Infestation In Limbo
(Silverhawks is property of Lorimar Telepictures, or whomever owns the rights now. No money was made off this story.)
Chapter 4: Abduction And Infiltration
The tension in the Sin-I-Star diner was high. In fact, it was the highest it had ever been there. Melodia knew for certain who was the source of that tension as she glared at her sister. She even trained her Sound Smasher on her sister. She had heard rumors that her kid sister was in The Infestation. She just didn't think her sister would be foolish enough to venture to Limbo.
Melodia ventured into the diner, taking in everything she saw. If there had been any patrons in the place, they had probably ducked down, or were trying to find a way out the back. She had never taken that route, so she wasn't even sure if there was a back way out. Still, she wasn't going to let her sister get out of the place. As she stepped closer, she spoke. "You made a mistake coming to Limbo, Harmony, especially after what you've done to me."
She wasn't surprised when this only made Harmony smirk even more. Their parents had always covered for her and protected her. They never saw how demented Harmony was. "Now Melody, don't you realized how much I helped you. You owe me. Let's face it. I got you on the path you're on now." That statement got Melodia's blood boiling, and she fired her Sound Smasher.
As laser infused notes shot through the diner, Harmony managed to dodge the blast. This didn't deter Melodia as she swung round to blast her sister. She kept fingering the keytar part of the Sound Smasher and doing nothing but damage to the diner. She didn't stop until she noticed the figure on the floor.
Melodia didn't have many soft spots for people in her life, let alone in Limbo. Cyclops was one of the few whom she would look out for. She had told Mon*Star it had been good to keep some little criminal bands around. Cyclops was part of one of them, since he tended to be a talker when he had enough drink. He was also very accident prone, which literally made him a liability, but also loyal to wherever he called home.
This momentary pause did not go unnoticed. In fact, Harmony had noticed it, since she was also expecting it. Thanks to their newest members in the Infestation, she was informed of the acquaintance that her sister had made. She even saw the momentary concern that crossed her sister's face. Her sister had been unaware how much anger was a weakness to her. All it would take was the right words to trigger her, and Harmony knew which words those were. "You know, Sis, you need something to calm your nerves. How about some Crystal Twist?"
Those words had the desired effect. Melodia went into a rage, firing blast after blast from her Sound Smasher. Harmony managed to keep ahead of the blasts and dodged the debris that was being caused by the attacks. As she continued to dodge the attacks, she let debris act as shield for her actual movements.
Harry, being no stranger to this kind of problems at his tavern, did the only thing he could safely do at the moment. He ducked behind the bar, thankful that he had reinforced it over the years. He didn't want to chance calling Mon*Star at the moment, given how much noise that was being caused. He just hoped Melodia would stop soon and hoped that she would be successful.
Melodia remained focused on trying to down her sister. It always infuriated her that Harmony could get away with so much. Her parents didn't even do anything to see her get punished after what happened years ago. Now Harmony was once again trying to ruin her life, this time with the damned Infestation. She'd blast Harmony out of Limbo before she'd let her ruin anything else.
Melodia's rage was so consuming that she wasn't even aware that her sister had gotten behind her. With all the debris that her attacks had caused still flying about, she never noticed that Harmony had gotten behind her until she felt a sensation she had felt long ago. It was the toxic touch of Crystal Twist. Making matters worse, it was a very strong dose of it. The drug literally overloaded her senses, and in that instant, she blacked out into unconsciousness.
Harmony watched as her sister fell to the ground, unconscious. Seeing Melodia like that brought a sadistic grin to her face. She took a few moments to bind up Melodia, and then picked her unconscious sister up. Harmony then surveyed the place, smiling at all the damage her sister had done. It would take the owner a few days to fix all this damage.
She then looked over at the bar and saw Harry peeking out over the edge. She smirked, and said, "Remember all this next time you don't cooperate with the Infestation." She then carried her sister out of the bar, and over to her own vehicle. Once she put her sister into the back of the vehicle, she took a moment to damage the vehicle that Melodia brought to Fence, and then took off in her own back to Infestation Headquarters.
Harry quickly got up after Harmony had left and surveyed the damage to his place. It would take some time to fix everything, and some money. He then gave a call to get help for Cyclops. This wasn't the first time he had to do it, but it wasn't uncommon. He then called Mon*Star, knowing he had to inform the Mob Boss of what had happened. He knew it wasn't going to be well received, especially since he didn't know where The Infestation had their base.
At Hawkhaven, Condor had been going through some of the casebooks that he had collected over the years. He had been thankful that he had never had to cross paths with the group, at least as a solo detective. He was thankful that he knew about one detective who had crossed paths with them. He only found out about the guy when he first crossed paths with The Rattler.
Once he found what he was looking for, he left his quarters and made his way up to Command Central. As he headed up, he hoped the contact information was still good. It had been years since he talked with that particular individual, and anything could have happened in that time. He just had to hope they were still around.
Once he was up in Command Central, he saw everyone turn towards him. He held up the notebook he had the information in, and said, "Found it. You want me to make the call, Gaze?"
Commander Stargazer, who had been out of his office at that moment, responded to the question. "Probably best since you know the guy. Besides, anyone who has managed to cross paths with this group and survive is the best place to start." Condor, knowing his old friend, figured that would be the answer, but protocol was best given the serious nature the Infestation threat was.
He went over to the comms unit and placed the call. As he did so, he felt all the other Silverhawks gathering around him. Part of him wanted them to step back, but another part of him figured it wouldn't matter too much. He would be doing most of the talking. After a few moments of ringing, the screen came to life, and an image of another cybernetically enhanced human appeared. This figure's visage appeared clean shaven, but the whole left side of his face was a metal plating of various types. It still didn't deter the grin that crossed the man's face as he responded. "Condor. How's life in the Strata Sector?"
Condor let out a chuckle and responded to the question. "Haven't been in that sector after Rattler gave me the slip there. I moved to Limbo Galaxy since then. Had an office in Bedlama until I joined the Silverhawks, Fal." He saw a surprised look cross the private investigator's face.
The private investigator just shook his head and responded. "Moving up to the big times, huh. So to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Condor did notice that the private investigator looked completely relaxed. He might also be curious about who all what on the other side of the line.
Condor felt the smile leave his face as he said, "I wish this was a social call, Fal, but we have a serious problem here. Seems the Infestation has surfaced in Limbo, and you had to deal with them. I was hoping you could give us some insight."
He watched as Fal looked around for a second, and then leaned forward. There was now a very serious look on his face. "How long have they been there? And how secure are your communications?"
That last question caught Condor off guard, but before he could answer, one voice piped up. It was that of Copperkidd. The youngest of the Silverhawks was a mathematical genius. What many didn't know about the most unpredictable of the Silverhawks was his love of studying probability, and engaging in mathematical problems, as well as encryption. To those who didn't understand most of his speech, it would sound like tones and whistles. In what Copperkidd had said, the key words that came out clear was "It's secure."
Over the time as part of the Silverhawks, the others had learned to understand what he said. It was Steelheart who translated what might not have been understood. "Copperkidd is right on that. He improved the encryption algorithms that Hawkhaven uses." As they all looked on at the private investigator, it was obvious that something still bothered him.
Finally, the man spoke. "You may think you are secure, but they have one hell of a hacker. This guy they have, Hotwire, can jack any system. It's how their records keep disappearing. Hell, some claim he jumps bodies. What I do know is that once they get into a system, any system, he can hack control of any that one communicates with it."
This news caused a bit of unrest. First off, with all of them being cybernetic, there was a disturbing thought that they could be taken over. Second was the uncertainty that it gave them. Anyone they communicated with could have already been compromised. If that was the case, was it possible that they were compromised as well.
Those thoughts ran through Stargazer's mind as he quietly said to Copperkidd, "Kidd, I want you to increase the security of the files. Also, make hard copies of all those files. After that, I want to talk with you in private." Part of all this had him thinking about why that information was already shared.
During that moment, Condor asked the private investigator, "Fal, does that include your systems there as well?" He had thought that more out of safety for his fellow PI.
He watched as the man nodded. "I'm afraid so. I run special protocols every time I finish a communication. I have a triple air gap measure in place, since I'm probably the only being still alive that has ever seen the leader of the Infestation." They all watched as the PI shivered. "Outside of the Infestation, that is. Every mob boss who has ever seen the leader is dead. In fact, Condor, I wouldn't be surprised if Rattler is dead by now. I haven't heard a thing about him since you asked me about him years ago."
At that point, it was Steelwill who spoke up, saying something that surprised the private investigator. "What? The Rattler knows who the head of the Infestation is." He turned to Stargazer and said, "Commander, we need to get to the Penal Planet. If the Infestation knows he's alive…."
Commander Stargazer jumped to the same conclusion right as they all did. "Steelwill, Condor, I want you to get to the Penal Planet, NOW!". The two saluted and dashed for the elevator. Commander Stargazer turned to the private investigator on the screen, and said, "Thank you. I'm sorry I didn't get your full name, but I am thankful for what you have provided. Is it possible you can send us any more information that could be helpful?"
He saw the private investigator scratch his head, before he answered. "I may have some info. I purposefully moved out of the sector I was in when I thought they were gone, just in case. I may have left some files in the old office. I think the police officials locked it off after that, so they could be in there, just in case. Let's just say the system wasn't in the best shape by the time we got rid of them."
Stargazer could already figure how bad it might be there. The Infestation was rather infamous for making a system crippled to the brink of collapse when they left an area. That was something he was going to avoid at all costs in Limbo. He then nodded, and said, "Alright. We'll get back to you on that then." He then shut off the communications, already considering all sorts of options.
As the communications ended, the private investigator stood up, and grabbed his cloak. That conversation had been very informative. He then stepped out of his private office, and into the command center of Infestation operations. As he did so, he saw Hotwire busy working on all the information gathering methods. It would only be a matter of time before they had every system in Limbo in their pockets. He then walked over to the console in the room that allowed him to speak to all his operatives.
Before he spoke, he heard Hotwire say, "Hawkhaven has some very tricky systems. Since I've returned, my systems have only managed to get through to basic info. Just name and rank of personnel. I'm still working on accessing the cases, and more about the individual members."
He place a hand on Hotwire's shoulder and said, "Keep working, and put all your skills and tools into it. They have a damned mime on their team. Some sort of mathematical genius. Probably has it encrypted in various ways. How's our access of The Mob's system?"
He was pleased when Hotwire gave a more positive answer. "We've gotten into their system quicker than others, thanks to Mon*Star's own network of informants. The fool doesn't even have serious encryption on his system. I've already seen the impact our casino has on his holdings at the Starship Casino."
That made the leader of The Infestation smile. "Good. The Silverhawks were the tougher one, but now that they've talked directly to me, our access should get clearer. That fool of a private investigator, Condor, reached out and contacted me. He's clueless about me. Just thinks I was some lucky private investigator." He laughed with that, and then moved over to the console. "By the way, the time has come to finally take care of one serious loose end, The Rattler."
As he moved to the communications console, he heard Hotwire respond to that revelation. "The only criminal to ever see your face, oppose us and live. If they get info from him, we could be in trouble." He nodded, but he had managed to find out the criminal's exact location.
He pushed the button that opened a private communication between him and one of his agents on the Penal Planet, and said, "I have a mission for you. I have no doubt that the Silverhawks are on their way to talk to The Rattler. Make sure that snake is silenced before they arrive." He then made sure to send some doctored files to the source as a cover. They had such documents ready for this type of occasion. In this case, a faked prisoner transfer to solitary. It didn't need a name on it, but he had ones set up for that as well.
Once that was done, he was about to order the base be moved, but Harmony had arrived with a trussed up Melodia. It was a sight that made him smile. He had sent her out on the very mission to get Melodia here, as well as securing funds on Fence. He had wanted her for a specific purpose for when they got to Limbo.
He walked over to Harmony and her quarry. It was good he had gotten his cloak on. He didn't need Melodia to see his face, at least not yet. As he approached them, Harmony smiled and said, "Mission accomplished, Boss. Melodia is here for her new job."
Those words started their captive on a tirade. "You've made a big mistake. The second Mon*Star hears of this, he's really going to come down on you." He then watched as she struggled in her bonds, but he knew she couldn't break them. Harmony had done a lot of 'recruiting' of females for The Infestation.
He placed his one hand under Melodia's chin and held it firmly. "Now, now, Melody. Is that any way to treat the people who are about to give you a chance at your dream." He saw a look of anger cross her face again as he said that. It was obvious to him that she hated hearing her real name, but also the dream. He knew not many knew her past, and he knew it because Harmony had told him.
He then turned to look at Harmony and said "Take her to the twisting chamber. It may take some time until she's complacent to working for us." He saw two different looks on the two ladies faces. On Harmony's face, he saw a look of evil delight, knowing she was going to enjoy breaking her sister. On Melodia's face, he saw a look of complete horror and fear. In fact, it was the kind of fear that shocked Melodia into complete silence.
As Harmony nodded, and drug her still in shock sister away, the leader of The Infestation walked through the command center, and through another hallway. This hallway led from the operations center of his criminal organization to the office of the casino vessel that was the cover for the group. As he neared the secret door, he noticed the signal that his pit boss there was in the office. That was good, since it was time to prep for a move.
The pit boss of the casino was not surprised when the door opened. Given the events that were now in motion, he had calculated that this would be coming. When his boss came through, he straightened his short suit that was decked out in numbers from various systems, and said, "Time for us to move, Sir?"
He watched as his boss nodded. "Let me guess, you figured it was time for that already, Statmaster." The pit boss nodded, making the head that was the size of his body look almost comical to anyone who didn't know him better. "How soon will we be able to move?"
Statmaster brought up a feed of the casino part. "I purposefully announced that we had to shut down to do a check of all systems, as well as move the casino due to an incoming storm. The majority of the patrons were upset, and the die-hards are still at some machines. I'll have some of the goons go through to get them out in quarter hours. Should be ready in an hour."
The leader of the Infestation made a sound of approval. "Very good. We'll be moving into a position closer to the Starship Casino, but still far enough away that they can't detect us. Also, if it speeds things up, remotely tweak the games in our favor."
Statmaster nodded again and pushed a discreet button on his desk. Being a master at numbers, he knew exactly where to tweak things in the games, so they became unwinnable to almost anyone except himself, or another master of numbers. To his knowledge, there was only one individual who could be his superior in numbers, but they were on the Planet of the Mimes, at least to his knowledge.
Statmaster then said, "Done, and I take it once we get there, we are stepping things up." He saw his boss nod, and Statmaster just smiled slightly at that. "Very good. I've always wanted to put that upstart Poker-Face in his place." He knew about the casino operator in Limbo only by reputation. Anyone who could come up with a slot machine that could blow up a planet was a figure he like to put in his place. He didn't look at the big picture. Why blow-up planets when you could make stars go nova.
As the boss headed back into the inner lair of the Infestation, he heard a bit of troubling news. "I would like to see that, but apparently, the Silverhawks have one of those Mimes on their team. I may have to initiate some of the protocols I have put into place for this." As the door closed, Statmaster blinked. While he was smarter than most of those people, that did unnerve him. He was going to have to start refiguring his odds. While the odds of the one being in the Silverhawks being the one to out calculate him were extremely low, he needed to factor that in. He didn't want to fail The Infestation by not taking that variable out of the equation.
While in his office on the Penal Planet, unaware of what was happening so far, Warden Lock-Up had been looking over paperwork regarding any new arrivals expected at Penal Planet X. He wasn't thrilled that none of The Mob were among the incoming arrivals, but then again, it did mean that any of Mon*Star's lackies that were there were still there.
At least he didn't have to worry about a prison break, or any other troubles. He had maintained a tight ship, that made sure such events didn't happen a majority of the time. He could handle the occasional break out that was successful. It was part of the risks that came with prisons.
He was broken out of his thoughts when a communication came through. He glanced at the screen and saw the insignia of the Silverhawks. They were one of the best crime-fighting organization he knew of. They also wouldn't be calling unless it was very important. He answered the call, staying professional as always. "Penal Planet X, Warden Lock-Up here. How can I help you, Silverhawks?"
To his surprise, the images of both Condor and Steelwill appeared on his screen. Due to their background, he figured that they were actually in the midst of transport to the Penal Planet. When Condor spoke, however, his words worried him. "Warden Lock-Up, we need to speak with The Rattler, and we need to make sure he is safe." The way Condor said those last words made it obvious to him that they thought the criminal might be in danger.
Warden Lock-Up was also stunned by the urgency in his voice and responded to it. "Of course. Is this about one of his crimes, because if it is, I can place extra guards at his cell?"
He was stunned when Steelwill responded. "It has nothing to do with any of his crime in Limbo, but his past. We think he can help us identify who is in charge of a new group operating in Limbo."
It was then that Condor added, "A very dangerous group. That's why The Rattler needs a new cell, and more guards. I suggest those who have been there a long time." The last recommendation struck a serious nerve with Warden Lock-Up. It seemed to suggest that there might be something going on that he was unaware of.
He responded with a controlled anger, remaining calm, but showing he was insulted by that last statement. "Sergeant Steelwill, I will have you know that all of my guards are the best. They also have no ties to any criminal organization operating anywhere."
To his own horror, what Condor said shook him. "Under normal circumstances, I'm sure that is true. However, the group that would be targeting Rattler is The Infestation." He had heard of The Infestation, and even the chaos they had caused on some other Penal Planets.
Visions of a mass breakout, or a planet sized explosion ran through his mind. Anything like that could cause havoc in Limbo Galaxy. While Mon*Star's Mob was a problem, they had never gone to such an extreme. Yes, Mon*Star did go to some, but even the Mob boss didn't like the idea of destroying Limbo.
When those visions stopped, Warden Lock-Up nodded, and responded to the request. "Alright, I'll have guards move him to a higher security cell, after I have them bring him up to an interview room." After that, he turned off the communications console in his office, and went to process the orders.
While Warden Lock-Up was doing all that, one guard was already approaching the cell that had The Rattler in it. He was with another guard, but that one was under the impression that they were there to do a task. This guard had made sure no messages could get down, since he had gotten in there as one of The Infestation's agents. He hadn't gotten the full list of all the prisoners, but he had been contacted by his boss about The Rattler being there. He had his job, and he was going to get it done before anyone was the wiser and anyone could get info.
As he and the other guard approached the Rattler's cell, he said to the guard, "Just got orders from the Warden. Rattler's being moved to solitary. Apparently, he's been plotting something, and one of the other prisoners decided to gain some favor."
He watched as the other guard nodded and responded to that. "Doesn't surprise me. Some of the Penal Planets in other galaxies have a reformation program. I doubt that will work here, especially with The Mob running about."
The first guard nodded, not that he thought The Mob would be a problem. They would probably be the perfect scapegoat for what he was about to do. "It's hard to believe they would have left The Rattler alive so long. He did try to muscle in on their territory, didn't he?"
The second guard shrugged, and then said, "Maybe it has something to do with Yes-Man being related to him." That was something the guard didn't know, but he factored that into how things were going to work out. It could cause some division in The Mob, helping The Infestation take over things quicker.
As those two guards approached the Rattler's cell, two groups were arriving at the Penal Planet. The first was that of Condor and Steelwill, who were going through the proper channels to enter the place. While it was slightly time consuming, the two were hopeful that The Rattler was being moved to a more secure area.
The other group, however, was Yes-Man being driven to the area by Hardware. Hardware had put together a jamming device that would at least keep them undetected as they neared the place. He was always making adjustments to keep up the Mob's elements of surprise. As he was nearing the Penal Planet, he looked back at Yes-Man and said, "Do you know which cell he's in?"
Hardware stayed calm when he heard Yes-Man's response. "Of courssssse I do, Hardware. I've come out to check from time to time." While Mon*Star could be strict about the 'Mob is your Family' rule, he didn't think Yes-Man would be a wimp about keeping tabs on The Rattler.
He just nodded, and said, "Alright, just point me to the spot, and I'll get you in close enough to talk to him. We need his info if we want a better chance at stopping The Infestation before they can really initiate a Mob War." He had heard rumors about some Mob Wars that were held with that group, and it always started when the Infestation had gotten too entrenched in an area. They had even turned members of those area's mobs against their leaders. It actually made Hardware thankful for the Silverhawks, since they were actually good at keeping things in check. While they made life hard for the Mob, they also kept other factions from getting too powerful.
As Yes-Man directed them to the spot, the two guards had arrived at The Rattler's cell. As the one working for the Infestation opened the cell, the other one said, "Alright Rattler. You're getting moved to solitary. Come out quietly, and don't cause any trouble."
The Rattler, a former mob boss in another area of the universe, found this surprising. Knowing he didn't have much of a gang now, and knowing that Condor was in the Silverhawks here, he had decided to bide his time until he could figure out a good escape plan. He didn't get to be a boss by being foolish. Thus, the news of being put in solitary was a surprise to him. "What do you mean Sssssolitary? What have I done to desssssserve that?"
The guard who was standing by the cell door just let out a short laugh. "You don't know? Did you think your plans went unnoticed?" That made the Rattler puzzled, and that guard started to realize that something wasn't right. This wasn't a faked puzzled look. This was a genuine puzzled look. He had learned to tell the difference thanks to his long time working at the Penal Planet. This was also why that guard had a surprised look on his face when he got shot in the back, a shot that killed him.
Rattler glanced at the guard, puzzled about the action. He hadn't tried to turn one of the guards to his side, but it was possible that maybe one of the guards had heard of his past. He thought about the likelihood of this guard wanting to help him, and then said, "And why exactly are you doing thisssssss? Trying to get me out of here?"
To his own horror, the remaining guard, one of those robotic ones, just aimed his weapon at him and said, "No. I'm just tying up some loose ends for The Infestation." Rattler backed up when he heard those words. The Infestation had ruined his own group, leaving him a solo criminal. Before he had fled, he had managed to find out who their leader was. He could never use the information, since who would have believed him on that.
The Infestation guard smiled and pulled out a signal device that all the guards carried. He pushed the button, causing all the sirens to go off. He then called out over the communicator. "We have a guard down in sector eight. Possible break out in progress in sector eight." He then turned off the communicator and smiled at The Rattler. With everyone running to another sector, he would be able to finish his task.
It was at that moment, just before the alarm started going off, that Condor and Steelwill had been speaking with Warden Lock-Up. They had just finished going through the entrance procedure, and Warden Lock-Up was explaining it all. "As you requested, I had two guards move The Rattler to a more secure area. How long do you suspect The Infestation has been in Limbo?"
Condor answered the question with a grimness in his voice. "That's a tough one to call, Warden. They managed to set up a brothel on Bedlama right under The Mob's nose. From what we've found out, it had a notable clientele. I'd say a couple of months."
Before anymore could be said, the alarm had gone off, causing everyone to start rushing to the area of the alert. This caused a momentary pause in the conversation, as both Condor and Steelwill started to wonder the same thing. Before they could ask, Warden Lock-Up made a motion to reassure them. "That's on the other side of the planet. There is no way this is linked to The Rattler."
Condor wasn't calmed by this. In fact, he was more on alert than expected, and started to run off in the direction opposite all the others. As he did so, Steelwill realized the reason and looked at Warden Lock-Up before saying, "Which would be the perfect cover for making an attempt on The Rattler. Send everyone else to the other side and take out the target without being observed." He rushed off catching up with Condor in no time. He didn't even look back as he heard another pair of steps following him, figuring it was Warden Lock-Up.
As the trio was heading to The Rattler's cell, outside Hardware and Yes-Man were almost at the cell window. When they heard the alarm go off, and heard the announcement, Hardware had moved closer with less caution. Whatever was happening in the Penal Planet was on the other side. Once he was close enough, Hardware said to Yes-Man, "Alright Yes-Man, I'm not sure how long we'll have, so get the information as quickly as you can."
Yes-Man nodded and extended himself to the window. It took a lot for him to balance himself on the smallest part of his tail, but he had mastered it long ago. It was part of how he made a name in The Mob. He also let the chance to see his uncle again fuel his resolve to do that. He was again thankful that Mon*Star allowed them to do this, especially since it would give them some idea of who was in charge of The Infestation.
Before he could even say anything, however, the light of blaster fire momentarily blinded him. He blinked for a moment, but he then saw what caused it, and he was horrified. His uncle was dead, and the guard had just shot him. The guard was obviously focused on the task he had done, and hadn't noticed him looking in. He knew he shouldn't say anything, but he didn't want to let a member of The Infestation get away with killing his uncle. He did the only thing he could at this moment. He yelled out his grief. "YOU KILLED UNCLE RATTLER."
That shout had multiple effects. First off, Hardware heard that and shouted, "They killed him. We need to get out of here, before someone blames us for it." Hardware then floored the controls of the vehicle, causing them to rocket away from the planet, and Yes-Man to fall backwards in the seat. It also caused the guard that shot The Rattler to rush to the cell window. He hadn't expected to be seen. He was, however, trying to figure that into the plan, and tried to shoot at the fleeing vehicle. The last effect the scream had had was that Condor, who was nearest to the cell heard the shout. It told him that they were too late to find out what The Rattler knew, but he also had a feeling that they might be catching a member of this mysterious group.