Ok Its long, poorly written, and looks like it was writen with I10 in mind. Only the first two are true. I wrote this before I10 but when I saw what the issue was about I figured eh. I know its bad, sorry.
Origin of Atomantiums Cosmic Powers: The Last Will and Testament of Peter Wilson
Its a miracle that bullet didnt kill you Peter. Grixon said.
Wilson was carefully removing the Atomantium armor while Grixon was at a lab station close by examining a bullet he had just removed from Wilsons armor. During a recent battle with the Freakshow a single round was fired that partially pierced Atomantium at the right shoulder blade. If the bullet had hit about 4 inches more to the right and it could have passed through Wilsons heart, that is if the armor hadn't protected him. Luckily, the bullet didnt pass all the way though and it was lodged within the armor. Wilson was able finish the battle with the Freaks and leave the area relatively unharmed. But who ever fired that shot had made their point, and made it well.
Did David and Sean finally finish the ballistic tests on the armor? Wilson asked.
You know they would have finished it sooner if you wouldnt use it so much. Tobias interjected.
Hey, give me a break; there are a lot of bad guys in this city. Wilson replied. He pressed on his ribs checking for breaks. He was clean, no breaks, just soreness.
They finally figured out what the upper limit of the armors strength is. Like we figured, the armor is really tough, Tobias said sitting down across from Wilson. The armor itself will take a tremendous amount of punishment."
So whats the verdict? Wilson inquired.
"Essentially our tests and computer models confirmed our original hypothesis. We knew that it could stand up to any kind of small arms fire including explosive and armor peircing rounds. We are certain that the armor its self can survive a direct hit from a heavry artilery shell, a surface to air or surface to surface missle like the AIM 9 or a 500 pound bomb. We are reasonably sure that it would survive a SABO or HEAT round and we think it might be able to survive multiple hits from artilery or missles but not many. Essentially, Atomantium will stand up to most single target conventional weapons that we know of. Anything bigger and its lights out."
Wilson nodded his head as he absorbed the information. This wasn't really news to him or really anyone else. But the signifigance of finally getting emprical information ment that now they could make improvements on Atomantium. It was also important for a less tangible reason. Wilson needed the hard facts to ground him, otherwise he would put too much faith in the armors abilities. Faith that could get him killed.
"What resistence to energy weapons?" Wilson asked. Tobiases expresion hardened. "Energy based attacks are problematic. Now, we did manage to provide some added protection since your first meeting with Terminal Void, but its not much. The problem with energy based attacks is, one that the on board computing is susceptible to the secondary effects and two that the armor is a conductor, granted its a bad conductor, but a conductor none the less. The good news is we can beef up your energy protection. The bad news its that developing a defense is going to take some time."
Wilson stroked his chin. "Okay, but you said, all this is what the armor can handle."
Yes, exactly, what the armor can handle is really a moot point. The real issue is how punishment can you take when you are inside the armor. Your ability to take damage is lower than the armors threshold. Even if the armor could survive a completely intact after three days of heavy saturation bombing, you would have been dead from the shock waves long before it was over. Grixon said smugly as Joanna walked into the secure armor bay. Wilson had his back to the door but he could tell from the sound of her walk, who it was.
Tobias interjected, changing the tone of the discussion to one more of concern rather than beratement. "Pete, the truth is we can't be sure how much punishment you can take inside the armor. We know you have taken a lot of punishment in the past, but our simulations won't tell us with any accuracy if you could survive a hit by an artilery shell. Basically what I am saying Pete is you need to be careful."
Wilson assimilated everything Tobias and Walter had just told him. He knew they were right, but at the same time he couldn't accept their conclusions. Wilson though, 'how could Tobias be telling me to be careful? He isn't the one who is fighting for his life on an almost daily basis.' He knew that his friends were watching out for him but Wilson was not generally the type to be dicated to. But his attention was soon turned elswhere.
Welcome home Pete. Came Joannas all to welcome voice from the communications room. She entered the armor storage bay and scowled as she noticed the blood on the back of Petes jumpsuit. Although the bullet hadnt passed all the way through the armor, the sharp tip of penetrated several millimeters inside the armor and dug into Wilsons shoulder. The injury wasnt bad, but Wilsons movements during the battle aggravated the wound.
Something wrong? Wilson asked sensing Joannas displeasure.
The back of your jumpsuit is covered in blood. I need to take a look.I will have to get that gash cleaned and stitched up. Wilson did as Joanna had requested. Wilson was fortunate to have Joanna as an ally and a friend. A fact he knew very well and one which he would never take for granted.
Before her start with ChemShield, Joanna was a surgeon in the U.S. Army. She was extremely bright and quick minded not to mention beautiful in any sense of the word. Wilson always thought that Robert Heinlein put it best when he wrote she was the reason you were glad that god created two genders. Not very poetic but it summed up Wilsons feelings nicely. She always had an air of self assurance and confidence about her, a quality that was rubbing off on Wilson more and more. Her confidence was tempered by a sometimes compulsive need for order and slightly more than mild distaste for spontaneity, qualities that she was slowly beginning to grow out of the more time she spent with Peter.
Joanna had graduated from high school and college early and flew through med school at George Washington University. She graduated from college with a BS in Chemical Engineering and soon after her Masters in the same field. Her decision to go to med school was based on the fact that she wanted to feel needed. Soon after she graduated she gravitated toward pursuing her career in the military. Her father had been a naval aviator and she had fond memories of the close ties her father had with the members of his squadron and his flight crew.
Joanna served on reserve duty and did her residency at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. But shortly after her residency ended, her father was involved in a tragic car accident. He was brought to Johns Hopkins hospital where Joanna assisted in treating him. Despite her efforts he succumbed to his injuries and died only an hour after the accident. The subsequent morbidity and mortality panel ruled that although Joanna valiantly fought to save her father, she was in violation of medical ethics by operating on a family member. She was suspended for 6 months. After the hearing Joanna resigned her commission from the Army and left Maryland.
Joanna decided not to return to medicine but rather pursue something else, anything else. While getting her masters she had heard about ChemShield and she made her way there. After much persistence she was ultimately hired by Grixon only 7 weeks before the incident that destroyed the facility.
Wilson heard the loud smack of a rubber glove, then Joanna added, now drop you pants and bend over Mr. Wilson, this will only hurt for a minute. It was the worst Austrian accent Wilson had ever heard.
Tobias struggled to hold back his smile and turned his back to Wilson as he began reassembling Atomantium in its storage outcove.
You know that is the 50th time you have used that line. I think you had better leave the comedy to me. Wilson said with a smug grin. A moment later he flinched as he felt a painful burning on his shoulder.
And you think it gets funnier every time... dont you? Joanna asked as she held a gauze pad drenched in alcohol against Wilsons open wound.
Ow, ow, yes, yes, its hilarious, your skill with using the same joke repeatedly is second to none. Wilson said wincing and trying to squirm away.
Hmpf, Joanna walked around in front of Wilson holding a scalpel in here right hand, now whos the most beautiful doctor you know? Joanna tapped the handle on her chin as she stared through Wilson.
Why you are of course.
Damn straight. Joanna said with a nod. Wilson could hear Grixon and Tobias snickering. Wilson couldnt help but smile too. What just happened wasnt lost on him, how to follow up though was.
Wilson felt Joannas fingers on his shoulder. She was examining his wound and cleaning out the bits of fabric that had been ground into it. While she hummed and Wilson stared at the floor questions started to present themselves. What could penetrate the armor like that? Conventional ammunition even armor piercing and high explosive rounds wouldnt leave a mark on the armor. But this one did, why? The shot was clearly fired by a sniper, and an exceptionally skilled one at that. Could the government know that Wilson was Atomantium? Who would have the technology to make an alloy that strong? What if the bullet is atomantium? Too many questions and not enough answers were racing through his head. It was going to be a long night.
The bullet is atomantium. Grixon said matter-of-factly. He rose from his seat and walked over to Wilson holding the bullet in a surgical clamp.
You dont sound too concerned Walter. Joanna said from behind Wilson.
Yeah what she said. Wilson added.
Well I need to continue to examine it to figure out where it came from. Grixson clarified.
Tobias walked over next to Grixon, umm, it cant be atomantium alloy, this stuff is nearly impossible to handle in such small quantities. He continued I mean the reason we had enough alloy for 7 suits was because it was actually more economical to work with that much alloy rather than create enough for the suits individually.
Then they could have made enough for ten thousand rounds, Tobias. Wilson replied.
No youre not understanding what I am saying. It isnt only more difficult to make in small quantities, the alloy is also very difficult to manipulate, in small quantities. They may have made hundreds of pounds of alloy, but casting one gram or so drops into bullets would be almost impossible without a great deal of equipment and expertise. Tobias said sternly.
Wilson winced as he felt the needle break skin and Joanna start to stitch shut the wound on his shoulder. Well that narrows down the list of suspects. The fact that it would have taken an expert marksman to hit me also helps. There is one other possibility though that we need to explore.
Whats that? Grixon asked.
The bullet was cast out of the armor reminets the government confiscated after the bombing at the desert site. This points to the Malta Group, Sky Raiders or the Council. Its not a great lead but its a start. Wilson answered.
Ok, we need some time to muddle this through. I am going to call it a night and convene everyone here in the morning so we can try and come up with something better to go on. Grixon said.
Wilson nodded and Grixon and Tobias finished up their tasks and left a few moments later. Wilson stayed behind to let Joanna finish up and dressing his wound. When she finished she left the lab. Wilson changed into a fresh set of cloths, secured the room, and left.
Wilson made a quick stop at his office to collect a few things and made his way to the elevator. On his way there he passed Joannas office and saw her straightening up.
Wilson knocked on her open door, I thought you would be half way home by now.
No, not yet, I couldnt leave my office a mess. She said as she slung her purse over her shoulder.
I forgot to say this before, but thanks for patching me up. I dont know what Id do without your help. Wilson said.
Joanna looked up with a smile, now was that so hard. She stepped out from behind her desk and met Wilson in the door way.
Wilson offered his arm to Joanna, may escort you down stairs. He asked with a playful smile.
Joanna placed her arm in his, nodded and said, You may.
The two made their way to the basement of the building. Joanna and Peter had been driving to work together for several months. Wilson had been the one to suggest it, partly out of convenience for both of them but mostly because every second he was around her everything seemed- well it all just seemed a little better. It was a powerful sensation. Joanna almost always seemed in a good mood, positive and up beat. For a while Wilson found himself making up excuses to stop by her office and chat. After a while he convinced himself that he had to be trying her patience. So he forced him self to stop. After a few days, she started to come to him.
The two got along extremely largely because the one challenged the other. But they also shared a lot in common. Wilson was an orphan who was abandoned by his foster family once he was 18. Joanna had lost both of her parents, he mother to cancer, and her father to a car accident. They had both spent a large part of their lives as outsiders and loaners. Both were driven and both had a sense of duty. But the one thing that perhaps brought them closest together was that they each had something to learn form the other.
Hows Ace? Joanna asked as Wilsons car meandered though the streets of Steel Canyon.
Joanna and Peter arrived at his high rise apartment and went up to see Ace, Peters Black Lab. The two went for a walk, and chatted for several hours. Joanna spent the night in the spare bedroom that Pete hadnt converted into an office. The company was more than welcome. Pete lived alone as did Joanna. Having someone else in the apartment, at least for a little while, made being there a little less burdensome. The two had a plutonic relationship, despite Peters internal protestations to the contrary. But life was just that much nicer with her in it, regardless of the capacity. But what ever the relationship between them, if he was wanted to change it, it wouldnt simply spontaneously metamorphose. It was up Pete to take the leap. Sigh
Pete spent the night in his room doing some research on the secure computer that the DIA had set up in his home. 'If they knew what I was going with this, I could lose my clearance,' he thought. He skimmed through reports from the government regarding the recovered atomantium armors. All of the reports were regarding the technology, tactical analyses, contingency plans for subsequent attacks, etc. Nothing in the databases he was searching was about a breach in security. That was bad news because if no report was filed it meant one of two things. Either a theft had occurred and it was being covered up, or a theft had occurred and it was an inside job and no one knew about it yet. Wilson didnt want to consider either scenario.
Finally, Wilson gave in and decided to get a few hours sleep before heading back to ChemShield in the morning. He crashed for a few solid hours but was up early. Wilson left the apartment well before Joanna woke up, but not before leaving her something.
Joanna got up when she stepped out of her bed room, something across the apartment caught her eye. Joanna walked over to the Dinner table where a card had been left for her. It was from Wilson, it read:
Sorry I missed you this morning. I headed back to ChemShield early. I hope this makes up for it.
Wilson had made breakfast before leaving and laid it out on the table. He had made everything him self with the exception of milking the cow. Joanna smiled to her self and blushed. She wasnt happy that she had been left alone but couldnt help but smile at Wilsons gesture. It was sweet, she thought, but he still should have waited.
Sean and David had received the message from Grixon and both decided to be at the Atomantium storage lab early. When Wilson arrived the two had just arrived and were brewing coffee.
Morning gents, hows life on the outside? Wilson asked as he passed through the heavy reinforced doorway that led to the lab. Wilson was greeted by the standard good monings and cant complains.
Guess Joanna spent the night at your place again, eh Pete. David asked. Peter lowered his head with an embarrassed grin and rubbed his forehead.
Do you know how much I hate it that you can always tell when she stays over. Wilson replied.
Pete you wear the signs like a freaking chicken suit. We would have to be catatonic or dead not to notice. Sean interjected.
Sean went on, But this time we didnt have to guess, she called here about 30 seconds before you walked in to see if your were here. Shes on her way.
David walked over and placed his arm on Wilsons shoulders, Look, Pete, we are buddies, but here is the deal, if you dont tell that girl your in love, I swear to you on my children that I will divorce my wife and take a shot at Joanna. So move your [censored]. Sean chuckled. Pete struggled to hold back his smile.
I wish you only knew how much I hate you. Wilson answered shaking his head.
I know, I hate you too buddy. We still on for the Skins game tomorrow? David asked.
You know it. Just have to get the beer and we are set. Are you bringing the kids? Wilson went out.
Yup, Beth is having a day out with the girls. Sean youre still in too right? David asked turning to Sean.
Ill be there. He responded.
Good, so it should be a full house. Now lets get down to business. Wilson said pouring himself a cup of coffee.
The three men continued talking as they spread out to their sections of the lab. David and Sean went to the storage bay that housed the armor where they gave it complete review. Not far away, off to their right was an area about 10 feet square that was partitioned off by walls about three feet high. The cubicle was Wilsons work space. He could see and hear everyone in the lab, but none of his computers or the many documents he had strewn about were in anyones way. As the three men became more involved in their work, the room fell silent save for the clicking of keyboard keys.
The silence was broken when Joanna entered the secure chamber. The three men greeted her and she greeted them. She made her way for Peters cubicle where he was reading a report on his computer screen. Joanna placed a soft hand on his shoulder and bent down to kiss him on the check. Sean and David had stopped working and were watching the scene across the room.
Thanks for breakfast, she kissed his check. Then she stood up and punched Peter in the arm before he could respond. Thats for not waiting for me.
Peter rubbed his bicep with the opposite hand, Uhh youre welcome, and Im sorry. Peter said with a confused look. He expected the kiss, the punch in the arm, was not so expected.
Joanna pulled up a chair and sat down at a computer next to Peter. She sipped her coffee and asked, Do we have any more leads?
No, no more than we had last night, I have been flipping through Longbow intel reports but nothing. Wilson said.
What have you been looking for? She asked.
Well I was running a search on any incidents concerning new types of ammunition. In fact, the last couple of months have been pretty quiet, at least as far as our primary suspects are concerned. But a lot of the reports lately have been about a rash of abductions with no discernable pattern. Wilson answered.
Maybe you should look into that. Joanna said.
Probably, but first things first, I am going to pay Holderman a visit.
Wilson looked over Joanna to Sean and David and shouted, Did you guys finish downloading the mission data?
Sean shouted back, Yeah, we are going to go over it when the others show up.
Wilson wrapped up what he was doing and suited up. As he did so, Grixon, Tobias, and Lucy arrived in the lab. He briefed them on his plan to head to the Rogue Isles to find Terminal Void for questioning. Once he was squared away, Wilson asked for two things from the group. He requested that they review the mission recording to determine where the shot came from. The second request was for Joanna. He asked her to continue to read through the Longbow reports concerning the disappearances.
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As Wilson flew toward the lions den, he couldnt shake the feeling that he was wasting his time. It hadnt been that long since his fist encounter with Terminal Void, and in the interim, no reliable intelligence had surfaced that indicated Holderman had joined forces with any of the paramilitary groups in Paragon. He finally admitted to himself that this was largely a revenge trip.
Not smart Wilson. Pete said to him self.
I turned out not to be difficult to locate Holderman, even in a toilet like the Rouge Isles. Wilson managed to stay out of sight with the optical camouflage. He saw Void in a fight with another villain. Holderman was losing, and losing badly. Wilson couldnt quite figure out what was going on. When they first met, Holerman was quick and agile and every hit he landed was powerful. Here he was fighting an opponent who didnt look all that imposing.
Wilson got a reading in his HUD, the villain fighting Holderman was emitting high levels of radiation. The armors computer ran a quick search and came up with a match. The villain that Holerman was fighting was named Atomic Specter. Wilson concluded, incorrectly, that it was likely the radiation that had weakened Holderman. Now was the time to get some information out of him.
Wilson disengaged the camo, and took aim at Holderman and hit him with a powerful sniped blast. Once he was down, Wilson let loose with everything he had on both targets. When the smoke had cleared, Wilson set down in front of the two fallen villains. Specter was unconscious, Holderman was not. Wilson knelt down, grabbed Holderman by the collar of his tattered stinking cloths, and pulled him up. Holdermans face was only inches from the red and gold helmet that he despised so.
How did you make the bullet? Wilsons modulated voice barked out of the armor.
I didnt think you would be brave enough to come after me here hero. You did an excellent job of disabling a weakened opponent. Now I see why you are so beloved. Holderman wheezed. Wilson didnt respond, he knew Victor was right and it stuck in his gut that he had taken down an already beaten bad guy.
Nothing to say, eh? Thats all right, if it were me, I would have taken the opportunity and killed you by now. But at least we have one thing in common. We both like our victims helpless. Holderman continued.
Disgusted, Wilson let go of Victor letting him fall back to the ground. Enough of this crap. Answer the question how did you make the bullet, how many more are there, and who did you sell them to.
First of all, stupid hero- Before Terminal Void finished his statement he smashed a brick over Wilson head. The object connected square on Wilsons temple, and caused the HUD to briefly blink out. While Wilson was disoriented and staggering, Holderman crawled to the unconscious Specter, grabbed his leg, and began siphoning energy from the helpless villain. Holderman only had a few seconds to take what he could from Specter because Wilson had reoriented himself, and he was pissed.
Wilson fired an energy blast at Holderman. Before the blast could connect, Holderman leapt in the air toward Wilson. Wilson immediately recognized the tactic and was ready. He engaged flight and launched himself at Holderman. Wilson connected in the air with his assailant driving his shoulder into Holdermans stomach and driving him into the wall of the building behind them. The two men fell to the ground exchanging blows on the way down.
Impacting on the ground, Wilson landed on top of Void. He raised his hand to deliver a blow but Holderman released a torrent of electricity from his body, throwing Wilson off. The armor had been insulated since the last meeting, but the strength of the electrical blast penetrated the armor regardless. A sharp pain coursed though Wilsons body. But this time he was on a mission. While Wilson was on his knees Void approached. Wilson threw an elbow that connected with Holdermans kneecap and he let out a howl.
Wilson quickly rose to his feet. Injured, Holderman threw a punch with his right hand. Wilson dodged the punch, knelt down, and with his right hand threw three blows in quick succession to Holderman ribs. Then he raised his left and delivered an over hand punch to Holdermans temple. Holderman went down and Wilson approached to deliver a knockout blow. But, lying on his back, Holderman delivered a hard kick to Wilsons stomach and then another to the helmet. Wilson staggered back. Holderman jumped up and leapt high over Wilsons head and landed several stories up on a near by fire escape. Holderman jumped from one building to the next zigzagging his way up the side to the roofs. Holderman was getting away and Wilson pursued.
Wilson closed in and speared Holderman in the back with his shoulder sending him to the ground. Wilson turned Holderman over and raised his fist.
How did you make the bullet!? Wilson shouted.
I have no idea what youre talking about. What bullet? Holderman responded. Red dots began appearing on Wilsons radar. His secret was out; the other villains in the Rogue Isles had seen him. He didnt like it but Wilson had to retreat, he was out numbered and out gunned.
Wilson released Holderman, ran toward the edge of the roof, and jumped off. In free fall Wilson switched on his camo and flew off.
Holderman got to his feet and ran to the edge of the roof just as the other villains were landing around him.
That was certainly dramatic. He said as he looked over the edge into an empty alley.
Flying back to Paragon, Wilson contacted Joanna and the others to report in. He wasnt the one that made the bullet, Wilson said over the radio.
Grixon asked annoyed, How do you know.
Call it a gut feeling. When I found him he was struggling with a villain named Atomic Specter. The Terminal Void that beat me the first time should have been able to wipe the floor with that guy. But he barely survived the fight. If he was in league with Malta or the Council he wouldnt be out here scrapping with other villains. He cant be the one we are looking for. Wilson answered with a sigh.
What next? Joanna asked.
Back to our old friends Malta. Wilson answered. He was headed back to ChemShield to get patched up and go over what any new information the other might have.
By the time Wilson returned to ChemShield from the Rogue Isles the sun was setting. The light from the setting sun reflected off of the archers of gleaming concrete and glass in Steel Canyon when Wilson touched down in the secret Atomantium lab. Lucy had nicknamed it the 'Tree House' because it was the top floor of the ChemShielf building and off limits to outsiders.
Wilson arrived to find the team sitting around a conference table in the small briefing room. He walked in and joined them, removing his helmet as he sat down. Girxon stood at the head of the table and the lights in the room dimmed.
He went straight to business, I managed to complete most of the tests on the on the bullet that we removed from your armor. The chemical markers match those from the batch that the original 7 armors were created from. Grixson paused for a moment, and then continued, We now know that the alloy had to be taken from one of the 6 armors that are in the possession of the U.S. Government.
Grixon then turned the briefing over to Tobias, We analyzed the mission data from the day you were shot. A still 3D image of the area where Wilson was fighting that day appeared on the table along with images of Atomantium and the freaks he was battling. The image showed Atomantium hovering above the ground fighting hand to hand with a Juicer.
The image turned so that Atomantiums back was facing Wilson. Tobias continued, We calculated the trajectory of the bullet based on the angle that it entered the armor and your altitude when you were hit. This is our best guess as we are not sure of the exact wind conditions that day. The image zoomed out. Now it showed the cliffs where Atomantium was fighting and the edge of Telos Island. A red line traced its way from the top of a small 3 story building to Atomantium.
This is, as near as we can figure, the path the bullet took. We have the address of the building and did some digging. It makes for an excellent sniping position. The roof is sunken and a lip rises up about three feet. It provides excellent cover as well as a position to perch a rifle. The image shrunk down so that Wilson could now see Tobias again at the end of the table.
Great work Tobias, maybe the sniper left something behind. Wilson said.
There is one other thing though that the data recorder picked up. Joanna interjected as she stood up.
The 3D image on the table grew again. The image faded from Atomantium to the HUD from Wilsons helmet. Joanna continued, As you know, one of the things we upgraded on the armor was the monitoring system. Specifically, we upgraded the ability of the armor to monitor vital signs. In addition to the heart monitor we added the ability to scan the targets brain functions. It hasnt proven to be terribly useful, that is until now.
What did you find out? Wilson asked leaning forward.
It was by sheer coincidence that I came across this, the image changed again to the read out of the vital signs of the Juicer that Atomantium was fighting.
At first glance, all of this Juicers vitals look normal. But upon closer inspection the brain activity is anomalous. Joanna paused to pass a manila file down to Wilson.
She continued, That file is one of the disappearances that Longbow was investigating. In that case the subject had been severally injured and fell into a coma. The subject was injured fighting Mages in the Hallows. The subject was saved from death by another hero who is still unidentified. The injured hero was not registered with Paragon City and so was not teleported out when his injuries reached a critical point.
Wilson interrupted, Was he delivered directly to the Atlas Park Hospital?
Yes he was, no witnesses saw the unidentified hero, so it is believed that the person who saved the subject in this case was also unregistered. To continue, shortly after the subject slipped into a coma, he vanished from the hospital. The staff believed that he had simply come out of it. Longbow analysts concluded differently. The sensors that were attached to the subject recorded brain functions returning to the unconscious subject. Longbow reviewed them and found that they were the same readings recorded in subjects that were controlled by Rikti. I though the readings looked familiar to what you recorded during your fight. I ran a comparison and they match.
Wilson inhaled deep, sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. So we not only have a connection now to the Rikti but we have a connection to a rash of abductions that have been sweeping through the city. Just to be clear on this point, youre saying that the Freaks that I was fighting were being controlled; they werent acting on their own free will. A chill ran up Petes spine, he knew what the answer was.
Joanna nodded.
Good work everyone. Joanna can you keep digging into those disappearances. And see if you cant find a common thread. Wilson stood up and grabbed his helmet of the table and made his way back to the exit hatch.
Wilson stood under the overhead hatch which led out through the roof. Before he could lock on his helmet Joanna approached. The look on her face was familiar, though he had not seen it in a long time. It was concern, concern for Wilsons safety. Joanna had always displayed her concern for Wilson when he went on a mission. But the look on her face now, he had only seen once before, in the desert on the first day he put on the armor. She wasnt just worried; she was afraid.
Then Joanna did something wholly unexpected but not at all unwelcome or undesired. She stepped forward, stood on her toes, and kissed Wilson deeply, as though she had been it back for years. But then, all too quickly, it was over. Wilson hugged her for a moment and she whispered in his ear before he left, Come back safe.
Wilson landed on the building that Tobias had directed him to. He was standing in the middle of the roof. The loud hum and rattle from the air-conditioning ducts that ran all around him made it difficult to concentrate. Wilson walked to the rear of the building which faced the water. The building was on the edge of the island only about 10 to 15 feet from a shear drop off that went about 20 feet down to another plateau like a large step.
He looked out toward where he had been fighting the day before. The sun had almost set, which added to the difficulty. Wilson tried to picture what the sniper would have seen from this vantage point. This was definitely the stop, he thought.
He crouched down behind the wall and examined the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary. In the corner against the wall he noticed something in the fading light. It was a spent rifle cartridge. This was the spot.
The sun was now down and the only light came from street lamps and a few dim flood lamps on the roof of the building. Wilson didnt like the idea of what he was about to do but he didnt have much choice. He placed his hand on the side of his helmet and when he touched a specific spot a light slid out, much like the action of the head lights on a Corvette. Searching the roof want too difficult. Although there was a network of air conditioning ducts that cris-crossed the area, It was still largely open space. The light colored gravel helped just that much more.
Access to the roof was granted via a ladder inside the building that led to an overhead hatch. The access hatch had a rather tall lip, about six inches and the access space itself was rather small. That is where Wilson found a badge. It was a white temporary paper badge within a plastic protector. Wilson was extremely familiar with these badges. He had seen and been assigned many over his career. Anytime he would visit a command or secure building that he was not employed at he was assigned one so that he could gain access. But the one that Wilson now had in front of him was to Portal Corporation. The clip on the back had been ripped off. The whole thing seemed a little too convenient.
Batman usually worked a little harder to put the pieces together, Wilson thought to himself. Wilson pushed the thought out of his mind. Next stop Portal Corporation. On the back of the card was his destination, Site Kronos.
G, I need some help.
Go ahead W.
I need some information from Portal Corp. I need the location of a place called Site Kronos.
Copy, checking, standby- Wilson held his breath has Grixson preformed his search. Wilson stared out over the water around the island. The view was serene, peaceful. The sun had gone down but the light from the city reflected off the water. For a few moments, the anticipation and anxiety that had been driving Wilson melted away. It was a good feeling that was all to brief.
Okay, we have something for you W, Grixsons stern and humorless voice broke in. The Portal Corp location that you are looking for is Skyway City. I am transmitting the location now.
Copy, W out, Wilson lifted off for Skyway City.
Wilson arrived in Sky and was about half a mile from the target building when his HUD flashed a warning. WARNING MISSLE LOCK appeared in the upper left hand corner of his HUD. After only a second Sean's voice broke in over the radio.
Youre being tracked by a missile, it has a radar lock on you, he said excitedly.
Copy, time to see of your upgrade works, Wilson replied.
Wilson took evasive action and changed his heading away from the city, increasing speed. The missile was closing fast. Wilson received a notice in his HUD identifying the missile as a Stinger, which meant the weapon was armed. Wilson watched his radar as a tiny red dot streaked across. Wilson was rapidly gaining altitude and the hostile projectile was closing fast. He could easily out run the Stinger but it would simply run out of fuel and fall somewhere in the city with a live warhead. Wilson debated turning around and simply blasting it, but he would only have one shot two at the most. He might survive a direct hit but why chance it. Attached to his back were two cylinders about the size of a large soup can, inside each was a combination of flares and chaff.
Wilson allowed the missile to close to about 200 yards. When the Stinger reached that threshold one of the canisters on Wilsons back disengaged from the armor and exploded in a bright flash. The following instant, Wilson changed his vector, turning perpendicular to the city he cranked up the armors flight speed to its maximum, clearing the area in a few seconds. The decoy that Wilson deployed produced a field of bright orange points of light, which left trails of flames as they fell to earth and glittering shards of aluminum that seemed to hang in the air. The upgrade worked, the missile stopped tracking Wilson and flew through the field of flares and chaff. Wilson turned and followed the Stinger, which was now headed straight up. He closed in for a clear shot and hit it with a blast of energy from his gauntlets. The missile exploded in a slightly disappointing flash of smoke and flame. Peter had hoped for a bigger explosion for his trouble.
Resuming his course to the target building, Wilson saw there were four men on the roof. One was on kneeling and three others were attending to something he was holding. As Wilson got closer he saw it was a shoulder mounted stinger launcher and the three other men were in the process of reloading it. As soon as he was within range, Wilson let lose a low intensity explosive energy blast that hit all four men and scattered them around the roof.
Wilson landed on the roof as the men were staggering to their feet. He took a few moments to examine his attackers. They were all dressed in very light, pale blue jump suits. All four had tactical vests and tactical holsters for their pistols. None was carrying anything heavier than a 9mm side arm. However, their heavier weapons were strewn about the roof. In addition the pistols they were carrying, a virtual armory of sub-machine guns, grenades, ammunition, and anti-armor weapons were with the four men on the roof. Before they could fully regain their senses, Wilson rendered three of them unconscious with low-intensity energy blasts. The fourth he wanted answers from. But when Wilson approached and grabbed the man by his collar, he noticed a curiously distant look in his eyes. Something else was odd too, he wasnt resisting. Wilson held him, looking in his almost lifeless eyes for a moment when the man suddenly passed out. He was alive, just unconscious.
That was more than a little strange, Wilson muttered to himself under his helmet. Not giving it another thought, Wilson restrained the four men and checked them for ID. Surprisingly all four of Wilsons attackers had identification on them, and under their tactical vests. They had Portal Corp. ID badges but not like the one he had found in Telos. These were true permanent, employee, photo ID badges and written on each one next to their picture was the word Security. Curious, Wilson thought. He jumped over the edge of the roof and hovered down to the ground carrying an ID he had taken from one of the unconscious security guards.
Switching to X-ray vision, Wilson started scanning the building for anything out of the ordinary. From the outside the building was totally unremarkable. It was similar in style to the other buildings surrounding it, it was not particularly tall, and the outside bore no markings. Inside, Wilson saw nothing out of the ordinary as well, just the standard office fair. As Wilson turned his gaze down ward, he ran into an obstruction. Instead of seeing sewers or a basement structure, Wilsons view was obstructed. There didnt appear to be any way into the complex under the building from inside, so Wilson searched the perimeter of the building for a possible entry way.
The point of entry that Wilson found was a little shocking to him as an intelligence agent. Behind the building was a entry way flush with the building but protruding out of the ground, it looked like a storm cellar entrance made of concrete. It was odd because it would be more conspicuous for people to walk around the back of the building. Someone watching the building might get a little suspicious. Examining the door carefully, Wilson searched for some kind of card reader, keypad, or biometric scanner. He did not find one.
Its a good thing I have the key to this door, he muttered to him self. Wilson placed his left hand on the frame of the entry way, bracing himself. He raised his right hand and as he did so a red-orange glow started to emanate from his fist. Using all of his and the suits combined strength he was easily able to penetrate the crease in the door. But it was still a deceptively heavy door and Wilson could see it was held shut by a steel bar. Likely the bar was moved mechanically by the locking system. Using both hands Wilson started pulling the door open toward him. After a brief struggle the loops that the locking bar was placed through snapped and the door swung open. Fortunately the traffic was masking the sounds of Wilsons B&E.
Wilson cautiously walked down the short flight of steps that led to the basement facility. What Wilson saw was like something out of a science fiction novel. The complex was brightly lit and it branched off of corridors that snaked under Skyway City. It was a sterile metallic facility that had a cold and foreboding air. Something about the place wasnt right. It took a second for Wilson to realize what was missing. There was no alarm sounding and no security had rushed up to meet him.
Inside the hidden lab at ChemShield, Grixson, David, and Sean were frantically trying establish radio contact with Wilson. When he entered the facility, the support team lost all ability to contact Wilson. They were working to reestablish the com link and get a single strong enough to penetrate the reinforced underground facility, but nothing seemed to work.
Grixson leaned back in his chair, I hope he can handle what ever is down there, he removed his head set, because we cant help him.
Atomantium is an unregistered hero, like the subject from Joannas report. Do you think this could be a plot to abduct him? Lucy asked turning in her chair.
Joanna sat silent, she knew that whether it was or it wasnt didnt really matter, Wilson was alone. If he couldnt handle what was down there, he wouldnt be transported out to the hospital. The stakes were high whenever Pete went on a mission. But this was the first time that they were totally out of the loop.
Grixson answered for Joanna, I think we should be looking at the bigger picture here. The facility that Pete just walked into was buried pretty deep by Portal Corp. According to what I have been able to piece together, this facility isnt a portal to an alternate reality, but another planet near some kind of anomaly. So we have two big questions, why did Portal Corp. take a shot at Wilson and how did they know about Atomantium?
Tobias broke in, I got something. We are receiving a signal from his tracker.
Well at least thats something, but it doesnt help us in the least. We need to let him know what that facility is all about. Grixson barked. Grixson was normally a joyless and stern personality, but everyone knew that when he was like this it was out of frustration and concern.
Wilson walked out of the entry way into an open area that was created from the intersection of two corridors, the entry way and a cavernous room right ahead of him. He headed for the open room in front of him. Along the perimeter of the room was a catwalk and staked along the walls were a number of very large storage boxes of varying shapes. When Wilson stepped over the threshold of the entry way a shot rang out and hit him in the right shoulder. He staggered back, and then a second shot hit him in the left thigh. Three more shorts from different directions rang out. The impact was tremendous given they were only bullets. Each round had exploded in flames on the armor after impacting. Wilson raised his hand to return fire but he could not see where the shots had come from. The sixth shot hit Wilson square in the chest and knocked him on his back. Wilson was now on fire from head to toe, the snipers were firing incendiary rounds at him. He returned fire from his position on the floor, shooting a low level explosive blasting, hoping the shock wave would hit whoever was shooting. He took cover behind a large station that was in the center of the room. A few more shots rang out as he did so but missed their target. Wilson would soon regret his decision.
Wilson took cover in an attempt to clear the room. But taking cover placed him deeper in a room with an unknown number of snipers. They couldnt do any damage to the armor, but they would make his progress difficult. Wilson returned fire again and saw a 50 caliber rifle fall form the catwalk. He managed to hit one of the shooters but it didnt matter. Just as Wilson rose from behind cover to fire another blast, the sound of stomping boots and orders being shouted filled the room. He turned to see the room filling with a combination of Portal Corp security and Council soldiers. The only way out of the room was through the wall of soldiers pointing guns. As soon as all of the soldiers and guards were in position all talking stopped and they stood like statues, rifles to their shoulders.
Throw this on the list of weird crap today, Wilson muttered through his cleanched teeth. He peeeked at the soldiers surrounding him for a moment then finally stood up hesitantly. The soldiers didnt move a muscle.
The room was silent for a moment. Wilson broke the quiet with a sudden burst of power, propelling him self in the air. It took only a split second for the soldiers guns to open up. The sound of all the guns going off at the same time would have been defining but the sound dampening system in Wilson helmet that muffled the noise. It felt and sounded like being inside a car during a hard rain. Wilson directed himself onto the cat walk and landed hard. As soon as he touched down he was met with sniper fire from the 50mm rifles that had hit him previously. A few seconds after it started, the gun fire subsided for a second. Many of the soldiers and guards had emptied their magazines and were reloading. Wilson seized his opportunity and fired an explosive blast, followed by an energy torrent blast. The energy blasts did the trick and put about half the soldiers and guards on their backs.
Several more Council soldiers entered the room. They numbered about a dozen but they were armed with heavier weapons. Wilson took a shot at the new group entering but missed wide to the right when he was hit by one of the snipers. Then an explosion roared behind him and sent him over the railing of the cat walk and crashing down to the floor. Wilson struggled to his knees but another explosion slammed Wilson against the storage crates along the wall. Wilson fired another energy torrent from his back hoping to get an advantage. His shot missed, in the split second before he was hit again, Wilson saw that he was being hit by high explosive 40mm granades. Before a thrid granade could be fired, Wilson squeesed off 2 energy bursts in quick succession and droped the grenadier.
Wilson fired a third and a fourth energy blast that finally rendered the last dozen or so soldiers unconscious. A few more sniper rounds rang out from the room. Wilson didnt pursue them, rather headed for the entry way. Once he crossed the threshold the firing ceased.
During the fire fight none of the soldiers or guards attempted to take cover or try to out flank him. They just stood and fired. Again, something just didnt add up. The Council is an elite paramilitary group; wouldnt they have been a little more tactical in their attack? Not only that, but what was Portal Security doing helping them? The whole situation smacked of mind control. Wilson opened a comchannel back to ChemShield for input as he sealed the room of conscious attackers. When the massive door shut, Wilson punched in the control pad.
J Come in .Come in J, static J this is W, come in, over, static. Wilson knew what the problem was right away. The complex was shielded. No radio signals would be getting out. At least no signals from his transmitter would get out.
Before proceeding, Wilson attempted to activate his optical camouflage. He heard an electric hum and saw an electrical current dance across his hand then, nothing. A message appeared in his HUD, OC MALFUNCTION, SYSTEM DISENGAGED. The optical camo was damaged in the fight. Wilson asked himself if he should continue. In his mind there was really only one option.
Wilson flipped a coin in his head and went down the corridor to his left. He followed it until he came to a bank of elevators. He entered one and took it down a few floors. It was odd that they were working if the facility was on alert. Not only that but he had walked down about 200 yards of twisting corridors and he didnt run into any additional resistence. If this was mind control, the villain wasnt a very good strategist Wilson thought. The second the elevator doors opened, however, Peter immediately regretted his thought.
When the elevator doors opened Wilson found himself standing toe to toe with roughly 20 Lost Eremites all with swords drawn. Wilson stood in the elevator, the doors did not close. It had been shut down. Wilson had no choice; he stepped out of the elevator, his mind empty, his fists clenched. The room before him was immense. In all it was perhaps 4 to 5 times the size of where he had had his previous battle (if you could call it that). At the opposite end of the room was something that Wilson had never seen before, something incredible. Three massive rings were mounted up right, placed several feet apart. Suspended in the center was a brilliant glowing ball that was emitting huge amounts of electrical energy. Leading up to the ball of energy was a wide ramp covered in a rubber mat.
Breathing in hard, Wilson ran though his options in a fraction of a second. None were good. Peter drew first blood against his opponents. He fired an explosive blast at the middle of the group of Eremites. They were staggered but barely affected. He only had a second to readjust the intensity and fire again with a more powerful blast. This time they were shaken. Wilson went to his right, after the Eremites on his flank. He side stepped a thrust by one, grabbed the sword, and gave it a hard tug. The Eremite lunged forward and Wilson planted his boot in his stomach. Wilson blocked the thrust by two other Eremites with the sword he held in his hand. He swung it around hurling the Eremite still holding into the group attacking him. The group closed in on Wilson from his left. He was now in the worst possible tactical position. He was surrounded.
Wilson fought like mad to fend off the attackers. He threw blow after blow and fired blaster after blast. He would disable one and another Eremite would take its place. The Ritki blades were large and heavy and his adversaries were powerful. Each blow left dents and scars on the armor. The wave of bodies was seemingly never ending. Wilson kept pushing him self to fight despite the almost overwhelming urge he felt to give up.
In an odd bit of luck, one of the attackers struck Wilson in the back sending him flying forward and out of the mass of bodies. A brief respite from the merciless beating he was receiving. Wilson used all of the strength left in his body to turn. The Eremites were closing again. He fired an energy blast at full power at the Eremite at the head of the group that launched him flying back into the rest. The force of the blast threw launched the Eremite with enough force to knock the group on there backs. But they werent out. The race was on now, the first to regain their composure might make it out.
Unfortunately for Wilson, the Eremites recovered quickly and they were on their feet just as Pete's vision was starting to come into focus. They charged again. Wilson took off and began firing on the group from the air. The tide was starting to turn; several Eremites were rendered unconscious after several high powered blasts. But Wilsons attention was on his attackers and not his surroundings. He had not noticed that he was fairly close to a walk way that ran along the wall of the chamber which connected several control rooms. Behind him another group of Eremites had taken position on the walk way.
Wilson was still outnumbered 10 to one, but he had managed to knock out a good number of his attackers. As he lined up a shot a tremendous force collided with Wilson from behind sending him falling violently to the ground. One of the Eremites on the walk way had leapt from the walk spearing his shoulder into Wilsons back. The violent confrontation left Wilson nearly unconscious. Forcing his self to find a solution Wilson remembered the countermeasure still on his back. He wasted no time. The countermeasure launched up from his back and exploded with a bright flash and a defening "BANG". As the flares fell to the ground and the Eremites were blinded by the flash, Wilson once again forced himself to his feet. He mustered all of his strength and delivered a strong upper cut to the Eremite nearest him and put it on its back.
Again, Wilson had the upper hand but he was too injured and too disoriented to capitalize on it. He fired a torrent at a small group that put them down. From his right, Wilson caught sight of a Ritki blade. He raised his right arm to block the weapon. It collided with his forearm and forced him to the ground. His body was battered, the armor damaged Wilson tried in vain to raise himself up. An Eremite planted its giant foot on Wilsons chest. He struggled half heartedly against the behemoth. A voice started echoing in his mind Wilson tried to fight back. It was telling him he had lost, to give in. Wilson had no more fight left in him. Wilson stopped struggling.
An alien in blue armor appeared over Wilson. It knelt down and he heard the alien lay something down next to his head. Wilsons vision was blurred and cloudy, he had difficulty making out the face, but he could see it was a Rikti. He stood over Wilson for a moment, not speaking, his gaze piercing as if he was extracting all the information he needed just by looking into the lifeless eyes of Atomantium. The feeling of acquiescence was washing over Wilsons body. It was permeating every cell of his body. Something wasnt right, he wasn't thinking about ChemShield, the building, the lab, its reactor or Juliana¬. He was just thinking about giving up.
NO!! Wilson cried out. He grabbed the Eremites leg on his chest with both hands, used his leverage, twisted the monster's foot and broke its leg and the shin. He spun around to his feet and began firing energy blasts at the group of surprised Eremites. But something was in his mind, prying out information, it was the Rikti.
Wilsons counter attack only lasted a minute. He felt a sharp directed blow for the back of his head and fell to the ground once again. When his head hit the floor, Wilson saw the Riktis face looking down on him then, blackness.
Wilson gradually came to; as his senses returned to him, he noticed he was in a room totally unlike the one where he had lost conciousness. It was much smaller and the light was starile. The room was dank, an odor hung in the air that made Wilson sick to his stomach. Wilson started to take stock of his situation. Looking around he saw his hands and feet were restrained. Another restraint was around his waist. He had not fully regained the sensation in his body yet. The only information about his situation Wilson was getting was from what he was able to see. Wilson was restrained with his arms to his sides to a strange table. His head was throbbing and all he wanted to do was slip away again into unconsciousness. He fought the urge with every ounce of strength that was left in his body. He guessed he probably had a concussion. If he allowed himself to pass out, he might not wake up. Wilson shifted his body, when he did so a blaze of pain engulfed his muscles. He cried out unable to contain his agony.
In his mind a cold, distant, and unfeeling voice whispered, it appears you are awake Mr. Wilson, welcome to you new home. Wilson didnt respond, he didnt know how to, the situation hadnt completely sunk in yet.
You were severally injured in a battle that took place in a secret Portal Corporation facility and are now being held captive. The memories floated back. Fear washed over Wilson, replacing the throbbing pain all over his body. He needed to escape, he tried to blast out of his restraints, but nothing happened. Why? Then it finally occurred to him, he was no longer wearing the Atomantium armor.
"We have confiscated your armor and transported you through the portal you saw in the facility to a planet far from Earth. There is no hope of escape from this place. This plant is located in the vicinity of a special anomaly identified by your species as a black hole. Your people have not yet discoverd this planet. Not even Portal Corporation knew where there portal led. Untill our forces over ran the facility, Portal Corporation scientists still believed it to lead to another dimension. You will be in this place until you die however soon that may be. In the words of one of your Earth writers, 'All hope abandon ye who enter here'."
Two Rikti Conscripts entered from behind Wilson. He felt the table he was restrained to change position. Then a 3rd Rikti entered the room. When he did so the two Rikti guards undid Wilson's restraints and sat him up. The voice that had invaded his mind began again.
You are in our medical facility. Your wound will be treated and you will be placed with the others, it said.
Calling it a medical facility was more than generous. Sitting up Wilson was able to get a better look at the room. The smell was horrific and splaters of almost every imaginable color dotted the walls and the floor and even the celling. The room its self was a dull metallic grey and resembled a meat locker more than any medical facility that Wilson had ever seen. He was taken to a corner of the small room and was made to stand facing the wall. Wilsons hands were restrained in front of him by a device that resembled handcuffs, but rather than have the two restraints separated by a chain, there were mounted edge to edge and perpendicular to one another. The restraints locked around Wilsons wrists one on top of the other. One of the Ritki guards activated a device below Wilson. A low almost imperceptible hum sounded and Wilsons could not raise his arms or move his legs. Something below the floor, or the floor itself was pulling down with tremendous force the restraints around Wilsons wrists and ankles.
As Wilson stood, bound by an invisible force, an unseen medic was attending to Wilsons shoulder wound. Wilson couldnt turn to see what was happening but he could feel a warm sensation around the area that Joanna had stitched up. After perhaps 2 minutes the procedure was over and the field that restrained Wilson was released.
Wilson was taken through a series of long corridors. Along the way the guards would rough him up, throwing Wilson on the ground, kicking him punching him when he would lag behind. It made the trip seem much longer than it really was, but there was really no way to gauge just how long it was taking anyway. Finally, Wilson was dragged into a massive almost conical chamber. Along the wall of the room Wilson could barely make out doors, they were constructed in such away that they were almost seamless against the wall. He could see that leading from the catwalk, which made its way around this level, were 6 entryways, 5 that Wilson could see, and the one that he had exited. The entryway that Wilson had come out of had a guard station where the two Rikti stopped for a moment presumeably to get instructions on which cell would be Wilson's. Catching a glimpse over the railing, Wilson noted that the chamber went down several levels before reaching ground. He did not have long, however, to examine his surroundings. Within a few moments he was tossed into a cell.
Wilson hit the floor hard and the door to the cell slid down in a flash, sealing him in. Wilsons eyes adjusted to the brightly lit cell. The room was a sickening redish brown, like the color of rust. The cell was extremely small with no place to sleep other than the floor. His vision was blurry, and he had not yet regained all of his senses. The situation was bad. Wilson took stock in his beleaguered mind:
Situational Analysis
Physical Location: Prison ¬verification required
Geographic Location: Unknown
Status: Severely injured, held captive, armor location and status unknown
Possibility of Rescue: Unknown
Resources: Unknown ¬ further verification r required
Captors: Ritki
Purpose of Incarceration: Unknown
Objectives
1. Determine location
2. Discover location of Atomantium
3. Discover reason for captivity
4. Survive, Escape, Evade, Resist
Tall order, Wilson said to an empty cell. He wanted to get up and look around the room but he was still week and in pain. Falling a sleep was out, not because of the harsh sleeping conditions but because he still did not know if he had a concussion or not. Without anything to occupy his mind, staying awake was a monumental task in his condition. And it was a losing battle. Wilsons body was too weak and unconsciousness overcame him.
---------------
Tobias and David had been up for 72 hours straight. All of their thoughts and movements were fueled by caffeine, will power, and determination. They had been in the windowless secret lab inside ChemShield since they had stopped receiving a signal from the GPS tracker in Wilsons armor. The two men had been in front of the monitoring station, running diagnostics on the equipment, breaking into government mainframes and retasking satellites. Joanna had stayed too, she had been monitoring signals traffic through sources that Wilson and the others had hacked. She was hoping someone would make a mistake and say something indicating what Wilsons status was. None of the usual suspects was saying anything useful. In the 72 hours since the team lost contact, they had formulated a hundred possible scenarios for Wilsons disappearance. None of them useful and none of them led them in a productive direction. If he had been killed, no one was taking credit. If he had been kidnapped no one was announcing it.
Grixson joined the trio after having walked Wilsons dog, Ace. Still no sign of Wilson?
No, now help or get out, Joanna snapped from across the lab. Grixson ignored the outburst. Joanna was upset and on edge, they all were. No sign of Wilson and no way to figure out what happened. The only thing she could figure was that losing contact with Wilson had something to do with the unregistered hero abductions. But the how, why, and where were not presenting them selves and the frustration was taking its toll.
After he had a chance
Ok Its long, poorly written, and looks like it was writen with I10 in mind. Only the first two are true. I wrote this before I10 but when I saw what the issue was about I figured eh. I know its bad, sorry.
Origin of Atomantiums Cosmic Powers: The Last Will and Testament of Peter Wilson
Its a miracle that bullet didnt kill you Peter. Grixon said.
Wilson was carefully removing the Atomantium armor while Grixon was at a lab station close by examining a bullet he had just removed from Wilsons armor. During a recent battle with the Freakshow a single round was fired that partially pierced Atomantium at the right shoulder blade. If the bullet had hit about 4 inches more to the right and it could have passed through Wilsons heart, that is if the armor hadn't protected him. Luckily, the bullet didnt pass all the way though and it was lodged within the armor. Wilson was able finish the battle with the Freaks and leave the area relatively unharmed. But who ever fired that shot had made their point, and made it well.
Did David and Sean finally finish the ballistic tests on the armor? Wilson asked.
You know they would have finished it sooner if you wouldnt use it so much. Tobias interjected.
Hey, give me a break; there are a lot of bad guys in this city. Wilson replied. He pressed on his ribs checking for breaks. He was clean, no breaks, just soreness.
They finally figured out what the upper limit of the armors strength is. Like we figured, the armor is really tough, Tobias said sitting down across from Wilson. The armor itself will take a tremendous amount of punishment."
So whats the verdict? Wilson inquired.
"Essentially our tests and computer models confirmed our original hypothesis. We knew that it could stand up to any kind of small arms fire including explosive and armor peircing rounds. We are certain that the armor its self can survive a direct hit from a heavry artilery shell, a surface to air or surface to surface missle like the AIM 9 or a 500 pound bomb. We are reasonably sure that it would survive a SABO or HEAT round and we think it might be able to survive multiple hits from artilery or missles but not many. Essentially, Atomantium will stand up to most single target conventional weapons that we know of. Anything bigger and its lights out."
Wilson nodded his head as he absorbed the information. This wasn't really news to him or really anyone else. But the signifigance of finally getting emprical information ment that now they could make improvements on Atomantium. It was also important for a less tangible reason. Wilson needed the hard facts to ground him, otherwise he would put too much faith in the armors abilities. Faith that could get him killed.
"What resistence to energy weapons?" Wilson asked. Tobiases expresion hardened. "Energy based attacks are problematic. Now, we did manage to provide some added protection since your first meeting with Terminal Void, but its not much. The problem with energy based attacks is, one that the on board computing is susceptible to the secondary effects and two that the armor is a conductor, granted its a bad conductor, but a conductor none the less. The good news is we can beef up your energy protection. The bad news its that developing a defense is going to take some time."
Wilson stroked his chin. "Okay, but you said, all this is what the armor can handle."
Yes, exactly, what the armor can handle is really a moot point. The real issue is how punishment can you take when you are inside the armor. Your ability to take damage is lower than the armors threshold. Even if the armor could survive a completely intact after three days of heavy saturation bombing, you would have been dead from the shock waves long before it was over. Grixon said smugly as Joanna walked into the secure armor bay. Wilson had his back to the door but he could tell from the sound of her walk, who it was.
Tobias interjected, changing the tone of the discussion to one more of concern rather than beratement. "Pete, the truth is we can't be sure how much punishment you can take inside the armor. We know you have taken a lot of punishment in the past, but our simulations won't tell us with any accuracy if you could survive a hit by an artilery shell. Basically what I am saying Pete is you need to be careful."
Wilson assimilated everything Tobias and Walter had just told him. He knew they were right, but at the same time he couldn't accept their conclusions. Wilson though, 'how could Tobias be telling me to be careful? He isn't the one who is fighting for his life on an almost daily basis.' He knew that his friends were watching out for him but Wilson was not generally the type to be dicated to. But his attention was soon turned elswhere.
Welcome home Pete. Came Joannas all to welcome voice from the communications room. She entered the armor storage bay and scowled as she noticed the blood on the back of Petes jumpsuit. Although the bullet hadnt passed all the way through the armor, the sharp tip of penetrated several millimeters inside the armor and dug into Wilsons shoulder. The injury wasnt bad, but Wilsons movements during the battle aggravated the wound.
Something wrong? Wilson asked sensing Joannas displeasure.
The back of your jumpsuit is covered in blood. I need to take a look.I will have to get that gash cleaned and stitched up. Wilson did as Joanna had requested. Wilson was fortunate to have Joanna as an ally and a friend. A fact he knew very well and one which he would never take for granted.
Before her start with ChemShield, Joanna was a surgeon in the U.S. Army. She was extremely bright and quick minded not to mention beautiful in any sense of the word. Wilson always thought that Robert Heinlein put it best when he wrote she was the reason you were glad that god created two genders. Not very poetic but it summed up Wilsons feelings nicely. She always had an air of self assurance and confidence about her, a quality that was rubbing off on Wilson more and more. Her confidence was tempered by a sometimes compulsive need for order and slightly more than mild distaste for spontaneity, qualities that she was slowly beginning to grow out of the more time she spent with Peter.
Joanna had graduated from high school and college early and flew through med school at George Washington University. She graduated from college with a BS in Chemical Engineering and soon after her Masters in the same field. Her decision to go to med school was based on the fact that she wanted to feel needed. Soon after she graduated she gravitated toward pursuing her career in the military. Her father had been a naval aviator and she had fond memories of the close ties her father had with the members of his squadron and his flight crew.
Joanna served on reserve duty and did her residency at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. But shortly after her residency ended, her father was involved in a tragic car accident. He was brought to Johns Hopkins hospital where Joanna assisted in treating him. Despite her efforts he succumbed to his injuries and died only an hour after the accident. The subsequent morbidity and mortality panel ruled that although Joanna valiantly fought to save her father, she was in violation of medical ethics by operating on a family member. She was suspended for 6 months. After the hearing Joanna resigned her commission from the Army and left Maryland.
Joanna decided not to return to medicine but rather pursue something else, anything else. While getting her masters she had heard about ChemShield and she made her way there. After much persistence she was ultimately hired by Grixon only 7 weeks before the incident that destroyed the facility.
Wilson heard the loud smack of a rubber glove, then Joanna added, now drop you pants and bend over Mr. Wilson, this will only hurt for a minute. It was the worst Austrian accent Wilson had ever heard.
Tobias struggled to hold back his smile and turned his back to Wilson as he began reassembling Atomantium in its storage outcove.
You know that is the 50th time you have used that line. I think you had better leave the comedy to me. Wilson said with a smug grin. A moment later he flinched as he felt a painful burning on his shoulder.
And you think it gets funnier every time... dont you? Joanna asked as she held a gauze pad drenched in alcohol against Wilsons open wound.
Ow, ow, yes, yes, its hilarious, your skill with using the same joke repeatedly is second to none. Wilson said wincing and trying to squirm away.
Hmpf, Joanna walked around in front of Wilson holding a scalpel in here right hand, now whos the most beautiful doctor you know? Joanna tapped the handle on her chin as she stared through Wilson.
Why you are of course.
Damn straight. Joanna said with a nod. Wilson could hear Grixon and Tobias snickering. Wilson couldnt help but smile too. What just happened wasnt lost on him, how to follow up though was.
Wilson felt Joannas fingers on his shoulder. She was examining his wound and cleaning out the bits of fabric that had been ground into it. While she hummed and Wilson stared at the floor questions started to present themselves. What could penetrate the armor like that? Conventional ammunition even armor piercing and high explosive rounds wouldnt leave a mark on the armor. But this one did, why? The shot was clearly fired by a sniper, and an exceptionally skilled one at that. Could the government know that Wilson was Atomantium? Who would have the technology to make an alloy that strong? What if the bullet is atomantium? Too many questions and not enough answers were racing through his head. It was going to be a long night.
The bullet is atomantium. Grixon said matter-of-factly. He rose from his seat and walked over to Wilson holding the bullet in a surgical clamp.
You dont sound too concerned Walter. Joanna said from behind Wilson.
Yeah what she said. Wilson added.
Well I need to continue to examine it to figure out where it came from. Grixson clarified.
Tobias walked over next to Grixon, umm, it cant be atomantium alloy, this stuff is nearly impossible to handle in such small quantities. He continued I mean the reason we had enough alloy for 7 suits was because it was actually more economical to work with that much alloy rather than create enough for the suits individually.
Then they could have made enough for ten thousand rounds, Tobias. Wilson replied.
No youre not understanding what I am saying. It isnt only more difficult to make in small quantities, the alloy is also very difficult to manipulate, in small quantities. They may have made hundreds of pounds of alloy, but casting one gram or so drops into bullets would be almost impossible without a great deal of equipment and expertise. Tobias said sternly.
Wilson winced as he felt the needle break skin and Joanna start to stitch shut the wound on his shoulder. Well that narrows down the list of suspects. The fact that it would have taken an expert marksman to hit me also helps. There is one other possibility though that we need to explore.
Whats that? Grixon asked.
The bullet was cast out of the armor reminets the government confiscated after the bombing at the desert site. This points to the Malta Group, Sky Raiders or the Council. Its not a great lead but its a start. Wilson answered.
Ok, we need some time to muddle this through. I am going to call it a night and convene everyone here in the morning so we can try and come up with something better to go on. Grixon said.
Wilson nodded and Grixon and Tobias finished up their tasks and left a few moments later. Wilson stayed behind to let Joanna finish up and dressing his wound. When she finished she left the lab. Wilson changed into a fresh set of cloths, secured the room, and left.
Wilson made a quick stop at his office to collect a few things and made his way to the elevator. On his way there he passed Joannas office and saw her straightening up.
Wilson knocked on her open door, I thought you would be half way home by now.
No, not yet, I couldnt leave my office a mess. She said as she slung her purse over her shoulder.
I forgot to say this before, but thanks for patching me up. I dont know what Id do without your help. Wilson said.
Joanna looked up with a smile, now was that so hard. She stepped out from behind her desk and met Wilson in the door way.
Wilson offered his arm to Joanna, may escort you down stairs. He asked with a playful smile.
Joanna placed her arm in his, nodded and said, You may.
The two made their way to the basement of the building. Joanna and Peter had been driving to work together for several months. Wilson had been the one to suggest it, partly out of convenience for both of them but mostly because every second he was around her everything seemed- well it all just seemed a little better. It was a powerful sensation. Joanna almost always seemed in a good mood, positive and up beat. For a while Wilson found himself making up excuses to stop by her office and chat. After a while he convinced himself that he had to be trying her patience. So he forced him self to stop. After a few days, she started to come to him.
The two got along extremely largely because the one challenged the other. But they also shared a lot in common. Wilson was an orphan who was abandoned by his foster family once he was 18. Joanna had lost both of her parents, he mother to cancer, and her father to a car accident. They had both spent a large part of their lives as outsiders and loaners. Both were driven and both had a sense of duty. But the one thing that perhaps brought them closest together was that they each had something to learn form the other.
Hows Ace? Joanna asked as Wilsons car meandered though the streets of Steel Canyon.
Joanna and Peter arrived at his high rise apartment and went up to see Ace, Peters Black Lab. The two went for a walk, and chatted for several hours. Joanna spent the night in the spare bedroom that Pete hadnt converted into an office. The company was more than welcome. Pete lived alone as did Joanna. Having someone else in the apartment, at least for a little while, made being there a little less burdensome. The two had a plutonic relationship, despite Peters internal protestations to the contrary. But life was just that much nicer with her in it, regardless of the capacity. But what ever the relationship between them, if he was wanted to change it, it wouldnt simply spontaneously metamorphose. It was up Pete to take the leap. Sigh
Pete spent the night in his room doing some research on the secure computer that the DIA had set up in his home. 'If they knew what I was going with this, I could lose my clearance,' he thought. He skimmed through reports from the government regarding the recovered atomantium armors. All of the reports were regarding the technology, tactical analyses, contingency plans for subsequent attacks, etc. Nothing in the databases he was searching was about a breach in security. That was bad news because if no report was filed it meant one of two things. Either a theft had occurred and it was being covered up, or a theft had occurred and it was an inside job and no one knew about it yet. Wilson didnt want to consider either scenario.
Finally, Wilson gave in and decided to get a few hours sleep before heading back to ChemShield in the morning. He crashed for a few solid hours but was up early. Wilson left the apartment well before Joanna woke up, but not before leaving her something.
Joanna got up when she stepped out of her bed room, something across the apartment caught her eye. Joanna walked over to the Dinner table where a card had been left for her. It was from Wilson, it read:
Sorry I missed you this morning. I headed back to ChemShield early. I hope this makes up for it.
Wilson had made breakfast before leaving and laid it out on the table. He had made everything him self with the exception of milking the cow. Joanna smiled to her self and blushed. She wasnt happy that she had been left alone but couldnt help but smile at Wilsons gesture. It was sweet, she thought, but he still should have waited.
Sean and David had received the message from Grixon and both decided to be at the Atomantium storage lab early. When Wilson arrived the two had just arrived and were brewing coffee.
Morning gents, hows life on the outside? Wilson asked as he passed through the heavy reinforced doorway that led to the lab. Wilson was greeted by the standard good monings and cant complains.
Guess Joanna spent the night at your place again, eh Pete. David asked. Peter lowered his head with an embarrassed grin and rubbed his forehead.
Do you know how much I hate it that you can always tell when she stays over. Wilson replied.
Pete you wear the signs like a freaking chicken suit. We would have to be catatonic or dead not to notice. Sean interjected.
Sean went on, But this time we didnt have to guess, she called here about 30 seconds before you walked in to see if your were here. Shes on her way.
David walked over and placed his arm on Wilsons shoulders, Look, Pete, we are buddies, but here is the deal, if you dont tell that girl your in love, I swear to you on my children that I will divorce my wife and take a shot at Joanna. So move your [censored]. Sean chuckled. Pete struggled to hold back his smile.
I wish you only knew how much I hate you. Wilson answered shaking his head.
I know, I hate you too buddy. We still on for the Skins game tomorrow? David asked.
You know it. Just have to get the beer and we are set. Are you bringing the kids? Wilson went out.
Yup, Beth is having a day out with the girls. Sean youre still in too right? David asked turning to Sean.
Ill be there. He responded.
Good, so it should be a full house. Now lets get down to business. Wilson said pouring himself a cup of coffee.
The three men continued talking as they spread out to their sections of the lab. David and Sean went to the storage bay that housed the armor where they gave it complete review. Not far away, off to their right was an area about 10 feet square that was partitioned off by walls about three feet high. The cubicle was Wilsons work space. He could see and hear everyone in the lab, but none of his computers or the many documents he had strewn about were in anyones way. As the three men became more involved in their work, the room fell silent save for the clicking of keyboard keys.
The silence was broken when Joanna entered the secure chamber. The three men greeted her and she greeted them. She made her way for Peters cubicle where he was reading a report on his computer screen. Joanna placed a soft hand on his shoulder and bent down to kiss him on the check. Sean and David had stopped working and were watching the scene across the room.
Thanks for breakfast, she kissed his check. Then she stood up and punched Peter in the arm before he could respond. Thats for not waiting for me.
Peter rubbed his bicep with the opposite hand, Uhh youre welcome, and Im sorry. Peter said with a confused look. He expected the kiss, the punch in the arm, was not so expected.
Joanna pulled up a chair and sat down at a computer next to Peter. She sipped her coffee and asked, Do we have any more leads?
No, no more than we had last night, I have been flipping through Longbow intel reports but nothing. Wilson said.
What have you been looking for? She asked.
Well I was running a search on any incidents concerning new types of ammunition. In fact, the last couple of months have been pretty quiet, at least as far as our primary suspects are concerned. But a lot of the reports lately have been about a rash of abductions with no discernable pattern. Wilson answered.
Maybe you should look into that. Joanna said.
Probably, but first things first, I am going to pay Holderman a visit.
Wilson looked over Joanna to Sean and David and shouted, Did you guys finish downloading the mission data?
Sean shouted back, Yeah, we are going to go over it when the others show up.
Wilson wrapped up what he was doing and suited up. As he did so, Grixon, Tobias, and Lucy arrived in the lab. He briefed them on his plan to head to the Rogue Isles to find Terminal Void for questioning. Once he was squared away, Wilson asked for two things from the group. He requested that they review the mission recording to determine where the shot came from. The second request was for Joanna. He asked her to continue to read through the Longbow reports concerning the disappearances.
-------
As Wilson flew toward the lions den, he couldnt shake the feeling that he was wasting his time. It hadnt been that long since his fist encounter with Terminal Void, and in the interim, no reliable intelligence had surfaced that indicated Holderman had joined forces with any of the paramilitary groups in Paragon. He finally admitted to himself that this was largely a revenge trip.
Not smart Wilson. Pete said to him self.
I turned out not to be difficult to locate Holderman, even in a toilet like the Rouge Isles. Wilson managed to stay out of sight with the optical camouflage. He saw Void in a fight with another villain. Holderman was losing, and losing badly. Wilson couldnt quite figure out what was going on. When they first met, Holerman was quick and agile and every hit he landed was powerful. Here he was fighting an opponent who didnt look all that imposing.
Wilson got a reading in his HUD, the villain fighting Holderman was emitting high levels of radiation. The armors computer ran a quick search and came up with a match. The villain that Holerman was fighting was named Atomic Specter. Wilson concluded, incorrectly, that it was likely the radiation that had weakened Holderman. Now was the time to get some information out of him.
Wilson disengaged the camo, and took aim at Holderman and hit him with a powerful sniped blast. Once he was down, Wilson let loose with everything he had on both targets. When the smoke had cleared, Wilson set down in front of the two fallen villains. Specter was unconscious, Holderman was not. Wilson knelt down, grabbed Holderman by the collar of his tattered stinking cloths, and pulled him up. Holdermans face was only inches from the red and gold helmet that he despised so.
How did you make the bullet? Wilsons modulated voice barked out of the armor.
I didnt think you would be brave enough to come after me here hero. You did an excellent job of disabling a weakened opponent. Now I see why you are so beloved. Holderman wheezed. Wilson didnt respond, he knew Victor was right and it stuck in his gut that he had taken down an already beaten bad guy.
Nothing to say, eh? Thats all right, if it were me, I would have taken the opportunity and killed you by now. But at least we have one thing in common. We both like our victims helpless. Holderman continued.
Disgusted, Wilson let go of Victor letting him fall back to the ground. Enough of this crap. Answer the question how did you make the bullet, how many more are there, and who did you sell them to.
First of all, stupid hero- Before Terminal Void finished his statement he smashed a brick over Wilson head. The object connected square on Wilsons temple, and caused the HUD to briefly blink out. While Wilson was disoriented and staggering, Holderman crawled to the unconscious Specter, grabbed his leg, and began siphoning energy from the helpless villain. Holderman only had a few seconds to take what he could from Specter because Wilson had reoriented himself, and he was pissed.
Wilson fired an energy blast at Holderman. Before the blast could connect, Holderman leapt in the air toward Wilson. Wilson immediately recognized the tactic and was ready. He engaged flight and launched himself at Holderman. Wilson connected in the air with his assailant driving his shoulder into Holdermans stomach and driving him into the wall of the building behind them. The two men fell to the ground exchanging blows on the way down.
Impacting on the ground, Wilson landed on top of Void. He raised his hand to deliver a blow but Holderman released a torrent of electricity from his body, throwing Wilson off. The armor had been insulated since the last meeting, but the strength of the electrical blast penetrated the armor regardless. A sharp pain coursed though Wilsons body. But this time he was on a mission. While Wilson was on his knees Void approached. Wilson threw an elbow that connected with Holdermans kneecap and he let out a howl.
Wilson quickly rose to his feet. Injured, Holderman threw a punch with his right hand. Wilson dodged the punch, knelt down, and with his right hand threw three blows in quick succession to Holderman ribs. Then he raised his left and delivered an over hand punch to Holdermans temple. Holderman went down and Wilson approached to deliver a knockout blow. But, lying on his back, Holderman delivered a hard kick to Wilsons stomach and then another to the helmet. Wilson staggered back. Holderman jumped up and leapt high over Wilsons head and landed several stories up on a near by fire escape. Holderman jumped from one building to the next zigzagging his way up the side to the roofs. Holderman was getting away and Wilson pursued.
Wilson closed in and speared Holderman in the back with his shoulder sending him to the ground. Wilson turned Holderman over and raised his fist.
How did you make the bullet!? Wilson shouted.
I have no idea what youre talking about. What bullet? Holderman responded. Red dots began appearing on Wilsons radar. His secret was out; the other villains in the Rogue Isles had seen him. He didnt like it but Wilson had to retreat, he was out numbered and out gunned.
Wilson released Holderman, ran toward the edge of the roof, and jumped off. In free fall Wilson switched on his camo and flew off.
Holderman got to his feet and ran to the edge of the roof just as the other villains were landing around him.
That was certainly dramatic. He said as he looked over the edge into an empty alley.
Flying back to Paragon, Wilson contacted Joanna and the others to report in. He wasnt the one that made the bullet, Wilson said over the radio.
Grixon asked annoyed, How do you know.
Call it a gut feeling. When I found him he was struggling with a villain named Atomic Specter. The Terminal Void that beat me the first time should have been able to wipe the floor with that guy. But he barely survived the fight. If he was in league with Malta or the Council he wouldnt be out here scrapping with other villains. He cant be the one we are looking for. Wilson answered with a sigh.
What next? Joanna asked.
Back to our old friends Malta. Wilson answered. He was headed back to ChemShield to get patched up and go over what any new information the other might have.
By the time Wilson returned to ChemShield from the Rogue Isles the sun was setting. The light from the setting sun reflected off of the archers of gleaming concrete and glass in Steel Canyon when Wilson touched down in the secret Atomantium lab. Lucy had nicknamed it the 'Tree House' because it was the top floor of the ChemShielf building and off limits to outsiders.
Wilson arrived to find the team sitting around a conference table in the small briefing room. He walked in and joined them, removing his helmet as he sat down. Girxon stood at the head of the table and the lights in the room dimmed.
He went straight to business, I managed to complete most of the tests on the on the bullet that we removed from your armor. The chemical markers match those from the batch that the original 7 armors were created from. Grixson paused for a moment, and then continued, We now know that the alloy had to be taken from one of the 6 armors that are in the possession of the U.S. Government.
Grixon then turned the briefing over to Tobias, We analyzed the mission data from the day you were shot. A still 3D image of the area where Wilson was fighting that day appeared on the table along with images of Atomantium and the freaks he was battling. The image showed Atomantium hovering above the ground fighting hand to hand with a Juicer.
The image turned so that Atomantiums back was facing Wilson. Tobias continued, We calculated the trajectory of the bullet based on the angle that it entered the armor and your altitude when you were hit. This is our best guess as we are not sure of the exact wind conditions that day. The image zoomed out. Now it showed the cliffs where Atomantium was fighting and the edge of Telos Island. A red line traced its way from the top of a small 3 story building to Atomantium.
This is, as near as we can figure, the path the bullet took. We have the address of the building and did some digging. It makes for an excellent sniping position. The roof is sunken and a lip rises up about three feet. It provides excellent cover as well as a position to perch a rifle. The image shrunk down so that Wilson could now see Tobias again at the end of the table.
Great work Tobias, maybe the sniper left something behind. Wilson said.
There is one other thing though that the data recorder picked up. Joanna interjected as she stood up.
The 3D image on the table grew again. The image faded from Atomantium to the HUD from Wilsons helmet. Joanna continued, As you know, one of the things we upgraded on the armor was the monitoring system. Specifically, we upgraded the ability of the armor to monitor vital signs. In addition to the heart monitor we added the ability to scan the targets brain functions. It hasnt proven to be terribly useful, that is until now.
What did you find out? Wilson asked leaning forward.
It was by sheer coincidence that I came across this, the image changed again to the read out of the vital signs of the Juicer that Atomantium was fighting.
At first glance, all of this Juicers vitals look normal. But upon closer inspection the brain activity is anomalous. Joanna paused to pass a manila file down to Wilson.
She continued, That file is one of the disappearances that Longbow was investigating. In that case the subject had been severally injured and fell into a coma. The subject was injured fighting Mages in the Hallows. The subject was saved from death by another hero who is still unidentified. The injured hero was not registered with Paragon City and so was not teleported out when his injuries reached a critical point.
Wilson interrupted, Was he delivered directly to the Atlas Park Hospital?
Yes he was, no witnesses saw the unidentified hero, so it is believed that the person who saved the subject in this case was also unregistered. To continue, shortly after the subject slipped into a coma, he vanished from the hospital. The staff believed that he had simply come out of it. Longbow analysts concluded differently. The sensors that were attached to the subject recorded brain functions returning to the unconscious subject. Longbow reviewed them and found that they were the same readings recorded in subjects that were controlled by Rikti. I though the readings looked familiar to what you recorded during your fight. I ran a comparison and they match.
Wilson inhaled deep, sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. So we not only have a connection now to the Rikti but we have a connection to a rash of abductions that have been sweeping through the city. Just to be clear on this point, youre saying that the Freaks that I was fighting were being controlled; they werent acting on their own free will. A chill ran up Petes spine, he knew what the answer was.
Joanna nodded.
Good work everyone. Joanna can you keep digging into those disappearances. And see if you cant find a common thread. Wilson stood up and grabbed his helmet of the table and made his way back to the exit hatch.
Wilson stood under the overhead hatch which led out through the roof. Before he could lock on his helmet Joanna approached. The look on her face was familiar, though he had not seen it in a long time. It was concern, concern for Wilsons safety. Joanna had always displayed her concern for Wilson when he went on a mission. But the look on her face now, he had only seen once before, in the desert on the first day he put on the armor. She wasnt just worried; she was afraid.
Then Joanna did something wholly unexpected but not at all unwelcome or undesired. She stepped forward, stood on her toes, and kissed Wilson deeply, as though she had been it back for years. But then, all too quickly, it was over. Wilson hugged her for a moment and she whispered in his ear before he left, Come back safe.
Wilson landed on the building that Tobias had directed him to. He was standing in the middle of the roof. The loud hum and rattle from the air-conditioning ducts that ran all around him made it difficult to concentrate. Wilson walked to the rear of the building which faced the water. The building was on the edge of the island only about 10 to 15 feet from a shear drop off that went about 20 feet down to another plateau like a large step.
He looked out toward where he had been fighting the day before. The sun had almost set, which added to the difficulty. Wilson tried to picture what the sniper would have seen from this vantage point. This was definitely the stop, he thought.
He crouched down behind the wall and examined the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary. In the corner against the wall he noticed something in the fading light. It was a spent rifle cartridge. This was the spot.
The sun was now down and the only light came from street lamps and a few dim flood lamps on the roof of the building. Wilson didnt like the idea of what he was about to do but he didnt have much choice. He placed his hand on the side of his helmet and when he touched a specific spot a light slid out, much like the action of the head lights on a Corvette. Searching the roof want too difficult. Although there was a network of air conditioning ducts that cris-crossed the area, It was still largely open space. The light colored gravel helped just that much more.
Access to the roof was granted via a ladder inside the building that led to an overhead hatch. The access hatch had a rather tall lip, about six inches and the access space itself was rather small. That is where Wilson found a badge. It was a white temporary paper badge within a plastic protector. Wilson was extremely familiar with these badges. He had seen and been assigned many over his career. Anytime he would visit a command or secure building that he was not employed at he was assigned one so that he could gain access. But the one that Wilson now had in front of him was to Portal Corporation. The clip on the back had been ripped off. The whole thing seemed a little too convenient.
Batman usually worked a little harder to put the pieces together, Wilson thought to himself. Wilson pushed the thought out of his mind. Next stop Portal Corporation. On the back of the card was his destination, Site Kronos.
G, I need some help.
Go ahead W.
I need some information from Portal Corp. I need the location of a place called Site Kronos.
Copy, checking, standby- Wilson held his breath has Grixson preformed his search. Wilson stared out over the water around the island. The view was serene, peaceful. The sun had gone down but the light from the city reflected off the water. For a few moments, the anticipation and anxiety that had been driving Wilson melted away. It was a good feeling that was all to brief.
Okay, we have something for you W, Grixsons stern and humorless voice broke in. The Portal Corp location that you are looking for is Skyway City. I am transmitting the location now.
Copy, W out, Wilson lifted off for Skyway City.
Wilson arrived in Sky and was about half a mile from the target building when his HUD flashed a warning. WARNING MISSLE LOCK appeared in the upper left hand corner of his HUD. After only a second Sean's voice broke in over the radio.
Youre being tracked by a missile, it has a radar lock on you, he said excitedly.
Copy, time to see of your upgrade works, Wilson replied.
Wilson took evasive action and changed his heading away from the city, increasing speed. The missile was closing fast. Wilson received a notice in his HUD identifying the missile as a Stinger, which meant the weapon was armed. Wilson watched his radar as a tiny red dot streaked across. Wilson was rapidly gaining altitude and the hostile projectile was closing fast. He could easily out run the Stinger but it would simply run out of fuel and fall somewhere in the city with a live warhead. Wilson debated turning around and simply blasting it, but he would only have one shot two at the most. He might survive a direct hit but why chance it. Attached to his back were two cylinders about the size of a large soup can, inside each was a combination of flares and chaff.
Wilson allowed the missile to close to about 200 yards. When the Stinger reached that threshold one of the canisters on Wilsons back disengaged from the armor and exploded in a bright flash. The following instant, Wilson changed his vector, turning perpendicular to the city he cranked up the armors flight speed to its maximum, clearing the area in a few seconds. The decoy that Wilson deployed produced a field of bright orange points of light, which left trails of flames as they fell to earth and glittering shards of aluminum that seemed to hang in the air. The upgrade worked, the missile stopped tracking Wilson and flew through the field of flares and chaff. Wilson turned and followed the Stinger, which was now headed straight up. He closed in for a clear shot and hit it with a blast of energy from his gauntlets. The missile exploded in a slightly disappointing flash of smoke and flame. Peter had hoped for a bigger explosion for his trouble.
Resuming his course to the target building, Wilson saw there were four men on the roof. One was on kneeling and three others were attending to something he was holding. As Wilson got closer he saw it was a shoulder mounted stinger launcher and the three other men were in the process of reloading it. As soon as he was within range, Wilson let lose a low intensity explosive energy blast that hit all four men and scattered them around the roof.
Wilson landed on the roof as the men were staggering to their feet. He took a few moments to examine his attackers. They were all dressed in very light, pale blue jump suits. All four had tactical vests and tactical holsters for their pistols. None was carrying anything heavier than a 9mm side arm. However, their heavier weapons were strewn about the roof. In addition the pistols they were carrying, a virtual armory of sub-machine guns, grenades, ammunition, and anti-armor weapons were with the four men on the roof. Before they could fully regain their senses, Wilson rendered three of them unconscious with low-intensity energy blasts. The fourth he wanted answers from. But when Wilson approached and grabbed the man by his collar, he noticed a curiously distant look in his eyes. Something else was odd too, he wasnt resisting. Wilson held him, looking in his almost lifeless eyes for a moment when the man suddenly passed out. He was alive, just unconscious.
That was more than a little strange, Wilson muttered to himself under his helmet. Not giving it another thought, Wilson restrained the four men and checked them for ID. Surprisingly all four of Wilsons attackers had identification on them, and under their tactical vests. They had Portal Corp. ID badges but not like the one he had found in Telos. These were true permanent, employee, photo ID badges and written on each one next to their picture was the word Security. Curious, Wilson thought. He jumped over the edge of the roof and hovered down to the ground carrying an ID he had taken from one of the unconscious security guards.
Switching to X-ray vision, Wilson started scanning the building for anything out of the ordinary. From the outside the building was totally unremarkable. It was similar in style to the other buildings surrounding it, it was not particularly tall, and the outside bore no markings. Inside, Wilson saw nothing out of the ordinary as well, just the standard office fair. As Wilson turned his gaze down ward, he ran into an obstruction. Instead of seeing sewers or a basement structure, Wilsons view was obstructed. There didnt appear to be any way into the complex under the building from inside, so Wilson searched the perimeter of the building for a possible entry way.
The point of entry that Wilson found was a little shocking to him as an intelligence agent. Behind the building was a entry way flush with the building but protruding out of the ground, it looked like a storm cellar entrance made of concrete. It was odd because it would be more conspicuous for people to walk around the back of the building. Someone watching the building might get a little suspicious. Examining the door carefully, Wilson searched for some kind of card reader, keypad, or biometric scanner. He did not find one.
Its a good thing I have the key to this door, he muttered to him self. Wilson placed his left hand on the frame of the entry way, bracing himself. He raised his right hand and as he did so a red-orange glow started to emanate from his fist. Using all of his and the suits combined strength he was easily able to penetrate the crease in the door. But it was still a deceptively heavy door and Wilson could see it was held shut by a steel bar. Likely the bar was moved mechanically by the locking system. Using both hands Wilson started pulling the door open toward him. After a brief struggle the loops that the locking bar was placed through snapped and the door swung open. Fortunately the traffic was masking the sounds of Wilsons B&E.
Wilson cautiously walked down the short flight of steps that led to the basement facility. What Wilson saw was like something out of a science fiction novel. The complex was brightly lit and it branched off of corridors that snaked under Skyway City. It was a sterile metallic facility that had a cold and foreboding air. Something about the place wasnt right. It took a second for Wilson to realize what was missing. There was no alarm sounding and no security had rushed up to meet him.
Inside the hidden lab at ChemShield, Grixson, David, and Sean were frantically trying establish radio contact with Wilson. When he entered the facility, the support team lost all ability to contact Wilson. They were working to reestablish the com link and get a single strong enough to penetrate the reinforced underground facility, but nothing seemed to work.
Grixson leaned back in his chair, I hope he can handle what ever is down there, he removed his head set, because we cant help him.
Atomantium is an unregistered hero, like the subject from Joannas report. Do you think this could be a plot to abduct him? Lucy asked turning in her chair.
Joanna sat silent, she knew that whether it was or it wasnt didnt really matter, Wilson was alone. If he couldnt handle what was down there, he wouldnt be transported out to the hospital. The stakes were high whenever Pete went on a mission. But this was the first time that they were totally out of the loop.
Grixson answered for Joanna, I think we should be looking at the bigger picture here. The facility that Pete just walked into was buried pretty deep by Portal Corp. According to what I have been able to piece together, this facility isnt a portal to an alternate reality, but another planet near some kind of anomaly. So we have two big questions, why did Portal Corp. take a shot at Wilson and how did they know about Atomantium?
Tobias broke in, I got something. We are receiving a signal from his tracker.
Well at least thats something, but it doesnt help us in the least. We need to let him know what that facility is all about. Grixson barked. Grixson was normally a joyless and stern personality, but everyone knew that when he was like this it was out of frustration and concern.
Wilson walked out of the entry way into an open area that was created from the intersection of two corridors, the entry way and a cavernous room right ahead of him. He headed for the open room in front of him. Along the perimeter of the room was a catwalk and staked along the walls were a number of very large storage boxes of varying shapes. When Wilson stepped over the threshold of the entry way a shot rang out and hit him in the right shoulder. He staggered back, and then a second shot hit him in the left thigh. Three more shorts from different directions rang out. The impact was tremendous given they were only bullets. Each round had exploded in flames on the armor after impacting. Wilson raised his hand to return fire but he could not see where the shots had come from. The sixth shot hit Wilson square in the chest and knocked him on his back. Wilson was now on fire from head to toe, the snipers were firing incendiary rounds at him. He returned fire from his position on the floor, shooting a low level explosive blasting, hoping the shock wave would hit whoever was shooting. He took cover behind a large station that was in the center of the room. A few more shots rang out as he did so but missed their target. Wilson would soon regret his decision.
Wilson took cover in an attempt to clear the room. But taking cover placed him deeper in a room with an unknown number of snipers. They couldnt do any damage to the armor, but they would make his progress difficult. Wilson returned fire again and saw a 50 caliber rifle fall form the catwalk. He managed to hit one of the shooters but it didnt matter. Just as Wilson rose from behind cover to fire another blast, the sound of stomping boots and orders being shouted filled the room. He turned to see the room filling with a combination of Portal Corp security and Council soldiers. The only way out of the room was through the wall of soldiers pointing guns. As soon as all of the soldiers and guards were in position all talking stopped and they stood like statues, rifles to their shoulders.
Throw this on the list of weird crap today, Wilson muttered through his cleanched teeth. He peeeked at the soldiers surrounding him for a moment then finally stood up hesitantly. The soldiers didnt move a muscle.
The room was silent for a moment. Wilson broke the quiet with a sudden burst of power, propelling him self in the air. It took only a split second for the soldiers guns to open up. The sound of all the guns going off at the same time would have been defining but the sound dampening system in Wilson helmet that muffled the noise. It felt and sounded like being inside a car during a hard rain. Wilson directed himself onto the cat walk and landed hard. As soon as he touched down he was met with sniper fire from the 50mm rifles that had hit him previously. A few seconds after it started, the gun fire subsided for a second. Many of the soldiers and guards had emptied their magazines and were reloading. Wilson seized his opportunity and fired an explosive blast, followed by an energy torrent blast. The energy blasts did the trick and put about half the soldiers and guards on their backs.
Several more Council soldiers entered the room. They numbered about a dozen but they were armed with heavier weapons. Wilson took a shot at the new group entering but missed wide to the right when he was hit by one of the snipers. Then an explosion roared behind him and sent him over the railing of the cat walk and crashing down to the floor. Wilson struggled to his knees but another explosion slammed Wilson against the storage crates along the wall. Wilson fired another energy torrent from his back hoping to get an advantage. His shot missed, in the split second before he was hit again, Wilson saw that he was being hit by high explosive 40mm granades. Before a thrid granade could be fired, Wilson squeesed off 2 energy bursts in quick succession and droped the grenadier.
Wilson fired a third and a fourth energy blast that finally rendered the last dozen or so soldiers unconscious. A few more sniper rounds rang out from the room. Wilson didnt pursue them, rather headed for the entry way. Once he crossed the threshold the firing ceased.
During the fire fight none of the soldiers or guards attempted to take cover or try to out flank him. They just stood and fired. Again, something just didnt add up. The Council is an elite paramilitary group; wouldnt they have been a little more tactical in their attack? Not only that, but what was Portal Security doing helping them? The whole situation smacked of mind control. Wilson opened a comchannel back to ChemShield for input as he sealed the room of conscious attackers. When the massive door shut, Wilson punched in the control pad.
J Come in .Come in J, static J this is W, come in, over, static. Wilson knew what the problem was right away. The complex was shielded. No radio signals would be getting out. At least no signals from his transmitter would get out.
Before proceeding, Wilson attempted to activate his optical camouflage. He heard an electric hum and saw an electrical current dance across his hand then, nothing. A message appeared in his HUD, OC MALFUNCTION, SYSTEM DISENGAGED. The optical camo was damaged in the fight. Wilson asked himself if he should continue. In his mind there was really only one option.
Wilson flipped a coin in his head and went down the corridor to his left. He followed it until he came to a bank of elevators. He entered one and took it down a few floors. It was odd that they were working if the facility was on alert. Not only that but he had walked down about 200 yards of twisting corridors and he didnt run into any additional resistence. If this was mind control, the villain wasnt a very good strategist Wilson thought. The second the elevator doors opened, however, Peter immediately regretted his thought.
When the elevator doors opened Wilson found himself standing toe to toe with roughly 20 Lost Eremites all with swords drawn. Wilson stood in the elevator, the doors did not close. It had been shut down. Wilson had no choice; he stepped out of the elevator, his mind empty, his fists clenched. The room before him was immense. In all it was perhaps 4 to 5 times the size of where he had had his previous battle (if you could call it that). At the opposite end of the room was something that Wilson had never seen before, something incredible. Three massive rings were mounted up right, placed several feet apart. Suspended in the center was a brilliant glowing ball that was emitting huge amounts of electrical energy. Leading up to the ball of energy was a wide ramp covered in a rubber mat.
Breathing in hard, Wilson ran though his options in a fraction of a second. None were good. Peter drew first blood against his opponents. He fired an explosive blast at the middle of the group of Eremites. They were staggered but barely affected. He only had a second to readjust the intensity and fire again with a more powerful blast. This time they were shaken. Wilson went to his right, after the Eremites on his flank. He side stepped a thrust by one, grabbed the sword, and gave it a hard tug. The Eremite lunged forward and Wilson planted his boot in his stomach. Wilson blocked the thrust by two other Eremites with the sword he held in his hand. He swung it around hurling the Eremite still holding into the group attacking him. The group closed in on Wilson from his left. He was now in the worst possible tactical position. He was surrounded.
Wilson fought like mad to fend off the attackers. He threw blow after blow and fired blaster after blast. He would disable one and another Eremite would take its place. The Ritki blades were large and heavy and his adversaries were powerful. Each blow left dents and scars on the armor. The wave of bodies was seemingly never ending. Wilson kept pushing him self to fight despite the almost overwhelming urge he felt to give up.
In an odd bit of luck, one of the attackers struck Wilson in the back sending him flying forward and out of the mass of bodies. A brief respite from the merciless beating he was receiving. Wilson used all of the strength left in his body to turn. The Eremites were closing again. He fired an energy blast at full power at the Eremite at the head of the group that launched him flying back into the rest. The force of the blast threw launched the Eremite with enough force to knock the group on there backs. But they werent out. The race was on now, the first to regain their composure might make it out.
Unfortunately for Wilson, the Eremites recovered quickly and they were on their feet just as Pete's vision was starting to come into focus. They charged again. Wilson took off and began firing on the group from the air. The tide was starting to turn; several Eremites were rendered unconscious after several high powered blasts. But Wilsons attention was on his attackers and not his surroundings. He had not noticed that he was fairly close to a walk way that ran along the wall of the chamber which connected several control rooms. Behind him another group of Eremites had taken position on the walk way.
Wilson was still outnumbered 10 to one, but he had managed to knock out a good number of his attackers. As he lined up a shot a tremendous force collided with Wilson from behind sending him falling violently to the ground. One of the Eremites on the walk way had leapt from the walk spearing his shoulder into Wilsons back. The violent confrontation left Wilson nearly unconscious. Forcing his self to find a solution Wilson remembered the countermeasure still on his back. He wasted no time. The countermeasure launched up from his back and exploded with a bright flash and a defening "BANG". As the flares fell to the ground and the Eremites were blinded by the flash, Wilson once again forced himself to his feet. He mustered all of his strength and delivered a strong upper cut to the Eremite nearest him and put it on its back.
Again, Wilson had the upper hand but he was too injured and too disoriented to capitalize on it. He fired a torrent at a small group that put them down. From his right, Wilson caught sight of a Ritki blade. He raised his right arm to block the weapon. It collided with his forearm and forced him to the ground. His body was battered, the armor damaged Wilson tried in vain to raise himself up. An Eremite planted its giant foot on Wilsons chest. He struggled half heartedly against the behemoth. A voice started echoing in his mind Wilson tried to fight back. It was telling him he had lost, to give in. Wilson had no more fight left in him. Wilson stopped struggling.
An alien in blue armor appeared over Wilson. It knelt down and he heard the alien lay something down next to his head. Wilsons vision was blurred and cloudy, he had difficulty making out the face, but he could see it was a Rikti. He stood over Wilson for a moment, not speaking, his gaze piercing as if he was extracting all the information he needed just by looking into the lifeless eyes of Atomantium. The feeling of acquiescence was washing over Wilsons body. It was permeating every cell of his body. Something wasnt right, he wasn't thinking about ChemShield, the building, the lab, its reactor or Juliana¬. He was just thinking about giving up.
NO!! Wilson cried out. He grabbed the Eremites leg on his chest with both hands, used his leverage, twisted the monster's foot and broke its leg and the shin. He spun around to his feet and began firing energy blasts at the group of surprised Eremites. But something was in his mind, prying out information, it was the Rikti.
Wilsons counter attack only lasted a minute. He felt a sharp directed blow for the back of his head and fell to the ground once again. When his head hit the floor, Wilson saw the Riktis face looking down on him then, blackness.
Wilson gradually came to; as his senses returned to him, he noticed he was in a room totally unlike the one where he had lost conciousness. It was much smaller and the light was starile. The room was dank, an odor hung in the air that made Wilson sick to his stomach. Wilson started to take stock of his situation. Looking around he saw his hands and feet were restrained. Another restraint was around his waist. He had not fully regained the sensation in his body yet. The only information about his situation Wilson was getting was from what he was able to see. Wilson was restrained with his arms to his sides to a strange table. His head was throbbing and all he wanted to do was slip away again into unconsciousness. He fought the urge with every ounce of strength that was left in his body. He guessed he probably had a concussion. If he allowed himself to pass out, he might not wake up. Wilson shifted his body, when he did so a blaze of pain engulfed his muscles. He cried out unable to contain his agony.
In his mind a cold, distant, and unfeeling voice whispered, it appears you are awake Mr. Wilson, welcome to you new home. Wilson didnt respond, he didnt know how to, the situation hadnt completely sunk in yet.
You were severally injured in a battle that took place in a secret Portal Corporation facility and are now being held captive. The memories floated back. Fear washed over Wilson, replacing the throbbing pain all over his body. He needed to escape, he tried to blast out of his restraints, but nothing happened. Why? Then it finally occurred to him, he was no longer wearing the Atomantium armor.
"We have confiscated your armor and transported you through the portal you saw in the facility to a planet far from Earth. There is no hope of escape from this place. This plant is located in the vicinity of a special anomaly identified by your species as a black hole. Your people have not yet discoverd this planet. Not even Portal Corporation knew where there portal led. Untill our forces over ran the facility, Portal Corporation scientists still believed it to lead to another dimension. You will be in this place until you die however soon that may be. In the words of one of your Earth writers, 'All hope abandon ye who enter here'."
Two Rikti Conscripts entered from behind Wilson. He felt the table he was restrained to change position. Then a 3rd Rikti entered the room. When he did so the two Rikti guards undid Wilson's restraints and sat him up. The voice that had invaded his mind began again.
You are in our medical facility. Your wound will be treated and you will be placed with the others, it said.
Calling it a medical facility was more than generous. Sitting up Wilson was able to get a better look at the room. The smell was horrific and splaters of almost every imaginable color dotted the walls and the floor and even the celling. The room its self was a dull metallic grey and resembled a meat locker more than any medical facility that Wilson had ever seen. He was taken to a corner of the small room and was made to stand facing the wall. Wilsons hands were restrained in front of him by a device that resembled handcuffs, but rather than have the two restraints separated by a chain, there were mounted edge to edge and perpendicular to one another. The restraints locked around Wilsons wrists one on top of the other. One of the Ritki guards activated a device below Wilson. A low almost imperceptible hum sounded and Wilsons could not raise his arms or move his legs. Something below the floor, or the floor itself was pulling down with tremendous force the restraints around Wilsons wrists and ankles.
As Wilson stood, bound by an invisible force, an unseen medic was attending to Wilsons shoulder wound. Wilson couldnt turn to see what was happening but he could feel a warm sensation around the area that Joanna had stitched up. After perhaps 2 minutes the procedure was over and the field that restrained Wilson was released.
Wilson was taken through a series of long corridors. Along the way the guards would rough him up, throwing Wilson on the ground, kicking him punching him when he would lag behind. It made the trip seem much longer than it really was, but there was really no way to gauge just how long it was taking anyway. Finally, Wilson was dragged into a massive almost conical chamber. Along the wall of the room Wilson could barely make out doors, they were constructed in such away that they were almost seamless against the wall. He could see that leading from the catwalk, which made its way around this level, were 6 entryways, 5 that Wilson could see, and the one that he had exited. The entryway that Wilson had come out of had a guard station where the two Rikti stopped for a moment presumeably to get instructions on which cell would be Wilson's. Catching a glimpse over the railing, Wilson noted that the chamber went down several levels before reaching ground. He did not have long, however, to examine his surroundings. Within a few moments he was tossed into a cell.
Wilson hit the floor hard and the door to the cell slid down in a flash, sealing him in. Wilsons eyes adjusted to the brightly lit cell. The room was a sickening redish brown, like the color of rust. The cell was extremely small with no place to sleep other than the floor. His vision was blurry, and he had not yet regained all of his senses. The situation was bad. Wilson took stock in his beleaguered mind:
Situational Analysis
Physical Location: Prison ¬verification required
Geographic Location: Unknown
Status: Severely injured, held captive, armor location and status unknown
Possibility of Rescue: Unknown
Resources: Unknown ¬ further verification r required
Captors: Ritki
Purpose of Incarceration: Unknown
Objectives
1. Determine location
2. Discover location of Atomantium
3. Discover reason for captivity
4. Survive, Escape, Evade, Resist
Tall order, Wilson said to an empty cell. He wanted to get up and look around the room but he was still week and in pain. Falling a sleep was out, not because of the harsh sleeping conditions but because he still did not know if he had a concussion or not. Without anything to occupy his mind, staying awake was a monumental task in his condition. And it was a losing battle. Wilsons body was too weak and unconsciousness overcame him.
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Tobias and David had been up for 72 hours straight. All of their thoughts and movements were fueled by caffeine, will power, and determination. They had been in the windowless secret lab inside ChemShield since they had stopped receiving a signal from the GPS tracker in Wilsons armor. The two men had been in front of the monitoring station, running diagnostics on the equipment, breaking into government mainframes and retasking satellites. Joanna had stayed too, she had been monitoring signals traffic through sources that Wilson and the others had hacked. She was hoping someone would make a mistake and say something indicating what Wilsons status was. None of the usual suspects was saying anything useful. In the 72 hours since the team lost contact, they had formulated a hundred possible scenarios for Wilsons disappearance. None of them useful and none of them led them in a productive direction. If he had been killed, no one was taking credit. If he had been kidnapped no one was announcing it.
Grixson joined the trio after having walked Wilsons dog, Ace. Still no sign of Wilson?
No, now help or get out, Joanna snapped from across the lab. Grixson ignored the outburst. Joanna was upset and on edge, they all were. No sign of Wilson and no way to figure out what happened. The only thing she could figure was that losing contact with Wilson had something to do with the unregistered hero abductions. But the how, why, and where were not presenting them selves and the frustration was taking its toll.
After he had a chance