“What do you mean they have the specs on the weapons and our augmentation process!” Alpha bellowed at a screen.
Delta looked at her from his place in a distant location. “They extracted information from Arx that led them to this. I didn’t think we let him see enough to tell them anything, but I have underestimated BADGE’s resourcefulness.”
Gamma narrowed his eyes at the screen. “Have you told Beta this?”
“Beta knows. In fact, we are ready to proceed with the next part of this plan.”
“How!” Alpha shrieked. “If they figure out how to stop our weapons, we won’t be able to fight them. Our augment army isn’t big enough to take on all those loyal to BADGE. I am already getting reports of non-morphon heroes taking guns away from our mercs. This is out of control!"”
Delta remained cool and confident in the face of her rage. “Judge, I have a backup plan for this situation, one that will keep us in charge of everything.”
“What plan is this?”
“We will let BADGE make the next move and see what they do. If they proceed how I anticipate, I will move. Trust me, we will keep this world distrusting BADGE.”
“You had better make this work.” Alpha grimly stated.
Nova walked through the station back to the laboratories. It was still packed with people, but not as bad, since they moved a large portion of them over to the arena. After navigating the crowds, he returned to the same laboratories where they had been working with Arx.
Walking into the tech lab, he greeted them with his usual, “Report!”
Agent Justin smiled, “good news. We have already cracked the AMA weapons.”
“So soon? We just got that data six hours ago.” Nova hovered over where several engineers were working on computers. Complex numbers and diagrams filled the screens.
Justin gestured around the room. “Several non-morphon heroes have procured AMA parts from mercs.”
“I specifically ordered heroes not to…”
“I know. But, with those parts and this information from Arx, some of our tech savvy heroes on the station have cracked this.” Justin directed Nova over to a hero at a workstation.
Furious Squirrel pointed at the screen in front of him. “This was designed to use morphons to destroy morphons. It is actually amazing to see. It displaces the morphons in the target and since morphonic energy permeates all the cells of a conduit person, he or she has all of their cells destroyed in a matter of seconds.”
“Can we fight this? Can we stop it?”
The Avenger answered, “I’m already calculating a formula.”
“What?” Nova asked the cyborg hero.
The Avenger nodded toward his computer. “If my calculations are correct, then I can create an energy infusion we can use on a morphonic being that will make them impervious to the weapons abilities for up to five years.”
“What?” Nova asked again.
Justin explained, “he is working on a system like a tanning booth. Only, it will infuse an energy over the body of a hero and for a period of time that hero’s morphons cannot be affected by this weapon of theirs.”
“Will it work?”
The Avenger said, “we’re about to begin the first test. All simulations look promising.”
“Get me results. We have a world to save, and this could be our best chance of getting those horrid guns out of the hands of our enemy.”
Justin said, “I’ll call in more assistants from the heroes. We’ll get this done as quickly as possible.”
“Get on it.”
Justin hurried out of the lab.
Nova leaned over to check the readings on the computer when EB came rushing into the room. “NOVA, BUDDY!”
Nova caught him by his ears and held him at arm’s length. “EB, this is NOT the place for you to destroy anything.”
“I know, I know. I just gotta get you. Dr. Henderson said that something is happening in the biolab. There was this signature thingy and then she got all worried and confused and the door is locked and you need to bring your card or the system won’t open it. I don’t know what it is. I offered to get in. You know I can get in wherever I want. I am the Easter Bunny, but she said it was too dangerous. Like I need to worry. I am a mythic...”
“Dr. Henderson needs me?”
“That’s what I’m tell’n ya.”
Nova left the room with EB still firmly in his grasp.
Turning two corners, Nova returned to the place where Arx had been. Dr. Henderson stood outside with a sensor device held up to the door.
“Oh, good. EB found you.”
Nova dropped the bunny and approached. “What’s the problem?”
“I think someone sabotaged the system.”
“What!”
She nodded. “Yes. I have clear evidence programs were deleted that caused a cascade failure which made the system activate all at once. If Arx hadn’t been as enhanced as he was, he would have been completely atomized before we got a speck of data out of him.”
“Can you find out who?”
“I don’t know. I need to go in there and see if anything is still working. However, I scanned before going in and...well...I am detecting something organic in there.”
“What? You mean something is alive in there?”
“Yes. The damage to the room has made our internal sensors unreliable, but my independent scanner is still registering it.”
Nova typed in his personal code to the door lock, unsealing it. He then put his card against the lock and it flashed green. The door creaked open halfway and then stopped.
“Oh, dear god. Look at this place.” Dr. Henderson glanced in the room, finding all the surfaces blackened. Every glass object was shattered or melted. Flickers of light came from under smears of black clinging to the surface.
“Hello?” a voice said.
Nova’s face turned to fury. “Who is in here?”
A completely naked man with a perfect body stepped through the door. “I’ve been in there since I woke up. Something bad happened in there.”
EB covered his eyes. “Sweet cheese and crackers. He’s naked!”
Dr. Henderson ran her scanner up and down his body. “How are you alive? The radiation in there is deadly.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how I got there. I’m Craig.” he smiled and looked at his reflection in a nearby window.
Nova asked, “Arx, is that you?”
“Wow, I’m looking good today.”
Nova said, “yup, it’s Arx.”
Arx turned back to them, completely unashamed of his state of undress, and asked, “who are you? Where am I?”
EB, a paw over his eyes still, said, “we are BADGE superheroes, and you are on a space station.”
Arx knelt down and smiled. “A talking bunny. How cute.”
EB removed his paws and then said, “OH GOOD HEAVENS, IT’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! I’M GETTING YOU A COSTUME!” he raced off.
Arx yelled, “I need something that’s Greek!”
“Gotcha!” EB replied.
Dr. Henderson ran her scanner up and down Arx several more times. “He has lost all of his enhancements, and the energy in his brain is different now. But, it looks like his own natural super powers protected him enough to save his life. Amazing.”
“Superpowers. Oh, right, yeah. I got those. I want to use them as an actor, not a hero or anything. I’m up for a role in a television show about ancient Greece. Doesn’t pay much, but it’s a start.”
Nova was in a state of awe. “You don’t remember being enhanced with silver skin and better powers, being a mega star?”
Arx laughed, “mega star. I wish. It’s my dream to be a big action star. But all I’ve done are a few commercials and a lot of model shoots.”
EB zipped back and in a flurry of movement, he dressed Arx quickly in chiton and himation, two traditional ancient Greek parts of a man’s outfit. Stopping next to Nova, EB said, “there, still shows off the buff physique but we don’t gotta look at little Arx and his pals.”
Arx admired his outfit in the window's reflection. “Nice. This is good stuff, not the cheap costume materials I have to put up with. I look good in this.”
Nova pulled Arx away from the window and looked at him. “Son, I don’t know where to start.”
“Son? Are you my father?”
“Hardly. This is going to take time.”
A small team of radiation experts came through with devices to clean up the mess. Nova directed Arx along with him. “Come with me. We have a lot to talk about.”
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