Switcheroo: Issue 2

By Melanie E.

Horus's information provides Louis and the rest of the team with an unexpected answer to several questions at once.

---

Chapter 7
The Raid

"Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"No," Totem said, grimacing.

"Good. Just wanted to make sure we're on the same page here."

I shifted into my lioness form as we crossed the ground between the outer fence and the only building for miles about. Why were there no guards? And what was this place anyhow?

"I still don't know why we didn't ask Weaver for intel on this place before doing this," I heard Cherrybomb mumble from behind me as I scouted ahead, using my improved night vision to scan the area ahead of us for any possible ambushes or traps. So far I had come up empty handed.

"We didn't have the time to ask. We need whatever information it is he has too desperately to delay our actions." Totem seemed to have no trouble making her way through the near pitch-black grounds, using her spirit companions to provide Cherrybomb with a modicum of light to find her way by. "And I have been receiving mixed signals from Weaver as of late. She has always been very guarded around us, me in particular, but she seems... desperate, almost. And very very irritable. I do not know, perhaps it is simply anxiety over having lost track of Lesli, and I'm sure this Corridor Seven business is not helping, but there's something about her that--"

Her words were cut short by the snap of a spotlight popping on, the focus of its beam mere yards ahead of us. With a growl I lept into the air and felt myself morph into my eagle form. Flapping my wings to gain altitude, it was harder to see in the dark with my new telescopic vision, but once I had gained enough height the lights along the edge of the building revealed what I needed.

Twelve guards, two patrolling each edge of the roof with the last two standing guard at the helipad. As I watched, another spotlight came on in the center of each of the other three walls, and all four began to slowly scan across the surface of the ground. Another sound came to my attention as well -- the unmistakable whine of a helicopter approaching.

Spreading my wings wide, I caught an updraft and silently surveilled the guards more closely. Each one was wearing light body armor, with basic sidearms, and no identifiable security company insignia. So, not your average rent-a-cops, then. One of the guards at the helipad seemed to have something else as well, what looked like some kind of digital tablet he was tapping away at. None of them seemed to be aware of our presence, though, so reassured I gently spiralled my way back down to a few yards behind where I last recalled Totem and Cherrybomb being, switching back to my lioness to track them down.

"There you are, what's up?" Cherrybomb asked in a harsh whisper as I slunk up to their position.

Once reunited with them, I changed back to my own form, shaking myself a bit to knock off the uncomfortable feeling I always get after several quick changes. "There's fourteen guards on the roof, but they haven't seen us yet. There's also a helicopter on the way I think, so maybe they're just getting ready for an inspection or something."

"Or to move something. We don't have much time." Totem rubbed her temples, her eyes shut. "Whatever it is, I'm betting they know someone's after it."

I nodded.

"Welp, no time like the present!" Cherrybomb said, standing up and starting to stretch.

"Not so fast, Jacinda. We need to do this carefully."

"Jacinda?" I gave Cherrybomb a disbelieving look. "Your name is Jacinda?"

"Give it a rest, alright? So what's the plan, then?"

Totem closed her eyes, and I watched as more of her spirits passed through her. She looked tired when her eyes finally opened again, but determined. "They are preparing a container in the storage room closest to us for transport up to the roof," she said, pointing at an area of the wall ahead of us. "The only way into the facility is through the gates at the front or the windows, but we don't have time for the first and the second all grant access to the second floor only. By the time we could get to the bottom, it would be too late."

"Leave the entrance to me," Cherrybomb said, thankfully refraining from her standard thunder-fist punctuation to such phrases.

Totem shrugged. "Guess the subtle approach is ruled out, anyhow. Switch, did you manage to find out who the guys up top work for?"

I shook my head. "No idea. They didn't have anything identifying them on their uniforms. One of them had some kind of datapad, I think he might have been in charge but I really don't know."

"Great," she said sarcastically. "Alright, then, we'll just have to hope that Stone can be prevented from blowing a gasket should this be a government installation or, worse, some supervillain's hideout."

"You're kidding, right?" I scoffed. "Things can't be that cliche."

Even with her pure white eyes, I could see the disbelief on her face. "You are standing here dressed in what amounts to fancy spandex, work out of a headquarters for superheroes, and are friends with a computer."

She had a point. "So when do we make our move?"

It was at that moment that the spotlight locked onto us, and almost instantly the whine of a siren began.

"Oh, I think about now's a good time."

-

As soon as the crater left by Cherrybomb's blow cleared of smoke, I leapt through and into the warehouse, my paws silent and stable upon the rubble. One of Totem's many spirits spun off through the air ahead of me, and I followed it without waiting for the others, knowing they could handle themselves.

The place was like a maze, boxes and crates turning the vast open floor space into a series of corridors and alleyways, some tight even for my wolf form. I kept focused on the spirit, following its lead through the clutter, until we came upon a clearing. One side was a concrete wall with a large industrial elevator in the center, and two men grumbling as they stumbled their way toward it, each holding a square metal case in their hands. We had already been spotted, and I knew that it would only be a matter of time before whoever we were annoying at the moment had their security forces on us, so I made my move, padding silently across the space between us until I knew I was close enough.

I let out a piercing howl, causing the man only a couple of feet in front of me to scream as he leapt in terror, dropping his crate on one of his own feet. I used his injury as a distraction and leapt, bringing him to the floor with a satisfying 'conk' as his head met the concrete. His eyes fluttered closed as he lost consciousness, and now I was free to take care of my other opponent.

I turned in time to see him drop his own case and draw a gun, pointing it directly at me.

"Don't come any closer!"

I could see the fear in his eyes as his finger slowly tightened on the trigger suddenly disappear as one of Totem's spirits drifted through the side of his head. In its place was a blank expression as he redirected the pistol above me and fired, elliciting a gurgle from a member of their team I had apparently missed. As the spirit swept its way back out of his head, he crumpled to the ground unconscious as well.

"Aww, I missed all the fun!" Cherrybomb moaned as she climbed over a stack of crates and dropped down beside me. "These boxes the things we're after?"

"You two grab them, I will take care of anyone in our way," Totem said even as I shifted into my own form and took the nearest metal box. I looked at the two men on the ground, relieved to see that both appeared to be still breathing, but I didn't have the courage to check on the one that had been shot. "This way!" Totem yelled, following another set of winding paths through the boxes.

-

Chapter 8
The Reveal

We returned to the water treatment plant to find Horus standing in the exact same place we had left him just over four hours before. He smiled as we approached, and I felt myself involuntarily shudder.

"Ah, yes, I see you have retrieved my packages for me. Well done."

Cherrybomb and I dropped our cases in front of him then stepped back next to Totem, who was staring at the cases warily.

"What's the matter?"

"I can't see what's inside."

"Of course you can't," Horus said as he crouched beside the cases and pulled a metal cylinder from his pocket, running it over the top of each. "They are lead lined, a material even your spirits cannot penetrate. I could not have you spoiling the surprise." As the cases slid open, he reached in and took a glass from one and a bottle from the other. Popping the cap, he filled the glass, then reached into the first case and pulled out a hand full of ice cubes and added them to the drink. "A fine scotch is quite a treasure, is it not?"

"You had us go through all that for BOOZE?"

"Well it would not have been much of a test had I not," he said, sipping his drink. "I do hope you did not hurt too many of my boys in acquiring the prize, but no matter. You have proven most entertaining, and so I shall share with you what information I have." This time he reached back into the case that had contained the drink and removed a black, metal box. "This hard drive should have everything you need. And I would not waste my time scanning it for fingerprints, should you wish for more information on me."

"Why not?"

"I don't have any. Now if you will excuse me, I must be going," he said. With a nod, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows while we were all too stunned to react.

Totem studied the black box, a cheap external hard drive in a shock-proofed case, while I examined the cases. There was no obvious way of opening them, so I assumed the black cylinder he had must have been involved somehow. I checked the label on the scotch, and let out a soft "oof" of appreciation. "Fine" was an understatement -- the stuff in the bottle went for around two hundred dollars for a sixteen ounce bottle. Beyond that, and a handful of extra ice cubes, the cases were filled with nothing but packing foam.

"Come on, guys, let's get this to Stone."

-

Mr. Stone's face was a mask of anger as we watched the content of the hard drive streaming across the screen before us. Page after page of documents, hour after hour of video and audio surveillance from places a character like Horus should never have been able to gain access, and all the evidence adding up to one person.

"Dia."

"Yes, sir?"

"Call a meeting of the entire team immediately."

"I'm on it, sir."

I made myself as small as possible as Mr. Stone stomped through his office, seething. I had been allowed to stay and view the evidence because of my inclusion in the team sent to retrieve it, an honor I was now wishing I had never had. I had wanted to find my sister's killer, but not like this.

It was less than an hour after the meeting was called that everyone from the team was gathered in the meeting room, silent as they looked upon Stone's rage-filled countenance. For the first time, I could see why criminals still cowered when "Martial" was mentioned, even though he rarely went out in uniform any more.

"Today we are gathered to review the information gathered in our recent covert mission to contact this 'Horus' character. I must say, what he has provided us with has proven most... enlightening. Dia, would you please load the files that I indicated to you earlier?"

"Sure thing."

On screen appeared several pages of documents concerning a criminal organization that had recently began operating in the local area, including police reports linked to their hits and heists as well as profiles of several of the members. Next were personal correspondences between members of the group and an individual whose name was replaced with a black line -- a black line that had not been there when we had viewed the documents earlier. More and more information was streamed to the screen, but none of it the most incriminating of what we found.

"Any questions so far?"

Armory stood up. "Yeah, when are we gonna hit these bastards?"

Stone shook his head. "When the time is right. There are other issues we have to take care of first. Anything else?"

Weaver stood next, her face pale. "Yes. Why was I not called to review this information first? I can't make adequate threat assessments on missions if I don't have all the information!"

"We'll cover that in a moment, in a private session. Everyone else is dismissed. Weaver, stay here."

Weaver remained where she stood as everyone except for Mr. Stone, Totem, Cherrybomb, and I left the room. As soon as they were gone, Mr. Stone pressed a button on the wall behind him, and I heard a distinct "Snikt" as the bolts in the door slid into place, sealing the room.

"Jacinda, if you would."

"Absolutely," Cherrybomb said as she stepped over to Weaver and grabbed her arms, twisting them behind her back.

"What? What are you doing!" Weaver asked, her face twisting with anger. "Let me go now!"

"Now I'm going to ask this once and once only," Mr. Stone said, stepping toward Weaver with murder in his eyes. "Why."

She glared at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I had seen video footage of Martial fighting criminals and other supers in old news footage, but it was nothing like seeing him do it in real life. I'd always assumed the meaty 'smack' you hear in movies was fake, but the sound filled the room as his fist connected with the side of Weaver's jaw, nearly knocking her out of Cherrybomb's grasp.

I would have expected her to be knocked out, super or no, but instead I heard a wet, nasal croaking. It was her laughing.

I heard the sound of rushing wind, but turned too late to avoid the impact of the punch as a gigantic woman slammed her fist into my stomach. I felt myself fly through the air and impact the wall, watching with blurred vision as Collision Course, one of the city's best known supervillains, stepped out of some kind of whirling vortex into the room, followed by a small group of black armored thugs. With one hand she grabbed the meeting table and flipped it, throwing it into a surprised Martial and Cherrybomb as Weaver ducked beneath, taking advantage of their surprise to run over to the portal, where I could see Totem fighting uselessly against a pair of the thugs holding her against the wall.

Normally, this would be the point in the comics and cartoons where the villain turns to the hero and monologues about their plans, explaining everything and giving the hero the chance they need to stop them. Instead, as the base's alarms began to sound and I heard the doors snap open, the rest of the team just outside, Weaver turned to me with an evil smile on her face, took a pistol from one of her lackeys, and shot me in the head.

-

TO BE CONTINUED...

NOTES: I'm not going to end these with my Princess For Hire "If you comment, more will come" ending, but I would appreciate input on how people feel about the story. So far the response has been great! Please, keep it up, it helps to keep me inspired, and writing all my stories!

Melanie E.