Renegade

Chapter 18

     As Ben lay in the wake of the crumbled warehouse, alongside his dead brother, two mysterious men in black suits observed from a distance. They wore identical black fedoras, black ties, and even crease-free suits. There was silence between the two before one of them spoke.

     "We have a new variable," the first stated.

     "Agreed," the second responded. "Statistics didn't show that we would have interference."

     "Yet we did," the first said. "We need to find out the consequence of the stone's activation. Nevertheless, it means that our attempts to prevent activation were futile."

     "The others will want to know of his identity also," answered the second. "They will want to know of the one we couldn't see; the one who cannot be predicted."

     "We will find out his true identity," said the first. "He is...intriguing."

     "He'll be monitored," breathed the second. "Just like Pierce."

     There was a moment of silence. Then, the first posed a question that had been on his mind for some time.

     "What of the coordinates?" he asked. "That was not of our doing."

     The second nodded, "It was a variable that we didn't calculate either."

     "There are many things we haven't seen," the first concluded. "Such as our failure tonight to retrieve the stone. The others will want to reconvene to discuss our next phase."

     The second man in black looked up into the sky, "I hope...that the stone's activation hasn't set into motion our worst fears."

     "We have our plan," the first sighed. "But, as always, fate has another."

     The two turned around, and they vanished into the evening dusk.

**

     Oswald Jones answered a knock on his door, not expecting someone that day. As he opened the door, he jumped back as a figure forced his way in.

     "It's good to see you again, doctor," a tall, dark-haired, man said in a deep voice.

     "Master..." Oswald breathed. "The Shadow..."

     "I see my new title is spreading," smiled the Shadow. "Courtesy of Desmond Pierce..."

     "I know what you've come to do," Oswald whispered. "I accept my fate."

     The Shadow's smile faltered, "After my three disciples were killed by Benedict Cain, I knew there was only one way how. A scientist...and one who had been closely working on Project Bellator..."

     Two Black Dragon operatives entered behind the towering Shadow. They glared at Oswald Jones and moved in on either side.

     "I'm afraid there needs to be an exchange: your life for theirs," the Shadow sighed. "It pains me when I lose faithful followers, especially to other disciples."

     Oswald spat on the Shadow's shoes, "I would kill you in a heartbeat Shadow."

     The Shadow's eye twitched, "Goodbye Mr. Jones, I'll make sure your granddaughter suffers for your mistakes as well."

     "Olivia?" Oswald hissed. "Don't you touch her!"

     The Shadow turned to leave, but stopped.

     "I'm curious," he asked. "Why did you help Benedict Cain?"

     "To put a stop to you," Oswald growled. "To give a man the ability to slaughter the master and to right some of the many mistakes that I've made. It is a lesson you could learn well from."

     "Redemption won't save your granddaughter," the Shadow hissed. "Kill him."

     "Shadow!" Oswald screamed, as the door closed and the operatives moved in. "SHADOW!!!"

     No one heard him. 

Epilogue:

     A beam of light traveled out into the stars. It soared through the atmosphere, through the Earth's orbit, and out into the unknown.

     "Did you see that???" an eager man yelled, his breath fogging up the glass.

     "What?" his friend asked, lifting his head up from his "9th Wonders!" comic book.

     "The light!" the first person exclaimed. "It came from Earth! Extraordinary!"

     "It's just your eyes playing tricks," the second sighed, turning back to his magazine. "Probably just some light anomaly, that's all."

     The first person pushed himself back from the window and floated towards his friend, shaking his head.

     "You're probably right," he sighed. "I guess being up here for six months really does make you a little Earth-sick."

     "Don't worry," the second consoled, "we'll be out of here eventually. Remember, we got a cargo ship docking soon with both our names on it."

     "'Go to space' they said," the first man sighed. "'It'll be fun' they said."

     The second chuckled, "You'll do fine. Just think of all the pizza you'll eat when you get back home to Chicago."

     "Oh yeah," the first reminisced, "pizza..."

     The astronauts continued their day as usual aboard the most scientifically-advanced space station ever created. The A.O.S.S. floated defiantly above the rest of the planet as the energy beam continued its journey out into the Solar System. It had a destination, and it was determined to reach it.

     Fate had its plan.

To Be Continued...