The Rise of the Fat Mogul (The Defenders Saga Book 2) (25 page)

“Okay,” Buddy allowed, “so, where would it be coming from?”

“There is only one foul being I am aware of that can produce this kind of absolute loyalty in a person,” Zero answered.  “Only one villain who has ever created an army of drones who would bend to his every whim.  In fact, I have a hard time understanding why you didn't think of him in the first place.”

“You mean Damon?” Alexa asked.  “Like when we fought him the last time?”

“I do indeed, sweet Alexa.”

“But he wasn't Damon until a little while ago.  Plus, this is all Arthur's doing, isn't it?”

“I think I see where Zero's going with this.  Flores was saying how he planned all of this, planned Damon's return, planned my return, how he planned everything.  He must have known, somehow, that I would be able to take away Damon's memories, that I would be able to change him into this empty shell of a man.  Flores must be the one who's responsible for bringing him back.  Flores must be the one who re-programmed him into thinking he was Murphy.  Flores must have then also used him to create his army of drones.”

“That’s completely ridiculous,” Talmadge joined in.  “How could he possibly have known all of that?  He’d have to be able to predict the future in order to—“

“Sal!” Buddy clapped his hands together.  “Now it all makes sense.”

“What are you talking about?” Ryan asked.

“You know Sal, right?  The guy who hangs out at the diner?  When I first met Flores, he told me that Sal was his uncle, and that he had the power to tell the future.  What if Arthur used Sal to make his plans, used him to see what he would need to do to set all this in motion?”

‘That’s devious,” Talmadge frowned.  “And complicated.”

“No one’s ever said Artie wasn’t one to take the hard route.”

“So, what this all comes down to,” Ryan continued, “is that Damon's somehow still controlling these people even though he isn't aware of it, right?”

“Right!” Buddy clapped his hands in excitement.  “So all we have to do is get Damon to stop controlling them and call it a day, right?”

“Sounds like a plan to me, chum.”

“There's only one real problem with that,” Talmadge joined in.

“Yeah?”

“We don't even know where that Murphy guy is, do we?”

“What about the army down there?  Shouldn’t we be concerned about them?” Alexa asked.

“They’re looking for something,” Ryan offered.  “And I’d be willing to bet it’s the same thing Jeff was trying to get from Arthur.  Either way, I don’t think they’re going to be any trouble for the time being.”

“But, what could they possibly be looking for?” Buddy asked, “Jeff’s already got a whole giant army at his disposal.”

“A remote control for Damon?” Ryan offered.

“Would they really need that?” Talmadge asked.  “From what I’ve seen, it seems like that Jeff guy can mimic the abilities of anyone else.  Why would they need to control Damon when he can just be Damon?”

“That's right!” Alexa exclaimed.  “How could I have been so stupid?  Obviously that’s how Jeff’s been controlling them.  But, if they’re still doing what Jeff wants them to do, does that mean Jeff’s still alive?”

“Seems likely,” Ryan answered.  “Which means that we’ve got to find him in order to deal with that army.”

“But, they don’t really seem to be doing anything for us to be worried about right now, right?  I mean, there’s no reason we should have to fight them, is there?”

“Although I hate to turn down the opportunity for a fight, I would have to agree, chum.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re locked inside D.A.W.N. for the foreseeable future anyways,” Buddy responded.

“Actually,” D.A.W.N. answered, “I am mending Zero as we speak.  He might be in a fair amount of pain, but should be able to assist you in your crime fighting duties within only a few minutes.”

“You can do that?” Ryan asked.

“There is truly no limit to what I can do, Ryan, darling,” D.A.W.N. cooed.

“So, what’s the plan?” Talmadge asked.

“I believe we are discussing that precise question currently, Young Bee,” Zero replied.

“Actually,” Talmadge said, “I'm going by The Cryp-Master now.”

“You sure?” Alexa questioned.

“No good?” Talmadge asked.

“No, Young Bee,” Zero said, “no good.”

“Fine.  I'll come up with something.”

“Alright, back to strategy,” Ryan changed the subject.  “D.A.W.N., you were the one who teleported Damon out of The Bunker, right?  Where’d you put him?”

“I had started the teleport process, yes, but something took over mid-destination computing.  I have no clue where he landed.”

“So, Damon's out there somewhere, burning like a dwarf star.  Jeff's out there somewhere controlling an army.  The army is in front of us, looking for who knows what from The Bunker.  Is that it?”

“That seems to be an appropriate summation to me Little Red,” Zero said proudly.

“Okay,” Ryan continued.  “So, what does that mean for us?”

The group paused in thought.

“Really?” Talmadge asked.  “No one has any ideas at all?  I thought you were supposed to be this amazing superhero team, ready to jump into action at any moment.  You all seem to be worse at coming up with a plan than most of the kids who hang around in costume at the Cons.”

“We don’t even know where to start,” Buddy defended.  “And I don't see you coming up with any ideas.”

“You want an idea?  Fine.  So, what's our first priority?  Seems to me that we have three issues to deal with, finding and disarming Damon, finding and disarming Jeff, and trying to keep that army over there from finding whatever it is they are looking for.”

“Once again, an appropriate summation,” Zero spoke.

“I think the only thing we can really put down as a lower priority is keeping the army from finding whatever they are looking for,” Buddy offered.

“Maybe,” Ryan said, “but seeing as we don't know what that is, I'm not sure we can completely count that out.”

“Sure,” Buddy replied, “but would that matter if we find Jeff and deal with him?”

“Depends on if we can do that fast enough,” Ryan shot back.  “In fact, taking out Jeff might not even matter if those guys find whatever they’re looking for.  I might be willing to say keeping them from finding it is the most important thing we could do.”

“Don't forget that we have Damon somewhere out there ready to explode,” Alexa added.

“Okay, fine.  Looks like the best course of action would be for us to split up,” Buddy took charge.  “Talmadge, do you think you can get the Mole Men to help you dig through the wreckage of The Bunker and look for whatever it is that they're looking for?  Maybe if we can find that, we can stop all of this from getting any worse.”

“Maybe,” Talmadge agreed.  “It would help if I had any idea of what we are looking for.”

“Knowing Artie,” Alexa assisted, “it would have probably been near him at all times, if not on him itself.  I'd start there if I were you.  I mean, it’s not like there’s much of The Bunker left to sift through.  It’s entirely possible that whatever it was didn’t even survive the blast.”

“Perfect,” Buddy replied.  “Ryan, you still have access to that meta-human tracking device you used to track Damon the last time he was around?”

“Of course,” Ryan offered.  “I could probably use that to find out where Memphis got off to.”

“See if you can't figure out what's up with Jeff while you're at it,” Buddy added.

“I can nab the rickshaw and get you over there in no time,” Alexa offered.

“Great idea,” Buddy said.

A loud hissing sound came from D.A.W.N.’s mobile unit as the door on the top of the vehicle popped open.  The figure of Zero rose out of the opening, his entire lower half, half his chest, and his left arm gleamed with the shine of newly crafted metal.

“Is there not any assistance that I will be able to offer?” Zero asked proudly.

“Zero,” Alexa gasped.  “What happened to you?”

“Alexa, my sweet,” Zero grinned, “my injuries were indeed grave, as you had stated on a number of occasions.  However—“

“Zero was in bad shape,” D.A.W.N. cut in.  “I didn’t have much for options left.  I had to remove a great deal of organic tissue and replace it with prosthetics.”

“What our metallic friend is trying to say is that she has made me bionic!” Zero’s smile grew bigger.  “I’m back and better than ever!”  He raised a fist, which spun wildly before morphing into an open cavity, which immediately lit up.  Zero pointed it to the sky and a loud
KRAKOOM
sounded from it as it burst to life, shooting a ball of burning plasma into the air.  “I’m ready for action.”

C
HAPTER 27

Once Ryan, Alexa, and Talmadge departed, Buddy and Zero were left staring at the impossible task in front of them. 

“Well, chum,” Zero said, cracking the knuckles still left on his right hand in anticipation, “how do you suppose we start this epic battle for the safety of mankind?  I’ve got a whole new arsenal of tricks I can’t wait to test out.”

“I think we simply need to keep these guys from finding whatever they’re looking for.  Any ideas?”

“It doesn’t make use of any of my new parts, but I have been working on a new technique,” Zero grinned brightly, “that I've been wanting to test out in the field.”

“Will it be big enough to distract them all?”

“There's only one way to tell,” Zero said, his face showing his eagerness.

“Hey, you know me,” Buddy laughed.  “I'm always up to try something new.”

“That's something I don't believe I do know about you, chum.”

“Whatever, just do it already.”

“Alright,” Zero said as he closed his eyes.  “Here goes nothing.”

The air trembled around Zero as his body turned a deep shade of purple.  He rose into the air slowly, a tempest crashing around him as a purple cloud appeared around the periphery of the distant army.  Slowly, the cloud gained definition and became a spherical wall, which slowly shrank, pulling up a layer of earth as it closed in on the members of the enemy force.  As the circular object became smaller, the meta-human army within reacted violently, like hornets.  They turned their energy toward breaking the ball that closed in on them.  The interior suddenly resembled a chemical reaction, lightning bolts, flames, and a multitude of other powers being exhibited at large within. 

Zero fell to the ground.  Buddy ran to his side, making sure to take a brief glance over his shoulder to ensure the spherical prison still held their enemies in place.  Zero's eyes were closed.  Blood began pouring out of his nose and ears and his body shuddered violently.

“Zero!” Buddy yelled, ineffectively attempting to rouse his comrade.  “Wake up!”

Buddy spun on his heel as a loud explosion occurred behind him and saw a figure burst out of the ground.  In a whirlwind, this new enemy rose into the air before it finally paused and stared at the floating orb.

The figure spun and turned its attention on Buddy and Zero, returning to a tornado of rage as it neared.

It stopped just before reaching its targets and as this unfamiliar woman landed and approached the downed heroes, her form morphed into the shape of Jeff, looking as enraged as ever as he hastily shortened the distance between them.

“How dare you?” he yelled.  “How dare you come between me and my final reward, my birthright?”

“Jeff, calm down,” Buddy stuttered. 

“I will not calm down,” Jeff screamed as he reached Buddy's position and morphed into his doppelganger.  He grabbed Buddy by the lapel and lifted him into the air.  “And you will not succeed in defeating me this time.”

“That's where you've got me wrong, Jeff,” Buddy stalled.  “I don't want to defeat you.”

“Don't try and fool me, you insignificant speck.  I know why you're here; I know what you're doing.  I know you want the Mind Wipe Device for yourself.”

“The Mind Wipe Device?”

“Don't play coy with me, Buddy,” Jeff snarled. 

The sphere flickered briefly.  Buddy looked down at Zero and saw his friend was still unconscious and looking worse for the wear.  His skin was turning gray, his face sunken.

“Okay, Jeff,” Buddy forced a grin.  “You caught me; I wanted the Mind Wiper for myself.”

“Ha!” Jeff laughed loudly.  “You think you could possibly have better intentions for the device than I?  I shall use it to rule the world, to shape the minds of every single person on the planet to my whim.  With the power of the Mind Wipe Device, I shall finally have the one thing I truly desire.”

“Your father's attention?”

“You've always thought you were so clever, haven’t you Buddy?”

“I don't know, you tell me.”

“Shut up!” Jeff's face grew red with rage.  “Meta Mob!” he yelled.  “Attack!”

Buddy laughed now.  “Sorry, chief, they're a little tied up at the moment.”

“You think something as simple as the orb of Kid Zero could stop my men from doing my bidding?”  Jeff morphed into the shape of non-cyber-Zero.  He closed his eyes briefly and the sphere shattered, freeing the army.  Jeff morphed back into his own form.  “You see, Buddy, I hold all the power.  There's nothing you, or anyone else, can do to stop me.”

A whistling noise sounded from above their heads, quickly becoming a loud squeal.  Before Buddy could turn to look at what was arriving in their location, he felt the heat of a thousand suns on his back.  He was blinded by a brilliant light that filled the air as a loud
krakakoom
sounded all around them.  The ground reacted violently to this new intrusion, causing both Jeff and Buddy to lose their footing.

Before they could return to their feet, a voice boomed through the early evening sky.  “Why did you do this to me?” it screamed.  “The pain, the torment.  Why?”

“Damon?” Buddy asked quietly.  His eyes adjusted to the increased lighting, but all he could see was a fireball with a ten-foot diameter, directly in the center of what had once been the Sun City Convention Center. 

“You!” the flames yelled as they burned brighter.

“It’s time I took care of this idiot once and for all!” Jeff cried out, his form turning into that of Dominion's.  He immediately lit himself up and flew into the new threat.  His army stood at attention.  “This was supposed to be my day, Damon.  My day!”

“What do I need of you, you insignificant speck?” the voice echoed.  A tongue of fire flared out from the center of this earth-born sun and wrapped around Jeff, pulling him in. 

A look of fear crossed Jeff's face at this unexpected response.  “Metas!” he yelled as he disappeared within the fire.  “Extinguish the menace!”

Immediately the Meta Mob went to work throwing everything they could at the flames of Dominion.  Ice, water, and wind melded together from the beings capable of producing such elements.  Others searched for nearby offerings that they might be able to use in order to satisfy the fire with a sacrifice.  Others still entered the flames directly.  Buddy lost sight of them as they approached the edge of the brilliantly burning flames.  He couldn’t help but hope they had some sort of protection against the heat inside the fire.  From this distance, it appeared just as easily that they were instantly vaporized.

Around the periphery of the flames, he noticed the lights of emergency vehicles.  At least the city’s services were in working order, although he couldn’t imagine there was anything they could do toward extinguishing the danger before them.  He imagined firefighters attempting to douse the flames with their hoses and prayed that they wouldn’t be as stupid as to venture within.

If only the MHDT weren’t so hell-bent on keeping themselves secret.  Perhaps there’s something they could do to help.  Of course, considering the fact that their new leader is the man at the center of this disaster, maybe it was best they keep their distance.

He looked over to his companion and saw Zero open his eyes slightly.  He ran to his side.  “Zero, are you--”

“I'm fine, chum.  Apparently my new bionic nature doesn’t change the fact that my powers do have the tendency to take their toll on me if overused.  Have we saved the day yet?”

“Not yet.”

“How can I be of assistance?”

“Dude,” Buddy laughed lightly, “just relax.  I’ve got everything under control.”

“Are you certain?”

“Certain, pal,” Buddy smiled.

“As long as you are certain,” Zero coughed, “then I suppose I may be willing to close my eyes for a time.  Awaken me when the battle re-commences.”

“You know I will.”

Buddy walked closer to the fireball, squinting to see if he could make out anything of what was going on inside the flickering flames.  He stood in silence for a while, noting that even Jeff's minions had given up on their attempts to stop the fire and many of them were now doing exactly what Buddy was doing.  Watching.

Alexa appeared next to Buddy with Ryan in the back of the rickshaw.  “Buddy!” she said, “looks like you didn't need us to find Damon or Jeff after all.”

“Nope, they both managed to find us.  If I were a betting man, I’d place money on the fact that Arthur set it all up to happen like this.”

“What are they doing?” Ryan asked as he climbed out of the cushioned interior.

“Absolutely no clue.”

“Heard anything from Talmadge yet?” Alexa asked, staring in awe at the burning air in front of them.

“Nope, but I know what Jeff’s looking for.”

“Oh yeah?” Ryan asked.  “What's that?”

“The Mind Wipe Device.”

“What?” Alexa asked, breaking her stare to lock eyes with Buddy.  “Artie has the Mind Wiper?”

“Jeff thinks he does.”

“How in the world did he get that?  I mean, that was something he had been trying to get his hands on for forever, but he could never figure out where it was being held.”

“Let's just hope that Talmadge finds it before anyone else.  I'd hate to think what could happen if Jeff got his hands on that thing,” Ryan shuddered.

“Should I go in there?” Buddy asked.

“I'm certainly not,” Alexa replied.

“I'd think about it, but I'm not sure my suit can handle that kinda heat,” Ryan offered.  “You sure you can?”

“I have no idea what my limits are,” Buddy answered, “but I haven't found them yet, so there's no reason to believe this would surpass them, right?”

“I guess,” Alexa said quietly.

“Alrighty,” Buddy said, stalling for time, “I guess that means I should go in there, then.”  Buddy slowly walked toward the source of the fire.

The ground rumbled beneath them.  Buddy sighed in relief and stopped to see what new disaster might await them.