Hero's Call

Chapter Twenty Nine

Acolyte Seven had spent days sweeping the city with every device at his disposal in an attempt to find Czar Destructo before it was too late. He knew not what kind of device the Villain had created, but it had managed to keep him well hidden amongst the criss-crossed paths of the concrete jungle. He refused to rest or find sustenance until he had a solid lead to go on. Needless to say, Seven had not eaten or slept since The Council had shamed him into action. He could not, would not, fail. After days of fruitless searching, Seven was forced to take a more direct path. The only one, in fact, that was still available to him.

When he got within a block of the Empire State Building the very night Destructo had designated, he was stopped by a member of the New York Police Department. The young man eyed him nervously and demanded that Seven identify himself and state his business. Seven replied telepathically, his lips not so much as twitching. The mental reply, brief though it happened to be, was enough evidence for the officer to immediately contact his superior. Word of Seven's arrival traveled up the chain of command like wildfire. Within five minutes of his arrival, he was seated in a makeshift command center in a nearby building awaiting the arrival of a high ranking government official.

An empty apartment across the street from the Empire State Building had been taken over by the US government. It was now filled with an impressive array of communication equipment, fire arms, and riot gear. A steady stream of police officers and soldiers were moving in and out of the command center to deliver intel or report to a commanding officer. A sharpshooter was stationed at each window that faced the Empire State Building, their guns trained on the entrance. Seven was seated in front of a collapsible table that was functioning as a desk. A leather chair sat empty across from him. Behind the chair was a large cork board with a map of the surrounding blocks tacked to it. A plan of attack has been sketched on the map with a black marker. Seven studied the map with interest. Given the building's location and abundance of exposed street level entrances, the skyscraper was a statistical nightmare.

After only minutes of waiting, the door to the apartment turned command center swung open and a man in a well pressed suit came striding in. Everyone in the room except Seven and the sharpshooters at the window snapped to attention, saluting the new arrival. He paid no attention to the saluting soldiers and took a seat in the chair across from Seven. The man gave the An'Fari a long, steady gaze which Seven returned with a gaze of mild disinterest.

"What interest do the An'Fari have in this?" the man asked gruffly.

"We have no interest in this situation," Seven replied evenly. "As no active Heroes currently reside on Earth, the task of apprehending Czar Destructo falls to the An'Fari."

"Do we not consider..." the man started, pausing to refer to a nearby file, "Milo Radcliff, Calliope Bishop, and William Meyers active Heroes any longer?"

"You know of Milo and his friends?" Seven asked, shock plain on his face.

The man smiled. "We're the United States government. We make it a habit to stay in the know."

"Please understand, Mr..." Seven began.

"Morris," the man answered.

"Please understand, Mr. Morris," the An'Fari continued. "Milo, Bill, and Calliope have not been sufficiently trained to deal with such a situation. Their powers are still developing, but Destructo is still above them. It would mean their deaths if you sent them in there."

"Relax, water man," Morris said. "As it turns out, I could not agree with you more. They got lucky with that hostage situation in Cleveland. Those were a bunch of hired goons. Destructo is the real deal. Evil down to his very core. I wouldn't dream of sending some kids up against him."