Corrupted Courage Chapter 6

For a moment, I thought he might yell. I thought he would shout, scream, blow up. I almost wanted him to. I wanted to shatter his perfect mask of calm like that crystal glass.

But he only shook his head and sighed, as though I had failed a test.

“Maisie, Maisie, Maisie. I’ve done so much for you,” he chided, gesturing at my body as though I was supposed to be grateful for the hideous costume, “and this is how you repay me?”

I bolted to my feet, letting my chair crash to the ground behind me.

“How I repay you? How about how you repay me? ‘Cause so far, I’ve given you everything I have, and all you’ve given me is empty promises!”

“Empty promises?” The mayor tipped his head to the side, “Maisie, I have always intended to fulfill what I’ve promised you. But you must understand the kind of pressure I’m under right now.”

“You’re under pressure,” I half shrieked, a note of hysteria in my voice. The mayor missed my sarcasm.

“I know it may seem hard to believe, that someone as powerful and successful as myself could be facing such difficulties, but I’ve been faring worse and worse in public opinion polls since the last election,” Mayor Harris spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness, “I know this is difficult to hear, but I simply must secure my own political survival before I can help anyone else.”

I said nothing. The mayor took my silence as an invitation to continue.

“It’s a tough world out there, Maisie. Perhaps you’re too young to understand, but sometimes a man must take care of his own needs before he worries about others. It’s just the way it is.”

“My mother is dying.” I slammed a fist on the polished surface of the desk, pain sprouting from my hand and blooming up my arm like a weed. “She doesn’t have until the next election. You promised me medical treatment for her!”

“And she’ll get it, and well before the next election,” The mayor gave a little chuckle, as though my objections were a child’s whining to be dismissed out of hand, “We just need to gather enough public support to ensure the administration’s success. The plan should be complete by the annual Novus Day celebration.”

The Novus Day festival, a yearly celebration of the founding of Novus City, was always one of the highlights of the year, and an opportunity for one of the mayor’s extravagant political stunts. Last year’s had been a parade of colorful floats and confetti that littered the streets for months afterward. The year before that had been a fireworks display that made my little sister hide under the bed with her fingers in her ears. Whatever form the festivities took, they were always accompanied by a booming brass band playing the City’s anthem on repeat.

“What does the festival have to do with me?” I asked. “I’m a superhero. What are you going to do, put me on a parade float?”

A slow smile spread across the mayor’s face like poisoned honey. “Oh no, Maisie Dear. Your role will be much more . . . active. A superhero is not a hero without someone to save, after all.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, “Nobody needs saving from a celebration, unless it’s from your taste in music.”

Mayor Harris ignored my petty jab, that sickening smile remaining plastered to his face.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about any of that, Maisie, I have people who take care of that sort of thing. You just focus on doing your job.”

A growing sense of horror was blooming in the pit of my stomach like a poisonous flower.

“What do you mean?” I asked again, “People who take care of that? What are you going to do, stage an attack?”

The mayor said nothing. I stumbled back, feeling shards of glass crunch under my boots.

“Oh my god, you are! You’re going to stage an attack on the festival!”

“Maisie, Maisie, Maisie,” The mayor soothed with a patronizing gentleness that made me want to retch, “you knew all along that this was all about theatrics, about pageantry. Why are you so upset?”

“Why am I upset? You’re going to hire terrorists to attack innocent people!”

“First of all, they aren’t terrorists, they are private military contractors. Now if you’ll please sit down and let me explain, you’ll see that my plan is perfectly reasonable.”

If I could kill with a glare, the mayor would have been dead on the floor.

Despite my misgivings,I righted the chair I had knocked over and slouched into it. Mayor Harris folded his hands on his desk at looked at me solemnly.

“Maisie, as I explained to you before, it’s a tough world out there,” the mayor began, “and more than just tough, it’s dangerous. You need to understand that there are people out there who are violent. People who want to bring destruction, an chaos to Novus City.”

“People like you,” I interrupted. “The only threat I’ve seen to Novus City so far is you.”

“Don’t be silly, Maisie. No one cares more about the well being of this fair city more than me.”

“Then why hire people to attack it?” I demanded.

“Because, Maisie, people need to understand. Our safety, our prosperity, our very way of life is under attack from every direction. And, Maisie, people have allowed it to happen. They’ve become complacent and lazy. Their values have become weak, diluted.”

“As fascinating as this is, I didn’t come here for a philosophy lecture. What I want is an explanation for why you think staging a terrorist attack is a good idea.”

“Patience, Maisie. Give me time to finish.” Mayor Harris sighed as though I were being childish. “The people need a strong authority during these troubled times. Someone who can guide them, protect them, someone who will keep them safe and ensure their future. But the people don’t understand this. They need a reminder of how dangerous the world is. That’s all this is. A reminder.”

“And once they’re reminded?” I asked, my voice shaking, “What then?”

“More funding for law enforcement, better surveillance. Increased government oversight. In short, a more secure world. All I want is to keep people safe,” the mayor promised warmly. This was what made the mayor such a successful politician. Even when he was feeding you a load of horseshit, he almost made you believe it was a gourmet meal. That’s how persuasive he could be.

“You understand, right Maisie?” The mayor continued, extending a stubby fingered hand towards me as though begging me to see reason. His diamond pinky ring winked up at me like it was in on the plot. “What we are doing is teaching people. We’re showing them the way.”

“This isn’t showing anyone the way, this is scaring them into obedience,” I hissed. “How many people are going to get hurt to keep you in power?”

The mayor sat back in his chair, disappointed that he hadn’t swayed me to his cause. His grey eyes were cold.

“The number of fatalities, my dear, depends entirely on how well you do your job.”

“I won’t go along with this,” I bit out. “This is wrong!”

“Wrong, right, it’s all a matter of perspective,” the mayor replied serenely. “The question is not whether it’s wrong or right, but whether it’s worth your mother’s life.”

If I were a real hero, I would have made the noble choice. I would have sacrificed one life for the lives of many. Better yet, I would have found a way not to compromise. I’d have saved my mother and the city, done my duty to my family and my city. A real hero wouldn’t let this happen.

But real heroes had real power. Sure, I could shoot a few sparks, but in Novus City, being different was as good as a death sentence. The days when people with abnormal abilities were celebrated were over. Call it mercy or call it greed, it was the mayor’s whim that had kept me from being dissected in a lab. The power lay with him.

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be the hero the city needed; it was too much to ask. I couldn’t save the city. I couldn’t stand up for what was right; I couldn’t even stand up for myself. All I could do was save my family. All I could do was survive.

I leaned back in my chair, matching the mayor’s slouch.

“What would you have me do next, sir?”

The mayor smiled. “Good girl”, he murmured. “I knew you would see reason.”

“I’ll go along with your plan, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let you walk all over me,” I countered. “My mother is too sick to work. If you won’t pay her medical expenses, at least you can make sure we don’t end up on the streets.”

The mayor cocked his head to one side, considering. “I think that’s reasonable. I’ll have Bates take care of the rent on your apartment.”

We needed more than rent, and the mayor knew it. He just wanted to see me beg. I swallowed my pride and reminded myself who I was doing this for.

“We’ll need money for food as well,” I confessed. “And utilities.”

Mayor Harris furrowed his brow. “Don’t you have any savings, any investments to fall back on?”

“My mother worked for near minimum wage,” I said. “We barely had enough to pay the bills.”

The mayor shook his head and clicked his tongue as though this were some personal failing of my mother’s character. I gritted my teeth so hard my jaw ached.

“Very well. I’ll have an allowance of money transferred to your account. Shall we say, 5,000 credits?”

5,000 credits was more than my mother made in months. It might not be enough for her surgery, but at least we wouldn’t have to worry about having enough to eat for the next few months. A traitorous rush of gratitude swept through me.

“Thank you, sir,” I murmured, feeling pathetic as I said it. 

The mayor smiled at me indulgently. “You’re very welcome, Maisie. I’ll contact you in a few weeks with your next mission.”

I nodded and rose painfully from my chair. Outside the mayor’s office, Bates was waiting for me, looking especially smug. I suspected he’d been eavesdropping on my conversation with the mayor.

Normally, the thought of him hearing me begging for money like a pauper would have filled me with rage and embarrassment, but by then I was too tired to care. I kept my mouth shut and silently began the long, stumbling walk back to the surface.

As I limped painfully up the slanted hallway, I imagined that I was a ghost of a girl escaping from the underworld. Above ground, my family was waiting for me in the land of the living. I only hoped that I could look them in the eye as I rose to meet them.