New Age of Heroes 1: The League of Protectors - Dawn of a New Age (14 page)

The members in the
room were preparing themselves for an early number death total.

“Luckily, no
one was killed during the battle. One of the agents was banged up
pretty bad, but I’m being told he’ll be back to work in
no time.”

There was a
momentary feeling of relief coming from the room. Considering the
death toll that could’ve been, this news was quite pleasant.

“Boots on the
ground have confirmed that all two hundred fourteen prisoners have
escaped the island.”

And there it was,
the other shoe dropping. That was the bad news the President had to
report. The news that after all the hard work the government put into
tracking and containing criminals was down the drain. The President
paused for a moment to let the information sink in. One two hundred
fourteen dangerous criminals back on the loose. He dreaded thinking
about the chaos these criminals would be able to cause.

“Mr.
President I don’t understand, how did this happen? Was the
blackout a natural cause of some sort or was this deliberate?”one
of his cabinet members asked.

The president
looked around at his frightened cabinet. “I don’t believe
in coincidences Ron, this blackout was created by one of the inmates.
Somehow one of the inmates was able to resist the effects of the
inhibitor field.”

The vice president
raised his eyebrow. He was certain the sedatives pumping through the
inmates' bodies should have been enough to repress them from using
their abilities. He wasn’t so sure that it was an inmate that
caused the breakout.

“How were
they able to shut down the power and the backup generator?” the
vice president asked. The president shook his head in disgust; he had
very few answers to offer.

“What about
the island? How were they able to escape the island? This prison was
built on the island specifically to prevent such escapes from
happening.” one of the President's cabinet members said.

“There were
only a few of them that could fly or had abilities capable of
escaping the island. So how did that many prisoners escape?”
another cabinet member asked.

“Jason Shaw
was on sight and has stated that Erik Masters called out to someone
and then the room was filled with a blinding light. When the light
disappeared, so too did the inmates. Mr. Shaw believes that someone
teleported inside the facility and used the ability of massive
teleportation to get all the prisoners out in one attempt.”

The Vice President
murmured something under his breath.

“Do you have
something to say Hal?” the President asked.

Vice President Hal
Martin stood up to address the President. “Sir, I don’t
believe in coincidences either. Don’t you find it rather odd
that these prisoners escape the same day Jason Shaw and that
electronic communicating Post Human arrive? If you ask me, I believe
they are responsible for this breakout.”

All eyes were on
the President. Vice President Martin brought up a very valid point.
Logically thinking, evidence pointed towards The League being
responsible. “Both Agent Hardine and Agent Mallory were present
at all times. In separate reports they both confirmed that neither
Mr. Shaw nor Mr. Blake had anything to do with the breakout. As a
matter of fact, Mr. Shaw fought alongside Agent Mallory and Mr. Blake
is responsible for getting the power back on.”

The Vice President
sat back down. He still wasn’t convinced The League was
innocent, but for now he let it go. “Sir, there is no report
anywhere in our files that show a Post Human with the capabilities to
teleport such a massive amount of people.”

“I agree, but
that doesn't mean that we have reports on every Post Human in
existence. Nor does it mean that the reports we do have are one
hundred percent accurate.” The President and the Vice President
were on completely different ends of the spectrum when it came to
Post Humans. The President was a bit more trusting where as the Vice
President had absolutely no trust in Post Humans at all. If he had it
his way, he'd have all the Post Humans locked up. The League
constantly worried what would happen if the Vice President, God
forbid, became the President someday.

The President felt
friendly relations with Post Humans were necessary. He was of the
belief that working with them was better than working against them.
The President was a firm believer that the majority of Post Humans
were not a threat. It didn’t mean he didn’t recognize the
potential threat they posed. He understood very well how dangerous
they were. His stance on the issue was that they deserved the same
rights that any human received.

Vice President Hal
Martin’s beliefs were totally different. He believed so
passionately that the Post Human presence was part of a conspiracy.
He believed that all Post Humans were working together to take
control of the world. In his mind, The League of Protectors was
nothing more than a foot in the door. They were a way in which to
gain the public's trust. A Trojan horse of sorts. There was nothing
anyone else could say or do that would change his opinion on the
subject.

The president
skimmed over some of the files and acquiesced to the possibilities
that the information given to them on Post Humans was incorrect. He
still didn’t believe that The League was responsible for this,
but he was beginning to believe false information was coming from
someone.

The President and
the rest of the members inside the situation room continued
discussing the situation. They engaged in conversation for another
fifteen minutes or so when the chief of staff noticed a slight
rumble.

“What was
that?” he asked. No one inside knew what he was talking about.
They were too busy engaging in conversation to hear what he heard.
Suddenly, from outside the situation room, several panicked voices
could be heard.

“Code red, we
have an intruder approaching the west wing. I repeat code red,”
a voice over the loudspeaker said. Startled and panicked looks filled
the room. The committee could hear shots being fired and orders being
barked, but they had no idea what was going on.

Three of the
President’s bodyguards hurried into the room and placed
themselves right in front of the President. They didn’t have
time to find out what was going on, but that wasn’t their
concern at the moment. All they cared about was making sure the
President was safe. The men aimed their weapons at the door and
stared at it with great intensity. They wouldn’t hesitate, not
for one split second. If the President’s life was in danger,
they would do whatever was necessary to protect it.

“What’s
going on Lucas?” the President asked.

He was forced by
his guards to curl up behind them. Everyone else in the room formed a
defensive circle, shielding the president from whatever threat seemed
imminent.

Lucas, one of the
President’s bodyguards listened as one of the servicemen
informed him of the situation via headpiece.

“Sir, reports
indicate that two Post Humans have breached the perimeter. Whoever
they are, they seem determine to make their way towards you.”

Loud gasps
resonated from the room. This was one of the worst case scenarios the
government had been worried about ever since the existence of Post
Humans was discovered.

“How did they
bypass security, Mr. Jones?” the Vice President asked.

Without taking his
eyes off the door, Lucas Jones answered the Vice President. “Sir,
from the little bit of chatter I was able to pick up over the radio,
it appears they simply ran through the walls.”

The President met
Vice President Martin’s gaze. The President wondered if Vice
President Martin was right along. Was The League of Protectors
responsible for the attempted security breech last week? Were they
somehow responsible for the escape on the island? Thinking about
everything that was going on was a lot for the President to take in.

“There they
are! Shoot them, shoot them!” one of the secret service men
shouted over the radio. The President and everyone else in the room
could hear the echoing sounds of gunshots being fired.

“Hostiles are
approaching the situation room. I repeat hostiles are approaching the
situation room!”

The President
swallowed spit. Whoever was coming for him was closing in on his
location quickly. It would be mere moments before the intruders got
in.

“Target in
sight,” the serviceman standing guard over the situation door
shouted.

“Take the
shot, take it now!” another serviceman shouted back.

A small tanned
woman approaching the door to the situation room swiftly kicked the
guard, knocking the gun out of his hand. The men and women inside the
situation room watched as the locked door slowly became distorted.
The door looked as if it became
liquefied.

“
What’s
happening to the door?” a frightened cabinet member asked. The
servicemen inside the room pointed their weapons at the door and
stared at it without blinking. This was it; they were the last line
of defense.

The
small tanned woman and the man with her materialized inside the room.
They looked around it, searching for the President. Several of the
President’s cabinet members screamed for dear life. His
servicemen eyes were locked on their target. The small woman and the
man immediately put their hands in the air and asked not to be shot.

“
Hold
your fire!” the President shouted. With their fingers itching
closer to the trigger, the servicemen kept their eyes locked on the
two Post Humans but did not fire upon them. Cautiously the President
stood up and approached the two intruders. Several of the servicemen
outside the room busted in and took position. The President
positioned himself between the servicemen and the intruders.

“
Everyone
relax, let's just take a moment and settle down!” The President
said.

Both
the servicemen coming from outside the room and the servicemen inside
the room stared the intruders down with an intense glare.

14

We Come
in Peace

There
was so much tension in the air. The secret servicemen were sweating,
the intruders were sweating. The cabinet members were sweating. There
wasn't a single soul in that room that wasn't nervous.
Not
a single man or woman wanted to be known as being present the day the
President was assassinated. The ramifications would be detrimental.

Would the country
be able to bounce back if its beloved president was murdered? Would
an all out war between Humans and Post Humans break out? This could
not happen. The President’s life had to be protected at all
cost! These questions and more swirled through the minds of everyone
inside the situation room. The President continued walking towards
the intruders. He refused to cower in the corner like a coward. If
this was to be his end, he would meet it with dignity, the way a
President should always be.

“Mr.
President, stay back!” one of the servicemen shouted jamming
his gun forward just a little bit more. The servicemen in the room
got a little antsy with the President being so close. Something was
going to go down.

“I’m
fine Bruce; I highly doubt these fine people are here to hurt me. I’m
sure whatever this is, can be handled in a civilized manner.”
The President said with a smile on his face. He was doing his best to
reassure everyone, including himself that everything would be okay.

The guard ignored
the President’s reassurance and positioned himself in front of
him. The other servicemen followed suit and formed a human wall to
shield the President from harm. These men were prepared to lay their
lives down for the President if need be.

The President
thanked his men for their loyalty and heroic nature, but ordered them
to holster their weapons. The servicemen didn’t budge. The
President gave Bruce a stern look. He would not repeat himself again.

“Stand down
men,” Bruce ordered hesitantly. The servicemen reluctantly put
their weapons away.

“Thank you,”
The President said. He walked calmly and confidently up to the two
intruders and sized them up.

“
Well
now Mr. Connors, you certainly have a way of making an appearance. To
what do we owe the pleasure of your unscheduled and might I add very
disruptive visit?”

The
President’s calming nature and subtle voice began to ease the
nerves of his cabinet members. They were still uneasy about the
presence of the two intruders, but his voice slightly reassured them
that he would be okay.

Mr. Connors
apologized tremendously for the intrusion. He realized the risk he
was taking for his shenanigans but the situation was so dire he saw
no other option.

The President’s
eyes shifted from Mr. Connors to the young woman that was standing
next to him. He recognized her face. She was a member of the League
of Protectors.
He had read in
his files that one of the members had the ability to phase through
any solid object, but until he saw it with his own eyes, he didn’t
believe it. Hearing about it and seeing it were totally different. He
was absolutely amazed by what he had just witnessed.

“
Bianca
Ramirez, correct? I don’t believe we’ve had the
opportunity to meet.”

The
President extended his hand. Bianca looked towards Mr. Connors with a
pleasantly surprised look. She didn’t expect to be treated with
such hospitality, especially after she had just broken inside the
White House. Mr. Connors gave Bianca a stern look. He didn’t
want Bianca to look rude in front of the President. Bianca turned
back to face the President and shook his hand. She apologized for the
intrusion and then took a step back so that Mr. Connors could explain
the reasons for their actions.