“I can feel you there... I just can’t see you.”
The beep of a computer grabbed his attention. It was a peculiar beep that he knew exactly what it was pointing him toward. He rushed over and said, “Computer, report.”
“Director Nova’s presence detected.”
“Coordinates! Give me the damn coordinates!”
A series of numbers appeared on the screen along with a map that had a crosshair blinking on the surface. Drocha frowned. “That’s not possible.” With furious strokes, he typed in a command, and the view changed to a camera feed from a satellite. It was showing him open ocean. He zoomed in several times, going as far as the surface of the water. “Computer, confirm that I am looking at the location of the detection of Director Nova.”
The computer answered, “Affirmative.”
“There is nothing there! I sank that base after the simulation was over. It is at the bottom of the ocean in pieces!” He slammed down in the seat between the computers. “Keep scanning for Nova’s signature.” He then frowned. “Signature... you said presence. Please clarify the detection.”
“Visual of Director Nova detected at specified coordinates.”
“Visual? Can you put it on screen?”
“Affirmative.” The computer played a visual feed that zoomed upward away from the water’s surface. It passed clouds and froze at a moment looking at the old World Corps HQ was mid-air with Quark maintaining altitude. Nova marched with a team into the building. The feed lasted just a few seconds before it stopped.
“Wait, play more?” Drocha commanded.
“Visual readings ended at four point seven seconds.”
Drocha watched as the image feed showed nothing but clouds and water again. “Someone blocked me? How is that base still there? Why? What was Nova doing there? Why can’t I see it any longer? DAMN!”
While he mulled this over, he heard another sound. His head turned slightly to look at the Legion computer screen. The ancient Legion language displayed a promising update.
“The wormhole is forming... which means...” his face twisted into a wicked laugh as he saw the dots of the spheres glowing brighter. “Power is growing. I think it is time to give them an even greater challenge. Can’t have them thinking they can thwart me.” He put in a command into the Legion computer, pressing his finger onto one of the spheres. “I’ve been waiting to unleash this one.”
***
Gar watched the monitors in Operations with EB bouncing around him in a continual circle.
“I have sooo missed this place. Running around can be fun, but it is not fun when you are going, going, going, never stopping to enjoy the places. We were all over the world, but most of the time I was just sniffing around for signs of Drocha. Well, I took a lot of selfies with fans and got to flirt with this hot babe in Ecuador and then...”
A robot interrupted EB. “Communication from Santa.”
“On screen.” Gar commanded in a cool, determined voice.
Santa appeared and squinted at Gar. “Uh…”
“No time to explain. You have the report. We found Gamer G, but not Drocha,” Gar stated.
Santa said, “I see. Well, the situation down here has gotten much worse. The two Legion creatures we are fighting have grown more violent and tougher. The duplicating villain has killed five heroes in the past day, and put at least twenty in a hospital. Capturing that one is proving to be far more difficult, but defeating it only creates more. The mechanical villain is searching harder; I can only imagine it is searching for... uh... Nova. But I don’t know. Defeating it is hard, and it simply reassembles afterward. We haven’t found a method of stopping it from auto-repairing. This one — the mechanical one — is a new type I have not faced before.”
“Do you have any idea why they are getting stronger?” Gar asked.
Santa said, “Not sure. Right now, we are trying to find ways to stop them. Please issue a direct order to the heroes to be ready for a tougher fight. Most of those injured or killed wrongly believed that these Legion creations were weaker than normal Legion enemies. Heroes must be ready to contend with actual strength.”
“I will. Keep me updated.” Gar stated.
Santa nodded, “I will. Just... find Drocha before this becomes a global massacre.”
“He is our top priority. Good luck, BADGE out.” The signal cut.
Gar’s wrist comm beeped, “Gamer G is stable and ready to talk.” Dr. Henderson said.
Gar answered, “On my way.”
***
EB and Gar walked through a security checkpoint in the detention area. They passed many holding cells that were designed for high-risk villains. At the back of the area, there was a special cell used only in unique situations. Right now, it had been redesigned to hold a special apparatus that hooked into the chair that held Gamer G’s limp body. Dr. Henderson and her team of specialists attached cables to him and connected them to computers.
“About time!” Gamer G responded to the sight of Gar. “Wait, where’s Nova?”
Gar ignored this and spoke directly with Dr. Henderson. “Is this secure?”
She said, “Techno Harvey constructed this room just this afternoon. Although it connects to the station, it is completely independent. We’ve put every security protocol in place, and no pre-existing camera or device within fifty meters of this room in all directions could be accessed by Drocha. I activated a scrambler that will block any unwanted signals. This place is as secure, if not more so, as your own private quarters, sir.”
“Do it, EB.” Gar said.
EB waved his paws, and a magical field melted away, and Gar transformed into Nova.
“What is this all about?” Gamer G asked.
Nova cocked his head. “You of all people should know what is happening? You helped Drocha mine the brains of every member of my staff. You helped him recreate a near-perfect replica of BADGE. You know he has his eyes looking at us through every camera available.”
Gamer G said, “But, anything new or unknown to us is a blind-spot for him. Brilliant. This room is perfect. He won’t see or hear us if it as secure and new as the doctor said.”
Dr. Henderson said, “It is.” Her tone betrayed irritation at him, but that was to be expected of anyone who suffered the virtual reality Gamer G trapped them in.
Nova stood near Gamer G and looked down upon him with a stone face and a seething tone. “Now, prove to me I can trust anything you say. If for a single moment I think you are part of Drocha’s grand schemes, I have ordered this room to have an ejection system installed. I will eject this room, with you in it, into space and then have the station’s defense systems vaporize the room to ensure you are nothing but atoms. Do you understand?”
Gamer G’s normal cocky ego broke as a look of fear quivered in his eyes. “Are you serious? This room can be ejected?”
“DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” Nova bellowed.
“Yes, yes, I do. Please believe me.”
EB laughed, “You gotta do better than that. And I’m gonna help.” He conjured up a chocolate egg and held it up.
“Are you sure this will work?” Nova asked.
EB said, “Absolutely. My magic may not work so well on some alien races, and people like Drocha. But for humans, it’s easy peasy.”
“What is that?” Gamer asked.
Nova held it up to him. “Eat this.”
“What is it?”
Nova said, “This is enchanted with a truth-telling magic. You will have to tell us the truth.”
Gamer snarled and then nodded. “Fine. I have nothing to hide from you. I’m telling the truth. I want Drocha to pay for what he did.”
Gamer G ate the egg with help from one of the nurses in the room. He gagged and said, “What the hell is in this?”
“Goya melon, better known as bitter melon. An Okinawan delicacy that is pretty strong.” EB giggled.
“Nasty. Ugh.” Gamer G coughed for a moment.
Nova said, “This isn’t supposed to be torture.” His tone had a touch of humor in it.
Gamer said, “There, happy? Now, let me talk.”
Nova said, “Talk.”
Gamer said, “Look, Drocha’s ship has a power core that, while near the clones, will give them power. The closer they are to it, the more powerful they will become.”
Nova said, “That explains the wormhole. The ship is getting close, and so the clones are getting stronger on the field.”
Gamer nodded. “Exactly. There is more. You can’t let Drocha get near that ship. I mean, you have to find his base and wreck his computers right now.”
“Why?” Nova frowned.
“The AI program — the thing we created that virtual world for — is vital. That mother-ship of his uses some kind of organic technology that Legion created.”
EB gasped, “Oh no, I thought... that was just a legend.”
Nova looked down at EB. “You know of this?”
EB looked pale, even for a white rabbit. “Yes. If this is true, and it has to be... we are in serious trouble.”
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