Deadly Upgrades part 1

In Washington DC, a guard stood at attention in front of a downed U’ntari Commander Class vessel which had been taken out by Alysa Saraki and the Upstarts during the Resurgence. The ship’s crash took out the bridge on the Potomac River and the tip of the Washington Monument and it now lay across most of the park. There was a deep trench behind it and some debris from the crushed buildings on a few sides but the falling snow was slowly covering it all which gave it an odd beauty.

Since the time of the crash, the ship had been guarded by the US military until it could be removed and properly disposed of. After all, the last time U’ntari ships fell into metropolitan areas, it resulted in the creation of Power Grid, among other criminal organizations that used alien technology or Neutronium. As this was the largest intact ship that fell on the planet and landed in the US capital, it was guarded heavily. The soldier standing at the eastern side of the vessel didn’t notice his peers being picked off on the roof, nor did he see the ones dispatched on the western area due to the ship being the size of a city block.

He did notice the two figures approaching, however, moving past the barriers that had been set up. “Government property!,” the guard shouted and drew his rifle, “Step back behind the barriers!” The two women in long coats looked around nervously, as if trying to find the barriers he was referring to. Soon, the guard heard them chattering in what sounded like Japanese. Realizing they were likely tourists who had wandered far too closely, the guard approached swiftly to help guide them back to the civilian area. “You can’t be here,” he called out and pointed toward the wooden barriers behind them, “Just step back over here and you can take pictures if that’s what you-”. One of the ladies raised a fist and something quickly slid out from under her forearm and into his forehead; a spray of blood fell across the snow a second later. Once the body dropped, the women stepped over it and quickly made their way to the ship entrance.

****

The Dragon docked with Hyperion’s Light over the skyline of New York just before the bay doors slid shut. “Hello, Cavalier,” Labrat said cheerfully, “Ryan was concerned because he saw you fighting a bunch of policemen on TV.” “I’ve felt better but I’m alive,” the Cavalier told him and placed a hand on his shoulder, “It’s good seeing you again, Labrat.” Cavalier had mostly recovered from his confrontation with the deadly Horseman and the dirty cops who worked with him but he knew there would be concerns. He wanted to move past it and be of use to his new teammates, hoping that it wouldn’t be brought up too much. He moved into the meeting room where he saw the rest of the team gathered.

“Yo, Cav,” Alysa Saraki called out, “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” he assured everyone, “The guys responsible are in FBI custody at this point. Let’s get to the meeting.”

“Agreed,” Ryan Bennings motioned toward Cavalier’s seat, “As of now, the authorities obviously know about us and we have a system set up that alerts us to any emergencies so hopefully, we can work together. That said, the public at large isn’t quite as aware of us and considering recent events, our PR probably needs some work. I’m not sure the Holiday Spirit will be enough.”

“How do you plan to resolve the PR issue?,” Intrepid asked.

He gave a half-hearted shrug, “I’m hoping that if we save the world enough, people would just start liking us.”

“Aren’t you like a business man or someth’n?,” Alysa asked, “You know how to work the public.”

“I’m a glorified independent contractor who doesn’t have any full time employees. My business model has always essentially been ‘I’m smarter than most people on the planet so hire me to build your shit’. Otherwise, I don’t know much about marketing.”

“It’s true,” Astra chimed in, “While Ryan’s intellect is highly valued, going by online polls, social media chatter and statements made in interviews, a lot of people don’t seem to like him very much so he’s not very good at marketing himself.”

“Thank you, Astra,” Ryan said derisively.

“You’re very welcome,” she responded cheerfully, not catching on.

At that moment, the ship’s alarm sounded. “I assume that’s the new emergency system?,” Shujai asked. Ryan pulled up a holographic screen, “Sure is,” the screen depicted the downed Commander Ship in Washington DC which now had strange, silver spires jutting out from it.

“Looks like trouble in DC,” Ryan announced, “The damaged U’ntari ship was highjacked by unknown trespassers and now weird shit is happening to it. This is satellite footage from the military so we’re getting a live feed.”

“That’s the ship me and the Upstarts took down,” Alysa exclaimed.

“Shujai, this ship is U’ntari,” Ryan began, “Any idea what that is popping out of it?”

“I have some theories but perhaps it’s best that we investigate further before I voice them?”

“Seems like a plan,” Ryan zoomed in and noticed the silver substance crawling along the surface of the ship in DC, “And whatever’s happening, it’s escalating, so let’s get there ASAP.”

Hyperion’s Light took them to DC quickly enough and once there, they noticed a silver tower now reaching to the sky, as if taking the place of the recently damaged Washington Monument. The tower had multiple balconies and ledges sticking out in random areas and down below, it appeared to be eating away at the destroyed ship as well as the patch of land underneath. Once they zoomed in, they could see what initially appeared to be metal statues on top of the strange substance, their arms raised as if writhing in pain.

“Those were people,” Astra said sadly.

“Looks like those soldiers got too close when they investigated. Whatever this stuff is, it’s spreading,” Ryan announced, “From the readings, it’s going to overtake the whole ship soon and move further across the park… and beyond.”

Astra checked her own readings, “I would say it’s nanotech but I haven’t seen anything like this.”

“I can take a closer look,” Intrepid offered.

Not long after that, she flew out of a hatch and circled around the tower. Using her enhancesd senses, she noticed some movement and briefly took a closer look before heading back. When she arrived on the bridge, she quickly began accessing the database onboard, “I trust Rex’s old threat-assessment files are still in the ship’s database?”

“Yeah, I didn’t get rid of those,” Ryan explained, “Call me sentimental.”

A holographic projection emerged on the bridge showcasing multiple Second Phase operatives, “The Second Phase is behind this. I understand a few of you have had run-ins with them but for those who haven’t, I’ll debrief you.” The first image was of the cybernetic behemoth known as Rampart, “Rampart is a mercenary that isn’t as loyal to their techno-evolution plans but he’s willing to work for them if the money’s good. He’s roughly within the 20 ton strength range.” Next came twin Japanese sisters in black leather, “These are the Sisters: Alpha and Omega, twin cyborgs with hidden katanas so be careful.” Then came a man in a full bodysuit and mask, “And this is Pulse. His enhancements give him superhuman speed. Approximately a mach-3 runner,” she activated a button on her watch, “There’s one more that I didn’t recognize so I assume he’s a new recruit. I took this photo.” A hologram emerged, showing a tall man in purple armor with a stave in his hand.

“I know him,” Astra told the group, “He’s called Casket. He was very strong, he had two armored drones and that staff can shoot plasmatic energy blasts. I fought him not too long after I was born. He was sort of obsessed with me and it was weird.”

“If we know they’re here,” Cavalier explained, “There’s a good chance they know we’re here.”

“A ship this size? I’d say so,” Alysa quipped, “Don’t ya’ll have some cloaking thing? Something to turn it invisible?”

Ryan shook his head, “The Second Phase has the tech to pick it up even if it was invisible but that doesn’t mean we’ve lost the element of surprise.”

Down below, Rampart stood in the snow, gazing up at Hyperion’s Light, “I thought Rex Robinson got taken out.”

“He did,” Casket explained, “I assume someone else has his ship now.”

“I bet it’s the IMD,” Pulse explained quietly, “I hate it when they show up. Especially when it’s that other guy with super speed.”

“Ya gotta work on your self-esteem, buddy,” Rampart began to charge his canon, “Maybe killing some Interpol agents can liven your spirits… assuming the Badges are here.”

Intrepid swooped down from the ship, making herself clearly visible this time. “Hey, guess you’re right,” Rampart took aim, “Keep a look out for the rest of the Badges. They could be-.” Suddenly, a doppelgänger of Intrepid seemingly emerged from behind her, splitting in two. The operatives stopped to gawk at the twins now flying through the sky. “Can she normally do that?,” Casket asked. “This is definitely a first,” Rampart responded curiously. More and more began to split off and zip around the sky so they began firing their weapons. At first, the multiple Intrepids danced around the projectiles but eventually, Casket sent a volley that clearly passed straight through one of the dupes, giving him a revelation, “They’re illusions.”

Alysa Saraki’s spell faded and the Intrepids all disappeared from sight. In their place was a U’ntari warrior flying straight for the operatives. “The hell?,” Rampart exclaimed just before a punch from Shujai sent him through a tree across the park. Next, Shujai swooped into the air, avoiding a blast from Casket before landing next to his teammates who used the distraction to beam down. The Second Phase operatives now faced the Cavalier, Alysa Saraki, Astra Machina, Intrepid, Ryan Bennings and Shujai.

“It’s you,” Casket said excitedly once he noticed Astra Machina.

“You’re right,” Alysa turned to Astra, “He does have a creepy thing for you.”

Pulse darted forward, kicking up snow before knocking them all to the ground in a second. Acting quickly, Astra Machina spread her limbs along the ground in hopes of tripping him up. Once he was forced to slow down to avoid the coils, Intrepid flew in with a kick to his chest which stunned him. “Remember the plan,” Ryan used his jetpack to take to the sky, “We get what we need and we get out of here!”

It was now The Sisters’ turn to attack. The twins known as Alpha and Omega flipped through the air as katanas popped out of their forearms. Intrepid intercepted with a flying kick that sent Omega into some granite debris. Meanwhile, Cavalier swung his sword at Alpha but she deflected the blade and gave him a kick to the chest that pushed him to the ground. Nearby, Casket lunged at Astra but a concussive blast from Alysa knocked him off balance. By this point, Pulse had recovered and knocked her down again. “Shit,” she said painfully as she tried to stand. Detecting the next movement, Astra fired an energy beam at Pulse who was forced to go on the defense. Shujai joined-in by firing blasts of his own at the speedster to force him away from the area.

Rampart stood to his feet and primed his cannon before making his way back to the fight. Shujai’s punch nearly rendered him unconscious, so he knew he was outmatched in hand-to-hand combat; he fired his cannon into Shujai’s back and was disappointed when it did little more than draw the alien’s attention. “Y’know, I was in New York during the Resurgence,” Rampart leapt forward and slammed the butt of his cannon into Shujai’s face, “Killed a whole lot of your people.” The attack staggered Shujai slightly but he immediately recovered, “But you’ve never fought me.” He brought his fist down, snapping the cannon in half, then he gave the mercenary an upper-cut that sent him through the air.

Rampart hit the side of the metal tower high above and when he dropped, he landed on one of the many outcroppings. Several meters below, on the surface of the U’ntari ship, Ryan was at the base of the metallic structure, trying to cut off a portion using a laser. Pieces of metal broke off once Rampart hit the side of the tower and they nearly fell on Ryan, prompting him to call out, “Can we aim the bad guys in another direction?”

Rampart lay on a plateau of metal and shook his head, once again fighting against unconsciousness. As he began to rise, a tendril of metal slid up his arm. “Damn,” he panicked as he clutched the tendril, only for it to spread along both limbs. “Aw, no,” Rampart began to kick and flail as the mercurial substance rapidly engulfed him.

Below, Cavalier lay on his back, firing shield-discs while Omega spun her blades around, deflecting them. Alysa cast a spell, which sent force winds and snow at the cyborg to force her back. Intrepid, meanwhile, flew into the air to avoid attacks from Alpha and nearby, Pulse was hammering at Shujai while avoiding his punches. As for Astra, she was busy fighting Casket.

“Why are you fighting?,” he asked as he struck her with his staff, “The Second Phase will create a world in which you belong! You want this!”

“You don’t know what I want,” Astra formed a large mallet from her fist and took a swing, sending Casket into the air.

Not far away, Ryan finally cut a chunk of metal from the silver mass in front of him, making sure to not let it touch his bare skin. He pulled a tool from his pack and tried to pick it up, but the tool seemingly attached itself to the strange piece of metal. He watched as it crawled up the length of the tool, slowly taking over. Thinking quickly Ryan produced another tool that created an energy shield around the piece of growing metal, then he placed it in a container and shoved it in his pack. “We’re good,” he called out to his team.

Just then, Rampart fell off the perch, hit the edge of the ship, and rolled off onto a mound of snow. His scream was mechanical and strained, catching everyone’s attention. He flopped around as the last bit of flesh turned to chrome, making him resemble a man made entirely of metal. “Good timing too, I guess,” Ryan quickly flew past the concerned Second Phase operatives and activated the tractor beam.

“We’re gonna leave him?,” Astra asked as he watched Rampart kick and scream on the ground.

“You got any way of helping him?,” Alysa responded as she followed Ryan.

They all rushed into the beam of light reaching down from the sky and were instantly pulled back into the large saucer above. Below, the Second Phase operatives pulled Rampart away to a safe area. Meanwhile, the metallic substance spread along the U’ntari vessel with new towers beginning to emerge.

Continued…