New Age of Heroes 1: The League of Protectors - Dawn of a New Age

by Christian Green

  Noah groaned, a combination of pain and angered at Mr. Connors' words. “Where am I?” Noah shot up to his feet quickly looking around his surroundings. He did not like the feeling of unfamiliarity or being vulnerable. A trait he learned to despise growing up an assassin.

  “It's ok, we're at headquarters. Turned one of the offices into a makeshift hospital room. Figured you'd prefer that over an actual hospital room.”

  Noah groaned again he was still in a considerable amount of pain. Noah got out of the bed and reached for his shirt that was laying nicely across a leather sofa. He slid the shirt over his head and then proceeded to grab his pants, “Where's my belt?”

  “To the left,” Mr. Connors replied intrigued by the way in which Noah carried himself.

  “And my weapons?”

  Mr. Connors smiled, “Locked in my office. Can't have anyone noticing the similarities between your weapons and that of the Black Vigilante.”

  Noah's eyes locked with Mr. Connors. He knew some sort of lecture was coming, “Look, I did what you asked. I've been concealing my identity.”

  “I know, and I appreciate that, but we can't take any chances.”

  “Did we catch the guy?” Noah asked changing the subject.

  “No, it appears Mr. Dorgan has friends. He vanished right before our eyes, just like the inmates at the prison did.”

  Noah sighed.

  “Yes Mr. Winters, similar to the incident that occurred during the prison break. One minute Jason was battling a hostile Post Human the next minute the hostile was gone. I am fairly confident that Seth Maddox is responsible for the disappearing act. What I can't figure out is why. Why end the confrontation when the opponent had the upper hand?”

  “Because they're planning something bigger. Something they want the whole world to witness. Taking Jason out now would cheapen their planned glory. They want everyone to witness their plan. They want everyone to see the most powerful Post Human fall. That's why,” Noah said.

  Mr. Connors thought for a moment and nodded his head in agreement. It made sense. It wasn't the most rational way of thinking but it was a way of thinking that made some sort of sense.

  “So what are they planning Mr. Winters?”

  Noah shrugged his shoulders. “That's the million dollar question.”

  Mr. Connors nodded and smiled. “Take a walk with me.”

  Mr. Connors led Noah down a long hall and stopped at the elevator. Inside the elevator was a secret compartment that led to a hidden keypad. Mr. Connors pressed a series of numbers which led the elevator well below where the elevator led regular employees.

  “This way Mr. Winters,” Mr. Connors said leading the way out of the elevator and down another long spiraling hall. He opened the door and saw the rest of the League sitting at a long square business table waiting for Noah's arrival.

  Noah surveyed the room. The first person he saw was Bianca Ramirez. She was always one to point out when something was ineffective. It was a characteristic Noah found annoying but yet slightly endearing at the same time. She was probably the only one in the room that could get away with telling Noah what was effective and what wasn't time and time again.

  Across, on the other side of the table was Shayne and sitting next to him was Jackson. From the first day he met the two he could tell they were best of friends. Anyone looking on could tell that the two young men had a special friendship. They had a bond that he had never known. In some ways he was envious of their friendship. He grew up being told that emotions made him weak. It was drilled in him that having personal relationships would get him and others killed. Noah had gone through life never experiencing the benefits of having a friend. He continued looking around the room. He saw Jessica sitting there smiling widely at him. She was quite happy to see his recovery was complete and that he was fine. Jessica was sitting a few seats down from Bianca.

  Sitting next to her was Jason Shaw. He didn't have a smile on his face at the sight of Noah's presence, but he was happy to see that Noah was ok. Sitting directly across from the door was Garrett Blake. Anyone that took one good look at him could tell right away that he wasn’t a field member. He was too busy pressing buttons on his laptop to even acknowledge Noah’s presence. The last person inside the room was Stephanie Morgan. Out of all the members in the room, Stephanie was the one he knew the least about. The young woman hardly interacted with the rest of the group. Not that she was anti-social or anything, it was just that her job didn't allow for much social interactions.

  Noah shook his head in disappointment, “This group is lacking. We don't work well as a team and because of that we were exposed. We looked like a group of amateurs out there.” Noah wasn't one to sugar coat things. He said whatever came to mind whenever he saw fit.

  “Well hello to you too. Glad to see your recovery is going well,” Jackson said slightly sarcastic. He was glad to know that Noah was going to make a full recovery but didn't appreciate the negative words Noah was spewing.

  “Umm if i recall, that big giant guy we met last night tossed you around like a rag doll too. If it wasn't for my sister, you wouldn't even be around to insult us,” Jackson said.

  Bianca and Stephanie looked at Jackson with a surprised expression. Everyone in the room knew of Noah's temper and they all made a conscious effort not to cause him to lose it.

  Jackson's eyes went big the moment he finished the sentence. No one in the room could believe what he had just said to Noah, in fact, Jackson couldn't believe it himself. Noah gave Jackson an interested glance and a slight nod but said nothing in reply. Jackson let out a breath of relief. He envisioned Noah jumping across the table and wailing on him.

  Mr. Connors chuckled slightly. He found Noah’s directness to be rather refreshing, “I agree with you Noah, this team is rather inexperienced. Missions like the ones you and Mr. Shaw have engaged in is something the others have not.”

  Noah looked around the room. It was as if he was sizing everyone up, gauging everyone’s potential. Mr. Connors looked around the room and noticed Jason was rolling his eyes. From day one, Jason felt that Noah's presence was bad for the team. He felt as if Noah would eventually leave them anyway, so it was pointless to invest in the man.

  Mr. Connors thought differently however. The rest of the room sat quiet. After seeing Noah in action, none could argue that he was a tremendous asset in the field, but it was his personality that made them hesitant.

  “Noah, perhaps you could tone down the criticism just a bit. We're all still pretty new to this protectors thing and it takes practice. We have great potential we just have to work harder to become a more cohesive group,” Jessica said.

  Noah’s left eyebrow raised as he studied Jessica. It must’ve seemed like an eternity before Noah spoke again.

  “That man could have been handled effectively if you all took your training more seriously. For months now I have been telling all of you that you lack discipline and are relying too much on your abilities to aide you. Dorgan is a mindless brute, the six of us together should've been more than enough to stop him. So forgive me if I'm not so inclined to curb my criticism. Yesterday was perhaps the best lesson learned.”

  “What lesson was that?” Jackson asked.

  “That if one man can do this much damage to us, imagine what an organized group with an agenda can do,” Shayne said answering for Noah.

  He looked towards Noah to see if his reply was correct and it was.

  “There are threats out there that wouldn't hesitate to kill any one of you without giving it a second thought. There are Post Humans out there with abilities that they will use to hurt you. If you want to be Protectors, you need to start training more diligently. The only way the League works is by being a more cohesive unit, and that only works by training,” Noah said.

  “Does anyone know what that man wanted?” Noah asked changing the subject.

  “That idiot was just out to raise hell!” Bianca blurted out.

  Noah found the little Hispanic woman cu
te, but also found her naivete' unacceptable, “Do you all really think that man’s actions were simply to raise hell? Do you really think he had no other motive? If you believe that, then you are more ignorant in such matters than I thought.”

  Bianca’s face was red. She was fuming, “Now wait just a minute!” Bianca shouted.

  “No, you wait a minute. That man that attacked last night did that because he was instructed to do so. Someone more powerful or manipulative than him instructed him to attack the city.” Noah said cutting Bianca off.

  “But why would someone instruct him to do that?” Jackson asked curiously.

  “That makes no sense at all!” Bianca added.

  “To see what would happen,” Jason replied somberly.

  Noah shot around and looked Jason in the eye. Noah was impressed to see that someone understood how the game was played. Noah and Mr. Connors were the only ones that understood what Jason meant.

  “Consider the fight last night as a game of chess. We were the players and we went up against a computer. Joe Dorgan was simply a pawn in the game of chess,” Mr. Connors said.

  “Basically, whoever was behind this attack wanted to see how the government would respond. They wanted to see how we would respond. How quickly would we all arrive. How would we all arrive. Whoever was behind this attack wanted to learn what we had to offer,” Jason added. Noah clapped his hands in approval. “I see there are some among you that understand this game.”

  “This isn’t a game!” Bianca shouted still fuming from the insult Noah gave her moments earlier. Noah walked over to Bianca. She was on the defensive and ready to phase herself out of harm. Noah gently placed his hand on Bianca’s shoulder.

  “Perhaps my choices of words were a bit harsh and I imagine I have offended you, for that I am sorry. I am not a subtle man, and you need to understand the war you find yourself in. This is real and this is dangerous. Whoever you're dealing with is calm and calculating. He’s playing with you guys right now to see how you will respond.”

  Bianca had no words to reply with. She simply sat there taking in what Noah had to say. Noah headed for the door.

  “We need a plan Noah!” Jason said adamantly.

  “Then come up with one, and while you all are busy formulating that plan, I'll be out getting revenge,” Noah replied.

  “Why do you fight?” Mr. Connors asked as Noah wrapped his hand around the doorknob. Noah stopped in his tracks, “Why do you fight Mr. Winters? Why do you defend people that have no idea that you are defending them? People who look at you with fear simply because you're different than them.”

  Noah turned around to face Mr. Connors. All eyes were on Noah as they waited to hear how Noah would respond.

  “I fight for those that are worth fighting for. I fight for those that are unable to defend themselves against the evil and cruelty that plague this world. I have a gift and I have a choice. I can use my gifts for personal gain, I can use my gifts to harm others, or I can use my gifts to protect those that need protecting. This is my job and I will do it until the day I’m no longer able to.”

  Noah’s words spoke volumes. His words defined what a hero was. The selflessness in his reasons was inspiring. Noah’s brand of justice would likely never go over well with the group, but he was fighting for all the right reasons.

  “Then fight with us Mr. Winters. You come here and criticize all of us but offer no solutions. You fight our opponents but then leave as soon as it's over. Fight with us Noah, truly be with us. None of this lone warrior crap you've been doing in the past. You think we need more training... I agree, but help us train then instead of just telling us everything we did wrong.”

  All eyes were flickering back and forth between Noah and Jason. The two men were easily two of the more intimidating men you were going to meet. Jason, for his sheer power and Noah for his sheer skill. Both men offered two different styles of fighting and yet both were equally as dangerous.

  Jason stood up and walked towards Noah. Jason was a bit taller, but both men stood at distinguished sizes. Noah shifted his feet, he was pretty certain Jason wasn’t about to attack him, but he readied himself just in case. Jason extended his hand forward.

  “Your assistance would greatly be appreciated. This team needs you, this world needs you, but what we don't need is someone that's half in half out. You're either with us or you're not.”

  Noah stood there, his eyes going from person to person in the room. Noah was used to working on his own. Well more specifically, Noah was used to working with individuals like himself. His eyes finally bounced back to Jason and locked with his. There was an uncomfortable tension in the air. Jackson sat there envisioning a scenario where Noah used his telekinesis to flip the table over and knock Jason to the ground. From there a battle just as deadly as the one with Joe Dorgan would erupt and he'd be force to have to try and neutralize Noah. Fortunately, that wasn't something he was going to have to do. At least not on this day. “Well, what do you say Mr. Winters?” Mr. Connors asked.

  Noah kept his eyes locked on Jason. He didn't like Jason and he probably never would. There was a good chance that he would probably never like anyone in the group. It wasn't about that though. Making friends and being liked was never something Noah cared about. The only thing that mattered was the mission. The battle with Joe Dorgan showed Noah there was still a mission with the League to complete. For that reason, Noah needed to stick around. He took a step forward and shook Jason's hand.

  “I'm in.”

  23

  The One Behind the Hooded Robe

  “That was quite the impressive display of might you showed out there,” Seth Maddox said.

  Joe Dorgan was resting on an examination table inside an office at an unknown destination. Sitting on a chair next to him was Seth Maddox. Seth was the man responsible for teleporting all the prisoners off the island and Joe out of the city of Chicago.

  “You should've let me finished them off. I had those little punks right where I wanted them!” Joe retorted.

  “There is no doubt about that and that is exactly why I pulled you out of that fight. It's not time yet, the boss doesn't want them taken out just yet. Then and only then will you be allowed to finish them off for good.”

  Joe grabbed his side and grimaced slightly. He had forgotten what pain felt like. It had been so long since he felt physical pain. While Joe still believed himself superior to Jason Shaw, silently he admitted that the man was stronger than he imagined.

  “Well the boss better hurry up, I grow tired of waiting. I'm ready to put this plan of his into action. I'm ready to wreck some stuff up!”

  Joe replayed the fight in his head. Never had he felt so alive. Jason brought out a side of him that he wanted to tap into more. Jason made him even more animalistic and Joe was beyond thrilled.

  “The day is nearing, soon the League of Protectors and every human will learn that we are the superior race on this planet. Soon the government will have no choice but to surrender itself to us! That's a day I very much look forward to,” Seth said.

  Joe huffed, “Me too, I can't wait to meet all those that resist us in battle. I'm going to mess them all up good!” Seth chuckled slightly at Joe's lack of vocabulary. Clearly Joe wasn't the brains of the operation, of any operation.

  “Not gonna lie though, I thought those traitors would present more of a challenge than they did. I mean other than Shaw, the rest of them weren't nothing to get excited about!” Joe said.

  “Well, the League of Protectors are glorified Post Humans. They aren't disciplined. They aren't trained like you and me. They'd be much tougher to face if they were.”

  Seth's words echoed that of Noah Winters. Seth stood up out of the chair; he walked over, opened the blinds and looked out the window.

  “You see those people down there Joe?”

  Joe got himself off the table and walked over to the window.

  “Those people down there are nobodies. They are simply common humans that live insign
ificant lives. Although we are anything but common, we too at one point lived insignificant lives. Our lives changed forever the day the boss came to us. He has made us experts at our craft and given us a purpose. He's enhanced everything about us.”

  Seth touched one of Joe’s massive biceps, “We have abilities like a God. We are better than humans and soon we will show the world that we are the top of the food chain. So don’t screw this up by getting too anxious for battle.”

  Seth looked at the visible bruises on Joe’s body. He saw the grimaces on Joe’s face with each move he made. “That Shaw guy really did a number on you man.”

  Joe slammed his fist through the wall in a violent tantrum. Seth looked on at the rage Joe was displaying. It was moments like those that he was more than happy to have Joe on his side.

  “That Shaw guy is dead the next time I see him. He got some lucky shots in, but then again I was battling about four or five other people.”

  Seth snickered, “From what I saw, it was one on one by the time Shaw got there. Face it; Shaw can match your strength. You’re going to have to be smarter the next time you face him. He’s got a background in hand to hand combat, military training and clearly knows how to defend himself against a bigger opponent.”

  Joe let Seth’s words sink in. He didn’t like hearing what Seth had to say, but he knew Seth was right. Deep down Joe knew his strength and resilience was the only things he had on Jason.

  Jason was smarter than him and had a higher skill set. If Jason was able to make a more strategic plan of attack, Seth worried that Jason might actually defeat Joe. That was something he kept to himself though. He wasn't about to share that thought with Joe.

  Joe was a man that was obsessed with being the biggest and the strongest. The possibility that Jason was better than him was driving Joe crazy. If Joe wasn’t the strongest, then he was nothing. If he could be defeated, then he was nothing. That was Joe’s way of thinking.

  “The next time I see that punk, I’m going to drive my fist through his skull. By the time the fight is over, there won’t be any question as to who the superior man is.”