The Conglomerate part 3

Boston…

Alysa poked her head into Labrat’s hospital room. “Hey, Labrat!” Astra Machina and Labrat sat up to greet her. “Hi, Alysa,” Labrat chirped. As Alysa entered the room, she held up a Paw Patrol plushie. “Astra told me you already got Chase, so I made sure to get Marshal.” Labrat happily took the toy, “Thanks!”

“I thought you were in Chicago,” Astra asked.

“I was but with Labrat in the hospital, I decided to come out this way before going home. And maybe I’m not ready to go back just yet,” Alysa looked around, “Where’s Bennings?”

“He got a text message and had to leave,” Astra answered, “How are you?”

“I met my dad, so that’s good,” Alysa explained, “But I’m still trying to figure other shit out with Iseda and my house burning down and everything. What about you?”

“I went to space and met a lot of giant glowing amoebas,” she told her helpfully, “They might help me learn about my origins, so that’s exciting.”

“Whoa, I guess we both -” Alysa trailed off as she got a distant look in her eyes.

“Alysa?” Astra leaned in and snapped metal fingers to get her attention, but there was no response.

“I’ve seen this before,” Labrat carefully watched Alysa stare into space, “It was when Professor Cady made a bunch of people chase after me and Ryan.”

“Professor Cady?” Astra repeated the name with surprise. He was the man who had formerly put Labrat in the hospital. He had escaped from prison days earlier. It was very possible he had something to do with this. Astra would have contacted Ryan Bennings if Alysa hadn’t turned and left the room abruptly. Astra quickly followed, briefly pausing at the doorway and turning back to Labrat “I’m gonna see what’s wrong. Stay here.”

When Astra rushed out into the hallway, she noticed the dead bodies of doctors and nurses strewn about. Their flesh sagged and their faces were sunken in. As she knelt down to investigate, energy tendrils whipped through the air, knocking her through a wall. A second later, Syfire stormed after her with tendrils flailing.

A floor below, Alysa descended a flight of stairs silently as an alarm went off. Hospital personnel and patients scrambled to evacuate the building, but Alysa didn’t hear the commotion. She only saw her mother beckoning her to follow her down the steps. “Hurry, or we’ll be late,” Ella Saraki told her. She wasn’t sure what they were late for but she made sure to listen to her mother. It was so nice to have her back. Miles Cady silently waited at the bottom of the stairs as Alysa marched toward him in a trance.

Los Angeles…

Ryan Bennings walked up to an LA penthouse and rang the bell. He hadn’t spoken to Sade Sterling, his ex-wife, in a long time. It was unusual for her to text him out of the blue. She asked that he come to her LA home to reconnect. Cady escaped from prison. Ryan was worried about loved ones being targeted. He came prepared with an earpiece to negate any telepathic assaults. That was what he expected. When the front door opened, he didn’t expect to see the tall man dressed in black, however.

Mano quickly struck him in the face, rendering him unconscious, then dragged him inside. Once he was in the living room, his jacket, belt, watch, and shoes were removed to ensure no weapons could be used. When Ryan woke up a few seconds later, he saw Mano standing over him, holding a tablet that displayed Nadie’s face (not that he recognized either of them).

“Do you know your greatest flaw?,” Nadie asked.

“I dunno,” Ryan wiped the blood from his bottom lip as he sat up, “I’ve got so many good ones, it’s hard to choose my favorite.”

“You’re the smartest man in the world,” Nadie continued, “… And that leads you to believe everyone else is stupid.”

New York…

The strange man was bald with cybernetic plates covering the back of his head and sections of his bare limbs. He stood on top of the church for several minutes. The Metro Knights ran a soup kitchen there. He was sure of his ability to lure his target out in the open. The Cavalier flew in to investigate. The strange figure leapt to a nearby roof. He led him on a chase. He ran, jumped, and flipped along the rooftops. Cavalier trailed in his hovercraft. He finally came to a stop on a random apartment building. He stood silent once again. The Cavalier set the Dragon to hover next to the rooftop. He made sure to keep the hatch open. Then he hopped onto the roof.

“Who are you?” Cavalier asked.

“An agent of the Second Phase.”

“So what do you want? It’s obvious you stationed yourself on the roof of that particular church to get my attention. You’re here with a purpose.”

“Yes,” Recall answered, “There is a purpose.”

He flew forward with a kick that sent Cavalier rolling along the surface of the roof. He rolled onto the balls of his feet and retaliated with a series of kicks and punches which were blocked by Recall. “This is our first meeting but I’ve observed footage of previous Cavaliers fighting,” Recall grabbed him by the arm and flipped him over on his back, “There’s a clear trajectory in your fighting styles which implies one Cavalier trained the next.” The Cavalier spun on his back in an attempt to kick him, but the cyborg leaned back to avoid getting hit. He continued as he squared off, against the knight “It also lends credence to the theory that the Cavaliers are all related.” The Cavalier used his Round Table weapon to summon a holographic shield and sword, which gave Recall pause.“These weapons are unfamiliar to me,” he explained, “This makes things interesting.”

The Catskills…

Shujai was in his compound, practicing fighting techniques, when he heard the alarm going off, indicating an intruder was attempting to enter. When he checked the outside view on a monitor, he saw Ryan Bennings looking into the camera. “Hey Shujai,” he seemed embarrassed as he spoke, “Sorry for tripping the alarm. There’s something wrong with the system. Mind coming out here and helping me out?” Shujai wasn’t expecting Ryan to show up but assumed there was a reason for his appearance. It was likely it had something to do with the faulty alarm system. “I’ll be right out,” he responded and, moments later, he left through the compound’s front door.

Ryan happily approached and Shujai watched curiously as his arm shifted into a long blade that was soon thrust into his chest. The blade put a hole in the white t-shirt he was wearing but did little else to penetrate his invulnerable hide. Jennifer Sawyer didn’t expect him to be as strong as he was but she pressed the attack nonetheless while he was distracted. Her fist formed a large mace with spikes and when she swung it, it threw the alien warrior into the nearby forest and toppled a tree. Shujai was confused but quickly rose to his feet, ready to fight. Only, he could no longer see his mysterious opponent.

Manchester…

Intrepid carefully entered the dark parking garage. She had received a strange message from Sean Pierce, urging her to come meet him. While Pierce often contacted her to report on the Commission, the meetings were always scheduled ahead of time. This was different and the choice of meeting in a pitch black area made it all the more worrisome. “Director Pierce,” she spoke cautiously, “I’m here.”

While her enhanced sight mattered little in the darkened garage, her remaining enhanced senses benefited her, particularly her hearing. The person’s breathing was steady as if in meditation. Queen Faith had recently lost her vision, so the darkness didn’t bother her, but targeting someone for battle required concentration. “You and those in the IMD use technology from another world. You alter what True Nature has given you,” Faith’s voice echoed in the darkness. “You blaspheme and betray nature. You betray your allies.”

Intrepid located her by the sound of her voice and flew to her location; despite being in an enclosed area, she was hit by a sharp wind, sending her off course. When she hit the concrete pillar, she dropped to the ground where she struggled to breathe. Queen Faith strode toward her confidently, focusing on her soul to find her in the dark.

Boston…

Astra blindsided Syfire with a punch to the side of the head, which threw him across the nurse’s station. Despite draining some doctors and nurses before the battle, he was losing strength. Some patients and hospital staff were attempting to exit the building, so he unfurled his tendrils and ran into the panicking crowd. He didn’t hold any of the people rushing past, but he used his tendrils to lightly brush against them as they ran to the stairs and elevators. This allowed him to reabsorb bio-energy to increase his strength.

Astra ran after him, trying her best not to knock anyone down, which he used to his advantage. He turned and whipped a tendril sharply through the air, cutting a swathe across her chest while she stepped out of the way of a patient in a wheelchair. Before she retaliated, he lashed out and sliced an arm off. Using her remaining limb, she formed a cannon and shot him in the chest, smashing him through another wall. With Syfire out of the way for the moment, Astra chose to find Alysa.

Assuming she had made her way outside, Astra raced toward the nearest window and leapt through it. Glass shattered and she went into free-fall several stories before using thrusters to slow her descent, finally coming to a stop at the front of the hospital. Nearby, Alysa walked calmly through a crowd that had gathered outside the hospital. She knew it was odd that her mother was beckoning her to hurry up, but she couldn’t remember why it was so strange to see her. She picked up the pace and as she got closer to her mother, she felt someone strong grab her.

Astra pulled her away from the street just as a city bus passed by. “Alysa, get out of the street!,” Astra yelled as she sat her down on the sidewalk. The bus driver honked his horn angrily as he blew past which caught Alysa’s attention. “What happened?” Alysa looked around curiously as people on the sidewalk starred at her. “Someone was mind controlling you,” Astra explained and as Alysa searched the area, she briefly spotted Cady getting into a car and speeding off. “I think we need to let Ryan know about this,” Astra continued. Above them, Syfire peered through a broken window and saw the women regroup; he cut his loses, opting to escape the hospital instead of continuing the fight.

Los Angeles…

Mano had propped the tablet up on a table while Nadie and Ryan spoke to one another. Ryan, still remaining on the floor, looked at the screen displaying Nadie’s visage and asked “Where’s Sade?”

“As far as I know, she’s attending a gala in Paris,” Nadie told him, “We just needed a way to draw you out and having my men hack her phone sufficed.”

“So I’m here. Who are you?”

“We’ve never met before,” Nadie explained, “But your work with the CIA caused a coup in my country. I’m not mad, however, as it gave me the the opportunity to eliminate my enemies and save my people.”

“Glad I could be of help,” Ryan groaned, “Lemme know if you need anything else.” Mano rushed forward and backhanded Ryan across the face, knocking him to the floor once again. “Is it too much to ask that he stop hitting me?,” Ryan asked groggily as he sat up.

“It’s a necessity that you die,” Nadie told him as Mano produced a silenced pistol, “Just know that it was not a vendetta. At least not from my end.” Ryan spotted Sade’s minibar nearby as Nadie continued to speak. “I understand you were just a pawn of the American Empire so I have no personal quarrel with you. I have, however, made a promise I plan to uphold.” Mano cocked the hammer back and took aim.

“Wait,” Ryan held up a hand, giving Mano pause, “You seem like an honorable guy. Can I at least have one last drink?,” he pointed to the minibar, “If I’m going out, I’d like to get a buzz going at least.”

“One drink,” Nadie agreed.

Ryan stood up and Mano followed him closely to the minibar. “Sade always gets the fancy, top-quality stuff,” he moved slowly toward the middle of the shelf where multiple bottles of liquor were lined up, “But no matter how expensive her tastes are, it’s good to know, after all these years…,” he placed a hand on a single bottle of vodka that would seem out of place if someone was aware of the price range of the other bottles, “… Sade still has this one bottle of the cheap stuff just because she likes it.” Mano glared at him, silently beckoning him to hurry with the barrel of his gun. “Seems like you need a drink yourself,” Ryan told him, his hand still resting on the bottle, “Sure I can’t pour you a glass too?” He pulled down on the neck and suddenly disappeared from sight.

When they were married, Sade Sterling kept her house as a vacation home and Ryan personally had the trap door installed in case an enemy broke in. The cheap bottle of vodka on the minibar was secretly a lever to a hidden escape-chute. In this instance, Ryan was very glad she never had it removed after the divorce. At the end of the chute was a flying car parked in a cave at the bottom of the hill. He dropped into the driver’s seat. He promptly started it. He quietly thanked Sade for keeping the vehicle maintained. This way, the battery was still charged. The car flew out of the cave. Ryan set a course to rendezvous with Hyperion’s Light. The ship was hovering nearby. He’d have to make an awkward phone call to Sade later but for now, he had to learn why the Costa Triste cartel was after him. On his way back to the ship, he received a call from Astra Machina.

New York…

The Cavalier swung his sword at Recall’s outer thigh but he side-stepped it, “Non-lethal attacks. Illogical.” He spun into a kick to the long shield, pushing the knight back. “I admit, I was taken aback by the hard-light weapons,” Recall explained, “But my predictive programming has allowed me to acclimate.” He ducked under a shield swing and then went into a leg sweep, bringing Cavalier to the ground. “Your new weapons have afforded you an extra 40 seconds to live,” Recall informed him before leaping into the air, propelled by cybernetic enhancements. The Cavalier remained crouched on the roof, thinking to himself, “I’ll give him something he won’t expect.”

As Recall dropped down, the sword and shield disappeared, replaced by a swiftly extending quarter staff. The staff shot upward, finding its way into Recall’s face. The cyborg fell onto his back and blood dripped from the gash across his cheek. As he recovered, Cavalier quickly raced to his hovercraft and leapt inside. By the time Recall stood up, Cavalier was already flying the Dragon out of the area.

He wasn’t sure why the Second Phase was targeting him, but he was certain he’d get to the bottom of it. As he passed over the New York skyline, he received a call from Ryan Bennings.

The Catskills…

Shujai floated through the forest in search of his enemy. He had no idea who or what he was dealing with, nor why it targeted him. As he came closer to a tree, he noticed the trunk had an odd protrusion. As he stole closer, a pair of eyes snapped open.

Jennifer Sawyer launched herself at him, turning her body into putty. Despite his strength, every punch simply stretched her out. Meanwhile, tendrils wrapped themselves around his neck while several more were shoved down his throat. He gagged and choked as the blob began to cover him. He flew into the air as he struggled to breathe, then an emerald glow surrounded his fists. The energy blast ripped through Jennifer Sawyer and he finally heard her cry out in pain. He pulled her free and spun around, twirling strands of flesh into the air before tossing the mass toward the nearby cliff. Sawyer disappeared over the ledge as air returned to his lungs. He wasn’t certain if she had retreated or not but as he hovered, he was notified of an incoming call on his phone.

Manchester…

Intrepid pulled her gun and in the dark, it glowed with intense heat, forcing her to drop it. With her enhanced hearing, she could detected bare feet racing along a concrete floor. She flew above the ground again and it was then that she finally saw her target. Queen Faith’s hands were aflame, shedding some light in the darkened garage; the agent briefly saw a woman with a blindfold just before twin fireballs were launched. Intrepid swerved out of the way but as they exploded against the pillar behind her, she was once again knocked to the ground by the force of the blasts, then the Iseda priestess disappeared again.

Next, she heard another set of footprints rapidly approaching but she was sure those belonged to an ally. The IMD agent known as Blitz entered the garage wearing night vision goggles. Locating Queen Faith instantly, he slammed into her at super speed. He then watched curiously. She seemingly fell through a wall without breaking it. He felt questions could wait and quickly pulled Intrepid out of the garage to the sidewalk outside.

“You’re just in time, Klausman,” Intrepid told him, “As usual.”

“Is this you admitting I’m faster?,” he asked jokingly.

“No,” she said with a slight smile, “Where’s Pierce?”

“At headquarters. He realized an hour of his day had gone by without him realizing it and he instantly knew something was up. You know how he is. Kisi confirmed that someone put him in a trance and apparently made him send you to this location.”

“And he had you intercept?”

“He needed someone to act fast. Any idea who that lady was?”

“No, but I have a few theories.”

Just then, her phone rang. “It’s Bennings,” she said to Blitz before answering the phone, “Ryan? Please tell me you have answers.”

“Some,” he explained, “Alysa and Astra were just attacked by Miles Cady and, of all people, Syfire.”

“The U’ntari we faced during Shujai’s trial?”

“Yep. He finally came out of hiding and is apparently teaming up with Cady. What’s really wild is that I was just attacked by a guy in LA who I believe to be Nadie.”

“The Costa Triste cartel leader?”

“Yep. Meanwhile, I just got off the phone with Cav and he told me a Second Phase agent came after him in New York. Additionally, Shujai told me a shapeshifter attacked him in the mountains and Astra figured it was Jennifer Sawyer. Is it safe to assume you’ve been in a fight as well?”

“Yes. Some sort of mystic lured me to a parking garage.”

“I’m betting that’s one of Alysa’s Tinder matches. Shit’s going down and I’m calling a meeting.”

“You have my location. Come pick me up,” she hung up the phone and turned to Blitz, “Let Pierce know I’m safe and that I’ll be reporting back to him soon. The Commission’s being targeted.”

Continued…