by JC Bybee
“Don’t move!” someone shouted. Ace froze.
“Turn around!” It was a man shouting at her. She turned slowly and saw a group of five or six heavily armored men pointing all manner of firearms at her as they slowly came closer. “On the ground!” She couldn’t see the men’s faces through their shielded helmets, but there was a nervous tremor in the voice of the one that was giving her orders.
“I wouldn’t come any closer guys,” she said, trying to sound friendly.
They all froze. Either she didn’t sound as friendly as she hoped or they really were that terrified of her. “Look, there’s a whole group of your buddies just waiting for me to come charging out that door. And that’s exactly what I’m planning to do, but if you all are too close there’s a chance that one of you is going to get killed when they open fire. I don’t want that on my conscience and I pretty sure you don’t want it on theirs.”
“We’ve been given orders to detain you.” It was the same guy who’d spoken before. His voice was shaky, so were his knees.
“Right, see I’m going out that door,” Ace cocked her head towards the door out, “You can either run back the way you came and hope I wait until you’re a safe distance away, or you can try and detain me before I’m out that door and your buddies outside start firing. Before you make that decision though, let me remind you that I am the fastest Exceptional alive. In the time it takes the nerve impulse to get from your brain to your legs I can be through this door. Choice is yours.”
They hesitated for a second longer before turning as a group and running back down the hall. Once Ace was fairly certain they were far enough away, there was no way to be sure, she hit the door as hard and as fast as she could muster.
The world around her seemed to explode into bullets and noise. Visibility was limited through the curtain of lead that was pounding into her. She kept her forward momentum and took to the air. Once airborne she got a clear picture of the numbers waiting below. With a deep breath she descended into the fray.
She left a semi-circle of incapacitated guards and broken weapons in her wake. One of the guards was still conscious. She picked him up and said, “Where’s your boss?”
He responded in a panicked stream of what sounded like Spanish. “Slow down. Do you speak English?” For some reason Ace had never had the knack for languages.
“Yes,” his voice was heavily accented, but she understood him.
“Where’s your boss?” she asked again.
“There, the top floor,” he replied. She looked where he was pointing. There was a group of buildings that looked pretty much identical.
“Which one?” she asked.
“Th- the farthest away,” he replied. His accent was getting thicker along with the fear in his voice. There were two that could fit those directions, but Ace dropped him. “Thanks.”
Again she took to the air and was met by another hail of bullets. There were even more this time. Made sense, everyone on the ground with line of sight to her would be able to open fire once there was no danger of crossfire. She flew to one of her two targets, not bothering to dodge the bullets. What would be the point? Her borrowed clothing was already in tatters and it wasn’t like any of them were hurting her.
Once she was at her target some of the bullets trailed off. They apparently didn’t want to hit the buildings. There were no windows. That was annoying. She didn’t want to just bust through a wall. If it was the actual command center then there were probably lots of people, increasing the chance that she could kill someone if she just broke in.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar sound and she dodge out of the way just as an RPG went flying past her. With a sigh of annoyance she followed the warhead and destroyed it before it could do any harm. She then turned and followed the weapon’s flight path back to its origin. She landed next to the guard who fired the weapon. He was getting ready to load another. With a growl she took the launcher and bent it in an arc. “These things are dangerous,” she said.
She smelt the all too familiar smell of urine as the guard dropped in a faint. “Idiot,” she muttered and went back to what she assumed, was the top floor of the building. She was annoyed enough now that she just broke through a wall and hoped.
Chapter 26
Ace came through the wall just a few feet away from a very startled woman. She was holding a stack of file folders of all things. Apparently the HSO, like the E.E.D, liked to operate old school. The woman was dressed in a blouse and skirt. Her, her clothes and everything she was carrying were lightly coated in dust. Ace looked at the woman then at the hole and the back and said, “Sorry about the mess. You might want to run away now.”
The woman dropped the folders and ran back the way she’d come, screaming. Ace decided to try the other direction. She encountered more people and they all looked like generic office workers. Some ran away from her, some of them fainted at the sight of her. There were people cowering in conference rooms and under desks as Ace searched. She didn’t bother trying to get information from them. Those few that weren’t crying uncontrollably had passed out.
She finally rounded a corner and saw a woman standing in front of a double doorway. Her arms were folded and one eyebrow quirked. She was strikingly beautiful with her red hair pulled up in a bun showing her model worthy features. She was dressed like a high class CEO and when she spotted Ace she spoke. “I’ve been wondering how long it would take you to find me.”
“Well your employees haven’t been very helpful. Most have either been injured in the line of duty, fainted, pissed themselves or are so hysterical that I’m worried they might need to be put in an institution. What the hell have you been telling them about me?” Ace replied.
The woman laughed. “You are not the first Exceptional to run loose through our facility Officer Ace, just the most law abiding. You will have to forgive my people. The last time a Fortress Class broke free they left quite the mess behind them.”
“Well I’m here to tell you that you are under arrest. I can’t even begin to think about the laws you’ve broken and that’s just within the US,” Ace said. This woman was the first Exceptional Ace had encountered. She had no idea what the woman’s powers were, other than she was not a Fortress Class.
“So you’re here to arrest me, on my own property, well outside of your jurisdiction? I hardly think that will sit well with anyone. Besides you haven’t given me the chance to elaborate on my plans. Isn’t that the way these scenes are supposed to play out?” the woman replied. She looked confident enough, but when she asked that last question something in her voice changed.
“Look lady I am under orders by not only the E.E.D but every police agency in the United States of North America to bring into our custody the leader of the HSO. Now if that’s you then you’re coming with me. If you say you’re not, then I’m here to bring you in for questioning. And you can still be charged with kidnapping an officer. So what’s it going to be?”
Her answer seemed to take the woman by surprise. “Don’t you want to know why I brought you here?” She sounded confused, and almost heartbroken.
“Not in the least. I’ve seen the aftermath of your damned experiments. You are sick lady and I don’t want anything to do with you,” Ace replied.
That just plan pissed her off. “No. NO! NO! This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be! You’re supposed to be defiant, but curious. You have to give me time to divulge my plans before declaring you are going to stop me! You aren’t doing it right! Heroes and villains have to do things right!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You actually believe that crap?” Ace asked. Apparently this woman had either watched too many movies or read too many comics. She thought the world was supposed follow those rules. “I’m just a cop, lady. I’m not a hero. I’m sure as hell not a superhero.”
“NO!” the woman shouted. “You are going to do it right! I’m going to make you!” She then jabbed a needle into her leg. The motion took Ace by surprise, not givi
ng her a chance to respond. “Now what?” Ace asked.
“Now I have power. Power that will rival yours!” the woman screamed and the laws of nature screamed with her.
The force of it actually hit Ace and caused her to stumble a bit. That was a first. Ace was so put off by being staggered that she was totally unprepared when the woman slammed her fist into the side of her head. The force of the blow caused her head to turn.
Before she could recover from the surprise of feeling pain the woman hit her again. She rained down punches and kicks in a flurry that served to confuse and disorient Ace even more. And with each strike the natural laws screamed.
At that rate of attack it didn’t take long for Ace to be pounded through the floor. She hit the carpeted floor below with a grunt. Her attacker was slow in following, giving Ace a minute to recover. Damn it. She’s strong, probably as strong as I am. What the hell am I going to do? She’d never in her entire life fought a fair fight. It had never even been a possibility.
As Ace’s mind started to panic, her training finally kicked in. In the military and with the E.E.D her trainers had never let her pass with the excuse that nothing could hurt her. “You never know what can happen, kid.” That had been the motto of her drill sergeant. Well, now she was grateful for that advice. As her attacker jumped through the hole Ace caught her feet and slammed her into the floor.
The woman cried out in pain, but Ace wasn’t finished. She squeezed both feet until she felt bones cracking. Now the woman was screaming. She thrashed violently and caught Ace a glancing blow to the chin. With the woman’s new found strength the hit was enough to snap Ace’s head back and dislodge her grip. As she stumbled back the woman started to crawl away.
To Ace’s immense frustration she could see the damage she’d caused already starting to heal. She followed the woman down the hall and as she stood slammed her fist into the back of her head. The impact slammed the woman down again, leaving a dent in the floor where her forehead struck.
“I don’t know how you did this to yourself, but I’ll be damned if I let you get that knowledge out to people worse than you,” Ace said as she pinned both arms behind the woman’s back.
She planted one knee in the small of her opponents back and held on. Her prisoner tried to struggle, but Ace had her held fast. “Let me go! I have to find the real heroes!” she screamed. “I have to find someone who knows how it works!”
“Give up already! There are no heroes! There are just people. Some are born with power, others without, that’s all. And those with power have to protect those without, especially from people like you. Now you are under arrest!” Ace shouted over her prisoner’s screams.
Suddenly the struggling stopped and the woman beneath her went limp. Ace let her go on reflex and once she was free the woman curled into a ball and started crying. “I’m still not good enough,” she repeated over and over.
Still confused Ace picked up who she assumed was the leader of the HSO and took her back to the top floor. She figured the double doors where the woman had been standing would lead to an office. She was right. Inside she found the intercom system.
“Attention all personnel, this is Officer Ace of the E.E.D and New Davenport Police. You are all technically under arrest, but since I have no way of bringing every last one of you in I will excuse you if someone will come up here and tell me how I can radio in some backup.”
Later, after the sun was down, an E.E.D heavy chopper landed in the center of the complex. Ace met them outside, carrying the still distraught, leader of the HSO. Her name was Janice Rodriguez. Ace also had a number of sworn testimonies from the HSO personnel about the organization’s true goals. There were also five hard drives, all with copies of the tests that had been done on Exceptionals. She had also names, lists and lists of names of those that had contributed money, or were members of the HSO. It was a lot of information.
The E.E.D officer that stepped out of the chopper was not someone Ace was familiar with. “Officer Ace?” she asked over the noise of the rotors.
“Yes,” Ace replied.
The woman motioned her into the cabin of the aircraft. Ace was still carrying Ms. Rodriguez. She buckled the poor confused woman into one of the seats. When she saw suppressor cuffs hanging from the wall she grabbed a pair and slapped them on her prisoner. She then strapped herself in and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to answer the questions behind the other officer’s eyes. Just as they were lifting off the noise of more choppers arriving made Ace open her eyes and look. Five more landed and disgorged E.E.D officers all over the grounds of the HSO complex. Ace relaxed and closed her eyes again.
Chapter 27
Back in New Davenport Ace wanted to report to Bones immediately. It was mid-morning when they arrived. The HSO facility where she’d been taken was in the middle of Nevada, so there had been a necessary change from chopper to plane and that had taken time. Ace had a feeling that her uncle was still on the job.
She first went to her precinct. The E.E.D officer that had picked her up had given her new clothes, E.E.D standard issue, but it was better than being naked. She went to the Exceptionals holding and handed Janice over to them. There had been an attempt by the other E.E.D personnel in Nevada to take her, but Ace had insisted that she be brought back to New Davenport. The argument hadn’t lasted very long once she pointed out that she was the Fifth and she was tired and already very upset.
She filed the paperwork with the officer in charge. She thought his name was Chip, but she wasn’t certain. It had been a long day and she was tired. “Search her thoroughly and put her in a class four containment unit,” she said as she passed custody. Chip nodded and Ace left.
Up in the E.E.D floor of the precinct Ace found Torment waiting for her. “Bones is waiting for you in the Captain’s office.”
“How’s Angel?” Ace asked.
“He’ll survive. He got in trouble for pushing himself too hard. Bones is making him take leave for a while. It’s about time someone did,” Torment replied.
“What about Einstein?”
“He’s fine. Once you vanished Angela alerted us and we moved in. We took the gunmen you bagged into custody and found Einstein cuffed to a chair with suppressors. He told us that the whole thing was a trap, but the device that had teleported you was a one shot. Not even the technomancers could figure out where it had sent you. Emily and your sister weren’t happy about that, hell none of us were. They then went to your place with Maniac. I heard them say something about putting on suppressor cuffs. The rest of us have just been waiting. Things have been pretty quiet.”
Ace nodded. “I’d better go report. I’m so tired right now that I might fall asleep while doing it if it doesn’t happen quick.”
“Sure thing, Ace,” Torment said and let her pass. Ace knew she was concerned, knew she wanted to ask more questions, but they both knew it was better if they waited.
Ace knocked on Angel’s office door and went in. Bones would know it was her. Her uncle was sitting at Angel’s desk typing something on the computer. Ace closed the door and Bones came to her and gave her a hug. “I’m glad you made it back.”
“I’m glad I wasn’t teleported halfway across the world,” Ace replied gently returning the embrace.
“You’re here to report?” he asked. He walked back to the desk and sat down.
Ace nodded. She sat in one of the chairs and laid out the events of the past day and a bit. It didn’t take her long, surprisingly little had actually happened.
“Good work Ace,” Bones said after she finished.
“All the information on the HSO is on these,” she held up the drives and then put them on the desk. “I imagine the old man is going to want them.”
“Probably. I’ll make sure he gets them. As for you; go home. I’m sure Emily and Angela are getting tired of wearing suppressor cuffs. We retrieved your equipment from the scene. It’s all at your place. Go ahead and take a couple of days off. I think all three of you are going to need
it,” Bones said.
“Thanks uncle, I appreciate it,” Ace said. He smiled and she left.
She flew home, slowly. It took a little concentration. Her mind kept wandering. She was amazed at how drained she was after a relatively short fight with someone of her own power.
As she walked through the front door she was met by her sister who wrapped her in what could have been a rib cracking hug. Could have been, except for the whole being nearly indestructible. She laughed. “It’s good to see you too.”
“We are just so glad you’re back,” Angela said through her tears. She stepped back and let Ace come in, closing the door behind her.
“I’m glad to see you both handled my absence well,” Ace said.
“I made sure they behaved themselves.” Maniac’s voice came from the kitchen and Ace smiled to see her partner there. Ace went and gave her a quick hug. “What are you doing here?” she asked with a smile.
“Well Bones wanted someone here to keep an eye on these two and I felt I owed you one after getting pissed over something stupid, so here I am. Besides I’ve heard that Emily is a great cook and I’m hoping that now she’s not wearing cuffs she can whip us something up,” Maniac replied.
Emily came up stairs, it was obvious she’d been crying but there was a genuine smile on her face when she saw Ace. “I’d been more than happy to,” she said, having heard Maniac’s request.
Ace fell asleep before the food was ready and barely made it through eating before excusing herself and going to her room. Not for the first time she was grateful for the total blackout shades she’d installed. She undressed and collapsed into her bed.
The next few days passed quietly. Ace recovered quickly, feeling pretty much normal by the next day. She and Emily enjoyed taking Angela on a tour of the city. Together the twin Fifths drew eyes. Everyone was familiar with her, but the secret of her twin had not spread far.