Part Eleven

Vic found herself paired with Andrea. She was actually a bit nervous about this, since she'd never worked with an android before. However, they were both too busy with their assigned tasks to have much social interaction. They were looking for (and occasionally shouting a warning to) those still free on the island who were out and about, oblivious to the occupation. Also, the pair did occasionally have to depart their golf-cart-like vehicle to check something. Sometimes this was to respond to a request relayed over their coms. After having someone run from them once when they were ordered to stop, the duo worked out a plan for preventing such fleeing persons from getting away. For the most part, this worked well. Though not always...

"I think I saw someone sneaking down that alley," said Vic, quietly, looking away and pretending not to have noticed them. The visor on her helmet helped with that, since it made difficult the act of someone at a distance telling exactly where she was looking. Andrea stopped the quiet vehicle a little past the opening, where it could not be seen by anyone in the alley. Vic climbed out. "You head around the block to the other end. I'll wait until I get your signal and head in. I'll either find them or flush them out."

"Roger," said Andrea, also quietly.

However, as soon as the electric cart was around the corner, someone surprised Vic by stepping out of the alley.

The woman wore powder blue snug leggings with cloud patterns and a medium-blue sport top, going for the bare midriff look. She definitely had the body for it, being both curvy and very athletic. Though she was athletic like a body builder at a competition, with almost no body fat, except in specific places. Vic could tell all that was really her, with no padding beyond a sport bra, though as usual she felt a bit embarrassed at using her sense of perception to essentially look at a someone's body under their clothing. Vic had to know if the stranger had anything concealed, and if that was what she really looked like. Despite doing her best to keep her mind on business, Vic could definitely appreciate that the other woman was a legitimate C-cup - with a slight augmentation from the sport bra - and a very well-shaped one.

In this case, Vic was also quickly able to identify the woman by regular sight: Invicta. The "Super Battle Federation Champion."

"You," said Invicta, in a very hostile tone. "You're the one."

Vic already had a good idea that this woman was one of Stone's transformation subjects. That accusation pretty much confirmed her hunch.

"I was also one of Abraham Stone's victims," said Vic, quickly. "He drugged me, kidnapped me, imp..."

"I don't want to hear your excuses!" the woman screamed at Vic. "You ruined my life! Nobody accepts me as who I was, not even my family! I had to turn tricks to live! Until I found this place! Now... I'm the champion! My DNA was optimized, and I'm perfect!"

Yeah, she's lost it, thought Vic, sadly.

"What was that?" said Andrea

Before Vic could tell her partner what was going on, Invicta launched herself at Vic, in a charge. Vic stayed light on her feet, and at the last moment spun out of the way. However, Invicta gave a hop, and as she went by lashed out with a flying roundhouse kick which Vic was barely able to parry. Even with that, Vic was still almost knocked down.

Vic didn't want to fight Invicta, whom she saw as a victim of this place, and of Stone before that; Vic was there to carry out a search for people who needed to be rescued or arrested. The consensus among the invading heroes was that this did not include most of the participants in the fights. Still, the other woman wanted a fight, so Vic decided to follow Blue Impact's dictum about people who wanted to fight. However, she well understood that applying aggression would be a matter of timing. As Invicta again moved in - more cautiously this time - Vic pulled back, repeatedly switching leads as she stepped. However, Invicta not only followed, she closed. Which was what Vic wanted. When the other woman was close enough, Vic lashed out with a lead left roundhouse kick to the other woman's right hip.

Invicta danced back, smacking Vic's foot down with her left hand. She then threw a left lunging jab which Vic just parried. They quickly moved apart again, the other woman smiling grimly.

She hasn't had the same training as me, thought Vic, now a bit worried, but she's definitely had training.

Invicta's smile broadened a bit, and she suddenly launched a flurry of attacks. Vic was still primarily playing defense, and managed to dodge, block and parry all of them.

"In position," said Andrea, over Vic's com. "Note that this end of the alley is already blocked."

"Busy!" shouted Vic, glad she had her com set to VOX.

Invicta lunged in again. Vic used a rising side kick to her attacker's stomach to stop her advance. Invicta spun away, barely dodging, so there was only a glancing blow by Vic. As she went by, though, Vic managed to turn the rising side kick into a hook kick and got a mild strike to Invicta's right lower ribs.

Most throws or grappling techniques wouldn't work on Invicta; her costume was too snug and slick. Vic bet that both features were deliberate. Worse, Invicta had training and experience; obviously, a lot of both. However, it wasn't the self-defense and combat training and experience Vic had, but unlimited super fighting training for cage matches. Also, while her costume was good at hindering many techniques which required getting a grip on her, it offered no protection against strikes, as Vic's armor did. Invicta was fast and lithe and good at handling herself in both refereed bouts and the unlimited matches. Vic tried a few throws and takedowns with poor results. However, once she seriously started punching and kicking, Invicta was definitely outmatched. She also had no way to get through Vic's armor except brute force.

As Invicta threw a hard, right, roundhouse punch, stepping forward with it to put a lot of power behind it. Vic jammed this with an X-block, pushing her body against Invicta's. Vic slid her left hand down to Invicta's elbow and pulled her on around, spinning left to bring her right side towards Invicta. As Invicta came around, Vic threw a quick combination. She whipped into a right hammerfist to Invicta's solar plexus, and followed that by jerking her arm upwards, to hit the other woman in the chin with a rising elbow strike. Invicta's head snapped back, but her body was still moving with her punch and Vic's pull. Vic caught her behind the head with her right hand and used a variation on Kouchigari (minor inner reaping) to continue to spin Invicta around and drop her onto her back.

Vic, deciding to take no chances, then choked her out.

Andrea came wheeling back around the corner just in time to see the final set of strikes, and Vic's finishing move.

"Ah. Good work."

Vic wasn't sure, but she thought the android was impressed. However...

"I see a flaw in our plan," said Vic, a bit breathlessly, as she put restraints on Invicta, at the wrists and ankles. "Her tactic makes me think she saw what we were doing or perhaps even heard us planning."

"Regardless, she's currently under control but dangerous enough that we need to get her back to the hanger now. We can finish the patrol later."

"Agreed."

* * *

With the two Coast Guard forces working together to intercept any boats or planes (escape using both of those types of vehicle were tried by some of the occupants of the islands, and neither was successful; submarines were watched for but none were seen) and thereby prevent any unapproved departures from the islands, the supers continued their cleanup.

The Coast Guards took charge of the prisoners, though LaSalle reported to Steel Lace that their brigs were a bit crowded, even with the mind controlled participants from the cage matches placed in sick bays. Cong, who was finally showing signs of reviving, was also in one of the sick bays. The costumed heroes on shore were fed well in the camp kitchen. As dusk approached a few of the masks actually departed, but most decided to spend the night. However, that was still a ways off. The days were long during the Summers this far north.

One person from the island who was not in a brig or sick bay was Bombardier. He had made a favorable enough impression on enough people - mostly with his inside information on how things on the island functioned - that he was being considered one of the rescuers. Vic, after bringing the restrained and still-unconscious Invicta to the airport for transport to a neutralizer-equipped brig, finally found time to talk with the "man on the inside" as Bombardier had labelled himself.

"How did you manage to avoid the mind control this time?" Vic asked him, once the greetings were out of the way.

"I know a gadgeteer. He put shielding in my cowl."

He may be smarter than I thought.

They spoke for a while, mostly about what had happened at the body farm after "Bombardier" left. Soon, though, Vic needed to get back with Andrea and finish their patrol.

As that activity wound down, the leaders of the super and Coast Guard contingents were comparing notes. They agreed that the work on the main island was done. Soon, the team leaders dispersed to spread what they had learned and planned.

"We think we have all the buildings on the main island searched and cleared," said Steel Lace, in a report to her team after she had briefed the leaders of other teams. "Oh; the medium of exchange here is a record of credit based on a unit of value assigned by the The Super Battle Federation. Which is why the fact that they were charging participants in the fights for room and board didn't show on any of their reports. They also set all prices and payments in a way which ensured that once here none of the employees would ever get out of debt."

"Wow," said Tiger, in revelation. "A real company town."

"There's something else," said Champion in another area, to her team. "None of you know this, yet, but checking the tech and the people who worked here, they had a mad inventor or maybe a mastermind who was responsible for the advanced gadgets and the enhancements received by some of the combatants. The gadgets included artificial mind control to keep not only the fighters but the staff and guests from causing problems. The man doing all this went by Rasputnik and matches the description of the man on Kravaal Island."

"Grigori Yefimovich had the same tall, thin frame, lean, ascetic face and burning eyes, and supposedly a strong hypnotic ability as the descriptions of the mind controller on Kravaal Island," said Tiger, frowning and perhaps even speaking from personal experience, after Steel Lace told her group of Bay Area Guardians this. "That... fits. The mad monk was known both to have followers and many illegitimate children. Some by the Tsarina's own maids. He was also very slippery, as well as being notoriously difficult to kill."

He looked worried as he glanced around at the other members of the other members of their team.

"He was also claimed to be a master of black magic by his enemies. So... be very careful. This guy... He could be worse than Abraham Stone, at least in terms of being hard to capture."

* * *

Ships from both Coast Guards spent the night cruising around the island the helicopters and flying supers had come from, using loudspeakers to advise those there to surrender. The loud, recorded voices echoed across the water, and could be clearly heard on the main island. However, given the level of activity they had experienced during the day, few of the supers bedding down at the airport for the night had trouble sleeping. Fortunately for the crews on the ships, they worked in rotation. Drones showed buildings, but no activity. Interrogation of those captured revealed that while there were boats at the dock, the helicopters which had been used to assault the heroes at the airport were the only aircraft on that island.

The next morning, the two Coast Guard commanders and the heads of the various super teams prepared a combined operation. Cumulous and Energia were both free to fly high cover for this.

After a hearty breakfast and a half hour to make ready, the invasion got underway.

"There's nobody here!" said Tiger, as the combined force of over two dozen supers and more than a hundred Coast Guard personnel swept first the dock area, then the offices ringing them. "Worse, they've taken all their computers and files!"

That was not quite true. In many of the buildings they found still-smoldering fires which had obviously been used to destroy both papers and hard drives. This was very deliberate; the fire sprinklers had been turned off to allow this to proceed. Fortunately, none of those fires had spread, thanks to the modern construction of these buildings. There was also obviously far more missing than could be accounted for by those combustive disposal efforts.

"So where are they?" said Steel Lace, who was among those left on the main island, over their coms. "Holed up in the homes we can see around the base of that hill? Or, since we haven't seen any activity there, in deep bunkers?"

"I have a sneaking feeling they somehow evacuated," said Tiger, scowling. "Remember, they had a mastermind or gadgeteer working here for at least three years. He could have easily devised some way to get everyone off the island tracelessly."

The Coast Guard personnel were doubtful that anyone or anything had made it through their cordon without being detected. However, Tiger and several of the other supers present had enough experience with the aftermath of "nobody could have escaped that" events to be doubtful.

"Energia, do you sense any activity the drones might be missing?" said Steel Lace.

"Not down near sea level," said the general energy/force manipulator. "However, I can tell you that mountain definitely is just full of things like worked metal. Not ordinary steel, either."

"Have you taken a look inside that crater?"

"Not since yesterday," Energia admitted. She gained altitude. "I'll check again."

However, as she flew towards the rim a call from the ground searchers caught her attention.

"Hey, I just saw Unduly Özil heading north from an outbuilding near the management complex in some sort of ATV," said Tiger. He sounded breathless. "It's a lot faster than I am."

"Who we got on high cover who can get there quickly?" said Steel Lace.

"Just me, right now," said Energia, again changing course, and also gaining speed. "I see him, though."

"For now, follow, but don't confront," said Steel Lace. "Stay out of sight if you can. We want to see where he's going."

"Gotcha'a," said Energia. "Wow, he's really moving. That thing's more like an offroad rally car than an ATV."

"Can you keep up?" said Steel Lace.

"Oh, yeah," said Energia, managing not to scoff. "Even if he were going straight, instead of weaving around things."

Moments later, though, things - and the ATV - took an odd turn.

"Now he's heading straight up the hill," said Energia. "There's no road, but there is a heavily used path."

"Which hill?" said Mesa, who was on the same island but still down by the docks.

"There's only one on this island," said Energia. "The one that looks like a volcano but isn't. He's on a rough trail which heads to what looks like the boarded-up entrance to an old mine. Okay, he just stopped, got out of his vehicle and went into the mine. Which is odd. The mine, I mean. You don't usually have mines in volcanos. Of course, that's definitely not a volcano. From what I saw yesterday, the crater looks like it's lined with something which isn't your usual rock, or even metal. It's more like concrete. Though, as noted before, I am also sensing a lot of metal inside the hill."

"One moment," said Andrea. "While there area volcanos in nearby chains, this mountain is not listed as one."

"I think I just said it wasn't one," said Energia, distracted.

"So, it's probably some sort of mastermind underground fortress," said Mesa, sounding worried. "Watch out. He could launch an escape rocket from that crater. Or a huge death ray."

"Don't go to the mine entrance yet," said Steel Lace. "Staying close to the ground, peek over the lip of the crater."

"Roger," said Energia, who was already almost to that. "Not much I didn't see before, although there's something at the bottom. Can't see it clearly."

"Stay out of the crater," said Steel Lace. "What do.."

"Whoah!" said Energia, quickly ducking below the rim. "That is hot!"

"What's wrong?" said Steel Lace, reflexively looking toward the crater, from where she was standing at the docks on the main island. Was it just her imagination, or was there a faintly glowing cone reaching from crater rim into space?

"Wow," said Tiger, whose senses were almost as keen as her sensors, and fed directly into his brain. "Wonder that that'll look like at night!"

Well, that answered that...

"Keep everyone back!" Energia called out over their coms. "There's an uncontrolled fission chain reaction in that pit!"

"I can confirm a huge amount of ionizing radiation - particulate and electromagnetic - blasting upwards from the crater," said Steel Lace, now that she had her sensors engaged. "Lost of X-ray, gamma and neutrons, with traces of other things."

Several masks on both islands as well as many Coast Guard personnel reported that there was now an eerie glow radiating upwards from the crater.