Chapter Twenty Nine

Hero's Call: Chapter Twenty Nine

Acolyte Seven had spent days sweeping the city with every device at his disposal in an attempt to find Czar Destructo before it was too late. He knew not what kind of device the Villain had created, but it had managed to keep him well hidden amongst the criss-crossed paths of the concrete jungle. He refused to rest or find sustenance until he had a solid lead to go on. Needless to say, Seven had not eaten or slept since The Council had shamed him into action. He could not, would not, fail. After days of fruitless searching, Seven was forced to take a more direct path. The only one, in fact, that was still available to him.

When he got within a block of the Empire State Building the very night Destructo had designated, he was stopped by a member of the New York Police Department. The young man eyed him nervously and demanded that Seven identify himself and state his business. Seven replied telepathically, his lips not so much as twitching. The mental reply, brief though it happened to be, was enough evidence for the officer to immediately contact his superior. Word of Seven’s arrival traveled up the chain of command like wildfire. Within five minutes of his arrival, he was seated in a makeshift command center in a nearby building awaiting the arrival of a high ranking government official.

An empty apartment across the street from the Empire State Building had been taken over by the US government. It was now filled with an impressive array of communication equipment, fire arms, and riot gear. A steady stream of police officers and soldiers were moving in and out of the command center to deliver intel or report to a commanding officer. A sharpshooter was stationed at each window that faced the Empire State Building, their guns trained on the entrance. Seven was seated in front of a collapsible table that was functioning as a desk. A leather chair sat empty across from him. Behind the chair was a large cork board with a map of the surrounding blocks tacked to it. A plan of attack has been sketched on the map with a black marker. Seven studied the map with interest. Given the building’s location and abundance of exposed street level entrances, the skyscraper was a statistical nightmare.

After only minutes of waiting, the door to the apartment turned command center swung open and a man in a well pressed suit came striding in. Everyone in the room except Seven and the sharpshooters at the window snapped to attention, saluting the new arrival. He paid no attention to the saluting soldiers and took a seat in the chair across from Seven. The man gave the An’Fari a long, steady gaze which Seven returned with a gaze of mild disinterest.

“What interest do the An’Fari have in this?” the man asked gruffly.

“We have no interest in this situation,” Seven replied evenly. “As no active Heroes currently reside on Earth, the task of apprehending Czar Destructo falls to the An’Fari.”

“Do we not consider…” the man started, pausing to refer to a nearby file, “Milo Radcliff, Calliope Bishop, and William Meyers active Heroes any longer?”

“You know of Milo and his friends?” Seven asked, shock plain on his face.

The man smiled. “We’re the United States government. We make it a habit to stay in the know.”

“Please understand, Mr…” Seven began.

“Morris,” the man answered.

“Please understand, Mr. Morris,” the An’Fari continued. “Milo, Bill, and Calliope have not been sufficiently trained to deal with such a situation. Their powers are still developing, but Destructo is still above them. It would mean their deaths if you sent them in there.”

“Relax, water man,” Morris said. “As it turns out, I could not agree with you more. They got lucky with that hostage situation in Cleveland. Those were a bunch of hired goons. Destructo is the real deal. Evil down to his very core. I wouldn’t dream of sending some kids up against him.”

Seven relaxed slightly. He was impressed with exactly how much the man knew about the three burgeoning Heroes. It made him wonder how they had obtained the information and whether or not Destructo’s plan wasn’t a necessary evil to some extent. Seven studied the man. He had dark skin that was wrinkled with age around his eyes and mouth. His dark hair was cut close to the scalp and perfectly symmetrical. His very aura shouted authority.

“Which branch of this country’s government do you work for Mr. Morris?” he asked the man that was staring intently at him.

“That information is classified,” Morris answered flatly. “I assume you are here for the same reason we are. Taking Destructo down is my highest priority as of three days ago, and I have been given free rein to do as I see fit to make sure that mission is accomplished. If you want to be part of this mission, you’ll have to prove that you won’t be a liability out there.”

Seven understood. Prove your worth or get out of the way. He produced the device from his belt that resembled a ray gun from the movies Earthlings were so fond of all those decades ago. He pointed it to a nearby soldier crossing the room and pulled the trigger. A small beam of purple energy shot from the end of the device and struck the soldier in the chest. He collapsed to the floor unconscious. Seven returned the device to its proper place and looked at Morris.

“He’ll wake in six hours,” he explained.

Morris smiled. “We breach at 2315. Be at street level and ready to move precisely on time or you will be left behind.”

Seven nodded his agreement. Morris stood abruptly and exited the room without another word, leaving Seven alone to contemplate what he had gotten himself into as two soldiers dragged their unconscious teammate out of the way so he wouldn’t hinder operations.

 

Fifteen minutes later, Seven was standing in an alley with a small group of soldiers that were armed to the teeth. Morris was standing at the mouth of the alley facing them with a look that was totally unreadable. His eyes moved to each one of them in turn, his gazing resting on Seven longer than the others. He wasn’t sure exactly why, but Seven was sure that Morris did not like him and the feeling was mutual. There was something about the man that just didn’t sit right with him. He figured it had a lot to do with the cold, calculating way he took everyone and everything in, as if he was trying to determine whether or not it was useful or expendable.

“Listen up,” he announced after giving the group sufficient consideration. “You’ll be entering through the main entrance. The An’Fari has been marked as a priority ally and the rest of you will protect him with your lives. On approach, you will form ranks around him and keep your eyes peeled for danger in the windows above. Once you enter, find Destructo as quickly as possible and the An’Fari will be the best bet of incapacitating him quickly. Orders have been given to take Destructo alive. Do not use lethal force under any means. If a situation arises in which lethal force may be the only viable option, you will retreat. Is all of that clear?”

The soldiers agreed in unison, and Morris walked away back toward the command center.

“You ready for this, water man,” one of the soldiers asked Seven. His face was hidden behind a mask and a pair of goggles. Seven nodded his reply, drawing his only weapon.

The soldiers quickly formed a close knit circle around him and began moving into the street and down the sidewalk. The city lights burned brightly above them, but they offered no warmth on the cold winter night. Seven kept his eyes level, aimed at the entrance to the building. The soldiers scanned the buildings above them with their weapons ready in the event of an ambush. They reached the doors only seconds after exiting the alley with no signs of any danger. The soldier on point opened one of the steel and glass doors and held it open for the rest of the group to move inside. Before he knew it, Seven was standing in the entryway of the Empire State Building and the door to the outside world was closing behind him.

Inside it was eerily silent. There were just enough lights burning so that they could see, but not so many that they could see well. The art deco design and artwork of the lobby had a somber, almost menacing appearance in the low lighting, as if it was watching them as their group moved through the lobby. What left Seven unsettled the most was just how easy it had all been. There had been no opposition. There had been no apparent danger. It was possible that Destructo meant to make good on his promise of an olive branch provided whoever it was that showed up be willing to accept it. If not, then they would most certainly be killed.

Just as the group reached the elevator bank, what few lights that were on went out. The lobby was immediately cloaked in darkness, and Seven could feel the tension in each soldier rise to a breaking point. Moments later a single light turned on and Destructo was standing alone in the lobby in front of them.

“Greetings, SEAL Team Bravo,” he said, looking at them with feigned interest. “And I see you’ve brought one of the An’Fari as well. Tell me, water man, did The Council send you to subdue me?”

Seven nodded, not trusting his voice enough to speak. Now that he was face to face with his quarry, he had become rather nervous and didn’t want to do anything to reveal his trepidation.

“I must have caused quite a stir with my little broadcast,” mused Destructo. “I’m surprised Captain Amazing himself didn’t show up. The old boy was always quick to act when I was involved.”

“Czar Destructo,” one of the soldiers said suddenly, “we have been authorized with the use of lethal force if necessary. Surrender yourself to the custody of the United States government and you will not be harmed.”

Seven was unsure why the soldier had lied, but Destructo saw right through it.

“Lethal force, you say,” he said with mock astonishment. “Why, whatever shall I do? Please, soldier, the An’Fari don’t kill. He wouldn’t be here if you had come in to shoot first and ask questions never. I have no doubt he’ll have brought one of his incapacitator rays with him, though. Well, go one, water man, incapacitate me.”

Destructo held his arms wide, turning his chest into a perfect target. Seven knew there had to be some ploy behind the act, but he didn’t want to miss an opportunity. He looked to the soldier on his right. The man nodded.

“Take him down.”

Seven lifted the incapacitator ray and pulled the trigger. The familiar purple light flared to life, and shot across the lobby directly at Destructo’s chest. The beam, however, passed harmlessly through his body and took a chunk out of the wall behind him. Destructo laughed as his body shimmered and pulsed.

“Oh, yes,” he said, as if remembering something important. “Did I forget to mention? I’m not really here. What you’re seeing is a holographic projection. You didn’t think I’d be foolish enough to show up in person did you? Did you not think I would anticipate government involvement? Amateurs.”

“Stop this madness, Destructo,” Seven pleaded. “It doesn’t have to be this way. Tell us where you are and we can come retrieve you quickly and quietly.”

Destructo laughed. “As appealing as that sounds,” he said. “I think I’ll just carry on with my plan for world domination. There aren’t many days left until the New Year. I hope that your superior officers have taken the time to convince their betters to surrender quietly. I rather like America how it is. I wouldn’t want to see it tear itself to pieces. What kind of ruler would I be if that happened?”

“He’s not in this location,” one of the soldiers hissed to his team. “Fall back.”

“Well, hold on there,” Destructo said, stopping them. “You didn’t think I’d just let you leave here unscathed did you? I must set an example to those that stand against me that this kind of behavior is unacceptable, and will not go unpunished.”

More lights in the lobby flickered back on to reveal a room full of ticking clocks. Each one was attached to what Seven could only guess were explosive devices.

“Fall back, now,” the soldier said immediately. They had less than a minute to exit the building before the timers reached zero. They all turned on their heels and sprinted toward the exit. When they arrived they found that all the doors had been locked. One soldier fired a couple rounds into the glass section of the door, but the ricocheted off into the lobby behind them.

The leader of the team looked back at the nearest clock. His body went rigid and he saluted his men.

“It has been a pleasure serving with you men,” he said. They returned his salute without question. It was an unspoken acceptance of the end.

Acolyte Seven heard Destructo’s laughter coming from the back of the lobby where his holographic projection stood. It was the last thing he heard before the timers reached zero and the lobby was engulfed in flames.