Part Thirteen

As the Blue Impact, Vic and Tiger were approaching Tricorne's large apergy pod, Mesa hurried to intercept them.

"Steel Lace just got a flash from the Park Service at North Cascades National Park," he told them, as they walked quickly along. "They intercepted a bunch of people crowded into a few dusty electric vans on the way out of the park. Thanks to our warning, the rangers were on the lookout for them. They were suspicious because not only did their vehicles look like they had been parked somewhere inside for a long time, and not only were they coming from a part of the Park which is off limits to visitors, and not only did no-one remember them coming into the park, but none of them were dressed for the area or the weather."

"Now that is some good news," said Tiger. "I don't supposed that Unduly Özil and Rasputnik were among them."

"None of the people they caught were listed by name," said Mesa, as they reached the pod. He shrugged. "Oh, well; you will soon be in the Park, yourselves, and can check on things."

"When all the rest of this is settled," said Blue Impact, firmly, "we really need to find where the SubTerran tunnel entrance is in that area."

"Definitely," said Tiger, nodding. "I know there are mines in that area, going back well over a century, but don't recall if there are any volcanos."

* * *

They soon discovered that what the rangers who had caught the escapees from the island complex meant by "not dressed for the weather."

"That is some solid cloud cover," said Blue Impact, as the pod descended. "Local weather report says there's intermittent heavy rain and high winds. However, right now it's just overcast over the lake. We'll have to make our approach with radar, but the bottoms of the clouds are well above water level, so I can land visually."

That she did. There were a few nervous moments as they passed blindly through the clouds, but guided by radar as they were they emerged from the heavy layer safely above an empty section of lake. Soon they were approaching the island.

"I think," said Tiger, to their pilot, as the apergy pod squeezed into the small area cleared one one side of the house, beside the FBI camp, "that you should stay here. Vic and I have both been after this guy before, and she's at least somewhat resistant to domination. Special Agent Folgert is a known resister, but he's physically a normal human. That way, if Rasputnik or someone using one of his devices comes to the house you and Folgert working together should be able to stop them easily. Even if he has a low-level super or two for reinforcements, like he did once before."

"Okay," said Blue Impact, not happy at missing the hunt but seeing the wisdom of Tiger's words.

The entire FBI staff on the island was there to greet them, which led to the three heroes being on alert. Had someone already dominated them, and directed them to attack the trio? Fortunately, they were just glad to see the reinforcements.

"We got an alert just a few minutes ago on our security perimeter of a boat grounding on the beach, and some people getting out," said agent Folgert. "Not far from the location where that fisherman who started all this did, actually. Since then we've watched on the monitors as two people move inland, very slowly and cautiously. I don't know if they're looking for something or just trying to sneak up on us. Their progress has not been directly towards our camp and the house, but they have come gradually closer."

"They might just be fishermen seeking refuge from the storms," said Tiger, scowling. "I wouldn't bet on that, though."

"Or someone who heard about what that first fisherman found, and deciding to take a look," said Vic. "Though, yeah, that's not the way to bet."

Folgert held up a device about the size and shape of a pad. Vic reached for it, but the head of the local FBI contingent was already handing it to Tiger. Vic fumed a bit, but kept her peace.

"This is one of the portable displays for the detection system. We - including you three, now - are each marked with a green X. The unknowns are each a red X. Moving things smaller than humans are marked with a minus. Those bigger are designated with an O, since a plus might be confused for an X. You can see there are several moose on the island, so you need to watch for them, too."

"One of the people we're looking for is a mastermind," said Vic, looking at Tiger. "Just how good is this security system? How easy would it be for him to find it and spoof it?"

"Uhm, in detail, unknown," said Tiger, who was a bit distracted by the display unit. "I do know that this system was put together and installed by our own gadgeteers, so it's pretty secure. I also know that the techs and Steel Lace said they did a good job of installing the perimeter units where they'd be hard to spot."

"So, for now, trust them," said Vic, nodding, "but keep in mind that Rasputnik might be leading us around by our noses."

"Pretty much," said Tiger, nodding.

"Wait," said Folgert, holding up a hand. "Rasputnik?"

"He was probably the mind controller who kept coming here," said Tiger. "Not sure why, though he apparently knows Unduly Özil. We've verified that both were involved with the people who set up the super fights. Most likely, highly involved."

"Wow. I've heard of him. Or them. We probably got off lightly, then, if half of what I've heard is accurate."

* * *

"Okay," said Tiger, staring at the portable security display as they tramped along a game trail which led generally in the right direction, "if this is accurate, the boat is still on the beach, with at least one person still in or close by it. Two or three - this thing can't seem to make up its mind - are wandering around the island."

"Okay, we need to clarify something," said Vic, firmly. "You've got the pad, but I've got the arrest powers. Which means if we do find and capture the intruders I get to take them into custody."

"Huh? Oh, okay," said Tiger, with a careless shrug.

Vic remember that he had little of the sort of social motivations which might have led others to try and upstage her. He literally didn't care about that sort of thing.

"Good," said Vic, a bit lamely. "Just wanted that to be clear."

Vic wondered if she might be unconsciously influenced by such factors, herself. Well, that sort of introspection would have to wait for later. Right now, they had dangerous criminals to stalk. As well as potentially dangerous animals they needed to avoid being stalked by.

"I'm starting to think that they're not heading for the house," said Tiger, frowning at the display. "It almost looks like they're hunting for something on a different part of the island. Problem is, something might also be hunting them. I don't mean us, either."

"What do you mean?"

"There's been that one, particularly aggressive moose which you and I and the FBI people had to keep chasing off. It was a really big bull, and the rest of the moose - Meece? - on the island are all cows."

"Huh. A private harem."

"If so, that would definitely explain why he's so protective. Only I don't think moose maintain herds, the way horses do. I think the males are only interested in females during the breeding season. Except I don't know when that is!"

He gave Vic a sloppy grin.

"Too bad Andrea isn't here. She could look that up in a few microseconds."

With the security system to guide them, they soon closed on the intruders. However, as Tiger had feared, so had the bull moose. Moments later, they could hear some sort of disturbance from the direction where the pad showed the moose and the two or three human signals were converging.

They put on some speed, ignoring the trails which might lead in the general direction they wanted. Tiger simply plowed ahead, the pad held behind him to protect it from the brush. Vic's armor protected her.

"There's that moose again," said Tiger, slowing suddenly.

"Looks like it's in a hurry," said Vic.

"It is also very angry."

Indeed, they soon heard a distinctly human scream. Hurrying to the scene they saw the moose aggressively trampling something very bloody and messy.

Tiger's aura flickered, and solidified into the translucent image of a tiger, surrounding him.

"Git!"

Under that baleful presence, Vic almost "got" herself, even though it was not directed at her. The moose rolled its eyes, spun around with surprising agility, and ran off.

"Uhm," said Tiger, moving a bit closer. "Not a lot left. Rasputnik's scent leads to here, but it's then covered by... well, other scents."

Indeed, the thoroughly trampled remains were too mangled to be easily identified. The pair of supers made a circuit around the site, and found no tracks leading away, except for those left by the panicked moose.

"Do you really think that was the end of Rasputnik?" said Vic.

"I'd bet against it. The remains are too torn up to resemble anyone. Besides, there should have been at least one other person involved. We're not seeing that. Someone disguised the tracks, in and out. That someone was probably Rasputnik."

He checked the pad.

"Now it's showing one or two humans heading back to the beach. From there they'll presumably head to the boat. I think we should make haste in that direction."

The set off, Tiger again in the lead, heading straight for the beached boat. Vic called Folgert and gave him the digest version of what had happened.

"The FBI will secure the remains," said Vic, a bit breathlessly, after ending the call. "They'll do a DNA analysis, but that'll just tell us who the trampled person is. Not whether they're Rasputnik; there's no reliable DNA for anyone using that name. I think he and Özil both got away."

"Probably," said Tiger, with an aggravated sigh. He glanced at the pad. "Argh. They are already back at the beach, almost to the boat. I don't think we're going to make it before they leave."

Another quick call to the FBI to tell them about the boat, and asking them to have the Park Service intercept it. The boat definitely seemed to be in a hurry as it pulled away from Kravaal Island. Vic called Blue Impact and arranged a pickup for herself and Tiger at the beach. The duo changed course to the shortest path to the lake.

"With luck we might be able to catch up to the boat in the pod," Vic said, after the older super confirmed. "Though we need to hurry. I see rain coming towards us across the lake."

However, once they were airborne they could find no sign of a boat speeding directly away from the island; not even on radar. There were, indeed, several boats on the lake, but all were either obviously fishing boats heading for shelter, or were one of the three Park Service boats speeding toward the island.

"Did they have some sort of stealth device in that thing?" said Tiger, obviously irritated.

"I'm not seeing anything," said Blue Impact. "Not visually, not on IR, not on radar."

"For some reason, I'm not surprised," said Vic, with a tired sigh.

* * *

By the time Vic and Blue Impact returned to the scene of the moose attack, the FBI team - after girding their stomachs - had started their evidence gathering. Tiger had gone with some other FBI agents and park rangers to where the boat had beached, to see if they could find any evidence there.

"No problem finding where the boat was," said Tiger, when everyone got together under the canopy at the FBI camp to compare notes, "even in the rain. However, there's no scents. Not even of aluminum or gasoline. Don't ask me how they did that. Maybe through magic. There hadn't been enough rain at that time to completely remove scents."

The rain was, indeed, currently pounding down. The FBI forensics team had barely gathered their evidence before it was obliterated. Now, with the excitement apparently over at least for the moment, the sound on the awning over them was relaxing. Vic found herself fighting a bit not to zone out. Some of the FBI people had already failed at this.

"Well, for now our part looks like it's over," said Vic. She gave another huge sigh. "I bet this whole episode was arranged so Rasputnik and Özil and maybe some others could leave whoever the moose victim as a red herring. Or maybe so they could dispose of someone for falling down on the job. Possibly both."

"No bet," said Tiger. "Well, let's get back to the pod and back to the cleanup on the tournament island."

* * *

Once back on Smuggler's Island - which turned out to be the collective name for all the islands in the group, even though that name was not on any official map - the trio had little catching up to do.

"About the only major development is that Canada and the US are each trying to get the other to deal with whoever - or whatever - was the radiation source," said Steel Lace. "This may actually get the two governments to decide who owns these islands."

"I just hope they decide quickly," said Energia. "I mean, that guy, whoever he is, is just lying there."

"Well, if that is Afterglow, he's been clinically dead for nearly half a century," said Tiger. "He's just too radioactive to decay."

"In other news," aid Steel Lace, "Many of the people we arrested, either here on the islands or in that park, are foreign nationals; not from Canada or the US. That includes most of those who were paying guests. Some are international businessmen. Some are even diplomats, who are already claiming immunity, and demanding they be released immediately. They were all technically aiding and abetting multiple crimes, or course."

"There's going to be a huge international row about this," said Tiger, grinning. "I'm actually looking forward to helping ruin some careers."

"Well, if that's true," said Vic, "I'll do what I can to make sure that what they're getting immunity from in this case becomes public knowledge."

"My biggest concern," said Steel Lace, tiredly, "is that several pro-super charities have lost a significant part of their donations. We're already getting complaints about that."