25th February
15:21 GMT -5
"Good afternoon,
Mister Waddill.
"
"Ah…"
The elderly parapsychic looks up from his park bench a little nervously. Honestly, I'm a little surprised that he's still alive. Parapsychics in a society with little to no magic knowledge generally get overwhelmed with their own visions and… Either go insane or kill themselves to stop the visions. Even the better psychiatric hospitals, the ones whose staff know the techniques telepaths can use to control their contact with other people's minds, can't help. Parapsychic readings aren't blocked by mnemonics or mental discipline, either from the user or the target. Parapsychics can't help each other; if anything, having other parapsychics around makes things worse.
And yet, Mr Waddill is in his eighties, and apparently in rude health. I only know about him because Alan mentioned him in relation to my own work at Belle Reve; a supervillain who actually went straight and stayed there. Possibly that had something to do with him not having had anything to do with any sort of supervillain fraternity or with him not having gone to prison. Hardly anyone knew who he was, and so he could still get legitimate employment.
He'd be a fascinating case study if-.
His wife orientates her head in my approximate direction. "Who is it, Johnny?"
Nervousness blossoms into a
pantomime of panic as he gestures to her. She's blind so can't immediately identify me, but she
probably doesn't know about his brief fling with supervillainy many decades ago and I doubt that he's told her.
I'd
criticise him, but…
I mean, I told
Jade.
"Ah, sorry. My name is-
"
"Paul."
"-and I'm the.. former apprentice of an old business colleague of your husband's.
"
"I didn't realise that..
Mister Green still talked about me."
"It came up in conversation. I've developed.. business relationships with a few people similar to the one he had with you. And on that subject, I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me-?
"
"I'm not.. involved in that…" He shakes his head emphatically. "Sort of work any more. I've been retired a very long time. I'm really not sure I can help."
I shrug.
"It's my money to waste, right?
"
I glance at his wife. The scars across her face where the belt destroyed her eyes are faded but visible. I seem to have been running into my caring cap rather a lot lately as far as healing goes. On the other hand, Mr Waddill is very good at his abandoned occupation and I.. do.. want to persuade him.
I extend a filament to his ears.
"I can also restore your wife's eyes as a signing-on bonus.
"
His eyes widen a fraction. I can see the conflicting impulses inside him, his
love for his wife and
boundless compassion for her condition warring with his
fear of discovery and of alienating her. I'm
fairly confident which way it's going to go-.
"I suppose it is. I'm kind of busy
now, but if you give me your number we can set something up later."
"Thank you, Mister Waddill. I assure you, you won't regret it.
"
25th February
17:01 GMT -6
Abra's eyes flicker as he considers my proposal. Literally flicker, his implant uses his optic nerve rather than plugging directly into his visual cortex. Given his array of implants and his burgeoning use of subtle sorcery, I can't be
completely sure what he's using them for.
He blinks and gives his head a small shake, the flickering fading. "Why are you asking
me?"
"Supervillainy never made much sense to me. The way I see-.
"
"'If you have the power to do it, you have the power to make more money legally', yes. Leonard mentioned it. In my own case it was never about financial reward."
"Right! See, I'm having to come up with a 'villain', and they can't have financial motivations because that would be
stupid, so you're
exactly the sort of person who can help me.
"
"I… See." He glances in the direction of the room's concealed camera. "You understand that I have no desire to fight the Justice League in reality."
I flare my eyes for a moment.
"Now, we both know that's not
exactly true.
"
"
On balance, I stand to lose too much to… Indulge myself."
"Better. But planning something out and hearing about the results in a way that doesn't risk your parole and won't hurt anyone?
"
"I.. suppose."
"One of the other guys I've got working on it once broke into the headquarters of the Justice Society and looted their trophy room. If his mental condition didn't require him to precisely follow the steps of the
last man to try that, he'd have got out before Green Lantern could have caught him.
"
Abra manages a disinterested frown. "How did he do that?"
"He's a parapsychic. He has a particular affinity for the thoughts and abilities of criminals. Meaning that if you work together face to face he'll be able to think
exactly like you.
"
Abra gives the idea a small smile. "I suppose it's one way to get intelligent conversation."
"Or anyone else in here, which we'll have to be a bit careful about.
"
He nods. "This could be an interesting challenge. Who else is involved in the planning?"
26th February
02:37 GMT +8
"Yes." / "Yes."
I regard Thaddeus and Georgia a little nervously.
"You do both understand that this is a
wargame, yes? We're trying to upskill the League in preparation for the fight with the sheeda. You can't do anything permanently disabling.
"
Thaddeus rolls his eyes. "
Yes, we
know. We have this conversation with Tia and Mom every week."
Georgia smiles as she considers the idea in more detail.
"Along with contributing our villainous insight, we could
also create status trackers to virtualise their injuries. And since the conflict should ideally be double-blind, we could design it to record the results of their investigations and pass along information they uncover."
"Or incorrect information, if they mess something up.
"
"Or to you, if they outsmart you. I assume that you're taking the role of primary antagonist?"
"With everything else that I've done, I think it would be a bit unfair if they didn't get a chance to take a swing at me. Thank you both for agreeing to join in.
"
Thaddeus shrugs. "Dad never let us have a go at Marvel on our own. This way, we get to go after Marvel and all his friends without even doing anything
wrong!"
I wince, and he thinks for a moment.
"Too much?"
"Little bit.
"
