| |
"The team is still reeling over the events of the past twenty-four hours. I was blown away by how much he managed to find out, as even with my clearance, I had no idea the levels of deceit the government was currently using regarding the metamorph prisoners. As far as we had known, the Carcerem was merely a high-security prison designed to keep the captives in a state of suspended animation for further observation and genetic research. We had no idea that they were using some of the more ‘choice subjects’ as government-hired spies and assassins to accomplish dangerous, classified missions. This was way beyond my pay grade, and quite frankly, makes me sick.
All that aside, this doesn't justify his actions. He could have stuck with us and worked to expose the government of their crimes. He hadn't even said so much as a goodbye. Instead, the only way we even found out what was going on was when Morgan rushed to inform Lady Starlet after he had regained consciousness.
That's when we found the bodies.
All the men and women that had been working within the lab, completely charred and burnt to a crisp, their lifeless bodies still smoking. That was a sight I’ll never forget, and I pray that eventually, the stench will leave my nostrils. He had taken nearly everything, leaving the files up on the computer, still displaying the documents and videos that revealed what the government had been doing.
More concerning was the fact that the Deus Suppressor that Morgan had been working so hard on has been stolen. Captain Thunder had taken the device after incapacitating his graduate assistant, though we are not sure why. Anita is understandably very disturbed at the wanton destruction and loss of life within the facility. I feel terrible for my friend, and I wish I could do more to help. Unbeknown to the others, who are still trying to process the betrayal of not only their government but their leader, Anita has asked me for a favor.
She believes she knows where Captain Thunder is going and wants to try to talk some sense into him before the others do. She understands that he’s in a lot of trouble but is worried that he’s not in the right frame of mind. I've conceded to her request and have been trying to keep the others distracted while she goes missing. I pray that she knows what she’s doing. If anyone can talk some sense into Captain Thunder, it would be her."
-An excerpt taken from the pages of Bridging the Gap: My Time as the Liaison for The Magnificent Seven by Leia Wojcinski
––––––––
AS GABRIEL AND THE others watched the latest reports regarding the round-ups well into the night, he found himself appalled by the news coverage capturing the innocent metamorphs apprehended without just cause. People were taken from their jobs, forcefully removed from their homes, all under the guise of protecting the people. It was insane. What started as a peacekeeping mission had now devolved into a full-on witch-hunt.
Morgan Winter was currently being held within the nation's capital while he attempted to plead their case and maintain their innocence. There was little news regarding his status other than the fact that he was personally being interrogated by both the President and the Secretary of Defense. Gabriel hoped that their headmaster was doing all right and that he could help clear their names. Yet as much as Gabriel would’ve liked to dwell on their mentor’s situation, there were more pressing matters at hand.
They couldn't simply remain idle as innocent metamorphs suffered because of their actions. Something needed to be done.
"We can't keep sitting around here all night doing nothing,” Gabriel muttered, turning to face Tristan. “They’ve made us the scapegoats and are using the database against metamorphs everywhere. It was supposed to be used to build trust, to help identify those who needed our help. Now, they've twisted it for their own devices, and it's coming back to haunt us.”
The others nodded in agreement. "The only way we can stop this is by destroying the very means that they're using to identify metamorphs," Juan proposed. "We need to destroy the database itself."
"Is that even possible?" Giovanni questioned. "I mean, how are we supposed to destroy the database? Wouldn't all their information be stored in the cloud or something? Surely they have a way of backing up their information so that it wouldn’t be affected by tampering from outsiders. They've got to have some kind of high-powered security system in place."
"Actually, that’s something we've been focusing on for quite some time,” Christian admitted. “And I think we may have found a way to bypass that issue and destroy the database."
The statement caught the attention of the metamorphs throughout the room, Gabriel included.
"So how do we do it?" Gabriel pressed.
"The only way to destroy the database and all the information they’ve secured online would be to directly access their files from their central location in Nevada. It's in the middle of the desert, but thankfully, we've been able to identify its exact coordinates. If we can find a way within the facility, we should be able to crack their safeguards. After that, it's all Circuit."
"What’s a circuit?" Tristan questioned.
"Not what, Tristan,” Christian grinned. “Who."
A young man stepped forth from the crowd, his narrow eyes gleaming with excitement as he brushed aside the long, brown hair from his face. He was handsome, a tall, thin figure, who exuded a natural air of confidence around him.
"That would be me. The name’s Benji, although everyone here calls me Circuit. I'm still getting used to my Metamorph name myself. I've only been with the Legion for a few weeks now."
"Well, that's unfortunate,” Gabriel scoffed, ignoring Christian’s glare. “So why are you called Circuit?"
"My abilities allow me to access and manipulate any electronic device within a certain radius. Using their direct power lines, I should be able to access the database and force it to crash, destroying all the files.”
“Why can’t you just do it from here?” Juan pondered. “If it’s in the cloud, couldn’t you just manipulate it through the internet?”
“Yes, however, that would only destroy the backup data. That still leaves the physical data stash back at the compound unharmed. If we’re to do this right, we need to kill two birds with one stone and destroy it altogether,” Benji confirmed.
"If it's that easy then how come you guys haven't done so already?" Gabriel asked suspiciously.
Christian shook his head. "It's not that easy. The majority of the people you see around you are freed prisoners and refugees from within the states, not soldiers of the Legion. Our warriors are currently elsewhere and getting them into this country would've been a nightmare for many of them. I can't just stroll into a military compound and expect these civilians to go up against trained killers. This operation requires metamorphs who have seen actual combat before."
Gabriel picked up on the subtle tone that Christian was hinting at them. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You’re saying people like us. You're saying that we need to help you get into the database."
Christian shrugged. "I never said you guys needed to do anything. One way or another, we’re going to destroy that database. As you said, we can just sit aside and allow this to happen to our people. As far as I'm concerned, whatever beef we had in the past, I'm over it. I've moved on now, Gabe. You may not like me or agree with the things I've done, but if you only knew the number of sacrifices I've had to make for the greater good—”
"Oh, spare me the bullshit, Chris," Gabriel interjected. "I don't need to hear your sob story. That’s a whole load of crap, and deep down inside, a part of you knows it. I’d rather go to hell and back before I followed you to the kitchen, let alone battle. The only person I'm asking here is our team leader."
Gabriel shot a glance at Tristan, expecting a response. However, to Gabriel's surprise, Tristan simply shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Gabe. This isn't going to be my call. Right now, I'm still struggling to come to grips with a few things, and my powers aren’t exactly helping me at the moment," Tristan admitted. "As far as I'm concerned, the real leader here is you. You're still in charge of Team Davids, although it looks like that title doesn't apply anymore, now does it? What do you think?"
Gabriel swallowed hard and glanced around at the expectant faces around him. How was he supposed to make such a decision, one that could come back to haunt them, regardless if it was the right choice? The fate of their people rested on this.
Gabriel lifted his head, staring straight into the eyes of his enemy. "All right. Looks like you're about to get your wish, Christian. Looks like for the time being, you have yourself a team."
––––––––
IT WAS NEARLY SIX IN the morning when the team invaded the military compound. The had spent the early morning hours planning their assault and, with little time to spare, made their way to the desert. Their best way into the facility was through Port, who had never been to the location before. Generally, for her powers to work, the teleporter needed a clear vision of where she was headed. Thankfully, with Circuit’s wizardry, they were able to pull up several images off the internet, manipulating Google Earth to get a clear view of the location. Even with the government building being unmarked, using the stolen coordinates the techno-wizard was able to retrieve the images with little effort.
The assault team would consist of Tristan, Gabriel, Juan, Giovanni, Christian, and Circuit. Port would also be joining them but only as a transporter. Once she gained them access, she was to lie low and avoid being seen until the mission was complete. She was, after all, their only means of escape.
Once within the compound, they would need to find a way into the building themselves. Despite the building’s obscurity, it was still fairly well-guarded and contained several guards patrolling both the outsides and within. Aside from the armed soldiers, the rest of the employees would be technicians and office staff. If they could take down the guards, the rest would fall into place quite easily.
Before embarking on the mission, the team equipped themselves for battle, Team Jackson dressed in their Designer outfits while The Legion strapped on their Kevlar vests and firearms. They packed a bag stuffed with the necessary supplies which Giovanni agreed to carry. Before leaving, Gabriel forced Christian to promise that there would be no killing or unnecessary force. These men and women were simply doing their jobs and serving their nation. He wasn’t about to harm them for following orders. Christian reluctantly agreed although Gabriel didn't trust the boy as far as he could throw him. And even then, probably a little less.
Once Port opened up the rift, the square, gray building appeared before them. Three stories tall, the mainframe was located on the top level. Ordinarily, they would need to traverse the compound, enter through the doors of the first floor and utilize the elevators to gain access to the database. Lucky for them, the word ordinary didn’t apply.
The morning heat from the surrounding desert was just starting to warm the air when the team stepped out onto the empty rooftop. The squad surveyed their environment before proceeding to the southeast corner of the building, Port remaining behind. They stopped right beside an air vent near the edge, the device a marker for their designated location. Directly below would be the database, and if the building’s schematics were to be believed, they would be dropping in directly in front of the elevator and stairway doors. While Gabriel and the team handled the personnel within, Benji and Juan could focus on shutting down the elevator and blocking off any potential intruders from the stairway. Nobody in, nobody out. If they did this right, they would be in and out of this place within the next fifteen minutes, hopefully without drawing any attention to themselves.
"All right, let's do this. Remember, no killing civilians. We’re breaking in and getting out in fifteen, just like we planned. We only get one shot, so let’s make it count," Gabriel spoke, doing his best to sound more confident than he felt. The others nodded in unison before circling the area. Christian stepped forth and knelt on the rooftop, placing his hands upon it.
"I’d step back if I were y’all. It's about to get a little cold," he whispered. Within a matter of seconds, his well-coiffed, brown hair had become black and straight, extending down to his scapula. His eyes were now inky black, and his body steadily doubled in size. His breath came out in thick puffs of chilled mist, and the structure beneath his hands was now forming a slick coat of ice. The area shuttered slightly from the shifting molecules, the insides of the roof shrinking from the icy temperatures. Eventually, Christian stepped up from the frozen area and nodded toward Gabriel. "All right, Agayu, show us what you've got."
Gabriel crossed over the icy platform and began to form a large sand hammer his hands. "All right, guys, gather around. Once I bust this thing open, it's go time. The moment we hit the floor, it’s full throttle."
Giovanni grinned widely as Gabriel drew back the weapon. Taking a deep breath, Gabriel prayed that they weren’t making a mistake. He swung down with all his might, and the instant the sledgehammer made contact with the frozen, brittle rooftop, the material shattered like glass. The entire section collapsed, plummeting the six metamorphs into the unsuspecting room below. As they fell, Juan extended his arms, slowing down their descent to allow them to land on their feet while the ceiling rained down beneath them.
Once his shoes struck the floor, Gabriel reared up to find himself in a large, open room consisting of several cubicles positioned throughout with the bulk centered toward the middle, where a massive computer station was located. Several monitors were built into the station and were currently displaying a scrolling list of various names and headshots. The team was also not alone, now facing down a room full of dumbfounded soldiers and a handful of shocked technicians. The looks on their faces said it all, and for a moment, Gabriel allowed himself a slight chuckle over how impressive an entrance they had just made.
"Hey there. I think you guys ordered a pizza?" Christian said, flashing a toothy smile.
"Jesus Chr—!" the nearest soldier began, before Christian burst forward with supernatural speed and immediately grabbed hold of his neck. Freezing him in place, Christian lifted the man clear off his feet before choke-slamming his body to the floor. The man struck with a sickening thud, and Christian was already sprinting to his next victim.
Fired up, the team rushed to join the fray as Benji set to work disabling the elevator behind them. Juan stepped to the side to secure the doorway, all the while maintaining a steady hand toward the soldiers, who were now beginning to unholster their weapons. A smooth swipe of his wrist sent their automatic weapons flying from their hands, and the guns clattered uselessly against the side wall.
Leading the pack, Tristan threw forth two blasts of electrical energy toward the sides and manipulated their trajectory to avoid damaging the main station within the center of the room. The electrical blasts sped through the air before colliding with soldiers on either side. Upon contact, they exploded, releasing a chain of balled lightning that extended outward and struck at least three more soldiers beside them. The guards didn’t have time to utter a moan of pain as they went unconscious before their bodies even hit the floor.
Meanwhile, Christian had paused to take in a breath before extending his arms and exhaling forcefully as he sent a cold snap sweeping throughout the room. The wave struck the surrounding soldiers, who were in the process of retrieving their scattered weapons, and they froze in place as if time had stopped. Crying out in a mixture of shock and pain from the intense cold, the employees immediately spasmed and hit the floor unmoving.
Any remaining soldier who still had the strength to stand was a sitting duck for Gabriel and Giovanni. The two released balls of sand and fire respectively, hurling the bowling ball-sized projectiles around the room and sending the last of the soldiers crashing to the ground, incapacitated.
When planning, Gabriel had anticipated the battle going on for several minutes. In total, it had taken them a little under a minute to completely take out their military opponents. Gabriel smiled to think of what this team could have done in the Battledome.
The team used this time to disarm the soldiers, Tristan, Gabriel, and Christian going around the room and zip-tying their extremities to ensure that they would not be getting up to interfere. Juan and Giovanni helped to gag the bodies using rags they had brought, muffling any protests from the few conscious employees. In the meantime, Benji went over to the central console and began to do his work. The young man confirmed that the elevators were now disabled, and he had managed to fizzle out any outgoing distress signals that had been sent. For now, they were still veiled within the facility.
Curious, Gabriel kept an eye on the metamorph as Benji sat down and placed his hand upon the computer console. The man closed his eyes and swung his feet onto the adjacent chair, leaning back in a casual gesture. The screens all around the station flickered and blacked out before coming back to life again. The screens suddenly took on a bright hue, and Gabriel had to squint his eyes as numbers and words streamed across.
"What's he doing? What's happening to the computers?" Gabriel questioned, raising his eyebrows.
Christian shot a glance over to where Benji currently was and smiled. "Oh, that? Circuit's just talking to the computers. His powers work on a level that can't be visually observed. He has some kind of internal connection to the computers, and he can essentially communicate with them, commanding them to do whatever he wants. It's an extremely useful power, especially in this day and age. Right now, it looks like he's going into the files directly and deleting all the information."
"Bingo," Circuit confirmed from across the room. "Don't mind me over here. Finish up what you guys are doing, and I should be complete by the time you guys wrap up. There's a lot of information within these computers, but thankfully, you guys are working with the best here. We’re going to make sure that any information on these metamorphs is wiped clean between here and the cloud. In a few minutes, there’ll be nothing for the government to look into and no more names for them to round up. Let's see how those douchebags like that!"
Gabriel could appreciate the boy’s confidence and bravado, and he hoped that his claims were correct. If they managed to pull this off, they would be striking a devastating blow to the General and his S.W.A.R.M.
Once they finished securing the employees, Gabriel made his way over to the computer to make sure that Benji was in a good spot before they exited the facility. He found the young man in a completely different mood when he approached. Benji was now sitting up at full attention, his eyes scanning across the screen and face furrowed in concern.
"What's wrong?" Gabriel pressed. "Do you need more time? Are all the files not destroyed?"
The man shook his shaggy hair from his face, and his eyes wavered. "No, that's not the problem. I think you guys need to come over here and see this."
Gabriel gestured toward Tristan and the crew, and once they had all assembled, Benji pointed toward the computer screen, his fingers trembling.
"So, I was destroying the last of the files when I landed on this. This is the schematics for the detention center in Texas where the detained metamorphs are being sent. This details everything from the number of guards to the amount of weapons needed and budget required to maintain a facility of this stature. It also has various notes from General Stone about things he requires to run the location and make it fit to incarcerate metamorphs. A lot of his conversations have been recorded in these files, as well as personal notes."
"Okay,” Christian shrugged, “so why do we care about all of that? Are you just saying we need to keep an eye on this if we want to rescue those that have already been captured?"
"No, Vamp. I'm saying this because there might not be anyone left for us to save," Circuit whispered, his voice wavering.
"What are you talking about?" Tristan questioned.
"There are several emails of official protocols recorded here from the General to the center’s security force, and the latest one just went out a few hours ago. From what he said at the news conference, the plan is to detain the metamorphs and secure the Deus dampeners on them like we did for Tristan. However, the general has other ideas."
"What other ideas?" Gabriel interrogated.
"He’s not looking to just suppress their powers. He's looking to exterminate them entirely. This isn't simply a detention center, guys," Benji sighed, turning around to face the others.
"This is a killing floor."
