enemies - including the Heirarchy.”

“One point six billion people means one hundred and sixty thousand ultras,” Vajyrajyot said. “We have less than five thousand publicly known ….”

“And even that is a stretch. Imagine the feast for a power thief. And, conversely, imagine the difficulty involved in taking him down.”

“But we’re going to have to, right?” Vajyajyot cast a look around the table. “Right?”

“No. We are not going to get into a confrontation with Belessar.”

“But…”

Dandadev slammed his hand on the table. “When he speaks, you listen. Understood?”

“Thank you, Dandadev,” Droneacharya nodded and walked back to the chair. “Let us remember two things. One, Belessar will be on the guard for an ambush, especially after the last time. He doubtless has many other, hidden abilities - I am doubtful if all of us working together would so much as slow him down. Two - he is not our priority. Our country is.”

Vajyajyot swallowed, distinctly uncomfortable. “But we can’t just let him… hunt.”

“Given his known capabilities, we aren’t in a position to stop him. And, conversely, we should consider his intentions. He has been active in the fight against the aliens, securing a degree of success that virtually no other ultrahuman ever has…. and if he’s using the powers of those who stand aside to do so, then perhaps it is for the greater good.” Droneacharya paused for effect. “A necessary evil, as it were. Does that sound familiar?”

Uncomfortable silence reigned across the table.

“My own interactions with Belessar were quite revealing,” the inventor continued. “He agreed, you see, to provide laser weaponry for my drones.”

A sharp intake of breath from Yamini. “He agreed?”

“At the low, low price of supporting him - and the Stratospheric Guard, of course - in future alien defences. Naturally, I did not reveal to him the exact number of drones at my disposal.”

“How many do you have, anyway?” 

Droneacharya smiled. “Fourteen million drones. All large enough to carry a small laser rifle.”

“Then we are ready,” said Mahaplumber. “Once you have the lasers equipped, that is.”

“The last roadblock to our agenda,” agreed Droneacharya. “Of course, it will take time to build the lasers and equip the drones - but once I get my hands on a workable technology, we should be ready to move in six months.”

“And what of the government response?”

“I have that covered,” Twinsight replied. “Once Droneacharya moves, I will be in a position to advise Chowdhury not to act. He won’t know what’s happening until the drone armies break through his door.”

“What about Belessar?” asked Vajrajyot. “Is it possible he could interfere?”

“He made it clear that our internal politics was not his problem,” said Droneacharya. “If things go well, he should be back in London by the time we are ready to move. However, I don’t intend to leave it to chance.”

“But you said we don’t have a chance to fight him.”

“Luckily, there’s more than one way to skin a cat,” chuckled the inventor. “Belessar is faithfully loyal to those he considers his allies. The perfect example being Agni, who he befriended despite her reputation as a terrorist - and her almost attacking his home, apparently. Yet, once she was his ally, he went to great lengths to protect and shield her. So I intend for the League of Reform - or rather, its individual members - to become good friends with Belessar.”

“That’s… a stretch,” muttered Mahaplumber. “Some of us don’t have the kind of powers that help in alien battles - not to mention their lack of predictability.”

“My drones will make up for that. I intend to put a thousand at the disposal of Belessar.”

“Only a thousand?” Yamini smirked.

“No sense in tipping our hand too far, after all. A few battles with my drones at his back - and, perhaps, your personal intervention, Yamini and Vajyajyot - and he should count us as allies.”

“Do you intend to bring him into the mission?” asked Dandadev.

Droneacharya shook his head. “India is for Indians alone to deal with. As long as he stays out of the operation - and doesn’t object afterwards - we should be fine.”

“We might even get a public endorsement out of him,” suggested Twinsight. “After all, the true sin Agni committed in the eyes of the world was to effect a regime change - and that didn’t matter to Belessar.”

“Then it’s decided,” Droneacharya’s tone was firm. “We will work to strengthen our forces, to build a working positive relationship with Belessar. And once the plague is dealt with, and Belessar has returned to London, we will take control and consign Narayanswamy, Chowdhury and their ilk to the dustbin of history.”