by Jay Phillips
He finished tying his tie and looked down at her. He thought about how something so beautiful could have been a part of a system so wrong. How much blood did she have on her conscience? How hands on was she in all of this? Did she just listen to The Agent blindly, or had she been there the whole time, her and the rest of The Seven, making every decision together, as a group? Did he really want to know that particular answer? Not really, he thought to himself, not really.
He rubbed his bandaged shoulder. Now that the excitement was all over and the adrenaline had dissipated, he felt the pain, and it hurt like hell. He still couldn’t get over the fact that he, him, of all people, had basically taken a bullet for one of The Seven. Just yesterday, he, without a second thought, would have put one in all of them himself. And now, he was rubbing the bullet hole he took for one of them while staring at her naked sleeping body. What a world he lived in.
And at the same time, he couldn’t get past the thought that he was missing something, something important and meaningful. Or maybe it was something trivial and meaningless, but either way, him, the so-called detective, continued to miss something seemingly important. It was like an old taste on the tip of his tongue; he could almost grasp the flavor, but it kept being overshadowed by everything else on his plate. That, or he could have just been hungry. He always did think in food metaphors when he needed something to eat.
He sat down on the side of the bed to tie his shoes, and his stomach growled, loud enough for him and anyone else listening to hear.
“Are you hungry or growling at me?” The Ice Queen asked as she sat up and stretched her arms above her head. He turned and stared at her bare breasts, making no attempt to look away. “Do you want a picture?” she asked, a slight smile on her face.
“I would,” he answered, “but I thought it would be inappropriate to ask until our second date. Unless, of course, you’re into that kind of thing.”
She pushed his uninjured shoulder. “You never quit, do you?”
“Nope, princess, I don’t.”
A phone on her bedside table rung, and she leaned over to pick it up. She put it to her ear and spoke. “Yes,” she said in a serious tone, and then she listened in silence for about thirty seconds. “I’ll be right there,” she finally said as she slammed the phone down on the table. She quickly jumped out of bed and ran to her closet, throwing clothes on as fast as she could.
The Detective stood up and grabbed his overcoat. “What is it?”
“We have to go right now,” she answered as she pulled a shirt over her head. “It’s Fire. She’s in trouble.”
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The Iron Knight armor deflected every flame sent its way. Fire Maiden flew around the machine, leaving a small trace of her flames in the air as she passed by. The Iron Knight did nothing other than stare at her in silence.
“Well?” she asked as she shot flames from her hands, showering the suit in fire. “I thought you came here to kill me, or are you having second thoughts?”
“No second thoughts,” the computerized voice said in return. “I’ve come here to do what must be done.”
She flew behind him and shot flames against the suit’s rear panels. “Do you?” The woman covered in fire asked. “Do you really have to do any of this? Are killing and death really the only choices you have?”
The machine turned around to face her. “Yes, they are. Killing and death are all I have left to look forward to.”
“You have so much more that you can’t see.” She flew around to face the machine, pulling herself within feet from the faceplate. “And I’m so sorry that what we did has kept you from seeing everything you have. I’m sorry---”
The Iron Knight grabbed her by her flame covered throat and slammed her thirty feet to the street below. “Sorry?!” The computerized voice screamed. “Sorry?! How dare you say that to me, how fucking dare you! You and your little pirate code-named taking band of murderers have had over a decade to apologize to me, and you fucking wait until I’m about to kill you all before you find the ability to feel regret.” It flew down to the street and stood above her as she tried to climb back to her feet. “You find mercy and remorse only in the face of death. How fucking pathetic.” He punched her in the ribs, causing her to fly across the street, landing hard against her house’s gate.
The impact caused the flames around her body to momentarily go out. She gingerly stood up, holding an arm across her mid-section. Blood poured from her petite nose. “You may not want to hear it, but I’m going to say it anyways. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what we did; I’m sorry for what you had to live through. If I could take it all back, I would. And I’m not saying this because I’m about to die. Right now, I could really care less. As long as my babies are safe, you can do whatever to me. I’m saying this because I’ve wanted to say this to you since the day it happened, but I always knew any mention of it would break down the mental blocks. And if that happened, you would have to live through it all again, as if it had just happened, and I couldn’t put you through that kind of pain again. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t.”
She stretched her arms out above her head and flames once again covered her entire body. She flew back into the air. “You’ve come here to kill me,” she said from twenty feet above it, “and I understand why. But now I have my own family to protect, and I can’t just lay down and die without a fight. I can’t die without knowing I at least tried to live for them; I just can’t.” She flew around the machine, spraying as many flames from her hands as she could, covering the armor in an inferno.
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WARNING: INTERNAL SYSTEM TEMPERATURE CRITICAL
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COOLANT SYSTEM NONRESPONSIVE
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TIME REMAINING BEFORE SYSTEM SHUTDOWN: 60S
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TIME REMAINING BEFORE SYSTEM SHUTDOWN: 59S
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TIME REMAINING BEFORE SYSTEM SHUTDOWN: 58S
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LOAD PAYLOAD: DESIGNATION FIRE MAIDEN
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AMMUNITION LOADED
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Even as she flooded the suit in flames, the machine managed to hold up its right wrist and lock onto its target. From the gun on the wrist, The Iron Knight fired a single bullet. It easily passed through her flames and entered her mid-section just to the right of her naval. Her flames went out as she screamed in pain and fell to the ground.
The machine lowered itself straight down and walked the distance between them; it stood over her, looking down at her bleeding, nude body through the faceplate. “The bullet won’t kill you, but you had to know pain for your actions. You had to hurt for being one of them; you had to pay a price for their actions.”
“Thank you,” she silently mouthed up at him.
“Do not thank me for sparing you. It has nothing to do with you. You see I’m not like The Seven; I would never make your children into orphans just for my own needs. If you live, do not thank me; thank your children for needing their mother.” The Iron Knight moved its left wrist up and opened a panel. With a spark of electricity and the crackle of ozone, it disappeared, just as a red sports car sped around the corner.
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The Detective sat in the passenger seat of The Ice Queen’s car with his fingers gripping the dashboard as hard as he possibly could. He couldn’t remember ever being in a car traveling this fast. She slid around a corner and into a posh neighborhood filled with houses which were basically mini-mansions. He assumed this was where Fire Maiden lived.
They turned another corner, and he saw them: The Iron Knight armor stan
ding in the middle of the street, staring down at a nude blonde woman. Before either of them could say a word, the man in the battle suit disappeared, leaving the woman lying defenseless on the ground.
Ice slammed on the brakes fifty feet from the blonde and jumped out of the car. “Fire!” she screamed as she ran to her. The Detective followed close behind. “Oh my God, Fire,” Ice cried.
The Detective took off his coat and wrapped it around the nude woman. “We’ve got to get her to a hospital.” Ice ignored him as she cried over her friend. “Listen,” he yelled. Ice turned towards him. “We have to get her to the hospital, now.”
Ice nodded and stood up. He bent down, picked Fire up off of the street, and carried her towards the car.
“Wait,” he said as he put the blonde in the passenger seat, making sure she was covered with his coat. “We can’t both ride. You take her, and I’ll get there somehow.”
“You drive.” She sprayed crystal like ice from her hands, covering her entire body in its sheath. The beginning of an ice slide shot out of her hands and began to form in front of her feet. “I’ll stay close behind.”
The Detective ran around to the driver’s side and climbed in. He looked over at Fire as he put the car in gear. Her eyes opened up ever so slightly, and she smiled at him.
“It’s okay,” she said, her voice beyond weak. “He let me live.”
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Journal Entry
[Found on page 64]
Note: The following is a newspaper article/ press release published after The Seven assumed control of the mainstream media and The Agent closed the country‘s borders.
The Department of Technological Advancements announced today the invention of the solar powered combustible engine. Anthony Barren, the man who once protected the nation as The Iron Knight and current Secretary of Technology, made the statement and declared the new engine to be of his own design.
The solar motor will be one hundred percent fuel free, thereby completely freeing America from the need for foreign oil. “This engine requires no gas, no oil, no water for coolant,” Barren said today. “All it needs is a weekly dose of sunlight, which it will convert into energy to power the engine itself. One hour of sunlight a week will be enough for the engine to function for a full seven days. A full seven hours of sunlight will power the motor for almost two months.” When asked if the engines will achieve the same level of speed and strength as a gasoline powered motor, Barren answered by saying, “I guarantee they will be just as fast, if not faster, than any other car you have ever driven.”
The new engines will be a mandatory install for every automobile made in the United States. All nonpowered citizens will be required to relinquish any and all gasoline powered vehicles they currently own and purchase a new solar powered model. If a citizen cannot afford to finance a new model, the government will cover the cost of the car and automatically deduct the payments and remaining balance from each citizen’s weekly paycheck.
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SYSTEM CHECK
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FIRE DAMAGE MINIMAL
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ARMOR RESTORATIVE PROGRAM IN PROGRESS
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REPAIR TIME REMAINING: 1H00M00S
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REPAIR TIME REMAINING: 0H59M59S
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REPAIR TIME REMAINING: 0H59M58S
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OPEN DOCUMENT: SELF-DEFENSE PROTOCOLS
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SEARCH WITHIN DOCUMENT: PSYCHOSIS; METAL GIRL
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Journal Entry
[Found on page 57]
Note: The following is a transcript of a private security tape found within The Agent’s personal computer. The tape, filmed merely days before the war began, was made in Anthony Barren’s penthouse and shows The Seven discussing the impending war.
(The video begins with each member of The Seven, except for The Agent, who is standing and staring out of the door which leads to the balcony, sitting in various positions around Barren’s apartment. They are all in their street clothes and out of costume.)
Agent America: We have to decide, once and for all, right now, what we are going to do.
Fire Maiden: You do know what you’re saying, don’t you? You realize you are talking about going to war with The United States of America, right?
Agent: That’s exactly what we’re talking about, Fire, and as of this moment, I can’t see an alternative.
Speed Demon: (sitting in a chair with his head between his knees) This is insane, man, fucking insane.
Psychosis: (sitting on a couch with Metal Girl close beside him) Language, North, language. There are minors present.
Demon: Dude, I apologize for cussing in front of your fucking jailbait girlfriend, but I believe we have more important things to worry about.
Metal Girl: (attempting to stand up but being held back by Psychosis) Fuck you, North. I’ll rip your fucking head off.
Barren: Stop it, you two, now. This is neither the time nor the place for your damn bickering.
Fire: Okay, just so I’m clear on this whole idea, Bruce, are you really implying that we should declare war on the country and place ourselves in power? Like Billy said, this is insane, completely insane.
Ice Queen: (sitting on the arm of a sofa next to her partner) It’s not insane, Fire. It’s the only option we have left. After all, they’ve already declared war on us.
Agent: Exactly, Ice. They’re taking super powered children and imprisoning them; they’ve declared us an illegal conglomeration and simply gathering here together is now a crime. Soon, just being born with powers will be deemed an act of treason punishable by death.
Demon: But we can’t just go to war with these people. We promised to protect them, and I can’t see war and protecting being anywhere near the other.
Agent: And what did they promise us, Demon? Remember life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I shed blood for this country on the battlefield. In the past five years, the seven of us have all bled for this nation, and for what? To be tossed to the side like nothing? To be seen as nothing more than common criminals for having abilities that, the last I checked, none of us asked for?
Fire: Okay, somebody explain exactly how the seven of us are supposed to take on the entire United States military?
Ice: We recruit.
Fire: Recruit? Seriously, recruit?
Ice: Yes, Fire, we recruit.
Fire: Alright, Gabby, if we take in every active costumed crime fighter in the country, what does that leave us with? Twenty-five people? Thirty?
Ice: There are plenty of people with powers who aren’t crime fighters.
Demon: Yeah, some are super villains. Do you want to bring them in too?
Ice: Actually, Demon, yes, I think we should. We should bring them and anyone and everyone with powers. They face the same persecution as we do. They should be allowed to fight along with the rest of us.
Fire: Now that’s insane.
Agent: Why is it insane, Fire? What is insane about offering a people the opportunity to fight back against oppression?
Fire: (looking around the room at the other members) Hope, Steven, Anthony, please chime in and help me here. Tell them this is not right. Tell them this is crazy.
Psychosis: (placing his left hand onto Metal’s Girl’s lower back, almost as if he’s telling her to not speak) I can’t say that, Pamela. Hope and I have promised The Agent our total support no matter what he chooses to do.
Fire: Anthony?
Barren: I do
n’t know, Pam. I was on the fence, but I’m starting to think it may be the only choice we have.
Demon: On the fence? I thought you were on the wagon, or off the wagon, or whichever one means you’re drinking like an alcoholic fish.
Barren: Shut the fuck up, Billy. Honestly, this is not a good time for your bullshit.
Ice: Really, Demon, can’t you take a goddamn thing seriously for a half minute. Do you always have to come up with some kind of nonsense when we’re trying to do something important?
Demon: (throwing his hands up in the air) Excuse the hell out of me for trying to lighten the mood around here.
Agent: We have to decide what we’re going to do, and we have to decide now. I need to know who’s in and who is out. And if you’re out, then you’re out, and we fight this war without you.
Ice: I’m in, no question.
Agent: Psychosis?
Psychosis: In.
Metal Girl: I go where Steven goes. I’m in.
Agent: Knight?
Barren: In.
Agent: Demon?
Demon: In, I guess.
(Every head in the room turns and look at Fire.)
Fire: Apparently, you’re all going to do this no matter what I say, and I have to be with Gabby to protect her. So I’m in, but not without reservations.
Agent: Good enough.
Ice: Okay, so now what do we do?
Agent: First and foremost, we all have to ask ourselves, right now, today, exactly how far across the line we can go before we’ve gone too far. And then, once we’ve decided that point, we have to take it farther. It’s the only way we’ll be able to save this country from itself.
(End video)
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The Detective tossed his hat and coat on the back of a chair and paced back and forth across the hospital waiting room. Being shot at, finding dead bodies scattered around, getting tortured, pain, blood, and other assorted injuries, all of that came naturally. This, being confined to a room and being told to wait for answers, this was too much like prison for his taste, and it didn’t come natural. He wasn’t built for this at all.
