Chapter 42

September 31, 2008

Staff Sergeant John Maus’s blood turned to ice as the klaxons wailed. The readings on his panel spiked so fast that mere human reactions were far too slow. Without thinking he whipped out his key, jamming it into the failsafe switch. A quick glance at his view screen showed him their backup station had also gotten the containment failure message. This was no drill or false alert.

“From three!” The so calm voice of the Major commanded.

“Three”

How the hell could he be so calm knowing that thing in the shaft was going to explode?

“Two”

Trying to swallow in a mouth gone suddenly dry, he prepared himself.

“One! Enable!” The Major ordered.

John confirmed, “Enabled!” as he and the Major turned their keys, praying it wasn’t already too late.

“Firing!” The Major directed.

Together their hands slammed down on their red buttons.

High above Area 61, a geostationary satellite relayed the image it captured to its masters. The ULTIMATE watch officer professionally notified the people and units on his alert roster. The analysts, sitting at the control panels behind him, busily replayed the footage of the jet of fire blasting up out of the small building housing shaft 6 at Area 61, searching for any clues to what caused the explosion.

The explosive jettisoning charges had been set by the best. Additionally, the carriage and the rest of the fittings were specifically designed for this contingency. The instant the electrical supply had been cut, high capacity capacitors took up the task of supplying the Looking Glass Projector, buying a few more precious moments. Exactly as planned, the pillar of expanding gases shot the carriage and its payload into the desert night sky like it had been shot out by a cannon.

As it reached the highest point of its trajectory and began to fall, an onboard GPS system kept track of its position. Once it hit its predetermined altitude, another charge deployed a steerable chute originally designed to give ejecting pilots the ability to maneuver in high threat environments. Another off-the-shelf-component, made to guide gliding smart bombs, directed the descending blast scorched assembly to the designated touchdown point.

A journey it was fated never to complete. The wormhole grew more unstable by the microsecond and began emitting streams of particles across the entire spectrum. Despite being shielded, the electronics couldn’t withstand the assault as they shorted and burned. Without their guidance, the lack of direction would’ve carried it miles off course given time. Time it did not have.

Malik jumped as the sirens howled! He and the rest of the guys gave each other a startled look before they started running full out down the tunnel.

Josh seeing himself and Amanda falling behind yelled out, “We can’t keep up. Remember that sled maneuver from the sims?”

Scared they were going to be caught, Malik gasped out, “Yes!“ His sister grabbed Josh and Amanda with her magnetic field while he pushed. Billie steered and acted like a rubber bumper, keeping them from hitting the wall.

Just like they’d practice in the sims, in only a few breaths, they’d reached over 30 mph racing down the narrow passage.

Billie yelled over the still blaring alarms, “Stop! This is it!”

They both slammed on the brakes as Amanda sent a blast of wind into their faces to help bring them to a stop before the already open service door into the hanger bay.

Malik grabbed for a wall as the whole place shook with a boom!

Stumbling, he helped up Billie who was reeling in her arms that she’d extended helping them to stop. Together they ran into the hanger. He’d half expected to see guards pouring in, but there was only Ollie in the saucer’s bubble frantically gesturing for them to hurry.

They’d almost made it up the ramp and on inside when a loud whooshing of wind blew out of the open service doorway. Malik blinked as the two women dressed in black suddenly appeared there with Lizzie.

Between eye blinks they were abruptly beside him!

The one Billie called Val grasped his shoulder. “Go get strapped in! Ollie, we’re here. Let’s burn some air!”

The ramp started rising with them on it, while the silver and red saucer began moving to its launch cradle.

Malik threw himself inside, as the launch alarm added their screams to the earsplitting clamor. Turning, he did the classic double-take on seeing that strange woman, Val, was already seated and buckled in, studying the instruments at the panel where Mr. Glenn usually sat.

Twisting to look behind him, he saw that other adult, Maggie, and Lizzie struggling to get seated as the ramp was shutting. The deck started tilting under his feet reminded the teen that it’d be a really good idea to strap in.

Ollie sent to them, “Something major has occurred that has nothing to do with our escape. Everyone hold on tight, we’re going to blast off, hard, in ten.”

Malik remembering the first time they’d ridden with Ollie, had to keep his mouth from dropping open. “This was going to be worse?”

Ten
Nine
Eight
Seven. He got the harness latched as the saucer’s deck continued to tilt.
Six
Five. Val yelled over all the sirens and everything else that was shrieking, “Crew is secured.”
Four.
Three. “We’re a GO
Two. for Launch.”
One
“Blast OFF,” Ollie said calmly.

A giant slapped Malik down against his chair as the Rocketeer’s team vehicle earned its name, The Rocket.

A lifetime of awaking at a moments notice, ready to handle whatever crisis at hand, had General Robert Laramie striding into his command center calm and collected. With this operation nearing its critical phase, he’d been living out of his office. Scant seconds had him dressed, and ready for action, while his aides were still half-dressed, trying to update him on the situation.

His command center was in disarray as techs rushed to get to their stations in a half-asleep panic. Dr. McClellan and the rest of the eggheads were bent over their equipment trying to find out what just had happened. All in all, he was satisfied so far. The proof they’ve all done their jobs would be whether or not Area 61 was still here come sunrise, or nothing more than a radioactive crater.

The Watch Officer ran to him, quickly giving him the latest information. “Sir, at 0930 hours Zulu, Looking Glass’s power requirements spiked and blew all the fail-safes. We ejected the core. After clearing the shaft, telemetry indicated that the emergency power supply and all other systems were functioning as designed.”

“Everything was operating as expected until just after the para-wing was deployed. We lost the telemetry downlink as well as all our unshielded communications and sensors. Backups shows the Projector is now drifting unguided to the north. If it continues on its current trajectory, it will over shoot the target zone. “

The General whipped out a cigar. “What is the status of Meridian? We’ll need them to lead the target back to the zone. Bring the Hydra teams to readiness and have them stand by.“

Turning to the cluster of white coated scientists he bellowed, “Doctor McClellan what happened to my communications and telemetry?”

The senior scientist spoke, “What caused the early failure is right here. A big charge of energized particles erupted from the Projector burning out its critical systems. Another occurred right after the para-wing started for the beacon. That one was much more intense and larger, particularly in the EM spectrum. The EMP was what took out our communications and sensors.”

Grunting, the General turned as an aide reported. “Meridian’s dormitory is empty. Security found the surveillance cameras have been compromised.”

His eyes bulged as his heart rate soared. He didn’t even have to guess who was responsible. “Glennnn!”

Temperatures soared onboard the drifting Looking Glass carriage. The heavily shielded capacitors tried valiantly to keep up with the rapidly climbing power demands. They failed.

The Looking Glass Projector was both a failure and success. It was simply too expensive to build one for each prisoner as well as the power requirements each one demanded. However, it had kept the monster that’d once been a hero safely imprisoned for thirty-four years.

The old machine flashed into superheated metallic vapor as the wormhole finally collapsed. A tsunami of energy materialized back into existence. Racing away at the speed of light, the excited particles and ions from its emergence bombarded the upper atmosphere. Just like in the northern climes, an Aurora Borealis lit up the desert sky in a brilliant flare. For miles around, electrical power and cars failed as the accompanying powerful EMP fried them.

An enormous white hot sphere, spitting blinding arcs, slowly drifted to the ground. Where it touched the desert sands, the silicates hissed and fused into glass.

Kiloton had returned.

Arghun was on his way back to his comrades when he saw the first explosion. Relying on instincts that’d served him well for far longer than anyone would believe, he took off sprinting back to camp. He could outrun most galloping horses, and could keep it up for far longer.

He disregarded the other flashes of light and thunder behind him. It was imperative he get to the others as fast as possible. They needed him to lead them in. Everything else was unimportant. Whatever sensors he set off wasn’t an issue any more. He’d a feeling that the watchers had far bigger problems.

Pyotr and the others met him near the border of the lands that Valentina’s captors forbade to others. They were watching the light show while waiting for him.

Arghun stopped beside Bob, who was carrying his gear. Gratefully he took his canteen, taking a long drink. Looking at the dancing lights high above he shivered. His people had their own legends about such things and it was anything but good.

“Your sister certainly has a way of signaling for help,” he told Pyotr.

Pyotr clapped him on the shoulder and said softly, “I owe you more than I can say. I owe you all. We will go get my sister, and then we’re leaving as fast as we can. Our rendezvous is set and will wait only till sunrise. Now, I’ll carry us as far as Arghun deems safe.

Arghun’s team leader lifted them all with his telekinesis, and they flew rapidly in the direction of the trouble. The small dark man dressed for battle swearing that girl owed him at least a kiss. Shrugging, he knew that no one could go into battle with better companions. He’d lived more lifetimes than he could count and wasn’t sure of his own age. If it was his time to die, then he would make sure that the last battle of Arghun Bahadur, warrior of the great Kahn, would become a legend.

Chapter 43

Above Area 61

Val hung on as Ollie fought The Rocket as they shot into the heavens. Overhead a wild Aurora burned madly while lightning danced all over the Buggy. The rear view had them leaving a contrail of burning sparks that even a blind man couldn’t miss.

She slipped lightly into Slow-Time, using their sensors to find the cause. The burning wreckage of what use to be the entrance to elevator six was easy to find. Looking skyward was harder with all the interference.

Abruptly, they locked in on the source of the disturbance.

From over her shoulder she heard Malik exclaim, surprised, “It’s Kiloton! It’s here!”

Val could feel her face grow pale. She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but there he was, The Monster. The killer, who somewhere deep inside, held her last living family, her brother, Gus.

Sending to Ollie she asked, “Can you drop me off behind that ridge behind him? If I can lure him back to that trap, we’ll see if Doc’s plan will work. You and Maggie can drop off the kids someplace safe and come back for me.”

The kids were looking around, wondering what was going on. The Buggy was still bucking as if it was alive as Ollie dodged through the storm of ions. Billie was the first to get it.

“Oh my Gawd! That’s Captain Blazzar. That’s what this was all about. That’s why they brought us here,” she said.

Ollie passed on to Val, “Maggie says she’ll do it but as soon as we get them to The Car, we’re coming back for you. She’s downloading the coordinates to your helmet GPS as we speak. She also says ‘Don’t you dare get yourself killed.’ I feel the same way my friend.”

“Prepare yourself. I’m going in hot with a bootlegger reverse stop and then a Bat-turn, flat-hatting along the ridge till we’re clear of line of sight, flying nap of earth. Piece of cake!” Ollie said in pilot’s speak.

Val hit her harness release. “Just like old times.” This should be a lot a fun, not, as she slipped to the exit in the crowded bouncing saucer. She saw in the kids’ eyes that they had figured out she was going after Kiloton.

Josh yelled, “We’ve fought it in the sim. We can do this!”, as the rest of them echoed him.

She smiled as her hands found the old hand holds. Strange that after over thirty years she could find them without looking. Looking up at the anxious faces she said softly, “No can do. This something for others to handle.”

Maggie’s face was grave, but across Val’s HUD she wrote out, “I love you even if you are an idiot.”

Ollie warned them. “HOLD ON!”

She felt the Buggy viffed itself about in a 180, slamming them all back into their seats, as Ollie brutally applied full thrust. She took a deep breath. Here it comes. Locking eyes with Maggie and grinning jauntily she mouthed, “I know.”

Now flying backwards the Buggy’s rear doors flicked open, and Val let the momentum fling her into the night.

Maggie felt as if her heart had been torn from her chest, watching her love suddenly disappear into the blackness. It took a real force of will to keep her attention on helping Ollie by keeping a close eye on their sensors.

He’d immediately spun The Rocket back around and was racing at breakneck speed, scant feet above the rocks. Behind her, she was vaguely aware that Val’s tattered secret was out of the bag. One of the guys had put the girl speedster and Alan Glenn the ex-speedster together and gotten the jackpot. Billie and Lizzie had come clean with them, and now they all knew their teacher was much more than he’d claimed.

She tuned it out, too worried about Val to be concerned about the future. That was why the mutiny got as far as it did.

Billie, using her stretching power, tapped her on her shoulder, “You have to go back. We can’t leave Val out there by herself. Besides, no matter where you put us, we’re going to be in some kind of danger unless you put us so far away you won’t be able to get back in time to do any good.”

“We’ll be just as safe in The Rocket as we’ll be anywhere else. Please go back? Ollie, Maggie?” the teen pleaded.

From the way they’d came an ominous glow of lights and thunder sounded. She so wanted to do just what their would be mutineers suggested, but they did need to get these kids to safety. Looking at little Lizzie, a would be powerhouse or not, she was still only six years old.

Helplessly she thought to Ollie, “Help?”

The second he touched her she knew he felt the same way. “Maggie, if we do, Val is going to be so mad at us.”

Another thunderous volley of raw power echoed behind them.

Making her decision she took a deep breath. For Val to be mad at them she had to first be still alive. She could live with that. “If we go back, you will stay onboard, you got me?”

They all nodded.

“Ollie turn this thing around. We’re going back,” she ordered.

ULTIMATE SRT-One’s field camp.
Outside Las Vegas

Sapphira locked down her armor as the ramp on SRT One's V-22 rose. The rest of her team were still strapping themselves in as their pilot did a full emergency-power dust off. Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps, was completely dark. The EMP that’d struck just minutes ago had done more than that, with at least one airliner down so far and another coming in on a wing and a prayer.

The UHAB was still coming active, but since SRT One was ready to roll they’d been given the honor of investigating the cause. It was easy to find where, with that aurora burning directly overhead, Area 61. Their mission was to recce and find the cause. They were authorized to take whatever action was necessary to prevent another Electro-Magnetic-Pulse.

Sapphira traded a long look with Bernardo. This was happening precisely as the Inspector had warned. Never before had they been given leave to act with such extensive discretion.

He simply nodded as he made his own last checks of his equipment.

Her own shoulder twinged where he’d removed her tracking implants. She and the others now had small transmitters on their belts sending out the signal that their implants once had. Sapphira could only imagine what Robert and Mariko were feeling. Having the implanted trackers removed was nothing compared to the near brain surgery to remove their cortex-bombs.

Bernardo had proved to be a skilled surgeon and their state of the art equipment certainly helped. Despite all that skill, she and he wished they’d all had some more time to recover. They’d just only got the last of her gone-to-hell preparations finished when that EMP had hit. That was why they’d been able to respond so quickly.

Their handler/overseer, Major Thomas, was a completely unlikable bureaucratic ass, who was interested only in his own career. He’d come stumbling in half-drunk from the casinos from which they were barred. He demanded they hurry, only to find to his surprise they were waiting for him. He, of course, wasn’t going to ride with them but was going to be on their other V-22, well out of harm's way.

The poor excuse for an officer was also the one that had the remote for their tracking implants and cortex-bombs. Sapphira had thought it only fitting where she had her little robotic helpers dispose of the nasty little things. Neither of the two cortex-bomb explosive charges were very large, being about the size of a firecracker. However that was more than big enough to outright kill just about anyone, mutant or not, considering they were placed right next to the gray matter.

Now, if Major Thomas used that remote of his, he‘ll get one hell of a surprise, not to mention needing some reconstructive surgery. Besides, a good soldier always checks his own gear and never ever leaves anything to chance. He’d just be reaping the rewards he himself had sowed.

As their aircraft raced towards the storm of lights in front them, she closed her visor. If they had a chance of living through whatever was capable of producing such a strong charge, she needed to be on top of her game. The people depending on her deserved no less and she demanded nothing but the best from herself.

Tonopah, NV

Inspector Philippe Imbert stood outside his Tonopah hotel, watching the aurora and the sheets of lighting playing across the sky. He could but marvel at the dazzling display. Andrea had rattled off some figures of how much power it’d taken to cause what had struck this part of Nevada. It rivaled a solar flare or a very big nuclear bomb. No significant radiation had been reported yet, but the amount of static electricity was truly astounding.

It had begun.

His driver Rodger was working on their Hummer, and promised it wouldn’t take long to jury-rig it. Andrea was trying to communicate with headquarters, but what the EMP didn’t burn out, this storm of lights jammed. He was on his own, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

All his people were armored up, and had loaded everything that could prove of use into their two Hummers. He was going to drive straight for Area 61’s gates. If they wouldn’t let him through, Philippe would wait. All this was just the opening round in a battle of Titans. When the dust settled, someone would be needing their help because he expected very few to still be standing.

Rodger yelled out, “Got it!” as the big vehicle’s engine started. A scant minute later they jumped off their other Hummer, and they were ready to roll.

Not wasting a moment, the inspector waved his people to mount up. They drove carefully to avoid all the people standing outside of the two powerless casinos, looking heavenward. The dancing lights were truly beautiful, but Philippe knew that most truly beautiful things were also deadly.

Chapter 44

Mohave desert outside of Area 61

Val twisted desperately in the air as the rocky soil beneath her feet vaporized, spattering molten glass shrapnel all around her. She was as deep in Slow-Time as she’d ever been, and as fast as she might seem to someone watching, it wasn’t anywhere near fast enough to avoid the speed of light death flying at her.

It was only by avoiding letting his vaguely arm-like appendages point anywhere near her that’d kept her alive so far. This thing that was Gus stood at about 10 feet tall, a blinding bright blob with lumps and bumps in about the right places for a head, arms and legs. Where it stepped, the very ground bubbled and smoked, as it moved in a floating bounce like that of a moon walker rather than actually walking.

If not for the force-screen she’d inherited from that poor deceased clone of Max’s, she already would be shredded just from the shrapnel from the near misses. Still in mid-air, she calculated her next move, using her flight to help her cheat. She was much, much faster on the ground, but the bit of flying she did have now, helped. It would’ve been nice if she didn’t have to learn how to use it the hard way. One mistake and Maggie would be a widow.

The moment her toes reach the ground she zagged hard to the right. Val hadn’t taken more than a few steps when her luck sang doom, despair and more doom. Almost skidding out of control she zigged back to the left as another exploding crater appeared where she would’ve been. Oh tricky! The critter had figured out he was telegraphing his attack, and used the other arm to guide his aim that time. Well, Gus had never been slow on the uptake.

A check of her helmet’s HUD showed their progress to the range. Dishearteningly, they still had quite a ways to go. However she was making progress. The bad news was she had to provide something for him to shoot at for him to follow. If she got too far ahead he lost interest. Val had wondered if she just left him alone, Gus might transform back. He’d to have used one hell of a lot of energy already to light up the entire sky like he’d done. He had to be low on energy, power, or whatever he used to keep going.

The thing was, she couldn’t risk him getting anywhere near a population center. Left to himself he might just fly off, and if he flew as fast as those death rays he was firing at her, she would never be able to keep up. She was fast, but the speed of light, not so much. So, for better or for worse, this was the plan she was stuck with.

Whoa! She checked her six as the critter cut loose with a constant blazing torrent of destruction from both arms, one in front of her and one behind. Bringing his hands together he meant to catch her in the middle!

Charging for the nearer beam, she leaped over it, using her flight again to cut it as close as she dared. Hadn’t it ever heard, “Never cross the beams?”

The critter from Gus’s Id was getting way too cagey for her own good. Time to introduce some good old fashioned motivation. Scooping up a fist sized rock, she twisted backwards and threw it at gruesome. Using her old friend Doug’s talent for marksmanship, and the remarkable strength she'd gained, the projectile flew as if fired from a cannon, dead on target.

Only to have the rock explode in a burst of fire into smoking shards as it reached Kiloton’s fiery corona. With a roar that was a bizarre combination of white noise and the weird music of a theremin, he threw an arcing splash of incandescent brilliance back at her.

Val in a corkscrewing twist used every bit of acrobatic skill she had to dodge the plasma wave. Nope! This critter didn’t like that at all. It might attack anything that moves near it, but it really got pissed if you dared attack it, whether or not you managed to hurt it or not.

Her luck warned her to stop just in time for her to let herself drop flat as he lazered another beam above her. She said yet another prayer for that poor clone of Max’s whose power she had now. Without it she could have been dead yet again.

Pride goeth before the fall she quote to herself. It’d been a long, long time since she’d really been pushed this hard. With most of the powers from her friends from The Rocketeers, she usually, deliberately, did not use her full capability. Like the egotistical fighter who fought with only one arm to make it fair, so did she. However, Val did it to preserve her secret, and she admitted to herself, out of guilt.

The more she used them the harder it was to stuff them back into their ‘genie bottle.’ She used what she had to and then pushed it back away from her. For years she’d depended upon training her base form and had refused to use even the talents that was originally hers as Alan Glenn. Maybe Ollie and Maggie were right that she’d been trying to punish herself for surviving when those so dear to her hadn’t.

Her luck, moaning oncoming calamity, again brought her back to her present predicament. That was one of the problems with diving so deeply into Slow-Time, the whole world seemed frozen. It gave her the time to plan every single action, but it also let one wool-gather when she should really be keeping her mind on important business. Like staying alive for instance.

Aborting her flip to her feet, Val flew into the air as a trench was carved where she’d once stood. Cartwheeling to the side she put on a burst of speed to give her some more maneuvering room. Yep, she’d made him mad alright, as he kept blasting away at her, seemingly determined to level the Nevada hills. Now all she had to do was stay alive.

Staff Sergeant Green cursed silently to himself. They’d been in their sniper hide catching sleep in catnaps, when it’d all started to go down. So much for intelligence saying they would have some warning, he scoffed. They’d been told an attack by some kind of mutant terrorists were likely, but this thing seemed to have broken out rather than having been trying to break in.

Radio communication was out, and even the landline that they’d laid was damn spotty. He was just damn glad that fancy frakking scope, the SRVS (Super Resolution Vision System), hadn’t packed it in too. He’d read about EMP’s, and what they could do to electronics, but he’d never heard or read anything about how bad the static electricity could be. He and his spotter had constant small cracks of being bitten by the sparks.

He felt really uncomfortable with the 35 lb lightning rod his XM-111 had become. Strikes were hitting all over the place and unfortunately their hide was on a rise so they would have a good shot at the targeted range.

The problem was he’d spotted what had to be their objective moving towards the ambush point. The thing was a nightmare of twisting blinding lashing energy, burning and arcing crap all over the place. Duty kept him in place even as he knew they risked getting electrocuted from the violent dry electrical storm raging about them.

What he didn’t know was what to do about that ballsy dame playing tag with that damn thing down there. She was definitely trying to lure it to the range, and despite moving so fast she was a blur most of the time, she must have 9 lives. From what his experienced eye could pick out she’d already used up half of them and was working hard on using up the rest. And she still had a good half klick to go.

His spotter, Lance Corporal Hennessy, was on the field phone trying to find out what the rules of engagement was in this Foxtrot Charlie, Fluster Cluck. That was if anyone knew what in the hell was going on. Both of them had been more than a little freaked that they had so much static crap running over them, the marine hadn’t even needed to crank the phone. Assuming he lived through this, he was going to have a little talk with the gunny who’d volunteered him for this, ’sweet little’ assignment.

General Laramie had nearly bitten his cigar in two in frustration. The desert landscape about Area 61 had turned into something out of a filmmaker’s fantasy. Bolts of lightning were raining down continuously from a clear night sky while that intense aurora above cast bizarre shadows on the desert below.

This operation was already coming apart at the seams. Alan Glenn had broken out and no doubt had something to do with Meridian being missing as well. Security had reported that the old Rocketeers hanger doors were jammed shut. They had tried to enter when a guard had heard activity within, although the monitors showed nothing. Right now, he could not even confirm if Glenn and Project Meridian had flown the coop.

He was glad he’d let Dr. McClellan talk him into initiating Project Hydra. That had provided a needed backup. Already the Hydra teams were riding the elevators up. That however didn’t answer his latest question. Who in the hell was that woman out there?

She was leading Kiloton to the target area and he had to respect her reckless courage. However, what he didn’t need was more complications and problems. At the very least, she was trespassing on his Top Secret base, regardless that her actions were at the moment useful. At worst, she was a dangerous interloper playing her own game.

“General,” Dr McClellan spoke. “My assistants are still trying to narrow down the database as to who she might be, but I think I might know who that is out there.”

Robert Laramie barked out, “Don’t hold your tongue Doctor! Who is she and what is she doing here?”

Pushing up his glasses the old scientist replied, “I recognize some of the design features on her surpra-suit. They’re the same as on the one I designed for Alan Glenn thirty-four years ago. More to the point, the one I showed to him for the first time not more than a few weeks ago. Additionally, look at the supra-speed she’s using. I have only a vague idea of how it might be possible, but that has got to be Capt. Vroom.”

It was to his credit, that unlike everyone else who'd heard the Doctor’s theory, the General’s mouth didn’t drop open in disbelief. His flint gray eyes stared at the huge monitor’s image. He subscribed to the old adage, “When in command, command.” Living up to that ideal he ordered, “Get Saul Simpson top side. Tell him if he can stop that woman he’ll have a complete pardon.”

Turning to the eggheads he asked, “Dr. McClellan, if that is the same suit, do you have the abort and immobilization codes for it?”

The old scientist gave a conditional answer, “If it is an exact or near duplicate, yes the abort and/or the other codes might work. There was any number of backups and fail-safes included as a part of the design.”

Grunting the General said, “Then we have nothing to lose by trying. The moment Kiloton is down. You send those codes.” Turning to his aide, he added, “That goes for Simpson too. He does nothing, you understand, until that monster is out?”

Captain Syn nodded and passed along the orders.

Standing tall while everyone nearby leaped to carry out his orders, he muttered under his breath, “I always knew something wasn’t right about that boy.”

If anyone heard they diplomatically gave no sign.

Chapter 45

Area 61 Test Ranges

Elisa-1 yawned despite herself. She knew she was suppose to be a good girl, and be obedient, but she was so sleepy. Their nurse woke them up and told everyone that they needed to get up, even though it was very early in the morning. She and her brothers and sisters got ready as fast as they could.

Now they were riding the elevator up for the first time. Like the rest, she had her visor on, watching as it told them what they were to do. Go here, find Kiloton there, and attack.

There was more but she’d learned how to find the important parts in the mass of instructions they were given. Besides, her job was simple — pick up her sister Carol-1 and fly to the attack site. Then protect her, while her sister trapped the target, Kiloton, in her magnetic field.

Simulations indicated a high probability that the target, once caught, would lash out at the one generating the field. Delia-1, who would be super cooling the area would also be at risk, but this plan was centered around Carol-1. If she fell, the mission always was lost.

Over the course of the previous week, their commanders discovered that they were more likely to be successful if her sister stayed operational. They devised the tactic of Elisa-1 using her force screen protected body to shield Carol-1. It seemed to be the most effective use of her talents given that not even her screen could withstand direct contact with the target.

The elevator doors opened and they all hurried up the short hallway and stairs to the outside. The chill dessert air was alive with the smell of ozone from sheets of lightning bolts, and thunder rumbled in a continuous roar. High above them, strange dancing lights lit up the base’s airfield and support buildings, almost like it was day. The surrounding night time desert was alive with shadows cast from the shifting lights.

Elisa-1 picked up her sister and followed the arrows appearing on her visor. Part of her felt she should be amazed by what she was seeing, but somehow she had the feeling that she’d seen even stranger scenes.

Putting her thoughts aside, she concentrated on performing her duty like she’d been trained. The mission always must come first.

Valentina Zarya Savitskaya dodged another inferno-like blast but the end was in sight. The sunken pool of Doc’s goop was well camouflaged, but knowing what to look for let her see past the illusion. The last few hundred yards had been tough. Now that she’d made him mad, the critter had been tossing a near steady stream of destruction at her.

Suddenly, a rocket of some sort raced at the blinding form of her brother. She was surprised, as for once something flew at the thing rather than from it. Instead of exploding in the corona like her rock had, it deployed some kind of net that arced and flashed with power before vaporizing.

The monster of Gus’s Id really didn’t like that, making that hissing harmonic roar of his again. Another fiery stream of plasma poured out at where the rocket had launched.

Val’s heart lurched in her chest. Maggie?

“How had they gotten back so soon?” she thought, as the area exploded into superheated steam and razor sharp fragments.

Across her HUD, a message slowly appeared, even though Maggie had burst transmitted it as fast as she could think it. With Val in Slow-Time it took forever for the letters to appear one by one. “Miss me?”

“Don’t worry the weapons are remote fired. I’ll alternate with you to divide its attention. Love Maggie,” she had typed out.

Not having any time to waste with using the touch pad on her gauntlets, Val simply hit the acknowledgment key.

Scooping up another rock, she deftly skipped it across the battleground, showering debris at her foe. Like before, Kiloton unleashed a hurricane of blazing fire at her. Deadly though it was, it was also easier to avoid when Kiloton was angry than when the critter was trying to be clever. That gave her time to study the pit-like area in more detail and what she saw made her heart ache.

There, making their way along opposing sides of the range, were the unmistakable forms of two groups of kids. They had to be Max’s clones.

Damn Laramie and Hathaway to hell! Val had no doubts that these clones were mind washed into the perfect little soldiers Laramie always wanted. Whether or not they had Max’s homicidal instincts or not, they weren't expendable robots!

Val sighed. She had no choice but to play this game out. Like it or not, Gus’s alter-ego was just too dangerous. They had to stop him. She just hoped that Laramie had worked them hard on those sims. Otherwise the old bastard was going to be responsible for even more deaths. Not that she expected that to bother him, but sure as hell it bothered her.

She watched as another of Maggie’s toys went off, causing another roar from the critter. As it obliterated another hill in a blinding flash, she lobbed not one but an armload of rocks at him. Val had carefully picked each location, using her nimbleness to strike. It was important that the critter try to follow her across the seemingly solid surface of the trap.

Light footed, she ran across the gel filled pit. The instant her foot hit terra firma, she threw herself skyward, letting her flight redirect her momentum upwards. A ball of incandescence erupted under her. Arcing backwards, she flipped herself behind the fireball, hiding from him.

Steeling herself, now came the hard part. Val simply stood as the fireball climbing into the desert sky revealed her to the monster, her brother.

Saul Simpson had to keep himself from laughing. As they rode up the elevator, his guards were pale and clearly frightened. They might think they hid it well, but he and fear were old friends. Although he didn’t have any better idea as to what was happening than they did, he took it in stride.

Death had passed him by so many times, he’d grown somewhat jaded about the whole matter. If he died, no one would grieve. Hell, they would probably have a party and dance on his grave.

What he did know was the Man had said if he put some broad down, he could go free. Nothing else was important. After thirty-five years, he was ready to go home. All they’d told him was that some monster was tearing up the place. After it’d been taken down, he was free to pound the chick. He’d been told to capture her, but how he did it was up to him.

Cracking his knuckles just to needle his guards, he smiled knowing how much it would bother them. As soon as the doors opened, even he was surprised. The night sky above them was lit up by dancing lights as lightning was falling all about. Thunder from the bolts were rolling in a continuous roar. Looking around, he saw that one of the small buildings housing the other elevators going to Area 61 was completely blown apart.

One of the guards waved, getting his attention. It was impossible to talk over the deafening ringing roar of thunder. Pointing to one of those funny looking trucks they called Humvees, the guard ran, praying under his breath.

Saul just looked about wonderingly. He’d seen so many incredible sights during his life but none like this. From the surface of the moon, he’d watched the Earth-rise and gazed into the depths of space. He ran to the truck and hauled himself inside. His keeper drove white knuckled as Saul saw the fires and explosions coming from in front of them.

Bouncing crazily after the short drive, they skidded to a stop in front of a low blockhouse, half-buried in the sand. Together they ran inside where an officer and pair of nervous sweating techs were staring at their screens. Curious, Saul looked over their shoulders. The thing was a big man-like blinding mass of crackling energy. Crap was arcing off of it, as the ground bubbled up underneath it into molten sludge.

As Maxi-Bad he’d fought some real bad-asses, but this one was in a league all to himself. He couldn’t help but whistle as it blasted a small hill to kingdom come. Saul had to admire whoever was out there with that thing, as he watched the glowing fireball rising into the sky, as if from a nuke. They had some real brass balls to be flacking around out there.

“There is your target,” his guard pointed out to him.

Looking in interest, Saul saw the slender armored figure standing there with one hip cocked, waiting for the fiery fog to rise. He guessed she was about medium height, and off hand she didn’t look like much. Her black partial hard-shell armor didn’t appear to be powered and her helmet was kinda streamlined like a motorcycler’s.

He blinked as she blurred to the side as the Thing burned a trench, just missing her. Saul’s eyes narrowed. He’d only known just one person to move that damn fast. As she did an impossible flip, avoiding another bolt of fire, he was almost sure he knew who she had to be.

The monitors had the outlines of some trap outlined upon it. Rather than get some distance so she’d room to dodge, she stayed, trying to get the Thing to trigger whatever boobytrap it was. That was the final piece of the puzzle. It had to be Vroom, Alan Glenn.

Saul wasn’t sure how it happened, but that chick had Vroom’s powers and sure as hell acted like him. Maybe the girl was Glenn’s daughter or something and he’d passed his powers to her. He’d heard of something like that before from his fellow inmates on the moon.

The big con sighed. He wasn’t going to enjoy it as much as he’d thought. Although Alan Glenn had been one of the team responsible for putting him in hell, the guy had also been one of the only ones to treat him with something like respect. Oh, Saul was still going do what he’d been ordered to do, but only because he had to, for Freedom.

Then his entire world changed forever. There, on either side of the trap thing, were two groups labeled Hydra 1 and Hydra 2. His eyes bulged out. It was those kids he’d helped trained! His mind wrestled with what he was seeing. That General shouldn’t have them out there, but then it hit him - there were two groups of them!

It was impossible! A week had passed since he’d called on his Mojo. Any clones would be long dead, disappearing into nothingness. But there they were, his children.

The big man almost dropped to his knees. They were alive! It had to be that Doctor. He’d somehow kept them alive. After all these years, here were children of his Mojo, alive. Children that he’d hadn’t murdered with the very act of giving them life.

In growing horror he watched as the rampaging monster enter the trap set for it. The trap where perhaps the only things he, the destroyer, had ever created, waited.

Chapter 46

Area 61 test range

Val somersaulted as the blast wave hit her at the speed of sound. Riding the wave, she twisted trying to see what had happened. Gus’s critter had bounded right into the middle of the pit and wham! It was pretty obvious whatever was in there had vaporized, explosively. A thick fog hid him from sight, but the bright lights shining inside let her know Gus’s monster from his Id was still in there kicking. The glare caused yet another layer of her visor’s filters to engage.

In seconds, the miasma had burned away, revealing that at least part of Doc’s plan had worked. Lightning arced like wild living things from the critter to the cables lining the pit. He was roaring that bizarre wail and thrashing about in pain.

Val held her breath, praying it would work, but slowly it rose into the air, pulling itself free. Then she saw the power that had been draining off the creature flash against the magnetic field of the Maxi-Malaks. They’d been holding it down while the Maxi-Josh’s had been blinding it. But it wasn’t enough. One by one the mad arcs sleeting downward stopped. The monster started hunting for its attackers.

Josh and the rest of his friends helplessly watched the battle as The Rocket kept its distance. He wasn‘t too sure how he felt about finding out their teacher was now a woman. Getting used to Bill being a girl now was hard enough, but the rest of the girls had made it very clear Billie was ‘hands off.’ What he did know was this: Val was down there fighting for her life.

Looking at the faces of those who’d just a few short weeks before had been strangers, he saw their unspoken agreement. “We have to help, but you know Ollie won’t let us. Lizzie can carry me, and Amanda. Malak, you get to carry your brother and Billie.

“I need to get closer to make it see an illusion where everyone is 6’ to the left of where they really are. Amanda, I want you to super cool the area around Kiloton. Like in the sims, that should make Malak’s magnetic screen work better. Lizzie you’ll be Amanda’s wing watching out for trouble. Malik will be mine, and Billie will be Malak’s. Good?” Josh asked his teammates.

They nodded.

“Lizzie,” Josh reminded. “If that thing come anywhere near Amanda, you grab her and fly like a bullet the other way. Got it?”

“Hun huh,“ she said, giving a thumb‘s up.

“NO! You can not go. You promised Maggie and I you would stay onboard The Rocket,” Ollie commanded.

Josh and the others looked up guiltily wondering how the Gray had read their thoughts.

Ollie pointed out to them, “I’m mute not deaf. It is far too dangerous. Kiloton is far more dangerous than he was years ago. You must stay.”

“Ollie they’re not strong enough! Let us go down. We can stop it!” Josh pleaded, as his teammates nodded him encouragement.

The Gray replied, “I can not. You and I promised Maggie we would keep you here, safe.”

“And where would we go?” The teenager tossed his head at Area 61. “You know they would look for us and where could we go anyways that would be safe from that thing? Look down there! They almost have it but it’s too strong. If we help we might make the difference.

Looking defiant, Josh added, “What about Alan Glenn? I'm still wrapping my head around he and Val being the same person, but we can’t just leave him, her, or them. And what about those other kids down there?”

“We have to help them!” he said, as his friends voiced their own feelings and agreement.

Ollie was silent for a long moment and then sighed. “I have no choice but to agree. Please be careful and stay as far away as you can. No simulation is the same as real life. This isn’t a game where you come back to life after making a mistake. You die, and so do your friends, if you make a mistake.”

With the assurance of youthful belief in his own immortality, the teen replied, “We know, and we will be careful.”

The Rocket winged over, reversing its course, diving back into the wildly arcing storm.

Val typed out a message to Maggie on her touch pad, “Try and distract it. Use attacks that’ll pass through the girls’ field.”

Hoping the rocks in hand had little ferrous content so they could pass through the Maxi-Malaks' magnetic screens, she fast-balled the first of a nearly machine gun-like stream of stones. Like before, they hissed, melted and exploded well short of the critter, but they did get its attention.

Soon more of Maggie’s energy disruption things were striking it too, and that caused it to slow its efforts even more as it turned to attack her.

Again it reacted by throwing lightning bolts hotter than the sun at them. This time the energy was caught in the two Maxi-Malak’s magnetic field and channeled down into Doc’s energy draining web. The bolts arced into the ground causing more drains to the monster.

Gus’s Mr. Hyde screamed its untuned radio screech of anger and furiously struggled to get free again.

Val stepped it up to high gear, sending a hail storm of rocks at the monster.

However this time, it wasn’t going let anything divert it from its attempt to free itself. Not even Maggie’s special little packages which caused it to roar each time one struck were slowing it. One by one the multiple arcing energy bolts draining into the trap failed, until just two remained.

“Val and Maggie, Josh is going cast an illusion of you two being 6’ to your right,” Ollie sent to them.

That baffled her for a long moment until she figured it out. “NO! Ollie don’t let them down!”

Her friend’s voice was heavy with sadness. “I’m sorry but they talked me into it. Truly we have no choice. We have a chance to stop Gus here, Now. Doctor McClellan’s trap might work with more help.”

Val held her breath as the critter almost yanked his self free, the girls’ magnetic screen was straining, trying to hold it. Just one thin arcing bolt holding it down. She saw The Buggy pop up over the ridge and the kids, her students, were flying towards them. Feelings warred within her. As much as her very soul rebelled at these youngsters being treated as she and her friends had been, she was also a pragmatic freedom fighter. Ollie was right. There was no other choice.

Almost immediately, she saw the difference as Malak added her strength to her Maxi-clone's magnetic screen. The shimmering blue half-sphere of arcing sparks brightened and pushed Kiloton back down towards Doc’s web. The ruptured piping had partially refilled the pit and gel hissed as it boiled away. First one, and then another bolt of lightning shot out, draining the monster in a crackling fury of power.

Amanda started chilling the area, hoping to help reinforce Malak's screen. The Maxi-Amandas' powers had been too weak to make a difference but theirs added to hers did as the blue shimmer of the entrapping screen grew brighter.

It was working! By Gawd it was working!

Val’s brow wrinkled. Her luck had begun singing low and now was building again towards another crescendo. Even a lifetime of trying to decipher her talent’s warning didn’t help much. The Monster from Gus’s Id was thrashing wildly as arcs of power poured off of him.

Was its very center somehow even brighter? Like a sledgehammer it hit her!

‘Ollie!” she cried. “Patch this through to everyone, Stat! He’s going to blow up!

“Done Val,“ her friend reported back. “Hailing channel open!“

She warned, “Attention! Kiloton is building up to detonation!”

“Everyone get to Malak or one of her clones! Malak, cover your teammates!” she ordered.

As never before she pushed herself. In slow motion the kids leaped for cover of their screening teammate. However there was one person out here who had no protection, Maggie.

Val’s visor’s HUD showed her where her lover was, and racing the colliding particles building to critical mass, she ran. She didn’t dare look backwards for fear the growing radiance would completely blind her. In a well practiced maneuver, she scooped up Maggie, and ran for the only cover she could find, a concrete blockhouse a short distance away.

The flash behind her warned her time had run out. Expecting to be crisped by the fireball, she found it pushing her forward! Her force-screen from the Lizzie clone! She wrapped her screen around Maggie like she’d done with Lizzie. Sliding, swimming, flailing, she dived for the shadow of the blockhouse!

In a bone breaking collision with planet Earth, they stopped! Next to her, Maggie struggled, trapped in Val’s form hugging protective cocoon. In an exhale, she released it, and a breathless Maggie rolled away gasping for air.

They were lying in a shallow pit she’d plowed out by her out of control crash. Nearby a Humvee laid in a twisted burning wreck. Laying on her back, she saw the enormous nuclear fireball climbing into the sky where the aurora still danced. If not for that clone of Lizzie’s that’d died and passed on her powers to Val, she and Maggie would’ve been crispy corpses. The Kids! Her rattled brain’s screamed!

Pulling herself up to see, Val saw a nearly perfect circle in the blast zone where Malak’s and her clone's magnetic field had protected their teammates. One of the clone teams’ Maxi-Malaks had gotten close enough to merge her screen with the more powerful original. Together their strength had been enough. The other team of clones, by themselves, hadn’t been. The fact that Maxi-Malak’s screen had almost worked was evidenced by the scattered bodies that were still moving, laid out as if thrown by the hand of giant, instead of just being incinerated.

The 100 yard across crater burned into the Nevada desert, steamed and smoked as the Monster floated above. It showed the wounds of its battles. Forced to expend so much energy, it was no longer giant sized, but nearer Gus’s own height of 6’. But now the web of cables and gel that had helped dampen and ground its energy into the earth was vaporized. Weakened, but still maddened, it turned its attention to those who would dare attack it.

While everyone else were trying to recover, the monster mercilessly glided down to those who were closest. Unfortunately, it was also those who were the most seriously injured.

In Route to Area 61 from Las Vegas

Sapphira heard their pilots cursing even as her instruments warned her of the oncoming danger. The mushrooming nuclear fireball rising into the night was modern man’s ultimate nightmare. Their dropships were built to handle just about any condition up to and including this one. They would see real soon if they lived up to specifications.

According to her sensors, the radiation released was much less than what you would find from a standard fission or fusion reaction, but it was still unmistakably a nuclear reaction of some type. A rough estimate of yield was about 10 kilotons which put at slightly smaller than the Atomic bomb used at Hiroshima.

That was small comfort as the blast wave rushed in upon them.

In Route to Area 61

Pyotr and his team silently watched the huge fireball climbing into the desert night sky as they raced to his sister‘s rescue. He was using his telekinesis to fly them all as fast as he could. It wasn’t anywhere near as fast as his dear sister could travel, but was considerably faster than any ground vehicle and most helicopters could manage.

Pragmatic old Soviet military doctrine had prepared them for what to do if nuclear weapons were employed. They had all served or trained under those who had the expectation that nuclear weapons would be used and they were prepared for that eventuality. True, he never expected to see them used here, but his home was nicknamed Mutant-stan because of its many mutants. It was a very tempting target for their enemies who hated and abhorred them.

Quickly, as they’d been trained, Pyotr dropped to the ground, where they all went prone. He reformed his protective globe into a low well-sloped dome around them.
Like a tsunami, the shock wave towered above them as it rushed upon them. With a mighty roar it fell on his team and all of them covered themselves just in case Pyotr’s TK screen failed. This was one of those things you couldn’t practice against the real thing, and you really, really hoped you never would actually have to.

The superheated storm of air, sand, and rocks thundered as it rolled over them.

In a space of a few very long heartbeats later, he released the breath he’d been holding. He’d passed the test.

No one wanted to ask if it was still necessary that they continue. Pyotr was one of the very few who knew just how tough his adoptive sister truly was. Point in fact, she had already survived such an experience before. It’d half-killed her, but thinking about that made him think. The strange nature of this entire matter, beginning with Val’s alter-ego being arrested, and brought back to this place where she had her genesis. And now this; two enormous events; one a powerful EMP and the other a nuclear explosion.

His friend Ivan remarked as they stood. “I know we weren’t supposed to start any wars, but it looks like Valentina has begun one without us.”

Arghun replied, “I know she can be temperamental from time to time, but who would be foolish enough to try this? Don‘t they know her at all?”

Everyone turned at looked at the dark wiry man.

Blinking at the attention, he kept on. “It will take more than that to kill her. It will only make her angry. We should hurry to save the poor misguided fool before she shows them Kuzma’s Mother!” he said, as the fireball rose higher into the sky behind him.

As they continued staring, he blushed, deliberately taking their incredulous expressions that anyone who could do such things had to worry about anyone, wrongly. “Not that I’m saying your sister, Pyotr, is anything other than a kind hearted paragon of virtue.”

Pyotr began laughing first and the others joined in.

“Come now,” he told them. “Let us go rescue these imprudent Americans from my sweet sister. Like our friend Arghun said, we have to save them from their folly!”

Area 61 Testing range.

While everyone else were trying to recover, the monster mercilessly glided down to those who were closest. Unfortunately, it was also those who were the most seriously injured.

Val dipped back into Slow-Time again to give herself time to study the problem and make the best of a very bad situation. She had no idea just how badly that group of Max’s clones were hurt, but they didn’t look good. Simply her zooming down there and snatching them out of harm’s way might kill them just as surely as Gus’s Monster would.

It was all taken from her hands, as the blast door from the blackened bunker exploded open and Maxi-Bad charged out! He paused a second to rip one of Doc’s patented radio headsets from his head before grabbing a twisted length of trolley railing that had once ran into the pit. In a huge running leap he charged into the Monster!

Val exclaimed, “Oh Crap!,” but she didn’t interfere. He was obviously trying to stop Gus, even if she didn’t have a clue how the hell he’d gotten inside that blockhouse to begin with. Just as obviously whoever on the other end of that radio didn’t want him stampeding to the rescue. Knowing Ole Lying-To-Me Laramie’s penchant for crisis management, she could make a really good guess.

Looking into the now open blockhouse doorway, she saw the zoomie guard slowly bring up what had to be the remote to Max’s implants.

Now, that, she could and would do something about. She didn’t dare try destroy the thing, not knowing what twisty-minded traps the thing might have. Val did notice that as she grew used to the force screen she now had, it did help her running. In a flash she was next to the would be executioner.

Glancing back as she handed the device to Maggie, he was staring at his empty hand, wondering what had happened. Jauntily, she waved at him. However, she had other problems. “They were trying to activate his implants with this. Watch out for traps,” she sent, using her touch pad, which was faster than speaking given her speed and Maggie’s techno powers.

Then she was racing to get back to the fight. Max had cleared the football field distance and had the length of rail out in front of him like a lancer. Her students had recovered, and had thrown up protection for the wounded. Malak’s magnetic screen and Josh’s illusions were doing the job.

It took her only a moment to work out what Max had in mind. He might be a bruiser, but he was a smart bruiser. Spotting some of the cable that hadn’t gotten slagged in the explosion, she coiled up a few dozen feet.

Another rapid fire cracks of thunder roared as Max slammed his lance home into the Monster, but not before making sure one end was firmly dug into the glassy melted rim of the crater. Once more grounded, Gus’s critter roared again. Like a wounded beast it whipped around to attack its tormentor. A crackling mass of energy arced out at Max!

Grounding the end of her cable, Val roughly looped the end like a lasso, and careful not to electrocute herself, dropped it around her brother’s alter-ego as he was distracted. That’s one, she counted. Rushing, she returned for more grounding rods.

In a teeth grinding grimace, Max took the burning shot as it washed around him. The big man wasn’t invulnerable, but he was quite possibly the toughest man alive. He’d been through things that lesser beings couldn’t even dream of surviving, but he had just shrugged it off. Now the wash of energy vaporized flesh, but it grew back almost as fast as it flashed to steam.

The monster however had other concerns. Two metal grounds were leeching its life away in a spectacular lightning show. It cut Max’s lance from itself with a blowtorch-like beam and labored to do the same with Val’s lasso.

Grimly, with his skin still smoking, Max grasped the severed railing. His hands hissed as they touched the white hot metal. With a roar, the tough guy from Chicago’s Southside wrapped the railing about the Monster again. A crack of lightning thundered again as more of the monster’s life poured away.

This time, even as his blackened flesh melted away, Max wrapped his broad arms about the Monster. Their mutual screams of pain echoed across the battlefield. One carried the pain and determination of a man’s heart while the other of a wild beast of energy and crackling wild power trying to survive at all costs.

Electrons twisted and turned as their charges realigned themselves. The very power of the stars failed and like a candle it’s fires were extinguished. A final bright spark ended this battle of Titans as this time the heart proved stronger than rage.

To be Continued.