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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: 5422910" data-attributes="member: 16760"><p><strong>13 - Snake Handling</strong></p><p></p><p>[So I agonized for quite a while on how to split up the big marathon session. When combined with the tail-end of the last session we had before the hiatus, the first natural split ended up being quite long compared to the other(s), and there was a second natural split that would end up making the middle segment somewhat short. In the end, I decided that drama had to rule over neatness. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> Enjoy!]</p><p></p><p>Monday morning, and Jon groaned as he got up. If Alpha'd had any luck, he anticipated a really long day.</p><p></p><p>Going in to the bathroom for his shower, he was looking at himself blearily in the mirror when something suddenly caught his eye. I've lost some weight, he realized, and my muscle tone is better; hero-ing must be doing me good.</p><p></p><p>But after a few moments of self-congratulation, he realized there was something else different... He couldn't put his finger on it at first, and it troubled him. Fully awake now, he examined his face carefully. There it was... Or rather, wasn't. A small mole on his cheekbone that he'd never liked was gone.</p><p></p><p>He stared at his reflection for a moment, then started checking his arms and torso. Sure enough - no moles, just smooth uniform skin. How...?</p><p></p><p>Jon leaned hard on the counter, the words of the RR medic coming back to him: 'Wow, you're in impressively good health.' I mentally 'edit' my body when I enter light-form, but I didn't do this... at least not consciously.</p><p></p><p>Aloud, he asked himself, his reflection, the universe: "What's happening to me?" He didn't get a reply from any of them.</p><p></p><p>Jon took a long, troubled shower. In itself, this isn't that big of a deal, he told himself. But what else am I doing to myself without even realizing it? He elected to fly in to the base the slow way, ostensibly to give himself more time to think... but self-honesty forced him to admit that light-form didn't seem as appealing as it had previously.</p><p></p><p>He waved at one of Alpha's cameras as he arrived, stopping in the lounge to make a cup of coffee before settling down in the Situation Room. "So what've you got for me?" He didn't strictly need to come in during the morning before work, but he liked chatting with Alpha when nobody else was likely to wander in.</p><p></p><p>"An embarrassment of riches, actually." "Oh? Do tell." "No less than three suspicious places for you to check out. They aren't necessarily all VIPER, but even if not, they're worth a look in their own right." "Okay... lay it on me."</p><p></p><p>"The first I consider the most likely candidate for a VIPER base - it fits their style. There's been construction in the marina for a couple years now that raises some red flags - more material being used than seems needed for the stated projects, that sort of thing. And the area is ideal for their purposes; there's a lot of traffic they could use to smuggle people in and out."</p><p></p><p>Jon nodded. "Okay, that'll be the first priority, then. Tell me... does VIPER have a history of using submarines?" "Not often, but they have. Why?" "It's yet another way of getting in and out, I'd guess. Man, I'd like to see them run into Captain Kidd if so!" "Heh. Yeah, maybe they could do each other in for us." "We can dream. What else do you have?"</p><p></p><p>"An office building downtown. About half the tenants - scattered throughout the building - I can't trace. They're dummy corps, existing only on paper. It's really suspicious and worth checking out, but I'm not positive it's VIPER's work." "And the third?"</p><p></p><p>"A newly-built youth center, put up by a startup charity. Its construction used materials that seem out of line for the building's stated purpose; they're supposed to be helping at-risk youth stay off the streets, not constructing a fortress. Also, the type of kids they're reaching out to are just the sort VIPER likes to try to recruit."</p><p></p><p>Jon pondered. "Hmmm. Do they have any programs involving guns?" "A course on gun safety, and a small firing range. I thought the latter was a little weird, yeah, but why do you ask?" "Any connection to a group called the Urban Defense League?" "...They provided 5% of the funding for the center. What do you know that I don't?"</p><p></p><p>Jon explained what he'd heard from Karen about the UDL, and asked, "Think they could be connected to VIPER? What do their financials look like?" "Hmm. ... Clean on the first pass. I'll take a closer look, though." "Yeah, please do. We don't want to let it get out that we only protect rich people, after all!" "Yeah, it pays ten times as much as protecting poor folks... also ten times less, of course."</p><p></p><p>They chuckled together, then Jon said, "Okay, let's call and let Struthers know what we've got so far." That being done, Struthers said, "Not a whole lot to work with as yet, Photon." "You wanted to be kept in the loop," Jon reminded him, "This is what being kept in the loop looks like." The man laughed. "Yeah, I had that coming. Let me know what you scare up as you investigate further." "Will do."</p><p></p><p>Jon leaned back in his chair. "Looks like I've got my work cut out for me this evening. Anything else?" "Well," Alpha mentioned, "I've scared up some counsellors for you, like you asked." Jon sighed. "Okay. Who?" "Once again, I've got three options for your consideration. Number one, a former police psychiatrist in Boston who made his name pioneering work with supers. Bit of a celebrity these days. Very good reputation, but pricey." "How much?" Alpha told him, and Jon blanched. "I don't feel like taking out a loan, thanks. The other two?"</p><p></p><p>"A guy who's a super himself, codenamed Icon. Got a public ID these days, though." "Hm, I think I've heard of him. Remind me?" "Magical flying brick with some other minor tricks - he can compel people to speak the truth, among other things. He moonlights as a hostage negotiator for the LAPD." "Huh. Truth compulsion sounds useful - but also a bit threatening in his line of work." "Oh, he knows all about that. He's got an artifact that will nullify his power for nervous clients." "Is he any good?" "Seems so; he's very well thought of." "What's he charge?" Alpha named a figure that would cut a bit into Jon's savings, but not outrageously so.</p><p></p><p>"Okay, and number three?" "Guy in Miami who's been working with supers for years. He doesn't come cheap, but he gives a really steep discount for heroes who agree to help defend him, his family, and his office in case of emergency. Most people don't mind - they aren't exactly eager to have their medical records stolen." Jon frowned. "Yeah, but it's still a bit mercenary. And I don't need any entangling responsibilities, I've got enough on my plate. I'll go with Icon - the fact he's been in the field counts for a lot."</p><p></p><p>"Check. Want me to set up an appointment for you?" "Please. How far out will it be?" "Dunno yet, but undoubtedly at least a couple weeks." "All right, let me know." "Will do, boss. Anything else?"</p><p></p><p>Jon got to his feet and drained the last of his coffee. "Keep checking on VIPER stuff and the UDL. I'll see you this afternoon to do the legwork." "Will do. ... Are you okay, Jon? You seem tense this morning." Jon paused, then admitted, "Yeah. I've been around more than my share of mental-health types in my life, and I'm not eager to take up with another, even if I do intellectually see it as a good idea. And... I've got something personal going on that I need to sort out a bit before I talk about it." "Okay, hang in there." "Thanks, Alpha."</p><p></p><p>Jon zipped in to work, carefully monitoring his body's transition to light-form. There were no changes happening he could detect, other than the shift from his costume to his civvies. He paused to greet Hu on the way to his office. "Feeling better?" Hu nodded solemnly. "Yes, Dr. Winters. I have had an idea I want to show you." "Oh? Go for it."</p><p></p><p>After several minutes at a whiteboard detailing a new approach to membrane field theory, Jon whistled. "I'm impressed. It's right out of left field, but it might just be crazy enough to work. Supposing you tweaked this bit here like so..." Soon they'd spent a couple hours discussing it. Jon looked at his RA with renewed respect; Gerhard was brilliant, but Hu had that indefinable spark that might be genius. "Take this as far as you can. And how about you come with me to my next get-together with Devindar? I have a feeling this will intrigue him." Hu nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Winters. I would like that."</p><p></p><p>Jon threw himself into his own work, relieved for the distraction. The rest of the day was uneventful, and he zipped in to the base. Once again he checked the transition, and found nothing. That makes me nervous, he thought; if it were something I could detect, I could probably stop it.</p><p></p><p>He met Sirocco on the way in, getting ready to go out with Beta. "Hey, how are you doing?" Sirocco shrugged. "I'll live." "Well, I was taking that for granted. You okay?" The other hero sighed. "That's kind of the point - I'm not so much taking it for granted right now." Photon gripped his shoulder. "Tex'll be out here in a couple days; it's under control. Hang in there, man." Sirocco summoned up a weak smile from somewhere. "Yeah, thanks."</p><p></p><p>Jon made his way to the Situation Room. "Hey Alpha. Ready to get started?" "Hey. First things first - Moke left a message for you, saying he's on shift." "Right! Call him back, please." "Here ya go..."</p><p></p><p>Soon Moke's blunt, honest visage filled a viewscreen. "Photon, just returning your call. What's up?" "Several things I've been wanting to discuss with you actually." "I'm listening."</p><p></p><p>Jon nodded. "Okay, first of all, I've heard through the grapevine that you're having red tape troubles with the teleportals. What's up with that?" Moke sighed. "Your legislature up there is getting mulish on the issue, and now your governor's gotten into the act too." "How long has this been going on?" "Not very. Oh, there's been the occasional bit of noise about it, but nothing serious until the last couple months."</p><p></p><p>Jon mulled it over. "Think VIPER could be behind it?" Moke shrugged. "I doubt it. What would they have to gain?" "A relatively free hand up here in Seattle? How much trouble do you have with them in Portland?" "Some. Their local nest leader is a canny, careful one; we've tangled with them occasionally but they keep a really low profile..."</p><p></p><p>Portland's Everyman pondered it a little more. "Well, anything's possible, I suppose. But frankly, I've never seen any need for special explanations when politicians do stupid things." Jon laughed. "You've got a point there." "What else did you want to discuss?"</p><p></p><p>"I was thinking it'd be a good idea to have a social occasion for the two teams - and American Eagle too - so we can all get to know each other." Moke rolled his eyes and joked, "You mean so we can prevent the inevitable mistaken identity and fight?" Jon laughed with him - while the comic-book genre did get some Super traditions right, the community found that particular convention profoundly stupid. "Something like that!"</p><p></p><p>Moke chuckled. "It's a good idea, but perhaps we should hold off just now. You've got the whole Hybrid thing to deal with, and FAQ's on personal leave." Jon asked, concerned, "Yeah, Thunderwing mentioned that. Is he okay?" Moke nodded judiciously. "He was really shaken up by your fight with Technoid, and needed to take some time to sort it all out." "He told me about that. I hope he works it all through." "He will. After the first shock, I feel sure he'll be fine." "Well, please do have him call me when he gets back." "Will do. Anything else?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes, actually - one more thing. When Enigma drained some of my powers, it was brought home to me rather abruptly that I could use some hand-to-hand training. Erebus taught me a few self-defense moves, but other than that I'm pretty much a sitting duck. I was wondering if you'd be willing to give me a hand in that area?"</p><p></p><p>Moke thought about it. "Hmm. I don't think I'm the best choice, actually. My fighting ability is inborn; I've never been a beginner. While I do hone my skills on a regular basis, I wouldn't have the first idea of how to teach them to someone else, to be frank. I'd recommend Thunderwing. If you wish, I'll talk it over with him for when your current caper winds down?" "Please. I'd appreciate it."</p><p></p><p>"Is that all, Photon?" "It is. Thanks again, Moke!" "My pleasure. And Photon..." Moke's voice became grave. "Our best wishes in dealing with Hybrid. We've heard a lot about him." Jon nodded solemnly. "Thanks. We're taking him very seriously." "Until next." "And you!"</p><p></p><p>Photon paused to collect his thoughts. "Okay... the marina first?" "Sure." Jon zipped out there, materializing invisibly. He opened his field sense to the max and started flying about slowly, occasionally pausing to bring his X-ray vision back online to check a building in more detail.</p><p></p><p>It didn't take long to spot something unusual, now that he was looking for it - an underwater shape, several hundred feet long, that was opaque to his enhanced sight. Refracting into the water in light-form, he soon spotted a massive circular gate, easily large enough to accomodate a medium-sized submarine. There was also a human-sized access tunnel next to it, covered with a grate.</p><p></p><p>Extending his senses, Jon found there was an electromagnetic field present that began just inside the grate. He didn't think it would block solid matter, but he wasn't sure what if anything it would do to his light-form. Most likely it was meant for intruder detection. I'm doing recon, Jon reminded himself; this isn't the time for experimentation.</p><p></p><p>The field covered the whole mass of the presumed VIPER base and was probably what was fuzzing his X-ray vision. Jon carefully circumnavigated the area, mapping out the limits of the field. He found that there was an above-ground access point as well - a warehouse with a stairwell and freight elevator that led down to a landing with a twelve-foot-diameter massive circular door reminiscent of a bank vault. The intruder field covered the surface of the door and the touchpad next to it.</p><p></p><p>Examining the field more closely, Jon found that it was actually a series of overlapping spherical segments. He hypothesized that each sphere had its own distinct generator. That'll make life interesting, he thought. Now, are the spheres solid, or are we dealing with a crustal defense? The latter seems more likely, but let's not take any chances. He also spotted a concentration of energy that was likely a reactor or generator supplying the base's power.</p><p></p><p>Getting some distance from the base, he radioed in and reported his findings to Alpha. <em><strong>Yeah, that sounds like VIPER all right. No sign of any insignia, though?</strong> Nope. Keeping a low profile, I guess? <strong> Must be. Ready for the next target?</strong> As I'll ever be.</em></p><p></p><p>Flashing over to the office building Alpha had flagged, Jon scanned it gingerly and rapidly found multiple points of interest. There were three large labs in the building; one held what his senses told him was likely to be a fusion reactor, though it was currently powered down. Another held three massive pieces of sophisticated machinery he couldn't make head or tail of, currently inactive. He could tell they would draw huge amounts of power when activated, though - the conduits connected to them were massive. Finally, the third held a series of upright cylinders filled with electronics.</p><p></p><p>Jon pondered. I can't enhance my vision much while maintaining my invisibility, and I can't get a closer look without actually entering the building. Doesn't seem like a good risk just now; I can see stuff wired into the walls that are probably security systems. This is recon, and it'd be stupid to go in alone and without backup.</p><p></p><p>Once again he reported in to Alpha. <em><strong>Hmm. Hard to say at this point who they are, but I definitely don't like it. </strong> Me neither! It'll bear watching, for sure. But for now, the youth shelter? <strong>Right. Here's the address.</strong></em></p><p></p><p>Zipping around the place a few times, Jon quickly ascertained there was nothing obvious out of the ordinary, other than unusually dense outer walls. <em>Well, not much I can see as Photon. But Jonathan Winters is known to do volunteer work with youth; maybe I need to branch out a - <strong>Photon! I've got a fourth weird site!</strong> Huh?</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>Just spotted it - a mini-mall in Tacoma with apartments on the upper floor. </strong> Yeah? <strong>There are no rental agreements on record of any kind, either for the mall or the apartments. And no rental agency I can find has taken them on.</strong> Really! How long has this been going on? <strong>Over a year. </strong> ...Yeah, that's weird all right. They're losing money every month on the place. We'll have to let A.E. know - but it can't hurt to take a look as long as I'm out and about.</em></p><p></p><p>Once again Alpha passed on the address. Photon quickly found that the mall was mostly empty, except for an ethnic supermarket with foods labelled in a flowing script he'd never seen before - it was vaguely reminscent of Arabic. Nobody appeared to be on duty.</p><p></p><p>The apartments above the mall were even weirder. A few were obviously set aside for storage, but others had had their interior walls knocked out to make a communal living space. Occupying that space were some people Jon definitely hadn't been expecting.</p><p></p><p>They were dark-skinned and dark-haired, but not of any ethnicity he was familiar with. Their beetle-browed visages reminded him of something, but he couldn't put his finger on what. They were mostly male, and uniformly wore sweepy white robes. After some observation it seemed clear that they were quite hierarchical, with obeisances being made on a regular basis to those of higher status. At any given moment several of them would be off by themselves, kneeling and perhaps praying. They didn't seem to have living spaces of their own, nor any personal property.</p><p></p><p>The overall effect was reminiscent of a monastery... or an army. It made Jon distinctly uneasy. A symbol of a multi-headed hydra was much in evidence. Reporting in once again to Alpha, he asked, <em>Does VIPER ever use a symbol like that? <strong>...Dang, that's REALLY weird. No, they don't. I'll lay long odds these guys are unrelated.</strong> Okay, we'll leave them off the list for now... but we'll definitely keep an eye on them for the future. <strong>Agreed.</strong></em></p><p></p><p>Zipping back in to the base, Jon said, "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us. Notify people when you see them to report in for a team meeting tomorrow afternoon at, say, four. Warn them there's likely to be action." "Got it. Anything else?"</p><p></p><p>Jon deflated a bit and admitted, "Yeah. I'm nervous." "Perfectly natural, m'friend." "I guess." "Get a good night's sleep." "I'll try."</p><p></p><p>Try he did, with only limited success. Jon got ready for work the next morning with the entire annual Monarch migration in his stomach. Streaking in to the base for his usual morning chat with Alpha, he found four cell-phones neatly lined up on the table of the Situation Room. "'Morning, Jon. As you can see, I've got the cells for you guys. I've already, ah, well, let's just say I've voided the warranties!" Jon laughed. "Put some 'interesting' programming in them, have you?" "Well, I like to think it's interesting... I suspect anyone trying to hack or trace them will find it more like 'maddening', though." "Sounds good to me!" Jon picked up a cell and was about to pocket it; then he thought better of it and replaced it. Better for team cohesion if we get them together.</p><p></p><p>Alpha observed that in studied silence, then asked, "So who's on the call list today?" "Take a wild guess." "American Eagle?" "She's at the top, yep." "Coming right up!"</p><p></p><p>Jon tersely informed her of developments and asked her to be present at the meeting that evening. "I'll be there!" she told him energetically. "Oh, and A.E?" "Yeah?" "It's probably best for operational security that you not be seen to fly in. We don't want anyone asking questions about what you're doing here." "Got it!"</p><p></p><p>"Okay, Alpha, now Struthers. I want the office building watched while we hit the marina." "Mmm. Probably better for op-sec if you go in personally. The cops have no phone security to speak of." "Huh, good point. Consider it d-"</p><p></p><p>Already there. "-one." His sudden appearance caused a mild stir, but they were getting used to him. It didn't take him long to track down Struthers' secretary. "I'm sorry, Mr. Photon, but Captain Struthers isn't in today. He's sick." Jon's heart sank. "Oh. Who's filling in for him?" "That would be Captain Smith. He'll be free in a few minutes, if you can wait?" Jon's heart sank yet further - his previous brush with Smith [in "Smoking Mirror"] having been brief but unpleasant. "Certainly."</p><p></p><p>The man was gruff this time around, but not overtly hostile. "Photon. What do you want." Photon coolly outlined the situation, and asked, "Can you have some eyes on the office building here while we hit the base in the marina?"</p><p></p><p>Smith rolled his eyes. "And I'm supposed to pull an observation team out of my back pocket, is that it? Well... I might be able to swing it. We definitely can't let VIPER have the run of the city. But what evidence do you have that they're really VIPER? Who's your analyst? What odds are you giving it?"</p><p></p><p>Photon tried to be vague, but Smith insisted, "I have to be able to give my people some parameters. I can't justify pulling together a team based on guesswork." Jon sighed. "All right, but this is a matter of Shadow-Force team security; I need it kept secret." When Smith nodded sharply once, Jon told him, "Our analyst is an AI. A hacker extraordinaire. He's the one who tracked down the unusual activity that pointed to these sites in the first place."</p><p></p><p>The man's eyes widened slightly. "Okay... What odds is he giving on these places belonging to VIPER?" After a rapid radio consultation with Alpha, Photon reported, "90% likely for the marina, 70% or so for the office building."</p><p></p><p>Smith pondered, drumming his fingers on the table. Then he nodded again. "Okay, Photon, we'll back your play. Can you come in at, say, one, to help brief the team?" Jon pondered his university schedule; it would cut into one of his office hours, but such is life. "Yes." "One sharp, then." With that, the interview was over.</p><p></p><p>The morning's work passed in a blur. Gerhard was visibly troubled by his distracted state - constantly shooting him glances - but didn't work up the courage to say anything. He did agree to cover Jon's office hour, though. (Hu, for his part, was either oblivious or too polite to let anything show.) At 1 PM, Photon showed up at the police station as promised.</p><p></p><p>The observation team proved to be Detective Espinoza - a tall Latino man who looked vaguely irked over the whole thing - and Detective Lucy Doyle, a pretty young woman who hardly looked old enough to be out of the academy. They were dressed in street clothes, in prepartion for their role as a couple enjoying a night out in the park.</p><p></p><p>Photon outlined the situation, producing a hologram of the building and environs to supplement the cops' map. (That raised a few eyebrows.) "Basically, we want to know if the people in this building are related to VIPER. If they are, they're likely to react when we hit the underwater base in the marina. We're looking for anything unusual - anything from sudden movements of people or cars to glowing lights to explosions."</p><p></p><p>Espinoza rolled his eyes. "Wow, you really need to be trained professionals to spot explosions!" Smith told him bluntly to cut the chatter, and was obeyed. Doyle asked, "Okay, so is this park here," she pointed, "a good vantage point?" Photon nodded. "It commands a good view of two of the labs I spotted." Espinoza rubbed his chin, fully engaged now. "You want cameras, or is Mark One Eyeball good enough?" "The latter." "That makes it easier. Okay, when do you want us on site?" "We're hitting the marina at seven." "We'll be there at six then, to establish as much of a baseline as we can." "Good. Thank you for your time."</p><p></p><p>The rest of the day was even more of a blur than the morning. Jon zipped in to the base with relief at a quarter to four.</p><p></p><p>He chatted with Alpha a bit to calm his nerves. "Any word from the others?" "Not yet, but they're all coming in. Oh look, here's American Eagle now. Heh." "What?" "She's... actually pretty sneaky, but not as much as she thinks. She's bypassing all the obvious stuff we keep around for show, but all of Technoid's real stuff is picking her up fine. Check it out."</p><p></p><p>He brought up an image on a viewscreen, and Jon had to laugh. "Is that really a trenchcoat?!" Alpha laughed with him. "Yeah. She IS a newbie, recall."</p><p></p><p>A.E.'s head jerked around on the screen when Alpha's voice came through a nearby outdoor speaker, "Welcome, please step this way." A path lighted up for her, and soon she stepped into the Situation Room with chagrin. "Okay, how did you spot me?"</p><p></p><p>Jon laughed. "Relax, the security systems you can see are all for show. The real stuff is much more subtle." "How subtle?" Alpha informed her, "Not all the blades of grass are really grass!" She looked at the speaker, startled, and Jon made introductions.</p><p></p><p>Then he asked, "So, um, what's with the trenchcoat?" "Oh, well, I thought it would hide the wings." Alpha said tactfully, "They make a rather unusual bump - HOLY CRAP!"</p><p></p><p>Jon, startled, left the ground and nearly shot the wall. "WHAT?!" Alpha said sourly, "Demeter just arrived. In grand style." When she strode in, looking pleased as punch, the computer demanded, "Okay, just how did you do it?!" "Do what?" Jon wanted to know.</p><p></p><p>Demeter smirked and explained, "I just figured out yesterday I could travel through the root systems of plants. I wasn't sure the lawn had a solid enough network to let me pass, but evidently it does. I started at that tree at the northwest corner and popped up in front of the main door." "Teleportation?!" "Not exactly. But it should still be handy." "I'll say! How are you with marine plants?" Demeter blinked. "I'm not sure, actually. I've never thought about it. Why?" "You'll see soon enough."</p><p></p><p>Sirocco showed up fashionably late - three minutes past the hour. Jon said sarcastically, "Sirocco, thanks for joining us." The young man rolled his eyes and displayed his watch - sure enough, it read one minute 'til. "Well," Jon said, "let's get synchronized now," and Sirocco agreed, setting his watch to match the clock in the Situation Room.</p><p></p><p>Jon decided not to get into the whole cell-phone thing with American Eagle present. "Okay people, this is what we've got. If you don't mind, Alpha, I'll handle the visuals today." He produced holograms of the places he'd seen and tersely outlined the situation. "I've got the cops watching the office building. The marina's our target today." He enlarged the holo of that base, paused, then quoted the Phantom from many an operational meeting: "We need a plan. I am open to ideas." While he had his own thoughts - as he strongly suspected Mike had always had - experience had shown that brainstorming was likely to improve on them.</p><p></p><p>When nobody said anything immediately - still studying the holo in detail - Jon pointed out a spot where a kink in the base prevented the spherical shells from overlapping completely. "I should be able to nullify this spot easily and sneak in. I figure that while you guys are knocking on the 'front door', I can slip in the 'back door', locate the reactor, and shut it down. That should put a serious crimp in their style."</p><p></p><p>Demeter mused, "I'll want to check out the plant life in the area, but if there's enough, I think I should be at the 'back door' too. I should be able to gum up that big gate but good - that, or force it open, if you want." Jon looked at her, impressed. "The plants are that strong?" She nodded. "If I can get my hands on some kelp, sure. Phytoplankton and algae will be able to gum things up, but they don't have any leverage." "You can't take trees down there?" "They don't like salt water at all, no. I could force the issue, but it'd probably injure or kill them, and I don't like doing that." "Okay. Could you have some trees helping out at the 'front door'?" "...Not easily, no. I wouldn't be able to see to guide them."</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Sirocco asked, "What do they have in the way of air vents?" Jon blinked. "Excellent question. One second." It was a bit less than that, actually; he winked out and reappeared, recreating and refining the hologram. "They've got two major air vents here and here, one of them disguised as a dock piling, and four minor ones. What are you thinking?" Sirocco replied, "Well, if we block their air, they'll have to open the front door, won't they?"</p><p></p><p>"Hmmm. Definitely a thought... though we'll want to be able to breathe in there as well. Technoid's lab still has a few rebreathers, but there are limits. What would you block them with?" "Sand?" American Eagle added, "I've got some glue grenades that would be effective too."</p><p></p><p>Jon nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. Suppose we need to knock down the front door. How do we go about it? You guys discuss that while Demeter and I check out the plant life and their security system." He fetched her a rebreather, then covered her with invisibility as they made their way to the marina, Demeter carried by a tree.</p><p></p><p>She promptly dove into the water, while Jon took a second look at the warehouse leading down to the 'front door'. There were a few security cameras, but plainly the place was intended only to keep out riffraff; any heavy-duty security was evidently inside. He zipped over to wait for Demeter - they were maintaining strict radio silence - and quailed slightly at her evil grin when she rejoined him. "Oh yeah. I can ruin their whole month, I promise." "I almost feel sorry for them."</p><p></p><p>Making their way back to the base, he found an enthusiastic Sirocco ready to report their findings. "We've got three options. First and easiest, we have Beta hack into their control panel and just open it." Jon stared at the robot. "I didn't know you could do that!" Beta responded flatly, "I last used the ability during a tactical operation approximately one year, six months, and fourteen days ago," while Alpha added, "It's mostly me acting through our link. Basically he can stick his hand in the panel and let me get to work."</p><p></p><p>Jon felt an idea sunburst in his brain. "Does that mean you can hack their terminals if Beta can locate one?" "That's the plan!" "Oooh, that'll smart!" Alpha repeated with an audible grin, "That's the plan!"</p><p></p><p>"Okay. And if the door trick doesn't work, for whatever reason?" Sirocco continued, "We have Beta punch it down." "Simple enough. Option three?" "We use the air supply to force them to open it." "Okay, good enough. Meanwhile, here's what we learned..." He passed on the information.</p><p></p><p>After some spirited discussion, it was decided to have Photon accompany the 'front door' group until they had established a beachhead, so that they could benefit from invisibility and his ability to circumvent the security cameras. "Though I can block them with sand if need be," Sirocco added. Then Photon would streak around and follow Demeter in the 'back door' if that proved feasible, or nullify the vulnerable spot in the shield if not.</p><p></p><p>Jon nodded. "Agreed. I'll wear my spacesuit to handle being underwater. What will you guys be doing in the meantime, once I leave you?" Sirocco spoke up for them again, and Jon frowned slightly. Sirocco had the more forceful personality - and admittedly, more experience - but he trusted A.E.'s instincts more.</p><p></p><p>The young man said, "Simple. Beta's 'armor' and we're 'infantry'. He bulls his way in and we follow, taking shots where necessary. If we locate some computers we cover him while he and Alpha hack them." He added a few more operational details, and Jon nodded. How to point this out without snubbing him...</p><p></p><p>"Hmm. Sounds good, but let me put it this way: When I was a baby super, I was raised by some really paranoid people. Right, Alpha?" Alpha laughed, remembering. "Oh heck yeah!" Jon continued, "So I'd feel a lot more comfortable if we had some contingencies. What do you guys do if they have electro weapons? Beta's vulnerable to them." When they'd thrashed that out, he continued, "What if those shield generators produce solid spheres? I doubt it - they'd be continuously set off by people walking around - but it's not impossible. In that case I'll have to be with you to help nullify them. What if..."</p><p></p><p>Several contingencies later, Jon was as satisfied as he reasonably could be. He asked Alpha via radio, <em>What do you think? What would Erebus say? <strong>Well... Frankly, Erebus would tell you that you don't have enough intel.</strong></em> Jon felt a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. <em>You know what? You're right. You're absolutely right. We're jumping the gun. Do we call it off? It doesn't have to be today. <strong>It kind of does, Jon. The cops are involved, and they really won't appreciate it if you postpone now.</strong></em> Jon suppressed a sigh. <em>Yeah. <strong>Hey, relax. The plan is a good one. I don't think they'll know what hit them. It's just...</strong></em></p><p></p><p>Jon repeated numbly, <em>Yeah. ...Why didn't you say anything before now? </em> Alpha replied slowly, <em><strong>You're the leader, Jon. And I'm not out in the field, not really. It's not my place to second-guess you. That and... to be honest, I didn't think of it until now. I'm not much of a tactician, it's not my department.</strong></em></p><p></p><p>Jon squared his shoulders. <em>Yeah.</em> But he forced a smile to his face and said, "All right, team. We've got our plan. Now let's take the fight to the bad guys!" That got a round of fierce agreement, and they departed in high spirits.</p><p></p><p>They flew invisibly to the marina, secreted themselves, then waited to let Demeter get into position. Jon's eyes widened slightly as he saw the Sound getting greener in his nightvision as he watched. He streaked over there for her approval, and she gave him a thumbs-up, so he went back to the others and shepherded them invisibly to the warehouse.</p><p></p><p>Getting in and down the stairwell without being spotted was trivial for superheroes. When their watches reported 7 PM, Beta strode forward and stuck his hand into the control panel of the massive door... and they received their first check.</p><p></p><p>Beta's fingers sparked slightly and he reported in a soft boom, "The field blocks my function. I cannot touch the panel; nor will I be able to touch the door." Sirocco and American Eagle turned white faces to Jon; A.E. whispered, "The air supply, then?" Jon abruptly decided, "No. I'm going to blanket-nullify the field."</p><p></p><p>He concentrated, extending his will through the zero-point over a large fraction of the base. The field's virtual photons responded to his wordless request, and dissipated without fuss. "Now, Beta!"</p><p></p><p>The massive robot strode up to the yet-larger circular door, found a handhold on the hinge, and strained. With a loud SPANG! the inch-thick bolts broke, and Beta heaved the door open as if it were made of papier-mache. Papier-mache definitely wouldn't have made the loud BOOM the door did as it slammed into the wall, though, nor probably would it have inspired every alarm bell and klaxon in the base to go off.</p><p></p><p>Jon noted, "Cameras over to you, Sirocco." The young hero nodded and quickly fouled them with sand. Then Jon ordered, "Okay get to it - and good news, I can tell now that the fields are indeed crustal. They'll come back up when I leave, though, so be warned! Good hunting!" "Back at'cha!" Sirocco said, and A.E. grinned at him. They went in behind Beta's hulking form, and Jon zipped over to see how Demeter was doing.</p><p></p><p>As planned, she had resurfaced so they didn't have to break radio silence. She reported efficiently, "I've got everything in position to do my worst, and I also extended some algae through the grate to get a look around. They've got not one but TWO attack subs in there." "Wow, I wonder what they use them for?!" "Dunno, but I guarantee that by the time I'm done, no VIPER will ever look at pond scum the same way again!" "Let's get to it. Can you get me through the grate?" Demeter nodded with a wicked grin. "Easily."</p><p></p><p>Jon made sure his suit was sealed and followed her into the water. By the time they got down there, some sturdy kelp had already ripped the grate off, and a sudden wave of organic matter pushed Jon through it and up the ensuing tunnel before he could so much as yelp. It was... disgusting, Jon thought, but at least it's in a good cause.</p><p></p><p>Demeter quickly followed him, removed her rebreather, and raised her hands commandingly. The subs began to green visibly and Jon shook his head in amazement. He didn't stay to watch, though, but immediately turned invisible and shot through the base to the place he'd sensed the reactor...</p><p></p><p>...Only to find that things were more complicated than he'd expected. Naturally.</p><p></p><p>The room was mostly filled with one of those fields, larger than the others he'd seen. In the center was the massive reactor, with two scientists staring at a flashing alarm light and reaching for sidearms... while two armored guards readied themselves for combat. One was frozen in the act of shouldering a nasty-looking rifle, and the other was closing up his armor. (Which bore a VIPER emblem, Jon noted with satisfaction.) The field emanated from a large emitter a short ways from the reactor.</p><p></p><p>Photon materialized in one of the corners of the room untouched by the field, still invisible. I really don't want to find out the hard way what that field does to my light-form, he thought. Probably nothing, but I'd hate to be wrong. My stun-zap almost certainly won't reach past it, so...</p><p></p><p>He abruptly nullified the field, then cored the emitter with a swift laser beam. While the scientists and guards were milling in confusion (one of the scientists was urgently reaching for a big red button), he stun-zapped them all into next week. Mission accomplished, Jon thought smugly; now to ruin everybody else's day.</p><p></p><p>He ran to the reactor, his special senses no longer fuzzed-out by the field. What he saw stopped him in his tracks, gaping in disbelief.</p><p></p><p>The reactor was a staged fission-fusion model. What the?! Do they want it to double as a hydrogen bomb?! And... The fission segment was starting to go critical as he watched!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="The Shadow, post: 5422910, member: 16760"] [b]13 - Snake Handling[/b] [So I agonized for quite a while on how to split up the big marathon session. When combined with the tail-end of the last session we had before the hiatus, the first natural split ended up being quite long compared to the other(s), and there was a second natural split that would end up making the middle segment somewhat short. In the end, I decided that drama had to rule over neatness. :) Enjoy!] Monday morning, and Jon groaned as he got up. If Alpha'd had any luck, he anticipated a really long day. Going in to the bathroom for his shower, he was looking at himself blearily in the mirror when something suddenly caught his eye. I've lost some weight, he realized, and my muscle tone is better; hero-ing must be doing me good. But after a few moments of self-congratulation, he realized there was something else different... He couldn't put his finger on it at first, and it troubled him. Fully awake now, he examined his face carefully. There it was... Or rather, wasn't. A small mole on his cheekbone that he'd never liked was gone. He stared at his reflection for a moment, then started checking his arms and torso. Sure enough - no moles, just smooth uniform skin. How...? Jon leaned hard on the counter, the words of the RR medic coming back to him: 'Wow, you're in impressively good health.' I mentally 'edit' my body when I enter light-form, but I didn't do this... at least not consciously. Aloud, he asked himself, his reflection, the universe: "What's happening to me?" He didn't get a reply from any of them. Jon took a long, troubled shower. In itself, this isn't that big of a deal, he told himself. But what else am I doing to myself without even realizing it? He elected to fly in to the base the slow way, ostensibly to give himself more time to think... but self-honesty forced him to admit that light-form didn't seem as appealing as it had previously. He waved at one of Alpha's cameras as he arrived, stopping in the lounge to make a cup of coffee before settling down in the Situation Room. "So what've you got for me?" He didn't strictly need to come in during the morning before work, but he liked chatting with Alpha when nobody else was likely to wander in. "An embarrassment of riches, actually." "Oh? Do tell." "No less than three suspicious places for you to check out. They aren't necessarily all VIPER, but even if not, they're worth a look in their own right." "Okay... lay it on me." "The first I consider the most likely candidate for a VIPER base - it fits their style. There's been construction in the marina for a couple years now that raises some red flags - more material being used than seems needed for the stated projects, that sort of thing. And the area is ideal for their purposes; there's a lot of traffic they could use to smuggle people in and out." Jon nodded. "Okay, that'll be the first priority, then. Tell me... does VIPER have a history of using submarines?" "Not often, but they have. Why?" "It's yet another way of getting in and out, I'd guess. Man, I'd like to see them run into Captain Kidd if so!" "Heh. Yeah, maybe they could do each other in for us." "We can dream. What else do you have?" "An office building downtown. About half the tenants - scattered throughout the building - I can't trace. They're dummy corps, existing only on paper. It's really suspicious and worth checking out, but I'm not positive it's VIPER's work." "And the third?" "A newly-built youth center, put up by a startup charity. Its construction used materials that seem out of line for the building's stated purpose; they're supposed to be helping at-risk youth stay off the streets, not constructing a fortress. Also, the type of kids they're reaching out to are just the sort VIPER likes to try to recruit." Jon pondered. "Hmmm. Do they have any programs involving guns?" "A course on gun safety, and a small firing range. I thought the latter was a little weird, yeah, but why do you ask?" "Any connection to a group called the Urban Defense League?" "...They provided 5% of the funding for the center. What do you know that I don't?" Jon explained what he'd heard from Karen about the UDL, and asked, "Think they could be connected to VIPER? What do their financials look like?" "Hmm. ... Clean on the first pass. I'll take a closer look, though." "Yeah, please do. We don't want to let it get out that we only protect rich people, after all!" "Yeah, it pays ten times as much as protecting poor folks... also ten times less, of course." They chuckled together, then Jon said, "Okay, let's call and let Struthers know what we've got so far." That being done, Struthers said, "Not a whole lot to work with as yet, Photon." "You wanted to be kept in the loop," Jon reminded him, "This is what being kept in the loop looks like." The man laughed. "Yeah, I had that coming. Let me know what you scare up as you investigate further." "Will do." Jon leaned back in his chair. "Looks like I've got my work cut out for me this evening. Anything else?" "Well," Alpha mentioned, "I've scared up some counsellors for you, like you asked." Jon sighed. "Okay. Who?" "Once again, I've got three options for your consideration. Number one, a former police psychiatrist in Boston who made his name pioneering work with supers. Bit of a celebrity these days. Very good reputation, but pricey." "How much?" Alpha told him, and Jon blanched. "I don't feel like taking out a loan, thanks. The other two?" "A guy who's a super himself, codenamed Icon. Got a public ID these days, though." "Hm, I think I've heard of him. Remind me?" "Magical flying brick with some other minor tricks - he can compel people to speak the truth, among other things. He moonlights as a hostage negotiator for the LAPD." "Huh. Truth compulsion sounds useful - but also a bit threatening in his line of work." "Oh, he knows all about that. He's got an artifact that will nullify his power for nervous clients." "Is he any good?" "Seems so; he's very well thought of." "What's he charge?" Alpha named a figure that would cut a bit into Jon's savings, but not outrageously so. "Okay, and number three?" "Guy in Miami who's been working with supers for years. He doesn't come cheap, but he gives a really steep discount for heroes who agree to help defend him, his family, and his office in case of emergency. Most people don't mind - they aren't exactly eager to have their medical records stolen." Jon frowned. "Yeah, but it's still a bit mercenary. And I don't need any entangling responsibilities, I've got enough on my plate. I'll go with Icon - the fact he's been in the field counts for a lot." "Check. Want me to set up an appointment for you?" "Please. How far out will it be?" "Dunno yet, but undoubtedly at least a couple weeks." "All right, let me know." "Will do, boss. Anything else?" Jon got to his feet and drained the last of his coffee. "Keep checking on VIPER stuff and the UDL. I'll see you this afternoon to do the legwork." "Will do. ... Are you okay, Jon? You seem tense this morning." Jon paused, then admitted, "Yeah. I've been around more than my share of mental-health types in my life, and I'm not eager to take up with another, even if I do intellectually see it as a good idea. And... I've got something personal going on that I need to sort out a bit before I talk about it." "Okay, hang in there." "Thanks, Alpha." Jon zipped in to work, carefully monitoring his body's transition to light-form. There were no changes happening he could detect, other than the shift from his costume to his civvies. He paused to greet Hu on the way to his office. "Feeling better?" Hu nodded solemnly. "Yes, Dr. Winters. I have had an idea I want to show you." "Oh? Go for it." After several minutes at a whiteboard detailing a new approach to membrane field theory, Jon whistled. "I'm impressed. It's right out of left field, but it might just be crazy enough to work. Supposing you tweaked this bit here like so..." Soon they'd spent a couple hours discussing it. Jon looked at his RA with renewed respect; Gerhard was brilliant, but Hu had that indefinable spark that might be genius. "Take this as far as you can. And how about you come with me to my next get-together with Devindar? I have a feeling this will intrigue him." Hu nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Winters. I would like that." Jon threw himself into his own work, relieved for the distraction. The rest of the day was uneventful, and he zipped in to the base. Once again he checked the transition, and found nothing. That makes me nervous, he thought; if it were something I could detect, I could probably stop it. He met Sirocco on the way in, getting ready to go out with Beta. "Hey, how are you doing?" Sirocco shrugged. "I'll live." "Well, I was taking that for granted. You okay?" The other hero sighed. "That's kind of the point - I'm not so much taking it for granted right now." Photon gripped his shoulder. "Tex'll be out here in a couple days; it's under control. Hang in there, man." Sirocco summoned up a weak smile from somewhere. "Yeah, thanks." Jon made his way to the Situation Room. "Hey Alpha. Ready to get started?" "Hey. First things first - Moke left a message for you, saying he's on shift." "Right! Call him back, please." "Here ya go..." Soon Moke's blunt, honest visage filled a viewscreen. "Photon, just returning your call. What's up?" "Several things I've been wanting to discuss with you actually." "I'm listening." Jon nodded. "Okay, first of all, I've heard through the grapevine that you're having red tape troubles with the teleportals. What's up with that?" Moke sighed. "Your legislature up there is getting mulish on the issue, and now your governor's gotten into the act too." "How long has this been going on?" "Not very. Oh, there's been the occasional bit of noise about it, but nothing serious until the last couple months." Jon mulled it over. "Think VIPER could be behind it?" Moke shrugged. "I doubt it. What would they have to gain?" "A relatively free hand up here in Seattle? How much trouble do you have with them in Portland?" "Some. Their local nest leader is a canny, careful one; we've tangled with them occasionally but they keep a really low profile..." Portland's Everyman pondered it a little more. "Well, anything's possible, I suppose. But frankly, I've never seen any need for special explanations when politicians do stupid things." Jon laughed. "You've got a point there." "What else did you want to discuss?" "I was thinking it'd be a good idea to have a social occasion for the two teams - and American Eagle too - so we can all get to know each other." Moke rolled his eyes and joked, "You mean so we can prevent the inevitable mistaken identity and fight?" Jon laughed with him - while the comic-book genre did get some Super traditions right, the community found that particular convention profoundly stupid. "Something like that!" Moke chuckled. "It's a good idea, but perhaps we should hold off just now. You've got the whole Hybrid thing to deal with, and FAQ's on personal leave." Jon asked, concerned, "Yeah, Thunderwing mentioned that. Is he okay?" Moke nodded judiciously. "He was really shaken up by your fight with Technoid, and needed to take some time to sort it all out." "He told me about that. I hope he works it all through." "He will. After the first shock, I feel sure he'll be fine." "Well, please do have him call me when he gets back." "Will do. Anything else?" "Yes, actually - one more thing. When Enigma drained some of my powers, it was brought home to me rather abruptly that I could use some hand-to-hand training. Erebus taught me a few self-defense moves, but other than that I'm pretty much a sitting duck. I was wondering if you'd be willing to give me a hand in that area?" Moke thought about it. "Hmm. I don't think I'm the best choice, actually. My fighting ability is inborn; I've never been a beginner. While I do hone my skills on a regular basis, I wouldn't have the first idea of how to teach them to someone else, to be frank. I'd recommend Thunderwing. If you wish, I'll talk it over with him for when your current caper winds down?" "Please. I'd appreciate it." "Is that all, Photon?" "It is. Thanks again, Moke!" "My pleasure. And Photon..." Moke's voice became grave. "Our best wishes in dealing with Hybrid. We've heard a lot about him." Jon nodded solemnly. "Thanks. We're taking him very seriously." "Until next." "And you!" Photon paused to collect his thoughts. "Okay... the marina first?" "Sure." Jon zipped out there, materializing invisibly. He opened his field sense to the max and started flying about slowly, occasionally pausing to bring his X-ray vision back online to check a building in more detail. It didn't take long to spot something unusual, now that he was looking for it - an underwater shape, several hundred feet long, that was opaque to his enhanced sight. Refracting into the water in light-form, he soon spotted a massive circular gate, easily large enough to accomodate a medium-sized submarine. There was also a human-sized access tunnel next to it, covered with a grate. Extending his senses, Jon found there was an electromagnetic field present that began just inside the grate. He didn't think it would block solid matter, but he wasn't sure what if anything it would do to his light-form. Most likely it was meant for intruder detection. I'm doing recon, Jon reminded himself; this isn't the time for experimentation. The field covered the whole mass of the presumed VIPER base and was probably what was fuzzing his X-ray vision. Jon carefully circumnavigated the area, mapping out the limits of the field. He found that there was an above-ground access point as well - a warehouse with a stairwell and freight elevator that led down to a landing with a twelve-foot-diameter massive circular door reminiscent of a bank vault. The intruder field covered the surface of the door and the touchpad next to it. Examining the field more closely, Jon found that it was actually a series of overlapping spherical segments. He hypothesized that each sphere had its own distinct generator. That'll make life interesting, he thought. Now, are the spheres solid, or are we dealing with a crustal defense? The latter seems more likely, but let's not take any chances. He also spotted a concentration of energy that was likely a reactor or generator supplying the base's power. Getting some distance from the base, he radioed in and reported his findings to Alpha. [i][b]Yeah, that sounds like VIPER all right. No sign of any insignia, though?[/b] Nope. Keeping a low profile, I guess? [b] Must be. Ready for the next target?[/b] As I'll ever be.[/i] Flashing over to the office building Alpha had flagged, Jon scanned it gingerly and rapidly found multiple points of interest. There were three large labs in the building; one held what his senses told him was likely to be a fusion reactor, though it was currently powered down. Another held three massive pieces of sophisticated machinery he couldn't make head or tail of, currently inactive. He could tell they would draw huge amounts of power when activated, though - the conduits connected to them were massive. Finally, the third held a series of upright cylinders filled with electronics. Jon pondered. I can't enhance my vision much while maintaining my invisibility, and I can't get a closer look without actually entering the building. Doesn't seem like a good risk just now; I can see stuff wired into the walls that are probably security systems. This is recon, and it'd be stupid to go in alone and without backup. Once again he reported in to Alpha. [i][b]Hmm. Hard to say at this point who they are, but I definitely don't like it. [/b] Me neither! It'll bear watching, for sure. But for now, the youth shelter? [b]Right. Here's the address.[/b][/i] Zipping around the place a few times, Jon quickly ascertained there was nothing obvious out of the ordinary, other than unusually dense outer walls. [i]Well, not much I can see as Photon. But Jonathan Winters is known to do volunteer work with youth; maybe I need to branch out a - [b]Photon! I've got a fourth weird site![/b] Huh? [b]Just spotted it - a mini-mall in Tacoma with apartments on the upper floor. [/b] Yeah? [b]There are no rental agreements on record of any kind, either for the mall or the apartments. And no rental agency I can find has taken them on.[/b] Really! How long has this been going on? [b]Over a year. [/b] ...Yeah, that's weird all right. They're losing money every month on the place. We'll have to let A.E. know - but it can't hurt to take a look as long as I'm out and about.[/i] Once again Alpha passed on the address. Photon quickly found that the mall was mostly empty, except for an ethnic supermarket with foods labelled in a flowing script he'd never seen before - it was vaguely reminscent of Arabic. Nobody appeared to be on duty. The apartments above the mall were even weirder. A few were obviously set aside for storage, but others had had their interior walls knocked out to make a communal living space. Occupying that space were some people Jon definitely hadn't been expecting. They were dark-skinned and dark-haired, but not of any ethnicity he was familiar with. Their beetle-browed visages reminded him of something, but he couldn't put his finger on what. They were mostly male, and uniformly wore sweepy white robes. After some observation it seemed clear that they were quite hierarchical, with obeisances being made on a regular basis to those of higher status. At any given moment several of them would be off by themselves, kneeling and perhaps praying. They didn't seem to have living spaces of their own, nor any personal property. The overall effect was reminiscent of a monastery... or an army. It made Jon distinctly uneasy. A symbol of a multi-headed hydra was much in evidence. Reporting in once again to Alpha, he asked, [i]Does VIPER ever use a symbol like that? [b]...Dang, that's REALLY weird. No, they don't. I'll lay long odds these guys are unrelated.[/b] Okay, we'll leave them off the list for now... but we'll definitely keep an eye on them for the future. [b]Agreed.[/b][/i] Zipping back in to the base, Jon said, "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us. Notify people when you see them to report in for a team meeting tomorrow afternoon at, say, four. Warn them there's likely to be action." "Got it. Anything else?" Jon deflated a bit and admitted, "Yeah. I'm nervous." "Perfectly natural, m'friend." "I guess." "Get a good night's sleep." "I'll try." Try he did, with only limited success. Jon got ready for work the next morning with the entire annual Monarch migration in his stomach. Streaking in to the base for his usual morning chat with Alpha, he found four cell-phones neatly lined up on the table of the Situation Room. "'Morning, Jon. As you can see, I've got the cells for you guys. I've already, ah, well, let's just say I've voided the warranties!" Jon laughed. "Put some 'interesting' programming in them, have you?" "Well, I like to think it's interesting... I suspect anyone trying to hack or trace them will find it more like 'maddening', though." "Sounds good to me!" Jon picked up a cell and was about to pocket it; then he thought better of it and replaced it. Better for team cohesion if we get them together. Alpha observed that in studied silence, then asked, "So who's on the call list today?" "Take a wild guess." "American Eagle?" "She's at the top, yep." "Coming right up!" Jon tersely informed her of developments and asked her to be present at the meeting that evening. "I'll be there!" she told him energetically. "Oh, and A.E?" "Yeah?" "It's probably best for operational security that you not be seen to fly in. We don't want anyone asking questions about what you're doing here." "Got it!" "Okay, Alpha, now Struthers. I want the office building watched while we hit the marina." "Mmm. Probably better for op-sec if you go in personally. The cops have no phone security to speak of." "Huh, good point. Consider it d-" Already there. "-one." His sudden appearance caused a mild stir, but they were getting used to him. It didn't take him long to track down Struthers' secretary. "I'm sorry, Mr. Photon, but Captain Struthers isn't in today. He's sick." Jon's heart sank. "Oh. Who's filling in for him?" "That would be Captain Smith. He'll be free in a few minutes, if you can wait?" Jon's heart sank yet further - his previous brush with Smith [in "Smoking Mirror"] having been brief but unpleasant. "Certainly." The man was gruff this time around, but not overtly hostile. "Photon. What do you want." Photon coolly outlined the situation, and asked, "Can you have some eyes on the office building here while we hit the base in the marina?" Smith rolled his eyes. "And I'm supposed to pull an observation team out of my back pocket, is that it? Well... I might be able to swing it. We definitely can't let VIPER have the run of the city. But what evidence do you have that they're really VIPER? Who's your analyst? What odds are you giving it?" Photon tried to be vague, but Smith insisted, "I have to be able to give my people some parameters. I can't justify pulling together a team based on guesswork." Jon sighed. "All right, but this is a matter of Shadow-Force team security; I need it kept secret." When Smith nodded sharply once, Jon told him, "Our analyst is an AI. A hacker extraordinaire. He's the one who tracked down the unusual activity that pointed to these sites in the first place." The man's eyes widened slightly. "Okay... What odds is he giving on these places belonging to VIPER?" After a rapid radio consultation with Alpha, Photon reported, "90% likely for the marina, 70% or so for the office building." Smith pondered, drumming his fingers on the table. Then he nodded again. "Okay, Photon, we'll back your play. Can you come in at, say, one, to help brief the team?" Jon pondered his university schedule; it would cut into one of his office hours, but such is life. "Yes." "One sharp, then." With that, the interview was over. The morning's work passed in a blur. Gerhard was visibly troubled by his distracted state - constantly shooting him glances - but didn't work up the courage to say anything. He did agree to cover Jon's office hour, though. (Hu, for his part, was either oblivious or too polite to let anything show.) At 1 PM, Photon showed up at the police station as promised. The observation team proved to be Detective Espinoza - a tall Latino man who looked vaguely irked over the whole thing - and Detective Lucy Doyle, a pretty young woman who hardly looked old enough to be out of the academy. They were dressed in street clothes, in prepartion for their role as a couple enjoying a night out in the park. Photon outlined the situation, producing a hologram of the building and environs to supplement the cops' map. (That raised a few eyebrows.) "Basically, we want to know if the people in this building are related to VIPER. If they are, they're likely to react when we hit the underwater base in the marina. We're looking for anything unusual - anything from sudden movements of people or cars to glowing lights to explosions." Espinoza rolled his eyes. "Wow, you really need to be trained professionals to spot explosions!" Smith told him bluntly to cut the chatter, and was obeyed. Doyle asked, "Okay, so is this park here," she pointed, "a good vantage point?" Photon nodded. "It commands a good view of two of the labs I spotted." Espinoza rubbed his chin, fully engaged now. "You want cameras, or is Mark One Eyeball good enough?" "The latter." "That makes it easier. Okay, when do you want us on site?" "We're hitting the marina at seven." "We'll be there at six then, to establish as much of a baseline as we can." "Good. Thank you for your time." The rest of the day was even more of a blur than the morning. Jon zipped in to the base with relief at a quarter to four. He chatted with Alpha a bit to calm his nerves. "Any word from the others?" "Not yet, but they're all coming in. Oh look, here's American Eagle now. Heh." "What?" "She's... actually pretty sneaky, but not as much as she thinks. She's bypassing all the obvious stuff we keep around for show, but all of Technoid's real stuff is picking her up fine. Check it out." He brought up an image on a viewscreen, and Jon had to laugh. "Is that really a trenchcoat?!" Alpha laughed with him. "Yeah. She IS a newbie, recall." A.E.'s head jerked around on the screen when Alpha's voice came through a nearby outdoor speaker, "Welcome, please step this way." A path lighted up for her, and soon she stepped into the Situation Room with chagrin. "Okay, how did you spot me?" Jon laughed. "Relax, the security systems you can see are all for show. The real stuff is much more subtle." "How subtle?" Alpha informed her, "Not all the blades of grass are really grass!" She looked at the speaker, startled, and Jon made introductions. Then he asked, "So, um, what's with the trenchcoat?" "Oh, well, I thought it would hide the wings." Alpha said tactfully, "They make a rather unusual bump - HOLY CRAP!" Jon, startled, left the ground and nearly shot the wall. "WHAT?!" Alpha said sourly, "Demeter just arrived. In grand style." When she strode in, looking pleased as punch, the computer demanded, "Okay, just how did you do it?!" "Do what?" Jon wanted to know. Demeter smirked and explained, "I just figured out yesterday I could travel through the root systems of plants. I wasn't sure the lawn had a solid enough network to let me pass, but evidently it does. I started at that tree at the northwest corner and popped up in front of the main door." "Teleportation?!" "Not exactly. But it should still be handy." "I'll say! How are you with marine plants?" Demeter blinked. "I'm not sure, actually. I've never thought about it. Why?" "You'll see soon enough." Sirocco showed up fashionably late - three minutes past the hour. Jon said sarcastically, "Sirocco, thanks for joining us." The young man rolled his eyes and displayed his watch - sure enough, it read one minute 'til. "Well," Jon said, "let's get synchronized now," and Sirocco agreed, setting his watch to match the clock in the Situation Room. Jon decided not to get into the whole cell-phone thing with American Eagle present. "Okay people, this is what we've got. If you don't mind, Alpha, I'll handle the visuals today." He produced holograms of the places he'd seen and tersely outlined the situation. "I've got the cops watching the office building. The marina's our target today." He enlarged the holo of that base, paused, then quoted the Phantom from many an operational meeting: "We need a plan. I am open to ideas." While he had his own thoughts - as he strongly suspected Mike had always had - experience had shown that brainstorming was likely to improve on them. When nobody said anything immediately - still studying the holo in detail - Jon pointed out a spot where a kink in the base prevented the spherical shells from overlapping completely. "I should be able to nullify this spot easily and sneak in. I figure that while you guys are knocking on the 'front door', I can slip in the 'back door', locate the reactor, and shut it down. That should put a serious crimp in their style." Demeter mused, "I'll want to check out the plant life in the area, but if there's enough, I think I should be at the 'back door' too. I should be able to gum up that big gate but good - that, or force it open, if you want." Jon looked at her, impressed. "The plants are that strong?" She nodded. "If I can get my hands on some kelp, sure. Phytoplankton and algae will be able to gum things up, but they don't have any leverage." "You can't take trees down there?" "They don't like salt water at all, no. I could force the issue, but it'd probably injure or kill them, and I don't like doing that." "Okay. Could you have some trees helping out at the 'front door'?" "...Not easily, no. I wouldn't be able to see to guide them." Meanwhile, Sirocco asked, "What do they have in the way of air vents?" Jon blinked. "Excellent question. One second." It was a bit less than that, actually; he winked out and reappeared, recreating and refining the hologram. "They've got two major air vents here and here, one of them disguised as a dock piling, and four minor ones. What are you thinking?" Sirocco replied, "Well, if we block their air, they'll have to open the front door, won't they?" "Hmmm. Definitely a thought... though we'll want to be able to breathe in there as well. Technoid's lab still has a few rebreathers, but there are limits. What would you block them with?" "Sand?" American Eagle added, "I've got some glue grenades that would be effective too." Jon nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. Suppose we need to knock down the front door. How do we go about it? You guys discuss that while Demeter and I check out the plant life and their security system." He fetched her a rebreather, then covered her with invisibility as they made their way to the marina, Demeter carried by a tree. She promptly dove into the water, while Jon took a second look at the warehouse leading down to the 'front door'. There were a few security cameras, but plainly the place was intended only to keep out riffraff; any heavy-duty security was evidently inside. He zipped over to wait for Demeter - they were maintaining strict radio silence - and quailed slightly at her evil grin when she rejoined him. "Oh yeah. I can ruin their whole month, I promise." "I almost feel sorry for them." Making their way back to the base, he found an enthusiastic Sirocco ready to report their findings. "We've got three options. First and easiest, we have Beta hack into their control panel and just open it." Jon stared at the robot. "I didn't know you could do that!" Beta responded flatly, "I last used the ability during a tactical operation approximately one year, six months, and fourteen days ago," while Alpha added, "It's mostly me acting through our link. Basically he can stick his hand in the panel and let me get to work." Jon felt an idea sunburst in his brain. "Does that mean you can hack their terminals if Beta can locate one?" "That's the plan!" "Oooh, that'll smart!" Alpha repeated with an audible grin, "That's the plan!" "Okay. And if the door trick doesn't work, for whatever reason?" Sirocco continued, "We have Beta punch it down." "Simple enough. Option three?" "We use the air supply to force them to open it." "Okay, good enough. Meanwhile, here's what we learned..." He passed on the information. After some spirited discussion, it was decided to have Photon accompany the 'front door' group until they had established a beachhead, so that they could benefit from invisibility and his ability to circumvent the security cameras. "Though I can block them with sand if need be," Sirocco added. Then Photon would streak around and follow Demeter in the 'back door' if that proved feasible, or nullify the vulnerable spot in the shield if not. Jon nodded. "Agreed. I'll wear my spacesuit to handle being underwater. What will you guys be doing in the meantime, once I leave you?" Sirocco spoke up for them again, and Jon frowned slightly. Sirocco had the more forceful personality - and admittedly, more experience - but he trusted A.E.'s instincts more. The young man said, "Simple. Beta's 'armor' and we're 'infantry'. He bulls his way in and we follow, taking shots where necessary. If we locate some computers we cover him while he and Alpha hack them." He added a few more operational details, and Jon nodded. How to point this out without snubbing him... "Hmm. Sounds good, but let me put it this way: When I was a baby super, I was raised by some really paranoid people. Right, Alpha?" Alpha laughed, remembering. "Oh heck yeah!" Jon continued, "So I'd feel a lot more comfortable if we had some contingencies. What do you guys do if they have electro weapons? Beta's vulnerable to them." When they'd thrashed that out, he continued, "What if those shield generators produce solid spheres? I doubt it - they'd be continuously set off by people walking around - but it's not impossible. In that case I'll have to be with you to help nullify them. What if..." Several contingencies later, Jon was as satisfied as he reasonably could be. He asked Alpha via radio, [i]What do you think? What would Erebus say? [b]Well... Frankly, Erebus would tell you that you don't have enough intel.[/b][/i] Jon felt a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. [i]You know what? You're right. You're absolutely right. We're jumping the gun. Do we call it off? It doesn't have to be today. [b]It kind of does, Jon. The cops are involved, and they really won't appreciate it if you postpone now.[/b][/i] Jon suppressed a sigh. [i]Yeah. [b]Hey, relax. The plan is a good one. I don't think they'll know what hit them. It's just...[/b][/i] Jon repeated numbly, [i]Yeah. ...Why didn't you say anything before now? [/i] Alpha replied slowly, [i][b]You're the leader, Jon. And I'm not out in the field, not really. It's not my place to second-guess you. That and... to be honest, I didn't think of it until now. I'm not much of a tactician, it's not my department.[/b][/i] Jon squared his shoulders. [i]Yeah.[/i] But he forced a smile to his face and said, "All right, team. We've got our plan. Now let's take the fight to the bad guys!" That got a round of fierce agreement, and they departed in high spirits. They flew invisibly to the marina, secreted themselves, then waited to let Demeter get into position. Jon's eyes widened slightly as he saw the Sound getting greener in his nightvision as he watched. He streaked over there for her approval, and she gave him a thumbs-up, so he went back to the others and shepherded them invisibly to the warehouse. Getting in and down the stairwell without being spotted was trivial for superheroes. When their watches reported 7 PM, Beta strode forward and stuck his hand into the control panel of the massive door... and they received their first check. Beta's fingers sparked slightly and he reported in a soft boom, "The field blocks my function. I cannot touch the panel; nor will I be able to touch the door." Sirocco and American Eagle turned white faces to Jon; A.E. whispered, "The air supply, then?" Jon abruptly decided, "No. I'm going to blanket-nullify the field." He concentrated, extending his will through the zero-point over a large fraction of the base. The field's virtual photons responded to his wordless request, and dissipated without fuss. "Now, Beta!" The massive robot strode up to the yet-larger circular door, found a handhold on the hinge, and strained. With a loud SPANG! the inch-thick bolts broke, and Beta heaved the door open as if it were made of papier-mache. Papier-mache definitely wouldn't have made the loud BOOM the door did as it slammed into the wall, though, nor probably would it have inspired every alarm bell and klaxon in the base to go off. Jon noted, "Cameras over to you, Sirocco." The young hero nodded and quickly fouled them with sand. Then Jon ordered, "Okay get to it - and good news, I can tell now that the fields are indeed crustal. They'll come back up when I leave, though, so be warned! Good hunting!" "Back at'cha!" Sirocco said, and A.E. grinned at him. They went in behind Beta's hulking form, and Jon zipped over to see how Demeter was doing. As planned, she had resurfaced so they didn't have to break radio silence. She reported efficiently, "I've got everything in position to do my worst, and I also extended some algae through the grate to get a look around. They've got not one but TWO attack subs in there." "Wow, I wonder what they use them for?!" "Dunno, but I guarantee that by the time I'm done, no VIPER will ever look at pond scum the same way again!" "Let's get to it. Can you get me through the grate?" Demeter nodded with a wicked grin. "Easily." Jon made sure his suit was sealed and followed her into the water. By the time they got down there, some sturdy kelp had already ripped the grate off, and a sudden wave of organic matter pushed Jon through it and up the ensuing tunnel before he could so much as yelp. It was... disgusting, Jon thought, but at least it's in a good cause. Demeter quickly followed him, removed her rebreather, and raised her hands commandingly. The subs began to green visibly and Jon shook his head in amazement. He didn't stay to watch, though, but immediately turned invisible and shot through the base to the place he'd sensed the reactor... ...Only to find that things were more complicated than he'd expected. Naturally. The room was mostly filled with one of those fields, larger than the others he'd seen. In the center was the massive reactor, with two scientists staring at a flashing alarm light and reaching for sidearms... while two armored guards readied themselves for combat. One was frozen in the act of shouldering a nasty-looking rifle, and the other was closing up his armor. (Which bore a VIPER emblem, Jon noted with satisfaction.) The field emanated from a large emitter a short ways from the reactor. Photon materialized in one of the corners of the room untouched by the field, still invisible. I really don't want to find out the hard way what that field does to my light-form, he thought. Probably nothing, but I'd hate to be wrong. My stun-zap almost certainly won't reach past it, so... He abruptly nullified the field, then cored the emitter with a swift laser beam. While the scientists and guards were milling in confusion (one of the scientists was urgently reaching for a big red button), he stun-zapped them all into next week. Mission accomplished, Jon thought smugly; now to ruin everybody else's day. He ran to the reactor, his special senses no longer fuzzed-out by the field. What he saw stopped him in his tracks, gaping in disbelief. The reactor was a staged fission-fusion model. What the?! Do they want it to double as a hydrogen bomb?! And... The fission segment was starting to go critical as he watched! [/QUOTE]
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Life and Light: Shadow-Force Reborn (Updated May 8, 2019)
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