“Dammit, Nova, where are you?” She whispered as she activated a small computer. It held all his secret orders and commands. She had access to information that Nova wouldn’t allow God to see if he asked. Yet, she didn’t care about some of his deepest, darkest secrets, just the last page of orders and plans he had written out.
On the screen were simple words, spelling out: Contain all heroes, keep them safely out of World Corps hands, do not retaliate, be ready for the right time."
Gar stepped into the room. “Chase. Are you okay?”
“No. I’m a child playing house in an adults room.” She sat back. “Tell me something good, Gar.”
He fumbled with his words for a moment and gave this request serious thought. Finally, he smiled, “you look pretty today.”
“That’s not a proper thing to say to your C.O.”
“Oh, I just...”
She smiled at him, “but it was sweet.”
“Um...uh...oh, I do have good news.”
“I could use some right now.”
He said, “the protests outside some of the Fight Club’s have broken up. People are restarting their protests against the World Corps.”
“That’s something I suppose. Oh, Gar, what do I do? The world is tearing itself apart, and all Nova left me was a three sentence plan of doing nothing about it.”
“Director Nova was a clever man. We should trust him.”
“How far do we take that trust?” Chase asked.
Before Gar could stumble over another answer, a red light blinked on the desk and she was summoned back to the command room.
Chase led Gar back into Operations where all the robots and assisting heroes watched the giant monitor on the back wall. “Report!”
A hero said, “The Stygian has broken free from captivity and is attacking New Amsterdam. She has a small band of minions from the prison with her. The local police have been told to keep their distance since they don’t have...uh...hero support.”
On the monitor, they could see the garishly green clad villain leading a hoard of marauding hooligans as they ransacked the high-end shopping district. The Stygian unleashed green bolts of energy, playfully destroying water tanks on top of old apartment buildings.
A woman on the news spoke about the chaos. “It is mayhem in downtown New Amsterdam. The Chief of Police has requested all citizens evacuate the East Side. Right now, the National Guard and Police are working together to create a barrier, hoping to keep the enemies contained. However, if a concerted strike on any one point of such a barrier is executed, it is unclear if any normal methods of containment can hold. The Mayor has called upon the World Corps to send in their heroes, but so far there has been no response.”
A hero sitting with one robot muted the monitors. “We can have our team ready in moments! Send us down there.”
Chase watched the atrocities being executed in the defenseless city.
“Director!” the hero demanded her attention.
“Chase...” Gar tapped her shoulder.
She did not turn to answer, “no.”
“NO!? But...why?”
“It’s what Nova wanted. We must...”
“Nova didn’t want us fighting the World Corps or the UN. These are just villains.”
Chase said, “no. We cannot move without drawing everyone in. We must wait.”
“Wait, wait, wait! That’s all you say! We’re going down there.” The hero stormed away from the desk toward the lift.
“Carol! Look!” Another hero stopped the enraged woman.
The screen was unmuted when everyone watched a team of three large, two-legged robots appear with people piloting them. They unleashed a volley of lasers that took down all the general rabble in one shot. The Stygian rushed in to fight, but it was a brief battle. Soon, she and her companions were quickly rounded up and hauled off.
The news anchor said, “I’m not sure what these devices are. They have never been seen before either by a known world power or by BADGE. They have markings on them, but they match nothing in use by the World Corps’ forces. More about this as this story unfolds.”
Chase gave a slicing motion across her throat and the sound was cut off. “Do any of you know who or what those are?”
None of the other heroes in the room answered.
Chase said, “fine. I don’t like the idea of an unknown rogue party stepping up to fight villains, but at least they were quick and efficient.”
Gar asked, “do you think these are part of Nova’s plan?”
“I don’t know, and I have no idea how to find out.”
***
Delta sat at the command table in the secret HQ. Before him was the large monitor with small windows displaying faces of men and women from the UN.
“Who are you?” A man asked.
“I’m part of the commanding council of the World Corps.”
An Indian woman said, “we only speak with the leader or formal representative. Where is Judge Alpha?”
“Judge Alpha reports to me. I’m the last word in the World Corps.”
An American man said, “I always thought there must be someone pulling her strings. I thought it was your own little group of representatives, your own private little United Nations.”
Delta smiled from behind those dark sunglasses of his. “I have dissolved that little committee. For now, I’m the only vote that matters.”
“What is it you want to cast your vote on, sir?” A woman from England asked.
“We have a serious problem.” Delta said.
The Indian rep said, “yes. Villains are roaming our streets and cities unchecked. We need hero support from the World Corps now.”
“That problem is secondary.”
“Secondary!” The American barked. “People are being kidnapped, banks are being robbed, entire cities are being taken over by these petty tyrants. What about this is secondary?”
Delta laughed, “meager problems that will be resolved quickly once the actual situation is dealt with.”
“And just what is the situation you speak of?”
Delta gave them all a cold, quiet pause and then said, “Director Nova remains at large. Our combined forces have failed to bring him in. We must have him, or all our efforts for peace will be for nothing.”
“Bah!” The French rep replied. “Nova is on his station with the other heroes. We don’t have time to worry about one man who has had all his power curtailed.”
“Nova is still here, on Earth. I know it. The time vortex opened and closed AFTER the heroes evacuated!”
“Time vortex?” The rep from England frowned at him. “What are you talking about?”
Delta calmed himself down. “I have evidence of Nova’s activity after the heroes evacuated. It happened after the last shuttle left, after the last portal was sealed. He’s still here. And if he did, somehow, make it to the station, we have a bigger problem.”
The America thrust a finger at the camera. “We have wasted enough resources for the World Corps’ plans. We aren’t spending any more time, people, or money for a single man-hunt. He’ll be found, eventually.”
“I’m not asking for a bigger man hunt. I have a proposal.”
The Indian woman asked, “what sort of proposal?”
“We know there isn’t just one, but three safe havens for the criminals of BADGE. The BADGE space station and orbital arena are the primary location. However, they have also hidden people in Neo Utopia and North Onnotangu. From those locations, Nova can orchestrate a retaliation using all the combined heroes and agents of BADGE.”
“Nova wouldn’t do...”
“Have you so quickly forgotten Hollywood, destroyed by a BADGE force? Washington D.C. assaulted by a BADGE led force, Poseidon Island was leveled by BADGE heroes. Pretoria was nearly reduced to rubble. Should I go on? Do you want to wait until more cities are destroyed, more lives are lost?”
The rep from England nodded. “the evidence appears damning. However, what can we do to stop him when we cannot find him?”
A slight, demonic smile crept across Delta’s face. “We have to do to them what they did to you. You have developed the sub-atomic weapons.”
“That is top secret! How do you know...”
“It is still secret enough. I learned it from good sources. These weapons were designed to save this world against a villain like Jinn or Krampus if BADGE failed to stop them. BADGE cannot stop these weapons, or even see them coming, no one can. You have the power to reduce all three safe havens to radioactive ash. Do it, and the future of this world will finally be safe from the evils of Nova.”
“We will...discuss this.”
“You have twenty-four hours. If you fail to give me an answer, I’ll withdraw all my heroes from your countries and there will be nothing to save you from the villains.” He clicked off the comm channel, a look of supreme satisfaction on his face.
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