FEBRUARY 27, 1987
Cosgrove Corporate Center
the Golden Triangle, San Diego, Ca
Antonio Cifredo the third sits in his office awaiting the arrival of a mystery employee. Ever since meeting his long lost cousin Eileen McCoy, Tony has gained many questions for which he can not find the answers. The events that transpired with Eileen included learning that a bracelet given to him as a gift from his Grandfather was actually an alien weapon. The weapon was destroyed in the act of saving their lives, but several days later another identical bracelet appeared in its place.
As CEO of Cifredo and Son Inc. Tony believed that he knew all of his employees, that was until he reviewed security footage of a man replacing the burnt out bracelet with a new one. The security team knew the man as James Santoro, none of them really knew what his job was with the company but he had full access to everything. Upon further research Tony learned that Santoro was on the payroll and collecting a healthy salary every year, but there was no explanation of what his job was in the company.
Tony instructed every member of the security staff that the next time James Santoro was seen in the building he was to be brought directly to the CEO’s office. It has taken months but today is the day when Santoro has reappeared. Security is bringing him up now as Tony waits to ask the man a long list of questions.
The large well dressed man wears an Armani suit as is led into the office by two guards. “Ah, Mr. Santoro, how nice to meet you at last,” Tony says sarcastically. “You have worked for my family’s company for nearly fifteen years, why is it we have never met before today?”
Santoro glares at the young CEO with none of the respect of his other employees. “There has never been a need for us to meet,” Santoro replies.
“What exactly is your job here at this company?” Tony asked suspiciously.
“I am in charge of Special Services,” Santoro replies, his facial expression as cold as ice.
Tony looks perplexed by the answer as he stares Santoro down across the desk. “Could you elaborate on that job description please?”
“I handle Special Services and that is all you need to know,” Santoro replies, angering Tony more.
“In that case, I am going to have to let you go, your Special Services are no longer needed,” Tony says bluntly. “Gentlemen escort Mr. Santoro from the building!”
“If believing you have the power to fire me makes you feel secure, so be it,” Santoro says, pushing away the security guards that move to take him by his arms.
“Before you throw him in the street, I have a few questions as well,” a woman’s voice says, drawing all of their attention. The men turn to see a shimmering aura in the corner of the room that reveals a woman dressed in a red and blue costume with a mask. It would appear that the woman has been there all along, watching and listening from an invisible vantage point.
“Who are you, what are you doing in my office?” Tony Cifredo shouts at her.
“You can call me Sentry,” the woman tells the shocked men. “I would like to know who he is really working for?” she asks Santoro.
James Santoro’s loyalty is not so easily shaken by the appearance of this woman as he pulls free from the security guards. “You already guessed that, haven’t you, Sentry?” “So why ask me?”
“I just want to hear you say it!” Sentry replies. “I want you to confirm what I already suspect!”
“This is ridiculous!” Tony shouts. “Get them both out of here, now!”
“Not so fast Tony, I think you will want to hear this too,” Sentry suggests. “He is very much alive, isn’t he?” “My question to you Tony is did you know it?” Sentry asks, looking at Eileen’s cousin who does not recognize her behind the Argoian mask.
“Who?” Tony shouts in confusion. “Who is alive?”
“Your Grandfather and namesake,” Sentry reveals.
“That isn’t possible, I saw him die in an accident with my father!” Tony shouts.
“Everything my employer has done has been to protect you!” Santoro insists as Sentry and Tony look at each other in confusion. “That bracelet was only meant to protect you!” Sentry looks at the bracelet on Tony’s wrist, it is not the one that was burnt up in their last meeting. It is another, identical to the first. “How do you think you got out of that plane hanger alive?” Santoro shouts drawing Sentry’s attention back to him. “By chance?” Sentry has a look of surprise on her face at his words. “Oh yes, I know who you are under that mask.”
“It is time you explained everything,” Sentry instructs. “Or do I need to beat it out of you like I did those robots at Area 51?”
“Do you seriously think you can threaten me with that super-suit?” Santoro smiles. “My employer has been tinkering with alien technology from before either of you were born!” Santoro then makes a startling move as he tears open his shirt to reveal some kind of device strapped to his bare chest.
“Everyone step back now, get behind me!” Sentry instructs motioning to the security guards and Tony.
“What is that thing?” Tony asks. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Whatever it is, it isn’t good!” Sentry says. “Mr. Cifredo, does that thing work?” “Do you remember how to use it?”
Tony has no need to question the woman who wears the same insignia on her chest as is on his bracelet. “I’ve been practicing!”
“Keep it ready, to protect yourself and these men,” Sentry instructs, stepping toward Santoro whose fingers move toward the glowing buttons of the device on his chest. “Look it doesn’t have to go down like this,” she pleads. “You said he only wanted to protect us.” “Blowing us up is not doing that!”
“I’m not blowing you up!” Santoro says as he pressed a combination of buttons. “I’m ending your search!”
“NOW! TONY NOW!” Sentry shouts to signal her cousin to activate his shield. Sentry turns back to James Santoro just as there is a blinding flash of light that throws her back to the floor of the office. The lenses of her mask shield her eyes from the flash turning nearly black.
When Sentry’s vision returns it is to the sound of Tony’s voice, “What happened to him?” “Did he blow himself up?”
Standing up Sentry looks around the office, seeing nothing disturbed except for burn marks on the carpet. She steps closer to the burn marks to see that they are in the shape of footprints, James Santoro’s footprints. She looks back to Tony and the security guards to say, “I don’t think so, look around there are no other signs of an explosion.” “He’s just gone, gone somewhere else.”
APRIL 6, 1987
Southeastern Police Division Headquarters
San Diego, Ca
Arriving at the precinct to return to work on her first day back things haven’t changed much for Eileen McCoy. Sitting down at the desk she shared with Corey it brings back a lot of memories both good and bad. Glancing over the desk there are flowers and cards from other officers wishing her well. One in particular catches Eileen’s eye, it is different from the rest. When she opens the letter she knows why. It is a gift donation card showing that $1000.00 was donated to the Police Children’s fund in her name by Diana Carter. Eileen smiles to herself, remembering the mystery girl that Eileen thought she was helping but in the end it was Diana who did the helping.
“McCoy can I speak with you?” Lt. Redmayne calls to Eileen from her office door. Eileen expects Lt. Redmayne’s goal in life will still be to make her life miserable. But there is something different about Redmayne’s tone. To Eileen’s surprise the Lieutenant’s first words to her are, “Sorry about your husband.” “Recent events have brought the special cases I have been sending you to the attention of the brass,” Redmayne informs Eileen. “So those cases have come to an end.” “You will be re-partnered and returning to normal duty in a few days.”
That will be fine with Eileen because she intends to spend her spare time finding her Grandfather to make him pay for what he has done. Even though the only clue she had to Antonio Cifredo apparently blew himself up months ago and the trail has gone cold since. “Thank you Ma’am,” Eileen says standing up to leave. “Ahhh Ma’am, you came to my apartment back in February with something important,” Eileen turns to say. “You never got back to me with that, what was it?”
“Nothing that matters now,” Redmayne replies, looking not at all phased by what seemed to be so important a few months ago. “You will be assigned a new partner tomorrow, until then you can go over these cold cases.” Redmayne hands Eileen a stack of folders from her desk.
Eileen takes the folders eyeing them thinking that this is her punishment. “Thank you Ma’am,” Eileen says, being more polite to the Lieutenant than she has in months. This job has lost its thrill it once had for her. Now with her new found power why would she even want to be bothered with paperwork. That guy in Philly, Master Warrior surely doesn’t deal with paperwork, she thinks leaving the office.
Eileen sits down at her desk clearing a space to work. She begins flipping through the files. She finds reports on the men arrested on that same night from the truck she was held captive in. The contents of the truck were never received into evidence. On top of that both men died while in custody, never even made it to be interviewed. She has seen this file before and still believes something is not right about any of it. Looking up to Redmayne’s office Eileen can’t help but think that the Lieutenant is still up to her old tricks.
In another folder there are photos of several different crime scenes. Eileen recognizes a few of the scenes moreover she spots one man in particular in the background of some of the photos. It is odd to find the man at so many different scenes. Something is familiar about him. Then looking at a closer angle of the man it strikes Eileen he is the man from the airport hanger back in January, the man in charge. Then something else sparks in her mind, she remembers his face from the vision the suit gave her about Nick Newton’s rebirth. Eileen is positive it is James Santoro the man who blew himself up at Cifredo and Son months ago.
Reading through every detail in all of the files Eileen notices one thing all of them have in common, the Officer’s signature, Detective Hillary Brower. Eileen knows that name, she was a Detective from her father’s squad. After Eileen’s father was found murdered it was Hillary who comforted her, helped her to go on. Eileen knows that Hillary retired over three years ago. She hasn’t been in contact with Hillary since then. Looking over the file they are all dated just prior to Detective Brower’s retirement.
Why is Redmayne putting her onto these cases she wonders as Officer Chase approaches her desk. He carries another large stack of files. “Redmayne called these up from the file room for you to go over too,” Officer Chase tells Eileen as he sits them down on her desk with a grin. “She’s really putting the screws to you, your first day back.” Chase turns to walk away leaving the load of files to block her view of Redmayne’s office. Is Redmayne putting the screws to her like Chase said or is she pushing her toward something?
An abandoned Military bunker
Location Unknown.
All of the Alien equipment that was housed in the bunker under Cosgrove Corporate Center has been moved to this location over the past month. The equipment was moved secretly using an unstable wormhole technology that is now defunct. Unfortunately for James Santoro he also used that technology to escape integration by the Cifredo grandchildren.
Santoro’s instantaneous movement through the wormhole left him severely burned and barely alive when he arrived at the bunker. Mr. Cifredo places what remained of his loyal assistant in a healing chamber similar to the one he uses to stay alive. Cifredo has tinkered with many of the alien technology devices he has acquired over the years. In this case he has brought together the science of two different worlds in hopes to make a man from a third world more than he could ever be as a mere human.
The charred body of James Santoro floats in a synthetic embryonic fluid as Cifredo enters the small lab. “I see you are healing nicely my boy,” Cifredo says as he checks over the diagnostics of the machine. There is only a small window in the casing of the casket sized machine over the man’s eyes. Cifredo can see the fear in James eyes as he looks down at the trapped man. “No need to fear, you are almost done.” “Just a few more days.” If Antonio Cifredo had ever truly cared about his ever faithful associate he would know of the man’s claustrophobia.
Cifredo leaves the lab, he has many more pots on the fire some might say. Santoro’s sacrifice to keep him hidden from his grandchildren is appreciated but now he must move on to the next stage of his plan. Eileen finally opening that box has moved events forward by leaps and bounds. The alien suit could be the key to everything he has ever desired. Of all of the alien technology and weapons he has acquired over the years he has never seen anything like it.
James Santoro was a key part of Cifredo’s cabal, his loss left a void that needed to be filled. The old man has many operatives, few know of the existence of the others, Cifredo prefers it that way. Santoro knew of most of them, which is why he was so important to the organization of things. Now the man in charge must bring another into the fold, into his full confidence. He would prefer it be family but it is clear that his grandson is no longer a plausible candidate. But he has another substitute that has more to lose than he does in this game.
It has been nearly a month now that Cifredo has been held up in this bunker and almost as long as he has been cultivating his new right hand man. Keying in the access code on the panel beside another door it opens. Inside a nude man lays on the floor of a large clear Plexiglass cube. “Good Morning, Newton,” Cifredo says to the man who rolls over to sit up to face his jailer. “Have the adjustments I have made to your matrix convinced you of the correct decision?”
The bald man stands up to reveal that his body is that of a doll with no genitals. “If you think taking away my dingus is going to make me buckle to your will you are not in your right mind!”
“How could I help but notice how much you enjoyed it,” Cifredo grins, his wrinkled old face almost pulling tight. “You were beating on that thing like it owes you money,” he chuckles.
“You did that!” the bald man retorts. “You made it addictive like some drug I couldn’t resist.”
“One of the drawbacks to being a Synthetic Clone when you are not in control of the matrix,” Cifredo explains. “I would expect that you would know about drug addiction, Mr. Newton.” “Perhaps I should give your phallus back to you but this time it will be the pain of drug withdrawal you feel.”
A look of horror comes on the face of the artificially recreated Nick Newton. “NO, you wouldn’t!” he exclaims.
“Complete with that same desire, every pound of it would leave you sick and in agony, unable to stop yourself,” Cifredo tells the bald man. “You may no longer be human, but you are still a man.”
“Just let me die,” Newton says crumbling back to the floor holding his smooth groin. “Why can’t you just use this Synthetic Clone thing to bring back your lackey Santoro?”
“Alas the Synthetic Clone Matrix can hold only one set of DNA and can only be used once,” the jailer explains. “I have other plans for James, he will be back at my side soon, a new and better man.” “You could be a new man, a man with power again.” Cifredo retrieves the Synthetic Clone Matrix control box from his pocket. “You need only to swear your loyalty to me.” His hand moves over the control resetting it. “Or you could become a broken glass ejaculation jerk off.” Cifredo presses one final button on the control to activate the changes he has made.
Sitting on the floor holding himself in both hands, Nick Newton feels them fill with the return of his genitals. Nick feels the urge within him, the desire he can not resist again. He looks down at his hands as they move almost out of his control, he stills them for a moment. Long enough to shout, “Okay, yes!” “I will do whatever you say!” “Just don’t make me do this!”
“I’m not making you do anything you don’t want to do,” Cifredo chuckles, his boney finger depressing another button on the control.
The home of Hillary Brower
833 Desty St.
San Diego, CA
Her shift at an end Eileen takes it upon herself to begin a search to find retired Detective Hillary Brower. She drives her Ford Escort to the last know address of the woman she thought of as an Aunt while her father worked with her at the SDPD. Eileen had never been to Hillary’s home, but from the outside it looks far too expensive for a Detective’s salary. She thought the same thing of her late husband’s living arrangement, only to find out too late that it was family money that paid his way.
It would seem that Eileen didn’t know Hillary as well as she thought she did. A single woman living in a big house like this alone? She cautiously goes up the steps to the front porch of the very modern looking home to ring the bell. As she waits for someone to answer the door she snoops around the porch not quite sure what she is looking to find.
“Hello, can I help you?” a voice asks. Eileen turns back to the door to see a young woman in her early thirties with two small children hanging on her legs. Still in uniform Eileen must be a startling sight for the young mother. “Is there something I can do for you Officer,” the woman asks.
“I hope so,” Eileen replies. “I’m looking for Hillary Brower, does she still live here?”
“No, I’m sorry Officer but there is no one by that name living here,” the young mother replies. “My husband and I bought this lot at auction about two years ago.” “We built this house on the lot, we are the only ones to ever live in it.” “Perhaps the person you are looking for lived here before the explosion?”
“Explosion?” Eileen repeats.
“Yes, there was a gas explosion, it leveled the old house that was previously on this lot.” the woman tells Officer McCoy. “That is why when we built this house I insisted there be no gas lines to it.”
A gas explosion, Eileen considers. How could a gas leak level a house? Damage it yes, but level it no. “Was there a police investigation of the explosion?” she asks.
“Not that I know of, just the fire department,” the new homeowner answers. “Most of the old neighbors moved away afterward though.”
“Well, thank you for your help, have a nice day,” Eileen tells the woman as she heads back to her car parked on the street. Feeling she has been pushed to her limit Eileen gets back into her car. She has hit a dead end, did Hillary die in the explosion? If she did, there should have been a police investigation. Eileen looks to her purse on the front seat of her car, atop the files. The metal emblem inside it pushes out the sides. Eileen does not want to become dependent on the suit, she isn’t even sure why she is carrying it in her purse. Eileen looks to the window of the house to see the young mother peeking out the curtains as she starts her car.
At a stop sign Eileen glances to her purse and the files again. She had no intention of becoming some kind of Superhero, but ending up in the paper last month has made her public. Her cousin Tony talking to the reporter didn’t help her staying hidden either. If she puts on the suit in public again it will only add to that problem.
HONK, HONK! A car behind her blows its horn. Eileen had been so lost in thought she forgot all about the stop sign. Moving on down the road Eileen tries to get her mind off of the suit. She has to wonder if the suit she is wearing now will be enough to talk her way into the fire department files.
An abandoned Military bunker
Location Unknown.
Antonio Cifredo watches the man in the Plexiglas cube. Cifredo is proud of what he has done. He has again used alien technology to his own gain. His new right hand man lays unconscious on the floor of the cage. Cifredo is sure his experiment will do nicely as his new public agent. Stepping forward he presses a few keys on a wall panel to open several small hatches at the floor of the cube. It takes only a few minutes for vermin to start crawling into the cube. At first there are three and then six, soon there are twenty-three rats moving around inside the cube with the unconscious man . Several of them stand on their hind legs to sniff the air to search for food. It is almost as if they speak to one another as the squeaks and squeals grow louder as the pack rushes toward the helpless man.
Soon the rats are biting at the man’s tender flesh, bringing him back to consciousness. “What the FUCK is this!” he shouts in Russian flinging the vermin away. He takes hold of a large rat that clings to his chest as he sits up. He squeezes the little beast in his hand that glows as it begins to wither and die. This is a new power he thinks! His anger grows to spread over his nude body causing everyone of the rats touching him to meet the same fate as the first. Now in this large quantity he can feel the life energy within the vermin become part of him.
The rats lay dead on the floor of the cube as Nick Newton has the first chance to acknowledge himself. Looking to the man outside the cube he shouts, “Why am I a nigro!”
“A simple adjustment to your DNA, we can’t have you recognized by anyone who might believe you dead,” Cifredo replies calmly. “How do you feel about the other alterations?”
Tossing the last dead rat to the floor he suggests, “What makes you think that I will not use these new powers on you?”
Cifredo grins widely, “Do you really think I would manipulate your DNA so you could harm me?” “Your death grip works on every form of life except me.” “From this day forth you are no longer Nikolai Romanov or Nick Newton today Deathgrip is born!”
San Diego Fire-Rescue Dept Station 30
2265 Coronado Ave
San Diego, CA
It is about dinner time when Eileen arrives at the fire station. Officer McCoy is taken into the station chief’s office who has some bad news for her. “It is embarrassing, but around the time you are talking about we had a fire in the station,” the Chief tells her. “All of our records about that fire were destroyed.”
“Were you the Chief then, do you remember anything from the fire?” Officer McCoy asks.
“I wasn’t the Chief but I was on the team that put out the fire,” the Chief replies. “There was nothing at all out of the ordinary about the fire.” “It was just as it was reported, a gas leak that was ignited by a spark from a doorbell ring.”
“Was there a body found in the fire?” the Officer asks.
“No, no one was home,” the Chief answers.
There is something suspicious in the man’s eyes that Eileen doesn’t like. Every instinct of her police training tells her he is hiding something. “Would it be possible for me to speak with the former Chief?” Officer McCoy asks.
“I’m afraid not, we lost Chief Wilson on a call not long after that,” the fireman says gesturing to a framed picture on the wall.
There is definitely something not right about all of this, Eileen thinks. “Thank you for your time Chief Billings.” She shook the man’s hand and headed out of the fire station. Eileen has no idea what the man is hiding but she knows he is not going to tell her anything.
Back out in the car she looks at her purse again. She could put that suit on and make the Chief tell her what he know. What would that serve? How would that help her find Hillary, if she is even still alive? This all stinks of Cifredo! People around her are dying to cover his tracks. It has to end!
Eileen reaches to her purse to retrieve the disk. She holds the disk in her lap looking at the insignia that she now knows is that of the Argoian Sentry. Technically it sounds like just another police force on a higher level. Wearing the suit is almost something she was destined to do. Sitting in the car she unbuttons her shirt to reveal her bra. Placing the disk between her breasts on her bra the red and blue suit expands over her body under uniform.
Eileen doesn’t feel any different as she sits in the fire station parking lot behind the wheel of her car. She is still herself not some hero like the paper would like people to believe. Sentry reaches over to files on the seat next to her. Reaching over she lifts the top file off the stack. Suddenly she feels a stir in her chest. Looking at the windshield it fogs over swirling with a vision of a time past. Right before Sentry’s eyes the events of what happened to Detective Hillary Brower after the last time she touched these files played out like an old television program.
The home of Janet and Robert Redmayne
San Diego, Ca
Robert Redmayne works at a much more elaborate computer array than was previously in the bedroom closet. Now the entire bedroom is filled with equipment that is wired to a large dish on the roof of the building. He makes a few more adjustments before contacting his “wife” via their special communication devices. “She is using the suit again,” Robert relays.
“Did you lock in all of the adjustments?” Janet Redmayne asks over the communicator from her office downtown.
“Yes I have turned the dish and satellite relay, locking them into position to clone the signal.” “Everything is going as planned, we are siphoning only the smallest percentage of power but it will be enough.”
“Are you sure the siphon is small enough to go unnoticed?” Redmayne quizzes.
“Yes, I am sure, the gigawatts of power that suit draws is astounding!” “One gigawatt is more than enough to fulfill our needs.”
“I was sure that those files would lead her on a chase that would end with her putting on that damnedable suit that has now become our savior,” Redmayne cackles as she terminates the communication.
APRIL 7, 1987
St. Jude Catholic Church
4006 Hidden Way
El Paso, TX
It is dawn and Sentry has flown all night across three states to arrive at the Catholic Church in El Paso, Texas. She has heard of this place before from her brother. It is a well known refuge for orphaned children. The whole flight she has spent going over the things the suit showed her back in San Diego. If only there was sound as well as sight in these visions. Knowing what has become of Hillary Brower and that she is still alive gives her hope. But without sound it is not clear why what happened to her did.
The 6 am church bells ring signaling a wake up call for the church and the city. Sentry touches down to the ground out of sight of anyone who might be out at this early hour. She still wears the power suit under her uniform. Eileen doesn’t want to become too dependent on the power suit. During her time off she has learned and practiced many of its powers. She even learned how to turn it invisible to hide it from sight. That is what she wants now. There is no need to draw any attention that comes with the appearance of Marvel Woman as the reporters have named her.
Eileen left her gun and badge back in her car in San Diego but she is still clearly wearing a police uniform. The early morning heat is enough to justify her taking off her shirt to walk around wearing only her tank top that is underneath. She ties her uniform shirt around her waist trying to conceal its markings.
Eileen walks to the front of the church. Raised by a strict Catholic she knows the ins and outs of early morning mass. A woman dressed as she is will not be welcome inside the sanctuary. But she doesn’t believe that is where she will find Hillary Brower anyway. She scans the area for some landmark from the vision, a clue to what she should do next. The surrounding area is just as she remembers. Open desert in two directions, residential neighborhood in another. In the last is an industrial depot. It is that depot to which she heads.
Crossing the street she can see a phone kiosk at the front of one of the buildings. The sign on the window reads El Paso Citizen Collection Station. She needed to find a payphone to call work so she made her way over to the phone. She really had no idea that it would take all night to fly here, but it will take just as long to get home.
Not far away from Eileen behind a large old tree a young girl of about ten years old watches every move she makes. The sisters at the church call her Jillian. No one knows her real name but her, to everyone at the church she is just another orphan. Jillian takes a special interest in Eileen McCoy as she finishes her phone call and begins to walk back down the street toward the church. Jillian follows after Eileen keeping her distance making sure to remain hidden from sight.
Eileen stops to look at the large glass windows of the depot building. It is in one of those windows that she sees the reflection of the little girl across the street behind her. Eileen turns instantly to find no sign of the young girl. She’s fast, I’ll give her that, Eileen thinks as she continues on her stroll. At least now she knows she is in the right place.
Then she hears it, it is unmistakable, a gunshot. One of the things the suit does for her is amplify her senses if she likes it or not. The sound came from over there, inside one of the depot buildings. She would like nothing more than to keep walking, but she can’t do that. Eileen sprints across the parking lot to the building.
Eileen stops to look back around behind her to think about her next move. The last thing she wants is another public display. She looks at her invisibly gloved hands, if she can make the suit invisible, why can’t she make herself inside the suit invisible. With that thought her hands vanished from sight. It would seem that whatever she can imagine the suit can do it for her. Eileen’s whole body is hidden by the invisibility but her uniform over top of it is not. She moves quickly now stripping off her shirt and pants to tuck them inside a crate by a trash dumpster.
When she gets to the door it is dead bolted. Deadbolts are something that no longer stand in her way as she takes hold of the outer casing of the lock with her index finger and thumb. Pinching off the lock casing it is an easy task to quietly slide the deadbolt back. Unexplainably by touching the lock it only takes seconds for her to see the events that transpired. Sentry can now sneak inside unnoticed. Quietly Sentry steps into the depot building. It is little more than a warehouse and distribution center.
Sentry’s vision drawns her to the injured man. Not far from the door she sees the aftermath of the events that took place inside moments ago. A security guard lays on the floor bleeding, left alone by the several men she saw standing over him. The men have returned to whatever they are up to in the depot this early in the morning, leaving the injured man alone. Sentry assesses the bleeding man, his injury could clearly be life threatening if she doesn’t get him help. She takes an old canvas bag from a rack behind the man on the floor.
“Just stay still and quiet,” Sentry tells him, trying to hide her invisibility from him. Lowering the bag over his shoulder she tells him, “Hold this on your wound.” “What are they after?” she whispers.
“The payroll,” the injured guard whispers, pressing the bag to his gut.
“How many men are there?” she asks.
“Four” the bleeding and frightened man replies.
“Don’t move, I’ll get help,” Sentry tells him as she goes to look for the other men. Finding the other four men is not as easy as it was to find this man. She is blind now, looking for them the old fashion way. How big of a payroll could this place have? She wonders as she looks around at the huge packing crates stacked in the warehouse. Moreover, who pays in cash these days?
Then her enhanced senses kick in again giving her an earthy fragrance she recognizes. Drawn to one of the large crates by the smell she prys loose the side of it. Dropping the wood panel to the floor the contents of the crate are revealed. Marijuana! This is a drug smuggling operation!
El Paso Citizen Collection Station
Inside the management office
El Paso, TX
“Come on old man, open the safe!” a masked man shouts at the old man on the floor as he pushes the barrel of a gun to the back of his head. Then suddenly there is a loud clatter from outside in the warehouse, that draws the thieves attention for a moment. A second crash urges the lead man to say, “Julio, go see what that was!” One of the other men heads for the door as his boss adds, “If it is that security guard make sure he is dead this time!”
Julio, like the other men involved in this robbery, has worked at this warehouse for many years. The four of them decided it was time that they had a larger cut of the profits this place brings in. It didn’t take much planning as the men knew all of the ins and outs of this place that has never changed over the years. Walking out into the warehouse the obvious point of entry to Julio is the side door that they entered through. As he approaches the door he sees something that wasn’t there before when they came in. A small Lego toy blocks the door sill open.
It is that kid that has been hanging around outside the station for weeks. “Okay little one it is time to come out,” Julio calls out into the nearby crates. He stashes his gun inside his jacket pocket as her pokes around the corner of the crates. Then reaching up to the top of one of the shipping crates he skillfully pulls himself up. Making almost no sound as he walks across the top of the crate he spies the girl Jillian huddled on the other side. Julio jumps down from the top of the crate to grab the little girl by her well worn dress. “Now little rat you will learn what your curiosity has earned you!” he tells her as she struggles to get loose. “That is enough!” he says, pulling the gun back from his pocket.
Then there is another bang and crash out in a warehouse not far from where Julio holds the girl by the arm. “What was that?” Julio asks. “Did you bring more of your little friends in here?” Dragging the small girl out into the main floor of the warehouse Julio makes a surprising discovery. Five or six of the shipping crates have been torn open, their illegal contents scattered on the floor. “Where are you, you little bastards?” Julio shouted. “Show yourselves or I show you what this little rat’s brains look like on drugs!” he shouts holding the gun to Jillian’s head over a pile of spilled cocaine.
“I’m right here,” Sentry says, appearing out of nowhere less than a foot from Julio. The shock of her sudden appearance catches the man off guard and that is all she needs to give him a right cross to knock him unconscious on top of the spilled drug shipment. “Come on we need to get you out of here!” Sentry insists, grabbing the girl by the arm.
“Wait, who are you?” Jillian asks.
“We have no time for questions, Hillary, there are three more of them,” Sentry tells the girl lifting her from the floor to carry her.
“I called 911, the police will be here soon!” Jillian tells her rescuer. “Wait, why did you call me, Hillary?” the girl asks. “My name is Jillian.”
“There is no need to lie to me. I know who you really are,” Sentry tells the girl. “I know a man sent to kill you by Cifredo, made you younger instead.”
“Thank you for confirming that for me,” a black man dressed in leather says stepping in front of the door. “It is Sentry isn’t it?” he asks, pulling the warehouse manager along with him. “You can call me Deathgrip!” “No need to worry about the other three, they were delicious.”
“Nice name is that supposed to scare me?” Sentry quizzes.
“Perhaps you need a demonstration?” Deathgrip says taking hold of the warehouse manager’s bare neck. The man begins to quiver at Deathgrip’s touch. Sentry and Jillian watch in horror as the man’s skin begins to wrinkle and shrivel.
Sentry is shocked back to her senses as Deathgrip chuckles at the manager’s whimpers. Reaching out her hands, a bolt of energy courses from each. The energy bolts strike Deathgrip like a ton of bricks sending him back through the wall of the warehouse.
Jillian runs to the weak manager as he falls to the floor. Sentry steps forward, her hands still glowing, she calls to Jillian, “Wait it could still be dangerous!”
“Not for him, he’s dead,” the child tells Sentry. The girl stands up to return to Sentry’s side. “All of the life was just drained out of him.”
The sound of sirens waile outside. “We need to get you out of here,” Sentry tells the girl. “The only one who could have told him about me was Cifredo.” “He must have followed me here somehow.”
Jillian pulls away from Sentry’s outreached hand. “Who are you exactly that you know so much about Antonio Cifredo and me?” “And how did you do that to that man?” The girl’s eyes pinned on Sentry’s still glowing hand.
Sentry shakes her right hand to dissipate the energy that makes it glow. “It is a long story, one I think I can explain by doing this,” Sentry says as she reaches to pull down her mask. Sentry can see by the reaction in the girl’s eyes that she recognizes her. “Now we have to go before he comes back,” she said, pulling her mask up again. “We have wasted too much time already!” Sentry scoops the girl up in her arms to sprint for the door.
Outside there is no sign of Deathgrip, only a pile of rubble that was created when he broke through the wall. Sentry springs up from the ground, the girl holding on tight around her neck. “Not so fast,” Deathgrip says as he takes hold of Sentry’s ankle to pull her back to the ground. Sentry can feel his touch draining her power.
Only a few feet off the ground Sentry drops the girl calling out, “Run and hide!” Sentry spins around kicking Deathgrip in the face with her other foot dislodging him from her leg. Dropping the ground Sentry feels the energy of her suit return. She has never stopped to consider where the source of the suit’s power. With the speed at which the power returned to the suit it is clear to her that it is direct current not a self contained source. Deathgrip recoups to attack again. It is also clear to Sentry that letting him get a hold on her again would be a mistake.
The combatants go hand to hand making it clear to both of them that Sentry is the stronger of the two of them. Luckily for Deathgrip his speed is greater than Sentry and he does manage to avoid some of her blows but not all. As the energy he absorbed from her on first contact begins to fade and more of her punches connect. Then he grabs her by the arm.
Sentry instantly feels the power of the suit being siphoned as her strength fades. She looks in Deathgrip’s grinning face as he is reinvigorated. “What a delicious source you are,” he laughs.
Sentry’s first thought is to get free of him, but then she realizes she feels fine under the suit. The suit is acting as a barrier between her and his power. Deathgrip is draining only the power of the suit and not her body as he did the warehouse manager. Sentry isn’t sure how but she suddenly knows the source of the suit’s power is near endless, far more than this leach can handle. “Tastes good to you?” she asks, reaching out her other hand to touch his face. “Have some more!”
“Oh yes, give it all to me baby!” Deathgrip purrs as she moves her other hand to his face. The power of the Argoian suit flows freely now through Sentry and into Deathgrip creating an aura around them both. For a few minutes the look on his face is almost orgasmic, then it changes. “No, stop!” he shouts.
“What is wrong, Deathgrip?” Sentry smiles. “Are you getting full?” Deathgrip struggles to pull her hands from his face but it is like they are super glued to him.
“Stop, stop, it is too much!” Deathgrip pleads as his protoplasmic flesh begins to bubble and boil. Sentry releases him, pushing him back to the ground where he lands thrashing. The aura connecting them fades now that the bond has been severed.
Sentry can feel that the store of energy in the suit that makes it work is drained now, it will take a few minutes to recharge. If Deathgrip should attack her physically she would be vulnerable. “Hillary,” she calls out knowing that the girl would have gone too far even though she told her to leave.
Hillary the girl called Jillian now peeks out from behind a tractor trailer. Sentry runs to retrieve her clothes from its hiding place, then to the girl taking her by the hand. “We need to get out of here so I can recharge,” Sentry tells her as they run for the street. “Jillian with two ‘Ls’?” “Just like Hillary with two ‘Ls’, how creative!”
The home of Janet and Robert Redmayne
San Diego, Ca
Janet has not yet left for the office when Robert informs her, “The siphon connection has been lost.”
“What!” Janet shouts at him. “What do you mean the connection has been lost!”
“It would seem there was an even greater siphon on the suit’s power,” Robert explains. “I connected to the hidden drone following McCoy.” “She is in El Paso, Texas, the feed shows this is what happened.” Video of Sentry’s struggle with Deathgrip appears on a large monitor. “This man was able to pull all of the energy flow directly into his body.”
“Then that is a man I definitely need on my team!” Redmayne grins. “Do you have one of the new Robo-drones ready?” she asks.
“Not yet,” Robert responds. “Perhaps by tomorrow.”
“Then I want that drone following this Deathgrip at all times!” Redmayne orders.
Pacific Park
El Paso, TX
Jillian and Sentry hide in the trees at the back of Pacific Park several blocks from the depot. They are quiet as Jillian catches her breath and then she simply stares at Sentry in amazement. “Eileen, how did you do those things?” she asks at last.
“It’s the suit, it gives me powers,” Sentry replies, still cautiously looking around the area.
Julian is quiet again, still trying to catch her breath as she thinks. “It was in that box your Grandfather was always going on about?” she asks.
“You knew about the box then?” Sentry says surprised to hear the mention of something she thought was her secret.
The girl begins to sob into her hands for a moment. “I am so sorry,” she sobs. “I never meant your family any harm.” “I had to do what he said.”
“Were you one of Cifredo’s spies?” Sentry asks in shock as she grabs the girl by the arm. “Hillary, were you one of my Grandfather’s spies?” she asks again, shaking the sobbing little girl. Sentry gets control of herself letting go of the woman who appears to be a child. Sentry paces away, her back to the girl.
Jillian wipes her eyes, taking a deep breath. “What do you know about your Grandfather Cifredo?” she asks, taking a much more adult attitude. “He is a monster!” “He will do whatever he must to control people, bend them to his will.” “The man who did this to me, Leroy Jackson, Cifredo blackmailed him just as he did so many others.”
Sentry turns to glare at the girl who used to be like a mother to her. In fact, when her father was murdered Hillary Brower was more of a mother to her than her own. “Why Hillary?” she demands. “Why would you do this to us?” “My father trusted you!”
“Cifredo came to me, he had proof of something I had done, something that puts my career at risk,” Jillian tells Sentry. “I had no choice but to comply with his demands.” “In the beginning it was simple, just report back on anything your father said out of place.” “When your father was murdered, I thought I was done with Cifredo.” “But Cifredo was not done with me!” “He wanted me to spy on you!” “When I refused, he sent one of his assassins to kill me.”
“But he didn’t kill you did he?” Sentry quizzes.
“No, he didn’t,” Jillian answers. “Leroy found a way to save us both.” “Cifredo didn’t know the extent of his powers.” “He took years off of my life to add to his own.” “When he was done we both had the perfect disguise.” The young girl gets a sad look on her face. “Did he kill your father?” she asks pain in her voice.
“No, I found the freaks who murdered Daddy and they had nothing to do with my Grandfather,” Sentry replies. “What is it you know that would make him want to kill you?”
The girl can see it even through the lens of her mask. Underneath this guise of Sentry Eileen McCoy is in pain. “He’s killed someone you loved,” she says softly.
Not even the super suit can hide what she is feeling. It takes everything she has to hold back the tears as she answers, “Yes.”
“I was one of his first spies,” Jillian replies. “He let me learn too much about his operation.” “And what he didn’t tell me I found out for myself.” “I was a Detective after all, I couldn’t let this man blackmail me no matter who he was.” “I know the locations of most of his hidden bases.”
“Most?” Sentry questions.
“Cifredo is always on the move, changing locations, expanding his operation,” Jillian explains. “It has been years, by now he will have gained new holes to hide in,”
“You’re right, it has been years, he will have to abandon those places, especially now that he knows you are alive,” Sentry reasons.
“You just don’t abandon a bunker stockpile of weapons,” Jillian grins. “There are two places he will always keep and if he does clean them out, there will be a trail to follow.” “Moreover I know where to find the one man who knows more than I do, Leroy Jackson.”
Alameda International LTD.
Howard Media Group
Seattle, Washington
Martin Harper has been a reporter with the Seattle Daily Paper for nearly ten years and this is the first time he has ever been called up to the corporate offices. As he rides in the elevator he can feel the sweat beading on his forehead. What could this possibly be about he wonders and he uses a handkerchief to wipe his brow.
The elevator comes to a stop at the twentieth floor. The reporter hesitates for a moment before stepping out. Just as the door starts to close he reaches out his arm to stop them. He has been called to Mr. Alameda’s office, he is the chairman of the board and founder of the Media conglomerate that is Alameda International. It is an amazing opportunity for a reporter to have a meeting with such a very reclusive mogul. But Martin is sure of one thing. He is not meeting with Mr. Alameda for an interview.
“Martin Harper to see Mr. Alameda,” the reporter tells the receptionists in the outer office.
“Yes, Mr. Alameda is expecting you, you can go right in,” she says pressing a buzzer under the edge of her desk to unlock the door. Stepping up to the door to take the knob in his hand Martin takes a deep breath before entering the office.
Howard Alameda is a dignified looking Latino man wearing a grey three piece suit, He sits behind his desk as Martin enters the office. “Mr. Alameda it is a pleasure to meet you,” Martin says reaching out his hand to shake.
“Likewise I am sure,” Alameda says shaking the man’s hand. “Take a seat, let’s get right down to business.” “You are working on a story about a local vigilante, are you not?”
“Yes, there have been several sightings of her,” Martin replies eager that a man so high up the corporate ladder is taking an interest in his work. “There have been three sightings now.” “She appears to mostly be defending women from street crime.”
“Yes, that is the one.” “I want you to kill the story!” Mr. Alameda instructs.
Martin is baffled by the CEO’s request. “With what is going on in San Diego and Philadelphia, it is important that if we have a local hero, the word needs to get out,” Martin pleads his case to deaf ears. “I have even heard some reports of another one in New York City.”
“Those three are of a different path,” Mr. Alameda tells the reporter. “Let me tell you the secret of my success, it is the one rule I always follow.” “Choose the right option at the right time.” “All things must unfold at the right time.” “That time has not yet come for this one to go public.”
“Sir, no disrespect but you just can’t bury a story like this, the public has a right to know!” Martin insists again.
“You reporters are all the same, like a dog with a bone,” Mr. Alameda comments. “Perhaps the answer is a new bone?”
“Sir, I don’t understand why you would want to do this,” Martin questions. “This is completely unethical.”
“A new bone it is,” Mr. Alameda says leaning across the desk to make eye contact with Martin. His voice takes a melodic tone as he speaks, “You will forget everything you have learned about this Seattle vigilante.” “Your new focus will be on New York Zeni-human after you start your new job there.” “She will be more than enough to keep you occupied.” “Now get a move on, you start at the New York Bulletin on Monday.”
Martin gets up from the chair in a daze as he walks in the door. He returns to his desk to sit in his chair, staring at his computer. “Hey man, I heard Alameda called you upstairs.” “What did he want?”
Martin looks up at his co-worker, the fog in his head clearing, “He offered me a new job in New York City at the New York Bulletin.”
“Holy shit man, New York City?” his co-worker exclaims. “That is your dream job!”
“Yeah, dream job,” Martin mumbles.
Phoenix Convention Center
Phoenix, AZ
Her dark hair pulled back tight and twisted into a bun on the back of her head, Eileen has redressed in her uniform over her invisible suit. Eileen and young Jillian enter the Convention Center on the Expo floor. Currently it is being used as a Flea Market for local craftsmen and farmers.
“It is truly amazing what that suit can do,” Jillian comments. “My head is still spinning that we flew two states in three hours, without a plane.” “What else can the suit do?”
“Plenty, now keep this suit talk down, would you please,” Eileen tells her long lost friend. “Why exactly are we here of all places?” she asks looking around the room at all of the people and venders.
“Because this is where Leroy wanted to meet,” Jillian replies. “It is very public, he thinks it will be safer.” “I tried to explain that Cifredo already knows about me, but he didn’t want to hear it.”
“We really don’t know what Grandfather knows,” Eileen comments eyeing a ripe red apple. “With the local cops all over the depot when we went back there is no way of knowing if they arrested Deathgrip or he got away.”
“This way, ladies,” a middle-aged black man in the crowd says to them. He is younger than when Hillary Brower left him several years ago, but she still recognizes Leroy Jackson.
“Come on that’s him,” Jillian says, taking Eileen’s hand, dragging her through the crowd after the man. They follow the black man who is dressed rather plainly to a door that leads into a stairwell off the exhibition floor. He leads them up the many stairs to the roof.
“We’re here now, tell us what you know!” Eileen demands not at all happy that she is meeting with two of Cifredo’s operatives, former or not.
Leroy Jackson gives Eileen the once over not at all happy with what he is seeing. “Why would you bring her with you, Hillary?” he asks as displeased as Eileen.
“She saved my life from another one of Cifredo’s assassins,” Jillian replies. “It was her who brought me.”
Jackson again glares at Eileen with a look of disgust. “Do you think I don’t know who you are?” he says to Eileen. “I was one of Cifredo’s top men!” He thinks for a moment. “Cifredo wouldn’t risk sending some low-rent assassin after Hillary, so that must mean you have some talent to take him down.”
“Oh Leroy she has the most…,” Jillian starts to say before Eileen shuts her down.
It is clear that this man does not trust her so why should she trust him? “I’m a cop, I’ve had training to deal with people like him,” Eileen says simply. “No what do you know about Cifredo that can help me find him?”
Leroy Jackson glares once again at her contemplating his next words carefully. Then he speaks, “Cifredo’s money was used to build this Convention Center, both seen and unseen.” “He is a big fan of hidden bunkers under his Real Estate investment.” “Under this one is one of his largest bunkers.” “The only access is through that elevator,” Leroy finishes pointing to an elevator booth.
“Then let’s go!” Jillian says.
“No, even if you are over fifty, you are just a child,” Eileen says, taking the girl’s shoulder. “You still have a chance to start over.” Eileen’s words do not match her thoughts, she actually still doesn’t trust either of them. How could she? She may not know much about her Grandfather, but she know that he is a master manipulator.
“She is right Hillary, our time fighting Cifredo is past,” Leroy says, holding the girl back as Eileen walks for the elevator.
Prying the doors of the shaft open is the easiest of actions Eileen has done all day. To her surprise the lift waits on the other side. Stepping inside she turns to watch Leroy and Jillian walk for the stairs. She can’t help but to think that this might be a trap, but she has no other options. This is the best lead she has had since she started the search for her Grandfather.
The door closed and she pushed the down button. The elevator begins its descent. Eileen slides her hand into her pant pockets trying to look confident for whatever cameras that might be hidden in the box she rides in. If this is the only access to this underground bunker then security must be higher at the bottom than the top, she needs to be prepared for anything.
When the cabin comes to a stop Eileen expects the doors to open but they do not. Instead she can feel the cabin begin to slide sideways. This can not be good, she thinks contemplating an escape. The cabin comes to a sudden stop, jarring Eileen against the wall slightly. The doors open into a large well lit white room. Cautiously at first Eileen steps out of the elevator into the bright open room. This does not look like any kind of bunker she has ever seen, it is empty. That is except for a cylindrical cabinet built into the far wall. It is like a circular phone booth, she thinks stepping closer to it. There are no visible markings on it anywhere, just a domed window on the front.
She touches the Plexiglas window. It is cold and wet as if covered in condensation, like a cold drink in a glass on a hot summer day. Her touch triggers something and the face of the booth slides around into the wall. Inside is something she can only describe as alien. It must stand nearly seven foot tall. Its musculature gives the appearance of a male human, but the four arms from its broad shoulders does not. His face looks like something out of a horror movie, all twisted and contorted. The skin of his body has a pale greenish hue and it is completely hairless. Eileen steps back from the canister noticing that the ice has begun to thaw on the inside of it to drop to the floor. On some level she must know the danger she is in as her invisible Argoian suit becomes visible again.
Sentry now views the alien through the goggles. She can see the warmth at the core of the being in the ice. It is alive and it is warming up, fast! This must be the security she was expecting. It appears easy enough to stop, she thinks as she steps back to slide the front casing shut again. Crimping the edges of the door tightly closed should do the trick, she reasons as she squeezes the edges with her gloved fingers.
Turning back to the lift she finds that the door has closed and sealed shut nearly invisible in the white walls that are all around. Concentrating she gains a more detailed vision that finds the seams of the door. Before Sentry can do anything to open the escape route, she hears movement behind her. Turning she can see the alien moving inside the cabinet. Closing the door did not reactivate the freezer!
Suddenly the door breaks open sending shards everywhere. Almost instinctively Sentry raises a shield to catch the shards, but not before one slices her cheek. She holds the shield until the dust settles, not sure what she is up against.
The alien lunges at her drawn by the scent of her blood. His four fists come down hard on her shield pushing her back. Sentry holds her ground, focusing to strengthen her shield. The dust settles and she can see the rage in the alien’s red eyes. “I am not your enemy, I mean you no harm!” she shouts over the noise of the alien’s fist on her shield.
“Argoian!” the creature shouts in anger as he strikes again harder than before with all four fists at once. The force of its angry blow sends Sentry to her back on the floor. He continues to pound on her force shield leaving her no other choice than to respond. Sentry changes from shield to force blast in an instant sending her alien attacker back against the wall.
The force of the collision causes a tremor through the white room. Getting up from the floor Sentry watches as jagged cracks spiders up the wall from the impact. The damage continues across the ceiling, sending chunks of concrete to the floor. Her attacker is unconscious giving her time to realize. “The people up above in the Convention Center!” A room this size collapsing could cause a sink hole big enough to reach the surface, she thinks unsure of the depth of this room. She needs to do something to support this space! But what? The crumbling continues as she tries to think of something, but it is all happening too fast!
Sentry flies to the lift doors prying them open with her fingers. Her only option is to get the people above out! Tearing through the side of the cabin she flies down the dimly lit tunnel toward the shaft leading to the surface. By the time she reaches the roof exit the building is already trembling as the Earth beneath it begins to shift. Flying faster than she has before, fueled by the fear of what is happening Sentry bursts into the Expo room. Off to the back south side of the room the floor has begun to collapse.
The obvious thing to do is pull the fire alarm, so she does just that. There is a bit of confusion as the alarm begins to sound. Then she flies up over the crowd to the stand that is falling into the crumbling Earth. An older woman struggles to save her handmade crafts. “There is no time for that!” Sentry tells the shocked woman as the floor beneath her feet gives way. Sentry grabs hold of her arm just in time to save her and what she holds in her arms as the floor gives way. Flying the woman through the room to safety Sentry scoops up two children with her free arm. Dropping the scared people at the door. “Go hurry, get out into the parking lot!” she tells them.
Then Sentry turns back to the room to soar up into the space over the remaining patrons announcing, “Everyone remain calm.” “You just all need to move to the parking lot safely.” Even to her the sound of her voice is somehow different, almost hypnotic. Once the shock of the flying woman wears off, the people slowly do as she has instructed them.
The Expo floor is nearly empty when a fist breaks through it not far from the sink hole. Then a second breaks free to allow a third and a fourth take hold to pull the head and shoulders of the alien up through. “Damn!” Sentry utters at the sight of the escaped alien monster. She had hoped she had seen the last of that thing buried under tons of Earth.
“Argoian!” he shouts again as he emerges into the room. The calmness of the people still exiting turns to panic and chaos. People are screaming, pushing and shoving to get out the doors as Sentry touches down on the floor. She draws the alien’s attention, her only goal to protect the innocents.
Not everyone flees, a local News crew remains behind. “Are you getting all of this?” the reporter holding the microphone shouts as this cameraman.
“Ya ya, who is she anyway?” the cameraman replies aiming the camera at the action.
“I don’t know but the networks are going to eat this up!” the report grins thinking of his ascension to a network seat.
“Now calm down, I am not an Argoian,” Sentry tells the raging alien as it stalks her. She has no time to react as the four armed man belches sending a flood of flames at her. The fire breath burns away her uniform leaving only the red and blue suit she wears underneath.
The touch of the flames to the suit instantly triggers a reaction. Sentry vision is again obscured as she views the scenes of the past. This creature, Xanian was held prisoner on the Argoian ship when it crashed in New Mexico. Then she sees the face of the man she had believed dead for decades, the Grandfather Antonio Cifredo as he finds the capsule that contained the prisoner. Sentry sees how Cifredo made the plans to use the alien as his watchdog. Gathering her wits she is glad her hair is still tied up, untouched by the fire or it would be gone too. Moving into defensive action Sentry blocks the flare of fire with a force shield.
The attacker stops the flame as he takes a breath to look at her revealed attire. “You wear the mark of the Argoians,” he says in an alien language that Sentry strangely understands. The suit is truly amazing every moment she wears it she becomes more in tune with it.
“Xanian, this is your name, I am not your enemy even if I wear this emblem,” Sentry says trying to reason with the brute.
“Xanian-3426 to be precise, the Damerites enslaved us, gave us numbers, imprisoned us from birth,” he says as he begins to stalk Sentry again. “I would be free now!”
“I’m afraid that doesn’t work for me,” Sentry tells the on edge alien. “You’re appearance is not something that we are used to on Earth.” “You need to let me help you find a place where you will not frighten or harm people.”
“Never a prisoner again!” Xanian shouts lunging at Sentry. She reacts by turning to grab a large ship’s anchor that someone had salvaged to swing it at the attacking aliens. Unfortunately the anchor is only a replica made of plaster that shatters on contact. It is her fist that knocks Xanian to the floor. Sentry knows from her previous encounter that his strength is nearly double hers so this is only a fluke, hand to hand combat is not an option.
Sentry needs to find a way to subdue him and put him away someplace safe. Where he came from is out, she needs a new storage unit. Xanian springs back up charging at her, tossing aside Flea Market tables. Handmade snowman Christmas ornaments are crushed under the alien’s large feet. Sentry raises her right hand firing an energy blast that barely phases the alien. A shield then, between them this time, don’t let him get too close. She can feel his strength against her shield like some raging linebacker pushing the line forward.
Sentry has to find a way to put this guy back into the freeze. The freeze that is it! The ice in the canister, cold held him before, it can do it again! All she needs to do is figure out if she can convert her energy blasts to cold. Raising her left hand she concentrates as she feels the pressure on her shield sliding her back over the floor closer. Water vapor in the air begins to rise off of her gloved hand as she feels the chill in the air.
Instantly she drops her shield to fire a super-chilled beam of energy at Xanian. He is stopped in his tracks as a layer of ice forms over him. Sentry springs up into the high ceiling room to fly over her attacker to freeze down his back side. Then she glides around him sealing him completely in a two foot thick layer of ice. Sentry discovers the suit does have limitations as she feels this new power wane. Dropping to the Expo floor Sentry knocks the pillar of ice over to use the beam from her hand to seal the bottom, just as it peters out after creating a huge iceberg in the center of the room.
“Marvel Woman over here!” a voice calls to Sentry. She turns to see the cameras being pushed in her face as a reporter holding out microphones asks, “Marvel Woman what was that thing?”
Staring into the cameras she is not at all happy with the public exposure she has gotten. Most of all she is not happy with that name she has read in the newspaper back home. “The name is Sentry!” she admonishes. “Not Marvel Woman!” “I would say he is someone who is very angry at being misunderstood.” “I can relate to that,” she tells the reporter as she performs the most marvelous feat yet by lifting the five hundred pounds of ice and alien to carry it out of the complex.
Outside she pushes off the ground barely taking flight carrying the massive chunk of ice. What am I going to do with this guy now? she thinks.
*I can help with that,* she hears the familiar voice in her head. *Meet me at the edge of the desert due north.*
Somehow guided by her suit Sentry finds the location described to her in her head. She isn’t sure why she is listening to the voice in her head but she is sure that the iceberg she created to hold Xanian is melting. For some reason Sentry isn’t able to restart the freeze power again, so she needs to find Xanian a new home. She scans the area for any sign of life to find none. Then for a moment her vision blurs but not like when the suit is giving her a vision, this is different. When her eyes clear there is a massive, something lying on the sand. It almost looks to be alive like a beached whale, yet not. It is dark grey in color shaped like a blimp with low narrow ruttier wings, that could easily be flippers. On what Sentry imagines is the back, a large four flipper tail. There are divots in the side of it that led up to a slit that could easily be an eyelid.
Then the tail lifts to reveal a large opening, like a cargo loading ramp. Is this some kind of ship? Sentry thinks, is it a weird spaceship if some kind?
“So Officer McCoy I see you found your true calling,” the voice calls from the back of the beast in front of her and not in her head. Sentry steps around behind the tail to see a tall golden man with shaggy blonde hair standing at the top of the loading ramp. “Or should I call you Sentry McCoy now?” He is dressed in a grey sleeveless shirt with a strange emblem on it. It looks like a spider standing on its thorax with six legs draped down it. He wears black shorts trimmed in blue that leave his legs bare from upper thigh to the top of his dark blue boots.
“Ben Srann?” Sentry questions remember the man from months ago when he interfered in her first run in with Nick Newton. “This is how you knew all the alien stuff, you are one!”
“I told you we would meet again when you were a true Sentry.” Ben replies walking down the ramp that looks like an outstretched gray tongue. “Now let’s say we get your prisoner to somewhere nice and cold so he won’t thaw for a few centuries.” “Bring him on board.”
Sentry lifts up the iceberg to carry it up the ramp into the strange ship. “How many alien races exactly are on Earth?” Sentry asks out of curiosity.
“I’ve only discovered three, well four now with the Xanian, but there could be more than that,” Benue answers. Sentry feels much more trusting of Ben this time than she did at their first meeting. So much has changed since then. “Most are good at hiding like me.”
“What is so special about Earth that brings all these aliens here?” Sentry asks. Inside Sentry marvels at the interior of the ship. The hatch ramp closes after she enters a large cargo bay.
“It is not the Earth that brings other Races here, it is humanity,” Ben explains as he turns to instruct her, “You can sit Xanian-3426 down there, once we are out of the cargo bay I will lower the temperature for safe keeping until we reach our destination.” “Most scientific races marvel at humanity’s ability to become Zeni-humans.”
Sentry listens to his words as she looks around the walls of the ship that are grey but not constructed of any metal Sentry has seen before on any vehicle. The veining on the walls like a leaf makes her ask, “Is this ship alive?” “I mean, is it a living thing?” “I can feel something all around me but I can’t describe it.”
“To answer your questions in one word, yes.” “Not like you or I, more like a plant.” “Follow me,” Benue tells Sentry, leading her through an iris shaped opening into a narrow passage.
Sentry can feel the ship moving now as it begins its ascension straight up. It is like riding in the smoothest elevator ever built. Running her gloved hands over the smooth grey walls she can feel the faint veining in them, like on a tree leaf. She can feel the life. “What is our destination?” she asks her host as she follows him.
“The Colorado Rocky Mountains is what you call them,” Benue replies. “It is cold enough year-round to keep Xanian-3426 frozen for decades.”
“Did you know I had the suit the first time we met?” Sentry asks.
“No, I was on a much different mission then,” Benue tells her as he leads her into the pilot’s cabin of the ship. “I was searching for my enemies that crashed here on Earth years ago.” “I believed they had been using parasites to mutate humans.” “You were a complete surprise to me.” “I had no idea the Argoians had seeded Earth.”
“Seeded, that is what you call it?” Sentry says as she gazes out the front of the ship. The view is amazing as they sail over the cloud.
“The Argoians are my allies in the war against the Spartans who chased me here to Earth,” Benue explains. “When I first saw the wristband shield your cousin wore I thought he was the intended one to wear the suit, but when you took hold of him and over loaded the weapon I knew it would be you.” “All I had to do was wait for you to hear the calling.”
“So how did you find me now?” Sentry quizzes, wondering if he has been watching her all this time.
“I changed course in my search after that, I wanted to learn more about your Grandfather and where he got an Argoian weapon to give to your cousin.” “This ship was once used to hunt for Argoians, but the Spartans never knew the correct way to do it, I do.” “With a few adjustments I found the crash sight in New Mexico and Area 51.” “I knew Argoians were being held there, but that was your mission to find them.” “So I searched for evidence of the thief of the weapons from the crash sight.” “That was when I learned of the involvement of your Grandfathers.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” Sentry repeats, “How did you find me this time?”
“There were so many things missing from the Argoian ship wreckage, I set the ship to detect any alien activity on Earth,” Benue explains. “That is how I knew it was you who put an end to what was going on at Area 51.” “You were the only one who truly could.” “I was busy then, I had just found your Grandfather Cifredo.”
“You found him!” Sentry exclaims. “Then what are we waiting for?” “Take me to him!” “Together we can put an end to his operation!”
“I am afraid I can’t do that,” Benue says, turning to walk toward another iris doorway on the wall. “I can not leave this ship.”
“Can’t or won’t?” Sentry suggests. “Do you have some kind of galactic code or something that prevents you from interfering in the activities of men?” She crosses the room after him to grab at his arm. “Don’t walk away from me!” Sentry’s hand passes right through the man like he is a ghost. “What the hell?”
“When I found your Grandfather,” Benue says, stepping into the next room. “He had a weapon that I didn’t expect.” Sentry follows the ghost into the room. Inside after the lenses of her mask adjust to the glare of the magnified sunlight she is shocked by what she sees. At the center of the room bathed in sunlight a nude Prince Benue of Srann lays on a table. His once golden skin and hair, now a grey his skin shriveled and wrinkled like a raisin. The motionless man is a shell of what the man Eileen McCoy met sometime ago. “The weapons syphoned off nearly all of my solar energy,” “I was barely able to make it back to the ship in time to get my body into this solar energizer.” “What you have shared the last half an hour with is no more than an illusion, a projection of my mind,” Benue explains. “It will be nearly a year before I am capable of even getting off that table.”
At first Sentry is overcome with sorrow for her new friend, “I am so sorry I didn’t know.” Then it is replaced by anger, her Grandfather has done it again! “Can you tell me where you found him, at least give me the lead.” “I need to put a stop to him!”
“It will do you little good,” “He has long since abandoned the bunker under Cosgrove Corporate Center,” Benue tells her.
“You mean he was right there under our noses the whole time!” Sentry exclaims.