 |
| Red Eagle and Atomizer |
Agent
Redeagle and Atomizer moved fast to see if anyone was harmed in the two
buildings defaced by the blast. Redeagle called out as he tossed debris
aside looking for anyone that may be trapped underneath.
A
voice came from the back rooms, “We’re okay,” a man stepped sheepishly into
view. “What was that? We were all hiding in the back.”
“One
of their weapons exploded. It’s okay now, but stay in the building until an all
clear is sent out okay?” Redeagle was glad to see no one was hurt. He hoped the
same would be found where his partner searched.
Atomizer
jumped through a shop window and started calling out for people. He would never
forgive himself for one injury to an innocent.
“Stupid! So stupid! But I thought
I could control it! How could I be so wrong?”
Fortunately,
everyone in the buildings already moved to the back of them in order to avoid
the firing of the energy weapons. The explosion only hurt the intended targets.
Atomizer almost collapsed against a wall in relief as Red rejoined him.
“Nobody
is hurt except for those, those things,” Redeagle reported, “You can give
yourself a break now.”
“I’ve
always been able to control the intensity of my explosions. I thought I could
but didn’t think enough. I can’t make mistakes like that.”
“You
couldn’t have known that an alien weapon would explode beyond your control. Now
you know not to do that. No one was hurt. Keep to the helmets or their clothes
maybe.”
“Right,
because seeing dead naked zombie freaks is better than dead dressed ones,” Atomizer
said.
“That’s
more like it. Now come on, there’s more of them out there still.”
*******
Commander
Larratus walked into the room where they held the man called Vagabond. The
grungy looking criminal smiled as the Commander came in. Years ago, the
inventor, Anthony James developed handcuffs and shackles that could block
parahuman powers. So far they seemed to work very well on the Vagabond who was
well shackled to a steel chair.
“Enjoying
the accommodations?” Larratus asked.
“Beautiful,”
Vagabond sneered.
“Good,
now, if you don’t mind, screw the pleasantries; I want to know what’s going on
in my city.” Larratus crossed his arms as he stood over the criminal. Commander
Larratus was highly skilled in intimidation. Just standing over some street
scum, Larratus could shake him up. Vagabond was no ordinary street scum.
“Don’t
you read the newspapers?” Vagabond chuckled.
“Oh,
you’re very funny. I know you supplied these people with weapons so they could
ransack all our police stations and murder hundreds of innocent people. I also
know these monstrosities were created by someone called Professor Zombie.
That’s who I want. Where do I find him?”
“If
you know all that, you can find him yourself.”
“You
know, your speeding partner is dead. Electrode killed him. All that was left
was a pile of black ashes.”
Vagabond
chuckled, “Then he isn’t dead.”
“Where
is Professor Zombie?”
 |
| The Vagabond |
“No.
I have something better for you than torture,” Larratus opened the door and let
Nightfall into the room. “I’d like you
to meet Agent Nightfall. You might be interested to know that she doesn’t do
law enforcement here on Earth. She’s with a department called Council Interpol.
Have you ever heard of them?”
Vagabond
didn’t answer and quit smiling.
“I
see you have. Well, as it turns out, she knows what planet you’re from and that
you happen to be wanted there as a military deserter amongst a long list of
other heinous crimes. I also understand that military deserters on your planet
get executed without trial.”
“You
can’t let her take me, you have to deal with me here.”
“You
just pointed out that I don’t have the ability to deal with you here. But she
does. I’ll just hand you over to her and her team. She can even use her power
on you. Her power can put you in a coma for months. You won’t wake up until
just before they put the gun to your head. So, if you want to work something
out, now is the time. Can’t be too hard, you must have backstabbed all kinds of
people before now. So tell me where to find Professor Zombie.”
Vagabond
stared hard at Commander Larratus and frowned in anger.
“I
tell you what, she and I will step outside for a minute and let you think about
it,” Commander Larratus said. Once they were both out the door, Commander
Larratus clipped the end of a cigar and lit it up.
“Those
things are terrible for you,” Nightfall said as they stood outside the holding
room.
“You
see that heartless creep in there?” Larratus gestured at the two way glass that
showed Vagabond sulking in his chair. “A bust like that is worth celebrating
and this is how I always celebrate. Leave an old man his vices, girl.”
“So
what are we going to do with him?”
Larratus
took a long drag on his cigar and blew a ring of smoke toward the ceiling,
“When this is all over, you can take that trash back to his home planet and let
them deal with him. And I wouldn’t worry about his friend either. You could see
on his face; he knows he doesn’t have enough time for whatever Deformer can do.”
Nightfall
nodded, she didn’t think that Vagabond deserved to have any promises kept to
him either. Several planetary systems wanted him for weapon smuggling and
piracy. He stood responsible for the deaths of thousands more than any on
Earth. His home planet would be too pleased to get their hands on him.
********
********
Cyclone’s elemental power allowed him to feel the
pulsing of the core of the Earth. From where he stood he commanded the living
hurricane to move further and further, altering its course from towards
Georgetown. The raging monster spanned 900 miles across and howled in echoing
fury. Its new path would test a people who were supposed to be used to great
tropical storms. But Florida had no idea that such a force of death aimed for
them. There was still no satellite contact on earth, no cell phone connections
and no radio. The technology left may tell them entirely too late.
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