Robot 10915 announced, “Incoming transmission from Field Agent Kyle Gibson.”
Nova turned. “I’ll take it in the meeting room. Get Chase and Justin up here, now.” He walked up the steps to the conference room at the back of Operations.
Inside, the round table and holoprojector waited. The BADGE call signal floated above the emitter. Moments later, Chase and Justin entered.
“Is there an emergency?” Justin asked.
Chase sat down. “I haven’t heard anything from the heroes I recruited.”
Nova activated the signal. Agent Gibson’s face appeared on screen.
“Agent Gibson here. Hello, Agent Chase, Agent Justin.”
Nova got straight to the point. “Report.”
“Yes, sir. We arrived for a standard tag-and-release of a known morphonic felon. Before we could reach him, a talent agent working for Confederate Brawlers met with him and they signed a contract to represent him in the Avatar’s competition.”
Justin asked, “Who?”
“Joseph Jeffries. His street name during his crimes was The Berserker.”
Chase frowned. “I don’t recall any super-villains by either name.”
Nova explained, “Mr. Jeffries was a small-time criminal. He earned Purgatory Penitentiary by using his newly discovered powers just for the thrill of destruction and spreading fear. If he’d been a normal person, he would have faced ordinary charges for property damage and public nuisance. But because he has powers and chose to use them so recklessly, he received the full Purgatory sentence.”
Agent Gibson added, “Our reports show his megalomaniacal tendencies have only grown stronger in prison. Discovering his powers seems to have unlocked a darker side. He was already a thug, but now he’s far worse.”
“Then why release him at all?” Chase asked.
Nova’s tone was measured. “We follow the law. His crimes warranted this length of imprisonment — no more, no less. Preemptively imprisoning people based on what they might do risks violating basic human freedoms. We did have the right to attach a BADGE tracking tether to monitor him… until this agent stepped in.”
Chase said, “Then go find him and tether him.”
Agent Gibson held up several documents. “We were given printouts of rules, laws, and agreements. This talent agent is more like a lawyer. BADGE agreed not to interfere with contestants as long as they commit no crimes during the contest. Since he is officially an entrant, we cannot tether him until it ends. Otherwise it would appear we’re trying to influence the outcome. I’ve read every line — there’s no loophole. He’s free to compete without tracking. All we can do is watch him carefully… from a distance.”
Nova sighed. “I hate bloated legal systems. There is always red tape, loopholes, and people who use the law to get away with wrongdoing.” His words carried the weight of thousands of years of experience.
Chase suggested, “We wait for him to get knocked out and then tag him. Shouldn’t be difficult. The Avatar’s rules say he can’t kill anyone, so Berserker will compete, lose, and then we tether him.”
Nova turned to Gibson. “Tell them what you put in your report about him.”
Gibson replied, “Joseph Jeffries is incredibly strong for his size. His morphonic powers have grown considerably since he discovered them. Worse, he has little regard for who he hurts or how badly. He can take a beating and keep going. Prison staff noted he seems eager to harm others. His restraint is almost nonexistent.”
Nova placed both hands on the table, his face serious. “So far the competitors have been average fighters and a few superheroes. But my worst fear has been realized — a morphonic villain with the potential to win just entered the contest. And because we agreed to stay hands-off, we have very limited ways to stop his climb.”
Justin said, “I’m sure if he wins, the Avatar won’t simply hand over his power. That would give a megalomaniac near-godlike abilities.”
Nova shook his head. “I’m not certain what the Avatar will do. Even the Oracle of Tech has expressed concern that the Avatar of Strength is too single-minded to grasp the dangers of giving his power to just anyone. If Berserker wins, we could have a serious problem.”
“What can we do about it?” Gibson asked from the holo-screen.
Nova replied, “I want you and your team shadowing wherever Berserker competes. Keep as close an eye on him as possible and report to me daily.”
“Will do, sir.”
Nova turned to Chase and Justin. “Tell me you two have found heroes who can stand against someone like Berserker.”
Chase answered, “I only found two willing to join: Queen Anne’s Mace and Chug. Both are strong, but I’m not sure they’re strong enough against Berserker.”
Justin added, “I only got one agreement — Hanuman Hammer. He’s still holding the top spot.”
Nova asked, “Just those?”
“Many heroes were excited at first,” Justin said. “They love showing off at League Wars and the Olympiad. But when they learn the grand prize means permanently becoming the Oracle, their enthusiasm fades fast.”
Chase asked, “Why haven’t you asked EB?”
Nova sighed. “He’s completely focused on Jordan Moore, who is a low-grade contender. I suspect he won’t make it past the first round of his local competition.”
“That’s pretty bleak, sir,” Justin said. “EB has put a lot of effort into training him this week.”
“A week of training is hardly enough,” Nova replied. “Jordan failed to join BADGE several years ago for a reason. I’m not placing much hope in his success.” He noticed the looks on their faces. “I know I should be more supportive, but this is a serious situation. If the competition weren’t open to anyone who wanted to join, I would have found a way to keep Jordan out — for his own sake. But I don’t have the right to stop him.”
Chase stood. “I’ll head out and see if I can find more heroes willing to compete. I still haven’t spoken with the leagues in Northern Africa.”
Justin added, “I’ll go through our registered morphonic individuals who aren’t aligned with any major league or the Rangers and see who might be interested.”
“Find me someone,” Nova said. “I want to know that whoever wins is truly worthy of becoming an Oracle.”
They acknowledged their orders and left to begin the work.
Nova walked back into the main Operations center. The various fight broadcasts continued playing with the sound off. He stopped in front of the largest screen. “10915, give me a camera on the training center.”
The main window switched to the training facility, where students were working on their powers. “Zoom in on the sparring mat in zone three.”
The image focused on a fighting mat where two trainees faced off. One was a woman with flaming hands. The other was the unassuming Jordan Moore. Coach Thrasher and EB watched from the side. The woman attacked with quick martial-arts strikes. Jordan dodged and ducked repeatedly, moving with surprising speed and agility. He never got hit. Finally, he spun and kicked her squarely in the rear, sending her face-down onto the mat.
“Good show,” Nova murmured, a note of genuine surprise in his voice.
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