I really don’t mind. I am very interested in seeing Violet as a college student.
Disclaimer: I know…I shouldn’t have to repeat it, but I have to be careful these days. Don’t own Incredibles or Aberrant…Pixar and White Wolf do. “Butterfly Wings” belongs to some old group called Machines of Loving Grace.
Author’s Notes: Okay…had to do some major editing on this chapter for language. Not sure if I got all the “fliter” words, so if something read a little word, it’s probably because I missed the word and the site’s filter put something in to replace the offensive word.
Anyway, this chapter takes place about two months after the last chapter,
Oh…and free cookies to anyone who knows who the two people are at the end. Just kidding. And TSS…I know that you know who they are…so don’t say anything. I just want to see if anyone else picks up on it.
Chapter Five - Monday Morning Coffee Run
[i]Mazarin–Rashoud Node
The Mazarin–Rashoud (M-R) node is a small structure located between the frontal lobes of the brain that is found only in novas, Homo sapiens novus. The M-R node acts as a catalyst for novas’ control and manipulation of quantum energy forces. As the node develops, it increases in size, taking up progressively more space in the cranial cavity. Relatively little is known about how the M-R node functions. The M-R node is named after Dr. Henri Mazarin and Dr. Farah Rashoud, who first documented its existence in 1998 and received a Nobel prize for their work in 2003.
See NOVA, QUANTUM FORCES[/i]
Excerpt Encyclopedia Britannica, 2005 Edition
[i][b]Metroville, California
Monday 0600
Two Months Later[/b][/i]
David always loved to run, he wasn’t sure why, but running always seemed to work when it came to clearing his head. He wasn’t sure where he got the habit from…whether it was ‘programmed’ into him or something he acquired after being taken in by his foster-family…he really didn’t care. One thing was certain, when he started running for the first time, he knew he wasn’t normal. Then again, he always knew he wasn’t normal since he first ‘woke up’ on the island…he knew that the first ten years of his life were a virtual simulation…it didn’t feel real until NSA agents pulled him out of that chamber.
But running in the real world, the wind in his face, the pounding of his heart as he jumped down a short flight of steps that opened out into a small plaza…that was real…as were the shouts from some angry people as he jumped onto and then off of a bench before vaulting over a newspaper dispenser.
No…David never did anything ‘normal’…not even running. A few years earlier, a friend in school introduced him to the sport of Parkour and free-running. His naturally fast reflexes and wiry build seemed to mesh perfectly with this activity which made him wonder at times what exactly Buddy Pine and in mind when he created David. Then his nova abilities fully erupted shortly afterwards and that made him appreciate Parkour even more.
Free-running through the constantly changing urban obstacle course known as the city was fun…but being mentally linked to computer networks that gave him a live satellite feed of the surrounding area he was running in while he was looking at it from the ground at the same time…it was awesome!
He cranked up the volume on his MP3 player, smiling as “Butterfly Wings” by Machines of Loving Grace began to play. Then he jumped up to grab the bottom rung of an overhanging ladder from the fire-escape of a nearby building and proceeded to make his way up the fire-escape.
"[i]You can’t place faith in material things
material things will fail you
a hurricane triggered by a butterfly’s wings
your conspirators betray you
Don’t place faith in human beings
human beings are unreliable things
don’t place faith in human beings
human beings or butterfly’s wings[/i]"
He ran across the rooftop, jumping to the next building and then on top of a parked delivery truck before dropping to the ground. He ran out of the alley and onto the sidewalk, thankful that not very many people were up this early in the morning. As he continued running, he thought about the last month and the progress he made on his new “corporate headquarters”. Renovating the old school didn’t take much effort, the contractors were willing to work pretty fast when enough money was waved in front of them.
No, construction and renovation wasn’t the problem, it was the hiring of personnel that caught him off guard. He had scouted out a few potential young people like himself to hire, but nothing prepared him for the wave of applications and résumés that flooded his e-mail and PO Box. Yes, there were quite a few a phony résumés filed by people looking to make a quick buck, but a majority of them were actually on the level. What struck him odd though was that the sudden rush off applicants that swarmed him in response to his Youtube ads. And that was the mystery to him because he hadn’t put any ads up on Youtube.
The mystery was quickly solved when he checked out one ad in which Syndrome Software & Technologies’ “recently appointed” Public Relations Director Zoe Kilmarten explained how SST was looking for young and intelligent talent, human or nova, to sign on. The ad then ended with “Public Relations Director” Zoe Kilmarten showing off one of David’s creations, ending with effective but amusing results…which is how all the ads ended. This resulted with a sudden influx of e-mail inquiries, phone calls, and overnight deliveries of résumés along with some almost immediate news coverage. It also brought Agent Dicker and the NSA on his doorstep again with more warnings and threats, but that was about all Dicker could do.
Of course, he also decided to have some choice words with Zoe for appointing herself his PR director, but changed his mind when the first wave of applicants hit. He had to admit, she obviously had a talent for getting attention, though he wondered how many applicants were lured by the “hot babe with pink hair” as opposed to actually looking for a job. Not that it mattered…her ads got results, and after three weeks of interviews, he hired twenty nine of his initial thirty employees. However, the one person he had hoped to hire on hadn’t applied and she didn’t return any of his calls or e-mails, but he really couldn’t blame her…Violet Parr probably didn’t like the idea of the son of an enemy asking her to sign on with his company. He only called her twice and e-mailed her once, figuring it would be best not to push the issue. However, he still wanted her as part of his group. Aside from being highly intelligent and capable of doing the job, Violet’s presence would at least give David’s company some credibility and get Dicker’s goon squad to back off. Besides, David wanted a fail/safe measure in place if things went to hell and Violet Parr was perfect for the job.
The only thing he had to do now was convince her to take the job…and that was going to be more of a challenge than running through the construction site he was now entering. He ignored the shouts from various construction workers as he made his way through the area, avoiding various vehicles and jumping across debris before vaulting over the fence and landing back on the sidewalk.
"[i]Don’t place faith
Don’t place faith
When I decide to live in the mind
the heart dies
mother superior in the sky
the heart dies
the heart dies
Don’t place faith in human beings
human beings are unreliable things
don’t place faith in human beings
human beings or butterfly wings[/i]"
He continued to run down the sidewalk…he had at least two more miles to go, then he would pick up a latte and hopefully talk a certain reluctant super heroine into getting out of the current rut she was in.
[b]
JAVA Junction Espresso
Metroville, California[/b]
Violet Parr hated Mondays, especially since it was what she referred to as a “Crunch Day” where she had to work from six in the morning until eleven and then be in classes until five in the evening. Mondays and Wednesdays were “Crunch Days”, but Mondays were the worst. It also didn’t help that she and Dash were doing “the hero thing” with the New Crusaders over the weekend. Apparently, Redline, the resident speedster on the Crusaders had taken some time off, so they requested help from the Incredibles to ‘fill in’. Dash was way too willing to sign on, but Violet had her own reservations…however, her father felt it would be better if she were there to keep an eye on Dash and make sure her brother didn’t get into too much trouble.
So…Spectrum and Speed Demon spent the weekend dealing with a whacked out villain on a crime spree. What was unnerving was that the villain, some young hyper-kinetic teen calling himself ‘Breakdown’ just wouldn’t shut up…even when he was captured. In the end, it was her, not Dash that had lost control and punched Breakdown out, knocking him out cold. Her actions got her a stern lecture from the Crusaders and her parents about why it’s not right to “beat on perps in custody”.
Violet sighed and shook her head as she poured herself a cup of coffee. For once, she was happy to be working at her ‘civilian’ job at a drive up espresso stand away from her family and the crazy life that came with being a super. Oh, she had no problems with being a superhero…but being a superhero didn’t exactly pay the bills or help her get her college degree. Her father offered to get her a job at the insurance company he worked for, but that meant basically working the phones, or worse, being a glorified secretary fetching coffee. She turned it down and said she would rather look for work on her own.
So here she was…making, but not fetching, coffee at an espresso stand early in the morning. The irony was not lost on her…but it did help pay some of her bills. She couldn’t help laughing at the situation and shook her head.
“Well, it could be worse,” she said to herself.
“Yeah,” said a voice behind her. “You could be talking to yourself, but you should really worry when you start getting responses.”
She turned around to look at the drive-up window to find a young man about her age standing at the window. “Sorry,” she said as she walked up to the window, a little embarrassed. “Just thinking out loud to mysel…you!”
Embarrassment gave way to guarded anger when she recognized who was standing at the window. She had never met him personally, though he had called her twice and e-mailed her about working for him. Ever since she heard about how he literally walked right up to her family’s front door, she was on her guard, waiting for this bastard to confront her.
“What do you want, Pine?”
“Um…an English Toffee Latte, twenty-four ounce.” His response to her growled question caught her off guard. She was expecting him to be acting more like ‘Syndrome Jr.’ or something like that. But instead, his reaction almost seemed…normal. “Oh, and um…are those real homemade ginger-snap cookies?”
Again, caught off guard, Violet hesitated. “Uh, yeah.”
Oh yeah, Violet, really smooth there. Come on! He’s a super villain for crying out loud!
“Cool,” said David Flynn as he pulled a ten dollar bill out of his pocket. “So…would it help if I told you that I’m only here for the coffee and to talk to you for a little bit?”
“I’m working.”
“Uh, yeah, I can see that…it does help if you turn the machine on though.”
Violet tried not to growl as she turned the espresso machine on. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Enjoying what?”
“Making me feel uncomfortable.”
“Maybe just a little.” He gave her a tiny grin…one that she had seen before eight years earlier on the face of someone else…the boy’s father. That smug semi-evil boyish grin…except he didn’t have that dark malevolence in his eyes like Syndrome did. An awkward silence came over both of them, broken only by the sound of the espresso machine. A couple minutes later, Violet handed David Pine his drink.
The young man took a sip of his latte, closing his eyes and savoring the taste. “Oh yeah…there we go, toffee flavoring, caffeine, sugar, and milk…a mandatory breakfast.”
“So why are you here, Pine?” Violet asked, this time with not quite as much Venom.
“It’s David, actually, and I prefer the last name of Flynn. Buddy Pine may be my biological father, but that’s about as far as it goes. As for why I’m here…would you believe it if I said I came here to drool over the hot goth-chick that works the morning shift?”
“If it were any other guy, yes. And I’m not a goth…it’s just a natural look for me. Besides, if you were drooling over me, my father would throw you into the next state.”
David shuddered at that thought. “Don’t remind me. Okay…here’s the truth. I did come here for a latte, but I also wanted to know why you haven’t considered my job offer.”
“Oh…yeah, that. Hmm, let’s see here.” Violet paused for a moment, pretending to be lost in thought. “Oh, that’s right, you, the son of Syndrome, want me to sign on with your company, Syndrome Software and Technologies, knowing full well that my family has a deep hatred for your father who happens to be…oh yeah…Syndrome and he tried to kill us.”
David stared at her for a moment, chuckling softly. “Putting a lot of emphasis on the word “Syndrome”, aren’you?”
“Well, you would too if he tried to kill you.”
“Yeah…well, he’s been dead for eight years so I don’t think he’s going to be much of a problem.”
“But you’re here now…and you’re trying to hire me. Why? Because of some sick and twisted revenge scheme?”
“Is that what you think?” David sounded genuinely hurt. “You think this is about revenge? I’m not my father. Sure I may have inherited his intelligence and some of his genetics, but that’s as far as things go with him…I hope.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Violet when she saw him shudder slightly again.
“I’ve seen pictures of my father as Syndrome. If I ever end up with a bad case of 80s hair like that, I hope someone does kill me.”
Despite herself, Violet found herself trying not to explode…the sudden urge to laugh was threatening to break her composure. Then she mentally imagined what David Flynn would look like if he had 80s hair…and she lost control.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
“Hey,” snapped David. “That’s not funny! I take the threat of 80s hair and genetic sanity very seriously.”
After a couple more seconds, Violet managed to stop laughing. Then she remembered some old 80s rock video from watching MTV classics one late night. ”And I raaaaaaan,” she sang, “I ran so far awaaaaaay…”
“Oh c’mon! I’m trying to be serious here.”
“Sorry,” Violet managed to giggle. “It’s just…I never saw that before, but when you bring it up, it certainly changes how you view a person.” Then she remembered why he was here and it her amusement faded. “What do you want?”
“You already asked that and the answer is you. I want you…oh wait…that didn’t sound right.”
Violet arched an eyebrow. “You got that right.”
“Look, I did some checking up on your grades. You’re majoring in computer science and math…you’re smart, near the top of your class, and I think you could do better than working here.”
“What’s wrong with working here and making my own way?”
“Nothing…it’s just that you’re trying too hard to be normal.” David leaned against the window ledge. “Look, people like us…novas…we’re never going to be normal. No matter what we do, what we say, or what we believe, people will view us as freaks or something that needs to be controlled or contained. However, that doesn’t mean we should go to the other extreme and act like gods. I guess the trick is to reach some sort of balance. But the real question is this…do you really like where you are? I mean, even if you didn’t take my job offer, you could easily land a better paying job than this.”
“Maybe I am happy here.”
“Yeah, if you say so,” said David, obviously not buying Violet’s response. “I’m offering you a chance to be something more and, despite what you may believe, it’s not some elaborate revenge scheme or out of guilt for what Syndrome did. I’m asking you to sign on because I think you’d make a good VP.”
“What?” Violet almost choked. “What did you say?”
“You heard me…vice president, second-in-command, my right hand. You’ve got the smarts and ability for the job.”
“What about your girlfriend?”
“Ah…Zoe…yeah…well let’s talk about that for a moment. First off, she’s not exactly my girlfriend…that’s complicated and…wait a second, that has nothing to do with-”
“Wow, Dad was right, you are sweet on her.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am…no…we’re not playing that game.”
Violet smirked at him. “Oh my god…your face is actually turning red."
“It is not!”
Well, you proved one thing.”
“And that would be?”
“You definitely aren’t your father.”
“Finally,” David sighed. “You’re actually accepting that fact.”
“But I’m not going to take your job offer.”
“Why not? I gave you some good reasons.”
“Yeah,” said Violet, her tone becoming more serious. “But you didn’t give me your real reasons, did you?”
“Okay, fine you want some real solid reasons, here we go. First off, you have a conscience and I need someone there to pull me back and smack me around with some common sense now and then. Zoe, I’m sorry to say, is not that person. I make myself a plasma launcher just for fun, and she’s the first one there begging to be the one to test fire it before I’ve even finished doing safety checks on it. You’ve seen those Youtube videos she put out. It’s like those old Ratchet and Clank commercials except for real.”
“You should do a better job of locking things up.”
“I do, but she’s savvy enough to figure the keypad combinations…then again, being faster than your brother allows her to manually try every keypad combination in a matter of minutes.”
“She’s a speeder?”
“Yep.”
“I’m sorry, I can feel for you on that one.”
“Yeah, well, for some reason she’s decided to become my sidekick…though she’s more like a kick in my side…but hey, she’s mostly harmless and thankfully she’s still in high school for most of the day.” David paused for a moment, lost in thought as he pondered what he was about to say next. “Then there 's the other reason you should take my offer. It’s an ugly one, but let’s not beat around the bush about it.”
“Okay,” said Violet. “Interesting dramatic build-up there…so spit it out already.”
“Accepting my job offer will allow your family and, by extension, Agent Dicker and the NSA a chance to keep an eye on me. After all, as far as you people are concerned, I am ‘Son of Syndrome’ or ‘Syndrome Jr.’, or, my personal favorite, ‘Syndrome 2.0 with double the intelligence, only a fraction of the insanity, and with a new minty fresh scent’. You people can’t afford to pass up an opportunity like this. I’m just being open and up front about it.”
Many things went through Violet’s mind as she considered David’s words. He was right…her family, reluctantly, would want her to take the job to keep an eye on him. Agent Dicker would definitely go for the idea of having someone on the inside. And yet another part of her still wondered if this open and upfront approach was an elaborate scheme to get her family to lower their guard. But while those thoughts were warring with each other, another one came to the forefront and broke the tension, though she wish she hadn’t said it out loud.
“Did you just compare yourself to a soap product?” she asked.
David nodded before hanging his head in mock shame. “Yes I did,” he said. Then he smiled and looked up at her. “But seriously, I’m being honest with you here. All the reasons I gave you were legitimate reasons, especially the last two. I didn’t want to keep bugging you at home or calling you, because then your family would probably get annoyed and I would probably end up taking the ‘Air-Bob’ express to Utah. I only personally approached you now because we’re going to be opening to the public in the next month.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card which he handed to her. “All I’m asking is that you at least consider it, okay?”
Violet cautiously took the card from him, pausing to look at the glossy SST logo. “You know,” she said, “my family would be upset about this, but you’re right.”
“Yeah, well…I’m right some of the time.” David took another sip of his latte and finished off his ginger snap cookie. “The other times…well, I try to fake it.”
“I’m not sure I would advertise that in public if I were you,” Violet laughed.
“So…about my offer?”
“Well, you told me to consider it…so give me some time, okay?”
David nodded at her, then finished off the rest of his latte and tossed the cup into the trash. “In that case, I hope to hear from you.” He then turned and walked away, breaking into a slow run as when he started to cross the street.
Violet looked back down at the card in her hand, thinking about the conversation she just had. She hadn’t told her parents that David Flynn had contacted her about a job. And she had to admit that most of David’s comments hit their mark. She had expected him to be a ‘Syndrome Jr.’, but that was not the person she had been talking to. David Flynn struck her as being an open, funny and, dammit, almost likable person. Hell, if she hadn’t known who he was, she might have actually thought of him as cute.
Ewwww! Girl, snap out of it! Son of Syndrome…not a cute guy. Not cute, not hot, not anything.
However, his other comments, the more serious ones were dead on target.
But why did you approach me, David? Did you actually mean what you said, or is this part of some diabolical scheme? Damn…now I’m starting to sound like Mom and Dad…
The buzzer went off, signaling that a car was pulling up to the window. Violet recognized the SUV as one of her early morning regulars…a middle-aged business woman who ordered a Halzelnut Mocha and a raspberry scone. As she started to slip into her regular routine, she still couldn’t help looking at the business card that was now sitting on the counter next to the espresso machine.
“Nothing…it’s just that you’re trying too hard to be normal.”
“Damn you, Flynn,” Violet grumbled as she continued to make up the order, knowing full well that the conversation she had with him would plague her the rest of the day.
I really hate Mondays…
Brian Paladino watched quietly from the top of an office building as David Flynn continued his run. As the scope zoomed in on Flynn, Brian fought the urge to pull the trigger.
It would be so easy, he thought. Pull the trigger now and the bastard dies.
He could feel his finger start to tighten around the trigger of his high-powered rifle.
So easy…even without the scope, I can still put one right through his heart.
“Hey!”
Brian looked up to see a young purple-haired woman slowly descend from the sky and cursed under his breath. “This is a waste of time, Lydia.”
Lydia shook her head. “Let it go, bro. We take him down now, the NSA will investigate it and may be able to track it back to us.”
“The hell with the NSA, sis!” Brian began to disassemble the rifle. “They didn’t do shit for us when Dad was murdered. All Dicky did was show up for the memorial service, said he was ‘sorry’ for our loss, and left us with nothing. Now the son of the bastard who killed Dad is not only walking around, he’s bringing back the company Dad was investigating before he died!”
Lydia Paladino sighed and shook her head. She could understand her brother’s anger…hell, she shared it. But thankfully, she wasn’t nearly as hotheaded as he was.
“No,” she said. “We have to wait this out. He’s attracted too much attention and it’s not time yet.”
“What…eight years wasn’t long enough for you?”
Lydia’s eyes flared up, glowing a bright red for a moment before returning to their normal brown color. “That was low, Brian…even for you.”
Brian lowered his head slightly. “I’m sorry, sis…it’s just…I thought this was dead and buried, we were moving on…and now this punk comes out of nowhere and brings it all back.”
Lydia gave her younger brother a hug. “I know, Bri…but we’re going to take care of it together…okay?”
Brian nodded, finished disassembling the rifle and putting it back in its case. Lydia took a look at the case and widened as she recognized the insignia on the side. “That’s a Project Utopia logo,” she said.
Brian grinned at her. “Of course it is…you really think I would risk the attack being traced to us?”
Lydia couldn’t help returning the smile…her brother wasn’t quite as hotheaded as she thought. “Wow, you actually put some thought into this?”
“A little bit,” Brian replied. “But you’re right…it’s not time yet.” He then looked down and across the city, his enhanced eyesight locking onto David Flynn as he ran through a city intersection, barely avoiding being hit by a couple cars on their morning commute. “Although, at the rate he’s going, I just hope the bastard doesn’t off himself before we punch his ticket.”
Very nicely written chapter. With each paragraph I read, I get more and more excited. It is nice to see Violet again.
THis might be just me, but It is always hard for me to follow if there are so many characters in this fanfic. I always have trouble remember who was who and their significance. If possible, could you resummarize everything?
Hope this helps…here’s a listing of characters I have introduced in the fic so far (at least as far as the FFN chapters go). There are some listed that you don’t recognize because I haven’t posted those chapters up on PP forums yet.
Okay…character breakdown by faction (Aberrant material will be marked with an “*”)-
The Incredibles
Bob Par (Mr. Incredible)
Helen Parr (Mrs. Incredible/Elastigirl)
Violet Parr (Spectrum)
Dash Parr (Speed Demon)
Jack Parr (Random)
SST (Syndrome Software Technologies)
David Pine Flynn (Syndrome’s “son”)
Zoe Kilmarten (speedster and David’s girlfriend/sidekick/kick-in-the-side)
Project Utopia/Team Tomorrow*
Rober Lansing - Director of International operations for Team Tomorrow (Utopia’s superteam)
Caestus Pax - Team Leader of Team Tomorrow
Bruce McInerny (Stalwart) - Team Tomorrow member
Sheryl “Gravity” Miller - Team Tomorrow member
Kari McKeen (Firewing) - Team Tomorrow member
The Proteus Council (The shadowy Cabal behind Utopia)*
Thetis - Director of Proteus
Mirage - member of the Proteus Council
The Teragen (Alleged nova terrorist group)*
Divis Mal (leader)
Jeremiah Scripture (second in command of the Teragen)
Independent Characters
Bomber (nova mercenary and slacker son of Bomb Voyage)
Brian Paladino (son of Simon “Gazerbeam” Paladino)
Sarah Paladino (daughter of Simon “Gazerbeam” Paladino)
All around uber bad-ass character who needs no introducion
Buddy “Syndrome” Pine
Okay…for those of you who are just jumping on to this thread (out of sick and twisted curiosity) and for those of you who were following this fic and got…LOST…which, by the way…did anyone catch the last episode of that? I missed it. What happened? Can someone please tell me what I missed!
Hits self with keyboard
Sorry…got off track here…mind went of on a tangent and I had to go catch it again…
ANYWAY…
Here’s the story so far for those of you who want to know “What’s going on” without having to read the whole thing from the beginning…
About a month after the events in the movie…something happened. The Galatea research satellite/space station blew up in orbit and rained it’s supposedly “radioactive payload” getting sucked into the planet’s jetstream and raining down on the unsuspecting world. Within hours of this incident, people around the world suddenly “erupted” with superpowers. These new superbeings were called “novas” and several novas began to erupt over the next few years.
During the next eight years, a private philanthropic organization called the Aeon Society approached the United Nations and helped form “Project Utopia”, a multipurpose private foundation whose goals were to study the nova phenomenon and utilize novas’ abilities to better the quality of life on Earth for all its inhabitants. This organization almost became a world-power in its own right when it terraformed the Ethiopian Highlands, turning them into lush farming territory and a new “bread basket” for Africa. Project Utopia has since moved it’s central headquarters to Africa, but their “advancements and improvements” have earned them considerable influence over the UN.
However…Project Utopia isn’t exactly the saintly organization it claims to be. No one truly realizes the agenda of those who really control the organization and what they have planned for the world to “make it a better place”. Anyone who suspects the truth, turns against, or refuses to sign on with Utopia tends to experience problems (whether it be financial trouble, accidents, or just outright being killed by parties unknown).
Then there’s the other obstacle to Utopia’s plans…the supers (and their children) who were around before the Galatea incident. Though a few have registered with Utopia, most have remained silent or simply avoided the organization. There is also the American National Supers Agency headed by Rick Dicker who refuses to surrender the N.S.A database of registered supers to Project Utopia despite pressure coming from some Utopia-friendly members of Congress.
This is the sick and twisted world this story is set in…and this is where the proverbial fuse gets lit on this little bomb…
An eighteen year old young man named David Flynn showed up on the Parrs’ doorstep, claiming to be Syndrome’s “son”. He simply informed the Parrs he was going to open up a business in town and that he wanted a “truce” with them.
It is later revealed in this story that he is, indeed, the son of Syndrome and Mirage and that he is considered a high level threat by the Proteus Council (the true force controlling Utopia). It is decided by the Council to release the one man capable of killing David (and then kill him off when the job is done)…Buddy PIne. One of the members of the Proteus Council tries to tell the others that this is a bad idea, but she and her supporters are overruled and plans are put in motion to allow Buddy to “escape” from the facility where they are keeping him.
Meanwhile, David is trying to recruit other young and inventive people (nova and baseline) for his company…one of them being a twenty year old college student named Violet Parr.
However, unknown to David, there are other people out there who have it in for him…children of the heroes that Syndrome killed during his Omnidroid testing. Two of them…Brian and Lydia Paladino (Gazerbeam’s kids) have recently arrived in town, carefully stalking David’s every move, making preparations for taking him down.
And that’s the story so far…
phew!
I think I might have left other details out, but if you really want to know…go back and read through the story…then you’ll really know what’s going on.
Thanks for the summary of what happened so far. Now I understand. This is a very deep and complex plot, yet within its sophisicacy, I find it very intriguing. I am looking forward to future chapters.
Author’s notes: Okay…here’s yet another update to this annoying little monster. As with the other chapters, had to go through and edit bits of it (for error correction, but also for language). I think this piece is now inoffensive enough so the language-filter won’t suddenly kick in and edit words.
By the way, just to warn you, this is where it starts to get dark. And yes…Kari McKeen has superpowers now. She was one of those novas who “erupted” after the Galatea incident. I know she comes off as being something of a bitch in this…but hey…let’s face it. She’s not the brightest bulb out there, and now she’s got superpowers…you know this is a disaster waiting to happen.
Also…Dash-lovers, beware…he takes some hits in this…sorry.
Chpater Six - Outed
[i]“Rashoud” Facilities? Recruiting facilities is more like it.
Does anyone out there honestly think that this lab, or the ones that are supposed to follow it, are set up by Project “Utopia” out of the goodness of its heart? That it just has the welfare of the people of the world at stake? If so, then I’ve got a bridge to sell you over in Brooklyn.
Isn’t it obvious what they’re doing? Can’t you see it? They’re building an army. Project Utopia controls more novas than any other group on the planet – even the US government. Each one of these novas is stronger, faster, and more powerful than battalion of soldiers. And now they’ve set up a “recruiting station” right down on 5th Avenue.
And God help us, we’re letting them do it.
We’re letting them build their little cadres of super-warriors with our own brothers and sisters. When the time comes they’ll roll over us like a car squashing a bug.
Letting them set up their “satellite lab” here in the city is just the first step towards Armageddon. Wake up, people! We’ve got to get rid of that “lab” now and not let them build anymore. If anyone should be recruiting American novas, it should be the American government.[/i]
From a letter to the editor published in the New York Times, January 12, 1999.
[b][i]Metroville, California
Monday 1100[/b][/i]
Zoe Kilmarten was bored. She hated Mondays, they signaled the end of the weekend, the beginning of yet ANOTHER week of hell at the illustrious institution known as Metroville High School. At sixteen, she was starting to wonder if high school was created as a form of imprisonment for kids. Maybe if she were an air-headed cheerleader-type or an athlete, she probably would have fit in, but that wasn’t her style. Besides, having the ability of super-speed kind of put a damper on her trying out for school sports.
“That would be abusing your powers,” her parents told her.
Oh yeah…it would be abusing her powers; but if that were true, why was that jerk Dashiell Parr getting away with it?
“We’re not the Parrs,” said her mother. “It’s not our fault that they’re irresponsible parents. If they want to be under constant surveillance, that’s their choice.”
Zoe was angry with that argument for a few years, until she realized her mother was right. Whenever Dashiell Parr participated at a school sporting event, she noticed some men in suits watching him and the rest of the Parr family. Then again, Dash was also the teen hero known as “Speed Demon”, which meant the suits had good reason to watch him. Thanks to her parents, Zoe stayed out of the “hero game” and had a “normal” life…well, as normal a life one could have with one parent being a super-hero and the other parent teaching at a private academy for young novas. Her parents had gone to great lengths to give her that “normal” life and, in a way, it was worth it. She wasn’t being watched by the NSA’s “Men in Black”, and because she wasn’t on the government’s radar, it gave her some freedom. It was kind of nice being able to run around the world when no one was looking, though her mother frowned on that when Zoe lost track of time when she decided to leave school during lunch break and go to Hawaii. She ended up skipping the rest of the day which led to her being grounded when her parents found out. However, that was no big deal…her parents were hardly home except in the mornings and evenings, so being “grounded” basically meant being home during the evening hours and on the weekends for a couple weeks.
However, her “normal” life changed when she met David this last summer. She never believed in fate, but running into him at Royal Burger was something that she marked down as one of those events that could change a person’s life forever. Why he was working at that place, she had no clue, but he had later told her that he was only there because he needed a few months to kick back, be “normal”, and think about where he wanted to go with his life. She had just been hired on and was going through her first day of orientation and watching an instructional video that was mandatory of all fast food workers. She could have sworn that her IQ had dropped ten points after watching the video.
Then she was introduced to David by Clarence, the restaurant manager who seemed a little too eager to hire her on. She wasn’t sure, but she suspected the 30-something manager was checking her out when her back was turned. Her suspicions were confirmed later when David quietly gave her some some important advice a few minutes later: “Get the hell out of here while you can, the damn perv is already mentally taking your clothes off.”
She thought he was joking, then she noticed Clarence sneaking off with one of the front-counter girls to the supply room in the back. A quick look via super-speed, and she took off to contact the authorities. When she returned a half-hour later, there were already a couple local news vans outside the restaurant, along with a couple fire-trucks and several police cars. From what she was able to gather, there was an argument between an employee and the owners of the restaurant, and then all the cash registers and service monitors suddenly exploded. She saw Clarence the manager and an older couple in handcuffs being escorted to waiting police cars and a smirking David who simply shrugged at her and then walked away.
She ran into him a month later in the middle of the summer. She had found a job in that other prison for teenagers known as the shopping mall. This time, she was working at Build-a-Bear and she liked it…though her employers were a little scared by her own personal creation: “The Death Metal Bear”…complete with real spikes and piercings. It surprised her that David showed up to talk to her, especially since they had only met briefly the first time at Royal Burger. Then he surprised her by offering her a job. After an intense contract negotiation (that included a small pay advance, three mochas, and a laptop), Zoe agreed to sign on with David’s company. And in the last couple months, she spent most of her time creating “promotional” videos for Syndrome Software and Technologies, putting them up on Youtube and attracting potential employees. She actually didn’t mind doing that…especially since she got to play with some of David’s “toys”, though David decided to lock up his inventions afterwards. She was a little upset over that, but it was hard to remain angry when he gave her a puppy.
However, the videos were a success and attracted many promising job applicants, but what neither she or David had expected was her becoming something of a celebrity. Within a week after posting the first two videos, she was known as “The hot pink haired chick who kept blowing things up”. It was kind of fun at first, but it also attracted the negative kind of attention in the form of the National Supers Agency personnel tracking her and placing surveillance vehicles around the new SST headquarters. The damn MIBs even dragged her in for questioning, one of them going so far as to say that David might be evil. She really hated that agent, typical MIB bureaucrat…she felt no remorse when she slashed his tires after she left the building (though she wasn’t sure which government car was his, so she slashed them all).
Her parents weren’t too keen on her new career, though her father was happy that she had found something more worthwhile than flipping burgers or working a crappy retail job. Her mother, on the other hand, was a bit more cautious after learning about David’s background from Director Dicker of the NSA. Zoe found that odd since her mother had once been a criminal. Having gotten to know David over the last few months, she didn’t think he was the “villain” type. Sure, David had a dark and vindictive side, but who didn’t these days?
Unfortunately, her new job as David’s PR director (yes, it was self-appointed, but David didn’t seem to mind and even paid her) did not prevent her from attending school. On the upside, it was her senior year and, having been deemed intelligent enough to skip a grade, it meant she only had one more year of teen hell before it was over. However, even though she skipped a grade, her teachers still treated her as if she were some freak of nature. Then again, she didn’t exactly fit the mold that most teachers expected of a kid who was smart enough to skip a grade. After all, those kind of kids tend not to have spiky pink hair and don’t dress like they’re going to a rock concert.
It also didn’t help that she got distracted too easily in class. There were several times when she would be working on her calculus in the middle of her English Lit class. In fact, it was almost common for her to bring books from one class and not the one she was supposed to have brought with her. Some teachers often wondered how she even managed to skip a grade while others considered the possibility that she might have some sort of attention deficit disorder. She couldn’t explain to them that she had already read through the material and it was agonizing for her to do things at normal speed, but she also realized that doing her homework in under five minutes after it was given out would attract attention. So…she had a reputation of being a little “scattered-brained” at times…it really wasn’t that big a deal. Unfortunately, it also left her with very few friends at school and even the so called geeks and ‘outcasts’ she associated with sometimes saw her as being a little weird.
But David changed all that. For some reason, they clicked. Yes, he was something of a geek, but he didn’t fit the standard stereotype. She wasn’t sure why…maybe it was because he was a nova just like herself, but that couldn’t be it. Dashiell Par was a nova, he even had powers similar to hers, but he was an jerk. No…David was something different…there was some sort of attraction, that was true, but she wasn’t sure if it was just friendship or something more. Sure, they joked about her eighteenth birthday, but David didn’t chase after her, though he would occasionally have a slip of the tongue (mostly because Zoe would goad him into saying something stupid), but she sensed that there always might be a little bit of truth there. She occasionally asked him about it, but he told her that they were “just friends”, though the denial seemed to be only half sincere. However, he did tell her that one of the reasons he didn’t get too close to her was because she “wasn’t quite legal”. She informed him that was no big deal, he was only a couple years older and not a creepy perv like Clarence.
“True,” he had told her. “But you also have a very protective uncle who wouldn’t hesitate to use my soul as toiler paper if I even tried anything before your eighteenth.”
“So…you do want me,” she teased him.
“Yes…er…no,” he stammered. One of the few times he actually looked like a flustered geek…and she actually thought it was cute when David was caught off guard. “That’s not exactly true…we’re just friends…”
“Uh-huh…eighteenth-” she was cut off as he put a finger to her lips and he shook his head.
“Uh-uh…not this time.”
“Aw…you’re no fun.”
“What can I say? I’m a mega-geek,” he said. “I’m a boring person.”
Zoe shook her head as her mind returned to the present. They had that conversation over the weekend, and even she wondered sometimes about their relationship. Yes, there was definitely some sort of attraction, but David seemed willing to wait until she was “legal”. She actually found that kind of sweet, but she also wondered if she truly had any feelings for him as anything other than a friend. Was she that desperate? Did she really want to throw herself to the first person who actually talked to her as an equal…or at least as a real human being?
Girl, get a hold of yourself! You’re not supposed to be thinking about this…at least not now!
Zoe sighed and looked at her watch. It was a little after eleven in the morning and she had decided to skip her chemistry class…not that it mattered, because today was a “lab day” and Mr. Shelby had banned her from participating in the experiments and sent her off to the library to study the next couple chapters. Apparently, she still wasn’t forgiven for nearly blowing up the classroom last week.
So here she was, strolling through the downtown area. She paused outside a Starbucks, mentally debating whether she wanted a frappuccino or a latte when “I Am Sound” by the Dandy Warhols interrupted her thoughts. She sighed and shook her head as she pulled her phone out her pocket, wondering why the hell David chose that to be his ring-tone…the song was annoying.
“Pizza Hut,” she said.
“Very funny, Zoe…so what are you up to?”
“Oh, not much, I’m in between classes right now…hanging out in the library.”
“Yeah, riiiiiiight,” laughed David. “I wasn’t aware the library was inside a Starbucks.”
“What the-” Zoe paused and looked up in the sky for a moment. “You’re watching me on satellite, aren’t you?”
“Yep, for the moment at least. So, why aren’t you in school?”
“Chemistry class,” said Zoe. “It’s a lab day and I’m not allowed there.”
“Ah, I guess that means you’re still not forgiven.”
“No, I guess not. I really don’t know why…I mean, it’s not like I burned down the school.”
“Oh no, of course not.” David’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Zoe, you tend to scare people.”
“But I’m harmless.”
“Yeah, right. So you going to head back to school?”
“After I get my mocha-frappuccino…so how did your meeting with Emo-Girl go?”
“Zoe,” David warned. “Be nice…and I think she’ll take the job.”
“Hey, I’ll be nice when she takes the job,” said Zoe.
“Zoe…are you jealous?”
A little, she thought…though she couldn’t figure out why. “No,” she lied.
“You’re lying.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Eighteenth Birthday?”
“Nice try, but I’m not going to fall for that this time.”
“Killjoy.” Then Zoe’s face broke out in an evil grin as she thought of something. “So, whatcha’ doing?”
“Right now, I’m heading to LA…going to see Niel.”
“Wow…you can drive and watch me on satellite at the same time?”
“Hey, it’s kind of hard not to do when your brain can jack into the net.”
“So tell me…David, do you watch me when I wake up in the morning at my home? And how good is the resolution on those satellites?”
“Not funny, Zoe!”
“Oh c’mon…you like to keep tabs on me, right? You’re telling me that you’ve never been tempted to ‘jack in’ and watch me?”
“No…”
Zoe didn’t suppress the evil giggle. “That’s a weak denial, David.”
“Good-bye, Zoe…I’ll see you later.”
Zoe was still laughing when she put the phone back in her pocket. David was probably one of the most level-headed people she ever met. He was smart, always had a plan, and he really wasn’t that bad looking for a self-confessed geek. But she really loved the fact that she was one of the few people who could throw him off his game.
But that’s because he likes you…sort of.
She forced that last thought away, thinking more about her venti mocha frappuccino. She hated thinking deeply about something when low on caffeine. A few minutes later, she was walking out of Starbucks with the aforementioned mocha frappuccino in hand.
“Ah…caffeine, chocolate, and caramel…my good friends.” She licked her lips in anticipation, ignoring the strange looks she got from people who overheard her. “It’s been so long since we were last together…a whole three hours in fact.” She took a long pull off her drink, closing her eyes for a moment and savoring the taste. “Oh yeah…much better.”
“Damn, girl…you planning on drinking that or making out with it?”
Zoe opened her eyes and saw a strange man wearing some sort of body armor and standing on what looked like a snowboard with booster jets underneath it, hovering in the air. The patrons that were sitting at the tables outside Starbucks ran for cover. A strange looking man in sinister looking armor and riding a rocket powered snowboard basically screamed “SUPERVILLAIN!”, which got the standard ‘run for your life’ reaction from most innocent bystanders.
But Zoe wasn’t a bystander and she was hardly innocent (although she had yet to be convicted of anything). Instead, Zoe, being Zoe, did what simply came naturally in a situation like this…she took another sip of her drink and stared at the strange man in front of her, tilting her head to one side as if she were trying to look at him from a different angle.
“What, you’re not going to run?” asked the man.
“Um, I don’t know,” said Zoe. “Is there some reason I should be running?”
“Well, I am here to kidnap you.”
“Really?” Zoe took another sip of her frappuccino. “And is there some reason why I’m being kidnapped by some guy who looks like the Green Goblin from Spiderman?”
“Green Goblin? What are you talking about?”
“Um…let’s see. Hover-board, green body armor, funky goggles…what did you do, steal stuff from the Sony Studios props department?”
“What!?!” The armored figure, though his face was concealed, hesitated. It was obvious that Zoe’s reaction was not what he expected. “Don’t you know who I am? I’m Bomber!”
“Who?”
“You haven’t heard of me?”
Zoe shook her head. “Um…no…not really.”
“Oh, the hell with this,” said Bomber. He suddenly brought up some sort of launcher and fired it at Zoe.
Time suddenly began to slow down for Zoe…or at least that’s what it seemed like whenever she kicked in her super-speed. The weird net thingie that the strange man fired at her was slowly starting to open up a few feet in front of her. She simply stepped out of the way and slipped back into normal speed, still sipping her frappuccino as the net slammed into a nearby table.
“What the hell!”
“Um, you missed?”
“I can see that…how did you do that?” Bomber shrugged and then pulled out a couple small blue spheres. “Doesn’t matter, guess we do this the hard way.” He tossed the stun-bombs at the girl, only to see her suddenly vanish again, the stunners going off and blowing out the front windows of the cafe.
Dashiell Parr, high-school senior, all-star athlete, and the part time superhero known as Speed-Demon, yawned as he strolled down the street, not caring where he was going. He knew he should be in school, but since today was deemed a study day by his World Events teacher, and they were spending most of it in the library, it was easy for him to sneak out via super-speed and take an early lunch. He knew his parents would be pissed at him for skipping class, but this time he wasn’t cutting class to go hang out somewhere…he needed time to think. He had talked to Violet an hour earlier and he wasn’t sure he wanted to go home knowing that the there was a crisis just waiting to blow up in his face.
Apparently, Syndrome’s bastard, after showing up a couple months ago on their doorstep, finally approached Violet this morning and offered her a job. She hadn’t made up her mind, but she wanted to talk to the rest of the family about it.
Oh yeah, he thought to himself, I so want to be there for that discussion…not!
Then again, Violet had become a little bit more…well, he didn’t want to use the wordy “bitchy”, because Violet had always been like that since he could remember. However, she had gotten a little bit more…aggravating…since Tony broke up with her and then disappeared. It had been nearly two years, but Violet took it hard, which wasn’t entirely a bad thing since she took on more of a sharper edge when it came to being a superhero. She ditched the “Invisigirl” persona in favor of the more adult sounding “Spectrum”, even went to a different costume.
Their parents simply assumed Violet was simply “growing up” and was trying to be her own person, but Dash noticed that Violet, the one who tended to think things through before acting, was getting a little more aggressive in her approach to the “hero job”. Not that he didn’t mind, he kind of enjoyed hanging out with the more “active” and more “risk-taking” persona his sister had adopted. But when she wasn’t playing hero, she simply withdrew from everyone, claiming that it was because she was studying or working. She had moved out of the house and into one of the university dorms a year ago, and aside from the occasional “hero emergency” or every other weekend, they didn’t see much of her.
Then there was the incident last week when he and Vi temporarily teamed up with the American Crusaders, one of the better known super teams in the US, and Violet proceeded to beat one of the villains to a pulp. On the other hand, Dash couldn’t blame her…Breakdown, being a psionic, obviously got into Vi’s head and said some harsh words that he knew would piss her off.
He had never seen her lose control like that…but it was kind of cool, and scary, to see what Violet could actually do with basic Aikido moves and her forcefields. And to be honest, Breakdown did have it coming, but that didn’t stop them from getting the “lecture” about control from members of the Crusaders and their parents.
And now, there was this “David Flynn/Syndrome Jr.” issue. From what Dash had seen of the guy on the local newscasts, he didn’t like him. The whole “son trying to atone for his father’s sins” thing didn’t sway Dash one bit. As far as he was concerned, David Flynn was bad news and it was even worse when he learned that the bastard was linked to someone who went to his own school…Zoe Kilmarten.
Dash never had a problem with Zoe, not personally anyway. Although, he did see her as something of a freak, her spiky pink hair, her piercings, and flaky personality made it very easy for Dash to place her in the group of “freaks 'n geeks” that he loved to torment. He never did anything to her, but he had stuffed many of her friends in lockers during his time at high school. And yet, despite being something of a flake, Zoe was not intimidated by Dash or his friends. Most of the time, she would simply look at them, usually with a mocha (or some caffeine loaded drink) in her hand, give them an evil grin, then take a sip of her drink before walking off. To say that Zoe’s reactions were strange would have been an understatement.
Dash remembered a particularly nasty event last year when one of his fellow jocks, Dean Rallis, thought it would be funny to knock Zoe’s drink out of her hand, spilling the drink all over her. At that moment, Dash knew a line had been crossed…he wasn’t sure how he knew, maybe it was the look in the girl’s eyes…but a switch had been flipped somewhere. A couple hours later, Dean was involved in a small accident in the school parking lot…somehow, all the lug-nuts on his tires had been removed, but the school cameras didn’t show anyone messing with Dean’s car. But later, when Dash was heading home after track practice, he saw Zoe Kilmarten leaning against a nearby wall, listening to her I-Pod and twirling a socket wrench.
His other fellow jocks also experienced “minor accidents” the rest of that week. Joey Taggert found Cuddles, the python from the school’s biology lab, in his locker, causing him to wet his pants and scream like a girl. Tyler Morgan was “accidentally” mildly electrocuted in metal shop, giving him an instant afro that didn’t go away for a few days. And Todd Brinkman…
Dash shuddered at what happened to Brinkman, because it clearly wasn’t an accident. The poor bastard was found stripped down to his underwear and duct-tapped to one of the goal-posts on the football field. It was worse for Brinkman, because he had a high amount of body hair for his age and his screams could be heard as they tried to take the tape off him. But what bothered Dash the most was when they were loading Brinkman into an ambulance, he saw Zoe standing there in the crowd, sipping her mocha, and acting as if she were watching a mildly interesting television program. She looked up at him and smiled, holding up all five fingers, slowly closing them as if she were counting down until only her index finger was left, which she pointed at him like it was an imaginary gun and pretended to fire it at him. Dash had decided to stay away from the girl after that and there hadn’t been any more problems.
Now that crazy girl was working with “Syndrome Jr.”. He saw those Youtube videos and was horrified, but not surprised, to learn that yes…that was Zoe Kilmarten firing off what appeared to be high tech weaponry of some sort. And she was STILL attending this school! He was certain that she knew he was a super, but she didn’t say or do anything that threatened his secret identity.
And now “Syndrome Jr.” was trying to get his sister to sign on. Oh yeah, dinner at the Parr house was going to be a meltdown.
Hmm…maybe something will happe-
A loud explosion snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked down the street to see people diving for cover. Then he saw her…Zoe Kilmarten…standing in front of a Starbucks shouting at…
“Oh crap,” Dash groaned. “I really didn’t need this right now.”
He quickly bolted down an alley, going to super-speed as he changed into his costume. He recognized the man on the hover-board…Bomber, the son of former super-villain Bomb Voyage.
Oh yeah, he decided, today is a crappy day.
“Hey!” shouted Zoe, who was now standing behind Bomber, still holding her drink. “Now look at what you’ve done.”
“What I’ve done?” Bomber shook his head. “Look, this was supposed to be a standard ‘snatch and grab’. My employer pays me to grab you, I deliver you, I get paid. No one said anything about you being a nova.”
“And why are you trying to snatch me?”
“None of your business, now just shut up, be a good hostage, and just come along. I want to get this done in time to catch the ‘South Park Marathon’.”
“South Park?” Zoe said as she dodged another net from the launcher. “What kind of super-villain are you?”
“A working one.” Bomber took off after the girl who started to run down the street. “Oh c’mon…for crying out loud, you’re making this harder for both of-ach!”
A red and black blur caught Bomber in the chest, knocking him off his hoverboard. He jumped back up to his feet, pulling out a couple curved blades from his belt. “Okay…whoever just hit me is in for a world of hurt,” he snarled. Then he stopped short when he saw who had hit him and smiled. “Demon!”
“Bomber,” Dash deadpanned.
“Oh c’mon, D,” said Bomber as he threw one of the throwing blades at the hero. “I shouted out your name, you have to shout mine. I mean, we’re still bitter enemies, right?”
Dash shrugged, his tone almost as friendly as Bomber’s. “Yeah, pretty much,” he said as he grabbed the blade and threw it back, causing the villain to duck for cover behind a car. “But I’m just not in the mood today…sorry.” The blade ripped off the roof of the car before impacting the building behind it and exploding, causing Dash to raise an eyebrow. “Now that was new,” he said. “You got new toys, didn’t you?”
“It’s amazing what you can find on E-Bay, these days.” Bomber rolled out from behind the car and threw a silver ball at the hero. “Think fast.”
The ball suddenly exploded, blinding Dash and causing him to try to cover his eyes…a mistake he instantly regretted as he felt someone kick him in the gut. He felt his back slam into a wall before he dropped to the ground. Though he was in pain and a little dazed, he kept blinking, hoping he could get his vision back, but all he could see were flickering shadows. He tried to get up and was rewarded for his efforts by a kick to the ribs that sent him sprawling across the pavement.
“No, please…just stay down on the ground, D,” Bomber taunted. “As always, you got cocky and got taken down by a simple trick.” He kicked Dash again and chuckled. “Well, I’d love to continue beating the crap out of you, Demon, but I’m on a tight schedule.” He pulled a couple of capsules off his utility belt and threw them at Dash’s legs. The capsules exploded, releasing a sticky liquid that instantly solidified, effectively trapping his legs. “In the meantime, stick around.”
Bomber then straightened up to look for Zoe…only to suddenly get knocked backwards by his own hover-board as it slammed into him, knocking him off his feet and slamming him into a brick wall across the street. He felt a couple sharp pains in his chest and in the lower part of his back. He was certain he had broken a couple ribs and his spine was cracked. He shook his head to regain his bearings…if he waited at least a minute, he was certain his regenerative power would kick in and heal his injuries…if he had a minute.
“Ow,” he managed to say as pulled himself back to his feet.
“Now that’s sad.” Bomber turned to see Zoe Kilmarten standing maybe a dozen feet away, still sipping that damn frappuccino. “Taken out by your own hover-board. By the way, David could probably build a better one.”
“Oh, keep laughing, girl,” Bomber snarled. He was angry now and the time for playing nice was over. “Let’s see how you handle…” His voice trailed off when he realized the utility belt he was reaching for was now missing. He looked up at Zoe again and saw her giving him a smug grin as she showed off the utility belt in her other hand. “Oh…crap,” was all he was able to say as Zoe threw two of his own blue stun balls at him. Then his whole world momentarily went black when they exploded in front of him.
Zoe watched as the armored mercenary was tossed up in the air by the shockwave from the two blue spheres she had taken off the belt. Then she winced as he landed face first next to Dash Parr who was struggling to get out of the trap he was in. “Ow…that’s gotta’ hurt. Your ears have to be ringing from that one.”
“Whuzzat?” Bomber managed to say as he tried to get back up, but failed and collapsed to the ground. “Can’t…hear you…ears are ringing…”
Zoe tossed the utility belt aside and walked up to where Dash and Bomber were lying on the ground. “Oh lookie…a wannabe and an egotistical prick…don’t ask me to figure out which one is which.”
“Okay, you made your point,” grumbled Dash. “You think you can help me out of this, Kilmarten?”
Zoe took another sip of her drink. “Oh…but I couldn’t do that, Speed Demon. You’re a superhero…and All-American athlete…you should have no trouble with a little bit of glue.” She then turned and walked away, leaving the stuck hero and semi-conscious mercenary on the ground.
“That girl is a menace,” said Bomber, managing to get up on his knees.
“No kidding.”
“You’re a superhero, D. Aren’t you supposed to protect us from crazy people like that?”
“Look, I’m trying,” said Dash. “But it’s not easy, okay? I mean…wait a second, you’re the villain…why am I justifying my myself to you?”
“Because you’re an idiot?” asked a new voice.
Both Dash and Bomber looked up to see a young red-haired woman floating several feet above them. She wore a tight body-suit that fit her like a second skin and had most of the male bystanders looking at her as she descended to the ground.
“Well, hey…the day’s looking up, D,” said Bomber.
Dash, on the other hand, tried to keep from swearing out loud. “Great,” he grumbled. “First the crap with Kilmarten, and now this.”
“And hello to you too, Speed Demon,” said the Team Tomorrow member known as Firewing. She raised her arm and fired a burst of energy that disintegrated the paste that had encased Dash’s legs. Though she kept her tone light, Dash wasn’t fooled, he could sense the coldness in her voice.
“Dude, you know Firewing?” asked Bomber. “Damn, D…talk about getting a chance to nail that piece of a-” Bomber was cut off as another energy blast from Firewing hit him in the chest and threw him into a nearby vacant lot fifty yards away.
Dash got back up on his feet and shook his head. “You know, that wasn’t necessary.”
Firewing smiled at him. “No, but it was fun.”
“True,” said Dash. He then took a couple steps closer to Firewing and lowered his voice so bystanders couldn’t hear him. “Kari…what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Pax and his glory brigade?”
“Good to see you too, Dash,” Kari McKeen shot back.
“Hey, not so loud…some of us heroes have secret identities.”
“Oh, yes, that’s right,” said Kari. “You and your family are still doing the hero thing, huh?” Then she lowered her voice, but that didn’t hide the venom in her voice. “So tell me…wiped anyone’s memory lately?”
Dash wanted to verbally rip her apart right there in public, not giving a damn how it would look on the news if it showed a “local hero” getting into it with a popular hero from the UN sponsored Team Tomorrow, but he held back because Kari did have a point. “Look, I didn’t know what they did to you, Kari…not until much later.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Kari managed a fake smile and waved at some nearby bystanders with cameras. “And to answer your question…they decided to assign me here since I’m a local girl. They felt that your family might have problems dealing with the son of Syndrome.”
“So how is Utopia treating you?” asked Dash, trying to change the subject.
“Oh, it’s great,” replied Kari. “Good paycheck, great product endorsement contracts, the best health care system in the world, and…oh yeah…they don’t erase my memory like my former friends did.”
“I told you, Violet and I didn’t know.”
“Not the first two times at least.” Kari stood there for a moment, glaring at Dash before looking back up to the sky. “Tell your family that I’m back in town…and that they, especially your sister, should stay out of my way.” She then took to the air, waving at a couple more onlookers before disappearing into the city skyline.
“Oh yeah,” grumbled Dash. “This has been a crappy day.” He then remembered Bomber and quickly ran over to where the armored mercenary had landed, only to find that he had disappeared as well. “A very crappy day.”
Zoe finished off her frappuccino and tossed the empty cup into a nearby dumpster, trying not to laugh too hard as she made her way back to Metroville High. She stopped across the street from the school and grinned as the bell rang, signaling the beginning of lunch. Needless to say, the last thirty minutes cheered her up. It’s not every day that one humiliates a wannabe super-villain and an stuck up hero. However, despite how things turned out, she was a little concerned. Someone had apparently hired some loser to kidnap her in order to get to David…and that didn’t sit well with her, especially since they mistook her as being a “helpless” normal human.
Well, they won’t make that mistake again.
She smiled as she mentally recalled how she had taken Bomber out with his own hover-board, and then snatched his utility belt from him. She was still giggling to herself as she crossed the street and started to make her way to the main entrance of the school.
“You must be proud of yourself,” she heard someone say behind her.
Zoe turned and saw a red-haired woman wearing the familiar blue and gold Team Tomorrow costume. “Um, maybe a little,” she said. “What do you want, Firewing? You going to try and kidnap me too?”
“No, why would I do that?”
Zoe shrugged. “Seems to be the order of the day.”
“Actually, I’m here to talk to you about your powers,” said Firewing. “How long have you been a nova?”
“Um…most of my life? Unlike you, I didn’t erupt a couple years ago in a shopping mall.” Zoe folded her arms across her chest. “So, McKeen…what brings you here to Metro…come to find your missing brain cell? Did you happen to check the bargain rack at Macy’s?”
“Is that any way to talk to someone trying to help you?”
“Help me? How?”
“I saw what you did, what you’re capable of. And I also know that you’re working for David Pine.” Firewing’s expression became more serious. “The boy is bad news, Zoe.”
“Okay…first off, only my friends call me Zoe and, last time checked, that doesn’t include Project Utopia drones. And second…for someone who is ‘bad news’, David hasn’t hidden who he is from me or anyone else.” She then turned and reached over to open the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got class.”
“Don’t be too sure of that, girl.”
Zoe turned around again and stepped away from the door. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh…nothing. It’s just that there were witnesses to your little adventure…how long do you think it will be before word gets out about you?”
“You wouldn’t,” Zoe almost snarled.
Firewing smiled at her. “But if you were to say…sign on with Utopia…we could set up an arrangement.”
“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be,” said Zoe.
“It doesn’t have to be like that. We can use someone like you.”
“And if I say no?”
“Well…then I’m afraid word is going to get out about you. An unregistered nova, a minor whose parents are hardly ever home and spends most of her time with the son of a super-villain?” Firewing shook her head and frowned. “We would have no choice but to take custody of you.”
“Kind of like what you people did to Jake McKinney a couple months ago?”
“That was an accident,” snapped Firewing. “And the media reported it wrong.”
“Oh yeah, of course, I forgot how ‘beneficial’ Utopia has been for all humanity.” A smirk formed on Zoe’s lips. “Gunning down a twelve year old must have been for our own good, huh?”
“That’s enough!” Fire suddenly exploded around Firewing’s body, a sign that she was starting to lose her temper. “You have no right to-”
“To what?” asked Zoe, cutting the heroine off. “To make my own choice?”
By now, several students were exiting the building for lunch and stopped short when they realized that a member of Team Tomorrow was outside their school. Some of them, most of them being male, pulled out their cell-phones and began taking pictures as one of the ‘hottest heroines’ faced off against the school’s ‘resident freak’. Firewing must have noticed the attention they were getting, because she immediately tried to regain her composure, and the flames dancing around her body dissipated.
“You’re making this harder than it has to be, Kilmarten,” said Firewing, softening her voice and trying to sound reasonable. “You can’t be allowed to operate alone like this.”
“What part of ‘Not Interested’ did you not get?”
Firewing shook her head. “Then you leave us no choice,” she said as she started to go airborne. “We’ll finish this later…when there aren’t so many witnesses. Maybe you’ll change your mind by then.”
Zoe watched as the stuck up heroine flew off, ignoring her fellow students who were babbling excitedly amongst each other about having seen a ‘real’ superhero up close and in person. Then she noticed some students looking at her and whispering to each other.
[i]“Did you hear that? Kilmarten just dissed Firewing.”
“Kilmarten’s a nova?”
“Figures…she was always a freak to begin with…”[/i]
Zoe rolled her eyes and shook her head, amazed at how all the kids at school saw an air-headed nova like Firewing and considered her a hero, but decided that their fellow student, Zoe Kilmarten, was a freak of nature. “Screw this,” she finally said, kicking on the super-speed and disappearing down the street. She knew there was trouble coming and running way was probably not the best thing to do, but Firewing was right…people saw her and, unlike others, she didn’t have a ‘secret identity’.
But then, there was that other horrifying realization: When her parents found out what happened, she was going to be grounded for life.
Jean-Paul Renard, also known as the mercenary called Bomber, entered the abandoned warehouse, turning his neck to the right as far as he could until he heard a popping sound. He then rubbed his neck, trying to make the pain go away as his bones re-knitted themselves. Normally, he wouldn’t take a job like this, but he had to admit that he was impressed by the Kilmarten girl and his employer was more than willing to pay him to test her.
“Did anyone see you?” asked a voice from the shadows.
“No,” said Jean. “Give me some credit, here. I may be a slacker, but I AM a professional. You got my money?”
A man in a business suit and gray overcoat stepped out of the shadows, carrying a briefcase which he opened up to reveal several bundles of currency. “As agreed, one and a half million dollars, half of it in American dollars, the other in Euros. He closed the briefcase and handed it to Jean. “So…your opinion?”
“Well, you were right, she is a nova…a speedster, hell, she’s probably faster than Speed Demon.” He shook his head and chuckled softly. “Didn’t even think that was possible.”
“Impressive,” said the other man. “We observed her actions and while you were holding back, it’s obvious that she’s not as scatterbrained as she would have people believe.”
“Definitely not. Unlike Demon, she has some grasp of strategy and tactics as opposed to simply rushing in. Anything else you’d like to know?”
“No, that will be all, Renard.”
Jean smiled as he held up the briefcase. “Gotta’ tell ya, it’s the easiest million and a half I’ve ever made. Just one thing…the next time you Utopia people set up something like this and get me involved, warn me if you have another player entering the game.”
“Other?” The Utopia representative hesitated for a moment, but quickly recovered. “Ah, you mean, Firewing…yes, that wasn’t exactly planned. However, that didn’t complicate matters, did it?”
“Well, no, but getting blasted by Firewing isn’t something I want to repeat, okay? My skin is still itching from regenerating the burned tissue.” He patted the briefcase. “But hey…I think I’ll heal just fine.” He then walked away, leaving the Utopia agent standing there in the shadows.
The man waited about two minutes, then closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment before opening them again. “Okay, he’s gone and we’re clear…you can come out now.”
Divis Mal stepped out of the shadows, clapping his hands. “Nicely done, Scripture…I do believe you missed your calling.”
Jeremiah Scripture smiled at his leader, his eyes glowing slightly, adding more faint light to the dimly lit warehouse. “Well, sometimes theatrics is a useful tool in my line of work, especially when preaching to the masses. But that’s something I don’t need to tell you.”
“Indeed,” said Divis. “So it would seem that our young friend’s companion is more than she seems.”
“I don’t understand why you wanted to test her, but I’m assuming there’s a reason.”
“Go ahead and spit it out, Jeremiah,” Divis chuckled. “It’s just us and you don’t have to be so formal here.”
“We knew she was a nova and we knew what kind of powers she possessed, so why go through this charade?”
“It’s simple Jeremiah. By forcing Zoe Kilmarten to go public like that, she would have no choice, but to abandon her facade of a normal life. It would also attract the attention of Project Utopia, who would feel it would be their ‘duty’ to ‘assist’ the girl in controlling her powers.”
“She, nor her parents, would never go along with that.”
“And neither will the one other person who cares about her.”
“Flynn?”
“Yes, David Flynn.” Divis’ voice was distant as he remembered the conversation he had with the boy…no…the young man. He doubted David Flynn ever had the chance to have a real childhood…not if what he suspected about the boy was true.
[i][b]“Oh please…I hope you’re not going into the whole ‘god among insects’ thing. It worked well in the X-Men books and the movies, but please stop sounding like Magneto. Besides, if I actually bought into that stuff, I don’t think you’d like the role I’d play in your re-created pantheon.”
“And what would that be?”
“Prometheus.”
“You do know what happened to Prometheus as punishment for his crime against Zeus, right?”
“Yeah, tied to a rock and an eagle got an all you-could-eat buffet in the form of his constantly regenerating liver. The problem is, we’re not really gods, you’re not Zeus, and I’m not Prometheus.”[/i][/b]
“No,” said Divis. “Maybe we aren’t gods…but close enough.”
“What was that, Divis?”
“Nothing, Jeremiah…just thinking about a conversation I had with young Flynn.”
“Are you sure it’s wise to antagonize him like this?”
“David Flynn has always had a hatred for Utopia, and it would only be a matter of time before they crossed paths.” He smiled again as he remembered something else. “And Firewing’s getting involved in the incident, while unexpected, does help things along.”
“Yes,” said Scripture, a thoughtful look on his face as he contemplated what Divis had in mind. “Firewing’s general pro-Utopia attitude borders almost on fanaticism.”
“Careful, old friend…the same could be said about our group,” Mal chuckled. “But you’re right. Firewing’s stance and attitude will certainly give David Flynn something to deal with.”
“Do you really think he will side with us?”
“At the moment, no. However, it’s only a matter of time and undecided novas like Flynn, Kilmarten, and others will have no choice but to take a side.” His eyes suddenly glowed an eerie red color. “Let’s hope, for their sakes, they make the right decision.”
Very good, very good.
Looking forward for more
Disclaimer: Don’t own Aberrant and Incredibles…they’re owned by White Wolf and Disney/Pixar. “Erase and Rewind” is owned by The Cardigans. Certain other characters of the medical persuasion are owned by Buena Vista/Disney as well. The excerpt at the beginning was provided by an Aberrant player named Joseph. Thanks for letting me use it, Joe.
Author’s Notes: Yep…still posting this thing here. Though I’ve had to edit parts of it due to profanity and certain words the filter here tends to replace. As usual comments, criticisms, and threats are welcome.
Chapter Seven - Flashpoint (part 1)
[i]“See, I think the doctors have it all wrong. Some of us pop and develop the tools we need to survive, or what we think we need to survive, sure. Not everyone survives their eruption, after all. But wish fulfillment? Desire? I don’t think so.”
“I think we erupt into what we believe ourselves to be. I think eruption peels away the mask that we wear for the sake of our own safety and security, and it shows the world not who we really are, but who we think we are. That’s why blokes like Pax don’t wash with me. No matter what he says or what he does, this is the thing he chose to become, the thing he sees himself as. Rhetoric aside, deep down, little Shelby Eisenfaust actually thinks he’s ****ing Superman. And to me, that’s a hell of a lot scarier than a self-loathing man dying in a hospital who became the pile of shit everyone always told him he was.”
From the N! Channel documentary: “Talking with Monsters”[/i]
David allowed himself a tiny smile as he gunned the engine of his customized BMW Mini-Cooper S, ignoring the honking horns and angry obscenities coming from other motorists as he weaved his way through traffic. Having gotten through the last of the late afternoon traffic that was clogging up the highway (and wasting three hours of his life that he would never get back) leaving Los Angeles, all that remained for him was an hour and a half drive before hitting Metroville. He tapped the screen to his MP3 player, highlighting the playlist labeled “cruising music”. A few seconds later, a remixed version of “Erase and Rewind” by the Cardigans was coming out of the surround-sound speakers in the car.
[b][i]Hey…
What did you hear me say?
You know the difference it makes
What did you hear me say?
Yes,I said it’s fine before
But I don’t think so no more
I said it’s fine before
I’ve changed my mind
I take it back
Erase and rewind
'Cause I’ve been changing my mind
Erase and rewind
'Cause I’ve been changing my mind
I’ve changed my mind…[/i][/b]
It wasn’t the usual type of music he listened to, but he didn’t feel like listening to the usual metal/industrial/techno songs that dominated his playlists. After all, one could only listen to so many different versions of Nine Inch Nails remixes, Metallica, and The Killers before going insane. Besides, he just wasn’t in the mood.
The day really hadn’t been that bad. After talking to Violet Parr, he took off for Los Angeles to see his foster family and go in for a medical check-up. The meeting with his family was the usual occurrence at the Flynn household: chaos, laughter, and the occasional explosion. Then it became serious when Niel accompanied David to the hospital for his check up. As usual, the results were the same since the last time David had a check-up: he was the picture of health, except for that little part of the brain called the M-R node that was going to kill him about a decade down the road. All novas had an Mazarin-Rashoud node, that mysterious little extra piece of energized brain tissue that gave them their powers. Unfortunately, for David, that piece of energized brain tissue was going to kill him in the next ten to twelve years.
Niel had taken the news rather well, but David insisted that the rest of the family not be told. “I’m a freak already,” he told his foster father. “I don’t need them to think of me as a tragic victim.”
The doctors had given him several options ranging from various types of treatments to radical surgical procedures that, honestly, sounded like several different ways to describe a lobotomy with a slight chance of survival. Out of all the doctors he had talked to, he found the abrasive Doctor Cox to be the most pragmatic and honest about it.
“Look, I’ll be the first to confess that I don’t know the slightest thing about how your mojo powers work,” the Doctor told David. “But that little tumor-like thing that triggers those abilities is going to kill you in the next decade. Sure we could operate on it, remove it, and you might have a chance of surviving, but you might end up suffering brain damage or becoming a total vegetable…which wouldn’t be much different than a certain intern I used to deal with. But you want my advice, so here it is: live. You got at least ten years of your life left, live it. Don’t waste it trying to look for ways to cheat death because you’re just cheating yourself out of living.”
For some reason, David found comfort in those words. While the other doctors seemed intent on giving him “theoretical” solutions to his problem, Cox told him the truth…one that he had suspected, but wasn’t sure of until he had gotten an actual medical opinion. And now that he had that medical opinion, he experienced an odd mixture of dread and relief. It was odd…knowing that he was going to die and, while that did scare him, it didn’t really seem to bother him too much…and that did worry him.
Then again, you’re not a real human…so you shouldn’t be bothered by dying.
David ignored that thought, instead choosing to floor the accelerator and tear on down the highway. He always had thoughts like that…thoughts that he wasn’t human, that he wasn’t even real. He figured that mentality came from the fact that he knew he was grown in a tank somewhere, the first ten years of his life basically being a virtual simulation uploaded to his brain. Then there were the nightmares he occasionally had…except they weren’t nightmares, but flashes of memory. Nightmares in which he wasn’t human, but a metallic monster that killed supers. The nightmares faded away mostly in the years he spent with the Flynn family, but it was the revelation this last summer when he talked to Dicker that everything fell into place.
While living in that tank on Nomanisan Island, his mind was linked to Syndrome’s database…those nightmares were actually data files from various Omni-Droid missions. Over the next eight years since he was brought out of the tank, David began to “remember” things…like devices that Buddy Pine had been working on or designing. When he had “erupted” a couple years ago, gaining the ability to mentally link with computer networks, he also began to “remember” everything on the Pine Industries database, including some dark secrets that even the NSA had not been able to uncover.
[b][i]Erase and rewind
'Cause I’ve been changing my mind
Erase and rewind
'Cause I’ve been changing my mind
I’ve changed my mind…[/i][/b]
If it were only that simple, David mused. His thoughts were interrupted by his cell-phone playing a clip of “Where Is My Mind?” from the Pixies, causing him to sigh and shake his head. He tapped the speaker button on his cell-phone, patching it into the car’s stereo system.
“What’s going on, Zoe?” he asked.
“David, I think I might have screwed up.”
“Okay, what did you break this time?” David laughed.
“No, David…this is serious. Someone tried to kidnap me to get to you, then DashParrshowedup,itallbecameamess,butItookcareofit,thenFirewingfromTeamTommorowshowedupandshethinksI’manunregisterednovaandwantstotakemein!”
“Whoa there, Zoe, normal speed,” David said. “Okay, someone tried to kidnap you? Who?”
“Some guy calling himself ‘Bomber’?”
David wasn’t sure if he should be concerned or amused. “Bomber? The guy who looks like he ripped off the Green Goblin’s costume from Spider-Man?”
“Yeah, that’s the guy. Anyway, he wasn’t the problem. Dash Parr showed up doing his little ‘Speed Demon’ thing, got his ass kicked, I took down the bad guy, then Firewing showed up, and that’s when it all went to hell.”
“Firewing? As in Kari ‘I’m dumber than a bleach blonde’ McKeen…that Firewing?”
“Yeah.”
“What the hell is she doing there?”
“I don’t know, but she saw me in action, thinks I’m an unregistered nova, and wants to take me in.”
Shit, thought David, didn’t see that coming. “Okay, where are you at now?” he asked.
“I’m at the SST campus, though I did stop home to grab Brody.”
Despite himself, David smiled. He never figured Zoe to be a dog lover, but he remembered how she almost broke down when he gave her the small Australian Shepherd puppy as a present. “How many people do we have at SST?”
“Um, about twenty…the others won’t be here until the big party for next week.”
“Okay, tell them to stay on campus, I should be there in a couple hours. For now, act normally and tell everyone there to stay put, but be on their guard. And whatever happens…DON’T let anyone from Utopia take you.”
“And if they try?”
David didn’t bother to hide the the cold tone in his voice. “Then you have every right to defend yourselves…I’ll be there soon.”
He terminated the connection and refocused his attention on the road, trying to figure out what had happened. He realized that Firewing was a “local girl” from Metroville, but something didn’t seem right here. She was the “American” nova poster-girl for Project Utopia, but she didn’t seem like the kind of person who would be interested in tracking down unregistered novas.
Doesn’t make sense, he thought to himself. Firewing isn’t very bright and going after an “unregistered” nova would be beneath her because it doesn’t involve massive media coverage…unless she was under orders…
Everything suddenly fell into place.
Bomber wasn’t trying to kidnap Zoe…he might be a whack-job, but even a low-ranking elite wouldn’t botch a kidnapping. He only targeted her, forced her to use her powers out in public.
David caught himself grinding his teeth as he realized who had the power to pull this off…a certain Project Utopia representative.
Lansing…
David floored the gas-pedal again, hoping he wouldn’t be too late.
Jonathan Lansing sat in the Director’s office of the T2M building in Mexico City, watching the satellite surveillance feed on a monitor. The screen showed a bird’s eye view of the Syndrome Software Technologies compound. Another monitor showed a retrieval team a couple blocks away, moving into position on the compound. He allowed himself a tiny self-congratulatory smile, still not believing the fluke of good luck that fell into his lap.
It all started when Kari McKeen called him up earlier in the afternoon. Apparently, the air-headed nova was taking some time off to visit her family in Metroville when she stumbled across an incident involving the nova mercenary known as Bomber, the young hero called Speed Demon, and an unknown nova with super speed and spiky neon pink hair. As far as McKeen was concerned, the unknown speedster was unregistered and that it was her duty as a Utopia agent to bring the other nova in. When Lansing heard the description, he knew that McKeen could only be describing the hyper-active little teeny-bopper that hung around David Flynn…Zoe Kilmarten, the “self-appointed PR director” for SST…at least according to those damn viral Youtube videos that had flooded the net over the last month and a half.
Of course, he realized that while Kilmarten was not registered with Utopia, she was probably registered with the US government’s National Supers Agency. Technically speaking, Utopia had no authority and Metroville, along with most of the United States, was out of Team Tomorrow’s jurisdiction. Even though the UN and US senators friendly to Project Utopia had pushed for legislation to grant Utopia authorization to freely act in the US, it was usually shot down by politicians and bureaucrats who whined about about America’s “diminishing sovereignty”. Ever since the Galatea incident, Utopia, through the UN, had tried to pressure the NSA to release their database on all known supers in the United States, but that old fossil currently heading the National Supers Agency kept telling Utopia and its allies to go to hell. To make matters worse, the NSA, along with various agencies from the Russian Confederation, Germany, Japan, and Great Britain formed their own little group called The Directive which, they claimed, was created to serve as a balance to Project Utopia.
Oh, how he wished he could simply order an assassination team to take out Dicker and be done with it…but that wasn’t possible. The old bastard knew too much, and, according to the Proteus council, a lot of ugly things could possibly come to light if something happened to him. However, this business with Kilmarten, if played properly, might work in their favor and could possibly cause trouble for Dicker, the NSA, and David Flynn.
David Flynn…
Lansing clenched his fists whenever that little punk’s name came up. If someone had told him a year ago, that he would be facing off against some pimply-faced eighteen year old bastard who posed a high level threat to Utopia, Lansing would have laughed in their face and had them committed. Except…the threat was real, and David Flynn was hardly some pimply-faced teenager with powers. Within the last few months, that boy had decided to reclaim what was left of Pine Industries holdings for himself and pretty much declared war on Utopia.
At first, when he had heard of David Flynn, Lansing dismissed the boy as just another nova who needed a reality check. It wasn’t until that confrontation at a Starbucks almost two months ago, that Lansing and Utopia realized how much of a threat Flynn was. The young man had single handedly hacked their satellite network and used one of their own weapons satellites to destroy one of the spy-sats in geosynchronous orbit…all with just his mind!
Then again, Lansing reminded himself, he should have known better. Before Project Utopia, he was an operative for the Aeon Society who had infiltrated Pine Industries. He was part of the Pine Industries security team that had “acquired” the Hammersmith notes from the Aeon Society. He was there when Buddy Pine began working on a project called “Adam-X” alongside his Omni-Droid program. And he was there when the NSA stormed the island, but managed to elude capture. He had orders to activate the island’s self-destruct mechanism to destroy Syndrome’s research, but something had gone wrong and overrode his security code. His superiors were concerned that the NSA would discover “Adam-X” and might link him to the Aeon Society, but nothing came of it. Years later, Lansing and the rest of the Aeon Society dismissed the “Adam-X” program as a failure…only to be proven wrong when David resurfaced on Utopia’s radar.
And now that freak of nature wants to destroy us.
Though he had been informed by certain members of the Proteus Council that he was the reason David Flynn was an enemy, he knew they were wrong. The boy was an abomination even when compared to other novas. David Flynn wasn’t “born” into this world, he was created and engineered, a project that had been conceived in the bleak monstrosity known as Nazi Germany when they had first acquired the Hammersmith notes, and ultimately brought to fruition by Pine Industries decades later…except someone had given the damn creature sentience and woke it up in time for the NSA to discover it.
“Mirage…that bitch,” Buddy Pine had said to him, “she must have put him online.”
Unfortunately, Mirage disappeared shortly after the NSA seized Nomanisan Island…another failure by Lansing to tie up loose ends. But it wouldn’t be that way for long…Buddy Pine would be “escaping” soon and would kill David, eliminating the threat to Utopia. Then Lansing would kill Buddy Pine, and then he could focus on trying to track down Mirage and get rid of her. After all, he had the resources of a powerful international agency at his disposal, there was no way she could hide from him.
“Were in position, sir,” came a voice over the ear-piece he was wearing. Lansing recognized the voice belonging to Bruce “Stalwart” McInerny, a nova operative in charge of the retrieval team accompanying Firewing.
Lansing reached up and tapped the screen on his his desk, bringing up another visual that displayed the team’s location. A window popped open in the upper corner of the screen, displaying McInerny’s face as he made his report.
“Not much else going on, sir. The target is on site along with several other novas…none of them are registered with us.”
Lansing smiled at that. So…it looks like Flynn has some unregistered novas working for him other than just Kilmarten…perfect.
“Move in, but focus primarily on Kilmarten, we want her alive, Bruce. The last thing we need is another Jacob McKinney incident.”
“Understood, sir, McInerny out.”
Violet didn’t attend classes that day. She occasionally took a day off when she was actually ill or was dealing with an “emergency” that involved the “family business”. Unlike her brother, she never ditched a day of school…never. But today was different…all because of David Flynn.
“Look, people like us…novas…we’re never going to be normal. No matter what we do, what we say, or what we believe, people will view us as freaks or something that needs to be controlled or contained. However, that doesn’t mean we should go to the other extreme and act like gods. I guess €the trick is to reach some sort of balance. But I guess the real question is this…do you really like where you are?”
Violet was right…the conversation from earlier that morning kept bugging her. After her shift was over, she decided to take the rest of the day off and figure out what to do about Flynn’s offer. Instead, she walked aimlessly around town, stopping off at the mall in an attempt to distract herself, but ultimately ended up at a small coffee house not far from her dorm. She spent the next few hours there, pretending to study, but that didn’t help. During that time, she also called her brother to talk about it, which ended up being a bad idea.
“Are you crazy?” Dash practically screamed at her. “This is Syndrome Jr. were talking about. It’s bad enough he has that psycho Kilmarten working for him, now he wants you to sign on? Are you really that stupid? Do I have to spell out the word TRAP for you?”
He then hung up on her, but she realized that he must have called their mother because, a half hour later, Helen Parr called up to express her concern. Thirty seconds later, in which Violet heard her mother use words she almost never used, that conversation ended with Violet and her mother yelling at each other and Violet slamming the phone on the table as she closed it, getting stares from other customers in the coffee house. She ignored them, turned her phone off, and tossed it in her bag before going back to pretending to study.
A few minutes later, she heard the other chair at her table move as someone joined her. She didn’t bother looking up, already having a pretty good idea who it was. “Go away, Dash…we really don’t need to talk.”
“Wow, you really are out of it, Vi.”
Violet looked up in surprise. She was expecting Dash to show up, not her other brother. “Jack? What are you doing here?”
“Oh,” said the nine year old as he smiled at his older sister. “You know how it is…big sister decides not to show up for dinner, Mom and Dad have an argument, and big brother is looking confused and pissed. I was then told to go to my room so the grown ups could have a ‘talk’ about you.” He drummed his fingers on the table for a moment as he thought of something. “I still don’t get that part, I know I’m the baby in the family, but when did Dash ever grow up?”
Despite herself, Violet couldn’t help laughing. Though Jack was only nine, he possessed a sharp wit that allowed him to hold his own against his older siblings, especially Dash, who learned that while he was the older brother, there was no way he was going to bully Jack without paying the price. “So why are you here, Jack?”
“You already asked that,” said Jack. “But to answer your question, I’m doing the right thing by coming here to beg you to come home to talk to Mom and Dad.”
“Uh-huh,” said Violet, the tone in her voice telling Jack that she knew he was lying. “You just decided to bail out on them, didn’t you?”
Jack smiled at her and shrugged. “Well, what do you expect? Mom, Dad, and Dash are having their ‘grown-ups only’ talk, and they figure I’m upstairs playing video games.” His smile faded a little bit with his next question. “Is it true? Did that David Flynn guy offer you a job?”
“How would you know about that?”
“Well, duh.” Jack rolled his eyes. “There’s this little thing we little kids are good at, it’s called eavesdropping.”
“Go home, Jack…this isn’t any of your business.”
“Actually, it is. You see, you’re taking this job offer has them pissed off, which means they’re going to fight until the wee hours in the morning or until they get a hold of you and talk to you. Dash will simply chicken out and run off somewhere, leaving me to deal with angry parents arguing in the house.”
“I didn’t say I was going to take the job.”
“No, but you’re thinking about it, right?”
“Well…” Violet hesitated, realizing that she, indeed, was considering taking David Flynn’s offer. “Sort of.”
“Vi, hate to break it to you, but you suck at lying.”
“I do not!” Violet snapped.
“Yeah, you do.” Jack smiled at her. “It’s no secret what you and Tony did in Mom and Dad’s bedroom when the rest of us went to Disney World a couple years ago.”
“How would you know about that? You’re only nine!”
“I didn’t,” Jack snickered. “I just guessed and you confirmed it. Now…let’s talk about the price of my silence…”
“I don’t live there anymore, Jack. And it’s my life, so quit thinking of ways you can blackmail me.”
“Blackmail? That is such an ugly word. I like to think of it as acquiring financial assets.”
“Oh, that’s what it’s called,” said Violet. “And here I was thinking you were just stealing money from Dash.”
This time, it was Jack being defensive. “Hey, you beat up your little brother, it’s going to cost you. In this case, it cost him a lot.”
“I can’t believe Mom and Dad never caught you.”
“What can I say?” Jack flashed her his trademark ‘innocent’ grin. “I have the face of an angel.” Then his grin faded again. “But seriously, Vi. You really should come home…Mom even made lasagna instead of hamburger hell…er…helper.”
“Wow…lasagna?”
“Yep.”
“She must really be pissed.”
“Look, just come home, okay? Otherwise, Mom and Dad are going to be fighting the rest of the night and it will make a really crappy rest of the week.” He looked up at her with pleading eyes…an expression that Violet had mastered at that age. “Pleeeeease?”
“You really need to work more on your begging, kiddo.”
“A little over the top, wasn’t it?”
“Just a little.” Violet put her books back in her bag, then she finished off her coffee before getting up out of her chair. “So, shall we head home?”
Jack shook his head as he and his sister made their way out the door. “Actually, I was kind of hoping we’d make a little stop along the way.”
Violet gave her brother a suspicious look. “What kind of a stop.”
“You’re future place of employment,” Jack said as he grabbed her arm.
“Hey, I never sai-” Violet was cut off as she and her brother disappeared in a flash of white light. “d I was going to take the job,” she finished. Then she frowned as she recognized the old junior high-school she had attended several years ago. “Jack, why did you bring us here?”
Jack gestured to the parking lot in front of the facility which, somehow, was covered in a sheet of ice. “Actually, I passed this place before I found you. I was kind of curious and I wanted to see what they were up to.”
“What are they doing?” asked Violet as she saw a several teenagers and young adults skate by on the ice.
“It looks like hockey game over at one end of the parking lot,” Jack said.
Sure enough, Violet saw a goal set up with a few people playing a game of hockey while others skated around the parking lot. Off to the side, she saw a couple outdoor grills set up and she could smell the burgers, steaks, and hot-dogs being grilled.
“Wow,” Jack said. “You know…as far as secret super-villain lairs go, this is something of a disappointment. You sure this Syndrome Jr. is evil?”
“His father did try to kidnap you.”
“Oh…yeah, there is that.” Jack then turned to look at the small crowd of people gathering around the grills. “Think your future boss is down there?” he asked, starting to make his way towards the group.
“I’m not taking the job, Jack,” Violet said. “And we’re going home, right now. Hey…where are you going?”
Jack stopped and turned to look at her. “Aw, c’mon Violet. I’m just a kid, and you’re part of their little group. Just pretend like we belong there, grab some food, and we’ll head home.” He resumed walking towards the grill. “Besides,” he added, “eating burnt lasagna sucks.”
“First off, I’m not part of their little group.”
“C’mon, Vi…you fit right in there with the super-geeks.”
“And you’re starting to sound like Dash.”
That last comment made Jack stop dead in his tracks and turn to reface his sister. “What did you just say?” His eyes flashed an amber color for a moment.
“Sorry Jack,” Violet said, not even the least bit disturbed by this. She knew Jack wouldn’t actually strike out at her. “You hit a raw nerve, I had to hit back.”
After thinking about it for a second, Jack shrugged. “Yeah, you got a point…but that was low, Vi…even for you.” Then he smiled. “You really are getting an edge.”
“After dealing with Dash, and now you, I have to.”
“You’re lying, Vi.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am-”
“Wow, that sounds familiar,” said a new voice.
They both turned to see a teen-aged girl with spiky pink hair standing there, a leashed Australian shepherd puppy standing next to her.
“Hey, you’re that pink haired girl with the cool guns and blows things up,” Jack said. “Love those videos.”
The girl rolled her eyes. “Great, now I’m going to be stuck with that title forever.” She then extended her hand towards Violet. “Zoe Kilmarten, I’m David’s assistant and PR director.”
“So that’s what they call it these days,” Jack said as he shook Zoe’s hand. “Ow! Vi, you hit me!”
“Yes, I did…and you’re too young to talk about things like that.”
“Okay, Vi…there was this thing that came out over decade ago…it’s called the 'net. Trust me, I’ve already seen…er…” Jack stopped at the glare he was getting from his sister. “Um…never mind.”
“I am seriously going to talk to Mom and Dad about your internet access,” Violet said.
“Besides,” added Zoe Kilmarten. “I would think your parents would have put in some sort of parental restrictions.”
“They did,” said Jack. “But that’s on my user ID, not my brother’s.”
Violet slapped her hand against her forehead and shook her head. “I should have known.”
“So, what brings you two here?” Zoe asked.
“Just passing by on the way home,” said Violet. “We were just leaving.”
Zoe smirked at her. “Nice try, Violet Parr, but I know who you are.”
“Yeah, well, Jack here wanted to see what was going on and sort of dragged me here.”
Zoe looked down at Jack for a moment. “For some reason, I can believe that, Emo-Girl.”
Jack tried to stifle his laughter. “Heh…Emo-Girl…ow!” He rubbed the back of his head again. “Vi, Stop hitting me!”
“Emo-Girl?” repeated Violet. “I’ve been called worse.”
“That’s true,” Jack said. “There’s ‘Bit-’…OW! That’s it, I’m filing assault charges.”
“Is he always like this?” asked Zoe.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Violet replied with a roll of her eyes. “The sad part is, this is when he is behaving.”
“Hey!” Jack snapped at her. “That is so…true.”
“Well, since you’re here, might as well join the others.” Zoe’s eyes narrowed for a moment and Violet thought she saw a hint of anger there, but it immediately disappeared. “Especially since you’re joining the company.”
“Actually, I haven’t made up my mind.”
“Really?” Again, there was a glimmer of emotion in Zoe’s eyes, but it quickly vanished, though the slight hopeful tone in her voice hadn’t. “Is it that whole ‘son of the villain’ thing?”
“Something like that.”
“Hey, you’re not the one he tried to kidnap.”
“Shut up, Jack.”
“Well, you might as well get something to eat,” Zoe said.
“Hey…free food, no complaints there,” laughed Jack.
“We’re going home, Jack.”
Jack suddenly dropped to his knees, a pained look on his face. “Too…weak,” he gasped. “Strain of 'porting is too much…need…food…to…regain…strength.”
“Mom has lasagna at home.”
“But it’s burnt, and you know she’s a crappy cook when she’s pissed.”
“True,” Violet admitted, having endured many burnt dinners when her mother was angry. “Fine…we’ll stick around for a little bit.”
“All right!” Jack was back up on his feet and headed down towards the grill, pausing only to grab a paper plate and a can of soda off a picnic table.
“Brat,” Violet grumbled as she followed her brother. She glanced over at Zoe who was talking softly to her dog. “So…how old is he/she?”
“Five months,” Zoe replied. “And his name is Brody. David gave him to me as a gift.”
“Really?” Violet was hoping to keep the tone friendly, but she couldn’t help sensing hostility being directed at her from Zoe. “So where is your boss?”
“Out of town, but he should be here soon though. He was visiting his family.” Zoe looked up and laughed at the concerned look on Violet’s face when she mentioned David’s family. “His foster-family,” she corrected.
“And the party?”
“Oh, just a small gathering.”
“Good to know,” said a new voice above them. Both Violet and Zoe looked up to see Firewing floating above them along with two other novas flanking her on either side. “After all,” continued Firewing, “I’d hate to deal with an army of unregistered novas, though capturing all of you would make it easier.”
Here we go…this should really start some plans and movements on both sides.
Great job…really interested in the story and can’t wait to see the next chapter.
Disclaimer: Don’t own Aberrant, White Wolf does. Don’t own Incredibles, Disney/Pixar and Brad Bird do.
Author’s Notes: Well…here we go…part two of the Flashpoint chapter. Still not happy with how this chapter turned out…kept rewriting the fight scenes, so I cut a lot of stuff out. Also want to thank CA_Schooler for letting me use his Null character. I know Null didn’t do much, but he will do more later…expect him to an integral part of the supporting cast. Also cut back what I originally did with Jack…I wanted to hint at him being powerful, but I didn’t want to make him look like “uber-bad-ass-nine-year-old-who-saves-the-day”…trust me, “Anakin Skywaker syndrome” is a disease that will NOT be tolerated in this fic.
Anyway, hope you like it. I’ll probably go back and edit this thing, but for now…enjoy. And, as usual, feedback is nice.
Chapter Eight - Flashpoint (Part 2)
From the first of two essays circulating among Teragen members
[i]My name is Pedro Santiago. My name is also The Mathematician, and I am a nova.
More than that I am a Terat, a combatant in the struggle to define what it means to be
beyond baseline humanity and to guarantee ourselves a future.
But the future is founded on the past. If we are to go forward, we must know our origins,
victories and defeats. This document is the first step toward that understanding. The Teragen
is on the verge of a great transformation, and I fear we will spiral into chaos if we fail to build
on the past. I have assembled my recollections of the events that shaped our early days
into the following essay, but I invite you all to add your own notes and contributions. I leave
more recent events to one much younger than myself.
For the One Race.
The detonation of the Galatea in 1998 may have ushered in the so-called “Nova
Age,” but the seeds of our current problems were all present before that fateful day.
Save for the few children we keep hidden from Utopian pawns, we were all born before
the Galatea fell from the sky. We are all children of the sick, dirty and self-destructive
world of the late 20th century. The coming of novas, free and powerful by our very
nature, terrified that world and its greedy, petty leaders. Thanks to the manipulations of
the “philanthropic” Aeon Society, this fear fueled oppression. The Aeon Society rolled
out Project Utopia with blinding speed, an efficiency that speaks of premeditation. Under
its guidance, the ineffective and morose United Nations was suddenly able to act
decisively. This is when our bondage truly began.[/i]
For a moment, nobody moved or said anything. Violet could see Firewing, Kari McKeen, her former best friend, floating in the air above them. Two other novas flanked Kari on either side, one of them was a blond haired woman that Violet recognized as the nova that called herself Gravity. The other nova was powerfully built man who looked like an armed forces recruiting poster, but Violet recognized him as well…Stalwart, the nova who made the news a few months ago when he and a Utopia retrieval team tried to forcibly take a newly erupted nova into custody.
This is soooo not good.
“Hello, Violet,” said Firewing as she gently landed on the ground. Gravity, who was apparently using her power to transport herself and Stalwart, landed a few feet behind Firewing while Stalwart landed off to the side. “It’s been a long time.”
“Kari,” Violet said, nodding her head slightly. She looked down the street behind Firewing and could see a half dozen personnel in paramilitary uniforms with the Utopia logo on them. “And what brings you here?”
“I could ask you the same thing, Vi.” Firewing folded her arms in front of her. “Wasn’t planning on running into you here…though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, you always did hang with the wrong crowd.”
“And what, exactly, do you mean by that?” Violet’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as she looked beyond the three Utopia novas and at the Utopia operatives moving into position with their weapons. “A little overkill, don’t you think?”
“You’re affiliating with a individual who represents a potential threat,” rumbled Stalwart as he stepped forward. “We are aware of who you are, Violet Parr. And while you are not registered with Utopia, we have been ordered to let you go.”
Violet didn’t like where this was heading.
“You’re getting a free pass, Vi,” Firewing said. “Walk away and let us take Zoe Kilmarten in.”
“Like hell you will,” snapped Zoe.
“You don’t have a choice, girl.” Stalwart sounded like he was actually enjoying the possibility of a confrontation. “And neither do the others since they aren’t registered. Needless to say, David Flynn will have several charges against him by the end of tonight.”
“We are registered,” a new voice said from behind Violet. She turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder and saw six teenagers and young adults standing behind her. “Almost everyone here is NSA registered.” The speaker, a young man with horn-rimmed glasses stepped forward.
“Well, I’m sorry,” Stalwart shot back. “But they aren’t registered with Utopia and the NSA seems reluctant to cooperate with us…so I guess we’ll have to take you all into custody and sort this out.”
The young man removed his glasses and put them in his shirt pocket. “No one is leaving,” he said more firmly. “David made it clear that you have no authority here.”
“Your employer isn’t here,” laughed Stalwart, amused that a stereotypical “nerd” was standing up to him. “And she,” he added with a gesture to Zoe, “has already caused an incident today.”
“The day’s not over yet.”
“And what are you going to do, you little prick?” Stalwart shook his head in amusement. “Glare at me to death?”
“No,” the boy replied. Violet wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn she saw the hint of a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. “You are trespassing, you were warned, you will leave.”
“Screw this,” snapped Gravity with a wave of her arm. “We don’t have time for this.”
Zoe cried out as she was suddenly pulled down to the ground, unable to move due to the gravimetric forces holding her down.
“Can’t have you running out on us now, can we?” Gravity chuckled. With another wave of her arm, she lifted Zoe’s pet Australian Shepherd off the ground which continued to bark angrily at her even though he was a couple feet in the air. “Hmmm…cute dog…I always wondered what an Aussie Shepherd pancake looked like.”
“Brody…” Zoe called out weakly as she tried in vain to pull herself up off the ground. She then screamed in pain as Gravity increased the pressure on her.
“That’s enough,” Firewing said. “We don’t want to cause an incident.”
“Too late for that,” Violet said. She wasn’t sure if it was Gravity’s cruelty, the Utopia team’s overall attitude, or just the fact that she was already in a bad mood, but all it took was one glance at Gravity and an invisible forcefield ball the size of a fist suddenly slammed into the side of the blonde’s head, knocking her off her feet, causing her to drop the dog back to the ground and release her hold on Zoe.
“Sheryl?” Stalwart glanced over at the fallen Gravity, taking his eyes off the “nerd”, which he realized was a mistake as a large stony fist caught him on the jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground. It took him a second to shake his head clear from the blow. “What the hell just hit me?” he asked. Then he looked up and saw the hulking ten foot tall rocky monstrosity standing where the “nerd” once stood, cracking its knuckles and giving him a big toothy grin. “Oh…crap.”
The Utopia support team had seen enough. They were under orders to support the nova operatives and to take no action unless the situation warranted it. However, after seeing two of the three novas taken down in a couple seconds, and the sudden morphing of the “nerd” into a ten foot monster, the support team leader did what came naturally in such a situation: he panicked.
“Take 'em down!”
One moment after that order was shouted out, several dozen tranq-darts were screaming towards their targets…only to suddenly stop as they hit an invisible barrier before dropping harmlessly to the ground.
“What the-” was the last thing the group leader said before an invisible force knocked him off his feet and into a parked car. The other members of his team also met the same fate, some slamming into other vehicles or up against nearby buildings.
“Zoe,” the rock-monster grumbled as he lumbered forward. “Head for the building and call David. We’ll deal with-arrrgh!”
“Larry!” Zoe cried out as Firewing nailed the ten foot tall monster in the chest with an energy bolt.
“Just go!” Larry roared as he staggered back from a wave of fireballs that slammed into him. “Okay, bitch,” he said, focusing on the now airborne Firewing. “I think it’s time to rid the world of its favorite poster-bimbo.” He started to charge the fiery nova when he was tackled by Stalwart.
“Thanks for justifying the use of force, boy,” Stalwart sneered as he delivered several blows to the Larry’s face, actually knocking off stone fragments with each impact. He continued to pound away on the other nova, ignoring Zoe Kilmarten as she zipped up behind him, reached out, and touched his shoulder. However, he did notice as the electrical discharge of a lightning strike ripped through his body and that the next couple seconds were probably the longest of his life as his muscles spasmed out of control and the pain ripped right through his nervous system. His pain was punctuated once again by a massive stony fist, this time landing a solid shot to the jaw, lifting him up in the air and knocking him out cold before he landed half a block away in the middle of an intersection.
“Zoe, get the hell out of here and call David,” Larry growled.
“See if I ever help you again,” Zoe quipped, as she picked up Brody. “You going to be okay, Larry?”
“Yeah…now go, ow!” Larry turned to refocus his attention on Firewing. “Bitch, you’re really starting to piss me off.”
Back in the T2M Mexico City base of operations, Lansing couldn’t believe what he was watching on the main screen of the tactical response center. A highly trained retrieval team consisting of three high powered novas with a back-up strike team was being held back by a group of unregistered amateurs. He knew there was a possibility of complications, but he wasn’t expecting it to completely fall apart…not like this.
Then again, maybe he should have suspected something was wrong when the surveillance feed identified one of the “unregistered” novas as Violet Parr, the heroine known as Spectrum and member of the family team group, The Incredibles. While she and her family were not registered with Utopia, the Incredibles were designated as being off limits by the Proteus Council. He was also aware of the bad blood between the Incredibles and Firewing. Although he knew there was a possibility of a chance encounter, he did not expect Violet Parr to be at SST headquarters along with several other unregistered novas.
He noted that, with the exception of Violet Parr and the rock-like monstrosity that threw McInerny down the street, the other novas were fighting defensively while, about a hundred yards away, a child who appeared to be nine or ten years of age was helping himself to a hamburger off a barbecue grill and grabbing a soda from an ice-chest. The primary target, Zoe Kilmarten, ran into the SST complex.
“What’s the situation?” he asked one of the com-techs manning a terminal.
“Something knocked the support team out, Gravity is still a little dazed, McInerny is now lying in the middle of Third and Holly Street, and Firewing is squaring off against Violet Parr and that rock creature.”
“This ought to be good,” muttered another tech, but he immediately shut up when he saw the cold glare Lansing threw his direction.
“Hold on,” said the first tech. “We got an ID on the little kid…Jack Parr, age nine. And sir…the quantum signatures we’re getting off him are off the charts.
“What?” Lansing wasn’t sure if he heard the man correctly. “Off the charts?”
“We’re talking about signatures on par with Pax or Divis Mal.”
“Really?” Lansing allowed himself a tiny grin. This changed everything. Utopia’s policy when dealing with unregistered novas whose power went beyond a class 5 rating was a very sound one: containment. Even though the boy might be registered with the NSA, they would be hard-pressed to justify hiding the existence of such a powerful nova. At the very least, it would cause more of a headache for Dicker and the NSA, and Utopia would be well within their rights to take “temporary custody” of Jack Parr while they conducted an investigation. “Well, it looks like they just upped the ante. Contact T2M Central in Addis Ababa…I want Pax and Slider on stand-by.”
“Sir, don’t you think that’s a little overkill? This is just a little kid.”
“With a signature like that, do you really want to risk it? The last time we left a class 6 alone, we ended up with the Midnight Sun incident.” Lansing then reached up and keyed his headset. “Gravity…can you hear me?”
He heard a soft moan and the young woman mutter, “That hurt, dammit…”
“Sheryl, snap out of it. McInerny is down, and it looks like McKeen’s dealing with Violet Parr and that rocky freak-show. Here’s what I want you to do…”
Violet watched as the rock-like creature called Larry staggered back from another barrage of fireballs. He had managed to get a hold of Firewing once, then Kari shifted over to her full-fire form, which blackened his hands and had him screaming in pain as streams of molten rock rolled down his fore-arms. But he still kept fighting, yelling at Violet and the others to stay clear and head back to the SST building. The fight finally ended when Kari let loose a burst of energy at point-blank range into Larry’s chest, throwing him across the SST parking lot where he landed on the front steps leading to the main building. His chest was still glowing from the magma burns to his body as he momentarily struggled to get up before collapsing to the ground.
“And then there was one,” Kari chuckled wickedly as she looked down at Violet before landing several feet away. “You know…I really didn’t want a confrontation but, I have to admit, that felt good.”
“Walk away from this, Kari,” Violet warned.
“Or what?” asked Firewing. “You’ll erase my memory…oh wait, you already did that…several times.”
“That wasn’t my call,” snapped Violet. “I didn’t want that and I didn’t know about it until much later.”
“Oh, I’m sure you didn’t know about it the first couple times, Vi,” Kari said as she slowly walked towards Violet. “But what about the other eight or nine times, huh?”
“I’m sorry, but you were a security risk,” Violet replied. “No offense, but you couldn’t keep a secret if your life depended on it.”
Firewing angrily shook her head. “We were friends, Vi, I wouldn’t have said anything.”
“No,” said someone else. “You just hand off little kids to the kidnapper.” Both young women turned and saw Jack Parr standing nearby, munching on the last of a hamburger. “So, Kari, I see you’ve gone from assisting in kidnappings to actually committing them…good for you.”
“Jack!” Violet shouted. “Go home!”
“Listen to your sister, boy.”
Jack ignored his sister and kept his gaze on Firewing as he popped the last bit of the hamburger in his mouth. “Wow…look at you, from incompetent babysitter to super-bimbo…you’ve come a long way.”
“You think this is a game, kiddo?” Flames erupted around Firewing’s body again as struggled to keep from losing her temper. “Given what I’ve seen you do, I’m surprised Utopia didn’t take you and your whole family in.”
“Shit, why do the assholes get all the cool powers?” Jack muttered. Almost in response to his answer, an unseen force lifted him off the ground. “Hey! What the hell!?!”
“And when did nine year olds learn such language?” smirked Gravity as she grabbed hold of him. “We got new orders, Kari. Take them all in, even the Parr bastards.”
Firewing smiled malevolently. “Game on,” she laughed as she fired a concentrated burst of energy at Violet who managed to bring up a force-field just in time. “What’s the matter, Vi? I thought you were this big and powerful heroine.” Another burst actually dropped Violet to her knees, but she managed to keep the field up. “Pathetic,” smirked Firewing as she unleashed a full blast that knocked Violet to the ground. “Guess you really aren’t much without your family,” she said as she walked towards the downed heroine.
Violet tried to get up, but was rewarded with a kick to her ribcage. She rolled with the blow, managing to get back up on her feet and block Kari’s punch and counter with a judo throw.
Firewing rolled back up on her feet and smiled. “Oh, you are going to put up a fight…good, because I really want to beat the shit out of you for what you’ve done to me all these years.”
Jack, who was trying to break free of Gravity’s hold on his arm, stopped struggling and looked up at the the blonde. “Damn, do all of you Utopia people have issues like this?”
Gravity blinked in surprise for a moment, not sure how to react to the boy’s question. “Um, what do you mean?”
“The need to take out your personal psychological problems on others,” Jack said, shaking his head. “It’s really not healthy.”
“Okay…since when do nine year old kids learn to talk about psychological issues?”
Jack smiled at her and shrugged. “A combination of watching too much television and seeing a family shrink.”
“Your family makes you see a shrink?”
“Yep,” Jack replied. “He’s afraid I might suffer from delusions of godhood or something like other novas sometimes do.” His eyes began to faintly glow an odd blue color. “By the way…your power to control gravity…really cool. Mind if I borrow it for a second?”
“What?” asked Gravity, paying more attention to the fight between Violet Parr and her teammate instead of her prisoner. “What are you taking abAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”
“See ya!” Jack laughed as he watched the blonde Utopia nova rocket up in the air. It wasn’t until a few seconds later and she had disappeared into the horizon that he realized something. “Whoa…I think I might have overdone it.”
At the T2M Tactical Response Center, chaos reigned as several techs checked their terminals while Lansing stood there, dumbfounded at what he just witnessed.
“Operative Gravity is now airborne,” said one technician.
“I can see that, moron,” snapped Lansing. “Where the hell is she?”
“Got her!” shouted one techician. “She just breached the upper stratosphere and is now starting to descend…um, sir…I think she’s a little dazed, she doesn’t seem to be in full control.”
“What the hell happened?”
“It was as if someone had similar powers, overpowered her, and threw her up there.”
“Wait,” said Lansing. “She’s never been capable of pushing herself that hard…and she’s never traveled that high up before.”
“It looks like she’s trying to control her descent, but her bio-readings aren’t looking good. Looks like she’s got a fifty percent chance of surviving the impact.”
“Track her trajectory and feed it to T2M central immediately!” Suddenly, the screens began to flicker, static beginning to obscure the video feed on the main monitors. “What is it now?” Lansing growled.
“Sir, we’re getting some sort of interference with our vid-link. It’s as if-” The technician stopped in mid-sentence as the main screen suddenly went gray, the secondary screens doing the same a second later, all of them displaying the same message: Signal Lost. “Shit, we just lost this the signal, sir.”
Lansing was about to fire back an insult, but was suddenly cut off by his cell-phone ringing. Curious, he picked up the phone and answered it. “This is Lansing.”
“You really don’t know how to take a hint, do you?” said the voice at the other end of the phone.
Lansing almost crushed the phone in his hand when he recognized the voice. “Flynn.”
“Wow…you actually called me Flynn instead of ‘Pine’,” David Flynn chuckled. “I guess you can be taught.”
“You have no idea who you’re dealing wi-”
David cut off Lansing’s threat. “Spare me the threats, Lansing. I’ve heard it before, but since you’re one for repetition, I’ll say it again: you were warned to stay away. You didn’t, so now you pay the price.”
“Do you really think you can wage a war with us, boy?”
“Do you really think I’m that stupid to do something like that?” David chuckled again. “Give me some credit, Lansing. But trust me…in the next few hours, you’ll be too busy doing damage control to even think about me.”
The line went dead and Lansing cursed silently before finally losing it and throwing his cell-phone across the room. “Son of a bitch!” he screamed.
“Sir?” asked the communications technician.
Lansing managed to calm himself and looked up at the various staff members. “Okay, patch into T2M central, give them a sit-rep, and hopefully they’ll be able to do something. In the meantime, all we can do now is wait.”
He lowered himself back into his seat and stared at the blank screen on the wall.
Just keep it up, Flynn…your time is coming and I’m going to enjoy watching you suffer.
Violet managed to hold her own against Kari. Though Firewing’s nova abilities were far more powerful than Violet’s, she was only average at physical fighting. It wasn’t until Violet managed to land a couple solid shots to her face that Firewing decided to kick on her flame shield so Violet couldn’t physically touch her without getting burned.
Unfortunately, for Firewing, Violet encased her own body with a shaped forcefield. Though she didn’t physically touch Firewing with each punch or kick, the hardened forcefields surrounding her fists and lower legs had no problem hitting their target.
“Bitch!” Firewing screamed as she scrambled back to her feet and wiped the blood off her mouth. “You think you can take me on?”
“You’re the one who wanted this, Kari,” Violet said grimly. She could feel a slight pain in her ribcage from where Firewing had kicked her…she definitely had a couple broken ribs and some minor burns, but she also knew that the other nova was hurting as well. “You shouldn’t have come here.”
“There you go again, always so full of yourself.” Firewing’s eyes flared a bright amber color and her body shifted to her full fire form. “You’re nothing!” she screamed as she fired a concentrated beam of energy at Violet again. “I’m the one with the power! I’m the hero here!”
Violet immediately dropped her forcefield as she dove out of the way, avoiding the energy beam as it tore a small trench in the ground. “Okay,” she said. “Time to end this.” Her eyes glowed a faint purple as she concentrated, creating a spherical forcefield, but not around herself.
“What the hell is this?” snarled Firewing as her next energy blast was absorbed by the forcefield surrounding her. “You think this can hold me? I’ll blast my way through.”
Violet winced at the small migraine she was starting to get as Firewing continued to fire away at the forcefield. The pain continued to build, but Violet kept concentrating on the field even as Firewing tried to go airborne. “You…just…don’t…get…it,” she said through clenched teeth.
Firewing noticed the sphere surrounding her was starting to darken…becoming more a more visible purple color…more solid. Her eyes widened in panic as she realized what was happening and, instinctively, let loose with a full barrage of heated plasma.
The dull throbbing in Violet’s head changed to a stabbing sensation behind her eyes, the pain making her dizzy and making her drop to her knees, but she kept her mind on the field. In the now visible purple sphere, Firewing’s body had returned to her flesh and blood form and found herself clutching her throat as she gasped for air…air that was no longer there because her fiery powers had consumed it.
Violet focused all her energy on that sphere for a few more seconds, levitating it several feet in the air. Then, just as she could feel her consciousness beginning to fade, she let go…and the pain suddenly disappeared, along with her forcefield, dropping a gasping Firewing to the ground. Violet walked up to the downed Utopia agent and waited until Kari tried to push herself up off the ground. “Lights out, bitch,” she said, a solidified forcefield covering her right hand as hit impacted Kari’s jaw. There was a sickening crunch and Violet saw blood and tooth fragments fly through the air before Firewing hit the ground, unconscious. She shook her head as she looked down at the unconscious nova. “You may be more powerful than me, Kari…but you’re still a loser. That will never change.”
Slow clapping from behind made her turn around and she saw Stalwart standing there. Apparently, he had regained consciousness and made his way back to the battle. “Wow,” he said, looking at the unconscious Firewing. “I didn’t think you had it in you, girl.” He started to make his way towards her, cracking his knuckles. “How about we call it a day and you just surren-”
He was cut off when a black BMW Mini-Cooper S slammed into him, causing him to stagger a few feet before a blue bolt of energy hit him in the chest and dropped him to his knees. Violet looked for where the blast came from and saw David Flynn walking towards her, a familiar looking gauntlet on his right fore-arm. For a moment, she panicked, remembering the last time she saw that kind of device being used. Even the cold expression she saw on David’s face matched the one his father used and she could have sworn, in that instant, she was looking at Syndrome. But then “Syndrome” disappeared when she saw the concern in his eyes as he spoke.
“You okay?” he asked, firing another bolt of zero-point energy at Stalwart. The gauntlet on his arm started to spark and he swore. “Ah, shit…still can’t get these things to work.” He pulled the gauntlet off his arm and threw it Stalwart, who merely laughed as it bounced off him and landed at his feet.
“You think that’s going to-” Again, Stalwart was cut off as the sparking gauntlet exploded, the energy throwing him high up in the air before he came crashing down half a block away, in the same intersection he had landed in earlier.
David walked up to Violet. “You okay, Parr?” he asked again.
Violet said nothing…her mind still trying to separate the father from the son. She was injured, tired, and exhausted and part of her wanted to black out, which she almost did as she started to collapse to the ground.
“Whoa…hold on there.” David caught her and helped her stay on her feet. “No blacking out on me, girl. Your father would beat the shit out of me if you do.”
Violet couldn’t help laughing. “He probably still will.” Her chuckle started to turn into coughing.
“Don’t laugh,” David said as he helped her to a nearby bench. “Just sit down and keep breathing.”
Jack joined them, pausing to look at David for a moment. “You lied,” he said.
“Excuse me?”
“That day we met a couple months ago. You said you were a bad guy.”
“No, I said I was sort of a bad guy.” David smiled at the kid. “Um…look, think you can look after your sister for a few minutes? I need to check on the others.” He pulled his cell-phone out of his pocket and handed it to Violet. “As much as I dread this…call your parents, let them know what was going on and have them come get you both. Knowing Utopia, we can expect a real T2M nova team here and I don’t want you two to get into any more trouble.”
“A little late for that,” Violet said. “Wasn’t really your fault, though, the runt brought me here.”
“Hey!” protested Jack. “I wasn’t planning on getting in a fight.”
“Look, I’m really sorry about this, Violet,” said David. “Really, I am.”
“It’s okay,” Violet assured him. “One question: Do SST employees have a good medical plan?”
“Yeah…and dental.”
“Good to know, because I expect this to be covered by it.”
David grinned at her, but said nothing. Instead, he nodded and walked off towards the SST entrance where Zoe and a few others were helping Larry. However, his smile faded and his face became a cold mask as he saw Larry, now in his human form, with what appeared to be first and second degree burns on his chest, face, and hands.
Zoe ran up and hugged David. “David, you’re here! It’s terrible, they showed up and tried to take me-”
“Zoe, chill,” David said. “I saw what happened. One thing…did any of you attack first?”
“No,” rasped Larry. “We did as you said. We defended ourselves and let them start it.”
The smile returned to David’s lips. “Good. Now let’s get Larry here to medical. Zoe, take Brody and stay inside for now. I also want you to access all our security footage from the last hour from our campus cameras and the ones we have on the nearby streets.” He then turned to a Native-American man who was applying a bandage to one of Larry’s arms. “Null, after you and the others get Larry to medical, help Zoe go through the footage and make sure the time index is visible.”
Null gave him a knowing grin. “A little bit of D&E?”
“Yep,” David chuckled. “Damage and Embarrass. Now…if you’ll excuse me. I’m expecting some more guests in a couple minutes. I have a sneaking suspicion that we might get a visit from Pax.”
“Wow,” laughed Null. “We haven’t even officially opened to the public and we’re now hitting the big time.”
David nodded and walked out to the SST parking lot which was rapidly thawing out…the ice now turned to slush. He was actually impressed…it looked like Shiro’s “instant ice glaze” machine worked. It had no real application, but it was great for creating hockey rinks that would disappear quickly. He glanced down at his watch and then looked back up at the sky.
C’mon…my crew just took down a retrieval team and you saw most of it on satellite feed. You people have to show up sooner or later.
Five minutes later, he saw a shimmering portal flare open in the middle of the street in front of the SST parking lot. When the light dimmed, he could see a red-haired young woman and blond muscular man in T2M uniforms standing there with a handful of soldiers. Above them, Caestus Pax, the leader of Team Tomorrow slowly descended from the sky to land in front of them. David turned to look down the street and saw several vehicles from various local television stations starting to pull up. The sound of rotor blades made him look up and he could make out at least three news choppers flying overhead…no doubt trying to get a closer look at the great Caestus Pax as he and his team heroically showed up to deal with whatever trouble would make for a good story.
Except they don’t have much to go on since I killed their satellite feed so they don’t have a good story to manufacture and feed the press. He allowed himself a small chuckle as he walked towards the Utopia group and the small crowd of reporters that were starting to form around Caestus Pax. Okay, Pax…let’s see how you spin this one.
“Firewing, Stalwart, and Gravity were leading an incident response team to take a newly erupted unregistered nova into custody,” Pax was saying to the media. David managed to stifle his laughter when he heard that statement, but he had to admit that Pax certainly knew how to feed the media the most exquisite form of bullshit.
“They were able to track the unregistered nova down to this facility,” Pax continued. “What we didn’t realize is that they were being led into an ambush where several other unregistered novas were waiting to-”
“Oh god!” David laughed, interrupting the bald Superman-knockoff and causing the reporters to turn around. “Are you sheep really that gullible?”
If looks could kill, David was certain that the glare he got from Caestus Pax would have flash-fried him and left just enough ashes to fill an ash-tray. Then again, Pax WAS capable of shooting lasers out of his eyes…or so the media claimed, but David never really put much stock on what the Utopia sponsored N! Channel reported.
“You don’t deny that you have unregistered novas at your facility, Mr. Flynn?” asked one reporter that David recognized as belonging to the local N! Channel affiliate.
“I deny nothing,” David replied. Then he smiled at the young woman. “Though I’m sure you’ll make up something or report whatever Mr. Clean over there tells you to report.”
“Hey,” the lady snapped. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you secretly employing unregistered novas?”
David ignored her and addressed the rest of the crowd. “Hey, are there any reporters here who are not affiliated with N! Channel or sucking up to Pax?”
He could hear several gasps of shock and outrage, along with some snickering laughter from other reporters. He saw some of the Utopia soldiers raise their weapons and he was certain that he had at least a half dozen laser dots on him as he started to approach Pax, the reporters parting in front of him. He kept walking until he stopped a few feet away from the other nova.
[i]“Holy shit!”
“Are they going to fight?”
“Keep filming…this is going to boost our ratings!”[/i]
David smiled again as he heard the various whispers coming from the reporters, but he kept his gaze on Pax. “So…Pax,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. “Go on with your story…really, it sounds good. I do believe you left off with ‘Unregistered’ novas lying in ambush.”
“It’s the truth,” Pax almost snarled. “Your people took down the retrieval team without any kind of provocation.”
David arched an eyebrow. “Really?” he said, feigning confusion for a moment. “So…um…do you have proof of this?”
“The retrieval teams statements will verify the facts,” Pax sneered at him, then he lowered his voice so only David could hear him. “And trust me, we have enough evidence to lock your ass up.”
“Oh, I’m sure Firewing and her friends will act like good little monkeys and respond the way they’re trained,” David said. He then looked over his shoulder at the reporters. “Just curious, people. Who here wants copies of our surveillance videos? In the next hour, I’ll be releasing the footage to any and all media outlets interested in what happened tonight.”
The reaction from the crowd of reporters was priceless. Until he mentioned that he was going to give them video evidence, the media was clearly focused on Pax and the others from Project Utopia. Now they were suddenly surrounding him, shouting questions and fighting to be the first to get the evidence from him.
“So…how about it, Pax?” he asked. “You really want to go forward with the shit you’ve been shoveling?”
“Those novas you have are not registered with Utopia,” Pax rumbled.
“I’m sorry, but last time I checked…registering with Utopia was voluntary. And, for the record, most of them are registered with the NSA. And trust me, after the eleven o’clock news, I have a feeling your people are going to have a lot to answer for.”
He then turned and started to walk away, leaving a seething Caestus Pax glaring at him as he pushed his way through the reporters. When he managed to get free of the reporters, he could see Stalwart and Firewing being loaded into separate ambulances along with the rest of the members of the initial ‘retrieval’ team that Violet Parr had taken down. The only person missing was the nova called Gravity, but a quick mental link to an overhead satellite tracked her trajectory which ended somewhere in a canyon in Utah. According to the communications he was able to track, Gravity was still alive, but several bones were broken from impact and she would definitely be out of action.
The damn bitch deserves it, he thought to himself, especially after what she did to Zoe.
He started to make his way back to the SST building, but stopped when he got the feeling he was being watched. He turned, and noticed the red-haired woman, the Utopia nova called Slider, staring at him. “Is there something I can help you with, Miss Landers?” he asked.
“It didn’t have to be like this,” she said sadly. What struck David as odd was the fact that she actually sounded sincere. “We could have worked something out.”
“No, we couldn’t, Slider. And after what your people did to Jake McKinney earlier this year, did you really think there weren’t going to be problems?” He turned away again and started to head back to the SST building.
“That was an accident.” Again, Jennifer Landers sounded sincere and that did bother David. “Maybe the situation was handled poorly, but that was just one incident.”
David suddenly turned on her. “Just one incident?” repeated David. “Are you really certain about that? Tell me something, Slider…what do you know about the situation? They gunned a twelve year old kid down in the street because he didn’t want to go with you people. His parents basically signed him away without his consent.” The woman was about to say something but David cut her off. “And don’t say that it’s a bunch of BS, because I’ve seen the memos. And while you may not believe me, let me ask you this. Registering with Utopia is on a voluntary basis, but why is it that Utopia seems to be pressuring newly erupted novas to sign on? And why did they target a young girl today…a girl, who I might add, doesn’t need to be ‘trained’ in how to use her abilities? She wasn’t threatening anyone, but it was your poster-slut who outed her to the public and then showed up with a little gestapo team to bring her in.”
“That’s not how it went down.”
“Actually, Slider…it really did go down that way…the video footage will prove that.” His voice softened a little. He actually had no problem with Slider, Jennifer Landers actually was a decent person and did use her teleporting powers to help people…doing everything from emergency evacuations to 'porting food and medical supplies to refugees in hostile countries. Her reputation and “girl next door” looks earned her the nickname as “the world’s sweetheart”.
“I don’t know what I can say or do to convince you of this, Landers,” he said. “But you really need to open your eyes. Yeah, Utopia’s doing good…but what about the stuff you don’t know? The stuff that doesn’t get aired on N! Channel or the lesser networks? Believe me…they’re not the shining example of humanitarians they want you to believe them to be.”
He then resumed his trek back to the SST building. “Walk away from this, Landers,” he said over his shoulder. “You’re better off believing in the dream instead of living with the nightmare.”
[i]In a surprising development from a just a few hours ago, the world looked on in shock and horror as footage of Utopia agents assaulting young novas in an attempt to ‘retrieve’ a teen-aged girl was released on the internet and given to multiple major news outlets worldwide. Justin Laragione, the Director of Project Utopia, has declined to comment, but the images clearly show that the Utopia nova agents did attack without provocation. It was also noted that the novas known as Stalwart and Gravity were not only involved in this incident, but were also involved in the tragic death of young nova Jacob McKinney earlier this year in a similar incident. This evidence was accompanied by a memo that had been circulated among Utopia recruitment staff regarding what has been described by some as ‘snatch and grab’ operations.
When confronted with this and other evidence, Caestus Pax, leader of Team Tomorrow also declined to comment, but did say that a thorough investigation would be conducted and that Stalwart and Gravity have been reassigned during the investigation.
David Flynn, the president of Syndrome Software & Technologies, was present at the scene and did admit that there was an incident involving Project Utopia and an attempt to kidnap one of his employees, but failed to provide further comment, stating that he would be holding a public press conference in the next twenty-four hours to address the events that occurred.
For CNN, this is Brain Taggert reporting…[/i]
Disclaimer: Don’t own Aberrant…don’t own The Incredibles. White Wolf and Disney/Pixar do.
Author’s Notes: For those of you who are joining us…this fic (in case you haven’t noticed) is taking a dark turn. If you don’t think you can handle PG-13 (maybe a light “R”) rated language and dark plot twists, you may want to step off now.
For those of you who have stuck it out…hope you’re enjoying the ride.
As usual, reviews, comments, criticisms, and threats are welcome (well…maybe not the threats).
I do plan on posting the entire fic here, but the sequel will only be up on FFN…I don’t think people here want to read a story involving Violet getting shot and put in a coma.
.
Chapter Nine - It Was A Dark And Stormy Night…
Encrypted Communique:
[i]Chiraben,
You have your orders, and you are to adhere to them. Thetis’ orders cover the primary target only. Deviate from it at your own risk. You may be a nova, but we are Proteus and we own you. Anymore showboating or excess on your part and they will find YOUR body parts floating in fish tanks at a Chinese restaurant. Is that perfectly clear?
Ozaki[/i]
NSA Director Rick Dicker stood on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial, looking out at the midnight sky and the sheets of rain that all but obscured his view of the National Mall. If it weren’t for the large floodlights illuminating the Washington Monument, he probably wouldn’t have been able to make it out in the distance. He couldn’t help chuckling at the moment…here he was, the head of a powerful government agency, in the dead of night, meeting up with a member of another shadowy organization.
“It was a dark and stormy night,” he mused out loud. It was the only sense of amusement he was going to get out of this meeting. He had spent the last week testifying before a closed senate committee regarding his agency’s refusal to support any pro-Utopia legislation and the NSA’s “hostile” neutrality towards Team Tomorrow operations in the United States. In a way, Dicker saw the storm as the perfect analogy of what was happening now…and an omen for what was to come.
He could hear the faint footsteps of his contact approaching him. He didn’t even bother turning around to greet them…he knew they were alone. Dicker may have been old, but his training never diminished, even at his age. Besides, they would be foolish to bring anyone else with them. This was a private meeting which, thanks to some carefully placed devices, was scrambled and shielded from any attempt to monitor the conversation. He smiled again as he recalled the accusations he had faced by some pro-Utopia leaning US senators…they would have been shocked by the conversation he was having now and who he was talking to.
“I don’t know who has the bigger balls,” said the newcomer as he stepped up to stand alongside Dicker. “Your boy for taking on Utopia…or you for putting him up to it.”
Dicker turned to face the man…an older gentlemen in his late seventies, perhaps in his early eighties. Like Dicker, he wore an overcoat that provided ample protection against the storm, his short-cropped white hair and goatee gave him something of a grand-fatherly look. But the eyes said it all…they were haunted, having seen things that would probably have driven most normal men insane. Dicker, knew that look, because he had the exact same look in his own eyes…having witnessed some of the same things the other man had seen.
“Phillip,” Dicker said in greeting. “If he’s my ‘boy’, does that make Utopia your ‘organization’?”
Phillip Lavielle, director of the Aeon Society, smiled humorlessly. “As you know, our control over Utopia is nominal at best…so I guess we’re both in the same boat.”
“It wouldn’t have happened if Maggie hadn’t turned control of Utopia to a UN appointed punk.”
“She had her reasons,” said Lavielle. “And while I do agree with you about Maggie, Laragione’s doing an admirable job despite the situation.”
“Something you’re not telling me?” asked Dicker.
“Rick, we’ve known each other since Normandy.” This time, there was humor in Lavielle’s eyes. “Of course there’s something I’m not telling you…just like there’s something you’re not telling me.”
Dicker looked up at the Lincoln Memorial, studying it. There was a time when he was impressed by it…when he actually saw it as a symbol for something. But now, to him, it was merely just a tourist attraction. Perhaps I’ve become jaded over the years, he thought to himself. It still stands for something, but I wonder if the times no longer apply to what this place is supposed to represent. “You didn’t come all the way from Chicago,” he finally said, “and ask me to meet you here just to talk old times.”
Lavielle shook his head. “These are interesting times, aren’t they, Rick? Who’d have thought that we would look back and all that we had been through together would be considered the ‘good ol days’.” He bowed his head slightly and the weariness crept into his voice. “Except there was nothing good about them…and it all went to hell.”
“And now we’re still having to clean up after it, Phillip.”
“You shouldn’t have left the society, Rick. We could have set things right.”
“Really? Tell me something, Phillip…would you have killed Ana if Michael hadn’t?”
Lavielle didn’t reply.
“Yeah, I thought as much. Even though she framed me for passing the Hammersmith notes and shot me in the back when found out, you hesitated.”
“We were just kids then, Rick.”
“We were at war, and one of our own was working for the other side.” Despite his words, they no longer carried any hostility, only the truth. “You know, I never liked Michael that much, but at least he was honest.”
Neither man said anything for several seconds, the only sound being the rain slapping against the steps in front of the building. Finally, Phillip spoke again. “He’s resurfaced recently…have to admit that he fared better than most of us, doesn’t look a day over thirty. Then again, he was at ground zero when Hammersmith’s engine exploded. Calls himself Divis Mal these days.”
“I know,” said Dicker. “But the Teragen are not my problem…that’s your mess.”
“Dammit, Rick, I didn’t come here to bitch about the past. Yeah, we screwed up and now we have to deal with it. What do you think I’ve been doing since I took over the directorship of Aeon?”
“I suppose Utopia was your way of ‘dealing’ with it.”
“C’mon, Rick…you know that if I hadn’t approached the UN, that someone else would have stepped in or, more likely, the world would have torn itself apart as various world powers scrambled to acquire nova assets, or the novas decided to take over the world for themselves. It wasn’t pretty, but even you have to admit that Project Utopia stemmed the tide and, for the most part, is doing some good for the world.” Phillip pulled a cigarette out and lit it, pausing to take a small drag off it before continued speaking. “It was a solution to a problem…but now the solution is becoming part of the problem.”
“I could have told you that,” said Dicker. “I’m assuming you’re talking about your ‘nominal’ control of Utopia. You mind telling me what happened?”
“You know I can’t tell you everything, Rick.”
“I’m not asking you to…just tell me what you want to tell me.”
“As you know, Margaret Mercer stepped down as Director of Utopia. You know how she is…too much like her grandfather, never willing to sit behind the desk and oversee things. So we put Justin Laragione in charge, he did an admirable job while assistant Secretary of State under the Clinton Administration and his earlier years as a junior ambassador to the United Nations also gave him credibility with UN member states.”
“I sense a ‘But’ in there,” said Dicker, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Let me guess…there were some in the society who didn’t think he was the right choice.”
“Justin is an honorable young man, despite his youth. He was respected by the United Nations, but there were some in the society who felt that he wasn’t seasoned enough for the directorship.”
“In other words, they felt that he was afraid to get is hands dirty if it meant doing the right thing.” Dicker shook his head. “Is he really that idealistic and naive?”
“No, but there were some who see him as being a member of ‘MTV’ generation. He had no military training, hadn’t dealt with wars like most of us have. He was considered ‘soft’, by some. So a proposal was made to form an organization within Utopia to serve as a watchdog and keep it in line. Laragione fought against it, but the council voted in favor of it. The new organization then basically took over Aeon’s job of watching over Utopia. I was one of the few who voted against it, the others being Laragione and Maggie Mercer, who made it clear that her grandfather wouldn’t approve.”
“No, he wouldn’t have approved,” said Dicker. “So what’s Maggie doing now?”
“She’s decided to take over one of our other projects, one that I can’t tell you about.”
Dicker studied the other man for a moment. Even though he hadn’t talked to Lavielle in years, he could tell something was wrong. The man was definitely afraid of something. “What’s going on, Phillip?”
“Listen, Rick…I know our friendship has been strained over the last couple decades, but you have no idea of the can of worms you opened eight years ago.” Lavielle finished off his cigarette and flicked off into the night. “You should have turned the boy over to us when you found him.”
“You mean the ‘Adam-X’ project that Buddy Pine was working on at his island facility? The same project where the information we downloaded off Pine’s computers contained Hammersmith’s notes along with what the Germans were working on during the war?” Dicker didn’t hide his disgust this time. “All you saw was a specimen to be dissected and studied. I’ll admit that I can be cold and ruthless at times, but I wasn’t about to hand a young boy over to some crazy bitch who wanted to cut him open.”
“You really have no idea, do you?” snapped Lavielle. By now, he had ditched the facade of reconciliation, but Dicker could still sense the fear in the man’s voice. That, at least, was real. “You think you can simply stand against them forever? You intentionally let something slip through their fingers and now that he’s causing them trouble, they will hold you responsible. They won’t hesitate to take him out and then they’ll be coming for you.”
“And who, exactly, are ‘they’?” asked Dicker. “They, as in Utopia? Aeon? You?”
Lavielle shook his head again. “If I had my way, I’d just leave you alone, but I no longer have that kind of power. I may be Director of Aeon, but I’m just a glorified figurehead now. The only person I can trust is Maggie and she has locked her project down, with my approval, and is working independently of the Society. It’s the only way to keep them out.”
“Phillip, I really need to know this. Someone in the Society had given Buddy Pine access to the Hammersmith notes…was it you?”
“No, it was-” Lavielle suddenly spun to the side, his head snapping back as the projectile ripped through his skull before exploding out the back, blood and brain matter splattering on Dicker before Lavielle’s body hit the ground.
Dicker immediately dropped low, pulling out his pistol, aiming in the direction he guessed the shot had come from. In the distance, he saw the floodlights of the Washington Monument flicker for a moment, then he saw something at the top of the monument…a flash of light and something streaking upward into the night sky before vanishing in another flash of light.
An hour later, Dicker watched as the crime scene investigators worked the area. He spent the last hour answering questions from a police detective, but he kept an eye on the others. This was obviously a hit, and from what Lavielle had told him, it was obvious that it was someone high up with a lot of power calling the shots. For all he knew, one of the investigators…hell, maybe even the whole team…could be part of it.
“So…Mr. Dicker,” said the Detective for what must have been the fiftieth time. “You saw nothing else…just a flash of light over near the Washington Monument?”
Inwardly, Dicker sighed, wishing he could reach over and snap the man’s neck. Obviously, the detective had no clue who he was and was having fun with Dicker’s name. Outwardly, he appeared calm and indifferent. “Yes,” he said. “Would you like me to write it in crayon for you?”
“A man was killed here, Mr. Dicker…and you’re the only one at the scene. Needless to say, that does make you a suspect.”
“Not if he wasn’t using a high-powered rifle,” said one of the investigators as he approached the two men, a plastic bag in his hand. “We got high-vel shell, looks like it’s made of eumetal.”
“Eumetal?” asked the detective, surprise and fear in his voice. “It’s a nova-grade slug?”
“Yep,” said the investigator. “And it gets better.”
The man held the bag up for both men to see and Dicker could make out a symbol on the shell…a zero with a line through it. The detective saw the symbol, his face growing pale when he recognized it. “Oh shit…Teragen.”
At the mention of the Teragen, activity around the crime scene intensified. The detective called in for more support and Dicker knew that it was likely the FBI and other agencies would be involved in in the investigation, including elements of his own. Dicker knew that they would probably find evidence that would link the Teragen to the murder.
But Dicker knew better than that…no matter how overwhelming the evidence, even if the investigation came to the conclusion the evidence pointed to…this was not a Teragen hit. It was a set-up and carefully executed by someone who had a lot of power and the ability to throw suspicion on others. Yes, the evidence would say Teragen, but Dicker knew the truth…
Aeon…
His cell-phone rang and he pulled it out of his coat. “This is Dicker.”
“Rick, it’s Bob…we got a problem.”
Dicker looked back at the crime scene, watching as couple agents loaded Lavielle’s body onto a stretcher and rolled it towards a waiting van. “That’s an understatement,” he grumbled.
“What?”
“Nothing…what’s wrong, Bob?”
“I just got a call from Violet, she said that there was something going on between David Pine and members of Team Tomorrow. Then we got cut off.”
Lavielle’s words suddenly came back to haunt him.
“You really have no idea, do you? You think you can simply stand against them forever? You intentionally let something slip through their fingers and now that he’s causing them trouble, they will hold you responsible. They won’t hesitate to take him out and then they’ll be coming for you.”
Encrypted Communique:
[i]Ozaki,
Mission accomplished, Lavielle now has a tunnel in his head. Hope your little bimbo and her T2M friends can handle the test tube baby in Cali.
Have a nice day.
Hugs, kisses, and a high velocity shell through the brain,
Chiraben[/i]
Disclaimer: Don’t own Aberrant, don’t own Incredibles. White Wolf and Disney/Pixar do.
Author’s Notes: Yep…more chapters. Only two more chapters to go…
Chapter Ten: Dark Interlude
[i]It really bugs the hell out of me…that phrase, “For the Greater Good”. I’m no real student of history, but I’ve certainly lived my share of it, most of it a living hell. I’ve seen and done things under the premise that it’s “For the Greater Good”, and I’d like to believe that, in most of those situations, I did the right thing. But there have times that I’ve questioned myself and wondered if what I, or others, did was really for the greater good.
But then, there are some who believe that “For the Greater Good” means “We can get away with whatever the hell we want because we have the power and you don’t.” Some would say that applies to certain novas, like those that make up the Teragen. In a few cases, that might be true. But I don’t see the Teragen using novas to reshape human society as a whole and claiming ‘because it’s for the greater good’. No…it’s the baseslines running Utopia that are doing that.
-From the private journal of Richard Dicker, Director, NSA.[/i]
Justin Laragione found himself staring at his reflection in the window of his office overlooking the Manhattan skyline. It was about two in the morning and, despite the lights from the city below, it was still dark enough for him to make out the detailed features of his profile. He could see the haggard look in his eyes, and could spot the tiniest flecks of gray hair that were starting to appear due to the stress of this job. He was half-expecting to go bald, but thankfully, he got the gray hairs instead. Despite the dire situation he was dealing with, he couldn’t help chuckling at the fact that, at the still young age of 35, that he was relieved that the haggard eyes and gray hairs were the only visible signs of stress. Then again, as the overall Director of Project Utopia, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
He laughed again, but this time, there was no humor in it. Yes, he was the Director of Project Utopia, but right now, he felt like he was more a figurehead than anything else. Oh sure, he was the man who the United Nations turned to when they wanted assistance from Project Utopia and he was certain that they viewed him as the man “in charge” of Project Utopia, but the reality was far different than the perception.
When Utopia was first formed, Margaret Mercer, granddaughter of Aeon Society founder Max Mercer, was put in charge of the project, but left after only a couple years in that post. He was then installed as Director, but found himself being monitored by a Aeon created group called “Proteus” which supposedly served as a “watchdog” over Utopia and its operations. Justin was no fool, he knew a power grab when he saw one, and when that bitch Thetis put forward the Proteus proposal right after he had been made Director of Utopia, he saw what was coming…as did his predecessor. However, despite the objections of himself, Margaret Mercer, and Phillip Lavielle, the rest of the Aeon Society council members overrode him, citing his “inexperience” and Mercer’s “reluctance to do what needs to be done” as reasons for Proteus.
And in the last four years, Thetis (Justin, nor any other of his colleagues knew her full name) made sure that Justin knew who really called the shots. One of her first acts was to “exile” him to Utopia’s offices in New York, saying that it would make sense that the Director of Utopia should be at “ground zero” at the UN whenever a crisis occurred. On paper, that made sense, it was only logical that the Director of Project Utopia be in a position where he can immediately be in touch with the international community. But that was a load of BS. Again, Laragione went to the Aeon Council and, again, he was overridden. It was during this time that a new position was created within Utopia, Director of International Operations, a post that oversaw most Team Tomorrow and nova-related operations. To fill that position, Thetis appointed Jonathan Lansing.
Justin knew very little about Lansing, but it didn’t take long for him to make an accurate assessment: Lansing was scum and Justin was certain that the man was a Proteus operative. Too many “incidents” had happened on Lansing’s watch, incidents that would have led to the termination of employment or prison if someone else had been in Lansing’s position. However, no matter the charges leveled against him, Lansing always seemed to come through without so much of a scandal. Those who had complaints against the man either withdrew their charges or suddenly had accidents. Justin remembered the first such “accident” in '02, when he and Hiram Goldberg, a nova codenamed “Slag” and one of Justin’s best friends since High School, quietly investigated one of Lansing’s questionable actions in Calcutta. Hiram had claimed that he had found what they were looking for and that he would deliver the proof to Justin in New York.
The proof never came. Hiram Goldberg was killed within twenty-four hours of contacting Justin. It was said that he had stumbled across a terrorist cell in Hong Kong, but Justin knew better. A few calls through unofficial channels and calling in a couple favors got him the truth. The nova assassin Totentanz had killed Goldberg and, to make matters worse, the paper trail led to a front company that was owned by the Triton Foundation, the Utopia sponsored medical research firm. In other words, the organization he was in charge of bankrolled the murder of his best friend. The next four years, he found himself fighting a war on two fronts, one with Utopia’s critics and the other with people in his own organization. He knew Thetis was behind most of his problems, but he had no idea how much influence the bitch had until it was too late.
For the last three and a half years, Justin quietly kept track of Lansing’s activity, noting every discrepancy no matter how small and investigating it. Things finally came to a head a couple months ago when Lansing sent a retrieval team to “recruit” an newly erupted nova, a twelve year old boy named Jacob McKinney. The boy’s parents were more than willing to sign over custody of their child, which sickened Justin. Who in their right mind would literally sell their own child? The boy didn’t want to go, and did what any scared teen would do: he panicked and sent sonic shock-waves through the city, taking down most of the retrieval team except for Stalwart, Gravity, and the snipers that were on nearby rooftops. Tragically, the boy was gunned down, on Lansing’s orders, and it was caught on video.
Justin finally had his proof and was able to convince an Utopia employee to testify against Lansing at a meeting of the Aeon Council. And…once again…his witness against Lansing died…supposedly in an accident while rock climbing. As usual, Thetis and her Proteus group once again made sure Lansing was safe, effectively burying the story by paying most of the news networks to not air the story or simply by intimidating them.
However, now, he had another problem and yet, unlike other high ranking officials in Utopia and the Aeon Council, Justin wasn’t sure what to make of the problem. When David Flynn first surfaced on Utopia’s radar a view months ago, Justin saw yet another young nova within NSA jurisdiction who didn’t care much for Project Utopia. As Director of Utopia, it was his job to investigate any nova who might be a possible threat, but the Aeon Council officially stepped in and told him that David Flynn was not of any concern and that he was an NSA problem. That was the official line.
Unofficially, they were freaked out about David Flynn. He spooked them to the point that even Thetis seemed worried. When Justin inquired what the problem was, he was simply told that it was nothing and that he should stay in New York and mind his own business. In other words: “It’s none of your concern, you’re just a pawn, go about your business and play nice to the public.”
And yet, Justin couldn’t help smiling as he noted how concerned the members of Aeon became when David Pine Flynn went public with the announcement of his company, Syndrome Software & Technologies. The boy had somehow acquired some of the financial assets of his father’s company, Pine Industries and was using it to start his own business. When the Aeon Council and Thetis screamed at Justin, demanding that he should step in as Director of Utopia and do something about David Flynn possibly violating the Science Techology laws, he took great pleasure in telling them where to get off.
“Sorry,” he had told them. “But given the information I have on him and from what little information you’ve been willing to give me, I’m afraid I cannot act without violating our own charter agreement we made with the UN. You have also informed me that he falls within NSA jurisdiction and that he was, and a I quote, ‘not of any concern’ to me.”
The reactions on the faces of the Aeon Council members were priceless. Most of them were outraged, especially Thetis who looked like she was about to throw a very uncharacteristic tantrum. He then told them that he would be more than willing to act on their behalf if he had more information about David Flynn. That statement made most of them shut up immediately. They were still angry with Justin for his response, but they were still unwilling to let him know what was going on. Upon their refusal, he informed them that his business was concluded and that he should, as Thetis had pointed out to him, return to New York and “play nice with the public” for them.
That was when Thetis brought Lansing into the picture, and that confirmed to Justin that they saw David Flynn as a serious threat. Justin felt sorry for Flynn, figuring the young man would probably suffer the same fate as Jake McKinney, deemed a “threat” that had to be “put down out of concern for the safety of the public.”
What Justin hadn’t counted on was David Flynn taking the fight to them. First, there was the incident with the communication and weapons satellites that supposedly ‘malfunctioned’. Then there was the sudden resistance by Rick Dicker of the NSA who decided that the NSA database on super-powered beings would not be made available to Project Utopia.
And finally, there was tonight. A minor incident involving a nova affiliated with David Flynn was reported by Firewing, a new member of the Americas branch of Team Tomorrow. Lansing, without even notifying Justin, decided to activate a retrieval team to bring the nova in. The fact that Lansing had brought in an assault team and two nova operatives who had a brutal reputation told Justin that this was personal in some way. Justin knew that this was PR nightmare waiting to happen, but he didn’t expect it to go the way it did. David Flynn and his people had not only managed to stand up to the retrieval team, but succeeded in taking them down.
But the frightening thing about the incident was that it had become obvious that David Flynn had several novas working for him. Even more frightening was that they were unable to pull any useful surveillance footage from their satellite feeds or any of the local monitoring stations…it was as if they were being blocked or the data was corrupted. The only footage available of the incident was the footage from SST surveillance cameras (which were just about everywhere around the facility and nearby city blocks) and “raw” footage taken from eyewitnesses on cell-phone or from local media networks who only arrived in time to catch a statement from Caestus Pax and then watch Team Tomorrow’s leader get verbally ripped apart in front of them before being given footage of what happened.
Justin had attempted to contact Phillip Lavielle, the Director of the Aeon Society, and got no answer. Somehow that didn’t surprise Justin, the old man was probably having an aneurysm over this incident in California and frantically screaming at the other members of the Council to do something. Of course, Justin wasn’t called to this meeting…if there was one. After all, he was just a “pawn”.
However, given the events that had happened in the last few hours, there was one thing he was going to do and, this time, Thetis and her little cabal couldn’t do anything about it. He took one last look at the city below him before turning back to his desk and picking up the phone. Part of him knew he was going to enjoy this, but another part of him, the more jaded part who had seen too much, felt this was yet another round in a war without end.
The phone rang for a few seconds, but he was certain that the person on the other end was hesitating to answer as opposed to not being able to answer. After the fourth ring, they finally picked up.
“Yes.” Simple, blunt, to the point, and no hint of emotion…the typical Jonathan Lansing.
“Hello, Lansing.”
“Director Laragione.” Another simple and blunt response, but there was emotion this time…disdain at having to deal with an inferior…though Justin could have sworn that the impeccable Jonathan Robert Lansing involuntarily let some fear creep into his voice.
Might as well twist the knife, thought Justin.
“Let’s cut the crap, Lansing. You screwed up.”
“Those are harsh words, Director,” the sarcasm to Justin’s title was obvious in Lansing’s voice. “After all, you are hardly aware of the scope of the situation.”
“Oh, really? Let’s take a look at the situation: you sent a heavily armed retrieval team along with three of our more powerful novas to…and I’m reading this off the memo…‘take an unregistered nova into custody’ who, according to the reports, didn’t warrant such heavy measures. Care to explain that one to me?”
For one second, there was hesitation, but Lansing’s response was straight forward…well…as straight forward as one could be when trying to pass off a line of BS as fact. “She was affiliated with David Flynn…that warranted the extra security.”
“Oh, it did, did it?” Justin kept his voice cold and professional, trying not to enjoy the fact that he had this bastard at the point of the proverbial gun. “I remember inquiring about Flynn and, according to the intelligence reports that were filed by one of our operatives a couple months ago, Flynn was designated a…and I’m reading off the report here…‘designated a low level risk and not a threat to Project Utopia’. And, now that I think about it…I’m looking at who filed this report and, oddly enough, it had your name on it.”
This time, there was no response on the other end, so Justin continued.
“So, tell me, Lansing,” he said. “If David Flynn was not deemed a ‘threat’, why go after the girl who, by the way, was already documented, but no one went after her until just now. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you were pursuing a personal vendetta of some sort.” He paused for a moment, letting that sink in. “Is there something that I should know, Lansing? Something that justifies the mess you put us in?”
“Sir, we have evidence that-”
“Give it up, Lansing…we don’t have shit, and your people haven’t had time to manufacture any facts to save your ass because the only footage available is what Flynn has.”
“David Flynn and his group represent a threat to Project Utopia that had to be-”
“Had to be what, Johnny? Put down because he offended you and your masters? Or was this more personal?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The denial came easily from Lansing…obviously well practiced. “And I’d be careful making charges like that.”
“Not this time, Lansing,” Justin replied, not even bothered by the implied threat. “You got away with a lot of shit…and while you may know where the bodies are buried, Thetis and her little bunch aren’t going to help you out of this one. You were the one calling the shots on this, and this situation has turned into a serious disaster. They’re going to look for a sacrificial lamb, and guess what…you’re it.”
This time, the pretense of denial was gone. “You don’t want to play this game with me, Director. I have friends in places that-”
“That will toss you aside for being a embarrassment. So spare me the threats, Lansing. You can’t get yourself out of this, but I also know that if I come after you now, this is going to rip us apart and possible destroy Utopia as a whole.”
“Then I guess we’re at a stalemate, Director.”
“No, we aren’t, Jonathan,” Justin said. “Like I said, Utopia needs a scapegoat for this shit storm and, combined with your involvement in the McKinney incident, this is going to play well in the media. It will be seen as Utopia finally coming clean and dealing with ‘incompetent’ bureaucrats who made disastrous decisions. You’ll be taking the blame for this, which is kind of ironic because you really are responsible for what happened. I just wish we could nail you for the other shit you got away with. At the very least, you’re going to be tossed out of Utopia, and quite frankly, I’ll be happy with that.”
“Do you really think it’ll be that easy?”
“Nothing is that easy, Lansing. I’m not an idiot and I know that bitch you answer to will probably appoint some other bastard in your place, but that’s going to take time. You, on the other hand, will be gone and, while I don’t approve of their actions, I’m sure your associates will deal with you ‘accordingly’. I expect your resignation to be e-mailed to me within the next twenty-four hours.”
“You can’t do this, Director!” The sarcasm on the word “Director” was now missing.
“Twenty-four hours, Lansing,” Justin said, doing his best to stifle the chuckle. “If not…I think people might be interested in the string of coincidental deaths that happened whenever you came under investigation.”
He hung up the phone, knowing that he shouldn’t enjoy this moment but, dammit, it felt good. But even as he leaned back in his chair, the seriousness of the situation darkened his mood. Lansing might be out of the picture, but it wouldn’t be long before Thetis replaced him.
And chances are, it’ll probably be someone even worse. I thought Maggie was insane for giving up this job, but now I know why…it’s hard to tell who your friends and enemies are…and we’re supposed to be on the same damn side.
His phone rang and part of him was wondering if it was Thetis calling him with a new batch of threats and orders, but he doubted that even she could make those kind of things happen in less than two minutes…maybe in five, but not two.
“This is Laragione,” he said.
“Justin?” It was a woman’s voice, but not the one he had expected to hear. It was a voice he hadn’t heard in a couple years.
“Maggie?” Justin asked. He clearly wasn’t expecting Margaret Mercer to call him. “That you?”
“Yes, it’s me.” Mercer sounded like she had been crying. “He’s dead, Justin.”
“Who’s dead?”
“Phillip…the bastards killed Phillip.”
Even though the content of this fic is rated PG-13 (or teen), I’ve decided not to post the rest of it here. If you want to read the rest, you’ll have to go to the other site.
Sorry…but the filter/editor thing on this site is a little too touchy.
Which kind of sucks, I thought people would get a kick out of Buddy singing Rammstein (don’t ask…it was fun to write, but more than a little disturbing).
Ah darn.
Well, thanks for the update!