“Damn
it,” Tony cursed under his breath as he stood under a hotel awning while the
rain battered the world around him. “Here I am, out in the rain again.” He
sighed and looked to his right at Marian, who had an equally irritated
expression on her face. At least I’m not
alone in my misery.
The
past few days had been chaotic for the members of Frontier. The drug, which
they came to know was referred to as Fang on the streets, was spreading fast.
More and more humans were developing superhuman abilities, which meant Frontier
was needed on the streets more than ever. Unfortunately, there were only three
of them right now. Steve was busy working on finding out the source of the
drug, leaving Tony, Marian, and Natalie to help keep the streets safe. And with
the growing number of criminals in the city, it was becoming a nightmare.
“I’m
gonna go have a look around this area,” Tony said to Marian, which she knew
really meant, “I’m gonna go run around cuz I’m bored.”
“Whatever,”
Marian replied as Tony disappeared down the street. She hadn’t gotten much
sleep lately; none of them had, but she also hadn’t seen much action. Her
patrols were spent walking around the city, bored out of her mind, while Tony
and Natalie could move much quicker to the scenes than her. Many of the times
she would get there just in time to help clean up the mess, without any of the
fun.
“I have
to get myself a teleporter like Alex,” she muttered as she left the awning to
walk around.
The
Government Metahuman Agency, or GMA, headquarters in Hopling was a massive
building complex, located in the heart of the city. Surrounding the area was a
reinforced concrete wall twelve feet high, with guard towers located every so
often and round the clock guards stationed at every gate. The security
precautions weren’t so much to keep individuals in or out as to protect the
information within the walls. Every registered metahuman’s personal information
was kept stored in the computers, along with details concerning every aspect of
metahuman life on the east coast. This complex was also where new agents were
trained, and, in case of emergencies, the complex could be shut off from the
outside world via a high-powered electro-magnetic force field and could be self-sustaining
for decades.
Steve
knew this place well; it was the original base for Frontier when the team was
just starting out, before they had enough grants to buy the current mansion on
the outskirts of the city. As he walked through the halls, he noticed that not
much had changed in that time.
The old man upstairs hasn’t changed a bit, he thought as the door
to a chemical lab slid open and he walked inside. The laboratory was empty,
save for a few technicians who were running experiments for the head honcho of
this particular room. Steve walked in unnoticed, heading right up to the doctor
in the center of the lab.
The
doctor was in his late fifties, balding on top but sporting a great white
mustache that hung down a little past his chin. His face was slender and thin,
along with the rest of his body. He wore a long white lab coat; inexplicably
clean despite that various experiments going on throughout the room. As Steve
coughed behind him, the doctor hesitated slightly, but continued on with his
work.
“I
suspect you are here about the drug found on Hopling’s streets.” The doctor
didn’t look at Steve, and instead jotted notes down on a pad in precise,
stylized handwriting.
“Correct
as usual, Doctor Lopnol. Did you get a chance to take a look at the vials we
sent over yet?”
Dr.
Lopnol turned slowly, laying his pen on the pad. He looked at Steve through
large circular glasses, seemingly staring straight into Steve’s body and
analyzing everything about it.
“I
was just looking at it. It is a very remarkable chemical compound. A true work
of art, if I say so myself.”
“Can
you cure it?” Steve didn’t have any time for a scientist’s ramblings. His
family was out on the streets fighting these powered-up thugs, and he needed
answers.
Dr.
Lopnol paused for a moment before answering. “Cure it? My boy, I just took a
look at it. One cannot rush these things if you want them done right.”
Steve
was silent for a few moments. He needed this doctor’s mind, and did not want to
do anything to jeopardize the work. He was coming to the GMA for a favor; no
need to irritate those willing to help. Dr. Lopnol was the best scientist the GMA
had to offer. He was a metahuman himself; his ability gave him a super-genius
IQ level and uncanny insight into various problems. Dr. Lopnol was the foremost
authority on countless subjects, including metahuman genetics. If there was
anyone who could crack this drug’s molecular makeup, it would be him.
“I
understand the importance of speed in this endeavor,” the doctor continued,
“and rest assured that as soon as I learn something about the drug, I will
contact you. But for now, I need my concentration.”
“I
understand, doctor. Thank you for your time.” Steve left the laboratory,
feeling as if this trip was a waste. However passing by a surveillance room,
Steve was called into the tightly packed room by an agent.
“You
might want to take a look at this, Mr. Fist,” the obviously new agent called
over the noise of the crowd. “We think we pinpointed the location of the main
supplier.”
Steve
took the coordinates and thanked the agent, leaving the room in a hurry. He
called Natalie once he got outside, ignoring the rain coming down.
“What
is it Steve?”
“I
have what may be the coordinates for the main dealer. I’ll send them to you and
meet you there. Wait until I get there though; we don’t know what we are
dealing with.”
“Roger
that, love. See you soon.” Natalie hung up and Steve sent her over the
location.
“Now
we can get to the bottom of this,” he said as he climbed into his car and sped
off towards downtown Hopling.
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