Action Figures - Issue Three: Pasts Imperfect

by Michael Bailey

  “We’ll see.”

  They pass through the security checkpoint together. As usual, Nemo has to endure a vigorous round of intense questioning before he is allowed to pass. His briefcase is unceremoniously emptied, searched, sloppily repacked, and returned to him with mumbled apology.

  “You could have said something, you know,” Nemo grouses.

  “I could have.”

  They ride the elevator to the top level in silence.

  The uppermost floor is home to a single office, a vast expanse of polished black marble floors and windows tinted so dark that the brightest day appears as dusk to those inside. There are no bookshelves. There are no decorations. The furniture is sparse and practical: two chairs of rich black leather, used too infrequently to be made comfortable, set before a mahogany desk as large as a pool table, upon which sits a phone and a laptop (also infrequently used). A third chair with a high back sits behind the desk.

  The woman in the tall chair is more of a mystery than either of her lieutenants. Members of her security force insist they have never witnessed her enter or leave the building. She takes her meals alone (although the rumor mill maintains that she does not eat, and indeed, no one in the complex’s kitchen facilities can recall ever sending food to her office). She deals directly with few people outside a very small inner circle, and from them she commands a loyalty that borders on fanaticism. They respect her. They fear her more.

  They know her name is Sharona. They do not call her by her name.

  “Gentlemen. Sit,” she says, the invitation sounding like a command. “Mr. Nemo.”

  “Ma’am.”

  “I’ve read the reports on your little experiment involving this Buzzkill Joy person. Tell me why I shouldn’t find the outcome unsatisfactory.”

  “I understand your concerns, ma’am, and they are not unfounded, but I would like to assure you most strenuously that any fallout has been isolated to Ms. Morana.”

  Sharona narrows her eyes. Nemo responds by presenting to her a folder.

  “This contains a detailed transcript of Ms. Morana’s statement to investigators,” he says. “You’ll notice there is absolutely no mention of any outside force driving her decisions, sound or otherwise.”

  “Is there any mention of what did drive her decisions?” the Foreman says. “Ma’am, Project Moreau is a black ops government program. Even we didn’t know about it until a few days ago —”

  “You’re welcome,” Nemo interjects.

  “— which means there is no way this girl could have known about it, much less ferret out the man in charge of it. We can’t trust that such a gaping hole in her story will go unnoticed.”

  Sharona turns her gaze back toward Nemo.

  “I would hardly call it a hole in her story. The girl is insane. She slaughtered seven people at her high school because, quote, they needed killing, unquote. She has an established record of erratic behavior and inexplicable outbursts of violence, typically directed toward people she regards as oppressive authority figures. Her doctor — excuse me, her late doctor — fits the bill nicely.”

  “That’s a sloppy cover,” the Foreman says, “and that kind of sloppiness could one day compromise this entire operation.”

  “So says the man who lost a regional base to the Protectorate and a group of teenagers,” Nemo retorts.

  “Gentlemen,” Sharona says, cowing the men with a look. “You are professionals. Act like it.”

  “Ma’am, I will concede that my colleague was successful in obtaining a considerable cache of data regarding Project Moreau, and that that data should prove extremely useful to the cause,” the Foreman says, “but he did so to indulge a personal whim.”

  “Point of order, ma’am. We did not have an established backup plan in the event the Bestiary failed to liberate Archimedes,” Nemo says. “I merely took advantage of the opportunity that arose from the botched operation to salvage the basic mission and realize our objective.”

  “And risked exposure,” the Foreman counters.

  “I repeat: We have not been compromised. Further, ma’am, we’ve gained valuable intelligence on this Hero Squad, and now have eight potential new operatives sitting in Byrne, waiting to be cultivated. I believe the rewards we’ve reaped were worth the relatively minor risk.”

  Sharona leans back in her chair, her almond-shaped eyes narrowed to black slits that betray no emotion.

  “Mr. Nemo,” she says. “While the outcome was beneficial to this operation, your approach was ill-advised. Do not take any such actions again without my express approval.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Understood.”

  “Foreman. These children — the Hero Squad, was it?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the Foreman says. “Terrible name, I know.”

  “This is the second time they’ve interfered with us. We may have to reassess their threat rating.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll coordinate with Mr. Nemo to update our current intel.”

  “Very good. Gentlemen,” she says, turning the back of her chair to her guests, “you are dismissed.”

  They leave without offering any formal farewells, as per their mistress’s preference. She doesn’t care for niceties. She cares about performance. She cares about results. She cares about her self-appointed mission:

  To save the world from itself.

  BONUS!

  You’re not done yet! Go to author Michael Bailey’s official website (innsmouthlook.com) to read a brand-new Action Figures short story featuring Dr. Enigma.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I knew back in September 2013, when I released Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins, that any success I might realize with this series would take time. Independent authors don’t have the benefit of a large corporation to handle things like promotions and have to do all the work themselves, often on no budget, and that can be an intimidating process. I did my research, chose the best options for my budget and my product, crafted a publicity strategy, and jumped in with both feet, but I ultimately had no idea whether anything I did would yield results.

  Then in May 2014, something amazing happened: I went from selling a copy here and there to selling dozens of copies of book one and its sequel, Action Figures – Issue Two: Black Magic Women. Dozens became hundreds, and soon I was selling several books a day, every day, without fail.

  My first expression of gratitude goes out to you, the reader, for taking a chance on this series and responding so positively to it. I’ve heard from a few of you via e-mail and through my blog, and there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the words “When is book three coming out?!” from a complete stranger.

  Next, I owe a round of thank-yous to a number of fellow indie authors and bloggers who helped spread the word about Action Figures: Sierra Klein (simpletasteforreading.wordpress.com), T. Michelle Nelson (www.tmichellenelson.com), the folks at Author Shout (www.authorshout.com), Amy Rachiele (www.amyrachiele.com), my good friend J.M. Aucoin of Jake Hawking fame (jmaucoin.com), and a blast from the past in the form of fellow Falmouth High School escapee and writer T.M. Murphy (www.capecodwriter.com), who kindly hosted my first-ever book-signing.

  As always, I have to thank my personal Hero Squad: test-readers Kate Sokol, Rob Isaacson, Julie Tremblay, my wife Veronica; and my cover artist Tricia Lupien. I also owe a big debt of gratitude to Jake Lewis, who gamely stepped in to edit the book after my regular editor, Tori Fullard, became unexpectedly unavailable; and to my friend Michelle Teixeira for recommending Jake.

  That’s all for now, but don’t worry: I won’t keep you in suspense for long, because work is already well underway on Action Figures – Issue Four: Cruel Summer!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Michael Bailey was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts and raised on a steady diet of comic books, Dungeons & Dragons, Saturday morning cartoons, sci-fi television, and horror movies…which explains a lot.

  An effort to parlay his love of geek culture into a career as a comic book artist failed when
he figured out he wasn’t that good, so he turned to writing as means of artistic expression. Since then, Michael has written several scripts for New England-area renaissance faires, as well as a number of articles based on faire culture for Renaissance Magazine.

  In 2013, Michael left his job of 15 years as a reporter and blogger for his hometown newspaper, the Falmouth Enterprise, to pursue his writing career. His debut novel, Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins made its debut in September 2013.

  Michael lives in Massachusetts with his wife Veronica, three cats, an English bulldog, and a comic book collection large enough to warrant its own room.

  Visit Michael online at www.innsmouthlook.com, and find him on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Goodreads.