Supreme Admiral Kull paced around the bridge like a caged tiger. Two ships were lost. Two Commander Ships were lost. Council had also been compromised. While ground forces had almost completely taken New York and the Upstarts mission had somewhat succeeded, they were still no closer to finding Rex Robinson. Their next move was to attack the NATO headquarters as the beginning of a campaign to knock out global military support and yet, the metahuman threat still persisted despite their best efforts. He thought about the wife he lost 40 years earlier. She was only a science officer, albeit a high-ranking one, who had never taken part in a conflict. Getting revenge on the man who brought down her ship was a priority for him. Even in hibernation, he was sure he dreamt of her despite being told that dreaming while in hyper-sleep was unlikely. He wanted this planet decimated and had all the tools necessary to do so but nothing he did seemed to be working. There was one tool in his arsenal, however, that he knew Earth had no countermeasure for. A tool that was not approved by U’ntari law but then, Council was no longer around to stop him. Violating the U’ntari Military Code was not ideal but he saw few other options.

Shujai, meanwhile, sat in his quarters, contemplating the situation. He was born and breed specifically to protect his people and he did just that, earning the status as a hero on his world and eventually becoming a Grand Captain. He was renown for his honor and generosity, so his commanding officer sending psychotic assassins after teenagers for spite was not something he could abide. He found it appalling and unacceptable but going against orders was unthinkable. Unfortunately for him, he could not contemplate any other option as his entire existence was to serve the U’ntari.

In the UK, Sean Pierce met with Astra Machina , Dafne Mansoor and Femme Phantom. “According to Council’s files,” Astra explained, “The U’ntari are contemplating an attack on the military, starting with the NATO headquarters in Brussels.”

“It seems metahuman targets were a bit more difficult than they expected,” Pierce announced, “Wiping out the military is the next best thing. Whatever it takes to get to Robinson.”

“Rex wanted us to form a team to provide a more united front,” Femme Phantom explained, her voice conveying more emotion than her face, “We need more allies to join our ranks.”

“Agreed,” Pierce turned to Mansoor, “Intrepid, have you found the location of the Upstarts, yet?”

Mansoor looked at her tablet, “I might have… According to available Army logs, they were brought to the Pentagon where they were aided by a young woman named Alysa Saraki in bringing down a ship…,” her face grew pale and she stopped.

“What is it?,” Pierce asked.

Mansoor’s face had fallen but she answered all the same, “It seems that during a skirmish in LA… all but one member of the team survived: Dante Greer,” Pierce and the other two ladies became saddened as Mansoor continued, “He’s currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed location.”

“Damn,” Pierce clenched his jaw, “And what of this Aylsa Saraki person?”

“Unknown… She might still be at the Pentagon as it seemed she was under investigation.”

“See if she’s available,” he answered quietly, “God knows we need all the help we can get.”

“I’m sending a request now,” Mansoor began contacting the US Army.

“Well done,” he turned to Astra and Femme Phantom, “If you’ll excuse us, ladies, I’d like to speak to my field leader further but in private.”

“That means they’re gonna have a conversation but don’t want us hearing,” Astra explained helpfully.

“So it seems,” Femme Phantom responded as they took leave.

Pierce turned to Mansoor once everyone they were out of earshot, “I assume Kisi informed you about everything she witnessed in Lyon?”

“Yes,” Mansoor answered, her confident façade slipping momentarily.

“She informed Jones and Bronson as well?”

“She did.”

“While we’re heading off to Brussels, I want you three in Boston. Jones can teleport you there to avoid any entanglements. Once you three achieve your objective in Boston, come back here immediately. It’s not the easiest mission, I understand, but for now, it’s a priority and very classified.”

“I understand, sir.”

 in Boston, Rex Robinson led Cavalier, Ryan Bennings and Creed to his ship’s lab and once there, they found the dead body of the Silencer Captain on a slab. “When this invasion began, this gentleman and his friends paid me a visit on my ship,” Rex explained, “I took out his group and captured their leader. He’s not quite as adamant as he once was, as you can tell.”

“If you captured him, what did he die from?,” Cavalier asked curiously.

“An important question to ask, Cav. After the Invasion of 1981, I began testing U’ntari DNA to see how it differentiates from ours.  Over the years, I began to develop a compound that could affect their nervous system while not affecting our own.  I was unable to test this compound on a live subject, obviously, until I managed to capture this fella.  I stood in the holding cell and released the gas; while I was unaffected, our friend here was not so lucky.”

“You killed a prisoner?,” Cavalier asked with some amount of shock.

“It wasn’t the way in which I wanted to test the compound but under the circumstances, I had little choice, I’m afraid.”

“Are you thinking of mass producing this?,” Ryan asked as he began studying the findings on a nearby table.

“Remember my lab in the Catskills?  The formula is all there.  I’ve already instructed my robot fleet to begin mixing it.  Once we have enough, we can load it up on Hyperion’s Light and begin releasing this gas anywhere the enemy is located.  We’ll begin in New York and then -”

“Wait,” Cavalier raised his hands, “Both of you guys are a lot smarter than me so maybe I’m missing something but it almost sounds like this is a bio-weapon.”

Rex placed a hand on his shoulder, “It’s not an ideal situation but I’m afraid the stakes are too high.”

“Exactly,” Ryan agreed.

“But we’ll be killing all of them.  There may be millions on this planet right now for all we know.”

“Enemy combatants,” Ryan stated plainly.

“We can bluff them and force them to surrender at the very least,” he turned to Creed, “Help me out here, Farrell.”

He scratched his beard, “I’ve fought a lot of things that weren’t human and enough times to know how nasty they can get.  If it’s them or us, it ain’t a hard choice for me.”

Ryan pointed to him, “For once, I’m agreeing with this man,” then continued, “Like Rex said, it’s not ideal but these things are dangerous. Who knows how far they can go.”

Cavalier nodded, “Okay, but what about the Geneva Convention?  Rules of Engagement?  There are laws we would be violating here.”

“Human laws,” Creed raised a finger, “Only applies to humans, right?”

“And here I am in agreement once more,” Ryan shrugged.

“As I said,” Rex looked Cavalier in the eyes, “It’s not ideal and I wish there was another way.  Do you have any other options because we’re willing to hear them?”

He was silent for the moment.

Just then, they received a holographic call on the ship and when Rex answered, he and Ryan recognized the face of Dafne Mansoor; behind her, Dave Bronson and Lowanna Jones stood patiently. “Hello, Rex,” she greeted him, “This is Agent Intrepid with the IMD. I’m here alongside Agents Brick and Warp. It looks like you have Ryan Bennings and the Cavalier with you?”

“That’s right. The hologram outside is just for show but we’re all fine here.”

“Lovely. Would you mind coming down to speak with us for a moment?”

“Be right there.”

“Those are Badges, aren’t they?,” Cavalier nudged Ryan, “Looks like the team’s expanding, huh? Maybe we don’t have to use the weapon.”

“Something’s off,” Ryan shook his head, “I expected more IMD agents than this.”

Rex and Creed rode down to the ground on sky bikes while Ryan and the Cavalier were beamed down. “Rides great,” Creed said to himself as he eased into a somewhat rough landing on the bike.

“Nice to see you again, Bennings,” Mansoor said to Ryan and then turned to Cavalier and Creed, “And it’s nice to meet you Cavalier. I’m not sure I’ve meet your friend, here.”

“Call me Creed.”

“Let’s get down to it,” Bronson cut to the point and seemed a bit on edge (or more on edge than usual for those who knew him), “Tell them why we’re here.”

Mansoor sighed, “Rex Robinson…,” she hesitated for a moment before continuing, “…I’m afraid that we’re going to have to place you under arrest.”

The Resurgence Reading List

The Resurgence Prologue

The Resurgence #1

The Resurgence #2

Formerly Known as Brain Boy #8

Winghaven #20

The Cavalier #21

The Badges #12

The Resurgence #3

The Resurgence #4

The Resurgence #5

The Resurgence #6

Astra Machina #10

The Resurgence #7

The Upstarts #11

The Resurgence #8

The Resurgence #9

The Resurgence #10

The Resurgence #11

The Resurgence #12

The Resurgence Epilogue