“So, this is the part that might get awkward, but I promise it’ll be over soon enough. Hold on to your hood tightly.”
“This is already awkward, what could you do that…”
She gasped when Quinn wrapped his arms around her, then gently lifted her off her feet. He focused, and a moment later she turned invisible.
“Oh my…”
She never finished the sentence because Quinn launched himself into the air with Dr. Madison in his arms and Ana Maria in tow. The defensive shield he projected protected her from the rushing cold air as they flew at nearly the speed of sound to Portsmouth.
“Holy shit!” Dr. Madison shouted.
Twelve minutes later, they arrived at the naval prison and Quinn descended to the ground, reappearing just before landing and startling a few marines. Dr. Madison appeared shaken, but she composed herself and resettled her coat and lowered the hood.
“This way,” he gestured. “I’m sure you know your way around, but we’re going to Operations to meet with Agent Hartman.”
❖
Dr. Madison finished reviewing the available footage of the Thunderchild rescue and ensuing battle that took place over Seavey Island.
Agents Hartman and Potter, Lieutenant Doral, Ron St. Germain, and a few other DHS agents seated at the conference table participated in the debriefing session—a word Hartman insisted they use instead of interrogation.
“There’s a lot we want to know that goes back months, even years, but right now we need answers to the situation at hand,” Agent Hartman said, his hands steepled on the table in front of him.
Dr. Madison nodded and stared at the frozen image of Victor unleashing a firestorm at Blue Spekter. “What do you want to know?”
“What is Victor’s plan?”
She smirked. “I’m not privy to all of his plans, but I know he wants those two out of the way.”
“Those two?” Agent Hartman asked.
“Blue Spekter and Dark Flame.”
“Ah.”
Quinn’s face twisted into false anger for show. Before the debriefing began, he agreed to follow Agent Hartman’s lead and allow Dr. Madison to believe Dark Flame was still alive.
“Wait,” Quinn said, respectfully raising a hand to stop Agent Hartman. “I think there are some better questions to ask.”
Hartman nodded and gestured for him take over. Quinn clasped his hands together in front of him on the table and looked into Dr. Madison’s eyes. “The new super humans you and Victor created…please tell me they have micro bugs in them.”
Dr. Madison nodded. “Of course. We followed Mother Superior’s original designs for obedience and made sure the soldiers would have a sufficient reason to remain loyal to The Order and Victor’s instructions.”
“Are the bugs the same model you put into Blake?”
“No, they’re upgraded models. I found time to work on them despite Victor’s insistence that we accelerate the project.”
“How are these chips controlled?” Agent Hartman asked.
Dr. Madison narrowed her eyes, then folded her arms across her chest and sat back. “That’s classified.”
“People are going to die,” Quinn shouted at her, exasperated by her lack of humanity. “If you’re really a doctor, what happened to the Hippocratic Oath you supposedly took? Or does your need to avenge your dead son supersede your sense of decency?”
All eyes around the table darted to Quinn, then back to Dr. Madison. She slammed her right hand down on the table, leaned forward, and shouted at him. “Don’t presume to think you can tell me what my feelings are concerning my son!”
Quinn didn’t back down. Instead, he leaned forward and challenged her. “Your son and his marine companions were killed by terrorists because they were dutifully serving their country to prevent terrorism from reaching America. There’s no delicate way to say it, but they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It sucks and I’m sorry for your loss, but what you are doing is handing Victor Kraze and whatever remains of The Order the keys of terrorism in the form of global havoc and domination. Is that what you want?”
Her eyes flashed with anger, but she didn’t say anything.
“You have no idea what that man will do when he achieves the level of power he wants.”
“Yes, I do,” Dr. Madison fired back. “He will use the weaponized orgone to incapacitate enemy regions, so his team can move in and eliminate the threats before they kill more innocent soldiers!”
“Innocent soldiers like your son?” Ron asked. Quinn noticed Dr. Madison’s hands trembling with anger.
“Weaponized orgone?” Agent Hartman said.
Quinn continued pressing Dr. Madison, but he relaxed his tone. “Not long after we gained our powers, Victor tried to sell me on the idea of weather control; to avert catastrophic storms or provide water in times of drought. But when I challenged him and told him the technology could be used as a weapon, he admitted he could use it to, and I quote, ‘entice our enemies to conform to certain standards of behavior.’ Exactly who are The Order’s enemies, Doctor?”
“Anyone who stands in our way.”
“Anyone?”
“Yes, anyone.” She looked at him quizzically.
“Even the Navy? The Air Force? The Marines? The ability to eliminate anyone who ‘stands in our way’ doesn’t sound like a benevolent organization looking out for humanity, but an organization looking to secure its dominance in the world.”
“You are too young to understand,” Dr. Madison retorted.
Quinn grinned. “Am I? What if your son was on this island when Victor attacked? Would you be spouting the same rhetoric, or would you see reason and accept that what Victor is doing is no different than Stalin, Hitler, or Bin Ladin?”
She stared him with wide eyes and then her eyes shifted down. “But we’re better than them…”
“I’m willing to bet they thought they were good men, too, but the world disagreed. Think about your daughters, Doctor. Are you really building a secure future for them or handing the planet to a madman who doesn’t care about your children?”
“Don’t you dare bring them into this! Everything I’ve done, all the work I’ve completed…”
“Could be used by the wrong people to change the world for nefarious reasons, or you could help the right people stop a psychopath before it’s too late,” Ron interjected. “This Victor Kraze guy you’re so enamored with is the perfect liar and maniacal villain. Despite his promises, your family will not be safe when he decides your usefulness has run out…or when you need to be properly motivated.”
She sat back in her chair, an element of defeat appearing on her face. “Victor told me he had to stop you at all costs because you would stop at nothing to destroy The Order.”
Quinn shook his head. “He’s right there, but Dark Flame destroyed things…I work with the authorities to get the job done right. Victor, however, shares Dark Flame’s propensity for wanton destruction and nearly irradiated this entire area with a nuclear disaster. The Order is not a friend of humanity, Doctor. They must be stopped.”
“Did you put a chip in Victor’s head?” Agent Hartman asked.
“I’m sorry?” she asked, startled.
That’s a great question. Why didn’t I think of that?
“From what I know, it sounds like you agreed with Mother Superior about the need to keep your…experiments from turning against you. You developed the micro bugs to ensure Blake, Quinn, and even Victor’s super soldiers were properly controlled. Why wouldn’t you be just as careful with Victor?”
Dr. Madison’s eyes shifted, and she brushed her hair aside with her hand. “I, um…” She paused.
Hartman leaned forward. “Doctor, it’s a simple question. Did you implant a control chip in Victor Kraze?”
She swallowed nervously and nodded. “I did.”
“Why?”
Tears ran down her cheeks and she cleared her throat. “Victor became…obsessed with Genesis II.”
“Genesis II?” Lieutenant Doral asked.
“It’s The Order’s second attempt to create super humans. The first was in the 1960’s, but they failed.”
“Not quite,” Agent Hartman said. “I believe you met Ana Maria today, correct?”
“She…who?”
Ana Maria shifted to the visible spectrum and Dr. Madison regarded her with surprise. “I am the only survivor of the human trials, but I hid my existence to dissuade The Order from continuing their attempts of creating super soldiers charged with global pacification.”
“Global pacification?” Dr. Madison echoed.
“In the 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union were on the brink of destroying each other until they unleashed the reality of mutually assured destruction through vast arsenals of nuclear weaponry. The Order stepped in with a promising program the United States government found appealing and immediately classified as top secret. Could you imagine the world today if the United States had deployed super soldiers? Or better yet, if the Russians had developed the technology first?”
Dr. Madison stared at her blankly.
Ana Maria stepped closer to the table, her eyes communicating honest anger with Dr Madison’s vacant expression. “But it’s not a matter of sides with The Order, is it Doctor? Even though the United States military was involved in the first incarnation of Project Genesis, The Order would have secretly retained control of the super soldiers and inflicted a new kind of global pacification—but they weren’t thinking like Mother Superior did and they didn’t have the technology to control the super humans they could have created. Today, I find myself reliving history, except this time, The Order succeeded.”
Agent Hartman cleared his throat. “I sincerely hope our objective is becoming clear to you, Dr. Madison. Cooperate and help us stop Victor before he harms anyone else. These marines will escort you to a secured room.” He nodded to the marines standing near the door and they approached. A moment later, they escorted her out of the conference room.
When the door clicked shut, Agent Hartman sat back. “All right, what are your impressions? Hold nothing back.”
“She’s not giving up much information easily,” Quinn replied. “I thought sure playing to her emotions around her family would win her over, but apparently not. I was hoping for much more.”
“She’s betraying her life’s work by talking to us,” Ana Maria said. “I remember how passionate The Order’s people were in the 1960s. Not much has changed. We’ve given her a lot to think about; perhaps she’ll come around with time.”
“I’m concerned about retaliation,” Agent Potter said, shifting in his chair. He winced when his broken arm moved in the sling. “I don’t mean to question your judgement, but kidnapping Dr. Madison may only infuriate Nightmare. There’s nothing stopping him from carrying out some kind of attack again.”
Quinn smiled. “If Victor did retaliate, Dr. Madison would see his true colors. If he refused to rescue her, she could be more than sufficiently motivated to betray The Order.”
“Did you bring her here as bait?” Agent Potter asked. All eyes shifted to Quinn.
Quinn nervously swallowed. “No, that wasn’t my intention.”
“Well, did you guys take her cell phone or check her for tracking devices?” Agent Potter asked.
Quinn and Ana Maria looked at each other. “No,” they answered together.
“Well, it’s not like Victor doesn’t know where we are, right?” Ron asked. Everyone nodded.
“The soldiers processed her belongings shortly after she arrived,” Agent Hartman said. “We pulled her cell phone and a few other devices from her purse. They’ve been placed in Faraday boxes to ensure that they cannot be tracked or remotely activated.”
“Thank you,” Agent Potter responded.
Agent Hartman steepled his fingers together. “Perhaps we should evacuate the island and relocate to the covert ops base at Pease? At least, the naval prison side. We can’t evacuate personnel from the shipyard, though we could restrict staff to essential personnel only and keep the civilian workforce away for a few days.”
“That won’t look suspicious?” Ana Maria asked.
“Call it a government furlough, I don’t really care. I’d rather deal with a suspicious public than risk hundreds of innocent lives in a retaliatory attack carried out by Nightmare and his super-powered stormtroopers.”
Quinn stood. “While you guys figure that out, I’m going to speak with Dr. Madison. I want to try and connect with her alone.”
Agent Hartman nodded at him. “That’s fine, but remember everything will be recorded.”
Ron raised his hand. “Quinn, before you speak with her, let’s chat. I think I know how you might better appeal to her humanity.”
Quinn leaned forward and listened to what his mentor had to say before making his way through the facility to the room they kept Dr. Madison secured in.
❖
Blake
Blake inhaled sharply and sat up. He looked around, unsure of his surroundings.
“Something wrong, bud?” a familiar voice asked.
“Huh?” Blake looked to his right and met the eyes of his best friend. He was lying with him in a red tent. Its rain flaps and air vents were open, and a warm summer’s breeze passed through the tent as they relaxed together. Quinn was reading a Nitraxian Galaxy comic book.
“You fell asleep. I didn’t want to wake you because I know how tired you are. Did you have another bad dream?”
Blake furled his eyebrows in confusion. Another bad dream? What is he talking about?
“Where are we?” He looked down at his body and saw he wore only a pair of boxer shorts. An open Batman comic book was draped across his sweaty torso and the pages briefly stuck to his skin when he removed the comic book and set it aside. Quinn sat comfortably in his underwear as well.
Holy crap, you’re like, my brother. Wait, this isn’t weird, we hang out all the time and have sleepovers in our underwear, so why does this feel strange?
“Woods Lake Campground in Rangeley, Maine.”
Oh no, anywhere but here. “Quinn, what are we doing back here?” he asked, his voice filled with alarm.
“Camping, like we’ve been doing for the last several weekends.”
“But it’s…Christmas time.”
Quinn laughed. “Whoa, Earth to Blake. No, it’s not. It’s the middle of August, silly.”
“Impossible.” So, is this before or after the Labor Day weekend that changed our lives?
“Wow, that must’ve been one hell of a dream.” Quinn reached over and grabbed Blake’s forearm. He squeezed gently. “It’s all right, bud, you’re safe. I’ve got you now.”
Oh my gosh, we are together, or dating, or sleeping together…Why don’t I know what’s going on?
“Where is…Ravone?” he asked. Quinn rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I feel like you should be in a relationship with her instead of me. It’s always Ravone this and Ravone that.”
Blake looked at Quinn with shock.
“What, it’s true. She always comes up at the most inopportune moments. Like sex. Are you sure you don’t want to bang her instead of me?”
Blake jumped to his feet and smacked his head on the crossbar tent supports.
Ouch.
Startled, Quinn pushed himself away from Blake and looked up at him with surprise. “Is something wrong?”
Blake nodded emphatically. “Hell yes. Are you telling me we’re…together?”
Quinn giggled and then frowned. “Well yeah, that’s usually what being boyfriends means.”
“Boyfriends? What about Keegan?” Blake asked, nearly shouting with surprise.
“Who’s Keegan?” Quinn replied. “That guy at school?”
Holy crap. What’s going on?
“Do we sleep together?” Blake asked. This can’t be happening.
“Yeah,” Quinn answered, nodding. “What is wrong with you? We’ve had sleepovers since we were kids.”
>
Blake slapped his face with frustration. “That’s not what I mean. I mean, do we…have sex…together….in our sleepovers?”
Again, Quinn nodded. “Of course, but you like to do it anywhere we can be alone. I never knew you had such a kinky side when we were just friends.”
Just friends? Kinky side? Oh my gosh, no no no no no. I love you, but not like that. Although Blake felt incredibly awkward and embarrassed, he flirted with the idea of being in a relationship with Quinn for a moment. I love him, and I guess it wouldn’t be horrible to be with Quinn, but I’ve never considered myself to be gay or sexually attracted to men.
“I need a minute to take this all in.” Blake ran out of the tent in his boxer shorts and looked around the campground. He recognized the trees and the campsite where he and the McAlesters camped over Labor Day. If I remember it, that must be in the past, right? So, am I in the future? What about my dream with Ravone? I remember that…
“I’ll be right back,” he said. Then, he jogged away from their campsite and attempted to use super speed to run into the woods and find the bunker, but he only ran at normal human speed.
What the hell? Where are my powers?
❖
Quinn
Quinn knocked on the office door that had become a makeshift holding cell for Dr. Madison. The two marines outside nodded at him as he pressed the door controls. When the door slid open, Dr. Madison regarded him with a blank expression. He entered the cell and when the door slid shut, he pulled the blue cowl off his head, exposing his face. Though his team knew his civilian identity, most of the marines and soldiers on the base didn’t know who he was, so he always walked around with his cowl in place.
“Are you alone or is that woman with you?”
Quinn smirked and pointed to the corner of the room. “I am alone, but the cameras are recording us.”
“That’s to be expected,” Dr. Madison stated flatly, sitting back in the recliner she had relaxed in. “What is it you want? Are you here to convince me I need to switch sides?”
Quinn pulled a chair over and sat across from Dr. Madison. “Well, duh. Do you remember how excited you were when you first discovered Blake and I survived the orgone fusion?”
The Guardians Omnibus Page 105