by David Bruno
The doctor flung his arms open as if he would embrace his prisoners, one tied to a chair and the other in a cage suspended from above. “Mmm, you’re awake, my children.” He looked at his watch as he approached the pair. “Surprising. Fifteen minutes. Enhanced metabolism, too, I see.”
He extinguished his cigarette in an ashtray, exhaled a foul cloud of chemicals, and addressed the heroes. “We had such high hopes for you both. Imagine, you would have been mentors and teachers for the future. History would have looked upon you as gods.” He lightly tapped Aegis’s shoulder, and she rolled her neck at his touch. Her long blonde ponytail swung away from Dr. Doe. Ironside shifted in his cage and tugged on his restraints.
The screech of Aegis’s chair on the floor broke the momentary silence. “Obviously, we haven’t convinced you of our noble intent. Since you won’t join us, we have no use for you. We cannot let you derail our plans.” He sighed. “Nor can we let you leave this place. We created you both, and sadly we now have to dispose of you. Two more failed experiments. Mistakes. Don’t despair too much though. Your genome will be used extensively as we develop our next generation of enhanced humans. In that way, you will live on.” He looked at Aegis. “In one of these frozen vials is the blood of your brother, Victor. He will live just like you will.”
Aegis flared her nostrils and glared, eyes wide and lips trembling. “Have you no humanity, Doe? Let him rest in peace. AHHHH!” Aegis screamed as she violently rocked her chair side to side and struggled vainly against the restraints. It had been many years since Victor had been taken from her and her father. This insult steeled her resolve, which had wavered only minutes before. The Agency must be destroyed—permanently and immediately.
Dr. Doe laughed. He continued with a relaxed smile. “Besides, you have two other brothers to meet yet. Like you, they were created here. They’re on their way as we speak. Once we realized our success in creating you, especially Benny, we reverse engineered those methods and made improvements to synthesize powers in full-grown adults. The slag from the foundry was the key. Even Max doesn’t know about our latest plan. It’s a shame you won’t live to see the new world we’re creating.” He looked upward at Ironside, tilting his head with a gentle, fatherly expression—a father from hell. “In a way, your family gave birth to what’s coming. We owe you a debt of gratitude. I think you will find your new brothers to be true believers in our cause and quite formidable opponents. They will euthanize you swiftly.”
Ironside gritted his teeth and huffed. Words escaped him. Spittle frothed from his mouth as he lashed about in the cage, working himself into a frenzy. “MWAHHHH!”
Motioning to the two guards, the doctor said, “Gentlemen, load these canisters of formula onto the helicopters. Gear up in five minutes. Crop-dusting of the stadium is to commence immediately upon arrival—thirty thousand new recruits. There can be no delay.”
Just then, the lights went out, leaving the complex in total darkness. A loud noise echoed through the laboratory: gunshots! Bullets whistled down the corridor and ricocheted off the sterile white cinderblock walls. Dim emergency lights flickered with inadequate luminescence. The Agency’s guards poured into the hallway and responded with a hail of gunfire, shooting blindly, unable to locate the source of the assault.
Panicked, the doctor shouted into the darkness. “Intruders! Quick, get me out of here!” His voice trailed off as he was whisked away. Munitions flew in all directions. Light fixtures were shot out. Each shot provided momentary radiance, casting shadows on the walls. A trio of Agency guards ran toward any light they could see in a vain attempt to identify the assailants. Each was mercilessly put down. A few wisely hid in the shadows and seized any opportunity to retreat to safety. In mere moments, the chaos of the surprise assault gave way to a silent peace. The power kicked on, and the remaining lights revealed splattered blood on the pockmarked walls, running down to form puddles on the floor. Lifeless bodies slouched motionless, no longer able to carry out the evil will of the Agency. Whoever these attackers were, they were ruthless and brutally efficient.
Nobody from the Agency remained in the laboratory. It was empty except for Ironside and Aegis, still restrained in the cage and chair respectively. Two shadowy figures appeared in front of the heroes. Aegis recoiled at seeing them. As their images became clearer, she saw these men were different. Their uniforms appeared to be U.S. military, complete with night-vision goggles and camouflage face paint—the secret of their stealth attack in the darkness. Both men lifted their goggles, since there was now sufficient light to observe the area. One began to untie Aegis.
“Shoot me!” commanded Ironside from his perch high above.
“What? No,” said the first man.
“Just do it. One to the arm is enough,” commanded Aegis. “It’ll power him. Do it now!”
“Okay, but I hope you know what you’re doing.” The stranger carefully aimed at Ironside’s shoulder and fired. Ironside jolted. Moments later, he burst from the cage and jumped to the floor, landing on one knee with a single fist on the ground. His body crackled with energy.
“Thanks. I needed that.” He stood at attention, waiting for an explanation.
“We’re here to help. I’m Rick and this here is Phil. Come with us.”
The heroes glanced at each other, hoping the other understood what was happening. This was the real world, and people didn’t just come through in the nick of time to save anyone, especially the heroes who were supposed to do the saving.
Aegis turned to Ironside and slugged him on the face with a small shield over her fist. “You left me! They almost killed me!”
“You know that didn’t hurt and just powered me a little, right? I’m so sorry, babe. You’re right,” he said with a sigh and his eyes low. Switching attention to their rescuers, he asked, “What’s happening?”
“You two can sort that out later. We need to get out of here now. Your mission is compromised. Move, you two!”
“Just a minute, we need our weapons.” Aegis, forgetting his transgression for the moment, smiled at Ironside, pleased at their sudden good fortune. They grabbed the gun and slingshot and loaded the jelly beans into their belts. “I’m not through with you yet, Ironside.”
“Let’s go! No time for that!” Phil commanded. “Our position is weak. We need to get out now.”
“No!” shouted Ironside. “This place needs to be razed and those choppers need to be destroyed. We appreciate your help, but either continue with us or go save yourselves. Our mission is incomplete.”
At that moment one of the Agency’s guards ran into the room with his rifle raised in front of him. The surprised look on his face indicated an uninformed expectation that the pair were still restrained and in a semiconscious state—easy pickings for a targeted assassination with Aegis unable to shield herself and Ironside unable to armor himself against a lethal injection or slow decapitation.
The guard’s eyes met Aegis’s. He fired. She had no shield.
The bullet screamed closer. Still no shield.
No time to gasp.
No time for fear.
No time to blink.
The bullet screamed closer.
At the speed of a synapse, a blue bubble began to form. The bullet struck the shield millimeters from her forehead and ricocheted back along its original trajectory.
No time to gasp.
No time for fear.
No time to blink.
The bullet screamed closer.
The guard stopped in his tracks as his rifle fell to the floor. A moment later, his lifeless body tumbled to the ground—Aegis’s first kill.
Aegis didn’t have time to consider the ramifications of actually killing someone or the promise she and Ironside had made. Rather, she felt a rush—adrenaline. The pain caused by her captors went away. She felt better.
“You saved us,” said Phil in astonishment. “This girl is amazing.”
Rick followed up. “Looks like we aren’t walking out of here witho
ut facing more of these guys. Besides, our cover is long since blown. Okay, Ironside, we might as well help you finish the mission. It’s our only way out.” He turned to address his partner. “Ready, Phil?”
“Ready,” Phil confirmed as he raised his rifle and snapped in a fresh magazine.
Ironside reflected on their situation and quickly came up with a plan. “We need to adapt. Rick and Phil, you go outside and take out those choppers. They must not take off, or a lot of people will be killed. Aegis and I will raze the labs. We’ve been told there are other superpowered people here. We’re better equipped to battle them. When this place is on fire and the choppers crashed, I’ll buy the first round.” He paused. “Oh, and how do you know us?”
Rick smiled. “When we make it out of this, I’m going to hold you to that. I like good beer. Not that cheap watery stuff.” He paused with a sly grin. “Max sends his regards. Sorry we got here a little late.” The team bumped fists before Rick and Phil ran out to the helicopter pad.
Ironside and Aegis examined the lab. As if possessed, Aegis threw her shield in all directions. She smashed the glass sample jars and blasted holes in the walls. Wooden two-by-fours inside the broken walls burst to pieces. She came to the freezer to see the vials of blood. Among the samples, one in particular caused her to stop in her tracks—that belonged to Victor. “AHHHH!” She unleashed a barrage of five jelly beans in all directions, setting the lab ablaze.
“Aegis, no! Save some for other rooms.”
“This is the center. Destroy this room and avenge my brother.” The heat of the ferro-mag singed their skin as the flames grew around them. With no sprinklers, the fire crept into the walls and began to rage.
“This isn’t about personal revenge. This is for all of humanity. Let’s go!” He grabbed Aegis by her uniform and dragged her to the hallway, saving her from the flames and intensely bright light.
“No! Let me go!” she protested.
“Think, Aegis. We have a mission.” He sat her down in the hall and knelt next to her. “Get ahold of yourself. We’re waist deep in this, and I need clear-thinking Aegis back.” They caught their breath for a moment. He took her hand as he helped her stand up. The flames grew in intensity within the lab as they consumed everything.
“I killed him. I didn’t mean to.” She whimpered as she rose to her feet.
“No, you didn’t. His own misguided ambition did that. You saved yourself and the guys just like a hero should do. Don’t think about it again. We need to finish this.”
Aegis wiped the tears from her face and recovered from her maniacal state. They turned and ran down the long hallway toward their next targets. Along each side were rooms and small labs just as Max had said there would be. Ironside lobbed his five jelly beans into the rooms. Each, unaffected by the tsunami from the water tank, reliably sprayed flaming fuel to enhance the wildfire. Gunshots could be heard throughout the lab, but they weren’t from Ironside’s sidearm. Clearly Rick and Phil had engaged the enemy. The continuing gunfire was reassuring because it meant the men were alive. Then, as quickly as it had started, all was quiet. Before the pair could reflect on the silence, they were greeted by three Agency guards with rifles raised.
They stopped running. Aegis’s bubble shield formed around her body.
Benny observed the guards and cocked his head. He noticed something unusual and relaxed his stance. “Aegis, look at these guys. They only have rifles. No gas canisters or stun guns. They can’t hurt us.” He shook his head.
“But you aren’t armored.”
“So? If they shoot me, I will be. They can’t hurt us. These guys are cannon fodder. The Agency seems to want us to kill them for some reason. Keep your shield on and let’s just walk past.” Just no headshot, please.
“Umm, I guess so.” She smirked and slowly walked next to Ironside, protected by her shield. “You sure about this?” The guards stood still and powerless as the heroes simply walked by. The fire raged.
Ironside stopped to stare face to face with the second guard. He took his hand and pinched the man’s cheek. In a tone much like speaking to a puppy, he said, “You sure are and ugly evil Nazi scumbag. Yes, you are.” Ironside laughed as he rejoined his partner, strutting alongside her. When he came to the final guard, he stopped again. “I can’t resist.” He slugged the third guard on the side of his face. The man fell to the ground. Ironside looked down at the injured man. “He’ll live. Let’s go.”
“Wow, that was fun. The tide has turned. Your brain is more powerful than your fist. We got this,” Aegis said as they picked up speed and ran away from the flames.
*****
Rick and Phil had dispatched a contingent of Agency guards on their way to the exit nearest the helicopter pad. They panted as they regained their strength after the assault. So far, they had escaped serious injury, no doubt due in equal parts to their vests and advanced military training. They had no powers, unlike Ironside and Aegis, and were forced to deal with the Agency the hard way.
As they opened the door, they noticed the pad area was well illuminated in preparation for take-off. In the distance they saw the choppers—their targets. The aircraft were surrounded by no less than a dozen people, including the pilots. The men could clearly see Agency guards loading canisters of powdered meteoric alloy into tubes mounted horizontally on the sides of the vehicles.
“Okay, Phil. Here goes. I go to the right and you go to the left. Get cover and unload on them.”
“Hoo-ah.”
The pair stealthily crept toward their own dark crevices some forty feet apart. One of the guards caught sight of Rick.
“Over there! Fire!” The guards opened fire on Rick with an ear-piercing assault.
Rick found cover and unloaded three-round bursts from his weapon. Pop-pop-pop… pop-pop-pop
As the Agency men unloaded their weapons in Rick’s direction, Phil seized the opportunity. He fired at the Agency guards while their attention was diverted. A successful two-front assault was established. Two Agency guards fell, and the others spread out and took cover.
Rick felt a sting in his left shoulder. He covered it with his right hand as the pain grew. Blood flowed over his hand when he pulled it back to take a look. The bullet had pierced his shoulder and exited out his back.
“I’m hit!” shouted Rick across the distance.
“Bad?” called Phil.
“Through and through. Bleeding pretty good. We need to end this now. Ahhh!” He winced as he put pressure on his shoulder.
Phil searched the area and laid his eyes on a most beautiful and unexpected sight—a large gun mounted on a pedestal. It was a GAU-8 Avenger, separated from its A-10 partner—the same gun that years earlier had ripped Mr. Stone to pieces. “Look, Rick! Over there! I’m going for it! Cover me!”
Working through the pain of his wound, Rick mustered all of his courage and laid down fire to cover Phil as he sprinted in the direction of the gun. Phil reached it and tried to figure out how it worked. It was mounted on a gimbal, allowing rotation and elevation adjustments. But he saw no controls. Thirty feet away, he noticed a small, unguarded booth standing by itself. If Phil was right, this was the control room. But Rick was under heavy fire and there was no time. He needed a quicker solution. Then Phil noticed a wired pendant coming from an electrical box on the gun’s side, hidden beneath a hinged, clear glass panel. He smashed the panel open and picked up the pendant. It had a joystick labeled with the words Left, Right, Up, and Down. Most importantly, it had a button that read Fire and a full ammunition drum.
A devilish grin came onto Phil’s face. “I got this, Rick. Hang tight.”
Rick continued to fire at the Agency guards, unloading magazine after magazine. The tip of his gun glowed in the darkness of his hiding space. He was concealed as much as possible and couldn’t make direct shots at his targets. His shots were meant to distract and allow Phil to do his thing. “Whatever you’re going to do, now’s the time!” he shouted. “Two mags left! Gettin’ bloody h
ere!”
Phil picked up the pendant and pulled out the emergency-stop button. The gun sprang to life and immediately reset into a home position. Within seconds, he mastered the controls and rotated it in the direction of the helicopters.
“Gotcha!” With a maniacal laugh, Phil pushed the fire button. The gun came to life with a mighty BRRRRRRT. As it fired, Phil pulled the joystick to the right and left, rotating the gun so that the rounds ripped into both helicopters. Other rounds tore into the Agency men and mercilessly burst their bodies into pieces. Heads disappeared off necks. Torsos flew off hips, blood still spurting from the severed arteries, and smashed to the ground just before death set in. “Fear the reaper, Nazi filth!” The hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention.
Crimson pools grew in size around the overwhelmed guards. The sound was as deafening as the fire was blinding. By then, the lab was half engulfed in flames. The men coughed as they were forced to inhale the pungent smoke.
Within seconds, the Avenger was out of ammunition, with its seven barrels glowing cherry red. It didn’t matter. The choppers were down for good. Rick and Phil turned their attention to dispatching the few remaining shell-shocked guards who had escaped the fury of the Avenger.
*****
“Stop, you two,” commanded a familiar voice. Two men came around a blind corner to confront Ironside and Aegis. It was Dr. Doe and Dr. Huang. The latter had his hands tied in front of him. “No more.”
The fire raged behind the heroes, consuming the Agency’s precious research and specimens. It was a satisfying display of success. But it was not yet enough. Dr. Doe was still breathing. They promised each other not to kill intentionally. But Dr. Doe was different. He killed Victor.
“Dr. Huang, no.” Ironside’s heart sank. Could it be that his personal physician from childhood had been working with the Agency all along?
“They were going to kill my family. I had no choice. Now I’m a prisoner. Forgive me,” Dr. Huang pleaded as tears ran down his face.
“You see,” said Dr. Doe. His sidearm was pressed against Dr. Huang. “We learned of the good doctor here from Max, and he has provided many years of dedicated service to our organization. He gave us knowledge of you, Benny. It’s time to end this foolishness. You destroyed part of our lab, and I am impressed with your abilities and resourcefulness. I’m proud of you both, my children, and how you’ve grown into your powers. Dr. Huang, come with me. Rocco and Orro are here now.”