And with that, she kissed Lilith again. This time, Lilith kissed her back.
Chapter 22
Thursday, January 10th, 2031
Dr. Johnson’s Lair, Santa Cruz
For once, the interruption didn’t happen when Doctor Johnson was working on a specific project. In fact, he’d been catching up on paperwork and some of the intelligence reports he’d received recently. At least he didn’t have to worry too much about income. In his opinion, most villains would do well to invest a good portion of their money. Certainly, it took him a long time to properly set up his income, but at this point he didn’t have to worry about laundering money to put it into the investments, as it was more than self-sustaining.
Still, he was somewhat surprised when the phone speaker sounded and Eve spoke. “Doctor, Maureen would like to speak to you.”
“Is that so? That’s surprising… well, go ahead and show her in,” Doctor Johnson replied, rubbing his chin as he glanced at the circular fish tank surrounding his office. Once the light showing the connection was active went out, he murmured softly, “I wonder what she wants?”
He closed a couple of the more sensitive files, considering the situation. He knew that Maureen was in regular contact with her sister, but Eve was in charge of monitoring their communications. It was likely in code, but he expected that Eve had broken that within a handful of emails.
The door slid open with a soft hiss, and Doctor Johnson raised an eyebrow as Eve ushered Maureen into the room. The younger woman blinked as she looked around, then at Doctor Johnson, seeming nonplused.
“Doctor, this is Maureen. Maureen, Doctor Johnson,” Eve said, and if anything, the woman seemed even more surprised, not immediately speaking.
“Is something the matter, Ms. Maureen?” Doctor Johnson asked, a hint of annoyance rising. If she was going to waste his time, he’d be quite upset.
“I’m just… surprised. You look a lot younger than I expected. I thought that you were in your sixties or seventies,” Maureen replied, shaking her head. “You look like you’re only a couple of years older than me!”
Her words managed to wipe away most of Doctor Johnson’s annoyance, and he smiled. At least she could tell when someone looked decent. No matter that she didn’t know how he’d gone about it, and he wasn’t going to tell her.
“I take pride in making certain that I remain in good health,” Doctor Johnson replied, smiling broadly. “It helps to put enemies off guard as well. Much like your sister’s ability to mimic others, I imagine. Please, take a seat. You wished to see me?”
“I suppose… but yes, I did,” Maureen replied, taking a deep breath as she sat down gingerly. “It’s about Pauline. I got a message from her earlier, and most of it really isn’t important. Just personal stuff and gossip. She did mention that there were indications that Ocean Shield is getting close to finding Megawatt, though. They haven’t tracked him down yet, but they’ve got some leads.”
“Really? And you chose to bring this to me why?” Doctor Johnson asked, his eyebrows rising.
“I really don’t care about Megawatt, and neither does she. The problem is that we caught a glimpse of him when we first got here, and he knows where here is. She doesn’t want me in danger, and I don’t want to be in danger,” Maureen explained. “I figured that if you knew, odds were that you could figure out something to do about it.”
“That… is appreciated. Yes, I should be able to do something about this situation, as I don’t like the thought of being tracked down much more than you do,” Doctor Johnson replied, his mind rapidly considering the possibilities. “Thank you. I’m going to have to consider how to deal with this. You may go.”
Maureen gave him an annoyed look, getting up and leaving in a huff. Doctor Johnson ignored her, sitting back and thinking, almost absently taking a toffee and unwrapping it. Eve didn’t leave, waiting patiently.
“How accurate are her claims?” Doctor Johnson asked after a moment, looking at Eve curiously as he popped the toffee into his mouth. “I assume you’ve broken their code, yes?”
“I have, Doctor. Her claim that Megawatt is being tracked down appears to have some weight to it. It also appears that she’s understating some of the information that they’ve acquired. While few of them were named in their communications, it appears that Pauline has identified a number of informers for the heroes and has also learned the identities of several heroes and heroines,” Eve replied pleasantly. “She is endeavoring to ensure that their activities don’t risk us, or her sister, but there is only so much that she can do without raising suspicion. At the moment, Pauline’s making certain to treat Black Comet sub-optimally so he can’t assist in responding to emergencies, though she feels that he wouldn’t be able to interfere for two weeks even without that. With it, it likely will be three weeks before he is back on duty.”
“I see. Unfortunate that she can’t do more… they’re useful enough I don’t want to discard them, though,” Doctor Johnson replied, frowning. “The Doppelgangers have an interesting set of powers, and I doubt they’d be nearly as easy to change or control as Blooming Orchid in the end. How is she coming, anyway?”
“Blooming Orchid requires a last round of changes. The number of alterations exceeded your estimate of her tolerances, and thus she’ll have to undergo the final round of changes tomorrow,” Eve replied simply. A moment later she added, “Doctor, you asked me to remind you to come up with a new name for her. I cannot properly condition her without it.”
“Oh, yes… well, at least she’s almost done, um…” Doctor Johnson leaned back in his chair, frowning and murmuring. “No, not Cleopatra… while appropriate, there’re at least three variations on that out there as it is. I’m not certain, Eve. I’ll figure one out tonight or tomorrow.”
“As you say, Doctor,” Eve nodded politely.
“Now, as for the problem with Megawatt. It’s not my problem, but I don’t want his problems to turn into trouble for me,” Doctor Johnson replied. “We’ve kept an eye on where he went, didn’t we?”
“We have. Megawatt has a base in an old warehouse on the outskirts of Tracy which he has used regularly for approximately a year and a half,” Eve explained, tilting her head as she paused, then asked. “Would you like me to contact him and advise him to move, Doctor?”
“No, no… I don’t think he’d appreciate that. Instead, I think I need to take a more direct approach to this. Go ahead and get back to your tasks, Eve,” Doctor Johnson replied, sucking on his toffee with relish as he stood. “I’m going to speak with Ebon Dragon.”
“As you say, Doctor,” Eve said, nodding politely and leaving the room, and Doctor Johnson watched her rear as she left, his grin widening. He liked being young again.
Closing down the programs on his computer terminal, Doctor Johnson headed down the halls to Ebon Dragon’s rooms. He hummed as he went, in good spirits despite the various problems he’d been running into lately. Not having to worry about his back helped with that, too. He was looking forward to things getting resolved with Orchid… though he really did need to come up with a name for her. He tried to put it out of his mind as he knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” Ebon Dragon asked.
“It’s me,” Doctor Johnson replied, and a moment later the door to the room opened, revealing Ebon Dragon within.
It startled Doctor Johnson how little the Chinese man had changed when they’d used the genetic manipulator to reverse the ravages of time on him. Some of Ebon Dragon’s wrinkles had vanished, and his hair had lost some of its threads of gray, but that had been almost it. Doctor Johnson could only wish that he’d aged as gracefully.
Behind the other villain, Ebon Dragon’s room was in disarray, though the boxes on the floors told much of the tale. He’d obviously been packing for his move out of the base and looked to be about halfway done.
“Yes, Doctor?” Ebon Dragon asked, obviously in a good mood, since there was almost a hint of a smile on his face.
Gl
ancing around, Doctor Johnson smiled in return, nodding as he said. “I’m here for another reason, but if you’d like I can have Eve or some of the remotes help you pack. It would be easier.”
“The offer is appreciated, but I must decline. Some items that might appear to go together must be kept separated,” Ebon Dragon replied, shaking his head. “It would not do to destroy your facility.”
“I… see. I didn’t realize that was a risk,” Doctor Johnson replied, slightly taken aback. He didn’t think Ebon Dragon was joking, but the man gestured him inside after a moment.
“A minor one, but quite real. Magical items rarely betray their true power at a cursory glance,” the other villain explained, beginning to pack a number of small vials into a padded box. “Your reason for visiting? I’m not one for socializing; it’s a waste of time.”
“You have more time now,” Doctor Johnson pointed out, growing amused.
“Yes. Which is why I put up with your questions,” Ebon Dragon agreed, putting a lid on the box.
“I suppose so. We have a potential problem, and one which I’d like to head off before it becomes a bigger one. It appears that Ocean Shield is close to catching up with Megawatt. I doubt he’s aware, but even if made aware, he might be unwilling to relocate. As he knows where this base is, I’d rather he not be captured,” Doctor Johnson explained. “I could send Eve, but I want to send someone who I know could threaten him if he’s reluctant.”
“Hmm. You have a reason for approaching me,” Ebon Dragon stated, looking at Doctor Johnson.
Looking at a carving of a jade elephant, Doctor Johnson nodded, grimacing. “You and Dreamer are immediately available. There are other villains I could hire in the area, but considering current events, I don’t trust them. Megawatt may be a danger, but he’s also a skilled mercenary, and I’d like to not burn bridges with him. I can’t trust Dreamer to not burn those bridges. You’re skilled, powerful, and you won’t half-kill him or put him into a coma for no reason. You’re the logical option.”
Ebon Dragon smiled slightly at that, nodding. “Good reasons. I will not do such for nothing, however. It also will depend on where this would require me to go.”
“Megawatt is in Tracy. Do you know where that is?” Doctor Johnson asked, finding a bare patch of wall to lean against. “Also, feel free to ask for an amount. I trust you to deal relatively fairly.”
“I know that Tracy is in the state,” Ebon Dragon replied with a frown. “I have had no reason to go there before.”
“It’s some distance to the northeast, over the mountains east of San Francisco. It’s a fairly long distance, I’ll admit, but not too horribly far away,” Doctor Johnson explained, hoping he wouldn’t have to do this himself. That would be troublesome at best. He didn’t have that many assault bots at the moment, as he’d been focused on other projects. He also needed to build a new suit of power armor, now that he was in shape to use it again.
“I see. I will do this for you, for ten thousand. Thirty if combat is required,” Ebon Dragon replied after a few moments of thought. “It would be best if I am allowed to finish packing before that.”
“Thank you, Ebon Dragon. I’ll get fifteen thousand transferred over instead. You’ll get the full thirty if you’re forced to engage him or others in battle,” Doctor Johnson agreed, nodding. “I’ll leave you to pack.”
Ebon Dragon went back to his packing, and as he left, an idea popped into Doctor Johnson’s head and he smiled. “Jade Serpent, I think. That would be a pretty name. Jade normally… no last name.”
With that decided, he moved even more quickly, a spring now in his step.
Outskirts, Tracy
The lurch of the teleportation was more pronounced this time, and Lilith let out a breath as she fell a couple of inches to the ground, her feet hitting the dirt heavily. Despite every attempt Amber had made to reduce the mass of the armor, it still added forty pounds to her weight. A sizzling sound came from behind her, and Lilith turned as the smell of ozone wafted to her nose. Looking down at the beacon, Lilith winced.
“Circe wasn’t joking about it not being able to fully handle the load, was she?” Gina asked, her voice a little more subdued now.
In front of them, expanded across the forest floor, was a small metal cylinder which had unfolded into anchors and an antenna. The obvious problem was the sparks showering from the device’s base, and Lilith nodded slightly.
“I doubted that she was joking, considering her nature,” Lilith replied, pausing before adding, “Though I have noticed that she’s being more… active, of late. I’m not sure if her claim of heuristic programming is correct, or if it was simply a layer hidden behind my previous permissions.”
“Either way, she got us here. I’m pretty sure this is Tracy,” Rachel replied, looking out over the city. “Gina?”
“Why are you asking me? I’ve only been here a few times,” Gina retorted, and Lilith smiled, adjusting her goggles.
Circe had wanted to give Lilith a full armored helmet, but Lilith had refused. The emergency force field in the neck should be enough for her purposes, at least for the amount of time she’d be out. Instead, she’d gone with the goggles, which gave night vision and a detailed readout of the suit and armor’s integrity. Gina and Rachel had been impressed, which puzzled Lilith. Why the heroes didn’t have the same functions available was strange to her. It wasn’t super-tech, after all.
“The easiest way to learn if it’s true or not is to check and see if the nearest streets are the ones we were supposed to approach, isn’t it?” Lilith asked, looking between the two, a tiny part of her still flustered by the previous night. Gina had seemed slightly grumpy for most of the day, which Lilith suspected was prompted by Rachel’s visit.
“That’s true,” Rachel agreed, seeming much more relaxed than Lilith felt. “Come on; I’ll turn us invisible. If we’re in the wrong place, we’ll just have to teleport back. It’ll be a waste of the beacon and emergency teleporters, but we don’t have much of a choice.”
“I suppose so,” Gina agreed, her tone grudging.
“Are you still upset about the drawing of straws?” Rachel asked, glancing back at Lilith, her eyes twinkling. “Come on; you’ll get a turn too.”
Suddenly the reason for her irritation was explained, and Lilith sighed as Gina growled, “You cheated! Turning the bottom half of your straw invisible wasn’t fair!”
“I think this isn’t the time for a discussion like this,” Lilith interjected, trying to fight the heat rising in her cheeks. “We’re about to confront a supervillain, aren’t we?”
“No, we’re about to hunt down a villain supplier and shake him until the information we want rattles out of his brain,” Gina muttered in frustration. “I’m not concerned about Yates.”
“That may not be the best idea. He might have weapons which could hurt us,” Lilith pointed out, turning her face away as she added, “I also… also find this a little embarrassing. I didn’t realize that last night would cause such discord.”
“It didn’t cause it, Lilith,” Rachel said, looking a little chagrined herself. “I think we’re just trying to figure out what to do about one another. You’re safe, our relationship with you is new, so trying out new things isn’t too hard. The two of us… well, we’ve known one another for ages.”
“Yeah. It’s… complicated,” Gina admitted, and Lilith sighed, shaking her head.
“You two have had that chance. Today… well, tomorrow is exactly a year to the day since I woke up,” Lilith told them, her voice almost scolding. “I’d like to reach a second if at all possible, so we’d best get a move on.”
“You… tomorrow’s your birthday and you never said anything about it?” Gina demanded, her eyes going wide.
“I did now. Not that it matters; we’re busy,” Lilith pointed out.
“We’ll discuss this later, Lilith. However, it’s rather more important to Gina, obviously,” Rachel replied, then murmuring just low enough that Lilith could bar
ely hear her, “I’m going to have to ask Circe about making a cake or something…”
“Dibs on the birthday girl,” Gina added, and smirked at Rachel’s glare.
Lilith sighed again, more loudly this time. “You two—”
“We’re going now,” Rachel said, shaking her head. “Come on, Gina.”
At least they were moving, Lilith reflected. She didn’t entirely understand why the two women were so flustered by finding out when her birthday was, but she supposed it was just one of those things she hadn’t learned about.
Rachel used her magic, the purple mist surrounding them for a few moments, and then they were heading down the streets toward the warehouse that Garret Yates operated out of. Circe had indicated that he was normally there at this hour, but there was no guarantee of that being true.
The streets were moderately busy, making Lilith relieved that they were invisible. Otherwise, getting to the warehouse would have been even more difficult, though she wasn’t entirely certain how hard it would have been. They probably could have managed it eventually, but it might have added quite a bit of time to their trip.
Before too long, they were in sight of the warehouse, and Lilith frowned, asking softly, “Are you certain this is it?”
The building was smaller than she’d expected, about half the size of the warehouse she’d rescued Gina from, and the dingy exterior was about what she’d expected from it. What bugged Lilith was the beat-up delivery truck next to the loading dock. It just looked too old and run-down to be something run by someone supplying villains.
“Circe was the one who gave us the information,” Gina pointed out, her voice calmer now, sounding more like she did when she was in the guise of Warden. “Besides, we’ve run into a fair number of villains whose hideouts looked even worse than this.”
“Really?” Lilith asked, looking at the building in askance, wondering how that could be. After living in Alpha-Three for as long as she had, it was difficult to imagine.
Down with the Queen Page 22