by Lucas Flint
“The G-Men are perfectly capable of dealing with any threat to the United States,” said Cadmus coolly.
“Like how Shade got beaten by Graalix, right?” said Bolt. “It wasn’t like I had to step in and stop him or something. No, it was one hundred percent you guys and you guys alone. You guys are real American heroes.”
“Bolt, I am done speaking with you and your friends,” said Cadmus. He looked over his shoulder at Peter. “Peter, return the Soul Crown to the storage basement and ensure it is well-protected. Also make sure to have some of our men escort Bolt, Captain Galaxy, and Nicknacks out of here.”
“What?” said Captain Galaxy. “But the Soul Crown—”
“Is safe with us,” said Cadmus, cutting her off briskly. “Now, I am done talking with all of you. You three are here on my invitation and my invitation alone. I can revoke that invitation anytime, and I will, because I will not tolerate this kind of attitude from people who aren’t my superiors.”
This was the first time Bolt had ever seen Cadmus get genuinely annoyed. Usually, Cadmus kept a calm, even cold, demeanor, but he seemed to be losing his patience.
Guess he’s human after all, Bolt thought, unable to hide the smirk on his face.
A low groan from the floor made Bolt look down at Graalix. The Pokacu alien was already stirring, his eyes flickering open. He didn’t get up, but his eyes did dart back and forth quickly, as if to ascertain his location.
“Awake already?” said Bolt. “Man, you are tough.”
Then Graalix’s eyes landed on Bolt and he smiled. “I am more than tough, human. I am indestructible, just as the Dread God’s Touched always are.”
“Okay,” said Bolt. “You can call yourself that if it makes you feel any better, but—”
Without warning, Graalix disappeared and Bolt realized, a moment too late, that Graalix had activated his super speed again.
A cry from the doorway followed by the sound of several people falling over made Bolt and Nicknacks look back in that direction. Graalix stood in the doorway, with Cadmus, Captain Galaxy, and Peter lying on the floor around him like he had knocked them all out.
More importantly, however, was the fact that he held the box containing the Soul Crown in his hands. He grinned at Bolt and said, “You should have killed me when you had the chance, human. But now, you will live long enough to see the rise of the Dread God. Live … live, and tremble.”
A dimensional portal exploded open behind Graalix, who fell backwards into it like a rock star falling into an adoring crowd.
As soon as Graalix passed through the portal, it closed with a soft pop.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“So,” said Beams, standing beside Mr. Space in the elevator that was taking them up to the highest level of HQ. “This is HQ.”
“What?” said Mr. Space, glancing at Beams.
“I said, this is HQ,” said Beams. He gestured out the window in front of them. “That is, I mean.”
What Beams was talking about was the massive park visible out the front window of the elevator they ascended. The park reminded Beams of the pictures of Central Park in New York City he had seen a while ago, except it was far more fantastical than that place. Massive oak trees dotted the park, while strange-looking fauna that had to be from alternate universes and other planets covered the whole park like a blanket. A large stream ran through the middle, its branches forking off into different directions to send water to different parts of the park. Various IEA agents could be seen below enjoying the park’s amenities, resembling ants from Beams’ current vantage point.
“Oh, yeah,” said Mr. Space, nodding. “That’s Cosmo Park. Biggest park in the multiverse.”
“And it’s inside this giant floating space thing,” said Beams, gesturing at the rest of HQ. “Right?”
“Right,” said Mr. Space. “It was added in order to make HQ a nicer place to stay and work. Before, HQ was a pretty depressing place, but the trees, grass, and flowers all make it a lot better, especially when you’re relaxing in between missions.”
“You mean this was something you guys added later?” said Beams.
“Oh, sure,” said Mr. Space. “Actually, we’re adding new parts to HQ all the time. Most of the time, it’s just extra room for new agents, but sometimes it’s quality of life stuff like Cosmo Park. We even have a gym.”
Beams nodded, but he didn’t say anything, because he was still overwhelmed by everything he had seen since they arrived on HQ. And they hadn’t even been here that long. The Adventure had just docked into HQ’s main port less than an hour ago. Sparky had stayed behind to mind the ship and compile and send a report to IEA leadership, while Mr. Space had been personally summoned to the main meeting room at the very top of HQ to discuss the death of this woman Amanda Nebula. All of the other IEA Commanders were going to be there as well and, though Mr. Space wasn’t a Commander, he had still been summoned because of his and Galaxy’s involvement in the Darzen situation.
According to Mr. Space, Galaxy normally would have been the one summoned to speak to the Commanders due to her status as Captain of the Adventure, but because Galaxy still wasn’t back from her mission, Mr. Space had to go in her place. And Beams was coming along because he still wanted to keep an eye on the Rubber Ball, which Mr. Space carried underneath his arm as usual.
Beams eyed the Rubber Ball carefully. It was still locked in its box, but he could feel its draw stronger than ever. More importantly, however, was that the Avatar’s words to Beam were still on his mind. He still wasn’t entirely sure if the Avatar had been lying about this so-called ‘Prophecy,’ but somehow he doubted he was.
If that Prophecy of theirs is true, then I’m destined to help bring back the Dread God, Beams thought. Yeah, right. If I could, I would destroy the Rubber Ball here and now and end this madness for good.
But even if the Rubber Ball hadn’t currently been locked away in a thick steel box, Beams would not have destroyed it. The Rubber Ball was not merely the source of Rubberman’s powers. It was also the source of his life. If the Rubber Ball was destroyed, then Rubberman would also die. Beams wasn’t sure if the Rubber Ball had to be in the same universe as Rubberman in order for that to happen, but he didn’t want to risk killing his boss just to satisfy his own curiosity.
Thinking of Rubberman reminded Beams of the other thing the Avatar had said. He hoped that Rubberman, Adams, and Angel Wings were okay. He couldn’t imagine the Avatar sparing them, especially if they fought back, but he tried to convince himself that the Darzens had left them alone due to the fact that they didn’t have the Rubber Ball anymore. It was hard to convince himself of that, however, because the Darzens were ruthless and quite willing to kill anyone they didn’t like.
But I’ll have to worry about that later, Beams thought. After I make sure the IEA will secure the Rubber Ball, I’ll head back to my universe to make sure everyone is safe.
Beams looked at Mr. Space. “So, who is this Amanda Nebula lady, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Mr. Space sniffled. “Amanda Nebula was the current Chief of the Interdimensional Elite Agency. She ran the Agency for over fifty years. She even personally recruited me into the organization. Great woman.”
“Oh,” said Beams. “Were you close?”
“Not exactly,” said Mr. Space, shaking his head, “but Chief Nebula was like a mother to everyone in the Agency. My mom died when I was young, so having Chief Nebula around was almost like having my own mom back again, even though we never interacted much.”
“She sounds like a good lady,” said Beams. “I wonder how she died.”
“Some Darzen must have somehow gotten past security and killed her,” said Mr. Space. “It makes sense. It explains why the Darzens retreated. Their goal was obviously to murder Chief Nebula, probably in order to destabilize the IEA. Jerks.”
“Do you think that will work?” said Beams. “I’m not familiar with the Agency’s hierarchy, but will it become destabilized without her?”
“Probably not,” said Mr. Space, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “The Agency has a strict, stable hierarchy as regulated by our Constitution. One of the Commanders will succeed her, though which one depends on who is voted in. The Darzens would have to kill all of the Commanders in order to truly destabilize the Agency.”
“How many Commanders are there?” said Beams.
“Seven,” Mr. Space said. “Each one could become the next Chief, but it has to be put to a vote by the Commanders first. Whoever gets the most votes becomes the next Chief and then the Chief’s former Commander title is personally picked by the new Chief. This way, there’s always a Chief and there are always seven Commanders, no more, no less.”
“I see,” said Beams. “Losing your Chief in the middle of this crisis seems like a big problem to me.”
“It is,” said Mr. Space, running a hand through his curly hair. “It will be even worse for Galaxy. Once she finds out that Chief Nebula is dead, she’s going to lose her—”
A small ding interrupted Mr. Space and the elevator came to a stop. The doors opened and the two of them walked out, though Mr. Space went first, with Beams following not too far behind.
If Beams thought that he had gotten his share of surprises for the day, he was about to be proved wrong. The office or meeting space or whatever they had just stepped into was nothing at all like Rubberman’s office back home, or any other office which Beams had ever stepped in. Indeed, for a moment he wasn’t even sure they were in an office at all, because it didn’t even look like one.
It was large and wide open, but beyond that, Beams had a hard time making sense of it. The floor, walls, and ceiling seemed almost entirely nonexistent. It looked more like they were standing in the void between dimensions. He couldn’t even make out where the walls ended and where the floor and ceiling started. Even though he could feel solid metal floor underneath his feet, his instincts still told him that he was standing on thin air and would fall into the endless void below if he took even one more step further.
But what really caught his attention was the six human beings floating in the center of the room around a table that ceaselessly rotated in midair, albeit at a slow pace. A large hologram of an old woman—probably in her seventies or so, based on how white her hair was—hovered in the center of the room, with the words ‘AMANDA NEBULA, 1943-2018’ glowing underneath. That was how Beams realized he was looking at a memorial to Amanda Nebula, the former Chief of IEA. She reminded him somewhat of his own grandmother, except she had a steely look in her eyes more like his Vietnam veteran grandfather, as if she had been a veteran of that very same war.
The six figures who floated around the table on hover chairs could only be the Commanders who Mr. Space had told Beams about earlier, though one of them seemed to be missing. Beams immediately recognized Commander Nova, whose long beard and mustache were not nearly as impressive as his big muscles. The other five Commanders, who were divided equally between male and female, Beams did not recognize, but he could easily tell that they were all hardened individuals from perhaps a lifetime of fighting and defending the multiverse.
“Commanders,” said Mr. Space. He wore an uncharacteristically serious expression and bowed deeply at the waist. “Jason Space, deputy of the Adventure, reporting for duty, sirs.”
“The Commanderate acknowledges your presence, Deputy Space,” said Commander Nova. “You may rise.”
Mr. Space stood up straight, still wearing that uncharacteristically serious frown on his face. Beams shifted uncomfortably. He felt an urge to bow like Mr. Space, but was afraid that he might mess up and somehow offend the Commanders. It didn’t help that one of the Commanders—a middle-aged brunette whose skin was pitted with scars—was looking at him with what seemed like a special dislike, as if his very presence offended her existence.
“Deputy Space, who is the boy?” the woman snapped. Her voice was brisk and sharp, reminding Beams of his second grade history teacher who looked and sounded an awful lot like this woman. “He looks too young to be an IEA agent.”
“He’s not one of ours,” said Commander Nova. “The boy is a native from the same universe as the Rubber Ball.”
The other Commanders all exchanged puzzled and alarmed looks. Remembering Commander Nova’s earlier displeased mood when he learned that Beams was a native, Beams figured that Mr. Space must have committed a very big goof by bringing Beams along. He wondered if he was going to be punished for it.
“Just what we need,” the woman groaned. “The Darzens attack and kill dozens of agents and destroy even more ships, Chief Nebula is found dead in her own office, and now one of our agents kidnapped a native from his own universe. This is the worst day that the Agency has seen since the Crisis.”
“I didn’t kidnap the boy,” said Mr. Space, “who, I will let you know, is Alex Fry, who also goes by the codename ‘Beams’ in his own universe. He came entirely of his own free will because he wanted to ensure that the Rubber Ball was safely delivered to HQ.”
“What interest does this boy have in the Rubber Ball?” asked another Commander, a Chinese man who seemed to be in his late thirties.
“He was the boy who kept the Darzens from getting the Rubber Ball six months ago in his universe,” said Mr. Space. “Remember that? It was part of Captain Galaxy’s report.”
“Oh, I remember that,” said Commander Nova, nodding. He looked at Beams again with more interest. “As far as I know, no one has ever managed to force a deal like that on the Darzens. For such a young man, he certainly has great potential.”
Beams could not help but feel a little proud of himself, but it quickly turned to annoyance when the woman said, “Who cares what this boy did? The rules state that natives are never supposed to leave their universe unless it is absolutely necessary.”
“With all due respect, Commander Luna, it’s too late to send him back now,” said Mr. Space. “And trust me, Beams has been more of a help than a hindrance so far. He helped me protect the Rubber Ball from the Dread God’s Avatar, who is also the head of the Darzen army which attacked HQ. Besides, I don’t have any intention of keeping him. I will send him back to his universe just as soon as I can.”
Commander Luna scowled, looking as if she didn’t like Mr. Space’s tone, but then Commander Nova waved a hand and said, “Very well. We have far more urgent matters to discuss right now than the presence of a native. We can discuss what to do with the boy later. Right now, we need to discuss the recent murder of Chief Nebula.”
“Yes, let’s,” said Mr. Space. “Sparky and I got the message, but we don’t know what happened.”
“Truth is, we don’t, either,” said Commander Nova. He tapped some sort of holographic interface on the arm of his chair and the hologram of Chief Nebula changed to show a shrouded corpse lying on a table in a dimly lit room. “This is Chief Nebula’s body, which is currently lying in HQ’s morgue, where it is being prepared for burial. I was told by the undertaker that Chief Nebula was going to be buried in her universe once he finished preparing her body for burial. Supposedly, that is what she wanted.”
Beams could not help but shudder at the sight of the shrouded corpse. Even though it was just a hologram, Beams never handled death or corpses very well. He was glad it was covered with that white shroud, because he did not want to see a corpse.
The hologram suddenly changed again to the earlier image of Chief Nebula, smiling serenely at everyone in the room.
“According to Ronald, Chief Nebula’s assistant, he found her slumped over in her desk shortly after the Darzens began their retreat,” said Commander Nova. “He found her with a laser blast hole to the forehead. There’s no security footage of the attack, because Chief Nebula did not have any security cameras in her office for privacy reasons, so we don’t know for sure who killed her.”
“It was obviously one of the Darzens,” said Commander Luna without hesitation. “The jerks must have somehow slipped one of their own through our defenses whi
le we weren’t looking. Once they did the deed, they left and their fellow Darzens retreated, because that was their whole mission in the first place.”
“It couldn’t have been a Darzen, though,” said the Chinese Commander who Beams had noticed before. “They came close to breaking HQ’s barrier, but they gave up right before they succeeded. Darzens are not known for their stealth, anyway. Someone would have noticed a Darzen wandering HQ’s hallways, even if only a robot.”
“There is another clue to support Commander Meteor’s theory,” said Commander Nova. “The door to Chief Nebula’s officer was not locked, nor were the normal security locks broken. It appears that Chief Nebula allowed the assassin inside voluntarily.”
“Hold on,” said Mr. Space with a gulp. “You’re not saying—”
Commander Nova frowned grimly. “I am. The assassin was not a Darzen who managed to sneak through our defenses somehow. The assassin was an IEA agent. And they are still hiding somewhere on board HQ, where they could strike again unless we find them fast.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Graalix!” Bolt shouted. He rushed over to the doorway as fast as he could. “No! Get back here!”
Stopping in the doorway, Bolt looked in every direction, hoping that the portal had been some kind of illusion and that Graalix had actually run away instead.
But the hallway outside the break room was as empty as an abandoned warehouse. It seemed like Graalix had indeed managed to escape to another universe.
“He’s gone, Bolt,” said Captain Galaxy behind him. She was getting back up to her feet, along with Cadmus and Peter. “He’s taken the Soul Crown to the Darzens.”
“Then we failed,” said Bolt. “He’s going to resurrect the Dread God and the multiverse will be destroyed.”
“Not necessarily,” said Captain Galaxy, brushing back some of her long hair. “In order to resurrect the Dread God, the Darzens need more than just the Soul Crown. They also need the Dread God’s brain.”