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Volume 4, 2 September 2004 |
The explosion was a freighter full of fertilizer, so America has suffered another terrorist attack - maybe. The catch with this series is that we get a lot of information filtered through corrupt government officials (Are there any other kind?) and rich landowners / war profiteers. Cynical conspirators with names like Byshop and Brydge complain because THEY'RE supposed to stage phony attacks to keep the population in line. Meanwhile, outside Ground Zero, EMTs and firefighters can't get in through a wall of flame. INSIDE Ground Zero, the new Challengers find themselves totally in synch and totally confused. They wear identical clothes "like leather ninjas" and identical rings "with different symbols". They've even got identical scratches on their foreheads. Before they can figure out why, a cadre of black-clad officials come to take them away. Brydge is the leader, and tells them, "This is an order." The Chall's fiesty blonde objects to orders and punches Brydge. The Challs explode into action - and though each is a good fighter, together they're better than they've ever been. So good they escape Brydge's cadre. |
Brydge's boss (the president?) chews her out for losing her "five drones". She makes the engimatic statement, "You're too young to remember the last time this happened... but Morgan, Haley, Ryan and Davis caused us a world of trouble... and set our plan back by decades." The Challs have rendezvoused at a drop, again the same place without consulting one another. They all have hints they should know what to do, as if the truth hangs "at their peripheral memory". Turns out they all changed their names at some point and bought rings to commemorate the change. And acquired firepower. Which they need. Because a helicopter gunship is zooming at their drop. They might feel like puppets, but they're ready to stage a serious firefight rather than be captured again. |
Fly to Part 3... |