Chapter Twenty-One

Haruki hadn’t planned on breaking into the American facility a third time, but here he was.

Kenshi had stolen more pills from his family’s pharmaceutical company, and the team had practiced with each other’s powers. Each super’s powers proved different in surprising ways. Push & Pull’s telekinesis looked almost effortless from the outside, but Haruki had to spend dozens of minutes just getting all the lines of kinetic energy right. Gunman’s power treated anything that could be fired as a gun, making it able to fire endlessly and to shift ammunition at will. It’d been fun making a rubber band gun with his fingers, and discovering he could impart actual bullet velocity into it. Falling Star’s light manipulation included the entire electromagnetic spectrum, which meant the hero had been drastically holding back the whole time.

With everyone wielding everyone else’s powers, it meant evading the American security wasn’t hard. Falling Star’s power became the load-bearer, as evading heat sensors and electromagnetic sensors proved paramount. Fast Mover’s speed stacked with Haruki’s, and so, everyone was in through the secure hatch soon enough.

They’d practiced mimicking the electromagnetic tattoo, and so they slipped past security without a second to spare. Samantha Bordman was in her entertainment room, watching a movie.

“Freedom’s Ring!” Haruki shouted.

The black woman turned. “Laser Hammer?” He became visible and she almost fell out of her chair. “What? Something happen?”

“You’re in danger,” Haruki said. “We’ve got to get you to a safe location and then I’ll explain everything.”

She gestured for him to wait and he approached. “Wait, listen!” She grabbed his shoulders. “You don’t understand. If I leave this bunker, the United States will go into full panic mode! Who knows what they’ll do!”

“Ma’am,” Operative said, approaching, “we simply can’t afford to leave you here. Aeriesai is going to take you out because you’re the biggest threat to him.”

“If he kills me,” she argued, “he won’t be able to use my power.”

“Samantha,” Haruki said, risking informality, “he’s cloned me. He doesn’t need your power.”

A kaleidoscope of emotions played out, but ultimately, everyone present knew Laser Hammer could simply overpower Freedom’s Ring. She sighed, nodded, and said, “you’re right. Once he gets your clone up and running, he’ll be the most powerful being on the planet.”

Haruki latched her to him with Push & Pull’s telekinesis and Blade Extender’s force fields. Push & Pull got them an exit and, a blink later, they were out of the bunker. They all flew as a formation, using each other’s powers in tandem. Haruki sensed bioelectricity approaching fast. “Heads up! We’re being followed!”

The group saw behind them a group of no fewer than fifty American soldiers, each flying, each muscular. Freedom’s Ring scoffed. “I’m not giving them my power! Why do they have it?”

“The pills,” Operative explained. “Sugawara Pharmaceuticals is supplying them with them.”

“So,” Combat Queen speculated, “as long as they keep at least one person with Freedom’s Ring’s powers, and they keep the power copying pills active, they don’t need Miss Bordman.”

“Which means,” Kenshi pointed out, “America won’t need her.”

“Fast Mover!” Haruki shouted, latching Samantha to him.

“Yes?” Fast Mover shouted.

“Take her,” Haruki said, “use my two Spirit powers in tandem with your speed and get her out of here. With three different speed enhancements, none of them will be fast enough to catch up!”

“Understood,” Fast Mover replied, vanishing.

No sooner did the speedster leave than the group fanned out, forming an attack pattern that prevented their foes from getting around them. The Americans didn’t so much as make a strange face. They leapt into combat with surgical precision. Each of the Japanese supers went into immediate defensive. Even so, Freedom’s Ring’s strength combined with what speed powers America did have translated into an all-out hurricane of blows. Even with both Spirit powers active, stacked with Brute Beauty’s durability, the punches and kicks that flew in at thousands of miles per hour hit with the force of rocket launches. Gunman got lucky and snatched a weapon from one and used multiple powers to launch the bullet at escape velocity, punching a hole clean through one, who fell from the sky. Blade Extender tricked one with a feint and the soldier impaled himself on a force field.

“This isn’t working!” Operative shouted. “There’s too many!”

Haruki hated to admit it, but he was right. Sure, his powers amounted to greater than theirs, but every time they took one out, two more took their place. “They don’t have unlimited pills! We have to last as long as possible!”

Operative opened his mouth to argue but closed it. “Right! We keep fighting!”

The Japanese heroes converged two on one to knock American supers out of the fight. After thirty had fallen from the sky, and blood on both sides had spilled, no more Americans were coming.

“They’re not replenishing!” Operative said.

“There’s still twenty left!” Combat Queen cried.

Their uniforms shredded, their blood dripping from wounds, they fought on. Dozens of blows still hit them like shotgun blasts, and weariness began to weaken their offensive. A collection of heavy impacts knocked Blade Extender for a loop, and Operative swooped in to help, only to be broadsided by three American supers.

Haruki threw up his arms. “We surrender!”

His team looked at him. “What are you doing?”

“Using Falling Star’s power to broadcast a signal,” Haruki explained. “Her electromagnetism power is more useful than she imagined.”

“The world’s watching?” Combat Queen said.

“Yes,” Haruki replied.

The Americans stopped fighting. “You’re coming with us,” one shouted, “and any funny business and we’ve still got enough to take you down!”

Haruki and his team followed the Americans back to the nearest base. There, they immediately were taken into custody. Before being led away, however, Haruki crunched down on a broadcast pill and sent a copy of all the powers in him, and all his knowledge, to Rachel Danneson.

Rachel Danneson reeled when Haruki’s memories slammed into her conscious mind. At once, she understood what was happening and why. She still struggled to cohesively deal with two sets of memories in her mind.

“I wouldn’t have put you through this,” she saw Haruki saying to himself before chomping the pill, “if the world wasn’t at stake.”

Immediately, she took stock of her situation. Her commanding officer came in and informed her that American bases had been breached by Japanese supers, and that they were being taken into custody. “Some important property of ours is still missing, however!” The officer turned to her. “Sergeant Danneson, you had contact with Laser Hammer. We’re going to need you to brief us on anything that could be of use!”

Haruki’s memories formed a second consciousness in her mind. In a sense, a copy of him ran on the hardware of her mind. He made himself known to her mind. Her mind reached out and touched the copy and they exchanged information. At first, she suspected possession, but she maintained control of her body. He existed in periphery, patiently waiting and collaborative instead of domineering. When she wanted information, he provided it.

“Right away, sir!” she declared, following her superior officer to a briefing room. There, she began feeding him the information that Haruki’s replicated mind told her.

“Good,” Haruki’s mind thought, “this way I can gauge how involved they are and what they know.”

She recited the details given, giving the exact suggested intonation. It proved simple enough when thoughts could move between minds without sound. The soldiers and government officials listened and took notes as the story wove. Haruki listened to their responses and watched their reactions.

“Sergeant Danneson,” said a colonel stepping in, “this is a serious issue. The fact is, Freedom’s Ring is one of our most important assets, and the Japanese have stolen her.” The colonel believed her feigned shock. “Yes, that’s right. The fact is, Freedom’s Ring lives in a secure location and we broadcast her power to whoever the candidate is.”

“I’ve heard there were power-copying pills,” Rachel said, parroting Haruki’s thoughts.

“There are,” the colonel replied, “but the fact is, they’re notoriously hard to come by and we have reason to suspect our supply is artificially low.”

Haruki's mind perked up at that one. She said, “so, no Freedom's Ring?”

The Colonel’s face flashed a brief deception before he hammered down his emotions. “Our Freedom's Ring candidate experienced a minor setback, but everything's back in working order.”

“That's good to hear,” Rachel said.

“In any case,” the colonel replied, “your information’s going to helpful. Now, sergeant, your next task will be to accompany Lieutenant McKenzie to his next task.”

Rachel followed until she met with the man. He hadn’t powered up yet. “Sir, Sergeant Danneson reporting for duty.” She saluted him.

Brian McKenzie returned her salute. “We’re protecting scientists who are working on the FNL project.”

She hadn’t heard of this. “FNL, sir?”

“Fire and lightning,” Brian McKenzie said. “Hold on. Let me get into shape.” A glow overtook him and he quickly grew to seven feet tall and gained over a hundred pounds of muscle. “Follow me.”

They descended an elevator into a secure basement level with a long hallway lined with soldiers. Each saluted Freedom’s Ring as he walked by. After what seemed like several miles of hallway, they came to a blast door and a secure entrance opened with a five-stage biometric scan of both him and her. Once the foot-thick door opened, they stepped into a room loaded with terminals, scanning equipment, and various medical devices.

Haruki, through Rachel, noticed two things at once. The first thing he noticed was the clone, and thought, “so, that’s where they’ve got me.” The second was that several of the men he rescued in the desert were scientists here.

Somehow, Brian McKenzie hadn’t been filled in, as his shocked reaction seemed genuine. “Is that…Laser Hammer?” A subordinate tapped him on the shoulder and he stepped forward so the door could shut.

“I see you’re here,” Daniel Areston said, noticing. “For your information, no, that’s our clone of him.”

Freedom’s Ring nodded. “I…see.”

Daniel Areston, Aeriesai, raised and lowered his eyebrows. “Is that a problem?”

Freedom’s Ring took a considering breath. “No, sir.” He cleared his throat. “I just feel like this is inviting trouble with the Japanese.”

“Trouble is what our country does best,” Daniel Areston said.

“I suppose, sir,” Freedom’s Ring said. “What do you need us to do, sir?”

“We need to move the clone to a secure location,” Daniel Areston said. “You need to provide cover, as I fully expect the Japanese to find out about this and attack us.”

Rachel took all this in as she followed her superior officer near the chamber. Scientists and workers began the arduous process of switching the tubes from a stationary supply system to a mobile supply system. “Aeriesai’s going to put himself in that clone body,” Haruki told Rachel mentally.

“I figured,” Rachel thought back. “He just needs an opportunity.”

After the support systems changed over, the chamber detached from the wall, connected to a mobile platform, and servicemen began rolling it out. Freedom’s Ring and Rachel followed. Haruki readied himself within her mind, because he knew as soon as the mad god could leave Daniel Areston’s body, they’d be attacked.

Outside, the group entered a massive transport helicopter and took off after securing the clone’s chamber to the floor. The ride took them half an hour to an unmarked base in the Nevada desert. The vessel landed, a team removed the securing bolts, and they all followed the chamber into the depths of the base.

“Sergeant Danneson,” Freedom’s Ring said, “you consider yourself a friend of the Japanese hero, right?”

Haruki bristled at the thought of being referred to as ‘the’ Japanese hero, when his team provided irreplaceable support, but let it go. Rachel considered her superior’s words, and said, “sir, I consider him a friend, yes.”

“What do you think his motives are?” Freedom’s Ring asked.

“If I had to speculate,” Rachel said, carefully planning her words, “I don’t believe he has some nefarious purpose.”

For a moment, Brian McKenzie looked at her, not as the hero Freedom’s Ring, but as a young man who understood the machinations of governments. “I see.” His eyes drifted briefly to Daniel Areston before shifting back to her.

She blinked hard to avoid nodding or speaking in the affirmative.

“I assure you,” Daniel Areston said, “once we get the clone up and running, we won’t have to worry about Japan or any other nation.”

“Of course,” Rachel said, preempting Freedom’s Ring, “America’s protection first.”

“Yes,” Daniel Areston replied, casually, “America’s protection first. That’s what all this work is for.”

Brian McKenzie shared a glance with her that said, “I don’t buy that from him, do you?” To which, she raised and lowered her eyebrows in the affirmative.

Down a secure hallway, past blast doors and armed men, the group wheeled the clone into a chamber with a massive computer terminal and medical equipment. The soldiers wheeled the chamber onto a platform, and the twenty-minute process of switching tubes and wires began again.

The whole time, Freedom’s Ring and Rachel watched, waiting for Daniel Areston to try something. With the array of sci-fi style equipment in the room, she expected him to connect himself to some of it. At the very least, from Haruki’s memories inside her, the man should be chomping on a pill. Yet, as the servicemen got the clone’s support systems changed, he stood there, hands in pockets, mouth still.

“Are we done here?” Daniel Areston asked.

“We’re done here, sir,” a serviceman said.

“Excellent,” the disguised Aeriesai said, “I’ve got important meetings to get to.”

“Lieutenant McKenzie, Sergeant Danneson,” a ranking officer said, “you’ll both stay here, guarding the clone and, in your case, Danneson, helping with any information we might need in an attack from the Japanese.”

Soldiers accompanied Daniel Areston out of the compound. Rachel stood next to Freedom’s Ring and tapped him on the leg. He nodded. The officer in charge approached them. “Thank you both for being here.”

Rachel saluted. “Thank you, sir, I take my job very seriously.”

“Me too, sir,” Freedom’s Ring said. “Making our country secure is my life’s mission.”

“And a damn fine job you’re doing, son,” the officer replied. He glanced over at the clone. “I’m just glad we finally have a weapon that can match the Japanese.”

Freedom’s Ring glanced at Rachel for an instant. “Sir, if I may, given the power of the clone, if it were to fall into enemy hands, what chance would we have against it?”

The officer scoffed audibly. “The Japanese won’t be able to steal our clone. We control access to the pills.”

Rachel cleared her throat. It was now or never. “Sir, permission to speak?” The officer gestured for her to continue. “We control the flow of pills on our soil, but what about Japan?”

The officer folded his arms. “We have contingencies for if the Japanese government attempts to seize the patents or merchandise. We’d know right away if anyone on their end tried to get ahold of it.”

“Yes sir,” Rachel replied, “but what about Daniel Areston? He helped found Sugawara Pharmaceuticals.”

“He’s one of our…” But the officer trailed off as dawning realization played across his face. He spun around. “Up the flow of sedative into the clone! Right now!”

The officers scrambled to the console.

Halfway through the sequence, the clone’s eyes opened.