Sanctuary is many things to many different superbeings. For some it is a place to gain knowledge and insight from other supers. For others it is a place to share their technology. And for others still, it is a place to test their inventions...
Case in point: Buried deep beneath the ice of Antarctica lies a secret known only to a handful of people in the world: the main base of Dr. Destroyer. Carved out of the ice by robot workers, the base was constructed over several years. Here in this arctic wasteland braved by only the hardiest of souls, Destroyer could pursue his work in the privacy he craved.
Work that is only occasionally interrupted by the outside world. "Pardon the intrusion," Sennacherib stated. "I am currently receiving an activation signal from an unexpected source." The sentient computer then waited for a response.
With a sigh, the man know as Destroyer looked up from his latest endeavor. He was never going to get anything accomplished with all of these interruptions. Still, there were tasks that he was forced to complete, regardless of whether they infringed upon his plans. "Which source?", he asked simply.
"Test drone D021 is online and awaiting instructions."
This made Destroyer pause. The 'D' series of drones were his Destroids, automations he had perfected several years ago. Number twenty-one was among his first trial versions located back on his original island.
"The test lab must have been penetrated and the drone activated," Dr. Destroyer reasoned aloud. He paused to consider this new development. "Activate D021's security protocols and monitor."
"At once, Master." Sennacherib happily sent the commands. This would be a fine test of the D series of drones, even if this was only an early prototype. The data received could be invaluable. And if a few heroes who had thwarted his creator in the past were slain in the process, so much the better.
"...and that is my offer," Howler stated in conclusion. It was the middle of night and she was conversing on the beach with Panda and Raccoon. The only noises at this late hour were the wind softly blowing through the palm trees and the waves gently lapping up on the beach. "I'll give you a few moments to discuss it between yourselves."
Stepping away, Howler would let the two mutants mull over her proposal. Panda and Raccoon should be find additions to the small group she was assembling. Sure, Raccoon could be a little overbearing at times, but this was her expedition. She left no doubt to the pair that Howler was the one in charge.
After several dozen steps, Howler stopped and gazed out at the moonlit ocean, her white cape fluttering in the breeze. Howler wore her traditional dark blue costume with matching elbow length gloves and thigh high boots. She concentrated on the words being exchanged between the husband and wife duo. Although being outside the range of normal earshot, Howler's sonic powers also allowed her to pick up sounds beyond the range of what most people could hear.
"What do you think, Robin?", Panda asked in her slight British accent. "This isn't the kind of job we normally get." Panda, as you might suspect, wore a white and black body suit. She looked like any other redheaded woman, except she had cute little panda bear-like ears.
"It is unusual," Raccoon had to agree. "Sounds like easy money to me." Raccoon wore a brown bodysuit with black trim. He looked normal enough, that was until you noticed his nearly two foot long namesake raccoon tail.
"There's something about this I don't like. I can't quite put my finger on it, luv." Panda's mutant senses were in tune with her environment. Something wasn't right, but she just couldn't determine what.
"You worry too much, dear." Raccoon held his wife close in a tight embrace. "I won't let anything happen to you." The mutants kissed and Raccoon's tail gently swished behind him.
Panda placed her hands on Raccoon's chest and pulled away from his embrace. "I'll leave it up to you, luv. If you think we should do this, then I'll agree."
With a grin, Raccoon called out to Howler. "We've made our decision."
Having already eavesdropped on their conversation, Howler was aware of their choice. Still, she would pretend to not know the answer as yet. The sonic-wielding villainess turned on her heel and casually walked back towards Panda and Raccoon.
"We accept your generous offer," Raccoon continued. "When do we leave?"
"Early Friday morning. Our employer will pick us up off the west coast of the island."
"Anything we need to bring along?", Panda asked. The feeling of trouble still plagued the mutant. Could the strange sensation she had been experiencing be related to this new job? Or was it something else entirely?
"Our employer will provide everything we need," Howler explained. "Just keep your eyes open for any signs of treachery. I am confident that it will come-- sooner or later."
"Perhaps sooner then you suspect!" The strange feeling Panda had been experiencing had suddenly and sharply grown in intensity. With a thunderstruck look on her face, the white and black clad mutant pointed off into the distance.
Both Raccoon and Howler spun to see a large globe emerging from the sand! Arcs of electricity played upon its surface. "What the hell is that?!", Raccoon cried out in wonderment.
"Not again...", Howler whispered to herself, her mind awhirl with panicked thoughts. This could only be another attempt to steal her amulet, the source of her sonic powers, she quickly deduced. The previous operative had failed on two occasions, so this new agent must have been sent in its place. "I will never give it up!"
Raccoon and Panda covered their ears as Howler screamed at the intruder. The electrical sphere showed no effect from the assault, one way or the other. Instead, it started to fly towards Howler.
"I have no idea what it is, luv," Panda stated in answer to Raccoon's earlier question. "Let's just get out of here!"
Raccoon could only agree. This whole situation was way too weird for him. Turning, he ran after Panda, his tail swishing side to side in agitation. The sphere let the mutants depart without hindrance. It continued to fly after its attacker.
In turn, Howler flew off as well. Seeing the ineffectiveness of her assault, she too decided to retreat. Howler quickly put distance between herself and the sphere. It was nowhere near fast enough to keep pace with her. After a few moments, the sphere broke off pursuit and went in search of easier prey.
It didn't have long to wait as an uprooted palm tree slammed into the device, courtesy of Sapphire! The sphere disappeared underneath the makeshift missile. "Halt, intruder!", the large blue woman shouted as she closed the distance. The Azurian warrior was dressed in a pair of black Speedo's with a matching halter-top that left her midriff and arms bare. The clothing hugged Sapphire's muscular form like a second skin. "Attacking guests is not permitted on Sanctuary!"
The sphere phased through the tree and rose into the air once more. It hovered for a few seconds and then moved toward this new threat.
"That's the last time I take Big Blue out for a sneaky mission," the Tigress regretted to herself. Dressed in her orange and black tiger motif costume, the Young Champion bounded after her teammate. Having noticed Howler making contact with Daigon the day before, the Tigress had been keeping a keen eye on the sonic-wielding villainess in hopes of learning what she was up to. Upon learning that a meeting had been set up between Howler and the duo of Panda and Raccoon, the Tigress had asked Sapphire to accompany her on a stakeout. If they were up to something, she wanted a member of Sanctuary security to be on hand to witness it. Unfortunately, the meeting took place out in the open, and the pair were forced to watch from a discrete distance. When the strange globe showed up, Sapphire sprung into action, pretty much putting an end to their surveillance. "I wish I knew what Howler was up to!"
"You will find me a far greater challenge, creature!", Sapphire advised as the globe closed in on her. While having seen many a strange being from her days in the Great Arena, even Sapphire found this foe to be unusual. Was it a living being? A construct? Or perhaps something in between?
The sphere touched Sapphire, generating an massive electrical shock into the large warrior. Her dark blue hair momentarily stood on end, but Sapphire was otherwise unharmed by the attack. Her alien physiology withstood the assault without batting an eyelash.
"Well struck, but lacking in power," Sapphire noted. A powerful blue fist was Sapphire's response for the attack. Her punch landed cleanly, but failed to damage the electrically charged sphere. "Seems we are evenly matched."
"What is it?", the Tigress wondered as she arrived on the scene. Her feline senses screamed to keep away from the strange sphere. "More importantly, what does it want?"
"It seeks battle!", Sapphire answered. Gritting her teeth, the Azure joined her hands high over her head and then slammed them down into the sphere with all her might! This time the sphere was damaged and sent rolling backwards. A large impression was made in it where Sapphire's fists had connected.
The sphere rose into the air once more, and surged towards Sapphire. The Azure Warrior held her ground and waited for her strange opponent to arrive. It generated another shock into Sapphire, but once more did her no serious harm.
"You are a strange opponent, my silent friend, but you cannot harm me with your little stings." Concentrating, Sapphire summoned her inner strength, gathering the power into her fists. She would unleash a flurry of strikes that would, she reasoned, defeat her foe.
However, the globe would have no part of this. It turned translucent and sank into the sand once more. Sapphire scanned the immediate area, awaiting the sphere's return.
"It's gone," the Tigress stated. The hairs on the back of her neck had relaxed. "You drove it off, Big Blue."
"What an odd opponent."
"Ooohhh...", Armadillo groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. With effort, the silver and gold armored man sat up. "What happened?"
Looking around, he realized that he was still inside the hidden lab Destroyer had buried under Sanctuary. The lights were now on, but the electrically charged globe that attacked him was nowhere to be seen.
"Must've thought me fer dead," the Armadillo silently reasoned. "Almost feels like I am." Just rising to his feet was an effort. He hoped that he could repair the damage done to his armor. "I better get out of here before that thing comes back and finishes the job."
Weakly, Armadillo crossed the lab towards his entry tunnel. In his current state, he didn't want to expend more energy than was necessary. Pausing only to toss a few miscellaneous parts into his sack, Armadillo crawled back into the tunnel he dug to reach this secret lab and made his way back to the surface.
Had he stayed a few minutes longer, Armadillo would have witnessed the return of the globe. It phased in through the ceiling and settled over its recharging station. The damage it had sustained with the large blue intruder could be repaired. Then it would continue on with its mission of freeing the Island of Dr. Destroyer of all invaders.
"We shall hunt down this device and destroy it!", Pooka nearly shouted. The beleaguered director of Sanctuary was overseeing a staff meeting to deal with this latest crisis. It was now several hours past dawn. "I will not stand by and have guests assaulted by some-- some thing!"
The others present exchanged concerned looks. Pooka had been acting erratic for some time now. It was commonly known that he was a perfectionist and the strain of overseeing Sanctuary was taking its toll. It wasn't uncommon for Pooka to yell at his co-workers and even guests. He wore his costume, essentially a black gi, all the time now.
"It will be dealt with, as we have dealt with all our other problems," the Gladiator commented in his usual even tone. He had been trained to control his emotions. No one present had yet to see the Gladiator angry. That was probably a good thing.
Sapphire had reported the incident with the sphere to Charcoal, her immediate superior in the Security chain of command. Meanwhile, the Tigress had informed Gladiator.
Also seated at the table were Metalla, the metallic secretary of Sanctuary. She looked like a highly polished silver statue come to life. The Deacon sat to the left of Pooka. He was the spiritual and moral advisor on Sanctuary. He had the power to manipulate others with his words, usually to peaceful ends. Lastly, there was Charcoal, who was a regular 'brickette'. She was the Head of Security and super strong. Biker togs and heavy metal t-shirts were her standard clothing.
"You always have the answers, don't you!", Pooka shouted at Gladiator. "You've always been undermining my authority!"
"Nonsense."
"Oh, you're so smug, so confident! I'll teach you to respect me! I'll make you respect me!"
"Pooka!" The Deacon couldn't believe how Sanctuary's Director was behaving. The two had many talks the last several days, but they now appeared to have not worked in calming Pooka down. "You need to relax and calm yourself."
For his part, Pooka wasn't paying the Deacon any attention. To the immense surprise of everyone present, Pooka leaped at the Gladiator!
Long the combat veteran, Gladiator was ready for the clumsy assault. He swiveled in his chair and used Pooka's own momentum to send him headlong into the wall. "You have stepped over the line, Pooka."
"Have you lost your mind?!", Charcoal shouted. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The last thing she ever imagined was keeping order during a staff meeting. "Knock it off, Pooka!"
Pooka pulled his head out of the drywall with a growl. He rushed Gladiator once more. Although he was a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, Pooka's actions were fueled by his rage. That made his assaults clumsy and easy to counter.
Gladiator slapped away several martial strikes with relative ease. Charcoal rushed in behind Pooka and put the director into a powerful bear hug.
"Let me go!", Pooka screamed, his legs flailing above the floor.
Calmly, Gladiator pressed several key nerves in Pooka's neck and face. In a matter of seconds, Pooka slumped in Charcoal's embrace, unconscious.
"I knew he needed a vacation," Metalla stated, "but this is ridiculous."
"Something is very wrong with Pooka," the Deacon observed.
"Ya think?", Charcoal shot back sarcastically. "Let's have the docs check him out."
"An excellent suggestion." Facing the Deacon, Gladiator added, "Why don't you and Metalla see Pooka to the Medical Center while the rest of us deal with our mysterious intruder?"
The Deacon nodded in agreement, while Charcoal sat Pooka into Metalla's silvery arms. Metalla accepted the burden with great ease. While her strength was considerable, Metalla was a quiet and unassuming woman. The life of a secretary suited her far better than using her unwanted powers.
Charcoal and Gladiator watched the trio depart for the Medical Center, the Deacon opening doors along the way. "I guess that just leaves us. What do you think we should do?" While she was the Head of Security, she often sought out Gladiator for his wisdom and years of practical experience.
"I'll gather the Young Champions. You procure means of communication. We're going to have to patrol the island."
"Archangel checking in," the winged Young Champion said into the microphone of his headset. He and his partners were high over Sanctuary Island looking for the sphere. The headset allowed Archangel to communicate with the others out searching. From this high vantagepoint, coupled with his superior sight, Archangel could see most of the island. "Nothing new to report. All's quiet. 'Angel out."
Down on the ground, the others involved in this search combed the island on foot. Tigress, the Gladiator, Sapphire, Charcoal, Peacekeeper, and Turbo were participating in this hunt.
Something in pink whizzed past the white and gold clad Archangel, causing him to flinch by reflex.
"WHEEEEE!!!" Nemesis flew past, in a tight corkscrew, her arms pointed away from her body. She looked like a human propeller
"This is just great," Archangel moaned as he regained his bearings. "I'm stuck with an airhead and someone who's all air."
This brought a disapproving look from the elemental twins, Jessica and Jason. Their bodies had merged a few days ago, taking on an asexual form. In the air, their body had a misty quality to it. Tired of sitting around and moping in the Medical Center, the twins decided to join in the search for the sphere. Here, up in the air, Jessica controlled the body while Jason languished in the back seat.
"Yeah, well, up yours, wings!", Jessica thought to herself. The joined form was incapable of verbal communication, which at this moment was probably a good thing. Jess considered Archangel to just be another skirt-chaser and that was a major turnoff to her. "There's just something about that guy that gives me the creeps."
"I know what you mean," Jason thought to his sister. "He seems to rub people the wrong way at times. Still, it can't be easy going around with wings like that. Probably considers himself to be an outcast no matter where he is."
"I suppose," Jess answered, "but he's still not going to get much sympathy from me. Especially while we're stuck like this!"
Jason could only agree. This shared body ordeal had grown very old. Living with someone was one thing, but inhabiting the same body and sharing their thoughts was another. They no longer had any privacy, not even when it came to their own minds.
"There it is!!"
Archangel's cry broke Jason out of his brooding thoughts. He only wished that he could see what was going on. But the sky was Jessica's domain and he didn't want a repeat performance of the last time he took over while airborne.
"I have it in sight," Archangel reported into his microphone. "It surfaced near the private beach on the east coast of the island. I'm going in!" Archangel dove towards the spot, with Nemesis and the twins following.
The superfast Turbo beat the trio to the target. He raced around the globe with a reckless abandon, being little more than a red, white, and yellow blur.
"Watch yourself, kid!", Archangel called out to his teammate. "Just because it couldn't hurt Saph, doesn't me it won't hurt you!"
Turbo ignored Archangel's advice and went on the offensive. The speedster was not a tall man, and mentally, not a man at all. His hyperactive metabolism effectively caused Turbo to age twice as fast as everyone else. While only ten years in age, his body was physically closer to twenty. However, he remained short in stature and ten in mentality.
Running at the sphere, Turbo unleashed a flurry of punches, none of which did significant damage to the globe. Electricity arced across its surface, flinging Turbo back with violent force.
Drawing his sword, Archangel flew towards the sphere, but upon seeing what it had done to Turbo, pulled up. "Trying to stab that thing would probably be just like putting my sword into an electrical outlet!" Instead, he landed and went to check on Turbo. The young man was unconscious, but breathing and pulse were rapid.
"I'm ready to cut loose!", Jessica thought as she drew a bead on the sphere. The combined elemental unleashed a concentrated blast of air that hurtled the globe back. "Yes!" The sphere changed course and moved towards the hovering twins. "Or maybe no."
"Ooh!", Jennifer cooed when she saw the giant sphere. "It's a pretty marble!" With a giggle, she flew towards the flying globe. It looked like it would be fun to play with.
"Get away from that thing, you fruit loop!", Jessica yelled, momentarily forgetting that she was incapable of speaking aloud.
"What's happening?" Being blinded, Jason was dependent on Jessica to explain what was going on. His query went unheeded.
Turning away from Turbo, Archangel could see what Nemesis had in mind. "Jennifer! No!"
Heedless of the danger, Jennifer picked up the sphere in midair. While being on the thin side, Nemesis was stronger then she appeared. "I'll call you 'Sparky!"
Being called 'Sparky' was apparently an insult to the sphere as it unleashed an electric shock that hurtled Jennifer backwards. She hit the sand bottom first.
"Sparky! You're not nice!" Jennifer sat up in the sand, anger flashing across her face. "You tried to hurt me!" Raising her hands, a bolt of lightning leaped from Jennifer's fingers and slammed hard into the sphere. This extra energy played about the sphere, causing it to shake and smoke.
"Jenny grabbed the sphere," Jessica telepathically sent to Jason. "It bit her and then she bit it back. It looks damaged. Smells like it's burning."
"You overloaded it!" Archangel realized just what had happened. Jennifer's powers automatically changed to whatever weakness her foe possessed. Once it attacked her, Jen's powers changed to sphere's weakness. In this case, an electrical overload. "She's beaten it!"
"Not yet!", Jessica shouted, pointing at the sphere. Its form became less defined as it began to phase away. The sphere had suffered heavy damage and would need to effect immediate repairs. "It's trying to get away!" Jess fired another airblast, but it had no effect on the sphere as it was no longer physically there. "It's gone underground."
"I should be able to track it through the earth," Jason reasoned. "Let me back up there."
"All right, all right." With a heavy sigh, Jessica let go of her control. She hated being in the back seat, but in this instance Jason was right. Earth was his domain and he would function in it far better than she. Their combined body touched ground once more and took on a more earthen state.
Jason's senses were suddenly alive with information. He closed his eyes to concentrate better on his earthen sense. With it he could perceive everything directly in contract with the ground. Archangel and Nemesis were close by, as was Turbo. Jason could sense Gladiator, Tigress, Sapphire, and Charcoal rapidly approaching as well. He located the sphere as it passed through the earth. It might currently be intangible, but it was still visible to his special sense.
"I've got it," Jason reported. "I'm going after it."
"Watch yerself, Jace. If that thing shocks you, it zaps me as well!"
"I'll try to remember that." Willing himself into the ground, Jason burrowed after the sphere. Moving through the earth like this had become second nature to Jason. It was as natural to him as walking through air. Being completely enclosed was somehow comforting as well.
Catching up with the sphere was a simple matter. It moved slowly, but at a constant rate. "It must have some type of base underground," Jason reasoned.
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, every time it appears, it rose from the earth and when damaged retreats back into the ground."
"You might be right," Jessica answered. "Big Blue said she put a large dent in that thing and I didn't see one. Jenny probably damaged it again and now it's going back to be repaired."
"All the more reason to stop it now."
"Where is it?" Gladiator skidded to a stop upon reaching Archangel and the others. Sapphire had arrived a few seconds after the twins had gone underground in pursuit, followed closely by the Tigress. Charcoal brought up the rear.
"Jenny gave it a wallop and it ran away," Archangel reported. "Turbo got zapped by it, but I think he's okay."
"It's playing gopher again and the Wonder Twins are chasing it," the Tigress added.
Gladiator's face was solemn. "Then all we can do is wait for it, or the twins, to resurface. Spread out and keep your eyes opened."
"We've come out into a large chamber," Jason informed his sister. "Looks like a workshop of some type. There's no door, but someone broke in through the wall. They must've dug a tunnel."
"I didn't know they had underground work areas on Sanctuary."
"Neither did I. Say, I bet this is a hold over from when Dr. Destroyer controlled the island."
"We're on an island that used to belong to Dr. Destroyer?", Jessica repeated in an unbelieving tone. "Are these people crazy, or what? That pinball of doom is probably one of his guard gizmos! No wonder it was attacking people! Whoever broke in here set the stupid thing off!"
All Jason could do was agree. "You're probably right. There it is now." The sphere was resting in a holder, some thirty feet away.
"What's it doing?"
"Most of this stuff is beyond me, but I guess that it's sitting in a repair station."
"Well take it out so we can get out of here!"
"Right." Cautiously, Jason advanced on the globe as he considered the best method to attack. So far the sphere gave no indication of being aware of their presence.
"Here goes." Jason concentrated, willing his earthen fist into existence. It emerged from the hole in the wall and shot towards the sphere smashing into it.
The effect was instantaneous. A minor electrical explosion lit up the chamber with a blue flash. The globe was damaged, portions of its outer shell were now gone and its inner workings exposed. With its recharging station destroyed, the sphere rose into the air before Jason's unbelieving eyes and accelerated towards the twins! "This is not good."
"What?!", Jessica yelled. She hated being blind like this. "What did you do?"
"Hang on, this might hurt a bit."
"Jason!! What did you do?!" However, Jessica did not receive an answer.
Putting his hands together, Jason swung them with all his might as the sphere closed in. He connected, tearing away more of its protective shell. At the same moment, the sphere's electricity arced once more. Another, much larger explosion followed. Then everything went dark on Jason.
"What was that?" The Tigress seemed a bit skittish and unnerved. "An explosion!"
"I didn't notice anything, catgirl," Archangel answered. "Maybe it was your imagination."
"Tigress' senses are sharper than a normal human's," Gladiator explained. "It was an explosion, but very muffled. I barely heard it." As part of his training, the Gladiator had honed his hearing skills to a fine edge. Should he have need to, he could rely on his sense of hearing like most would use their eyes.
"My sensors indicate an explosion sixty feet down and one hundred and twenty-five feet away from us," Peacekeeper reported, pointing towards the epicenter of the explosion. "A large quantity of earth has shifted as a result of this explosion."
"Hmmm...", Charcoal murmured as she followed the direction Peacekeeper was pointing in. "That's the hut Armadillo requested. I knew he was up to no good!" Breaking into a sprint, Charcoal rushed towards the bungalow. She was going to enjoy this.
With a groan, Jessica forced her eyes open. Everything was dark before her. "Great. Just great." Despondent at still being joined with her brother and apparently still in the 'back seat', she called out to Jason. "Hey, Jason! What happened?"
A sudden realization came over Jessica. She had spoken out loud! "I can talk! I can hear myself!" Quickly she ran her hands over her body. Her body! "I'm back to normal!" The explosion that she heard must have done this! "Yes!!"
The joyous event of being separated from Jason was short lived once she realized that she was now trapped underground. "I hate being underground," she complained to herself. There must have been a cave in, as she felt dirt and other debris on top of her. It took only a few moments to unbury herself however.
"Jace?," Jessica called out. "Where are you, little brother? Come on answer me! You got me into this mess, and you're going to get me out!"
A bluish light attracted Jess' attention. Turning, she could see the battered sphere rising from the rubble. Large portions of its outer shell were gone, revealing the machinery inside.
"Oh, give me a break! This is like something out of a bad horror movie! The thing that wouldn't die!" Raising her arms, Jessica pointed at the sphere and concentrated on water. As she had hoped, a concentrated burst of water erupted from her hands and washed over the insides of the sphere. An explosion ripped through the globe as the water shorted out the insides. It crashed to the floor in several pieces. "And stay dead!"
With the destruction of the sphere, the chamber became pitch black once more. "Back to square one, Jess my girl. All alone in a place I'd rather not be."
Gingerly, Tempest felt her way forward in a random direction. She recalled Jace mentioning something about there being a tunnel. That could be her ticket out of here. Taking it one step at a time, it took Jess a couple of minutes to reach a wall. From there she followed the wall towards her left.
Suddenly, she heard a distant groan and the shifting of some dirt and rocks. "Is it gone? Did I stop it?"
"Jace! Are you okay?"
"Other than some minor aches and pains, I feel okay." Jason quickly realized that he was actually 'hearing' his sister. They were no longer joined! "Hey, you're not in my head anymore!"
"And you're not in my body!", Jessica shot back. "Don't you ever touch me again for as long as you live! I never want to go through that again!"
"No argument there, sis."
"Okay, we're underground and in your element. Now get me out of here!"
Jason concentrated, using his earthen sense to compensate for being unable to see in the dark. The tunnel dug to this chamber was still open. Jessica should be able to get out that way. Jason would just travel through the earth like he had to get here. "Just follow my directions and you'll be back on the surface in a few minutes. You might want to change into air to do this. Probably would be easier for you."
"As long as it gets me out of this hell hole, sure thing."
"Everything checks out as normal," Dr. Marin reported. "You are both no worse for wear in spite of your ordeal." It was nearly an hour since the twins had been forcibly separated by the explosion.
"That means we're free to take off?", Jessica asked eagerly.
"By all means."
"Great!" Jess made a beeline for the exit, passing Gladiator in the process. "Later, Sarge!"
"I take it that our twins do not require further medical attention?", Gladiator asked of Dr. Marin.
"I'm done torturing them for today. Jason, I'd like to take another DNA sample from you and compare it with your earlier one and with the one I took while you two were merged."
"Uhm, sure, doc." Jason rolled up his sleeve while the doctor fetched a needle to collect the sample. Turning to Gladiator, Jason, asked, "So what was that thing?"
"A prototypical weapon devised by Dr. Destroyer. When we confronted Armadillo, he told us the whole story. He learned that Destroyer had secret workshops underneath the island. He accidentally activated the weapon when he broke into the cache you found. Charcoal gleefully kicked him out of Sanctuary. Armadillo has been permanently barred due to his actions."
"At least we were able to stop this thing. It's all over now."
Gladiator's eyes narrowed as he observed his student. "Is it? If there was one hidden workshop, there are probably others. What frightens me is what might be found in them."
