The Prince of Astoria-Chapter 89: LXXXIX - The DJ (Part 1)

The next day...

Etienne swung his sword repeatedly below the singular fir tree in his backyard. He visualized fighting multiple opponents, and blocked, dodged and struck according to that.

"This is so frustrating," Etienne thought to himself, "I have no leads on the Dark Pattern’s whereabouts, and even though I just ran into them, I have no leads on the Black Company either."

Etienne let off a powerful swing that whistled through the air.

"It’s still so interesting to me. The Black Company. The Dark Pattern. Despite the similarities in their names, the two groups could not be more different. The Dark Pattern are largely powerless, and they seek to use their platform to show other powerless people how to be proactive and fight for what they want. Do for self."

Etienne dodged back, leaping several feet with one step.

"The Black Company are not only the exact opposite, they almost seem like the natural enemies of the Dark Pattern. They have extraordinary power, greater than most meta humans, and they use it to harm, extort and kill.

As Etienne stood in the backyard, Gabe approached him hesitantly.

Etienne glanced at him, continuing his training, "What’s up Gabe? You look tense."

Gabe silently handed Etienne a letter and watched Etienne’s expression. Etienne looked at the plain, featureless white envelope. The letters "MB" scribbled on were the only thing that broke up the endless white.

Etienne looked down at the envelope, then back up at Gabe.

"When did this get here? Did it come in the mail?" Etienne questioned.

Gabe shook his head, "It was in the mailbox, but it didn’t come in the mail. I have all of our mail and packages going to a PO Box in town, I don’t want a mailman driving up while you’re coming home from a mission or something."

Etienne groaned, "Someone is always sneaking around here and dropping stuff off. We need better security, Gabe. Camera, sensor, the whole nine."

Etienne slowly tore open the envelope. He thought to himself, "Could this be from my family in New York? MB...maybe cousin Michael? But why wouldn’t it be with the rest of our mail?"

"MB...I think it could be one of your family members," Gabe commented, "They sent a flood of letters when they thought you perished in that plane crash. I read one of them, it was so sad and morbid that it made me cry. I vowed to not read anymore of them."

Etienne pulled a handwritten letter out of the envelope and read it slowly. His eyes widened as he scanned the lines.

"If you don’t step in, somebody will die at this event. Stop Derrick the DJ and Inez Agreha. Don’t let Team Wet complete their Kill List. And sorry for the short notice. Couldn’t slip away until now."

Below that, was a flyer for an event being held downtown. In big neon letters were the words: Featuring: Derrick the DJ and DJ Digit, along with Derrick and Inez standing side by side.

At the bottom of the note read, "P.S. I saw you by the cars yesterday. I was in the Jeep."

At very bottom, it was signed, "MB."

Etienne looked at Gabe in shock and murmured, "It’s...Mechaboy. He saw me. He was with the Black Company yesterday, parked outside of Julian Mason’s event, and he saw me."

Gabe sucked his teeth, "So Alex joined the Black Company? That’s a terrible shame. But worse than that, he knows all about us. Who we are, where we live. Perhaps we should consider moving...at least temporarily..."

Etienne shot a look at Gabe, "Gabe, he is not a traitor. He didn’t just switch sides. He’s a double agent. He must be. That’s why he sent this letter!"

Gabe shook his head, "From what I’ve researched, it’s uncommon but not rare for heroes to switch sides or become vigilantes. I think we need to consider the possibility that he may have truly become a villain..."

Etienne sheathed his blade and approached his big brother. He crossed his arms, "Why Gabe? Why would he do that? And if he did, why would he send this letter?"

Gabe shrugged his shoulders, "I don’t know Eti. I’m not in his head. It could be a trap, trying to use your previous relationship as teammates to lure you into an ambush. And as for why, I think that’s a little more obvious. Traumatic moments can change people forever. You should know that better than anyone."

Etienne grimaced, looking down at the perfectly manicured grass below his feet.

Gabe continued, "After Isaac almost killed him, maybe he decided he doesn’t want to risk his life as a hero. The capitol attack probably acted into that as well. Can you blame him? I mean, you pretty much made the same decision, didn’t you?"

Etienne gritted his teeth, "No, I didn’t. I left the INHO because they’re shady an they authorized Senshi Sentinel to attack and almost kill me. At least, according to Senshi Sentinel they authorized it. I haven’t heard any evidence to the contrary. Either way, it’s not the same. I didn’t join up with villains who terrorize and kill people."

Gabe pinched his forehead, "You’re missing the point Etienne. I’m not trying to doubt your decision, and I’m not here to bash and demonize Alex for his. I’m just saying you two are similar. There’s common ground. Do you remember when we first moved back into the mansion, years ago after we left your aunt and uncle’s place?"

Etienne nodded slowly and whispered, "Yeah, I remember."

Gabe looked back at the grand mansion, standing tall and proud, "Do you remember when you locked yourself in the library for weeks at a time, surrounded by books talking about magic and mysticism and vampires and werewolves and all the strange things in the world? What would you have wanted someone to say to you then?"

Etienne’s mouth opened slightly, "Gabe, I—"

Gabe cut him off, "No, listen. I need to know. What could someone have said that would have stopped you from going down this path that’s almost lead to your death multiple times?"

Etienne shrugged his shoulders, "I don’t know Gabe. Probably nothing. I feel like you said almost everything to me back then, all the encouraging words and all the affirmations, and it still wasn’t enough."

"Then tell me, why are you doubting yourself now? The quest for power and vegenance, why does it feel more dull now? Don’t think I did’t hear you on the phone with Mr. Patel yesterday, asking him that hypothetical. Or in the car with me. I know you’re finally doubting this bloody revenge thing you’ve been hellbent on since before you ever got on that plane. Why?"

Etienne pursed his lips together, and stared at the letter for a little longer beofore putting it back in the envelope and shoving it into Gabe’s chest.

"I need to finish my conditioning so I can be ready for this event tonight. I don’t know exactly what a kill list is, but I’m not letting anyone innocent die. See if you can find any information on Derrick or Inez for me, Gabe. Let’s meet in my room in thirty minutes."

____________________________________________________________

30 minutes later...

Etienne scrounged through his closet looking for something to wear.

"No, no...not that, not that either..." He sighed, "Quarter zips and random outfits out of my closet are find for quick excursions and bus trips, but to fight meta humans on the Black Company’s level I need something more durable. Otherwise I might as well fight naked."

Gabe sat on the edge of the bed with a large box sitting in his lap, staring at Etienne.

"Is Derrick really that tough? I remember when you fought him with the rest of GoGo’s executives, he didn’t give you much trouble, did he?"

Etienne paused his clothing search and turned towards Etienne.

"The last six months since then has been a whirlwind. There are a lot of lingering things that I want to talk about or look into, but I don’t have the time. For example, I was just researching it a few nights ago, and I can’t believe the King and Queen of Esoterica, King SuperDan and Magdalene Magnificent are aware of my presence. They are incredibly famous, and some of the strongest meta humans in the world. And they know about me?"

Etienne hung his head and closed his closet door, "This is pointless. I’m not going to find anything to wear."

He sat down on the bed next to Gabe and laid back, "I get the gist of how his ability works from the first time I fought him, but were you able to find any extra info? Especially on Inez..."

Gabe opened his phone and rested it on top of the box, "Of all the people you’ve faced so far, Derrick is the most documented person by far. He’s a bonafide celebrity, touring around the world, doing TV interviews, everything. And Inez isn’t too far behind him."

Etienne shook his head in approval, "Good. Then tell me what you know."

Gabe smiled. He set the large box down at his feet and held his phone in both hands, "We’ll start with Derrick..."