Nightshade
It was the fifth report in just three days. Another college student going absolutely berserk and attacking everyone they encountered in broad daylight for no apparent reason. "Beringer tells me that it's a rare plant compound that's causing the madness," Kenny told Levi. "Colchicaceae Solani; apparently it drives people completely mad if they ingest any part of the plant."
"We had a problem with high school kids playing around with the flowers about seven years ago. They were eating the flowers in salads. But they didn't react anywhere near as violent as these last few. Now the Nightshade Lily is illegal to even grow in this country," Levi commented.
"True, that. But Beringer says this is a different strain of the plant. Something about it being a serum; concentrated or refined . . . like cocaine is. Worse still, there's no antidote, so they have to strap the kids down until the toxin leaves their system after about 72 to 84 hours. Says it may even be injected. Not only do they go berserk, but they seem to have abnormal strength on top of that. Scary as fuck, I'll tell you." Kenny sighed and ran his had back through his dark hair. "Thing is, the people affected are all healthy college kids with good grades and no history of drug use or alcoholism or any bad behavior at all. The first two have finally come out of it and neither can remember what happened other than they were walking across campus and then remember nothing."
"Someone's poisoning them on purpose," Levi concluded. "Anything in common among the students? Any common enemies or jealous underachievers?"
"Nah. Nothin' in common. Varying ages, gender, course of study and current level of study. No common race, religion or sexual orientation. No. Police haven't found a single common thread to link them. But like you, they think the students are victims, not perps."
Levi growled softly. "So where are the Nightshade Lilies coming from? Even if the stuff is being manufactured and refined, they have to be growing the lilies somewhere. As I recall from seven years ago, those flowers have a real distinct smell; strong and fragrant. Smell is strong enough to wake the dead if you have a greenhouse full of them. That means the greenhouse is either outside the city, or it's hermetically sealed."
"Perhaps they're bringing in the final product from abroad," Kenny suggested.
"Not likely. The pattern of victims suggests random experimentation. The only thing they have in common, according to you, is being young and healthy. So the perpetrators are targeting healthy young adults . . . but to what end? Not that why matters much, I suppose. Need to shut the operation down no matter what. Thanks for the tip, Kenny."
"Wait, Levi. It's only been two weeks since that war with Harbinger and his men. Are you sure you're recovered enough to start actively hunting again?"
"I heal much faster than most people, remember. If it'll make you feel any better, I'll check in with Beringer before I go out on patrol."
Kenny nodded in satisfaction. "Please do. The damage done by the infrasonic weapons that freak was using is nothing to sneeze at."
The infrasonic weapon that had struck Levi in the right shoulder had fractured bones and severely bruised and hemorrhaged internal tissue. The bones, though not broken through had thousands of microscopic fractures in them, and the marrow had been all but reduced to mush. The blood vessels, muscle, and part of his upper right lung were heavily bruised as if they'd been pounded by a meat tenderizer. He had fallen into a 'healing coma', as Beringer called it, and been brought in to the hospital by Bloodhound and The Commander.
One thing Kenny had always emphasized in teaching Levi, was the importance of keeping promises. So, as he'd promised, he went to see Beringer before going out to dig up more information on the Nightshade Lily incidents. The doctor used his power to check the young Super's condition and then gave him the all clear to return to full activity.
One week and four incidents later, Levi still couldn't track down the source of the lilies. While most Supers were out trying to find the person or persons targeting the students, or 'treat the symptoms', as Levi called it, he was going straight for the source. Wipe out the supply and the incidents will stop. As much as he hated to ask, there was only one person he could think of that might be able to find the greenhouse.
Not that the individual in question was hard to find. "At least your creepily open fascination with my activities makes the two of you easy to locate," Levi told The Commander and Bloodhound as he landed on the university's library roof behind them.
The Commander turned to face him with a disarming smile on his face. "Well, it's good to see you out and about again. How are you feeling?"
"Cut the bullshit, Eyebrows. I'm not here to chit chat." He directed his attention to Bloodhound. "As much as I hate to ask anyone for anything, I need your nose, Sniffy."
Bloodhound was clearly surprised as he turned to face the small Super. "Really?"
Levi rolled his eyes. "Yes. Really. Tell me. Can you sniff out a location even if it's a hermetically sealed environment just by detecting the residual trace scent molecules that remain on a person even after careful cleaning?"
"I can," Bloodhound stated with pride. "Why?"
"Listen, you've no doubt heard about the students going berserk at this school. It's caused by a plant known commonly as the Nightshade Lily."
"Hm. That's an illegal plant in this country; in many countries for that matter," The Commander mused.
"Right. However, someone is growing them somewhere here in Mitras. They're extracting the toxin, refining it and somehow getting it into healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 24 years. If I can find and destroy the source, then, by default, the experiments will stop."
"Experiments? Please, elaborate," The Commander requested.
"The targets have only one thing in common; their age and their health," Levi explained. "Other than that, the attacks appear to be completely random. The attacks all happen during broad daylight, often when there are a lot of other people around. Furthermore, the results have gone from just going bat-shit-crazy to going bat-shit-crazy with double the normal human strength. The time it takes for the effects to wear off has gone from 72-84 hours to well over 100 hours in just the last couple of weeks. This suggests that the perpetrator is testing and then modifying their 'product' to see if it works as they want it to."
"So where do I come in?" Bloodhound asked.
"I'm looking for the greenhouse that the lilies are grown in. It's likely a large facility somewhere not far from here. It's hermetically sealed to prevent the smell from alerting authorities to its presence. Such a facility will require a large number of workers. No matter what precautions they take in cleaning before leaving the facility, trace amounts of the scent will be left on the individuals; VERY trace amounts."
"So, what am I looking for?"
"The Nightshade Lily had a very distinctive and powerful scent. Very sweet; kind of like vanilla, citrus, mint and a hint of spice or cinnamon. It used to be used in perfumes until about 50 years ago. It was banned do to the aggression it seemed to stimulate in the wearer with extended use," Levi stated.
Bloodhound's eyes widened. "I've smelled something like that recently; a few times, actually. It was during the daylight hours, and I was walking down the street going home from work. There was a man walking the other way that smelled very faintly like you described. It was VERY faint, but still distinct enough for me to notice. At the time I thought it was rather pleasant."
Levi's silver eyes darkened. "Got 'em. We need to find that man again and follow him. He'll lead us to the greenhouse."
"I wonder who we'll find behind all this. It doesn't seem to fit with any known criminal's M.O." The Commander wondered.
"I don't give a shit who it is. I'm just going to burn that greenhouse to the ground," Levi responded.
Though usually not out in broad daylight, Levi followed Bloodhound, Mike Zacharias by day, as he trudged home from his day job. All of a sudden, the lanky man paused, then turned to look at a rather ordinary, middle-aged man that had just passed him going in the opposite direction. Levi got the message, and immediately began following the new target.
Over the next few hours, Levi and The Commander, later joined by Bloodhound, followed the man to a diner where he ate supper alone, to three separate bars, then to a high-end brothel. Finally, he led them to an abandoned factory by the river near the edge of the city. It was actually two buildings separated by an overgrown field that had once been a parking lot.
The difference between the two supposedly identical buildings was immediately apparent. While both were run down, the one by the river had many broken windows and the air conditioning system was clearly non-functioning, with the air ducts broken and missing in places. The other building, however, had a brand-new air system on the roof and all of the windows were intact.
Closer inspection revealed that a second building had been built inside the original. The three Super's gathered on the roof of the outside building. "A building within a building. Most of the new building is the greenhouse structure, while at one end is the clean-room and the other is clearly offices and such," The Commander contemplated aloud.
"This is definitely the place," Bloodhound confirmed. "The smell is faint, but still much stronger that it was on the man we were following."
"The guards must be inside the factory building," Levi commented. "I'm not seeing or hearing anyone out here. Makes sense, since they don't want to draw attention to this place by having people wandering around outside in the open."
Levi pulled a few odd-looking rings from his jeans' pockets, placing them on the tip of the thumb and middle finger of each hand. He snapped his fingers, creating a spark as the rings were struck together. "I'm going in. You two do what you want, but stay the hell out of my way."
"Wait. Hey . . . ugh! I wish we had a name to call that guy," The Commander grumbled the last part. "Damn it. C'mon. Time to do some damage control."
"We could always call him 'That Asshole' like everyone else does," Bloodhound chuckled.
Levi broke in by picking the lock of the rooftop service door. Not finding any guards, he slipped down the stairs to a metal grate landing from which a ladder extended to the cement floor 50 feet below. He spread his wings and soundlessly coasted over to land on a nearby support beam to scope out the area below. From his vantage point, he could see a number of guards walking around the perimeter of the inside building. Damn! The lack of guards outside is deceiving. There have to be well over a hundred guards protecting this greenhouse . . . and that's just out here. They're well armed, too. Those look like SIG516 assault rifles they're carrying. They've left the roof completely unguarded, though. Big mistake. They're too confident.
When he was sure no one would see, he glided down to land on the roof of what The Commander had identified as offices at the nearest end of the greenhouse. Even here, he couldn't detect the scent of the lilies. He approached the rooftop service door. Now I know why they don't have guards up here. Need a handprint id and a code to get in. If only Codex were here. Hate to have to go back out to get them, but . . . He whipped around, pulling his dagger and holding out in readiness to attack. /Codex! What the fuck is wrong with you, sneaking up on people like that!?/
Codex's eyes widened. /oooooo! Telepathy! What an awesome power! Oo, oo, oo! What am I thinking?/
Levi glared at them. /Now's not the time, Four Eyes. And don't you DARE tell anyone I can do this, or I'll rip out your tongue and shove it up your ass so far, you'll never shit it out! Now can you open this door? I'd rather get in without drawing any attention./
Codex held up their hand, pulled off the glove and wiggled their fingers with a silly grin, before placing it against the door's keypad. The door opened with a soft hiss as the seal was broken and the inside and outside air mixed. Both were instantly hit with the overwhelming scent of the flowers within. /We better move fast. The smell will alert the guards to a breach./ Levi told them.
A dark stairwell led down to and equally dark, narrow hall that in turn, led out to a platform overlooking the vast greenhouse. The two crouched down and observed the scene below. Long rows of tables covered with literally thousands of lilies in varying stages of growth; from seedlings to fully grown plants with dark almost black flowers. Nearly a hundred workers were tending the plants and harvesting flowers. A man in a white lab coat came towards them and disappeared through unseen doors below the platform. The refining lab must be below.
Levi's sensitive ears detected two men talking behind a door at the back of the platform. What caught his attention was when one of the men mentioned, "Titan will be pleased with our progress. The Nightshade Serum is finally perfected."
Titan . . . I've heard that somewhere before . . . The Commander! He mentioned Harbinger having information about that. He continued to assess the situation below. He had noted a stairwell back down the hallway when they had first entered. He turned, retreated back the way they'd come and then down the stairs to another dark passageway. He headed out to the greenhouse, cracking the door out of the hall to check his immediate surroundings.
Codex, still on the platform, turned to ask Levi something, but discovered he wasn't there. They looked out over the greenhouse again and was startled to watch as the hall door below exploded out and Levi flew out over the plants. With a snap of his fingers, sparks ignited and he sent a searing hot blast of flames over the two nearest tables, consuming the plants instantly. The workers all drew back in horror as the winged terror ignited flames in the next row of tables.
Levi landed on the next row of tables. SHIT! These workers are slaves! What he'd been unable to see from the platform, was that each worker's ankles were cuffed to a chain that ran the length of the tables. The Commander broke through the wall at the far end of the greenhouse. "Commander! There's a chain that runs the length of each row of tables along the floor. Break the chain at your end so we can free these workers and get them outside!" Levi shouted to him.
With a quick nod, The Commander broke each chain with his hands at his end, while Levi grabbed each chain at his end and with a quick, powerful yank, snapped them all the way back to his end and free of the slaves' cuffs. Without any orders, the men and women all ran for the exit. The Commander turned his attention to protecting the escaping prisoners from the guards that were rushing in. Bloodhound was outside doing the same.
The Commander looked back to see that Levi was again in the air and with snaps of his fingers, was setting the rest of the plants on fire. Levi then burst into the lab. "If you want to live, I suggest you leave this building at once." With that, he set the lab ablaze. Scientists and techs all fled the room out the back to escape the intense flames.
Levi's next stop was the room upstairs where he'd heard the two men talking. He noticed Codex coming out of another door. "I just stole all their research data," they boasted.
"Good for you," Levi said dryly before snapping his fingers and setting the room on fire. "Now get out of here before you burn up."
He kicked in the door of the office he'd heard the two men in. He found them gathering up papers and equipment in preparation of fleeing. One of the men was the one he, Bloodhound and The Commander had followed. The other was clearly the head of the operation. The first man, Levi simply punched in the face, knocking him unconscious, the other, he grabbed by the throat and pinned to the wall. "Normally I'd kill scum like you for trying to ruin people's lives like you have, but lucky for you, I know someone who would love to question you." He then punched the man in the face, rendering him as senseless as his companion.
Levi hefted the men up, one over each shoulder, stepped out on to the platform, set the office and its contents ablaze then flew towards up towards the roof. One quick strike with his Thunder Shock blew a hole in the side of the roof. He repeated this at the windows of the outer building. All of the prisoners had settled on the grass near the river. He found The Commander, Bloodhound and Codex standing halfway between the two factories with the disarmed and unconscious guards. Levi unceremoniously dumped his two crooks at The Commander's feet.
"These bozos know something about that Titan you mentioned a few weeks ago. Figured you might want to question them." The factory building behind them collapsed in on itself as the intense inferno continued to consume it.
Codex was bouncing in place. "What's wrong with you?" Levi asked. "You look like a little kid that needs to take a piss real bad."
"How'd you do it?" they gushed.
"Do what?"
"The fire thing! Are you pyrokinetic too?"
"No," Levi replied. "Pyrokinetics can create flame out of nothing, and they cannot be harmed by fire. They can also control where the flame goes and can strengthen, weaken or snuff it out at will. I can spread an existing flame, but otherwise I can't control or quell the flame." Levi snapped his fingers, creating the spark that burst into a little puff of flame that almost immediately went out again. "These rings are steel and flint. By snapping my fingers, I get a spark that I can use to generate a flame. In there, I was literally burning the air. That means it was at a very high temperature, converting the air to plasma, but it was the only way to transfer the flame to the plants as well as ensure their total consumption."
Codex's eyes were wider than ever, an effect only exaggerated by their goggles, and they leaned way in to Levi's personal space to get an extra close look at the rings. "WHOA! That is so cool!"
Considering Levi's definite ideas about personal space, he snapped his fingers, creating a puff of flame that had Codex jumping back. "Get your own."
The Commander stepped forward. "Listen. Thank you for bringing us these men. If they really are working with or for Titan, their information will be extremely valuable."
Levi turned and walked away. "Whatever. My job is done. I'm gonna go take a shower. I smell like a shitty smoked sausage."
A few nights later, Levi encountered Codex again. "Greetings and salutations my little box-of-grumps!"
"Four Eyes," Levi greeted flatly.
"Soooooo, The Commander asked me to join the Scouting Regiment."
"So?"
"I think I'm gonna do it. He was really impressed with the data I got from the greenhouse. Says it will help them track down Titan."
Levi's curiosity finally got the better of him. "What is this Titan?"
"Hmm. Well, they're a kind of crime syndicate. But not like any normal syndicate. They seem to be operating on a global level. Thing is, they seem to have a specific purpose in mind, but we don't know what it is. A lot of doctors and scientist have disappeared around the world. No bodies have been found, so it's assumed that Titan isn't killing them, but rather, using them for something. It's also suspected that some doctors and scientists are working with Titan willingly, like the ones at the Nightshade greenhouse. The Commander says they're extremely dangerous."
"Sounds like a lot of cloak and dagger bullshit," Levi commented.
"Perhaps, but since these guys work in the shadows and are very well organized and funded, they are very hard to track down. They rarely leave any clues behind, and any witnesses are usually silenced before they can be questioned. Those that are questioned will often die rather than give up what they know – and it's not out of fear of Titan. It's out of loyalty. That's even scarier." Codex was quiet for a moment before changing the subject. "You should join the Scouts too. I mean, you have the powers and skills they need, and you definitely have the smarts for it."
"I'm not joining Eyebrows' little band of boy scouts. I work alone; always have; always will."
"Aw, don't be like that. You work with me sometimes. And you worked with the Scouts to take down that whole Nightshade thing," Codex argued.
"Correction. I didn't work with anyone. I used the Scouts to find my target. I'm not above using other people's strengths to compensate for my weaknesses. If something needs to be done, and I don't have what I need to do it, I have no problem with getting someone who has what I need to do so. I needed to destroy that greenhouse, but I didn't have the ability to find it. Bloodhound did. So, I got him to sniff it out. End of story." Levi thought about the incident for a moment. "So, what were you doing there?"
Codex looked quite pleased with themselves. "I spotted you and Commander following someone, so I followed too. Didn't wanna miss out on anything fun."
Levi rolled his eyes. "Figures. At least it saved me the hassle of trying to find you to open that door for me. If you ever tell anyone I was glad to see you, I'll deny it."
They giggled. "I would never! Wouldn't wanna ruin your surly reputation."
Levi prepared to fly off. "Well, enjoy the boy scouts."
