Secret War / Labyrinth Pt I
The team prepared the Crate for its trip to Switzerland with Akira loading one of the freeze guns on-board as a good luck charm. Before they set off, they agreed to contact the national superhero team, The Swiss Guard, and inform them that they would be visiting Zurich on a fact-finding mission, and could they liaise with the local authorities on their behalf? It was a courtesy call but one that should hopefully prevent problems later if things went sideways.
Having resolved protocol, they set off but still hadn’t decided what they were going to do when they landed. Should they just turn up and request a meeting with someone, or..?
In the end, they decided that forewarning the company would not be beneficial to their proposed investigation. After all, all they had was a connection between Labys and the covert storage of the power suits and then there was the presence of some doubtful people like ‘weaselly’ Sir Damien Dalton, Yuri Moloyev of the Russian Mafiya and Victoria Pryde on their Board.
Labys Headquarters was situated just west of the city centre, in the Kreis 5 district, also known as Zürich West. The area had been transformed from an industrial area into a bustling hub of creativity and entertainment. This vibrant neighbourhood was now home to trendy art galleries, avant-garde theatres, and chic boutiques as well as a number of financial businesses. The tower that housed Labys main office was located close to Zurich’s famous Prime Tower though smaller at only 30 storeys tall.
The team had decided to go in under the radar, via the top floor in full stealth mode before making their way to the servers and hopefully sending a copy of any data they might uncover to Frankie for analyse. The best laid plans…
It was impossible to see what was located on each floor as each of the windows also served as solar panels and from the outside were completely opaque, though transparent from inside but, by tradition, management was usually located on the top floor. They headed to the 30th floor and Banshee tried to phase them through the walls only to be rebuffed by some sort of energy field that surrounded the building. X-Ray tried to use his powers to bypass the energy system only to discover that something prevented him from closing it down, an incorporated mystical element according to Banshee that combined with the tech to create what would normally be an insurmountable barrier.
It just wasn’t Balance-proof.
If X-Ray couldn’t bypass it and Banshee couldn’t phase through it then Akira would circumvent it by portalling into another dimension using the Airts of Ahgrazul to guide them on the winding coils between worlds to their intended destination on the inside of the building once he had utilised his blade pendant to cut open a path. They stepped through and, after a brief few moments of disorientation, stepped out into the corridor, materialising by a lift. There was a sign on the wall proclaiming what was located on each floor. The file storage and server room were located on the 29th floor but it was the 28th floor that surprised them with its proclaimed manufacturing facilities. Who puts a manufacturing facility in their administrative headquarters and especially on one of the top floors? It peeked their interest in what they were manufacturing here. Before Banshee phased them through the floor, Akira drew their attention to the armed guards located outside a glass-walled board room on this level. Did this mean that the Board of Directors were inside? They flowed past the guards and phased through into the boardroom.
Inside, sitting round the long table were eight men and two women, the Labys Board of Directors in situ. They recognised Sir Damian Dalton, Victoria Pryde and Alexander Helmes, the CEO of SpartaCorp – though the others addressed him as Mordecai. Did this mean that Mordecai Holmz, the secretive, never seen head of Leonidas Industries, was also the same person as Alexander Helmes? It did make some sort of sense given that both companies were supposedly in competition and the monopolies commission would never ever agree to the companies working together, not least because both companies often competed against each other for contracts. If true, it did confirm that many of the large military contracts they were competing for were fixed between them.
Sitting next to him was a big man, his arms completely covered in tattoos, smoking a large cigar that made Akira gag. They recognised him as Yuri Moloyev known for his connections to the Russian Mafiya. Unfortunately, they were all talking German though clearly several people were using translation devices to enable them to participate.
As none of the Balance spoke German, X-Ray sent a signal to ask Frankie to download German translation program into their Commdots. As the translator software settled in, they realised that under discussion was the loss of ‘stock’ from their warehouses in Paris as well as across the UK. Warehouses in Paris was news to the team but hardly surprising if they were preparing to battle a planet-wide attacker. Akira did wonder who’d attacked the Parisian warehouse (or warehouses?) – The Power Corps, Mekha Prime or the Gendarmerie?
As they listened in, they realised that a large muscular giant of a figure was stepping out of the shadows at the far end of the chamber. Eight feet tall and clothed in an exquisitely tailored suit was a bull-headed individual, the legendary Minotaur brought to life.
He nodded at the seated board members and said in cultured English, “We have guests’ gentlemen and ladies, please use English for their benefit.”
The others all went quiet as they looked around the room trying to see where the ‘guests’ were.
The minotaur continued, “Welcome, no need to stay concealed, we’re all ‘friends’ here, or at least, we share a common enemy and what do they say about an enemy of my enemy? As I’m sure you have uncovered, the Earth is at risk of an interdimensional invasion again. Terminus is again planning to attack just as they tried in ‘76 and again in 2009 but this time they plan to turn the meta-human population against the rest of humanity using the Silver Storm and their control bugs.
The enemy is at the gates and we few are all that stand against the dark and the dismantlement of our planet. Surely it would be sensible to work together to prevent that?”
As he spoke, Akira used his mystical senses to check out the room. It too was mystically shielded even as he heard X-Ray whisper that the minotaur-like figure hadn’t got a heartbeat.
Realising his cover was blown but not sure whether this creature knew how many of them were present, Akira elected to materialise alone and see if anyone realised that the others were still present despite being phased and invisible? As he materialised alone, the minotaur smiled and gestured towards the still invisible pair and said, “and your friends?”
Akira smiled back, “I don’t have any friends, acquaintances sure, but friends?”
As he spoke, Banshee and X-Ray materialised beside him. Whether he had actually sensed their presence or it had been a bluff, who could say? It had worked; there was no advantage in staying concealed any longer.
Akira used the situation to ask him why he hadn’t got a heartbeat. “I’m immortal” was the instant reply. “Why would I need a heart? Just something to break or pierce?” He looked at Banshee and X-Ray and muttered, “So you are the Balance I take it. It’s good to know you have some useful skills. As you have no doubt guessed, we are Labyrinth. I am known as Taurus.
Collectively we stand between this world and its destruction at the hands of Terminus and just maybe we can acquire power and a little money in the process.”
“How much money?” asked a curious Akira. “Well we ‘own’ Switzerland and control a few other countries from the shadows as well. It has proved useful in the past,” replied Taurus.
Akira asked, “So why do you need our help then?” Taurus looked at him, his head tilted. “We don’t, you came to us, though as I said previously the enemy of my enemy and working with us might prove useful don’t you think?
Perhaps you would like a tour? It might be educational for you.”
The four of them left the board to continue with their business meeting and headed to the lift where they were joined by five Foundry Knights. That confirmed something they had always suspected.
The Foundry was believed to be strictly a supplier of information and equipment to the criminal fraternity: weapons both technological and biological in particular and any crimes they staged were for acquiring technological information, prototypes, or resources they needed to continue their operations. Unlike other organisations, they appeared to have no political or social agenda, and were supposedly only interested in profit. However, their presence here was evidence that they were another front for Labyrinth.
“So you want to know about the manufacturing floor I suppose?” Taurus waved his hand at the control panel and the lift started to head down. The lift door opened on a factory that was clearly mass-producing hand tractor devices and scanners intended to identify and remove Terminus control bugs as Taurus explained that they had perfected the formula for paralysing the bugs whilst they were possessing someone and was now mass-producing the drug. This equipment would be distributed worldwide in preparation for an invasion.
Everything they needed to remove a control bug from a victim was being manufactured on this floor and apparently no one outside of Labyrinth knew about it, except them.
Over by the south side of the building was a medical bay where an army of scientists were busy working on the corpse of an Omegadrone, trying to remove or dissect the body. In Terminus, even the dead continued to serve the rulers of the Dyson Sphere.
Taurus wandered over towards the observation window. “This is humanity’s enemy we must defeat. Either the enemy will use our own against us, by taking control of the powered using the control bugs or by deliberately infecting our leaders and rulers, so they betray the rest of us.
We have identified many of those in power who has been infected worldwide, most of whom we have covertly rescued and freed using these devices, but there are still many who are under their control and will have no choice but to turn against us when the invasion starts – the perfect Manchurian candidates if you will.
Your UK Government is currently bug-free but several presidents and their staff around the world aren’t, despite efforts worldwide to carry out secret testing. Thanks to the scanners, we can identify who is under their control and using the drug and tractor beam equipment, we can remove the bugs without killing the hosts. Labyrinth intends to covertly assassinate those we cannot free over the next few months and years if we’re unable to convince their governments to test and remove the control bugs governing their politicians. It’s the only way to ensure the survival of humanity.”
He paused and turned. “The UK has two of the three known major breach sites; these are located in the sky above the Challenger-Wildeman’s tower and above a school in Wessex. The only other portal that’s big enough for a major army to get through is located somewhere in the Middle East. Known as the Well of Souls, it’s supposedly located somewhere in the Empty Quarter in the disputed territory between the Babylonian Caliphate and Akkadia.
There are a number of other breach sites around the world but they are all much smaller and limit the number of drones and equipment they can send through at any one time. If we can bottleneck their attacks, we stand a chance but only if we aren’t having to fight our own fifth columnist leaders and metas at the same time.
We’re still trying to identify all the possible stormers who are susceptible to the control bugs and not all can be saved. Now we’ve been honest with you, where do you stand?“
Akira turned. “Against Terminus but not necessarily with you. You’re a criminal organisation with your own agenda, which includes kidnapping and assassination. Are we supposed to believe you’ve reformed?”
Taurus laughed. “We are a criminal organisation and yes we ultimately want to control this world ourselves but better us than Terminus who will dismantle this world, enslave or kill all of its inhabitants and force them to serve even after death. We at least give people the illusion of choice.
We need to fight fire with fire. We too can create powered individuals using our DNAscendant process, which thanks to DNA samples obtained from the African children we hope will reduce the death rate in those who undergo the process and stabilise their new powers. As they aren’t stormers they lack the pheromones, the kairomones, that attract the control bugs. Give them power armour as well and we have an army, the equal of Terminus, to fight the invaders. Having obtained the DNA samples we needed from those African children they were then sold to the Chinese for their powered transfer process. I hear you rescued them? So what if a few die or lose their freedom if the majority survive the coming war? You have to see the bigger picture and so what if we still profit while doing this?
You have a choice, you can walk away and forget you ever met us or you can resist. What are three more lives against the survival of humanity? No contest as they say. We are the best hope for the survival for this world, our business practices are just a consequence of our continued existence.”
Banshee turned and angrily exclaimed, “The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy. We can’t argue about the need for the survival of humanity but we can risk the consequences of defending what is right.”
Akira nodded in agreement, “We either go along with slavery and murder or we take up arms and oppose it.” X-Ray also nodded, “Suppose we win, what happens after that? They are slavers and murderers and their goal if they succeed is to control this world themselves. There has to be a better way.”
Akira asked if they could go to and see the file room on the other floor as they were offered a guided tour and that was what they wanted to see next. Taurus laughed at the suggestion and explained that, “We have business ventures ongoing that we do not want revealed to yourselves. Best to content yourselves with the information I have elected to reveal so far. So step back or risk our wraith. We will not allow you to interfere with our business interests. We are not some charity or humanitarian agency that needs to demonstrate transparency in their operations, our business interests will continue to function as usual even as we prepare for the invasion and the survival of humanity. It would be bad for business if this world were destroyed. They would literally tear this planet apart to use its resources to expand their own world. That we cannot, will not, allow.
I have lived for thousands of years; I have been the power behind thrones, why would I allow them to destroy that which I already control?”
Akira quickly changed the subject when he saw the Foundry Knights trigger fingers twitch and asked about why they hadn’t received any royalties for the tractor device. Taurus was caught off-guard and was forced to remind them that the device had been created by Adam who’d been an employee on secondment to the team at the time and, as a criminal organisation they felt no desire to be lawful about stealing inventions.
As he spoke, X-Ray noticed a shadowy figure wearing a full facemask in the shadows staring straight at them. He tried to analyse the figure and felt sure that he was looking at an unenhanced human but one possibly with weapons or devices concealed about his body. He interrupted the debate about the wrongness of enslaving children to ask Taurus who the new arrival in the shadows was.
“That is the Professor; he’s here to ensure your compliance. He’s my right-hand man, my eyes in the world given my features do not allow me the ability to mingle freely and openly amongst the masses. But where I cannot go my Professor can and reports back and analyses the information so to benefit us best. It serves his purpose to remain anonymous to all. AS for our businesses, none are powerful enough to stop us and so what if a few children are sold into slavery if we are better equipped to save humanity as a result? The ends justify the means as you say.
As I said before, you have a choice walk away, forget we exist and continue your righteous crusade against the minor league criminals, work WITH us or go to war against us and lose while knowing your actions had been a detriment to the whole of humanity in the long run; your choice.”
Were they willing to risk the destruction of the planet by opposing Labyrinths’ predatory practices?
Meanwhile Taurus was still explaining about how they had worked with others to create meta/mystical hybrid weapons like their old teammate Young Sam and the young storm-powered female Calypso. It seemed that Labyrinth was also working with the Carpathian authorities as well. Their cult of Setekh had created a number of such beings as part of their experimentation. Something to investigate further though their being declared a terrorist organisation by the Carpathians did make investigating that connection a potential issue.
Enough! Daedalus had once claimed that he had met the Minotaur thousands of years before and had stated that that minotaur had been an Atlan immortal but X-Ray had claimed that this version was an android and not that ancient. Something didn’t match up and there was no way they could go along with murdering innocents or enslaving children.
Akira acted first. He turned and blasted Taurus, knocking him straight through the observation window before firing at the nearest Foundry Knight and finally attacking the masked man. The minotaur’s force field activated before he hit the floor, the Knight was thrown across the room but the blast at the Professor passed straight through and melted the wall behind the figure. It was clearly a hologram! However, having alerted his image as to their intentions it was only a matter of time before reinforcements arrived.
Taurus rushed towards them ready to maul them even as X-Ray, seeing the sparking field surrounding and protecting him, unleashed a blast at his feet and decimated the floor beneath him. He immediately fell through and hit the floor below, however his field had clearly protected him.
Suddenly X-Ray could see five figures appear on the floor below aiming up at the hole he had created. Akira identified two of them as Cannon and Dreadnought, the other three were unknown. One had an ectoplasmic glowing chain that he seemed to be able to control, another was a pudgy youth that inflated like a blowfish unleashing a cascade of spines that exploded through the hole and the last was a leather jacket-wearing male whose powers were currently unknown.
In addition, they still had the Foundry Knights on their floor to contend with and they were now firing their rifles at them but in the chaos of the unexpected assault were not aiming properly. Banshee unleashed a devastating wail even as Akira unleashed a second assault this time at the remaining knights knocking two of them unconscious even as the wail rendered the chain wielder and the youth on the floor below stunned. One of the inflated youth’s spines grazed Banshee’s shoulder and she responded by turning insubstantial. Cannon unleashed a blast at X-Ray but he was able to deflect the blast before it could do any real damage other than to his pride. Leather Jacket was more successful as he unleashed an electrical blast at Akira on the floor above and singed him.
In the chaos of the battle, Banshee grabbed Akira and phased up through the roof into the server room, whispering as she did so that they couldn’t win this battle but they could do some real damage to Labyrinth’s organisation before they left the building. She gestured at the various servers and computer systems surrounding them and unleashed a terrifying wail to clear the room of life even as Akira began to summon the Seventh Wheel of Weyan, also known as the Wheel of Worlds, opening a wheel-shaped gateway to his ‘garbage’ dimension. He then used his TK to ‘push’ anything not sealed down through into the hellish barren wasteland he had found and exiled others to previously.
Down below, X-Ray unleashed a blast into the roof causing the ceiling to collapse onto the people on the floor below him, knocking a number of them unconscious even as he flew up into the server room above. Unfortunately, Akira had been standing just above where the hole in the floor now was and he began to fall through only to levitate back up before he hit the rubble-strewn floor two storeys below. Someone, possibly Dreadnought though Akira couldn’t confirm it, unleashed a powerful blast at the fleeing figure only for some more of the roof of the floor above to collapse in on top of him.
Time to go, but first X-Ray unleashed an electro-magnetic storm in the server room that wiped all of the stored data and fried all of the electronic equipment around him. If they couldn’t take any of the information with them then the next best thing was to deny Labyrinth access to it as well.
With that Akira tried to portal them back to the Crate but found the energy field that surrounded the building almost too much and he was completely exhausted when he finally managed to overcome the field’s resistance and collapsed on the pavement beside their transport. Banshee immediately jumped into the pilot seat and set the ship for stealth mode as they headed as fast as they dared for home.
As they were about to dock at the BASEment a report came in over the ‘Trouble Alert’ channel that their assault on the Labys building had been declared an accidental explosion with no casualties. It seemed Labyrinth also wanted to cover up the attack but regardless it was clear that the Balance had just declared war on them and there would be reprisals. Banshee immediately sent a message to Frankie to contact all their staff and friends to expect retaliations.
Mary, in the subsequent de-briefing, floated the thought that if we’re going to have to go all-out against Labrynth, and thereby probably disrupt their plan to save the future-world, they should look towards setting-up a clone of their approach, with an active programme of de-bugging and power-suit production-and-storage (just maybe not involving the New Knights as custodians). She was pretty sure Bethany and the Challenger-Wildemans would be willing to help. It was worth reaching out and checking.
Brian nodded, “I think we should also try to recruit covert teams of “elementals”, though I am not against recruiting other amenable metas’ provided we can keep them safe. What do you think? Whatever we decide, we all have to be in agreement, singing from the same hymn sheet, so to speak.
I hate to say it, but maybe we need to talk to that crazy guy again….the one with the storm powers who kept attacking those hidden research plants, at least we now know that he was on the right lines!!”
A phone call to Tess and Max of the Challenger-Wildeman’s revealed that Marcus Moore’s OmniTech Corporation appeared to be the only major battle suit manufacturer in the West unaffiliated with Labyrinth and he wasn’t the the biggest company by any means but Max thought that if they could use his designs and manufacture on Europa using the Ancient’s Robot Forge in Starhaven to create the suits the raw materials would be virtually free, just escavate what you needed from the surface of the moon. They’d need to get the citizens of Starhaven on their side first but Max was willing to head out there in the next few days and put the proposal to the citizens before approaching Marcus, it might be doable and at a fraction of the cost it would cost Labyrinth to restock their warehouses…
Superhero Adventures, UK Style 