Liam paced through the alley. Snow crunching under his boots. The morning air cut through his jacket. It’s cold touch long since numbing Liam to the sensation. Sighing to himself a puff of white fog formed in front of him.
Reaching the end of the self described ‘safety zone,’ Liam turned around and continued his march. The trek lasted a few seconds before he made it to the other end of the zone. Liam’s little route was in the relative obscurity between two dumpsters. Each blocking sight from one end of the alley, keeping away any inquisitive eyes.
While the rest of the alley was white and pristine from last night’s snowfall. The snow in Liam’s path was brown with wear, as if a parade had marched through this little section of the alley.
Around Liam were several duffle bags, smuggled into the alley over the last few hours. Mr. Hat helped with that part. The man could walk through a crowd like he wasn’t even there. Easily making the trips into the alley with none the wiser.
Though right now Liam was alone. Mr. Hat was gone, setting up the distractions for today’s plan. Liam should’ve been doing his part, but he’d been procrastinating. At first blaming the delay on security. What would he do if someone walked into the alley and found him getting ready? That excuse had long since fallen through as time wound down.
Mr. Hat had already been away for half an hour longer than planned. He’d be back any moment. Yet Liam stubbornly refused to set up. He paced, went over the plan, even looked at a newspaper. Anything to keep himself away from what came next.
The newspaper had been a bad idea. The headline ‘Noose tightening on fugitive former Hero’ screamed at him. Yet it was the picture accompanying the article that drove the point home. It showed the people of Des Moines throwing Source memorabilia into a fire. It’s hungry flames eating up what Liam once was.
Nothing good to find there Liam told himself. Removing the paper from his sight, he balled it up and hurled it into a snowbank.
There wasn’t any more time to delay. Was he doing this or not? Liam already knew the answer. He’d known it since he got here this morning. Why would he be here, in such a vulnerable place, if he didn’t?
With another sigh, Liam walked over to one of the duffle bags. Brushing a light white powder off its top. If the contents inside could talk, they’d be begging to come out. Allowing the world to see their true worth. Now it was time for Liam to make that become a reality.
Since his talk with Mr. Hat, Liam had been busy at work, finishing the devices Mr. Hat needed for today’s plan. It’d taken a significant amount of time. Between the projects Liam rushed work on his suit.
Reaching into another bag Liam pulled out his helmet. Running his hand over its gleaming surface he stared into it. This thing carried so many memories, with many more to be made today.
The scar on the side of the helmet still glared up at him. A testament of the fight with the giant insect. That’d been a tough one. And one Liam was so proud of. The damage was long since patched, but he’d left it unpainted. The streak cutting jaggedly through The Hunt insignia on the side. A fitting statement to make today.
At first Liam wanted to remove the logo. Purge it from his precious suit. As time went by, he changed his mind. Deciding to go another route. Instead he left it as a sign to himself. Something new he had to live with.
Liam took off his jacket, hanging it on one of the dumpsters. With one last look around Liam confirmed he was alone. Then started to put on the suit. There was a little flare of nostalgia through the process. Echos of the good old days threatening to come back.
Piece by piece he donned the armor. Trying to remain silent and hidden while he did. The area was actually quite secure. How many people look down alleys? Few was the clear answer. Add in the fact that he was behind a dumpster and Liam was invisible to the rest of the world.
Faster than would seem possible Liam was ready. Each piece of gear secured in place. With one last look at his helmet Liam pulled it on. The customary synthetic voice greeted him as the suit booted up, “System is operating at 81.46%. Would you like to review error messages?”
“No,” Liam muttered. Turning off all one hundred sixteen warnings flashing for his review. He’d been worried for a moment there might be new ones. However these were all the same ones from when he checked at the apartment.
The suit wasn’t in its ideal state. In fact it was a mockery of its former glory. The most obvious difference was the replaced armor plates. The new armor clashed with the old, the replacement parts were made of steel. A heavier and weaker alternative than the original. But they were the only solution Liam could come up with in such a short amount of time.
The new pieces were also of a different color than the rest of the suit. Where the old armor was a matted black, the new pieces had the hint of gloss. That was an oversight Liam hadn’t caught until it was too late in the build. The result was anyone looking closely at the suit would be able to find the odd pieces. Newly marked weak spots in his defenses.
Another thing of note was the missing rocket on one foot. In the last fight with the team, one of his boot’s rocket motors was disabled. Liam had yet to find a fix for it and in all honesty wasn’t that optimistic about its return. That missing piece left him unable to fly. Though his former team had already seen that trick so they wouldn’t be as impressed with an encore.
With the suit on, Liam donned his extra large hoodie and pulled the hood low over his head. The disguise was horrible. He looked like a bodybuilder with square muscles, but it was the best he could manage. And he only needed it to get past a few distracted guards. Mr. Hat’s work would do the rest.
As if that thought had called him to the alley, Mr. Hat appeared. The man wore his customary hat pulled low. A jacket drawn tight against the cold. Strangely his hands were ungloved. An oversight in this weather.
“All set on my end. How’s yours going?” Mr. Hat asked.
“Still working on it. Give me a minute.” Liam replied.
With the suit booted up, Liam moved onto the next task. Opening the other duffle bag he pulled out a strange looking device. It appeared like an old boombox with an antenna on the top. Once unfurled the antenna reached over five feet into the air.
“You’re already behind schedule. How can we expect to complete the mission if you can’t keep time?”
Biting down a sarcastic response Liam said, “Calm down, it’ll only be a moment. Nothing to get worked up about.”
Liam could hear Mr. Hat stop at the words. Good, the man needed to realize Liam had a spine. He wasn’t at Mr. Hat’s beck and call.
Turning his attention back to the device in front of him, Liam grabbed the duffle bag and wiped any remnants of snow off of it. Setting the bag on the ground, next to the alley wall, Liam placed the device on top of it.
The boot up process was quick, and the thing was running in moments. With a satisfied nod, Liam placed the other bag on top of the boombox portion of the device, leaving the antenna poking out the top. Not the most impressive job of hiding the device, but it’d have to work.
Liam turned to Mr. Hat, “Try it?”
Mr. Hat didn’t argue. Pulling out a burner phone he dialed 9-1-1. Holding the phone to his ear Mr. Hat listened for a moment. Liam could make out a steady dial tone coming from the small speaker as the phone tried to connect. After ten seconds of listening, Mr. Hat nodded and turned off the phone.
“The call didn’t go through,” Mr. Hat said.
Liam stalled an arm pump at the news, he knew it’d work. They tested a smaller proto type last week. This was just the amped up version. But there was still something different between a test and the real deal. When the latter worked it always set Liam’s blood aflame.
“It won’t take long for everyone to notice what’s happening. We should hurry.”
“All right, but remember to stick to the plan,” Mr. Hat said.
The two moved from the cover of the alley. Heading straight into their next challenge. Liam pulled his hat low. It covered a good portion of the helmet, but not enough. Anyone taking a second to look at him would realize something was wrong. The plan had some contingencies if that happened, but he’d like to avoid the complications.
The street they moved towards was fairly busy for this early morning hour. With a throng of people on their way to work or school. Too focused on their own lives to pay attention to the two men walking out of the alley. At least that’s what Liam was counting on.
The first step into the open was the worst. Liam’s stomach dove into flips at the uncertainty of it all. This would work, it was a good plan, Liam thought. But the feeling didn’t go away. It radiated from him, Liam half expected the people around him to turn an eye at his nervous gate.
No they wouldn’t notice his emotions, he had the suit on Liam told himself. They’d notice that first. However he was ready for it. The suit was meant for greatness. Forged in the battles Liam faced. A crowded street wouldn’t be enough to keep him back, it’d only confirm what most people already thought.
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If there were any people in the world still hoping and praying that Liam was good, today would teach them. It would give credit to everything The Hunt was saying. Yet that was a price Liam was willing to pay for revenge. And backed into a corner like he was, there weren’t any other options to accomplish what they had to do today.
Fighting back his spinning emotions Liam kept his head down and focused on his feet. Each step crunching into the first snowfall of the year. It’d been a pleasant surprise that morning. Coating the world in a perfect blanket, only to be ruined a few hours later by people. Something they were all too good at doing.
On the far side of the street was the target. With each stride they grew closer to it. It’s castle like facade warning away those who didn’t belong. Calling anyone without business inside to flee.
The two were able to cross the street without drawing any attention. As long as they stayed out of everyone’s way, no one paid them any mind.
Reaching the other side of the street the doors to the police station stood in front of them. Looming over the two men. Liam shook his head, they’re just normal doors he told himself. However, his brain refused to accept it. Imagining the doors as a wrought iron gate. Barring his path and demanding he identify himself.
Mr. Hat didn’t seem to have the same problem as he moved next to the doors. Liam shook himself and followed. You’ve been on missions before, this is nothing new, Liam thought. The two settled in on either side of the door. This was the last chance to call off the plan. All they had to do was walk back the way they’d come. Looking at each other, neither man made a move to embrace that option.
Seeing them both in position Mr. Hat pulled out his cell phone. After a quick glance at Liam, for confirmation, he dialed a new number. With shaking hands, Mr. Hat said, “I’ve been waiting so long for this moment.”
The statement hung in the air as Mr. Hat took a deep breath. Liam wasn’t sure if it was excitement or nerves that gripped the man, still he pressed forward, his hand trembling pressing the call button with no further ado. As the phone rang, Mr. Hat grabbed a rag out of his pocket. Using it to vigorously wipe down the phone. Then he wrapped the phone in the cloth and dumped it into a nearby garbage can.
Through the entire process the phone continued its call. Finally, as it entered the trash can, the call went to voice message. In his suit the amplified speakers picked up the recording asking the caller to leave their name and number. When the ping to start taping a message sounded, the entire block erupted in commotion.
One explosion after another engulfed a parking lot on the next street over. There were no fire balls or flying shrapnel as cars burst into flames. Liam had created the tools for these blasts so the explosions were well under control. However, there was nothing he could do about the sound as it deafened pedestrians streets away.
Even a block away, the heat from the burning cars reached them. Liam watched his suit’s monitors as the temperature rose a few degrees as tar black smoke billowed from several smoldering husks.
The people in the street responded to the explosions in one of three ways. Some ran for their lives. Ignoring everything and everyone around them as they sprinted as far away as they could get. Hopefully they didn’t go too far, or they’d break containment and make calls. That was a risk they’d known of going into the mission and there was nothing they could do about it now.
The second group of people rushed forward. Heading into danger, heedless of how it would impact them. Searching for anyone who needed help. Liam was once one of those people. But that time was long gone as he waited next to the door.
The last group were the people who pulled out cell phones. Trying to capture the scene unfolding in front of them. Liam never liked this group. The first he understood, it was a survival instinct, born to protect yourself. The second were commendable by their desire to help. The last did nothing except to get in the way. Blocking the path of those intent on helping, their recordings resulted in deaths. There was no other way to look at it.
Officers rushed out of the building a moment later. Joining the second group of people. Without knowing what they were up against they hurried to face it. Moving towards the source of the explosions.
The first officers on the scene called into their radios, “10-89, 10-89!”
Police code for the explosions they were seeing in front of them. However, no matter how many times they called there was no reply. As if this section of the city was isolated from the rest of the world.
After a good dozen officers came running out of the police station, the flow slowed down. Mr. Hat and Liam used that as the cue to make their way inside.
Opening the front door, the two men strolled in. A small waiting area with worn chairs and old magazines greeted them. To the back of the room was a glass window with a door next to it, that led further inside. Behind the window was a greeters desk, which stood empty, the chair behind the desk overturned. It’s occupant outside, helping in any way he could, leaving the door to the inside of the station ajar.
Through the glass door was a large, open area. Desks were strewn about the place. Hallways branched off of the central room in a number of spots.
The room was in pandemonium. The few people still inside ran around, checking phones and shouting commands. To an uninformed person it looked like pure mayhem. But Liam had been in the business for a few months. He saw the patterns in what they were doing. These were trained professionals going about what needed to be done to gain control of the situation.
Mr. Hat and Liam made their way through the glass door and into the chaotic room. The assumptions he’d made from outside were proven true as he got a closer look at the officers. Each one doing their best to solve the current situation.
Mr. Hat pulled Liam away from the scene before he could get caught up in the fever of the room. Leading them towards their next destination. Liam got the impression Mr. Hat had been here before as the man guided the two with a purpose.
They favored the edges of the chaos. Trying to keep away from anyone’s notice. The two walked down a hallway when a pair of officers rounded the corner in front of them, rushing their way. Liam’s heart nearly beat out of his chest as the distance between them shrank. He moved his hood lower as he angled his head to the side, trying to hide the front of his helmet. He waited for an alarm to be raised or a gun pointed at him, but neither came. The officers rushed by, neither sparing the two strange outsiders any attention. And why would they? People walking through the police station must have a purpose and the right to be there. How else could they have made it inside? The assumption, everyone who was here had a reason was something the plan relied on and it'd been proven correct.
It took the two another nerve wracking minute of walking to reach their first destination. A solid door, closed and locked. A little sign above it said ‘Security’ in straight black letters.
“You’re sure this’ll work?” Liam asked. He took up a position on the wall next to the door. Close enough to react if need be, but out of sight for whoever opened the door.
“Give me some credit. I didn’t get to this point from looks alone,” Mr. Hat said. His hat obscured enough of his face Liam wasn’t able to read his real thoughts.
“I’m not sure you’d get anywhere from looks alone.”
Mr. Hat paid the comment no mind as he moved to knock on the door.
“Are you sure The Hunt wasn’t notified?”
“This early, I doubt it, but I can’t know for sure. That’s why we have to be fast. Now let me concentrate on this.”
During their planning Mr. Hat was obscure on what he’d do at this point. Somehow he was sure he could get trained guards to leave their post. How that’d work Liam didn’t know.
“Fine, I’ll watch the master work.”
Mr. Hat rapped his knuckles against the door twice. Like everything he did the knocks were precise images of each other.
There was a moment of shuffling from beyond the door before it swung open. The officer manning the room coming to see who was calling.
Liam’s muscles tightened. There was no way this would end with anything short of a fight. He’d have to be ready to act fast.
“Who are you?” the guard asked. Eyeing Mr. Hat suspiciously.
“Sorry I’m late, I’m here to relieve you,” Mr. Hat said. His voice even and flat through the lie.
What in the world was the man thinking Liam wondered? No one would fall for such a stupid lie. Mr. Hat wasn’t even dressed to play the part of an officer, he was in his trademark trench coat.
The officer’s eyes glazed over for a second. Then he straightened up and said, “Took you long enough, I was wondering when you’d get here.”
“It’s a little hectic in the office right now so I was held up.”
“Still, if that happens again I’ll have to write you up.”
“I promise it won’t,” Mr. Hat said as he bowed his head.
“Good. Now heads up, something’s going on, on the North side of the building, it’s chaos out there,” His voice betraying no emotion.
“Thanks for the heads up.”
The guard was quick to leave as if he’d been waiting to make an escape. He left an empty room behind as he walked down the hallway. Not even looking back or paying Liam any attention as he turned the corner.
Liam’s body loosened up when he was again alone with Mr. Hat. Once they were out of here, he’d have to ask the man what just happened. Could that’ve been his power. It had to be, that trick was impressive enough to get them into a secure room. However, Liam didn’t have time to think about that right now.
They moved into the room and shut the door behind them. The room was cramped. One full wall was dedicated to screens. Each showing a security feed of the building. Removing those feeds and deleting the tapes was the first order of business.
Liam darted over to the controls. Trying to figure out what he was up against. Only to be let down when he saw the system.
“Can you do it?” Mr. Hat asked.
“This will be easy. It’s a standard security system,” Liam said, “After the issue with the call I assumed the police would have an advanced security system designed by a techie.”
“The police and The Hunt fight different things. Why would a normal police force worry about Supers breaking into their systems?”
“You never know, someone could break in here for the same reason we did.”
“That’s true. I’m sure they’d like a better system, however you also have to think about the city’s budget. I doubt this system made it high on the list.”
The man made a good point. Politics had a track record of cutting funding for the police. This system was just another casualty of that trend.
Liam got to work forcing his way into the security system. He took full control of the network in seconds. He’d like to claim it resulted from his amazing talents, but that’d be a lie. The guard from before them left the computer logged in, allowing Liam to skip much of the hack.
Once inside Liam pulled the plug on the security feed. Then taking the extra step to delete the previous days worth of recordings. Wouldn’t want anyone spotting them walking into the station now would they. The Hunt and the police would figure out who did it, but they didn’t want to make this too easy.
With the first step completed Liam pulled out a little USB drive. Plugging it into the computer he imported a nasty little trojan he’d been working on. He was extra careful with this part. The mission required it to stay a secret. At least until the big surprise.
Sure they could complete the mission even if the file was found, but it’d lose the dramatic effect. And what could Liam say, he was all for a little flair to herald in the coming storm. It’d make everything all the more exciting when it came crashing down.