Chapter 35

Tuesday September 23 Sept.

ETWF: Minus 9 Days

Josh saw the smudge in the distance that was Chicago in the early fall morning. The air had a slight chill to it, but his super-suit, as Mr. Glenn called it, kept him comfortable, while its integral visor provided him information on where the rest of the guys were.

He was in front, using his power to stay unseen, as he searched for the reason they were here. Malak was behind him, flying concealed in the top of the trees, using her height to keep a look out. Everyone else was staying low waiting for him to find their objective.

Making his way as carefully as he could, Josh didn’t recognize what he was looking at. It was just too damn big. It was just a huge blue-white shape by a stream. The proportions were so out of whack Josh’s brain couldn’t put the pieces together. Then it stood, throwing its massive head around as if casting for a scent.

Ten, maybe 12 feet tall, and nearly as wide, the figure was a solid block of muscle upon muscle. He saw its flat-featured face and its too wide, toothy maw. Noseless, but he knew that it had a whale-like blowhole on top of his head, Leviathan.

It was the Boogieman of the last 50 years since its creation in the 60s. Impossibly strong, invulnerable, and savage, it had never been defeated. Chased away occasionally, and even an improbable ally from time to time, but never beaten.

This was their objective?

Really hoping he was wrong, Josh reported. “I’ve spotted Leviathan by a stream about 100 yards from my position. Is he our objective?”

His suit’s radio whispered to him. “Affirmative. Subdue target and prepare it for transport to a holding facility.”

Josh heard snorts of disbelief from the others as they heard the droll command that was flat out insane. Just how the hell were they supposed to do that?

Looking at the stream and remembering how Amanda had frozen the small lake in the Geode yesterday gave him an idea. “Malik how does this sound? I’ll blind him, while Amanda gets an ice storm going. You and Lizzie knock him into the water while Malak uses her force-screen to hold him in place. Amanda freezes it and him into a block of ice. Bill plays safety yanking anyone out of way in case Big Bad Blue there gets too close.”

The sports crazed teen thought about it. “Sounds as likely to work as anything else that has been tried. I would change that into everyone hitting him to knock him back though. Try not to alert him ‘til the last moment with the blindness thing.”

Josh nodded forgetting no one else could see him. “Ah, okay. I’ll try and keep everyone invisible till the very last second.”

His heart was beating like mad, as they got closer to this thing. It hadn’t seen them yet because of Josh’s power, but it seemed aware that something was up from the way it kept sniffing around.

Taking a deep breath, he used his power to blind the monster.

Lizzie and Malik rushed out of the bushes at it, while Malak used her magnetic power to help push Leviathan into the stream. Bill’s arms shot forward over their heads striking the huge amphibian. Overhead Amanda’s storm started it snowing as the temperature dropped suddenly.

And then it all went wrong. The monster did stumble backwards, but he didn’t fall. As big as it was, the water hardly covered its knees. Lizzie and Malik, even as hard they’d hit it, literally bounced off the tough, resilient hide. Faster than Josh could believe, it grabbed Billy’s long arms and slung him away so hard he was lost from sight in the falling snow in an eye blink.

In a bluish flash, Malak’s magnetic power tried to hold the berserk creature in place, as Amanda froze the stream, and it kinda worked. Frozen up to his knees, it kicked at the suddenly appearing ice, ignoring the flash freezing sub-zero temperature. Grabbing a huge frozen chunk, Leviathan threw it at Malak. The force-screen trying to keep him immobile, failed as the ice punched a hole through it as she dodged to the side.

With a roar that shook Josh’s teeth, the monster flung itself into the deeper depths that had yet to freeze and like a torpedo raced out of sight, hidden by the very ice that was suppose to imprison it.

They all sat there in the freezing cold for a moment and laughed. Surprisingly they were still all alive, even Billy who came running back from his involuntary express air trip.

Josh blinked as the words “Simulation Over” appeared in front of his eyes, announcing the end of their adventure.

‘Wow, but these things were great,’ he thought, as he climbed out of the latticed globe. A technician helped him out of the feedback coverall-like suit while another unhooked the helmet.

He had really felt like he was right there. Josh traded a look with Malik knowing he was thinking the same thing. They just had to hook up one of their game systems to this thing.

Mr. Glenn and a very tired looking Dr. Hathaway were giving them all a look over. “Okay folks, that’s all. Now off to the debriefing.” Their teachers herded them along.

As soon as everyone got seated, Mr. Glenn clapped his hands together. “I’ve got good news and bad news. First the good news. You did better than The Rocketeers did when we met Leviathan. All of you escaped serious injuries, while half of us ended up in the infirmary.

“Now the bad news. You did chase him away, but he went downstream. That’s unfortunately towards Chicago and the people you‘re suppose to protect. Really not bad at all considering we sent you in cold with so little information,” Mr. Glenn concluded.

Dr. Hathaway stood up and began her analysis. “Like Mr. Glenn said, you did well considering, but there are reasons why your plan failed. One, Leviathan is a mixture of human and oceanic creatures. It can easily handle the temperatures and conditions you were throwing at it. It also has a sonar sense and doesn’t have much of a sense of smell. When you thought it was sniffing, it was actually sonar scanning the area. That let it grab Bill’s arm. Joshua, your blinding him did help your team approach him and the simulation AI ruled that it was the reason, along with the suddenly changing weather, was why it fled rather than fight.

“As frightening as Leviathan is, it is an instinct driven creature with only limited reasoning ability. For your first simulator run, I agree with Mr. Glenn that you all did very well. After lunch, we’ll try again with another scenario,” she concluded.

Josh looked around at the other kids, but couldn’t help himself from grinning. This was supposed to be work? They all got up heading off to eat, hungrily despite the food that made his old school’s café’s look good. He found himself eager to get back to the best video game ever!

Chapter 36

Area 61 High security vaults.
Wednesday 24 Sep

Valentina Zarya Savitskaya took a long silent deep breath to clear her mind for the coming challenge. The HUD, Head’s Up Display, on her helmet’s visor, passed along Big Mac’s confirmation that he’d put the surveillance cameras on loop. It was now her turn.

Ollie cracked open the service tunnel door, and she was out in a flash. Diving deep into Slow-Time, the very air around her thickened into a soup that fought her for every step as Val flowed into the room. The first guard had started to blink, alerted somehow that something was wrong. Before his eyelashes could touch, she had him.

The tough, seemingly ageless, little Kazakh that’d taught her the move she’d knocked out the guard with, was the only person she’d ever met that understood even a little bit about Slow-Time. She even manage to teach him how to do it himself, if even just a trifling. The grinning little Mongol regarded the deal as a fair exchange.

The first guard's knees hadn’t begun to buckle before the second one was following him to unconsciousness. Carefully she caught each one. If all went as planned, no one would ever know that anyone had been here.

Letting go of Slow-Time, Val felt the resistance fade as time sped back up. Ollie poked his head out, looking at her curiously, as he and Maggie pushed out the cart with all of their gear. Together they worked to bypass the alarms and telltales on the imposing door that was the entrance into Area 61’s fabled vaults.

Last night when Maggie and Ollie insisted she come clean with them about what was happening, as well as revealing her true self, that’d been one of the hardest things she had ever done. So many different things were all tied together and some of those were still as raw as any open wound. On the other hand, very few others had earned her trust like Maggie and Ollie.

Being back here where it’d all began was bad enough. To add what happened a few nights ago and it became as nightmarish as they come. Explaining that not only was the Z-Ray being used, but just how she knew that someone had died from it, was even harder. That meant she had to explain how she knew.

Val found that despite all the years that’d passed that she just couldn’t. She knew it was silly. Val did tell her friends of the events surrounding that final exposure to the Z-Ray, and the demise of The Rocketeers. She also told them this was the origin of her abilities to switch forms from Alan to Val. However, she found she still couldn’t tell everything. All she could do was say that more had died because of the damn thing.

Honestly, she hadn’t known herself 'til yesterday during that crazy game she’d come up with. Normally when as Alan, he had no problem with not using his full range of abilities. Unless he kind of reached for them, he really didn’t have any powers. That was why all the testing every Tom, Dick and Harry agency put him though had never found anything.

Perhaps it was more accurate to say rather than reaching for those talents it was more like not pushing them away anymore. After those disastrous heartbreaking events where she’d lost everything, having, using, her friend’s powers were an reminder that was too painful to bear. Not able to stand it, she’d learned how to 'push' it all away and make herself normal. Well, as normal as she ever got. And it’d all began here in this place that haunted so many of her dreams.

Then suddenly during that game he'd made up, there was that big crunch where everyone ended crashing. Malik had smacked right into him, which really hadn’t concerned Alan that much. Doc’s super-suits were that good. The thing was this time a force-screen popped up around him and the teen had slid right off of him. That’d confused both of them, with Malik thinking he’d crashed into Lizzie.

Somehow Alan had gotten some of Lizzie’s powers, which had scared him witless, until he’d seen she was still alive. Then Maxi-Lizzie, the little girl’s clone, had flown by and it all became clear. Why Doc and the Air Force wanted to examine Max’s clones and why the Z-Ray was been used so often recently.

Part of what really bothered her was she didn't know how many had died. Val had no idea as to exactly why this quickening was so much less intense than the ones from before. Even the term made her give a bitter laugh, but unfortunately, it fit all too well. Her poor brother Pyotr, felt bad for days after showing her that bootleg copy of that movie because she’d freaked out so badly. “There can be only one,” be damned! Gaining power at the expense of other’s lives was something she had experienced for real and the price was far too dear.

One thing was certain. General Lying-to-Me Laramie had absolutely no clue what was really happening. If he knew what happened to her every time someone died under that gun, hell he would’ve disassembled the damn thing with his own bare hands.

Val, herself, wasn’t too sure of the details. Without somewhere with some privacy to work out just what powers had unwillingly been thrust upon her this time, she would be just guessing. Gawd! Over thirty of Max’s clones had been taken away for study. There was no doubt in her mind that Doc had been trying to make Max’s temporary clones into permanent ones.

The big convict because of his regeneration couldn’t be permanently brainwashed. You could briefly control him because of his vulnerability to mind bending, but his neural pathways healed from outside manipulation just like the rest of him did from normal damage. However, all his clones shared that same mental vulnerability, but they didn’t have that bull-like constitution and regeneration of his to resist lasting mental alterations. Hell, they were almost tailor made for the mind benders to screw with.

She could just bet that Laramie was just as happy as can be with his little army of brainwashed mutants. It also explained why Hathaway was looking so haggard. With all those kid’s minds to warp, who had time to sleep.

Which made Val wonder again just what epic disaster was on the horizon. With this new army of Laramie‘s, why did he still need the kids or Meridian at all? As much as she despised Hathaway and her lack of morals, she had to admit the woman was acting more human. Val could tell the mind bender didn’t like what was happening, but had found out the hard way that working at Area 61 was like making a deal with the devil.

Not that Val’s situation was lot different. She had a better idea now but couldn’t make herself tell anyone. Once again, she’d underestimated Doc. He’d done the impossible and made Pinocchio into a real boy. Hell, he’d brought the whole damn puppet show to life! The ones that hadn’t died in the doing of it.

Val jerked herself back to the present. This was no time to screw up. Maggie and Ollie nodded at each other, and holding their breath, turned the keys opening the door. Once again, it was Val’s turn to do her stuff. Taking a deep breath to prepare herself she took a short running leap. Agilely she danced through the maze of light beams and pressure plates to the junction box. Placing one of Maggie’s handy dandy gadgets and pushing its button, the labyrinth of defenses turned itself off while continuing to signal their unseen watchers that all was well.

Both of them ran pass her to Vault Number One. While the two of them were beginning their prep at that vault, Val hurried bringing up the equipment cart. By the time she hustled back to them, they’d marked where all their gadgetry needed to go. Peeling back the cover, Val drove back into Slow-Time.

Carefully, she placed the first of many devices. Absolute precision was called for but they had a strict timetable to follow. What would’ve taken Maggie and Ollie at least 20 minutes to setup; she had done in under a minute. Knowing there was no room for error, she took another minute to double-check each position.

Surfacing back into the normal time stream, she signaled it was ready. Picking up the heavy socket wrench designed for her hands, Val attached it to the fitting that served as the door’s key. It was designed be turned by a heavy machine driven shaft, but she could do it by brute force. Ready, she waited for her partners to give her the sign to begin.

Maggie held her hand up as one by one her indicators on her handset turned green. As it dropped, Val started turning. She saw Ollie’s eyes widen at her display of strength. When he’d known her as Vroom, she’d been stronger than any human. On her own, she had the might of 2/3s of The Rocketeers. Now, if not for Maggie’s careful design to maximize her power, she would’ve snapped the custom tool.

Val still took special care, since she now had an additional wild card to worry about, with the new powers she had unwilling inherited. She knew just how strong Lizzie was and combined with her normal supra-strength, it was very possible even this tool designed for the stresses she was putting it to could break. No way did she want anything screwing up this mission that she and Ollie had waited so long for.

She kept a watchful eye on Maggie, as her partner’s instruments were keeping track of the stress of the vault door’s internal components. Val sped up her wrench turning as Maggie urged her on.

They all breathed in relief as the lock disengaged and the door opened. Maggie slipped inside as soon as Val had it open enough. By the time she had it open, her partner had already doubled checked the alarms, and had moved to the coffins. Pushing in the cart, Val quickly unloaded the bladder and it’s accessories. No need for Slow-Time since Maggie needed time to deal with the coffin’s alarms and telltales.

With the pump ready, she began turning the crank. “Who needed a power source when you had her around?” Val grinned to herself. Again, she was thankful of Maggie’s robust design. Like clockwork, they switched to the next coffin as soon as the preserving fluid drained from the first.

While the second was being drained, Ollie and Maggie opened the first one, slipping Ollie’s parent onto the now empty equipment cart. Replacing the alien Gray’s body with the dummy created so long ago by their friends, the coffin was resealed and readied to be refilled.

Checking the clock, they were actually ahead of schedule. Ollie’s other two parents were also quickly recovered, and Val was pumping the preserving fluid back in. Wrapping them in the now empty bladder, she pumped the air out, giving a vacuum seal until they could be dealt with in a manner of Ollie’s choosing.

Dipping back into Slow-Time, she made sure their cleanup was thorough. Closing the door, Val was turning her wrench again. As soon as it clicked shut, Ollie and Maggie were checking their devices again.

By this time, Val was holding her breath. Something always went wrong on these little missions of theirs. Most times, it was minor, but she always felt is was better to get the required bad luck out of the way early. She could sense something not-so-good was building up, but wasn’t sure exactly what.

Driving back into Slow-Time again, she felt the luck almost tugging at her. Usually it was plain if it was going to be good or bad. This was different and Val found herself unable to resist being curious. Drifting lightly in the thick jello-like air of Slow-Time, she went deeper into the Vaults.

Further down the seemingly endless wide hallway, she found herself in front of Vault Number Nine. Remembering this was the one that whatever was in Elevator Shaft six now, she saw a nameplate. Reading it, her heart froze, as the event her luck had foretold became reality.

The rest of the mission was just a daze for her. They were lucky that she wasn’t really needed for anything major for their departure. Ollie implanted false memories in the fallen sentries and they shut the service way door just as the guards were being relieved.

Val found both her lover and her friend giving her strange looks as they figured out something was wrong. It wasn’t until they’d reached the safety of the clubhouse that she couldn’t take it anymore and let the tears fall.

Maggie hugged her, confused, asking, “Val what’s wrong? We got Ollie’s parents out. Why are you crying?”

Ollie just as befuddled, “Please talk to us my friend. We can see that something is gravely wrong. Please let us help.”

It took all of her willpower to choke out, “It’s Gus. Project Looking Glass is in Shaft 6.”

The memory of that terrible day swamped her again in hot burning tears.

Half-aware, she heard Maggie explaining it to Ollie.

“Oh Gawds. I guess the rumors never made it down here. You see Ollie, back in 1989, and it all came out how what really happened to The Rocketeers, it was a real media circus. Wild rumors were flying all over the place. Alan Glenn’s public announcement of his being Vroom and the Senate hearings were how I got involved in all of this.

“People were really upset that kids had been experimented upon and used the way Alan and his family had been, mutants or not. I’d been publicly advocating for mutant rights, and met Alan during the hoopla. Well one of the rumors came from a bunch of conspiracy theorists that claimed that his brother hadn’t died in the explosion. They said that Jeff Fuller had managed to use something called Project Looking Glass to exile Gus Glenn in some kind of other dimension or wormhole like thing. ”

Smoothing her lover’s hair she continued, “Of course, like usual, these people had no proof, just hearsay and innuendo. Perhaps they knew what they were talking about after all.”

Ollie said softly to her, “Val just because it’s Project Looking Glass in the elevator shaft doesn’t mean that it’s Gus.”

Shaking her head as her tears slowed, she disagreed. “No Ollie, it all makes sense. I guess I always knew he had to be alive somehow. It explains why I have everyone's powers but for his and Joyce's. He was after all the first of us to get zapped. Her powers must have went to Gus. Maybe that was why he went insane and changed the way he did. I know I nearly went crazy when I figured it out.

Think about it! This explains everything. Why had they reactivated Meridian and dragged me back here after so many years? Even the simulator programs indicate it. A few of them are against multiple opponents but most have the kids against Leviathan or another single real bad piece of news.”

“Even explains why they have Max’s clones running late night sim sessions versus the same programs. Fine tuning the programs my ass. Getting Laramie’s little army in shape probably in case the kids fail.”

Maggie just looked at her, questioning, as Ollie demanded, “Army? What army?”

“Doc Mac must’ve figured out some way of solidifying Max’s clones. He’s been using the damn zap gun on them. I don’t know for sure how many that’s died. All I know is someone with Lizzie’s powers died.”

Maggie asked her and she couldn’t hide the truth anymore. “How do you know that love?”

In a small voice that let even more tears spill out, she replied, “Because I have her powers now, just like I have my friends‘.”

Drowning in sorrow again, she heard Maggie and Ollie conversing about survivor’s guilt and shifting quantum states.

“Val,,” she heard Maggie say. “You have no reason to hurt so over all of this. None of it’s your fault.”

Angrily digging the barbs of her hurt deep into herself, she retorted, “Why not? Do you have any idea how much I so dearly wanted to be as I am now? A complete woman and not the male that puberty was making me more and more each day?”

Almost howling in her pain she cried, “All that had to happen for that dream to come true was my family and all my dearest friends to kill each other and leave me all alone!

“Ollie I know you can see how much I look like Alice now. I got my desire and I wish to Gawd I hadn’t! Now Gus is coming back, and even if he still isn’t some radioactive rampaging monster, how do you think he’s going to handle what happened?” Breaking down again, more tears came, but Maggie held her, drying them.

Ollie softly replied. “Val, it is true that you resemble Alice, but you still have the same eyes as always. I also can see some of Jeff, as well as the others as well. It wasn’t a curse my friend. I knew them as well as you. If anything, it was a final gift to one they dearly loved. I understand more now about what happened to Jeff and the full tragedy of those events that happened so long ago.

“Now however, we must rest and figure out what is best to do next. We’d planned to see about freeing Big Mac next, but this changes things. The creature that overcame Gus is indeed terrible, but not for one moment do I want you to believe that Gus would’ve willing done the horrible things that creature did. No more than that poor tortured man, cursed with being Leviathan, would he do such things of his own volition.

“I was here that day too. We both know what triggered Gus’s involuntary changes. Within us all are terrible dark places. It is our strength of character that determines how we deal with it. Your brother, my friend, didn’t have that choice as they ripped his control from him and released his black ID to wreak its havoc. That creature is more than capable of destroying this base and much more. We’re all at risk from its fury as well as any who cross its path.

“I have no idea what the General’s plan is, but letting the children face what we fear is coming is out of the question,” the Gray stated.

Big Mac voice answered from the speaker above them. “I believe I can at least partially answer that question. I do have access to the financial records from a group of contractors doing work at one of the nearby ranges.

“They laid a large grid of grounded conductive cabling and pipes. The system pumps a highly conductive gel. The substance is very heat resistant as well as having radioactivity damping properties. Along with a trolley rail system that’s been listed as completed, I believe Dr. McClellan means to transport, what we now know is Project Looking Glass, to this range. Then use Project Meridian to keep the former Capt. Blazzar trapped within until he is weakened enough to no longer maintain his energy form.” The AI concluded.

Ollie thought for a moment and replied, “In theory that might work, but it does assume that he can be weakened by such measures, and that it would result in his transforming back to himself. What do you think Val?”

Drying her tears, she looked up. “Gus did tire, and needed to rest to recharge those energy blasts of his. At least he did before Doc zapped all of us that last time. As for the kids stopping him, maybe. If Josh’s power can affect Gus, we have a way of blinding him, and with Malak’s magnetic force-screens, we have of a way of protecting against his blasts. So if they work together and support each other, it is possible.

“However with us not knowing any real facts, and with his being able to explode like a nuke, I give it a good chance some or all wouldn’t be walking away. There is no way except over my dead body that I’ll let them face Gus. If it has to be done, then me and whoever volunteers, but not the kids.”

Val smiled sadly, her eyes still red from crying. “I would say I’d do it alone, but I know better. You’ll just follow anyways. Smarter to plan the best we can using available resources. That way you won’t remind me how much of an idiot I tried to be for the next decade or two by attempting it by myself,” she said with a lopsided grin.

Maggie quirked an elegant eyebrow in response as she replied, “See, you have learned something in the twenty years we’ve been together. We do need to have another talk about what being truthful means. Ollie and I will check out how to move Big Mac tomorrow. I don’t think any of us are in shape to do any more tonight. When we have him secured we’ll make our escape.”

Nodding his agreement Ollie added, “I’ll send some of my remotes up the silo to make sure we can use the Rocket to escape and give it a good overhaul. It will be a tight fit but all of us can make it. We should go as soon as we can. Undoubtedly, you are correct when you surmise that they are still planning to use the Z-Ray on the children. With such a threat as Gus they wouldn’t dare not to use every resource.”

Val sniffled. “Saturday after the kid’s morning checkups. We can act as if we’re being rebellious and making another run to Dad’s. They should buy we’re celebrating after that week of sims. With a little luck that’ll give us a head start on any pursuit.”

Maggie smiled making refinements to their plan. “We can make for where I stashed the Family Car. It has a chameleon canvas and if we’re creative should be big enough to conceal even something as big as your Buggy.”

Looking up with a little of her old twinkle in her eyes, she asked amazed, “You brought the Car?

Smiling back her lover nodded, “Of course I did. I packed everything I could think of into it including our heavy combat rigs. I figure once there we could lie low until Ollie can take his ride and sneak off to Paradise. We’ll be near enough to respond whenever your brother makes his appearance and have the gear available to do something about it.”

Val, despite the shocks of the night, couldn’t help giving them a true devil may care grin. “Maggie you’re a treasure! That reminds me. I need to show you something Doc Mac cooked up for me when I used to be Vroom. It is almost certainly bugged and trapped five ways from Sunday, but the concept is a killer.”

Chapter 37

Tonopah, NV

Friday 26, 2008

ETWF: Minus 6 Days

Andrea dropped the greasy bag of fast food she was carrying in utter shock. ULTIMATE’s training academy may teach one how to be nonchalant in the face of danger, but bumping into him in a Micky Dees in Tonopah, NV wasn’t one of them. Somehow she kept her mouth from gaping open as, startled, he bent over to help her pick up her bag. Andrea found herself looking into those sky blue eyes as he smiled apologetically at her.

His file never mentioned how charismatic he was nor just how deep those blue eyes were. Peter Savitskiy. Peter the Great, Colonel in the Zolotoye-Yablochkoian Army stood before her dressed in possibly the loudest Elvis themed shirt she’d ever seen, with baggie shorts and flip-flops in front of the Yellow Arches.

“Excuse me miss.,” he said, smiling, in English without a trace of his origins.

Her vapor-locked brains somehow managed to identify that he spoke with the same soft southern accent as Alan Glenn. Andrea despite her surprise picked out at least three others with him. All were tall, broad and were obviously with Peter from their mirth at his clumsiness. Their seemingly good-humored joking, at odds with the careful way their eyes kept watch.

That sobered Andrea up fast. Peter the Great being here was one thing, but his being here with what was very likely an entire supra-special operations team was entirely something else. Forcing herself not to give the game away by showing that she’d recognized him, she hid her eyes, stammering an apology and hurried off.

Laughter behind her, gave her some assurance she wasn’t seen as a threat. While she wanted to run to her Hummer, she restrained her instincts. It was very important that she not give the slightest clue she was anything more than another customer of which billions and billions had been sold to.

By the time she’d walked around the corner, Andrea had come up with a plan of sorts. The inspector needed to know about this at once and she didn’t even dare to call, not with news like this! Fortunately, Rodger, who’d stayed in the Hummer so they could keep the A/C running in the burning hot Mojave noon sun, had picked up that she’d gone around the corner and followed.

Slipping inside the relative coolness, she ignored Rodger’s questioning glance. Smiling up at him, Andrea asked, “You had the Double Quarter with cheese right?”

Shrugging Rodger took it as just another screwed up part of this mission. Like the old joke about mushrooms, fed a lot of crap and kept in the dark. That said it perfectly. Rodger wasn’t the least surprised that he was asked to go away once they got back to their hotel room command post. Damn but he’d be glad when this job was over.

Breathless, his assistant dropped the grease-stained bag of American fast food upon his table. Philippe looked up at her over his glasses at the rudeness. He stopped as she ripped the bug detector from its case and checked the room. He closed the file he’d been working on and cleared his mind. She never would act so unless she was certain something of tremendous import was at state.

As she finished checking the room for surveillance, he asked, “Andrea, I take it that you have something of importance to tell me?”

She nodded breathlessly. “Yes sir. I just saw Peter Savitskiy and three others, whom I believe to be part of a team of some sort, at the Mickey Dees here in Tonopah. I came right back here. I don’t think they made me.

The inspector sat back considering the news. Then he rose, gathering his shoulder holstered weapon, and jacket. “Well done, Andrea. I think I’m going out for some air.”

Looking back at the disgusting greasy brown bag, he tried to avoid wincing. “Give mine to Rodger.”

She looked up at him concerned. “Are you sure you want to go alone, sir?”

Philippe sighed. What he had in mind could be considered treasonous. His career was nearly over and there was no reason to risk ending hers that was just beginning. He replied, “I’ll be fine. Trust me,” he said with a grin. In truth if Peter Savitskiy was here, it would take a lot more than the scant resources he had here to deal effectively with the situation.

Getting the keys and finding a place to park the oversized auto took him longer than the actual drive there to the American fast-food franchise. Because he knew Andrea would’ve objected to him leaving it, he'd taken his weapon with him. Taking his shoulder harness and jacket off, he left it in the truck. It wouldn’t make any difference for what was about to happen anyways. It was more important that he appear as nonthreatening as possible.

Stepping out, he felt eyes upon him almost at once. The large black American Hummer was anything but inconspicuous. Andrea was correct. It did look as if their friend Peter was here with a team. He counted four of them. Three seated with him, but another small dark man was at a nearby table positioned to watch the other entrance.

Approaching the table, the Frenchman thought back to the many other confrontations like this one that had occurred in the course of his career. The difference was usually he’d plenty of backup if he’d needed it. However the very organization he'd worked for had lost his trust and respect. Trust was a precious commodity, for when it was lost it was rarely recovered.

“Peter, imagine meeting you here,” Inspector Philippe Imbert greeted the supra-normal mutant.

Turning to face him, Peter showed no sign of surprise or recognition. “Do I know you?” he asked in idiomatic English.

Smiling the inspector replied, “You don’t remember me? I must admit it was years ago, but I couldn’t forget ever meeting you and your sister. Such a charming young lady, but always getting into such trouble! I seem to recall that she’s recently moved nearby. Are you here to visit? The resort she’s at is quite exclusive and very hard to reach.

“Now that I think about it, I do believe that another young lady was looking for her too. So pretty, you would think she was a model. Personally, I don’t see what the attraction is to these dry climes. Ah well, I’ll soon be retired back to France, while my comrades are conducting exercises out here in the sand. Just as well for these old bones are far too old for such things.

“You would think that so many young men and women like yourselves would be content to play the games of chance in the infamous City of Sin, but alas I sometimes think that all games are pointless.” Philippe could see those so intelligent eyes evaluating every word.

Peter sought, “Well…” at a loss for his name.

The burly man at the table made up the lack, “Phillipe Imbert.”

Giving him a smile, the Inspector nodded. “Exactly.”

Peter continued, “Well Philippe you know how it is. We would much rather be enjoying those games you spoke of, but unfortunately my sister is not there, but here. Honestly while this is an interesting place to visit, I would much rather be home and not be playing any games at all.”

Philippe smiled again. “Please excuse me for interrupting your lunch and enjoy your visit. Be careful. I understand some really bad weather is set to roll in the next few days. Real acts of Gawd, right out of the Bible.” With that, he turned and left.

Pyotr gave a nod, and as one, they all got up, dumping the remains of their meals in one of the trashcans by the door. Without a word, they climbed into their rented van. As soon as they were all aboard, he gave Bob a look fit to kill. “What just happened and who was that?”

The burly intelligence expert wiped sweat from his brow. “That was Inspector Philippe Imbert, the senior ULTIMATE investigator assigned to looking into your sister’s activities for the last several years.

Bob shrugged at Pyotr’s piercing glare. “I know and understand why what she’s been up to has been kept a very close secret. However, given the number of refugees she sent to us, you know people would be curious. For that matter, I’m one of the many she and her partner have rescued as well as our liaison to their Underground Railroad network.”

“With a raised eyebrow he asked Pyotr, “You do know that many of us rescued call the two of them Angels? Tech-Witch is ULTIMATE's code-name for your sister’s lover, but hers? The Inspector’s name for her is Athena while the official code name for her is Kali.”

Humorously he turned to Arghun, “I’ll bet you’d no idea that you were asking someone with such an amazing trinity of names to disrobe.”

The little dark man’s white teeth flashed in the dark tinted windowed van. “Ah! But the goddess was merciful and graced me with her blessing. Did she not proclaim to the world that I was a mighty warrior and a lover beyond compare?”

Ivan, curious, asked in a deep rumble, “How did your public, hmmm… display make you think that?”

Still grinning Arghun replied, “Because my large friend, only a mighty warrior could’ve walked away so attired before such an assembly of heroes without fighting for his very life. As for my talents as a lover, did she not herself name me so?”

“Somehow I think you’re being over optimistic, ‘Hunk-A of Burning Love’.” Ivan grinned back at the dark little man.

Pyotr waited for their banter to end before asking the question he knew most of them were waiting for. “So why aren’t we fighting for our lives right now?”

Bob shrugged again. “At a guess, I would have to say politics and an honest man. You see the Inspector is of the old school. He truly believes in justice and perhaps more importantly both sides of his family fought in the French resistance. From what he said about his upcoming retirement, I would say he was more concerned about doing what was right than a gold watch and a handshake.

“In not so many words, he also warned of significant ULTIMATE forces in the area. That, we were aware of already. What we didn’t know was the games that he hinted at. Exactly what is going on, I don’t know. I can only once again guess that whatever it is, he strongly disagrees with it.

“What I found most alarming was his warning about the weather. Since nothing unusual is forecast, I’m guessing he was alluding to whatever Valentina is mixed up in. I don’t think he knew any details but he fears it could be big.” Thinking about the inspector’s words a moment, he added, “Really Big.”

Pyotr sighed. He knew none of this was Val’s fault. It could not have been prevented, but that luck of hers got her into some of the most peculiar situations sometimes. “Yes, I got that too. It seems that my sister is sitting right in the middle of some onrushing calamity while everyone else is watching to see what happens.

“Trying to penetrate their security under such circumstances will be risky at best. Escaping afterwards will be even more difficult given the resources available for them to pursue,” he stated, for everyone’s benefit.

Seeing their nods, he continued. “As much as I very much want to go now before all this worsens, we’re just not ready. We’re not supposed to receive our equipment before tomorrow and have very little hard information about the installation. To complicate things, with all of these players in the area the odds of us being recognized again is very high.”

I think our best chance is to continue traveling to the next large city and to prepare to rough it in the field. By spreading our purchases around, we should avoid suspicion. Then we‘ll return and meet our contacts for the rest of our equipment.”

Bob started the van moving, while they started making the lists of supplies they needed and splitting up tasks. Pyotr closed his eyes, trying not to worry about Val and the increasingly bad news, as they got closer to her.

September 26, 2008

Area 61 Administration section

Maggie carefully replaced yet another PC access panel after gutting its insides for components. There were going to be a lot of unhappy IT guys come Monday morning. She pushed herself along on her purloined skateboard to the next workstation. Ollie’s workshop was a marvel considering what he had to work with. However, building a unit to house an AI was beyond it. Just the sheer number of memory modules necessary was staggering.

Getting the parts meant risking a raid on Area 61’s administration section. The good news was, after getting a peek at Big Mac, she was able to visualize the type of interface she needed. With her powers, assembling the device would take just an instant, but first she had to get those parts. The only source was Area 61 itself, and with it being after working hours on Friday night, hopefully her theft would go unnoticed until Monday morning. By then, they would’ve flown the coop.

However that meant she had to assemble Big Mac’s rescue unit tonight, right at the last minute. Like any tech, Maggie would’ve much rather had more time to test it, but the AI’s escape had to happen tonight. Time was getting too short.

Val was guessing that General Laramie would try to expose the kids on Sunday morning. Saturday was too obvious, even though they would try to be ready regardless. No, Sunday because of the General’s fixation on history, so he could pull a Pearl Harbor on them. He knew that they partied on Saturday night and wouldn’t be at their best the next morning. Perhaps he even planned to gas them all as they slept. Whatever it was, they should be long gone if all went well.

Maggie was almost happy for the hectic work for it took her mind off Val. She’d known that her lover had gained enormous power at the expense of her friends’ lives, but hadn’t known that in some way Val was still connected to that damn device. As best as they could determine, earlier subjects of this Z-Gun thing that had died hadn’t caused anything unusual to happen to her. More than one of those experimented upon had died, but when Jeff Fuller had committed suicide Val had known immediately.

It’d been like pulling teeth but according to Val, it’d been like being zapped by Dr. McClellan all over again. She’d even gotten ill like she did from the radiation from the real thing. However the most recently, the shadow, as she called it, was far less intense. Until Maggie said something, Val hadn’t even been aware of that glow.

If it was up to her she would blow the damn thing up herself, but she was well aware of the self-destruct device under the base. She couldn’t get close enough to it to defuse it even with her powers, and she had to assume that whoever would be manning the button at the other end had to be a raving paranoid fanatic. Failing that, being on the other side of the planet would have to do. Maybe Zolotoye-Yablochko was surround by enemies, but at least there, they would be among friends.

Reaching the next workstation, she removed the cover while her TK found the parts she needed. Pulling them out and adding them to the rest. She rolled on the next. The security about Big Mac was a breeze compared to the Vaults. Ollie and Maggie would take care of this one while Val was still recovering from the news her brother was in some form still alive. Maggie was just grateful that this time tomorrow would find them far from here.

Chapter 38

Saturday September 27, 2008

Area 61

Billie sighed as she looked unhappily into her bathroom mirror. It was time for him to come back. She’d taken to changing to Billie after classes were over for the day and then back to Bill the next morning. She found that she really enjoyed being able to dress in the pretty things in her closet. Even more, she loved the attention and help she received from Amanda and Malak.

Her gloomy expression faded into a smile. Okay she admitted, although Amanda had become perhaps her best friend, Malak was perhaps even more. Just spending time with her, talking and laughing made her happy in way she’d never experienced before.

A little startled Billie looked down at herself. She was uncertain how she felt about her, ung… reaction. Even if she could move things around down there so she looked like a real girl, she wasn’t. It did feel good, but getting hard down there rather than wet didn't seem right somehow.

Dr. McClellan and Dr. Hathaway had been fascinated by her ability to look like a girl, but their tests had shown that was all. It was only the appearance and none of the actual function. Billie had learned to stretch and distort her pliable form into a multitude of different shapes. However, no matter how malleable her body was, she could never really be a girl.

Today was testing day, so maybe she’d get a chance to ask one of the doctors about other options. Most of the adults had been okay with her being Billie but a few of them were not. She could tell by their eyes even if most did make a token effort to hide their disgust.

Well at least since today was indeed testing day, it was only a half-day and then she could be Billie for the rest of the weekend. Taking a deep breath, she let herself flow back into him.

Bill with his shoulders slumped forward went to dress in the boy stuff.

Breakfast was a little subdued, because even the normally cheerful Mr. Glenn was still feeling down. Oh, he still acted the same with his devil-may-care grin, but Bill could tell he hadn’t been same the last few days. Yesterday, he had hinted that they might be having another adventure in the Rocketeers’ team saucer. Bill did not have a problem with that. Dad’s burgers were great and after a week of this nasty stuff, they were all ready for some real food.

Bill found himself gently touching his teacher’s hand to get his attention. Not sure what he was doing, he asked with his eyes if the person inside, Val, that joyous dancing spirit, was alright.

Josh and Malik kinda stared at him because that just wasn’t the sorta stuff guys do. He ignored them, because this was important. This complicated person who was both Alan Glenn and Val had helped him discover Billie and that was a priceless gift that could never be repaid. Perhaps like Val had said, ‘It could only be paid forward.’

Still with that grin, Mr. Glenn tousled Bill’s hair, but he didn’t miss that wink his teacher had slipped in. With his usual energy, he chivvied them off to the labs. “Alright, everyone! It’s time for your favorite activity of the week! Go feed the Vampires, and make the guys in the white coats happy by spinning their hamster wheels.”

Malak grabbing Bill’s hand distracted him immediately. Blushing, he gave her a wide-eyed stare. She just laughed and dragged him along as Lizzie seeing the game wanted to play too. She took his other hand and start pulling too. Soon they were all giggling, with Josh and Malik rolling their eyes as the two of them bought up the rear.

Alan watched them go with his fingers crossed. He didn’t think Doc Mac and Lying-To-Me-Laramie had any double-crossing in mind for today, but they were in the danger zone where it could happen.

The kid’s had completed the teamwork simulations and yesterday’s last few runs were worrying. They’d been fighting this thing codenamed Kiloton that was far too much like what Gus had transformed into. Truthfully, Alan couldn’t say just what Gus’s monster was like since he’d been unconscious from almost the start.

What the simulation technicians had thrown at them was nothing but bad news. Standing about eight feet tall, the vaguely man-shaped glowing blob of energy was unbelievably dangerous. Electrical arcs flew all over the place, while a touch from the creature was hot enough to melt steel and bright enough to burn afterimages into your eyes.

The first time, the kids got waxed before they’d even known what’d happened. Alan helped them after that and since he’d already been thinking about how to handle Gus or Kiloton, he’d had some tactics in mind. He really wished Val and Maggie could try out this Sim but that was impossible. The computer kept records of everything. Given time, no doubt, Maggie could have it jumping hoops, but not in the time they had.

His sharp eyes had picked out traces that the simulators were used again last night. Probably, Max’s clones, that Doc had made solid somehow, were being put though their paces. It was definitely time to get the kids out of here while they still could. Watching the kids and the Sim the last few times had given him some ideas how to approach Kiloton and that would have to do.

Alan let out a deep breath as the doors shut behind them. Because they were in the danger zone, he’d kept himself charged with all of his powers. Because of that, he didn’t dare go anywhere near Doc Mac or the labs with all of their equipment. He didnt' think that Doc could pick up his 'fully armed and operational' status without a detailed examination, but he’d found out the hard way too many times about underestimating Doc Mac.

Speaking of which, he had no idea what to do about Max or those children. Alan was certain the big convict had no inkling what Doc had been up to with those examinations of those clones. If and when Max did find out, Alan had a feeling it wouldn’t be at all pretty. Max was a head case of the first water, but he had his reasons.

Ollie jerked him back to the present. “Alan I am picking an unusual amount of unease this morning.”

Alan was instantly on his guard. “Do you think Laramie stole a march on us? Are the kids being moved to the amphitheater?”

He could almost see his Alien friend’s shrug. “I don’t know. Someone might have simply discovered Maggie’s thefts from last night, or that Big Mac is not at home anymore. There are any number of things that could cause this disturbance.”

While they’d been talking, Alan had made an 180 back towards the labs, but then had relaxed a smidgen. Coming around the corner was ole General Lying-To-Me Laramie dressed as if he’d just come off the golf course.

“Relax the Condition Red, Ollie,” he told his friend. “I just found the General and he looks as if someone dragged him in here away from his golf game. If any of this were planned, he’d be in his dress uniform just like for a parade. Alert Maggie, but I think it‘s alright.”

Strolling forward casually, he opened his senses when he saw the phone in the General’s hand, wanting to get a clue about what was up. It started slowly, a feeling of apprehension and disquiet that moved into anxiousness. Alan almost stumbled as he recognized his luck singing out that a bad moon was rising.

After more than thirty years, he still had no better idea of what to expect. Were the General and his aides going to jump him, or maybe he was going to get some very unpleasant news? At any rate, he needed to find out what was happening. They had to get the kids out of here. There was just no way, he was going to let Doc and Lying-To-Me frak up another group of children’s lives.

As much as he wanted to just breakout of this joint, he knew that somewhere out there was a freaked out full blown case of paranoia with their finger on the firing button of that nuke under their feet. Alan had far too much contact with these people to think that they wouldn’t blow them all to atoms. The kids were living proof that the US of A had broken not one but several international treaties. Not to mention that having a head start while trying to outrun the entire US military would be nice.

He overheard the General say, “I don’t care if those bastards are ULTIMATE or not. They will stay out of my, AO, Area of Operations! Tell the interceptor boys that if they have to get radar locks to make the dumb SOBs get the idea that we will shoot their asses out of the sky, then do it.”

The voice on the other end of the conversation was clearly at his wits end. “That’ll work against those drop-ships, but you damn well know that it won’t slow down those SPAD Air to Space fighters. I’ll need authorization for the release of the F-19s.”

Laramie growled back, “If that’s what you need, you’ll get it. Just keep them out my No Fly Zone and out of my hair!”

Alan was almost abreast of the General’s little party of aides and brown-nosers, when Laramie turned and looked right at him. His luck was all but mourning doom now. Expecting bad news Alan gave him an iron stare right back.

He felt the shock as those implants Doc had placed within him sent their surge of drugs into his body. 'But Maggie had disabled them,’ he thought, as his legs failed and he tumbled to the floor.

Alan fighting his fading consciousness could still hear. “Yes, Dr. McClellan, you were correct. His implants had been disabled somehow, however your backup activation worked as you promised. Congratulations. Now excuse me, but I need to get back into uniform. No need to wait for me. You may begin the final phase of Meridian when ready.”

He couldn’t think clearly but somehow he reached for Ollie. Alan felt his friend trying to find out what’d happened, as he finally lost his battle and darkness claimed him.

Maggie’s heart turned to ice within her as Ollie told her of her lover. But she had disabled those damn things implanted in him. Somehow, there’d been something that she’d missed and now he was unconscious. They’d been wrong and underestimated both McClellan and Laramie. She’d screwed up. The children were being moved to be exposed to that Z-Ray thing while just what they were planning to do to Alan was still unknown.

She wasn’t any kind of hothouse flower nerd, and if push came to shove, she could likely break them all out. But. Yeah but. To do so would mean using her powers to cause all the machines and electronics down here in this pit to run amok. Precisely the very sort of thing that would freak out whoever controlled that damn nuke under their feet. Even with Ollie’s help, she didn’t think there was anyway to do this without making things worse.

The little alien was a study. He’d been preparing to leave the only home he’d known for almost 60 years. He’d a vest that was full of needful things along with a purloined suitcase of other keepsakes.

Without words or telepathy, the glance they exchanged told each other that they’d come to the same conclusion. As much as they both wished otherwise, there was nothing they could do.

Ollie sent sadly to her, “I understand, but for now we can do nothing but wait. While the children are in danger, we must trust that Dr. McClellan’s calculations are correct and they will survive. I’m more concerned about Alan. He is of no further use to them, and is held in great disdain by General Laramie. I fear he is in great peril.”

Maggie nodded having come to the same conclusion. The sanctity of life was of little value to people like these. From the beginning of this affair, she was growing quite tired of all of this. It was institutions and people just like these that’d caused her to devote herself to her quest so many years before. There was a helluva lot of payback due, and if anything bad happened to her dear lover and companion, having a nuke go off under their feet would be the least of these people’s problems.

Lizzie nodded sleepily as the nurse took some blood. Because of her force-screenie thingie was on all the time, they used sleepy stuff in the air so they could stick her with needles. She didn’t much like it, but the older girls had helped her deal with it. Besides after this was over, she was sure Mr. Glenn was gonna have a nice treat for them.

She thought they were going to take blood out but instead had something flowing in from a bag on a hat-rack thing. Someone told her it was all part of the test for today, but she really didn’t like that. It made it really hard to think. Only half-aware, she was pushed down the hallway.

Trying to make her eyes focus, Lizzie thought she’d stopped moving. Wherever she was it was really big and empty except for this huge thing hanging from the ceiling right above her. Another adult whispered in her ear that they were going to take some pictures like in an x-ray and she needed to be really still. If she was a good girl, they would make sure she got a big bowl of ice cream.

Everyone left, but just like they told her to, she tried to be real still. Then these red lights starred flashing while a very loud voice began counting backwards. Five, four, three, two, one.

She screamed as the universe tried to drown her in pure liquid light.

Dr. Courtney Hathaway watched as Alan Glenn was wheeled in on a gurney. Her part in this was almost over. Project Hydra was moving on to Phase C where her involvement was much reduced. The now 19 children had their new personalities in place and now would need only tweaking to iron any unexpected developments. They were doing sims now, placed into two teams of 6, one of 4 and one final one of three with all males.

She’d tried once more to get this portion of Project Meridian canceled. Courtney had been there when the Maxi-Lizzie clone had undergone a full power exposure. It'd killed her. Watching that little girl mutate into a form so bizarre that she couldn’t even describe it, was something Courtney was never going to forget. She couldn’t lie to herself anymore that they, the clones, weren’t human, feeling the pain and despair coming from her. Going over General Laramie and Dr. McClellan’s heads, she had appealed directly to OAR’s Director.

Courtney sighed. All her efforts to save the children, yes children, not subjects, had done was get her demoted back to looking after Alan Glenn once again. The technicians were hooking him up to the complex machine that would map out the regions of his brain that held the last few weeks of memories and burn them out.

This was a living reminder of why she had sacrificed so much for power, so that she wouldn’t end up where he was now. Examining him, trying to put her feelings aside, he was wearing that same scuffed jacket he had worn that day weeks ago when she had first met him.

Touching it, her eyes snapped wide open. Since the very beginning, she’d been able to read nothing about this enigmatic man until now. Her ability to read feelings and emotions from objects was always one of her least reliable, but what this single touch told her was all but impossible.

The jacket told many stories of cars and races and those who loved them. It recounted of the passionate person who’d survived so much pain but was ardently determined to keep such from taking place again. A person who had feminine passions as well as a woman’s heart and soul.

Many things that’d baffled her about him became clearer. It explained why she had problems understanding him and of why their vibes simply didn't match. As well as why the children had grown so close to this male who defended them. Standing there lost in thought as the last connections were made she came to a decision.

“We’re ready Doctor,” the head tech told her.

She nodded, “I’ll do it.” Walking over to the console, she smiled distracting everyone as her telekinesis secretly changed the machines' settings. “Goodnight Mr. Glenn, I hope it was good for you too,” she said, with much the same sarcastic tone as he so often used upon her.

One of the tech sniggered, but it was said for their benefit. Sending to him telepathically, hoping he would remember, she whispered, “They wanted you to forget all of this, but I think that I’ve prevented that. Godspeed Alan Glenn, whoever, whatever you are. ”

Many rooms away a small Gray Alien worrying for his friends and future sat up, hearing a message meant for another. Quickly he sent Maggie a message that all was well and her intervention would not be required to save their friend. To himself, he marveled again at this primitive yet so complicated species. Perhaps there was hope for them all after all.

To be continued.