Chapter 2 - Introductions All Around

“Guardians control,” interrupted the intercom, “This is Fire and Ice approaching vector zero-zero-two. Requesting landing clearance.”

“Stand by for authentication vector zero-zero-two,” replied Sarah. Of course, this was just a formality. The IFF transponder aboard their jet had cleared them the moment they first appeared on radar. However, the “Requesting landing clearance” code phrase was necessary. Without that comment, the Guardians would know that something was wrong.

“Vector zero-zero-two. You are cleared for landing,” Sarah said as she activated the two maintenance robots in the LZ. The two robots stepped back behind the black-and-yellow stripped line that indicated the parameter of the doors, and Sarah quarantined the landing bay.

The blast doors rose from the floor of the hangar deck, sealing off the landing zone equipment from the bay itself. Several plates on the floor slid to one side, revealing thick steel grates. These covered the shafts that would vent the landing thrusters exhaust out of the hangar bay. The entire roof of the landing bay rolled aside, flooding the area with fresh Colorado sunshine.

“Sarah. What is the current status of Power and Force?” Franklin queried the computer.

“Power and Force are currently in their private quarters,” Sarah replied.

'Women,' though Franklin, 'Always late.'

“Sarah, please greet our guests in the landing bay.”

“Yes sir.”

Moments later, a shadow slid over the landing bay; heralded by the sharp blast of landing thrusters. This would be the last time the thrusters would ever be used. Franklin had requested Fire & Ice to The Complex to upgrade their jump jet from thrusters to null-grav units. This would allow them to land virtually anywhere without having to worry about a civilian or two getting roasted. Since the Guardian foundation had provided the jet to Fire & Ice, all major maintenance was performed here. It also allowed Franklin to keep tabs on a group of people who always seemed to be 'at the right place, at the right time.' Franklin was never one to enjoy a mystery, and these people were mysterious indeed.

Franklin's watched chimed, and three seconds later the main gear touched down. Franklin frowned... why had he been off by three seconds?

As the thrusters were shut down, the exhaust fans kicked into high gear, pulling the large cloud of smoke and fumes from the bay as the roof closed. Circulation vents opened in the walls of the bay, dumping in fresh air and preventing a vacuum. Xerox had once tested the hangar bay by closing all the vents and turning the exhaust fans to 105%. The resulting vacuum could knock a man out within seconds, and kill him in less than a minute. For some reason, the thought gave Franklin a sharp case of the willies. Maybe that was one reason he was looking forward to upgrading Fire & Ice's jump jet: He could then fill in most of the exhaust system with concrete.

As it was, the exhaust fans were slowing down to their minimum setting; circulating enough air to keep the heat of the engines from making the landing bay unbearable. The scanners performed their final sweeps, and reported that there was two people aboard. No contraband, no munitions, and no bombs... nadda. Franklin grinned at the error in the scans.

“Please notify the staff that we have guests in the compound, and lower the landing bay doors.”

“The landings here always give me the chills,” said Fire as she unbuckled herself from the copilots chair.

Ice had already pulled up the “cold” shutdown instructions on one of the monitors and was busy shutting down various subsystems. “Huh? Why's that?”

“I don't like landing under computer control,” she said, reaching into a compartment to retrieve a hairbrush, “I don't trust it.”

“Do you trust my landings?” asked Ice with a grin.

“Of course,” she said, tilting her head to one side to let her long hair fall, “You can land this thing just as good as the computer just did.”

Ice chucked, and proceeded to shut down the secondary systems. There were a few moments of silence as Ice squelched the various alarms that had sounded. Suddenly, Fire sat straight up in her seat, looked over at Ice, and slugged him in the arm.

“Oww!” yelped Ice, covering his right arm with his left hand. The grin on his face told her that she hadn't hit him hard enough.

“Faking the landings?” Fire snarled.

Ice turned to the smaller passenger behind them, “Tattle tale!”

“She would have found out sooner or later,” the girl said.

Fire unlocked the copilots seat and swiveled it around to face the back of the plane, “You knew he was landing on autopilot all along, didn't you?”

“Hey, it's my job to keep secrets, remember?” said the girl innocently.

Ice bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. It didn't work, and he promptly received another punch in the arm.

“Oww!”

Fire turned her attention back towards the girl, be she had simply vanished. “Yeah. And you'd better stay invisible for a long time.”

<Oooooo.... I'm sooo scared,> echoed the young girls voice in Fire's mind.

Peeved, Fire got up and headed out of the jump jet as Ice finished the final shutdown sequence.

The blast doors had receded back into the floor, and Fire saw a middle-aged woman walking towards her. The woman had short black hair, a medium build, and otherwise was very non-descript. She approached Fire with a warm smile.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Fire.” she said.

“Hello Sarah.” replied Fire, resisting the urge to melt her on the spot. Sarah always gave her the creeps. It's not that she was against technology, in fact she marveled at how totally lifelike this android looked. It was just... well... too close to reality for her own comfort. This thing was even programmed for casual conversation.

“I'm sorry that Power and Force could not be here to greet you,” said Sarah, “I am not quite sure what is delaying their arrival.”

<They're coming up the corridor now,> came the young girls voice in her mind. <they’ll be here in about half a minute.>

“That's okay, Sarah. Ice isn't finished shutting down the plane. We'll wait.”

“His intervention isn't necessary,” replied Sarah, “I could have done it from here.”

Another shudder swept through Fire. 'Shut down the plane any time you wanted? How about when we're flying at thirty thousand feet?'

<Hey. Take it easy. She's just a glorified computer terminal,> came the girls voice.

'She gives me the creeps.'

<Whuss.>

Fire clenched her teeth, and gathered her composure.

“May I get you something to drink?” offered Sarah.

“Got any Fresca?” asked Fire, a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

“Yes.” replied Sarah to Fire's astonishment. “Xerox purchased a small supply of Fresca this week.”

Fire smiled. Even though Xerox was, most of the time, a true thorn in her side, he was always the consummate host. She bet that if she asked for blueberry cheesecake drizzled in mango syrup, he'd have that too.

Sarah walked over to the rows of workbenches and opened a refrigerator. Fire could see that the inside was stocked top to bottom with just about every brand she could think of... with the exception of an entire shelf dedicated to Mountain Dew. Fire also noticed the two much larger working driods silently standing at the far end of the hangar. These droids didn't look even remotely human. One looked like a cross between a forklift and an octopus, while the other mildly resembled the exo-suit Ripley battled the alien queen in Aliens 2. Beside them were several null-grav units. The droids were going to install them while Fire and Ice were visiting the Guardians.

'I don't like the looks of this.' Fire thought.

<I could just sit in the hangar,> echoed the girl.

'I think I'd like it better if you came along with us this time.'

<Really?!? Oh wow! Cool!>

'Don't get too excited. You're going to have to stay very well hidden. This isn't Disneyland.'

<I know,> echoed the girl, <But I'll finally get to see them in person!>

The girls' thoughts were so strong; Fire could feel the excitement herself. She thought back to the first time she had met the Guardians. It was the exact same feeling all over again.

'Just stay close until we get upstairs, then find yourself a place to watch.'

'There you are.' thought Franklin as he tapped into Sarah's visual and audio sensors. The mysterious third passenger stepped out from the jump jet and walked up beside Fire. Franklin was fascinated that the girl was now completely invisible to every wavelength of light, including X-Rays. However, it was psionic activity that Franklin was looking for. And in that aspect, the girl looked like a lighthouse. Franklin had custom-fabricated two detectors to “see” psionic readings. One he had placed in the med-lab. The other was built into Sarah's android body.

'Sarah: Label and track psionic anomaly in the hangar bay, section 36. Designate it as “Guest Three”.'

'So noted.' Sarah responded.

Franklin watched as Power and Force (finally) entered the hangar. “The Twins” as they were called were very buxom blonds wearing fluorescent red and green tights. Power's ability revolved around manipulation of energy. She could literally grab a ten million volt wire and fire lightning strikes without batting an eyelash. Even without a power source, she could emit some heavy-gauge energy bolts. Force was the other end of the spectrum. She could absorb kinetic energy, or project beams of pure force at will. However, it was when they 'linked' that they became a force to be reckoned with. They could intermingle their shields, so that practically nothing could touch them; and their coordinated attacks could level buildings.

'If only they didn't have the brains of a turnip.' Franklin thought, finishing his analysis.

Franklin noted that Ice had finally emerged from the plane, and was being given a double-embrace from the twins.

'Let's get this show on the road.' though Franklin. 'Sarah: Is the Fire & Ice jump jet ready for conversion to null-grav?'

'Yes sir.' Sarah replied flatly.

'Activate the maintenance robots and begin conversion at once.'

'Warning.' Sarah replied, 'There are four personnel currently in the hangar.'

'Understood. Please begin anyway. Also, denote psionic anomaly “Guest Three” as another member of the Fire and Ice team, and assign it Level Six clearance. No arguments.'

The “No arguments” command was to keep Sarah from spouting additional warnings for giving level six clearances to non-Guardian members.

'Done.' Sarah replied curtly.

“Ladies and Gentlemen.” Sarah's android-self announced in the hangar bay. “I would urge you to please board the shuttle as soon as possible. Maintenance work is commencing on the jump jet.”

As if on queue, both of the maintenance androids powered up and began lumbering towards the jet. Franklin had inserted a last-minute instruction to one of the bots to test its arc-welders as it moved into position. The resulting shower of sparks made the entire party head promptly to the transport shuttle.

Franklin noted the time. With the exception of the three seconds variance in the landing of the jump jet, things were exactly on schedule. He considered making the shuttle move slightly faster, but needed the time for a conversation.

'Sarah: Inform Power and Force that there have been no improvements in Gabriels' physical status.'

Sarah's android body, which was now riding the 'shuttle' with Fire, Ice, Power, Force, and “Guest Three”; turned to Force and stated, “I have been asked to inform you that there have been no improvements in Gabriels' physical status.”

“What's wrong with Gabriel?” asked Fire, immediately concerned.

“We got into a very bad fight in Europe last week.” Force said.

“You and Gabriel?” asked Ice, confused.

“No, silly. The Guardians got into a fight with some meta's last week in France. Gabriel took a direct hit from a telepath. He's been in a coma ever since.”

“I remember hearing about it on CNN.” said Fire, “But the press said nothing about injuries.”

“The meta's managed to cut and run; minus one of their team. We were down several members, and thought it would be best if the press didn't tell the world that our ranks were cut.”

“Which member did you get?” asked Ice.

“The telepath.” said Power somberly, “Terrain buried him right there in the middle of the street.”

“How long did it take the police to carve him out?” asked Fire. She knew Terrain's trademark was to hand over captured criminals in a block of cement.

Power hesitated, “Don't know. We left before the police came.”

<The police never found him,> the invisible passenger echoed to Fire, <They literally buried him.>

This sent a shudder through Fire. As far as she knew, the Guardians were never ones to outright kill their opponents. They were literally the standard that all other hero teams were judged. Sure, she knew about some of their 'dirtier' missions, but this must have been one hell of a fight.

“Where is Gabriel now?” asked Ice, knowing full-well where is was.

“He's in one of the med-labs,” replied Force, “He's constantly having seizures, so only the Warlord or Valkyrie go in there. The rest of us watch the monitors.”

'Can you tell how Gabriel is doing?' thought Fire.

<Hold on... I'm looking.>

There were a few moments of awkward silence as the shuttle carrying them began to slow. At the end of the tunnel was a large polished metal door... nothing more. Everyone got out of the shuttle. The door slid open to reveal a large circular elevator. They all walked in and Sarah automatically selected “Pantry”.

“Franklin.” Sarah said through the security room, “There is an unaccounted mass variance in the elevator.”

“Attribute it to “Guest Three”, and inform me as soon as the variance is no longer present.”

“Yes Sir.”

'Anything?' thought Fire.

<I can't get anything from here,> the girl though, <I'd have to get closer.>

'I'll see if I can get in to see him.' Fire replied.

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened... literally into a huge pantry. This was the main kitchen pantry of The Complex, and held enough food for an army. There were racks of dried foods, and large cans of this and that. It seemed the most awkward place to put the elevator doors, but it was effectively concealed from prying eyes.

“If you will excuse me,” said Sarah, remaining in the elevator, “I need to check on Gabriel. I will be with you shortly.”

The remaining passengers walked through the pantry and into the main meeting place of the entire complex: the kitchen. The Complex was originally a replica of 'Mad Ludwigs' Neushwanstein (New Swan Castle) that was built in the 1980's by a wealthy Texan for his daughter. To make a long story short, the castle was sold, only 70% complete, to the Guardians in 1987. The original Guardians completed the castle, and used it as a headquarters until 1995, when it was leveled during a particularly nasty battle. The castle was rebuilt, this time using materials meant to take such abuse. The underground areas are not public knowledge, but it is speculated that a tunnel runs from the jump jet hangar to the main complex. And while the underground areas look as modern as walking into NASA, the upper castle still retains its original beauty and charm. All the modern conveniences, such as electrical and air conditioning, are well hidden in various facades. The kitchen itself is fit to run a large restaurant, with all the appliances to match. The Guardians are more than familiar with the art of entertaining diplomats and heads of state from other countries.

“Terrain!” exclaimed Fire as she caught sight of him.

Scott Delboso, now in costume, smiled and gave Fire a hug. “How are the West Coast twosome doing?”

“We're great.” said Fire, stepping aside to let Terrain and Ice shake hands, “We really appreciate the Guardians upgrading our jump jet.”

“Oh?” said Terrain, a hint of surprise showing under his mask, “Is that why you're here?”

Fire looked a bit concerned herself, “You didn't know?”

Terrain chuckled, “Hey, since I'm always the last to know anything around here; you can now safely assume that everyone knows.”

“You didn't get the memo?” said Xerox as he entered the kitchen, imitating a line from the movie Office Space.

It may have been Ice who could make hell itself freeze over, but the look Fire gave Xerox made the temperature of the room drop twenty degrees. Xerox was the consummate prankster, the master of mischief, and an awful punster. Anything as simple as dumping green food coloring in the milk to sending millions of nano-probes to the moon to reshape the lunar surface into a huge smily-face was within his realm. He was both a genius and a fool all rolled into one. Unfortunately, Fire had been the brunt of his foolishness, and not much of his genius.

The look Xerox got from everyone in the room informed him that his best behavior had better show through. “Fire, Ice.” he said with a slight bow.

“Hey Xerox.” said Ice, taking a position between the two to stave off any arguments, “How long do you think until the jump jet will be ready to fly?”

“It should be ready by morning,” said Xerox, reflexively looking at his watch. Ice thought it odd that Xerox would wear a watch, considering Xerox was always a heavy hand-to-hand fighter. One would think that a watch would shatter with the first blow.

Fire, meanwhile, had turned to talk to Power and Force when she overheard Xerox's last remark

“Morning?” she said, looking at Terrain to make sure this wasn't some kind of joke, “I thought this would only take an hour or two.”

Terrain shrugged his shoulders, “I don't know. I build castles, not jump jets.”

“It will take two hours just to remove the old thruster jets.” said Xerox , “Then another four to move internal equipment around to rebalance the plane. Tack on another three hours to install the null-grav packs and an additional power supply, and at least another five to perform the harmonics tuning. Add to that a good carnauba wax job, and you're going to be here all night.”

'Is he telling the truth?' Fire thought.

She received only silence.

'Where are you?' she though, forcing words in her mind.

Again, only silence.

'Tracy!?' Fire concentrated on her sister's name so hard, she almost said it aloud.

Nothing.

'Tracy!!'