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In chapter 3: Radiance and Corridor head out on an assignment. And the trio receives a threat from Headquarters.
Confidential: For Defenders of the Light internal circulation only
Corridor
Age: 24
Age of power manifestation: 14
Civilian identity: Riku Miyano
Hero type: Elemental/spatial
Power set: Corridor opens what have been termed “dark corridors,” which serve as doorways from one point in space to another. The corridors must be traversed: it does not open an immediate portal or doorway from one place to another, but the distance between entrance and exit points is greatly reduced. The way the distance scales is not perfectly consistent, but one test found that crossing the length of the city took approximately 50 seconds. Corridor must have been to the place he is attempting to travel to, suggesting that his conception of a place is part of what allows the passage to be opened. He can bring other people with him through these passageways.
Profile: Corridor’s powers manifested at 14 and his family immediately brought him to the Defenders of the Light for training. He may have known Keyblade prior to this, as they came together to the Defenders of the Light. He served as a member of the team for a few years without incident, though at age 16 became a villain during the Heartless Crisis. He was brought back to the Defenders of the Light, and it is believed that his past mistakes are genuinely behind him. Has close friendships and most frequently partners with Keyblade and Radiance.
Radiance ran down the neighborhood street, dodging overgrown landscaping and uneven bits of sidewalk. Glancing to the left proved that Corridor was keeping good pace with her on the other side of the street. He could have used a dark corridor to jump ahead, but their current target was a human thief, fleeing on foot after he’d been caught stealing packages off of porches. No need to bring out the real powers just yet.
“Why do idiots like this ever think they’ll get away with it?” Corridor’s voice came clearly through the speaker in her ear.
“Who knows? Think he’s new in town?” She carefully controlled her voice to ensure there wasn’t even a hint that she was breathing heavily. She could keep up this pace for a long time, and wasn’t winded in the slightest. Unfortunately the cut on her side was still pulling uncomfortably, and a wrong breath could draw all the wrong kind of headlines. She didn’t have any desire to read a flurry of ‘local heroine out of shape?’ thinkpieces.
Corridor’s answering laugh was rich and drew a smile out on her own face. “We could introduce him around.”
“At the very least we’ll give him a reminder of how to be a polite neighbor.”
They were gaining steadily on their target at this point. The houses to either side were on slightly raised terraces, providing no easy alternate routes, just funneling them straight ahead.
Another half of a block, and an alleyway opened up on Radiance’s side of the street, the tall brick houses on either side leaving a gap too narrow for cars, but just wide enough for a person to run through. Their thief tried to do just that, and Radiance saw Corridor make a sharp gesture as he ran, a dark portal opening ahead of him, and vanishing as he ran through.
She rounded the corner into the alleyway just in time to see his reappearance. He’d certainly had plenty of time and practice to perfect the dramatic flair of a good reentrance. She actually almost felt bad for this and any other prospective criminal: being faced with a portal of deep black opening in the space ahead, a tall, black-masked man stepping through it. Corridor’s costume, combined with his naturally-unnatural looks could have strayed toward vampiric, but the fitted black jacket and pants managed a much more modern look. It was still extremely menacing, and made it clear why Corridor was so good at treading the anti-hero line.
It was comical the way the man they’d been pursuing backpedaled, almost cartoonish in the attempt to halt his momentum.
Radiance snapped her fingers, letting a shower of sparks from her direction flash into the target’s face as he attempted to turn. It didn’t do any damage, but the bright flash was disorienting as hell, and he fell hard to his knees onto the damp ground with a squawk.
Corridor was the one to actually apprehend the man, pulling him up from the ground and pulling his arms back into a secure hold.
“And cut! Nicely done, all. Hold for the next scene,” the call came in through her earpiece. Corridor let go of their ‘criminal’ and flashed her a thumbs up, having gotten the same message.
“Done in one long take. Not too bad,” she said, offering her hand to shake hands with the actor who’d been playing their target.
“Pleasure to be captured by you,” he answered with a grin.
“Cop cars approaching,” came the warning over the earpiece.
Corridor grabbed the man again, bodily hauling him out of the alley entrance and back to the street, to film the ‘handoff’ where they turned him over to the mundane police.
That was also managed in a single take, and then everyone went their separate ways; the cops back to their duties, the actor to get paid, and Corridor and Radiance onto a real patrol.
“Do we ever face criminals that normal outside of these little films?” Corridor asked, as the pair walked together toward a commercial district.
She shrugged. “I’m not sure how many people are foolish enough to risk that kind of thing on Hero-patrolled streets.” She managed to keep a grimace off her face at how pithy that had sounded. That clip was probably destined for multiple local broadcasts about crime prevention. Without Corridor’s prior comment, of course.
Most of the footage the Defenders of the Light released was actual footage from patrols and real altercations. However, they periodically filmed them in fully scripted events like the one today, and they certainly didn’t want to advertise that any of their stories were entirely made up.
Radiance wasn’t terribly fond of these particular ‘episodes,’ but she understood why Headquarters had the Heroes perform them. Sometimes it was to address particular kinds of crime that they hoped to deter, like so-called porch piracy, sometimes it was just to pad slow news days.
They’d reached the commercial district. A few people smiled and waved as they passed. Heroes were a common enough sight on the streets that they weren’t often mobbed by fans, but they still attracted notice.
“Should we get a better vantage point?” Corridor asked, offering his hand.
Radiance took it with a smile, and he pulled them both through a dark doorway. The immediate vertigo subsided quickly as they stepped out onto the roof of one of the buildings they’d passed.
The two of them standing near the edge of the roof probably looked very dramatic and heroic, Riku’s all-black sharp silhouette contrasting with the white, pink, and gold of her costume. She hoped the Defenders of the Light were getting some B-roll footage for the piece they’d just filmed.
She scanned the street below them, looking for anywhere the pattern of pedestrians faltered, knots that could signify brewing fights or other altercations. They didn’t have to get involved with every bickering couple or heated exchange of words, but they would intercede if things got physical. Heroes couldn’t be everywhere at once, but just knowing that sometimes they could help made a difference.
Corridor stepped even closer, shoulder brushing hers. She smiled up at him and he reached over to adjust a strand of hair that had come loose and was drifting in front of her mask. She revised her hope that they were being filmed; instead, she wished they could speak without being recorded.
They heard a distant shout, not from the street they’d been watching, but from the opposite direction. Behind the buildings, or maybe the next block over.
Both of them were off at a run, whatever unspoken things they wished they could say forgotten for the moment.
One leap from the first rooftop to the next, and they found the source of the scream: a teenage girl. Three Shadow Heartless bobbed and shifted around her, backing her farther into a corner between a vacant store and a chain-link fence surrounding a parking lot. But even as they watched, more Shadows materialized out of the ground around her, bubbling up from anywhere natural shadows fell.
Radiance leapt down to her rescue, judging a spot she could land from the single-story roof without hurting herself, and trusting Corridor to do the same.
The Heartless were a familiar target, and her light powers were decidedly not useless against them. One bright arc of light sliced from her hand outward, cutting one of the Shadows in half, and it disintegrated.
Then Corridor was there, a long knife drawn and at the ready. The Heartless refocused on them, and the girl was able to run, a breathless “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” following her as she ran for her car in the lot.
Once she was safely away, Radiance turned her full attention to the small band of Heartless. “Hey creeps, looks like your easy prey got away. Guess you’ll have to try us!”
“Bring it!” Corridor shouted, with a rush at the center of the group, knife swinging out to cut through one of the figures.
As the Heartless attempted to mob him, Radiance threw out a fractured beam of light, zapping into several of them, and bringing some of their attention to her. Then they each had their own group to contend with.
She could have taken her group out a bit faster and more efficiently than she did, but she opted for a few showier blasts with her powers and a couple more acrobatic-looking dodges. She still cleared out her group before Corridor did, and fell back to play support in case he needed it.
She recognized he was doing the same thing she had, giving himself opportunities to show off his speed and flexibility, and she wouldn’t deprive him of that.
They came together to simultaneously destroy the final Heartless, Radiance sending a ray of light to dance and spark along Corridor’s knife, cutting through that final Shadow with a flare that she once again hoped would be caught on camera.
Corridor put up a hand and Radiance gave him a high-five. Both of them laughed a bit, coming down from the adrenaline of a good fight.
“Back to the roofs?” Corridor asked, and the pair continued their patrol.
The rest of the patrol was uneventful after the fight with the Heartless.
The report went more smoothly than the one the previous night. It wasn’t after midnight, and there were no injuries to report, and Heartless were so standard now as to be boring. It was a different assistant taking the information down, but she was equally anonymous, robotically running through the same questions.
“We appreciate you Defending the Light and making our city a safer place.”
Corridor and Radiance both stood up, accepting the standard dismissal, but the lab assistant cleared her throat. When Radiance glanced back, she said, “There’s been a small conference called. Both of you are to report to room 229.”
“What about?” Corridor asked.
“You’ll be informed once you arrive,” the woman said. “Please proceed directly there.”
He shrugged. “All right.”
Neither of them spoke as they navigated the antiseptic white hallways. The second mandatory activity Radiance had been called to after reporting, in less than 24 hours, when that kind of thing wasn’t particularly common. She didn’t want to speculate what they wanted this time.
Keyblade was waiting for them when they opened the door to the conference room.
“Hey, what are you doing here? Thought you were off today.” Corridor crossed the small room and clapped Keyblade on the shoulder before falling into the seat next to him.
“I thought so too. But I got word that Headquarters wanted me for an announcement, and I’ve been waiting for the two of you to get your lazy butts back here.”
“Says the one who wasn’t patrolling,” Radiance teased, quickly shoving aside a burst of anxiety that he’d been called to this meeting as well. She sank into the third seat. “We just finished our report.”
“How was today?”
“Some filming at the beginning, a group of Shadows later, all pretty ordinary,” Corridor answered.
Keyblade nodded and turned toward Radiance. “And how’s your side? Healing okay?”
“Not too bad. Just a little sore.”
Their opportunity for small talk was cut off as the door opened and Xehanort stepped in.
All three scrambled to their feet. Radiance resisted the urge to curtsey, even though her costume didn’t have the right kind of skirt for it.
“Sir,” Corridor said. Radiance was only slightly gratified that she wasn’t the only one who wasn’t quite sure what to do with him here.
Xehanort was the current head of the Defenders of the Light, overseeing all of the organization’s daily functions, from the surveillance and the press releases to the media, to its ongoing research. He’d started as a researcher, all but adopted by the Defenders of the Light’s previous leader, Ansem. Under Xehanort’s tenure, the organization had started to focus on superhuman abilities and how they manifested.
“Patrol went well today?” he asked, fixing his intense gaze on Corridor and Radiance in turn.
“Yes sir,” Radiance answered.
“Good. But it seems like all three of you could use a reminder that you are never to put forth hints about romantic connections between any of you, unless the Defenders of the Light direct you to do so.”
Radiance was taken aback. They knew that was the official position, of course, but for the head of the entire organization to feel the need to bring it up directly? It wasn’t like any of them were sneaking off of patrol to make out in a dark corner. They were all aware of the need to keep things professional.
“I’m sorry, sir?” Keyblade cut in, making his question obvious. “I wasn’t aware that we’d done anything that may have appeared… inappropriate.”
Xehanort pulled up an article on his tablet screen and showed it to them.
Radiance couldn’t read most of the text, but the headline was “‘Bladiance’ Romance heating up?” and she could see two images from her patrol with Keyblade the night before. One was Keyblade clasping Radiance’s arm, helping her up from the rubble of the bridge. The other was a slightly grainy image of them walking together down the stairs outside the Headquarters building, presumably after they’d finished their reports.
“And then, of course, Corridor felt the need to one-up that display.” Xehanort flicked his fingers across the screen and pulled up a new page.
This one was a lovely, high-definition still from that moment on the roof a couple hours back where Corridor had fixed a strand of Radiance’s hair.
Radiance bit her tongue to keep from saying something she shouldn’t. From a certain angle it might have looked like he cradled her face, but nothing more had happened. Keyblade had taken her arm to help her up. Corridor had brushed hair out of her face. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with that.
“Apologies, sir. It won’t happen again.” Corridor’s voice was cold and flat.
Radiance wanted to say something, though she wasn’t sure what, and she couldn’t seem to force any words out.
“Good. Now, I personally do not care what your feelings are out of costume. I am aware that you all have fanbases that hope for different things from you, and all three of you work well together. This is not about wishing to damage any of that. It’s in all of our best interests to keep the public interested in all three of you as individuals and as teammates.”
“We were told never to confirm or deny anything romantic,” Radiance said. “That was the advice from the marketing department.”
“And they were correct. None of you are in trouble.” Xehanort smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “This is merely a reminder. If the Defenders of the Light are forced to acknowledge a relationship, it will place limitations on what the organization can do with you. Some of those limitations may not be ones you would enjoy. We’re simply interested in what’s best for all of us.”
His voice softened just slightly. “I understand that this must be frustrating. But the Defenders of the Light are looking out for you. Perhaps someday it will not be a risk for you to… portray yourselves as you wish. But for now, we ask that you be mindful of the fact that we have a much better understanding of the market than you do. We have no desire to see you limit your potential.
“Radiance, Keyblade, you two are dismissed. Corridor, just a few more words, and then you’ll be free to go as well.”
Radiance and Keyblade waited, and Corridor joined them just a few minutes later. The fact that he was there meant they could leave Headquarters together without it being a “risk” that they be seen doing so.
He transported them all to the apartment, but none of them said anything for a bit, all changing out of their costumes, completing the transition from Heroic to civilian identities.
Kairi pulled up the tabloid article that Xehanort had shown them, wanting to read what it had actually said.
“Bladiance” Romance heating up?
It’s not exactly a typical walk in the park, but who would expect that for a pair of Superheroes?
Last night, a pair of local Heroes, Keyblade and Radiance, were seen patrolling Overland Park. While the night did reportedly end in a fight and some property damage to the Overland Park bridge, the pair spent a significant amount of time beforehand on their patrol together.
When Radiance was nearly injured, Keyblade helped her up, resulting in a touching moment between the two. Some would say that’s expected between any teammates, but others have read into it more. How much meaning can be inferred from the length of time two Heroes touch? Or the speed with which they react to threats to each other? At what point is something evidence of a deeper bond?
Sources also say the pair left the Defenders of the Light Headquarters together in the small hours of the morning, which is less typical of an average partnership. Records indicate that only Radiance required a visit to medical staff. Did Keyblade stay with her because he’s a caring work partner? Or a loving boyfriend?
Regardless of varying explanations, this adds to longstanding rumors of a romantic connection between the two. They certainly team up frequently enough to make a romance plausible: over 40% of their individual team-ups are with each other.
Of course, they each team up nearly as often with a third figure: hero-turned-villain-turned-hero Corridor. His interactions with Radiance have inspired rumors of involvement as well. Combined with Corridor and Keyblade’s apparent friendship, could the three heroes be looking at drama ahead?
Sora leaned down over her shoulder and skimmed the article. “Ugh, did they get that second picture from a surveillance camera on the street?” He wrinkled his nose. “At least the first one looks like it was an official image.”
In a round-about way it was actually a little comforting that the Defenders of the Light hadn’t licensed out any of their official footage of the two of them walking down the stairs. They’d been in costume, so could have still been considered “on duty,” even though they’d been leaving for the night.
“At this point I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but the amount they’re reading into every gesture still astounds me,” Kairi said. They meaning both the tabloids and the Defenders of the Light.
“And yet, they’re not actually wrong,” Riku said, leaning against the wall next to the couch.
Sora changed topics, all traces of levity gone, and asked, “That was a threat earlier, right?”
“‘We’ll limit your future plotlines and you won’t enjoy it,’ was pretty blatant,” Riku replied. “My guess is he was telling us that whoever is declared the third wheel would be written out in some fashion. Maybe they’ll make me a villain again. Or just transfer me to another organization.”
“What else did Xehanort say to you?” Kairi asked. None of them had talked about it on their way back.
He shook his head. “Just more about how there is a line between appropriate behavior toward a teammate and I have crossed it with both of you. I’m sorry for overstepping today.”
“You touched my hair.”
“And I won’t do it again.”
“Riku, don’t be like that,” Sora started.
“Be like what? Because you can apparently touch Radiance while the two of you are out. But the head of the goddamn organization comes down to lecture us when I do. Next time the two of us interact, there’s probably going to be some moral outrage about forcing homosexuality on the youth or some shit.”
“Riku, they aren’t just targeting you.”
“Aren’t they? Because Xehanort all but said this was about me ‘one-upping’ you, and then he held me back for a personal lecture.”
“Please, let’s not argue.” Tears stung the backs of Kairi’s eyes. “We’ll just be more careful, right? And we’ll all get through it.”
The three of them had a rare mutual morning off, so they’d spent the night in ‘their’ apartment. Riku was already out of bed when Kairi woke up, and she could hear the shower running.
She sat up and propped herself on the pillows before reaching for her laptop from the side table. Just to scroll through her usual feeds.
Her stomach plummeted as she scrolled past one of the more gossip-oriented blogs.
Jealousy Brewing for Super-team Trio?
Less than a day after Keyblade and Radiance set off rumors of further “Bladiance” involvement, we may have some news for our “DarkLight” fans as well. More small moments, but with this group being notoriously private about their relationships, can you blame us for reading into it?
Corridor and Radiance worked well together on their patrol, as usual, fighting a group of Heartless. But in a quiet moment between bursts of action, Corridor was seen tenderly touching Radiance’s face. It certainly looks like the kind of intimate moment stolen by a busy couple.
So between the two, there’s plenty to speculate about! Were Corridor’s actions a reaction to the apparent closeness between Keyblade and Radiance? Was this unrelated, but still an attempt to “mark his territory,” so to speak? One-upping a romantic rival? Making it clear that interest is present?
And what of Corridor and Keyblade’s apparent friendship? They wouldn’t be the first duo to be broken up over the affections of a woman. Considering the evidence stacking up in just a few days, it seems some kind of fallout might be inevitable.
It took serious effort not to throw her laptop across the room. “Are you kidding me?” She should have been beyond surprise, and yet.
Sora groaned and stretched against the pillows and looked over. He made a grabby-hand gesture at her laptop. “What is it?”
She passed the computer over.
He skimmed through and made a face, flopping back to his pillows. “Even if they were right, why do they always assume that Corridor and I are going to start hating each other over it?”
Riku emerged from the bathroom, drying his hair. “Of course we’ll hate each other. Because this is middle school, and I’m not inviting you to my birthday anymore,” he deadpanned.
“Did you read the stupid article?” Kairi rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, it came across my phone when I woke up.” He shook his head. “They make it sound like I had my tongue down your throat in public or something. Do you think Xehanort told them directly what to write, or did he have an assistant do it?”
“What do you mean?” Sora asked, watching as Riku crossed over to the dresser.
“Do you really think they just happened to independently come up with a line about me ‘one-upping’ you?”
“Well, why would anyone at Headquarters do that?”
Riku turned around, and his expression was grim. “A reminder. They’re reminding us that they control our image. If we do anything they don’t approve of, or we disobey their ‘suggestions,’ they can absolutely skew the narrative. What blog would turn down the Headquarters of the Defenders of the Light, even as an off-the-record source?”
Kairi shut her laptop with a snap. “It could be a coincidence. They made their position clear enough yesterday, but also told us that it was just a warning. That we weren’t in trouble. So why would they do this, too?”
“We agreed yesterday it was a threat. Are you really saying you don’t think that anymore? That it was ‘just a warning?’”
Kairi let out a slow breath. “No, I’m not saying that. But I don’t like the thought that they’d do something to hurt us before we even had the chance to change it.”
“Either way,” Sora interrupted, “we agreed to be careful. Whether this is an extra threat or not, we’re going to do that, right?”
Kairi nodded.
“We play nice,” Riku agreed. “We do everything just like they want us to, and we weather whatever this big Event is. After that, maybe we’ll be in a better position.”
Late that night, when Kairi returned “home,” to her real, registered address, there were a pair of envelopes on her bed.
Beautiful yet precise calligraphy addressed the top one to “Radiance.” She frowned and picked it up. Obviously, it had to be from Headquarters. The nearly-identical envelope underneath was addressed to Keyblade.
She tore open the high-quality parchment paper envelope, and pulled out the enclosed letter. It was written in the same scrolling handwriting, on more stationary that felt like a physical manifestation of wealth. It probably would have cost less to literally just write it out on money.
Dear Radiance,
You are invited to an event to be held tomorrow evening at the Defenders of the Light Headquarters building. This is a semi-formal, costumed event, so you are expected to wear your formal variant costume. This is a press event, providing an opportunity for the Defenders of the Light to present current research developments and future initiatives, as well as a chance for our individual Heroes to be interviewed.
You will be expected at the Headquarters building no later than 5:30 tomorrow evening, with the event itself scheduled to begin at 6:30. No formal meal will be served, though refreshments will be provided.
We look forward to your attendance,
The Defenders of the Light
P.S.: Please deliver the second invitation to Keyblade, as we could not ensure his agreed drop point would be checked by tomorrow, and his attendance is also expected.
Kairi winced as she realized she’d bitten her lip badly enough to draw blood. This type of lower-case-e-event was certainly not unheard of, though it had been ages since there’d been anything calling for their formal costumes. What was strange about this was the lack of notice. Usually a press event would have garnered attention for a week or more beforehand, with speculation running rampant about what might be revealed.
Revealed… like an Event with a capital E?
Kairi fished in her shoulder bag and pulled out a thin, off-brand cell phone from an interior pocket. She dialed Sora’s number by memory, since there was nothing saved in this phone. It was an unlisted, no-contract thing, as was the phone attached to the number she’d dialed for Sora. Riku had one, too.
The Defenders of the Light weren’t technically allowed to monitor their Heroes’ cell phone use. That didn’t mean they never did. These phones weren’t as secret as the trio’s apartment, or the low-tech radio transmitters, but it was less risky than using the phones the organization knew about.
Sora picked up on the fourth ring, just when Kairi was starting to get antsy, since she wouldn’t be able to leave a voicemail.
“Hello?” His voice wasn’t nearly as warm and bubbly as usual, at best sounding slightly irritated. Ready to tell a telemarketer off if need be.
“It’s me,” she said. “So… I have something for you.” She flopped backwards onto her bed, holding the invitation up like it would tell her something new.
“Oh, hey,” his voice immediately relaxed before: “Wait, what?”
“A letter from our employers. An invitation to a formal costumed event for the press tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow night?”
“Yep, starting at 5:30. We are invited, but our presence is expected.”
“So decidedly not optional. Want to read me what it says?”
Kairi opened his invitation, which did contain identical information, minus the postscript. She read it, then added, “They asked me to tell you, since they didn’t know if you’d check your drop point soon enough.”
“Thanks. Ugh, do you think this is it? The dreaded announcement?”
“Could be.” She rolled onto her side. “Should I call him?” They were careful never to use their names on these lines, even if the rest of the conversation had already been damning, but she knew Sora would know whom she meant.
“I’ll call him,” Sora answered, and she could hear the smile in his tone. “See you tomorrow evening, all fancied up.”
“See you.” She hung up the phone, and stared at the blank screen until the backlight timed out. Finally she dragged herself up to get ready for bed, already feeling the weight of the next day.
Once she finally climbed under the covers, hoping for the kind of sleep that would leave her ready to face whatever was coming next, she checked her “secret” phone again.
One text, from Sora’s unlisted number. Four words.
“He didn’t get one.”
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