“Sir,” Oscar Woz stepped into the office. It looked like most of the other offices

Oscar had been in. The only thing that made it different was the occupant behind the

desk. “Subject Animal Boy has found an ally.”

“After all this time?” The man behind the desk leaned back in his specially built

chair. “He hasn’t approached any of the other heroic community before this. Who has

he been seen with this late in the game?”

“We don’t know.” Oscar winced at that admission. He should have couched it in

doubletalk to show they were on top of their game. “The observer was only able to

radio a visual contact. Pictures were fogged over.”

“That’s interesting.” The occupant rubbed a metal chin plate with a metal hand.

“Completely fogged over?”

“That is what the observer said.” Oscar winced at that admission. “The description

is of a young Asian, dark hair and eyes, black suit, black shirt. Estimated height is at

five feet, five inches. Weight at one hundred thirty-thirty five pounds.”

“That could be anybody from China to Hawaii.” The occupant closed his eye. One

had been replaced with a camera plugged into his brain. “Do we still have contact

with the three potential recruits?”

“Yes, sir.” That was safer ground to walk on. “We have bases and support networks

locked in. We can take them any time we want.”

“Have the Squad get ready.” The man behind the desk nodded at the decision. “Pick

up all five. I want them in cells and ready for assimilation as soon as possible.”

“I’ll pass the order along, sir.” Oscar turned to leave.

“Deploy some of our forces with the Squad,” said the occupant. “We want to make

sure we take them all and have them under our thumb. We can’t have them looking

for us while we are trying to plan another kidnaping for them.”

“Understood.” Oscar left the office. He paused in the hall outside of the office and

wiped the sweat off his face with a handkerchief. He hated dealing with his boss. He

always feared the wrong word would put him in a box.

The Squad was just as bad in their way, but he didn’t fear them as much as he feared

his employer. If something bad happened to him while dealing with them, he knew

things would be done to repay them for what they had done.

There were rules for things, and the boss expected you to follow those rules. That was

why he had the best network in place, and was standing off the Deathworm, and

others with similar business dealings.

He had engineered the deaths of heroes across the world and no one knew about it.

The Hazard Scouts hadn’t been the only victims of his schemes. They had just been

most out in the open. And nothing led back to the organization after it was all over.

And now their tagalong kid was poking around the scene of the battle again. Every

time they had lost him, he had returned to the battlefield to look around again and

again.

This was going to be the last time. Once the Squad was done, he would be using his

powers for the organization. No one would even know he had been taken and

assimilated to use against other heroes interfering with the boss’s plans.

Oscar walked the hall until he reached an elevator. He pushed the down button to call

the cab. The Squad’s quarters were down at the bottom of the facility. If anything less

than an attack by the Mark happened, they were to retreat down to those quarters and

use the Squad’s powers to fight their way out.

If anything more powerful than the Mark showed, they were to flee as best they could.

Nothing could stand up to his power range. Anything close to that would be more

powerful than what they had.

Oscar rode the elevator down to the bottom level of the facility. He hated being away

from the offices on the top. The amount of dirt over his head made him

uncomfortable. He didn’t like the thought all of that could be collapsed and there was

nothing he could do about it.

He stepped off the elevator and walked to the bulkhead keeping the Squad separate

from the rest of the place. It wasn’t for anything other than show. Any of the powered

minions could punch through the bulkhead if they wanted to enough.

Oscar tapped the code number on the keypad to open the door. The metal aperture

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

slid out of the way so he could enter the set of rooms beyond.

The Squad had a common room they could eat together, watch television, socialize.

There was a gym that led off to the other side of their quarters where they tested their

powers. Their rooms formed a semi-ring between the other door and the door to the

gym.

Oscar only saw one of the members as he walked in the room. He looked around.

Where were the other members?

“They’re exercising in the gym,” said Thingamabob. He sat at their common table.

Electronic parts littered the table top as he inspected them with his magnifying

glasses. “What can I do for you, Oz?”

“You have a mission.” Oscar didn’t sit down to face him. He wanted to be able to try

to run away if he had to.

“What are we doing this time?” Thingamabob starting putting the parts together like

a man putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

“Pick up mission.” Oscar made sure to keep his hands away from his body as he

watched the process. “We have five targets we want you to pick up.”

“No problem.” Thingamabob snapped the last piece of his puzzle in place. He pressed

the button. He smiled at whatever the hum of the device told him.

“I don’t how long you have to complete the mission, but there can be no witnesses.”

Oscar hated to order that. It led to a lot more collateral damage than was necessary.

“No problem, Oz,” said the gadget user. “I can snatch a baby out of a crib at a

hundred paces. This will be just as easy.”

“Auxiliary troops are to assist your team.” Oscar saw the argument coming on, and

held up his hand. “Those are the orders from on high. I would appreciate it if you

would get your team together and have them come up to the mission briefing room

while I get your army to report to the briefing.”

“I’ll get them there, Oz.” Thingamabob stood up. “Is this a one on one thing, or a

mass at the same time thing?”

“I think that will be your call, Bob.” Oscar turned to leave. “The boss said don’t miss,

whichever tactics you use. He doesn’t want the targets trying to hunt us down.”

“I’ll see what we can do about that.” Bob turned to walk toward the gym. He held his

gadget ready to use.

Oscar retreated from the room. He had to get a platoon together, and have their

officers at the meeting. He hoped he wasn’t asking for his assigned help to wreck

everything they see.

He walked out of the quarters and headed upstairs. He had to get the support together.

He didn’t want to send the Squad on a mission without someone watching over them.

He hoped he wasn’t getting his private soldiers killed. He hated thinking what would

happen if they got caught in a crossfire between the powered forces.

Oscar rode the elevator up to the sixth floor. He stepped out in what was a wide space

where bunks and lockers had been set up. Men exercised at the end of the hangar. A

shooting range was set up beyond that. A small office set aside for the officer on duty

stood in a square of walls one side of the bunks.

Oscar walked across the space to the office. He looked inside. Mr. Mercer sat at the

desk, reading a book. The soldier looked up from his book without saying anything.

“We have a mission,” said Oscar. “I need you to come down to the briefing room.

You will be supporting the Squad on this.”

“All right,” said Mercer. “I will come up there to see what the circus is about.”

“Don’t call them that.” Oscar grimaced. “The Squad is as dangerous as they come.”

“They haven’t had a real fight yet.” Mercer put his book down on the desk. His face

of acne scars held two different colored eyes, a busted nose, and small scars across

his chin. “Eventually they’re going to run into someone they can’t beat. That will

really set your plans back.”

“That’s why your men are being asked to come in as a support unit.” Oscar put his

hands in his pockets. “The boss wants to make sure the mission is expedited, and

carried out free of complications.”

“There’s always going to be complications.” Mercer stood up. “We’ll do what we can

to keep the complications down. Targets?”

“They’re powered.” Oscar winced at the grimace that earned.

“That will make the going harder,” said Mercer. “We’ll handle it.”

“I’ll go over everything at the briefing,” said the aide. “I’ll have the information ready

for you.”

“I’ll have munitions and weapons drawn,” said Mercer. “When is the briefing?”

“As soon as the Squad gets there.” Oscar shrugged. “Go ahead and get whomever you

need to help plan things and come up to the briefing room.”

“We’ll be there in twenty minutes.” Mercer frowned at the job ahead. Powered fights

could be really messy.

“Right.” Oscar nodded. “I’ll go up and get the files ready.”

Oscar walked across the space back to the elevator. He pushed the button and waited

for the doors to open. He went up to his office and grabbed the files from his desk.

His observers had compiled as much information as they could.

He hoped they hadn’t missed something obvious. It would be embarrassing to send

the Squad in against people that hadn’t been measured completely.

He took the files to the briefing room. He pulled the photos to load in the projector.

The three subjects looked harmless in their pictures. He knew that was a lie.

He added an old picture of Martin Morgan to the others. Animal Boy had been

dangerous as part of the Hazard Scouts. He probably hadn’t lost any of those skills

wandering around on his own.

The only one he didn’t have was of the black clad unknown helping Morgan at

Idaville. He frowned that the unknown was the wild card that could spoil their plans.

They couldn’t be prepared for him if no one knew what he could do.

The Squad would have to use overwhelming force on the unknown so he couldn’t

turn the fight against them.

He didn’t like that. He didn’t want to take responsibility for a failure based on lack

of information.

Oscar gathered the files and went over them as he waited for his assault elements to

arrive at the briefing room.

He hoped nothing went wrong.