“Hestia,” he made a liquid noise in his throat before continuing, “I… uh… need a very small stretcher and some blanket scraps. It… um… seems we have a very small survivor,” he said, a slight tremor in his voice.

It was 3:00pm by the time Greg managed to get over his shock and take hold of his emotions. Trish had just let her presence be known to him and allowed him to deal with his anguish and confusion.

he told her by way of explanation.

she reassured him.

he smiled feebly.

she inquired

he deadpanned. Trish winced.

she suggested

Trish smirked as she shifted to her form and they headed down to Saber Base proper.

They walked in on what looked like a convalescent’s room. A small bed, roughly the size of a shoebox, stood on a raised platform with monitoring equipment surrounding it. There was a sign attached to the platform that read ‘Quiet Please’. Julian was dressed in surgical scrubs and was watching the patient intently. Trish approached the platform and saw the miniature form of Dragonschild lying on the bed with both legs and one arm in casts and traction. The Professor gestured for them to follow him into an ante-room and they took seats around his desk.

“She’s stable and currently under sedation. I set her limbs using micromanipulators and there seems to be no sign of internal damage. As for concussions, we’ll have to wait and see. You two have a decision to make, however. I can reactivate her nanomechs in medical mode but what do we do with her? The only thing I know about her is her name… Lia Tang. I believe Nathanial had some sort of hold on her or was blackmailing her to ensure her loyalty. Bear in mind that she will still have her growth powers for as long as she lives as well as strength and flight… just her defences were deactivated,” he explained to them.

“This means she could still be a threat. Greg?” questioned Trish. Greg activated the voice link in the ACM so he could be heard.

“Julian, Trish… I think there’s been enough pain and death today. I vote that Julian reactivates the med bugs and that we contain her in a field like the one Hestia uses to manipulate objects. That way we can find out more about her and what her intentions are,” he told them.

“I agree with Greg, Father. She could be a valuable source of tactical information and I’d rather reform someone than destroy them,” added Trish.

“I just wanted to make sure you knew what our options were… Solomon,” commanded the Professor.

“Online,” came back the flat response.

“Reactivate subject Lia Tang’s nanomech in medical mode only. She is to be kept unconscious until further notice. Notify myself or Hestia when her healing cycle is complete,” Julian ordered in a clipped tone.

“Confirm. Activating healing mode, subject Lia Tang.”

“Professor, Trish, I have an idea that will frustrate the Ravensclaws and keep everyone here at The AERI safe…” broke in Greg.

By September 13th, there was still no report back from the team that Natalia had sent to Canada. Using her authority as team leader, she had recalled Shark to Hammer Base and they waited nervously for any sign or word from the others. The phone beside her in the command bunker buzzed and startled her.

“Vengeance…” she answered savagely.

“I need you at the tower immediately!” her father commanded. There was a click and a buzz on the line. This was a summons, not an invitation. She wasted no time with pleasantries and simply threw a coat on over her uniform and was in her father’s office three minutes after she received the call. She stalked past the receptionist and directly into his presence. He was looking at a collection of objects on his desk.

“What do you make of this?” he asked her without even looking up. Natalia looked at the objects laid out there… a blackjack, a wristwatch and a wasp pinned to a card. On the card were the letters SK.

“I believe that our operatives have been neutralized, if not killed. Probably after The AERI assignment as our satellite photos and flyovers show nothing on the island but debris. This is the work of the so-called Shadowknight, whoever she is. What I don’t understand is how she can get through our defences so easily,” Natalia answered as succinctly as possible, her gorge rising in her throat. He scowled at her as if she were some kind of idiot.

“It’s simple. She’s working with Saber and he’s shown her a way to neutralize your powers,” he spoke as if to a child. The phone rang, jangling her already tense nerves. Nathanial tore the receiver from its cradle.

“Ravensclaw. No you are to do nothing about them… do you hear me? No acknowledgement!” he slammed the phone down.

“That was my contact at City Hall,” he raged. “Apparently, the bodies of Frank West and Sam Munio mysteriously appeared in the city morgue sometime overnight. Both were killed by a single blade wound and there was a note on each body identifying them as two of the DC terrorists. You’ve recalled Mr. James?” She nodded silently.

“Good, I want you two to keep a low profile,” he ordered, “you stay in your condo and play socialite and James will stay here on the 113th floor until further notice. I’m shutting down Hammer Base for now. That’s all.”

Natalia was shocked at the abrupt dismissal but knew better than to argue with her father when he was in one of these moods. As she left the room, Nathanial made covert arrangements for the bodies to be ‘disappeared’ from the morgue and put into stasis in the labs. His daughter immediately went back to the base to collect her things and give Shark his instructions.

This wasn’t over, not by a long shot, Natalia railed mentally. Whoever this Shadowknight was, she would meet with Vengeance soon enough.

By October eighth, the Ravensclaws were no further along in their search for Shadowknight and Natalia had the strangest feeling that her father was losing his grasp on what was important and what wasn’t. Instead of looking for new revenue streams and ways of consolidating his control of The Council, he was still obsessing over Saber, Greg Howard’s legacy and this Shadowknight. There was a growing dissension on The Council, something that had not happened within the Illuminati for over 500 years. Worse yet, there had been a major series of failings in some of their shell companies and in others a series of soft takeovers… stockholder revolts. If Nathanial Ravensclaw didn’t act soon, he’d be removed from his chairmanship of The Council.

Back at the newly disguised AERI however, things were looking up… literally.
It was seemingly a morning like any other. Trish was enjoying a leisurely breakfast with her father and Betina. The two women had become fast friends after Betina finally understood that Trish was really a separate person. She had even occasionally forgotten that Greg was also there, which had led to some racy (and somewhat embarrassing) conversations between the two girls. Greg had wisely kept his mouth shut about those incidents. Solomon interrupted their meal with some important information for the Professor.

“Pardon me Sir…”

“Yes Solomon? What is it?” asked Julian.

“We have finally locked on to the accurate data link for Lunar one,” answered the AI.

They all hurried down to the command centre that had been set up in the wake of the prior attack. Settling into their chairs, they activated the main monitor.

“Status report Solomon,” commanded the Professor.

“The signal was heavily encrypted, but we have a clear command link now.” Trish spoke up then.

“Father, I recommend that we cut the link to the others that have been keeping The SIX captive. It’s less likely that they’ll be able to trace us here and it will frustrate their keepers as well,” she suggested.

“A wise and somewhat devious precaution Tricia... Solomon, cut the link with whoever is monitoring them please.” The computer listed the links as they were disconnected.

“Lunar one link with the NSA, cut. Lunar one link with the U.N., cut. Lunar one link with unknown monitoring station, cut.”

“Solomon, activate communications with Lunar one please,” Julian requested.

“Acknowledged,” the AI responded. The main monitor pixelated and then cleared to show the master control centre for the base. It was empty and littered with scraps of equipment and partially assembled devices.

“This would have been easier if they had kept someone on duty. Oh well, Solomon, sound general quarters,” the Professor rubbed his chin and sighed.

“Acknowledged,” Solomon responded once again. On the moon, the reaction was almost immediate as the doors to master control snapped open and the lighting brightened. A large figure stormed into the room.

“Boize Moi! What is that infernal racket?” he shouted over the din. Solomon shut off the alarm before the figure could reach the control panel.

“Major Rasmussen, I presume?” inquired Julian. Cossack’s head snapped up to look at the monitor.

“Wait, what’s going on? Who are you?” he snarled.

“My name is Professor Julian Saber and in a way, I am your benefactor. Would you please assemble your team so we can talk?” Julian asked politely.

“Is this some U.N. trick? We are not in the mood to be trifled with…” Nikoli was interrupted by the Professor.

“I assure you Major, we have no connection with the U.N. or any other corruptible agency. Please gather your teammates,” he coaxed. Nikoli reluctantly agreed and all the members of The SIX were presently seated in the control centre of the base.

“It’s so good to finally see you all,” Julian opined wistfully. “I never thought I’d live to see this day… David, Sarida, Steven, Theo, Carina and Nikoli. I only wish this could have been under better circumstances.” Dreamwalker stood up as he addressed Julian.

“You speak as if you know us all ‘Professor’. How is it you know our true identities?”

“Well David, didn’t you ever wonder where your physio-neural suits came from?” Julian directed David down the path of logic. “Did you ever wonder why the other voices that were once part of your beings suddenly stopped functioning? Weren’t you ever even the least bit curious as to who created the suits that gave you your wondrous powers?” the Professor sounded mystified.

“At first, yes… but Professor Julian Saber disappeared over…” David was cut off as the Professor cut in.

“Six years ago, I know, but the last two years were not my idea. You have been fighting a good fight, but you’ve been fighting an enemy that is as tenuous as fog. That’s how the U.N. was deceived into trapping you on the Moon and that’s why your shuttle was destroyed. That’s also how I was tortured nearly to death and forced to create your enhanced enemies,” Julian tried to get them to understand but Watcher looked up with a sneer on his face.

“Oh really Prof. And just who are we really fighting?” he spat out. Trish leaned into the camera’s pickup, fuming.

“We are fighting the Illuminati and I have destroyed three of their enhanced warriors, so sit down and listen to what this man has to say, Steven Jefferson Francis! He may just be the person who’ll save all your lives!” she snapped.

“Thank you Tricia, that’s enough for now,” Julian motioned her to silence. “As you can see, there was supposed to be a seventh member to your merry band. Allow me to introduce Shadowknight. She has been fighting an underground war against the Illuminati for well over two years now.”

“All right Professor Saber… let’s just say we’re convinced… for now. What’s the next move? We’re trapped here and you’re all down there on Earth. Even Sarida can’t port us home and she’s really been trying hard. What are you planning to do? Secretly steal a shuttle and rescue us?” David asked sarcastically.

“Oddly enough,” the Professor began, “that is the plan.” The look of shock on the faces of The SIX was priceless, but Julian continued on quickly.

“Oh not a complete shuttle, but an airframe and enough components to build a ship that we can be sure isn’t vulnerable to tampering by the forces at work against us. In the meantime, I need you all to know that a rescue effort is underway and we’ll be staying in constant contact with you,” he reassured them. Sarida stood up then.

“Thank you Professor, we were so afraid that we’d be marooned here forever,” she offered sincerely. Julian quickly redirected the credit for the effort away from himself.

“Please Miss Jones, I’m not the one to be thanked. None of this would be possible without the, if you’ll pardon the pun, superhuman efforts of Doctor Gregory Howard. Greg, please introduce yourself to The SIX.” Trish stood up and stepped forward, triggering the alter-ego program. Greg stood there momentarily looking sourly at the Professor.

“You said you wouldn’t do this to me Julian,” he sounded pissed.

“It’s the best way to get you to overcome your shyness Son and if we are to be allies with The SIX, then we must be open and honest with them. Now go ahead,” he prompted. Greg felt more out of his element than usual as he struggled to find the right words.

“Uh… Good Afternoon… I’m uh, honoured to meet you all. I-I’m Greg Howard and a part of the being known as Shadowknight. Uh… you’ve met my counterpart Trish… uh…” he trailed off, not really knowing what else to say.

Carina leapt to her feet, almost hitting the ceiling of the room before she regained her footing. She pointed at the screen excitedly.

“You’re the Gregory Howard! I studied your works in university. I adored your paper on sustainable alternative energy sources!” she gushed. Then Sarida chimed in too.

“He’s that Greg Howard? This is amazing! I read your book ‘Saving the Biosphere, Saving Ourselves’. It was my favourite!”

Trish commented wryly. David Andover watched the spectacle with an amused grin.

“Looks like your bona-fides are confirmed Doctor Howard. Professor Saber, we all appreciate your efforts on our behalf and will do whatever is necessary on our end to assist you,” he told them. Julian watched Greg’s discomfort with sardonic enjoyment.

“We have an AI here named Solomon who has all the plans and schematics for the Moon base. He will be in constant communication with you there at Lunar one and will help Mr. Francis gain complete control of the station until we can reach you. If you need to speak with us, just tell Solomon. Goodbye for now,” Julian replied and cut the communication connection.

Of course, planning to steal a giant spaceship and actually doing it were two very different things, as the team at Saber Base was quickly finding out. The simple mechanics of moving a 150,000 kilogram hunk of metal was a daunting task, let alone hiding something over 37 metres in length. It was decided that the frame they wanted was one that was complete to the point of being prepared for the hydraulics, but without any large-scale wiring or fittings, in essence, the shell without the extras. Unfortunately, this would still top out at well over 75,000 kilos and was beyond Shadowknight’s ability to carry. Oddly enough, it was Lia Tang who came up with the solution.

She had awoken three days earlier and accepted her situation with surprising calm. At Trish’s suggestion, her field cell had been expanded in size so that she could regain her normal proportions. Trish interviewed her in an attempt to figure out a course of action.

“…and that bastard Ravensclaw thinks me dead? Good. The only reason I ever worked for him was the information he had on me,” Lia hissed.

“Well then, your last assignment from The Council worked out well. Being ‘officially dead’, you can’t be tried for the property damage you caused in Washington or in Switzerland,” Trish spoke perfunctorily.

“What I don’t understand though, Mrs. Howard, is why this Shadowknight showed me any mercy at all? Why would any of you show me compassion?” Lia queried. Her question brought Trish up short and she sighed before responding.

“Lia, you are caught up in a war that you cannot comprehend the scope of. We’re battling for the freedom of the planet and our species. If we adopted our enemies’ callous views towards life, we would be no better than they are. When Shadowknight defended this installation, it was truly a fight with no quarter given. Afterwards, if we had allowed you to die, we would have been exactly like The Council of Twenty in their disregard for life in general and their disdain of humankind in specific.”

“I think I understand, but am I any freer now than when I was indentured to Ravensclaw? What exactly are your plans for me?” Lia asked with trepidation.

“That all depends on what you plan to do when we free you. As you know, we have deactivated your defence systems, and while you’ll maintain your powers, anything that can damage a normal human will damage you as well. Rather inconvenient if you plan to use your powers for anything but assisting others. People don’t tend to shoot at someone who is helping them,” Trish quipped. That got a smile out of Lia, as she continued the conversation.

“That’s true enough. I’ve had my share of injuries since I received these enhancements. I had never broken a bone in my life before I started ‘adventuring’, and now I’ve had my legs broken twice, one arm and three ribs crushed… ridiculous,” she smiled wanly.

“Well, how can you make up for what you’ve done? What can you say that will convince me and the team to release you... let alone trust you?” Trish asked seriously.

“That’s a question I’ve been pondering since I woke up. I’m not a religious person, so I can’t swear to any god that I don’t believe in. I have committed atrocities, both directly and indirectly. Sometimes I wouldn’t even trust myself, so how can I expect you to? I can only tell you the truth about myself and somehow hope to gain your trust through honestly trying to assist you in any way that I can,” she said matter-of-factly. “I can tell you with all my soul however, that I hate everything that Nathanial Ravensclaw and his kind stand for and I am committed to wiping his corruption from the face of the Earth forever,” she finished with a conviction that momentarily stunned Trish.

Considering that for a moment, Trish scrutinised the petite woman carefully.

“What truth Lia? What could someone as young as you have done that would give Ravensclaw any power whatsoever over you?”

To Be Continued