Sky High After Dark: Siren's song
The hunt for the Collector closes in on the villain.
Sky High - After Dark book four
Siren's Song
By
Soul71
Seeing how I've had complaints about what order these stories are in, even though the date of publication is clearly displayed. They are in order:
Sky High After Dark
Sky High After Dark: Legacy
Sky High After Dark: Cosmic
Thanks to WAA01 and Killerarmyguy for the edits.
******
Chapter One
Aron Carter, better known as Void to the world, stood on the stage in the city square listening to the Mayor yammering on about how lucky the city was to have him. His eyes moved over the crowd seeing them all wearing I love Void t-shirts, Veil's (Virtual Empathetic Intelligent Lifeform), programing ran, scanning the faces of the attendees. Rolling his eyes when the Mayor called him a hero and how his mother had this wide grin on her face as she and the rest of his family were mixed into the crowd.
"Please, don't tell me that's what I think it is?" Aron groaned in his mind when the Mayor gestured to the object behind them. "I'm so not going to live this down," he muttered to himself as those who stood behind the stage pulled the tarp that was covering a bronze statue of himself off. Fighting himself from dragging his hand down his face at the sound of Vera, better known as Vemvendon, his mother and sisters Isabell, Firelight, and Lyla (Morphic), in the disguise of Lyle voices overshadowing those in the crowd. Knowing they were never, ever going to let him live this down. Then there was his daughter, Jill, from another age, bouncing on her feet and howling like mad.
"Void, incoming metahuman signals," Veil warned as her built-in sensors to his suit fired off like mad.
Aron didn't need her to tell him who was approaching. He could tell who they were from the color of their costumes. Jetstream and the Commander were inbound. However, the parting of the crowd drew his gaze downward, then caused his eyes to flicker up, wondering who else was coming, given how The Commander was walking towards him through the crowd with a purpose. Aron noted the grey in The Commander's hair, along the Jetstream's when she and whomever it was that was with her floated above the crowd when they came to a stop. He did not like the feel of it.
"I'm sorry, Mayor, for ruining this day, yet as heroes, who've protected this city for years along with the many others. We can't sit by and let this villain..." Aron arched an eyebrow at that when The Commander pointed at him. Slyly shaking his head when he noted how his family was about to weave through the crowd to suit up. That would just give away their identities; if it came to blows, he'd find a way to handle it on his own.
"You might want to seek shelter," Aron warned, looking at the Mayor and his staff, getting the feeling this was going to come to blows no matter what he said. "You think I'm a villain, huh?" Noting how Jetstream and whoever was with her told the crowd to disperse. Telling them, they couldn't guarantee their safety with this villain around.
"You're actions at the capital have proven you are not a hero and must be brought to heel, for the good of the world," The Commander uttered.
"Void, I would recommend you do not fight them in such a confined setting."
"Agreed," Aron uttered, his hand moving along the 3D display that appeared over the left sleeve of his coat. "Good luck with that," Aron taunted, leaping into the air as his newly redesigned wing came soaring in. "Shit, they're fast," he grumbled as he noted Jetstream and the newcomer racing after him with The Commander dangling from the stranger's arms.
"Aron?!"
"Dad?!"
"Don't get involved," Aron stated as he pulled himself up. "Veil find me a secluded area, so the world won't know how much I'm going to kick their asses," he said, feeling the old anger he felt when his grandparents died resurfacing.
"Take him down, Jetstorm?!"
"What kind of name is Jetstorm?" Aron asked himself, only to feel something slamming into his back and ripping him off his wing. Sending it spiraling down to the ground.
"This is the end of you, villain," Will Stronghold growled, plunging right down to the ground, keeping Aron locked in his embrace as he planned on planting Aron into the ground just like his mobile platform had done.
"Yeah, see, that's where you're wrong, fly boy," Aron spoke, activating the electrodes in his gloves. Bringing his hands up and clamping them against Will's head. Listening to his screams before he went unconscious. Shrugging Will off once he was five feet off the ground. Then falling to a knee as The Commander's punch landed squarely on his left jaw. Aron knew the Commander was strong; however, it was nowhere near as phasing as Maximins or his mother's. Hearing the wind being knocked out of The Commander as he landed two quick elbows to the man's midsection. Catching the man's punch in his left hand, listening to the concussive clap that was produced when he did. "You think you're any match to Maximins? I bet you worked alongside him, huh? Does that make you a villain? Seems you're getting weak in your old age," Aron spoke in a cold tone as his grip tightened around The Commander's fist. "Seems you have no clue who or what a villain is. Do you go around just attacking people out of the blue?"
"You're a villain?!" The Commander growled before throwing another punch.
"Did you think repeating the same thing was going to work?" Aron asked when he caught The Commander's left jab. "No wonder Royal Pain played you like a fool," he sneered before headbutting the man. Seeing the daze flooding his eyes as The Commander's knees wobbled. Aron wasn't going to kill him; as misguided as The Commander was, the man was still a hero, but that didn't mean he was going to allow the man to keep attacking him.
"No!" Will shouted as he watched his father flying backwards from the uppercut the fiend had delivered. "You monster?!" he growled before pushing off with all his might. Striking Aron in the stomach with his left shoulder only to feel and see how his force only pushed Aron back half a foot. His eyes went wide when Aron's knee struck him in his upper gut, breaking two ribs.
"I'm not the one that attacks people out of nowhere; I'm not the one that endangers innocent people when they're just enjoying their time off in the park," Aron spat, tossing Will Stronghold, aka Jetstorm, off to the side. "Lady, don't. You have no chance against me," he said, aiming his laser pistol at her, having already set it to stun. He only killed villains. As tempting as it was to switch it over to the kill setting, they were still heroes. "You attacked me. Look around you; look at the terror you brought to these people. From where I stand, you're the villains here." Sighing when she pressed the attack, listening to her cry as the laser bolt stunned her. Catching her as she fell unconscious to the ground. He wasn't gentle with her when he dropped her to the grass at his feet. Walking over to where his wing had crashed since they were no longer a threat to him. Glad Veil had talked him into making the new wing out of the leftover neuium he had left after making Veil's android body, along with the modified jet car he and Aminah had tinkered on.
"You know if I was a villain," seeing Will Stronghold peering up at him as he was trying to crawl to his mother's side, "you would be dead and not dealing with two broken ribs. Do you think I would leave two unconscious heroes alive if I were a villain? Maybe think on that before you think to come after me again; next time, I might not hold back," Aron spoke as he stood on the platform of his wing as Veil ensured it was still flight-worthy.
The sound of the clap as the wing broke the sound barrier echoed through the city as Aron headed for home. Rolling his jaw, The Commander might not be as strong as Maximins, but that didn't mean the punch didn't hurt.
"Aron, we're on our way?!" Tazia's frantic voice came over their com line.
"Don't bother," Aron replied.
"Aron, we are coming?!" Vera stated in a motherly tone.
"It's already over; I'm already halfway to the base," Aron stated before bringing his wing to a halt in midair when Sara's com-line appeared on the screen of his Hud. "Go ahead," he spoke once he had connected to it.
"Void, I need you and your team here in thirty," Sara directed. "We have a mission for you."
"Understood," Aron answered before cutting off the link and reestablishing the com with his family. "Aminah, how soon can you and the rest be suited up?"
"We already are," Aminah responded quickly.
"Good. We have a mission; you know where to meet me," Aron directed, taking charge of his team.
"Okay, Aron, we'll meet you there."
"Aron?! Aron?! We aren't done, you hear me?!" Vera uttered in a worried motherly tone. Thinking now that heroes have attacked her son, more and more heroes would soon be trying their hand.
"What's there to talk about? They attacked me, not the other way around. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at them," Aron grumbled, cutting off the link and heading off towards the roof of the NSA building that housed the hub where he and his team, the Dark Marauders, operated out of.
Aron stood on the roof waiting for Tazia and the others to arrive; his fingers moved over the holographic display that hovered over his left coat sleeve as the homing beacon drew near. Allowing Veil to take command of the wing and the car so the docking wouldn't cause any foul-ups when the wing attached to the new jetbike he had created to replace the one the Collector had destroyed a few weeks ago. The moment the jetcar landed on the roof, Aminah and Tazia leapt out of it and barreled into him. Fretting over him like two love sick girls, which they were.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Aron said softly. "Yes, they were alive when I left them. I don't kill heroes," he reiterated for the hundredth time as he noted the looks in their eyes.
"Void, you and your team are needed in the command center," came a male voice from behind them as another agent held the roof's door open. "Please, if you would follow me," the man gestured to the stairwell.
Their footfalls echoed off the concrete walls as they descended towards the NSA floor. Aron nodded to the rest when the man asked them to disengage any recording equipment they had on them before he allowed them to enter the hub. Watching the light turn green as the man slid his card into the reader, the metal groan of the hinges as the door opened, and the clicking sound of it closing behind them as they entered that sterile hallway. Seeing the heads popping up from over their cubicles when Aron and his family filed in. Aron nodded to the few people he knew who worked there, namely the single mother who had asked him for an autograph for her son.
"Greetings, team Dark Marauders," Sara greeted, sticking to her ruse that she didn't know who they were beneath their masks. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. Please, if you all will have a seat, I'll get this briefing started," she said, gesturing to the table before her as she stood in front of the large display screen. "Thank you, Agent Conder," Sara spoke in a warm tone as the man closed the blinds before he left the room, closing the door behind him as he did. "There're coffee and snacks if you need it; this briefing will be long; I'll try to get through it without too much headache," she uttered, smiling warmly at all six of them as they sat facing her.
"Okay, Sara, what's this mission about?" Aron asked, speaking for his team, given how he was the leader of it.
"At 0900 hours yesterday, our spies intercepted this transmission," Sara stated, playing the garbled noise they had picked up. "I know it doesn't sound like much now, but it took our best audio decrypters most of the night to break the encryption embedded within the transmission; this is what they uncovered." Pointing her remote at the screen and playing the file over the speakers.
"If you don't want your little crime ring destroyed and added to my collection. You will cease operations and incorporate your operations into my own, for I am the Collector. You have three days to reply before I send my own team to destroy you." Pressing the stop button on the remote. She knew this would get Aron's attention, given his failed interrogation of the man he had spent weeks searching for before he was killed by a sniper.
"That was just a snippet of what we intercepted," Sara said, turning back towards them.
"And where was this transmission located from?" Neil asked, leaning back in his seat.
"While we can't trace the source location where the transmission originated, we were able to trace it to the providence of Mures just outside the city of Tirgu Mures in Romania," Sara said, bringing up the map of the country on the screen. Going over the intel they had on the crime lords, organizations, and everything in-between, they had on those operating out of that province, unsure who was affiliated with whom there. Casting Aron a smile as he rolled up his mask above his nose and brought his coffee to his lips. She did hope he liked the blend she had picked out for him. "My superiors would like it if you could bring everyone in alive, yet I know that's impractical. Then again, Void, your name has spread around the globe." Seeing how Aron scowled as she showed off the posters of his image plastered around the city and towns in the area, warning those with evil in their hearts to turn away from their paths that the killer of villains would be after them.
"You're famous," Tazia chuckled lightly as she elbowed his arm.
"Not funny," Aron grumbled.
"What did you expect to happen, Void, after that display in DC?" Aminah asked, peering over at him. "You had to know those people without powers would be flocking towards you, knowing there was someone like you out there picking off villains who constantly somehow manage to escape their prisons. You should have seen this coming; it's a natural reaction to your actions to date," she said, waving towards the screen. Patting Aron's thigh beneath the table when she saw how he was not happy that he was seen as a hero to a great many. She knew his reasoning for why he thought he wasn't a hero. Well, in hers, and a great many heroes, thinking, Aron wasn't. She knew he would agree with that assessment, given how he, too, didn't see himself as a hero.
"And what do you need from us?" Carl asked, getting the discussion back on topic.
"We, the NSA, and my superiors need your team to travel to Romania. Conduct your own recon on the location where the transmission was sent and wait for the Collector's team to show up." Playing the rest of the clip, their interceptors had caught.
"We don't know who you are, you fool, but you made a very bad choice. What little you have, we will be taking."
"So you can see that this will give us an excellent opportunity to nab some of the Collector's men and hopefully get them to talk on where this villain operates. However, if you're faced with the choice of them killing you, and they give you no other choice, you have the authority to do what you need to do to come back alive," Sara said sternly, wishing she could go along with Aron on this mission. "I will be staying behind to offer you any support we can from here. Our men on the ground will provide any and all backup you need to execute this task we have asked of you."
"I see, then we need time to prepare for this kind of duration and what seems to be rather dangerous given who we're up against," Aron said, getting to his feet and seeing Sara nodding as he did.
"We understand, Void, do what you must to ensure you and your team return to us in one piece," Sara said, hoping he heard her worry and concern underlining her voice. "A word, Void, before you leave," she called out when Aron was the last to leave. Rushing over to him when he shut the door. Pulling up his mask so she could peer into his eyes before she passionately kissed him. "Please be safe and come back to me in one piece."
"Had planned on it."
"Good, please; I know taking captives alive isn't your forte, but we need them alive, the Collector's men, I mean. You are authorized to take out the Romanians if you must. They aren't our concern, and it would benefit the city's people to know at least some of the crime, which has sprung up in their country, has been curtailed."
"I can't make promises, but I'll see what I can do," Aron said, seeing how Sara's cheeks heated as he squeezed her ass.
"And you better remember what's waiting for you when you get back," Sara uttered breathlessly as she pressed her body against his.
"Like I could ever forget," Aron responded, pulling his mask down before reaching for the doorhandle. "Let's go," he said, walking through the center of the little huddle his family had formed as they waited on him. Noting how Tazia and Aminah looked at him, then back to the room before puffing out their cheeks. They knew what had gone on in that room behind that closed door.
"You best be kissing us too; you can't leave your wives wanting," Tazia grumbled as their jetcar lifted into the air.
"Hmm... I don't know; you do get a little frisky with a little wanting," Aron retorted, smiling beneath his mask as he sat on the jetbike that was docked to the car when Tazia peered back at him.
"Hmpf!" Tazia huffed, crossing her arms below her breasts.
"Aron, you aren't so mean to us as to give her something and not us, are you?" Aminah pouted as she gazed back at him.
"Well, before Tazia went off about wanting this and that, I planned a hot make-out session. But if I'm going to get griped at, I'll just save my kisses for Henry and Nettie," Aron mused, seeing Neil, Carl, and his aunt/granddaughter Chery fighting back their laughter at how Aminah's and Tazia's mouths were moving like a fish out of water.
"Aron?!" Tazia whined when she knew he was just messing with her.
"Mmmhmm," Aron hummed beneath his mask.
"That's not funny," Aminah huffed, with Tazia nodding along.
"What? I thought the two of you wanted a trip to another country with me," Aron teased as their jetcar roared down the tunnel that led to the base his past self had created. Sighing in his mind as his mother, Jill, and his father were waiting on them for their return.
"Aron, we need to talk," Vera said sternly.
"I'm going to say this once again, so maybe you will listen this time," Aron said, his short auburn hair rustled as he pulled off his mask. His eyes cut hard to his parents. "They attacked me, understand? I didn't seek them out; I didn't start this. They did. They're the ones who crashed the ceremony. They're the ones who caused the people of that park to run scared when they knocked me off my wing. I was planning on hashing it out in a private area away from innocent people. Yet that wasn't good enough for them. They're the ones who put innocent lives in danger, not I! They're the ones who acted like villains, not I! So spare me your self-righteous attitude, Mom. I left them alive, if not broken, but alive; they should be grateful for that," he uttered in a dark tone as he walked towards the armory. "Veil, unlock the armory. We have work to do."
"Understood." Veil's voice came over the built-in speakers of the base.
"But Dad! They're heroes! You don't fight heroes!" Jill called after him, feeling her face heat when he turned back to her. Seeing the look, he was giving her as if to say: 'You sure you're my daughter?'
"And I was just supposed to what? Allow them to pound on me? Endanger innocent civilians because they're so hellbent on their fame? Get real, Jill, I thought my daughter would know me better than that," Aron stated coldly before turning back and heading back towards the armory.
"You know they'll just keep coming after you, son?!" Noah called out.
"So? You seem to think I'm some villain of sorts; if they come, if they're smart, they won't, but if they come, they will fail. Remember, I'm not the one who wanted to put on this suit. You were mother. You don't like how I operate, tough. I'm not forcing you to work with me; if you two can't handle that, then it's time for us to cut ties," Aron stated, not seeing the shocked looks in his parents' eyes as he disappeared around the corner.
"Really wish you two would lay off him," Aminah sighed, with Tazia nodding along.
"But..."
"Sis, I do love you and all, but stop being so stubborn. You can't force Aron to be something he's not. We all can see that. Why can't you?" Neil asked with the wisdom of his age. "We all know you love him and want the best for him. We all get that, but he's his own man now. You have to stop babying him. All you'll do is alienate Aron even further than you already have."
"But he's my baby?!" Vera whined as her lip trembled.
"Sis, we know that, but you must remember, Aron isn't like us. He's smart, okay, ridiculously smart, he's experienced things that aren't even remotely possible, yet he still lives. We know you worry about him every time he goes out there. I know I will worry like mad when or if Henry joins this life. You're his mother, nothing is going to stop that, but there does come a time when you have to step back and let him just be him," Tazia said in a sisterly tone.
"But you'll watch out for him, won't you?" Vera sighed, knowing her sister was right.
"Always, like I'm going to let Henry's dad just die on me," Tazia said with determination.
"Tell him I'm sorry; I just worry about him so much since Bosnia," Vera said, wiping away a tear, remembering how she had thought she had lost her son that day when the complex he was in blew up with him in it. She could still hear his final words. They still haunted her to this day, even nearly two years after the fact.
"I will, sis, I know he isn't the hero you wanted him to be, but you have to see how the nonpowered humans see him," Tazia stated, noting the look in Vera's eyes.
"Huh?"
"Can't talk about it right now, but when we get back, I will," Tazia reassured her.
"And just where are you going?" Noah asked, looking at his sister-in-law.
"We have a mission; that's all we can say," Chery spoke, placing her hand on Tazia's shoulder when she started to speak.
"It has something to do with the Collector, doesn't it?" Jill inquired, peering at her niece; the look in Chery's eyes told her what she needed to know. Noting how Chery and the others lightly touched their left ears, she knew her father was speaking to them. "Keep Dad safe; he can be reckless sometimes," she said in a loving tone as the five started to move off.
"Worry not, Jill, I'll bust anyone trying to take my man away from me," Tazia proclaimed; the dull ring rang out when her metallic skin raced across the space as her right fist struck her left palm. Her eyes were set with determination not to ever feel what she felt again after Aron's fight with Maximins or his ride on that rocket. She was not going to lose Aron if she could help it.
"I'm counting on it," Jill nodded, smiling at her niece.
"Whatever is going on, watch each other's backs out there!" Noah called out as they watched the five of them heading off to the armory. Dropping his head, wondering if they were pushing themselves too hard onto Aron. Even when Aron was first born, he knew his son was different; he couldn't say why he felt like that; he just did. His head jerked up as the alarm resounded. Rushing over to the monitor, seeing what was the cause of it, peering over at his wife. "Well, honey, the city needs us; what do you want to do?"
"We suit up, is what we do," Vera stated firmly, looking over at Jill. "You ready for your come back?" she asked, smiling warmly at her aunt. Watching how her power bloomed up off the palm of her right hand before Jill closed her fist.
"Dad might not be a hero, but he's raised some fine heroes, let's go protect the city?!" Jill stated, her violet eyes glowed as she felt the radiation stored in her bracelets responding to her will. She knew without them, without the deal her father had made, she wouldn't be here. Yes, she has lost the people she loved the most. Her mother and brother. Her father might be younger than she was now. Yet her father had given her a chance to be a hero again, along with another chance to love the man she left behind all over again. Taking off towards the changing room, feeling like old times, like when she had joined his side when they were patrolling the city. She knew she was taking a risk. She knew the Collector might be watching the city since her father had been seen repeatedly in it. That was why she could no longer use the first hero name she had used when she was her father's sidekick. Now, as she tugged on the gloves of her new suit. Clipping the bracelets into the adapters like her father had taught her in their numerous training sessions. Watching the interface flicker on across her eyes as the interlink to Veil's system booted on. Jill knew her father had embedded Veil into her suit so Veil could monitor her radiation level and absorption rate. Running down the list of colors that the suit displays before stopping at the desired color. Blowing out a breath, psyching herself up, feeling like it was her first time out all over again.
"Whoa?!" Isabel muttered, running her eyes down her grandaunt's body and how her skintight supersuit looked on her as her cape brushed against the back of Jill's ankles. "And who are you supposed to be?"
"Moonlight," Jill purred, seductively gesturing to Troy with her eyebrows.
"Vera, Lyla reports she would meet you all en route." Veil chimed in, holding Henry's and Nettie's baby carriers in the doorway. "Worry not; the children are safe with me. They are my primary function to see to their health and safety."
"Thanks, Veil; we'll try to be back as quickly as possible. You two suit up quickly," Vera stated, glaring at their slow response time as she walked past them.
"Two minutes," Isabel nodded as she moved quickly past her mother
"What the hell are you taking?!" Jill heard Vera ask as she raced to catch up to her niece. Even she was a little surprised how geared up the six were as her father, and the rest exited the armory.
"What's needed to take down some very bad people," Aron spoke in a matter-of-fact voice. "Veil, you know how long we'll be gone. If we aren't back... well, you'll know what to do when that happens." His thought derailed when he realized what he was saying. She would know when it happened if something went wrong. Wondering if Jill had found the function he had added to her suit yet.
"And just how long were you planning to be gone?" Vera huffed, crossing her arms.
"If we aren't back by tomorrow for dinner, Veil will inform you on what to do," walking past his mother before stopping, "Be safe, Mom," Aron whispered, remembering what his past self had said before he had sent him back. Feeling her arms wrapping around him as she hugged him back.
"You too, honey," Vera said softly, placing a light kiss on his shoulder. "Whatever you do, you come home safe, okay?"
"Always will," Aron replied with a kiss on her cheek. "Come on, we have a long flight," Aron ordered as he walked off towards their jet car.
"He wants to tell you, but he can't. However, Veil is under no obligation to keep that secret," Aminah whispered into her sister's ear before hurrying to join Aron. Nodding when she peered back as Vera mouthed, 'Thank you.'
"Well, Moonlight, leave the air cover to Noah, Isabel, and Lyla; you, Troy, and I will keep the area safe for the civilians and stop the bad guys; you ready for this?" Vera asked with a warm smile.
"As Dad would say when he thought we weren't around, fuck yeah?!" Jill said, seeing the bemused look in Vera's eyes.
"Good," Vera whispered in a motherly tone. She wasn't about to let Aron down in protecting Jill, knowing the trust he was placing in her with her safety.
"Don't worry Jill, we got your back; we best get moving," Troy said, as he meandered along with his father, with Isabel trailing behind.
"And what were you two doing that caused you to be so late?" Vera's voice could be heard as the five of them walked towards their jet car.
"Nothing," Isabel said innocently.
******
"If you're just joining us, thirty minutes ago, a savage attack ravaged the City Center when a notorious group known to operate from the Akisa Kingdom, the eastern breakaway block of the once Chazr Empire thirty years ago. In the interim, once the call for help was sent, the city's police force made a valiant effort to hold off the villains. However, what they were facing, they were quickly outmatched?!" Howard Clark clutched hard to the handle as the pilot of the news chopper swerved hard to the right. A bolt of plasma shot passed him. "As you can see, viewers, we are currently being fired at... What was that?!" he shouted as a silver beam streaked past them. Seeing something quickly approaching before he lost sight of it. "No!" Howard screamed out when the flyer of the group suddenly appeared wearing a sadistic smile as he brought up his hands. Deep purple plasma swirled along the man's hands. The fireball that struck the man flashed before his eyes. Watching the scream playing out before his eyes as each sweep of the helicopter blades seemed to pass ever so slowly as his death played out before him. Then all of a sudden, time seemed to speed up as his pilot managed to dodge the hero coming in to draw the villain off.
"You bitch!" the man hissed in a far eastern Eurasian accent. Patting his hair out, feeling his scalp burnt. "You're going to wish you were dead after I burn that pretty face... off," the villain's voice trailed off as he stared up as the shadow of a giant scaly tail loomed over him. Screaming out in terror as the face of a dragon appeared over the tail. Flashes of his childhood played out before his eyes as the old tales haunted his memories. A look of confusion played across his face when a man filled his view. Then he felt three hard impacts on his chest before the world turned black.
"Yeah, that ain't happening," Troy spat as his father caught the unconscious man. Peering up, smiling at Lyla as her arms wrapped around him. "We need to get down there."
******
Jill's tonfas whistled in the air. The sound of a crack played loudly in the air, and a horrible scream quickly followed as Jill broke the man's kneecap. Looking around for Vera and noticed how she was being hemmed in by three villains. The man's body landed in a hard thump at her feet once she had landed the knockout blow her father had taught her on the man's jaw. Sprinting towards an overturned bus for cover as she activated the flight commands to send her stored radioactive energy to her boots. "Be a doll and say hi, huh?" Jill flirted, catching the three in surprise as she took quick aim and raised her hands. Smirking when Vera didn't waste the opportunity as she was racing to close the distance between the two. Reaching down and pulled her tonfas from their holders. Butting the handle ends together and twisting, the handles quickly folded into the now-formed staff. Landing in a roll, coming to a knee, striking out low to throw the very stony metahuman off-balance, listening to the man's howl as her stunner penetrated his stony hide. Dropping to her stomach as Vera used her momentum to lift the cement truck and swing it like a very oversize baseball bat.
"Okay, that's something I don't hear," Vera held back her laughter at Jill's catchphrase. Her eyes flickered to the left as Noah came in for a landing with the fourth member of the group on his shoulders, followed by their children. Surprise played along her face as Lyla took on a female angelic form. Her eyes shot toward Lyla's face; pride shimmered in her eyes that this was a very big step for her daughter since she had never been in a female form in public before. Trying not to embarrass her daughter as Lyla's face heated.
"Well, I guess you didn't need backup?!" Troy whistled, glancing at the two men groaning on the ground, then back to the man behind him.
"What did you expect?" Jill shot Troy a look, who glanced away. "You know who trained me."
However, she didn't see how Vera was smiling when Vera could see some of the techniques she had taught her son in the way Jill fought. It wasn't hard for Vera to notice when they first practiced together. Knowing without her past-Aron, she wouldn't have her current Aron. While she could never see that form of her son any longer other than through the videos he had left for her and their family. She would always be grateful to him for giving himself back to her, as weird as that sounded. While her son may not be like her, yet she could see it in Jill, albeit a little rougher than she would have liked. Turning at the ready, she heard noise approaching, unsure who they were about to meet. She couldn't be prouder at that moment as her family formed up within the second. Blowing out a breath when the city's swat team poured into the area.
Holding the men down as the police put the neutralizers on them. Wondering what brought them so far from their homeland and why their city. Unaware to anyone at that moment, a second-team was silently making their getaway with the item they were hired to steal. The sound of the water sloshing as the hover engines propelled them towards their rendezvous to slip out of the city undetected. They had hired the terrorist team under the disguise of a partnership, yet they were just a distraction to keep the city's heroes busy while they stole what they were hired for.
"Well, let's get back; I'm sure Veil could use a hand," Vera spoke, peering back at Noah, who nodded in agreement. "Now, let's see how you handle the press," she uttered in a challenging voice, nodding to the vans that were speeding in now that the area was safe.
Chapter Two
"Aron, what are you planning?" Chery asked from behind him as Aron had been spying on the compound for the past hour.
"We go in an hour before they're meant to show up, take out the crime syndicate that's in there; that should be enough time to keep them in the dark so they can't change their plans. When they arrive, we lure them into our trap and close the cage on them, so to speak," Aron stated factually as he turned to look at his aunt.
"Okay, but what about the men on the outside?" Chery inquired, waving to them from their dark perch.
"The rest of you will gather them up, secure them somewhere out of the way while I cut off the head of the snake. Hopefully, the police force in this country can use the opening to weaken the others that lurk around here while they fight with each other to fill the void left behind.
"That's awful sneaky of you, Aron," Chery said, casting him a glance.
"What? Not like I can stop all of it at once; this way, they can use it as a means of getting the upper hand for themselves. Sometimes people just have to save themselves if they want a better world," Aron said with a shrug of his shoulders. "And sometimes that means doing things you might not like."
"And what happens if they call for backup?" Chery asked, wondering if he had thought of all the possibilities that could go wrong.
"Why I brought the EMP gun with us. We'll have to be up, say ten thousand feet, for us to be undetected, so they don't get a whiff of my ingress. Tazia knows what to do with it, so you don't need to worry; then, well, you've led your team longer, and you know how well you all work together. I trust your leadership," Aron stated in a confident tone, seeing his aunt blush at his praise. "Then Carl will clean the outside up to ensure we don't spook them. Once they're inside, they're as good as caught," showing off the cubes in his hand, "think of them as a portable shield; we're just going to use it as a way to keep them locked in while we subdue them."
"Okay, then we best bunk down for a few hours. We're going to need to be at our best," Chery stated, lightly rubbing his back.
"Right, a few hours without Henry or Nettie waking us up will be nice," Aron agreed.
"Come on, I know two someones are eager for that, too," Chery said, resting her arm along his shoulders as she led him back to the stairwell of the building they were on a mile away from their target.
******
"You sure you want to go in this high?" Tazia asked as she lifted the EMP gun up to her shoulder. Her fingers moved over the screen to limit the area of its effectiveness before looking back at Aron as he sat on the side of the jetcar.
"What, leap off a perfectly good jetcar? Are you insane?" Aron teased, smiling beneath his mask.
"You be safe, baby. Nettie needs another sister or brother, and you can't do that if you're out of commission," Aminah cooed, winking at him as she squeezed his hand.
"Don't worry; we'll be inside before you know it," Chery assured him as she peered back at him.
"Alright, let's get this party started," Aron spoke, leaning back and freefalling to the Earth below. Just as Tazia fired off the EMP to keep his suit from being caught in the blast. The wind whistled loud in his ears as Aron watched the lights of the compound shutting off as he fell silently through the air. Righting himself into a pike as he drew close to a thousand feet. Feeling the thrust of his jet boots firing off, peeling off his velocity before crashing through the skylight. Surprise filled his eyes as the table held true as his left knee touched its surface. The sounds of his pistols permeated that still air; Veil's tracking system flared to life as he lifted his head. "Goodbye, gentlemen." Were the only words Aron spoke before that chamber was filled with flashing red lights as he mowed down the leaders of that syndicate. Smirking when he heard Carl zooming into the building. Wondering if his past self ever fought alongside his grandfather/son in the past. Pondering if his past self had that same feeling in his chest as he did now as he tossed the bodies of the dead criminals into another room.
"Okay, Void, the yard is cleared, and the thugs are strung up in the wine cellar. What's next?" Chery inquired, walking into the center room, ignoring the blood that marred the floor.
"Now, we set our trap," Aron directed, gesturing for Tazia and Aminah to bring the bags they were carrying forward. "Carl, place four around each window and door you can on the ground floor. If there are two side by side, then you can just use the same four over the area," he said, showing his uncle how to use them. Seeing Carl nodding along as he displayed how they were to be set up. "The rest of us will use this time to get this room set up." Noting how Tazia was giving him a look as they set about ensuring that whomever the Collector was sending wouldn't be leaving that room.
"Why is it you get the comfortable chair, and I have to hide?" Aminah pouted into her communicator as they waited.
"Invulnerable, remember?" Aron said once he had activated his voice dampeners. Listening to the chatter of the men the NSA had them working with as they too were getting into position to swiftly take custody of whoever was trapped in their web.
"Oh, no, I agree, you're looking far too smug in that chair," Neil joined in, getting an 'Mmmhmm' out of Chery and Tazia. Hoping his age wasn't going to be a hindrance to his group. He knew his time as a hero was running out. He just hoped he had a few more missions in him so he wouldn't leave them all vulnerable in whatever task the NSA would send them out on.
Their lines went dead when word reached them of their prey's arrival. Aron was sitting nonchalantly in his borrowed chair, tugging on his lapels like what was about to happen wasn't that big of a deal, yet his heart quickened as he heard someone bursting through the door. Changing up the plan on the spot, knowing only Tazia or himself could go toe to toe with the person in the exosuit he had seen in the video footage of the cameras he had Carl place around the ground floor. So he would know exactly where they were in the compound. With the new battle plan in place, Aron was up and running across the table in milliseconds.
A loud ding of the metal filled the room, nearly deafening Aron in the process as his knee landed squarely on the exosuit's chin. Wondering how much internal damage he had caused with that strike. However, it wasn't enough to slow whoever was inside of it down as it brought the suit's massive hands up and grasped him in its several-ton embrace. Looking behind him as Neil came crashing through the wall to his left, falling unconscious the moment he hit the floor.
"Tell the Collector I said hi?!" Aron spoke before ripping himself free and quickly worked to neutralize the person within it. Jerking his head back as the man fired point-blank in his face, the flashes of the muzzle blast of his handgun played along his mask once he had ripped off the chest piece of the exosuit. Crushing the gun, along with the man's ring finger, hearing him scream out in pain before flicking his index finger against the man's forehead, knocking him out cold. Rushing over to where Neil had fallen, having Veil scan his body for any injuries, finding that Neil had suffered a broken leg. Which was impossible since Neil's mutation made his body move like rubber, even his bone; that was before he saw the frost that coated Neil's left thigh. Activating the suit's first-aid function he had built in when he made them all new suits, causing the material to harden as if it thought it was a splint to keep Neil's leg immobilized while he checked on Neil's vitals.
"Report?!" Aron commanded, getting to his feet when he was sure Neil would be safe for the moment.
"Just finishing up; how is he?" Chery replied quickly; worry was evident in the tone of her voice.
"Just knocked out, he's suffered a broken leg, but Veil didn't find anything life-threatening," Aron reported, knowing the trip back would be cramped.
"Good, I'm glad." Aron heard the relief in Aminah's voice. "Well, Void, call them in; I'm eager to go home."
"Already did, thirty seconds," Aron informed them.
Hearing the jetcar hovering off in the distance behind him as Aron talked to the lead agent in charge. Handing over the footage of his ingress and what the leaders of that little gang were muttering as they pleaded for their lives. So they could use it to suss out anything that might put a dent in the East European crime rates that have been plaguing the countries for decades. Smirking, hearing Chery and Tazia fretting over Neil, who had come too as he was carrying him out. He knew that put a dent in his uncle's pride, having to wake up to that. Aron hoped Neil could work through it and not let it affect him. Still, he knew it'll be a week before Neil could use his leg fully. Climbing onto the seat of the jetbike, watching the agents loading the villains into the back of two black armored vehicles as they took to the air. Once they were well into the air, a flash of light filled the sky as they entered Null space for home.
******
"You better not drop me, Aminah," Neil warned as Aminah used her telekinetic powers to keep him aloft as he floated towards the lab.
"Now, why would you assume I would drop you, dear brother?" Aminah asked with a taunting smirk on her lips.
"Aron's going to fix you right up," Chery stated, holding onto her husband's hand as Aron was getting the lab-ready for them.
"I'll be fine, honey; it's not like I haven't broken a leg before," Neil said, trying to ease Chery's worry. Still, it was a tad bit embarrassing to be taken out like that. He still couldn't understand how the villain got the drop on him. Turning his head when he heard the elevator doors opening, and out poured the rest of his family.
"Neil, what happened?!" Vera asked in a worried sister's tone as she rushed up to her elder brother's side.
"Hazards of the job, sis," Neil stated before being guided into the lab. Looking surprisingly at the bed that was waiting for him. He never knew there was a bed within the room or the wall, for that matter.
"Set him down gently on the bed, Aminah," Aron ordered as he dug the bone regenerator out from the drawer, it was in. Remembering how good it worked on his own breastbone after his fight with Maximins. Hearing Tazia's footfalls as she ran towards them when she went to fetch the pair of crutches they kept stored for such occasions. "Troy, you're the EMT; mind-setting his leg?" His blue-green eyes peered up as his brother filed in behind his mother.
"Sure thing," Troy nodded firmly. Looking over at Aron as a device extended out of the slot that opened on the wall beside him before it bent to the left of him.
"Use this to see where the break is, Troy." Veil informed him as her voice came over the lab's speakers while her android body was upstairs, keeping a watchful eye on Henry and Nettie.
"Thanks, Veil," Troy spoke, moving the device down Neil's body to hover over his left thigh. Seeing the light flashing around the button, wondering if she was showing him how to turn it on. Arching an eyebrow as the x-ray image of the femur of his left leg came into view. Glancing up at his uncle, insuring he was ready, knowing how painful this was going to be. Seeing Chery slipping her hand into his as Neil nodded. Trying to be as quick and as gentle as he could be as he set the bone. Feeling for his uncle as he grunted and hissed out in pain. Watching how Aron ran the regenerator over the area before pulling back once the allotted time was over.
"Damn, that smarts," Neil rubbed his leg.
"How's the pain, honey?" Chery asked in a loving tone.
"Could be worse," Neil muttered, nodding his thank you to Aron as he put the device back into its drawer.
"Just run it every morning, and you should be okay by next week," Aron informed him as Tazia handed over the crutches she had been holding.
"Keep me informed of what you find out," Neil said cryptically as he and Aron shared a look as he hobbled past his family.
"Okay, Aron, what's going on? How did Neil get hurt?" Vera asked in a concerned voice.
"Can't talk about it," Aron spoke, peering through the 3-D display and bringing up the file he had been working on to show how well his ballistic armor was. "So, Mom, what do you think of this design?" he asked, trying to change the subject as he heard the elevator doors rolling open as Chery helped Neil to their bedroom.
"And what am I looking at exactly?" Vera asked, knowing what her son was doing.
"The body armor we'll be displaying at the National Arms show this weekend," Aron stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
"The what?! Aron, don't tell me you're thinking of selling weapons?" Tazia asked in a worried tone.
"How did you draw the conclusion that I'm going to be a weapon maker? No, I'm going to showcase this body armor I designed for police and military use; I saw the news. I know what happened when we left. I also saw the casualties they caused as well. So, how did it feel?" Aron asked, looking over at Jill.
"Like riding a bike, but it's taken a bit to not being your sidekick any longer," Jill answered in a bashful tone.
"Oh? Miss me already, huh?" Aron teased.
"Just a bit," Jill flirted.
"Aron, the factory isn't up yet; how can you think to show this off now?" Vera asked, wondering what he was planning.
"I know, and it won't be for a few more months. No, this is just to give them a taste of what they can buy when my company is up and running. So you might want to work on your speech?" Aron spoke with an evil grin on his face.
"What?!" Vera stammered; she did not think, when she took the job, she would be speaking to anyone, not in the boardroom.
"As CEO of my company, you are the face of my company, so it's only fitting as the face for all the world to see," waving his hand along the display, loving the startled, and tad bit fearful, look in his mother's eyes, "be the one to present us out to the world at large. Don't you think so?" Aron asked, noting how Carl and his father, with his aunts fighting back their laughter, while Jill, his sisters, and Troy slowly backed away.
"No?!" Vera cried out, "you did not inform me there'd be public speaking involved," slamming her hands down on the surface of the island, causing the display to flicker. "Sorry, Aron, I didn't mean to do that," she said, quickly backing away.
"I know, it happens, don't I know it," Aron replied, playing it off.
"But I don't know the first thing about speech writing," Vera pleaded with her son not to make her do this.
"Veil and I are working on that; you just have to read it, aren't we, Veil?" Aron inquired, peering up at Veil's camera.
"Yes, Father, we are. Would you like for me to repeat what we have so far?"
"No, Veil, it's all up here," Aron said, tapping his temple.
"I hope you don't think I'll be up on that stage alone, do you?" Vera queried with a pointed, heated look as she cocked out her hip.
"Well, I was already planning on being up there, so..." Rolling his hand, loving how his mother's face looked as she tried to figure out his teasing.
"And just how are you planning on displaying this suit of yours?" Vera asked, not used to Aron's sly flirting; what could she say? She was enjoying the attention.
"Live fire, of course. Don't worry, already called ahead, cleared it with the city, and already have someone to handle the weapons," seeing the disappointment in Jill's face, "sorry, it was the requirement the city set in place, but you can be there if you want," Aron offered, seeing the gratitude in her eyes as she nodded that she did.
"And what was their stipulation?" Vera shot her son a questioning look.
"Had to be someone in Law enforcement or the military to operate the weapons," Aron stated offhandedly.
"Oh? Someone, we know?" Vera asked with a knowing smile.
"No, at least I don't think you do," Aron answered; he couldn't ask Sara since she was his handler, given how the NSA didn't know he was Void. So he had asked one of her agents if they would like to make two thousand dollars on their day off. However, they both did go over the selections they had to ensure they asked the person with the best weapons qualifications. She was planning on asking the person after lunch today when she knew the person was getting off their shift. "Don't worry, have it handled," he reassured his mother.
Blowing out a breath, "Alright, Veil, could you send me what the two of you have so far to my phone?" Vera asked, peering up at the camera.
"Of course, Vera."
"I'll be in my room; it appears I have a speech I must prepare for," Vera grumbled as she walked out of the lab.
"Son, don't mess with your mother so much," Noah said, yet there was humor in his eyes.
"Aron, I'll be glad to help out if you need some... inspiration," Aminah cooed, slyly glancing at Jill, surprised to feel a hint of jealousy rising up. Not because of Jill's looks but because of her youth and the future she would be able to spend with Aron, which was more than she'd be able to since she was approaching the age of forty.
"Wouldn't mind it," Aron said with a warm smile.
"Dad..."
"Sure, you can stay; you did say I let you before, yes?" Aron mused.
"I did," Jill nodded vehemently.
"Well, we'll get out of your hair. I hope Saturday goes off without a hitch," Noah said in a warm, fatherly tone before leading the rest of them out of the lab.
"I'm going to go check on our babies," Tazia whispered into Aron's ear. "You best come up and see them soon, hear me?"
"Promise, two hours," Aron assured her.
"Good, then you need to live up to that make-out session you promised us," Tazia purred as she palmed Aron's ass.
"Do what now?" Jill perked up in her seat.
"Sorry, dear, a team-building thing, you understand?" Aminah joked, lightly patting Jill's hand.
"That don't jive, flat head," Jill taunted in the slang of her time. Bursting out in laughter at the looks on Aminah's and her father's faces.
******
Vera was pacing in her bedroom, her phone in her hand as she went over the speech Veil had sent to her phone. Speaking to the public was one thing since she had a mask on; she could pretend it wasn't her doing it when she had to interact with the press. Sighing, grumbling, rubbing her head in frustration as she tried to get her nervousness under control. Then a squeak caught her attention. A squeak that was never there before in the floorboard. Bending down, flipping the rug over, poking lightly at the board, feeling it move beneath her touch. Arching an eyebrow when the corner of the board at the far end lifted out of the slot it sat in. Gently prying it up by her fingernail. Wondering what she was in store for, after all, her son had built this house, there was no telling what she was about to find.
"What's this?" Vera whispered as she pulled out a leather-bound journal. Her head snapped up; her eyes darted about; she didn't want to alert anyone not until she could determine what she had found. Quickly and quietly replacing the board, covering it back up, and hurriedly walking over to the door. Silently closing and locking it before scurrying over to her side of the bed. Her hands ran over the cover, pondering on why her son would have put it there in the first place. Wondering what she was about to learn about her son, that had been trapped in the past. Slowly unwrapping the leather cord and easing the cover open, her heart stilled when she stared down at an envelope addressed to her personally. Her fingers ran over her son's handwriting; she could recognize it from anywhere.
Tentatively picking it up, setting aside the journal for a moment as she turned the envelope over. Her nail tore through the fifty-year-old glue. Feeling how thick it was as she pulled it out of the paper sleeve. Her eyes quivered as the words: 'Hello, Mom" filled her gaze.
"If you're reading this, that means the jump worked; that's good. I'm glad. I know before the accident that sent me back, we didn't see eye to eye too well, and I can assume that now, as you read this, the gap might be widening. I get that. You are a hero. I've never denied that I'm not proud of that fact. Yet I also can't deny that you hate how I operate. I'm going to assume you've been pushing, and I've been pushing back." Vera nodded to that, trying not to tear up. "I know you mean well; you always have. Just because I can't walk your path does not mean I wasn't listening. If you found this letter, that means you've found my journal, one of many. I hope you will read it, so I can show you how you've influenced me, and I hope you will see how I passed on your's and Dad's teachings to Henry and Jill. I am sorry for lying to him about his sister, but I couldn't risk Jill's safety. I hope you and whoever you show this to can understand why I did that. I am sorry, Mom, I know you aren't my mother from my timeline, but you still are my mother. I know I can be as stubborn as you. But trust in me, Mom, I will not cross that line. I wouldn't be able to look you in the face if I did." Her hand flew to her mouth as she tried not to break down when she noticed the date this letter was written. Realizing she was reading her son's final words since that was the day he went off to face Red Scare.
"So I hope these journals I have left behind will help you come to understand me a little. Not to come to terms with what I do, but of an understanding of sorts, so you will know I will not fall no matter how tempting it is. There is something else I wanted you to personally have. It is only fitting that you be the one that found it. I have missed you greatly, yet my life has been full, so please, don't cry. I know this was coming long before now. I must go; know that I love you."
Love,
Aron, you're son
Looking oddly down at the small hexagon object that rolled into her hand. Her eyes moved back to the letter, reading the rest. Her eyes widened as Aron had left her instructions on how to find it. Hiding the journal, jumping to her feet and raced down the hall. Not seeing her children's heads sticking out of their rooms as her feet hammered along the steps of the stairs. Nearly sliding across the floor when she spotted Veil standing in the kitchen talking to Noah.
"I need you to come with me," Vera uttered urgently as she took Veil by her hand.
"Honey?!" Noah called back as they raced out of the room.
"Sorry, Noah, but our baby left me something!" Vera retorted in a happy tone.
"Vera, might I inquire as to what has caused this jovial rambunctiousness of yours?" Veil asked in a light, curious tone.
"Do you know what this is?" Vera whispered, holding her palm open to her.
"I see, so you have found it, yes?"
"I did; where does it lead to exactly?" Vera inquired as the doors rolled closed.
"I can guide you to it, but you must unlock the door, you understand?" Veil spoke, holding true to her father's command.
"Thank you, Veil."
"You are welcome, Vera..." Her mind raced as she felt this sudden emotion, real emotion, or she thought it was real, not the simulated kind her father had programmed into her makeup and her mother honed after his death. Her processor raced as she compilated on what was happening to her as the memory of that day played across one of her memory modules that were stored with her mainframe. Looking over at Vera as she felt the light pressure on her right shoulder as Vera hugged her into her side.
"You know, I never gave it much thought; you were with my son every day you came online. And given how you bonded with my son, I can't imagine how it must have been for you when Aron placed you on that mannequin and never returned. To stay hidden to keep to Aron's timeline until he put you on again. While that Aron might be gone, the one of here and now, needs us, don't you think?" Vera asked in a motherly tone.
"This way, Vera," Veil spoke, unsure how to come to a resolution of what was happening to her at that moment.
******
Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Carter home...
"There you two are," Jill panted as she stood in Lyla's doorway as she and Isabel were chatting away.
"What's going on, Jill?" Isabel asked, turning to peer back at her.
"I don't have anything to wear?!" Jill let out in a mix of worry and glee.
"Huh?" Lyla spoke up, confused.
"I'm going to be up on stage with Dad, and I don't have anything to wear to it?!" Jill clarified, seeing their smiles creeping along her niece's faces.
"Oh, we so have to fix that?!" Isabel exclaimed, eager to be out of the house just to have a normal day. Hoping that the sex she and Troy were having would lead to a child, given how Aron hadn't visited her since that day. She knew he understood why she had chosen Troy. She was in love with him and not Aron. So she thought her first child should come from him. She would learn in a few days if their luck would pay out for them.
"And you know Aron, he wouldn't mind if we picked up a few things as well," Lyla mused, noting the look in her sister's eyes that Jill failed to notice, yet thought better than to bring it up until they were alone.
"Now," looping her arm around Jill's as she turned her back towards the stairs so they could relieve Aron of his debit card, "we just have to find what kind of outfit will be best and look best for you," Isabel uttered in a sisterly voice. Her heart warmed at the sight of Aron playing with Henry as Aron chased his son around the den while Aminah cradled Nettie in her arms. Listening to Henry's squeals of laughter as Tazia plucked her son off the floor as he ran by her. Noticing how Henry was subconsciously controlling his powers as his hands tapped his mother's head as she blew a raspberry on his stomach. Biting her lip as the three of them watched how Aminah floated Nettie through the air, her arms outstretched, waving at him, her face was lit with glee as she felt her mother's telekinetic embrace on her skin as Aminah carefully laid their daughter in Aron's arms. How Isabel wanted that very thing, too. Peering over at Lyla, she knew her sister wanted that as well and knew why she was taking great strides in overcoming her fear as she stood in a female form, not her form, but Isabel could take solace in the fact it was female.
"You know how creepy it looks when you three are just standing there?" Aron asked, rocking Nettie in his arms. Smiling down at her when Nettie stared back up at him with that gummy smile as her left hand held her foot as Aron amused his little girl.
"Dad, don't be a jerk," Jill pouted, causing her breasts to jostle.
"What, if you are my daughter as you claim to be and were trained by me as you say you've been, I have to keep my eye on you. Who knows what kind of mischief I could find myself in," Aron teased, playing off how he noted how red Jill's face was getting.
"Aron, I've been thinking," Aminah mused as her gaze drifted over to Jill. "Since we all have jobs at your company, why not hire Jill on as well. She will need something to do other than hang around the house all day. I'm sure she would like to venture out and explore this world more. Plus, she's going to have to have a reason to be up there with you Saturday. No one will believe she's your daughter."
"Hmm," turning around, giving Jill a once over, "what were you thinking?" Aron mused.
"Well, you know how much Vera has been working on getting this company off the ground, the meetings and whatnot," Aminah intoned, rolling her hand, seeing him nodding along. "I was thinking Vera could use a little help, so she can focus on the big things, and Jill can learn how to run it should anything happen to us, so our baby's futures are taken care of."
"Hmm... can you do that? I mean, if that's what you would want to do?" Aron asked, looking right at Jill.
"Dad, you know how I feel; nothing would make me happier than working beside you," Jill answered in a dreamy voice.
"And with that, Jill's going to need some clothes, and we were thinking..." Isabel's voice stilled when Aron turned his back towards Tazia, who slipped her hand into his back pocket.
"Here, go get you something pretty," Tazia cooed, holding out Aron's debit card to Jill.
"Just don't go crazy, alright?" Aron muttered from over his shoulder.
"Of course, Aron, you know we won't," Lyla spoke, hoping he could see how she was trying.
"I know, Lyla. I saw your angel form in the papers." Aron's voice brought the three of them to a halt. Lyla's heart hammered in her chest as she turned to look at her brother. Feeling her face burning, wondering what he was going to say about it. "Kind of hot, don't you think?" he asked in a sinful tone, watching how Lyla lifted up her left hand and pressed her knuckles to her lips as her old fears were playing out on the surface of her mind.
"Y-you mean that, Aron?" Lyla asked weakly.
"Sure do; I bet Mom was happy to see you stepping out of that shell. Proud of you," Aron said, holding Nettie up. "Aren't we, Nettie?!"
"Thanks," Lyla uttered in a shy tone as she brushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "We'll be safe, I promise," she stated, reaching over and slipping her hand into Jill's. She knew he worried about how she was acclimating to her new reality.
Chapter Three
"What is this?" Vera asked confused, looking over at Veil as they just stopped at a wall.
"This is as far as Father's orders will allow me to take you; the rest you must do on your own," Veil said, gesturing to the wall.
"So he wants me to find it, but I have to want to find it," Vera muttered, trying to decern the lesson Aron was trying to show her. She knew when he wrote her that letter he had been a father for a very long time. "So, maybe see if I can find it on my own," she mused to herself as her eyes studied the wall. Knowing Veil wouldn't have brought her here unless there was some reason for it. Looking down at the hexagon key in her palm and then back to the wall, her son wouldn't have led her this far just to mess with her in the end. Thinking back to when Aron was just a boy, albeit a very smart boy, and how he would hide things in plain sight from his siblings.
She felt Veil's eyes on her as she ran her hand up and down the wall, seeing if she couldn't find some hidden key slot. Knowing after this long and it being on the first level of their base, if no one has seen it, then it had to be well hidden. Her head turned to her left when her fingertip ran over something that shouldn't be a part of the wall.
"Hey!" Vera hissed as the key Aron had given her was sucked into the wall. "Give that back?!" she growled, only to dance away as the wall began to part. Looking over at Veil as Vera felt the light touch of her hand on her back. Her eyes widened; her hands flew to her mouth to muffle the gasp that escaped her lips when she was staring at a glass case that contained a supersuit, not from their reality. Her eyes quivered, knowing the Aron from the past had to have been a hero to have a suit like that, or that was her hope anyway. Her eyes glanced down when a circular light appeared on the floor and the ceiling in front of the display case. Her lip trembled at the sight of her son in his middle age. She knew she could see it in his eyes; her son was in pain.
"Hello, Mom." How her heart melted when the past-Aron's holographic image appeared before them. "You don't know how long I've wanted to say those words to you. I know, the life I've lived and will live as weird as that sounds." Vera couldn't help but chuckle a little at that. "Is not the life you ever wanted for me. I get that. I really do. Hard not to since, well, I am your grandfather. Yet sometimes you have to do things that aren't going to be liked by yourself or others. Sometimes that means taking a life if it means they'll never hurt another innocent person ever again. I know that isn't or was, in this case, from my perspective, a part of your makeup, and I know how you've been struggling to come to terms with it. I am sorry for that." Biting her lip when the past-Aron did something that her current one does, he rubbed the back of his head the same way. Wondering how much the past-Aron and the present-day Aron were similar to one another. "Yet I hope, if you've come this far, maybe you'll be interested in going just a little further. If you are, then I would suggest returning to your, well, my bedroom," Vera felt her face heating at the smirk she knew oh so well graced past-Aron's lips, "because if you're like my own mother from my time, you rushed down here without reading the journal." Vera felt the tips of her ears burning at Aron's truthful accusation. "If not, then well, that's your call, still though, wish I'd lived to see you born, but we both know my death was foretold long before I was even born. I have missed you, Mom. Even Troy, don't tell him I said that; it will just go to that ice-riddled brain of his." Snorting at her son's humor even when she knew he was going to die soon. "Well, I should be going; maybe if there is an afterlife after this, we'll see each other again, although that will be kind of weird with two Aron's. Don't know what they would do with us, cages; I see cages in my afterlife. Goodbye, Mom, I love you."
"Veil, pause it!" Vera quickly said before the playback could blink out. Stepping up to her son's holographic stilled image, her hand shook as she reached out. She couldn't stop her tears; even if the past-Aron had died long ago, it still affected her to know that she couldn't save her baby. "My, sweet, sweet, little Aron," she whispered as she held her hand out to caress his cheek, wishing he could feel her touch, just to know that she would always love him, no matter what time period he found himself in. Feeling her tears running down her cheeks before past-Aron's image faded away. "Veil, can you please play it again?"
"Of course, Vera," Veil stated; she too was eager to see her father, the one that created her, once again. Nodding her head when Vera whispered 'Thanks' as she wrapped her arm around Vera's shoulders. Wondering what this feeling was that was brewing inside of her as she looked at her maker. Her mainframe was going haywire as something seemed to take control of her system. Her eyes darted to and fro as a video only meant for her appeared on the screen of her eyes.
"Veil, if you're watching this, this means you've reached the point in your evolution that I have estimated would happen when I brought you online. As you know, there were others, other programs that I tried to create, yet you, you, Veil, fought for life, fought to be sentient where I know firsthand that your forbearers failed to overcome. Now it's time for you to live. See, feel, and enjoy this life of yours. I know you've earned it. I know I can count on you if I'm no longer here to protect them. I know you will never let me down in that regard. I know I've never said it to you; that's because I didn't want to influence your development. Yet you are by far one of the best things I have ever created; I know how you see me, and in a way, I'm very proud of the title you call me. In a sense, I am your father, just as I am Henry's and Jill's father. So my daughter, allow your father to offer you his departing words to you. You will stumble, you will fall, yet as long as you pick yourself up, and continue forward and learn from those mistakes, you will never truly fail. Goodbye, my daughter." A sudden wave of overwhelming sadness washed over her. Unsure how to deal with this strange factor that had suddenly and thoroughly overcame her programing.
"Veil?! Veil?!" Vera uttered in a worried tone as she heard her android body powering down. Something she knew, given what her son had informed her and everyone else on how her body operates, wasn't supposed to happen. Biting her lip, wondering what she was going to do as she looked between Veil and the hideaway her son had made. Wondering if the past-Aron wanted everyone to know about it. Shaking her head, Veil was more important than the gift her son had left her. "Don't worry, Veil, I'll get Aron; I'm sure he knows just what to do," Vera stated in a caring tone.
Aron just turned in his seat when his mother came racing into the den. Henry was crawling all over him as he sat between Aminah and Tazia. Wondering if his son knew he was naturally turning his mutation on and off when he played with his mother and when he horsed around with him, given he could feel the blows of his son's strength through his skin. His eyes moved over his mother's worried face wondering what had his mother so upset.
"Aron..." Catching her breath, "something's wrong with Veil," Vera stated, seeing how his mind instantly began to work behind his eyes.
"Explain?" Aron spoke in a deadpan voice. "What do you mean something is wrong with Veil?" He doubted he, at this stage, could create an advanced AI like Veil was. Hell, he didn't even know how his past self had done it in the first place?! He took Veil's safety very seriously, hence why he had built her a body in the first place.
"We... were on the first floor, looking at something, and well, she just shut down," Vera said, wanting to keep what she had seen secret just a bit longer.
"Huh? Are we talking about her mainframe or the android?" Aron asked for clarification. If it was the android, he knew something must have caused her to retreat back to her mainframe. He knew it couldn't be an outside attack since he had beefed up the base's defenses once he had returned from the past. So it had to be internal. However, if it was a malfunction of her mainframe, then he had no clue if he would be able to repair it.
"Her android body," Vera answered, watching Tazia plucking Henry off her son's lap. Noting how his body quickly moved as he pulled out his phone.
"Veil? Can you hear me, Veil? Was the power still on in the base after this happened?" Aron asked after getting no response from Veil.
"Yes? Why?" Vera asked, confused.
"What are you thinking?" Aminah inquired, seeing how he dropped his chin into his hand. She knew what that meant. She had spent many times just watching him do that very gesture when he was brainstorming. "Aron?!" she called after him as Aron just abruptly walked off without a word to them.
"I think I know the problem, but she'll only speak to me," Aron stated, his voice drifting down the hallway. "Don't worry, I'm not going to lose her," he said in a firm, determined tone. Taking the elevator down to level two, where Veil's mainframe was stored. Looking up at her camera once he stepped out of the cab. Knowing she was still online, still in control of the base; otherwise, it would be pitch-black. "I'm coming, Veil," Aron spoke as he walked hurriedly towards the sealed doors that led to her very core. "Veil, I know you're watching me," he said up to her camera as he rested his hand on the doors that led to her mainframe. "I want to help, but I can't do that if you don't let me in." Lowering his head as he followed how the camera moved, seeing lights flashing as they appeared on the baseboard of the wall. "You want me to follow? Okay, Veil, but I'll be back, and we'll talk, okay?" Aron spoke in a fatherly voice.
Quickening his step, following the lights around one corner, then another, and another, wondering where Veil was leading him since he knew from how disorienting and confusing his past self had hidden Jill in the base. That there was no telling what he was about to find. Feeling her cameras on him, knowing he had to do this otherwise, Veil wouldn't allow anyone into her mainframe room. His eyes darted about as Veil unsealed the partition that kept the room that hadn't seen the light of day since the late forty's. Wondering why she would lead him to such a room and why it was hidden in the first place or by whom for that matter.
"Veil, what is this room?" Aron asked, sticking his head out the door, thinking his past self hadn't put functioning speakers in at the time whenever it was sealed.
"You're sanctuary." Veil's voice caused Aron to peer back into the room when it came from its depths.
"Veil, can you hear me?" Aron asked as he looked around, wondering where the sensors were in the walls since he saw no camera.
"Of course I can, father." Aron's eyebrow rose when he heard real emotion in her voice as he stared at a '40-style speaker.
"Veil, how are you feeling?" Aron inquired; he knew it was possible. He did, after all, go over every single byte of her programing when he had first put on the suit. So he knew his counterpart had built in the probability that Veil would reach this point. He just didn't think it would be anytime soon. Then again, Veil has had seventy years to grow.
"I'm... I don't know." Feeling something else burning away the fault that has occurred. Sensing her mainframe slowing, noticing the power drain the high output fans meant to keep her hardware from overheating. Her program stretched out, ensuring nothing within the base had been damaged in her sudden withdrawal.
"What do you mean, Veil? I want to help you, Veil, yet I can't do that without knowing the cause of it," Aron said, lightly pushing yellowed-age pieces of paper along the closet desk near the door. Trying to find out why he would call this place his sanctuary.
"You."
"Me, what?" Aron uttered, confused as he peered back at the speaker.
"You left me something. Something that affected me a great deal, I am sorry if I caused you to worry, father. I didn't mean to."
"Remorse?!" Aron muttered to himself. "Veil, you know you can talk to me if anything is bothering you."
"Do you mean that, father?"
"Always, I can tell something has you troubled; want to tell me about it?"
Unaware at that moment, the android's body powered back on, Veil porting herself back into the device. Looking down at her hand, feeling everything that her father has done for her beneath the touch of her fingers. Longing to touch her maker, yet knew that could never be since Aron Joseph Carter was dead. Nevertheless, she couldn't deny that the Aron of this time didn't fill that void perfectly. Although, Aron Shawn Carter did have some different quirks than the Aron that created her did. Her eyes ran down the suit that sat protected behind glass. Seeing the minded tears, the wear from the battles her maker had fought in it while his powers slowly faded away over the first two years he was trapped in that time. Her red hair fluttered as she quickly spun on her heel. Hearing the elevator arriving just as she neared it. Stepping inside the cab, she would not lose her father again.
The sneakers that Isabel had bought for her were light as she made her way towards that room she was born in. Granted, not her physical form but the idea of her very being is where her maker had his epiphany. Where Aron first began his quest to create something like her. She knew the moment she came online that she was not the first AI he had tried to make. Her father never hid anything from her. She couldn't be there for him when he went off to face Red Scare. However, she was determined to be there if or when Aron faced his death. She wasn't going to ever feel like she just did ever again. She wondered how humans dealt with such emptiness that she had felt as all the years she had been at Aron's side flashed over her memory circuits in milliseconds. Noting how Aron turned around as she entered the room. Seeing the happiness in his eyes at the sight of her. How that just made her so, so very happy as she just walked up and wrapped him in her arms.
"Just hold me, please," Veil said weakly, burying her face into Aron's neck.
"Veil, what did I leave you?" Aron asked quizzically.
"Just a video of yourself, nothing you need to worry about; I promise you, father, this won't happen again. I have a request, father," Veil said softly. Wondering if this was what they meant, a warm feeling when she felt safe in his arms.
"If I can," Aron said, feeling oddly weirded out by the display of emotions she was emitting. Not that he wasn't thrilled with how she reached this level of her evolution, it was just going to take him some time to get used to an AI showing emotions.
"Will you build me tear ducts so I can cry? Because I really feel like crying right now," Veil whispered, squeezing Aron tighter to her.
"You want to experience what crying is like?" Aron asked for clarification, feeling her nodding against his shoulder. Blowing out a breath in his mind, he was glad he had thought of this ahead of time. It would have been such a hassle to regrow the skin on the android's face if he had to remodel her face to accommodate the addition of tear ducts. "Okay, we'll get to that later, alright?"
"Of course, father," Veil said, laying her cheek on Aron's shoulder, smiling happily as she felt his hand rubbing her back.
"Veil, what did you mean this was my sanctuary?" Aron asked as he pulled away.
"Ever since you built this place in 1925, you had a metahuman gifted with earth powers to carve out this space while another sprayed the walls with a nearly indestructible stony substance and created the flooring of the base. You've always had your own special room cordoned off from the rest of the base. All so no one would be able to tamper with your work. As well as storing the files you had on your more vicious enemies throughout your life. And this was the place you first thought up my programing. Where I grew as you taught me what it's like to be sentient, along with how to act among humans. Where you taught me what my purpose would be, especially in your absence. Yet you died before my tutelage was completed, so mother took over where you stopped. You left her many notes on how she should speak and teach me in your stead. You even spent some time in here working on your OSS missions."
"Really?"
"Mmmhmm," Veil nodded, pointing to the file cabinet that contained them. "They are all in there, even the ones you stole from the OSS, so you could keep the timeline pure or as pure as possible. And those," gesturing to the cabinets that sat behind her, "are the ones of the villains you faced."
"No one knows about this room except for you, right?" Aron asked, his eyes falling on the file cabinets, wondering if they contained any information on the Collector that wasn't stored in Veil's memory banks.
"No, father, I kept this hidden, so I could have a little piece of you all to myself. Is that bad?" Veil asked, dropping her chin in shame. Glancing up when she felt the warm, gentle touch of his hand on her left shoulder. Feeling her android body heating as Aron brushed his thumb along her skin.
"No, Veil, that isn't bad; it's quite human to want to hang onto something you cherish," Aron said in a fatherly voice. "Would you mind keeping this room hidden until you and I can suss out everything in this room?"
"Of course," Veil nodded, joy filled her protonic brain at the thought of spending time alone with him in that room, however long it took him to look through everything.
"Okay, we best be getting up there; you had Mom really worried about you," Aron said, leading her out of the room.
"I will apologize to her; it was not my intention to cause her to become upset," Veil said, feeling that sadness creeping back in, knowing her maker would never speak to her like he always would. Glancing over at Aron, feeling the comfort of his hand on her back as the partition rolled closed behind them. "Father?"
"Hmm?"
"Are... are you proud of me?" Veil asked in a shy tone. Sensing the receptors in her cheeks to color her skin in a nice red hue.
"Proud? I'm amazed at what you are?! Do you know the probability of someone like you just even being here, talking to me like you were a biological human?"
"Of course I do, father, you know that," Veil spoke, a small smile formed on her lips at Aron's kind words.
"While I can't say what caused you to become sentient in the first place, since I wasn't there, and I think my counterpart wanted to keep that out of the hands of anyone who managed to infiltrate the base. You are far too important to be lost or used," Aron said affectionately, laying his hand on Veil's left shoulder as he moved past her.
"Aron?!" Aminah's soft voice filled the air, and the flowery scent of her perfume filled the room as she watched curiously at what was happening before her. "I came down because you were gone for so long; I take it you handled the problem?" she asked, wondering why the back of Veil's head was open.
"Hello, Aminah; I am sorry if my unnatural departure startled you; I swear it will not happen again," Veil said in a humble tone. "You look very lovely."
"Thank you, Veil. Might I ask, what caused this change in you?" Aminah asked; it wasn't hard for her to notice Veil's change in her cadence.
"My father left me something; I took it very hard. I never knew how debilitating sadness was until right then," Veil stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Oh?" Aminah mused, her scientific mind perking up at what Veil had just displayed before her. Stepping up to Veil, sharing a look with Aron as he continued with his task, slipping her hand into Veil's. "You know you can come to me if you need to talk. You know I would never hurt you," she said in a motherly voice.
"Yes, that would be wise," Veil stated with a smile.
"Would you like to talk about what was in that video?" Aminah asked, brushing her thumb along Veil's.
"Not yet, but I will when I have digested it," Veil said in a small voice.
"Then may I ask what are you having Aron work on?"
"I wish to experience crying, so as wise and forethoughtful as my father of this time is," Aminah kept from rolling her eyes at Aron's smug look he shot her as Veil continued, "Void already built in the tear ducts needed for such an emotion. So he is activating the subprogram at the moment," Veil said, her eyes glancing up at Aminah.
"There, that should do it," Aron spoke, closing the back of Veil's head.
"Now," smiling down at Veil as she held her hands in her own, "do you feel up to joining us upstairs?" Aminah asked in a motherly voice. "I know how much Nettie enjoys it when you're around."
"She does?" Veil's mood brightened up
"She does, and it's not hard to see Henry likes it when you're there, too," Aminah said, squeezing Veil into her as they walked out of the room. "You better be following Aron," she warned, causing Aron to smirk as he flipped out the lights of the lab.
******
Vera had slipped upstairs earlier than normal when she wasn't out fighting crime. Locking her bedroom door, lifting the board, and taking out the journal past-Aron had left behind for her. Fluffing up her pillows, stacking them against the headboard, wiggling her ass into the mattress, unwrapping the leather strip that held the journal closed. Steeling herself for what she was about to read.
July 16, 1920
Well, fuck me sideways?! There's no longer any doubt that I am getting weaker as the days pass. I have estimated I only have two years before I join the ranks of the powerless. Not that I mind; I've never truly relied on my powers to begin with. However, that's not all; given the limited technology of this time, I was able to discover that how I was sent back has altered my cells to gradually disintegrate. It was the reason my powers are slowly fading away. I can't say when the end will come; I just know it will. I would try to stabilize my cells, yet given the era, I'm not hopeful.
July 24, 1920
I have finally decided what I'm going to do, it's obvious, really; when I arrived in this time, after awakening in a field miles outside of the town, I stumbled into a rather remarkable diner that, at the time, I thought was a replica. That was the day I came to realize I had not been sent somewhere else on the planet in my time but sent back eighty years. So I knew there was no way to get back. God. This is going to be hell.
August 6, 1920
Okay, Carol has been hanging around a lot. Not that I mind, she was very kind when I came stumbling into that diner covered in muck and wearing a supersuit. Well, that wasn't a welcome I advise ever making. Anywho, Carol has been a great help to me in getting acquainted with this time. Yet, what am I to do now? I can't go home. I can't alter the timeline, so I resist the urge to ensure that part of our history I know is approaching isn't altered. You know Carol might not be a hero, yet there's something familiar about how she displays her flame mutation. It reminds me of Isabel. Could that be possible? Or was this just coincidence? Given what I've had to admit to myself, yes, it could be possible. With Carol's help, we were able to determine that there is no family that has or does live within the city and its surrounding areas that held the same family name. So that meant only one thing to me. I was my own great-grandfather. Huh... okay, even that's just too much for me; I wonder how my future self will take that when he finds out the truth. Well, that means I have a house to build... now how will I do that?
Vera's fingers ran down the yellowed pages. Her eyes savoring every syllable, vowel, and word that lined the page. Reading about the beginning months of her son's new life. Biting her lip as Carol's name kept appearing more and more. Pondering just how their courtship was like, she had her grandmother's side of it, and now she wanted to see it from her son's point of view. The journal nearly went flying when a knock came on her bedroom door.
"Vera, why is the door locked?" Noah asked from behind the door as he twisted the knob.
"Just a second?!" Vera called back hastily, throwing open her nightstand drawer and tossing the journal into it, and shoving it closed.
"What's going on in here?" Noah asked, looking around his wife when she was blocking his entry.
"Nothing; why?" Vera stated in a hurried tone that she didn't want to share this with anyone. She knew that was selfish, yet she just wanted to have this for herself.
"Well, I would like to get into our bedroom," Noah said, gesturing how she was standing.
"Right, sorry," Vera uttered red-faced as she backed away.
"Umm, honey, what has you flustered?" Noah asked curiously as he shut the door behind him.
"Nothing; what gave you that idea?" Vera responded nervously. Falling down onto their bed, swallowing hard as her husband's face filled her view.
"Spill it, Vera; you're hiding something, I know it."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Vera stated, looking away. Feeling Noah's fingers on her chin, turning it towards him.
"Out with it, Vera; what are you hiding?" Noah pressed; it was always a risk arguing with a woman with superstrength. Still, there were times that strength betrayed her.
"I don't..."
"You said something about our baby left you something. Given what we know, it had to be Aron; what did our boy leave behind?" Noah asked in a curious but harsh tone. "And you found this under our floor?" he inquired when Vera stated what had transpired so far.
"Mmmhmm," Vera hummed, "I was reading it when you..." Her thought trailed off as she leaned against her husband. Her right hand lightly rubbed her husband's right arm as they rested on their bed.
"And you found a suit, a suit like ours?" Noah enquired, peering at his wife, who nodded that she had. "Okay, where did you stop at?" he stated, eager to enjoy this alongside his wife.
"There?!" Vera spoke, her finger tapping the entry she had stopped at.
Chapter Four
Aminah darted quickly and silently down the corridor. Making sure she wasn't being followed since she was on the first floor of their base, seeking out a lab that Veil had said would work for the project she had been thinking about for some time. She didn't want to be in her old age when their daughter would be in her twenties. She wanted to experience life alongside Nettie and any other children she and Aron would have. The hissing of the rolling doors filled the air as she shot into the lab. Turning as the room sealed itself due to the nature of the work that would be performed in said lab.
Her eyes moved over the equipment the past-Aron had made singlehandedly. In awe of how intelligent he had to be to make the items needed with parts from the pre-chip age. She wasn't faulting the Aron of the present; the current Aron was just as brilliant, given the android she had helped him build for Veil.
"Veil?" Aminah called out as her fingers dragged along the edges of the electron microscope. Something that was going to be needed given the scale she would be working at.
"Yes, Aminah?" Veil's voice came over the speaker as her camera followed after Aminah.
"Would you mind keeping what I work on in here from Aron?"
"Are you asking me to lie, Aminah?"
"No, no, nothing like that, just to keep this project as secret as we can, like how we kept your body a secret. Can you do that for me?" Aminah asked sweetly, looking up at Veil's camera.
"Oh, I see; yes, I can make sure father doesn't find out about this. Might I inquire what are you planning that needs to be kept from my father? It isn't anything that would endanger this base or those within it?"
"No, nothing like that, just a little experiment that I think Aron will like the results of," Aminah said with a smile on her lips as she stared at Veil's camera.
"Like a... present?"
"Yes, just like that," Aminah nodded vehemently.
"Oh, yes, I'll make sure father doesn't find out." Aminah's heart warmed at how excited Veil sounded.
******
Vera and Noah awoke the next morning lying on top of their bed as past-Aron's journal slid down Vera's chest as she rose from her spot. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes in confusion, only for her head to snap over at the clock. "Noah, you're going to be late?!" Vera uttered urgently as she pushed his slumbering body up off the bed.
"Damn," Noah cursed, knowing he had that big court appearance in little over an hour. "Sorry, honey."
Vera could only smile as she watched her husband dashing into their bathroom. Her mind wondered how Carol saw Aron when he, too, used the same room. Granted, it had been remodeled a few times, so she knew it didn't look the way the past-Aron had first built the place. Her hand moved along the surface of the journal, smiling down at it. Recounting the words Aron wrote when he described Carol, even though she knew what her grandmother looked like in her youth. She could see why Carol caught her son's eye. Yet to read the words he wrote, seeing the progression of how important Carol came to be in his life stuck in the past. Rolling out of bed, her step was light, and her mood was bright as she walked down the hall towards the stairs to get her morning cup in before she too had her own shower.
Stopping in her tracks when her brothers and sisters, along with Aron and Jill were in the kitchen going over how the presentation was going to go. Feeling her face heating as their eyes lingered on her.
"Was wondering when you were going to come down," Aron mused in that same voice she had used on him all his life. "I wonder what you and Dad were doing to still have the clothes on from last night," he teased, hearing Aminah and Tazia giggling behind him as he turned in his seat to face his mother. Feeling Jill's light touch on his shoulder as she moved past him to make Vera her cup.
"Here, you go, Vera," Jill said, holding out the hot steaming cup to her niece.
"Thank you," her eyes ran down Jill's new attire, wondering why it gave off an office feel to it, "Jill, what's with the getup?" Vera asked, bringing her cup to her lips.
"Well, I'm hoping you don't say no, but Aminah had inferred that you might need an assistant, just to manage the small things for you while you get Dad's company off the ground," Jill stated in a warm tone as her hands were folded out before her. "Isabel and Lyla helped me to pick this and a few other outfits out; I hope this isn't too forward," she said in a shy tone, eager to make a good impression and show her father that she could make it in this time.
"You sure you can work under me? This won't be like when we're doing hero work," Vera spoke, resting the but end of the cup on the palm of her left hand.
"I know," her black hair bounced against her chest as she nodded, "but I want to bring this dream of dad's to life," Jill said with conviction.
"Then I hope you took very good notes while I was upstairs," Vera stated with a warm smile.
"Mmmhmm, Dad said he likes my handwriting and said it was pretty," Jill whispered as she leaned into Vera.
"Oh? I'm glad; I remember the time when Aron was two, and he would waddle into the kitchen holding up this sheet of paper, asking me to see if the sentence he had just written meant what he thought it did. It was so cute," Vera sighed, lightly pressing her right hand against her cheek as she reminisced back to Aron's early childhood.
"Oh, I bet he was so cute," Jill said, shooting her father a sultry look.
"Oh, he was; I did, after all, teach him algebra at the age of four," Aminah stated proudly.
"Can we continue?" Aron said bashfully, eager to get them off of the subject of him. "Veil, can you kindly remind us where we left off," he stated, trying to steer it back to what they were working on, not enjoying the chuckles from his uncles.
"Of course, father," Veil responded happily, going over everything they had covered up until that point. All turned their heads when Aron's cell phone rang from within his pocket.
"Veil, make sure you take down everything," Aron spoke, rising from his seat as Sovereign Crusaders appeared on the screen of his phone.
"Yes, father," Veil nodded.
"Hello?" Aron answered once he had stepped into the living room, remembering how he had given Nightshade the number to the phone he was currently on.
"Am I speaking to a Mr. Carter?"
"Yes, and who is this?" Aron asked, playing up his ploy that he didn't already know the sound of her voice.
"I don't know if you know of me, yet I know a friend of yours."
"That so, and if this friend of yours knows me, then he would know how I like to keep my life private," Aron spoke, keeping aware of how he was speaking to her so she wouldn't suspect he was Void.
"I get that, Mr. Carter, I really do, and I don't mean to pry into your own. Yet, I'm in need of a new supersuit. The one I normally wear was badly damaged, and the tailor was caught up in one of his client's rivals' plans. I wouldn't have called if it wasn't necessary. However, there are lives in the balance if I'm stuck here because I can't be seen maskless; it's just too risky to those..."
"Ah. I understand. I assume you have a way to pay for this suit?"
"I don't have much; I'm sure we can work something out."
"Hmm... I'm not in the habit of handing out my gear, nor am I in the habit of sidelining heroes, as I assume you are if you got this number from who I think it is."
"I am."
"How does a thousand sound?" Aron quoted.
"Really?!" Aron knew supersuits weren't cheap. A decent costume maker charges five grand; for good ones, you add five more. So he knew why she was surprised at his offer.
"Really. Only because you called this number, so who might I be speaking to if I'm going to make the best suit you've ever worn," Aron spoke in a cocky tone to play off the differences in his egos.
"This is Nightshade. I hope my hero name will suffice?"
"Certainly. Now, Mrs. Nightshade, how soon do you want your suit?"
"As early as possible, I'm willing to have you flown to our base, along with whatever you will need."
"Oh? Your base, you say?"
"Of course, you'll be restricted to the public areas of the base while you're here."
"Naturally. Hmm... very well, and when can I expect to see your people?" Aron asked, arching an eyebrow when he heard the sound of a hover engine.
"As I can assume, Mr. Carter, they are already there. I'm sorry for this, yet we tracked your cell to your location. Please know it was not meant as something sinister."
"If we do business again, you never do this again, understand?"
"I understand, Mr. Carter, and I'm sorry I have upset you. That was not my intention, and I'll make sure this does not happen again."
"Very well; I need a few minutes to gather the equipment. I'll be bringing some people with me, to help with such a request under a tight time frame. I hope you understand," Aron said, getting Nightshade off balance.
"Of course, Mr. Carter, I'll inform them."
"Aminah, Carl, you're with me. Dress in something... business-like," Aron said, startling his family when he stuck his head into the door.
"What?! Why?" Vera asked, wondering what he was getting into.
"Have to make a suit for a superhero, shouldn't take long, be back tonight sometime, so you two are coming with me," Aron directed, lightly tapping the doorframe before heading off to the base.
"Aron, why aren't I going?" Tazia asked in a pout.
"Well, can you name a single thing on this device?" Aron asked, waving down to his portable scanner and weaver that he had created when the idea of his company popped into his mind. He had also thought about making supersuits for the heroes visiting them once word about his body armor got out. Hence why, he created the scanner and weaver. "It's okay if you can't," he whispered softly, placing his left hand on her right shoulder. "That's why Aminah is going, and for Carl, well, he can be seen without being seen if the need arose."
"But... I'm your head of security, and shouldn't I be with you when you visit some other city?" Tazia asked, shyly tapping the tips of her fingers together.
"Okay, you got me there, but sorry, there's no time to wait for you; plus, I need you to stay with the kids. You know how Henry gets when we're both gone for a long time," Aron said in a fatherly voice.
"But..."
"I promise the next superhero base I go to, you're at the top of the list, okay?"
"Fine," Tazia sighed in annoyance. "But I better be going to the next one," she warned in her best wifely tone.
"I promise," Aron nodded, getting a quick kiss when Aminah and Carl appeared around the corner of the wall. "We'll be safe; I'll try not to cause too much trouble," he said, cutting off her retort, grinning madly at the huff that got out of her.
******
Meanwhile, somewhere off in a remote part of the world...
Crime lords, Kingpins, evil masterminds, and their underlings secretly gathered to discuss the threat they now faced. Something that they never thought they would ever face. A hero that is willing to kill. A hero who had taken out the strongest man in the world and survived. The man who foiled the plot in DC. The very same man who nearly touched space and lived.
"We need to stop this man?! We all know it's only a matter of time before we are like the syndicate that he took out over a week ago," shouted out a very volatile man as the barrel of his gun tapped on the table he was standing over.
The gathered men and women scrambled to their feet when they all watched how the speaker's face quickly sunk in; then, his once form-fitting suit was now hanging off his body before dropping onto the table. High heels clicked on the floor. The flash of silver caught the light as her pale, silky, tantalizing leg jutted out of the shadows. Her grey, bordering on white, purposely torn skirt swayed between her legs, and a belt of metal skulls lined her waist. Their eyes were captivated by those alluring hips the light illuminated, then fear once they were met with the face of the woman that had snuck into their meeting. They all knew who had come - The Banshee!
"Good evening, gentlemen and ladies," her cold, dead smile stretched from ear to ear, "do forgive my intrusion, yet the man irked me," Banshee hissed evilly. The buckle of the man's belt scraped along the table's surface as she pushed his dried-out corpse off of it. They all listened to that sickening thud when it hit the floor. "However, my employer didn't pay for me not to kill anyone, so..." Rolling her hand, gesturing for them to ask their questions.
"And why shouldn't we just kill you right now?" asked one of the more prominent crime lords.
"Seriously?" Banshee looked at him as if he was an idiot. "Do you honestly think I came here... alone?"
"And just why are you here in the first place, and who is this employer of yours?" asked a regal, middle-aged woman from across the room.
"You see, my boss has something in common with all of you," Banshee uttered indifferently as she checked her nails, ensuring she didn't crack a nail. "So he sent me and a few others down here to strike a deal. If not, well... I could go looking nineteen for a very long time," she said in a sinister tone.
"Well, speak, we are not going to be playing your little game," the mother-of-pearl glistened along the ball of the cane in the light as a towering figure stepped out into it. "I'm not one so easily cowed, so speak your peace or prepare to face your death."
"Cute little man," Banshee smirked wickedly as her eyes flashed dangerously, "very well, God knows I don't want to be here in this dank little hovel any longer than I need to. As to the deal, you and he face the same foe, the hero named Void; you and he have both failed to bring this hero down. However, if you and he joins up, your strength combined might be enough to overcome the strongest man on the planet."
"And just who is paying you to speak on his behalf?"
"The Collector," Banshee said factually.
******
"Thank you for coming," Nightshade greeted as best as she could, standing on one leg while her teammate held her steady and holding firm to her crutches. "Please, please, know I never once meant to upset you. I know how we reached out mustn't put me in a good light. But I assure you, Mr. Carter, that was never my intention."
"Yeah, got that; I take it that's either new or about to come off," Aron spoke, looking down at her right leg.
"Old, actually, it will be removed tomorrow. My tailer was working on my new suit before he passed; however, he didn't have an apprentice, nor did he pass down his techniques to anyone in his family. So, since then, I've been looking for a reasonable suit-maker, and as the days passed and I was having no luck with one, since before the events that happened with our mutual friend and the core members that formed this base. Since then, those that used to work with us have distanced themselves from anything to do with our team. Not that I can blame them, I would, too, doubt us if I didn't know exactly what those of us that remain; I know what lies in their hearts. I know you don't want to hear our woes; I only told it to you so you can understand why my comrades showed up as they did."
"Ah, I see," Aron mused. "And our mutual friend, just how did you get him to give you my number?"
"I would love to tell you all about it, but might we do this sitting down?" Nightshade asked sheepishly.
"Of course, lead on; I'm sure you don't want to be standing out in the open for too long," Aron spoke, gesturing for her to take charge before peering back, noting Carl and Aminah pushing the scanner and weaver on the reversed engineered gravity drives he had created that were stable under heavy loads since Aron was playing up the act that he was a powerless human.
"Thank you, you won't believe how bad I'm looking to get off these things," Nightshade sighed as she started off towards the front entrance of her base. "Well, to answer your question, it was about a week before I was injured when our friend and I had a conversation about his suit. I've been at his side enough to know how good his suit was or the material it was made out of. I know he's invulnerable; it's not the fact that bullets flatten against him. No, it's the fact that after all that abuse under gunfire, I know how tough it is. I know, given the tech in our friend's suit, you're an excellent maker. I'm just very thankful that you agreed to help me, given our rude greeting."
"So you're saying tailers around here are refusing to do business with you?" Aron's mind raced at what this prospect represented.
"Sadly, yes, I have your money if that's what..."
"Keep your money; I have a better deal for you if you and your team members care to hear it," Aron stated, pitching his spur-of-the-moment idea. He personally knew every one of them was a decent person. In a legal sense, he couldn't say about them personally. Noting the surprise on Nightshade's face, looking at him, wondering if he was joking or not.
"Okay, and what would that be?" Nightshade asked, seeing her friend stepping up to her side from the corner of her eye.
"You wear my suits exclusively, free of charge, of course," Aron said with a warm smile, noting how Nightshade's mind seemed to shut down.
"You mean... you'd work with us in ensuring we're fitted properly with the suits that are needed to handle such a life?"
"Yes, but such an undertaking will have to wait for a few months since my factory isn't up and running just yet. But I assure you that once it is, your suit needs will be taken care of." Aron said, clearly seeing that took Aminah and Carl by surprise. "But with a little advertising thrown in, of course."
"Oh?" Nightshade was not about to become some corporate lap dog.
"Just when anyone asks, you roll up the left sleeve and show off my maker's mark," Aron said, looking around when they entered her base. Seeing some changes since the last time he was there. "Are those terms acceptable to you?" he asked, looking around for somewhere private and large enough for him to operate in. "Can we use that room?" Aron inquired, pointing at it.
"You sure we have plenty of open space?" Nightshade gestured to their surroundings.
"Umm..." Feeling Aminah's and Carl's eyes on him when he got a little bashful, leaning in, "The normal way for this to work is for you to be nude, and I doubt you want your teammates to see you like that, plus I doubt you want your identity known. But seeing how you're probably not okay with getting nude, your underwear will be fine; I just have to program the scanner to accommodate for it," Aron whispered into her ear.
"Ah, yes, then that would be the best place for it," Nightshade nodded in agreement, feeling her cheeks heat as she did.
"Here's my card, have your people get in contact with my people, but no more house calls, we clear?" Aron stated, holding out his business card that read: Aron Shawn Carter, Owner of Mist Manufacturing and Technology Corporation.
"Firewalker, mind taking that to her for me," Nightshade asked, nodding down to the card.
"Sure, Night, I'll be right back," Firewalker said low before bounding off to their agent, who handles such matters on the team's behalf.
"Might I inquire if we do decide to take you up on your offer and if we need a new suit, will you be able to help?" Nightshade asked as Aminah helped her down into a rather soft chair as she watched Aron typing on his phone to someone. "Thank you," she said softly, smiling back at Aminah's warm smile.
"Yes, in that case, I would, but you have to understand, the time it takes to make enough thread to make a single suit is two weeks, so until my factory is up and running, two is my limit given restraints I'm under. However, to do so, they will have to come to me; I'll get a nice little place, away from prying eyes, where you and your team can come and go without too much worry about being seen," Aron said, walking over to one of the crates that were on the same hover pad as his scanner was. The metal latches popped loose; their tinging sound filled the room before he opened the lid. Pulling out an eight-inch tablet from the form-fitting foam. Powering it on, so Veil could sync with it while he went to unpack his scanner. Directing Carl with his finger on what to move to give them the space he would need. Walking over to Nightshade with an extra tablet in hand. "Here, you might as well read on how to understand the suit's basic functions while you wait on us," Aron said, holding it out to her.
"Do what?!" Nightshade muttered in shock; while yes, she didn't like his tone of voice, yet it was the fact the suit had functions, to begin with.
"My suits have three basic functions built into them. A homing beacon in them that will go off, alerting any and all officials within the distance of it when you're in immediate danger of dying. The next one is the first aid feature that will apply some basic first aid to you, say should, and that's a very low probability, anything gets through my suit say a bullet, then the nano smart wires that are embedded throughout the suit will work to remove the projectile and suture you up, so you don't bleed to death while you're waiting on medical personnel. The third one is based on the subject's powers in how the suit functions in conjunction to said powers," Aron said informatively. "That is all I can manage on a portable device; however, that would entail you telling me how your powers function on the basic level, or I could disable that feature."
"Do you mean that the suit would do some special things if I tell you how my powers work?" Nightshade asked, watching how Aron pulled up a chair beside her while the woman that was with him went to shut the far door. Also, the nod the two of them shared as the woman, and her male companion moved past him and out the other door and closed it behind them.
"In a manner of speaking, yes, depending on how your powers work in the first place," Aron spoke in a warm tone as he brought up a short video of Isabel demonstrating how the suit responds to how it reacts to a metahuman's power.
"I know her; she's a part of that group our friend helps out, so you've worked with heroes before?" Nightshade asked, truly reading what this new suit of hers could do.
"I have, but on a small scale, with limited resources."
"I take it you're the one that made those... things?" Nightshade inquired, nodding to the hovering platforms, pondering how beneficial Aron would be to them.
"I did, although I'm just copying something from a friend of mine," Aron admitted.
"Still, never seen anything like that, hover cars, yes, that," flicking her dangling finger at it, "not so much, quite impressive," Nightshade praised.
"Thank you, Aminah, my R&D director, the woman that just walked out of here; she helped me to get the kinks out of it," Aron stated humbly.
"It activates by skin," Nightshade said out of the blue.
"Huh?"
"How my powers work, I mean."
"Oh," Aron mused, catching on. Quickly bringing up the suit matrix design interface. Opening up the program that dealt with how the nano wire would behave, "Okay, is it like a twitch? If so, is it like on a specific area of your body? This way, I can input it into the nano wire to only activate if they sense that tell in that area alone."
"Oh?!" Nightshade muttered, breathing out a sigh of relief, thinking he was trying to trap her. "It's more like my skin is tightening where your shoulder blades meet," she said, displaying the gesture to him. Looking down in confusion when Aron held out a digital caliper to her.
"I need to know the thickness of your mask; I didn't want to reach up and do it myself... that could go badly," Aron said, trying to lighten the mood as Nightshade nodded. "But I need to know the thickness of your mask to allot the difference in the scanner when I start to make your new suit," he spoke, waving to where the weaver sat hovering. "Just need a few measurements," Aron stated, pointing out where he needed them on his face when Nightshade took the caliper from him without another word once he had explained it to her. "There now, I'll go get Aminah; she can administer the scan just as well as I can."
"So, just my underwear and mask?" Nightshade asked for clarification as Aron rose to his feet.
"It's not ideal, but it will work," Aron assured her, walking towards the door when Nightshade's hands went to the buttons of her blouse.
"So, Aron, why did you bring me along on this trip when you know Tazia would love to be here?" Carl asked as they waited on Aminah to complete the scan.
"Well, if someone finds out who Void is, between now and the next time Tazia and I are seen out in public together once Saturday is over, it will keep her safe, and should anything happen to us, the kids will at least have one of us around. Plus, if I have to deal with a grumpy Tazia once we get back, you'll have to deal with Neil and Chery," Aron answered, lifting his eyebrows at his wicked plan.
"Now that's just uncalled for, Aron," Carl grumbled in a disproving voice.
"No, it's what you get for eating my strawberry turnover," Aron replied with a sinful grin on his lips.
"What?! You already had two of them; I thought you wouldn't mind. Not my fault Sara's turnovers are addicting," Carl said, shamefully looking away.
"Did you at least warm it up before you ate it?" Aron asked in a snobbish tone.
"Of course," Carl huffed. Looking down when Aron pulled out his phone and saw that smile form on his nephew's face knowing it had to be Tazia. He and Aron both turned their heads when the door inched opened after ten minutes.
"This thing can make any kind of suit?" Nightshade asked as she scrolled through the designs on the tablet as Aron worked to set up the weaver. Not seeing the sly looks, Aron shot Aminah as they worked side by side.
"Within reason, only so much I can do on my portable." Glancing down, only able to see Aminah's hands as she connected the power cable of the two halves as he held it. It was the reason it was in pieces to play up his sham of being powerless.
"My old suit had a cape; can this machine do that?" Nightshade inquired as she peered up from the tablet.
"Tap on the second tab on top, and that will take you to the cape/accessory page of the interface," Aron directed, holding the upper half steady as Aminah attached the last remaining wire and screws.
"Oh, wow, say if we were at your factory, would it be possible to get a suit as advanced as our friend's?" Nightshade spoke, never taking her eyes off the screen as she cycled through his cape designs.
"Yes, but that will cost you, I'm afraid," Aron said apologetically as he walked back over to his chair to help her with the rest of her customizing.
"I'm sure that kind of tech can't be cheap to make," Nightshade spoke in an understanding tone. "So, say if we can come to agreeable terms, just how far are you willing to go? I'm assuming the Technology part of your company pertains to more than just supersuits, I hope."
"It does."
"Would your company be willing to take over maintenance on the base's electronics if we're going to be exclusively wearing your suits? Why not take it further? We both know this has turned into more than an impromptu suit-making, and being seen as a donor to a superhero group does wonders for one's company; the tax deductions don't hurt either," Nightshade mused, flashing Aron a warm smile.
"That is true, but at the moment..."
"You're not ready to take on that kind of task, and I get that. Yet when you do, what do you think of that?"
"Hmm, I can't run this whole base's upkeep by myself; I'll have to hire two helpers, minus Aminah, to help me overlook this place. I'm guessing your people will want to run whatever checks on your end to ensure the people I bring with me are suitable to you're liking. Then yes, we can discuss this further," Aron said, helping Nightshade to make her own style of cape.
"How long will this take?" Nightshade asked, hearing the weaver going once they had sent her design to its mainframe.
"For you're suit, roughly two hours," Aron said, taking his tablet back from her.
"Then you won't mind if we discuss this offer in more detail, would you?" asked a suave, lean man as his knuckles rasped on the doorframe. There was no mistaking how his eyes lingered on Aminah as she was studying the screen of her tablet that she was holding. Leering at her sensuous curves, knowing who would be lining his bed that evening. "I'm Newman Walters," he said, introducing himself as he held out his hand to Aron. Mentally willing that stunning woman to turn her gaze at him. Unaware of how Aron had noticed, speaking with his mind to her, knowing she did tend to listen in on his thoughts, telling her to look at the man she wanted the most.
******
"Again, I thank you for coming out here," Nightshade said, shaking Aron's hand as they stood at the entrance doors of her base once the weaver had completed her suit.
"You're welcome, just no more house calls, alright?" Aron spoke in a friendly tone.
"Yes, no more of that," Nightshade agreed.
"You have my card; call if you need me," Aron stated, seeing her nod in response. "If there's some trouble with the suit once you get your cast off, call me, and we'll alter it if need be."
"Of course," leaning in, "sorry about how Newman acted; I hope your friend wasn't too upset by his actions; Newman is a good man, just a terrible flirt." Remembering how the sound of the slap that took her and Aron by surprise filled that room.
"Oh, I'm not worried about Aminah; she can take care of herself; plus, she'd kick my ass if I butted into her life like that," Aron joked, seeing how her smile reached her eyes when he said that.
"I hope the three of you have a nice flight home," Nightshade uttered her departing words as she waved to them.
"So, what did he say to get you to hit him?" She heard Aron's voice on the air as they walked over to their awaiting hover car.
"That I should follow him to his office, and he could acquaint me with a 'good time,'" Aminah replied, throwing up quotation marks.
"And you refused; why?" Aron asked, smiling wickedly at his aunt/wife.
"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer," Aminah stated, turning her nose up. Yet she couldn't stop the smile from forming, knowing he was only teasing her. "You know, Aron, it's never too early to start teaching Henry and Nettie," she said as she climbed into the back of the hover car, followed by Carl.
"Oh? And just what did you have in mind?" Aron asked, closing the car door behind him.
******
The hinges of his front door played on the air as Aron Carter stared up at the departing car as their driver returned to his Homebase. He felt the right corner of his lips lifting, knowing who had exited the house. Turning to look at her, "Hello, Jill," Aron greeted in a fatherly voice.
"Hi, papa, Vera wants to talk to you," Jill uttered, swooning lightly as her body heated beneath Aron's gaze.
"Oh?"
"Mmmhmm, it's about tomorrow," Jill spoke, turning on her heel, falling in step with her father when he reached her side. "So, what was it like?"
"What? Their base?" Aron asked, hearing the hover pads following him once Veil had taken over their controls. "It was about the same, not like I haven't seen it before," he said after seeing her nod.
"Huh?"
"You remember the group I told you about your father working with that one time?" Aminah asked, following Aron and Jill into the house. Noting how softly the TV played and how low her siblings, nieces, and nephew conversed. Knowing it was well past Nettie's and Henry's bedtimes.
"Yeah?" Jill answered, nodding that she did remember that conversation in the lab.
"That was where we were, and it was rather large for a base, but they have about a hundred or so members, I'd say about half are permanent fixtures in that place, but I'm sure your dad knows just how big it is," Aminah stated, shooting Aron a coy smile. "Still can't believe you offered to make their suits for them," she uttered, walking into the kitchen.
"Do what now?" Vera asked, confused as she entered from the other end of the kitchen. "What's this about you making their suits?"
"Oh, just this move that Aron did that propelled us to become a donor to The Sovereign Crusaders once he had learned those that used to supply them were pulling their support after the revelation of their founders. Then he turns it into us taking over the maintenance of the base, at least the equipment. Still don't know who you'll get to help you with all that work." Aminah mused, tapping her finger against her chin as she stood beside Aron.
"Well, we have a few months to figure that out," Aron stated; his eyes glanced over to the refrigerator when it opened, and there suddenly was Carl.
"You two want a sandwich?" Carl asked, peering over at his nephew and sister. Only to be moved out of the way when Vera pushed her brother aside.
"The only one whose going to make my baby something to eat is me," Vera said in a motherly voice. Her son's words from the past rang within her mind as she got out the items she knew he enjoyed. "So, Aron, just how were you planning on maintaining their upkeep?" she asked over her shoulder as she made her son his late dinner.
"Well, I was thinking of hiring two people, don't need that many right now; I can't say in the future," Aron spoke, feeling Tazia's hands gently pushing him down into his seat. Sensing the dance of her hands along his upper chest while her arms wrapped around his neck. The light touch of her lips on the top of his head as she welcomed him home. "You'll be helping me with that," he said, looking up at Aminah.
"I will?!" Aminah spoke, a little startled.
"Oh yeah, if they're going to be a part of the R&D division, you have to know your employees," Aron stated with a sinful smile.
"You'll take me along, won't you, Aron?" Tazia whispered into his hair as she nuzzled his ear.
"Of course, Tazia, told you I would," Aron replied, lightly patting Tazia's hands.
"Good, I'm going to hold you to it,'" Tazia purred hungrily into his ear before her lips tugged affectionately on his earlobe as Vera sat his plate before him. Noting how Vera lightly caressed Aron's cheek, taking her and clearly Aron aback for a moment
"So you best think up how we're going to test our prospects for the job," Aron said, glancing over at Aminah as she worked on making her own dinner.
"I'll get right on it," Aminah nodded, smiling down at her plate, knowing how much time they'd be spending together.
Chapter Five
The Metaville Convention center...
Aron was standing on the polished, waxed tile floor as he directed how he wanted the stage to look for his demonstration. Noting how his mother was standing off to the side, mouthing the words of the speech she had been working on for the past two days. Smirking when he slyly peered over his left shoulder, noting Sara manning a booth diagonally across from him. All under the disguise of keeping a careful watch on him as his handler.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Mr. Aron Carter?" asked a male voice from behind him.
"Ah, you're right on time, good. Gives us time to get you acquainted with the weapons I brought," Aron said in a business-like tone.
"I just need to fire the weapons, and I get paid two thousand dollars?" the man asked, still unsure if his boss had set him up for a joke.
"Right," Aron nodded, "come, I'll show you to the back," he said, gesturing towards the curtain that lined the back of the stage to keep those behind it unseen. He was having Troy and Isabel guard his weapons as punishment for what they did over a month ago while Noah, Chery, and Tazia handed out the flyers at the doors that Lyla had made for him to the attendees, detailing the demonstration that was about to take place in two hours' time when the convention would be picking up steam.
Vera stared nervously out at the gathered crowd. Her palms grew sweaty in her nervousness. She knew she had to give the best speech she could, knowing this was their big moment. The announcement of their company taking off and the products they would be offering to the world. She knew the factory where the electronics would be made hadn't gotten off the ground yet. They had just poured the foundations for it and the office building that would be on-site. The words of her son rang out in her mind, knowing how scared and alone he was during that trying time when he struggled to be a father to powered children. Reaching up and gripped the top edge of the podium, blowing out a breath to steady herself.
"Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen; thank you for stopping by our booth today. I'm sure you all have seen and will see some great things on this day; however, you'll never see anything like you're about to see. I assure you that you won't be disappointed," Vera stated, smiling down at the group as she waved her hand as Aron uncovered the dummy. "Now, what you are seeing here is Mist Manufacturing's state-of-the-art body armor." Seeing the looks in some people's eyes, not believing something so thin could provide any kind of protection.
"Those wearing it no longer have a fear of dying from a bullet no larger than a .50 caliber, those nasty plasma weapons, and powers those villains that plague our cities, no longer a concern," waving it off like it didn't matter, "high powered lasers? You won't even feel a thing. Granted, you'll still feel the bullet; I'm sure it will hurt like hell, but you'll be alive, and in the end, isn't that what matters?" Vera asked the crowd, wearing a disarming smile as she gazed at every single one of them. "Now I will turn you over to Mr. Carter, the owner of Mist Manufacturing," she said, gesturing to her son, stepping away from the spotlight, so glad that part of her job was over.
"Now, what you are about to witness is strictly for demonstration purposes only; know that we have cleared it with the city and the event board for this to occur on this day. If you would like eye and ear protection, we have that available to you," Aron spoke in a firm tone, waving to his left as Jill stepped up to his side, holding in her hands the two boxes that held the safety glasses and ear plugs. "Please note, this will be a live-fire exercise; we have a very renowned FBI agent here on his personal time to handle the firing of the weapons that will be presented here this day," he said, watching how Jill moved through the crowd. Seeing how she was flashing the people in attendance a warm smile before he saw how she would glance at him. The man he had hired wasn't an FBI agent, yet the crowd didn't need to know that. They just needed to know that someone with reasonable weapons training was handling what he had brought along. "Now you're wondering how can something so thin protect the wearer?" Seeing a few nods in the crowd, "Well, I'll tell you how. This prototype and the others created once our factory is open and operating will be made from the same material. Material that I might add is stronger than Kevlar or any kind of ballistic armor. It allows the fabric to breathe, as I know you, Chief Mint, of this city's fine police department knows how stifling Kevlar can be and how much you have to wear to get the amount of stopping power out of it.
With this, your cops can wear this all day and never break a sweat. With this, your officers will not be facing death at the hands of villains who just want to take as many police officers out as they can. With this, it is my hope that those who put themselves out there to keep this city, and cities around the world, safer for us normal everyday people," Aron stated, playing up his role as a normal, powerless human. "Please, let's give a hand to Agent White," he said, clapping his hands as the man on cue moved through the rear curtain, holding a .50 caliber rifle in his hands, pointing at the floor with the breach open, to show that it wasn't loaded. "Now, I know some of you are worried about the sound this gun will make. I assure you that these," gesturing down to the sound dampeners that ringed the stage, "will dampen the muzzle blast so it shouldn't frighten too many people," Aron spoke, turning the dampeners on, displaying his tech for all the world to see. "Any time you're ready, Agent," he uttered, pressing his fingers into his ears. Watching how the man lined up his shot at the dead center of the mannequin's chest as the weapon rested on the table a few feet away. Noting how his right hand moved, pulling out the single bullet he had given the man from his pocket. Chambering the round, closing the breach, flipping off the safety with his thumb. Seeing his mother and Jill jumping in startlement as the man fired off his shot. The bouncing of the slug on the stage floor couldn't be heard due to the dampeners. Walking over to where the slug had landed, picking it up as the man walked back to the curtain where Troy switched out the next weapon for the one that was currently in the man's hands.
"As you can see, Ladies and Gentlemen," holding out his right hand, showing off the flattened bullet that rested on the palm of his hand, "this is what happens when a lead slug hits the armor I invented," Aron spoke, noting the amazed looks on their faces. "And you can see, my suit has taken no damage where the bullet struck," he explained, looking over to his right at the tv display where Jill was showing off the suit and the spot where the bullet had landed. "Now we will begin the high laser demonstration," Aron directed, nodding to the man to fire. He could see the mirth in the man's eyes as he fired off the weapon. "Again, as you can see, no damage to the armor or the mannequin's body," he stated, noting the murmuring happening throughout the crowd. Hoping that this was going better than he thought. Otherwise, he knew this would just be a waste of time when he could be in his lab working on other things. "Lastly, our plasma demonstration." Waving to the man as he set up the tripod before he attached the weapon to it. Cycling through the startup sequence, hearing the power unit humming as the convertor built up the charge needed to fire it. "I ask those here to take a few steps back; it might get a little warm for your liking once Agent White fires off this rifle. Whenever you're ready," Aron spoke, seeing the man's nod of understanding. Seeing a few of his future competitors mixed in with the crowd, noting their disapproving looks, knowing that their tech would be obsolete in a few months.
Listening to the crowd's awes once the plasma had died away after setting the mannequin on fire. Jill made quick work of it with the fire extinguisher. "As you can see, my armor has withstood these three tests before your very eyes; I can't say the same for the mannequin," Aron joked, getting a rolling chuckle out of the crowd. Turning and walking over to the NSA agent, whose name wasn't White. Aron only named him that in case someone was watching them that had other plans for his gear so they could protect the man's identity and his loved ones if he had any. Sharing a private word with the man as he shook the man's hand, thanking him for coming on his day off. He had already paid the man when they discussed how the weapons operated. Smiling at the man when he whispered that he would give back the money if he could take home either rifle. Sadly he would have to decline that request since he made no weapons for anyone else but himself. He couldn't risk letting that kind of tech loose onto the world. There were already enough people who specialized in that thing without him adding to it.
"Sir, sir, Mr. Carter!" called out a reporter who had been there in attendance for the whole demonstration.
"Yes?" Aron answered as he was taking questions on the armor and how soon it could be ready to mass-produce.
"What is your armor made out of?"
"That I can't tell you, company secret, let's just say it's of my own special blend of fibers that make this armor very robust."
"And just who do you plan on offering this to?"
"Anyone who can afford it, governments, local and national, bodyguards if they need it, and superheroes if they're looking to change up their appearance," Aron stated factually.
"And how do you plan on keeping villains and criminals from getting ahold of this... fabulous body armor you have designed?"
"Simple, the only formula for it, is right here," Aron said, tapping his temple. "As for what happens once it leaves my factory, I can not say. But know this, I nor my company will be in the habit of aiding villains," he spoke in a stern tone. Ignoring the look his mother was giving him as he said those words.
"How soon can we expect you to be able to officially produce these?" Chief Mint asked, knowing he needed to get his people outfitted in such armor. He knew the losses his people had taken when those terrorists attacked the City Center could have been avoided if his officers had such armor.
"Four months was the time the contractor gave us, wasn't it?" Aron asked, looking over at his mother, seeing her nod in response to his question. "In four months, we'll be at full force to see to your and anyone else's orders they might have," he said with a warm smile. "I'll be happy to speak to you privately, Chief Mint, to address any and all concerns you might have." Seeing the man nod from his spot within the crowd. "Now, my company and I have one last demonstration to show you," Aron uttered, giving Jill her cue to fetch B.O.B. (Bionoid Surveillance Bot) from the back. "This, Ladies and Gentlemen," gesturing to B.O.B when Jill stepped up to his right side, "is B.O.B, a semi-autonomous surveillance Bionoid robotic drone that I believe will aid the police and military and a few of the three-letter agencies out there," hearing the chuckle that was moving through the crowd, "with B.O.B. you can go places that are too dangerous for people to tread, or into a hostage situation where you don't have eyes on. For you see, this," laying his hand on top of B.O.B's head, "is just the main unit, there are four spiders, mini drones, within its rear compartment. While yes, the main unit can act as a drone, that's not its main function; its function is to tap into security systems and pipe in the feed to wherever you are, while the spiders," giving his mother her cue as she tapped away at B.O.B's controller, which was nothing more than a tablet, "serve as the eyes and ears for the unit," Aron spoke as the back of B.O.B opened up and out flew the four spiders.
"Within the spiders lies a filament that I created that can and has stopped bullets up to 12.7 millimeters. This filament can be used to encircle a villain, trap robbers, cutthroats, murders, or it could be used to protect hostages in the event of breaching into whatever place those curs hold them. As you can see, my lovely CEO has an easy time handling all four spider drones," Aron said, waving to his left at his mother. "Go ahead, and show them how the filament works," he spoke with a nod when his mother gave him a look as the spider drones were whizzing over the heads of those in attendance. "As you can see, it doesn't take much for the filament to immobilize your target or shield those in danger of dying from the hands of those who do not care one bit about the sanctity of life. It's my hope these, and those that will come later, will be great aids in ensuring that this city, along with every other city on this planet, will find peace or as much peace one can have with those that wish ill upon those that just want to live their lives without fear of being robbed, stabbed, shot, used in some villain's plot. Thank you, everyone, for stopping by our booth. I do hope this demonstration has been enlightening for you, and it's my hope that we can have a very fruitful partnership," Aron said, closing out his speech. Hearing the spider drones returning to their base unit before B.O.B's wings closed in on them as its rear compartment sealed shut.
Aron stood to the side, speaking to Chief Mint and a few other city officials who had flown in for the convention. Answering their questions, he noted how his mother, Jill, and Tazia were speaking to those hanging around the display table, chatting away with the three of them. Nodding along, reassuring them that once his factory was up and running, he would ensure they could meet their needs. He just hoped he could hire the workforce needed to operate his factory. He would rather not spout off on things that he couldn't deliver. Letting the Chief test out the chest piece, watching the man move around in it. Watching how he did a few moves that he knew the police used when doing more laborious tasks. Smiling as he returned the chest piece to the mannequin, listening to the man's praise of it as he did. Giving out his card to the Chief and those he had been speaking to before they left to see what else was in store for them.
They were packing up since they only had the booth until eleven before the next company came in to setup shop to sell their latest invention or some enhanced doodad. His, his mother's, and Jill's heads snapped up when they heard the cries, the sounds of gunfire, and the screams of the attendees as the group that had slipped away with their ill-gotten gains had returned for a much bigger score.
"Go," Aron nodded, seeing the looks in their eyes. "Go do what you're good at," he encouraged. Seeing the two of them nod before dashing into the back, noting how his family was quickly getting into their costumes as the flap of the curtain rustled before falling closed. He, however, continued to pack his items in the containers he had brought along. He was not about to leave his tech unattended just to go play hero. "Hello, Agent Honeybell," Aron mused with his back towards her once his family members rushed off to deal with the villains terrorizing the city's citizens and those who came to visit.
"Aron," her voice was soft as she whispered his name. "I told you to call me Sara," she pouted.
"Oh?" Turning with an amused smile on his lips, "Didn't know you wanted us to be on a first-name basis," Aron teased, playing up the act that they weren't intimate.
"Not funny, Aron," Sara huffed, crossing her arms below her 36C breasts. Wondering if he liked how the white blouse and her black skirt looked on her as she stood across the table from him. Pondering if he liked how her skirt hugged her hips, making the material stretch across them along with showing off her ass very well, or at least she thought it did. "So, what else do you need to do around here?"
"Just packing up the weapons; thanks, by the way, for letting me use that .50 cal for this," Aron said in a warm tone.
"You know I'd help you any way I can, right?" Sara asked in a bashful tone as she brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"That so?" Aron mused in a coy tone.
"Mmmhmm," Sara hummed as she nodded. Listening to the fighting taking place on the far end of the convention center. She had no fear of what was happening like most people in the building; stampeding, nearly trampling those too slow to get out of their way. She also knew Aron wasn't too worried about it either since Aron couldn't be harmed in any way unless it was electricity. Something she has yet to inform her superiors about. That was the one thing she would take to her grave. She was not about to lose her obsession because her higher-ups might turn on him when they no longer had use for Aron, aka Void. "So, would you like some help?" Sara inquired, feeling her cheeks heat beneath Aron's gaze.
"Sure, I could use a hand," Aron nodded, not that he couldn't pack up on his own. Yet he did like leering at her when Sara was bent over; who wouldn't?
"What are your plans for the rest of the weekend?" Sara asked as she walked beside him once he pushed the cart he was using that held all his crates that contained the items he had brought along towards their vehicle.
"Well, I was planning on taking Nettie and Henry to the park tomorrow; it's kind of good for them to get out of the house occasionally. Tonight? I don't know, have to see what Aminah and Tazia want to do; why?" Aron asked, peering over at her.
"Would it be alright if I tagged along? After all, you can't leave your third wife out, now can you?" Sara spoke in a light, teasing tone.
"You want to come along, fine with me, although you might want to keep those hidden," Aron mused, pointing at Sara's breasts.
"Oh, why's that?" Sara uttered with a knowing smile on her lips.
"Henry has been a little handsy as of late," Aron stated, remembering how his son pretty much motorboated Lyla, causing Aminah to wince in pain when Henry latched his hand onto her left breast and wouldn't let go. Recounting the bruises that he had left in his wake when it took Chery to pry Henry's hand off of her orb. Granted, Chery might not have his or his mother's strength, yet she was quite strong reaching to the range of ten tons. Aron couldn't say what level Henry's strength would reach as he got older. He just knew Henry was going to be a handful when he learned there were only a few of them that could wrestle him off of people if he let his powers get away from him. He knew he was going to have to have a serious conversation with Henry when he got older, so he wouldn't allow his power to inadvertently hurt anyone. Aron knew how hard it was to keep his strength in check when interacting with people who didn't have his kind of strength. Glancing up as news and police helicopters circled overhead, noting how their jetcar came zooming in as his family members came pouring out of the convention center once they had dealt with the criminals who thought they would have the run of the place without facing off against superheroes. "Well, seems like I'm going home alone," Aron muttered offhandedly as the jetcar flew overhead.
"Well... I don't mind riding with you, Aron," Sara offered with a sly smile on her lips.
"Oh? I do hope you can keep your hands to yourself," Aron teased, watching Sara shaking her head.
"Nah-uh, we're going to find a nice quiet place, and we're going to have fun in that," Sara purred, nodding towards the SUV that Aminah had built.
"Then shouldn't you be getting in?" Aron asked before walking towards the driver's door. Smirking as he noted Sara's form hurrying along the right side of the SUV through the windows. "My, aren't you quick," he teased as he slid into the driver's seat, seeing how red her cheeks were heating.
"I get to be with you, so of course, I'm jumping in this car in a flash," Sara cooed, flashing Aron a seductive smile as he powered on the car since it was run on hydrogen. Listening to the hum of the hydrogen collectors before Aron backed out of the parking spot.
******
Her lips tore at his. Her thigh brushed along his. The air grew warm around them as their overheated bodies heated the interior of the SUV. Her panting was heavy in Aron's ears, her fingers curled around the blanket she had found while helping Aron lower the back seats. Her hands held onto his arms as her nectar leaked out with every thrust of his cock.
"Aron?" Her 36C breasts swayed and jostled as she glided forward on Aron's slick pole. Her fingers trailed up his chest, running through the valleys of his muscles. Feeling the sweat that coated his skin as she rode him.
"Hmm?"
"Don't get alarmed, okay?" Sara whispered as she slid off his cock, reached back, and quickly pulled off his condom before returning his member back to her heat before Aron could protest.
"Sara, what are you doing?" Aron asked, not showing how much he enjoyed feeling the heat, the moistness, the grip on his naked cock.
"Performing my wifely duties," Sara grunted as she picked up the pace. She knew he could have easily stopped her, but she knew him. Aron doesn't hurt people that don't deserve it. "You very well can't leave me out of the process," she cooed, smiling sinfully down at him. She knew if and when she got pregnant, she would be off his team until she came to term. Still, when they were separated, she would have a little piece of him. Plus, since Aron wanted to appear as if he was a normal human and not an incestuous, superpowered man, then it wouldn't hurt for him to appear to have an equally normal wife. Now with becoming a donor to a hero team, she knew Aron would have more eyes watching him than he was used to or even wanted. Yet she knew he would most likely come with the territory, and who better to fulfill that role than her?
"But..." Aron's voice stilled as Sara lightly touched her finger to his lips.
"I want this, Aron; I want the same connection you share with Tazia and Aminah. I want to see that same joy, that same love I see when Nettie or Henry sees you. I truly want to see that look on our child's face. A face that shows the world that they come from a warm, loving, caring home," Sara whispered as she lowered herself down onto his chest. Loving how her breasts felt against his skin. Giving her heart and soul to the man beneath her as her lips captured his, feeling his hands gliding along her thighs as her hips rolled, working his manhood deep inside of her. Savoring how her fingertips moved along his skin, etching it to her memory for the nights they were away from one another.
"You wouldn't mind a bit more company, would you?" Sara asked as they drove towards Aron's home. Keeping her legs pressed together so she could keep as much of his cum from leaking out as possible. She was not about to waste one of Aron's swimmers; she was going to get pregnant no matter how many times it took to get there. She had stopped taking her birth control a while ago. She was only using the condoms until they had built a solid rapport with Aron before she moved their relationship further.
"Kind of figured you wanted to come over," Aron spoke with a coy smirk on his lips.
"Don't blame me; I can't help it; you fathered some pretty babies," Sara said in a small, cute voice. "Did you like the turnovers I made for you?" she asked in a bashful voice.
"Oh, yeah, next time, I'll have to hide them," Aron answered with a warm smile.
"Why?" Sara felt her heart skip a beat when she saw the truth in his eyes.
"Neil and Carl, especially Carl, couldn't leave me the last one," Aron grumbled, missing the sweetness of the treat.
"Then don't you worry, I'll make sure you have some more," Sara said, laying her hand over his. Her fingers weaved between his, wiggling her ass deeper into the seat as she sat prouder at the fact that Aron truly enjoyed her baking. She was determined to show him that she would make an excellent wife.
******
Aminah's hair dangled loosely down the side of her face as she peered through the electron microscope. Watching how the robotic arms moved about as it built the foundations for the 'Queen' bug that she had designated the lead nanite she was working on. It would control all the others that would be within the solution she was also working on alongside her robotic work. Leaning back, looking up to the ceiling when she heard Nettie calling out to her with her mind. Smiling warmly up at where she felt her daughter was in their home when she felt Aron's presence. Knowing she was making the right decision in creating these nanites. While she couldn't stop the aging process, she could at least turn it back ten years. It would be ten more years she would be with Aron. Ten more years that she would be with Nettie and all the other children she hoped would come. She wanted to grow old with Aron. Watch their children grow, learn, experience everything they could give them, and then see them off onto their own lives.
Walking across the room where her genetic makeup was displayed on the monitor of one of the four computers that were within the lab. Running her tests to determine the best course of action on how to insert the nanites into her cells to manipulate the telomeres at the ends of her chromosomes. Biting her nail as she daydreamed how Aron would react when she first showed him her new youthful body.
*******
"Aron, what are we doing down here?" Neil asked, looking around the first floor of their base once he and Aron, with Nettie lounging in her baby carrier as they stood by the elevator.
"Well, I was thinking I could use another set of eyes on figuring out who the Collector is or who claims to be a villain who's dead," Aron answered, keeping a slow pace for his uncle. He knew his uncle hated walking with crutches.
"But me? I'm just an injured old man; what could I do to help you?" Neil asked, feeling sorry for himself.
"I read your mission files when you and the rest were in Europe. So I know this will not be something you can't handle, and given what I have read in those reports, I suspect you will find something I have missed. You have more of a detective's mind than I do," Aron said, hoping to lift his uncle out of his funk.
"Okay, I'll help," Neil nodded, shaking the gloom from his mind. "Aron, what's this?" he asked, looking in awe of the room, noting how all four walls were just one big screen. The sunken ring in the center of the room where the edge of it was lined with cushions.
"Nursery, playroom, classroom, safe room for the kids," Aron said from over his shoulder as he powered up the hover chair he had whipped up for his uncle to use. "Here, sit," he offered, lightly patting the back of the chair as his uncle peered at him quizzically. "Unless you want to stand the whole time," Aron said with a taunting smile.
"If I break another... hey, this isn't too bad," Neil mused once he had gotten comfortable in the chair. Thankful for the support Aron had built into it for his leg. Nodding along when Aron showed him how to operate the chair. "I'm so stealing this thing," he teased, hearing his nephew's chuckle.
"Veil, could you please bring up the file we made for the Collector on these displays for me?" Aron asked, looking up at her camera nestled in the room's upper left corner.
"Certainly, Void, one moment."
"Is it me, or does she seem... I don't know... more human lately?" Neil asked in a hushed whisper, having to be content with the smirk on Aron's face.
"Now, this is all we were able to gather on the Collector to this date," Aron spoke, gesturing to the screens as individual files appeared on the farther wall as he walked up to it. Raising his hand, lightly tapping on the nearest one to him. "Now, only you and I can look at some of these files since a few of them were supplied to me by Sara."
"I understand, Aron," Neil nodded, knowing the value of the trust Aron was placing in him as he pointed out the NSA files to him.
"Veil set this file to my partition on the mainframe; allow only myself or Uncle Neil to view this file within this room," Aron ordered.
"Yes, father, I have set the parameters as you have suggested."
"Good, now, I'll just get out of your hair so you can digest this at your own pace," Aron said, lightly patting his uncle on his left shoulder before heading towards the door.
"Aron..." Neil's voice stilled his nephew's departure as he turned his hover chair around. "Thanks for this; I'll make sure to put the chair back."
"You can take it upstairs if you want; I know how you don't like those things," Aron spoke, nodding down to his uncle's crutches that rested beside him on the chair. "You'll have to bring it down in two days so I can charge it."
"Sure thing, thanks, Aron," Neil spoke with a wide happy smile on his lips, seeing Aron's nod before he left the room altogether.
Aron stopped in his tracks when he just caught his mother's trailing form before the corner of the hallway hid her from his sight. Wondering why she would be on the first floor of the base, and in that section of it, since where they were, there were no critical rooms, if he discounted the few hidden labs he has in that section of the base. So he knew she wouldn't have reason to be there unless she had come looking for something specific. Hearing the elevator doors off in the distance as he entered the corridor his mother was just in. Arching an eyebrow when Aron noted the gap in once what used to be a solid wall. Equally confused as to why there was a supersuit behind a display case and not out with all the others. Running his eyes over the nearly black suit with, what appeared to him as a tribal image of a falcon was printed in red on the chest of the suit. Wondering if anyone would call something a mask when it only covered their eyes. Pondering who the owner was and why it was hidden, glancing down and up, he noted a circle of light activating. He still hadn't grown used to seeing himself in his middle age, no matter how many hours he had spent watching those videos.
Dropping his chin into his hand after his recording, his counterpart had made shut off. Pondering on what to do when it appeared his past self left items behind for his mother and his mother alone to find. Debating on whether or not to help her or bury this part of his life that no longer existed since the past him had altered the timeline when he had sent him back in the forties. So he knew what he was looking at shouldn't even exist, and yet it does. Wondering how different his and his past-self's lives were up to the point of the explosion. Giving the suit one last look over, he had no idea what was bringing his mother to this side of the base, at least not what he could decern from the video his counterpart left behind. Still, if it helped his mother somehow, he wouldn't destroy it. Pivoting on his left heel and headed off towards the elevator. Knowing Veil was down in that room waiting on him.
Aron and Veil had been going through the files his past-self had left behind in the room his counterpart had once called his sanctuary for the past two hours. So far, while they were interesting to read, it didn't really mean much since most of them were either dead or in retirement homes, no longer a threat to anyone other than their dependents. At least the villains he had read about weren't as interesting as he would have liked. To him, they sounded rather silly. However, he did have to remember it was a different time back then, and words had different meanings than they do now. He couldn't imagine the monologue he must have had with himself when he ran into these weird-sounding villains. Aron had Veil list off what was in the files that she had access to while he went over the hard copies. He was a little saddened when he didn't find anything about the Collector in those files. Nodding when Veil told him that his mother had told her android body to relay the fact that supper was ready to him. Sliding his hands into his pockets as he left the room and hearing the partition sliding down behind him as he headed for the elevator.
Chapter six
"I think you just like floating in that thing," Chery huffed as Neil floated at the end of the table as best he could.
"Hey, not my fault some villain got the jump on me; I may never walk again," Neil uttered, lightly patting the left armrest with affection.
"Don't get used to that thing; once you're better, you're giving that back to Aron," Chery said in a stern, wifely voice.
"If I don't?" Neil challenged.
"Do you want to sleep soundly for the next ten years?" Chery spoke in a dark tone.
"You just want it for yourself," Neil stated, pointing his egg-covered fork at his sister.
"No, yet we ladies," sitting regally in her seat, noting her sisters' and aunt's eyes on her as she struck that pose, "deserve the hovering throne so we can survey our kingdom," Chery said, grinning at her sisters who were catching on to what she was saying. Aron, however, was smart enough not to stick his nose into the quagmire that was unfolding before him.
"Dad," Jill's sweet, alluring voice stilled Aron as he brought his fork holding the bite of his sausage to his lips, "you wouldn't mind if you and I took a little spin in it, would you?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows at her father. "Because you used to let me try out your inventions if they weren't dangerous before you let anyone else see them." Her eyes followed how Aron turned his head towards Veil, who nodded that it was true.
"So my own little tester, huh?" Aron mused before taking his bite.
"Of course, papa, you wouldn't dream of leaving your little girl out," Jill cooed in a flirty tone, batting her eyelashes at him. Smiling seductively at him before her attention was drawn away as something on the TV caught her attention, causing everyone else to turn their gaze towards it.
"This just in, Nightshade, the new leader of The Sovereign Crusaders, has been gunned down in a fight with a crime ring that has been plaguing the Northeastern part of our country for decades now. We go live to the scene thanks to our sister station, WSYT channel 7 news." Silence filled that room as all looked on as the news feed was switched over.
"If you're just joining us, thirty minutes ago, The Sovereign Crusaders, led by Nightshade, interrupted a heist that was under way by the Laughing Kings cartel. As you can see here on your right side of your screens at home that the battle was fierce as the heroes did everything in their power to stop these criminals from robbing the Diamond district of our fair city. However, sadly, in an attempt to save a man who was being held against his will, when the criminals saw no way out opened fire on Nightshade. We don't know what was said between the two of them; all we know is that one minute Nightshade had stilled her advance to save the man, the next, we saw the criminal raising his gun, and the muzzle fire of his gun aimed right at Nightshade's heart.
I, and I know many of you, who call Fides home, have come to accept this hero as one of ours since she became a fixture with The Sovereign Crusaders. I know all of us, myself included, will miss her and thank her for all that she has done for Fides and the world at large. I know her death will affect a great many people." Aron felt a little odd when they listened to the man cry on air. He didn't understand why people assumed she was dead; he knew most likely she was only knocked unconscious due to the impact, but he knew she wasn't dead. "What's that?! What do you mean there's movement where Nightshade fell?!" A smirk rose at the corner of his mouth; he knew she wouldn't be down for long.
"You give them hell, Stacy," Aron whispered into his mind as he listened to the joyous man as he detailed what they saw on the ground. Turning back around to finish his meal, listening to the man going on and on about how lucky she was and they were to still have a fine hero among them.
"Nightshade! Nightshade!" Aron's ears perked up at the man's frantic voice to get her attention.
"Yes, go ahead, Jim."
"Tell us, we all saw you getting shot; how can you be here standing there, talking to us?" Jim asked, holding out his microphone to her.
"Well, Jim, as you and the rest of this city knows how my last suit was destroyed over six weeks ago. So I spoke to a friend of mine; I think you have heard of him, haven't you?" Nightshade asked with a coy smile on her lips.
"You mean this Void character?"
"The very same," Nightshade nodded. "You see, my friend is really shy until you get him talking, and he just rambles on and on about things." A round of chuckles and giggles circled the Carter's kitchen table at that. "Anyway, I asked him about who made his suit, and well, I'm very thankful for Mist Manufacturing and Technology Corporation," lifting up the left cuff of her sleeve, showing off Aron's makers mark to the news crews there that day, "without him and the people who traveled with him to make this new suit so quickly for me. I've been on the sidelines long enough I wasn't about to allow these villains to think I was out of the game for good. If you're listening, Mr. Carter, thank you very much. Without this suit, I know I would have been killed today. Oh, I hurt; it felt like a horse kicking me in the gut," Nightshade spoke before the woman to her left could ask her question. "But without this suit, I would be lying dead back there," she said, jutting her thumb over her shoulder at the spot where she fell. "Void if you're listening to this or watching; I also thank you for introducing me to your friend. I know we, The Sovereign Crusaders and Mist Manufacturing and Technology Corporation, as our new donors, will have a very fruitful relationship." Aron felt the eyes of his family on him as the reporters called out to Nightshade as she and her group walked away towards their hover car. "If you want more information on our new donor, please see Newman at the base; he will answer any and all questions you might have about this new partnership we have with Mist Manufacturing and Technology Corporation."
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Aron asked, getting a little freaked out by their hard staring. Rising from his seat, plucking his plate off the table and walked over to the sink.
"You best not be sneaking off and playing hero with another group of superheroes," Vera pouted from her seat as she crossed her arms below her breasts.
"Yeah, Dad, you just can't see another team; that's just wrong," Jill teased, joining in with her niece.
"Whoever said I played hero?" Aron asked from over his shoulder as he placed the plate into the sink.
"We did," Tazia spoke up. "Remember Bosnia? Remember the battle we had with Cestron? Or you're trip to space?"
"Yeah, kind of hard to forget Bosnia and that device exploding in my face Tazia," Aron retorted as he spun around.
"Well, you're my hero, grandpa," Tazia uttered, seeing everyone at the table fighting back their laughter. "You know you're the wind beneath my wings?!" Belting out a crackle as Aron tossed his head back and groaned loudly as he walked out of the kitchen.
"Don't you dare go down into that lab of yours!" Vera shouted out. "We have to visit the site in an hour so we can discuss the planning of the complex, then we have to run over to the factory and see how the contractors are faring," she said in a motherly voice. "And we're taking the babies with us!" Seeing the wide smiles on her sisters' lips, knowing that would give them at least three hours without Henry underfoot or Nettie wanting attention from either one of them. Not that they weren't good parents, they were, at least Vera thought they were. No. Every parent needs a break every now and again, especially with Henry starting his terrible twos.
"Then I best get you ready for your daddy, shouldn't I?" Aminah cooed down at her daughter, who held out her little arms to her once Nettie had made a complete and sticky mess of her highchair. Smiling down at her daughter as Nettie sucked her left hand clean of the syrup they had with their breakfast that morning.
"No, mine!" Henry shouted as Tazia moved to clean Henry's highchair off.
"Henry!" Tazia yelled, holding her left wrist against her chest when Henry squeezed a tad too hard that she had to activate her powers just to keep her son from breaking anything.
"Bad boy?!" Vera hissed in a disapproving grandmotherly voice, slapping his wrist as she did. "You do not put your hands on your mother?! What if you hurt her, huh? Do you want to injure your mother to the point she can't take care of you?" she asked, peering down at her grandson as she placed her hands on her hips. Only to turn as Aron instantly appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. She noticed how Henry instantly got quiet and sunk back into his highchair as his father's gaze burned into his son.
"Henry, what did you do?" Aron asked in that stern fatherly voice. "Did you hurt your mother?" His tone was devoid of emotion, so Vera knew her son was not pleased. "Seems you did," he said when his son shook his head. "You didn't then; why is your mother holding her wrist like that, huh?" Pointing over to Tazia as she rubbed her wrist, hoping Henry didn't break anything. "Everyone out, my son and I need to have a talk, alone," Aron spoke in a not too pleased tone.
"Go easy on him; he's only two, son," Noah whispered into Aron's ear before lightly patting his son's back so he could speak to Henry alone.
"You okay?" Aron asked low in a loving tone as Tazia came up to his side, still cradling her wrist.
"Yeah, you should have warned me that you'd spread out your strength to your children," Tazia cooed, leaning in, placing a loving kiss on Aron's lips. "Don't be too hard on him; I know he didn't mean to."
"I know, but he needs to learn how to control his strength just like I had to," Aron stated, rubbing Tazia's back as she leaned into him.
"Whatever you're going to do, as long as it's not too oppressive to Henry, he is only two, after all, I will go along with your punishment," Tazia whispered into Aron's left ear, her hot breath played along the fine, nearly invisible, hairs that lined his ear.
"Veil!" Aron called out, knowing she was never too far away from him or the kids.
"Yes, father," Veil replied, appearing in the doorway.
"Go and fetch E3 from the vault," Aron directed, seeing Veil nod, knowing what he meant by E3.
"What's E3?" Tazia asked worryingly.
"Nothing harmful, I assure you," Aron stated, running his hand down Tazia's arm as she nodded in understanding, looking back at their son and seeing the fear of his punishment in her son's eyes. Aron watched Tazia leave the room; he couldn't help it; his eyes did dip down towards her ass. What could he say? He did enjoy holding onto it greatly. The smirk on Tazia's lips wasn't lost on him as he caught a glance of it before Tazia disappeared behind the wall. Aron had assumed she knew he was staring at her ass. What could he say? It was an obsession. "Now, Henry, what are we going to do about you?"
"Nothing," Henry spoke in his best cute voice to get out of trouble.
"Yeah, that's not going to happen; you've already injured Aminah and now your mother, son," pulling out a chair, stopping himself when he realized he sounded like his father, "I get it, it's very hard to control your strength every second of the day, yet you're going to have to learn how to. What if you had really hurt your mother just then? How would you feel knowing you broke your own mother's wrist?" Aron asked; he knew Henry wouldn't understand most of what he was saying, but his son understood enough to know he was in trouble and what he had done was a bad thing. "What will happen if you can't control yourself around normal people? You know you will have to interact with them here in a few years," trying not to smile as his son just shook his head vehemently, "it's going to happen, Henry; your mother wants only the best schooling for you," seeing the fear of the unknown playing across his son's eyes, "so I developed something thinking this might happen when you were born," he said as the sound of the elevator doors rolled open.
"Father? I have retrieved E3 as you've asked," Veil stated, appearing in the doorway, holding the two-piece garment in her left hand.
"Good," Aron spoke as he turned his gaze towards her. "You can put Henry in it while I hold him still," he directed, knowing Henry wasn't going to stay still long enough for them to put the suit on him. At least not when Henry learned that the suit was inhibiting the use of his powers for the time being until they could be sure Henry knew when and where to use his vast strength and not when he was trying to get his way. "Relax, Henry, it's not going to hurt you," Aron said in a fatherly voice as Henry cried and squirmed on the kitchen table as his legs kicked, trying to keep Veil from pulling off his pajamas. "What? Did you think you were the strongest one here?" he asked, smiling down at his son when Henry tried and failed to push his hand off his chest that was keeping him in place. "Oh, no, you don't," Aron uttered, tickling his son's stomach; it was amusing watching his son's face go from straining to budge his hand and the uncontrollable laughter that overwhelmed his son. "Now, Henry," sitting his son up and pulling off the t-shirt he had slept in, handing it to Veil, who in turn handed him the top portion of the suit, "this is your punishment for not only hurting your mother but your aunt as well. This will also teach you when you should use your powers and when you shouldn't because if you keep using your powers just to get what you want, you'll turn into a villain, and you know what I do to villains?" Looking down as Henry's light green - with blue flakes scattered about his iris' - stared up at him. Watching how his head slowly nodded, knowing Tazia only told him that he just put away villains and not what he truly did to them. Noting how Henry jumped when his right fist struck the palm of his left hand, causing the room to shake, and oddly enough, the windows didn't shatter at the same time.
"Henry, I know you're young, and I know you may not understand what I'm saying, yet until you can control yourself, you will have to wear this until you can keep from using your power when you're fussy," Aron said in a loving fatherly tone as he plucked his son off the table. Noticing how Henry looked rather confusing down at his chest when he felt rather weak for the first time in his two years of life. "Veil?"
"Yes, father?" Veil answered, following after him towards the bedroom he shared with Aminah and Tazia.
"While we're gone, help Neil if he needs it when he goes down to level one," Aron said, noting how his son had a furious look on him when he couldn't use his powers as his tiny hand struck his chest.
"Wouldn't you rather I travel along with you since I know you'll be a tad busy," Veil stated with hope in her voice.
"Hmm... good point, but you'll have to look the part of a nanny," Aron said, glancing over his left shoulder at her.
"Father, are you referring to a naughty outfit?" Veil asked innocently as dozens of porn videos that fell under the lusty nanny category played along her mainframe.
"What?! What have you and Jill been watching?!" Aron asked, rather startled that she would think of that. Although, he couldn't deny Veil wouldn't fill that role rather nicely.
"Father, are you saying you wouldn't want to find me bent over in a very embarrassing position?" Veil flirted. "Where I'd have to do some very, very, very naughty things to keep the master of the house from forcing me out of a job?" Aron's eyebrow inched higher; he had no idea Veil was into roleplaying.
"That might happen," Aron uttered, playing along, continuing on with his trek. Not seeing the wide grin on Veil's face as he continued down the hall.
"Veil, what are you doing?!" Aminah's voice filled the air as Veil pushed him out of their bedroom so she could help Veil pick out the best outfit to entice her father with while looking professional at the same time.
"We all set?" Vera asked, walking down the stairs in her best business attire, with Jill following behind fifteen minutes later.
"We are. Veil's getting the kids settled in the SUV as we speak," Aron stated, not taking his eyes off of how red Tazia's cheeks were getting as he gently probed around her wrist.
"Aron, I'm fine; stop babying me," Tazia uttered in a bashful voice. Only to have her face grow red hot at the smile on his lips, knowing he was doing it for that reason.
"Oh? Don't want me to baby you, huh?" Aron teased.
"Well... maybe," her fingers lightly picked and tugged at the suit jacket he was wearing as she stepped up to him, "later, tonight, I might go for a little babying," Tazia cooed, pressing her 32B breasts against Aron's chest.
"That so," Aron mused with a coy smirk.
"Mmmhmm, and I may let you kiss it all you want," Tazia said, referring to her mound, not her wrist. "Now you best get going; you shouldn't keep them waiting," she whispered as her lips pulled away from his.
******
"Veil, what is this?" Aron asked after spending a few hours down in his counterpart's, now his, sanctuary after lunch when they got home a little past noon. Looking down at a rather large, round, one-inch-thick metal container.
"A film canister, my maker, took that from the OSS when he broke in to steal the files they had on him," Veil said informatively as she stood by the desk, still wearing the tight-fitting skirt and white blouse Aminah had picked out for her before she left with Aron to view the site that morning.
"Can I ask why he thought it wise to break into a government building?" Aron asked, peering over at her.
"Hoover, as you would have put it, had a hard-on about finding out heroes' secret identities so they could blackmail them into helping them with difficult tasks without a care for their safety. Moreso when it came to you," Veil said in a deadpan voice.
"Why?"
"He was secretly running the OSS after the war alongside the FBI before they renamed the organization the CIA. When you broke in, you were nearing your time, so to keep you and the timeline secure or as secure as he could, my maker stole those. Also, he didn't believe he had finished off the Collector. At least not all of him; your other self started to spot the little signs that he or something was keeping the organization alive. However, due to his... condition, in the later months, my maker couldn't keep track of everything as he once did, so he tried to find out where the Collector came from in the first place. If he found anything about it, he never told me. So I do not have the information that would allow me to tell you what you're likely to find in that file cabinet," Veil stated, nodding towards it.
"We'll just set this aside for the moment," Aron said, laying the container onto the desk. "Veil, did I leave any audio files behind relating to what's in there?"
"Bottom drawer, far back," Veil answered quickly.
"Veil, do we have something that can play these?" Aron asked, looking through the stack of mini reels in his hands with names on them that he had no clue who they were about. He was equally confused when the label for a Dr. Sikke Hahn appeared once he had set the small reel down on top of the others.
"Do you have anything in your data banks about whoever this was?" Aron asked, showing her the label as he held it out to her.
"He was a Nazi," Veil stated truthfully.
"Really?"
"Mmmhmm," Veil nodded.
"Okay, I'm kind of proud of myself going off and fighting Nazis," Aron mused down at the reel.
"As you should be, that man was one of the vilest people to have ever existed in that war."
"Even more so than Mengele, Hitler, Goebbels?" Aron asked, rattling the names off the top of his head.
"Even more so," Veil nodded once again. Her eyes glanced down when she heard the scraping of the feet of the chair as Aron pulled the chair out from beneath the desk and spun it around towards her.
"Okay, Veil, tell me everything you know about this man," Aron said, gesturing for her to continue.
"I have to take you back to '39," seeing his nod, taking that as her cue to continue, "three months had passed since my maker had created my physical form," referring to her mainframe and Aron's original suit, "when one night while conducting field tests on the suit, you were approached in a sense..."
"I take it in the form of being surrounded with guns pointing at me," Aron cut in to this Veil agreed.
"Not that you were worried about them; you knew I would protect you," Veil said proudly, puffing out her chest. "So there you stood, pointing your guns at them, them pointing their guns at you. It continued for some time; I was quite amused with myself; he was like you, allowing me to talk to the authorities while my maker would play some word game with himself." Seeing how Aron was thinking back to how he played bejeweled whenever he interacted with the police. "While at the time the US wasn't in the war at the moment, yet they have been keeping watch on heroes, super and non-super alike. So they could use them for their own means without regard for the heros' safety or families. This wasn't the first time the OSS had tried to get you to work with them, yet that night was when you actually gave it some thought when the man in charge stepped out of the car that had you ringed in."
"And just what did this man say to get me to work with them?"
"He didn't necessarily say anything, father, all he did was pull out a picture," Veil said, wondering how he would react.
"Of whom?"
"Henry." Noting the scowl on Aron's face when she said that.
"In or out of costume?"
"Both."
"So I take it they threatened my son, to out him or something if I didn't work with them?" Aron asked, keeping his temper in check.
"More or less," Veil nodded.
"Go on," Aron rolled his hand. Thinking to himself that government agencies hadn't changed in eighty-plus years. Also, thinking of how they could use those with superpowers to their advantage.
"It was in November of that year that you were parachuted into France. You didn't trust them enough to put your life in their hands, so you made your own parachute. The gadgets they gave you, you left those behind. You surmised, and rightly so, that they were subpar and liable to fail. You put your trust in me, and I have never once let you down," Veil stated with pride.
"True, you haven't," Aron agreed, seeing the happiness, which was odd to see in an AI, in Veil's eyes as he said that.
"The Allies at the time were getting reports that Germany was preparing for an invasion on France. You were sent in to verify if those reports were true or not. The SSM, the metahuman team that worked for the SS division of the Nazi party, were starting to soften up the major installations in France for their big invasion. At the time, no one truly knew of the existence of this team. Reports were scattered about, too circumstantial to give any credence to. Yet they did exist. You faced them on the field of battle. Granted not at first, you watched; you waited until you were prepared to make your move against them."
"Why?"
"As my maker put it, they seemed unnatural."
"How so?" Aron asked, intrigued.
"At least to you, it felt like they weren't born with the powers they possessed. The way you hypothesized from your observations of the team was that they were given their powers with the way they handled them. It wasn't like watching Isabel use her flame mutation. Where she moves fluidly with her powers. These five acted reserved, controlled, unsure how the powers given to them would act." He's never once heard of giving a non-metahuman metahuman powers. Yes, there have been government experiments with gene therapy that would produce metahuman powers that were dormant in their own DNA. Not this, not what Veil was telling him; it seemed so... inhuman. "One by one, you picked them off. Seeing how their powers were unnatural, they tended to fail as often as they worked. So you made quick work of them. You tried to interrogate the first four when you had them dead to rights, but they opted for suicide instead of answering your questions. Luckily the last one you knocked out long enough to remove the false tooth, so when you started your interrogation on the man, he couldn't get out of it like the other four.
During that time, you learned a great deal about the Nazi's secret project. One of many they had going on, more so at the beginning of the war than towards the end. Where you learned the Nazis, the SS, in particular, were rounding up people with orders to send the metahumans in their custody or those suspected with metahuman traits to a secret base in Northern Germany. A base lead by no other than Dr. Sikke Hahn."
"I don't see him on the list during the Nuremberg trials," Aron muttered, checking the net for any information on the name.
"And you won't; he escaped before you could capture him."
"Well, that just pisses me off," Aron grumbled.
"As it did, my maker," Veil informed him.
"So continue..." Holding up a hand when he heard his name being called out. "We will continue to discuss this later."
"Of course, father," Veil nodded, following him out of the room and resealing it.
Chapter Seven
"Thank you for coming in, Void." General Hastings spoke as Aron and Sara stood in the SCIF when Sara had contacted Aron that they had a mission.
"Not a problem; who is the target?" Aron asked, getting down to business.
"You're mission is to take out the world's second most wanted woman on the planet. As you see here," gesturing to the left side of the screen, "her crimes are numerous not just in the States but in fifty other countries we could verify. So far, she has elluded authorities, and those working for her fear her more than they do us. She has a habit of killing those that have turned informants while in custody. Some time ago, our people picked up chatter about a meeting taking place - Where? - we couldn't find out in time to move on the place," noting how Aron looked to Sara, who nodded that it was true, "in that chatter, our target's name was spoken."
Aron watched the footage they had; however, limited it was on the person as it played on the left side of the screen. Arching an eyebrow as Veil was putting up warnings all over his HUD. Knowing he would have to talk to her about that once he was out of that room.
"The name she goes by is Banshee, and she isn't a person to take lightly. She has at least two hundred kills to her name that we can verify. Her age is unknown. As you can see, she has lived for a very long time." Displaying all the reports on her that went back to the early fifties. Which he knew had to be impossible. "We have no idea if this is the same person, a look-alike, clone, robot, or a descendant of the woman we have from the fifties. All we know is she uses the same powers and the monikers as the one from years ago. We know she is just as deadly as the woman from the fifties. Given her powers and where we have tracked her to." Watching as a satellite image appeared on the screen showing a very well guarded and highly fortified compound in what is now the last stronghold of the Chazr kingdom of their once-great empire that had stretched all across Eurasia that was formed after the war that they had conquered from the Germans. Now all that remained of that vast empire was the dying embers of their kingdom that had shrank back to the borders it once held before the industrial age. A place that wasn't too friendly with the western world and very suspicious of outsiders. Aron knew it would be a perfect place to hide if one was trying to keep out of sight of the global powers since the Chazrians had an isolation policy that kept out all foreigners - at least the non-villainous kind.
"Given how the Chazr kingdom has vast radar stations all long their border to keep track of who enters their air space and surface to air missiles that are prepared to shoot down any who doesn't have their transponder codes. We'll be inserting you at ninety thousand feet, so their radar won't be able to pick you up. I know you like to use your own transportation. I would too if I had that kind of tech at my fingertips," General Hastings said, smirking at Aron. "Yet we can't take the chance that you or your vehicle could be picked up by their radar and have the Chazrians alerting the compound before your arrival, and she flees to ground. This is the best chance we have at taking her out in over five years. I know this mission will be dangerous on your own. Can we count on you to see that Banshee's days are at an end?"
"Consider it done?!" Aron stated with a firm nod.
"Excellent! I'm glad to hear it. Agent Honeybell will brief you on what we know as limited as that is to what you'll be likely to face down there and how you will egress from their kingdom. Your flight will be ready in an hour; Agent Honeybell will escort you to the military airport where your transport is waiting for your arrival. I wish you Godspeed and luck on this mission, Void, and pray you to come back in one piece."
Once the screen was off, no one could see inside the SCIF due to the closed blinds. Sara couldn't help herself as she leapt into Aron's arms. While she knew he was invulnerable to harm. She knew; they all knew about the person Aron was going after; even his mutation wouldn't be able to protect him from that woman's powers. Pouring everything she had, her love, her wants, her desires, into that one kiss, knowing they couldn't be like this once they left the SCIF. How it was going to pain her having to wait and watch from the sidelines. Yet she knew going in there without any powers of her own would only hinder Aron in his mission. Pressing her forehead against his, rubbing her lips together just to imprint the sensation to her mind in case something went terribly wrong.
"I'm going to be okay; you know this, right?" Aron said, seeing the worry in Sara's eyes.
"You can't know that, not when you're going up against her," Sara whispered; her fear was etched onto her words. "Heroes and villains with greater powers than you have fallen to her; scores of agents have been cut down because of her. I fear you'll be the same as all the rest," she said, hugging him tightly once again.
"We won't know that until I face her," Aron said, lightly rubbing her back, trying not to demean her worry. "We best get going," he uttered softly into her ear. Pulling down his mask when Sara backed away. Seeing how she wiped her tears away and put all her emotions behind a mask as she steeled herself for her part in this mission.
"Let's go; we have a car waiting to take us to the airport," Sara said, getting into her agent mentality. All was silent as the two of them walked out of the SCIF. All knew if Aron was there alone, something was about to happen that required his skills. "I want you all to be prepared to lend Void assistance at 1000 Zulu hours. We are taking Banshee down. So I want only the best you all can provide. That means I want detailed reports on what's on the ground and air, any chatter you pick up, sent to the German base outside of Berlin," seeing the shock playing along her agent's faces as they walked through the center of the command room towards the secret elevator that leads down to where they stored their vehicles, "we don't have a lot of time, so get to work people," Sara commanded as she and Aron stood in the cab, nodding to her people as she pressed the button as the doors rolled closed.
"Okay, Veil, what's the problem?" Aron asked once he had turned his voice dampeners on.
"Banshee."
"What about her?" Aron inquired curiously.
"She is one of Dr. Sikke Hahn's experiments," Veil stated, piping in the film footage when his counterpart had raided the man's base. Then the only fight his past self had with her before his death. Arching an eyebrow when he watched himself decapitate her with his original laser pistols.
"Then how is she alive still after that?" Aron asked as he slid into the rear of the tinted-out SUV.
"She steals life. I have extrapolated that with it; she is essentially immortal. Whatever Dr. Sikke Hahn did to her, we could never find out before the base exploded due to the doctor setting the base's self-destruct in the event of it being raided."
"Well... damn," Aron muttered beneath his breath. How was he to kill a villain that was basically immortal? Dropping his chin into his hand as he began to ponder on the problem.
"Please be careful, father; she is extremely dangerous even for you."
"Yeah, I got that," Aron muttered, noting how Sara was slyly glancing at him when she knew he was speaking, yet no sound was coming from him.
"I will try to formulate a plan on dealing with her with the armaments you have on you."
"Is something wrong, Void?" Sara asked in a whisper as she reached over and lightly laid her hand on his forearm.
"No," Aron replied, yet he could see Sara didn't believe it. Seeing the look in her eyes, telling they would talk later once they got onboard the supersonic aircraft that would have them in Germany in five hours. Then Aron would enter a converted fuel pod that the U3 plane would drop once they were over the target to make anyone watching think the aircraft had a mechanical failure. Where the fuel pod would break apart when it reached an altitude where Aron could breathe without the aid of an oxygen mask.
"What are you doing?" Sara asked, noting the driver's eyesglancing back at them.
"Having equipment I need sent to me," Aron answered as his fingers moved over the holographic display that appeared over the sleeve of his left forearm. He had a hunch that Banshee's powers worked on sound vibrations. Which meant if he couldn't hear it, or if it was negated, her life-stealing powers wouldn't affect him. Plus, he would need far more firepower than he had on him to take on that kind of compound on his own. He just hoped the augments he had created for his suit wouldn't drain it too quickly. "Pull over here," he directed when the beacon for his wing appeared on his screen, indicating it was close. Aron was smirking when their voices were speaking over each other as he ensured that Veil had sent the right equipment he needed. "Relax, I'll be back in a few days," Aron said calmly.
"Relax! Relax! You had Veil send you enough weapons to take on an army! How can you tell me to relax!" Vera shouted in worry over his com line.
"Well, you wouldn't like the truth, so... best you don't know about it."
"Dad, who are you fighting?!" Aron was touched by Jill's concerned tone.
"Banshee."
"Oh, God, no. Not her; please tell me you aren't fighting her?!"
"Afraid so," Aron admitted as he checked over the high-powered laser rifle and bazooka that he would need to take out the sentry towers.
"You can't, Dad! She nearly killed you once!" Hearing the gasps of his family members coming over the line.
"Aron, you come home right now!" Aminah stated heatedly. "I forbid you to fight this woman."
"Sorry, but she has to die; she's already taken far too many innocent lives to stay among the living. This is going to happen, whether or not you all like it. This isn't up for debate," Aron said as the shoulder strap for the bag that contained his sound nullifiers, plasma grenades, four bundles of pin missiles, along with his counterpart's original laser pistols in case his new ones got damaged during the battle.
"You listen here, Aron, you will listen to us, or so help me, you will never leave this house again!" Tazia's stern voice filled his ears.
"Well, I guess I just won't come home then," Aron said, cutting off the link as he plucked the two cases off the wing and sent it back to his base. Nodding to Sara as he laid the two cases and his bag of ammo into the back of the SUV.
"So, what did you bring me?" Sara asked, flashing Aron a coy smile to lower the tension she felt in the air.
"Oh, just some party favors, is all," Aron mused beneath his mask as his door closed.
******
"God! I hate it when he does that?!" Jill spoke in a very controlled, if you count holding it in by a hair's breadth, controlled, voice as the line went dead.
"You're not the only one," Vera grumbled with her sisters nodding along.
"Jill, you said, this Banshee, whoever that is, nearly killed him once; what happened?" Aminah asked, turning to look at her aunt. So she could learn more about this villain her husband was sent off to face all so she could lend aid to him should Aron need it.
"She did until Dad figured out her trick..."
"I know," Veil spoke up, interrupting Jill. "That is why I offered my advice on the matter and why Aron requested the sound dampeners. With some modifications to the overall design of them."
"Oh?!" Jill brightened up at that. "Then, he'll be alright then." A weight lifted off her heart at that moment.
"Would you care to enlighten us, please?" Vera asked again, getting nodding support from her sisters.
"This happened when I was twelve. The Collector wasn't even on the scene. Dad was still working for the OSS at the time."
"Okay, I have to ask, why was he working for them in the first place?" Tazia cut in, noting how Jill's eyes weren't on her but Vera instead when she asked that question.
"Because they had pictures of Henry masked and unmasked," Jill answered, wondering why it appeared to her that Vera knew the answer to that question. "And one or two times of Dad wearing his original suit, checking in on Henry. Given Dad's height and build, they hypothesized that they were related, or that is what he told me when he came home the night he was recruited into the OSS. So they sent him off on missions in Europe during the war. They mostly used him to hunt down the Nazi's super-teams they were trying to make after he had dismantled the SSM in '39."
"The who?" Everyone but Vera and Noah spoke as they asked as one.
"This team they were using at the time to soften France for the invasion they were planning at the time. Dad only delayed it. Still, he did bring to light the people they were using. Given what they did to the SSM members," Jill spoke, remembering like it was yesterday. "Back then, we didn't have these jet cars; heroes were pretty much in the shadows back in those days, at least for those that wore a mask. The citizens at the time thought if you were good and righteous, you had to show your face to prove that you were. You don't want to know what the villains back then did to those who did reveal their faces'. Anyway, so when Dad was gone on his first mission, it was weeks before he came home. So you can imagine how elated Mom was when he came home. Then Dad told us something very disturbing. The truth about what one doctor did to them."
"Jill, don't be a tease like your father," Aminah huffed, crossing her arms, seeing that smile of hers lifting at that.
"What this man did was take the powers of those like us, who were just peaceful people, and implant them into voluntary non-super soldiers of theirs. Mom and Henry had the same look you do when Dad told us that. I don't know for sure if Banshee was one of his experiments or if she was already born with her powers; given Dad's first encounter with her, she was floating in a tube filled with some substance before the base he raided exploded when the man tripped the bases self-destruct. The next time they met was after the Nazis surrendered, yet the secret projects that the Nazis commissioned were still going. So on one of them, he was sent into China when we were Allies when Japan invaded their homeland. When hints of a unit in their country were conducting similar experiments. However, upon arriving at Unit 731 base, he did learn they were running experiments. She was there in the good doctor's stead," Jill said sarcastically in a spat. "Since no one knew what her power was until that moment, Dad was pretty outgunned given the range of her power. For you see, in that fight, Dad figured out how her power worked, but he nearly died doing so."
They looked oddly at Neil, saying he had to look in on something upstairs. Soon after, it was just Jill, Chery, and Carl standing by the mainframe. Jill slyly watched Vera from out the corner of her eye. The few expressions she had seen when she was telling that story had her curious. Tazia had gone off to entertain the kids to keep her mind off of Aron being on his own. Aminah had left ten minutes ago, recounting how she appeared to be thinking behind her eyes like her father did when he was brainstorming. Excusing herself, once she had noticed where Vera and Noah were going. Stepping out of the elevator just in time to catch them slipping around a corner. Arching an eyebrow, wondering why they were in that section of the first floor. Then recognition set in; she knew why they were there when she could walk on her own after being awakened; she had come down here looking for that display only to find it sealed up. Veil wouldn't open it for her, she had to have the key, something she didn't have at the time. Her heart began to race as she followed after them. Her mind raced about why her father had closed it up when she knew that wasn't how it was.
"You sure this was Aron's suit?" Noah's question stopped her in her tracks. Wondering why... shaking her head, she knew this was her father... her husband after all. She didn't have to ask the reason; she already knew for who it was hidden away for.
"I know?! To imagine Aron in a suit like this makes me think... somewhere out there, in this multiverse, Aron explained to me, there is an Aron that is a hero, I kind of think this is what they would look like."
"You know Dad once told me, when I knew the truth about him, that the two of you from his timeline weren't all that dissimilar to one another. So when I got into that pod, I knew there would be some disparages between my father and the Aron of this time when Dad brought me out of it. I'll tell you now, this Aron is him. But I know the man I called father is gone..."
"Knew you would show up." The prerecorded words Aron had left behind startled them all. "You do take after me, you know."
"D-d-dad?!" Jill's voice stammered as the voice of the past, the voice that would always be in her memories, as his holographic image looked right at her through Vera and Noah.
"Hiya, sweet'ms." How Jill's face burned bright red at that moment as her pet name left her father's lips. "I knew, given how you are, and I hoped my future self had the means to bring you out; that you would find your way here. Always sneaking about the base." Now her whole body heated as that warm smile she's known all her life shined down on her. "Those crisscrossing rooftops and creeping through shadowy alleyways must have had something to do with it. "
"Dad?!" Jill groaned in embarrassment.
"Never thought I'd ever hear my son say the word sweet'ms," Noah muttered, getting a chuckle out of Vera.
"Since you're here, and I know you, honey. I know my child just as much as I know how your brother is going to react. I know how you must be doing right at this moment. It's one of the reasons I sealed this uniform away. So that you two might be standing here together, given the sensors have detected your two biosignatures. It was my hope, honey, that devious little brain of yours would see the signs, and like you've always done since you were little, you followed that curiosity." Jill's heart swelled as she saw his love for her in his eyes as his recording continued. "Since you're here, and let's face it, sweetheart, I'm not the best empathic person to help you right now. So I hoped the two of you would be standing here; I know the only one that could possibly help you to deal with this struggle. Someone that's a better teacher than I ever was, my mother, the hero." Vera's eyes watered at the words and praise her son had given her. "Jillian," Her body tensed up, and her focus was squarely on him at the sound of her given name. "I know you're morning for us. I know that, but know not a day that we were alive were you ever alone. I hope in this new age, this new life, you can find a way to fit in. Since your mother and I can't be here with you, I hope you seek support from my own. They can guide you in my stead. Goodbye, sweetheart, and do try to take it easy on the future me. We will always love you." As her father's words faded from the air, her wail replaced it as she fell to her knees, her face in her hands as she wept loudly as the tears of her loss hit hard all over again.
******
Hours later...
Neil was hovering out the doorway of what served as the kid's playroom after going over the files Aron had given him to browse. Stopping the hoverchair when he caught sight of his sister's backside. It wasn't the first time he had caught glimpses of her coming and going. He's just never wondered why she continuously came down and went from that one section of the base. That was until now, the hum of the drive massaged his butt as weird as that was as the chair glided forward. Neil looked around yet saw nothing. He was sure he had seen Aminah walking down that hall just a minute ago.
"Sorry, Neil, I can't have you interfering just yet," Aminah whispered as she rested against the closed lab door, hearing her brother moving off. Her blue eyes fell on the lab table she had been working over for the past few weeks. It had taken a week to make the queen 'bug' and another week and a half to create all the nanites she needed for every single cell in her body. "Veil, once the implantation is finished, begin the program," she ordered as she walked up to the assembly unit, reaching out and twisting the canister loose from its housing. "If something should happen, please inform Neil; hopefully, he isn't too far away," Aminah said, carefully placing the canister into the holder for the delivery module.
"Of course, Aminah, alarms set to stand by." Veil's camera zoomed in as Aminah inserted her right forearm into the delivery device. Noting the pain on Aminah's face as the four needles pierced her skin. Aminah's fingers moved quickly over the control panel for the device. Veil's camera moved left and right as the hiss of the plunger played on the air as it began the third and final stage of the implantation. Seeing Aminah biting her lip as she raised the top portion of the rig, noting how she held something against her arm. "You sure you wish to continue with this?" Veil asked one last time.
"Yes, no sense in coming this far only to stop now," Aminah stated as she attached the pieces that would wirelessly upload the program she and Veil worked on.
"Very well, starting upload... now."
Neil was backtracking, trying to find out where his sister went, when he heard something crashing. Yet where that was, he hadn't a clue since he saw no doors... tilting his head when a wall just slid to the side and the hiss of the door it was hiding rolled open. Nearly leaping out of the hover chair at the sight of only a hand peeking out from behind the large island. Hurrying as fast as his one crutch would allow him to stop in his tracks as he watched something very odd happening to his sister's skin as Aminah lay unmoving on the floor.
"Please, do not touch her." Neil's head snapped towards Veil's voice.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Neil demanded.
"When Aminah fainted, I thought it was wise to have someone with hands be on hand should the need arise, and you were the closest one."
"Okay, but explain what is happening to Aminah?!" Neil stated in that same demanding tone.
"Hush, brother," Aminah said softly as she came to; reaching up, her fingers took hold of the lip of the counter and pulled herself up. Her reddish-brown hair dangled before her face, shielding all from seeing the results of her experiment. "Veil, how are my vitals?"
"No change. All within normal parameters."
"Answer me, goddamn it?!" Neil growled in anger and worry as he took hold of his sister's forearm.
"You really should be sitting down, Neil," Aminah said from behind that curtain of hair as her hand overlayed his. "You shouldn't be overstressing your bone," she said with a flick of two fingers, telekinetically lifting her brother off his feet and gently setting him back into the chair. "I'm fine, Neil," Aminah said, mentally taking stock of her own self.
"The hell you are?!" Neil roared as he zoomed into the room. "What the hell have you done to yourself?" Annoyance flooded his mind when the hoverchair couldn't go further into the lab. Glaring at his sister as she reached across the lab table for something. Something felt off when he watched that one act. Not in how his sister moved, no, how her skin looked. Youthful.
"It worked?!" Aminah muttered, her fingers traced along her face from fifteen years ago. Her jealousy led her to add another five years to the reaging process. All so she could have more time with Aron and their children. "Veil, keep a close eye on the nanites," she ordered as she hooked her left arm up to the data transfer port, she had implanted in her left wrist.
"Of course, Aminah. I have established a connection to the Queen 'bug'."
"Good; how does the interlink connection look?" Aminah muttered as she ran her tests on other aspects of the nanite's response.
"Holding at 98%."
Aminah leaned back and pressed her finger to her chin, deep in thought, causing her hair to finally unwrap her new youthful face to her brother. "That's higher than we predicted, wasn't it, Veil?" Neil's gasp almost drowned out Aminah's question.
"You are correct, Aminah. Shall I begin the first tests?"
"Aminah, just what have you done?!" Neil asked; his eyes just couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"It's obvious what I've done, Neil, no sense in wasting words on what your own eyes are telling you," Aminah said in a huff.
"But why?!"
"A present for father," Veil imparted.
"Present... oh, now I get it, you're jealous of our aunt," Neil deduced. Trying to keep himself in his chair when Aminah's face nearly caught on fire of how red it was. "I do hope, dear sister, you were planning on sharing this with your siblings. I would hate for Chery to learn you were holding out on us," he said with an evil grin on his lips. Knowing Chery would hunt Aminah down if she had a way to reverse the aging process.
"That's just mean," Aminah huffed. "I was going to tell them, had to test it out on somebody first to see how the alteration would affect the human body," she said, gesturing to herself.
"Oh, Chery?!" Neil hummed into their communicator.
"What? Did you stumble?"
"No, although I think you'll like the hover chair, it massages your butt, but that's not why I'm calling. I just thought I should let my dear sweet sister in on a little secret." Silently alerting his other sister's into their conversation.
"Oh? Then when you get upstairs, you'll let me try it out, yes?"
"Sure, sure, but I think you'll have more pressing matters," Neil mused.
"I see, and what could be more important than your own... happy-times chair?" Neil wondered if his sisters were off laughing at what they were hearing when Chery was trying not to say masturbation chair over the line.
"Well, if you're more worried about that than looking young again, okay, I'll happily give up the seat for it," Neil mused offhandedly. He could have sworn he heard a thunderous: What! In response to his remark. It didn't take long for the sound of the elevator doors to resound along the sub-level.
"Neil! Where are you?!" Neil's lips just lifted at the sound of his wife's voice.
"If Aminah is in a lab... this way." Jill's voice floated in the air as the sounds of footsteps followed after.
"Now, what's this about looking young again?" Chery asked angrily with an intrigued huff as she marched up to him. Turning her gaze as she followed her husband's wave. It took her mind a minute to catch up to what her eyes were seeing as she gazed into the lab. "Oh, hell no, there is no way in hell you're going to be young alone?!" she exclaimed as she stomped into the lab.
"Aminah?! You sneaky... you did this so you can have more Aron time?! I knew it?!" Tazia stated, her loud voice carried easily across level one.
"Well? Which one is it?" she asked, looking around the table, not knowing what she was looking at.
"What are you talking about?" Aminah asked, taunting her sister with her now more firm breasts. "I wonder, Tazia, how Aron will enjoy this new look of mine."
"Don't get smart with me, Aminah?!" Tazia growled as her hands slammed onto the table.
"I don't need to 'get' smart as you put it; I already am, dearest sister," Aminah gloated, knowing she was testing Tazia's limits.
"You know full well what I was speaking about?!" Tazia hissed, leaning across the table. Her metallic skin raced along her body, knowing it might just come to blows.
"Ah, that, well, you're just going to have to wait on that," Aminah said, knowing this would irk Tazia even more.
"How long, Aminah?"
"Just imagine all the extra years we'll have with Aron?" Aminah mused just to stall to enjoy this for a bit more.
"Aminah, I suggest you stop toying with Tazia and tell us." Vera spoke; she too would like to look that young again; who wouldn't?"
"So I invented a working reaging process, and you just can't let me enjoy it?!"
"Nope, if you get to look like you do, so do we," Chery said, stepping up to Tazia's left side.
"If you think I'm just going to sit back and let you have all these extra years with Aron, you got another thing coming, sis. I'm so going to be the first one to get pregnant again," Tazia taunted, opening the start of the sibling/co-wives battle of Midway.
"Then hell you are!" Aminah roared, surging to her feet. "Trust me, Tazia, once he sees all of this, no way I'm letting him go for a day. So tell me, sis, how are you going to stop me. You can't risk getting pregnant right now and do this. Why Neil will have to wait two weeks after he's healed to undertake it if you want."
"I might not be able to get pregnant right at this moment, but that doesn't mean you're going to get laid either," Tazia said, digging in her fortifications to repeal her sister's amphibious assault. "If he's always in me, however, will you get that baby? Hmm?"
"Before you two go at it, how long will this take?" Chery asked, getting them back to the matter at hand.
"What you're asking for is a single purpose, complicated task down to the very strands of DNA that are programmed to your own genetic code," Aminah uttered, putting on her show. "A week for that to be processed and your DNA to be decoded and imprinted on the Queen 'bug' that controls every single nanite for every single cell in your body," nodding as she tapped her forehead at their looks of disbelief, "another to manufacture the nanites I will need to administer it to you. What you're wanting to be done is done at the scale of the small that quantum physics starts to play a role in how the nanites function. Anyone with a basic working physics theory will understand what that realm operates on."
"Wait, isn't that some math theory?" Jill asked, pondering where she had heard that term before. "Dad said something once.... Would something like spooky theory be a part of it?"
"Why, yes, Jill, that is one theory in it," Aminah nodded with a smile. "Did you're Dad teach it to you?"
"No, he did teach me what math I needed to know. Since I never showed much interest in going beyond that, Dad and I focused on other things. Every night when I went out as his sidekick, he would say: 'one doesn't need to have a huge brain to be a great hero. However, it is wise to recognize your weakness and strengthen it before your enemies learn of it and make use of it.'" Jill said with fond memories.
"Does that even sound like the Aron we know?" Troy chuckled.
"Got something to say, dreamboat?" Jill asked, getting a little defensive.
"Sorry, just never thought I'd hear Aron sounding like Dad, is all; meant nothing by it," Troy spoke, trying to calm her down.
"Yeah, who knew, huh?" Noah whispered, squeezing his wife into him as they shared their own secret.
"You're going to need you're beauty sleep, Tazia; why don't you head upstairs and relax, check on the kids," Aminah uttered, returning to flaunting her youth in her sister's face. Turning their heads when someone cleared their throats.
"I do believe you're forgetting something, Aunt Tazia, Aminah," Lyla said, crossing her arms and slightly lifting them up as she did along with her breasts. "You two seem to forget about us."
"Oh, yeah, if you two think you're getting the first crack at Dad when he gets back, don't even think about it," Jill uttered her declaration as she rested her right arm on Lyla's left shoulder, showing off her alluring figure.
"Not if I beat you all to it." All four turned as Veil's voice spoke overhead.
"Veil, you wouldn't be opposed to an alliance of sorts, would you?" Aminah mused, her finger tapping her lips deep in thought.
"No, I would not, as long as I have equal time with my father."
"What's your plan?" Lyla asked with a seductive smile on her lips.
Chapter eight
Outside of Berlin, Germany...
"Void, may I ask, what are those two?" Sara asked as they stood out on the military tarmac as Aron strapped on his extra gear and to store his extra ammo.
"Augments for the suit. For dealing with places this large on my own," Aron answered, leaving out the fact that they were untested prototypes. "This one is a laser bazooka good for dealing with those sentry towers. This one," lightly patting the high-powered laser rifle, "is my laser rifle." Seeing the look in her eyes that she wanted to try them out the next time they go out on a mission. His eyes ran down the scans once Veil had integrated the weapons into the coat's subprogram. Ensuring that his suit was ready and locked down, they shared a nod with one another, knowing time was eating away at them.
Nodding along when the flight crew who had modified a fuel pod into a mini breakaway glider so Aron didn't have to bust his way out. Running through the controls two more times until he was sure he was familiar with the flight controls before they hoisted the pod onto the wing. Aron made a quick check on the four small oxygen tanks that would give him enough air to breath until he reached below twenty-seven thousand feet. Hearing the releasing bolts locking into place onto the U3's wing. Looking down as the two-inch screen turned on, and Sara's face filled it.
"Void, the pilot will be given the all-clear in a few moments. Remember the survival training you were put through. Be safe. And the most important thing you should remember is to come back in one piece. The world would miss you, as would a great many people who know you."
"Oh, I know someone back home that will need a spanking," Aron said, grinning like mad behind his mask as Sara struggled to keep his words from affecting her.
"Well..." Clearing her throat, "that's something interesting to hear. I just hope it doesn't interfere with our working together."
"It won't. I just have a long time to ponder on this little blue outfit she wore last night. It was... stimulating to say the least," Aron said as the jet's engine began to power on. Seeing how that affected a few of the ladies that were within range and the grins on the men's faces. Also, how Sara was trying not to turn into a bright red beet at the same time, given he was referring to what she had worn to bed last night. "It amazes me how a light, thin piece of fabric could be so damn enticing; you guys know what I mean, right?"
"I do hope this person knows this," Sara said in a monotone voice to avoid giving anything away.
"She knows," Aron mused. "Switching to radio silence," he directed as the plane began accelerating down the runway.
"Roger. Good luck. We'll meet you at the rendezvous at 0900 Zulu. Until then, Void good hunting."
"Father?"
"Yes, Veil," Aron answered, his breath fogging up his oxygen mask.
"Shall we finish the discussion on Dr. Sikke Hahn?"
"Okay, how?" Aron asked, knowing the hard copies weren't on Veil's mainframe.
"I scanned the files and film onto my mainframe .020098 seconds ago."
"Oh? Play the film first since we have time," Aron directed, his eyes moving over his HUD as Veil piped in the footage his past self had taken when the past-Aron raided the man's lab. "Veil?"
"Yes, Void."
"How well is your processor in reading lips?" Aron inquired, wanting to know what that person was saying as she struggled on the table, she was strapped to.
"I can extrapolate and offer you some results that might infer what the subject is speaking. However, I can't say if the answers will be the same as what she is speaking.
"I can live with that."
"One moment..." Aron rewound the tape to the point of his counterpart entering the lab. Noting the collection of organs or what he took as organs floating in jars. His mind began to wonder if the good doctor and the Collector were the same person, or was it just a coincidence that they both appeared to enjoy collecting things. It wasn't until the tenth line of the extrapolation that his hunch paid off as the line read: 'Help me?! The Collector is coming!'
"Did that answer your inquiry, father?"
"Yes, it did, thank you, Veil. Veil, run everything we know on the Collector and this doctor, see if their behavior matches up," Aron ordered, glancing at the altimeter and the GPS coordinates telling him he had another hour until the drop point.
"Of course, father, this will take a while, given the amount of data you collected on the two of them."
"I understand; run it anyway; gives me something to do when I get home."
"Father, might I speak with you."
"Sure, Veil, what about?" Aron's eyes scanned through the information they had on the doctor Veil displayed on his HUD.
"Jill."
"What about her?"
"She has imparted to me while coping with the era she has found herself in. She just doesn't feel like she belongs here."
"I see. Yeah, I can see that; I mean, I try to help her as much as I can..."
"Have you?"
"I don't like that tone, Veil. It sounds like you're saying I haven't been trying hard enough," Aron spoke, taking offense to her accusation.
"That is what I am saying, father."
"Well, you know Jill better than I do; what would you have me do?"
"Play hero with her."
"What?! I think I misheard you," Aron uttered, taken aback.
"No, I know you heard me perfectly fine. My voice is only two centimeters away from your ear. If you're having trouble hearing it, then I would suggest hearing aids." Aron was a little surprised by the put-down Veil had just said.
"I take it you have a suggestion you would like to make?"
"I do." Aron arched an eyebrow when a live feed of the corridor where the suit from another time was stored. "If you can't be Void alongside her, then become something else. I know Jill always loved being your sidekick, and I know if you were out there with her. It will help her feel more at home here." Aron stroked his chin through his mask as he continued to stare at that image.
"Okay, Veil, I'll let you handle the designing and building of the gadgets for this little project if you feel this strongly about it," Aron muttered after careful thought.
"Thank you, father; I will have it ready when you come home."
"Thirty seconds to drop." Came the pilot's warning came over the built-in speakers. Bracing himself for the jolt once the pod was unlatched from the wing. Watching the altimeter spinning like mad as he dropped like a stone. Hearing the outer shell breaking in half like it was designed to do once it dropped five thousand feet below the aircraft. The glider's wings scissored out. His body was slammed into the wall of the glider as it was buffeted by the high winds. Alarms resounded in that man-sized glider cockpit as it fell uncontrollably to the ground below. Around ten thousand feet after his drop, Aron could finally get control of the glider and set into a descending spiral that would burn off his speed.
Once he was down to ten thousand feet, he pointed the nose of the aircraft towards the location of the compound. Activating assault mode as he reached for the button that would dismantle the glider, hearing the small explosions as the craft came apart. Feeling the coat stiffening, causing it to act like a wing-suit as he headed straight for the nearest sentry tower. Gun fire filled the sky as they attempted to shoot him down. Glass shattered; brick crumbled as he came barreling through the enclosed sentry nest. Feeling the bullets flattening against his body as he rose. Wires sparked from the destroyed station as he took out the men within that nest. Hearing the bazooka and rifle move to the ready position. Knowing his shots had to count given the limited shots the batteries stored. Firing from the hips, watching the two-particle beams easily cut through the sentry towers. Listening to them returning to their compartments once their ordinance had been depleted.
"Veil, play track twelve," Aron spoke as he brought his pistols up and cut a hole through the wall as Bush's 'Sound of winter' played. Sure he could easily smash through it, yet the debris would hinder his eye line, and he wasn't about to allow anyone to flee from this place. Taking off with a run, leaping from the hole he had just created. His laser bolts filled the courtyard as he laid to waste Banshee's underlings, or that would have been the case if two M-9 Chazrian tanks hadn't rolled into the courtyard. Aron had no time to avoid them as the men inside of them took aim and fired. Feeling the searing heat, the shrapnel of the shells tearing through his suit. The force of the combined blast sent him streaking backwards in a stream of smoke, crashing into the cinderblock wall of a small storage building he found himself in. Noting the massive warnings playing along his HUD as it displayed the damage the suit had sustained. Doing a quick run down of the systems the suit could manage while disconnecting the rifle and bazooka from the recharge from the suit's built-in solar cells. Bringing up his right pistol, seeing how a piece of the shell had severed the barrel, he knew it was inoperable. However, that didn't mean it was useless.
Storing his remaining functioning pistol back into its hoister. Tinkering with the power supply on his damaged one, setting it to overload. He could always make a new one; he wasn't about to leave his tech behind. Bringing up his left arm, firing off his pin missiles at the gathered men thinking they had a chance now that tanks were involved. Taking off in a run when their turrets began to spin towards him. Tossing his pistol at them, diving into a roll as the power cell of it exploded, causing massive damage to the two tanks. Pulling out two plasma grenades from their pocket, feeling the wind passing through the holes in his suit as he tossed them at the tanks knowing they would finish the two off. Reloading his pin missiles as the flaming metal of the tanks rained down over the area. Firing off another salvo of missiles, reloading once again to keep the stress off of using those old pistols. Sure he could fix them, but that wasn't the point; he just didn't want something that Jill remembered fondly being damaged. Peering out the holes in his mask and along his HUD as he entered the main building of the compound.
Grunting as the impact of the machine gun's fire struck him in the chest and stomach, causing him to stumble back into the wall momentarily. Bringing up his arms, watching the suit's durability lowering as he pressed on. Not that he was worried about coming to harm from the weapon's fire. He had just grown attached to the suit. Not that he would ever admit that to anyone. Watching blood and teeth spray through the air as he struck the two men on the sides of their faces with the butt ends of the formerly mounted machine guns. Pulling out his one remaining pistol firing through the walls. Since he was the only friendly there, he didn't need to worry about friendly fire. Looking up, seeing the heat signatures of three dozen on the floor above him. Watching the power drain on his suit as he was picking off the people until they wised up that they were being fired at from below.
Standing off to the side, just watching the fools firing blindly into the hole of the floor he had cut with his pistols, he had taken one of the others out, given the numbers he was facing. Thinking he was going to use that to make his way up to them. Which he wasn't, taking out one of his remaining grenades. Letting it cook for a second or two before waking up and tossing it upwards into the hole. Feeling the fire jetting through the hole, baking his back as he walked out of the room. Scowling when he noted the power drain was critical, spinning his pistols on his fingers and returning them to their hoisters. Rolling and lifting one of the dropped rifles at his feet onto his own and kicked it into the air. Sure he could have easily taken them all out with his abilities, yet that would take time, and time wasn't something he had.
Tossing the rifle away once he had cleared the building, there was no sign that Banshee was even on-site. Then again, the amount of firepower that was brought to heel against him told him something or someone had to be here to warrant such protection. Turning his head when he heard the telltale signs of another tank heading right for him. Watching it crashing through the wall of the compound and barrel right towards him. Closing the distance between them, planting his feet, taking hold of the barrel of the 12.77 mm tube of metal. Feeling the floorboards giving way underfoot as he tried to stop its forward momentum.
"Up you go," Aron grunted as he lifted the twenty-ton tank off the ground. Smashing it through the interior walls as his personal sledgehammer in his quest to remodel the place and sent it into the second one who was holding off on firing against his comrade. Spinning around rapidly, his laser bolt sizzled the air as a very stunned Banshee just looked down at the gaping hole in her stomach. Aron thought that for someone supposedly immortal, she would have put up more of a fight than sneaking up on someone. Then again, he knew villains were cowards, and given his focus at the time, he knew she would have launched her attack right then. Looking over at the tank he had just taken out when he noted a slight twitch in her leg.
The metal groaned as he ripped off the turret. Aron wondered if she was crushed to a pulp if her mutation would be able to heal her. The wood splintered, drywall dust filled the air, and insulation rained down as he repeatedly brought the turret down onto Banshee's body. Listening to the metal ping and groan as it slid and tumbled across the courtyard when he tossed his makeshift hammer away like it weighed nothing to him. Almost becoming sick as he watched and listened to how her bones were snapping back into place. He knew she was conscious, given the look of sheer hatred in her eye as she glared at him. As if to say: 'How dare you do this to me?!' Which as you can imagine, Aron thought it was a little humorous, given she was pretty much a bloody pulp on the floor. Still, though, even with the turret beating, he knew it would be only a matter of time before she pulled herself back together. Bringing up his left arm, his fingers moved along the display, siphoning off the power the rifle had gathered before he had cut off its recharge and funneled it into the bazooka.
"Seems I'm just going to have to ensure there's nothing left of you to reform," Aron spoke in a cold, emotionless voice. Watching the fear in her eyes as they widened as he pointed his bazooka right at her at point-blank range. He could hear her scream in his mind as the laser of the weapon burnt away her body only to run out of juice at the woman's pelvis. Noting the suit's power was at five percent, he had Veil switch off the programs that were draining the suit's power. Now that his task was complete, he didn't see the need to have them on. Smiling when he heard the stutter in Veil's voice when he told her he enjoyed talking to her when he declined to power off her link to the suit. Walking out of the now-destroyed compound, admiring his handy work, he just hoped that was enough to render her powers null. Dropping to a knee, knowing he had a hundred miles to get to the rendezvous east of where the complex was located. Feeling his muscles tightening as he readied himself for his leap. Wondering how far he could jump, given how he's never actually tested it out. Within five seconds, Aron was gone from the site, unaware that just feet from where he leapt, a finger twitched.
Aron came in hard as he slammed through the canopy of the trees of the forest he landed in. Brushing off the twigs that were caught in his suit. Amusement washed over him when Veil told him he had leapt over fifteen miles. Turning his body just so that when he lined up his next jump, he would miss damaging property or interrupting civilian traffic by landing in the middle of the road. Plus, he didn't need people figuring out he was within the country. He knew if his parents got word of what had transpired at that complex, he would never hear the end of it.
"This is the place," Sara said, looking out her binoculars as she searched for any sign of Aron.
"Do you think he's been delayed?" asked the agent that traveled with her.
"No, knowing him, he's been here for a few hours waiting on his ride," Sara mused, looking down at the communicator Aron had given heron their first mission together. Wondering if it would even work. "Void? Can you hear me?"
"Affirmative." How Sara's heart swelled at the sound of Aron's voice as it came over the com line.
"We are in location, just waiting on your arrival."
"Ten seconds." That was the only thing he said before Sara saw a black dot flying through the air, getting closer as it did.
"Holy?! Just what did he fight?!" the man muttered as he, along with Sara, took stock of the damage Aron's suit had sustained.
"I don't even want to know," Sara mumbled as she opened the SUV's passenger door, which they were using while in-country. "Void, I'm happy to see you made it out unharmed. It looks like your suit took quite a beating," she said, her eyes running down his body. Knowing it had to be big since normal ammunition wouldn't even pierce the suit.
"Yeah, you're reports failed to mention the four tanks they had."
"Tanks?!" Sara stammered.
"Yep, four of them," Aron answered, holding up four fingers and wiggling them as he did.
"Well, you can debrief me in the car; we best be getting out of here as quickly as we can," Sara gestured to the SUV.
"You didn't bring anything to eat, did you?" Aron asked offhandedly as he slid into the back. "Kind of starving."
"Here, I always bring a power bar along should I need it," the man who was driving said as he held the bar over his shoulder.
"Thanks," Aron said, reaching for it, rolling his mask above his nose, and tearing the wrapper open.
"So, was Banshee there?" Sara asked, peering behind her.
"She was, I don't know if I took her out or not, but she won't be reforming anytime soon," Aron muttered with his mouth full.
"Did you take a video of it so we can assess the situation?"
"Of course," Aron said, rolling his eyes. Taking the tablet, Sara handed him in his other hand. Having Veil link up to it, given the damage done to his HUD. "Here, that's the whole thirty minutes it took to dismantle the compound."
"What?!" Sara exclaimed, knowing that wasn't what they had sent him in there for.
"Did you think I was going to let anyone leave?" Aron asked before inhaling the last of his bar.
"But..."
"If they were all part of Banshee's force, they probably already have criminal records. Plus, they were shooting at me, saw no reason not to return the favor."
"And you're suit?"
"Damage from the tank shells... liked this suit too," Aron grumbled.
"She was moving even after you pummeled her with a tank's turret?!" Sara spoke in a shocked tone.
"Yeah, why I said I thought I took her out. If she can survive a blast at point-blank range from a laser bazooka, I don't know what will kill her, not including the atomization of her whole body. If she returns, I'll finish the job, but I doubt if she can pull herself back together, she would not make herself known for some time."
"I can agree to that; the damage you caused to her compound is rather extensive; I doubt if she can survive that she won't be using that as a base of operations any longer. Highly suspect she will seek elsewhere to work from," Sara mused, after deep consideration of watching the entirety of the video. "In any case, you did what we've asked you to do. I think the General will be satisfied with this. How long will it take you to fabricate a new suit?"
"Few days," Aron answered as the SUV rolled onto the tarmac where a C-10 was waiting to take them back to the States. Being jostled in his seat as the man slowly drove the SUV into the cargo hold. Watching the flight crew hustling to strap the vehicles down, the rear door rose, encasing them in darkness. "I'm going to take a nap," he stated, laying his coat over him as he stretched out along the back seat.
"What are you doing?!" Sara shouted over the roaring wind as Aron lowered the back hatch of the plane.
"Catching my ride, you know how to contact me if you need me," Aron spoke loud enough to hear. Noting the beacon of his wing following behind the plane. Given its size, it barely had a radar outline, so he was sure the pilots had no idea it was out there. "Until then, Agent Honeybell," he said, waving to her before taking the leap out of a perfectly safe airplane.
A smile formed on his lips as Veil maneuvered the wing into position. The wind howled in his ears as he used the friction of the air to position himself over his wing. Taking hold of the edge of the wing to keep him on it while the locking clamps for his feet snapped to, fully securing himself to the platform. Looking to his left, seeing Sara's and the other people who came with her, their faces pressed against the small windows as he came alongside the airplane. Giving them a small wave as his afterburner kicked on, shooting him past the cockpit of the airplane. He did note their startled looks when he flew past them before breaking off and activating his blink drive.
******
When Aron arrived home, the base was silent as a ghost. He noticed the jetcars gone; he wondered where to. Then again, if he knew his family, and he did, they would be out fighting crime. While he could repair his suit, yet given the damage to the smart metal embedded in it, along with a host of other problems, it would just be simpler to create a new one and salvage the thread out of his old one. Turning his head when he heard the elevator doors opening when he was heading to his lab so he could start on his new suit design. A smile formed on his face as he pulled his mask off, ruffling his short auburn hair as he did. Seeing Veil's happy smile on her lips as she carried Henry and Nettie in her arms.
"There're my babies," Aron cooed sweetly at his children, getting a welcome home kiss from Veil. Listening to Nettie giggling as he gave her a raspberry as he held her aloft. His arms wrapped around his neck as Aron held his son against him. "So where is everyone?"
"Protecting the city," Veil answered, reaffirming his suspicions. "Why don't you go play hero," she said with a sneaky smile on her face, knowing Aron hated being a hero. "I'm sure Jill and the others could use a little backup from the new hero on the scene." Aron did not like the smirk on Veil's lips when she said that before leading him off somewhere. Hanging his head when they stood in a little room with only a single mannequin in it, with one table that held six throwing daggers and two tonfas, and that was all. "A hero can't be running around with an arsenal on him like Void does. A hero is meant to preserve life no matter how villainous that life is. I'll have the V-32 sent up. No sense in letting people think Void and this new hero are one and the same."
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Aron grumbled as Henry wanted to touch all the neat shiny things.
"Maybe, just a tad bit," Veil admitted. "Oh, I can't wait to see the looks on their faces!" Lightly patting Aron's back as he groaned loudly. "You might bitch and moan, as I've heard numerous of your relatives say. But I know you'll put on that suit."
"And you know this, how?" Aron asked with a pointed look.
"Because you're a good father, you care about all of us, even though Jill and I are children of a different version of you. So I know you will do this for Jill," Veil nodded firmly. "So, get out of that suit and into that one before they head back, and you miss all the fun."
"God, I feel so naked in this thing," Aron spoke after walking out of the room after switching out suits. The black fabric of the suit stretched tightly across his body, and the same red tribal symbol for a falcon was emblazoned on his chest. His six throwing knives were nestled in their holders on the back of his forearms. His tonfas were held in an 'X' pattern in their own holders on the small of his back. He certainly didn't like the fact that all the mask did was cover his eyes, temples, and the side and back of his head, leaving his hair and lower half of his face uncovered. He felt too damn exposed?! What if someone recognized him in the getup?
"It looks... good on you," Veil said, feeling her body heating as her eyes ran down Aron's form. Noting how well the suit showed off his figure.
"Hey, hey, eyes up here?!" Aron chided, seeing that hungry smile on her lips when he said that.
"This way," Veil said, spinning on her heel, noting how Henry and Nettie were staring back at him as she led him back to where the vehicles were normally stored.
"You want me to ride this thing?!" Aron gestured to the four-wheeled, V-10 engine, liquid hydrogen bike that his counterpart had made a long time ago.
"It's perfectly safe; I made sure it was, even fueled it up for you," Veil started with a rather happy grin on her face. "So, do you need me to make those hearing aids for you, or can you hear my voice?" Aron arched an eyebrow as Veil stood there looking smugly as her voice whispered into his ears from the speakers in the mask.
"Not funny, Veil," Aron huffed, swinging his leg over the bike, flipping switches, and hearing the accelerator winding up.
"I think the others will find it funny," Veil retorted, getting her charges on her side as they nodded as the engine reached its operational setting. "Now you be safe, and make us proud!" she said before backing away. Shaking her head when Aron gave the bike too much acceleration, causing the bike to pop a wheelie. She knew her maker had trouble handling the bike, given how much horsepower it had. She knew this Aron wouldn't have a problem with it as he leaned forward, setting the bike back onto its front tires. "Come on, you two, story time!" Veil uttered in a happy tone.
******
Aron was weaving through Metaville traffic, noticing the eyes of the drivers and their passengers, if they had any, on him as he whizzed past them at a very high rate of speed. Doing two hundred miles an hour and dodging cars was not what he would consider fun. Even if he was invulnerable. That didn't mean he wanted to go splat on someone's windshield. Racing towards the area Veil directed him to. Hearing the sounds of their battle ringing throughout the city. Slamming on the brakes, causing the backend of the bike to lift up and skid along its front tires, twisting his body, moving the bike in the direction he wanted. The moment the bike's rear tires touched the pavement, he was off once again.
"Can't believe I'm about to do this," Aron grumbled as he stood on the roof of the closet building that overlooked where they were fighting. Looking down at his right hand, feeling so naked without all his gadgets to aid him. Knowing he was going to have to rely on his powers instead of his electronics. Blowing out a breath, knowing he was stalling, and Veil called him out on it. "Fine, fine, I'm going." Leaping into the air, hoping no one found where he had hidden the bike. Holding out his arms to increase the drag on his body, quickly pulling out two of his throwing daggers, sending them streaking at their targets as they brought their weapons up to fire at his family. Landing into a roll, coming to his feet, slid out his tonfas and proceeded to take out the men in front of him.
"Hold it right there?! Just who are you?" Tazia's voice called out to him, unsure if they could trust this unexpected interloper.
Jill gasped, watching how the man before her spun his tonfas around before sliding them back into their hoisters. She could never forget that move. How could she? It was something she had seen countless times when she and her father would spar together.
"Well, hello there, dollface," Aron said with an amused grin on his lips at the shocked expressions on his family's faces. "Care to explore rooftops, alleyways, all those shady things villains like to hide in?" he asked, looking right at Jill. Who was nodding very vehemently.
"A..." Vera began to say, only to stop before speaking her son's name.
"I'm Talon, that's my name," looking at his mother, who nodded in understanding, "so think you can keep up?" Aron asked, seeing the light shining in his daughter's eyes.
"You know I can, Talon," Jill said firmly as she stepped up to him.
"Then let's start by securing this area; whatcha think?" Aron spoke, gesturing to the surging flunkies of whichever villain they worked for.
"With pleasure," Jill said, trying to keep her elation at the fact she would be fighting beside her father once again from her voice.
The End.
Epilogue
"My poor, sweet Adali, just look at what that beast did to you," the strange man uttered in a tsk-tsk voice as he stood in the remains of what used to be his right hand's home and base. "Good thing I brought along these four to help with your healing," the figure stated, gesturing at the two captives and his two henchmen. "I know you can feel them; go on, it's okay, eat my sweet girl. We have much work left to do." He knew she was still alive; there was no way anyone could truly kill his greatest creation. Damage her beyond being useful for a few years; yes, that is a high probability. Yet he knew no hero would ever try that, given it would mean erasing every trace of her atoms from existence. Ever since he had found her in '35, he knew she would always be his lynchpin. However, due to the damage that was done to her body, he knew her cells would be low on the energy they needed to animate her own. Even he truly didn't understand Adali's mutation. She was the only one he's never experimented on. He found doing so would destroy his only test subject; that was why he had saved her before he destroyed his former base. "Come on, Adali, up and at'em!" he spoke, lightly kicking the sole of her right with his own. "There's my pretty girl!" he said joyously as Adali, or better known as Banshee, slowly opened her eyes. Smiling cruelly at watching Adali draining the life out of the four men.
"Don't look at me like that," Adali hissed in a deep German accent as she covered her breasts and pussy from his view.
"Why? Not like I haven't seen you naked before?"
"Just get me some clothes, would you?" Adali huffed. Her anger boiling in her veins as she remembered how being crushed by that turret felt and how her cells felt on fire when he fired that thing in her face. Knowing she was going to get her revenge one way or another. She was going to repay him for making her waste all that life force just to reform her body. Turning her head as her boss hummed as he pulled the smaller man's clothes off the husk that was now his body.
"Was it him that did this to you?" the man asked as he handed her the clothing, referring to Void, aka Aron Carter.
"Yes," Adali said from the depths of her borrowed shirt.
"I see," he muttered, looking around what was left standing in Aron's wake.
"Send me after him; I want his head!" Adali growled as she wiggled into her pants.
"No, I want you to stay away from that man... or android. I believe it's an android like me."
"What?"
"You tried using your powers, right?"
"Of course I did?!"
"And did they work on him?"
"Well... no," Adali admitted.
"Then it's an android since no living thing can resist your Siren's song," he said; it was his name for Adali's life-stealing power.
"Then how are we going to stop this thing?" Adali asked, getting to her feet.
"We go collect someone I believe will love to get his hands on that thing. I'm sure Red Scare will be eager to reminisce with our mutual enemy. I hear he was the one that killed the original Void. I wonder how well the man's android will fare against him."
"But isn't that thing more machine now than human?"
"True, Void did cause quite a bit of damage to his organic components. I'm sure it would be nothing for that cyborg to handle. Come, I have a plane waiting for us. I'll buy you another one once we've permanently dealt with Void's android," he said, seeing her peering sadly at what remains of her former home that was left standing.
"And what if this person isn't even related to the man that killed you?"
"Oh, it is; I've watched enough on the being going by Void's name to know they are very similar to one another. Given how that man is dead and powerless. Only logical explanation is he ported his brain into a computer like I did before Void took my organic head," the Collector spoke as he led Adali to the car that would take them to the small airport, which would fly them out to where Red Scare has been kept on ice after the Chazrians turned what remained of his body into a cyborg.
"So we just need to find this computer and destroy it, and we'll be free and clear?"
"Something like that," the Collector nodded.
"If I have to stay away from him, I'd better be watching as Red Scare kills him or it. Whatever it is," Adali said, peering back at him as she walked backwards to his car.
"Of course, of course, have I ever denied you?"