Enhance 2: Chapter 31

Phase and Rogue appeared inside an office building. Carpet floors, a trio of hand carved wooden bookshelf, large leather backed chair behind a desk and a few red ones at the corner of the room. There was a tall potted plant opposite the chair. With the pale tan walls and no good natural light, the place was essentially dry and boring. The plant was not helpful.

Rogue walked toward one of the book cases picking up a book and flipped through it slowly and put it back, “Lots of business manuals and books on success,” he said slowly. “I wonder if he’s read any of these or they’re just for show.”

“Usually not. All for show to make them seem important,” Phase shrugged. “Sounds like the Royals. Or at the very least Nathan. Could you imagine if this was his office.”

“If only,” Rogue put the book back. “It’s hard to imagine you working in here Darren.”

“Yeah well it wasn’t a great office when I worked there,” they replied. “Though whoever they found to replace me has no taste. I mean come on, they have every book written by the Pierces.”

“Wait Pierces. Plural. Nigel writes books too?” Phase asked raising his eyebrow behind the mask.

“Yeah. Nigel’s an accomplished scientist in genetics on the normal world. Smart guy. Published a bunch of papers on the stuff and his breakthroughs. No one knows about his more illicit activates though.”

“Like making the four of us,” Phase said slowly keeping his arms folded.

“Exactly. Honestly, I’d love to see the research on that. Like they couldn’t have made you guys from scratch. That’s like insane. But you guys are also insane. On a fundamental level. Like how is that even possible. There’s so much small stuff that I want to know.”

“Alright Darren. I love you and appreciate you. But let’s shelve that conversation for a minute,” Phase said. “Don’t like thinking too hard about the formative years of my life.”

“Right. Sorry about that,” Darren chuckled softly. “Anyway. Let’s go down the list. I’m pretty sure that no one has really repurposed this room. I’ve hidden things in it. Recording devices, some old files but the one you’re looking for is going to be like an old burner phone.”

“A burner phone? From how long ago?” Rogue asked.

“Well since I worked there. So at least six or seven years old.”

“How is that thing still working?” Rogue asked.

“I repurposed it a while ago. It just broadcast a signal to let me know that it’s still functioning. Among other things,” Darren shrugged. “It should be functioning still. I stuck it into a small hole in the wall.”

“Why’d you set that up?” Phase asked walking around the edge of the room and dragging a gloved hand across the wall. “And where is it?”

“You think someone like me is going to work for the Royals without any sort of backup plan?”

“You put a trojan in the system of the Royals?” Rogue asked. “How?”

“I was a bishop. They gave me enough creative freedom that I wrote my own programs into their systems. Small things here and there that look innocuous but they’re hooked together. Can’t do a lot with them without that phone.”

Phase continued his loose search of the room, “We’ve been in their system before now. What do we need this thing for?”

“We don’t. I owe a favor to Numb3r L. They want to screw with the Royals because no one likes the Royals. Check behind the third book shelf Rogue. Break through the base and then in the ground. Actually, Phase this is more up your alley.”

“Definitely,” he walked over to where Rogue was standing and they both crouched in front of the book case. Slipping his hand through the shelf in question he dragged it through the floor concentrating. It finally snagged on something and when he pulled it out it was the phone. It was layered with dust and a few spider webs but after he shook it off it was no worse for wear. “Found it Darren.”

It was an old flip phone with hard plastic casing and buttons. He flipped it open and the screen flashed a bright blue. A symbol like a small satellite flashed and a row of dots appeared underneath it before disappearing and starting again. “Wow it does still work.”

“Course it does. Keep that safe. We’ll need that after we’re done,” they said and the echo of typing in their ears started. The pair waited around their arms folded until Darren said, “You guys can leave. We’re done with this place for now. I’ll be back.”

“Now they tell us,” Phase and Rogue shook his head.

Phase slipped it into the pocket of his jacket and tapped Rogue’s back ready to go. Slipping through the window Rogue teleported them across the street thirty stories up to the open balcony of another office building. A nice meeting place to stand and discuss vague cooperate shenaniganry. As they got closer Phase saw that it was attached to a meeting room or something similar. It was probably a beautiful place during the day with some sun and chairs setup. Maybe even a drink or two.

Phase leaned against the glass parapet to stare at the city and the goings on below. It was very quiet only a few cards traveling the streets and most of the shops closed for the night. Then again, this part of the city rarely had serious activity this late at night. Just the wind accompanied them this high up. It was its own kind of pleasant.

Rogue walked to lean beside him and instead looked toward the sky. Saw the buildings nearby them that were infinitely taller than the one they stood at. But beyond that the sky, to the clouds rolling around above his head. He pulled off a glove and held up enjoying the air over his fingers.

Phase glanced his way and nudged him with his shoulder, “Hey Rogue. Let me run something by you.”

Rogue looked his way and nodded, “What is it?”

“Just been thinking about this whole thing. The N Kings and the Vanguard still doing their thing. The Royals and G’s nonsense bullshit these past couple months. Thinking it’s time we took a vacation somewhere.”

“A vacation? What like fly out to Cancun for a weekend?”

“Something like that.”

Rogue paused staring at his leader, “You’re serious.”

“A hundred percent.”

“What brought this on.”

Phase took a slow breath and looked back out toward the city, not up or down but just straight ahead. “Just been thinking. We’re always doing stuff. Working, doing jobs, fighting through crazy bullshit. And nothing wrong with most of that. It’s our lives and I love it. But sometimes I wonder if all of us, me included, just needs time to decompress. To not worry about the weight of the city.”

Rogue glanced his way and smiled, “Yumi said something similar this morning.”

“Ah jeez. If we’re on the same page things must be bad,” they shared a laugh together. “But if Yumi’s thinking the same thing then we definitely need to take a break. I trust her as much as my right hand. I’ll talk to Feint about it tonight.”

“I wonder if we can be invited?”

“No way. Not after what you pulled on the last trip.”

“I think he deserved it. He was a creep.”

Rogue and Phase both turned around in an instant and saw the women coming toward them slowly. Bother wearing black body suits, one with a red jacket that moved with the light and the other a regular black leather jacket. The red jacked had a mask with a red line down the middle and the leader jacket  had a mask with red down both eyes. The one in the red jacket had straight back hair and the other had it in a pony tail.

“And here I thought we had a copyright on the whole dressed in black and wearing masks,” he spread his arms glancing at Rogue. “We did get that taken care of right?”

“I think someone may have missed out on the paperwork,” Rogue folded his arms. “Definitely something we should get Feint and Darren on.”

“We’re gonna sue the shit out of you guys,” Phase pointed at them.

The one with the pony tail glanced at the other, “He’s going to sue us. I hope he’s okay with not getting much.”

“We wouldn’t be doing this if we had money after all,” the one in the red jacket said. “But we have to pay the bills. You took something from that office. We need to get that back. Are you going to hand it over or will you force us to take it from you?”

“Please force us to take it from you,” the one with the pony tail said clapping her hands together.

“Are we being robbed?” Phase asked. “Are they trying to rob us?”

“I think they might be,” Rogue said slowly. “Let’s get out of here and regroup.”

He started to reach toward Phase but jerked his hand back as a knife flew at him. The pony tail one was bringing her arm back and held it out to the one wearing a coat. She had another knife already in hand. Dragging her finger across the knife slowly it glowed bright orange and slid it into her partners waiting palm.

 “Sorry but neither of you are getting away.” She took a few more and whipped them forward. Rogue jumped back to avoid the blades as they came for him. He watched the knife slide through the glass like it were made of butter. His eyes went wide and he looked at Phase.

“Let’s split up,” he said quickly.

Rogue glanced back at the two of them then him, “You go and I’ll stick around here looking interesting.”

“You sure?”

“I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve. Circle around meet me on the ground floor,” he said and looked at the pair of them. He vanished forward and grabbed the red coated woman and they vanished together into the empty office. Phase could vaguely hear things crashing and breaking. Phase looked past at the fighting but was forced to focus on the other.

She tilted her head to look over her shoulder and then looked at him, “Well I’m pretty sure that she has him taken care of. So that just leaves the two of us to dance.” She rotated her hands and a pair of knives appeared in her hands like magic. “So I’m going to take care of you.”

Phase took a few steps back and rested both hands on the parapet. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll have to take a reign check on that.”

Slipping through the glass like it weren’t there he fell backwards. Turning in the air he thrust his arm forward and shot a wire out swinging past leaving the building behind.  He whipped out another arm out and swung to the other side. Crossing streets, he got to another building trying to think through all of this.

“Jeez I duck out for fight minutes” Darren said sharply. “What’s going on Phase?”

“You didn’t tell us that there would be guards,” Phase said swinging his legs forward and spun forward checking behind him. “Angry masked women wanting the phone back. Pretty sure it’s the same one that attacked Shade and Rogue the first time plus another one.”

“Wait what? Why would any of them be hanging around that office?” Darren asked quickly. “No one should know that thing existed.”

“Well apparently someone does!” Phase shouted.

He pointed himself toward another balcony but before he got there he was struck from the air. He whirled around dizzied by whatever hit him and felt the wires snap back into his hand. Righting himself thanks to the mask he shot his arm out and the wire took. Swinging to the side he looked behind him and saw the shape coming his way.

“What the fuck,” Phase mumbled. He let the wire loose and shot another to pull him down toward a lower floor. Looking above he watched a shape soar above him as he fell down. He watched the shape almost collide into the building before pausing just in front. It was the pony tail one and she floated at the side of the wall and then flew at him.

Actually flew.

Phase landed on a corner and stumbled forward slowly, “Darren! She’s flying! Did you know they could fly!” He watched her approach and then jumped again swinging forward.

“She’s flying. She’s actually flying,” Darren stopped typing and leaned back in their chair.  “I really need to look into Enhance again. And mess around with it. And wow.”

“Darren geek later,” Phase swung forward angling as far up as he could. Sling shotting himself upward he watched his vision go upside down. Before he completed the rotation, she slammed into his back and held him a loft by the throat. “Hi there. I’m a little taken at the moment so all this contact with another woman is kinda bad for my look.”

“It’s okay sweetie. I just want what you took and then I can leave that pretty face of yours intact,” she said and stroked his mask. “Where did you hide it?”

He tried to shrug and she grabbed his neck tighter. “Yeah squirming. Not high on your list. My bad. But. I am hard to keep a hold of. Slippery.”

He started to phase through her hand and then the sound of grinding metal echoed through his mind. He let out a shout and she did as well as they both started to plummet out of the sky. The metal rending sound echoed in his head to the point where he felt like tearing his head apart.

She let go of him and stumbled backwards in the air. The moment she let go the noise ended like a record scratching. Eyes going wide he soaked in the bliss of the moment. But the ground was coming up quickly and he threw his arm out. The wire flew and stuck into the wall and he let out a shout of pain from the sharp angle but kept going. Raising his legs up he skimmed over the edge of a bench.

Letting the wire go he rolled across the ground and slid to a halt. Stumbling back to his feet he whirled around and faced the sky. Looking around quickly he tried to pin point wherever she was but he couldn’t find her. Rubbing his shoulder, he rolled it slowly and cracked it with a wince. “Darren is Rogue okay?”

“Yeah just talked to him. He-“ Phase flinched hearing glass shattering above him but he couldn’t see the source. And then his mask focused in on the shape as it darted into his view then vanished again. He slammed into Phase as both men struggled to stay up right. “There he is.”

“Hey you good?” Phase asked.

Rogue got back to his feet and he was sporting a few singed cuts on his arms and his chest. A big one across the cheek of his mask but he was walking, “I’ve been worse. Fighting Firebug makes dealing with that one easier.”

“So that’s her clone then?”

“That’s my guess. But that means there’s a third one.”

“She flies.”

“She flies? Seriously?”

“Apparently,” Phase shook his head. He reached into his pocket and felt the phone still in the pocket. “At least I have the phone still.”

Before he could even move one of them slammed into the two of them. She threw Rogue away and pinned Phase to the ground, her knee on his back. “So, he was right about our powers not mixing. Was hoping it would just be between you and him.” She shrugged. “Oh well.”

“You know I’m still down, here right?” Phase said trying to push her off but she hit him hard in the back. “Yeah that’s gonna smart.”

Rogue lurched forward and swung a kick at her. She raised her hand catching his kick and turned shoving him to the ground. Before he hit it, he vanished and came back behind her his momentum carrying him.

She started to go intangible but Phase did the same and she let out a scream as the grinding noise echoed in her mind. Rogue kicked  her in the back knocking her off him. He slid through Phase and scrambled back to his feet grabbing Phase’s hand.

“Thanks man.” He glanced over his shoulder and widened his eyes. He grabbed Rogue’s shoulder and turned them intangible. A trio of knives flew threw them and bounced off the ground. The woman came forward her hands spread and glowing bright orange in the night. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Agreed,” Rogue grabbed his shoulder and they vanished and didn’t stop moving until they had left the business district long behind.