What happened over the next several days was a worldwide shitshow. Mayfair was taken down by law enforcement and many of its top members, along with several co-conspirators within the Department of Homeland Security, were charged with crimes and eventually went to jail. The information that Mayfair had collected on Quantums was supposedly sealed, but it was all swiftly leaked to the public anyways – and they really didn’t have much more on living Quantums, as they had already killed all the ones they could.
My identity was never leaked, however – H said he had a conversation with a few people, pointing out how mind-blowingly self-destructive that would be. Apparently my last public appearance had made quite the impression.
I had assumed that the world would be obsessing over me, given what I last did, and I was in the news here and there, people guessing what I would do next, or what I considered justice. A whole lot of people denounced me in the name of freedom – but a not small percentage seemed to think that maybe I could do a lot of good, not in spite of my methodology but because of it.
Government officials, especially American, regularly got questions about what they were going to do about a citizen who had murdered a man live in front of the world, and at first I didn’t notice the pattern, but after the fifth or so time I had to laugh. It always went something like this:
Reporter: “The Arbiter executed Mr Saxon-Waite in front of the world. He obviously is unconcerned about the United States government being able to visit any consequences on him, and he will likely continue unless stopped. How does the US government plan to stop this vigilante, who can’t be killed?”
Official: “Make no mistake, we are a country of laws, and we respect and insist on the rule of law. No one is above the law, no one at all. We are looking into a range of options to bring citizens both Quantum and non together in one cohesive community of hope.”
Reporter: “But what about the Arbiter?”
Official: “I think I’ve answered your question.”
And so on. Officials never mentioned my name, never threatened me directly, never called me to account personally – not Republicans, not Democrats, no one.
I’m not proud of this, but I thought the situation was wildly amusing.
But other things were happening too that crowded me off the hourly news cycle. Many more Quantums were “coming out” – or being outed – with the media bestowing upon them “codenames” if they didn’t choose one for themselves: the Weatherman, the Eel, Black Cross, Cthon, Shattergirl, the Mimic, Presto, Sandman, Water Woman, and Chaotica to name a few. And the public appetite for Quantum information was insatiable.
Quantums became the new celebrities, whether they wanted to or not. People began referring to non-Quantums as Naturals, or “Nats” for short – although as a private joke, some said the “g” in “Nats” had gone from being silent to being invisible.
A few Quantums learned the wrong lesson from me and declared themselves above the law before using their abilities against the “inferior” Nats. However, between the good Quantums like Glory and the not inconsiderate power law enforcement could still bring to bear, so far those few were either dead, in custody, or in the wind.
It was a new time for the world, equally promising and unsettling. Humanity now lived in its own superhero reality show, but where that would lead and how it all would ultimately work out, no one knew. We all, Quantums and Nats alike, knew we were living in a transitionary time – but a transition to what, the world waited to see. In the meanwhile everyone tried to find and adjust to the new normal.
I pretty much laid low, staying out of the limelight for now. H and I did invite Professor Lund to the secret “Advisory Board” we had talked about. We invited Glory too, but she declined by email. I was going to need my Board soon, as lying low was almost over, and I had to figure out what came next. There were all the dangerous Quantums we knew of to be found and dealt with as well as decisions to be made concerning how I wanted to begin making the world a better place, despite the resistance to change and the defiance of autonomy. We had a lot to talk about.
It was the night before our first Board meeting, around a week after I had dispatched Archangel. I stayed mostly in my newly acquired private apartment, watching the news and taking notes for tomorrow’s portentous conversation. I really hadn’t expected such a strangely dressed individual to materialize across from my position on the couch, lounging on my recliner.
He was of medium height with a runner’s physique, dressed in a tight jester’s costume, covered in red and black diamonds, some of which were solid and others which were clusters of four smaller diamonds. He had one black shoe and one red shoe – as well as one red glove and one black glove on opposite sides from the same color shoe.
He wore a Venetian style eye-mask in gold, red, and black, continuing the motif, that left the lower half of his face from his nose down exposed. The top of the mask extended upward in several long semi-triangular red and black points with golden piping, curving back over his head.
He turned his head and looked at me, smiling widely.
“Hi, I’m Domino.” he said in a happy, upbeat tone. “I’ve been looking for you for some time. We’re going to be best friends – I’m your new Jiminy Cricket, you see – your bud! Got any beer?”
And since I couldn’t see his soul, I knew him for a Quantum.
I held my head in my hands and whimpered.