Adam waited until the C-W Tech ARC fusion Reactor had been installed and operational before he finally agreed to hold a team meeting to talk about the price tag attached to it.
He explained about how safe it was and, despite its relatively compact size, how it could effectively power the city of Wessex. Then the question he’d been dreading – why had the Challenger-Wildeman family given it to them? What was the price task?
Taking a deep breath, Adam explained that Max Challenger-Wildeman has agreed a deal with both the Israeli and Palestinian governments to allow C-W Tech to build industrial-sized working power stations for free using the Fusion ARC technology developed by his father. This is on the understanding that Israel’s older Nuclear power stations are demolished and decommissioned and that all three locations (including the West Bank) have their own ARC reactors (and access to their own desalination plants) and take access to safe, clean energy and fresh water out of the political equation. ARC reactors are considered one of the safest methods of energy generation in the known universe and cannot be used as a nuclear weapon.
The older members of the family were going across to Israel in the next few weeks and they had received several death threats from all sides for collaboration with the ‘enemy’ as well as several attempts already to sabotage or destroy the installations.
Max would like the Balance to accompany them on their visit (it would be for about a month in total) and act as their highly visible protection whilst the Israeli Shin Bet Department of Internal Security would provide their own less visible support.
It would also require them to liaise with the primary Israeli superhero group Sabra.
Palestine doesn’t officially have an authorised super team to liaise with, as Israel has officially banned any and all such groups as terrorists.
Adam continued, “Would you be willing to agree to the Challenger-Wildeman offer pretty please so we can retain the Reactor?”
After a quick discussion, the team agreed, though it raised the question of just how many death threats had the team received themselves and Sam rushing off to check with Frankie. They were not totally surprised to discover they had a few, received on their public email (as well as several very mixed messages from Death Metal for Chrono!).
It was about a week later that the group received a call from Bethany. She refused to say the outcome of her emancipation court case other than she wasn’t totally happy about it. The case was now concluded though there were appeals being filed and again she admitted she hadn’t been happy that the decision was taken to hold it in private. Due to her age, the court had decided that a blanket ban on media coverage be imposed by the Court. She acknowledged that doesn’t necessarily prevent Bethany (though not her father) from announcing the court decision, no newspaper or media outlet in the UK would be able to report it.
She quickly changed the conversation and asked if, whilst travelling to Israel (to the team’s surprise she already knew about the offer and hinted that she may even have suggested it to Max) could they accompany her to Gibraltar where she will be holding both a party and a news announcement?
Aura also asks if she can go with them, as she would like to visit with her grandfather who was Gibraltarian before she joined the other Amazons at Claremont Academy at the start of next term.
Jeeves quietly pointed out that he wanted to take some time off so he could accompany Donna and the girls to Doctor Avery’s home in the Ardennes and help get them settled.
A week later, the Raft took off and followed Bethany’s Grav-Vehicle to Gibraltar.
Adam landed at the airport and elected to stay in the town whilst the team headed up the Rock. Akira elected to taken a crossbow with him ‘just in case’.
The press conference (and subsequent party) was planned to take place at St. Michael’s Cave surrounded by a troop of monkeys.
When they arrived at the entrance to St. Michael’s cave, the press had already started to arrive and set-up. The cave itself had been set out for the party and the entrance and visitors centre had been laid out for a major press conference. Bethany and Aura were already there when they arrived.
Before the press conference could begin there was the sound from the sky of jets which chased the monkeys away and scattered the gathered press as several similarly armoured figures dropped from the air as well as one that was built like a robotic tank.
Two immediately started to direct the gathered press back down the mountain whilst the heavily armoured figure crashed through the edge of the building. The rest all looked similarly armed and armoured with a number on the chest except for the heavy armoured who had the figure 8 on its chest who set up as the perimeter. The human sized armoured figure with the gold number 1 on its chest stepped forward and told the remaining people to “get down the mountain fast, we’re only here for one person.” Another of the figures stepped forward and said “give her up; we’re only here to take her back!”
Aura immediately said that they must be there to recapture her and ran with Bethany into the caves. As the rest of the people ran out and down the mountain. Sam wasn’t convinced that Aura was the target and told the others to keep an eye on Bethany as well.
The Heavily armoured figure was too large to fit down the entrance so established itself on the surface with two of the other armoured figures who started to look through the people for their target.
Mary summoned her harp and began to play a calming lullaby in front of the entrance whilst Akira headed after the girls and catching up on them in the main cave where he put his arm round Aura, turned both her and himself invisible.
Sam also headed down into the cave trying to talk calmly to the advancing armoured figures – the Power Corps he realised. Blocking any chance of them getting passed him.
One of armoured figures, number 5, seemed faster than the others and rushed passed Mary apparently unaffected by her lullaby, slowing only to drop a gas grenade forcing Mary to change into Banshee. To her surprise instead of being affected by the explosion in her gaseous state, she changed fully insubstantial and as long as she held her breath was unaffected by either the gas or the explosion! Seemed they’d all received a power boost after their last adventure! The gas cloud also rendered her effectively invisible.
Inside the cave, Akira mystically altered Sam’s appearance into Aura’s doppelgänger, though Sam was unaware of it, as the leader rushed in. He saw ‘Aura’ and pushed her aside and headed straight towards Bethany. Sam picked himself of the ground and spoke “I’m only going to say this once…” and unleashed a fear roar… to no effect!
Two more armoured figures headed down after Number 1 but Banshee reached out and unleashed a shriek that weakened their leg servos before heading down the cave herself.
In the meantime, Akira elected to push Aura away and grabbed Bethany pulling her into his invisibility ‘bubble’ whilst activating his force field. To Number 1, a second Aura suddenly appeared out of nowhere. “What the..?”
The faster armoured figure rans over to check and bumped into the invisible shield unleashing a gauntlet blast into the barrier, which battered but didn’t thankfully pierce the force field.
Number 1 immediately grabbed at the nearest ‘Aura’ – and Sam played the illusion for all it was worth and then followed up the playacting by unleashing a fiery blast that shattered the illusion whilst damaging Number 1’s neck joint and also catching one of the others mechanical spine, seizing up the servos.
Banshee came in behind and attacked the other figure again unleashing a weaken cry on it again. One of the legs were completely frozen in the attack.
Two more armoured figures arrived at the top of the cave only to suddenly be seized by Akira’s mystical Theurgical-Kinesis and slammed together rendering one completely unconscious and the other damaged but still able to move. Unfortunately to do so, he had to drop his invisibility allowing 5 to fire a rocket at him knocking both him and Bethany still inside their force barrier against the cave wall but didn’t breach the shield.
Number 1 responded to the attack by Sam by trying to crush him, only for Sam to manage to twist off his helmet revealing the head of a greying older man with a buzz cut.
Mary responded to the rocket attack by running at 5, turning substantial so she could grab hold of him and then turning both of them insubstantial and flying towards the back of the cave. Unfortunately, she couldn’t manage to keep hold of him and he fell away but it gave Akira the opportunity to unleash a mystical blast at Mercury, through Banshee!
With the leaders helmet removed, Sam tried draconic suggestion telling him to “stand down as the mission had failed!” In response, the partially frozen number 2 unleashed a rocket at Akira dazing him and blowing him backwards but he managed to protect Bethany whilst Banshee weakened Silver with a powerful shriek.
Sam’s suggestion started to work on the leader who then told everyone to stand down, they were no longer in any condition to complete the mission anyway but reminded the Balance that his remaining team on the surface was unaffected and so in a sense it was a stalemate.
Sam calmly asked who was behind the deal. “Sorry we’re mercenaries; if we give out details like that we’d never be employed again. But, perhaps we could agree a deal? You let us go, we tell you where we were going to take the girl and we stay out of comms contact for say an hour?”
Akira picked up Number 1’s helmet and said “we’ll keep this just to make sure “and tapped the helmet’s comm unit. Number one nodded and said “Party’s a bust anyway, agreed.”
Akira smirked and said “Not the first boring party we’ve been to” only to turn round and find Bethany standing behind them.
Before they left, the Power Corps leader found himself surprised again when Sam asked him for his contact details in case they ever needed to employ them at a future date. After some discussion, he agreed to provide them with a dead drop in London and taking his group on to the surface explained to the three above that the mission had failed and they were leaving. Two of the crew were loaded onto the broad back of 8 (or Lead as 1 or Gold referred to him) and they immediately blasted off.
Leaving the Police and Bethany to resolve the damage and explain what had happened, the team immediately headed towards the location given to them by Gold; a 65-foot yacht moored off the coast of Tangiers. It was decided that the Raft would stay in the air and Akira and Sam would fly down under a spell of illusion as Bethany and Gold though who would be who was the subject of much debate between the two of them.
Eventually they started to drop – spotting two figures they recognised on deck, Blackheart and Pyro (without pizza this time) from Dalton’s Defenders.
Akira was having issues maintaining the illusion and decided to change who would be who for the thirds time in as many seconds.
Whilst Akira and Sam were dropping down towards the yacht, Banshee went under the water and found she could now flow through solid objects like the hull whilst insubstantial and found EMP and Sir Damien Dalton on-board. As they cry went out that Gold was arriving. Dalton wanted to know why Gold wasn’t responding to the agreed communications protocol and ordered EMP to initialise Project Trojan… Banshee materialised and passed on the information before phasing through the hull and dropping down into the depths. Beneath the yacht she could see several unusual designed submarines each bearing the Labyrinth symbol. Trojan?
On the deck ‘Gold’ delivered ‘Bethany’ to Sir Dalton and he immediately authorised a bank transfer of the remaining £1 million fee to a Swiss bank account (Gold was getting his bonus anyway it seemed) and dismissed him. Not sure what else to do, Sam started to leave.
As he left a dark haired, green-eyed woman came on deck and put her hand on ‘Bethany’s’ shoulder. Both Sam and Akira recognised her; from television. Victoria Pryde, CEO of Siren Beauty and the founder of the Pryde Foundation with its Pryde Institute for Troubled meta-Teens; the PITT!
“Ah, is this her? You’ll be coming with me young lady..?” Suddenly she shouted out, “This isn’t Bethany” and unexpectedly her skin started to alter into metal scales and a blade emerged from her wrist; some form of cyborg..?
The illusion dropped and Sam changed back as did Akira.
Dalton shouted up “This ends now. I have recently assumed dual nationality and am now protected by international law as I have Carpathian diplomatic immunity. Any attack on me or my team would be considered an act of terrorism against Carpathia. You’ve won this round, I’ll give you that, so leave. Just be aware it’s not over.”
It appeared Dalton was looking to kidnap his own daughter and possibly to brainwash her. It had also confirmed that the involvement with Labyrinth before wasn’t due to the creature in his head.
Back on shore Bethany revealed to the team that she had won her case for emancipation from her father but he succeeded in in imposing a press embargo on the decision or revealing the reasons why the case went against him. He was currently seeking to appeal the decision again on the grounds of her supposed mental instability. However not everything had went Bethany’s way; she was declared too young to look after herself and the judge rejected her suggestion that the Challenger-Wildeman family could be her guardians; instead she will be looked after by a cousin on her mother’s side who was Gibraltarian. However, she had agreed to allow her to attend boarding school in England – not the Pryde Institute they checked, but at Claremont Academy.
At the press conference Bethany didn’t not mention that it was her father behind the attempted kidnapping but did reveal that she recently won her ‘freedom’ from her father Sir Damien Dalton on the grounds of long-term child neglect. In future, she would no longer be living with him but would instead be living here on Gibraltar with a family member when not attending school back in England and hoped the press would respect her need for personal privacy, hinting that her father might be a better story to pursue.
The party didn’t happen but the Balance elected to meet with the local police and a grey-looking Government official to explain what had happened.
Superhero Adventures, UK Style 