by Lucas Flint
“No,” said Beams, shaking his head, thinking of what Arius told him in the Dread Realm. “If we attacked Jinkopa now, we’d be decimated. Even if we somehow made it past the Dread God’s armies, the Dread God himself would finish us off easily. You remember how he much he overwhelmed us during our first fight with him. We only survived because the Dread God wasn’t used to his new body.”
“But what else should we do if not go after the Dread God?” said Bolt. “If we don’t go after him, he’ll come after us. Even if he leaves us alone, he’s still too much of a danger to the multiverse to be allowed to live.”
“I didn’t say we should ignore him,” said Beams. He tapped the tips of his fingers together thoughtfully. “We can beat him, but first, we need the God Slayer.”
“The God Slayer?” said Bolt. “What’s that?”
“The legendary weapon that my ancestors used to defeat the Dread God the first time,” said Beams. “Supposedly, it is in the same ruins in Antarctica where the Dread God’s brain was found five years ago. We need to get our hands on that sword if we are going to have any chance of defeating the Dread God.”
Beams did not say where he learned this information, mostly because he wasn’t sure how to explain the Dread Realm or Arius. He just hoped that the others would accept it without too much question.
“Darzen legend does speak of a powerful sword used by early humans to slay the Dread God the first time,” said Captain Galaxy thoughtfully. “This ‘God Slayer’ you speak of might be one and the same or at least the basis for the legend. I’m not sure if it’s still there, though, or if it’s even in one piece anymore.”
“It is,” Beams insisted. “It’s definitely still there and it definitely still works.”
“How do you know that?” said Shade, leaning forward with a curious look on her face. “You sound awfully confident about that as if you have already been there.”
“Does it matter?” said Mr. Space before Beams could respond. “Our bigger issue at the moment is dealing with Aster’s treachery.”
“I don’t know,” said Bolt, scratching his head, “I think that finding this God Slayer sword is more important than that. If we can find the God Slayer, then we can stop the Dread God.”
“Yeah, but do you really think that Aster will let us do that?” said Mr. Space. “Sooner or later the Agency will notice we are missing and unaccounted for and they’ll send someone after us, probably one of the Elites. And trust me, you do NOT want to be a target of the Agency’s Elite agents, who are not nearly as nice as Galaxy and me.”
“Space is right,” said Captain Galaxy. “Whether or not this God Slayer sword exists and whether or not it can help us, the truth of the matter is that we will need to expose Aster for who he is before we do anything else. The IEA has a great reach and resources we will need to fight the Dread God, God Slayer or no. It would be better for us to have those resources on our side rather than his.”
Beams scowled. He disagreed, but at the same time, he realized that Captain Galaxy had a point. As important as it was to get the God Slayer, exposing Aster’s treachery was also very important in its own right. Besides, it wasn’t as if the God Slayer was going anywhere or that the Dread God himself was invading anything yet.
But he will, Beams thought, feeling his chest. I know it.
“Well, how are we supposed to expose Aster’s treachery?” said Shade, draping one leg over the other. “Do you have a plan?”
Space and Galaxy exchanged significant looks again before Mr. Space looked at Shade and said, “Yeah, we do. It won’t be easy, but we have to do it. Listen closely, because once we start the plan, we won’t be able to do it over again, especially if we mess up.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Back straight. Eyes ahead. Walk naturally. Stop slouching. Don’t scowl. And I saw you roll your eyes at me just now. If you were an actual agent, I could discipline you for that blatant display of insubordination.”
Bolt, who had been enduring Captain Galaxy’s remarks for the past ten minutes since arriving in the IEA HQ, almost stopped when she said that. “Sorry, Mom.”
“Don’t sass me,” said Captain Galaxy without looking at him. “If you’re going to blend in with the rest of the Agency, you need to look—and more importantly, act—like one of us. That means walking with correct posture and having a respectful look in your eyes at all times.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“And remember to always refer to people by their title followed by their last name,” Captain Galaxy continued as they walked through the hallways of the Agency’s headquarters. “So if you are referring to me, for example, call me ‘Captain Galaxy.’ Not Galaxy. Not Helena. Captain Galaxy, though Captain Helena Galaxy is appropriate for introductions.”
“Can I call you Mom instead?”
That actually earned a sharp glare from Captain Galaxy. “Are you even taking this plan seriously? Or am I going to have to send you back and get Beams instead?”
“If you don’t want me to call you Mom, then stop acting like her,” said Bolt. He looked down at the blue and yellow IEA agent uniform he wore. “This get-up is ridiculous.”
“No more ridiculous than that black and red jumpsuit you wear everywhere.”
“Hey, my costume is cool,” said Bolt. He ran a hand down his IEA uniform. “This one, on the other hand, is ridiculous. It doesn’t fit me very well, either.”
“We had to make do with what we had,” said Captain Galaxy. “You and Space have similar builds, but obviously your bodies are not exactly the same. Just be glad you don’t have to wear mine. You’d look pretty ridiculous in a costume designed for a girl.”
Bolt bit his lower lip but said nothing to that. He just continued looking straight ahead, trying to mimic Captain Galaxy’s straight-backed march, but he found it hard going. He was so used to running around at high speeds at whatever posture he wanted that he found he didn’t enjoy having to act like he was in the military. He knew it was only temporary, but he still couldn’t wait to put his old costume back on and start kicking some butt.
Perhaps Bolt was more convincing than he thought because the various IEA agents they passed on their way to Chief Aster’s office didn’t look at him funny or treat him any differently than anyone else. It helped that Captain Galaxy looked like she was not one to be messed with like she had somewhere important to go and she would rain hell on anyone who interrupted her on her very important mission.
Of course, that was just an act, although in some ways it was not. Bolt and Captain Galaxy did indeed have an important mission of their own, but not one assigned to them by the Commanderate or the Chief. They were heading to Chief Aster’s office to confront him and find the proof they needed to let everyone in the Agency know his true colors.
I just hope it actually works, Bolt thought. Because if the plan fails and we all get captured, then we’ll never be able to find that Ghost Slayer Beams told us about and then we’ll never kill the Dread God. A lot is riding on this plan and I hope that Space and Galaxy thought through all possible problems.
The plan, such as it was, was not bad as far as plans went. Captain Galaxy was heading to Aster’s office in order to ‘congratulate’ the new Chief, which Bolt understood was a commonly accepted practice for Captains to do whenever a new Chief was elected. She was also going to give him a detailed report on her and Space’s earlier missions to secure the Rubber Ball and the Soul Crown, which apparently the last Chief, Amanda Nebula, had been interested in hearing about.
Much to their surprise, Aster had accepted her request for a meeting with him. It seemed a little suspicious to Bolt, but he decided not to question their luck. Aster could have just as easily told Captain Galaxy to come back another time and their plan would have completely failed. As it was, their plan had a fair chance of success now, albeit still fairly slim when you gave it some thought.
Of course, Captain Galaxy was really going there in order to hack Aster’s personal computer, wh
ich was likely where any evidence of his treachery lay. Sparky had given Captain Galaxy a small device she could plug into Aster’s computer that would immediately copy and transfer all of Aster’s files into the database of the Adventure, which would then automatically sort through the information for anything regarding the Darzens and the Dread God.
How did Bolt fit into this? He didn’t, really. He was just coming along as backup because if Aster was indeed the traitor, he would not allow them to leave if he found out what they were trying to do. Should everything go south, Bolt would bust out his powers and start making chaos, which would hopefully allow them to escape and get back to the Adventure in one piece.
Of course, Bolt couldn’t just wander around the halls of HQ in his normal suit. So he had put his usual costume into his suit-up watch and put on one of Space’s extra IEA uniforms. It fit reasonably well, but it was a little too tight for his liking. It limited his movement more than his normal costume, probably because he had bigger muscles than Space. Other than that, however, it was almost identical to his normal costume, though he wasn’t sure if it would be able to handle his powers.
Hopefully, we won’t have to test the fabric’s strength, Bolt thought. Though if we do, I still have my normal costume anyway.
As they walked, Bolt glanced at his shadow out of the corner of his eye. Shade was with them as well, hiding inside Bolt’s shadow using her odd powers. Shade had explained that that was yet another use of her power: The ability to hide within a person’s shadow and literally follow them wherever they go. It made Bolt wonder how many more uses of her power Shade had that she wasn’t telling him. It was another reminder that he couldn’t trust her too much because she was yet another G-Men agent just like all the others and that meant she kept secrets like them as well.
Like Cadmus, Bolt thought. You know, I’m starting to understand why Cadmus chose her to be his right-hand man and successor.
Shade was with them so they could make a quick escape if necessary. Her shadow travel powers meant that they could get out of anywhere they wanted very quickly. She was also a good fighter in her own right, though Bolt hoped they wouldn’t have to fight anyone.
As for Space, Sparky, Hypno, and Beams, those four were currently heading to the Odyssey, Aster’s flagship. If Bolt, Galaxy, and Shade failed to find the proof necessary to incriminate Aster in his office, then it was probably somewhere on his flagship. It would be risky because getting onto the personal flagship of the Chief of the IEA was not an easy task, but Sparky had assured them that he knew how to do it and that Bolt and the others should just focus on their part of the plan.
Easy for him to say, Bolt thought. One thing goes wrong and we’ll have the entire IEA on our backs, maybe even the Darzens. That would suck.
“Okay,” said Captain Galaxy suddenly as they stopped in front of a door. “Here we are. This is Aster’s office door.”
Bolt looked at the door before them. It was identical in many respects to the other doors he had seen in the IEA, save for the holographic words floating in front of it: OFFICE OF CHIEF DEAN ASTER, CHIEF OF THE IEA.
Bolt frowned. “So the Chief’s office is just right here, where anyone can walk past it?”
“I imagine that Aster hasn’t had a chance to move into Nebula’s old office yet due to how recently he’s been elected,” said Captain Galaxy. “In any case, keep your guard up anyway. We don’t know how Aster will react, especially if he suspects us of trying to rat him out.”
Bolt nodded. “So you’re saying I should keep my mouth shut, then.”
“More or less,” said Captain Galaxy. “You don’t know anything about the Agency, so if you talk too much, you’ll just reveal your ignorance. Just let me do all the talking and we should be okay.”
Bolt nodded again. While Captain Galaxy had given Bolt a brief rundown on the IEA prior to their arrival here, he still didn’t know nearly enough to pass as a member. He would just have to hope that Aster would be more interested in hearing Captain Galaxy’s report than in talking to a new guy who had just joined recently.
Captain Galaxy walked up to the door and pulled open her right eye. An eye scanner flashed in her right eye and a second later the door slid open. Without further ado, Captain Galaxy walked into the office, followed by Bolt, who sensed an ominous feeling go down his spine at the sound. It meant there was no going back now.
Aster’s office was very different from what Bolt imagined it would look like. Posters of various 80s rock bands adorned the walls—actual posters, not holograms—while several potted plants stood on a nearby shelf in various states of bloom. The floor was carpeted with red shag carpeting and Aster’s actual desk was made out of oak, rather than the metal which the rest of HQ seemed to be made out of. Indeed, if it hadn’t been for the fact that Aster was floating in a chair above their heads, tapping a floating touch screen computer in front of him, Bolt would have thought they’d stepped into some corporate executive’s office from the 80s. The shag carpeting had a strong odor which made Bolt feel sick, though he didn’t show it.
As soon as they entered, Aster peered around the floating screen and waved at them. “Hey, dudes! Sorry about that. I didn’t hear you enter. I was doing important Chief stuff, boring stuff like making sure our financials are in check and that repairs from the battle are going well. If I’d realized how much busywork being the Chief required, I don’t think I would have thrown my hat in the ring, honestly.”
Bolt tried not to look puzzled. Captain Galaxy had already informed him ahead of time that Aster was well-known for his almost flippant casualness, but seeing it in action was another thing entirely. He thought he heard a snickering sound coming from his shadow, which had to be Shade, who must have been amused by Aster’s behavior.
Pushing the floating touch screen out of the way, Aster floated down back behind his desk and said, “Take a seat, you two. I’m sure you’re both tired from having to walk all over the place.”
Bolt looked at Captain Galaxy suddenly. “Why did we walk here? We could have used your ship’s dimensional portals to open a portal into here, couldn’t we have?”
“Just because we have advanced technology doesn’t mean we have to be rude,” said Captain Galaxy reproachfully. “Using our tech to open a portal into someone else’s office is like kicking in their office door. It’s very rude.”
“Hey, man, I don’t mind it,” said Aster with a shrug. “As long as you give me a heads up, I’m fine with however you get in here. But are you new or something? I don’t recognize you.”
“He is new, yes,” said Captain Galaxy quickly. “He’s, uh, Cadet Calvin Cluster. He just joined a week ago and hasn’t been on too many missions yet. Chief Nebula put him under my command while he’s in training.”
Bolt just nodded in agreement, as he and Galaxy had agreed upon earlier. According to Galaxy, a ‘Cadet’ was the title given to new IEA agents, who usually held the title until they were promoted to Deputy, Captain, or Commander. Cadets made up the bulk of IEA agents at any one time and ranged in experience from newbies who joined just yesterday to veterans who had been in the Agency for years but hadn’t been promoted to a higher rank for various reasons.
“Cluster, eh?” said Aster. He frowned. “I don’t remember seeing a Calvin Cluster in the membership lists when I was looking through them earlier.”
“That’s because when Cluster joined the Agency, the computers were down and we were unable to put his name in,” said Captain Galaxy promptly. “But trust me, he’s gone through all the tests and everything. You can trust him.”
Bolt was amazed at how confidently the strict, by-the-book Captain Galaxy could lie. He wondered where she learned to do that.
He was even more amazed when Aster nodded and said, “Oh, yeah, I remember when the computers were down. Wasn’t it because some Cadet spilled his water on the mainframe or something like that?”
“Something like that,” said Captain Galaxy. “Anyway, I’m here to report on my missi
on.”
“Oh, that, right,” said Aster. He rubbed his forehead. “Yeah, I already read your and Space’s report on the subject, but I take it you didn’t include everything in the report?”
“No, I did not,” said Captain Galaxy. “I—”
Captain Galaxy was interrupted by an odd ringing noise coming from the touch screen on Aster’s arm. Frowning, Aster tapped the screen and said, “Chief Aster speaking. Who is it?”
No voice came from the touch screen, but Aster tilted his head to the side anyway, as if he was listening to a voice only he could hear. Bolt figured Aster had to have some kind of earcom-like device in his ear that allowed him to hear whoever he was speaking to.
“Ah, okay,” said Aster. “Yeah, I’ll be down there right away. And make sure not to let those guys get away, okay? Last thing I need is to lose those important suspects on my first day in office.”
Aster tapped the screen again and looked at Bolt and Captain Galaxy in an apologetic way. “Sorry, but I’m going to have to step out of the office for a sec. There’s a problem in the docking bay that I need to address, but I’ll be back soon.”
“A problem, sir?” said Captain Galaxy cautiously. “What problem?”
Aster flashed her a brilliant smile. “A big one. The guys who killed Chief Nebula were caught trying to board and steal my ship.”
“Guys?” Bolt repeated. “You mean there were multiple assassins?”
“Sure,” said Aster. “And, although they haven’t been able to confirm this yet, they said that one of them was your Deputy, Jason Space.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Open up!” a commanding voice over a speaker in the corner of the ceiling shouted. “Open the door immediately or we will use force! I repeat, we will use—”