“The thought of the emails I’ve been getting from students doesn’t make me any more eager to get back to work,” Rachel added, scooting out her chair. “Alright, let’s go see what outfits Circe and Amber actually approve of.”
San Mateo College, San Mateo
“Flyer on the roof!” one of the officers called out, and Galvanic Action flinched, ducking as one of the bat-like monstrosities opened its mouth and shards of ice blasted in his direction.
A LANCE member in power armor shrugged off the punishment, taking aim with the massive rifle he carried, then pulled the trigger. A whipcrack sound assaulted Galvanic Action’s ears painfully and he winced as what looked like a white bar of light lanced out from the railgun and punched a hole directly through the monster, sending it spinning to the ground. Moments later, the creature turned into a sort of semi-transparent ooze and began to evaporate.
“I don’t why you wanted me here. I’m not much good against conjured monsters!” Galvanic Action told the man, shaking his head in disbelief as the rest of the squad continued to pick off the assault of giant squirrels, bats, and the occasional lion, all of which could use strange, alien attacks. “Heck, the Ascendency doesn’t use much metal to begin with! They’re spellcasters, by and large.”
“They are, but we didn’t know it was them when we deployed,” Lieutenant Graves agreed, swapping out the clip on his railgun and pulling out a pistol to pick off a pair of the giant rodents. “It tends to help when we have local heroes backing us up, though. The locals tend not to panic nearly as much.”
“It’d help if we weren’t suddenly getting flooded with villains. I never expected yesterday to touch off a firestorm like this,” Galvanic Action told him, looking around cautiously. “Since when did everyone want a piece of us?”
“Probably since you all decided to let everyone know that one of Shadowmind’s ultimate creations was free for the taking?” Graves asked, his voice dry.
“I had nothing to do with that! I didn’t even know what was going on until it was far too late,” Galvanic Action protested, taking cover behind a tree quickly as a squirrel spat a line of what almost looked like napalm before getting blown apart.
“I never said you did. I said you all,” Graves replied, grunting as he added, “Oof, that’s a big one. Guess the main wave is coming.”
Galvanic Action peered around the tree and winced at what looked like a giant salamander the size of a dump truck crawling up the street. Even better, it was on fire. Swearing under his breath, he spoke grimly. “I wish that one of the others were here.”
“So do I,” Graves agreed, and called out, “They want to play with fire, ladies and gents, so let’s give it to them!”
Chapter 19
Sunday, January 6th, 2031
Dr. Johnson’s Lair
“Doctor. You have made a breakthrough, then?” Ebon Dragon asked, stepping into the room and looking around with only the slightest sign of interest.
“I have! However, we’re waiting on Dreamer as well, so I’d rather wait for her to arrive before explaining,” Doctor Johnson replied, smiling broadly at the other man. “What I can say is that I think our hopes are going to be vindicated.”
“Indeed? That’s good news,” Ebon Dragon said, and a slight smile appeared on his face. “I was beginning to worry that it might not be successful.”
“I didn’t realize you’d been wondering about it. My apologies, I often get sucked into my work,” Doctor Johnson said, rubbing his hands together as he glanced over his shoulder. “Eve? Is Dreamer almost here?”
His assistant tilted her head and seemed to consider before replying a moment later. “She just left her room. It should be only a handful of minutes until she arrives, assuming she doesn’t choose a poorly planned path.”
“If she does, it will likely be deliberate,” Ebon Dragon replied, frowning slightly. “I do not like that woman.”
“She’s insane, but powerful and has been useful in getting to this point,” Doctor Johnson agreed, shaking his head. “I am looking forward to having finished things here. Though leaving will be difficult with the number of heroes and villains that have descended on the region.”
“Very true,” Ebon Dragon said, walking over to the nearby workbench and examining the machinery on it. The bench was covered with a wide variety of components, and the man obviously didn’t know what most of them were used for as he spoke dubiously. “None of these are necessary for your device, I hope.”
“They aren’t; those are the spare parts from after I finished making my adjustments to the genetic manipulator,” Doctor Johnson replied. “It was sound before, but to handle the power load and distribute the effect better, I had to change some parts out.”
“I see. That’s somewhat more understandable,” Ebon Dragon replied, nodding in satisfaction. “I assume that Claire is still well?”
“As well as can be expected. Mentally traumatized, but that’s normal,” Doctor Johnson confirmed. “I suspect she’d manage to recover eventually, if I allow her to do so.”
“Then—ah, Dreamer. You’ve deigned to join us.” Ebon Dragon paused as the pale woman entered the room.
“Yes, just as the little snake emerged from his lair,” Dreamer replied, sniffing and crossing her arms. “I do hope this meeting is to inform us of something useful?”
“I believe that you’ll be happy with things, yes,” Doctor Johnson replied, smiling broadly. “My tests on Blooming Orchid have been completed. From all appearances, I should be able to eliminate the illness afflicting you, Dreamer, and I should be able to reverse the effects of age on Ebon Dragon and myself. It should even allow me to extend our lifespan after using the device immensely. I’d say eternally, but it’s possible that our cells will begin breaking down due to age despite my tests.”
“Excellent,” Ebon Dragon said, smiling slightly, and Dreamer’s crimson eyes were quite bright, her lips pursed in interest. “I assume you called us here for more than just to boast about your breakthrough.”
“That’s right,” Doctor Johnson replied, nodding as he continued. “I know that neither of you would be content with simply hearing about the changes, so I’ll undergo the procedure myself and prove it.”
“That will be rather more convincing to me,” Dreamer said, smiling at him. “I’ve been looking forward to this.”
“As have I,” Ebon Dragon agreed.
Turning away, Doctor Johnson unbuttoned his shirt and looked at Eve, who was holding the surprisingly small segment of the genetic manipulator that did most of the work. The rest of the work was done in the computer it was connected to, and without the complicated programs within, the device would be completely useless. He nodded to her, and she placed the flat end of it against his chest. The metal was cool but quickly warmed to his body temperature.
“The genetic manipulator analyzes your genetic code and puts it up on the computer screen. Due to the tests with Blooming Orchid, I’ve managed to reduce the effect to a mere tingle, rather than enough pain to nearly cause the subject to pass out,” Doctor Johnson explained, feeling the tingle flow through him again. “While normally you’d have to enter the changes you want to make at that point, I put those in earlier, so we can skip that step. The alterations take a large amount of nutrients so I recommend taking a nutrient drip or consuming multiple nutritional capsules several hours beforehand to ensure you don’t have an adverse reaction. That was an unfortunate discovery we found.”
“I see. How long do the changes themselves take, and how does it feel?” Ebon Dragon asked.
“The changes take only a few minutes, but the process is unpleasant, at least if you want it done in a reasonable time,” Doctor Johnson answered, taking a breath as he added, “With that in mind, I’m going to be silent while it works, so please give me the time I require.”
“Fine. This should be interesting,” Dreamer murmured.
Eve raised her perfect eyebrows, asking, “Doctor?”
“Go ah
ead, Eve,” he replied, bracing himself for the procedure.
Despite the readings from Blooming Orchid, the sense of something entering his body hit Doctor Johnson hard, almost like someone had grabbed his heart and organs firmly. Doctor Johnson grunted, closing his eyes and focusing on breathing as something strange happened. It wasn’t quite possible to describe, a cool warmth running through his body, and his flesh began to itch. There was something strange about it, and a prickling feeling ran across his scalp as well.
Behind him, he heard Dreamer speak softly. “Well, that does look better, if a trifle ridiculous. He needs a haircut.”
The brush of hair against his collar was odd, and Doctor Johnson felt like scratching his neck, but he held himself still. It wouldn’t do to mess up the process at this point. The procedure was taking longer than he thought it would, and he felt himself feeling impatient, almost frustrated. Focusing on breathing and nothing more was hard.
“We’re done, Doctor,” Eve said several minutes later, pulling the now-warm surface of the manipulator away from his chest.
Opening his eyes, there was a crackling sensation, and Doctor Johnson blinked several times, then began to move, which caused more crackling sounds. Blinking fragments of something out of his eyes, Doctor Johnson marveled as he realized that the aches and pains he’d been feeling for years had vanished, and his back felt straighter, firmer than it had been. It took him a moment to realize that his skin was flaking off to reveal new, pink skin beneath it. Reaching up, he rubbed his face and the old skin collapsed into white powder, and his hair was in his eyes. He also felt a bit tired, almost drained.
“Hmm… this is messier than I expected,” Doctor Johnson said, shaking his head and leaving a slight cloud of debris around him. “I believe I’m going to need to clean up shortly. I do apologize; I didn’t anticipate the amount of… waste it would produce.”
He turned around and saw the look of surprise on Dreamer’s face. She pursed her lips again, then nodded firmly. “You definitely need to clean up, but underneath the old skin, you look like a man of no more than thirty or thirty-five. Much better than you have since I’ve known you.”
“Indeed you do. And that tells me what I needed to know about the process,” Ebon Dragon said, folding his hands in front of himself. “A most impressive device you’ve designed, Doctor Johnson. I look forward to seeing the results on myself.”
“Yes, though considering what I’ve seen you do to the little flower, I think I need to take a precaution or two of my own,” Dreamer said, smiling at Doctor Johnson. “I know that you have a reputation for playing fair, Johnson, but I don’t trust that in this situation. Not with such an impressive device at your disposal, and the thought that you might wish to keep it secret. Ebon Dragon? I would like to propose a trade. You ensure that he doesn’t deliberately sabotage me with the device, and I will ensure the same for you.”
“I wouldn’t do that!” Doctor Johnson protested, a guilty part of his mind admitting that he actually had considered doing so with Dreamer if he could get Ebon Dragon’s cooperation. He really should have talked to Ebon Dragon about that a few days earlier. It was too late for that now, though.
“While I trust the doctor to keep his bargain, making certain of our safety is an excellent idea,” Ebon Dragon agreed, nodding to Dreamer gravely. “So long as I go first, I will agree to your trade.”
“Very good. That eases my mind immensely,” Dreamer said, her smile widening broadly. “When will we be allowed to undergo the process?”
“To properly set up all of the changes will require quite some time to examine the readouts,” Doctor Johnson said, looking at Eve. “Eve? You did most of my analysis; how long do you expect that would take, now that we’ve done it twice?”
“Approximately six hours each, Doctor,” Eve replied steadily. “It should be quite easy to make the changes to Dreamer and Ebon Dragon tomorrow.”
“There you have it,” Doctor Johnson told them, nodding as more flakes of skin peeled off. He was feeling distinctly uncomfortable with how much of the debris was inside his clothing. Obviously being fully clothed had been a poor idea.
“Fine. Let’s get this analysis out of the way,” Dreamer said, stepping forward.
“While Eve deals with that, I’m going to go clean up. Having experienced it, I suggest the two of you mostly disrobe before undergoing the alterations,” Doctor Johnson warned.
“It appears that such is good advice,” Ebon Dragon agreed, frowning. “What of Claire?”
“She’ll be undergoing more extensive changes tonight. Each stage is far more draining than ours, so I have to space them out,” Doctor Johnson said, heading for the door, then pausing. “Rest assured, she’ll live. Once everything is complete, she won’t overstep her bounds again, I can assure you of that much.”
“That’s acceptable,” Ebon Dragon said with a nod, turning to look at Eve.
“Good,” Doctor Johnson said, happy the man had agreed. Even as uncomfortable as he felt, the energy coursing through his body was amazing, and he smiled to himself. Ah, to be young again.
Claire wished that she could just put herself out of her own misery. She had no idea how long she’d been in the cell, but gradually the pain of the various experiments had been reduced. Whether that was real or just because she was growing numb to them was a completely different question, though. The only comfort she had was from the android, Eve, and that had been growing far too relieving for her peace of mind.
As she thought of the android, Eve entered the room and Claire flinched. Eve smiled and spoke softly to her. “Don’t be that way, Blooming Orchid. We’ve spent quite a bit of time together so far and we’ll be spending a great deal of time together for the foreseeable future. Here in a little while, we’ll begin to get you ready to get out of that prison of yours.”
The statement brought a spark of hope to Claire, a spark which she tried to smother, and it was mostly quashed as the android continued. “It does mean changing your body quite a bit, but that’s the nature of how things have to be. There can’t be two of you running around, after all.”
As Claire wondered what they were going to do, feeling distinct trepidation, Eve pulled out the device they’d used on her again, hooking it into its brace and plugging in the cable so that she could press it into the usual position against her chest. Knowing what to expect, Claire braced herself for the impact of its activation, and barely twitched as it felt like it seized her internal organs and began to do whatever its task was this time.
Chapter 20
Monday, January 7th, 2031
San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco
“I’m getting off the plane momentarily, so we’re going to have to communicate via email drops after this,” Pauline subvocalized, looking out the window as the plane pulled up to the terminal. “I’m missing you, but this should be interesting.”
The villain had been surprised at how easily she’d slipped into Blooming Orchid’s place, or Claire Zhang’s, depending on who she was talking to. It helped that there wasn’t anyone too important in the heroine’s life, and that her personal desires hadn’t been terribly complex. Her family was largely down in Los Angeles, which meant that Pauline shouldn’t have to meet them while posing as the heroine. That might have been slightly more difficult.
Ocean Shield hadn’t contacted her while she’d been vacationing save for two brief calls and a longer call that Pauline had made to ensure she was filling her role correctly. It’d been a surprise to essentially be given an extensive vacation in Maui as part of her bargain with Doctor Johnson and his android assistant.
“The only saving grace is that the doctor and his crazy witch have mostly left me alone,” Maureen replied sourly, her voice tiny. “I actually envy you, you know. It’d be a hell of a lot better to be there than in this place. I swear they’re all crazy, but I really don’t know what else to do. I partly suspect that they want me here to make sure you pull off your part of t
he plan.”
“That seems likely. Just make sure you’re ready to go when we’re done. I’m not going to stay here longer than absolutely necessary, not with the disaster that’s enveloped the city. The team wasn’t telling me what was going on until I was back, which I had to accept,” Pauline said. “I’m not sure how long it’ll take before I can get out a message, but I’ll send one as soon as possible. Just be careful.”
“I’m not letting them do anything to me; don’t worry. Eve’s been my main point of contact. Be safe,” Maureen said, still sounding worried as she hung up. It was typical of her, but to be expected. It was a rather dangerous job, Pauline admitted. She still was enjoying living Claire’s life, though.
The only question was how things would go once she got to Ocean Shield’s HQ. Their scanners shouldn’t be able to detect the difference between Claire and Pauline, but there was no way to know ahead of time. Sighing, Pauline pulled off her headphones and carefully purged the number she’d used to call Maureen from her phone. It wouldn’t do to leave too many breadcrumbs for someone to find.
Now she just had to wait to debark from the plane. It always seemed to take forever to Pauline.
Ocean Shield HQ, San Francisco
“Did you really just say that Dracula called?” Pauline demanded, shock almost making her lose her grip on her role. “Since when has he been interested in us?”
“He wasn’t interested in us at all,” Black Comet said, grimacing as he leaned against the window, looking out at the city. “He was pissed because of Lilith, of all people.”
“He wanted her dead? Or is this something of the opposite? I’m still catching up since you wouldn’t tell me what was going on while I was on vacation,” Pauline told him tartly, frowning. “I could have come back early.”
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