Nathan and his mother got out of the car. Nathan had been to the airport a few times before, but he had never gone to the government section. The airstrip was filled with military personnel of all types, Nathan and his mother looked completely out of place.
Nathan, said Nathans mum as she started tearing up. Remember that you shouldnt do this unless you really want to.
Its alright mum, said Nathan happily I really want to use my powers to be a hero.
Be careful, continued Nathans mother. And keep safe. Nathans mum started to choke up with tears, she then leaned in for a big hug.
I love you, said Nathans mum, while almost squeezing the life out of Nathan And Im so proud of you. Dont let them make you do something they dont want you to do.
Dont worry, Ill be fine mum. said Nathan
Its my job to worry. said Nathans mum with a sniffle. The pair of them started to walk over to the Skyranger in the distance. Standing outside the Skyranger was Jacob Frink.
Mrs Aksakov, said Jacob Frink as he extended out his hand I am Colonel Jacob Frink, I do not believe we have met. I have exchanged emails with your son however. I will be responsible for his wellbeing during his training.
Could I have an autograph? asked Nathan as he held out his book. Jacob chuckled.
Sure thing. he said as he quickly scribbled his signature on an empty page. Nathan said his final goodbyes and got onto the Skyranger.
So is this NERO-Betas Skyranger? asked Nathan.
Actually, said Jacob Its yours. This Skyranger will be used for NERO-Gamma when you finish training.
Awesome! said Nathan. So when will we reach Pine Gap? Jacob sighed.
Im not actually supposed to tell you that we are going to Pine Gap, said Jacob But yes, we are going to Pine Gap. Pine Gap was a former US military base that was used mainly for surveillance and communications, although there were rumours it was used for experiments involving supers, which were probably true when Nathan thinks about it as Pine Gap is well known as the base for NERO (National Extrahuman Response Organization), a badly kept secret if there ever was one.
After a surprisingly short flight, the skyranger arrived at Pine Gap. Jacob and Nathan walked through an absurd amount of security checkpoints, they arrived in a large training room. There were two other people in the room, one was a boy who looked a little younger and was wearing what appeared to be a private school uniform. The other was a girl who looked around Nathans age, she was in a full gothic outfit, eyeliner and all. Nathan took a seat on one of the chairs in the room.
Good morning everyone, said Jacob As you all know, I will be your teacher for the duration of your stay. You may have preconceived notions of what boot camp is like, probably looks like something out of Full Metal Jacket eh? Jacob chuckled, but the teenagers stared blankly back at him, obviously not understanding the reference.
Nevermind, said Jacob softly, before returning to his normal volume It is going to be very different than what you would expect. We arent training grunts here, we are training NERO-Agents. Not only are you expected to fight, you are also expected to learn a variety skills applicable in a variety of emergency situations. On top of this, you are also going to have to learn how to use your powers to their fullest potential. While this training might not be as unforgiving and scary as boot camp, it will be gruelling. Now that that is out of the way, please introduce yourself and your power to your colleagues and tell them why you joined this initiative.
My name is Nathan Asakov, said Nathan as he produced a clone
And I can make clones of myself! I joined NERO to become a hero! said Nathans clone. The two of them made a heroic pose, which caused the goth to roll her eyes.
Ooh, said boy in the uniform You can clone your clothes as well! Can you clone things like phones and cameras?
Nah, said Nathan One of those science guys tried that, my ability cant clone the small bits of machinery properly, usually blows up if I try and clone something like that.
Oh. said the kid in disappointed tone. My name is Juan by the way. I can take photographs with my mind. Juan pulled out a polaroid out of his bag and looked at Nathan. He handed the polaroid to Nathan, the polaroid had become a picture of Nathan.
Sweet! said Nathan. I guess you could say that youve got a photographic memory, hah!
I do actually. said Juan I can make any of my memories into a photograph and I can zoom in on objects like a camera. I joined NERO because you can get the best photographs from the frontline. The goth sighed.
Ill just get this over with, she said My name is Gita, I can teleport through toilet doors into another toilet door in the world and Im here to get out of jail.
Wait, said Nathan Toilet doors? Thats a weird restriction to have. But it is cool though, I imagine that it would be a really fantastic power. Gita just blankly stared at Nathan with a look of annoyance.
Well now that we have gotten introductions out of the way, said Jacob, breaking the silence Weve got a lot of ground to cover today, please follow me. Jacob walked out of the room.
Theyre too young for this. muttered Jacob under his breath, just out of earshot of the trio.
****************
Richard felt strange. He had visited Kirribilli House quite a few times before, but that was with ONeil. It was different. Richard honestly didnt know what to expect from this evening. A maid guided him through to the dining room, where Prime Linda Weng and her husband were sitting.
Mr Swift! said Linda excitedly It is fantastic that you could come! Zheng, could you please go help get the food organized please? Zheng, her husband, went out into the kitchen. Linda had a reputation of being a ball breaker and it was entirely deserved.
Would you like some wine? asked Linda as she poured herself a glass.
I dont drink thank you. said Richard.
Figures. said Linda as she skulled the glass. I wanted to invite you over as I understood you had a fantastic working relationship with ONeil and you regularly went over for discussions over dinner. I dont expect to replicate that relationship, but I do want to have a good relationship with my cabinet and honestly I dont know much about you. Although I suspect that you like it that way. Were you gay perchance?
What? asked Richard Me and ONeil? No, he told me he was asexual. And thank whatever merciful deity that exists for that thought Richard.
Ah, well I guess you were just really good friends then. said Linda. After a moments pause she continued Im sorry, that wasnt very tactful of me? Ive never been a social person truth be told, I only really have a mind for numbers. Thats why I have an army of PR agents to write my speeches for me. And its also why Im delegating a large section of the socializing to you.
What do you mean? asked Richard.
You know those rumours about me reshuffling the cabinet? Linda rhetorically asked They werent rumours. Linda slid a manila folder across the table. It was filled with budgets, approvals on various military naval projects and details on the cabinet reshuffle. Nothing too exciting, until he saw it. Alongside being the Chief of the Armed Forces, he was now the minister of Foreign Affairs.
With all due respect, said Richard Doesnt having me as the Chief of the Armed Forces and the Minister for Foreign Affairs really send the wrong message to the international community?
No, said Linda It sends the perfect message. You are one of the most intimidating men of the planet, nobody wants to cross you. Just like nobody should want to cross the United Commonwealth. There are a lot of crazy people out there, some of them happen to be presidents and dictators. The Byzantine War is escalating at a phenomenal rate, soon it will become a truly global war. I dont want to sacrifice our nations wellbeing on a conflict on the other side of the world, but unless we project an aura of invulnerability, someone like Mexico is going to draw us into the war kicking and screaming. With you at the chair of both our diplomatic and military arms, any and all interlopers will be reminded that if they are the one that drags us into a conflict that they will regret it. ONeil was a great Prime Minister, but he lead this nation in a time of peace and prosperity which is soon going to draw to an end. It would be good for you to remember that. At almost perfect timing, Richards phone buzzed at the end of the speech. He looked at it, there was a priority one message waiting for him.
I am sorry madam Prime Minister, said Richard Im going to have to have a look at this. National security and all. Ill just be a minute. Richard walked into the toilet (one of the few rooms in the house that wasnt under constant surveillance and locked the door. He opened up the message and his eyes widened in terror as he realized what this message meant.
Hes back.
****************
Joe Ripper Reddson was now Hobarts most powerful crimeboss. He used to be a low level member of the Rebels Biker Gang, but after a disagreement with his betters he went off with a small group of his own and started some small time drug dealing, barely making ends meet. It wasnt until he had gone on that holiday and had been given those Gethic contacts by
his boss. With his superior quality firearms he cut out his competitors and started making more money than almost anyone in Hobart. And his boss didnt really ask for much either. Still, with this and the mysterious disbanding of most of Hobarts underworld, he was finding things were a bit easy. He wanted to make a deal that was his and only his. And he was almost there, he had tracked down this ex-government operative who apparently had access to have access to a tonne of alien technology, something that fetched a high price on any market. However, this contact was running extremely late, Ripper had already been waiting on this contact for two hours and Ripper was not a patient man, especially after a few beers.
Ripper shouted some rather ungentlemanly things about the contacts mother and threw a half empty bottle of beer at the pubs wall.
Where is he?! he shouted to the ceiling. The rest of the bikers started grunting in anticipation of a bloodbath.
Sorry if I kept you waiting. came a strange, squeaky voice from the door. I had a run in with a few old
colleagues of mine, it wasnt a pleasant experience for either party. All the anger dissipated almost immediately out of Ripper and his minions and it was replaced by a strange sort of nervous calm. His hair stood up on the end of his neck and his heart speed up, but at the same time he was incredibly relaxed.
Ah, said the man as he walked into view. I see the alcohol has progressed things along further than I thought. Ripper would have asked what the man had done to him, but he was too far gone to care. The man wore an expensive, but damaged, business suit and a large cardboard head that completely covered his face. He had something to alter his voice, no normal man could sound like that.
You may call me Mr Blimey, said the man. And Im sorry, I lied. I dont have any alien technology, but I do have a question. Who is the Systems Analyst? Now hurry up and answer or else Ill get upset. These last words almost brought Ripper to tears, he fell on his knees and blurted it out.
I dont know who he is! he screamed in sorrow I
I was on a cruise ship off the coast of Morocco and then one of the staff members gave me a phone! And on the other side was the voice of this guy, it was like an electronic voice, I dont know who he is! Im sorry, dont be mad at me! Ripper started to blubber.
There there, said Mr Blimey You did a good job.
I
I did? asked Ripper with a sniffle.
Yes, said Mr Blimey Youve been a really good boy. But do you know what would make you an even better boy? Youve got an eye for business, Im sure you and your
friends would do a fine job doing something legitimate for a change. Ive heard that there is a shortage of builders in war-torn Java, you should consider doing that.
I
said Ripper I will! He stood up, full of determination. If it makes you happy boss, then that is what I will do!
Excellent, said Mr Blimey Have a blimey-wimey day. Mr Blimey walked out of the bar and headed to the taxi he had commandeered.
Morocco. He muttered to himself. Huh. That was unexpected.