“Let him know that if he insults me, or you, I'm very willing to put him on ice.” Snow took Bark’s hand and walked with him toward the end of a hallway.
Bark was laughing now.
Snow frowned. “What did I say that was so funny?”
“Most boyfriends are ready to defend their girls. You don't need me to protect you; you can just turn him into a green-headed Popsicle. It’s scary, and a little sexy.”
“You'd better believe it. I'm not some wilting flower. I'm a superhero, and I'm willing to prove it to any…uh, expletive, that mistreats you,” she joked.
Bark stopped at a large door to the room at the dead end of the hall. “Okay, let’s stop fuming over him. Do you want to come in?”
Snow shook her head. “No, I need to study for my astrophysics exam. Just give me a kiss and remind me who the better man around here is.” She gave him a smile that would make just about any man want to kiss her.
Bark did not need much encouragement. He took her in his arms and gave her a great kiss. Yes, they necked like teenagers, and they deserved to. Though at times, they forgot where they were.
Snow finally separated herself from his face and licked her lips. “Wow, what a tongue.”
Bark wagged his tail. “You know it.”
“Oh, how cute. It is nice to see young people in love.” An old lady’s voice had broken the romantic moment.
Bark and Snow turned to see the door they had approached was open and a little old Japanese woman standing there smiling at them warmly.
Bark bowed his head and said, “Sensei.”
The old woman bowed back to him. “Inu-chan. Please, I've been waiting for you.” She held out a hand for him to come into the little dojo.
Snow let go of her man and waved to them. “Have fun.”
“Always,” Bark said, then walked in with the little old lady.
The room seemed distant from the rest of the station. It was not what most would expect to find on the hi-tech UCH headquarters. It was designed to appear much like a dojo in Japan, down to the faux sunlight coming in through the windows and the gentle sound of a small creek outside the door. This was the dojo of the grand master Toshi. No one, even Toshi, knew how old she was. The best guess was that she was probably around 800. She never told anyone how she had managed to live for so long, but no one questioned her abilities. For such a small, frail looking old woman, she was the most highly trained martial artist in the known universe. When the UCH summoned the best and brightest to teach the heroes of tomorrow, she answered the call and gave her requirements. The general agreed and Toshi joined the UCH at its founding.
Students are not required to take class from her. Instead, she explores the newest incoming members and, when she finds one worthy of her training, she approaches them and makes her offer. Only a complete fool would turn down this offer. When she saw Bark sitting in the mess only days after his arrival, she met him and studied him. He could not speak and she didn’t ask him to write anything down. Somehow, she made up her mind early to ask him to become a student. Since he had few friends in his early days here, he did not turn this down. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.
Bark walked into the middle of the room, knelt down, and bowed as was customary.
Toshi stood back and smiled. “Inu-chan, ready yourself.”
Bark sat back up, completely unaware what she would throw at him today. Suddenly the hologram generator in the room created three warriors in black, each ready to attack him. Bark jumped up and caught a hand before it made contact with his head. He leaned back hard and pulled the man toward him. Just as another one was about to strike, he threw the first attacker at him and both slammed against a wall.
The third warrior attacked with perfect karate motions. Bark dodged each swing and did a back flip, hitting the man in the chin with his feet and sending him flying into the second attacker. Just then, the first man attacked and Bark caught the fist with his hands in a perfect defensive posture. He twisted around so that he had a grip on the warrior’s forearm. With a massive heave, he threw the first man so hard that the holographic matrix exploded when he hit the wall.
The third man leapt at Bark, but Bark heard him coming and waited for his approach. When the man grabbed Bark’s tail, Bark elbowed him squarely in the ribs. With a jumping twist, Bark kicked the man in the head and sent him down. The computer registered a complete KO and the hologram dissipated.
The last warrior ran up and assumed a precise fighting stance. Bark assumed his own, feet spread perfectly, his hands in the defense position, and his eyes set directly on the holograms eyes. The hologram burst forward with several well-placed strikes. Bark met each one with a deflective motion. This continued for a while, both stalemating the other so neither got an advantage. Bark was hit several times, which hurt pretty bad. But, he got close enough to grab the hologram by the fist. With a great thrust, Bark pulled the warrior in close. Using his palm, he struck the hologram in the face and would have caved in his nose, but the hologram disappeared upon impact.
Bark had won.
Toshi smiled. “Good. Very good, Inu-chan. From now on, they'll be set to something other than easy.”
Bark panted hard and smiled at his victory, but his eyes bugged at the thought that this was the easy setting for the training session. He did not argue or ask anything; he just sat back down and waited for his instruction.
Toshi came up to him and sat down in front of him. “Inu-chan, you have progressed faster than most students I've taught. You impress me, and I dare say that is not a common thing. But, you need something if you are going to fight alongside the other heroes.” Slowly and precisely, she set something down in front of Bark.
Bark looked down and took a moment to examine the strange object.
“This is called a Bo staff, a weapon from my homeland of the Ryukyu kingdom. In the wrong hands, it is clumsy and hard to use. But, with proper training, this can be more dangerous and more useful than any gun you come across.” She took the weapon out of his hand and held it out like the master she was. “This is almost as old as I am. It is constructed from a wood that is no longer available on earth, and blessed by a dragon from a bygone era. It will not break, it will not scratch, and it will always obey its master…so long as he is worthy.”
Bark bowed low to her. “Sensei, I'm not worthy of such a gift.”
Toshi smiled. “When will you be worthy?”
Bark frowned. “Can’t you tell me that?”
She laughed and shook her head. “Inu-chan. Your worth is measured in your heart first and foremost. If you believe yourself worthy, yet retain humility in your heart, then you are worthy. Don’t give anyone else the right to judge that part of you before you have. No one, not even myself, has that right. Do you understand?”
Bark smiled and bowed again. “Yes, sensei.”
Toshi stood up and held out the Bo staff. “Then, Inu-chan, it is time to begin training.”
***
The World Alliance was formed for the protection of the planet against the newfound threats of the modern age. They often worked hand in hand with the UCH, Globe Rangers and other smaller supernormal organizations. The Alliance had its own global military to help protect the planet, and that military was commanded by one Marshal Dae. Dae was a brilliant tactician and military leader, but he had a history of brutality and ruthlessness. He was able to obtain his title through those governments in the Alliance that wanted a more commanding, dangerous organization. Dae commanded his military with efficiency, and he absolutely hated supernormals. To him, they were a disgrace to humankind. More than once, he had used his considerable power to construct some convoluted plan to capture and destroy the supernormal problem. Unfortunately, he never seemed to succeed – and that really annoyed him. The UCH and the Globe Rangers have tried to bring his actions to the attention of the rest of the Alliance, but Dae is always ready for the allegations and the Alliance is nev
er convinced.
The marshal was having a really bad day, which was a common occurrence for him. His office was his sanctuary and the place where he concocted most of his plans to dispose of the supernormal problem. The room was littered with blue prints, files of known heroes, maps of the world, and files on other planets with inhabitants he wanted dealt with. While he looked over the specs of the UCH space station’s security grid, he nursed an oversized cup of coffee that was hotter than hell.
“”SUSAN!” he bellowed.
A terrified secretary opened the door to his office and looked in with pure fear. “Ye ..y…yes?”
He slapped the file down on his desk. “Find me the specs on those damned weapons platforms!”
She cleared her throat and cautiously asked, “What platforms would those be…sir?”
He gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to throw his coffee cup. “The ones that protect the UCH station. I want them in my hands NOW!”
She scurried away and took very few moments to retrieve the known data on the weapons satellites that orbit the UCH station. As fast as she could run, she came back in and handed them to him, then stood shaking while she said, “W…will there be anything else?”
He took the file and shook his head. “No.”
Without another word, Susan ran for her desk, thankful that she would live another day.
The marshal looked over the documents. They did not have much data on the UCH security systems, other than the knowledge that a direct assault would be pointless. If an unfriendly ship barely moved within the perimeter of the weapon platforms that surround the station, they would be met with about ten thousand laser emitters and five dozen proto-atomic torpedoes.
A small light on the communications module on his desk blinked. It was a signal that told him it was time to make a call. He set down the file and typed in a code. After three minutes, the silhouette of a man appeared. Whoever was on the other end did not want his face to be seen, so he kept in the shadows. The image was not clear, but that was exactly what he wanted.
The man on the com channel asked, “Did you scramble the signal like I ordered you to?”
Marshal Dae glared at the person. “I did not get this far by making mistakes.”
“You haven’t gotten too far, Dae. Or do you call your half-assed attempts at bringing down the UCH progress?” His tone was mocking and cruel.
Dae slammed his fist on his desk. “Did you call me just to taunt me?!”
The shadowed man remained cool. “No. I sent that message to you because I believe that we have a mutual desire.”
The Marshal sat back. “I'm listening.”
“I know you're willing to pay 20 million dollars for information about the UCH. I want that money. I'm on the inside and can get you what you want. And more.”
Marshal Dae smiled wickedly. “More?”
“Yes. I have a plan that will hand to you not only the general and his staff, but every single student on the station.”
Dae was understandably skeptical. “What is your plan?”
The shadowed man reached over and then held up a ring-shaped device large enough to fit around a man’s neck. “With a little encouragement through mind control, I can get one of these shock collars around every student and faculty member’s neck. Once in place, they will be powerless to resist the person who wields this controller.”
Dae smiled again. “Good. But, we cannot get a ship inside the security perimeter of that station, and I don’t think it will be easy to get everyone to board the shuttles and fly down. It will attract a lot of attention and –”
“Don’t worry about that. I'll get the station outside of the perimeter. Leave that to me. Do we have a deal?”
Marshal Dae nodded. “Twenty million for the students and –”
“Forty million.”
“WHAT!?”
The shadowed man put down the collar. “Your offer is only for the high-ranking people. I'm literally handing you the entire UCH on a silver platter. Double your offer, or the deal is off.”
Marshal Dae did not like dickering on price, but this was too good a chance to pass up. After considering his options for a few seconds he nodded. “Forty million it is. Just make sure you keep your side of the deal.”
The shadowed man nodded back. “I'll contact you soon with more details.” Without any further information the screen went blank and the marshal was left to ponder the absolute beauty of being able to finally take down the damned UCH.
Chapter 3: It Begins
Bark’s journal: Day 5. Today, after morning classes, I'm going to go for my first day of water training. I'm not looking forward to it. According to Coach Thrasher, all heroes must have a working knowledge of swimming and possibly fighting underwater. I'm not going to train in water fighting just yet, as that entails a lot of special lessons and can be dangerous without the proper experience. Today is just to test how much I know and what I need to learn in basic swimming.
Later, I'm going to see Dr. Stone for a final mental scan. He hopes he can finally dig up the rest of my memories. I'm excited. I want to be able to remember my parents and my childhood. But Josiah told me to prepare myself for the worst. It is likely that he won’t be able to retrieve much more. Even so, I can't help but be hopeful.
Bark and Snow walked through the station. They were comparing notes about classes. Snow had already taken most of the classes that Bark was currently enrolled in, so she was trying to prepare him for the tests and the work he had ahead from the teachers. Bark was trying to pay attention, but his eyes continuously looked around and there was a worried expression on his face.
“Bark, if you don’t memorize the periodic table for Dr. Stanton, then you won’t….what are you looking for?” Snow had gotten tired of looking at the back of his head.
He looked back at her with a worried expression. “Oak Trees.” He frowned and tapped his vocal processor so the right words would come out. “Green Scream.”
Snow frowned. “What in heaven’s name would you want to find him for?”
Bark stopped and his ears turned independently of each other, scanning the sounds around them. The frown on his face deepened. “I can’t find him.”
“Well, good riddance. Who needs that jerk?” Snow walked onward with Bark in tow.
Bark shook his head and smiled. “I guess I'm just being paranoid. That guy has been harassing me so much that when he doesn’t, I get nervous.”
“Maybe he decided to leave you alone?”
Bark scoffed, “Or maybe he's setting up a dandy. I have to be on my guard.”
Snow was about to say something when she noticed the security bots and several of the instructors standing around the entrance to the lower levels. There was a sign blocking the door that said, “No admittance until further notice.”
Bark frowned. ”What do you think is going on Pizza?” He frowned and corrected his sentence. “I mean, there?”
Snow shook her head. “I don’t know. Let’s check it out.” She and Bark walked over to the chunky security bots, which were designed similarly to the training bots used to teach and test students.
The automated security bot held up a hand-like appendage. “No admittance until further notice.” Its tone was not entirely unlike that of Bark’s vocal box.
Snow leaned over to look around the bot. “Did someone get hurt?”
“No admittance until further notice,” it stated again.
Just then Dr. Stone came out looking at a computer tablet, “Droid 773, alert the general to what was stolen and tell the station’s sensor sweeps to be on the lookout.” The bot blocking their path processed its orders and then left to find a communications terminal.
Bark walked up to the doctor. “Dr. Josiah, what's going sausage here?” He let out a small growl at the failings of his vocal system.
Josiah frowned, knowing that the device he had designed wasn’t working right. He answered, “It seems
that the museum was broken into last night. A thief made off with several very dangerous items.”
Snow was shocked. “I thought that the museum was highly protected.”
Josiah nodded. “It is…or really was. We found a scrambler attached to the door lock. I don’t know who could have made it, but it is a very advanced piece of technology. It rendered all of the security systems useless.”
Bark asked, “Why didn’t the thief popcorn corndogs?” He frowned and pointed at his vocal processor.
Josiah handed his computer tablet to Snow and then removed Bark’s collar. He detached the back of the voice box and pressed a button. “You have to reset this thing each morning or it will start to translate your latent thoughts. My guess is that you two are heading for lunch?”
Snow smiled and nodded. “Yeah, he gets pretty hungry.”
Josiah replaced the back and reached around to put the collar back on Bark. “Makes sense; his metabolism is almost three times that of a normal human. He probably gets hungry all the time.” The doctor stepped back and took his pad from Snow. “Okay, is it working properly now?”
Bark looked up and thought aloud. “Why didn’t the thief take this scrambler with him?” He smiled at the thought having been translated properly without random words.
Josiah smiled and then answered the question. “My guess is that the scrambler has a limited amount of time. The thief probably ran out of time grabbing the items and had to leave it behind.” The doctor looked at Bark with a smile. “Wait, maybe you can help. Bot 7090, bring the evidence over here.”
Bark frowned. “Me? Do you think I had something to do with this?”
Another security bot came up with a small device about the size of a tennis ball. It had four arms with needles coming out of each. Josiah held it up. “This is the scrambler. See if you can smell anyone else on it besides me.”
Bark shrugged and leaned over. He closed his eyes and sniffed the device. It was an amazing thing having the ability to detect odors like this, though it could prove problematic at times when other students decided to eat broccoli and leave interesting odors for him to find. After a few moments of sniffing, Bark looked at the doctor. “I can smell you on it and nothing else of value.”
Enemies and Allies Page 3