The
waiting room Steve sat in was empty, save for the glass aquarium built into the
wall that was full of brightly colored fish. The walls were gray, and the only
furniture was a couple of chairs lined up against the wall. The room wasn’t
very big, however the director of the Government Metahuman Agency very rarely
saw visitors.
The
beginning of July marks the anniversary of the creation of Frontier, and part
of the routine during that time is a yearly review of the team. Normally the
review is done by one agent or another, but due to the increase in super villain
activity these past few months, Steve received a message saying the director of
the GMA himself will be doing the review. Steve was not particularly nervous,
since he had met the director before, and even fought beside him a few times.
What was surprising is that Steve hadn’t heard anything about him for numerous
years, and wasn’t quite sure what had happened to the old man.
After
about fifteen minutes of waiting, a door opened up and Steve was shown through
a little corridor to another room. The corridor, Steve knew, was one of the
most heavily guarded hallways in the world, and yet to the naked eye it looked
perfectly normal. The room at the end of the hall was the director’s office,
and very few people had ever set foot inside. This would only be his second
time, the first being the declaration of approval for the creation of Frontier.
Steve paused for a moment after the attendant left before turning the handle
and entering, taking a breath and appreciating the honor.
The
director’s office was tiny compared to what would be imagined, and held a large
desk in the center and a bookcase along one wall, each made of expensive wood
and inlaid with carvings. Sitting propped up on one of the shelves was an
ancient broadsword which glistened in the low office light. Along the opposite
wall there was an expensive leather couch and a single picture above it of a
young flower bud growing out of a felled tree trunk with the caption “Nothing
Truly Ends” along the bottom.
On
the desk there was a computer screen and a stack of papers; the typical sight
of a busy leader. Sitting behind the desk was the director himself; an older
looking gentleman with gray hair and a short-cropped gray beard. He was dressed
in a business suit, cleaned and pressed daily, and the only mark designating
his high rank was a scar that ran from the corner of his right eye halfway down
his cheek.
“Steve,
come on in. It’s good to see you again.” The director stood up and shook
Steve’s hand, his voice a deep booming sound that filled the office.
“It’s
an honor to be here, director.” Even though Steve was nearly two feet taller,
the director seemed to take up as much space in the office as Steve.
“Please,
no need for formalities here, Steve. Sit, we have much to talk about.”
Steve
smiled and sat down in the chair in front of the large desk, feeling the
relaxation in the director’s voice. “As you please, Eternal.”
The
director chuckled. “It has been a long time since anyone has called me by that
name, Steve. It does my heart good to see someone still remembers the old days.
But my friends just call me Ken, now.”
“How
could I forget them? Keeping memories like those make me happy to see how far
we’ve come.”
“Truer
words were never spoken, Steve.” Ken pulled out a few sheets of paper and
grabbed a pen. “Now, let’s get down to business. Due to the recent months this
city has had, I’ve decided to do the yearly review myself. I don’t get the same
feeling reading the papers as I do hearing the answer straight from you. As a
team leader yourself, you must know what I’m talking about.”
“Of
course. But our scales of operations are slightly different, to say the least.”
Ken
laughed, “You can say that again. Some days I wonder what I got myself in to
taking this job all those years ago. Anyway, I would like to hear your opinion about
each of your team members, starting with Natalie, codename Teleka.”
“Certainly,
and I’ll do my best to keep things unbiased as always.”
“I
know you will, Steve,” Ken knew the closeness Frontier had gained by becoming
almost a family team, but he also knew Steve’s level of professionalism.
“Natalie
has shown an increase in control over her powers, and it continues to show
through on the missions and daily patrols. She is showing excellent leadership
abilities when I am not available, and has a keen insight into situations,
making her a valuable asset.”
At
Steve’s pause, Ken cut in. “I would like to hear your concerns about each one
as well.”
Steve
nodded before continuing. “Over the past year or so, I’ve noticed a change in Natalie’s
attitude concerning the work. She is getting older, of course, and has yet to
have any children. I’ve noticed she seems to want more and more to settle down
and retire from the superhero life. It’s not affecting her work, and I don’t
think she will ever let it, but it is something to keep in mind. A replacement
might be needed before long.”
“I
assumed as much,” Ken said taking notes. “Now let’s move on to Marian, codename
Marathon.”
Steve
swallowed, and then started. “Marian has shown leaps of progress, especially in
the past few months. She is not afraid to go up against any threat, and has
even bridged the gap that formed between Electric Eagle and Frontier.” Steve
noticed Ken’s eyebrows rise, but the director said nothing. “Her abilities
continue to improve, making her a deadly combatant. The only concern I would
have is that she is still somewhat young, and-”
“You
were the same age when you started Frontier, Steve,” Ken butted in. “I know
she’s your daughter, but from everything I’ve read, she has the same potential
as you. Even more so, since she has you as a father and teacher.”
Steve
beamed a little at that compliment, “Thank you Ken. You’re right, I am
protective of her. But she has proven herself greatly; this last situation with
Sewage as a prime example.”
“Hmm,
yes. We will talk about that later. How about Tony, codename Bullet?”
“Tony
has surprised me these past few months. Originally a very arrogant young man,
Tony has been turning his attitude around, and has actually shown he cares
about not only the superhero work, but the other team members. I was concerned
about his falling out with Marian a few months ago, but there doesn’t seem to
be any evident tension that would disrupt their work together. Which is itself
a testament to how much Tony has matured lately.”
Ken
finished taking some notes, and then sat quietly for a minute, his brow knotted
in thought. “Well, everything seems good on your end, Steve. I won’t bother
asking about Alexander Jackson; even though I’ve noticed he did come down to
help the team out once. But there are some other things I would like to
discuss. First, were you aware that the young metahuman who helped Marian and
Tony defeat Sewage is the son of Burnout?”
Steve
sighed to himself before nodding. “Yes, I was informed of that. His name is
Matt, if I remember correctly.”
“You
do. The only thing I’d like to ask you about this is whether or not your team
will be keeping in contact with him.”
Steve
was a little surprised by this question. “I’m not sure about that. If so, it
would be Marian or Tony personally, and not officially. Why do you ask?”
Ken
sat back, folding his hands together. “Because Matt is off-limits to us here at
the GMA. You remember that little incident Burnout helped us with ten years
ago?” At Steve’s grim nod, “Well before that, we were gearing up to bring the
young boy in and train him, creating a damn fine agent in the process. However
in exchange for his help, Burnout made me personally promise that we, as an
agency, would never go after the boy. We are not allowed to extend an offer nor
entice him in any way to join the GMA. Hell, we can’t even issue a request to
update his registration. We have no idea of the extent of his power. Which,
seeing his lineage and how much power he showed handling Sewage, puts me in
quite a predicament. We need him on our side, Steve.”
“What
makes you think he wouldn’t be?” Steve asked with genuine curiosity. From what
he was told, Matt had no intent of being anything but a hero.
“Nothing
yet,” Ken replied, his voice cold, “but I would rather not take any chances.
The young man has unofficially been involved with some very powerful
metahumans. Personally, I do not want to put forth the manpower to take him
down if the need arises, because doing so will not be easy for any party
involved.”
“Where
does Frontier come into this?”
“Like
I said, the GMA cannot touch him. But that doesn’t mean one of our affiliates
cannot.” Ken smiled as Steve realized what he was talking about. “He’s a
powerful young metahuman, Steve. He would be a wonderful additional to any team
that is lucky enough to win him over.”
Steve
nodded while thoughts raced through his head. “This is something to definitely
consider, Ken. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.”
Ken
shuffled the member profiles on his desk, putting all but one sheet away. “One
last thing to talk about, Steve,” Ken slid the paper across the desk, and Steve
picked it up, glancing at the title of the document. “How’s a nice little trip
to West City sound?”
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