“What's happening?” Tori asked, eyes wide.
“I don't know,” James replied.
A few seconds later Dr. Connors and Christine came rushing into the room. “Open the containment cell!” Dr. Connors ordered.
James rushed over to the panel and swiped his hand signature for confirmation. The cell opened and Dr. Connors hurried inside, but he was too late. By the time he reached Cooper, the Post Human had stopped moving. He laid on the ground lifeless.
Tori dropped to the ground and cried. “Did I do that?”
“No my dear, you didn't do that, the Syndicate did that.” Dr. Connors replied. Dr. Connors looked over to Christine and James with heavy eyes. It was at that moment the Ascendants realized just how dangerous the Syndicate really was.
Chapter 4
A Face of Comfort
“Everyone settle down,” Dr. Connors said. Cooper's death had the Ascendants on edge.
“He's dead isn't he? That man Tori was just interrogating suddenly died. How are we supposed to remain calm after that?” Tommy asked.
“Because we are professionals.”
Tommy shook his head in disagreement. “That's where you're wrong. This is beyond our capabilities. We're dealing with professionals. We're dealing with an organization that's so far advance they can kill their operatives at the drop of a dime without even being nearby!”
“There's an explanation for this,” a familiar voice said seemingly out of nowhere.
The group turned toward the voice and stared in confusion.
“Susan?” James said.
Susan Lee, Dr. Connors most trusted field member stood before the group with a serious look on her face. Her presence always brought comfort to the group. She had more field experience than all the Ascendants combined and could kick the behinds of just about any man.
“Susan, it's great to see you, but how did you get here so quickly?” Dr. Connors asked.
Suddenly a burst of air appeared in the spot right next to where Susan stood. When the air evaporated, a Chinese man stood right next to her.
“Okay, just got word of a lead out in Shanghai,” the man said to Susan.
“Do you need me to return?” Susan asked.
“No, that is not necessary. Thanks to your help we've hit the Triad with a devastating blow that will take them time to recover. We can take it from here, besides, looks like your team could really use your help.”
Susan and the Chinese man shared a hug. When they finished their embrace, the man looked towards the group and nodded respectfully. “Take care of my sister and take care of yourselves.”
“We will,” Dr. Connors said with a slight head bow. Susan's brother nodded back and within the blink of an eye teleported off the ship and back to Shanghai.
“I don't get it, if he can just teleport anywhere he wants, why don't you have him teleport to the leader of the Triad's and take him out?”
“I'm sure there's a lot of things you don't get Cayde. Right now isn't the time to explain it though.”
“What's going on Susan?” Dr. Connors asked in a serious voice.
Susan looked over towards Christine. “I came as soon as I heard. Why didn't you tell me sooner what was happening?”
“You were busy. Helping your family deal with the Triad was just as important to anything we have going on here. I didn't want you distracted while you were in the field.”
“I don't get distracted.”
Cayde smiled. “Of course you don't, you're like a machine!”
Susan cracked a smile. It had been three months since she left the team to join her brother's mission against the Triad, and she had to admit that she had missed them.
“Ignore him!” Mia ran forward and gave Susan a big hug. Susan smiled back and embraced her fellow Ascendant. Even though the two women were ten years apart, surprisingly they had a lot in common and shared a sister-like bond.
“New haircut?”
Mia smiled and nodded.
“I like it,” Susan said. She stepped back to check Mia out. “New haircut, new field outfit, you look leaner than ever, geez, it's like I've been gone for years.”
Mia cheesed. If there was anyone's approval or validation she wanted, it was definitely Susan's. Susan had the sort of personality that was inspiring. Everyone in the group looked up to her and wanted her approval.
Susan looked around the room. “Dr. Connors, I should've been on that field mission and more importantly, I should've been involved with Cooper's interrogation.”
Dr. Connors had a guilty look on his face. Like the rest of the group, he didn't like to disappoint her. “What's done is done. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed, so as dearly as you have been missed, it's good to know the group can function without you. Your training has turned them all into some very capable individuals.”
Susan looked around the room at each member of the group. Whatever field skill they possessed was largely in part to her superior training. “All right, so from my understanding we've got a government agency whose motives we aren't too sure about and a criminal organization whose motives we are sure about. Does that pretty much sum things up?”
“Yes,” Dr. Connors replied. Even though Dr. Connors is the leader of the Ascendants, there were many occasions where he took a step back to allow Susan to delegate directions. While Christine was probably one of the best analysts in the world, Susan was equally one of the best field operatives around. “This Commander Sullivan, I take it you know him?” Dr. Connors asked.
Susan nodded. “I served under him for seven years.”
“What did you do?” Cayde asked.
“I served second in command under his special opts strike force unit.”
“Strike force huh? You've must have really done a lot of killing to make a group like that,” Cayde asked.
“Cayde!” Dr. Connors said.
“What, I'm just saying. Oh come on, you know there isn't a single person in here who isn't thinking the same thing. You have to be stone cold to be as effective as Susan.”
“Let's just stay focus on the task at hand. If you're planning on confronting Commander Sullivan, I'm going with you,” Susan said to Dr. Connors.
“Can he be trusted?”
“He's a secret agent. Of course not. You can't trust any of those guys. They all have agendas, and half the time, they aren’t even really aware of what their own agenda is.”
Dr. Connors scrunched his face. He was beginning to think like Tommy. Perhaps they were in over their head.
“If there's any chance that this Commander Sullivan character can be a potential ally, we have to take the risk.”
“Umm, I think the chance of us being their allies went out the window the moment we decided to intervene on their mission and capture Cooper,” Cayde said.
Dr. Connors sighed.
“I mean what are you going to do? What are you going to say? Hey, we’re really sorry about taking your capture, but we needed to ask him some questions. Oh yeah by the way, while we were questioning him, his head exploded, and now he’s, you know, dead.”
Dr. Connors looked about at nothing in particular for a moment before returning to address the group. He looked at Susan who was more than ready to do whatever needed to be done.
“Explaining what happened is exactly what we're going to do.”
Cayde's eyes went big. “Wait what? I was only joking that's an absolutely terrible idea!”
“On the contrary. We head into this confrontation with this guy and hold back on intel, he'll see right through us. We have to be upfront and honest. That's the only chance we have at convincing this man we aren't the enemy.”
“And what if we are? What if no matter what we say or do, they still view us as the enemy?” Cayde asked.
Dr. Connors thought for a moment. It was a question that he had pondered many times himself. From the moment the existence of Post Humans became public he wondered how the government would handle it. “We'll cross that bridge if the time ever
comes.”
Dr. Connors excused himself from the group and walked out of the room. Susan and Christine looked at one another and followed him back to his private office.
“You look worried,” Susan said.
“I am, and I get the feeling there's something you aren't telling me.”
Susan looked down and tried to avoid eye contact. Christine noticed the hesitation as did Dr. Connors. The silence made all three of them very uncomfortable.
“What is it Susan? I know how important that mission in China was to you. There's no way you would've left unless it was absolutely necessary. So what aren't you telling me?”
Susan looked around the room before finally locking eyes with Dr. Connors. “Towards the end of my tenure with Commander Sullivan, there was talk about another task force being formed. At the time I was serving under Julian Gunn and being prepped for my own command. They wanted me to lead this new task force.”
“What sort of task force?” Christine asked.
“A task force to stop Post Humans.”
Dr. Connors sighed. He had anticipated that being Susan's reply.
“Commander Sullivan said it was only a matter of time before the Post Human outbreak swept the nation and he wanted to be prepared. That's the thing with him. He's always two steps ahead of his opponent.”
“That may be the case, but my fear is that he views us as the opponent and thus his eye isn't on the true evil,” Dr. Connors said.
“The Syndicate,” Christine said.
Dr. Connors nodded. “Exactly.”
“Not to mention the sub group within the Syndicate,” Christine said.
Susan looked at her funny. “What sub group?”
“Within the organization of the Syndicate is a specialized group of Post Humans known as the Chosen. Apparently they are responsible for gathering Post Humans to do their bidding.”
Susan nodded in understanding. She had heard similar conversations being discussed in the past, but could never confirm the authenticity of the rumors. “So what's the plan?” Susan asked.
“Shortly, the ship will land and drop off Mia and James.”
“Where are they going?” Susan asked.
“To pick up Lucas Morgan.”
Susan made an uncomfortable sound with her mouth. “You really think going after Lucas is a good idea?”
“I think bringing Lucas in is a great idea. Having his skill set backing us would greatly improve our situations in the field.”
“I don’t think he has any interest in returning to the group,” Susan said.
“I believe he will. After learning more about this Syndicate, I think it's highly possible they took Lucas' sister Stephanie. He'll be interested in hearing that.”
Susan still seemed uneasy about approaching Lucas, but she was willing to follow Dr. Connors orders.
“After we drop them off, the two of us and Cayde track Commander Sullivan down and see if we can come to an understanding,” Dr. Connors said.
“Cayde?” Susan looked directly at Christine. “Why aren't you coming with us? You still haven't returned to the field?”
Christine swallowed spit. She did not want to have that conversation, especially not with Susan.
“She's not ready yet,” Dr. Connors said.
Susan looked visibly upset. “What do you mean not ready? It's been a little over a year. What happened that day in the parking lot of your office wasn't your fault.”
“It was my fault, I nearly killed that man.”
“But you didn't and even had you of killed him, it wouldn't have been your fault. It's not as if you were aware of your own strength, it's not as if you set out to kill that man. You were defending yourself and in the process you discovered that you're one of the strongest people in the world.”
“I wouldn't go that far.”
Susan laughed. “I would. Anyone that can lift a truck off the ground is pretty strong to me.”
Christine nodded.
“Listen, if you aren't ready that's fine, whatever, but you better evaluate yourself. We need your abilities out in the field. I get that you're an excellent analyst, but there's going to come a time when we need your strength. There's going to come a time when we need your leadership and I must be certain that I can count on you. If I can't trust you, you're no good to me.”
“Susan!” Dr. Connors said.
“It's okay sir, she's right.”
Susan headed for the door. “Let me know when we're ready.”
“Where are you going?” Dr. Connors asked.
“To change. If you want to meet Commander Sullivan, you need to be prepared for everything, and right now, I'm not prepared.” Susan walked out of the room and headed back to her private quarters to get ready for a confrontation that could easily escalate.
“Are you okay?” Dr. Connors asked after Susan took her leave.
“Yeah, believe it or not, I appreciate Susan's bluntness. She doesn't hold back. She pushes herself to the limit, and she expects the same level of commitment from those around her. I can't help but admire her.”
“She is right when she said this isn't your fault. What happened was unfortunate, but it's because of situations like yours that we do what we do. These abilities are hard to understand and better yet, control. Not everyone that uses these abilities use them with the intention to harm and that's what we need to make certain Commander Sullivan understands,” Dr. Connors said.
“Sir, we're landing,” Tommy said.
“Understood. Is the tracker on Commander Sullivan still active?”
“Yes sir, I'm sending the coordinates to your phone as we speak.”
Dr. Connors felt the left side of his pants vibrate. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
“Where is he?” Christine asked.
“At the park,” Dr. Connors said.
Christine raised an eyebrow. “That seems like an odd location for the head of a secret government agency to be.”
“True, but let's be honest, we've seen odder things occur this past year.”
Christine laughed. “Past year? Try past week.”
The two shared a laugh. Christine followed Dr. Connors out of his quarters and back into the control room.
“How are we looking?” Dr. Connors asked Tommy once everyone gathered back into the control room.
“We're ready to go whenever you are sir.”
Dr. Connors glanced around the room. “I hope by the end of the day we'll be allies with this government agency. If for whatever reason something happens to us, Christine is in charge. You follow her lead as if it was mine.”
Susan joined the group dressed for combat. She wore a sleek leather zip up body armor suit that housed a holster on her waist and a second holster by her leg.
Dr. Connors looked at her and chuckled with amusement. Here it was he had two men in his unit and it was the small Asian woman that was his fiercest warrior. He then turned his attention towards Mia and James. “You two be careful out there. Do what you can to bring Lucas in, but I don't want any unnecessary exposure on you guys.”
“Don't worry sir, we'll take care of it,” Mia said.
Dr. Connors nodded. He looked around the room again and beamed with pride. A year ago the group that stood before him were nothing more than runaways. Nothing more than a group of individuals seeking safety from a world that feared them. But now they were a team. Now they were a group of individuals determined to protect the Post Human race from those that would do it harm.
Dr. Connors looked towards Susan and Cayde. “You two ready?” They both nodded. “Alright, let's get this over with.” Dr. Connors turned his attention to Christine. “Get the ship back here as soon as you can. Try to stay off the radar as much as possible.”
“Sir, are you sure you don't want us to wait until the mission is over?”
Dr. Connors smiled. “Don't worry Christine, we'll be fine. Besides, with Susan here, I'm pretty sure they'll be the ones needing backup.�
�
Dr. Connors, Susan and Cayde walked over to the hangar bay section of the ship and stood still. Christine waited until they were all in position and opened the door. Cayde closed his eyes and grimaced as the strong wind hit his face. “Tommy!”
“Yeah?”
“You need to work on some sort of beaming technology or something, because this skydiving thing we got going isn't going to work for me too much longer!”
“I'm working on it.”
“Well, work faster!” Cayde shouted and with that said, he jumped out of the plane, followed by Susan and Dr. Connors. “Have I ever told you guys I'm ridiculously afraid of heights?”
“What?” Dr. Connors shouted. The strong wind that blew made it very difficult for Dr. Connors to hear anything that was said.
“I said-”
“Stop talking Cayde, concentrate on landing safely!” Susan shouted. Susan put her hands by her side and positioned herself in a form that resembled a human missile. She shot down to the ground and pulled on the cord. Susan was the first to land, and she did so perfectly. Dr. Connors was next, he too landed with no trouble. The two looked up into the sky and noticed Cayde struggle to get the cord pulled. “What is he doing?” Susan asked.
“Something's wrong with his cord. Cayde can you hear me?” Dr. Connors got no answer. “Cayde? Do you hear me?” Cayde descended with increased velocity. “He's not going to make it!”
Dr. Connor’s face was paler than normal as he watched Cayde plummeted. He watched in horror as Cayde struggled to get his shoot to open.
Finally, after several attempts, Cayde was able to pull on his cord and get the shoot to open. He came in far too hot and as a result, hit the ground hard. He rolled several times before coming to a stop.
Dr. Connors and Susan rushed over to check on his status. “Cayde!” Dr. Connors called out, but received no answer. Susan easily outran Dr. Connors and reached Cayde first. Cayde laid face down and there was no sign of movement.
“Cayde!” Susan said. She rolled Cayde over and to her surprise, he had a big smile on his face.
Slowly, Cayde made it to his feet.
“Oh, thank God!” Dr. Connors said when he made it to them and saw that Cayde was still alive.
The Ascendants: Genesis Page 4
