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Life and Light: Shadow-Force Reborn (Updated May 8, 2019)
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<blockquote data-quote="The Shadow" data-source="post: 4925051" data-attributes="member: 16760"><p><strong>1 - So It Begins</strong></p><p></p><p>In the days that followed the news conference, calls poured in from around the country, notably from teams that Shadow-Force had worked with in the past.</p><p></p><p>Starflare called on behalf of the Galactic Guardians in Washington: "That was brave. We know you're capable, so we'll do what we can for you; we can't hold your hand, but if you need major help, we're there."</p><p></p><p>Moke of the Portland Protectors, who'd worked with Shadow-Force a number of times on regional issues: "Terribly sorry to hear you guys are breaking up. Any word on the Phantom or Erebus?" "None, I'm afraid," Photon told him. "That's a shame. We'll help out where we can - we can't get up there fast, but we'll try to arrange to have one of us up there on a rotating basis." "I really appreciate it. And if you guys need anything, well, I <em>can</em> be there fast." "Might well take you up on that. Stay safe!"</p><p></p><p>Lone Star called from Dallas on behalf of her teammate Pecos Bill, who had worked closely with the Phantom against P.S.I.: "Bill would have called himself, but he's got unavoidable family business. We just want you to know we're thinkin' of you."</p><p></p><p>Likewise, a Miami team that had helped against P.S.I. called with condolences and good wishes, along with miscellaneous others.</p><p></p><p>It just made Jon feel all the more alone, really - driving home that the team was dead, its heart ripped out.</p><p></p><p>Alpha called another team meeting (ex-team meeting?) shortly after. "Bazooka, Brimstone - I understand you're considering moving to Arizona. Is that definite?" Bazooka said quietly, "Yes." "Can I convince you to stay a few weeks longer?" "We have to leave within three weeks. What's up?" "I'm worried about Technoid." [Me: "You know it's serious when your computer wants to stage an intervention." <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />]</p><p></p><p>Alpha paused to let that sink in, then said, "His lab is sealed, and my sensors in there have gone dead. The power drain in there is... significant. He hasn't eaten in 24 hours, and I don't think he's slept in the last 48. Somebody needs to talk to him." Jon offered, "I can try to fly in there in light-form...?" "By all means."</p><p></p><p>The four heroes walked grimly to the armored door leading to the lab. Brimstone said, "Let's try talking to him first." Pressing the intercom button, she said, "Scott, can you hear me? Scott, are you there? Scott, we're concerned about you." Jon added, "We're your friends, Scott. We care about you." There was no response. After several more tries, Bazooka said, "Over to you, Jon."</p><p></p><p>Jon sighed and swept the lab door with his X-ray vision before trying anything rash. "Uh oh. He's reinforced the door with a force field. I can't get through that." Bazooka nodded grimly. "Liz, can you teleport in?" "I'll try..." There was a chuffing sound and the usual stench of sulfur, but Brimstone didn't vanish; instead she doubled over in pain, gasping, "Yep, he's got the place shielded all right!"</p><p></p><p>Bazooka said coldly, "Right. That's hostile." Jon cut in, "Wait a minute! Let's not jump to conclusions!" Bill ground his teeth, then said, "Well, in any case, we need to get in there. I'm shooting the door down. You with me?" "Yeah."</p><p></p><p>Bill planted his feet and called up his force field, a stationary cylindrical affair he could extend into his namesake kinetic blasts. Photon joined him, activating his best laser configuration. The two blasts struck in unison, visibly crumpling the door but not destroying it. A second coordinated blast took large chunks out of the door; the half-visible force field flickering somewhat but staying more or less on.</p><p></p><p>Taking a look through the gaps was... confusing. There appeared to be a large energy construct hovering over a platform of some kind - round, and ringed by glowing arcs of energy. "The angle's wrong," Bill muttered, "it can't be that big." As they were pondering, Beta casually ripped the remainder of the door off its hinges; the force field took this as the last straw and flickered out. When they looked at him quizzically, the robot stated, "It was more efficient this way." Shrugging, Bill and Jon went in.</p><p></p><p>The room was large, much too large for the building. Where it had been a good-sized laboratory with a twelve-foot ceiling, now it was a forty-foot cube. Bill said incredulously, "This isn't possible." Jon, ever the scientist, said practically, "If we're seeing what's really there, obviously it <em>is</em> possible." "Fair enough..." They looked at the energy construct.</p><p></p><p>Twenty feet across if it was an inch, the rings of energy - three of them - proved to surround the twelve-foot inner sphere orthogonally. Jon examined it on several different wavelengths. "Don't shoot it, whatever you do." "Why not?" "Those rings are shielding us from the thing in the middle. It's... well, it's putting out a LOT of energy. Like a small sun. If the rings get deactivated, we're all dead. So is a good-sized chunk of Seattle - maybe all of it, I'm not sure." Bazooka: "Er, yeah. Don't shoot it. Got it. Thanks."</p><p></p><p>After some awed pondering, Bazooka wondered aloud, "What's the power source? We don't want to shoot that, either!" Jon nodded, "Good point." After scanning some more, he said, "Good grief. He's got a microfusion reactor in there. <em>It's</em> powering the rings; the power draw on the electrical grid is only to keep the reactor going. Do you have any idea how much that thing would be worth? Billions, easy." (Although he couldn't make sense of the controls, Jon could manage to read the gauge for fuel usage; the reactor had sufficient fuel to keep going for years, if not decades.) Bill nodded. "Well... let's find him."</p><p></p><p>A search of the remainder of the room turned up a pallet Technoid evidently slept on, leads from a large nearby machine resting on it. There was also a strange device with six parabolic emitters attached to it with cables; Photon speculated hesitantly that it might have something to do with the energy construct. Also a machinery-encrusted tube large enough for a human body, though it was empty. Though there was much large equipment around, Jon's X-ray vision found no trace of Technoid.</p><p></p><p>"Alpha, are you getting any of this? Can you see through Beta's eyes?" Alpha's voice came faintly through the speaker outside the door, "I lose contact with him in there, sorry. What's going on?" Jon told him; after a long pause, Alpha said, "That is... not logical, but if you say you see it, I believe you. Can you get me a look in there?" Jon went and fetched a video camera on a cable to the outside so Alpha could see. "Bizarre. Can't help you, sorry. I got nothing." (Intrigued by Alpha's inability to communicate directly with the room, Jon checked: Radar pulses went through the door only very sluggishly.)</p><p></p><p>Bill looked around and snarled in frustration, "Where can he be?!"</p><p></p><p>Jon started. "But it's obvious." "Huh?!" Jon shrugged and hooked a thumb at the energy construct. "Unless he teleported out or something, he's got to be in that thing. It's big enough." They all stared at the glowing ball again. "I will be damned," Bill muttered, "...Jon, can you polarize your vision or something to see in there? It's too bright for us."</p><p></p><p>"Huh. Dunno, never tried. Let me think about it..." After a few seconds of tinkering with the fabric of spacetime and/or chatting up his subatomic buddies, Jon succeeded in stopping down the brightness considerably. "Oh. Oh my."</p><p></p><p>There was indeed a shadowy humanoid figure in there, upright with hands uplifted, though he couldn't make out details. "There's somebody in there all right. Odd, though, if it's Technoid, he's detached that big weapons port on his right arm; I'd be able to see it."</p><p></p><p>Bazooka swore softly. "Damn, I miss Mike." Jon nodded glumly. "Yeah. He'd pick up the image from my mind and contact him telepathically. No way <em>we</em> can talk to him."</p><p></p><p>Bill asked, "You're our tech guy now, I guess - unless you want to get FAQ up here?" "Oh good grief. Let's not, unless we have to." "Heh. Yeah. He's way too cocky for me to feel safe with him messing around with explosives. So, any way you can defuse the thing, or turn it off?" "Haven't the faintest idea, to be honest. I suppose I could try towing it into space, but it'd be really dangerous. I'd have to do it <em>really</em> fast, for one thing, and it'd put Scott's life in danger." "As opposed to millions in danger if it explodes?" "True..." "Could you get it through the roof?" Photon looked up. "That's the tricky part, yes. Especially since I have no idea where that ceiling leads to, come to think - probably not to the roof of the base. Could be Bermuda, for all I know. Or another planet. Or even the floor we're standing on!" Bazooka snorted, "It just gets more fun by the minute, doesn't it?"</p><p></p><p>He punched his hand in frustration. "Dammit, this is the last straw! First Mike and James abandon us, and now this!" "Abandon?! What are you saying?!"</p><p></p><p>"They didn't leave us a message, they just skipped out!" "You know them better than that! Heck, I know them better than that, and you've known them longer than I have!" "You don't go running off to another dimension without telling the team!" "If they did it, they had a good reason. You know that! They'll tell us all about it when they get back!"</p><p></p><p>Bill said harshly, "They aren't coming back, Jon." "What?!" "If they were going to, they would have by now." "Well, why wouldn't they?" "Maybe they're dead."</p><p></p><p>It was the first time anyone had said it out loud. Bill paused, wincing, then forced himself to continue, "Or maybe imprisoned. Maybe off saving the multiverse, for all I know. Maybe Erebus found something better and they didn't bother to let us know." "Bill, you know <em>that's</em> not true." "Yeah."</p><p></p><p>After an awkward pause, Jon asked quietly, "Is there any way I can convince you guys to stay here in Seattle? It's too big for me and Beta. You said it yourself - I'm green." Bill sighed. "How long have you been with us, Jon? A year?" "About that." "Five years I've fought at their side. Five years! All of our tactics are designed around Mike and James' intel. I feel like I'm missing my left arm out there, and both eyes!" Jon admitted, "We're a reconnaissance-based team." "You know it. And <em>nobody</em> does recon like the Phantom and Erebus. If I hadn't seen it myself, over and over, I'd never believe it."</p><p></p><p>Quietly, Jon said, "They're the heart of the team." Bill shook his head sadly. "Mike was. Erebus was many things... Don't get me wrong, there's nobody I'd rather have at my side or at my back in a fight. But he wasn't a heart."</p><p></p><p>The remnant of Shadow-Force pondered the truth of that. Jon asked, "Is that why you're really leaving? Too many memories around here?" Bill looked away, face twisting, and Liz said quietly, "That's part of it."</p><p></p><p>Bill finally said, "The other part... You know when Liz and I were ambushed on patrol a couple weeks ago?" "Yeah - it sounded like you didn't have much trouble with it." "Luckily, we didn't. But if they'd been just a little smarter, we might both be dead. It never would've happened at all before." "How will that be any different in Phoenix?" "There's fewer people there that want us dead? We've made a lot of enemies in Seattle, Jon." Photon sighed, nodding. "Occupational hazard, I'm afraid."</p><p></p><p>"So it's settled. We'll stay here a few more days, to see if Scott comes out of that thing. But we are leaving." Jon nodded, swallowing hard. "...You've done this longer than I have. How can I handle this place on my own?" Bazooka said gruffly, "Form your own tactics, design them around what you can do. Don't show all your cards - keep some of your capabilities quiet until they're really needed. Make connections - God knows Mike's charm got us out of nearly as much trouble as his powers did."</p><p></p><p>Jon nodded again, slowly, his eyes filling up. "I'll miss you guys. If... Well. If I need help... will you come?" Bill looked at his feet; Liz spoke for the two of them. "If we can, Jon, yes. Of course we will." [Of course, they all knew that Brimstone's teleport range wasn't nearly up to travelling the distance from Phoenix to Seattle....] Bazooka added, "It's not like you'll be all alone, either. Chameleon contacted me, and he's stuck in Texas - family stuff, he said - but Mystra is still in town."</p><p></p><p>Liz sniffed. "She's a total flake." "She's been useful in the past." "She's a flake and a flirt!" "I never looked at her!" Photon carefully did not get between the two of them.</p><p></p><p>As they trooped back to the Situation Room, Jon changed the subject hesitantly, "What I can't figure out is this... Shortly before they disappeared, Mike developed the ability to stay active in his physical body while his Phantom-form was projected. Yet there he is on life support in the vault, out like a light." Bazooka sighed. "For that matter, he should be able to just switch off his projection and pop back into his body instantly. I've seen him do it, lots of times." "Maybe it works differently when his astral form is in another dimension?" "Beats me. For that matter, I can't imagine anyone or anything preventing James from fighting his way out of the Shadow Realm. Home turf advantage, and all that - not to mention that he was the meanest son of a bitch I've ever fought alongside."</p><p></p><p>On that cheery note, they parted. Shortly after, Jon got a call he'd been dreading - a summons of the remainder of Shadow-Force to Carlton Industries. The company owned by Jessica's father.</p><p></p><p>Soon he and Beta were ensconced in an imposing office. Malcolm Carlton surveyed them impassively for a time. "Only the two of you, eh? More's the pity. Any word on the missing?"</p><p></p><p>"No, sir," Jon said quietly, "There's been no word at all." "I suppose I owe you an apology on behalf of the family. While I obviously wasn't in control of my daughter's actions at the time, I'm told she did you serious injury." "She wasn't in her right mind, sir. And I recovered fine." "Glad to hear it. All the same, I am sorry." "Accepted." "Good. Now, to business. What's going on with Technoid? I hear he's been erratic lately, and the electric bill for the base has gone up sharply." Sweating, Jon broke the news about Technoid's lab.</p><p></p><p>Carlton's eyes widened and he drummed his fingers on the desk. "A miniaturized fusion reactor, you say? My, my. Hmm. What would happen if we disconnected it to take a better look?" "The base would blow up, along with a five block radius around it, minimum." The man scowled, slapping his palm down. "I dislike being blackmailed. Whether consciously or not, he's assuming I'm going to just keep paying the bills. Unfortunately, he happens to be right." "I hear what you're saying, sir, and I understand your position... just please understand that we're not happy about it either."</p><p></p><p>"Have you had any success in forming a new team?" "Not yet, sir, no. But with the power vacuum we've left in this city, there are bound to be supervillains moving here." Carlton nodded sourly. "This guy who calls himself 'Captain Kidd', for one." "He's strictly small fry, sir." "I don't know, the Navy wants him pretty badly. He's been a serious nuisance to their shipyard in Bremerton." "True... but there'll be others in time, tougher than he is. And eventually heroes will follow them. We'll have a team here again someday."</p><p></p><p>Carlton nodded. "Photon... I'm going to have to decommission the base." Jon heaved a sigh, lowering his head into a hand. "That hurts, Mr. Carlton." "I'm sorry, son. But the place is a dangerous liability as is. There's a lot of weaponry in there, as well as plenty of other hazardous stuff - the more so with this energy thing, which we are going to keep carefully under wraps. The Phantom and Erebus had the reputation to make most people think three times before attacking; Bazooka and Brimstone have enough rep to give them pause. No offense, but you and Beta don't. And I can't justify upkeep on the place for just the two of you, either."</p><p></p><p>Photon waited for Alpha to speak up through Beta's voice; when he didn't, he asked, "What about Alpha?" With a sigh, the old man said, "We'll pay to help him get situated. And if he wants a job, he's got it. For that matter, so do you." Carlton paused, then added ruefully, "I realize you've probably had your fill of people telling you, 'We'd love to help, but.' I'm sorry I can't give you what you want, but I really do want to do what I can." "I've got sufficient work, thank you." "The offer's open."</p><p></p><p>Jon then asked, "And what about the Phantom's physical body?" Carlton's brows furrowed. "What...about it?" "He's still on life support in the base's vault." "Huh. I... never thought about the Phantom's body. Don't think I ever saw it. Well. We'll definitely move him to a safe place and do everything we can for him. God knows I owe him." "All of Seattle does, sir." "True, but I mean personally." [Speaking as the Phantom's player, I was mystified by this until I recalled just now a time that the Phantom saved Jessica's life.]</p><p></p><p>"Will you let me know where you put him, sir? I would like to visit him now and then." "Haven't worked it out yet, but when we do we'll let you know. Keep it quiet." "Of course."</p><p></p><p>Carlton came to a decision. "I can do this much for you, Photon. I won't tear the base down. And if you do manage to form a viable team, it's yours." "Thank you, Mr. Carlton. That means a lot." "My door is open. Make an appointment first, though."</p><p></p><p>Flying back to the base, Photon asked Alpha over his communicator, "How much of the stuff in the base can we take away?" Alpha snorted. "I know where everything is, down to the last detail. I've got plans laid." "Alpha... How much of the stuff <em>belongs</em> to us?" "Well, if you put it that way... OK, OK. Not as much as I'd like. But a lot of it was made by Technoid, and in the absence of a will or other legal instrument, I think we can conclude it belongs to us more than anyone else. It was made for the sake of the team, after all, and certainly he and I worked together closely on lots of it." </p><p></p><p>"Fair enough. ... Are you going to take that job offer?" "I don't need the money... But we do need the connections. I think I will." "Where are you going to go?" "I've examined the possibility of relocating outside Seattle..." Jon gasped, "Don't tell me you two are leaving too!" "...But I've concluded that's a suboptimal course of action. For one thing, unlike some people I think the Phantom and Erebus are coming back. We're staying."</p><p></p><p>Jon took a deep breath, let it out, then pointed to the Greek letter on his chest and joked with gallows humor, "Maybe I should change my codename to Gamma to fit in around here." Alpha laughed. "Good one. Oh - by the way, the mail came in. There's a letter for you." "For me?! From who?" "Doesn't say." "What's the return address?" "Rome, Italy looks like." "Rome?! Curiouser and curiouser..."</p><p></p><p>Arriving back at the base, Photon examined the letter, postmarked a couple days before his news conference. "Rome. Weird." He opened it, to find in elegant handwriting:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>"CRAP!" "What?!" "The first sentence says, 'I hope you checked this letter for traps!'" "Er. Does Beta need to get you to the infirmary?" "Dunno, let me read the rest!"</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>"It's Forestrike!" The Phantom's old enemy, wily even in defeat. Alpha groaned. "HIM again!" Jon examined the letter again - sure enough, the postmark was from London, not Rome. Reading aloud now, he continued:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>"Heard a great deal about me? Flattering, I suppose, but how? And how would he know about you, Alpha?" "Beats me! And dang, but precognitives are so SMUG!" [Actually, I said that out of character. But it's too darn appropriate not to have someone say it. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />]</p><p></p><p>There followed without fanfare a number of prophecies:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>"'I have lied to you once'? What the heck?" "He's playing with you. He and the Phantom were always playing mental chess against each other, on at least five different boards at once. Apparently, he's decided you're to fill Mike's shoes."</p><p></p><p>With dripping sarcasm, "Wow, I feel so honored." "Probably you should. Think about it."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah... I guess. And there's one bit of good news in this." "Oh?"</p><p></p><p>"He said I won't get to hear stories from the Phantom for a long time. That implies Mike is alive, and that he's coming back someday." "Hmm. Unless he lied about that - but no, that wouldn't make much sense. Of course, precognition isn't perfect."</p><p></p><p>"Still, this is hope, whether he meant it that way or not. We need hope." "That we do."</p><p></p><p>[I'm kicking myself. When Bazooka asked why he shouldn't shoot the energy construct, I really, really should have said, "It would be bad." <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="The Shadow, post: 4925051, member: 16760"] [b]1 - So It Begins[/b] In the days that followed the news conference, calls poured in from around the country, notably from teams that Shadow-Force had worked with in the past. Starflare called on behalf of the Galactic Guardians in Washington: "That was brave. We know you're capable, so we'll do what we can for you; we can't hold your hand, but if you need major help, we're there." Moke of the Portland Protectors, who'd worked with Shadow-Force a number of times on regional issues: "Terribly sorry to hear you guys are breaking up. Any word on the Phantom or Erebus?" "None, I'm afraid," Photon told him. "That's a shame. We'll help out where we can - we can't get up there fast, but we'll try to arrange to have one of us up there on a rotating basis." "I really appreciate it. And if you guys need anything, well, I [i]can[/i] be there fast." "Might well take you up on that. Stay safe!" Lone Star called from Dallas on behalf of her teammate Pecos Bill, who had worked closely with the Phantom against P.S.I.: "Bill would have called himself, but he's got unavoidable family business. We just want you to know we're thinkin' of you." Likewise, a Miami team that had helped against P.S.I. called with condolences and good wishes, along with miscellaneous others. It just made Jon feel all the more alone, really - driving home that the team was dead, its heart ripped out. Alpha called another team meeting (ex-team meeting?) shortly after. "Bazooka, Brimstone - I understand you're considering moving to Arizona. Is that definite?" Bazooka said quietly, "Yes." "Can I convince you to stay a few weeks longer?" "We have to leave within three weeks. What's up?" "I'm worried about Technoid." [Me: "You know it's serious when your computer wants to stage an intervention." :)] Alpha paused to let that sink in, then said, "His lab is sealed, and my sensors in there have gone dead. The power drain in there is... significant. He hasn't eaten in 24 hours, and I don't think he's slept in the last 48. Somebody needs to talk to him." Jon offered, "I can try to fly in there in light-form...?" "By all means." The four heroes walked grimly to the armored door leading to the lab. Brimstone said, "Let's try talking to him first." Pressing the intercom button, she said, "Scott, can you hear me? Scott, are you there? Scott, we're concerned about you." Jon added, "We're your friends, Scott. We care about you." There was no response. After several more tries, Bazooka said, "Over to you, Jon." Jon sighed and swept the lab door with his X-ray vision before trying anything rash. "Uh oh. He's reinforced the door with a force field. I can't get through that." Bazooka nodded grimly. "Liz, can you teleport in?" "I'll try..." There was a chuffing sound and the usual stench of sulfur, but Brimstone didn't vanish; instead she doubled over in pain, gasping, "Yep, he's got the place shielded all right!" Bazooka said coldly, "Right. That's hostile." Jon cut in, "Wait a minute! Let's not jump to conclusions!" Bill ground his teeth, then said, "Well, in any case, we need to get in there. I'm shooting the door down. You with me?" "Yeah." Bill planted his feet and called up his force field, a stationary cylindrical affair he could extend into his namesake kinetic blasts. Photon joined him, activating his best laser configuration. The two blasts struck in unison, visibly crumpling the door but not destroying it. A second coordinated blast took large chunks out of the door; the half-visible force field flickering somewhat but staying more or less on. Taking a look through the gaps was... confusing. There appeared to be a large energy construct hovering over a platform of some kind - round, and ringed by glowing arcs of energy. "The angle's wrong," Bill muttered, "it can't be that big." As they were pondering, Beta casually ripped the remainder of the door off its hinges; the force field took this as the last straw and flickered out. When they looked at him quizzically, the robot stated, "It was more efficient this way." Shrugging, Bill and Jon went in. The room was large, much too large for the building. Where it had been a good-sized laboratory with a twelve-foot ceiling, now it was a forty-foot cube. Bill said incredulously, "This isn't possible." Jon, ever the scientist, said practically, "If we're seeing what's really there, obviously it [i]is[/i] possible." "Fair enough..." They looked at the energy construct. Twenty feet across if it was an inch, the rings of energy - three of them - proved to surround the twelve-foot inner sphere orthogonally. Jon examined it on several different wavelengths. "Don't shoot it, whatever you do." "Why not?" "Those rings are shielding us from the thing in the middle. It's... well, it's putting out a LOT of energy. Like a small sun. If the rings get deactivated, we're all dead. So is a good-sized chunk of Seattle - maybe all of it, I'm not sure." Bazooka: "Er, yeah. Don't shoot it. Got it. Thanks." After some awed pondering, Bazooka wondered aloud, "What's the power source? We don't want to shoot that, either!" Jon nodded, "Good point." After scanning some more, he said, "Good grief. He's got a microfusion reactor in there. [i]It's[/i] powering the rings; the power draw on the electrical grid is only to keep the reactor going. Do you have any idea how much that thing would be worth? Billions, easy." (Although he couldn't make sense of the controls, Jon could manage to read the gauge for fuel usage; the reactor had sufficient fuel to keep going for years, if not decades.) Bill nodded. "Well... let's find him." A search of the remainder of the room turned up a pallet Technoid evidently slept on, leads from a large nearby machine resting on it. There was also a strange device with six parabolic emitters attached to it with cables; Photon speculated hesitantly that it might have something to do with the energy construct. Also a machinery-encrusted tube large enough for a human body, though it was empty. Though there was much large equipment around, Jon's X-ray vision found no trace of Technoid. "Alpha, are you getting any of this? Can you see through Beta's eyes?" Alpha's voice came faintly through the speaker outside the door, "I lose contact with him in there, sorry. What's going on?" Jon told him; after a long pause, Alpha said, "That is... not logical, but if you say you see it, I believe you. Can you get me a look in there?" Jon went and fetched a video camera on a cable to the outside so Alpha could see. "Bizarre. Can't help you, sorry. I got nothing." (Intrigued by Alpha's inability to communicate directly with the room, Jon checked: Radar pulses went through the door only very sluggishly.) Bill looked around and snarled in frustration, "Where can he be?!" Jon started. "But it's obvious." "Huh?!" Jon shrugged and hooked a thumb at the energy construct. "Unless he teleported out or something, he's got to be in that thing. It's big enough." They all stared at the glowing ball again. "I will be damned," Bill muttered, "...Jon, can you polarize your vision or something to see in there? It's too bright for us." "Huh. Dunno, never tried. Let me think about it..." After a few seconds of tinkering with the fabric of spacetime and/or chatting up his subatomic buddies, Jon succeeded in stopping down the brightness considerably. "Oh. Oh my." There was indeed a shadowy humanoid figure in there, upright with hands uplifted, though he couldn't make out details. "There's somebody in there all right. Odd, though, if it's Technoid, he's detached that big weapons port on his right arm; I'd be able to see it." Bazooka swore softly. "Damn, I miss Mike." Jon nodded glumly. "Yeah. He'd pick up the image from my mind and contact him telepathically. No way [i]we[/i] can talk to him." Bill asked, "You're our tech guy now, I guess - unless you want to get FAQ up here?" "Oh good grief. Let's not, unless we have to." "Heh. Yeah. He's way too cocky for me to feel safe with him messing around with explosives. So, any way you can defuse the thing, or turn it off?" "Haven't the faintest idea, to be honest. I suppose I could try towing it into space, but it'd be really dangerous. I'd have to do it [i]really[/i] fast, for one thing, and it'd put Scott's life in danger." "As opposed to millions in danger if it explodes?" "True..." "Could you get it through the roof?" Photon looked up. "That's the tricky part, yes. Especially since I have no idea where that ceiling leads to, come to think - probably not to the roof of the base. Could be Bermuda, for all I know. Or another planet. Or even the floor we're standing on!" Bazooka snorted, "It just gets more fun by the minute, doesn't it?" He punched his hand in frustration. "Dammit, this is the last straw! First Mike and James abandon us, and now this!" "Abandon?! What are you saying?!" "They didn't leave us a message, they just skipped out!" "You know them better than that! Heck, I know them better than that, and you've known them longer than I have!" "You don't go running off to another dimension without telling the team!" "If they did it, they had a good reason. You know that! They'll tell us all about it when they get back!" Bill said harshly, "They aren't coming back, Jon." "What?!" "If they were going to, they would have by now." "Well, why wouldn't they?" "Maybe they're dead." It was the first time anyone had said it out loud. Bill paused, wincing, then forced himself to continue, "Or maybe imprisoned. Maybe off saving the multiverse, for all I know. Maybe Erebus found something better and they didn't bother to let us know." "Bill, you know [i]that's[/i] not true." "Yeah." After an awkward pause, Jon asked quietly, "Is there any way I can convince you guys to stay here in Seattle? It's too big for me and Beta. You said it yourself - I'm green." Bill sighed. "How long have you been with us, Jon? A year?" "About that." "Five years I've fought at their side. Five years! All of our tactics are designed around Mike and James' intel. I feel like I'm missing my left arm out there, and both eyes!" Jon admitted, "We're a reconnaissance-based team." "You know it. And [i]nobody[/I] does recon like the Phantom and Erebus. If I hadn't seen it myself, over and over, I'd never believe it." Quietly, Jon said, "They're the heart of the team." Bill shook his head sadly. "Mike was. Erebus was many things... Don't get me wrong, there's nobody I'd rather have at my side or at my back in a fight. But he wasn't a heart." The remnant of Shadow-Force pondered the truth of that. Jon asked, "Is that why you're really leaving? Too many memories around here?" Bill looked away, face twisting, and Liz said quietly, "That's part of it." Bill finally said, "The other part... You know when Liz and I were ambushed on patrol a couple weeks ago?" "Yeah - it sounded like you didn't have much trouble with it." "Luckily, we didn't. But if they'd been just a little smarter, we might both be dead. It never would've happened at all before." "How will that be any different in Phoenix?" "There's fewer people there that want us dead? We've made a lot of enemies in Seattle, Jon." Photon sighed, nodding. "Occupational hazard, I'm afraid." "So it's settled. We'll stay here a few more days, to see if Scott comes out of that thing. But we are leaving." Jon nodded, swallowing hard. "...You've done this longer than I have. How can I handle this place on my own?" Bazooka said gruffly, "Form your own tactics, design them around what you can do. Don't show all your cards - keep some of your capabilities quiet until they're really needed. Make connections - God knows Mike's charm got us out of nearly as much trouble as his powers did." Jon nodded again, slowly, his eyes filling up. "I'll miss you guys. If... Well. If I need help... will you come?" Bill looked at his feet; Liz spoke for the two of them. "If we can, Jon, yes. Of course we will." [Of course, they all knew that Brimstone's teleport range wasn't nearly up to travelling the distance from Phoenix to Seattle....] Bazooka added, "It's not like you'll be all alone, either. Chameleon contacted me, and he's stuck in Texas - family stuff, he said - but Mystra is still in town." Liz sniffed. "She's a total flake." "She's been useful in the past." "She's a flake and a flirt!" "I never looked at her!" Photon carefully did not get between the two of them. As they trooped back to the Situation Room, Jon changed the subject hesitantly, "What I can't figure out is this... Shortly before they disappeared, Mike developed the ability to stay active in his physical body while his Phantom-form was projected. Yet there he is on life support in the vault, out like a light." Bazooka sighed. "For that matter, he should be able to just switch off his projection and pop back into his body instantly. I've seen him do it, lots of times." "Maybe it works differently when his astral form is in another dimension?" "Beats me. For that matter, I can't imagine anyone or anything preventing James from fighting his way out of the Shadow Realm. Home turf advantage, and all that - not to mention that he was the meanest son of a bitch I've ever fought alongside." On that cheery note, they parted. Shortly after, Jon got a call he'd been dreading - a summons of the remainder of Shadow-Force to Carlton Industries. The company owned by Jessica's father. Soon he and Beta were ensconced in an imposing office. Malcolm Carlton surveyed them impassively for a time. "Only the two of you, eh? More's the pity. Any word on the missing?" "No, sir," Jon said quietly, "There's been no word at all." "I suppose I owe you an apology on behalf of the family. While I obviously wasn't in control of my daughter's actions at the time, I'm told she did you serious injury." "She wasn't in her right mind, sir. And I recovered fine." "Glad to hear it. All the same, I am sorry." "Accepted." "Good. Now, to business. What's going on with Technoid? I hear he's been erratic lately, and the electric bill for the base has gone up sharply." Sweating, Jon broke the news about Technoid's lab. Carlton's eyes widened and he drummed his fingers on the desk. "A miniaturized fusion reactor, you say? My, my. Hmm. What would happen if we disconnected it to take a better look?" "The base would blow up, along with a five block radius around it, minimum." The man scowled, slapping his palm down. "I dislike being blackmailed. Whether consciously or not, he's assuming I'm going to just keep paying the bills. Unfortunately, he happens to be right." "I hear what you're saying, sir, and I understand your position... just please understand that we're not happy about it either." "Have you had any success in forming a new team?" "Not yet, sir, no. But with the power vacuum we've left in this city, there are bound to be supervillains moving here." Carlton nodded sourly. "This guy who calls himself 'Captain Kidd', for one." "He's strictly small fry, sir." "I don't know, the Navy wants him pretty badly. He's been a serious nuisance to their shipyard in Bremerton." "True... but there'll be others in time, tougher than he is. And eventually heroes will follow them. We'll have a team here again someday." Carlton nodded. "Photon... I'm going to have to decommission the base." Jon heaved a sigh, lowering his head into a hand. "That hurts, Mr. Carlton." "I'm sorry, son. But the place is a dangerous liability as is. There's a lot of weaponry in there, as well as plenty of other hazardous stuff - the more so with this energy thing, which we are going to keep carefully under wraps. The Phantom and Erebus had the reputation to make most people think three times before attacking; Bazooka and Brimstone have enough rep to give them pause. No offense, but you and Beta don't. And I can't justify upkeep on the place for just the two of you, either." Photon waited for Alpha to speak up through Beta's voice; when he didn't, he asked, "What about Alpha?" With a sigh, the old man said, "We'll pay to help him get situated. And if he wants a job, he's got it. For that matter, so do you." Carlton paused, then added ruefully, "I realize you've probably had your fill of people telling you, 'We'd love to help, but.' I'm sorry I can't give you what you want, but I really do want to do what I can." "I've got sufficient work, thank you." "The offer's open." Jon then asked, "And what about the Phantom's physical body?" Carlton's brows furrowed. "What...about it?" "He's still on life support in the base's vault." "Huh. I... never thought about the Phantom's body. Don't think I ever saw it. Well. We'll definitely move him to a safe place and do everything we can for him. God knows I owe him." "All of Seattle does, sir." "True, but I mean personally." [Speaking as the Phantom's player, I was mystified by this until I recalled just now a time that the Phantom saved Jessica's life.] "Will you let me know where you put him, sir? I would like to visit him now and then." "Haven't worked it out yet, but when we do we'll let you know. Keep it quiet." "Of course." Carlton came to a decision. "I can do this much for you, Photon. I won't tear the base down. And if you do manage to form a viable team, it's yours." "Thank you, Mr. Carlton. That means a lot." "My door is open. Make an appointment first, though." Flying back to the base, Photon asked Alpha over his communicator, "How much of the stuff in the base can we take away?" Alpha snorted. "I know where everything is, down to the last detail. I've got plans laid." "Alpha... How much of the stuff [i]belongs[/i] to us?" "Well, if you put it that way... OK, OK. Not as much as I'd like. But a lot of it was made by Technoid, and in the absence of a will or other legal instrument, I think we can conclude it belongs to us more than anyone else. It was made for the sake of the team, after all, and certainly he and I worked together closely on lots of it." "Fair enough. ... Are you going to take that job offer?" "I don't need the money... But we do need the connections. I think I will." "Where are you going to go?" "I've examined the possibility of relocating outside Seattle..." Jon gasped, "Don't tell me you two are leaving too!" "...But I've concluded that's a suboptimal course of action. For one thing, unlike some people I think the Phantom and Erebus are coming back. We're staying." Jon took a deep breath, let it out, then pointed to the Greek letter on his chest and joked with gallows humor, "Maybe I should change my codename to Gamma to fit in around here." Alpha laughed. "Good one. Oh - by the way, the mail came in. There's a letter for you." "For me?! From who?" "Doesn't say." "What's the return address?" "Rome, Italy looks like." "Rome?! Curiouser and curiouser..." Arriving back at the base, Photon examined the letter, postmarked a couple days before his news conference. "Rome. Weird." He opened it, to find in elegant handwriting: "CRAP!" "What?!" "The first sentence says, 'I hope you checked this letter for traps!'" "Er. Does Beta need to get you to the infirmary?" "Dunno, let me read the rest!" "It's Forestrike!" The Phantom's old enemy, wily even in defeat. Alpha groaned. "HIM again!" Jon examined the letter again - sure enough, the postmark was from London, not Rome. Reading aloud now, he continued: "Heard a great deal about me? Flattering, I suppose, but how? And how would he know about you, Alpha?" "Beats me! And dang, but precognitives are so SMUG!" [Actually, I said that out of character. But it's too darn appropriate not to have someone say it. :)] There followed without fanfare a number of prophecies: "'I have lied to you once'? What the heck?" "He's playing with you. He and the Phantom were always playing mental chess against each other, on at least five different boards at once. Apparently, he's decided you're to fill Mike's shoes." With dripping sarcasm, "Wow, I feel so honored." "Probably you should. Think about it." "Yeah... I guess. And there's one bit of good news in this." "Oh?" "He said I won't get to hear stories from the Phantom for a long time. That implies Mike is alive, and that he's coming back someday." "Hmm. Unless he lied about that - but no, that wouldn't make much sense. Of course, precognition isn't perfect." "Still, this is hope, whether he meant it that way or not. We need hope." "That we do." [I'm kicking myself. When Bazooka asked why he shouldn't shoot the energy construct, I really, really should have said, "It would be bad." :)] [/QUOTE]
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Life and Light: Shadow-Force Reborn (Updated May 8, 2019)
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