The silence in the lineup room broke when the door slid open, and a man of average height and build entered. A smile with a set of impressively white teeth was beaming from the man. Every detail of his appearance painstakingly honed to achieve perfection, from his tailor-made suit to his freshly shined wingtips. The sterile institutional lighting seemed to acquiesce to his presence and backlit his rich umber skin.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Paul Jackson, and I will be in charge of your briefing. If you would, please follow me." The man pivoted effortlessly and headed out the door.
"Finally, someone not named Johnson," Scott said over his shoulder to the group in the lineup.
"Your mom calls for my Johnson!" Bricks replied and laughed heartily to himself.
The group followed Paul Jackson out of the room into the hallway stopping at a black door. Paul opened the door, looked at the group, and said: " Please, go in and have a seat."
Paul held the door open for the group as they filed in. The room had two small tables that had two seats apiece. The tables were in a row across the wide but relatively small space. The tables faced a podium with a large monitor mounted behind it. Scott and Vanessa sat together at the first table, and Alexia and Bricks occupied the other. Vanessa tapped Scott's thigh to grab his attention. She mouthed, "What the heck?". Scott shrugged and gave her a wary glance.
Once the group took their seats, Paul walked to the podium that sat in the front of the room.
"Sorry about the lineup room, the Overseer has a flair for the dramatic." The well-dressed man began tapping on a touchscreen in the podium, the lights dimmed slightly, and the monitor sprang to life.
"Let me start by saying it is a pleasure to be working with you all. I read all your files, and you guys have an impressive power set, and you work well together. I am your point of contact, so I will lay out the mission and ensure you have the resources needed. I will, however, not tell you how to achieve your objective; you guys know what you’re doing and don't need micromanagement from me." Paul tapped a button on the podium and stepped to the side, making the full monitor visible.
"Before you get started, let me just interject here for a moment, Paul. I think you may have the wrong people, I don’t see how we can help you, and I think we would all just like to get out of here." Scott said
"I am not here to say I agree or disagree with the decision to enlist your services, and far be it from me to second-guess the Overseer." Paul paused and thought about the words that followed. " The Overseer is set that this is a course of action. I, nor anyone I have encountered, have been able to talk him out of something once his mind is made. He has made it clear that is not optional, and there is no disputing that, not now, not ever. In my humble opinion, the best course of action here is to move forward and try to meet the goal the Overseer has set before us.”
“Us?” Vanessa asked
“Despite my objections about this mission, I have been put in charge of it. The outcome will have a profound impact on me as well. I am not telling you this to make you feel sorry for me, as you all have much greater at stake than I, but my commitment to achieving success is steadfast.”
After about 15 seconds of no one speaking, Paul continued, " Now that we have that out of the way. Let's get down to business, shall we? As a great man once said, ‘Without ambition, one starts nothing. Without work, one finishes nothing.’ “He pointed his finger at the monitor, it was a map of North America and broken down in the current territories labeled with the name of the Dynamic that ruled.
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"This map shows the territories as they exist today. To the west of our territory, you can see the Mid-West territory, which the Dynamic Code-Named Siren currently controls. Now south of her, you will see the Territories called 'New Texarodo.' Senior Strong currently controls that, a formidable dynamic despite his lack of creative naming."
Paul tapped a button on the podium’s screen, and the monitor showed a picture of two people. The group immediately recognized the renowned beauty that was Siren. She had long honey-colored hair the flowed from her head like waves lapping against her smooth skin. Her light green eyes were a beacon begging for you to follow. A call few could resist.
"The top picture is Siren. Her power is the ability to make others feel emotions through song. Most associate her with making men and women fall under her spell. It's not that cut and dry, though. She can sing and talk at frequencies that trigger emotional reactions in your brain. Lust is certainly a powerful one, but she can tap into fear, self-doubt, confusion, sadness; you name it she can produce it. Real nasty stuff to try to deal with."
Below Siren’s picture was the photo of a large man in a wrestling luchador mask, and although the image was from the shoulders up, you could tell he was a powerful man. Shoulders like a chiseled rock on top of a more giant, even more finely chiseled rock. His Large head was wrapped in a solid black skin-tight mask with a fading fire pattern cascading down.
"The second picture is Senior Strong, and as you might have guessed, he is rather strong. We track and have files on almost every dynamic in the world, and if there is a stronger one, we have not found them. He wrangled control of New Texarodo through force and bloodshed and had used the same techniques to hold it down. You would think his brute force nature and Siren's subtle approach to the ruling would put them at odds. However, it comes to our attention that they have found a common motivator to join forces. The desire to take over the North-Eastern Territories."
Paul’s words sank into the group. They all had heard of land disputes and wars among Dynamics worldwide, but The North-Eastern territory had been immune. Struggles between Dynamics tended to be violent and destroyed lives on both sides. The Overseer's organization and ability to recruit top-flight dynamics, coupled with the general contentment of its citizens, everyday people and Dynamics alike, shielded the North-Eastern Territories.
"Our sources have the two Dynamics meeting with their respective leadership next week to finalize an alliance and discuss possible attack plans. The meeting is scheduled to be held in a border town in what was once the state of Colorado, called Rocky Mount." Paul paused for a moment, adjust his tie, and hit the touchscreen again to bring up the map and zoom into Rocky Mount.
"Here is where your group comes into play. We need to know their plan so we can defend against it. While our military is formidable, it is hard pressed to go against the combined strength of these two territories and come out victorious without some sort of an edge. An edge the Overseer thinks that you can provide. Gaining this advantage calls for a covert mission to learn and relay any plans back to us. Security will be tight, and unfortunately for us, Siren's Intelligence agency is meticulous about gathering and keeping records of most, if not all, our operatives. So, we can’t provide a whole lot of on-the-ground support for your mission. Communication while out of N.E.T territory is also tricky. Communication Channels and phone conversations can be easily picked up and listened to, so while out of our territory, we need to keep our contact to a minimum."
"So, you want this ragtag band of unknown misfits to swoop in and save the day." Vanessa interrupted Paul, "Sounds like every action movie from the '90s to me. I call dibs on the Chuck Norris role." Vanessa moved her arms up in a fighting motion, throwing fake karate chops into the air.
"Yes, unfortunately, that pretty much sums it up," Paul responded, tapping the tablet and having the lights fade back up and the monitor goes black.
"You have got to be kidding me," Scott said and sunk his face into the palms of his hands.
“I truly wish I were Mr. Carr, but we must play the hands we are dealt. But as Randy Pausch said in his famous lecture, ‘It's not about the cards you're dealt, but how you play the hand.’ I have a feeling that great things will come from this endeavor.” Paul said
“Man, if there is one thing I am good at, aside from smashing people and stuff, it is poker. So, I am all in.” Bricks made a gesture as if he were pushing an imaginary stack of chips forward on the table. He was met with a smile from Paul, but collective eye rolls from everyone else.