by Brian Moon
Chapter 16: Deciding what to do.
As Lukas entered Lord Nemesis’ workshop, the man’s anger could be felt in the air. By the looks of it the old man hadn’t slept last night but had tried to work through his anger and thoughts by pounding metal into submission.
“Tell me exactly what was said.” Lord Nemesis said evenly. Lukas recounted the encounter and ended by placing Anthony’s pin on the table in front of Lord Nemesis. The wrinkled old hands reached out and gingerly picked up the pin and brought it close for inspection. His hand slammed onto the table with the pin smacking onto the metal surface.
“General, I have to admit this is my fault. I have been waiting to see what these anomalies in mankind’s development would do next. My scientific curiosity got the better of me. I see now that these powers do not seem to be advancement but more of a mutation. Not all mutations are good for the world. I want a meeting this afternoon. I want all the officers there.”
“Yes sir, is there anything else?” Lord Nemesis waved him off and Lukas turned to leave.
“Oh and General…”
“Yes sir?” Lukas paused to look back.
“That was quite a party last night, you handled events very well and Helena has never seemed happier. Well done.”
“Thank you sir, and she’s not the only one happy with things.” Lukas smiled and left the room.
It took some maneuvering to get all of the officers from various parts of the state to a meeting here in Paragon by two o’clock. Yet, all of the men were settled down in the workshop. The tables had all been moved to form a large “U” shaped table with one table off the open end. At this table Lord Nemesis, General Eisenberg and Colonel Tomain sat facing the officers.
“Gentlemen, I thank you for freeing up time today on such short notice. In the files before you I have outlined our growing concern with the interference of these self proclaimed heroes. We have only seen the intervention of five persons and our conversations with the Marcone family confirms the same five have also plagued them as well. They have no immediate plans to deal with this nuisance. They prefer to wait to see what Southern United will do about them. I have documented the actual known appearances and at this moment it does not appear there is any co-ordination between their efforts, which is good for us. Now if you look at the statistics on each of these you will see some interesting items. Of the five, Vambrace is the least of our worries. It is mechanical armor and I’m sure our own Warhulks will be a good match for it. This Statesman and Maiden Justice both show an advanced level of strength. They can take a lot of physical abuse, but they can give it out even more. I believe just overwhelming them with numbers will suffice. Next you will see the one labeled Stormy… We have learned today he goes by the name Elementar. It would appear he has somehow learned a way to create weather conditions, especially with wind and lightening. Lastly is the one called Dark Watcher. He is the most dangerous of the five. The Statesman may be the most seen, but Dark Watcher is dangerous because no one seems to see him, until it is too late. I don’t understand his abilities yet. Those experiencing them have led me to believe he has the ability to manipulate a person’s mind… crippling them with their own fear. I believe it is just a matter of catching him off guard. A long shot from a sniper rifle would be the safest way, if we can locate him first. “ Lord Nemesis looked around at the faces in the room. He gave them a moment to absorb the information he had just given them.
“Although I had not planned on this for a while yet, I believe it is time to start moving troops and resources into the City. It would be criminal to ignore The Statesman’s threat. There is nothing more dangerous than a vigilante that feels he has identified the cause of everyone’s problems. So Captain Jensen, what would be the most daunting task to move your operation from the foundries?”
“Simply the movement of the Warhulks, sir, they can’t go by truck. They will have to go by box car, to do that we will have to build the box cars ourselves. I have a design already for your approval, but it will take at least a month to be ready to move them.”
“We will meet after this Captain to look those over. Colonel Tomain how do we stand on actual troops?”
“We have fifteen hundred in training and can be ready within two days. I would like permission to move what we have ready from our Atlanta foundries. That would give us another five hundred to shore up our lines.”
“You know General, I must admit your concern about recruiting has suddenly become apparent. Still two thousand against five individuals, even with super powers can’t be a match for our numbers, especially if we add in our mechanical warriors. No I think we will be fine. I wish to meet with each of you privately before you leave. Thank you gentlemen.”