Brad woke up to the sound of his phone ringing and wearily picked it up. “Yeah?”

“Brad. It’s The Secretary. Are you ok? Have I woken you up?” she asked, sounding visibly confused. He checked the time. It was 11:45am.

“Um no, I’ve just er… been exercising. You know. Second day off suspension, gotta get back to it.”

“Ok good.” She paused which Brad was sure was because she didn’t believe him. “Well, that’s what I’ve been trying to call you for. There’s an ongoing situation I need your help with. A classified Government storage facility has been hit so I want you there ASAP. When can you be up and on the way to Alaska?”

“Alaska?” Brad repeated, with a slight tone of annoyance that The Secretary definitely picked up on.

“Yes. Alaska. You’re back at work now, so it’s your job to go where I send you and you owe me a big one. So I hope you’re out of bed and getting ready.”

“I am I am. What’s being hit? We know who by?”

“It’s called Project Pica, in the Southern Mount Denali peak.”

“In?” He juggled the cell in one hand and putting on the underwear he found on the floor with the other, scanning for a tee shirt at the same time.

“Yeah. It was carved out in the forties and operational in the fifties. It’s used to store artefacts that are of historical significance, unexplained and extra-terrestrial materials and technology, priceless and confiscated enhanced-use equipment, you know the kinda stuff. Shit we don’t want other people to get a hold of.”

“Wow, I’ve never heard anything about that before,” he said buttoning his jeans up.

“Good. It’s top secret. There’d be serious failings if people knew about it.”

“Seems like somebody has found out about it, though.”

“I know. Which is why I’m sending you in there to help the security forces to take it back ensure nothing gets taken. They’re over run there.”

“Ok, I’m heading to the roof pad now.”

***

The only way into Project Pica was through a concealed tunnel that started two miles from the mountain itself. The entrance had been compromised so Proten was able to lower his jet in and engage it’s rarely used land mode, which revealed mini tank tracks.

As he sped towards each checkpoint through the tunnel, he was able to continue on, mindful to dodge round the dead guards lying on the ground.

Proten stopped to examine the bodies, who from their uniforms and heritages, looked to be from both sides. And he’d seen those uniforms before. In China, fighting with Du Zan’s private army and at the attack on The Facility.

“Ma’am, do you copy?” Proten asked through his communicator.

“Loud and clear.”

“Glad the comms still work down here. Check points are compromised. Fatalities from both sides. Looks like the guys and gals here put up a fight.”

“Any indication of who you’re up against?”

“Du Zan’s forces.”

“Oh shit, the son of a bitch.”

“I’m going in further.”

“Copied. Take care.”

Proten pushed on until he got to the large, cavernous parking structure that split off to the various entrances based on the purpose of the visit. Both entrances were bust as it appeared Du Zan’s forces hit them in a two pronged attack.

“Proten! Quick! This way!” A Government guard called out, emerging from the Visitors entrance bay. Proten ran over. “We saw you on the CCTV. Thank God you’re here.”

“What’s happening?” he asked.

“The attackers have pushed on further into the site but three of us have stayed with our supervisor… in case we need to… we need to the authority to blow the mountain as a last resort.”

“Please, for the love of God, do not do that.”

“It’s protocol. If they get to a certain point, we can level the mountain manually,” the guard explained earnestly.

“But I’m here now, and I’d rather you didn’t press the self-destruct button with me still in it. Take me to see your supervisor.” The guard, who Proten learnt on the short was called Simon, led him to a side office off the reception desk.

Inside was a rather large and harassed looking supervisor and two other guards.

“They just came from nowhere! All at once!” the supervisor immediately cried.

“How did they get through the tunnels so quickly?” Proten asked. “There are two miles of tunnel for a reason, right? This shouldn’t have happened.”

“I- I don’t know.”

The real reason, which they weren’t to learn until after, was the use of stealth drones, designed to not show up on CCTV or radar systems. Once the guards were silently put down, the attackers moved in on foot.

“How far are they in? Any indication what they’re looking for?”

The guards looked at each other. Simon spoke up. “They gathered us all together, wanted the highest rank present and some woman asked her where the ‘shēngxiào hùshēnfu’ or something, was.”

“What’s that mean?” Proten asked impatiently.

“It’s the Zodiac amulet.”

“And did they do it? Did they take them to the amulet?”

“No,” Simon answered. “She refused, so they executed her on the spot. Now they’ve made their own way to The Nest, but it’s so secure, it’ll take them forever… hopefully.”

Proten screwed his face up. “The Nest?”

“Yeah, this is Project Pica. Pica is Latin for ‘magpie’. This is where we keep all of America’s rare shiny things, like a magpie. You’re name’s Latin, right?”

Proten looked flustered. “I wasn’t good at it at school…” he grumbled. “How long have they been down there?"

“Probably about forty five minutes, but there could’ve been more guys who got here sooner,” the supervisor admitted.

“Crap, alright. Will you three lead me to where this The Nest is?”

“Well, no,” Simon said. “It takes a supervisor to authorise to the self-destruct protocol and two to simultaneously turn the keys to activate it. That’s why we’ve all stayed to protect him.”

“Jesus, no! That’s why I’m here,” Proten snapped, visibly agitated by the situation. “If you help me get there, then we won’t need to all die.”

The guards looked at each other and to their supervisor.

“I just need you to know, Proten, that it scares me to think what will happen if some of those artefacts get into the wrong hands. I personally favour putting my life on the line to prevent bad things from happening… but I am going to put my trust in you and spare Simon, Barry and Alex to help you. Go now and frick sake, don’t make me regret this.”

Simon, Barry and Alex ran out of the room, with Proten following.

***

The four took a couple of flights of stairs down further, opening up into another corridor. There was more destruction at this point, with walls collapsed and the contents of offices strewn all over.

The three guards fanned out to check for any survivors. Bodies lay around but Alex heard something and motioned for everyone to be quiet.

A voice was coming from a hole in the floor, thirty feet down.

“Proten! Here! Can you reach down to her?” Alex called out.

Proten came over and looked up. There was a hole above where the hole in the ground was. It looked like an explosion above caused the ground to give way and fall a few stories down.

He lay on the ground and held his arm out to extend down to the woman.

“Help me please! I’m pregnant! Please get me out!” she screamed desperately.

But nothing happened.

Proten’s arms didn’t extend.

He strained, willing it to happen and for half a foot, it did extend but it didn’t stretch any more. And it wasn’t enough.

“Is there another way down there?” he asked frantically.

“No. It would take too long. We don’t have time. Why aren’t you just reaching for her?” Simon asked.

“I’m trying!” Proten yelled angrily.

“Shit, we’re doomed. She’s doomed!” Barry wailed, which didn’t make the trapped mother-to-be feel any better about her situation.

“You can’t leave me!” she shouted up.

“Shut up Barry and get it together!” Proten hissed. He tried again but his only slightly longer arm remained as it was. He stood up and let it correct to normal length. “Barry, stay here with her. Alex and Simon will take me the rest of the way.”

“We’ll be back for you, lady. Barry is going to stay with you!”

“B-but what about-?”

“I don’t care, just do it!” Proten demanded.

“But without your enhancements, you’re useless!” Barry blurted out anyway. Proten looked at him dead square in the eyes and after a moment of intense staring, he walked off back into the corridor.

The woman in the hole cried out as Simon and Alex followed Proten.

***

Proten came to a crouch with Alex and Simon when they reached a reception style desk checkpoint.

“The Nest is the other side of this,” Simon said.

“How many do you think there is?” Proten asked.

“I think just over a hundred came through. We’ve seen a lot of bodies on the way here though… I don’t know… So thirty give or take?”

Proten looked at Simon and tried to work out his odds. With his enhancements not working, he wasn’t sure what he was capable of. Did he still even have his super strength?

“Well? Are you going to go?” Simon asked.

He could be walking them all to their graves…. “Yes, let’s go.”

Alex jumped the desk and activated the first set of sliding doors.

“We go down this corridor to the next doors. Then we’re in The Nest. Prepare to be amazed,” Simon said as they ran.

“You can easily fit four whole Michigan Stadiums inside the space down there and sitting in the middle, is The Nest which is as big as one Michigan Stadium. You won’t have seen anything like it, I promise.”

“Maybe after this shit you can give me the proper tour,” Proten said.

“Oh we don’t actu- oh you were being sarcastic, ok. Let’s go through, yeah?”

“Thanks.”

Simon swiped his key card and the door slid open onto a gangway overlooking the whole Nest.

“Holy crap, you weren’t kidding,” Proten whispered. It was breath taking in its sheer size and scale, and the fact that this was all carved out from a mountain. Inside the gigantic space was The Nest, a slightly bowl shaped gold arena building that was clad in giant tessellating hexagons. Outside the Nest on the ground, Proten counted forty invaders, but no sign of The Zodiac.

Hopefully there were fewer in The Nest.

“What’s your plan?” Simon asked.

“Go down and kick their ass,” Proten said running down the staircase to the ground level.

Simon ran after him, fearing the worst. He joined Proten at the bottom of the stairs crouching again behind a forklift truck.

“I… I can’t do it,” Proten admitted, hanging his head. “Without my stretch, what can I do against all of them?”

“Well shit Proten. I followed you into battle. We made it this far.”

“It’s a suicide mission. They’ll have pumped us with lead before we even get half way.”

“But we can’t let them leave. We should have… what the hell is that?” Simon whispered in confusion at what was happening. The soldiers were being knocked out and fought by an unseen assailant.

“Ah crap,” Proten muttered, realising what was going on. He looked up and sure enough, coming down the stairs, were Two Tone, Justicia and Budge, with Barry and Alex leading the way.

“Yes! Back up’s arrived!” Simon cheered, relieved. Proten watched as they all ran to the entrance of The Nest, Nauyerdunt revealing himself once all the soldiers were down after a few minutes of fighting.

Proten slumped back down, his back against the fork lift. He held his hand out and willed it to stretch. He had never needed to will so hard. It was always so easy and instinctive. Eleven year old him had more stretch than he had now.

“God I’m in so much trouble,” he whispered to himself.

***

“Sit down,” Amber instructed coldly. Brad obliged, taking the seat across from her at her desk. She sat back in her chair, twirling a pen around her fingers, just staring at him.

“You want me to tell you what happened today?” Brad asked, guessing what she’d be wanting to hear.

“I would love to know, Mr Jacobs-Brown. But I just want to hear the part where you went into the field to protect the nation’s most closely guarded secrets with the inability to actually do your job.”

“I don’t know Ma’am-”

“It’s Ms Hamilton,” she sharply corrected.

“I don’t know, Ms Hamilton. I didn’t know I couldn’t until I tried to save that woman.”

“Who died, by the way. Barry had to ask for more back up.”

“I know,” Brad quietly admitted.

“But even worse than that, because of your hesitation and inability, The Zodiac still managed to escape with the amulet as well as some other artefacts. It was a total shit show out there.”

“I really can’t explain it, Ms Hamilton. That place is a fortress.”

“Because you weren’t quick enough or able enough. Facts.”

“Well, I’ll make sure I get it back.”

“Hmm. I’m not holding out much hope for that. Do you think you need to see a physician? How do you know it won’t happen again? Or if it’s caused because of an underlying, undiagnosed health condition?”

Brad shifted in his seat. “I don’t think I do.”

“Well, I do, and I’m suspending you until you do. That’ll be all.”

“Again? What the hell?”

“What the hell? The hell is our nation’s stretchiest hero can only reach the beans on the top shelf of the grocery store for the doubled over grandma, and not when national security is at extreme risk. So see a doctor, then let me know. Do it tomorrow, do it next year. You’re a big boy now, sort yourself out but you’re not working until you do. Now, that will be all.” She looked blankly at him, waiting for him to leave.

He didn’t hang around any longer and headed home with the shame of being suspended again, and the confusion over what happened to him in The Nest.