by Adam Oster
“I know, Alexa. It's just that I tire of all of this planning. I wish that just once we could just go into action and stay there until fortune comes out on our side.”
“I think that just happened with Talmadge and his Thunderbirds,” Oscar responded. “But my daughter's right, we need an idea that will deal with these people in a much less lethal manner. Remember, these kids have no idea who they really are. They've all been brainwashed by Flores. They could all be very good people on the inside, or, at the very least, completely innocent of this situation.”
“I know,” Zero said dejectedly. “So, what's our plan?”
“Sounds to me like we need to go back to Plan A,” Oscar answered.
“Which is?” Ryan asked.
“We need to get ourselves down to The Bunker and have a little chat with Flores and see if we can't get him to call off the hounds.”
“Umm, one slight problem with that, pops,” Ryan replied. “We almost died the last time we were down there. In fact, we had to bring back Dominion just to save our sorry hides.”
“Speaking of which,” Talmadge cut in, “what happened to him?”
“Well…” Buddy said as he kicked the dirt.
“What did you do with him?” Oscar asked.
“I didn't really know what to do with him, so I tossed him out into space. It seemed like the safest place to keep him.”
“Buddy!” Alexa exclaimed. “You can't just leave him out there to die!”
“Actually, my darling,” Oscar disagreed, “Buddy may have just found the perfect place to keep Damon for a while. We've seen no reason to fear that he is capable of dying from lack of oxygen in the past.”
“Yeah, remember how we sent him to the bottom of the Mariana Trench?” Ryan asked excitedly.
“What?” Oscar asked.
“We can discuss war stories another time,” Zero cut in. “I believe Damon is fine where he is for the moment. Right now, I agree that we should find a way back into the Bunker.”
“I'm right there with you,” Buddy agreed.
“Okay,” Ryan joined in, “but the question is, how are we supposed to get down there now?”
“Simple, my boy,” Oscar grinned. “We use Talmadge.”
CHAPTER 24
“I'm sorry, why me?” Talmadge asked. “For someone who didn’t want me to come along on this adventure, you sure seem to need me.”
“It's simple, my boy. Now that I know your powers mimic that of your father's, I know a lot more about what you can do.”
“The point, Oscar?” Buddy asked, tapping his foot. “We do have an army of super-powered soldiers that could come back at any moment.”
“Mole People.”
“What?” Alexa asked.
“The Mole People,” Oscar repeated, looking around at the group for some sort of recognition of what he was talking about. Everyone stared at him blankly. “Are you all seriously telling me that you have no idea what I'm talking about? I mean, sure, they aren't quite Sasquatch-popular or anything, but really?” Oscar glanced around the group again. “H.G. Wells even wrote about them--No?”
“Oscar,” Buddy said impatiently.
“Okay, fine. You all could use a little more culturing, is all I’m saying. Anyways, the Mole People are a race of people that live underground. There's a whole ton of theories as to why they live underground, how they started living underground, whether they initially lived in the sewers or if they were in fact--”
“Oscar,” Zero cut in, “no more explanation, just tell us what we need to do.”
“Sheesh, alright. Talmadge, you need to call upon the Mole People to come collect us. Petru used to use them all the time. They were the only ones who ever made it into The Bunker uninvited. Well, I say uninvited, but I suppose that Petru actually had--”
“Talmadge,” Buddy spoke sharply, cutting Oscar off, “do you think you can call them?”
“I don't know,” Talmadge answered. “I can try.” He closed his eyes.
“How long is this going to take?” Zero asked impatiently.
“No clue,” Oscar answered. “I know in the past it could be as fast as a matter of seconds or as long as a half an hour. You have to realize, these folks are burrowing up from deep within the earth, not to mention they could be in the midst of doing all sorts of things. They aren’t our slaves or anything.”
“Is there any way we could make it happen faster?” Zero asked.
“Just chill out already, pal,” Buddy said as he slapped his friend on the back. “I mean, seriously. You were basically comatose a few minutes ago. Allow yourself a moment to relax when it’s given to you. I mean, look at you, standing on your own two feet and everything.”
“Fine,” Zero grumbled.
“So,” Oscar began, “pretty crazy day, huh?”
The ground rumbled beneath them. The group separated into a semi-circle around the source of the disruption as a hill appeared in front of them, followed shortly thereafter by a series of metallic spoons, fitted together into some sort of digging apparatus, throwing dirt into the air as it spun. Finally a vehicle burst out of the ground behind the spoon-covered digger and landed at Talmadge's feet.
A hiss of steam escaped something that looked like a shoddy log covered in portholes and gas lanterns. The opposite end of the vehicle had the same spherical object covered in spoons that the front had. Suddenly, a small, stout man jumped out of a door in the front. He wore a pair of thick glasses on his long nose and had a respectable white beard growing from his chin. His face was pale and his clothes were covered in dirt. A great big smile sat upon his face, pushing his cheeks up into his glasses.
“Petru,” the little man spoke, “is that you?” He adjusted his glasses as he looked in Talmadge's direction.
Talmadge stood slowly, taking in the sight of the little man. “No, sir,” he said firmly. “I'm Petru's son, Talmadge.”
“Well then,” the little man said, “it's lovely to meetya. The name's Salachar. Me and your father go way back. How is old Petru nowadays anyways?”
“No clue,” Talmadge responded flatly.
“Hey there Char,” Oscar joined in. “Long time no see.”
“Oscar,” Salachar said cheerfully, “oh boy are ye a sight for sore eyes. I'd a been wondering how long it would be until I'd get to see the likes of you all once again. And is that me old friends Buddy and Zero over there?”
“Hi,” Zero said as he walked forward, “I suppose it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“It’s been ages, me boy. Have I got some stories to tell you, I have. Do you remember my cousin Ur?”
“Salachar,” Buddy said as he cautiously approached the small man before him, “I hate to cut the reunion short, but we have something we need of you. And we need it kind of quickly.”
“Of course, Buddy,” Salachar said with a smile, a twinge of concern in his eyes, “anything for me old friends.”
“We need to get down to The Bunker,” Oscar joined in.
“Ah, yes, Tha Bunker,” Salachar grinned. “Been a while since I’ve a bin down there. I tried visiting all of you down there a while back. The whole darn thing was empty. Went back not too long ago and I see someone else has gone and moved in. New tenants?”
“We'll explain it all in due time,” Oscar answered. “Right now we’re in a bit of a hurry.”
“Certainly,” Salachar said jovially. “Jump on in The Earthworm. We'll be down there in a jiff.”
Salachar reentered the funny looking vehicle and jumped into the front seat, which sat behind an odd series of levers and dials. He left the door open for the rest of the group to join him. They each had to crouch in order to enter the small confines of the vehicle. Once they entered, they found rows of seats leading back to the rear of the wooden contraption. There was just enough room for all six of them to sit, albeit uncomfortably.
“Everyone seated?” Salachar asked. “Good,” he said without waiting for an answer, “then we're off.” He pulled back
hard on a lever that was as tall as the little man himself and the vehicle lurched forward, tilting onto its front end as it dug a new hole through the earth.
Looking out the small portholes on the side of The Earthworm, Buddy watched anxiously as they entered the ground.
“So, while we make our way down,” Salachar began, “care to tell me what's been going on these last few years?”
“You know what, Char,” Oscar answered, “there's not much to tell about on our side. All the supers were forced into hiding, so things have been pretty darn quiet. What about down here?”
“Oh, you know, things don't change much in the caves,” Salachar laughed. “My son just had his ninetieth birthday last week. He's growing up so fast.”
“Ninetieth?” Talmadge asked. “How old are you? You don't look much over forty.”
Salachar laughed, “Thank you, me boy. I'd love to think it were true. However, I'm a mite older than that now.”
“Like, how old?” Alexa asked.
“Hold on,” Oscar cut in, “if I remember correctly, you should be just about coming up on your four hundred third birthday.”
“Good job, me boy,” Salachar clapped his hands as he shifted several knobs in front of him. “I would have never thought you to remember.”
“Four hundred and three?” Talmadge asked. “That's impressive.”
“That's nothin',” Salachar responded. “My uncle is just about to clear his thousandth birthday here soon enough. Now he's old!”
“I'm sorry,” Ryan cut in, “but do you mind if I ask about this vehicle?”
“Ask away, young one. The Earthworm here is me pride and joy.”
“Is this really steam powered?”
“Ah, yes it tis. Made her myself, I did.”
“But how does it work? I mean, I don't see any coal or anything. In fact, it's not even that hot in here.”
“Ah, you noticed that did ya. It's a Mole Man marvel, it is. Runs off the steam of the earth, pulling in the heat from the ground as it goes. It tends to get a wee bit harder to keep tha energy the closer to ground level we get, but we should be getting down deep enough before I run out of reserves. The Earthworm is the fastest vehicle under the grass, she is.”
“But that doesn't even make any sense,” Ryan responded. “I mean, how is it steam-powered then, and how does it keep--”
“Ah, don't break your brain over it there, laddie. Tis a simple case of delayed geo-technics. I have all tha blueprints down in me lab if ye wish to see them.”
“I would,” Ryan said eagerly. “I really would.”
“That will have to wait for another time, son,” Oscar joined in. “We have much more important matters to attend to at the moment.”
“Ah, is this your boy then, Oscar. Ye should be mighty proud of a kin as quick as he.”
“Oh, believe me, Char, I am. And Alexa back there's my daughter. They've both given me more than enough reasons to be a proud father.”
“Ah, yes, there's not much better than fatherhood, is there? Why, I remember back when little Maclan began showing his brighter points. Why, I would sit and watch him for hours, just--”
“I'm sorry, Salachar,” Buddy cut in, “I'd love to hear about your family and everything, but I have to admit, I'm a little concerned about what's going on up above. How long until we get to The Bunker?”
“Ah, Buddy, me old friend. I don't remember ye being quite so uptight.”
“Yeah, well, a few things have changed since the last time we met.”
“So I be seein',” Salachar agreed, shooting an awkward glance back in Buddy's direction. “But don't be aworryin' yourself too much there Buddy. Your old underground home front is just ahead. We should be breaking ground in just a moment.”
“Great,” Buddy sighed. “Now the next question is, what the heck are we going to do once we get in there?”
“I think there's only one real option available to us,” Oscar answered. “We have to find Arthur and make sure he stops whatever he has going on, no matter what means we have to use to do that.”
“I’m prepared to bring the pain,” Zero stated eagerly.
“If it comes down to it, Zero,” Oscar answered. “I'll make sure you get to throw the first punch.”
“You all may want to brace ye-selves. We're aboot to break ground.”
The Earthworm shuddered violently before the vehicle filled with a loud keerack and it landed roughly on the paved roadways of the Bunker’s garage. Salachar jumped out of his seat quickly and opened the door. He exited before anyone could even react to the situation.
“Ah,” Salachar said from outside the vehicle. “Tis a sight for sore eyes, it tis.”
The heroes slowly extracted themselves from the tight confines of The Earthworm and joined Salachar in the parking structure of The Bunker. Salachar's vehicle had destroyed most of the northern wall system.
“I remember when this was all Mole Men territory out here,” Salachar reminisced.
“You mean The Old Defenders stole this land from your people?” Alexa asked.
“Ah, no lassie, nothing of the sort. You see, once your people moved in, your father decided it only made sense to create a place just outside of your structure for the Mole Men to live as well, since we had a rather symbiotic relationship with your team. All of this out here used to be Mole Man land. That is, until...” Salachar stared off in the distance as he remembered something from his past.
“Toward the final days before The Great Redaction,” Oscar explained, “there were some rather horrible things that occurred. One such thing was that Arthur actually managed to bring Dominion down into The Bunker. Our old friend Memphis saw The Mole Men as an affront to God, or something like that, and immediately went on a genocidal rampage.”
“Twas a sad day for all Mole Man-kind,” Salachar said, wiping a tear from his eye.
“Not just for Mole Men,” Oscar said as he walked to Salachar's side. “The loss of so many of your people, well, it was terrible. I wish there was something we could do--”
“Never ye mind that,” Salachar cut him off. “We've come to terms with that day in our minds. Yet, if that there Dominion fella were ever to show his face around us again, you can be sure that we will be prepared to pay him back for all he's done ta us.”
“I hate to change the subject,” Alexa spoke, “but if this used to be Mole Man territory, why did you end up building a parking garage in its place?”
“I had nothing to do with that,” Oscar answered. “We had no use for vehicles down here. I’d guess Arthur installed it after he moved in.”
“It would be just like Artie to build a parking lot on top of a mass grave,” Alexa scowled. “Let's go find that bastard and make him pay for being such a raging jerk.”
Alexa stormed off from the group toward the door to the interior of The Bunker. The rest of them followed quickly on her heels. As they neared the door, it opened, and Arthur Flores stepped out.
“Hello there, Defenders of America,” he smiled.
“Artie!” Alexa yelled as she continued her march in his direction. She slapped him across the face.
“My my,” he said as he rubbed his cheek. “You're mighty feisty today, Miss Rose.”
“Oh, don't even get me started, Artie,” Alexa snorted. “I've had a--Wait, why are you alone? Where are your bodyguards?”
The rest of the group arrived at Arthur's location and surrounded the man as they attempted to determine why he was looking so content.
Arthur raised his hands in the air as he responded. “Look,” he said, “I'm unarmed. I simply came out to welcome all of you in. Would you care for some tea?”
“I don't think so,” Zero spoke, his body shimmering.
“What the--” Buddy began, noticing his old sidekick was suddenly a blurred figure.
“Shut up, Buddy,” Zero yelled. “I'm sick of listening to your stupid prattle.” Zero melted into a vague shape of himself before reforming and solidifying into the shape of
Jeffrey Flores.
“Jeffrey!” Arthur exclaimed as he turned back toward the door and reached for the handle.
Jeff jumped forward and landed on top of Arthur, pinning him to the ground as he flashed a toothy grin. “Surprised to see me, Dad?”
CHAPTER 25
“What the hell's going on here?” Buddy asked. “Where's Zero?”
“Get the hell out of here, Buddy,” Jeff yelled as he shot Buddy a snarling glance. “You’ve served your purpose. This is between me and my father.”
Oscar ran toward Jeff and tackled him to the ground, removing him from atop his father. As he landed, he placed an elbow on Jeff's chest. “I don't know what's going on here, but I'm certainly not going to let you just ambush Arthur like that, no matter what he's done. What are you doing here?”
“I'm here,” Jeff said through labored breaths, “to take what is rightfully mine. I'm here for my birthright!”
Arthur laughed as he returned to his feet. “You stupid, stupid boy. You have no birthright. You have no place in this family. And you are most definitely not owed anything.”
Jeff struggled against the weight of Oscar’s suit on top of him until Jeff’s form melted and grew into that of Arthur himself. Once he became his father, his frame grew even larger, and larger, until Oscar was no longer capable of holding him back. “You dare try to keep me from what I am owed,” Jeff snarled in the voice of Arthur.
Arthur cackled louder. “Come on, boy, you think you can honestly take me on face to face? You had your chance, you failed. Now get out of my house before I am forced to do something drastic.”
Jeff, now over ten feet tall, his head touching the ceiling, batted Oscar to the side as though he were nothing. He snorted as he stepped closer to his father. Alexa moved toward Arthur to assist, but Buddy held her back.
“What are you doing, Buddy?” Alexa yelled. “Jeff’s going to kill Artie!”
“Sounds like this is more of a family squabble,” Buddy disagreed. “Let’s see where it goes before we get involved.”
“You think I’m not worthy to run your damned business?” Jeff grunted as his form re-molded, becoming more beast than man, maniacally growling through the fangs that now protruded from his mouth. “Yet you sit down here and allow the whole thing to go up in flames. You’ve never understood what our business could be capable of, never truly knew what all we could do. It’s time for a new generation to take over. And unlike you, I'm not afraid to use force.”