Masks Sixteen: Part Seven

by

Rodford Edmiston

"This is more private?!" said Gadgetive, as they seated themselves around the weathered picnic table. "There's dozens of folks watching us!"

"You'll notice, though, that they're keeping their distance," said Energia. "That's an unspoken rule; if folks come out here that means they want privacy, and that means they get it. That includes folks keeping their distance, too. It's sort of a school tradition. So, what's going on?"

"You checked for bugs, right?" said Ike.

Not only had Energia and Gadgetive both done so in their own ways as a matter of conditioned reflex, but Ike had made his own check.

"We already knew the police were fake while Schmidt and Dampf were what they claimed," said Blue Impact. "Turns out those two and Schmale were lying through their collective teeth. That mild-mannered, reasonable act of his was just that."

"The fake police were actually members of a Nazi colony in Argentina," said Ike. "They're mostly descendants of party members and sympathizers who escaped there during the last days of the War or over the next decade or so. That may be why none of them spoke in front of us. They might have been worried their accent would give them away."

"The Argentinians took Schmale back to their enclave," Blue Impact continued. "Where he basically staged a coup and took over."

"So we've unleashed a new menace on the world," said Energia, with a sigh.

"It gets worse. The real Bundespolizei were found dead in a ravine not far from the base."

"God..." said Energia, feeling sick.

"Dampf turned herself in when she learned this," said Ike. "She said they promised her no-one would be hurt if she helped them. Exactly why she was part of this I don't know."

"What about Schmidt?" said Gadgetive.

"He is as missing as the fake Bundespolizei," said Blue Impact. "He may be in Argentina, or hiding somewhere else."

"So far, Schmale has been busy consolidating his hold on the Argentinian Nazis. The government of that country is causing a lot of problems for him, partly due to international pressure, and partly due to worry over what those maniacs will do."

"You said Schmale was lying," said Energia. "About what, specifically?"

"He and Schmidt both, with Dampf quietly going along," said Ike. "Turns out Schmale did, indeed, commit atrocities, including killing German civil and military authorities who tried to control him."

"Yow..." said Gadgetive, looking startled. She shook her head. She grimaced. "I'm the one who said he was a nice guy..."

"Okay, what's our role in this?" said Energia.

"They want us to go back to that base and investigate it. Thoroughly, this time, since the only information they have is our preliminary report. Most pertinently, we may have to use the containment device on Schmale. If he can be captured or lured back there. This may take a while, so bring an overnight bag."

"What are his powers, anyway?" said Gadgetive, frowning in thought.

"Ill defined," said Blue Impact, sourly. "Remember, they didn't have the sort of powers testing procedures we have today. Also, he was active during a major war."

"I suspect he's like Zeep in some ways," said Ike. "That might help us. Zeep has said that right after his conversion, it was all he could do to keep himself together. So, we might be able to build something like the weapon the Shilmek used on Zeep. Hopefully, der Schmale will be easier to disrupt."

Energia felt every hair on her body trying to stand on end.

"Another Zeep... only this one crazy. Dangerously crazy."

* * *

Once they were back over the Harz Mountains base the quartet made a high pass, scanning thoroughly.

"Yeah, there's folks waiting down there in ambush," said Gadgetive. She looked up from her display. "Heavily armed, too. No wonder the Germans told us we'd be on our own."

"You're insulting an awful lot of people," said Energia, raising an eyebrow.

"Is there a leak?" said Blue Impact. "Or did the Nazis just do this as a precaution?"

"Is there any sign we've been spotted?" said Energia.

"No," said Ike, who was looking at his own display. "Given that this pod is silent and has stealth characteristics, that's not surprising."

"Okay," said Blue Impact, nodding. "We land in a concealed location and move in as quietly as we can. Then ambush the ambushers."

* * *

None of the four were experts at woodscraft. However, they had all learned the basics of moving quietly and keeping to cover. Energia, especially, was quiet, floating along upright, just off the ground. They were spread out in a rough arc as they approached the concealed men from behind. They were almost ready to attack, when someone up in a tree whom they hadn't seen spotted them and cried out in alarm.

"GET 'EM!" yelled Gadgetive, charging.

Energia put up her plasma wall and sent out an inductive pulse in a broad band, making sure it swept ahead of her impulsive teammate. This produced high-voltage electrical currents in every substantial metal object in the field of effect, which caught all their opponents. The man in the tree screamed as his assault rifle gave him a nasty shock. Many of those on the ground had a similar experience.

Energia had her plasma wall, Ike and Gadgetive their soft body armor and Blue Impact was just plain tough. Given the surprise of their attack, Energia's disarming effect and Blue Impact's speed, only a few shots were fired, and none hit. They had the entire group subdued in well under a minute.

"That was easy," said Gadgetive, smirking as she dusted her hands. "So much for the Nazi superman."

"Now you've jinxed it," said Energia, hotly.

Indeed, as they moved out of the woods and into the open area on the hillside below the huge pair of doors they came under heavy fire.

"They must have been inside the base," said Energia, as she flew upwards.

"Careful!" shouted Ike. "They might have a neutralizer!"

Energia saw two men struggling to get a device on a tripod through the small doorway. She abandoned finesse and shot a lightning bolt at it.

"They did."

Again, subduing the attackers was a work of moments.

"Okay," said Energia. "That's that. Now, lets get to that device."

"There might be more inside," said Ike.

"That's an older model neutralizer," said Blue Impact, as she cleared the top of the debris pile in a leap towards the door. She landed with a deft roll and came upright just to one side of the small door. She made a quick peek around. "Probably all they had. I wonder, though, why they had it? Did they know we were coming? Or is this for der Schmale?"

"Gadgetive and I will zip tie these," said Ike. "You two check inside."

Energia nodded, and followed Blue Impact through the door. Inside, she went high and glowed, so she and her teammate could see. What they saw was that the Nazis had apparently set up camp in here. A camp which was currently empty.

With a tired sigh, Energia hovered while Blue Impact quickly checked the gear. Her team seemed to have captured all those trying to ambush them. Which left the question of why the ambush had been staged. All this fighting... She was starting to think she should just retire from active heroing.

"There's lights on in the construction area," Blue Impact noted.

Energia was about to reply when the universe went crazy.

She experienced a horrible sense of disorientation and dislocation, as sight and sound and space itself became distorted. Energia realized she was falling, and tried to use her bump of gravity to feel where down was. It wasn't there! For the first time in her life, she didn't simply know which way was up.

She screamed, her plasma wall flickering out as her mind went white with panic. She felt an impact, but that wasn't from landing; there were arms around her. Besides, hitting from the full height at which she had been flying would have been much more lethal.

Then came a harder jolt, despite Blue Impact supporting her as best she could when they landed. The super strong woman laid the younger super gently onto the dirty floor.

"What's wrong?" she shouted at Energia, who was curled into a ball, shuddering.

"That would be me," said a pleasant voice.

Blue Impact turned and through the small door saw der Schmale outside. He was standing on top of the debris pile. He looked back over his shoulder at someone.

"These incompetents are those you claim now defend the honor of the National Socialists?"

Blue Impact heard what she thought was Schmidt's voice, but couldn't make out the words.

"Ah, well." Der Schmale began walking casually down towards Blue Impact and Energia. Only, he reached them in much less than a second, startling Blue Impact. He peered at the younger of the two. "What is wrong with her?"

"I don't know," said Blue Impact, angrily. "You're the one doing it. Stop it!"

"I already have. I merely bent space to bring her to the ground. I was caught unawares by her reaction."

He peered at the green-clad super in bland curiosity.

"Interesting. She was bending space to fly, but that has stopped. Revive her. I wish to examine that power in operation."

Blue Impact looked back toward the doors. She couldn't see Ike or Gadgetive, but now saw a scowling Schmidt and a very uneasy Dampf standing on the top of the debris.

Deciding that two were better than one against three, Blue Impact tried rousing the younger woman. Slowly, Energia began to respond.

"What did you do?" she moaned, when Blue Impact had her alert enough to understand what was said to her. "This is worse than being under a neutralizer. At least I was standing then, and could still feel down. I fell!"

"Herr Einstein was right." He shook his head and smirked. "Ah, those Jews, so good with figures... Gravity is a distortion of space caused by the presence of mass. Inconveniently for you, I distort space, as well!"

"Why?!" said Blue Impact, furious, as she stood, fists clenched. "What are you doing here?"

"To capture you, of course," said der Schmale, completely unimpressed. He gave a rueful laugh. "Those first days out of my confinement... what a... Steep learning curve? Once I realized the date, I was not surprised as I scanned the airwaves to find no sign of my former masters. After all, they did not have me there, to prop them up!"

He laughed again.

"However, I was very surprised when - hearing you knock while I listen to those radios - I turned and saw not only strangers, but among them ein Schwarzes und ein Jude. With a woman in charge of the group! At first I thought that meant those two were her servants, with her being in control an example of how thoroughly the lesser races were ruled today. However, both spoke with you as equals! It seems this age is too weak to control the inferiors."

"You are a Nazi," said Blue Impact. "Still. So much for your rebellion."

The pleasant expression suddenly vanished, replaced by wrath. Behind which was something sinister, something mad.

"Of course I rebelled! Hitler was strong and competent at first, but he became a drug addict and therefore unworthy. His increasing, superstitious reliance on those fortunes he had cast for him early in the war did not impress me, either. He needed to be replaced by someone strong... By a true superman!"

He lifted his gaze and smiled towards into the distance, an expression which sent a chill down Blue Impact's spine.

"I rebelled! To replace the cult of Hitler with the cult of Schmale!"

"You want to form the Cult of Narrow?!" said Energia, stalling for time to recover.

"You have no place to make fun of my chosen name!" he shouted, defiantly. "I am wider than all of you! I stand where you cannot even see, much less reach! The name has implications..."

There was a popping sound. They looked back, and saw Schmidt holding one of the assault rifles the ambushers had carried. He was pointing it at Schmale, and looked surprised. Schmale smiled, and was suddenly standing back outside, in front of Schmidt, arms spread as if about to deliver a benediction. Schmidt looked startled for a moment, then emptied the magazine into Schmale's chest. To no apparent effect.

"You must be disciplined. It shall be mild, since you have not yet realized my greatness, and do not yet understand what I am and what I offer."

Schmidt's left hand fell off. He stared at the spurting blood without comprehension. As Schmale turned back to Blue Impact and Energia, the previously immobile Dampf rushed to Schmidt and clamped her hand around the man's wrist, slowing the loss of blood. She shouted something at Schmale in German. He turned, glanced at her, glanced at the wound, shrugged. There was a puff of smoke from the stump, and Schmidt screamed, jerked free of Dampf and collapsed. She stared for a moment, then dove for him.

"As you can see, I am merglkgipft..."

He shimmered, flickered, then distorted, much like a video image suddenly beset with interference. Except for the wiggling from the distortion, he wasn't moving.

"Hurry," said Energia.

Blue Impact looked down and saw Energia on her knees, hands extended, obviously straining.

"Hurry! That's not him! It's a projection! He's still in that pocket. I felt it, once he started using his powers. I can block him for a while."

Blue Impact made it back to the cleared area in front of the doors in two quick leaps. Dampf was still busy with Schmidt. Gadgetive and Dr. Device were on the ground, not moving but not obviously harmed.

Blue Impact put one gadgeteer over each shoulder, turned and moved carefully through the small doorway, then ran. She reached the containment chamber in less than a minute. Since she was still alive and free, she assumed Energia was still holding Schmale off. She quickly put the two gadgeteers on the floor, and began slapping Ike ungently back and forth across the face.

"Come on," she said, desperately. He moaned and moved a bit.

Blue Impact pulled an ammonia capsule from her utility pouch, crushed it and held it under his nose. Ike jerked, eyes flying open. As he rolled onto his side, coughing, Blue Impact used the capsule on Gadgetive. She was less responsive, but did mutter, stir, and make vague motions, as if pushing the odor away from her nose. Blue Impact turned back to Ike.

"What..." he said, shaking his head.

"Emergency," she said. "Energia is holding Schmale, somehow. She says what we've been interacting with is a projection, and that he's still in that dimensional pocket. She also said we need to hurry."

"Right," said Ike, trying to stand and failing. Blue Impact pulled him up, and aided him in the direction he indicated, towards the massive device. He shook his head again. "Okay. If he's still in there, he must want to stay in there. That's why the machine is still running at a low level."

"You're not saying we should let him out?!"

"As a last resort. He might simply disperse."

He shook his head once more, then stared at the panel for a moment of intense focus. He reached for the controls.

"Okay, increasing power. If only we'd had time to switch the transformers over. We need more power to fully contain him!"

"Do what you can with what you have. I'll check on Energia."

Ike nodded, and began twisting knobs.

Blue Impact ran out of the room, as the huge machine began to make an odd, thrumming sound.

* * *

Back in the main hall, she found Energia walking slowly towards the smaller tunnel.

"We..."

"Not enough," said Energia, voice hoarse. "It's easier, now, but he's still fighting me. We need more power."

"Hold on," said Blue Impact, moving to lift Energia into her arms.

"Wait!" said Energia, too late, as Blue Impact took of again at full speed.

Back in the chamber alarms were ringing. Ike was alternating between working the controls and talking to Gadgetive. The younger gadgeteer was sitting up against the base of one of the consoles. Blue Impact put Energia on her feet, and was startled when she had to catch the younger super.

"What's wrong?"

"You..."

"She quit doing whatever she was doing," said Ike, frantically working the controls. "We need full power NOW!"

"If you can get me to the power room," said Gadgetive, weakly, "I can do it."

"Go!" yelled Ike.

Blue Impact grabbed Gadgetive and headed out again. She was starting to feel like a taxi... not to mention unaccustomedly tired. It took a lot of energy to move her greater than normal mass that quickly. The passengers only added a bit of extra burden, but she still paid for it. With all three of her teammates acting very sub-par there wasn't much choice. She ran into the power room and put Gadgetive down near the switch panel.

"Damn," said the gadgeteer, shaking her head. "No wonder Energia is out of it. That's some ride."

"What do I do?" said the panting Blue Impact.

"Just shove that breaker back in. Yeah. Now, pull that lever to the left there, by itself, all the way up."

There was a jolt of sound and a scent of ozone, followed by a rising hum, which quickly stabilized. Below the dam water began flowing more vigorously.

"Okay. That should do it. Get back and see if they need anything else. I'll watch here."

"Gotcha'!"

All was not well in the confinement chamber when a breathless Blue Impact returned. Schmale was back - or had manifested a new projection - and Ike was frozen in place at the controls, obviously struggling to do something. Energia was sitting up on the floor, just as obviously trying to shove der Schmale back into his bottle. Schmale was not obviously doing anything, but given the situation Blue Impact assumed he was definitely straining. Else they'd all be dead by now.

"I heard about your exploits, defending your nation!" said Schmale, in a taunting voice, to Energia. He may not have noticed Blue Impact, yet. "Most of an entire fleet fell to you. Where is that might now? Has the suffering of your enemies so unnerved you that you no longer have the will to fight?"

Blue Impact froze, not sure what to do.

"I am far thicker than you," said Schmale, triumphantly. "Deeper. More substantial. Morally as well as physically! I stand outside your mundane level of awareness. My essence extends into multiple higher dimensions."

"Get... Ike... Loose..." Energia gasped.

What Blue Impact did not know was that Energia's bump of gravity was still not working. This was doing more than just not letting her fly. She was having to do without an innate sense, something she had been born with, an extra sense present in her brain since before birth. She was trying to fight not only without her mobility, but severely disorientated. As well as demoralized. So much of what Schmale said in his taunts was true... Energia's biggest deficit in this situation was confidence.

Schmale sensed weakness and indecision in the two women. Keeping a small part of his awareness focused on holding the black man unmoving, he sped time for himself. He floated casually to Energia and examined her left collar.

"Ah. I wondered what that was. Some trivial award from your government, I see."

Even as Energia stove fruitlessly to dodge away from what to her seemed like blindingly fast movements, he grabbed the lapel badge and attempted to yank it free. He was thwarted when the fabric proved tougher than he expected. This allowed Energia the opportunity to stop her futile attempts to physically catch up to his accelerated motion, and instead simply electrify her whole body. This high-voltage pulse was enough to partially disrupt the projection.

Blue Impact took advantage of this and lunged forward, putting herself between Ike and Schmale.

Der Schmale gestured at Blue Impact, intending to sweep her away. She barely moved. For just a moment, the smug expression wavered, along with his concentration. Energia slammed him with a general force bolt. Ike, suddenly free, reached the controls and began frantically working.

"Keep him busy!" Energia screamed, as she fought to bend the structure of space against Schmale.

Blue Impact darted forward and right, lunging at an instrument of some sort left on one of the control counters decades earlier. It was a heavy piece of Forties tube technology. She grabbed it and swung it underhanded at Schmale. The heavy box - filled with iron and copper - swept through the projection before smashing against the wall, safely above all of the equipment. This distraction gave Energia a chance to get a better "grip" on the projection. Her store was low, but steady, thanks to the flood of power now entering the room. All she needed was the determination to do the job. Determination she now found.

"You want to know what made fighting those Shilmek so difficult?" yelled Energia, glaring at the Nazi as she pushed the projection upstream, towards the confinement device. "So tragic? Those were just ordinary soldiers. Men and women trying to do their jobs under impossible circumstances, given no choice in the matter."

Her expression hardened.

"You, on the other hand, want to be here."

Schmale screamed in outrage as the projection appeared to be sucked into the machine, the sound dwindling to a shriek of rage before abruptly cutting off.

"Got it!" shouted Ike.

Part Eight

"Looks like your weight problem," said Ike, a bit out of breath and leaning on the console, "saved the day again."

"Oh, shut up," panted Blue Impact.

"Oh, God..." said Energia, her voice a hoarse groan. She sat up, carefully. "It's slowly coming back. My bump of gravity."

She shook her head, then grimaced in regret of making that motion.

"Falling was never one of my fears," she said, wryly. "It might just be one now."

* * *

Ike spent half an hour confirming that the machine holding Schmale was stable. Then they started cleanup. First by checking on the power room and Gadgetive.

"Okay," said Gadgetive, once she'd been briefed, "Why did Schmidt turn against Schmale?"

"We can ask him," said Blue Impact. "Dampf was putting a stopper patch on him when we came inside. He should make it."

"What's up with her, anyway?" said Gadgetive, beyond annoyed. "Was she helping Schmale or just too terrified of him to do anything?"

"Again, let's ask her," said Blue Impact.

"Oh," said Energia, suddenly thinking of something. She turned to Blue Impact. "We really need to contact Brade."

"We'll need to go outside for that," said Gadgetive. "We can relay our personal com signals through the more powerful unit in the flyer."

They checked in the containment chamber once more, then headed for the exit. They found Dampf sitting in the cleared area around the massive doors. Schmidt was lying with his head in her lap.

"Is he alive?" said Blue Impact, when the German super looked up at them.

"Yes, but weak. He needs expert treatment."

"Did you call for it?" asked Gadgetive, pointedly.

"No. All our personal coms are short range, and I didn't want to leave him to use one of the larger ones in a car."

"Right," said Blue Impact, moving away a bit to call Brade.

"I'll cool his hand so they can save it," said Energia, with a grimace.

"Don't freeze it," said Ike. "Just make it very cold."

"We caught Schmale, in case you are curious," said Gadgetive, tone acidic.

"I understood that, when he did not return and you did."

"There will be repercussions," said Dr. Device, sternly. "We don't understand everything which happened here, but there will be an investigation and the truth will be uncovered."

"I only know some of it," said Dampf. She bit her lip and looked down at Schmidt. "I didn't want to know more."

"Who are these people?" said Gadgetive, gesturing at the still zip-tied and unconscious ambushers. They had been zapped by the same whatever it was which had felled her and Ike, and so far no-one had bothered reviving them. "Who was Schmidt?"

"The others I don't know, beyond the fact that they are from a group of Nazis from somewhere in South America. Karl is my grandson."

"Your what the what?" said Gadgetive, startled.

"Why so surprised? Many supers look younger than they are," said Energia, with a shrug.

"I did not realize Karl had fallen in with this group," said Dampf, tears welling. "I agreed to participate in this exercise, then when I got here and saw Karl at first thought that was just coincidence. However, I quickly realized the others were not native Germans."

She looked at the trio of US supers.

"Karl told me they were blackmailing him into cooperating, and I joined in, thinking I would protect him. However, once we found Schmale and Karl began talking to him, I realized he was a willing participant."

"Why? Why do all this?" said Gadgetive, angrily.

Dampf looked into the distance.

"I did not want to know. That did not protect me, nor make me innocent. I was caught in something I could not escape, and too much of a coward to stand up and help you... or even warn you. Even after I escaped prison to come here and try to make things right. I am very glad you succeeded."

"Your grandson," said Ike, doing the math. "You're native-born German. You were active during the War. On the losing side."

Dampf grimaced, then stared up desperately at him.

"I was known as Fluss-Mädchen... River Maiden. I even worked with Albrecht a couple of times. He was... unstable even then, though far worse now. As the War went against us I deserted. Went back to my family and did what I could to keep them safe. Things were so confused the authorities never came after me."

"So, I wasn't imagining there was some recognition between you two," said Ike, nodding.

"He knew my voice, despite my change of costume."

"I have no idea what's going to happen to you two," said Gadgetive, her voice low and full of anger. "I just hope it's serious."

* * *

A short time later, the four from the US stood watching the helicopter ambulance leave. The medics thought there was actually a good chance of reattaching Schmidt's hand. Once the disturbance from the liftoff faded Hans Dornig - the Criminal Police Officer from the Division of State Security of the Bundeskriminalamt who had arrived to clean up the mess - walked over to them.

"Thank you," said Dornig, his English so heavily accented as to be barely understandable. He now appeared a bit embarrassed. "My superiors ask, please, that you not let this be public. We will ask through official channels of your Director and President, but also ask in person of you."

"We'll keep quiet," said Blue Impact.

* * *

"Well, that was a hectic few hours," said Energia, as she exited the flyer outside her Ramsey dorm. Despite all which had occurred since leaving, this was still the same day. Though the time was now late evening at the college.

Blue Impact surprised the younger super by giving her a firm hug.

"You all right?"

"Yeah. Well, better than I was, and I'll probably keep improving."

"Good," said Blue Impact.

"Here you go," said Ike, handing Energia her unneeded overnight bag from the trunk.

"Thanks."

She stood back and waved as they lifted off. Then turned to find Alex, Vic and several others she knew watching.

"What happened?"

Energia opened her mouth, then winced.

"Sorry," she said, with a shrug. "We've been asked to keep mum until there's an official release."

There were the expected reactions, but those faded quickly.

"I guess we can wait," said Alex, displaying an unexpectedly mature attitude. Then she grinned and began bouncing up and down. "Just wait until you hear what happened here today!"

"Don't tell me you folks had an adventure of your own?" said Energia, unable to keep from smiling at the eccentric young genius.

"Not so much an adventure as an unsold sitcom pilot," said Vic, with a sour expression.

"Do tell..."

"Yeah," gushed Alex. "First, a horse got loose on campus. Only it wasn't a horse! One of the new students is an animal shapeshifter!"

"Those are rare," said Energia.

"Yeah, and she was stuck!"

"How does a shapeshifter get stuck?!"

"From what I understand, it's not easy," said Vic, rolling her eyes.

The story was related - mostly by Alex, but with multiple interjections and inquiries from others as well as considerable laughter - while the group entered the building.

END