Pursuit of Justice (1x1 Mitheral and Industrial Lace)

[Industrial Lace]

"So they seem more intune with this stuff." Antonella nodded to Kevin leaning against his frame a bit.


"Oh honey we are going to get along. I hate heights too! Than again I have on multiple times jumped out of a helicopter on rescue missions. Planes I'm not great at....nor the flying bit." Antonella said warmly to Jennifer a smile plastered on her face.


"Aww don't feel bad Kevin. Look at it like this. Very recently ago you were Kevin Brady married to work. Now you are Kevin Brady married to work but having an affair with the PI." Antonella chuckled with humor.


"Legion......like the comic book one? When Hydra was still a comic book reference to me. And by they don't like unknowns.... is it like they want to know about us? Charlotte can send over military files quick." Antonella said pointing to the small albino woman.

 

[Mitheral]

Kevin reached an arm around Antonella, keeping his voice low. “Yeah, they do. Somehow they seem to be making it work. But look at it on the bright side. Look how far we got in … only seven years. First I had to convince you I was an adult.” He smiled broader. “I have convinced you, haven’t I? If not, maybe a repeat of the other night is in order. I really don’t think I’ve convinced you. Not at all. Only next time I cook.”


James grinned. “Want a piece of advice?


Kevin huffed slightly. He was older after all. “Sure.”


“Make that a promise. She needs to hold you to it. And you need to follow through - and not another seven years from now. I don’t think she’s that patient.”


Jennifer seemed to think James was getting just a little full of ‘sage wisdom.’ “And it helps if you tie them to the bed.” James turned a deep shade of red from embarrassment.


James nodded and got back to the discussion. “Legion. Like the comic book. They changed a lot of things - largely a security issue - of course. But part of the proceeds from the comics went to fund Legion and the early comics were based on real missions. Legion destroyed Hydra. After that, they did a little more clean up, then mothballed their organization. I’m just glad they kept the idea alive on a smaller scale. As to unknowns, well, that is complicated.


“Like any such organization they have clearance levels. To gain a security clearance you have to pass a background check. To have a background check …” James continued.


Lori finished, shaking her head. “They have to know who we are. That’s not going to work. I am going to fail hands down. Hydra used to be my family. I have never driven a car. But I did learn to drive a mobile missile launcher - you know those big ones they parade down streets. And I drove a tank. Talk about the most fun an 8 year old ever had. Mom wasn’t amused when she caught the men letting me drive the missile launcher though. It was armed. And right about the time she showed up I was asking if I could shoot off some fireworks. I got so mad at her for making me stop.” Lori’s voice started to sound haunted.


James wasn’t sure what to say. So he spoke from his own heart. “I’m not sure how they would handle that. But you are not your parents. YOU didn’t work for the enemy. However you do have mixed feelings--”


Lori’s sadness turned to hostility in an instant. “I do NOT have mixed feelings! My parents tried to leave Hydra. I think my mother’s anger about the missile launcher was just a symptom. Dad was never happy working for them. I think they just had noone where else to go. South Africa is a long ways from America. But when my parents were sent to work in the USA on some mission they took the first opportunity to escape. And those mercenaries they I used to think were uncles hunted us down and killed my parents, and placed me in this wheelchair.” Lori was practically shaking.


“Then tell them that. I think they will understand. Legion isn’t made of machines. They are flesh and blood people.” James kept his voice neutral.


“What about me?” Janice finally spoke up. “I never wanted to be a part of any of this.”


James sighed. “I don’t know. But same answer I suspect. My guess is that they will want to help. William Bell picked ME of all the people in the world to inherit his legacy. He WAS Legion - one of its first original members. He had no powers. He was just a soldier. He was about my age when he became part of Legion. I find it hard to believe that an organization built by people like him wouldn’t want to help. You ask me? Tell them the truth. Don’t worry about the mistakes you made. They will look at what you are doing to make things right. I speak from experience. I made one mistake. But I chose to face Bell and come clean about it. He gave me a second chance.”


John finally got to their point. “Well then, I think Legion is going to love what we have in mind. Professor Muerte wants to have Janice here break a prisoner out of a max security prison for the criminally insane. Legion would probably know him as Demonicus. He used to be a professor known as Dr Darwin Jackson. We want to use him to barter for Jake Mueller. But it would help to have the blessings of the US Government.”


James laughed a little. “Okay … that question is a little above my pay grade. But you said barter …?


John smiled. “I never said trade. But we need bait to draw Muerte out - to stage a meeting.”


James nodded. “Risky. No guarantee that Muerte will even show up.”


John nodded back. “Doesn’t matter. Just so long as they bring the kid. If all he sends are flunkies to hold the kid, all the easier to retrieve him. If he sends his hit squad - all or part - that’s a chance to knock some of his legs out from under him.”


James mulled over the idea. HE liked it. But he couldn’t speak for Legion. “I’ll put the idea to them.” He looked around. “But we are going to need a bigger place to meet. And I honestly don’t know just how much influence Legion has. But it is my guess that they have the ear of the President.”

 

[Industrial Lace]

"Well from my point of view; it only took you a couple years to make a move after you stopped being jailbait. You didn't notice the subtitles; I once thought I could have pranced in nothing and you wouldn't have looked up from your files." Antonella said wrapping an arm around him. A chuckle errupted as she heard James and smiled brightly. "Anything but cook. It took me a while to organize the kitchen correctly." She whined a bit. "How about something easier...we can start finishing your place. Drywall, we can have fun with the paint, pizza and beer." She suggested with a smile.


"Jennifer we will be the greatest BFF's ever." Antonella said with a laugh. "Honey if it wasn't for the ring on it I would've kissed you."


"Don't worry Lori you got us on your side. I'll kick the pighead that dares turn you down. Then again you can probably get blackmail info on them." Antonella said devious. "If they won't accept you with open arms, make them think it'll be worse to have you against them."


"Tony don't start with that again." Feng said with a chuckle.


"What? Blame Yoandy for giving me the mantra." Antonella said with a half shrug.


"You had no coice Miss Janice. You are as much a victim as anyone else Hydra has gone against. They went after your family, no one can fault you. They'd be hypocrites if they try." Charlotte told Janice honestly.


"More relocating. Ok what place would be big enough?" Antonella asked pensive. Nothing came to mind at first, Kevin's was NOT ready for guests yet.

 

[Mitheral]

Kevin looked at Kekio. “Can they? I don’t want to just assume. I’ve done that a lot lately.”


Keiko nodded. She had already taken a liking to Jennifer, who clearly knew sign language a great deal better than she did and was already showing she was happy to teach.


Kevin nodded. “I think I have just the place. But it’s a little out of the way.” He looked at Clarence. “Getting him there might be a minor issue.”


+++++++++++++


Legion had never called back. All the group could do was wait. And they couldn’t wait forever. Time was ticking for Jake Mueller. But Legion’s response did come. Most of the group never saw them coming. The first to spot them were Antonella, Kevin and Keiko. Keiko’s response, however, was unfortunate. She simply saw men with guns invading. She grabbed the first large thing she could and heaved it with monsterous strength before her closest friends could stop her.


Kevin’s eyes scarcely had time to register the extra men all over the place, dressed like Seals with military weaponry. They were placed around the base in strong military tactical locations - and were mainly concerned with keeping an eye on Talon, securing the submarine, things like that. The first response? A spread of flash bangs.


In seconds, men had Kevin on the ground, guns trained on them. Clarence was unconscious on the ground. Janice and Diana had been trying to use their bodies as shields. Diana had her bow drawn with a deadly arrow knocked - against a half dozen laser sighted weapons.


Matthew cringed as the first flash hit him hard, crumpling to the ground and trying to crawl away. Men moved to stop him, but his body shot away. Micronaut.


Jennifer flew into action as well. She and Antonella had been talking up a storm, discussing boyfriend details with the usual laughter in a corner of the common area. She had spotted Antonella’s sudden shift in attention and change in attitude and bolted for cover.


In seconds men were getting slammed into the chest by the tiny superhero. Arachne leaped toward the ceiling and began dodging erratically and shooting weblines at guns and men in a weaving pattern that wasn’t instantly apparent until she swung down in an arc that drew the lines together raising them off the floor and into a tight bunch. She was on the verge of wrapping up half a dozen men as if they were flies caught in a web.


The commander bowed her head slightly, and then raised it again. Her voice boomed. "Micronaut! Arachne! And you others. Stand down! You have trespassed into a secured facility. Surrender and you will not be harmed. You may not be aware of the risk you and your friends have placed yourselves."


Four of the soldiers moved to bring weapons to bear on Jennifer, but the commander began to diffuse the situation. "Code Yellow. Arachne, can you handle that creature?"


Jennifer nodded. "Her name is Talon. But yes, if your people will back off. She doesn't like guns or any sort of stress." Laser sights were already winking out as both sides began to back down."


The Commander gestured to Clarence and had a couple of her men pick him up. They could see the dart sticking out of him. At least their response hadn't been lethal. Lori was completely unharmed. They ordered her to move over by the others. But she explained she didn't have a wheelchair with her. That surprised the men. A couple of them picked her up and carried her - chair and all.


Once everyone was grouped up, the commander spoke. "So who's in charge here?"


Kevin gestured to Keiko. "Her." The man never made jokes. But he was none too happy with having had weapons shoved in his face and pointed at his friends.


The commander took him serious though. She turned to look directly at Talon. "This place doesn't belong to you. And you are all going to need medical checkups - for radiation. There were toxic substances left here since not long after WWII."


Ah, yes. Had Kevin checked for radiation? With that nuclear sub parked outside, this was likely an actual concern. Had there been monitoring devices placed around the base? Or was it being routinely checked at times, despite looking completely abandoned?


Dark Knight was mentally kicking himself. He HAD looked for security systems - and found some. And he had checked for radiation routinely. There was a collection of geiger counters here that spanned decades. All he could figure was that entering the reactor rod storage room - or maybe trying to power up the sub - had triggered an alert. And there was the fact that the nuclear pile had been turned up in use.


Kevin didn't waste his thoughts on mental anguish and got to the point. "So who are you people? What do you want? Are you with Hydra - or one of their many heads?"


The Commander stepped over to look Kevin up and down. She had to actually keep a couple of her men at bay as they took offense. "Neither. You want to know who we are?" She smiled a little. "Someone clean up the submarine a little and show them who built it." Her order sent a few men scrambling to start scrubbing the side of the sub facing them. As the years of dust were rubbed away the symbol of a blue geometric representation of the Earth similar to the UN symbol wreathed in a golden laurel and set on a shield began to show through. The woman then tore a patch off her suit to reveal the same symbol on her arm.


"Legion," she said. "and we beat Hydra long ago. But like many monsters, it has been resurrected. And worse than before. We came here to talk."


Huntress shook her head. “We aren’t all here. Unless the Commander likes repeating herself, we ought to get Black Lightning.” She sighed. “He’s not getting much of a chance for sleep.” The corners of her lips quirked upwards a little.


The commander considered the statement, and then nodded. “Can you get him fast? We can make a quick introduction, and then have everyone try to rotate through some sleep.”


Huntress nodded. “Unless his work absolutely requires his attention. He may have to come here, sleep, then go back to take care of his personal life. He can’t just disappear.”


The commander understood the needs to maintain covers – whether they were personal lives, professional careers, or whatever. Her own men had left those behind. Many had ‘died’ to join her. But Legion was an all volunteer force. And its members were carefully selected. Talon and her friends were still very much unknowns who probably had lives they couldn’t simply walk out of.


“Go ahead. I want all of you to understand, you aren’t in trouble – not yet anyways. But we have some questions. This base was shut down long ago – after Hydra collapsed. It was supposed to be completely decommissioned. But some of us didn’t believe it was all over, so delays led to leaving some dangerous materials behind.”


Talon had walked over to a keyboard – no longer being ruled by her animal nature. Her claws clacked on the keys. “No radiation. Shielding good after all these years. You built well. Life support strained. Too many people now.”


The commander nodded. “Don’t worry. We are setting up pumps to recycle air.


Huntress turned to the men and posed. “I need a volunteer.” She had already been eyeing the men and knew that John had best play his cards right or she was NOT going to be lonely. She got several volunteers at once. “Anyone got a pen?” She got several ink pens offered to her. She took one and thanked the man. Then she walked off toward the restrooms. A short while later she stepped out, having changed into a less revealing bikini – this one an incandescent canary yellow.


What none of the men had seen was the phone number she had written around the areola of her left breast – the numbers backwards so they could be read in a mirror. It was John’s number of course. She walked to the edge of the water waved at the men and dove in. She could hear a few murmured curses as well as one man reminding another that he was married.


Clarence groaned as the effects of the medication wore off. As soon as he realized he had passed out he grabbed for his helmet. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found it there. What he didn’t know was that Lori had kept it on him after Legion had stormed the cave. His eyes widened in alarm as he started to get the gist of what was going on. It was so obvious.


Aliens. This was all about aliens. He had known about them for years – ever since …


He stopped. Noone was paying attention to him anymore… That was because he was sleeping. He did not like the idea of being captured though – or meeting aliens with needles to stick in his brain. He never wanted to go through that ever again. He almost decided to escape, and then remember that Lori was here. He couldn’t just leave HER to get studied by aliens. He was going to have to do something.


++++++++++++


The Legion team was polite, even friendly. They had already identified Talon as a hero. They seemed to find it funny that she was one reason they had halted their assault. But the cell phone videos showed her unmistakably part of the rescue operation earlier. The fact that she was highly intelligent took most of them by surprise. And when speaking to her they used ‘Ma’am’ a lot.


They had set up communications with what was likely a larger task force via a heavy cable that led into the water. They also brought up some of their own cyberware to set up a briefing. They seemed especially interested in the data searches concerning Dr. Darwin Jackson.


THAT was what had apparently tipped them off – the data searched done at Lori’s apartment. They seemed a little surprised to find more of the search at the cave. Clearly they were finally connecting facts themselves. Lori refused to talk though. One of the men started to say something but was silenced. The commander wanted to wait for now.


It was Janice who started to make headway. She finally broke down and started to explain that Muerte had her brother. The Commander asked Janice if she really thought it was worth placing the whole planet at risk for one boy.


James Stevens and Jennifer Webb were just a little upset. It took a little explaining, but apparently this task force had been part of an independent investigation, not the result of his call. Jennifer’s head was rapidly looking about, riveting momentarily on each movement. James put an arm around her to try to help calm her down. Unlike the girl he was grinning from ear to ear.


“This is sooo cool.” He said softly in a low tone. “If Mr. Bell could have seen this.”


The tall man that emerged from the water behind them smiled. This was Captain Steven Westlake. “He did. Only long, long ago. Technically part of this is all yours.”


“What? Oh right. The vineyard.” James was a little subdued.


The man nodded. “Well the money didn’t go to buying $40,000 wrenches. But the truth was that this place was built before the vineyard business. The history of this place goes back about a century. I don’t even know the full truth. I doubt anyone does.” The Captain shrugged. “You need to understand that everything you see here is classified.


James gave a curt nod. “Yes sir. I understand.”


The man gave a calming smile. “Just like Bell described you. He said you had a lot of promise. Had much the same to say about Ms Webb as well. That’s why you are here. At the end of this meeting we are going to ask you a small favor.”


James nodded. “Actually I have one to ask of you. I need –“


The Captain stopped him. “Later … right now, the fate of the free world depends on this meeting.”


James studied the man’s face for signs that he was making a joke, but found none.


+++++++++++++++


The Commander stepped up to a small platform where she could address all present. Her lieutenant and a couple agents had set up all the computers and three large dry erase boards for a presentation. “Okay everyone. Please bear in mind that this meeting is classified Top Secret SCI. Now I won’t waste a lot of time on introductions here. Neither will I going to get into a detailed discussion about Hydra. Instead I will get to the point – Terror Inc. the arm of Hydra run by Professor Muerte and Dr Darwin Jackson. Currently we know that Muerte has taken an interest in three fields of science: Genetics, Cybernetics, and Fringe science. Dr Jackson was the leading expert in the last of these areas.


“Very bluntly, Muerte wants Dr. Jackson broken out of prison in exchange for the life of a boy named Jake Muhler, the brother of Janice Muhler here. He made a demand that SHE break him out because of a reputed skill in … theft. Muerte was willing to burn down a a high rise filled with poverty stricken families and elderly to make his point. This is no game. He wants Jackson badly and thinks Ms Mueller can get him.


“We have a very good idea that Hydra has people planted inside of the prison, but none close enough to break Jackson out. They will know if the breakout is a ruse. They will know if Jackson is simply released. So a breakout it will have to be. Huntress has offered a plan that I am going to approve – with a little work. Legion will help with setting up the exchange. But we will not be engaging in the combat. We do not want Hydra aware that we are active yet.


“The reason we are going to go through with this is the chance to get real face time with some of the most dangerous criminals on the planet. Our goals will be simple:


First, get the boy to safety.


Second, prevent Jackson from falling into enemy hands.


Third, track the movements of Muerte’s people back to a Hydra base.


Fourth, shut down one Hydra base.


“Before I get a flood of questions from some of the local heroes that have become involved in this, I will answer a few questions:


One. Yes, you will be briefed as much as possible about Muerte and his agents. Time permitting we will introduce some of you to a man who has met Dr. Jackson before his incarceration.


Two. Yes, we will introduce some better communications gear – but for now, not up to Legion specs. After this mission this gear will be replaced. In the event of a capture, we do not want them to realize Legion was involved.


Three. Yes, we will provide some basic gear. Again same limitations. Yes you may make requests. Bear in mind time constraints and costs.


Four. Yes, we will help select strong tactical positions.

 

[Industrial Lace]

"So let me get this straight.... you want us to go ahead and break out Dr. Lunatic for Professor Douchebag. Only we aren't gonna give him over. You'll give us gear and crap but it can't be linked back to you. So hypothetically shit hits the fan we're left on our own devices with no hopes or ideas on an extraction." Antonella asked bluntly.


"Tony!" Charlotte warned feeling off.


"Don't Tony me. They wouldn't really cry a river if we're captured and gone since we are 'unknown' to them. Someone has to ask these questions. I'm not comfortable risking my life with these guys wanting nothing tied to them and us not having a full idea what would happen with us asking for their 'help'." Antonella said staring calmly to the commander not backing down.

 

[Mitheral]

The Commander didn’t give one inch. She had handled much tougher cases than Antonella Ortega. “You misunderstood me. We do not want HYDRA to recognize our involvement. The mission, however, will have a Presidential sanction. Make a list of what you need in preparation for your encounter with Muerte. We will be standing by with medical assistance and cleanup. We will break shadow mode if Muerte brings in agents of his own. That would not be the ideal case. But we suspect he will not - largely to make a quick tactical withdrawal once the exchange is made.


“I am curious as to why Muerte chose you, Ms Mueller. What makes you so special that he thinks you could break Dr Jackson out of the very special cell that was designed to hold him?” The Commander looked at Janice.


Janice shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d need to see the blueprint schematics. But if he picked me for the reason I think, I would guess that I could break him out in 10 minutes or less and evac him at about 120 mph. Just how fast would be dependent on how stealthy he expects me to be. I normally only steal already stolen stuff - like some expensive egg from a Russian maffia guy. They never even knew I got in and out. But I bet they weren’t happy with the silly putty replacement I left them.”


The Commander ignored the snort of suppressed laughter from one of the men. “I see. You may be able to get in and out like that. But how are you -”


Janice grinned. “Trade secret. If I can get in, I can get him out.” She held out her hand and pointed her finger. “Pull my finger.” That elicited another snort of laughter. Janice smiled.


The Commander just looked at Janice. She really wasn’t in the mood for jokes. But she decided to humor the girl. When she did Janice blew a raspberry - which elicited yet another snort of laughter. But what also happened was more surprising. The girl’s finger stretched to nearly a foot in length, then retracted. “I see.”


“Not quite. Let me pull yours.” That got several snorts.


The Commander looked back. “PT is going to be fun tomorrow, I hear.” She turned back to Janice and stuck out a finger.


Janice smiled and pulled on the Commander’s finger, stretching it out several inches. She stuck her tongue out as is about to blow another raspberry, but stopped. “I can’t make others quite as unstable as myself, but enough to pull them through very tight spaces. That’s why I need a schematic, to plan a few routes in and out. I just want my brother safe.”


The Commander nodded. “Then that is going to be one of your demands to Muerte. You will tell them you need that information if he wants Dr Jackson. I am also going to be bringing in one of the best specialists in metahuman physiology there is.”


James spoke up. “Dr Reno already knows. I had already called to set up a meeting.”


“I see. Dr Williams as well?” The Commander asked.


“Yes ma’am.” James didn’t smile, trying to avoid sounding accusing.


“Of course. Tell Skunk to see to Mr Channing if she isn’t already. Squid, you and Maverick see to these people. Get yourself a few volunteers to help them clean up the mess we made.” She looked back at the one called Squid. “Your choice.” She wasn’t necessarily talking about the volunteers.


 
The Interview


Maureen Channing was no ordinary Chief Editor. She was also the CEO and Owner of WNN (Women’s News Network). The firm was dedicated to reporting the news from a woman’s perspective. It had been founded back in the days when feminism was still in its infancy, when a woman could scarcely hope to rise in status above a secretary, much less serve in a combat role in the military. Many articles were about women in world news events. And perhaps the one thing that made the network shine was that it held to the ideal of anti yellow journalism - a term many people didn’t even understand.


Maureen Channing was well known for getting interviews with some of the hardest women to get press time with. She succeeded where other failed by not ambushing her subjects with unexpected questions. She counted getting an interview a success in itself.


She was directed to Visitor parking as soon as she made it known that she had an appointment. And as soon as people realized with whom she was practically escorted to the elevator with more politeness than seemed possible for a simple PI to obtain. They didn’t seem to even know why Antonella had an appointment. She simply did. What Antonella didn’t know was that the appointment time had been left open - any time between 2100 and 0500 hrs.


The ride up in the elevator was breathtaking as the elevator was “glass” - polarized to keep out glare, but still offering a grand view of the city. Maureen Channing’s office was on the penthouse level. She lived at work. The elevator opened into a lobby - no receptionist. The door to her office opened itself. Maureen was hard at work looking over the next edition’s articles as she workout out placement of articles.


The office was vast and ultramodern and kept in perpetual twilight It was 2-3 floors tall, with one wall nothing but windows- similar to the elevator. Maureen’s desk was a light table. There was a small stack of paperwork upon which rested an old rough brick. To either side of it were transparent white boards. To one side of the room was an exquisite grand piano - black - with a display of Phantom of the Opera memorabilia.


Maureen herself was no less impressive. She stood about 6’5, with a slender frame, with a fair complexion. She looked up from her work and smiled genuinely. Ms Ortega, I am so glad you could make tame from your schedule to meet with me. Please, have a seat and make yourself comfortable.


“Save for a few less savory individuals of our city, you have come the closest to the vigilante known as Dark Knight. I think my readers would be very interested to hear your first impressions. And in light of the more recent events, what you think of his actions at the fire. I must confess, I am also hoping you might have the connections to put me in contact with the heroine known as Talon. I would be thrilled to meet her as well.”

 

[Industrial Lace]

"No thank you for inviting me." Antonella said feeling a bit underdressed. Then again she did prefer comfort over looks. If she was honest, she would have preferred not being alone; or back with Matthew and Kevin trying to get a deal on her powers.


"Dark Knight? The caped guy over at the smuggling bit." Antonella said with mild recognition and humor in her eyes. She hoped to any and all high orders that would help her in not screwing up. Another reason she hoped to be accompanied at the moment.


"Talon....the one that saved the kids right? I saw the video, she was amazing." Antonella added with enthusiasm getting her phone and showing the video was faved on her social media. "Besides meeting Dark Knight once.....and I saw meet for lack of better words ma'am I have not met Talon. Sorry." She said with a light shrug.

 

[Mitheral]

Maureen simply looked at Antonella unblinking. “Ms Ortega, perhaps we should have this interview off the record first? You should know I am highly practiced at reading people. My skills are those of a mentalist. You know, magicians. You should know that the first rule in interrogation is to have the answers before you ask the questions. Now to be very honest, I do not know if I can even get a newsworthy story from you. And if I did, it would make your life a little too public - at least in the case of a story specifically about your encounter with Dark Knight.


“But a story about a whole group of metahumans? That story will change the world. And it is going to come out. We now live in the digital age. A couple decades ago such stories were suppressed by telepaths and the like. For example, I would bet you have never heard of the demon incursion of 1995. You probably never heard of Fourth Reich. Dr Destroyer? No? Oh, you might have heard about them in comic books. But you probably wouldn’t believe they were very real people.


“As I was saying, we now live in a digital age where the videos of Talon have gone viral. Someone is going to tell their story, be it me or someone else. If you can place me in contact with those people - masks or not - I will try to get their stories straight. I fear the best story I can get about you and Dark Knight would be social media type questions such as ‘Is he cute?’” She scoffed. “Perhaps your recounting of events regarding the smugglers would help. I don’t really care to use paparazzi articles. This network never has even in its days as a small newspaper nearly a century ago printed on pilot and platen presses. I still have the original presses. Part of WNN history.”

 

[Industrial Lace]

"I'm glad you noticed that much. I won't give you a newsworthy story. Privacy is very important and I was going to blow you off like a lottle blonde tramp on a Vegas alleyway." Antonella said seriously crossing a leg and resting her arm on her knee which allowed her to rest her face with her hand. She listened to the woman but gave nothing away until Maureen reached the cute part. Fhere she gave an amused chuckle. Yeah the last thing Antonella needed was millions thinking Kevin was cute.


"Sweetheart, I don't care what happened in the past with the fourth Reich or the like. What I care on is the now; and that shit isn't nice. But I'm not telling. But I will tell you this you can't talk to Talon. You wouldn't be able too and the other metahumans are super paranoid. The most I can try is ask with no promises; and the most likely accounts on rejection. Lives are at stakes and I'm not comfortable giving shit...and if you try to give shit; I will shut you down personally." Antonella said with no humor as she decided to jump to another subject.


"Now I can tell you my first meet with Dark Knight with limited details since the smuggle is an ongoing investigation. I won't loose my credibility on an interview if you catch my gist. So ask away." She said arranging her hair over her shoulder and smiling.

 

[Mitheral]

Maureen smiled at the threats. She wasn’t the slightest bit intimidated. But she was careful not to make her reply sound like a taunt. Antonella Ortega was a child by her reckoning, but a child who had seen things noone her age should have seen.


“I have already researched you thoroughly. I do my homework. You won’t be shutting me down. You DO need to care about Fourth Reich if you care about those heroes. Fourth Reich is one of the Heads of Hydra. And if Hernan Cortez alias Professor Muerte doesn’t kill Dark Knight, Fourth Reich will. And I would find that unacceptable. You see, I have a personal interest in one member of that group - the one known as Shadowhawk. I am glad he has finally found friends - people who I believe are of a caliber he can trust. And that goes for you too. I think you are his friend - even if you don’t much like him.


“You do know that Shadowhawk and Dark Knight got into quite a fight?” She chuckled. “About time that boy found someone who could put him in his place.” She smiled. “Like I said, know the answers before you interview someone. That way you can hear through all the shit.”


“Still off the record. I set up a jammer. I couldn’t record you any more than you could record me. You are a PI after all. I didn’t want to take any chances. I DO understand about metahumans being cautious. They have very good reason. There have been government funded organization in the past - and likely still in the present - that have black bagged metahumans to use as lab rats. PSI, Project Sunburst, and others. So by all means, protect your friends.


“Oh, by not being able to speak with Talon, were you referring to the fact that she speaks in the range of 44-80 kilocycles? That won’t be a problem. Plus I know sign language and Japanese. She has my word I will not contact her father unless she wishes me to.”


“Let’s just keep this off the record, why don’t we? And since I have had the advantage in this interview, perhaps you have a question for me? One question. But if I answer that question, I want your word that you will answer one of mine. If I answer, I will not lie.”

 

[Industrial Lace]

"All of this shit was a lot easier when I was just a PI. Also I wont hesitate in Protecting my friends with my life. Since ya know so much it wouldn't make a difference to say some stuff. You can ask your question first. I'll think on mine." Antonella said feeling that apparently secret identity and all that wasn't that secret at all.

 

[Mitheral]

Maureen looked a little disappointed. But Antonella had just answered one of her questions - one she might never have even asked. And the answer surprised her. It was very clear the young woman had little experience with being interrogated.


“You’ve had your eyes opened to the world of the metahuman and quite recently, I gather. The whole world is having the veil lifted. But you should know that Mary Donnelly is going to having a very difficult time with this. She is one of the humans that had her memories suppressed heavily. She was a victim of demons. To save her sanity Psiren suppressed those memories. Unfortunately Psiren died in a laboratory explosion about 17 years ago. Sp she won’t be around to help this time.”


Maureen eyed Antonella. “Of course the world doesn’t remember that. My question … Let’s see. Ahh! Here we go. What did you mean when you said ‘All of this shit was a lot easier when I was just a PI?’ JUST. You need to be more careful than that.”

 

[Industrial Lace]

"Recently doesn't cut it." Antonella agreed with a nod. She felt like a child being scrutinized by a parent. In her case that was horrid since she was bad at such scrutiny; her brothers hated her for it. She was always the one who spoke but not because she deliberately did it.


"What did I mean? Sweetheart I retired from missions when I stopped Coast Guard. It was over, as a PI I worked with my criminology degree and did incestigations. Some cold cases from distraught families, a wife to rat out her cheating husband. Easy stuff, then I had to catch wind on the smuggling......and I had to go into it. Look what happened because of it." Antonella said gesturing to their own conversation. "I'm no longer a PI that's a dime a dozen."


"Now my question. Why did you reach out to me?" Antonella asked, why her. That was the question that nagged her.

 

[Mitheral]

The tall redhead smiled and clucked her tongue.. “You still aren’t being completely honest with me. You also said you protect your friends - contradicting the statement you made earlier about not having met Talon. But that’s okay. I’ll take your answer as it is. Besides, I like your question.


“Why reach out to you? That’s a little complicated - but ONLY a little. Truth is i wanted to interview you after your first encounter with Dark Knight. But now that Shadowhawk is also involved it is imperative that I get involved. Dark Knight, Shadowhawk, Huntress, Black Lightning, Ricochet, Talon, and the rest are all getting too close to one end of the investigation that I would prefer they avoid. Call it a conflict of interest. They are getting very close to facing off with one of the members of the Brain Trust. That is what the next tier of Hydra leadership is called. It makes operational decisions that affect Hydra policies. The Enforcers serve them as a unit. Each member of the Brain Trust may have their personal servitors, as well as oversight responsibilities for one of the Heads of Hydra. The one you are on the verge of encountering gets involved with two of the Heads - more than he should. Should you involve him, Hydra will go on a full scale war footing and Legion is not ready for that - not yet. I cannot get involved because of a conflict of interest.


“My other reason for reaching out came when you involved Shadowhawk. You see, he is my half brother. He doesn’t know about me. He might know he has a half sister. But he has never met me. I have tried to stay out of his life. I am the one who found him, still a wild thing surviving off rats and cats, nearly dead by sunburn and suffering from multiple stab wounds and beatings. I made arrangements with St Michael’s, created a trust fund to see to his needs, and erased the paper trail of his hospital stay.


“Now then, my question. Are you a metahuman?”

 

[Industrial Lace]

"Sometimes feigning ignorance is the best way of protecting your friends. It has worked in the past for me...then again the people weren't like you." Antonella said with a shrug looking at the woman a bit guardedly.


"It seems you know a bit too much on your own end. Before you repeat; I get the gist: 'have the answers before you ask the questions.' Now let's say that I believe you; and lately I've been in a position where I have to believe a lot of stuff.


"Even then there are reasons why they're getting involved in some stuff. What would you suggest, that they drop everything?" Antonella asked, somethings made reasonable sense but then again she liked to be optomistic. "They won't do that. There has to be a way around this clusterfuck....pardon the Anglo-Saxon." Antonella said running a hand through her hair.


"Am I a metahuman? Yeah. I just discovered so after my first encounter with Dark Knight. I heard Talon, and then I....broke a metal door that was sealed with I don't know what because I was pissed. My range of control isn't the best there is, since I am not even sure what I do." Antonella said with a shrug.

 

[Mitheral]

“Drop everything? No. Just keep them away from the docks where they think Muerte might go. You see, my .. my … father isn’t supposed to have oversight of Muerte. That is the role of Nemo. You wouldn’t be interfering in one member of the Brain Trust but two. And I believe a member of the Inner Circle may be there as well. That would trigger a war. For several years now Hydra has been pushing hard into Space. And the rumors I hear are that they are making great strides in that area. Our own space programs have suffered setbacks. That isn’t a coincidence.


“I think my father is partly responsible. He has been overseeing part of Hydra’s research program. Muerte has also been working on space. I think that is the crossover. And in case you are wondering how I know all this, my father likes to taunt me. He thinks I am wasting my talents here.”


Maureen had wandered over to the piano where she picked up the Phantom mask. She held it up. “My father.” She set it down. “I just wish I knew for sure which side he was on. He hates the world for the way he was treated as a child and as a man. And who could blame him? If he is evil then humans made him that way. Even as an infant his own mother wanted to kill him. The Church proclaimed him touched by the devil. He was placed in a freak show as a child. And the first time he tried to trust a human to look upon his face she killed herself out of fear. He spoke of that only once to me. But I mention it because his life was written in a book by Susan McKay. Read it. The title is simply Phantom. The Opera only tells one brief moment of his life. But there were brief moments when he showed a glimmer of promise. Anyways, try to limit your fight to the separate Heads of Hydra and their teams.


“I suppose we have gone far beyond anything I could ever print. I believe it is your turn for a question though. I gather the question about dropping things was more rhetorical.””

 

[Industrial Lace]

"First jack the ripper and now the Phantom... so Matthew isn't an alien huh?" Antonella qsked more to herself than to the woman befire her. More questions arose in her head with the few answers she was granted. It was a maze and with too much stimulation she didn't know where to begin.


"Keep away from the docks I can do that...well try." Antonella told Maureen for lack of a concrete answer if she could.


"I don't even know what to ask." She replied a bit confused. Everything was just so new and too much information at once. Almost like if she tried to play multi platformed chess; while she could barely play the regular chess.

 

[Mitheral]

Maureen seemed bemused. “Of course he is alien … well half alien anyways. I am only ¼ alien. But the quarter alien that I am must have been very powerful. And our mother was a vampire of the Darkhold known as Nightwing. I am much older than Matthew. You see to bear children Nightwing had to perform very powerful magics to restore her to life long enough to have them. It was many years between my birth and that of Matthew. My name of birth was Nightraven. Yes, the same one as in the comics. And yes, I really knew Frankie -uhm, lin … Roosevelt. We were good friends - but only friends. He was very devoted to his wife Eleanor. I liked her. Great woman.


“I haven’t always gone by the name Maureen or Channing. I first arrived on Earth early in the Civil War. It was many, many years before I became Nightraven again. I served until WW II and retired for many years after that.” She grimaced. “I lost too many friends. Do yourself a favor. Avoid military service if you can. If you thought it was ugly as a human ...”


“Well, I fear this meeting isn’t going to produce much of an article. But any story I could write would do more harm than good. I’d still love to see an interview of Talon. But I won’t push. Just understand that eventually stories will come out.”

 

[Industrial Lace]

"I'm retired military ma'am." Antonella said with a shrug and a small smile. "I know the feelings well."


"I wouldn't be surprised if they wrote fanfiction about us. But as for Talon...I can try but no promises." She added.

 

[Mitheral]

Dr Darwin Jackson (in prison)


(Day after arrival of Legion at Base)


Janice broke Dr. Darwin Jackson out of a maximum security asylum for the criminally insane in mere minutes in broad daylight. The trip in took considerably longer as she had been instructed to obtain medical files on the good doctor to see his prescription list and behavioral files. Of course this was considered privileged information protected by confidentiality. Still, the Commander gave the order. She did, however, order the files to remain sealed. And Janice didn’t have time to even begin to read the files.


The total trip took about 2 hours. Janice arrived exhausted as she had had to drag the doctor with normal human strength. That had been the single largest flaw in her escape plan and it had very nearly got her caught. She was practically in tears.


Dr. Darwin Jackson had soiled himself and stank. Of course, he was literally drugged out of his mind and had no idea where he was. He looked rather well for a man in his 70’s, though he looked more like a homeless vagrant that a scientist. His face was almost unrecognizable, covered by a beard. His hair had grown long and hippie like. And he gave no one any trouble. In fact, he seemed to WANT his medication. He was begging for more when he got to the group’s staging area.


Dr. Darwin Jackson was anything but quiet however. As soon as he was brought out, he started humming classical music and clamping his hands over his ears. He mumbled intelligibly. If it was all an act it was a damned good one. He made a single clear statement. “I should not be here. Please, put me back. I need more drugs. The pink ones.”


The staging area Legion had helped the group secure was an empty warehouse. Dr Jackson was kept firmly secured in titanium handcuffs. He looked harmless, but that didn’t convince Legion to take it easy on him in the slightest. If the man had been placed in an asylum, there simply had to have been a good reason. The one thing that bothered them was WHO had funded Dr. Jackson’s experiments. It had been DARPA. And far too many black ops programs had come out of the slush funds DARPA had set aside, created by CIA and NSA pet projects.


Only one person seemed able to get Dr. Jackson to be silent by going near the man. That was Skunk. Dr. Jackson seemed to stop and stare ather with an almost hungry look. Then he gave a look of revulsion as if he couldn’t make up his mind. Then he whimpered a little and murmured. “I didn’t kill them. It wasn’t me, not even this terrible thing I am becoming. But it was no accident. I tried to stop it. But HE stopped me. That damnable man killed her and may have doomed this whole planet. The idiot fool wouldn’t listen. As if I would have ever hurt her.” He paused. “Of course he was right. I might have. But she was always my favorite student – and my brightest. IT hated her. Was afraid of her! IT still is – even with her gone.”


“You should just kill me now - while I am like this. There are worse things than death you know. But it won’t let me die.” He stopped and stared at one of the heroes. “You look silly. Are you in a play? You are dressed up like a comic book. Maybe it is YOU who should have been in the hospital.”

 

[Industrial Lace]

"So how was the thing you went out to?" Charlotte asked Antonella as she met up with everyone.


"It was ok a bit of a headache." Antonella said with a shrug hugging the girl.


"Tony?" One of the Legion members asked which caught Antonella's attention. Few people called her Tony, friends and family mostly. "Tony what are you doing here?" The guy.....Squid asked as he removed his helmet.


"Yoandy?!" Antonella squacked with shock.


"The hell are you doing here?" Yoandy barked to Antonella. He noticed that barking wasn't a good idea since Antonella vividly looked pissed off.


"The fuck are you doing here Yoandy?!" Antonella snapped back at her eldest brother.


"Me? I'm working. You're a PI this is way out of your league." Yoandy said turning it back to Antonella.


"Way out of my league? How about you Yoandy Ortega? You said you had a government job as a consultant. Some consulting this is....what are you going to do? Consult how far you can contort to kiss the Commanders ass?" Antonella botched at him.


"That was out of line Antonella Ortega." Yoandy grounded out appearing pissed.


"So what if it was? You're the one on her side. Not me." Antonella replied calmly. "What? Are you going to call Papa?"


"Maybe I will.....tell them that Tony: as always got in way over her fucking head since its always in her ass and needs to be away from influences." Yoandy snapped annoyed.


"Oh? Then maybe we can also talk on how you've been lying to them telling them you're a consultant. You're no better than a green army men toy." Antonella goaded back.


"Who else is in on this Tony....you never work alone." Yoandy asked in anger.


"Feng and Lottie so what?" Antonella responded.


"Feng lost an arm and a leg! Charlotte doesn't fight." Yoandy snapped.


"She made a new arm, and Charlotte doesn't fight with me either." Antonella said exasperated.


"They don't have to. They probably did itnto keep you from getting yourself killed. These aren't humans we are dealing with." Yoandy snapped.


"Thanks for the obvious....now will you predict the weather?" Antonalla spoke sarcastically. Both here angry and neither refused to back down. "This is stupid; let's go Dark Knight...I have better use of my time." She said going to Kevin's side.


"It's him isn't it?" Yoandy snapped his eyes widening.


"Him what?"


"Who the fuck do you think you are involving my baby sister into all of this shit? Nah, to even touch her." Yoandy snapped standing eye to eye with Kevin.


"You leave him out of this." Antonella snapped getting between both of them.


"Like he did with you?" Yoandy asked sarcastically.


"Fuck off Yoandy." Antonella said having lost her patience pushing him angrily. "Don't make me drown you."


"This isn't with you now; its between me and him." Yoandy snarled out and Antonella raised a brow.


"I'll get changed." Antonella huffed walking off muttering a multitude of curses english and spanish.

 

[Mitheral]

Kevin actually became calmer as he watched Antonella argue with her brother. From the moment he saw her reaction to the man he guessed exactly what the guy was. There had been only two real options - former boyfriend or brother. He guessed the latter. When the word “Papa” was mentioned, he was sure of it.


He actually laughed as Antonella turned to leave angry. “I see what you mean. I got this.” He turned to Yoandy. “You think I got her into all this? I suppose that’s fair. But you know what she once did and now does for a living? I guess it was all fine when all she was dealing with was normal criminals.


“For the record, I tried to get her out of this BEFORE there was even a metahuman involved. SHE is the one who didn’t let go of the bone. So I fed her information designed to keep her away. I am going to catch hell for that, I know. But she is too damned good at what she does. She ended up getting caught in a crossfire between herself and Feds - in an unrelated investigation.”


Kevin had decided not to mention taking bullets for Antonella. “It could have gone worse.” But I check up on her afterwards. And … things … Well, she .. sort of figured out who I was. I’ll leave it at that. Ever since then I have been trying to keep her off the radar of mafia … Hydra. It got complicated real fast.“


Again Kevin debated. The ‘even touch her’ comment had hit a nerve. He squared himself off with the man and gave a glower. “And whether I touch her - or she touches me - is up to her, not you. You need to respect her choices.”

 

[Industrial Lace]

"You think I could have stopped that?" Yoandy asked with a raised brow a hand gesturing to the direction Antonella left in. "Once anything get's into her head nothing but amnesia could possibly remove her from her course. I've told her thousands of times to quit and do something else. She won't listen to me. "


"Well you should have stopped feeding her any form of information; let her get bored of you and this mess and she would've disappeared. Figured out? What did she magically found you dressed in the suit battling people?" Yoandy asked sarcastically. It was a common trait between the two, hard headed and they both became sarcastic when mad "It will always get worse when she's involved because she doesn't have self preservation ingrained into her head. She's reckless, and if she doesn't get herself killed she might kill someone else."


"I would've respected her choices if her safety wasn't compromised. You aren't some random John Doe sizing up to my baby sister; you are a meta. That's crossing a line, getting involved with you look where she is." Yoandy began angry he was going to say something before Antonella, frankly pissed at Yoandy for badmouthing Kevin gritted her teeth. The water all around them concentrating around her. Extending a hand in a pushing motion the water moved hitting straight at Yoandy and throwing him back several yards.


"He isn't the only Meta around here Yoandy. Get your head out of your ass, be happy I'm on his side than Hydra's." Antonella snapped standing right next to Kevin now, a hand on her hip. "I can take care of myself Yoandy; Hydra could've found me first but they didn't. So shut up, apologize, and let's do our fucking job. If I continue hearing any lip from you I will get worse." She warned lightly before she turned to Kevin.


"So apparently that only works when I'm pissed off so far." She told Kevin matter of fact pointing to her brother who was getting up with a groan water pooled all around him. "We should get some study sessions so I can learn better control."

 

[Mitheral]

Kevin looked down at Antonella. “So that’s what you meant about me being a douchebag like your brothers. I’ll try to do better.” He chuckled a little as he turned to Yoandy. The whole point of his mask was as good as useless now. It would take much for Legion to figure out who he was. And trying to hide his identity from them was a waste of time - literally. He’d end up wasting time on preserving his identity if he did - that could be better spent of stopping bad guys.


He calmly removed his mask and gave Yoandy a serious look. “My name is Kevin Brady. Hydra murdered my father, Detective Shawn Brady and made it look like he was a dirty cop on the take. That was 7 years ago. I was just a kid at the time and accepting that version of the truth just wasn’t happening. My mother was on life support at the hospital and didn’t live much longer. Like Antonella said, we could have ended up with Hydra. Instead I went to college, got my degrees, and became a CSI intern.


“About 2 years ago I hired your sister to investigate. Did I know there were even other metahumans around? No. To me they were comic book characters. And my own abilities really hadn’t begun to be very evident. Then, several months ago I got myself gunned off the Brooklyn Bridge, a cuban Orgeta cigar dressed like a lady with the head cut off. So I terminated her services. She was the one who didn’t quit.


“As to how she found who I was, when the sniper with the high powered rifle tried to take anyone who was approaching the FBI / Smuggling op scene. I intervened. Turned out the guy was using AP rounds. Punched clean through my armor - two layers - and me - except for the head shot. I have a hard head. That one bounced. She found out when the rounds started working there way back out of me later.


“You are pretty lucky there Yoandy. She not really that mad right now. The other day she punched through a fire door - because she was mad at me for trying to mollycoddle her. I can’t say that I am thrilled to have her risking her life either, but I am learning to deal with it. It scares the hell out of me too. You will just have to learn to deal with it too.”


Kevin looked at Antonella. There was a somewhat aggressive look in his eyes, that alpha male look he got on occasion. “Anything else I can tell him?” He so wanted to break the news to the guy that he was dating his sister, but he had managed to restrain himself. He wasn’t sure that Antonella wanted that piece of information to be revealed just yet. Personally though, he thought this fell under the category of just ripping the bandage off.


He looked back over to Antonella as she suggested getting in some practice. “That sounds like a good idea. We have plenty of water. Maybe the Commander could suggest some good targets?” He smiled. “Or I suppose I would be a safer target. Talon probably wouldn’t mind. I am curious to see if you need to breath underwater - and how fast you can swim. I have a feeling that my comment the other day of swimming circles around you may no longer be true. And I wonder if you can walk on water.”

 

[Industrial Lace]

"So long as you understand the errors of your way." Antonella said smiling to then raise a brow. "You cut me off because of a cigar? I got one too but I continued." She said with a shrug.


"For now? Not much; thanks for explaining." Antonella said kissing him squared on the lips.


"I don't think I'll be Jesus walking on water anytime soon. But the other stuff we'll see." Antonella said with a chuckle taking his arm casually with a smile. After all actions spoke louder than words.