The
half-human paused to rest and let the pain subside. It was foolish
of him to take the full brunt of the attack, but he just reacted without
thinking again. "Remain on the ground," Occam ordered John and Jane.
"Make yourself less of a target." The redheaded twins were tangled
up several feet away beginning to realize what had happened.
The two
Juggernauts finally restored their courage from the glaring beast
that injected fear into their hearts and popped the missile launchers
into a ready position. Occam focused his thoughts summoning the power
of his chi. Ever since his awakening he had started meditating again
on a limited basis. His mind was okay and his broken body was healing
he needed to find his spiritual center again. He mind and his spirit
were heading north and south. If he could begin to reclaim his chi,
his body could mend completely. He had been growing frustrated at
the string of promises Crey scientists made to restore feeling into
his arms.
The click of the locking mechanism that held the chain gun
barrel demanded Occam’s attention to it. Again, his personal time
accelerated slowing the events unfolding around him. One of the Juggernauts
turned slightly towards his companions. That is where he focused.
Summoning whatever chi he could muster he extended his right claws
and struck out sending his energy along the edges of his blades and
out towards the Juggernaut. His personal energy retained the edge
as it flashed across the empty space in between him and his target.
The red armored Tank caught the energy force in the chest and it caused
it to tip backwards knocking him over showering the area around it
with sparks from a ruptured power conduit.
The remaining two Tanks
turned their complete attention to Occam and opened fire filling his
vicinity with missiles and projectiles. The salvos of firepower only
caught empty air for Occam was already gone. He sprinted to his right
in a wide arc passing behind Jane and John. The Tanks kept him tracked
trying to lead the blurred target their weapons releasing even more
firepower. The half-dragon was always faster than even their eyes
could follow. The rounds both struck and passed through the phased
front wall striking everything outside in front of the building.
Occam
winced in pain. The bruises he had from blocking the bullets were
one thing, but his sudden increase of velocity tore at his shoulder
and rib cage where metal was grafted to bone. The pain always subsided
quickly but the initial wave was always intense.
"Rick, Stewart, commence
with your planned assault. We will egress shortly." Occam said into
his headset.
Occam finished the statement already running along side
the back wall toward the power suits. They continued to try to hit
him, but their visual lag was too great. They fired at Occam and only
seem to hit the phantom image of him. They could not understand how
he was able too move so fast.
Occam passed between them and the rear
wall, which they stood within two feet from. Razar smiled hoping the
strange physics of the environment would rebound as he theorized.
The duo did not realize the trick before it was too late. When they
fired directly at the wall the resulting energy and rubberized safety
bullets rebounded directly at them. With their sensors overloaded
and pulsating from an EMF field created by energy reflection of the
stun salvos the powered suits went into shutdown mode. Occam stopped
and cringed again, his shoulder and ribs burned in agony from the
deceleration.
"That was fantastic!" Jane exclaimed jumping to her
feet her mouth agape in awe.
"My god, man… brilliant!" John responded
also standing up.
"I appreciate your praise, we must egress." Occam
said gripping his sides the dim eldritch red glow fading from his
eyes.
"Right." John said.
"Jane hand me the briefcase." Occam put
out his hand but Jane hesitated.
"I will exit first to draw their
attention. John should follow and secure the immediate surroundings.
I will flank to the left alongside the wall. You follow John. I will
turn and toss the case to you and then you may retreat to the east
and deliver the package to the monitors."
Jane still hesitated, running
the plan through her head. "Okay."
John nodded his acceptance of the
plan. "Let me clear the entryway of the Protector and his force field."
Almost like an answer to the plan, the self-timer of the Protectors
computer expired turning the field off. The front wall appeared solid
once again.
"Nevermind." John responded taking up a position behind
Occam’s Razar.
Stewart had dodged the Tank team Jane had warned him
about. They were sweeping the rear of the target building. He ran
up on the west side and stayed quiet. Upon Occam’s order, he dropped
his mutant invisibility and charged from the alley. He summoned his
internal energies and held them so it could build up. In a blinding
azure blast, he let it go in a wide arc in front of him. The fighting
between Team Yellow, Team Blue, assorted Tanks, and security troops
in the front of the building ceased. The energy encompassed the entire
area and all except two Juggernauts were knocked back at least ten
yards by the force of the attack.
Rick also dropped his invisibility
and sprouted long sharp quills to burst forth from various points
of his body. The uniform easily allowed the hardened protrusions to
pass through without ruining the durability. He sprinted in from the
north shredding a Cryo power suit that had its back to him. He cared
not that several of his strikes penetrated the pilot. He quickly dived
out of the path of those individuals that were hit by Stewart.
Occam’s
Razar sprang from the doorway of the simulated building with the briefcase
in his left hand. He extended his right claws and tapped into his
chi. He struck out across the twenty-foot distance hoping again to
send his personal energy out to strike the dazed red armored Juggernaut.
Nothing happened.
Without losing a step, he retracted his claws and
charged the same target. He punched out hard and fast with his metallic
hands at the Tanks shoulder joint. His fingers easily penetrated the
weak point gripping armor and he spun backwards to gain momentum.
The Tank could not resist the simple physics completing a circle and
sailing into the other Juggernaut. The metallic thud from the two
power suits colliding echoed eerily in the virtual environment and
caught the attention of the shattered forces that remained.
John exited
and leapt into the air hovering at least five yards from the entrance.
Summoning up his will, he stretched his stamina to its very limits.
He joined Stewart in rapidly firing energy blasts at any remaining
standing combatants. Occam turned seeing Jane exiting the building
already in flight. He tossed her the briefcase, which she easily secured.
In a blur, she flew east for about three blocks. She then jetted north
to the monitors that were positioned below the control room windows.
She threw the briefcase to the Crey scientist present and a horn sounded
signaling the end of the simulation.
The entire cityscape environment
disappeared in the time it took to throw a switch. Team Gold had been
victorious.
Dr. Linder was furious. Mr. Hopkins accelerated the attack
sequence. Everything was timed out perfectly to allow time to gather
the data. This was his last chance to monitor Occam’s Razar before
Project Drake began. He tried not to visibly shake with aggravation.
"Very Good, Dr. Linder. Impressive." Mr. Hopkins said getting to his
feet. "Could you please accompany me to my vehicle?"
"Yes, sir." Dr.
Linder grumbled under his breath. He wished he had time gather himself
in private, but he was not being allowed that luxury.
Dr. Mist stood
up to accompany the group and immediately sat down when Linder glowered
her way. She could tell he was pissed.
Officer Sparrow held the door
open for the group to exit.
"Please ensure Occam makes it to his room
okay." Linder grunted passing him.
David nodded; he was so looking
forward to meeting the drake.
The empty corridors of the warehouse-converted
laboratory suppressed the sounds of footsteps and the conversation
that followed the group from sensitive ears. Crey had used sound cancellation
devices and insulation to ensure most parts of the building could
be silenced. Amazingly Crey employees with motives separate from those
of their mission statement always seemed to find their way on to recording
devices.
"Dr. Linder," Mr. Hopkins began. "I want you to know that
we are watching Dr. Mist closely. She seems to have connections with
the 5th Column..."
Marvin stopped briefly in his tracks before he
realized he was going to be left behind. "Really, those fascists?"
"Yes, well, we are not exactly sure if it’s them, it could be the
Council, or even Arachnos. We are still evaluating her role in the
collusion. We are giving her the proverbial enough rope to hang herself.
Just keep an eye on her, but do not change her role in any role. We
want to know exactly whom she is working for. We believe she is here
specifically for Project Drake."
Dr. Linder pondered the news. He
never heard of the Council or Arachnos before, but if Crey knew of
them than they were probably a major threat.
"Unless you specifically
catch her in the act of industrial espionage let her flap in the breeze.
The Countess has not determined her exact fate, yet."
"Very well."
Linder glanced back at Hopkins traveling companions who were now wearing
dark sunglasses. They were walking a little close to him causing him
to get nervous. He almost expected them to escort him into a black
van.
"In Occam’s report it also mentions the drake is resistant to
our mind controlling techniques.
"Yes," Dr. Linder said removing his
glasses to clean them. He focused his thoughts on answering the questions
and not on the escort behind him. "While he is part human, his other
genetic make up seems to be resistant to all but the good old fashioned
brain washing techniques. If we had been able to raise him from birth
we could probably influence him."
"That’s why you’re getting Project
Drake." The four stopped at the front exit. "You have nine months,
doctor. Project Drake is too important and so is Occam’s Razar. He
will be leading the Paragon Protectors; our only defense is the fail-safe
frequency. If he ever turns against us, we jerk him back. Project
Drake may get a post mortem autopsy to exam him closer."
The security
guard posted at the main entrance opened the door for Crey’s second
in charge.
"We are counting on you for results. The Countess demands
nothing but."
"Thank you, sir, give the Countess."
"By the way, Ms.
Jackson will be remaining behind as my eyes and ears in the near future."
"Yes, sir." He replied fixing his glasses on his face. Great, he thought,what is she going to screw up for me now?
"Dr. Linder," she began.
"I have a few issues to go over with you."
"Very, well." Dr. Linder
headed for his private office.
Officer Sparrow opened the door to
Occam’s private apartment a few blocks away in Crey’s Folly. The apartment
was modestly adorned by interior decorators to help hide the clinical
nature of the room. He still slept in a large hospital bed that had
instruments attached to monitor his vitals in a nearby medical facility
up one floor. He had a maid service supplied by Crey Industries and
had been generally pampered with whatever he desired. Luckily, for
the servants, Occam was modest and desired no luxury items even if
he would know what luxury would be in this time frame.
"Mr. Razar,"
David said entering the room behind the drake.
Razar turned around
and began unzipping the itchy uniform. He could not wait to get out
of it. "Yes, Officer Sparrow."
"Well, I would just like to shake your
hand and say thank you." He extended his right hand.
The half-human
paused before stripping down to his waist revealing several nasty
bruises on his muscular hardened chest. "Pardon my stupefaction, why
do you inquiry to deliver a salutation to me?"
"Just to say thanks.
You know… for watching out for us all those thousands of years ago."
Occam’s Razar smiled gripping David’s hand with his much larger hand
and bowed slightly with his head. "Very well…"
"David."
"David, no
thanks are necessary; it is my duty and an honor to watch over the
younger races." Razar turned around and stripped off the remains of
his training uniform revealing his dark skinned naked body. He had
tiger-like strips on his skin that were a mottled brown color.
David
suddenly felt embarrassed thinking he was intruding upon a private
moment. He glanced up at the ceiling realizing Occam’s diablo horns
almost scratched the surface. He then noticed the several advertising
posters the decorators used around the room. His quarters were a virtual
commercial of Crey Industry products. There was a poster of Crey Cola,
Crey Biotech medical devices, medicines like Wound Wise, the Paragon
Protectors Occam was to lead, and other enterprises the corporation
had invested or owned. His eye wandered around the room and he noticed
several books of all shapes and sizes strewn about and piled in different
locations. There were books on history, philosophy, mathematics, literature,
and foreign languages. The television was of the type someone might
find attached to the wall of hospitals. The half-dragon actually appeared
to be living a monastic life while surrounded by sumptuousness.
"I
apologize for my brazen action," Occam said realizing David’s embarrassment.
"I tend to forget the taboos humans have in your society."
"Uh, no
problem… I was briefed; it just took me by surprise."
Razar slipped
on a pair of reversed-colored tiger-stripped warm up sweats that only
came down to the top of his shins. He adjusted the waistband until
his tail fit strategically out a hole in the back. He like the color
contrast and thought it meshed well with his own natural skin coloring.
He walked over to the rooms stereo system, pressed the play button,
and lowered the volume.
"Your race creates some of the best musical
pieces I have ever listened too."
Beethoven started playing in the
background, but David was unsure who composed it considering he never
really listened to classical music.
"I am more of a Gwen Stefani fan
myself."
"Yes," Razar exclaimed finding common ground. "She has quite
a haunting voice; I too take pleasure in her harmonic rhythmic rhymes."
David smiled, nodded, and scratched the back of his head with one
hand and removed his cap with the other. "Yeah, she’s pretty good."
Occam went over to the stereo and turned on her latest single.
"I
have always wished I had some powers to help the people of Paragon
City."
"My friend, you do possess special powers." Occam watched his
statement cause confusion to wash across David’s face. "You have the
will, really that is all that is required. Perseverance will deliver
unto you the means of your desire."
"But I have no special powers;
I am not a drake like you."
Occam laughed. "No I am sorry my friend,
you have not yet discovered your own potential. Keep striving for
your goals and you will find a way to help humankind. I see your potential
and have faith in you."
Officer Sparrow liked the sound of that and
smiled. "Well then, thanks. I’ll be right outside if you need me;
it was a pleasure to meet you."
"You will not remain," Razar asked
revealing his disappointment. Humans were always in a hurry and never
wanted to discuss interesting topics. Dr. Praetor had not been that
way, until recently; he never visited him anymore. Crey informed him
he was interested in another project.
"No, I can’t; I’m on duty."
"Very well, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, David."
David
nodded and took his post outside the half-dragon’s door. When he was
on PPD SWAT, he thought he could make a difference helping people
in dire need. With the sudden surge of heroes, SWAT became glorified
crowd control officers. He joined Crey Industries hoping their motives
would line up with his own and he could make a difference again. He
had been with Crey Industries for a year hoping to pilot one of those
power suits. He had been taking the company training courses for piloting
the powered suits, but his thoughts drifted back to SWAT. He had heard
from his contacts they we going to be instituting new technologies
and methods to match the growing threat of super powered villains.
It was a new program and he could get in if he wanted too. Crey lately
seemed to be leaving a bad taste in his mouth, a lot of secrecy and
bureaucracy, even more than the Paragon Police Department. Maybe he
had made a wrong career choice.
He smiled to himself alone in the
hallway, Yeah, Occam was right.
Occam’s Razar relaxed in his comfortable
hospital bed. He had taken his sweat pants off, to make himself more
at home. He swept through the channels of the television, but turned
it off. Something was bothering him. He felt frazzled and off-center.
He truly was surprised when he was able to summon his chi and use
it with his claws. He had done that easily during his time, several
thousands of years ago. He was not surprised it failed the second
time. His mind, body, and soul were still at odds. He absentmindedly
rubbed his right shoulder with his robotic left hand never really
feeling either. He would probably mention to his medical doctors the
sensations he felt when brushing up against the force shields in the
training environment.
His mind drifted back to thoughts of his home
and his family. He missed his father, Grendel. Beowulf had not known
what he was doing. He shook his head to throw off the bad memories
and closed his eyes. He began meditating letting go of his broken
physically form. His numb robotic arms were the first to be released
from his consciousness…