The days flew by in a fog of grief, until it was time for The Shadowforce to meet with the President, who had asked them to consider working for the United Nations as heroes. During that time, they buried Irene Sparks. The plot of ground had been dug and the casket placed inside. The entire Shadowforce attended the burial, including Timothy, who had fallen into a trench of grief. He could do nothing to stop Solis. Yet, Johnny was almost always by his side. He wanted to forget what happened and what Titan did to him. The grief would pass. Nothing lasts forever. Johnny, eyes brimming over, had held his father while he wept as the mahogany casket was covered in dirt.
A few more days elapsed and The Shadowforce slowly began to heal from the hell the past few weeks had brought. Despite the permanent absence of Dustin Jones—the Hurricane—and Sonovan Lung, the team felt a creeping excitement at the thought of meeting the President again.
The peace and quiet of the Oval Office reverted into controlled mayhem once The Shadowforce arrived. Standing in his custom-tailored, pinstriped suit, complete with a blue tie, the President smiled. "Ah, my young heroes," he greeted, hands outstretched.
Johnny instantly had a flashback to the time Titan had spoken an identical salutation on his ship. Forcing the thought out of his mind, he dedicated his thoughts to remain focused on whatever the President had to say.
"Good to see you," continued the President. "Please. Sit down." He motioned to a Secret Serviceman and the guard fetched five—now only five—chairs. "Now, let us begin. Where should I start?"
"Anywhere you'd like," Johnny replied.
"All right. I've been in direct contact with Ludridge, the Secretary-General of the UN. The United Nations will host an event for you here in D.C. I expect you to be there, barring any external influences. Ludridge will present you with awards and medals. Sound good so far?"
"Uh, yeah," Ryan replied.
"Go on, sir," Sam added.
"If you agree, Shadowforce, the United States will be pleased to offer you a special gift. After that's done, I will announce a brand-new underground headquarters for The Shadowforce. It is underneath an abandoned apartment building in NYC and has nearly as much space as the bunker in Maryland. Also, it's filled to the brim with technology: computers, satellite dishes, televisions, and communicators to contact the nearest FBI Surveillance Vehicles."
"Whoa," Johnny responded, stunned.
"Holy shit," Rose responded. "How long have you been working on that!?"
"Well, it used to be an FBI safe house."
"Ah, makes sense!"
"My interest is piqued, sir," Sam replied, a slight grin arising for the first time in a while.
"Cool," Jane said. They turned to look at her. "What?"
"Are you always so calm?" Ryan asked.
"Not that that's wrong," Johnny cut in, making a face at him. Ryan raised his hands in defense.
"Anyway, that is not the end of it. Do you want statues? For all of you? They would rest in D.C. and Manhattan. Times Square, to be exact."
They looked to Johnny, who seriously considered it. Then he had a flashback.
In that moment, you will reconsider what your motives really were.
You will be rulers of nothing.
The offer before him was replaced in his thoughts by the hours he had spent talking with Sonovan and listening to everything he had to teach. His mind transported him back to Herook, sitting on the edge of the cliff with his mentor, the breeze cooling their bodies.
Without an ounce of doubt, Johnny knew what the answer should be. "No, we don't want that."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Sonovan Lung was a model for us all—a man of complete humility. I will not make the same mistakes he once did. So no, but thank you, sir." Johnny internally celebrated that he could utter such words so confidently.
"I agree," Ryan confirmed. He nodded at Johnny and gave him a thumbs-up.
"So do I," added Sam. "Dustin would too."
"Titan was right," Rose interjected abruptly. The others, including the President, shot her a double-take.
"What?"
"He was right. This place. This society. It's bent on fame and eminence. I remember with clarity my time with him, and to be honest, he was right about lots of things. I know he was misguided in how he went about it, but he was still right."
The others froze for several seconds. "Uh, I guess she has a point there," Ryan eventually conceded through a frown.
"You're right, Rose," Jane responded. "But please. You almost sounded like Titan himself for a bit there."
"My inner Justice," she replied. "It's always there."
Ryan chuckled uneasily, wishing to move on. "Anyway, I don't think it's a good idea."
"How about only two?" Johnny asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Only two monuments. For Sonovan Lung. Just two. One in New York, outside the United Nations Headquarters, and one in this HQ you have ready for us."
Ryan glanced toward Johnny, who in turn glanced towards the rest of his team. Jane nodded first. "Let's do it," she said. "I like that."
"I do too," Ryan said.
"Great idea," Rose said, nodding once.
"Excellent! I will have it ordered ASAP."
"Actually, Mr. President, can we have one more order?" Sam cut in.
"Go on."
"Can you possibly forge one for my brother? Just for our HQ."
"It will be my honor."
* * *
When The Shadowforce arrived in Manhattan, they filed into an FBI van headed to the secret headquarters. Traffic was dense and people were crowding the streets. Nevertheless, the van made it safely to its destination. "In there," the driver pointed. Once parked, they jumped out and entered the apartment, which was unoccupied and clearly abandoned.
"So, where are the goodies?" Ryan asked the agent, Frank.
"Follow me." The group stuck together closely until they arrived at a door. Frank took out a keycard from his pocket, pressing it onto a scanner. The light went green, and the door, to what seemed to be an elevator, opened.
Once inside, Frank pressed the button corresponding to the bottom floor, labeled 'SF.' Rubbing his hands vigorously, Ryan glanced at Sam, who uncrossed his arms, though still with an unhappy expression. Two levels below the main floor of the apartment, the elevator opened, prompting its passengers to exit with a low beep. "We are here," Frank said, opening his arms wide to showcase the enormity of the space.
Their clandestine residence was packed with numerous screens, computers, radios, communication devices, cameras, and—ironically—a few agents.
Sauntering over to a few chairs, encircling a hexagonal base with three computers and their screens, Johnny was enamored with the technology the government had supplied. They had connected the screens to the hexagonal base which ascended into the ceiling.
"Who will run these?" he asked, turning to Frank.
"That friend of yours, along with several cyber-security and defense personnel. What's his name again? Ken?"
"It's Kevin," Rose interjected. "Kevin Moon."
"All right, so Mr. Moon will manage the technological end of your squad," he replied, hands on his hips. "Let me take you to your bedrooms."
During the short walk to the nearest bedroom, Sam and Ryan marveled at the place. Instead of the dull gray of the bunker, this place was full of a variety of colors: black, blue, green, and slate. The ceiling measured close to thirty feet, so it provided ample breathing room.
The corridor split into alternating entries for rooms. The first was large and spacious, with a bathroom complete with a tub. "This is yours," Frank motioned, gesturing to Johnny. They positioned a queen-sized bed in the middle of the room, while the room itself was easily double the size of his current apartment.
"Wow," he mouthed in disbelief. "This is overkill. You didn't need to go this far."
"President's orders. And in the main room will be two sculptures, as ordered, of Dustin Jones and Sonovan Lung."
"Neat," Ryan replied. Rose ventured to her own room, exactly the same as Johnny's except for its crimson-painted walls. "Good choice of color," she noted.
As for Jane, Ryan, and Sam, they each wandered the corridor until they found their particular accommodations. Jane lucked out with a white interior and wooden floor. Ryan had a dark green for his room, while Sam received blue.
Meeting in the hallway, Frank led them back to the central chamber. "So, what do you think?" he asked.
Ryan raised his eyebrows, nodding. "Well, it's sure as hell better than where I'm at now."
"It had better be," Frank joked. "The President spent about twenty-five million for this rig to be established. Oh, and that reminds me, I still have one more thing to show you." Leading them once again, Frank rounded the corner behind the corridor, where a gigantic steel and titanium door barred the exit.
Frank whipped out his keycard. The door unlocked and Frank stepped through into a dimly lit area. It seemed awfully familiar. A firm jump onto the track and there was no doubt where they were.
"Is this a subway tunnel?" Jane asked.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Interesting addition, but I fail to understand the necessity," Sam said.
"You know, this could be a fascinating place to train," Johnny replied. "It might be small, but it works."
"True."
"And this provides an easy outlet to the city," Rose replied, "I like it."
"For Johnny, not for us."
During the others' chatter, Johnny kicked his feet on the track, walking towards the middle of the rail. Staring down the dark tunnel, he visualized Z somewhere out there. The question being which one was out there?
Turning back to the others, Johnny asked, "You know, any of you guys remember what Sonovan disclosed to us before he left?"
"He said a lot," Ryan replied. "Which part, to be precise?"
"When he said how we should deal with evil and injustice?"
"Refresh me."
"He told us to never wait for evil to show its ugly head. We must search it out."
"Never let it find you," Jane responded, recollecting the memory. "You must find it."
"Exactly."
"So, what are you saying?" Sam asked.
"We are going to find this guy."
"Who?"
"Z," Johnny replied, turning back to the imperviously black corridor.
"Didn't we all literally shake his hand though? And didn't he literally give us powers and help us along the way?"
"You don't seem to see the point," Johnny snapped. "He insinuated there is some other version of him out there. In my opinion, it's the one we had first come across." Losing interest, Frank had ascended the two stairs back into the Headquarters, leaving them to it. "Go on," Ryan urged.
"Which means we have to search for him. Since Kevin will be working for us, he can head the search while we, uh, you know, save people."
"Uh huh," Sam replied. "What are you going for here? Another big fight against an unknown guy? Remember the last time we leaped without looking? Rose was taken and we were thrown into an intergalactic war against a psychopathic lunatic who took so much from us!"
"He's got a point," Rose said, raising her eyebrows.
"Of course I do."
"You misunderstand. I don't want to fight him. But I do want to find him. Evil cannot hide. It must be brought to light."
"I'm in," Jane answered quietly.
"Just like that?" Ryan asked, raising his eyebrows. She had caught Johnny mid-speech. His expression was surprised but also exultant.
"Thank you, Jane," he acknowledged, flustered and grateful. She simply nodded before she lowered her head. In the sudden and unnecessary tension, Sam shot looks at them both.
Something came to the forefront of Johnny's mind. He furrowed his brow.
"What is it?" Jane asked.
"Do any of you guys remember what Titan said to us right near the end?"
"Precisely what?" Ryan asked.
"The part when he said something about my, or our, humanity is his or something."
They scratched their heads, memories failing. "Negative, ghost rider," Sam remarked.
"Nobody?"
"No, I got nothing," Rose answered. The rest had the same response.
Something isn't right.