I own nothing of consequence.

Boomshakalaka is borrowed—with permission—from Bow to Me Fools BOW I SAY.

Chapter Four: Boys and Their Toys

"Hurry up!" Six called out to the assembled soldiers. "Transport leaves in fifteen!"

"Yes Sir!" the majority of the soldiers, including Terry and Max, replied in unison. Rex gave a mocking salute and Bobo tipped his head.

Providence agents swarmed out of the dojo to prepare for the mission. "McGinnis! Gibson! Come on. We need to get you outfitted," Six called out.

Six appointed a junior soldier to escort Terry and Max to the armory. The young woman led them down two flights of stairs to a door that looked like a vault. She pulled out the keycard that Six had handed her and opened the door.

Max let out a low whistle and began examining laser rifles. She pulled out a heavy rifle; a shoulder harness; with two pistols; and an ankle holster, complete with a wicked looking knife. Terry, on the other hand, bypassed the guns and went to the back of the weapons cache. He pulled a pair of escrima (1) sticks of the wall and about three dozen shuriken from a nearby case.

Max walked over to Terry and appraised his acquisitions. "Boys and their toys," she teased, shaking her head.

Terry grinned, "We need to move; the suits are still in my bags. Come on."

Max followed Terry back to his barracks. A few of the soldiers shot her strange looks as she entered the male barracks, but she ignored them. Terry used his keycard to open the door and found his roommate seated at the computer desk. "Out!" Terry commanded.

The older soldier began to protest, but then got a good look at Max. The older man gave Terry a wide toothy grin and clapped Terry on the shoulder. Quickly bundling up his laptop, he left the two alone.

Max folded her arms and shuddered as the door hissed shut, "Eww."

Terry chuckled as he began tearing into his suitcase. "Don't worry about it. I imagine there has to be some advantages to being transferred to Six's division. Hopefully, we'll each have our own rooms by this time next week."

Terry tossed a sleek black bodysuit to Max. The bodysuit was a mesh of circuits and servomotors. It was nearly identical to Terry's batsuit with a few exceptions. First, it had no logos or mask. There was absolutely nothing to tie it to Wayne-Powers or Batman. It also had a lower neckline and lacked the gloves and boots, so that it could be worn under most clothing. Finally, it lacked the batsuit's stealth option. Since it was meant to be worn under regular clothing, making it invisible was sort of pointless.

On the other hand, the suit still amplified the user's strength and was heat resistant, fire retardant, shock resistant, and most importantly bulletproof.

It'd taken Max about six months and a considerable sum of money to replicate the batsuit, but it was worth it. Terry and Max each had two suits in addition to the original batsuit. It was important to have a spare in case one got damaged in combat. The hardest part was keeping them concealed from Providence. Max couldn't remember how many bullet hole ridden uniforms she'd thrown into the dumpsters or how many times she'd dodged the medics so that they couldn't get a close enough look.

Max mumbled a quick, "Thank you," and pulled her shirt off. Terry blushed and turned his back. Max laughed at his discomfort. "Come on, Ter. It's nothing that you haven't seen before."

Terry blushed again and began changing. "I know. It's just that creep—"

"Your room mate?" Max grinned. "Ignore him. Who cares what he thinks?"

Terry shook his head, "You do realize that everyone will know that we 'hooked up' by this time tomorrow?"

~Boomshakalaka~

Six surveyed his troops inside the airship. They were still approximately ten minutes outside of Metropolis and Six decided that it was time to discuss strategy.

"Alright folks, we have a Level 1 E.V.O. in the heart of downtown Metropolis," Six said in his usual no-nonsense monotone. "It is vaguely humanoid and all conventional means of neutralization have failed. Local authorities have already tried bullets, flamethrowers, rocket launchers, and all manner of land based artillery. As of yet, we cannot confirm that any of these weapons have penetrated the creature's hide. Are there any questions?"

A black woman in her mid-thirties raised her hand and asked, "Sir, I thought Metropolis was an E.V.O. free zone. I have never heard of Providence being called into Metropolis."

"Excellent question Captain Rush," replied Captain Callan. "Metropolis is not an E.V.O. free zone, but Providence does not generally operate inside the city. Most problems in Metropolis are handled by vigilantes. However, as of yet, Superman has not been sited."

Six cleared his throat, "McGinnis, you're in charge of crowd control. Take Squad 4, Gibson, and Rush. Bobo, Rex, you're with me. Containing this E.V.O. is not an option. I need you to neutralize it or eliminate it. Captain Callan, I want you to take the rest of our forces and cover Rex and I. Do not. Let. The E.V.O. out of the target zone."

"Yes Sir!" replied the assembled soldiers.

"McGinnis, prep your team. You're up first!" Six called out.

Terry grimaced and turned to the troops. "Squad 4, raise your hands high." About thirty soldiers raised their hands, including Captain Rush. "Alright, keep your eyes and ears open. There will be civilians outside that will insist that they need to be let back in. Do not let them cross the perimeter, but listen to them. There may still be civilians trapped in the target zone. Let's get them out, soldiers."

"We'll be over the drop point in two minutes," Six said. "Are you ready McGinnis?"

Terry looked over his team and nodded his head, "Yes Sir."

~Boomshakalaka~

Terry surveyed the crowd as he patrolled the perimeter of the target area. Hundreds of people were crowded against the barricades, trying to get a peek of the action. He spotted at least three different news crews reporting live on scene. 'It's like a train wreck,' Terry thought. 'They know there's nothing but terror and devastation, but they can't look away.'

Terry hurried his pace as he approached Captain Rush's post. A middle-aged woman dressed in a purple business suit was berating the captain.

"Ma'am, you cannot go in there. If you do not retreat peacefully, I will have to restrain you," Captain Rush said in a firm authoritative voice.

"You don't understand. I have to get in there!" the woman insisted. Terry watched the two women. He thought he knew the civilian, but he couldn't quite place her.

"Is there a problem ladies?" Terry said, turning up the charm.

"Are you the one in charge of this circus?" the woman asked and placed her hands on her hips.

Terry nodded, "Agent McGinnis, Ma'am."

"Well, you need to tell these blockheads that there will be serious consequences if they don't let me in right now!" she practically screamed at him.

And that's when it hit Terry. He'd seen her a few times before at the Watchtower during holidays and celebrations. The color drained from Terry's face, "Ms. Lane, where's your husband?"

Lois examined Terry for a moment. "I'm sorry. I don't believe we've met?"

"I'm a friend of your husband's. I've even been to his house a few times," Terry replied, but Lois still looked confused. "His house up north," Terry clarified.

Lois eyes widened as she realized the implications of Terry's revelation. "Ms. Lane, is your husband…"

"The E.V.O." Lois confirmed.

"Shit! Captain, you're in charge here! I'm going to find Six and Rex," Terry shouted to Rush.

"Sir," Rush protested. "Our orders clearly state…"

"To hell with our orders, Captain. Six and Rex have no idea what they're up against."

~Boomshakalaka~

Escrima sticks are two lightweight staves around 26 inches long. They are usually made from hard lightweight wood or light metals. In the comics, Nightwing is commonly pictured using them.

Two questions:

Is anyone getting the Zeta Project references? I've thrown in two now, but nobody's mentioned them.

Where do you come up with your screen names? I see so many awesome screen names and mine is so…uninspired.