Loren was determined to get this operation done right. This was his big chance to prove himself, not just as a vigilante, but as a real superhero. He knew that his work with the Trio down at the Harbor that resulted in the discovery of the location of Avalon One had earned him Midnight’s respect, but he was concerned he may have lost some of that when the mansion he was helping her buy got demolished by the tsunami. The place was still standing, but the damage was severe, and Midnight had decided she didn’t want to go through with that or any other house. Loren had also gotten the impression that she was buying the place with, or for, someone else - a relative perhaps - and that person had nixed the idea. Maybe her husband hadn’t liked the place. It was depressing to think of Midnight as married, but then again, why wouldn’t she be? More and more of the eligible girls his age seemed to be in long-term relationships, a fact his mother liked to point out whenever she was pestering him to ask out Mrs. Fiorentino’s daughter.
On the whole, however, life was looking up. He’d made some hefty commissions selling beachfront houses, and if some of the properties had sustained serious damage in the tsunami, well, that was what property insurance was for. The house that he’d picked out for himself and his mother had thankfully weathered the storm with only a few trees down and they would soon be moving in. He’d even asked Frannie out for drinks next Tuesday night; she seemed giddy with excitement when she’d accepted.
With the money he’d been making, he’d been able to not only repair his car but also splurge a bit at the Daedalus Consulting End-of-Season Special Clearance Event. Some of the equipment he’d bought he didn’t even know when he’d get a chance to use, but the allure of owning it was too much to pass up. Plus, it was always better to be prepared. Though right now he was wishing he hadn’t brought quite so much equipment with him; his arm was killing him from carrying his briefcase crammed full of tools.
When they finally reached the highest floor of the public parking garage, Loren realized that they still faced the daunting task of finding the van with the jamming device. The parking garage spanned four levels, two of them underground, and even though it was the middle of the night, which meant very few cars, there was a lot of ground to cover. No sooner had Loren caught his breath, however, than the Whisperer whispered, “There are unusual sounds coming from the northwest corner of this level. We will find our quarry there.”
Loren nodded, impressed. They approached stealthily under a cloud of shadowy silence that the Whisperer seemed to conjure out of thin air. When they rounded the support pillar that had been blocking their view, they saw a white van parked in the corner of the garage, protected by five guards with semiautomatic rifles, one of whom was lighting a cigarette.
“This is a mission, not a smoke break,” snapped a voice as an immaterial form emerged through the side of the van, became solid long enough to knock the cigarette from the guard’s mouth, and then went translucent again and disappeared back inside the vehicle. All of the guards looked more alert now; it was not going to be easy to sneak up on them.
“Fade Out is with them,” said the Whisperer.
Loren nodded excitedly. He was developing a plan. He had purchased a DC-700 Sonic Immobilizer just a few weeks ago and now it might save their lives. Ducking around behind the support pillar, he popped open his briefcase and dug out two sets of earplugs and the main device, which was about the size and shape of a TV remote control.
“Put these in,” he said, holding out a set of earplugs.
The Whisperer reached out a shadowy hand and took them. “With your technological expertise and my determination, we will surely be victorious.”
“That’s the plan,” said Loren a little nervously. He patted the ultimesh vest that he had earned by helping out on the Avalon investigation; if this turned into a real super brawl, or even just a gun fight, they wouldn’t stand a chance. Then again, Daedalus Consulting had never let him down yet.
Once they’d both inserted the earplugs, Loren gestured towards the van. The closer they got before he activated the device, the better it should work. The Whisperer moved his hands and the shadows around them thickened. They walked forward again.
They were within 30 feet of the van when Loren decided the risk of advancing any further was too great. He pressed the button on the sonic immobilizer. Immediately, a high-pitched frequency emitted from the device, causing the guards to drop to their knees, clutching their ears in pain. Loren dashed forward, wincing from the noise that made it through the ear plugs, and flung open the van door. Inside, he saw a thin man with black hair writhing in pain on the floor. Loren quickly drew his Taser gun and shot; the mutant convulsed from the electricity and then went still. Apparently it wasn’t that hard to deal with an intangible if you had the right tech.
By the time the Whisperer had finished tying up the guards, Loren had disabled the jammer. “Most impressive,” said the Whisperer as Loren sent a successful test message on his HoloBerry to Dr. Sterling.
“Thanks,” said Loren in relief. Daedalus Consulting had, once again, saved the day.
Chapter 42
1:48 a.m., Saturday, August 3rd, 2013
8643 Coastline Drive
West Pacific, CA
Camille came to with a WPPD medic kneeling beside her, wrapping up a syringe that had apparently just been emptied into her body somewhere. The sound of automatic weapons rang out and she twisted to see a raging gun battle taking place on the docks at the bottom of the hill, where a police tactical team was engaging the sea mutants. It didn’t look like it was going well for the police. She had to help. She struggled to stand up and was surprised when her legs didn’t respond.
“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to stay put,” said the medic, placing a firm hand against her arm. “You’ve been partially paralyzed and we’re taking you to a hospital.”
Camille peered at her legs and saw that her uniform had been cut off and the exposed flesh was splotched purple. Her chest felt tight; she was having trouble breathing.
“Situation?” yelled an officer as he ran up to them.
“I’m not feeling well,” said Camille, the words stumbling over her thick tongue.
“We need to get her to the ER sir,” said the medic. “I need a stretcher!”
Another officer, this one in full tactical gear, ran up the hill. “There are regenerative mutants down there – freaky as hell and powerful. Three men down so far. WPS HQ said that Blue Star and White Knight are in the house, but we’ve been unable to make contact with them.”
The first officer nodded. “We lost contact with Dr. Sterling en route. She did say that Starfish is to be considered extremely dangerous and not to be engaged except by supers.”
“No sign of him so far,” said the second officer. “Thank God for that, we’re taking enough of a beating as is.”
“Understood,” said the first officer. “Major Dagan and the strike team will be here soon. Call a fighting retreat.”
The second officer dashed back down the hill. Camille felt herself lifted into the air as another medic joined the first and they placed her onto a stretcher.
“Thanks,” she managed to say before she lost consciousness again.
The descent into the pit below the house was so rapid and so unexpected that Blue Star didn’t even have time to fly free before he hit the water. There were creatures down here – kelp monsters and human-like man-eels whose bodies flashed with electrical energy, illuminating the darkness briefly with each jolt. He jerked as the water conducted the electrical charges into his body. One of the creatures rammed into his body and was literally trying to rip his arms off. The suckers were tearing through his reinforced ultimesh and Blue Star saw a shimmer in the water as other creatures swam towards them. Another jolt of electricity set his teeth on edge; he was beginning to think that electricity was the supervillain power of choice for West Pacific. He froze the water around the lower half of the one attacking him, encasing it in a block of ice that floated up to
wards the surface, and then concentrated on dropping the temperature of the surrounding water by thirty degrees. Thankfully, the creatures didn’t seem to like the cold. Those that could swam quickly away from him, giving him enough time to unhook a flashlight from his utility belt and see that there was a landing of sorts along one wall. He flew quickly in that direction and landed on a rock ledge. He couldn’t see White Knight and Dr. Sterling wasn’t responding over the headset.
Blue Star struggled to assess the situation, which was rapidly turning into a disaster. HQ was probably under attack and he had potentially lost his entire team in this operation. He needed to be in five different places at once, but right now he had to find White Knight, who had probably sunk to the bottom of this water pit like a concrete block. He no longer had any doubts that Starfish was trying to take out the entire team. The psychotic bastard was probably behind the Boardwalk explosion. There was no telling what was down here. “White Knight?” he called, his voice echoing off the rock walls.
“Ah, the mighty team leader finally arrives,” said Starfish’s voice over the intercom system. “Welcome Jacob to my little house of horrors. You may have noticed that your friend Annie is having some problems of her own right now. Without her legendary operations skills to help you, we’ll finally see how good of a team leader you really are, Blue Star. Not that you have much of a team to lead right now. In fact, it’s rather disappointing how quickly they’re all dropping.”
Blue Star didn’t have time for witty banter. “Where is White Knight?” he yelled.
“Ah yes, the lovely Gabrielle,” smirked Starfish’s voice. “It was, once again, far too easy - she literally fell right into my trap. Now it’s up to you to rescue the damsel in distress. Provided you can make it past my children of course; I must tell you that Camille didn’t last long at all against them.”
“What the fuck do you want, Starfish?” Blue Star yelled. He had no way to reach Camille, who could be dead by this point. If Gabrielle was trapped in some sort of underwater prison, the question was how long the suit could supply oxygen to her - and how long it could withstand coordinated attack. Unfortunately, he didn’t know that information and Ops wasn’t there to tell him. The tracking devices would still be working though; at least he could find out where she was. He fumbled with the waterproof case containing his HoloBerry.
“Respect, of course,” said Starfish over the intercom. “Isn’t that what we all want? Isn’t that why you’re here, Blue Star, instead of spending your retirement spoiling your grandchildren?”
“Respect? That’s what you think you’ll get by turning homeless people into fish food?” Blue Star had almost gotten the tracking program up; just a few more seconds and he’d know where Gabrielle was.
“Enough with the homeless!” snapped Starfish. “I’ve spent the last two years bringing the entire West Pacific criminal organization under my sway and all you can talk about is the god-dammed homeless?”
“Two years… so you’re Mr. Darwin then?” said Blue Star, pausing as he saw several kelp creatures swimming slowly in his direction.
“Yes!” screamed the voice over the intercom. “Yes! I am Mr. Darwin! I am the genius behind the Boardwalk attack! I am the greatest mastermind in the West Coast! I am… ” There was static as the intercom feed apparently went dead at the source.
“About damn time,” said Blue Star, who had finally gotten a lock. White Knight was underneath him, about 40 feet down at an angle. He unleashed a barrage of ice shards at the incoming kelp monsters, driving them farther back into the pool. Then he strapped on his air mask and dropped like a torpedo into the pool below, freezing the water as he went.
It was dark down below and Blue Star activated the forward light on the tactical suit, which illuminated the icy forms of man-eels convulsing in the water. It was a blessing that cold affected them, though he knew by now that it would take more than a good icing to really kill them. He pushed downward and finally spotted what he was looking for: a tunnel leading towards the ocean. According to his tracking device, White Knight was somewhere in this direction.
He swam cautiously, wary of more surprises. But his hesitation vanished as soon as he saw her. The suit was flat-lined, lying motionless on the floor of the tunnel with sea mutants crawling all over it. There were cracks in the armor where one crab-like creature was attacking with pinchers. Another kelp-like mutant was squeezing the head in an apparent attempt to twist the helmet off. A third man-eel discharged arcs of electricity into the legs, which convulsed with each shock. There was almost no way she could still be alive.
Blue Star moved in with a whirlwind of icy blades and cold fury, ripping two of the creatures to shreds and punching his fist through the third. He grabbed the suit with both hands, continuing to lower the temperature of the surrounding water until the point where he felt himself pushing through ice as he swam. There were more creatures coming from the pool area, but he wasn’t going back into the house. He channeled his anger into flight and rocketed both himself and White Knight through the tunnel and up onto the docks where the tunnel ended. Thankfully the mutated sea creatures had left the area and were swarming up the cliff to battle the WPPD.
It was the work of a moment to pry the helmet off; the seam was practically perforated. Rivulets of water poured out and then he saw her: pale as death and bruised almost beyond recognition. Her eyes flickered open and met his gaze. “Jacob,” she whispered. “I’m glad it’s you.”
He gave her a twisted smile. Early on in his career, he had made the mistake of denying death when he saw its shadow cast over a teammate, but time had taught him that the kinder approach was to accept the inevitable and be fully present when it came. This was her moment, not his. He would have time enough for grief later. “I’m here,” he told her, propping her up a bit in the hopes of making her more comfortable.
“The suit…” she gasped, “It’s keeping me going for a little…while longer.”
He nodded. “You did great. We got Starfish.” It was a bald-faced lie, but if it brought her some peace it was worth it. He knew he wouldn’t be able to let go if the battle was still ongoing. Plus, there was no way that Starfish was walking out of this one alive.
“The suit…” she repeated. “The suit never lies - promise me…”
“Anything,” he assured her.
“The suit…when it was given to me…it’s from the future…it needs to be in West Pacific, it’s very important.” Her features contorted with the effort of speaking.
“Why?” asked Blue Star who noticed that the cracks in the armor were starting to disappear.
“I don’t know, but the suit doesn’t lie – that’s important too, please, promise me… ” Her eyes closed for a moment and he was afraid that she had already passed.
“I’ll make sure the suit stays in West Pacific,” he said in case she could still hear him.
Her eyes went wide and she grabbed him. “Promise me as a fellow superhero – the Code,” she said with desperation in her voice.
Blue Star grimaced but nodded. “I promise, Gabrielle. You’ve taken care of everything. You can relax now.”
“The next White Knight…” she whispered, and he had to lean in closer to hear. “I want the next one to be a girl also…” Her eyes started to glaze over. “And tell Stacey - for the press conference…make sure…make sure…” She went silent.
Blue Star stared at her and then reattached her helmet to her armor, not bothering to wipe away the tears filling his eyes. “If when one falls another takes his place, there will always be someone to stand up for the innocent, but if one falls and many take his place, the innocent will be protected forever. Yes, I know the Code, Gabrielle, and I’ll do what you asked.”
Chapter 43
2:05 a.m., Saturday, August 3rd, 2013
WPS Headquarters
West Pacific, CA
“So what’s our plan for dealing with Starfish and friends?” asked Cosmic Kid as he forced opened the door into the
lobby of the legal department. It was nicely decorated with wood paneling and a granite-topped reception desk. There were chairs, two couches, a magazine rack, and a wide-screen television. It was a little excessive given the number of people who probably came through here, but then again maybe half the city had some legal issue with the team.
“We eliminate his support and then deal with him,” said Dr. Sterling, walking into the department and heading for Matteo’s office in the back. Cosmic Kid and Midnight followed after her.
“How are we to deal with Fortina Knox? How invulnerable is she?” asked Midnight.
“Her skin can’t be cut or bruised, she’s like the Nemean lion,” said Dr. Sterling.
“The what?” asked Midnight.
“It was one of the 12 Labors of Hercules; he had to defeat a lion whose hide couldn’t be cut,” said Cosmic Kid. “So he strangled the lion and after killing the lion he used its hide as an indestructible cloak. But I always wondered how he got the hide off the lion if it couldn’t be cut.”
“He used the creature’s own claws to cut the skin,” said Dr. Sterling as she opened the door to Matteo’s office. “But one should not get hung up on the details but the lessons from myths and parables.”
“Which is that we have to strangle her?” asked Midnight.
“If she has to breathe then her respiratory system is probably her weakness,” said Cosmic Kid. “Strangling is one thing, but airborne toxins might work as well.”
“Exactly, which is why when we swung by the armory we picked up gas canisters in addition to everything else,” said Dr. Sterling, sitting at Matteo’s computer and beginning to type. “Starfish can regenerate quickly enough to nullify the effects of most toxins, but I’m hoping Fortina Knox is not as gifted.”
West Pacific Supers: Rising Tide Page 41