Kid Chaos and Triblade skidded as they rounded a corner. People dodged them as they ran down the street.
“Are you sure it’s this way?” Kid Chaos asked.
Triblade checked a read-out on his wrist monitor. “The alert came from the Sixth Fourth Bank on Main street. It has to be down this way. Nevets and Crossroads should meet us there.”
They came to a stop near a blockade of police cars. An officer handed off his bullhorn and approached Triblade. “We have a situation here. Two psychos are in there with a bank full of hostages. They are currently unloading everything of value, but they also have a bomb...or at least they have reported a bomb. We can’t approach without risking blowing the place to hell and killing everyone.”
Just then, Nevets and Crossroads showed up. Triblade said, “Crossroads, can you slip into that place and find out if they have a real bomb present, or are bluffing.”
“No problem.” She waved her hand over her body, and her super suit changed to civilian clothing. She then turned her body and appeared to spin into nothingness.
Nevets said, “should we just storm the place?”
Kid Chaos answered, “not unless we wanted a lot of dead people to answer for.”
Crossroads re-appeared, in her hand she held two guns. “Those bozos are busy looting the safe and left their guns on a counter. Oh, and their bomb is a paper towel roll duct-taped to an old VCR and spray painted. The only bomb that’ll happen is if they put in Waterworld.”
The officer turned to his men, but Triblade stopped him. “Let us. This shouldn’t take long.” He gave his team a nod, and they zoomed and portaled into the bank.
In seven minutes, they were shoving a pair of bewildered wannabe criminals out while the hostages gleefully ran to the arms of their worried family and friends. There were cheers, and a local newspaper reporter rushed up to get an interview.
“So, you’re with the local Super Hero League.”
Triblade answered, “yes, we are Fifth Precinct Omni…”
Just then, several dozen men and women came running toward them. Many carried signs that said things like, “down with BADGE” and “Arrest Nova!” Objects were thrown at them as well as harsh words.
“Go away, villains!” “Your kind aren’t welcome here!” “Let the police do their jobs, we don’t need heroes!”
A glass bottle hit Kid Chaos and shattered. He caught the second bottle and was about to throw it right back when Nevets stopped the potentially deadly return projectile.
“No, don’t respond.”
Another band of loud protesters came from a different direction, this time with actual weapons. They carried a banner proclaiming ‘The Anti-BADGE Peoples Militia.’
Triblade grabbed the others. “Let’s get outta here. No confrontation, just move.”
***
Nova watched the screes before him, each showing a different protest happening all over the planet. Quark stood with him, a new tint of blue as he controlled his anger.
“Incoming transmission. League HQ connections active.”
“Good, put them on screen.”
The massive monitor changed to dozens of video feeds from inside the League HQ’s across the planet. Leaders of these leagues all waited for Nova to speak.
“Everyone is present. Good. Okay, first order of business. Dr. Stone, has your Psy League investigated the protests?”
A bald black man in a lab coat answered. “Yes. We scanned the minds of several of the larger protests. You were right. There are instigators seeded among the people. They aren’t who they appear to be and they are stirring the protests to become as violent as they can. But, we couldn’t dig out any useful information.”
“At least we know that this is not just spontaneous protests.”
“How does that help?” Necromaniac asked.
“It tells me we can put a stop to this once we end the real threat. Remove those sending in the instigators and the protesting should fade.”
Ace said, “sir, we have been tracking the transmissions from the local police across the planet. People are going missing by the hundreds. Every single case is a person who registered as a conduit for morphonic powers, but they never got the full test before they vanished. This can’t be a coincidence.”
“Our enemy is up to something and these people are part of it.”
Suzie X asked, “what do you need us to do?”
“It may be hard to say this, but I need all Leagues to refrain from being outside their HQs as much as possible. We have to curb the insanity. These are civilians being encouraged to violence. Let’s remove their target. Small time crimes will have to remain in the hands of the police. Low-level villain activity will have to go unchecked. Just keep your comms open for when I give the signal. I know something is going to happen and soon. I’ll have Quark and non-hero agents out looking into these kidnappings.”
“Understood.” Several stated, and the screens went dark.
Quark asked, “what now? Do we know who our enemy is?”
“Not exactly. But, I’m absolutely certain that this Judge Alpha is part of something deeper and darker than just the World Corps. So far I have met a Gamma and now an Alpha…”
“Don’t forget Arx mentioned a man named Delta.”
“Yes. These must be cover names for a secret organization.”
Quark asked, “what are they after?”
“From my experience, a good villain will shift the blame for what they are doing to their enemy. So, they are accusing us of trying to overthrow the world governments. I wager that’s exactly what they’re up to.”
“World domination...unoriginal but problematic.”
A siren went off and one robot turned on a monitor, which showed a billowing cloud of smoke. “Alert, large energy explosion in the middle of the ocean. Morphonic energy signatures are extremely high. Location: Last known location of Agent Chase and Agent Gar.”
***
EB trembled and eggs appeared beside his restrained hands. They would hit the ground and scattered chocolate everywhere. Above him, the beam hummed as a little light grew brighter on the tip. Dr. Osteen walked over to check part of the laser. Each time he created an exploding egg, an anti-magic beam would destroy it before it could explode.
“Come on, you don’t want to do this? You don’t want to be the man responsible for murdering the Easter Bunny? I know, I can be annoying. Everyone says that. I talk too much, I’m accident prone, and I talk too much...I already said that. But that’s no reason to kill me. You want money? I can make you a very, very rich man. I’m filthy rich. I got cash all over this world and I hardly use it. How about some of the best chocolate you’ve ever eaten? I mean, magical stuff I don’t normally give to humans. You look like a guy who likes his candy. I mean, I’m not calling you fat, you’re fluffy. That’s cool. Come on, pleeeeeeease, I don’t wanna die!” He was crying and making eggs without even meaning to.
Dr. Osteen snatched a chocolate egg before it hit the ground. “Thanks, but no thanks. My new friends are already making me rich beyond my dreams. Also...I don’t like you.”
Osteen marched over to the computer and slammed his fist on the big, red button. At the same time, a new hole was made in the wall and Gar came blasting through, with Chase right behind him. The action forced the laser emitter to break free from the ceiling and it blasted Dr. Osteens’ metal leg instead.
Santa jumped in from his sleigh and held a sword in his hands. “EB!”
“I’m on the table! HELP, HE’S TRYING TO FRY ME!”
Chase ran over to him while telling Gar. “Get the Doctor!” She sliced through the bindings with her magic blades and picked up the bunny. “You okay?”
He whispered, “I need...mouth...to mouth…”
She dropped him. “He’s okay.”
Gar ran for the doctor. Dr. Osteen, with a missing metal leg, pressed a button on his eyepiece and the floor opened up and he slid away.
“Damn! Get him!” Chase ran for the hole, but not before the room shook. The lone computer had a twenty-second countdown on it.
Santa said, “this place is going to explode. We have to leave!”
Gar scooped up EB, but the bunny jumped free of his hands. “No! The Avatars. They’re still here.”
“Gar, help!” Chase ran for the caged, sedated avatars.
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