The Strike Trilogy

by Charlie Wood

  Tobin turned to Wakefield. “What’s coming next? What are we gonna do?”

  “Well, we’re outnumbered by Rigel and his team, for one thing. Damn outnumbered. That doesn’t even begin to describe it. The only way we have a chance in hell of surviving against him is if we even up the numbers a bit.”

  “And how are we gonna do that?”

  “The only way we can. We put out a call and we build an army.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Orion stood in the forest outside of the Fairfield navy base with his hands in the air. Keplar, Scatterbolt, Jennifer, and Chad stood on either side of him, with their arms the same way.

  “Remember when we said we would come with you guys?” Chad whispered. “I think that was a gigantic mistake.”

  The leader of the Rytonian soldiers stepped away from her squadron and stood in front of Chad.

  “Stop moving,” she said. “Stop talking. Do not take your eyes off of me.”

  The leader walked up and down the line, inspecting each person in the group. Finally, when she reached Orion, she stopped in front of him and looked him in the eye.

  “You,” she said. “You’re the leader of this group. Why are you here?”

  “For the scenery, mostly,” Orion replied. “Rhode Island is beautiful this time of year.”

  With his hands still in the air, Keplar looked down at Scatterbolt, shocked.

  “This guy, with the jokes!” the dog whispered. “He chooses now to start making jokes?”

  The leader of the army was not amused. “Oh, really? Sightseeing with these high-tech binoculars?” She flicked at them around Orion’s neck. “Which were pointed right at that navy base?”

  “You know why we’re here,” the old man said angrily. “You know exactly why we’re here.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t,” Scatterbolt suggested. “Let’s just assume she doesn’t and treat the situation that way.”

  The grey-haired woman pointed at Chad and Jennifer. “Who are they? Why are they with you?”

  “They’re friends of mine.”

  “No, they aren’t. These two, I know.” She pointed to Keplar and Scatterbolt. “But who are these two teenagers? I’ve never heard of these two before.”

  Orion stared at her a moment. “Do you know who the Daybreaker is?”

  “Is that a joke?” she replied.

  “They are friends of the Daybreaker,” Orion said. “And if you do so much as breathe on them, he is not going to be happy.”

  The woman spun toward Chad and Jennifer. “What do you mean, they are friends of the Daybreaker? You mean they were his friends, before...before all this?”

  “Yes,” Orion replied. “They are his friends from Earth. Before he found out who he really is.”

  The woman brought a hand to her mouth, her eyebrows raised. “My god,” she whispered. “You—this could—this could change everything.” She stepped in front of Jennifer and Chad. “You two could save the universe.”

  Jennifer and Chad looked at each other, very confused. In fact, the only people more confused were Keplar, Scatterbolt, and Orion.

  “Everyone, put your weapons down,” the leader of the army said.

  Her soldiers listened and lowered their laser rifles. The woman turned to Orion and held out her hand.

  “Looks like we just found ourselves some new allies.”

  Three miles down the coastline, the leader of the Rytonian army (who the group now knew was named Ida) led everyone into a military campsite deep in the forest. The campsite contained several small tents set up around one large tent, which was more like a temporary building, as it was made out of durable canvass and held up by wooden poles. Even the small tents in the camp were no ordinary sleeping quarters—each one contained two sets of bunk beds and a table in the middle. There were also two dark green humvees parked around the camp, and even four black helicopters.

  “We escaped from the Dark Nebula and came here about a month ago,” Ida explained. “We’re cloaked here so no one can find us. That includes the people of Earth and Rigel’s army. You might not believe it, but not every Rytonian believes in what Rigel and the Daybreaker are doing. Not everyone thinks the city of Harrison is paradise.”

  “So you got out of the dome because you didn’t believe in it, and then came here?” Keplar asked. “With all your guns and helicopters? And you don’t want to invade Earth? Color me skeptical.”

  “Color me ‘I don’t care what you think,’” Ida replied. “We’ve been keeping an eye on Rigel and trying to come up with a plan to take down the Daybreaker since we first came to Boston. What—just because we look like them you think we think like them? You think all Rytonians are the same?”

  Keplar shrugged. “I don’t know. From what I can tell, yeah. Seems like it to me.”

  Ida led the group into the large tent. “Congratulations. You just admitted to the most dangerous way of thinking there is. That’s how mad men are born.”

  “I’m not a mad man,” Keplar replied. “And I’m not a racist, if that’s what you’re implying.”

  “Then don’t think like one. We’re not all the same, just like not all dogs drink out of the toilet bowl. Do you drink out of the toilet bowl?”

  “No,” Keplar replied. “Not for a while, anyway.”

  “Okay, then. So stop being skeptical of us and shut up and listen to us.”

  Orion looked around the inside of the camp’s main tent. It was filled with male and female soldiers, and also elaborate military equipment. There were radar screens and computer stations, and also crates of food rations and ammunition.

  “I’ve heard rumors about a faction of Rytonian Rebels who didn’t agree with Vincent and Rigel’s plans for Earth,” Orion said. “I just never knew how many there were.”

  “I’ll admit we aren’t many,” Ida replied. “But we’re here, and if you want to see what we’ve found, we’re ready to share.”

  Ida led the group toward the rear wall of the tent.

  “What is it you’re doing here exactly?” Orion asked.

  “Mostly?” Ida replied. “Finding a way home. A way back to Capricious. Like I said, we don’t want to live here. We don’t want to start a new home on Earth. We want to go back to our old home, and try to rebuild the real Rytonia. Not to mention we aren’t all that comfortable with enslaving the people who already live here.”

  Chad looked to Scatterbolt. “Well, that’s a relief.”

  “Husky-boy over there may not believe it,” Ida continued, “but there’s always been, for decades, a large group of people who never bought into Vincent’s hysteria and paranoia of the planet Earth. We never wanted to see our country and our people used in such a horrible way. And we want to do something about it.

  “When we first escaped, we were mostly concerned with finding a way out of here. But we quickly realized that was fruitless—even if we did get back to Capricious, Rigel and the others would find out, bring us back to Harrison, and do god-knows-what with us. We decided the only way to truly be free was to take down Rigel, Nova, and whoever else stood with him. That would be the only way we could start rebuilding Rytonia where it should be, back home in Capricious.”

  “Then I assume you’re here,” Orion said, “for the same reasons we are.”

  “I imagine so,” Ida replied. “A very big part of the next phase of Rigel’s invasion of Earth is being cooked up in that navy base. And if we don’t stop them from doing what they’re doing in there, none of us have a shot of ever being free again.”

  “What are they doing in there?” Keplar asked.

  “Growing things,” Ida replied. “Eggs, to be exact.”

  “What kind of eggs?” Orion asked.

  Ida looked toward a computer station against the rear wall of the tent. “Tr
oy, bring him out.”

  A green-skinned soldier stepped out from behind the wall of the computer station, holding a leash. On the other end of the leash there was a small, four-legged creature. It was the size of a large bulldog, with a round body covered in dark green skin, tiny wings under its front legs, and the head of a gargoyle. It also had two horns on its forehead, a horn on its slightly protruding snout, and a short green tail, which was wagging behind it. As it stood on its stubby legs, the creature looked up at Orion with a big smile, its tongue hanging from its mouth.

  “What are they gonna do?” Chad asked. “Adorable us to death?”

  In the airplane hangar in Ruffalo Rock Castle, Tobin watched as Wakefield climbed to the top of a tall ladder. The white-haired computer whiz was working on something underneath a massive blue tarp; Tobin didn’t know what he was concealing under there, but whatever it was, it was as wide as a soccer field and nearly as high as the hangar’s towering ceiling.

  “I’m confused,” Tobin said. “How are we going to be able to do anything to help Orion and everyone else while we’re way out here?”

  “I told you,” Wakefield said, pulling his goggles down over his face. “There’s no way we have a chance of facing Rigel and making it out alive unless we even out the numbers. He has an entire army of Eradicators and Gores on his side, not to mention at least a dozen super-villains that we know about. They’ve all aligned themselves with him, and they are ready to fight for the prize of Earth. Believe me, these aren’t the type of people who are gonna back down just because we ask them nicely.”

  “So what do we have?” Tobin said, counting on his fingers. “We have me, you, Orion, Keplar, and Scatterbolt. And who else? How else do we even out the numbers?”

  “You have us,” King Ontombe said from one of Wakefield’s elevated workbenches. “All of us here, all of my animal warriors. We will fight with you. Earth must be freed, for the safety of all of us.”

  “Okay, that’s awesome,” Tobin said. “Will that be enough?”

  “No, unfortunately,” Wakefield replied. “Not even close. But that’s where you come in.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re gonna ask every superhero in Capricious to help us. You’re gonna ask them to help us against Rigel.”

  “And are they gonna listen?” Tobin asked, skeptical. “Why would they? Why would they fight for a world they have nothing to do with?”

  “I don’t know. But you better think of some good reasons. Because in about ten minutes, you’re gonna be sending out a message to every superhero on Capricious, asking them for their help.”

  Tobin cocked an eyebrow and shook his head. That will never work, he thought to himself. Wakefield looked down at him from the top of the ladder with a smile.

  “You might wanna take some time and write some things down. It’s gonna be kind of important.”

  On the fourth floor of the Trident skyscraper, in the far corner of the Research and Development wing, the Daybreaker was standing against the wall, strapped to the energy extractor by his wrists and ankles. As the blue electricity erupted from his arms, chest, and eyes—snapping out at the doctors in the room like the angry arms of a demon—he screamed in agony.

  “Raaaaarrrrggghhhh!”

  A safe distance away, at the control panel of the energy extractor, Rigel and Nova watched Dr. Brooks as the doctor instructed the other scientists.

  “More,” Dr. Brooks said. “Turn it up more. Turn it up to level fifteen-twelve.”

  As the blue light from the Daybreaker’s energy pulsated and washed over the laboratory, the Daybreaker tossed his head back and bellowed toward the ceiling, his pale skin covered by strands of snapping electricity.

  “Aaaaaaaggghhh!”

  Finally, Dr. Brooks raised his palm. “Okay. Very good. Bring him down. Bring it down.”

  The scientists at the controls of the machine adjusted its levels, and the electricity around the Daybreaker faded. As his arms went limp, his head slumped forward and his chin fell against his chest.

  “Was that enough?” Rigel asked. “Did you get enough?”

  Dr. Brooks inspected the energy readings on the containment tank connected to the extractor. “Yes, this is—this is extraordinary. The energy we siphon from him is feeding off itself. The electricity being stored in the tanks—every time we add more from him, the energy we already have grows. He’s actually making the electricity we already had even more powerful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “So what we have now, it will be enough?” Nova asked. “It will be enough for what Rigel and I have asked you?”

  “Yes. My god, yes. The amount of power we’ve been able to store, and the strength of that power? You could create a god with this kind of power.”

  Rigel smiled. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Thank you, Doctor. Your contributions will be remembered. Ready him for another round in two hours.”

  After leaving the Research and Development wing, Nova walked with Rigel toward Rigel’s office on the 110th floor.

  “It’s going to work,” Nova said. “Just when we were losing our control of him, we no longer have to worry about any of that. We no longer even need him.”

  “Don’t be foolish,” Rigel replied. “We will always need him. He is the one the people have followed, he is the one they believe in. We’ve been telling them for months now that he’s their leader, their savior. We can’t all of the sudden change course and tell them something else.”

  Nova followed Rigel into his office.

  “But if we have his power,” Nova said, “once we transmit his power to us, we can end the charade. We can stop pretending to the leadership council that he’s the one ruling things. We’ll be the ones making the decisions. He’ll just be a figurehead.”

  Rigel walked to a liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink. “Exactly. We will do the work, and he will take the credit. Only the leadership council will know the truth.” The red giant swirled the dark liquid in the glass. “The people of the city will follow the Daybreaker. That’s why we need him. He’s the one they love. He’s the one on the posters. Never underestimate the power of a face on a poster.”

  “We need to begin now,” Nova said urgently. “We can’t wait any longer. We don’t know where Strike is, or the others. We have to be prepared in case they return—we have to begin the transmissions now.”

  Rigel turned around with a smile. “Nova, have I even once, since the moment I told you of my plan, led you in the wrong direction?”

  “No. I have to admit you haven’t.”

  Rigel walked across the office to his desk. “Then be patient with me. We have everything we need here in this building. We have limitless power. Literally limitless power. And when it is time to use it, we will. There is no need to rush now. We have him, and we have his power. Now, more than ever, we have his power.”

  Nova watched Rigel across the room. The red giant stood at the massive window behind his desk with his drink and looked out over the city. Immediately, Nova recognized the pose; Rigel was directly mimicking his mentor, Vincent Harris.

  “You know,” Rigel said, “I always thought Tobin was the Daybreaker. I truly did. But, it turns out, it was you and I all along. We were meant to be the ones to lead the new world.” The red giant sipped from his drink as the lights outside twinkled. “I wonder if Vincent always knew that.”

  Over a hundred floors below Rigel and Nova, the team of nurses swung the door open and wheeled the unconscious Daybreaker into the recovery room connected to the science lab. At the back of the recovery room, Nurse Somerset watched as the doctors lifted the teen boy off the stretcher and placed him in the hospital bed. When his body hit the mattress, his arms stiffened out straight and clenched, and he began gasping for breath.

  “He’s losi
ng oxygen,” Dr. Brooks said. “He needs oxygen. Quickly.”

  A nurse reached across the bed and placed an oxygen mask over the Daybreaker’s face. The boy’s wheezing continued, but it soon leveled off, and his body relaxed.

  “Keep a close eye on his heart rate,” Dr. Brooks said. “Inject him with the serum if need be. Make sure the oxygen flow continues, and keep him conscious.”

  As Dr. Brooks exited the room and left the rest of the work to his staff, the other doctors began inserting IV’s into the Daybreaker’s arms and adhering sensors to his chest.

  Soon, the teenage boy’s head flopped onto his pillow and he looked to his left. Across the room, through half-closed eyes, he could see Nurse Somerset. Though he was barely conscious, the Daybreaker kept his eyes on the pretty young nurse, focusing on her. His wheezing was loud and rattling in his chest, the sound filling the room every time he inhaled.

  From afar, Nurse Somerset watched the Daybreaker, in shock, with her hand against her chest and her mouth quivering. She waited for the Daybreaker to mercifully lose consciousness and close his eyes, but he never did. He only kept looking at her as the doctors worked on him.

  Finally, Nurse Somerset slowly walked across the room. When she reached the Daybreaker’s bed, she placed her hand on the mattress next to him. Lifting his shaking arm, the Daybreaker then slowly placed his hand on top of hers. His fingers were trembling at first, but they soon stopped when Nurse Somerset held his hand tight as she sat down near the bed.

  As the doctors continued their work on the Daybreaker, Nurse Somerset stayed with him, sitting by his bed and holding his hand. She decided to stay there with him, even after he fell asleep.