The Magistracy Hunt

[csyphrett]

1

 

The only pieces of furniture in the room were a desk and a chair. Behind that desk sat a man who was so ordinary that he could blend in anywhere without a thought. He toyed with the pen in his hand as he waited for his commands to be carried out.

 

"Sir, the project subjects have been prepped and have been shipped to their attack points," said the man on the other end of the speaker phone line. "Are you sure this is such a good idea? They haven't been tested."

 

"They're expendable Dr. Krueger," said the man behind the desk. "If things go well, we can make thousands more to fill the void. If they fail this field test, we'll know what to fix in the future. I'm sure we understand each other."

 

"I understand it," said Krueger. "I just don't like it."

 

The man behind the desk smiled thinly as the phone disconnected. The project had produced a crop of babies for Krueger. Like all mothers, he was unwilling to let his children go. He had put up the money and facility for the doctor, so the man had better tow the line. Otherwise he might have a series of painful accidents.

 

The man behind the desk put the pen down, reviewing his plan in his mind. It seemed seamless at the moment. He knew better. The Chemist would see a hole to exploit as soon as he was aware of the real danger. The magician would have to be kept busy.

 

That was a trick easier said than done.

 

The Chemist's new found comrades were also effective, and a threat to his plans. Their deaths would be enough of a distraction to confuse his old enemy. Thanks to the Halberdier, he had a gauge of their abilities. He would see how reliable a gauge it was in a few hours.

 

Phase two should be ready by then.

[Trebuchet]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

Glad to see you continuing the story.

 

The correct phrase is "Toe the line," not "tow the line." I'm sure that was just a typo as the E and W keys are adjacent on a QWERTY keyboard, but most word processors won't catch that since both are real words.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

Thanks, Trebuchet. I write like a blind monkey which is why I am glad I have spell checker.

CES

[aylwin13]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

This story has been great, CS. I can't wait to see the next installment. Keep up the great work.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

This story has been great' date=' CS. I can't wait to see the next installment. Keep up the great work. [/quote']

 

Thanks, Aylwin.

CES

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

2

Jerry Silver stood on the roof of his tower, looking out over the ocean. The sky was clear in all directions, the waves calm against the artificial island constructed by the Chemist. He liked to stand up there on the rampart and watch the endless sea until work and commitments called him back to the real world.

 

He still had reports to file on the breach by the Halberdier, damage to a cargo plane, and the mercenary's capture and mental shutdown. All the experts, including members of his team, said there was no reason for Stafford to be in a coma. Only the Chemist said a spell had been used to keep them from questioning him. Silver asked for guards at all times, and immediate transfer to a suitable maximum security prison when he woke up.

 

It didn't take a genius to realize that a mastermind was behind it all. The Halberdier worked for money, for others.

 

Something bad was coming.

 

"Mr. Silver," said Reilly, a radar operator borrowed from the US Marines. "We have multiple bogies coming in from the west, from the mainland. They're coming fast."

 

"Put everybody on alert, Reilly," Jerry said, moving to get a look at the invaders of his air space. "We're not expecting anyone. Send the greeting, the usual."

 

"No response on the radio," said Reilly. "The net and missile guidance is online. These things are man sized according to the radar."

 

"I see them," said Silver. "This is trouble, Reilly. Tell the team they have to get ready to fight."

 

"They're assembling, sir," said the operator. "Missiles away."

 

Plumes of smoke erupted from the sea as the defensive measures fired at the line of death the UN Security Council had allowed. A red beam sliced through the first missile before it could get clear of the water. A fire blast boiled the ocean as it caught the second. Silver couldn't see what happened to the third.

 

"I got nine flying guys, Reilly," Silver said. "Any identification?"

 

"That's negative," said the operator. "Brand new monsters."

 

"Got to go," said Silver, blasting lightning across the clear blue sky. "You might want to batten the hatches."

 

Different energy beams returned fire, tearing at the roof of the tower. Silver had to throw himself out of the way. The air conditioner/heat pumps weren't so lucky. They blew up in a pile of parts.

 

"Maker won't like that," he said to himself.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

The woman in question stood in Operations, grimacing at the reports. Other teams were being attacked across the nation. The CORPS, The School, Odd Squad, and others were dealing with the problem as best they could.

 

Maker had designed a shield to keep out aircraft, superhumans, and automatons. Operations had triggered it to hold the enemy superhumans off until her colleagues could move outside to keep the intruders out of the tower. Someone had overridden the system from outside the building.

 

This was the second time this had happened.

 

Her system should have rejected all attempts to take it over. Instead it had rolled over and played dead for the hacker. She had to do something about that. The others could handle the enemy long enough for her to check things out from the inside.

 

Maker concentrated, her silver and black armor linking to the control systems. Her perceptions split into two different fields, but settled into the virtual reality that helped navigate the code she had programmed in. If she could find the source of the problem, she could hack him back.

 

Maker wandered the electronic landscape until she saw the square box that denoted the commands codes. A set of silver chains kept the pieces of the box wrapped up tight. She paused to think about it, but finally decided that cutting the line would be fine.

 

She had to do something to free her baby.

 

Maker's avatar sprouted a blazing blade to cut through the chain of code. Once she did that, the lasers and other defenses should automatically reboot. Then she could work on identifying the trouble makers.

 

"We can't allow you to do that just yet, Miss Maker," said another avatar, a man in a tuxedo and top hat, mask covering his face. "Your comrades will have to do without the toys you created for a bit longer."

 

"You said we," said Maker. "I only see one of you."

 

Suddenly the tuxedoed man split into a line of duplicates, crowding the net space. All of them smiled as they doffed their hats, and bowed.

 

"This could be a bit more difficult than I first thought," said Maker, eyeing the crowd blocking the trapped linkages.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

4

 

Jerry Silver fired bolts of lightning at his attackers as he headed for the access door from the roof of the tower. Something heavy crashed behind him. He took a moment to shoot at the metal hide, and wasn't pleased to see the lightning just flow around the steel man.

 

"Your time's over, old man," the colossus said as he cracked the roof top with his footsteps.

 

"My watch is still running," said Silver, ducking from another laser blast. "I'm waiting for you, gimp."

 

"May I cut in?," said John Public, suddenly appearing on the roof. "Jerry doesn't like to get his hands dirty, and I can score brownie points with my girlfriend if I can stop you from wrecking anything else."

 

"Girlfriend?," said Jerry.

 

"I'm working on it," said Public, pushing the sleeves of his jacket back from his forearms.

 

"It won't matter in a second," said the metal man, swinging his ham-sized fist like a wrecking ball. Killing the Magistrates was his purpose. It didn't matter which one died first.

 

John Public stepped inside the swing, already linked to the residents of the tower, drawing on their proximity to boost his own power and speed. He gave the living statue a push with both hands. The colossus rocked backwards, stumbled back a few steps.

 

Phaeton and Luna appeared out of thin air next. The solar powered hero took to the air, starting a dogfight with the eight other aerial combatants. The air was alive with various types of energy as they danced.

 

Quick slowed down next to Luna, looking around at the scene.

 

"We really need more people who can fly on our team," Quick said.

 

"Tell me about it," said Luna. "Could you get me about a dozen rocks?"

 

"Sure," said Quick, flickering in the air. She handed over the requested items, but held another dozen stones in her other hand.

 

The metal man went for the women, deciding to take out the easy prey first, then turning on Public who was faster than his steel form. He wasn't prepared for a rock thrown faster than any hurricane could. The home made bullet hit him in the forehead with blinding force. Then he was hoisted in the air and thrown over the side of the rampart.

 

"I hope you can swim," Public called down after his falling nemesis.

 

A splash of ocean water marked where Krueger's baby sank out of sight.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

5

 

The man known as the Chemist frowned in concentration. He stood in his quarters near the door, hand reaching for the keypad to unlock it. He felt something beyond the sliding panels. He knew it waited for him to leave his sanctum.

 

The Chemist wrote on the metal panel with his finger. The archaic letter changed the door to one way, see through plastic. A mist hung outside his threshold, blocking the hall beyond from sight. Obviously it was supposed to keep him from going to the aid of his friends.

 

It would be easy just to shift positions and join the battle on the roof. The problem was what would this mist do to the undefended staff members when he left. He had promised them protection from harm. He couldn't break that promise.

 

The Chemist wrote on the door again. The panels twisted, started to spin in front of him as a large fan rotating inside the door frame. The sudden wind blew the cloud away to reveal the gray cloaked man within. The intruder held his cowl forward to shade his face as the wind beat at him.

 

"I suppose I should be overjoyed that I am a specific target," the Chemist said, stopping the fan so he could leave his room. "Do we talk about this, or do we fight, and I get the answers out of you afterwards?"

 

"I have been ordered to deal with you as best that I can," said the gray cloak, almost smiling. "That's my purpose."

 

The Chemist wrote on the air, forming a globe of light that reached for the cloaked man. He didn't know what powers the man possessed but the cell should hold him. The intruder changed to a mist that evaded the spell and dove right at his opponent. There was a moment where they battled each other mentally, but the mist swept into the magician's nose, mouth, eyes, and ears. The magistrate collapsed to the floor.

 

"Now we meet on even terms," the Gray Cloak said.

 

The Chemist realized that he had been pushed to a psychic battleground. His mastery over reality meant nothing in the confines of his own mind. His mentality grimaced as he waited for the battle to commence.

[RomanMetal]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

You have a new reader.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

You have a new reader.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

CES

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

6

 

Phaeton swooped through the air, fire rolling from his hands high over the Atlantic. His attack was answered by laser eyebeams, sonic pulses, lightning, and a strange bird call. He lost sight of a gray man in a hooded gray cloak as he dodged through the sky.

 

Then Public threw one of them into the ocean. The nine invaders became eight with that move.

 

Phaeton turned, hoping to catch one of the flying blasters by surprise. A woman in red landed on top of his back, swinging a left. Only his flaming aura protected him from the full force of the blow. Dizziness from the contact turned his smooth flying into an effort not to hit the exterior of the Tower.

 

"The animals say die!," the woman screamed into his ear, as she tried to turn Phaeton's head around on his neck.

 

"I'll pass," Phaeton responded, ducking his head and straightening his flight path to head down at the ocean. His aura cranked up as he sped forward, cooking leather drifting to his nose. The woman let go and kicked away before they both hit the water. The solar hero pulled up at the last minute to avoid running into the ocean himself.

 

He realized the woman had only let him go to rescue her metal teammate from drowning, if he could drown. She seemed at home in the water as she had been in the air. That was bad for him, but he would have to deal with it when he could. The other members of her team were still trying to get into the Tower.

 

He had to hold them off until Silver came up with a plan.

 

Phaeton charged the other fliers, dodging the attacks his shield wouldn't handle as he soared upwards. The two insects with their sonic beams tried to catch him in a crossfire as he rushed full bore at them. Rocks smashed against their tough carapaces, cracking them with the impact. That made them swerve out of alignment with each other. The magistrate turned and rammed the one on the right before he could recover. The flight path carried the anthropoid invader into the Tower's outer wall.

 

Phaeton turned and dove onto the winged menace. The insect tried to get out of the way, but the ramming punch slammed him against the tough glass, knocking him senseless. The magistrate grabbed him by the scruff of his neck before he could fall to his death.

 

The other insect, body shape resembling a woman's with four arms, fired her sonic pulse at Phaeton. He dodged the beam. The glass behind him shattered into a thousand pieces before it fell toward the rocky island and ocean below.

 

Phaeton had a feeling this was becoming a personal fight now as the bug woman fired blast after blast at him as he carried his burden across the sky.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

7

 

Jeffrey Stafford blinked his eyes. He didn't move, just took a moment to listen. He realized he had wound up in a hospital after his confrontation with the Magistracy. An IV pierced one arm, the other wore a handcuff with the other loop of metal around the bed's rail.

 

Stafford closed his eyes, feeling imaginary dust flake away in a cloud. He had to get out of the hospital before Silver learned he had awaken. That meant getting out of the handcuff on the rail.

 

Stafford carefully looked around the room. No guard, no nurse, no roommate. He didn't see anything that might be used to open the lock either. He didn't plan to stroll through the halls with the metal barrier strapped to his wrist like Mel Gibson.

 

Stafford closed his eyes again, resting in the bed. Something would turn up. Patience would carry him along until he saw a chance. Until then, he had to appear to still be asleep to avoid questioning and a possible relapse.

 

A nurse came in and checked on him, checking his pulse and blood pressure. She noted them on his chart before leaving. She didn't notice she was missing a pair of tweezers as she worked her way down the hall.

 

Stafford jammed the small metal bar into the handcuff lock. He felt around until the handcuff sprang open. That had been extremely fortunate for him. One size bigger or smaller, the tweezers wouldn't have worked.

 

Stafford went to the closet, checking it for clothes. Of course, the authorities had not left him any. Running around in a backless gown made him easier to spot.

 

Stafford went to the door, glad that it was closed and blocking the room from sight. He listened, but heard nothing other than the usual hospital sounds. He needed to move swiftly.

 

Stafford pulled the door open, spotting the guard immediately. The man sipped coffee, sat in a chair, read a book. The cop never saw the two hands that clamped on his head and turned it until the neck cracked. One pull swept the body into the room. Three minutes later a man in a police uniform headed for the exit, nodding and smiling at those he passed as he made his way to freedom.

 

The Halberdier decided to take a blue pickup. That would carry him to a safe house so he could resupply and figure out his next move.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

8

Maker pointed her hand at the multitude of magicians blocking her from her network. They blocked operations from activating security measures. It threatened the support staff in the building. The men in tuxedoes and top hats had to go.

 

A stream of anti-intruder software spiders boiled from her avatar hand. They scurried forward with a poisonous bite that should disrupt these hacker programs. White rabbits dropped out of the hats, some with bats, some with cricket paddles, some with anything that could be used as a club. They fell on the spiders with swinging death. The crystal arachnids shattered under the onslaught but not before some of their attackers succumbed to bites and scattered to the virtual air.

 

"Well done," said the magicians, speaking together, smiling together. "Try some kung fu rabbit feet."

 

The white rabbits charged the engineer, waving their weapons in anger. Fire glittered in their eyes.

 

Maker aimed her hands at the charging lepus, firing multiple warhead missiles as she charged. The launched rockets split into a barrage of needles. That punched a hole through the mass of furry monsters, even making some of the white wizards jump out of sequence.

 

The rest of the rodents converged on the running mistress of technology. They tried to pile up on her, to take her off her feet. Maker jumped, dropping whirling blades of death as she fired at the magician line with her rockets.

 

Hopefully the intruder hacker wouldn't see the real trick she was trying.

 

The magicians spread their capes into shields to block the missile attack. Needles wouldn't blast through the rocklike wall they had concocted around their security block. Then they could do some real tricks after the explosive wave had passed.

 

Maker had counted on a defensive move. Her needles arced over the cape fort as the blades chopped the bunnies up. They landed in a row behind the magicians and went off like a line firecrackers. That scattered the avatars out of her way.

 

9

The Chemist waited.

 

His opponent had picked the battlefield, presumably had powers to manipulate the psyche. Rushing into battle could be disastrous against a home field advantage. A battle of wills meant sticking to his purpose without being swayed by what he experienced on this mental plane.

 

The others would have to do without him until he dealt with the gray cloak waiting on the other side of the shifting plane.

 

A bugaboo with too many arms, and legs, barreled from his past, huge mouth dripping pus saliva over needle teeth. It had emerged from some vault when he was a boy, and almost killed him before he could learn his full talents to convert the formulae of the world. He concentrated, and it vanished.

 

The cloak had vanished in the distraction caused by the shade of memory.

 

The Chemist stood his ground. His attacker hadn't invaded his mind only to give up after one tiny feint. The magician looked around, trying to penetrate the fog of his thoughts with his mind.

 

Tentacles wrapped around him, bearing the magistrate to the uneven ground. He tried to will them away like the first thing that had attacked. Tiny fangs bit him where the tentacles touched. His will drained away slightly from the pain.

 

The Chemist heard laughter. He concentrated on the letters that shaped the world around him. He plucked one out of the air, and a tree wrapped him in its branches as it grew under and around him. Tiny pinpricks talked to him painfully about what that had cost him in flesh and blood.

 

The tentacles withdrew from the angry tree, sinking into the ground. Closing holes marred the battlefield as the gray cloak readied his next attack under a shell of mental dirt.

 

Dry rot consumed the tree, eating it away from its roots. It crumbled to one side as the brown flakes did their work. The Chemist dropped to the ground, rolling as he hit to get away from the hungry bacteria. It came toward him, sizzling like bacon on a grill.

 

The Chemist reached into the air, producing a bottle. He flung it in the middle of the seething mass. The mouth of the glass container drew the amorphous thing into captivity even as it resisted the unseen current.

 

10

Jerry Silver ducked a laser beam, looking over the battle for the roof. Nine attackers, two of which were missing in action, two had crawled on the island from a bath in the ocean, one was locked in Phaeton's arm as he ran from the remaining four in the air. The odds had shifted to better than even.

 

This also reminded him that without Maker and the Chemist, he had limited aerial attack capacity.

 

"We have a breach in the lobby," said Reilly. "All inner security still offline."

 

"Quick and Luna, get down there and deal with it," said Silver. "I don't want these clowns inside where they can really do damage. And find out what's going on with Chemist and Maker. We need them."

 

The two women vanished before Luna could utter a protest. Her mind and heart was dedicated to protecting her lover from harm. Jerry needed her to protect the civilians still in the building from harm.

 

That was the job she signed on for.

 

Jerry was also worried about his two missing members. They had probably been specifically targeted since their powers were so vast, dwarfing the rest of the group by exponential numbers. Additionally Maker knew everything about the security systems, and the building itself. That was an advantage that couldn't be ignored by any attacking force.

 

Phaeton led an insect woman over the building, dodging sonic blasts with solar flight. Jerry snapped off a bolt of lightning like a gunfighter. The electricity scorched the bug lady enough to drop her on the roof, sending her skidding into a rampart. Silver made sure she was out of it before turning his attention to the remaining fliers.

 

Phaeton reversed his flight, dropping his burden on the roof as he passed. Silver went over, and tied the bug man up with his belt before retreating. The clothing apparel could be a flimsy manacle at best but it should buy the magistrate just enough time to zap him if he had to.

 

That left three in the sky for Phaeton to deal with.

 

The solar adventurer, the blazing laser eyes, the guy on the flying motorcycle, and a woman in a dark cloak chased each other, firing away with their energy blasts as they careened through the sky. It made it hard for them to hit each other, and hard for Silver to hit one of them from the stationary point of the roof. He needed to get them to come at him so he could have a straight shot at one of them without all the fancy dogfighting.

 

That and better aim.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

11

 

The steel man and the totem woman entered the lobby of the Magistrate Tower. Their goal was to do enough damage to collapse the building and kill everyone trapped inside. Then they could report back to their father on a job well done.

 

They were both strong enough to knock out supporting steel girders and have the building fall into that gap they created with their fists.

 

Two women in costumes appeared in a gust of wind. The intruders had been briefed and programmed to hate these two as well as their comrades above. Killing them would have to come first over destroying the building.

 

The totem woman went after the woman in a helmet. Her animal speed would have to handle the speedy Quick long enough for the steel man to deal with the other magistrate. Then they could try for a double team on their remaining opponent.

 

Luna decided things weren't going to go that way as she leveled her slingshot at the charging female enemy. One rock to the forehead stunned the woman before she could cross the halfway point of the lobby. Then a green fury fell on the animal woman and trussed her up in magically appearing cables.

 

"Where did you get that stuff?," Luna asked, fitting another rock in her sling.

 

"Staten Island," said Quick. "They have it cheap if you know where to look."

 

The steel man charged at the nearest wall, hoping to reach a support beam and rip it apart. Rocks bounced off his hardened skin as he crashed through the sheet rock to the other side. He kept going, heading for the next wall.

 

"Rocks and a slingshot won't stop that lummox," said Quick.

 

"No kidding," said Luna. "I'm open to suggestions."

 

Quick shook her head before vanishing. She didn't have a clue how to stop someone made of steel but she had a friend who could if he had enough people around him. The speedster appeared on the roof, grabbed John Public, and reappeared in the lobby.

 

"Need a hand, ladies?," he said, straightening his jacket with a pull.

 

"Steel jerk on the loose," said Luna, vanishing through a hole in the wall.

 

Public followed, speed borrowed from the residents still in the building. That made him a faster runner than Luna, but no one was as fast as Quick who had vanished again. The magistrates ran after the dull rhino, who turned to throw a punch at Luna who ducked the clumsy move. The psychic drain took to the air, grappling his more massive opponent to the ground.

 

Public brought his hand down on the man's face hard enough to sink his head into the floor. He made sure the steel man was alive with his mental touch, but he was happy the guy was knocked out.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

12

 

Jerry Silver nodded at the report that someone had been taken down before they could hurt the normal people on duty. He still had two unaccounted members of his group. He and Phaeton were holding their own for the moment. He asked Luna's group to look into it.

 

They were free and clear while he was stuck on the roof.

 

Quick appeared a moment later, wind eddying around her ankles as she stopped. One glance around told her the situation. She joined Silver where he flung thunderbolts in the air. She had the last of her rocks in her hand, tossing them up lightly in the air.

 

"We're stalemated as long as we can't reach those buggers," said Silver, thinking out loud. "Any suggestions?"

 

"We hold them off until we get our fire power back," said Quick. "We're just trading shots since we can't fly."

 

"I'll have to look into that," said Silver, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I never tried to grab a flier at all."

 

"Don't be so cranky," said Quick. One arm cranked back, then let go faster than a thought could be completed. The rock crashed against the flying machine bearing down on Phaeton. Smoke followed flames from its engine.

 

"I don't know what the heck you're talking about," said Silver, taking aim at the crippled iron horse. One thunderbolt finished the job. The rider pulled a harpoon gun and fired it into the building, grabbing a hold by punching through a window.

 

"That's resourceful," said Silver. "I should have hired him."

 

"Not," said Quick. She vanished, then reappeared. The rider wore his rope around his body like a caterpillar's cocoon. A snap of her wrist sent him to the roof next to his partners.

 

"Nice work," said Silver. "Bet you can't hit the guy with the laser eyes."

 

"Guy with laser eyes?," said Quick, readying another rock. "You're on."

 

She waited, calculating the angles, and the velocity she would need. The speedster blinked to the opposite corner, and released her missile underhanded. Laser eyes stopped in midair, stunned by an invisible impact. Then he started to fall out of the sky.

 

"What do you think of that?," Quick asked, reappearing at Silver's side.

 

"Not bad," said Silver. "Not bad at all."

 

"Better than you, old man," said the speedster, smiling slightly under her helmet's visor.

 

Silver nodded, stepping into the open. He pointed his finger at the remaining attacker as Phaeton swooped down to catch the stunned blaster. Lightning filled the sky in a sheet of blinding white. When it cleared, the other flier started falling, smoke trailing behind like a tail.

 

"Why didn't you do that before?," Quick asked.

 

Silver hid the blood in his mouth by swallowing it. He checked his mouth with his fingers before he tried to answer.

 

"Didn't want to hit Phaeton," he said, trying to project energy and enthusiasm in his voice to cover the sudden weakness he felt. "It's not selective in what it goes after."

 

"I wonder where these jokers came from," said Quick.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

13

John Public stood at Reilly's shoulder, looking at the Operations computer screen. He couldn't follow the displays of code that streaked up the center of the screen. The control officer's frustration stained the air to the psychic.

 

"What's the problem, Reilly?," Public asked. He tried to project soothing calm, even though he was worried about Maker. She stood hooked up to the computer, mind inside the machine.

 

"We've been hacked," said Reilly. "The boss went in to find the problem, but I can't help her, and the building's defenses are down while she's in there."

 

"Don't worry," said Public. "We have your solution right here."

 

John went over to Maker's side, gesturing for Luna to join him. He took skills, strength, power from the people around him. He could also move it around if he wanted to do that. It was time to give his friend the help she needed. He placed one hand on Maker's arm, and one hand on Luna's. Then he activated his powers.

 

Luna felt herself grow light headed, then ride a tunnel of light. Then she stood on a platform in a sky of dazzling colors. She didn't know a lot about computers, but she knew that she had been downloaded into the system to help the machinist, and she had a body to do that.

 

This was going to be a big video game for her to walk through.

 

Multiple Makers in her metal armor battled with as many magicians in white tuxedos and capes. Neither side noticed the lone Luna. The combatant realized that the magicians had clustered around a box with a set of chains on it. They were protecting it from the magistrate's icons.

 

They wouldn't stop her. She had experience going through whomever she wanted to get to wherever she needed to be.

 

Luna jumped. A platform appeared where she would land on it. It extended in front of her as she bounded forward. The first magician who saw her tried to cover her with a horde of pecking doves. She sliced through them with a hand as she made for that knot of invading hackwork.

 

The magicians had to multiply again to keep Maker away, and deal with this new program. They unleashed a barrage of attacks on the heroine as she closed on them. None touched her as she stepped from side to side, zigzagging closer to her goal. The white wizards sank into one giant figure, picking up the chained box in a gloved hand. One move of his fingers and the box vanished into thin air.

 

"You want to play that?," asked Luna. "You're going down."

 

Luna went for an ankle. Her hands were capable of plowing through stone. Bones, no matter how big they were, could be broken almost as easily from her standpoint. Once one leg stopped working, she could go to work on the other one.

 

Neither noticed Maker stepping back from the fray. Combat was not something she claimed to be good at. Supporting others allowed her to use her talents to achieve quick solutions. Luna's appearance in the cyberworld gave her time to think of an answer to the problem.

 

She readied an arm launcher as she went over her idea in her mind.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

14

 

The Chemist hated dueling. He wasn't a coward, nor one to back down from a fight. He liked to think of peaceful solutions where possible and apply them with his unknown letters. It was the very art of magic.

 

His current problem was the psychic invasion of his mind. His will and the Gray Cloak's battled across the landscape, changing imaginary things, battling with daydreams and nightmares. The magician felt the other was fighting a holding action to distract him from a greater problem outside his mind.

 

If the Cloak should win, that would be so much the better for these mysterious attackers.

 

The Chemist decided that he should resort to sneakiness, something that he preferred to flinging thunderbolts. He started by creating a fog, filling it with bad memories. He stepped inside the cloud as it rolled forward like a wave. The next part depended on how his adversary reacted to the potential danger.

 

The Gray Cloak dispersed the mist with a wave of his hand. Surprise flickered across his face when he couldn't see the Chemist anywhere on the battleground. His efforts had been stalemated at every turn. The man had to be here. His mind was provably still extant.

 

The Gray Cloak felt something rub the back of his hood. He tried to turn and found himself frozen in place. He tried to will himself free of the immobilization. He frowned when nothing happened.

 

"I bet you're wondering what's going on," said the Chemist. "I used a spell to shut down your powers. You're a prisoner here until I release you back in the real world. I'm going to check on my friends, and then I'll come back to talk to you. I hope you'll have some answers."

 

"You can't leave me like this," said the Cloak.

 

"You're right," said the Chemist. He wrote a second letter on the man's forehead, watching the man close his eyes. "You can sleep before we talk again."

 

The Chemist broke the psychic influence on his mind, and awoke to the challenge facing him and his friends.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

15

 

Maker waited for her chance, glad that Luna had arrived in the network to help her. The hacker had formed himself into a giant. That wasn't enough to stop the fighter from attacking his body and forcing him back. The much smaller woman struck the avatar in the ankle with the sound of a tree snapping. He started falling, off balanced by his broken leg. Maker fired her arm cannon.

 

Rocket needles sprouted from the muzzle on the heads of smokey ribbons. They went for the Magician's flesh with cheerful abandon. They burrowed in on impact, like real parasites. Agony broke apart the pixels of his face. The code box slid out of a hole created by the antivirus projectiles. Another volley snapped the chain wrapped around it.

 

The base defenses came online, triggering automatic responses to the invasion of the mainframe. The magician found himself surrounded by avatars resembling soldiers in riot armor. Some held very large cannons supported by frameworks to hold the fire blast on target when they pulled the trigger.

 

"Get him, boys," Maker said to her small army as it continued to grow to repel the hacker from the digital world. Luna looked surprised for once. That was almost worth the fighting she had done before her friend had been loaded. Troops on the outside would have to round up her rapidly losing consistency enemy in the real world.

 

"It looks like you cooked his goose for good," Luna said, smiling slightly.

 

"Not yet," said Maker, prepared to fire another round of her special missiles. "But I'm working on it."

 

The avatar faded away. The net world lit up with thousands of messages. Everything seemed to be going back to normal. One message passed through with the location of the hacker in the building.

 

"Let's pick that monkey up," said Luna. "Then we can find out what's going on."

 

The two magistrates blinked out of the landscape. The virtual world didn't miss them as it became numbers streaming through hardware. Maker blinked as she adjusted to the real world with John Public holding her metal form close. A smile lit his face.

 

"I'm glad to have you back," John said. "What's our status, Reilly?"

 

"We're green," said the operations officer, grinning in relief. "Security is tracing back the hacker."

 

"Let us know when they find him," said Public. "We'll need to round him up and talk to him."

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

16

 

 

The Magistracy regarded their prisoners grimly. They had kept one out of the group for questioning while security tried to identify the intruders through links to the law enforcement community. So far the search had been unsuccessful.

 

"Bring him out so we can get this over with," said Silver, addressing the Chemist as he turned away from the high tech cage. "We need to know what exactly is the plan behind this."

 

"I thought it was the usual let's kill the heroes gambit myself," said the Chemist, following the gray haired man.

 

"Always the most likely thing," agreed Silver, lighting up a cigarette as he walked. "The problem is where did these new guys come from. They don't have records, identifying marks, or anything else we can use to trace them. It's almost like their personal stuff has been erased."

 

"We won't know until we ask," said the Chemist. "I have an idea, or two, if we can't learn anything from this Psi-Ghost character by talking."

 

"I'm glad one of us does," said Silver.

 

The two men walked into the meeting room where the rest of the Magistrates waited with the gray cloaked mind thief. A blindfold blocked his ability to make eye contact and escape into someone's mental landscape. Glowing letters blocked his ability to pass through solids.

 

"About time," said Luna. "Can we get started now?"

 

"You heard the lady," said Silver, glaring at the blindfolded man. "Why all the trouble?"

 

"I can't betray my creator," said the Psi-Ghost. "And I wouldn't if I could."

 

Silver raised his eyebrows at the word creator. He could see the almost same expression run through the rest of his comrades. Creator implied an artificial bestowment of powers, perhaps more.

 

"What makes you think we don't know who your creator is already?," said Silver.

 

"No!," said the cloaked psychic. "You will never know who gave me life!"

 

Foam began running out of Psi-Ghost's mouth. Sweat dripped from his forehead, soaking the top of the blindfold in seconds. Blood vessels stood out on his forehead as he shook from head to foot in the chair. The Chemist stepped forward, inscribing a letter on the air with a finger.

 

The captive froze in place, draining more of his gray out so that he resembled a line drawing of a tortured soul. His face had been caught in a determined grimace of hate. Interrogation would get them nowhere if he could will himself to die.

 

"Any suggestions?," said Silver.

 

"It gives new meaning to fighting to the death," said Luna.

 

"Anyone else?," said Silver, with more than a little irritation in his voice.

 

"We could try to read his memories," said John Public. "I don't how successful that will be, but it might give us some kind of clue."

 

"Go in his mind like he does in others?," asked the Chemist.

 

"I don't see why not," said Public. "Let our powers combine."

 

"The next time you say something like that," said Silver. "I'll have to kill you."

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

17

Psi-Ghost looked around. He stood in a small lab, a giant incubator dominating the center of the room. He had been here before. This was where he and his kinsman had been created.

 

His father took the eggs and implanted them in artificial wombs set up around the incubator. He grew his small army in a matter of weeks from that first injection, various treatments, then finally birth.

 

Psi-Ghost followed the memory through his training as a psychic warrior. He was aware that he was a one of a kind. The others had been built on a purely physical basis while he had been designed to attack a target's mind.

 

The names of the others filed through his mind as he remembered his early months. Teaching programs and sped up biology coupled with physical training made them perfect soldiers, maybe not so perfect since they had been captured by a group such as the Magistracy.

 

The clones had been separated into different attack groups. Plans had been procured of the headquarters of the different agencies under assault. Then they had attacked with the intention of destroying their targets.

 

Psi-Ghost had been specifically assigned to the Chemist in the hopes of crushing the magician before he could aid his comrades. His mastery of the secret letters meant he had the power to tip the battle singlehandedly.

 

Psi-Ghost paused at the memory. Something was wrong with this playback of his experiences. A veil had been placed across his mind once he remembered that he had attacked the Chemist to keep him out of the battle.

 

This whole memory trip smacked of manipulation. Where was the outside world? What was going on with his comrades? Had they succeeded in their mission? Where was he?

 

Psi-Ghost tried to raise his hand to look at it. He couldn't feel it. His body appeared unresponsive to his wishes.

 

"I know this isn't real," he called to the ether. "I know you're doing something to me to make me remember."

 

"We would like to meet your father," Jerry Silver said, appearing out of the fog. "I think he needs to explain what the plan is."

 

"You can't be serious," said the psychic invader. "I'll never betray my creator to the likes of you."

 

"You test tube kids attacked more than one group of heroes," said Silver. "Someone will get him even if it isn't us. Make it easy on yourself and your brothers. I'm willing to cut a deal for the head cheese and let you children walk away with minimum time."

 

"You can't expect me to betray the man who gave me life," said Psi-Ghost, realizing that he was on the mental plane, but prevented from using his own powers. "Not even to help my brothers."

 

"When this illusion ends," said Silver, lighting up an imaginary smoke. "Your mind will be put on ice. We have already concluded that your body will self destruct unless we keep you in a special restraint. This is your last chance, then you'll be in the dark forever."

 

"I need time to think," said Psi-Ghost.

 

"Take all the time you want," said Silver.

 

Silver faded away to allow the illusion of privacy inside the mental cell.

 

Psi-Ghost considered his options. He could refuse and be locked away until someone stopped his self destruction somehow. That meant never seeing the outside world in any capability. He could accept and they would try to stop it immediately, and some kind of leniency would be extended by the Magistracy. He had no illusions that the other groups attacked would do the same.

 

Everything rested on what he decided to do.

 

Would his father understand the choice that he had to face? Would any of the others?

 

"Silver?," Psi-Ghost called. "I agree to your terms."

 

"All right," said the magistrate. "All we need is an address and a name for your father. Once he's rounded up, we'll work the deal."

 

"I understand," said the clone. He told the image everything he could remember about his former residence, pointing at a conjured picture of the building and surrounding neighborhood.

 

"Close your eyes," said Silver. "Count to three and you'll be dreaming until we can work out your plea."

 

"What do you guys think?," the real Jerry Silver said to his comrades as the captive slipped away to deeper depths. "Is this on the level?"

 

"It matches with the memory he showed us before he realized something was up," said John Public. "I don't see how you can promise him leniency for all of them."

 

"I'll worry about that when this is over," said Silver. "First we're going to have to check this out. I don't expect to be welcomed with leis and mint juleps."

 

"Already filing a warrant with the Attorney General," said Maker. "It'll be there to make sure the legalities are covered."

 

"Then let's talk to the doctor," said Silver. "Put these guys on ice, Chemist. I don't want them escaping while we're gone."

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

18

 

Jerry Silver puffed on his cigarette as he considered the cover for the stronghold he was going to smash. It looked like a small house in some uncleared trees well back from any road. A gravel driveway ran to a back road with the curves of a sidewinder.

 

"Tons of electronics around the house out to the property line," said Maker. "I'd have to say at least fifty motion detectors, with cameras thrown in."

 

"That's about what I expected," said Silver. "Can't be a mad scientist if you're afraid of the villagers all the time."

 

Silver and Maker stood on a hill overlooking the hidden lab. He had wanted a look at the exterior before the Magistracy broke everything. Camouflaged weapons and controls had lit up on the scanner Maker had extended from her arm. Any normal group of cops would be slaughtered before they got to the front door of the house.

 

"I haven't found any other access tubes," said Maker. Maybe the house is the only way in or out."

 

"Once we get started," said Silver. "He'll pop out of there like a gopher unless he has a teleporter like we do."

 

"What's the plan, chief?," said Maker.

 

"You stay out here and hack his electronics," said Silver. "Quick will provide security in case I'm right and he does leave some other way than what we see, as well as if there are more of the brotherhood waiting to be used. The rest of us will bust open the front door and see what's up. Hopefully we'll recover records so we can find out who put up the money for this super soldier operation."

 

"Let me send the schematics back to the Tower," said Maker. "We can step everyone to his front door and around the net."

 

"Let's get this started," said Silver. "He might decide to bolt any second now."

 

Maker concentrated on her armor. She had to be in contact with at least one of the security devices to hack into the control systems. That meant being closer than where she was standing. She sent the pictures back to the Tower, talked to the computer about the complex series of steps she wanted done, then waited for the others to say they were ready. Then she activated the satellites that would exchange the matter of her friends across the globe.

 

Silver vanished off the hill. He reappeared beside the assault team in front of the door to the house. Maker vanished at the same time. She and Quick materialized beside a tree at the edge of the property line. She stabbed a camera with a tendril from her hand and started working her magic.

 

The alarms never sounded the call to arms.

 

"Do your thing, Chemist," Silver said, throwing away the spent cigarette.

 

The magician wrote on the wall of the house with his finger. The secret letter turned the wood into a transparent sheet. He walked through, adjusting his sunglasses.

 

"Secret door," said Silver, looking around. "Where would I put it?"

 

Chemist wrote on the air. The resulting swirl of light drifted to a small couch. A closer inspection revealed the couch was on runners, designed to slide away with the push of a button. Phaeton pulled the disguise off with his prodigious strength. Then he yanked the door open with a pull of his hand.

 

Luna dropped down the shaft, using the walls to slow her momentum by bouncing back and forth.

 

"Excellent," said Silver.

 

A crash at the bottom of the shaft told the group that Luna had smashed open the doors down there to get in the main base. Phaeton shrugged and flew down after her.

 

"Really excellent," said Silver. "Let's go before they get into trouble."

 

John Public smiled, grabbed Silver and the Chemist around the waist. He dropped down the shaft easily. He had the power of two men, that grew as he fell down the tunnel. A lot of people were within his reach.

 

That wasn't unusual for a secret villain base in the middle of nowhere. There was bound to be support personnel wandering around.

 

They weren't a match for Luna. The limp bodies surrounding the opened elevator doors said that much.

 

"She enjoys this too much," Silver said. "Chemist, find our guy. John, see if you can round up someone willing to talk to us. It would be nice to know who put the money up for this."

 

"On it," said Public, straightening his jacket as he started down a corridor not littered by bodies.

 

A glow surrounded the Chemist and Silver. Two arcane letters joined in the air around them. Then the spell vaporized them with a happy hum. They reappeared inside a lab where a man in a lab coat desperately talked into a phone.

 

Silver gestured at his comrade to put an end to the conversation.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

19

 

The Chemist stepped forward silently and wrote on the man's back with his finger. The red letter put the man asleep instantly. The magician grabbed the receiver and put it to his ear.

 

"Doctor?," said a voice on the other end. "What's going on?"

 

The Chemist decided to trace the phone line to the mastermind behind the clone soldiers. He traced a symbol on the mouthpiece. His form started to warp and enter the line to follow the call back to the other end. Then he flew across the room, repelled by some unseen barrier. His flight wrecked some beakers, and a shelf on the wall that he pulled down as he fell to the floor.

 

"What the heck was that?," Silver said as he walked across the room to the phone. Laughter came from the receiver. He grabbed the handle. "Laugh this off."

 

Electricity flowed from his hand into the phone. There was a bang as the plastic exploded from his deadly grip. That had been petty but enjoyable, he decided as he checked on his friend.

 

"What happened?," Silver asked as he picked the Chemist off the floor.

 

"The phone had a shielding spell on the other end," the Chemist said, rubbing his neck with both hands. "When I tried to go to the caller, I hit that shield and rebounded."

 

"The other guy was a magician?," said Jerry. "What would a magician want with this Frankenstein setup?"

 

"I don't know," admitted the Chemist. "The spellwork was familiar. I have to think about it. I have seen the same interlock somewhere else recently."

 

"Maybe Psi-Ghost's dad can tell us what's up," said Silver.

 

"We need to get Maker in here to look at this equipment," said the Chemist. "She'll know what's safe, and what's a time bomb."

 

"Let's clear the building first," said Silver. "We don't want any more surprises."

 

Silver went to the door of the incubation room. At least the room was clear now that its only occupant slept soundly on the floor. He waited for the door to slide out of his way before peering into the corridor. He heard something from not too far away, but the hall stood empty.

 

"Let's go," Silver said, stepping into the empty passageway.

 

The two men started toward the sound Silver had heard. It sounded like a muffled thumping. Maybe one of the lab workers had been trapped by something, maybe some noisy engine was running, maybe a lot of things. The only way to be sure was to check it for themselves and rule out any danger.

 

Silver hoped it was something simple and nonthreatening. The Chemist was able to do a lot of things but physical violence gave him trouble if he was unprepared.

 

Silver followed the thumping until he found a thick door, almost a bank vault door. He didn't like the hole between the metal portal and the unscathed hall. Someone was trying to get rid of the door.

 

"I think we got some major trouble here," Silver said. "I wonder what was in this room to be locked away."

 

"Whatever it is," said the Chemist. "It's still in there. We have to think it will try to escape from this place."

 

"Seal it up," said Silver. "We want to shut this place down before we deal with anything too dangerous for the scientists to deal with by themselves."

 

The Chemist nodded, before writing on the door. The thick steel straightened itself out, locking back in place in the frame.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

20

 

Luna led the way down the corridor. So far she had only encountered guards who thought they could stop her, and civilians who thought they could run away from her punishing hands. They were both wrong.

 

Phaeton followed with his eyes on the side corridors in case someone tried a surprise attack. He kept his solar aura at minimum to prevent the walls from melting around him.

 

"We should let Quick in here to clean this place out," said Luna, grabbing a man by the neck and introducing him to a wall. "She could do this in a second."

 

"She's protecting Maker, and rounding up any strays," said Phaeton, kicking down a door with ease. He looked inside the room to make sure no one was around. "Silver doesn't like us to split up and be alone on missions unless he has to."

 

"I think he worries too much," said Luna.

 

"Maybe," said Phaeton.

 

The pair reached a crossroads. Luna listened, wanting to head for the area with the most enemy to deal with her way. This way said her ears, so she turned to the left and followed them.

 

"Something is going on up ahead," said the fighting fury. "I think somebody bit off more than they could chew."

 

Phaeton flew ahead, wondering what she had heard. He was not pleased by what he saw when he arrived. A tech had opened a metal vault door and let out some of the experiments. One of the genetic monsters decided she was food, and bit her arm deep enough to almost severe it.

 

The test tube creations were anthromorphic animals, marked with X's on their chests. The one that had attacked their savior seemed to be some kind of badger. The others were a tall bird, a rabbit, a duck, and a dog of some unknown type.

 

"This can't be good," said Phaeton, surrounding himself with fire. "Please move back into the vault. Police will arrive to take care of you as soon as possible."

 

"I don't think so, Doc," said the rabbit. His ears pointed at Phaeton, releasing twin beams of light at the magistrate.

 

Phaeton dodged the energy blasts, fired back with heat of his own. The bird ran off on its comrades. The duck shrank. The dog pulled an umbrella out of it fur to catch the flames. The badger continued to eat, but at least the tech had died from blood loss before it reached her insides.

 

"So this won't be as easy as I thought," Phaeton said.

 

The rabbit leaped in the air, blasting away with its ears. The duck ran around in circles because a spark had set its tail on fire. The dog dropped the umbrella, pulling a cannon out of its fur.

 

Phaeton dodged the laser ears, swinging on the dog. No way could that thing be fired in the close confines they were fighting in. The dog took the fist on the chin, flying down the hall from the blow. The duck looked up to get a boot in the bill. It followed its comrade in a higher arc.

 

The badger looked up angrily. It glared at Phaeton with red eyes. Then it started spinning in place, creating a tornado around itself. The cyclone came down the hall, intent on ripping the magistrate apart.

 

Phaeton fired a blast into the windstorm, trying to knock out the badger before it could close to grapple on him. The fire passed through without touching the beast. He could hear the snapping of teeth inside the funnel.

 

"Let me," said Luna, finally arriving on the scene.

 

The tornado and fury met each other in the middle of the hall. Phaeton thought he saw his love reach into the funnel, while she spun around. The badger smashed into the wall, and looked stunned. Luna made sure by driving his face into the wall a few times until he slumped to the ground.

 

"Put the ears up, or be fricasseed, rabbit," Phaeton said.

 

"You got me, Doc," said the rabbit, holding his hands up. "I know when I'm beaten, I know when the jig's up. I know when violence won't help me out of a jam."

 

"Shut up," said Luna, slicing her hand across his skull as she dragged the badger by the scruff of his neck with the other.

 

All of the warped animals went back into the storage area. Chambers for freezing lined the walls.

 

"We're missing one," Luna said, stuffing her load into their cells.

 

"There was a bird," said Phaeton, stuffing the dog and duck into their cylinder homes. "It ran off while I was dealing with these guys."

 

"Secret weapons?," said Luna, making sure they didn't miss another one of the weird pets.

 

"I think that woman thought they would stop us," said Phaeton, indicating the half-devoured corpse. "That badger thing ate her arm off before I got here."

 

"Guys," Luna said into her com. "We have a very large intelligent bird running loose in here. It could be dangerous."

 

"It's six feet tall and fast," added Phaeton. "It looks like our friends aren't the only things made by our mad scientists."

 

"We have a vault of those things too," said Silver. "Look out for more of those areas. We don't know what these clowns came up with before they sent their latest after us."

 

"More than one vault," said Luna. "They must have been experimenting for a while to get the perfect match to what they wanted."

 

"Let's get back on the job," said Phaeton. "That bird will show up or not. We don't want any more of these spaces opened while we're working."

 

"No kidding," said Luna, leading the way.

[csyphrett]

Re: The Magistracy Hunt

 

21

 

 

John Public frowned as he dropped his latest victim to the floor.

 

He had gathered enough information to fulfill his objectives. He knew everything that he could scoop off the surface memories of those he touched. The problem was everyone knew a different story, and talking wasn't encouraged.

 

Most of his subjects knew about the vaults, and that they should stay away from the subjects inside. That was useful to know. He decided to tour the place and find those rooms and make sure they stayed close.

 

He frowned a little deeper when he heard about the giant bird running loose. At least Maker was outside and safe from trouble.

 

John veered his course to the other side of the building. He felt the conditions of people around him. His friends were familiar steel, while the normal people were various softer and harder metals. He realized the experiments were sleeping flowers.

 

John felt the normals were heading toward the far side of the complex away from his friends. There must be a door there to get to the surface. He bounded down the corridor after his mental image.

 

"We have some escapees," John said into his com as he ran. "They should be coming out the south side."

 

"I've got it," said Quick. "I see some kind of door under the house on that side."

 

"I'm heading over there from the inside," said John. "Watch out for that bird."

 

"Yes, mother," said Quick.

 

You worry too much, John told himself as he moved with his borrowed speed.

 

John reached the secret exit as the last of the fugitives tried to crowd into the elevator. He pushed in too. No one liked that. They liked it even less when he placed them under arrest and started tying them up with their belts and clothes.

 

The elevator door opened at the top of the shaft. John pushed the crowd out on their sides. He ignored the groaning and cursing.

 

"And they say you don't have a sense of humor," said Quick, surrounded by her own captures.

 

"I have everyone's sense of humor," said Public. "I'll try to herd anybody else this way for you to take care of."

 

"Sounds like a plan," said Quick. "I'll wait right here for you."

 

The elevator went down before John could use it to get back to work. The two magistrates waited for it to return to the surface. The door opened. A tall, purple bird gazed at the two of them, then blasted pass them like a shot.

 

"Phaeton's bird," said Quick. "It's fast. I'll give it that."

 

"Faster than you?," said John.

 

"Nothing's faster than me," said Quick, disappearing in a cloud of dust, and leaves.

 

"All right," said John. He got back in the elevator and rode it down. Quick could handle that road runner fast enough on her own. Without help, there was no way for him to keep up anyway.

 

John exited the lift, and looked around. He felt at low ebb. That usually meant that there was a small amount of people around who could give him a boost. He still felt as strong as ten men. That was something.

 

John decided to walk around and see if there was any stragglers he needed to deal with before hooking up with the others. He expected most of the people had run into Luna.

 

John found that he had been right as he wandered the halls. Bodies were scattered left and right, victims of the hand. He gathered the sleeping technicians and security and made sure they were tied secure enough to keep them out of trouble.

 

He came across Silver and Chemist as they were sealing another of the prototype vaults they had found. Silver didn't look as angry as usual.

 

"I think we bagged everyone," said John. "Quick is chasing down some big bird, but it seems to be the only escapee."

 

"We'll have to get the School on this," said Silver. "Before we do that, let's question our pigeon."

 

"I'm wondering if this is connected to Stafford," said Public.

 

"What did you say?," asked the Chemist.

 

"I said I wonder if this lab and clone thing was connected to Stafford's deal," said Public.

 

"We left that doctor alone in the lab," said the Chemist, running back to where he and Silver had put Psi-Ghost's father asleep. "We have to talk to him before it's too late."

 

Silver and Public followed a little behind the excited Chemist. The man seemed to have deduced, or remembered, something that showed a pattern of attacks. They had felt a mastermind had been around but with Stafford in a coma, they hadn't been able to question him.

 

The Chemist pushed through the lab door as soon as it opened wide enough to let him. He stopped at the smell of burning flesh. Too late for answers now.