Three months later. Physical Therapy Suite, The Facility.

“And how do you feel in it?” asked Do’Lânqwa, stepping back to look Terri up and down.

“I feel… I feel pretty strong in it," she said as she put her hands on her hips and bent from side to side. "Strong as in healthy, and… also together again. Literally.”

“I have to say, they did a great job with it.”

“I never thought I’d see you in a suit,” admitted Brad, who was also there, leant against the wall.

“Neither did I, but if I have to wear one, I’m happy that this is it.”

The main reason for Do’Lânqwa’s initial return to Earthgrë before The 45th/Fo’Vylrian debacle, was to source more Kugreycium and the tech needed to work with it, for his and Terri’s benefit.

At the hands of the Weather Girls in Argentina, Terri was badly injured. A chunk of her arm came off whilst she was in her rock state. After months of treatment and recuperation, it was decided that she needed a suit for further protection.

The full body suit was tactically form fitting, and was mainly a metallic dull bronze colour with rose gold, orange and amethyst horizontal geometric waves going across her body, symbolising the layers of earth’s crust. It finished around the neck in a snug crew collar, just below the quartz cluster embedded just under her ear.

Like Do’Lânqwa’s Astral Sheriff suit, Terri’s retracted across her body from a central point, activated only by her touch. The suit would come from a strap around her left wrist, and within two seconds she could be fully protected by it.

The door opened abruptly, taking the three by surprise. The Secretary strode in and stopped when she saw Terri suited up.

“My goodness, it really suits you Terri! How do you feel in it?”

“I can move about great, and it’s strong. It doesn’t negate my physical enhancements. And I’m just pleased to be alive and healthy enough to be in it.”

“Well the team did a great job of it. Once you’ve completed the last tests, I can sign it off.”

“Great, thank you.”

“Brad, I was looking for you really. The G7 Protocol has been activated. You need to go to Japan. And Brad, after the shit that happened on Earthsle, I need this dealing with. No loose ends.”

“I’ll do my best, Ma’am,” Brad replied.

“I know you will, but I’m just making it clear on this one. Check in with me once you’ve been briefed by Isaac. It’s come from MI6, this one.” She nodded, turned and left the room with nothing but the briefest looks at Do’Lânqwa.

“Oh my gosh,” said Terri smiling wildly once the door was firmly shut.

“What?” Brad asked.

“You could cut the tension with a knife and still struggle. She completely blanked you Do’Lânqwa!”

“Really? I didn’t notice,” Do’Lânqwa bluffed. He had, but wasn’t going to let on.

“Rubbish! If I could detect lies like you can, I’d for sure smell one from you,” Terri went on.

“You know that’s not how it works right? I don’t smell lies.”

“Whatever bud. That was something just then. Maybe she fancies you?”

“Oh Terri, c’mon. I don’t think even The Secretary is capable of romance,” Brad quipped.

“Well, that’s not fair,” Do’Lânqwa said. “You… We don’t know anything about her. And besides, she’s our superior here, so that’s how it should be.”

Brad and Terri snuck amused, giggly looks at each other.

“Anyway, I best be off. Duty calls,” Brad said walking towards the door.

“Tell my fiancé I say hi,” Terri said.

“Text him yourself!” he called back as the door shut.

“So... The Secretary, eh? What do you think that was all about?” Terri pressed, turning to Do’Lânqwa.

“Ok, I’m out of here,” he said, falsely smiling at her as he left.

***

Brad arrived in Japan within the hour, just ahead of Ferris and the Europeans who arrived pretty much together.

Ose’s government headquarters for their Enhanced Beings was a beautiful Japanese castle with stunning views of Mount Fuji. The site was equipped with sophisticated security and an underground jet runway and holding hangar.

Once everyone had arrived, Ose, whose alias was Tetsuo, led them straight to the war room, with luxury cinema style seating for twenty people facing a large screen with a podium at the front. The room lacked the traditional Japanese feel of the building the room was nestled within.

Six of the seven sat on the chairs whilst Isaac took to the stand. It was only right, as the intelligence that they were about to discuss had come through the British Secret Service.

“Good to see you all again,” Isaac began. “Thank you Ose for allowing us to meet here. It’ll become clear as to why we’re here when I tell you more. As you’re all now aware, three months ago, the US Government sent a diplomatic convoy to Earthsle to negotiate continued peace for our planet in light of what we know of life out there and the Pact. Some guarantees were made but stipulation was put forward by the Council of the Universes to not cross the border in the future.” Everyone was aware of this- the whole world was aware of this after the trip was made public upon their safe returns, but Isaac enjoyed context. “MI6 has since had intel to suggest that someone will be sending a mission to explore outer space and attempt entry to another planet.”

“You say someone. This isn’t a government backed mission somewhere?” Ferris asked.

“No, turns out it’s a privately funded expedition.” He turned to the screen and clicked a small remote in his hand. “Du Zan, a Chinese billionaire, who does also have a warrant out for his arrest for conspiracy to murder, has also built the rockets and the technology to get him to one of the other Earths. The UN have already been in touch via the Chinese Government but we have word that his mission is ready to leave anytime soon.”

“So we put stop to it?” Germany’s Anna Heibronn, aka Tank, suggested.

“That is the plan,” Isaac confirmed. “From here, we’ll be infiltrating the site deep in the Kōngjiān Province with the following objectives.” He clicked the remote again. “Apprehend Du Zan, copy the server hard drive and Anna, we’re going to need you to rig everything to explode.”

“My pleasure,” she said with a slight raise in the corner of her mouth.

Sandrine Deveaux pointed at the map that was on the screen. “How are we getting there? Please don’t say-”

“HALO jump,” Isaac cut in, laughing.

Sandrine swore in French. “I hate those!”

“It’ll be fine. Just like we practice,” assured Isaac. “We’ll be wings up at five a.m. Go get some rest.”

***

The Japanese Air and Space Self-Defence Force (JASSDF) jet the G7 Team were using for this mission hovered at the forty thousand metres height needed to execute the High-Altitude-Low-Opening jump. In the back, the team were running through the last minute mission checks.

“Are we all happy to go?” Isaac shouted over the noise and the vibrations of the jet. Everyone, even Sandrine, gave a thumbs up. “Okay! Line up and get ready to go!”

Tank hung back at the end. With her weight and size, she was going to fall a lot quicker. She was also going to be escorting down with her her weapons and explosives crate.

The light inside the jet flashed red as the back doors opened up. The team walked forward and one by one they fell out, all headed for the landing zone twenty miles from the billionaire’s launch site.

“We all ok?” Proten asked when they reunited after landing.

“All the better for being on land,” mumbled Madame Libertié.

“Stephanie, are you alright?” Proten asked the Italian supermodel. “You’ve been quiet. We all good?”

“Yes thank you. Let’s get this done.”

The region’s geography where the launch site was located in was quite harsh if you were trekking twenty miles through it, like the G7 were having to do. Thick rain forests wrapped around huge protruding boulders and cliffs, separated by a wide, meandering river. From their descent, the launch was fairly visible, although efforts had clearly been made to conceal it.

The launch site occupied an area of two thousand acres, but that was only because the launch site was embedded into a mountain and the various storage and construction facilities were dotted throughout the forest and around the bases of the mountains.

After hours spent trekking, they finally arrived to the perimeter fence on the east side of the site, which was just an electrified chain linked twelve foot high one. Easy for Proten to get over, but for the other, they had special bolt cutters that wouldn’t shock the user.

“You’d expect the security measures for a billionaire’s secret space rocket launch site to be more high spec than this,” Two Tone said.

“He probably doesn’t expect to need it out here,” The Constable, Isaac York, suggested. “Right, you all happy with where you’re going now?” he asked when they got through.

“Tick tick boom,” Tank responded.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” The Constable decided, smiling at the German’s joy for destruction. “Good luck out there.”

The group split off, heading for the areas they needed to be.

Tank and Two Tone headed for the north of the site, each lugging a share of the C4 explosives. The trees provided reasonable cover as they scrambled towards the hollowed mountain housing the rocket. The rocket’s destruction was the priority. No rocket meant no illegal space mission which could threaten humanity of the world.

“Do you think we have enough?” Two Tone puffed as he dragged two crates behind him.

“Yes,” Tank said. “The rocket fuel will cause even bigger explosion.”

“Good. That’s great.”

They arrived at a huge mechanical door to the launch area undetected, having marginally avoided the large windows of a nearby building. Tank got to work disabling the control panel for the door, allowing it to open for them.

They were faced with a three hundred metre long concrete corridor, like what you would expect from a bunker. The walls were grey and lights lined the roof of the corridor all the way along.

“I can’t read Chinese but I put money on those directions being for the rocket,” deduced Two Tone, leading the way. They cleared it undetected and arrived at the double doors. “Jackpot,” he announced, pushing the doors open. The two stepped forward and stood in awe at what was in front of them.

It was the most breath taking sight. Towering above them was the rocket itself. All amazingly made in secret and privately on the site. The shuttle was attached to a mammoth black external tank, flanked by three solid boosters. The shuttle itself was incomprehensible in size, dominating their field of vision. The launch area took up the majority of the carved out mountain side. At the moment the top to the mountain was closed off.

“Let’s get to work.”

The Constable, Madame Libertié and Proten went south from their point of entry, heading for the nerve centre. Blue prints that they poured over earlier showed the locations for the main offices where Brad would be able to access the server and the Brit and the French woman might find Du Zan.

“Give me five minutes. Wait around the back for the door to open,” Proten instructed as he grew and stretched the height of the building to the roof. There was a fire escape door he could break into to get access to the building that way.

Once inside the stairwell, he jumped over the banister feet first, allowing his legs to stretch to the ground floor first.

When all of him was on the ground floor, he slowly opened the door and snaked his head round the corner.

Clear.

He stepped out into the corridor and skulked along the wall, moving as silently as he could. The fire door wasn’t far. He’d make it in the remaining time he had left. He turned left and there it was. Ten metres away.

“Tíngzhǐ!” a voice shouted out commanding Proten to ‘stop!’ So close!

He turned to face the voice and simultaneously he extended one hand out to the fire exit and with the other, out to grab at the guard wearing all mustard yellow.

The Constable and Madame Libertié bundled through the now open fire escape.

“This wasn’t part of the plan,” the Brit muttered as another guard came running out, having heard his colleague's shout.

“Just keep going!” Proten instructed as he lunged towards the two guards, his arms darting across the eight metre distance and crashing their heads into each other, knocking them both out.

The Europeans stepped over their bodies and ran for the stairs. Proten looked down the corridor.

He had to do something with the knocked out guards. Leave them, and the alarm will be raised. But take the time to find somewhere for them and risk getting caught doing so and then be unable to get the job done.

“Proten, we have a problem up here. Please tell me you’re making it for the control room?” The Constable said through their radios.

“Err well, I will now. Do you need a hand?” Decision made. Leave them.

“No not yet,” The Constable replied. The alarms started sounding in the building. “Ok well do what you have to do first, then maybe give us a hand.”

***

“You should have called ahead, I’d have organised a private tour.”

“It’s ok, we’ve got a good idea of where we need to be,” Madame Libertié replied, stepping forward to confront their new acquaintance, the for hire henchwoman, The Zodiac.

“Well this area is out of bounds,” The Zodiac said.

“Look, can we just cut to it and get fighting yet?” the Englishman asked. “It’s extremely difficult to hear trash talk over these alarms!” Not that The Constable really wanted to go up against her. A feared warrior, she was a proficient fighter with close quarter combat alone, but the amulet around her neck made her a bigger threat.

The ancient amulet gifted the wearer with partial transformation into any of the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac calendar, and thus unlocking a unique ability set true to the particular animal. Where she differed to enhanced beings who might be able to transform into an animal, The Zodiac remained in a partial human state and took on animal features.

“Two against one? Let’s even the score,” The Zodiac said twisting her amulet around three twelves to the right. Her face narrowed and her ears shifted up onto the top of her head, growing long and tall.

“She starts with the rabbit?” The Constable whispered to his French team mate, puzzled. The Europeans charged down the corridor as The Zodiac multiplied instantly, creating replicas of herself in her current form. The Constable lost count at six as he did his best to maintain his charge. “Aaaaaah, she starts with the rabbit,” he repeated, understanding why.

Madame Libertié readied her chains as she made contact with the first of the rabbity Zodiacs. The Constable drew his night stick, swiping at the legs of his nearest combatant.

The two European G7 members danced in the tight corridor with the ten duplicates exchanging blows, ducking, dodging and diving.

The duplicates didn’t have the same stamina and strength and vanished when they were beaten, leaving The Constable fighting with the original.

“What trick are you pulling out of your hat next?” The Constable asked after punching her in the face.

“I don’t understand the reference,” she snarled back. "I'm not wearing a hat." She sprung back and used her momentum to punch back harder, sending the Englishman down.

Madame Libertié whipped out with her chains, but The Zodiac caught them, allowing her to reel in the French woman and wrapping her own chains around her.

***

Proten crashed through the control room doors, arms shooting out towards the two guards in there. Once they were taken care of, he checked out of the window to see guards spilling out of the other buildings into the embrace of his other G7 team members.

He sat down in the chair and cursed at the Chinese text on the computers. He put in the USB drive, instantly converting the text into English and beginning the download. A ten minutes timer began. He stretched his neck and head up towards the window to see what was happening.

La Bestia was in full beast mode fighting side by side with Tetsuo and Two Tone who had to leave Tank to continue with the explosives.

Proten turned his attention back to the files on the computer. Eight minutes to go. The alarms still sounded. A quick look on the server while he waited wouldn’t hurt. He double clicked the folder named SECURITY. Alarms… CCTV… Floor Plans… Staff I.D… Visitors… Visitors. Proten thought it might throw some light on how they keep something like this site so secret.

America’s stretchiest scrolled through the list of names. A lot of them were in Chinese characters, a couple were English sounding. He opened a few and closed them when they didn't look very interesting. One particular had multiple entries though. Guy Phoenix. His recent visit was yesterday, it was recorded.

With his interest peaked, and still with time to kill while the download continued, he double clicked on Guy Phoenix, opening up his file and picture. Proten’s heart dropped and he instinctively inhaled a sharp breath, his throat drying. His eyes widened as he adjusted to a light headed sensation. “It can’t be… How?” he whispered under his breath. A shaky hand hit print and he reached out for the print out across the room.

He studied the photo again.

There was no way, right?

“Proten! I need you! Libertié’s down!”

“I’m coming, hang in there!” he replied, folding and stuffing the print out into his pocket.

***

As Proten joined his team mates, the fight with The Zodiac had spilled through into some office spaces via the walls. Madame Libertié was slumped against part of a wall with her chains wrapped around her. Her head was rolling from side to side and her eyelids fluttered. Proten could see she was not in a good way.

“Sandrine, are you alright? Can you hear me? Let’s get these chains off you.”

“No… no…” she mumbled. “Isaac…” Proten could see through a hole in a wall that The Constable was going hand to hand with The Zodiac. “I’m fine… Go.”

Getting up, he snaked through to join the Englishman’s side.

“Am I glad to see you mate. Did you get the DL?”

“Had to leave it to help you. It's nearly done.”

The Zodiac twisted her amulet again to take the part form and strength of another of the Zodiac animals. This time her legs merged together and lengthened out to a point. Her teeth produced fangs and a hood appeared from her shoulders like a cobra. Stood, reared up on her newly formed black, scaly snake body, which trailed out for six metres behind her.

“That’s fucking hilarious and also horrifying,” The Constable said. She hissed, her forked tongue flickering in the air.

“I’ve got this. Go check on Libertié,” Proten instructed, stepping forward.

“You won’t hear any arguments from me. I’ll just be out there.” He ran off leaving Proten to face her.

Proten extended his arms and body, narrowing it as The Zodiac slithered across the floor like a predator in the hunt. Their two bodies thrashed and wound around each other as The Zodiac tried to get purchase to squeeze him tight, but instead struggled to as Proten was able to squirm and slip out of anything too tight. He had to also be wary of her bite and took measures to make sure he stayed clear of her mouth.

After a few minutes of this peculiar display of twisting, twining bodies, Proten had slipped around The Zodiac’s back and was able to provide some of his own constriction as he wrapped his arms around her neck.

“Come on snake bitch, get out of this if you can,” he dared, his teeth gritted through determination. With a free arm, she twisted her amulet again and reverted back completely to human form, giving her the brief chance to duck out of Proten’s hold.

Meanwhile, outside in the fight against the small army who had gathered at the sound of the alarm earlier, Tetsuo, Two Tone and La Bestia were nearly finished their rampage.

Two Tone had left Tank to continue working her way through the key points they had identified as ideal targets for blowing up, to help the Japanese and Italian.

La Bestia was in full beast mode glory, slashing and grabbing and launching groups of soldiers at a time. Tetsuo sliced and diced in a disciplined dance with anyone who dared get close enough.

Up in one of the buildings, on the other side of the site, Tank made her way through laying the charges. Luckily, due to the raucous commotion outside, the buildings had cleared of personnel to challenge her G7 team mates.

Down on the basement level, she ended up at a door which had a vault like handle on it. She stopped to examine the hinges and the handle. She pushed on the handle and tested it’s movability. With some more of her enormous strength, the lock began to turn more and more before opening.

The door opened to a corridor lined with full glass windows. All but two were lit, emitting a harsh, bright glare at those who dared to look at it.

Tank hastily bowled up to the first lit cell on her left and recoiled slightly in horror at what was clearly a deceased person slumped against the wall next to the low cell cot. The male was grey and pale, staring out with glazed, lifeless eyes.

She turned away to inspect the next cell. The occupant of this one was alive and seemed very happy to see Tank, as she pounded silently on the glass. Tank looked around for an obvious exit. There didn’t look to be one. There had to be one. She looked through her bag and grabbed a C4 device, reconfiguring it for a shorter detonation time.

Sticking it to a corner of the window, she indicated for the imprisoned Chinese girl to move back. Ten seconds later, the blast blew out a hole in the glass, big enough for Tank to pull out more, and enough for the girl to clamber through.

“My name is-” Tank started to say, but was cut short as the newly released girl sent electric bolts out from her hands directly as her.

Tank was flung back, writhing around on the floor with her back arched in agony. She grunted angrily as she quickly picked herself up.

Not much could take Tank down.

“This is the 'thank you' I get?” she boomed at the Chinese electric woman. She zapped again but Tank anticipated it and rolled out of the way. When the electricity subsided, the German lunged at her foe, knocking her to the ground. Tank sat on top of her chest and punched her twice in the face.

“Stop!” the newly released prisoner shouted under the weight of the European brute.

“You started it. I just got you out.”

“You let me out?”

“Yes. Obviously. I blew up the glass to get you out. You can’t be here.”

“They lock me up.” Tank stood up off the girl, the heat of the battle gone. “They want to take me… to space.”

“Scheisse,” muttered Tank. “What’s your name?”

“Jia Jing,” Jia said, picking herself up.

“Well Jia, let’s get you out of here.

“Tank, are you done yet? We could kinda do with your help here!” Proten called out through their communicators.

“Yes, coming up now. Where are you?”

“You can’t miss us.”

***

Proten and The Zodiac parted, and she switched out of her part Snake form back into all human.

“What are you doing working for Du Zan?” The Constable asked.

“He has assets that need protecting. And in exchange for me looking after them, I get to be part of the space mission.”

“Well you know we won’t let that happen, right?” Proten said.

“I know you’re going to try,” The Zodiac responded, touching her amulet again. This time she increased in height and width, hunching over at the shoulders. Below the knees, her legs narrowed and hooved at the feet. Her face lengthened with her nose morphing into a snout with two tusks sprouting.

“Ah shit. Watch out, she’s the Boar now. Let’s move this outside,” Brit whispered to American.

“Tank, are you done yet? We could kinda do with your help here,” Proten asked, hoping the German was done with her tasking.

The Zodiac charged at the men, who nodded at each other and began running towards the window, with the boar woman pursuing.

“You won’t miss us!” he called out back to Tank, as they jumped through the windows, shattering the glass as they flew, The Zodiac following angrily and blindly behind and taking out some of the wall and window frame as she did.

***

Tank watched as the three fell from the fourth floor windows and landed hard and quick on the asphalt. Proten and The Constable carried on running as some woman boar hybrid picked herself up from where she landed.

“That her! Tā bă wŏ guān qǐlái!” Jia cried out, trying to tell Tank that the Boar woman was the one who locked her up. She screamed in fury and directed her anger through menacing lightning bolts towards her former captor. The Zodiac shrieked out in agony as she flew into the air, stiffened by the electrical charge.

She landed with a thud, as her screaming stopped.

“Who’s she?” Two Tone shouted, running over with a now human Stephanie Del Marta.

“Some girl I found locked up,” Tank replied.

“Can we count on her to help us against her?” The Constable asked, looking over at The Zodiac. Jia zapped The Zodiac again just as she tried to get her self back up. “Ok, yeah. I think we have our answer.”

“Tetsuo, can you go inside and organise with your air boys to get Libertié airlifted out of here? She’s safe on the fourth floor. Constable and I are going to try to see if Du Zan is here. Tank, how long left on the charges?” Proten asked.

Tank checked her watch. “Eight minutes.”

“That doesn’t leave us long. Do what you can here, but get out fast.”

The Zodiac, who was weakened from the amount of electricity she had been jolted with, was having to put up with Jia Jing shouting at her in her native Chinese, crying and ranting. With what little strength she did have, and whilst she knew Jia’s attention was on her face, The Zodiac reached for her amulet.

From her part Boar form, she transformed again into another of the Zodiac animals. Arguably the most deadliest of them.

She grew to a ginormous size, losing all of her human features and into the form of… the Dragon! Her body became elongated, the length of two tennis courts. Digging into the ground were the sharpest of claws. The Dragon, in a proud bright blue with gold and red accents, roared at the remaining G7 members and Jia Jing, who had stopped shouting abuse and just looked on in fear.

Stephanie went into full beast mode again, turning herself inside out from her overextending jaws.

La Bestia, Two Tone, Tank and Jia Jing stood to face The Zodiac. “It’s a good job I’ve got a little bit of energy left,” muttered Two Tone before creating a sonic boom.

***

“I don’t think he’s going to have stuck around do you?” Proten asked as the pair rushed the stairs.

“Let’s check his office panic room and find out, but if I were him, I’d have taken the escape route out.”

“Well we’ll find out in a second… It’s just up here.” They ran along the corridor, following it to the office. There was no surprise from the pair to find the office empty and concealed door behind the bookshelf wide open.

“Nope, he’s gone, the bastard!”

“Ok well Ize, we need to get going ourselves, before this place blows.” Then, speaking through his communicator, addressing the others, “How are we doing dealing with The Zodiac?”

An obviously stressed Two Tone answered back first, shouting, “She’s pretty determined bro! We’re just holding her off!”

“Ok, retreat then and head for the rendezvous. We have three and a bit minutes before it’ll all blow!” Proten advised.

“Are you sure?!” Two Tone shouted back.

“Yes, we’re coming down now and will meet you for extraction.”

Proten and The Constable joined Two Tone, Tank, Stephanie and Jia Jing running from the hole in the perimeter fence they had made to get in.

***

The explosions from the launch site were loud, hard and the heat from the jet fuel going up could be felt on their backs as they ran.

At the extraction site, simply a clearing in the woods, the G7 had a three hour wait for darkness before pick up.

Tetsuo and Madame Libertié had already had an emergency extraction but it was too risky to try another one during day light hours.

“Are you sure you don’t want to leave with us?” Stephanie asked Jia Jing as they were all sat around.

“No. I am free now. I go home and rest. And find The Zodiac.”

“You shouldn’t do that, not by yourself. You can get hurt,” Stephanie warned.

“She will pay for what she did and for letting my brother die in front of me.”

On the other side of the makeshift camp where Brad and Ferris were sat, Brad pulled out the print out he made earlier.

“I need to show you something,” he said quietly.

“Look, I’m not a doctor, but I’ll give it a look,” teased Ferris.

“No, it’s not that. I was looking through the visitor files on the server earlier and I clicked on an English name that came up a lot. ‘Guy Phoenix.’” Brad handed him the print out. “But that’s not Guy Phoenix right?”

“Holy shit. No, that’s Anton. But he died years ago. We were all at his funeral.”

“I know. So what I need to know is, what was the former Red Cardinal doing mixed up with Du Zan?”