EB sat with his arms, and legs tucked up against himself and his chin resting on them. His eyes were cast down as he rocked a little.
“Wonder what Nova’s do’n right now? Probably worried sick about me. This place sucks.” He gazed up at the glassed in room where a different man was being augmented using their strange technology. “At least it doesn’t look like it hurts them too much. How many are they going to do? Why are they all naked? Why are they all guys? I mean, this place stinks and I hate what’s happening to these people, but one girl would be a nice change of pace. Something fun to look at. What am I saying? I don’t want to see anyone in those cells. I doubt they are doing anything nice to them. Bet they kidnapped them. These sickos love kidnapping people…”
“Do you ever stop talking?” Dr. Osteen walked up to the cell and checked the data on the monitor.
EB snarled at him. “Gotta have a decent conversation with someone intelligent around here.”
“Pfft.” Osteen responded and made several notes on his tablet.
EB asked, “so...what’s up with the naked guys and those tube thingy’s you got stuck in them?”
“Just working on the project.”
EB stood up and smiled, realizing he was getting some info. “Really? What’s the project? Why are they all colorless when you’re done?”
Osteen opened the door to this person’s cell, adjusted a tube, and then left, resealing the room. “We’re pumping them with a special morphonic energy that I devised using the data gathered from the avatars. Each person has a proclivity toward a morphon type, so we are augmenting them. Really, these are still just test subjects for the big project. I can’t wait to see that one in action.”
“Wow, so cool. What’s that project going to be?”
“We are going to...wait, why am I spilling this to you?” Osteen stepped back.
EB grinned, “Oh, what harm is it to tell little ole me? Who am I gonna tell, the sleeping kitty next to me?”
Osteen rolled his eyes. “Nice try, bunny. I told you too much. Now, shut up.” He walked on.
EB plopped back down, “fine. Try to have a decent conversation round here? Sheesh. Man, I’m hungry.”
Osteen checked a different cell. “Feed yourself. You can do it, I’ve seen you.”
EB materialized one of his famous eggs. “Sure, chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even I’m sick of that. Bring me a carrots, or a steak, something. What’s this place, a torture chamber?”
“Shut up.”
“STOP TELLING ME TO SHUT UP! I AM TIRED OF BEING IN HERE. I AM A FREAKING LEGENDARY, MYTHICAL FIGURE! I WILL NOT BE TREATED LIKE THIS.”
Osteen stomped over to him. “You’re nothing but a big mouthed rabbit.”
“I’M THE EASTER BUNNY! I WAS HIDING EGGS BEFORE YOUR GREAT, GREAT, GREAT, GREAT GRANDFATHER WAS BORN. PROBABLY ON A PIG FARM BY THE LOOKS OF HIS DESCENDANTS!”
“OH, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF…”
“Now, now, Dr. Osteen, stop arguing with the vermin.” Delta walked into the lab with a woman at his side.
Osteen slapped EB’s cage for good measure and then greeted his guests. “Delta, who is this?”
The older, craggy woman in a red pantsuit answered. “I’m Alpha, I’m here to check on the progress.”
Dr. Osteen smiled, “glad you’re here. Things are going great. The army is almost completed, and the first augments are ready for deployment.”
“Show me everything.” Alpha demanded.
EB perked his ears up and listened to everything that was said. What that idiot didn’t spill to him already he was gleaning from this conversation. His sneaky little smile quickly turned to horror as he learned the depth of their evil plans.
***
Santa set his sleigh down in a grassy pasture in the middle of New York State. A pair of guards stood outside what appeared to be an abandoned old shed.
Gar landed, having followed behind on his own wings. “What are we doing back here? I thought you wanted to see Director Nova.”
Santa disembarked his sleigh and then helped Chase down. “We are going to find what we need here.”
They approached the guards. One look at the trio, the guards stepped aside and opened the door to the shed. Inside was the lift that led down to the original HQ of BADGE before the construction of the space station.
After a long trip down, they stepped out into the hallways of the old base. Lights flickered on at their presence.
“Is anyone still working here?” Gar asked.
Chase nodded. “Yes, we have a small team of specialists to monitor the vaults.”
Santa looked up and down the corridor and then headed toward the old command center. “This is where BADGE still maintains their artifact vaults. This is possibly the most secure vault on Earth.”
Chase smiled, “yeah, back in the day I dreamed of getting in here. Tried to on a few occasions.”
Gar said, “I know. I caught you, twice.”
“Once.” Chase corrected him. “I broke in once and you caught me when I missed that last sensor and set off the alarm. The second time, I wasn’t trying to break in, but you still grabbed me and detained me. That was when my father sent me to help Nova with the whole Cupid situation.”
Gar said, “lucky he did. You joined us after that.”
Santa said, “luck had nothing to do with it. I wanted my little girl to stop being a thief and do something useful with her life. She had skills that could help people and BADGE would put them to proper use.”
Chase said, “you were always looking after me, even when I didn’t know you were my father.”
“Of course. A parent never forgets their child. Ah, here we are.” He tapped the button on the door and it opened.
All three walked into the old command center of the underground base. A hologram greeted them in the middle of the room. It appeared to be Justin, but it was just an AI designed to operate the base.
“Greetings, Santa Claus, Agent Chase, Agent Gargoyle. How may I be of service?”
Chase said, “we need access to Nova’s secret Vault.”
“I am sorry, Agent Chase, but access to that vault is prohibited to any other person except Director Nova.”
Santa said, “we know. Please, contact the Director at once.”
The hologram flickered off and the screen on the view screen activated, with Nova looking at them from the Space Station. “I see Santa has joined the search. Good.”
Santa said, “Actually, they are joining my search. But we share the same goal. However, we need access to your personal vault to continue the search.”
“My vault? Why?”
Both Chase and Gar were just as curious. Santa hadn’t divulged this yet to them. Santa said, “I know EB has given you one of his special favors. You’ve never used it. Unless I’m mistaken, and I rarely am, it should be in your vault.”
Nova nodded, “you’re correct on all accounts. However, how will this help?”
“Trust me. I understand our magic better than anyone else. It’ll do the trick.”
Nova said, “Nova to BASE One, Clearance Gamma Seven Seven Pi. Access is granted to Santa, Chase, and Gar to my private vault.”
The hologram returned. “understood.” He walked through the table as though it weren’t there and the door opened as he approached it. “Follow me.”
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