The Department of Ultrahuman Registration, Alien Battles, Legislation and Education had been the brainchild of a senator from Wyoming in mid 2061. Legend had it he’d made a drunken bet that a government department could be called DURABLE.

From those whisky-soaked origins, the Department had evolved into a steady, stable institution that shaped policy, advised federal and state governments, coordinated with the Stratospheric Guard, and guided public opinion on matters related to ultrahumans. While they had no official power over individual heroes and villains, they did wield a great deal of influence.

Influence, reflected Lady Lumina, that had brought two of Tanisport’s top heroes to their offices today.

She glanced across the room at Soundwave. The inventor wore his trademark armour, with at least a dozen speakers embedded in different parts of the suit. He was fiddling with the settings on one - probably a new variant of his sonic cannon.

“How sure are you of your readings?” she asked.

Soundwave shrugged. “As sure as I can be. Energy systems aren’t my specialty, but I’m pretty sure we got lucky. A direct hit on that reactor would have obliterated most of Tanisport.”

She nodded. The nightmare scenario for any city administration - an out-of-control nuclear reactor - had almost come true last night. “Any ideas on detection?”

“Putting up a city-wide sensor network isn’t so simple, Lumina. Not to mention illegal.” He shrugged. “In any case, my sensors would only pick up sound and this one was totally silent. I’m not the right inventor for this problem.”

Lumina nodded.

The door slid open, and a secretary stepped out. “The director will see you now,” she announced.

Director David Wong Lee stood up as the heroes stepped into the room. “Lady Lumina, it’s good to see you again. Soundwave - a pleasure to meet you. Please,” he gestured to the chairs. “Coffee? Tea?”

“Thank you, David,” Lumina replied. “I know you’re a busy man, so let’s get straight to it.”

David nodded. “DURABLE wants your impressions of the new ultra, Belessar. His technology, his mental stability.”

Lumina nodded. “Soundwave examined the tech at the scene. He can fill us in.”

“There weren’t too many samples. Mostly it was Grunter tech. I did find a few broken spears, though, and they’re … interesting.”

“How interesting?”

“Very advanced materials science. Bits and pieces of his armour were left across some of the rooms - very little. It’s mostly an advanced carbon fibre, with a molecular structure only a little more advanced than we can currently make. Maybe a dozen inventors who can make it, including three here in the U.S.”

David Lee frowned. “Why interesting then?”

“Because of the way it’s folded. Getting carbon nanofiber to stack the way he’s done is incredibly tricky - it’s like folding a million shirts at a time in parallel. He’s pulled it off somehow, which is impressive.” Soundwave shrugged. “He also has access to fullerite, which he’s used to make spearheads.”

“Spearheads?”

“Yes, and that’s the interesting part. He made a spearhead out of a fullerite alloy that’s strong enough to penetrate Grunter armour.”

“Is it stronger than Grunter armour?”

“No, it’s actually the exact same material. To penetrate, it had to be hurled with a level of force more suitable to a cannon than a human arm.”

The director nodded. “You suspect he has a projectile launcher built into his suit somewhere?”

“It’s the only explanation I can think of. Plus, there’s his hammer - he was swinging it like a piledriver. That means he’s either Olympic wrestler strong or has mechanical actuators.”

“Any ideas on the healing?”

“Another technological device, probably, but we have no idea how it works.” Soundwave shrugged. “More inventech mysteries.”

Director Lee smiled. “You won’t believe how often I hear that from inventors.”

“Speaking as the only law-abiding inventor in Tanisport, I can believe it. I’ve been called to puzzle out far too much tech that makes no sense….. He also has some sort of holoprojection system built into his suit.”

“Holo-projection?”

“Those letters in the sky? The guiding arrows the escapees talked of?”

“Could they have been done by drones? That wouldn’t require inventech.”

Soundwave shook his head. “The letters were recorded by the news cameras. We blew up the images to maximum magnification - no drones. Nothing larger than an inch.”

The director nodded. “Healing tech, combat armour, and possibly a projectile launcher.”

“And lasers, but most inventors crack that problem fairly easily.”

“And lasers, yes. Anything else you could think of?”

“Well…. He’s rich.”

Director Lee frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“The materials for the suit? The lasers? The fullerite? You can make them by hand, of course, but it’s hellishly time-consuming. The power system for an armour suit that compact? You’d need at least $150,000 worth of parts to assemble one. I know - I’ve tried.” Soundwave sighed. “Inventech is expensive. Most inventors start out making products of their specialty, selling them to other ultras, and gathering a load of cash to fund making their first suit.”

“That is a common phenomenon,” agreed Lee. “We’ve estimated that the average inventor spends almost a hundred thousand dollars to build their first combat suit.”

“And in doing so, usually creates an identity for themselves - one that’s visible on the web, if nowhere else. I’ve scoured all the common websites where first-timers sell their stuff - there’s not a single product that looks like something from his style of inventech. Which means he got together the money to build his suit himself. Which means… rich.”

“Rich enough that a hundred grand doesn’t bother him,” the Director affirmed. “Thank you, Soundwave. Lady Lumina, your thoughts?”

Lumina took a deep breath. “I went into the Grunter mansion after he left. Saw the aftermath of the battle.”

“I understand it was … difficult?”

“It was brutal. I’ve seen alien attacks that were less bloody.”

“Surely that’s exaggerating.”

“Director… he impaled at least seven Grunters with those spears of his. That hammer he was carrying? He used it to bash in a man’s head. Blew apart some men with bombs, shot others with lasers, and electrocuted some to death.” Lumina could still remember the stench of that house - blood, bodies, and ash everywhere.

The Director inclined his head. “This tallies with some of what we’ve heard.”

“Pardon?”

“We have a source within the Grunters. During his earlier attack on the club, Belessar beat a man almost to death, then healed him, and then continued to beat him.”

“He doesn’t fight for justice, or a good cause, or any such thing,” murmured Lumina. “I think… he mainly fights because he enjoys it.”

“Violent, you mean.”

“Incredibly violent. He killed eighteen people in that attack, and at least seven in the club.”

“We suspect he may also be involved in the attack on a drug warehouse where four more died.”

“Then he has at least twenty-nine bodies at his door. That’s just the ones we know of. I think you get the picture, Director.”

Director Lee scribbled on his tablet. “Rich. Technologically advanced. Powerful. Violent, possibly sadistic.”

“And new to the ultrahuman game,” added Soundwave.

“Are you sure of that? He could be an old villain in a new costume.”

“I talked to him about joining a defence against the aliens,” Lumina replied. “He was - fairly clueless. Didn’t know about assembly protocols, transportation, or the regulations to protect secret identities during a defence.”

“Doesn’t that argue against his being rich and well-educated?”

“Most rich people don’t listen to advice, even when it’s well-meant.”

The Director inclined his head in acknowledgement. “Most powerful people have that problem, too. Do you think he would be an asset to a defence?”

“He’s not as bad as Volkrath. Or Lysar. And I’ve fought alongside both of them.”

“Understood. We’ll try to rope him in for a few defences. Hopefully the problem will resolve itself in time.”