GZ Legends 9: The White House

Silvercrow

1601 Pennsylvania Avenue, the darkness has the White House in a flurry of emergency protocols. All security is set at high alert and they doubled the personnel on duty. High powered lights forced shadows into retreat from all corners of the property. Surrounding offices buzzed with activity and media sources frenzied. Everyone wanted to know what the President intended to do. 

Security at the front gates became alarmed at the sight of the suit of armor across the street. No one saw how it got there. It stood at the edge of Lafayette Park, directly across from one of the two secured entrances in front of the White House. The silver of the antique armor shone brightly in the streetlights as did the metal of the old Claymore sword it held with the tip resting against the sidewalk. Security teams scrambled and police cars pulled in. They cordoned off the entire street from corner to corner in order to let the swat team investigate.They assumed there may be some crazed individual within. They weren't paid to take chances.

“DROP YOUR WEAPON AND REMOVE YOUR HELMET!” the loudspeaker blared.  No response, not even a flinch of movement. The order repeated several times with machine rifles trained on target. News crews watched with interest from roof tops and street corners near barricades. After some conversation, the officers agreed that it had to be approached. Five SWAT officers moved in with rifles ready. They covered one officer who slowly drew near the armor. With each step they watched for the slightest movement. The armor stood like a shop antique with the long Claymore sword’s handle and hilt held at the chest.

The closest officer slowly brought the muzzle of his rifle up to the visor of the suit’s helmet and still there was no movement. With the muzzle he lifted the visor and it moved easily. Upon lifting the visor, it revealed an empty helmet. The officer let out a sigh of relief and lowered his rifle, leaving the visor upright for others to see. He turned to the crowd of fellow officers around him with a smile and short laugh.

“It’s empty!”

Everyone felt the tension release and they lowered their rifles. Some shook their heads and wondered who thought to leave that thing standing there. The officer closest shrugged his shoulders and then, to everyone’s shock, fell in half on the ground. The armor moved. It had spun the Claymore in its gauntlets and swung across the officer’s midsection so fast, no one had time to notice. An eerie and echoing laugh came from the helmet as it reached up and slapped its visor down. The officers opened fire with shouts of terror and panic. Bullets bounced away from the haunted armor as it moved into their midst. The next closest officer, who emptied his rifle at the thing, lost his head. Kevlar body armor stood no chance against the sword and each swing dismembered and killed. One officer tried to use the door of his squad car as a shield. The laughing armor brought down the Claymore and cut them both in half from top to bottom. The sword even cleaved into the asphalt on that swing, but was pulled away easily. Other officers fell back while two officers covered with grenade launchers. The both fired and hit the armor directly. It stepped through the smoke unscathed and still laughing.

Just outside those same gates, right by the opening, crouched a dwarf of a man who appeared to be frozen in terror. A man in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of the secret service men decided he couldn’t watch a defenseless man die. He opened the gate and pulled the little man to safety.

“Just stay behind us and we’ll protect you,” he said as he turned away from the trembling dwarf.  Because of the mayhem before them, they missed the transformation behind them. The dwarf’s body stretched to seven feet tall and muscles expanded and grew. White skin darkened to a deep tan and took on the texture of smooth stone. Ears and teeth pointed and his eyes glowed a spectral green. Clothing transformed into tight white pants with a red sash around the waist.

“Yes, sir,” he said with his new gravelly voice, “right behind you.”

Monolith

As the secret serviceman turned to see the new horror, a stone hand slapped his body into a speeding cartwheel, killing him instantly.  The stone-demon laughed as shocked men turned their guns on him and fired in blind panic. Like his haunted partner, bullets meant nothing to him. If anything, they made him stronger. He laughed with morbid joy as he flung a human body hundreds of feet straight up in the air and went to battering others.

“You know what I really like?” he said as he grabbed a man by the top of his head. The man only screamed in reply. The stone demon squeezed and reveled in the sound and feel of the man’s skull caving in. “Yeah, that’s what I call fun!”

Security men flooded into the oval office where the President’s chair faced the window.

“Mr. President, we have to get you out of here,” said one of the men.

The chair turned to reveal a man in a sharp blue suit. He had cropped brown hair and youthful appearance. He was not the President of the United States. Over a dozen handguns rose to aim at him and stopped as he held up one finger with a knowing expression.

“What have you done with the President?” demanded the veteran officer.

“You could say he’s in the bag,” the young man responded, lifting a silk sack from his lap that appeared to be empty.

“Son, you obviously don’t know how screwed you are,”

“NO! You obviously don’t know how screwed you are!” He stood up and trigger itching men opened fire. As the bullets seared through the air towards him, a vortex of darkness appeared in front of the young man, coming from the silken sack. Bullets were pulled away to a place unseen within its confines. In moments, all the men ran out of bullets and stood in silent terror, wondering what would happen next. The young man held up the sack that still appeared to have nothing in it. He drew a hand across it as if he were a magician performing for them.

“And it still appears empty, but what’s this?” He jerked the mouth of the bag open and swept across the room as every bullet came back and shredded the men in front of him.  He walked over to and knelt by the senior officer who choked,

“Who are you?”

“I’m the Bagman, and by the time you take your last breath, everyone on this property will be dead or at our disposal. Of course, the President and his family live for now,” He pointed to the silk sack, “and they are definitely in the bag.”

The Serpent

Far out back of the house another dwarf approached a group of soldiers. Just previously he jumped the security fence with a short sword in each hand and began cutting down security before they could fire a shot. He wore a tailored trench coat and a floppy brimmed hat that never left his head. He used the swords to walk on and do slicing cartwheels through his targets. He used agility beyond grace and every movement proved deadly. He paused only a moment in front of the soldiers aiming at him. Just under that floppy brim one soldier froze at the sight of his serpentine eyes and pointed teeth of his smile. Around his collar and at the ends of his sleeves, shadows seemed to move. Soldiers fired and he leapt straight up into the air. He landed in the midst of them and threw his swords outward. They didn’t strike the soldiers close up, but they didn’t have to. The shadows in the dwarf’s clothing darted out in the form of snakelike creatures. Their bites left no marks, but the bodies of the soldiers turned dusky gray as life force dissolved and they all crumpled to the ground. The swords flew like errant boomerangs and cut down every other security or soldier within thirty yards, before returning to their owner’s hands.

  In another area, a distinguished looking gentleman approached the house with his own surrounding of soldiers as guards. He wore a black silk suit and had white gloves on. It looked like the soldiers were guiding him into the house, so other security stepped out of the way. Once in the midst of most of the security for that side of the building, the man stopped walking, and so did his escorts. As if on practiced cue, the soldiers all turned away from him and opened fire on their co-workers, killing them all without time for response. Once the deed was done, the man stepped out from the circle of them and surveyed the scene. He turned to them.

“Good, you may kill yourselves now.” As he entered the White House, they obeyed with a few final shots.

            The Bagman welcomed his comrades by name; Silvercrow the haunted armor, Monolith the stone-demon, Serpent the blade wielding acrobat, and Hypnotist the mind controller. All across the grounds bodies lay in silent gore. The visual aftermath brought all other forces to a standstill at the gates. These five people took the White House with the effort of child’s play. No one knew what to do next. How did five men become so powerful that an army could not stand against them?

Years ago, they were very different men, but bent on evil schemes all the same. They drove out along the highways of Oregon, near Salem until they found a lone hitch hiker. They invited their new friend to a party at a campsite with promises of good times and beautiful women. Once they reached this supposed site, the hitch hiker found a huge pentagram etched into the earth with strange symbols all around. At each point of the star he saw a seating place for one of the five men. He tried to escape, but they overpowered him. They tied him up and tossed him into the center of the pentagram. They poured gasoline on him and lit him on fire. They took their five positions and shouted incantations over the hitch hiker’s screams to the sky. Something appeared to them, that fateful night, but it wasn’t what they expected. Still, the evil that appeared to them gave them great power, for eternal service. One of them became cursed when he questioned the being that appeared. The ancient god, Set, forever trapped him as a spirit in haunted, but enchanted armor. The act of this curse, kept the other four from questioning and they became the beasts that took the White House after darkness shrouded the world.

Jump to: GZ Legends 10
Jump to: GZ Legends 8

GZ Legends 8: And now, the PAC

Zombie henchman

                Anubis stumbled backward from the blast to his chest.

            “YEEOOW! That actually hurt!” Anubis’s eyes glowed with rage and emitted a beam the blew the weapon to pieces and threw the shooter down the alley. Instinctively Anubis also put a hand up and created a barrier of energy to block the explosion from himself and Nightfall.

            “That’s one of Zombie’s henchmen. Are you okay?” Nightfall asked.

            “Yeah, I’m okay. That must have been one of the weapons they used on the police stations. But what’s with the dorky motorcycle helmets?”

            “You’ll find those pretty hard to crack, well, maybe you will.”

            Suddenly a dumpster came racing at the two of them, but Anubis stopped it with one hand.

            “Wow, he’s back up fast and throwing trash. Well, here buddy, right back at ya!” Anubis shoved the dumpster back hard. It hit the henchman and carried him into the side of a parked car with a crash. Glass flew and metal crumpled, pinning the henchman in a sandwich of steel.

            Anubis and Nightfall watched as the man pushed the dumpster off himself and shoved it out of the way. He pulled himself out of the crippled wreck of the car and came toward them again.

            “Gotta hand it to these guys, they can take some punishment,” Anubis said

            “Do you think you can capture him without destroying him?” Nightfall asked.

            “Say what?”

            “We might be able to learn something from him on examination or take him to someone who can.”

            “Oh fine, oops, hang on,” Anubis blocked a punch from the henchman, picked him up and threw him back at the wrecked car.

            “I’m sure glad you’re strong enough to deal with it,” Nightfall said, remembering her encounter before they left her to burn.

            “Yeah, well it’s clear how they’re too much for the police to handle. Let me think now. Hey, is that a tow truck over there?”

            Out of the alley and across the street, they could see a tow truck parked near some cars. People who heard the fight were at a distance, but watching.

            “Okay, let’s see how good my golf swing is,” Anubis flew at the henchman with his lance and swung at an upward arc. The body of the man sailed through the air and cracked bricks in the wall when he hit. As intended, he landed near the tow truck.

            Before the henchman could get back on his feet again, Anubis flew high over and threw down his bladed lance. It pierced his target through the chest and into the sidewalk. As Anubis figured, the henchman still moved and struggled to free himself. Anubis landed on the tow truck. He gripped the housing for the long metal cable meant to tow vehicles and peeled it apart in his fingers. He reached in and pulled out the wheel that the cable was wrapped up on. He felt sorry for whoever owned this truck, but this was now a chaotic world and the need was great.  While the henchman was still pinned, Anubis started at the man's feet and wrapped his legs in the tow cable. The henchman swung at him but Anubis caught his hands and bound those to his chest, wrapping the upper torso in the rest of the cable. Anubis made it tight and when the end of the cable came along, he held it to the rest. Much like when he repaired the baby carriage, he fused the metal together. Then Anubis pulled out his lance and grabbed the henchman up to his feet. For a few moments, he watched the bound man struggle to no avail.

            “Good, there’ll be no more trouble out of you for a while.”

            “You put your lance right through his chest,” Nightfall said.

            “And yet he’s still struggling,” Anubis said.

            Further down the street two men observed the whole ordeal in awe.

            “Hey, Jake, isn’t that your tow truck he just tore up?”

            “What am I supposed to do? Go tell him 'no'? Look at him, you idiot, he can have my tow truck!”

            Anubis put the struggling henchman over a shoulder. He and Nightfall walked back through the alley toward the precinct.

 ********

Blacktide

            Sandstorm and Electrode were the first to arrive at  Powers Hospital. It took another hour for Redeagle and Atomizer to pull up in the truck.

            “Good to see you made it,” Electrode said.

            “We aren’t mobile like you two and there’s a lot of wreckage to get around,” Redeagle said.

            “Hey, just kidding.”

            “So who are we here to see?” Atomizer asked.

            “We are here to see Larry Peters, but maybe you’ve heard of his street name, Blacktide,” Sandstorm said.

            “I’ve heard of him. He disintegrates everything he touches, right?” Redeagle asked.

            “Almost. He committed himself here to protect others from his powers. His problem is control of his powers. I tried to help him once before but he had a lot of trouble believing he could gain control.”

            “Do you really think he’s a good choice?” Atomizer asked.

            “I think he’s an excellent choice, especially in these conditions. Look, beggars can’t be choosers. Just give him plenty of space. I think just two of us should go in and that should be Agent Redeagle and myself.”

            “Okay,” Atomizer sat down on a bench, “Good luck, partner.”

            The two men went into the hospital and Sandstorm led Redeagle to the psychiatric wing.

            “Larry lives in a very special cell of plastic surrounded by thousands of gallons of water,” Sandstorm explained, “There’s a secondary measure of chloroform gas hooked up to the ventilation system in case of any loss of control.”

            “Seriously?” Redeagle doubted this choice the more he heard about it.

            “He can’t disintegrate liquids or gasses. That’s why you are going to stay at the airlock door and listen in while I talk to him. Unless of course you can change your shape into water, like me?”

            “No, I can’t. This is your deal and I’m following your lead.”

            “Good idea.”

            “Are you sure you want to see him?” an orderly at the airlock asked.

            “Yes, as always,” Sandstorm answered, “We don’t have a lot of time.”

            The orderly shook his head and let Sandstorm through the airlock door. Redeagle watched in concern as the door clanked shut so a second door could open. Sandstorm walked through it calmly.

             The orderly looked up to Redeagle's face, "You're smart for not going in there."
  
             "Gee thanks. Is there any way I can see what's going on in there?"
  
             The orderly switched on a monitor next to the airlock door.

             "Good. I'll let you know if I need any more of your enthusiastic help."

            Larry, known as Blacktide, lay back on a wide plastic shelf from the wall that had a mattress on it.  In one corner of the room was a metal commode built in so he never had to leave the room for anything. He even had his own sink to wash at and a shower with a built in floor drain. His dark sunglasses covered his eyes, but Sandstorm knew those eyes were on him from the start, even through strands of the long blonde hair. Blacktide wore a gray tank top and jeans. A pair of heavy biker’s boots were on the floor nearby. On a nearby table there were scattered magazines about motorcycles. Blacktide said nothing as Sandstorm stood in the middle of the room.

            “How is your exile treating you? Is this helping you to control your powers?” Sandstorm asked.

            “I control them or die. What do you think?” Blacktide didn't move at all as he spoke.

            “I think you should consider something else.”

            “We’ve been over this before. Too many people have died from my power.”

            “Do you know what’s going on outside?”

            “I’ve heard about it.”

            “There’s a new task force being formed. We could use your help.”

            “You know I don’t work well in a team. I’m too dangerous.”

            “Whatever is doing this out there is more powerful than anything I’ve ever faced. The city is without police protection and it’s getting worse. I know you care too much to let that go by.”

            “More powerful than anything you’ve faced eh?” Larry raised an eyebrow.

            “It’s true. Come on, I know if we try again, you can control your power. You aren’t committed here beyond your own choice. Come with us.”

            Larry stood up and looked around at his confines. He bit his lower lip in thought and deliberated for a long time while Lombard waited patiently. He stared at the airlock and then the floor.  “I guess I’ll put my boots on.”

            “That’s the way.” Lombard smiled.

            The staff acted almost relieved to let Larry go and didn’t even try to question Redeagle’s authority or the fact that Blacktide wanted to leave.

            “Good to meet you, I’m Agent Ray Redeagle,” he offered his hand.

            “Get this straight right now. I don’t shake hands and don’t touch me even if it looks like my life depends on it.”

            “Fair enough,” Ray said and they all left for the FPA building.

            Blacktide went to the storage garage on site and got out his motorcycle. As he kicked it on and rolled away, he had to admit, it felt good to feel the wind in his hair again.

            When they came into the briefing room, Larratus waited for them. Anubis and Nightfall were there too. They had brief introductions and exchanged information. Larry "Blacktide" Peters, kept his distance in the meeting room. Once pleasantries were past, Larratus started talking.

            “While you boys were out, Anubis here brought us a little gift. He caught one of the gunmen. We can’t make him talk, but our lab is running some tests on him. The little lady has told us all we could want to know about Professor Zombie, the man behind the police station attacks. Nightfall, would you care to fill them in?" Commander Larratus put up a photo of an obese man with a white beard and balding head.

            "That's the ugliest Santa Claus I've ever seen," Anubis remarked and got a sharp elbow from Nightfall.

            "Thank you, Commander. Everyone, Professor Zombie is a genetics and robotics genius. Don't let his "fat man" looks deceive you. He's half cyborg underneath it. The Professor has developed a serum that makes anyone into an undead servant. They can take lethal damage and keep coming at you, so be very careful. Zombie has them wearing some body armor and helmets designed to be almost unbreakable. I don't know how many men he has, but clearly it's enough to be an army versus the police of NewYork."

             "What about the weapons?" Redeagle asked.

             "Those are not the Professor's work, so I expect there's still someone else behind this. The darkness is also beyond his capabilities."

              Commander Larratus spoke again, "We need to find out where he’s hiding and bring him in. As for his men, you are authorized to dispose of them at will. Now I have a little something for you from our tech boys,” Larratus stopped for a breath and drag on his cigar, “These cell phones are virtually indestructible and resist most parahuman powers. You can call each other from anywhere on Earth and maybe even the moon and get a perfect signal. They aren’t blocked by this darkness either. They have a few other tricks but I’m going to let you learn those on the go with the built in tutorials. Each of you take a phone and welcome to the task force called PAC. It stands for Parahuman Activity Commission.”

            “I will not be joining your team, but I will be happy to help out,” Anubis said. “My powers were given to me in order to find those who may combat this terror. I believe I have done this. Now we will deal with it together.”

            “You didn‘t tell me about that. Who gave you your power?” Nightfall asked.

Destiny

            “I only know that I am a Herald of Destiny.”

            “Destiny? The Lord Entity, Destiny?”

            “I don’t know. The little old man told me.”

            “Oh, wow, you’ve met Destiny. I really am impressed now. That explains so much.”

            “Whoa, what’s going on here?” Commander Larratus said, “What’s Destiny, some kind of god?”

            “Destiny is a Lord Entity, much more powerful than a god,” Nightfall explained.

            “Okay, great, well we can get to explanations of that later, I’m sure. Agent Redeagle, give us a roster check and let’s get to finding Zombie.”

            “Okay guys, checking off our roster for this mission. Lombard Ogleson is Sandstorm. Scott McCross is Electrode. Larry Peters is Blacktide, Hakim is Anubis and Nightfall is all we know of the lady. Jason Marigold is the Atomizer and I’m Redeagle. Now we just need a plan of action.”

            “In order to hit all those precincts at once, he has to have several bases of operations across the city. That’s a lot to supply and organize. Electrode and I know of someone who might have information on an operation like that. We’ll go and talk to him. The rest of you should split up and try to find the locations of those supply points. They shouldn’t be far from the precincts. Maybe if we wipe them out, we’ll get Zombie’s attention,” Sandstorm said.

            “Then I’m going out to search on my own, I’ll let you know if I find anything,” said Blacktide.

            “Nightfall and I will go together. We already make a pretty cool team,” Anubis gave a sly smile and Nightfall gave him another elbow shove.

            “Okay, then Atomizer and I will go as a team. And I'd like to make a nomination for our team leader. I think that should be Sandstorm, he has the most experience of us all.”

            Sandstorm stood silent for a moment, "I'll think about it."

Jump to: GZ Legends 9
Jump to: GZ Legends 7

GZ Legends 7: Recruiting the Storm

Professor Zombie

                Anubis stared with his long jaw dropped open after hearing Nightfall’s explanation of herself, “You aren’t human? You aren’t from Earth?”

            Nightfall, finding him cute, reached out and lifted his jaw shut, “I’m human, but the rest of my team are from other planets.”

            “Wow, that’s amazing. I know we get visitors from other planets, but I’ve never met any before. Where are they?”

            “Probably stuck out in space, thanks to that barrier of shadow. I came down to scout things out and I haven’t been able to reach them since,” Nightfall looked worried.

            “Well, I’m sure they’re okay. They sound like a skilled group, right?”

            Nightfall laughed again, “Yeah, they are. I’m sure they’re okay. Thanks for the thought.”

            “Well, whatever is up there is really strong. I flew up and crashed into it. It’s weird, like there’s something solid there but you can’t feel anything when you touch it.”

            “Exactly. Now if we just knew who made it, because the Professor isn't capable of that.”

            “So what do we do now? That is, if it’s okay that I join forces with you?”

            “That’s fine by me, but I think we need to find some local help. We have to find Professor Zombie, but I doubt the police will know where to find him.”

            “I may just have an idea then,” Anubis gave a toothy grin. “Do you mind if I carry you and we fly?”

            Nightfall smiled, she didn't mind at all.

 ********

            It wasn’t easy to get around, even in Atomizer’s pickup truck with four wheel drive. The streets were cluttered with cars that still needed to be moved. Progress was slow. They had to stop a few times so Redeagle could get out and shove something out of the way. They also stopped if they saw anyone in need or danger. One person was stuck in there car from an accident. Another person was pinned against a wall by a car from another accident. It took twice as long as it normally would to get from the office to the house of Lombard Ogleson.

            As they got out of the truck, Redeagle said, “You do know that there will be phone calls on you driving through people’s yards right?”

            “Sure, if they can get through. Besides, we needed to get here right? And do you think we’ll get burned under the circumstances?”

            “No. I’m just pointing it out to make sure you’re ready for it if it happens,” Redeagle said, “So, here we are. Lights are on inside. Do you want to knock or should I?”

            “Well, you know, partner, you are big and imposing and I’m more classy and refined.”

            “Oh you're funny as usual.”

            “No really, I’ll knock on the door because I’m just friendlier in appearance. You know what I mean.”

            They approached the front steps.

            “Fine, I’ll stand down here, you go ahead,” Redeagle said.

            “How about neither of you do anything?” Came a voice and the two men felt the hair on the backs of their necks stand up. Their skin tingled as a static electric charge filled the air.

Electrode

            A few feet off to the left as they faced the front door, stood a young man in a blue bodysuit. He had rough blonde hair that seemed to glow as arcs of electricity danced between his blue eyes. More electricity arced around his body. Before either man could say anything, the young man vanished and appeared on the other side of them, just a couple yards away.

            “Don’t even think about moving on me or that house. I’m faster than both of you could imagine.” And to make his point, he reappeared back in the first spot he stood in.

            “Whoa, easy there, partner,” Atomizer said, showing both empty hands. “We’re here on a peaceful mission and we’re federal officers. We don’t want trouble with you.”

            “You mean you’re here to harass my friend into working for you again.”

            “Hey, look around,” Redeagle said, “The world is in serious trouble.”

            “I think we can handle whatever is out there,” the highly charged man said with a grimace.

            “It’s okay Electrode,” a new disembodied voice floated from up on the porch. The men watched as the body of Lombard Ogleson materialized out of the air. He stared down hard at Atomizer and Redeagle, “I think we can listen to what they have to say.”

            “Can we come in?” Redeagle asked, “If we could just sit down and talk, we’ll explain ourselves.”

            Sandstorm nodded and led them inside. They all found a place to sit in the living room and Sandstorm regarded them with a nod, “I know why you’re here. You’re here to recruit me because of what’s going on. Are you CIA?”

            “No, we’re FPA,” Atomizer said and produced his badge and ID.

            “Federal Protection Agency,” Sandstorm replied, “That actually makes more sense than CIA.”

            “What’s FPA for?” Electrode asked.

            “They employ people with special abilities to back up law enforcement anywhere in the country. Mostly they back up FBI and US Marshals,” Sandstorm answered.

            “That’s correct,” Redeagle said, “You know, I could say your country needs you, but I think I can save that speech. The whole world needs help. We need you and your powers to help us find out what’s going on. This situation has triggered a special protocol for recruitment of the best we can find. You and your friend, you’re a perfect start. So let’s not mess around with sales pitches and banter. Let’s get right to the question. Will you help us?”

            “I’m in if he’s in,” Electrode said, “and only if he’s in.”

            “Well, I’ve felt the damage that this is rapidly causing and there’s no doubt to me that you need help. What I don’t know is where to start, so if there’s any intel out there, we’ll need it.”

            “Our office is working on that right now,” Atomizer said. “Do you know of anyone else who could help us? We seriously need to find anyone we can. Yours was the only file we were given.”

           Sandstorm laughed, "In all of New York, they only had my file to suggest to you?" 

           "Like I said," Redeagle replied, "Only the very best or most powerful, if you prefer."

           "Well, there may be one we could talk to. He may be tough to reach."

            “Where is he?” Redeagle asked.

            “He’s in Powers Psychiatric Hospital. We should go there next.”

 ********

Anubis landed with Nightfall in an alley across from the police precinct that stood next to the FPA. It was their third stop at a wrecked police station.

            “Same attack patterns and blast marks,” Nightfall said. “This was definitely Zombie’s work.”

            “The man is a maniac,” Anubis growled and then he heard a scuff of gravel behind him.  He spun and stepped in front of the blast rifle as it went off and hit his armored chest.

Jump to: GZ Legends 8
Jump to: GZ Legends 6

GZ Legends 6: Into the Fire

Redeagle ready for action

            Commander Henry P. Larratus was a serious, heavy set, and gruff man. Whenever he got agitated his high balding forehead would turn bright red and a couple veins would stand out. He got agitated often. Henry knew his cigar habit and daily whiskey regimen weren't helping his health, but at this point they were the only things keeping him sane. Commanding the Federal Protection Agency was a very stressful job, but someone or something out there didn't think it was stressful enough. The world plunged in darkness and a city full of wrecked police departments had Henry’s stress meter working overtime.

            Commander Larratus leaned on a podium and stared at a blank doorway from the front of the briefing room. He clenched his teeth. No one could ever move fast enough for Commander Larratus. If two particular bodies didn't come through that door soon, he was going to have a coronary. Finally, Atomizer and Agent Redeagle came through the door and the Commander banged his fist on the podium.

            “Do either of you know what the word emergency means?” Commander Larratus shouted, “Never mind, sit down and shut up. We've got the most serious business this side of World War 2 going on!”

            Neither man said a word as they sat down. They both knew this was just Commander Larratus and his way. Saying nothing about it and just doing the job were always the best idea.

            “I trust you two have been next door?” the Commander said.

            “We have,” Redeagle answered.

            “That is the condition of every police precinct in New York city right now. Cameras didn't catch much but their weapons emitted enough light that we did get some views of what they were wearing. Take a look at these photo printouts.” The Commander tossed pictures to both men, “We are going to go out on a limb and assume that the field of darkness and their attack are not coincidence. What’s worse is that the dark is worldwide. The attacks, however, are not. We have no idea why that is. What we do know about this phenomenon is that it’s blocked all forms of radar. Every airport in the world is effectively frozen. We have no way of communicating with our satellites or seeing what is up there. Cell phones are useless, but land lines work fine.”

“So what do we do?” Atomizer asked as he looked over the photos. “Start looking for these shooters?”

“Not just yet. Gentlemen, right now this is being considered worse than the worst case disaster scenario. In the case that an event of the worst scenario occurs, we have an emergency protocol. It’s called the Emergency Draft Protocol and your first assignment will be to execute it.  The idea is to recruit the people with the biggest, baddest powers that we know of. While there are some registered parahumans that are signed up to be on call, we only want a certain crew, handpicked if you will. Unfortunately, I have just one file for you. You need to talk to this man. Lombard Ogleson worked for the CIA and quit a few years ago. He ran missions to Vietnam to retrieve P.O.W.s. He also did a lot of search and destroy missions.  Rumor is that he’s become a vigilante. You find him and see if you can get him to come back. See if he can connect us with any other parahumans that might be interested. If you really need something to motivate them, tell them it’s going to be the end of the world anyway. They have nothing to lose. There have also been reports of a newcomer to the city; a guy with the head of a dog, flying around healing and helping people. See if you can locate him and find out what he’s about. From what we've seen, he isn't part of the problem. There’s just one more thing I want you to know about Lombard Ogleson, don’t tick him off. He may not be long on patience because of the conditions he quit under. It’s all in his file. Any questions?”

“Yeah, boss, I have a question. I’m looking at his list of powers here and I wonder, if we should happen to make him mad, what do you suggest we do?” Redeagle asked.

Larratus rubbed his face with both hands and sighed long and loud. “Just don’t make him mad, okay? If you do, you might not be back.”

“Commander, have there been any demands?” Atomizer asked.

“No, and we find that particularly disturbing. Now get out of here!”

 ********

Lombard Ogleson stood in his backyard, surrounded by privacy fence and stared up into the darkened sky.  He moved some of his sandy brown hair back over one ear and strained to listen. He could feel deep within himself that this was more than just an absence of light. There was no wind and the temperature was already ten degrees cooler. Even from standing in his backyard, he could feel the thing above his world, he could feel its effects on the land around him. Lombard could feel these things because he was the most powerful elemental man on Earth. He walked as one with elements and the patterns of weather anywhere he went. In the CIA his codename was Sandstorm.

Lombard walked back into his house and turned on the television. Most broadcasts were disabled with exception of local channels by cable transmission. News reports permanently took over all that were left.

“There’s still no reason given or found for the darkness covering the Earth. Reports of police station attacks have come from all across the New York area. Meanwhile, looting clashes with vigilante justice and the Mayor calls for a State of Emergency. All remaining police have been called to duty. So far the President has had no comment, but we eagerly await some statement from the White House.  A new hero was spotted in New York today as he healed frightened people on Staten Island. Bystanders report that he was scary at first because he has the head of some form of dog. The hero has been unavailable for comment. Witnesses say he calls himself Anubis.”

Lombard snorted at the report, “It’s the head of a jackal, you idiots.” He turned off the television. “And I really doubt the President can do a blessed thing.”

Lombard sat in his favorite easy chair and stared at the silent television set. He knew someone would be coming. They would want him to come back. While he had no idea if he wanted to work for the government again, he definitely planned on doing something about the situation.

 ********

Nightfall

A fire crew scrambled into action as the flames licked toward the sky from the two story warehouse in the Bronx. They bombarded the building with heavy streams of water from five trucks. The fire defied them and ate away at the structure with abandon.  Lead firemen yelled orders over the sound of gushing water and hissing steam. Smoke spiraled into the darkness. One of the firemen took a second to look up toward the darkness and found Anubis hovering over him.

“Dear God,” the fireman murmured just loud enough to hear.

“Not quite, the name’s Anubis. Is there anyone inside?”

“We aren't sure. We can’t get close enough.”

“Okay, you can stop staring at me and get back to the fire. I’m going in to look around.”

“But the fire,” the man didn't have time to finish as Anubis darted through a broken set of windows.

The flames licked at him but did not burn him. He suspected he might be resistant to fire. 

“Bulletproof and fireproof too, very handy.”

 The warehouse was filled with burning crates and towers of fire loomed all around him. Suddenly, he could sense two things; the weakening of the structure and a rapid heartbeat that wasn't far away.

 “Far out.” He mused over his recognition of this power and dashed through the obstacle course of voracious flames.  At first, he stopped stunned at the sight of her. He had never seen such a beautiful blonde woman before. He snapped back to reality when he saw the metal beam lying across one of her legs.  In a millisecond he knelt over her. He barely gave her shocked expression a second glance as he grasped the metal beam and lifted it away. After tossing it aside with a loud clank, he stooped to look at her broken leg. She couldn't pull it away as he lay his glowing hands upon it. Bones knit back together and gashes sealed under shredded clothing. Her expression went from anxiety to amazement and he lifted her from the floor.

“Is there anyone else in here?” Anubis asked her.

“No, they left me to die.”

“Well that’s not going to happen today.” He thought of his revenge in the desert and the fire he summoned to engulf the terrorists.  “I wonder if I can reverse the process.”

“Reverse what process?”

He ignored the question as he concentrated on the flames. From him there came a wave of blue calm that washed through the building and the flames died away in its wake.

“Wish I thought of that sooner. Well, let’s get out of here.”  He lifted to the air and flew her out of the building through another window. As he flew he felt her touch the side of his face. When he noticed, she jerked her hand back, surprised at her own curiosity. He landed near the fire trucks.

“Can you stand?”

“I think so.”

He set her on her feet gently and finally took in the sight of her. Her eyes were a deep green and her hair gave her a kind of glow, even without the sun. She wore a bodysuit of blue that seemed like a uniform. The one pant leg was shredded and her face was patched with soot. Even so, he thought she was gorgeous. She studied his face with deep interest and then he realized why.

“I guess you never met a dog like me before?”

She smiled, “Don’t you mean a jackal? Anubis has the head of a jackal.”

“Hey, you’re good. Of course, I’m not the real Anubis. I was remade in his image.”

“I had no questions. You really scared me at first, but now I’m grateful. Thank you for saving me.” She brushed her hand to the side of his face.

When she touched him he felt his heart flutter. Then a wave of guilt washed over him. How could he feel this way after losing Ella? He only just lost her. He decided to try and change the subject.

“Oh, you’re welcome. Who left you in there?”

“They had on dark helmets and I couldn't see their faces. There were just too many and they had some high tech weapons. I guess they didn't want to leave any witnesses.”

A fireman interrupted them, “Hey, did you put that fire out?”

“Oh, yes I did. Sorry I didn't do it sooner, I just didn't think of it. I’m still learning all my powers.”

“Well, you’re awesome in our book. Thanks a lot.” The men clapped and cheered.

“Great thanks, guys.” Anubis looked around quickly, she wasn't there.

Back behind the building she stood, scrutinizing some of the burnt structure.

“Leaving so soon?” Anubis asked as he landed next to her.

She smiled sweetly, “Sorry, but I had to get back here.”

“Well, you just answered my next question anyway.”

“What’s that?”

“Why you counted as a witness to them. You’re with some law enforcement and they caught you. I thought that your jumpsuit looked like a uniform, but I don’t recognize it.” He looked at her pant leg and noted that it looked as good as new. “Hey, how’d you change so fast?”

“I didn't, they’re self-repairing.”

“Wow, okay, you need to tell me more. What’s going on here? Why didn't those guys just kill you with their high tech weapons?”

“Because the Professor wanted to punish me.”

“The Professor?”

“Yes, Professor Zombie. He’s who I was investigating. We hoped to stop him, but we’re too late.”

“Nice name, is he the cause of that?” Anubis pointed to the sky.

“No, but we think he knows who is. I hoped to use my power on him and find out once I caught him.”

“You have a power? Why didn't you get out?”

“You’re so cute,” she laughed slightly. “It’s not that kind of power. I’m called Nightfall because I can cause mental blackouts by skin contact. While I have a person knocked out I can read their thoughts. Zombie’s men grabbed me before I could get close enough.”

“Oh, sorry. I don’t know a lot of powers except for my own and the ones I read about in the paper.”

“And you don‘t know your own that well.” She teased.

“Okay, okay. So tell me more about the Zombie.”

“He was a brilliant scientist; a true genius in his fields of genetics, robotics, and medicine. He worked in Africa to cure diseases that were mutating. As the story goes, he caught a flesh eating virus that he was trying to cure in a village. In order to save himself, he had to cut off his arm and part of both of his legs. He stopped all work at that village and went into seclusion. He built himself cybernetic replacements and something in him changed. He didn't want to save any one anymore. He wanted to rule them instead. So he created what he called, the Immortality Formula to make people serve him.”

“That’s incredible. So his people are immortal?”

“In a manner of speaking. They’re immortal, but they aren't exactly alive anymore either. He started with the village that gave him the virus and moved on to countless others. No one has been able to get close to him since.”

Anubis thought he would be sick. “That’s why he’s called Professor Zombie.”

“Exactly.”

“So how do you stop them? Is it like the old horror movies?”

“We don’t know, but they all wear motorcycle helmets, so maybe you’re on to something. I do know that my power doesn't work on them.”

“How twisted. He doesn't deserve to be called a Professor. So, who are you with?”

“My team is called Caliber 5, we’re with Interpol.”

“International Police?”           

“Um, actually, that’s Intergalactic Police.”

“Wha?”

“Yes, it’s called Council Interpol. It’s actually rare that we get involved in planetary matters, but we found evidence that this could be bigger than Earth itself.” She looked up to the dark sky. “We were right.”

Jump to: GZ Legends 7
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