Chase stood on a table in the middle of the mess hall of the station. Several dozen leaders of Leagues and other heroes listened to her.
“I know you want to return. The world is a mess right now and we could help. But we must be patient and wise. Nova has a plan...”
“Nova is not here.” Hotwings said.
“I know. And I’m not clear on his plan either. But I know it will work. We must have faith in that. For now, we must sit and wait.”
“I’m through waiting. We’re not controlled by BADGE like those augments with the World Corps. We can go home and do what we do best.” Bartman said with a lot of agreement from the others.
Chase was quiet for a moment and let them murmur until they gave her back their attention. She said, “you’re correct. You’re not programmed automatons of BADGE. You simply listen and obey out of loyalty. BADGE has always kept this world’s best interest at heart, which is a lot more than the World Corps can say. However, instead of vague orders to sit and wait, I offer a compromise. Give this one more day, just twenty-four more hours. If nothing new makes this plan clear, then you’re free to go home. All I would ask then is that you be wise about confronting the World Corps directly. Deal with the local villainy, but don’t push this world into a global war that could be devastating.”
All the league leaders talked to each other and finally it was Hotwings who answered. “Fine, twenty-four hours.”
***
Delta sat in the conference room, those same sour faces on the screen from the United Nations security council.
“Well, what is your decision?” was his greeting to them.
The woman from India spoke without hesitation in her voice, “the answer is no. We will not use the sub-atomic weapons on cities or nations simply to strike at one man.”
The fury in Delta’s eyes was palpable. “You would be so unwise as to not see the opportunity to execute the most dangerous man in history. What if you could use this to kill Jinn before he rose to power, or Krampus, or Hitler? What do you want to tell future generations who will look down in shame knowing the chance at global peace was in their hands and you threw it away out of fear?”
The American said, “it is not fear, Mr. Delta, it is wisdom. We’re not in the business of mass murder simply to hope to kill off one villain.”
The rep from England added, “so far, we still cannot fully corroborate your evidence that BADGE was behind all the attacks you mentioned. Some attacks seemed obvious, but others were more than questionable.”
Delta said, “all the evidence, right in front of your eyes, and you are blind.”
“We aren’t stupid.” The American said.
The French rep said, “also, it is our choice to condemn the World Corps for failing to fulfill their promise of protection and for harboring secret information highly guarded by the United Nations. We will launch a full investigation into how you came about the information about the sub-atomic weapons at our disposal. Such information should not be public knowledge.”
Delta shook with rage, “you...condemn...ME!”
“We do.”
He stood up and glared at them with an odd green color in his eyes. “Then the blood shall be upon your hands.” He cut off the comm signal.
***
Gamma listened to this exchange, cold inside as he realized how close this came to utter destruction of millions of lives. He quickly left the door of the conference room and hurried toward the laboratory.
Slamming open the door, he called out, “Osteen! Where is that data? I want to...Osteen?” He found the lab vacant. The automated lights flickered on at his presence.
“Osteen!” He called into his wrist comm.
Nothing.
A lone computer was active at Osteens’ usual station. Gamma found several files on the screen locked behind coded security. The moment he came close to them, his wrist comm activated, and he was met by the voice of Dr. Osteen. “Sorry to leave you, but this has gotten way too big for me. If Delta is there with you, tell him hi for me. If he is not, just say bugle horn.”
Gamma frowned, “Bugle Horn?”
Those words unlocked the files on the computer. Osteen was clever. He chose this tactic so that Gamma would accidentally open these files only if Delta wasn’t present.
As he looked upon the data, the color in Gamma’s face faded. It was one line after another of stats and results of tests. Simulations ran over and over.
“I have to talk to the others.”
Delta burst through the door of Conference Room B. Gamma sat in the room with Alpha and Beta on separate screens. They were obviously in a deep discussion. A holographic screen hovered in the middle of the room, which was shut off quickly.
“Good. I wanted to see all three of you.”
Alpha coolly said, “coincidentally, we need to talk to you. Sit.”
Delta sat down at the table, a lack of rage in him at her command, which was almost as scary as his fury would be. “I see you must have something terribly important to tell me. First, Gamma, what happened to all the soldiers around this place? Have we forgotten to pay them for their services?”
“I sent them home.” Gamma calmly answered.
“Now, why would you do such a thing?”
Alpha said, “it’s over. Your continued new plans have only driven an excellent scheme into catastrophe. In a matter of days, you have turned the United Nations against us. We had them in our back pocket.”
Beta said, “just moments ago, I got a summons to meet with the United Nations Security Council about a condemnation over illegal actions. They want me to draft an official statement against the World Corps. These are the same people I had convinced to do whatever I wanted them to do.”
“You’ve gone too far,” Gamma added.
Delta hardly made eye contact with them as he examined his fingernails. “It matters very little what the UN thinks of us. Soon, this will all be nothing but a bothersome memory.”
“Why? Because of this.” Gamma turned the holo screen back on.
Delta sat forward and looked at his own private plans. “Oh, I see you have been busy. Digging into files you really shouldn’t see. I told you I had secrets not meant for your eyes.”
Alpha barked, “what is this? You had Dr. Osteen program some kind of secret code into the DNA of the augments. Something that came from your own DNA. What is it? Why are the morphon crystals so important to all of this?”
Beta said, “these simulations show you gaining powers, powers that go beyond anything we can imagine. How, why? What purpose would that serve?”
“That is not for you to know. Even if I explained, you couldn’t possibly understand it.”
“STOP TREATING US LIKE CHILDREN. I DEMAND ANSWERS!” Alpha bellowed.
“You will do what I say when I say it. That is all that matters. That you learned these secrets is hardly concerning. You can’t understand this data. Only that it shows that I am more powerful than you is all that worries you. That is no surprise. I have always been more powerful than you. Now, stop worrying about this, stop yelling at me, and do what I say.”
“And what are you glorious commands, Delta?” Alpha asked.
Delta said, “the United Nations needs to learn genuine fear of me, of the World Corps. We need them cowed like the small children they are. Therefore, Gamma, use the meta-command module on the augments and order them to kill all the world leaders and their families.”
A wave of gasps ran through the three others. Gamma said, “I will do no such thing.”
Delta calmly looked at the others. “Any of you willing to follow this order?”
Beta said, “no. I will not be party to such an act of murder.”
Alpha said, “this ends here and now. I’ll not allow you to do this. The World Corps was always about power and control, but never that depth of depravity. I will turn you over to...to...” she grasped her throat and gagged.
Beta and Gamma were in the same position, gasping for breath, but unable to draw in any air.
Delta stood up from his seat. “Pity. You were such useful idiots. I guess your time is over. As your hearts beat their last pitiful pulses, I remind you that you were given a chip to help keep us connected so that no one would ever be lost. This chip also is a fail-safe against a coup.”
All three fell dead.
Delta took off his glove and pulled out the control mechanism. “Such is the end of all petty tyrants in history.”
Calling up a command screen on the computer, he accessed a special communication protocol. “Delta to all augments across this world. Kill the world leader you have been assigned to, kill their families, kill their staff. Make it as public as possible.”
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