Preternaturals: A Superhero Thriller Read online

  Senator Alan concluded his monolog, capping his words with a final appeal. “These preternaturally-endowed humans pose an immediate and significant risk to the American people, and there are no known agencies that can currently deal with their threat. If we are to leave these beings to the jurisdiction of Homeland security, we are tasking an already understaffed agency with the impossible. How can normal people be expected to combat such a menace?”

  Another senator, Moore from Alabama, stood and addressed the speaker. From the first word, a tone of incredulity dripped from his voice. “Do you expect us to believe that these anecdotes represent a larger threat?” the senator asked. He seemed to gain strength as others looked to him. “I see nothing more than a few wayward souls capitalizing on their unique talents.”

  Jack grimaced. The man had a point. The internet was filled with unusual stories and videos, and the media had captured moments of super-powered crime, but they indicated nothing more than the antics of a select few. The news channels may be filled with coverage, but the issue was not necessarily one for special government intervention.

  Recent preternatural events had captured the public’s attention, but there was nothing menacing about them beyond the obvious threat. They were like any other American tragedy, be it a school shooting or a spree of serial murders. They had ended the speculation surrounding preternaturally-endowed humans, proving them to exist, but little more was known. There was no organization, no conspiracy. They sprung from the acts of individuals being selfish, sociopathic, and human.

  The chamber filled with the white noise of many voices adding their assent or disagreement. The subcommittee was scrambling, trying to predict the implications of action and inaction. For many members, the knowledge of these preternaturals was more than they could handle, let alone create a plan to manage.

  The Kentuckian responded to Moore, but the floodgates had opened. The arguments escalated, and many senators shouted into the flurry of comments. Jack did nothing but sit and tune them out, trying to think. He had something of a head start on his colleagues, and he wondered how to best capitalize upon it. How would his plan be best received?

  He listened to the adversarial chatter a while longer, but seeing little progress, he banged the gavel and ended the session. The men rose and shuffled out, all leaving unsatisfied. Jack packed up and exited as well. Their words rang in his head as he left the building.

  The public was frustrated with them, and they with themselves. Few had believed in the existence of preternaturals, let alone foreseen their obvious hazard. The recent disasters seemed inevitable now, but a few months ago, the problem had been much easier to ignore. Despite Jack’s attempts, nothing had been done.

  He stepped to the waiting limousine and nodded to his driver, Phillip, standing beside the door.

  “How did it go?” Phillip asked, as Jack ducked inside.

  Jack shook his head, sat back, and sighed.

  Phillip needed no more response than that. The back door closed, and he made his way to the driver’s side.

  Settling into his leather seat, Jack tried to relax. The limousine’s luxury helped to soothe him, and he tried to avail himself of its comforts. Pouring himself a brandy, he took a few sips and waited for the stress to bleed away.

  It didn’t seem to oblige.

  “You could always tell them,” Phillip said, easing into the driver’s seat. “If they knew…”

  “You know I can’t.” Jack stared out the window while speaking. All but his words relived that night and rethought his decision. “I’ve done enough as it is.”

  “This isn’t your fault, Jack.”

  The senator couldn’t speak, taking another healthy swig of his warm liquor. He knew how his friend and longtime employee felt in the matter. He also knew the facts. There had been unforeseen consequences, for which he should have been prepared. He should have known.

  Chapter Two

  Three days later, two men followed their routine path through an underground complex outside the city. The route had been quiet so far, and as the guards walked down the narrow corridor, they wondered the point of their vigilance. It was true that in years past, the army base had seen action, but within the last decade, military resources had trickled away, and the security patrols now seemed to give the place its sole life. Where once troops and scientists came and went with frenzied activity, empty halls remained.

  “You catch the game last night?” one asked, trying to break the stillness.

  “Nah,” the other replied. “My in-laws were over for dinner. I missed the whole thing.”

  They continued walking. Rows of florescent lighting hung from a ceiling of metal mesh, casting uneasy shadows down upon them. Corroded piping ran horizontally along the wall to their right, plummeting at regular intervals into the concrete floor. Darkness spilled from each juncture, the weak light leaving nothing but the outer halves of each tube visible. The guards passed with a peaceful nonchalance, shining their flashlights little into the manmade gloom.

  “Who won?”

  “Silverfish at the buzzer. It was a good one. Kirby was on fire.”

  They chatted as they walked, not seeing the oval of green light appear within one of the metal alcoves. A figure, not quite man-shaped, stepped from the shadow, the oval light becoming a single eye set into his bronze-colored helmet. He took a step towards them.

  Despite their surprise, the guards reacted with a lethal efficiency. They drew their pistols and fired, bullets ringing within the confining walls. The sounds of ricocheted lead filled the corridor.

  Their aim was accurate, but the intruder did not fall. In fact, the opposite occurred. The armored man watched as the shooters slumped to the floor, struck by the return trajectories of their own attacks. Blood gushed from their wounds, and steam burst from new holes along the broken pipes. The hall filled with obscuring clouds, but the solitary eye beamed an eerie green as the intruder made his way further into the complex. Soon, he appeared nothing more than a silhouette within the vapor.

  The mercenary, known as the Aegis, had infiltrated the place with relative ease. His target rested just beyond the next intersection, but one last obstacle remained between them. A pair of automated sentry guns waited to shred anyone stepping near.

  He considered them a mere annoyance. The steam would mask his approach, but it mattered little. He held no fear of their firepower. Extending his invisible force shield, he turned the corner.

  The mounted miniguns spun in response to his presence, spitting shell casings by the pound. The corridor lit in a dazzling cacophony of sparks as the white-hot bullets bounced from their target. The Aegis strolled into the fray, purposeful but unhurried. As he neared, the guns began to smoke, the stress of prolonged fire overcoming them. He passed, listening as their control circuits began to sizzle.

  A door was ahead, and his prize behind it. He moved on.

  Compressed air hissed as he rotated the release wheel. A seal broke, and the opened door revealed a tiny room inside, nothing more than a closet containing a single, reinforced barrel. The Aegis reached into a compartment along his waist and withdrew a small device. Affixing it to the barrel with the care of a wine connoisseur, he adjusted and activated the portable spigot. Its laser probe melted an appropriate opening, and liquid fed through the valve.

  He turned the handle, and a glob of boiling, green liquid dripped. The Aegis positioned a smaller, portable container under the flow, and allowed the spoils to slide nicely inside. Once filled, he capped the capsule and reattached it to his armor. His contraband secured, he turned to make his escape.

  Leaving the room and walking down the hall, the sentry guns again fired. He paid them no heed, and they accomplished even less than before. He retraced his steps, stepping over the guards’ bodies and the pools of blood growing around them. The halls were quiet except for his footsteps clanging upon the floor. Within minutes, he came to a ladder, and climbed. At its top, the exit door stood before him.

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nbsp; He opened it and stepped into the sharp contrast of bright daylight. His armor reflected mirror-like in the full force of the sun’s rays, copper-colored fittings surrounding each joint with an insect-like flair. The armor appeared seamless, adding an alien aspect to his otherwise human shape. Only the green lights shining from his head and shoulders broke the uniformity, and as the wind blew, a hazy distortion marked the bubble of unseen force surrounding him. With the merchandise secured within, nothing could touch it.

  Taking a few more steps into the direct radiance of the noonday sun, something flashed down from the heavens. He reacted in time to see the lamp post meet his body with the arc of a golf swing, but its angle of force caught him off guard. He was struck, and the momentum launched him into the air, crashing him hard against a building yards away. The impact left a small crater in the wall of the structure, and splinters of concrete fell around him as he recovered.

  Looking up, the Aegis spotted his attacker, and rose to counter. He pushed himself from the impression, the building behind shuddering as it adjusted to its new structural feature.

  Hovering in the blue sky, a man floated twenty feet from the ground. Crimson straps crisscrossed his grey flight suit, securing the jetpack that allowed his flight. A swath of mussed hair sprouted from his goggled head.

  The Aegis recognized him. He was the government white-hat called SkyRise.

  “Surrender, Aegis,” the man commanded, hovered ten feet above the ground. His words came in a cool, strong tone. “That’s property of the United States Government.”

  The Aegis remained quiet, taking a few more steps toward his opponent. The man still held the offending lamp post, and adjusting a dial upon his chest, swooped in for another strike.

  This time, the mercenary was ready. He stood motionless, altering the shape of his shield and allowing the weapon to strike it and bounce away.

  The change made all of the difference, and while SkyRise didn’t yet know it, he now attacked at the wrong angle. None of his attempts would budge the armored preternatural, leaving the Aegis free to continue his exit from the grounds. He was struck again and again by the government’s errand boy, but paid no mind to the assault. The capsule would soon be delivered, and his contract fulfilled.

  SkyRise soon learned the uselessness of his attacks, slamming the metal shaft to no effect. Frustrated, he shot into the air again, and with a double-handed grip, brought the lamp post down across the man’s armored head. The post parted, and its two battered halves fell into rubble.

  Weaponless, the hero leapt high above the surrounding trees. He gained a sufficient altitude, and altered his flight to build some distance as well. When far enough away, he turned and watched the mercenary for a moment, before blasting at him in a fierce, angled dive. His body became a missile as he tensed and held both fists outward.

  The attack was well on target, hitting the Aegis in the back, but the blow glanced off the slippery force wall. The soldier was dumped to the ground, and he rolled as his speed dissipated.

  Rather than take advantage of his downed foe however, the Aegis continued his escape. He walked through the gate surrounding the complex, and exited to the street beyond. A few, stray bullets from the security tower glanced off of him, but went unnoticed. He was in no danger, and confrontations, while unavoidable, lay outside the core parameters of this job.

  A shadow fell across his path, blotting out the sun before exploding on impact in front of him. The former barrel of gasoline sent fire whirling around his body in the sudden updraft, and for a brief instant, the Aegis squinted as the brightness flared. Then, the billowing flames lessened, and he exited unhurt. The attack had no effect.

  One last time, SkyRise plowed into the Aegis’ protective barrier. He battered the energy shell with a barrage of punches and kicks, each blow forceful, inhumanly so, but not unforeseen. The mercenary made no attempts at dodging as his adversary again laid into him.

  After minutes of delay, the Aegis raised an arm and jabbed at the control box mounted on the hero’s chest. With mortal strength, he couldn’t do much damage, but it was enough. The box broke apart and sparked, reasserting gravity’s hold upon the flying hero and sapping some of his power. Another quick backhand to the jaw sent him spinning to the ground.

  Stepping over the prone body, the Aegis continued his steady escape. If anyone was left conscious or alive, they could do nothing but watch him go.

  __________

  Jack’s stomach flip-flopped as he read the report about the break in. This was the last straw. It was uncertain how much power the last of the liquid possessed, but it was precious nonetheless. The theft meant that secrets had been revealed, and evil was again alive and growing. He looked toward his fellow senators.

  “Gentleman,” he said as he walked to the podium, watching the faces of political friend and foe alike. There was no turning back now; the committee would have to act. “This growing epidemic has been allowed to spread unchecked for far too long. We have been lax in our judgment, allowing a grave danger to be unleashed upon the American people. A danger which we could have avoided.” He looked into their eyes, drilling his stare into his most stalwart opposition. “But I am not here to lay blame. We must look to the future. This threat has been uncovered, and it remains our duty to take action.”

  Thick packets of bound paper were passed across the seating area, stopping one by one as each politician received the printed plan. Many grumbled in their seats, whispering their unease. Most knew of Senator Williams’ ideas, and held unfavorable opinions toward them, but recent events had buttressed the plan, removing the possibility of denial. In times of peace, his designs could be swept away. At present however, they seemed the best and most immediate option.

  “As you all know, my idea is simple,” Jack continued. “I propose we create a special operations team, recruited from the ranks of the preternaturals themselves. These recruits will be trained to track, manage, and prevent future preternatural events, using their distinct abilities to protect the public, and the world at large.”

  Jack allowed them to digest the notion. He didn’t add that the real trick came with its implementation. Even if approved, a million logistical problems faced the senator in making it work, but by some stroke of luck, he’d found an answer to many of those questions already. He smiled, motioning to his aids in the back of the room. This particular answer had a name.

  “I’d like to introduce our first volunteer.” A door was opened, and a young woman ushered in. She took a moment to get her bearings, then walked down the center aisle, coming to a stop beside him.

  “This is Sibyl,” he said, his flat hand piercing the air as a way of introduction. The young woman curtseyed, pulling ripples in the white, satin robe which covered most of her body. Large, violet eyes gleamed from under a thin hood. She pulled it back, sensing their desire for a better look. Under it rested more whiteness, her bald head as soft and pale as baby powder. Even the most discerning eye found difficulty in finding where her robes ended and her slender neck began.

  “She is a preternatural, her gifts dealing with the mind.”

  The group shuffled, more aware of their thoughts than ever. One of them stood, Kane from Wyoming, voicing his outrage. “This is highly out of the ordinary.”

  “Now, now,” Jack waved him down. “Your assumptions are false. She is no mind reader. I have commissioned her to find the others affected, and she has agreed to do exactly that. She has no interest in your secrets, even if she had the skills to extract them.” He looked over to her with a grin.

  She blushed, at last adding a hint of color to her pale flesh.

  “My technicians have been working on a machine that will enhance Miss Sybil’s abilities, allowing her to search the population for those with preternatural gifts. We will find and catalog these individuals, and use this information to help them deal with their talents, to recruit them to our team, and to aid in criminal investigations.”

  Jack had already spent
a considerable amount of time and money backing this project. If the rest of the committee didn’t favor it now, who knew when another opportunity would present itself. He watched his colleagues from the podium. “You see, gentlemen. She is the key to our future security.”

  He had planned pauses in his speech, opening opportunities for questions or feedback. Each was met with silence. The other members didn’t like the plan, but the committee had few other options. His was the most effective route to controlling and eliminating the preternatural threat. He knew it, and so did they. If he could deliver what he promised, these legislators would appear heroes to their constituents, moving with quick and decisive action. All he needed was their simple approval, and the success or failure of the project rested upon his shoulders. The plan offered everything: opportunity and deniability.

  Jack finished his plea, continuing to study the faces around the room. He left the podium and returned to his seat, and as he lowered himself into the chair, the vote was called. The screen at his desk displayed two columns of numbers, and he added his own to the affirmative tally. If his colleagues knew what was best for them, they would do the same.

  Chapter Three

  After the vote, Sibyl could sense a feeling of triumph emanate from the senator as he sat across from her in the back of his limousine. This project was important to him, the most important thing that he had done in a long time. Its passing represented a great achievement, but also the beginning of a long, hard road and a crucial test of her abilities. Despite Jack’s confidence, Sybil hoped she was ready.

  The plans relied much on her abilities, and the project’s approval meant that she would be putting them to the test, something for which she held no real aspiration. Stepping into another’s mind was difficult and fraught with danger; egos and dark desires twisted inside each. She understood them in her own way, but each foray left mental stains upon her. The stray motives and emotions were hard to remove.