by Kipjo Ewers
“If this person can shapeshift, how do we know it’s not a woman posing as a man?” Sister Sledge asked.
“That’s an excellent point,” Erica admitted, “We don’t know, which further complicates this case. What we do know is that this person is extremely deadly and very intelligent to pull this off. I take it you’re reviewing all areas this person had access to as the Major.”
“We are, we have been reviewing months of footage and security access leaving no stone unturned,” Director Mansfield nodded. “So far, we have not confirmed anything that has been either stolen or copied.”
“As I said earlier, this person was either compromised or completed their mission,” Erica concluded. “We need to pull our resources together and work to hunt them down as quickly as possible.”
The Director looked at an unnerved Lady of the Lake before nodding in agreement.
“Thank you for assisting us in our investigation, but for now this will remain an MI6 matter. Although I disapprove of the Lieutenant’s outburst, I am extending you the professional courtesy in knowing that we will be placing this Eye of Ra at the top of our list of suspects.”
“Director Mansfield, I just told you there is no way he could have done this,” Erica stepped forward slightly elevating her voice.
“No Doctor Champion, you said he had a different power set from the assassin,” the Director said stepping forward while using a stern tone. “Do you have evidence that you have full knowledge of all of his abilities?”
“No, I do not, however …”
“However, he is the third being recorded on this planet to display abilities that clearly surpass any other superhuman on this planet rivaling both the First and Second Source. By your own admission, there are very few who could have overpowered the Major so easily. So, unless you can provide evidence leading to someone else, we need to question this individual.”
“The Eye of Ra to my knowledge went off planet three months after the battle with Peace and the Zombie nation and has not returned since” Erica answered with steel to her tone. “So, there is no way he could have murdered the Major within the timeline he was killed.”
“Apologies Dr. Champion, but due to your closeness to this Eye of Ra I cannot trust that you are providing objective proof of his innocence?”
“Forgive me Director, but what the hell are you implying?” Erica scowled.
“I am implying that despite your genius level intelligence and technological advances you were unable to detect the Second Source while she was on this very planet carrying out her plans to take over the world. Can you honestly say you know the whereabouts of an alien with superior technology to your own?”
Sister Sledge ran her hands through her white dreads, while the Sarge lowered his head. Erica’s jaw shifted from left to right while her eyes narrowed at the Director unable to refute his argument.
“The Major and his team have become a beacon of light so to speak for the country, especially during these rocky times.” Director Mansfield pressed. “His death will come with an astronomical blow once it is officially announced and people will want answers. Answers that we currently do not have. Our stake is much greater than yours in identifying the individual responsible for his murder. Do we have an understanding Sergeant Rogers?”
“Yes, we do,” Rogers nodded looking at him and then Erica.
“Superhumans and aliens,” Director Mansfield sadly shook his head. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜
The Regulators left MI6 not saying a word to one another. They all departed in the same respective vehicles they came in heading to the same destination. They waited until they were a mile away from MI6 to speak on a secure video channel between the two cars.
“Rogers ...,” Erica began the conversation.
“I know what you’re going to say,” he stopped her. “I don’t believe he did this either. Are you certain this isn’t Peace?”
“Even if she somehow found a way out of that black hole, there’s no way she could get anywhere near Earth without our early warning system detecting her.” Erica pressed. “My system is designed to detect her energy signature without fail.”
“Can you use this system to find this guy or gal?” Heavy Element asked.
“I’ve been trying to find this person since they drained the power plant in India,” Erica answered shaking her head. “All I’ve been detecting is Dennison, and her daughter, whoever this individual is should have a massive energy output similar to theirs.”
“You actually think it’s the same person?” Rosann asked turning to her.
“Oh yeah, I am a thousand percent certain,” Erica nodded. “Based on the deterioration of Sir Knight Light’s body, his time of death lines up with the draining of the power plant, I just can’t put Flaming Jay in the picture and the motive to kill her.”
“Based on your autopsy and the reports she was dead before she hit the ground, right?” Merge asked. “What if she saw this person dressed as Sir Knight Light flying in her vicinity and went to investigate? What if she saw this person’s face?”
The rest of her team’s facial expressions read that she was onto something.
“I know we didn’t share this with the Director for obvious reasons,” Sister Sledge jumped into the conversation. “But isn’t it possible this is a boosted using the serum we found. Not only is it fast acting; we’re unable to determine the maximum output this thing can produce once it turns a human into a full-blown EVO.”
“Sister Sledge has a good point Sarge,” Erica agreed. “These cases could be linked considering this also originated out of the Middle East.”
“Maxine, is Blitz, Nitro, and Cyclone back at the Ranch?” Rogers asked
“Yes, they are, Sergeant Rogers.”
“Tell them to keep their asses there. Lock down the base, and put security on high alert until we get there. If these cases are related, we might be next.”
CHAPTER 10
Several light years from her homeworld, the banished and presumed dead stood in the middle of a bedroom on a planet of a race older than her own with her wrists bound with metallic alien restraints. Much to her frustration, she was unable to break free of the shackles that were deceptively thin and frail looking with appearance. Every now and then she’d slightly turn her head to check out the two-armed male and female guards at the entrance of the door calmly watching her every move.
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Her mind began to wander back to her imprisonment as she hung naked within the cell of the ship that fished her out of a crushing black hole. Time stood still as she patiently waited to strategize her escape once they came for her. Her plan the second her alien shackles were removed was to leave a trail of bodies and destruction during her flight to freedom.
She remembered bracing herself as her ears picked up the footsteps coming. Her muscles began to pulsate as the orange crystalline cell door broke apart and slid away into the walls of the cell. She narrowed her eyes focusing as two female guards entered the room. She sized them up noting their toned muscular build over their dark snake patterned skin. She’d have to focus on head and torso shots as they wore light gold and silver armor over their crimson sheer thigh high toga outfits.
The taller of the two with blue-black skin and orange colored braided hair clutched the hilt of her sword as she squeezed a metallic green circle pendant around her neck with alien etchings, which caused her cocoon restraints to light up and then crack open releasing each of her appendages.
She barely got her feet underneath her as she employed her ability of flight to stop her descent, she then charged the two female guards with the intent of removing their heads from their bodies.
All they did was calmly slide away from each other making a path for a third who rushed into the cell with blurring speed slamming P
eace with a vicious shoulder charge knocking her back into the wall she hung from. Her body made a slight dent in the wall as she bounced off of it and smacked face first into the floor. Clutching the center of her chest which took the brunt of the hit, she scrambled to her feet to see the third female in the room, much smaller than the two guards with pitch black skin wearing a blood red Mohawk styled into six braids. She wore a near sheer pink toga with golden accents. On her arms and legs, she wore bracers and greaves with ancient alien etchings that emitted a dim red glow. A piercing red light glowed from her eyes as she wore a face that could slaughter a million legions by itself.
“So …you’re the head boss bitch,” Peace deduced with a sneer on her face.
Without another word, she unleashed her second plan of attack firing off a pair of planet-shattering eyebeam blasts at her.
It was brought to a screeching halt in two moves as the alien used her bracers to block an eyebeam attack that Peace used to obliterate one of Saturn’s many small moons. She bridged the gap between the two of them with the same godly speed she entered the room with knocking her into semi-unconsciousness with a left hook to the side of her skull.
She remembered her naked body slamming violently onto the floor of her cell, before feeling the same female’s foot on the back of her neck. Her body went into spasms as it felt as if her skull was split in two as blood poured from her nostrils. She groaned and gurgled as her world went fuzzy. She was dumbfounded by the fact that there was a being in the universe that was not only undisputedly faster than her and Dennison but also hit a trillion times harder. She made a note to rethink her plans of universal conquest should she make it out of her predicament alive.
To add further insult to injury, she felt her grab her by her dreads lifting her back to her knees as the smaller of the two guards came forward removing the restraints that hung from the sword belt on her hips. They were two thin metallic circles held together by an equally small malleable bar. She grabbed each of her trembling hands inserting them through each of the rings. Once in the bands constricted to fit tightly over her wrists.
“Try to focus life milk sow for I shall only say this once,” the female warrior calmly whispered in perfect English. “Do as you are instructed, or I shall kill you. Now move.”
The high-ranking warrior pulled tighter on her dreads forcing her to her feet before releasing her. A groggy Peace stumbled a bit as her vision and equilibrium eventually came back to her. She turned cutting the commanding alien a nasty murderous glare that did not even scratch her Teflon demeanor. She did as she was told turning on her heel and following the guards flanking her as the red-haired onyx skinned super alien brought up the rear.
They exited her holding cell whereby her count they walked sixty paces to a large room with several clear tubes lined next to one another. One of the cylinders began to rise to the ceiling as they got closer to it.
“Get in,” the female alien leader commanded.
“And what pray tell am I fucking getting into?” Peace defiantly shot back.
“I shall not have my sacred homeworld defiled by your filth Earth sow,” she flatly answered. “Step in and get properly cleaned.”
Peace scoffed while fluttered her eyes. She found a way to squeeze out a nasty wet fart before making her way to the alien shower. Once the tube descended around her sealing her in, she was doused from an opening in the top of the machine by an ice cold sticky red liquid that began to move coating her entire body. As it ran, it became sheering red hot in a matter of seconds to the point that even she could feel it. It then hardened into a crusted form. Before she could react with a smart aleck comment, the same opening released backbreaking clear blue water into the chamber flooding it.
Immune to drowning, Peace held up two middle fingers as the harden liquid dissolved from her body turning the water from blue to red. Vents at the bottom of the chamber opened up allowing for the water to drain out of it. The same vents blasted hot steaming air until she was thoroughly dry. The tube then ascended allowing her to step out.
“So, where’s my spit shine?” Peace asked making a lewd gesture with her private area.
A male alien with slated gray reptile skin and black pearl eyes wearing a blue toga with thick metallic silver bracers adorned with alien etchings entered the room holding a type of sheer white linen.
“Raise your arms to eye level,” the alien commander ordered. “And know that the Thracian that is here to clothe you will willingly die even if you threaten his life. You will have no bargaining chip if you attempt anything foolish, nor will you make it out of this room alive.”
“Whatever,” Peace snorted while rolling her eyes.
As she lifted her arms as told, the male Thracian walked up to her and skillfully pulled out a length full of the linen he held. He then quickly made a twist in the cloth and proceeded to cover and bind her breasts fashioning the fabric into a bikini top. Pulling a curved blade from a hilt on his right hip he cut the linen and tied the back into a stylish knot securing her bra.
“Spread your legs apart,” he commanded.
She did as she was told while sticking her tongue out fluttering it around in the direction of the female in charge. The male Thracian took the rest of the linen crouching down and began wrapping her bottom and nether region creating a hybrid bikini bottom sarong wrap which he cut and tied off at her right hip. Peace became slightly unnerved and impressed by both the skill and sensuality he used to fashion her outfit.
Not giving her a second look, he wrapped up the rest of the linen, respectfully bowed to the female Thracian in charge and left the room.
“He might be outside sniffing his fingers,” Peace blurted out.
The red-eyed female Thracian slowly narrowed her eyes at her clearly thinking evil thoughts. Peace answered with a defiant shrug.
“I’m just saying …he snuck a swipe on two occasions.”
“Fall in, you dusty breeding sow,” the Thracian commander responded.
Peace’s face read that she was not going to take being referred to as their version of a female pig much longer as she did what she was told.
She was lead out of the room and walked by her count two hundred footsteps to what she could make out was an elevator lift which doors slid open as they neared it. They entered with the guards flanking her, and the six-braided red-head standing behind her. She could feel her eyes burning the back of her neck with her glare, while her bare feet told her the elevator was descending further into the hull of the ship. She closed her eyes feeling it finally slow down coming to a full stop as the doors opened revealing a hanger which housed a sea of starships which varied between fighters, shuttles, and transports.
They marched to a royal shuttle that had the shape of a sleek boomerang hovering quietly due to some unknown propulsion system primed and ready for departure, as they neared the craft, parts of the floor in the hanger raised up creating floating steps to the entrance of the ship. Peace followed the female guards as their commander brought up the rear behind her.
As she entered the ship looking around at the bare hull, she snorted unimpressed at what she saw, until the lower part of the walls on both sides of the craft slid out creating seating. Peace didn’t need instructions to take a seat as the two Thracian guards sat down flanking her, while their commander sat across from them casually folding her arms and legs lazily staring back at her.
If it weren't for the thin window slits in the craft, she would not have known that they left the ship’s hanger, it was her chance to execute one final escape attempt.
“What the …?”
A stunned perplex look appeared on Peace’s visage. She looked up narrowing her eyes at the soft chuckling from the Thracian commander sitting across from her.
“The restraints on your wrists also emit a bio-frequency which targets your nervous system preventing you from increasing your adrenaline which is what you need to activate your ability to channel and manipulate the feeble energy that you posse
ss.”
Her answer produced a murderous scowl on Peace’s face, which made the Thracian commander lean forward to lock eyes with her.
“You may have been extraordinary compared to others from that backwater planet you hail from, but here you are nothing more than a toothless mongrel. You breathe air at my brother’s leisure, become used to the yoke of your reality.”
Peace continued staring her down with murderous intent contemplating lunging for her throat despite the fact that she might be beaten to death for the attempt. Her graphic thoughts of violence were suppressed as her eyes picked up sunlight beaming through the shrill viewing ports of the ship.
Due to the speed of the craft and the limited view the windows provided, she saw little of the alien world outside until the ship landed. Defiant to the end, she waited for the commander and her guards to rise, before taking her time to get to her feet. As the hatch of the door opened up, she walked out to a bright blue-green sky and a Thracian battalion of a thousand-strong standing in column formation. Walking down a new set of floating steps, she determined by their attire which was the grunts, and higher ranked officers.
At the sight of the female Thracian commander, they all violently clanged the thick metal bracers on their arms together roaring the words “Thrace! Thrace! Thrace!” before dropping to one knee resting one forearm over a knee while bowing their heads.
The act almost made her forget to take in her surroundings. From what she could tell she was on a military base. All around her were an ocean of ships just like on the command vessel she just left. Behind them were smooth massive red metallic buildings that gleamed in the sunlight and matched the metal ground she stood on. The second the commander’s foot touched the Thracian ground, the army rose to its feet, Peace observed as she waited while one of the higher ranked officers stepped out to greet her personally.