Star Harbor Nights

"We have three human sized bogies traveling towards our location at subsonic super speed, one large ground vehicle, and two motor bikes coming about fifteen minutes behind," the General reported in the newly established situation room, in the second largest office inside the giant warehouse-like dry dock. "The rest should be at our perimeter inside of five minutes."

"Excellent," Geppetto said. "Our men are deployed?"

"Affirmative," the General said. "I wish you'd let us give the new 'recruits' some uniforms... or at least clean them up."

"Your fervor for discipline is appreciated, Bedlam, but the value of the enlistees lies in how our heroes will react to them. If they simply looked like the rest of our troops, there'd be no hesitation or holding back."

"I take your point," General Bedlam said. "Hmm... perhaps... if the battles of the future are to be fought with battalions of remote-controlled foot soldiers, we could make a point of sending captured prisoners against their former comrades. Whether they live or die, the psychological value of such an operation could be astonishing."

"If we pull this off, such matters will become entirely academic," Geppetto said. "Battles of the future? This coming fight may very well be the last armed conflict of any importance the world will ever know."

"That's a very... optimistic... viewpoint," the General said.

"It sounds as though the good General is not so enthusiastic about your vision of the future," Drosselmeier said wryly.

"It doesn't matter who's in charge or how they keep control," the General said with a slight shrug. "There'll always be a need for soldiers because there will always be somebody to fight. Anyway, at least we have this fight to look forward to."

"Maybe," Geppetto said. "Maybe not. I've sent my shadow out to greet the guests... it's possible that she may end the threat before the battle even starts. Thorn's disciples are not to be trifled with."

"So I suppose our armed guards, controlled agents, and co-opted heroes are completely superfluous," the General said.

"Not entirely. The actions of heroes cannot be predicted," Geppetto said. "They can be relied on to respond to certain triggers... like a threat against their friends, loved ones, or homes... but if you push them too hard, you risk pushing them across the line where their moral code will no longer restrain them... or protect you."

"And a hero who crosses that line is just like anybody else, I suppose," Bedlam said.

"No," Geppetto said. His hand went up to the scar on his face. "A hero who crosses that line is like nobody else... like nothing you've ever dealt with."

"A hard lesson we both had to learn, back in the war," Drosselmeier said.

"I wouldn't know about that," Bedlam said smugly. "I was on the other side."

"Either way, we should be prepared for anything," Geppetto said. "C.C.!"

"Right here, boss."

"What in the Sam Hill are you wearing, son?" the General demanded.

On C.C.'s right arm was an oversized silver-gray plastic glove with a bulky black control console on the forearm, complete with a four-way directional pad. A black cord connected the glove to a pack on his harness. More cord lead from that to the helmet and a toy-like plastic gun, in the same color schemes.

"I told you I could make something cool out of that experimental military junk you brought," C.C. said.

"But where the hell'd you get that ridiculous helmet and glove?" the General asked derisively. "I know the U.S. military didn't make any of that."

"Fuckin'-A right they didn't," the brash young computer genius said. "This gear's straight from Japan, circa 1989. Retro is in, old man... everything old is new again."

"Is everyone assembled online?" Geppetto asked. "We're going to need as many controllers as possible today."

"I just got off the voice chat with our 'beta testers,'" C.C. said. "I told them to expect something new tonight... told them it was a server stress test for before we go massively multiplayer, so they should expect things to get pretty hairy. They're all looking forward to it."

"I still maintain we should use our own men to control the puppets," Bedlam said. "Mere children lack the self-control and discipline necessary for military affairs."

"Your guys don't have the reflexes and instincts to control a human being in real time," C.C. said. "That takes real skill... it takes a gamer."

"Gentlemen, let's keep the testosterone-fueled pissing contests to a bare minimum until we have our neural telepath and the other heroes are neutralized," Geppetto said. He glanced at the screen, which tracked the progress of the approaching vehicles and heroes via satellite. "Meanwhile, I think things are about to get interesting..."

The van came to a stop below the top of a ridge overlooking the old naval base. A big prefabricated shed shielded their approach from view.

"End of the line," Dandy said from the driver's seat. "Everybody out."

"Are you okay?" Allison asked Amy, who'd been quiet for most of the trip. She'd been clutching the trident her father'd given her, in its collapsed state.

"Just a little tired," she said after a few moments. "I might need a minute."

"We'll do two groups," Allison said. "Dandy, Tigerlily, and I are the most combat-ready, so we'll go in first while the speedsters are scouting out the other side. Echo, Amphitrite and Willow can stay with the van in case we get jumped."

Heedless of her words, the plump, dark-haired Binder sister slid out of the van and began ambling down the slope without a word.

"Or Willow can climb out and go wandering back down the hill alone," Lily said. "You know, whatever."

"Let her go," Dandy said. "She knows what she's doing... or if she doesn't, then at least she's out of the way."

"Wait," Echo said. "Before you go, Allison... do you think you could link us all up? Telepathically, I mean. It might make things easier if we can stay in touch, coordinate..."

"My power doesn't work like that," Allison said. "It isn't like a wireless network."

"Are you sure?" Echo asked. "Because that seems to be what the bad guys are counting on it being."

"I'm sure," Allison said. "Maybe they've got some technology to boost it... or maybe it's just wishful thinking on their part... but it's really not that strong."

"Okay," Echo said.

"Hey, Geppetto knows we're coming, right?" Dandy said. "So the element of surprise is going to be hard to come by..."

"True," Allison said.

"So why don't Echo and Amy take the van and head back down the ridge towards the road, like they dropped us off and are leaving," Dandy suggested. "Give it like ten, fifteen minutes for us to get in and start things up, and then you can crash through the gate. It won't do much for my insurance rates, but a second front might give them something to think about."

"Good plan," Echo said.

"Well, after all, I'm not just another pretty face," Dandy said.

"I'll say," Lily said.

"Do it," Allison said, nodding.

Echo climbed behind the wheel, and Amy took the front passenger seat.

"Good luck," Dandy said, sliding the side door closed.

The three women watched the van rumble down the dark slope back in the direction of the road.

"No offense, but you look pretty bad. Your power aura feels weird, too," Echo said when they'd parked at the bottom of the hill. She reached out, her hand inches from Amphitrite's skin. "Like... like it's almost entirely gone."

"Shh, I don't want anybody worrying," she said. "I'm just fatigued , that's all... but don't worry, I can take care of myself. I have the trident, and a few other tricks beside."

"I can feel that," Echo said, her hand moving closer. Her eyes widened. "The things you have inside..."

Alarmed, Amphitrite jerked back. Her face was both furious and scared.

"Sorry," Echo said. "I didn't mean... sorry."

Lily stopped, as sharply and suddenly as if she'd stepped on a tack.

"Hear something?" Allison asked.

"I don't hear anything," Dandy said. "Just small sounds from the base below... background stuff."

"Trouble's coming," Lily said.

"Where?" Allison asked... but even as the word was leaving her mouth, she spotted it. A woman with copper hair and steely gray eyes had stepped out from around the end of the shed. She was dressed in tight black clothing, with a silver vinyl trench coat and spiky heeled boots. As she came into view, a river of living silver metal poured down out of her sleeve and covered her hand.

Without waiting for the others to react, Lily pounced at the woman, a hoarse cry rising up in her throat. Her fingertips became long and sharp and the hint of fur sprouted on her face. Stiletto twisted aside with the tiniest of movements, and Lily's claws tore at her coat instead of her flesh as she flew passed, her momentum aided by a spinning kick executed with contemptuous ease. Lily plowed face down into the hard, rocky ground, five yards behind her target.

Stiletto made an eagle talon gesture with her liquid-gloved hand and launched three sharp metal spikes from her fingertips in Allison's direction. The fire-haired heroine reached out her hand reflexively as she sent a wave of psychokinetic energy to brush the projectiles aside... it was easier than catching them... but the metallic spikes barely wavered in the air. She could feel her mind brushing off of their surface; there was a sensation of slickness about them.

Mentally and physically, she wrenched herself to the side, using her body's telekinetic field to move herself out of danger. One of the spikes caught on her jacket, leaving a three inch scar in the Nemealion. Allison had the feeling that a direct hit would actually penetrate the high-tech faux leather.

Dandy, already near the front of the group, stepped forward. The metal coating on Stiletto's hand shimmered and ran as she flexed her fingers. She turned her head to the side, giving her hair a little toss to expose the glint of the silver brands running down the side of her face.

Dandy's held up her arms in front of her, adopting a defensive posture. Stiletto's hand was down at her side, like a gunslinger waiting for the count. The tiniest jagged metal tips slid out of the shimmering metallic surface.

Dandy took a step forward.

The assassin never took her eyes off Dandy, but her arm lanced out to the side. Beau LeChamp suddenly popped into view as he skidded to a stop, paralyzed by long silvery spikes protruding from major pressure points in all his limbs.

"Uh," was the most sound he could make before toppling forward. Before he could hit the ground, there was a sonic boom and he was swept away by a blur of motion in the form of his brother.

There was another boom, and Minerva was standing there, her eyes crackling with energy. She had the assassin's attention instantly.

"Everybody, go," she said. She squared off in front of the assassin, whose eyes narrowed, the irises silvering over.

"You ready?" Minerva said, crouching low in her own fighting stance. She beckoned the assassin towards her.

"Let's play."