“Clearance required for class 10 emergency protocol.”
“Clearance 7986, Instructor Spark of UCH.”
“Acknowledged, messages sent.” the computer stated.
Spark looked out the window and watched the famous Neyland Stadium crumble into a pile of debris. Then, to his dismay, he could see Ichabod fly away from the rubble, the security bot nowhere to be found. Fortunately, the body headed in another direction entirely.
Currently:
“If that thing is just running on its own computer, that computer has gone berserk,” Spark exclaimed in the infirmary.
The General looked back at Dr. Ogle. “It said it was fighting for him,” he asked Spark.
Spark nodded. “Yes. It said something about being Dr. Ogle’s masterpiece of destruction.”
Dr. Ogle frowned. “I never programmed it to do anything like that.”
The General wasn’t buying this. “Tell me, doctor, why would it suddenly make such a megalomaniacal statement?”
“I…I don’t know.” William was beginning to see where this was going. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I'm a researcher, not a destroyer.”
The General shook his head. “Then why build such a powerful suit of armor and clone a powerful body? That doesn’t sound like a normal researcher’s regular activity.”
“Hold on, wait a minute. I know Doctor Ogle. He isn’t an enemy,” Josiah stepped in.
“Have you read his mind yet,” The General asked.
Dr. Stone looked at Dr. Ogle. “No, but I told you that I haven't sensed any lies in him.”
“Wait, wait, I think I have something,” Dr. Ogle exclaimed.
“What,” The General harshly barked.
William looked at Spark. “The body called itself Ichabod, right?”
Spark nodded. “Several times. It even referred to itself as Ichabod the Destroyer.”
“Ichabod was a nickname for the project, and a possible hero identity, but we never programmed it into the armor’s computer. There is no way that it could know that.”
“We? Who else worked on this with you,” Dr. Stone asked.
“Well, in the early stages of this project, I had a student who showed incredible talent with genetics and computer programming. He was very imaginative and kept calling my body Ichabod.”
The General asked, “Who was this person? Did he have a reason to alter your project?”
“His name was Torren Wild. Man, I haven’t thought about him for a couple years now. I guess he might be angry at me, but I was only one of the professors who got him kicked out.”
“Kicked out,” Spark asked. “What happened? Illegal genetic research? Selling weapons to foreign governments?”
Dr. Ogle shook his head. “Plagiarism.”
“Plagiarism,” Dr. Stone asked in disbelief.
“Yes. The university discovered that he bought most of his papers online rather than writing them himself.”
Snow asked, “Is that serious?”
Dr. Ogle nodded. “"Oh, yes. Plagiarism can cost a student all of his credits and is means for expulsion. If it's bad enough, he or she can be banned from going back to school entirely. We take that very seriously.”
The General said, “Sounds kind of flimsy to me. I can see where he might be angry, but to do this kind of damage, I'm not buying it.”
Dr. Ogle looked right at The General. “Last I heard, he was still in Knoxville. Find him and see if I'm right. If not, then you're right, I'm the only logical suspect.”
The General looked at Dr. Stone. “Doctor Ogle is under arrest. Place him in a holding cell and get all the information about this armor that you can. Spark, you get the teams ready. We're going down to take that thing out.”
Bark piped up. “What can I do?”
The General gave Bark a less serious look. “Son, you're going to sit this one out. You need to recover from whatever is wrong with you. I'm sorry, but that is my final word. Toshi, take care of him. Snow, you've had experience fighting this thing, so you'll work with Spark and myself on Team Alpha. We're at full alert, people; this is a Class 10 situation. Move!” He left the infirmary to get in touch with the local authorities around East Tennessee.
Spark came over to Snow. “Come on, we don’t have a lot of time.”
Snow looked to Bark, his puppy eyes pleading to be taken with them to fight this enemy. “Get better. I'll be back in no time.”
Bark took her by the shoulder and pulled her in for a deep kiss, the first they had shared in days. While their lips were pressed together, his collar said, “I love you. Please be careful.”
Snow separated herself from Bark and said, “I love you, too.” With that, she and Spark left.
Bark watched them leave, his mind a turmoil of emotions. He was trying to focus on the incredible love in him for Snow in order to push away all the rage that was building inside. Toshi must have sensed this conflict in him, for she turned to him and attempted to calm him down. “Bark, do you need something? Perhaps a nice cup of tea?”
Bark's emotions were ripping him apart inside. A part of him was about to cry because he wanted to go and protect Snow from this thing. A part of him was terrified of what she might come back to if he changed. Yet, the strongest and most violent part of him was pure rage. “Right now I just want to leave.”
“Sure, we can go back to the dojo if that will help.” Toshi smiled and attempted to persuade him to leave with her.
He shocked even her when he slammed his fist on the medical tray next to the bed. He broke the arm off of the station holding the tray and, when the tray itself hit the ground, there was a sizeable dent in it. “I want to leave this station! Damnit, I should be out there. No one hates that stupid thing more than me. I deserve to destroy it!”
Dr. Ogle replied with fear in his voice. “It was not designed to do this, I swear.”
Bark snarled and was growling in his chest. His finger pointing at the head, he said, “If that thing touches Snow, you'll be floating outside in space.”
Josiah stepped in between them. “Bark, calm down.”
Bark took in a slow breath. “I'm sorry. It’s like there is a fire in my belly and I cannot get it under control.”
Toshi took Bark’s hand and directed him down from the table. “Come on, let’s have something to eat. I’m sure you’re hungry.”
Josiah had Dr. Ogle’s box in his arms waiting to leave with him for the security office. He turned to Bark and said, “Bark, I'll still be working on your problem. Don’t worry about it. Just focus on feeling better.”
Bark nodded at them and then followed his sensei out of the infirmary. How could they tell him to feel better? He wasn’t sick, he was changing. No amount of aspirin could stop him from mutating.
Chapter 11: Choices
All around the downtown area, Knoxville watched the smoke rise from where Neyland Stadium used to be. Cars stopped right in the middle of the street while people stood everywhere, not sure what was happening.
Then a new sound was heard. A siren blared in the distance. Many of the younger residents had never heard this siren before, but the older people were terrified by the very thought of it. Decades ago, it was used to warn of impending attacks on the Oak Ridge Nuclear facility during the war. The sirens were only used in times of great peril.
Around the city, radios, televisions, and speakers on top of emergency vehicles began to announce, “All citizens of Knox County are warned that there is an evacuation order in progress. Everyone is advised to stay calm and leave the county in an orderly fashion. Police, National Guard, and State Troopers will be assisting in this mandatory evacuation. I repeat….”
Panic ensued.
***
The General stood in the middle of the hangar bay on the station. Around him were the students, instructors, and other heroes that were under the command of the UCH. The first year students and those who had not passed their field exams were
not present.
High above, large mechanical arms plucked shuttles out of holding bays in the storage units and set them down in a row. Pilots entered each shuttle and prepared for flight. The General spoke to the group to give his orders.
“Okay, here is the situation. We have a rogue enemy that is intent on destroying a metropolitan area. He has high level weapons, speed, and tactical skill. He is also willing to put himself in danger. Students, your responsibility is to help with the evacuation. Do not engage the enemy unless it is threatening that task. Instructors with flight capability, you are to distract and attack the enemy. Keep it away from the population as best as you can. Spark, Snow, and I will be searching for whatever is in control of this and stopping it. This is a priority one mission; many lives are at stake.” The room nodded in agreement. “Those are your orders. Communicate with your team leaders and don’t fill the line with chatter. Get to your shuttles. Dismissed.”
Spark walked over to The General. “I've been in touch with the authorities. They cannot find this Torren Wild. His last known address is abandoned and there aren’t any records of his move or where he might be right now.”
“My guess is that he's still in the city, in an area that hasn't been hit, and most likely won’t be hit.” The General looked over to a short woman with a red and black polka-dotted cape on. “Ladybug.”
The girl came over and stood at attention. “Yes, General?”
“We must assume that the person controlling this thing is using some sort of advanced communications link.”
“That would be my guess,” she stated plainly.
“I want you to get back to the control center and see if you can track it. We need to find a way to trace this person, or we'll be on a wild goose chase.”
Ladybug nodded. “At once.” She left them for the command center of the station, where the most advanced communications and tracking systems in the known universe were located.
The General looked at Spark. “If anyone can trace a com signal, it’s Ladybug. Right now, we have to protect that city. Let’s move!”
“Right away, sir.” Spark saluted and ran off toward his designated shuttle.
The General walked over to Bastion. “Bastion, I need you to stay behind and command the backups.”
Bastion, the oldest hero of the UCH, frowned. “You don’t want me down there fighting alongside you? This could be one hell of a battle.”
“No. If this goes south, you'll bring whoever you can down to Knoxville.” The General sounded grim.
“You can’t possibly be that worried about this.” Bastion’s attitude was lax, but he had seen many, many missions and learned that worry is for the young.
The General remained stoic in his attitude. “That thing just took down one of our best superheroes. So far, we have thrown a lot at it and it’s still going strong. It has no fear of death and is certain of its power. Trust me, Bastion, the most dangerous enemy is one with nothing to lose. We have to have a backup plan, and you're it.”
Bastion nodded. “Yeah, I taught you that, didn’t I?”
“Yup,” The General smiled.
Bastion waved him off. “Good luck down there.”
“Same to you.” The General left for his shuttle.
***
Dr. Ogle’s head box sat on the bed in the holding cell he was assigned by security. Josiah had both of his hands on William’s head, and both of their eyes were closed. They sat like this for a quiet few moments while Dr. Stone scanned his friend’s memories.
Josiah backed up and opened his eyes. “There, I have them all.”
William smiled. “Satisfied?”
Josiah nodded. “You're innocent. I'm sorry I had to do that.”
“It’s okay. I would rather be proven innocent right away than questioned about this for the rest of my life. Can you take me back to the infirmary? I may be confined to this little box, but I don't want to also be confined to this little cell.”
Josiah let out a slow breath. “I can’t do that. Only The General can sign off on your innocence. When he returns, I'll make sure he does. For now, just be patient. Read a book or something.”
“Sure, I’ll use my tongue to turn the pages.”
Dr. Stone laughed. “Yeah, well, I…wait, I know what you can do. Here.” He pulled out a data chip and plugged it into the slot on the side of the box. “If you don't mind, you can review the data on Barks condition and see what you find. I'll be too busy to work on this right now.”
Dr. Ogle smiled. “Sure. I don’t mind. I owe that boy the help.”
The computer suddenly spoke. “Doctor Josiah Stone, your presence is required in the monitoring room. Mission orders alpha one.”
Josiah looked up and then let out a sigh. He would be commanding the station while The General was on the ground. “Looks like I'm on duty. If there's anything I can do for you, please tell the guard. I'm truly sorry that you're stuck here.”
“I should be the one apologizing. This is all my fault. Why did I have to build that stupid armor? What was I thinking? All I needed was a good body, but I just had to make it powerful. Now, I have caused death and destruction all over Knoxville.” William could not hold this in any longer.
Josiah knelt down so he was eye to eye with the doctor on the bed. “Don't blame yourself. Villains have a way of taking something good and turning it into something bad. You may have built the bomb, but you did not detonate it.”
“Might as well have,” William lamented.
Josiah thought for a moment and then looked at the chip of data sticking out of the box. “That boy, Bark. He was designed by a villain for evil. He was taken against his will, mutated nearly beyond recognition, his memory stripped, his former life ruined. His designer intended on him being a killing machine. Yet, Bark is one of the most honorable heroes I've known in a long time. He has put his life on the line to defend others on many occasions. He is a weapon of evil design, yet his life is that of a hero worthy of legend. Don't tell him I said that, but it is true.”
Dr. Ogle asked, “What is the point of this story?”
“That good and evil aren't in the design. They are choices we make. That body and its armor could've been a tool for great heroism or for great evil. I know that your heart was in the right place and that, had you had the opportunity to actually use your new body, you would have championed mankind just like my friend Bark. It is another man’s wicked heart that is perverting your designs. Don't hate yourself for someone else's sin, doctor. This whole disaster is on his head, not yours.”
Dr. Ogle seemed to calm down a bit. “I hope the rest of the world sees it that way.”
Dr. Stone smiled warmly. “It'll be alright. You'll not be blamed. Trust me. Now, if there is anything you need, contact me. I have to go.”
Dr. Ogle nodded and then watched his old friend step outside of the barrier. The security drone activated the force field and Josiah was off to the station’s command center. William closed his eyes and tried to push his guilt out of his mind again. He had hidden this well over the past few days, but it was so hard to face right now, especially since Bark had screamed at him in anger because of what it did to him.
What was his body doing? Who was cowering in fear at the sight of the headless thing destroying them? Fortunate for him, he activated the chip that Josiah plugged in. The data streamed into his mind and took his thoughts away from the pointless worrying.
Chapter 12: The Conflict Intensifies
“The people of Knoxville are in a panic this afternoon. Henley Street Bridge and Neyland Stadium have both been leveled by an unnamed super villain. An evacuation order has been issued to all civilians. News Channel Ten has been informed that the UCH is sending down support to help us with……OH MY GOD!” The news anchor broke his demeanor as the whole studio shook. All around him, people were rushing to see what was happening. “Hey, Henry, can you get this?” The anchor behind the desk got up and the camera
changed from the normal view to another camera that was shaking and moving with the cameraman.
The image changed to look outside, down to the main highway that bisects Knoxville. Three places along the highway were demolished with burning craters where the road had been moments ago. Semi-trucks were upended having gone over the edge, and cars were crashing into each other trying to not fall in.
“OH MY GOD,” The anchor screamed again before attempting to regain his composure. “Uh, people, what we are looking at here are three massive holes in what used to be I-40. WHAT IS THAT?! GET UP THERE, LOOK!” One could see the newsman’s arm thrust upward through the shot, then the camera followed.
They were looking at Ichabod flying through the air as it unleashed yet another volley of green energy blasts that destroyed an entire on/off ramp segment of Interstate 40. The massive loops and legs that allowed the smooth transfer of traffic were now in piles all over the place, with the pylons that once held them crashing on top of the heaps of concrete and cars. Then, without warning, Ichabod flew right at the window where the news people were standing. He stopped only inches away from the glass. The people inside had fallen to the ground at the sight of him coming; they expected him to blast them too.
The camera man stood up along with the anchor. "I-i-i-it seems to be –”
With a single punch, the armored body broke the window and began speaking. “I AM ICHABOD, CREATION OF DR. WILLIAM OGLE. IN TEN MINUTES I'M GOING TO RAZE UT TO THE GROUND!! KEEP THOSE CAMERAS ROLLING!!”
Suddenly, something – or someone – crashed right into Ichabod, shoving him through the air.
“Wait a minute, what is that,” the anchor asked.
From behind the camera, the cameraman asked, “Is that Rocket from the UCH?”
“Yes, yes it is!” The whole newsroom cheered.
The camera moved to look up into the sky at the sight of four shuttles coming down and three other flying superheroes following along.
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