Chapter 5.

FORT DITKO, NEW JERSEY

Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross was one of the last of his generation. A major general in the USAF who had started out as a U.S. Army officer.

This was primarily due to his having graduated from West Point in the spring of 1947. Roughly three months before Congress established the Air Force! His ex-roommate, Richard Gordon, had opted to stay with the Army, however. Ultimately rising to the rank of brigadier general, and serving as FemForce's military coordinator. With Captain Thomas Kelly (brother of Vice-President Robert Kelly) serving as his adjutant.

General Ross, on the other hand, had spent the previous six months as the commanding officer of Operation: Rockhound. With Colonel Roberta Strock (a regal African-American woman, originally with the First Armored Division) serving as his adjutant.

And it was the latter who began this top-secret briefing (at an approving nod from General Ross) by flashing a laser pointer upon a map of North America.

"Gentlemen? As I'm sure the both of you know, our task force pursued the Thing northward into Ontario, Canada. Then, westward to British Columbia. Then, southward into California. Then, eastward to Louisiana. Northward, again, as far as Illinois. Then, back to the East Coast. In all that time, he inflicted millions of dollars in property damage. Yet, no one was ever killed. Not even collaterally! A miraculous coincidence? Or something more?"

Captain Kelly was the first to speak up (after raising his hand to be acknowledged, of course).

"Begging your pardon, ma'am. Are you suggesting that the Thing might have been more in control of his emotions than he appeared?"

"Close, captain. I'm suggesting that he was more likely under someone else's control!"

"I'm afraid I don't follow, ma'am."

Colonel Strock was more than willing to elaborate. "In the process of leaping and bounding, from Ontario to British Columbia, the Thing destroyed a fleet of snowplows. More specifically? The ones responsible for keeping the only road to and from Port Radium, in the Northwest Territories, open during the winter. Thereby delaying a vital shipment of radioactive elements to Oscorp."

"Then, in northern California, he sent a Japanese freighter to the bottom of San Francisco Bay. A _refrigerated_ freighter bringing computer superconductors, manufactured by Fujikawa Industries, to the West Coast branch of Stark Enterprises. With whom Oscorp is currently engaged in a solar energy research project!"

"Then, in New Orleans, the Thing destroyed an Oscorp-owned factory that manufactures water-desalinizing equipment for the West Indies. Following which, he demolished a Chicago shipyard that builds submersibles for deep-sea oil exploration... by Oscorp. Are you gentlemen beginning to see a pattern, here?"

Once more, Captain Kelly raised his hand. "Ma'am! Are you hinting that Oscorp is building some kind of... nuclear sub? And the Thing was somehow manipulated into sabotaging them?"

Colonel Strock nodded. "Affirmative."

"That's preposterous!" General Gordon now spoke up in retort. "Oscorp's not a naval contractor."

"Not officially, sir," replied Strock. "But, given his 'colorful' reputation, Norman Osborn might have been recruited for an off-the-books project. One _without_ Presidential or Congressional approval."

General Gordon looked at his ex-roommate. "Thad? What's your opinion on this?"

General Ross exhaled on his cigar before replying.

"Colonel Strock was a cavalry scout for the 19th Armored Reconnaissance Detachment before being seconded by G-2 as an intelligence analyst. She is therefore trained to ignore the big picture and focus, instead, on smaller details that appear anomalous. And that training helped us anticipate a good number of the Thing's movements."

Yet, General Gordon refused to give up his skepticism without a fight. "If you're so sure she's right, why don't the two of you take these suspicions straight to Washington?"

"Because, Ross' Rockhounds had one mandate," the Air Force veteran replied. "And that's been met. Which means, in less than thirty-six hours, our task force will officially cease to exist! The only way we can obtain credible proof of our suspicions, in that time frame, is to subject Ben Grimm to a psi-scan. Courtesy of your woman, Nightveil! Think you could arrange that for us?"

General Gordon carefully nodded, adding, "She's not at FF HQ, at the moment. But, I can have one of her teammates contact her from Orlando. Good enough, for now?"

General Ross nodded. Whereupon, the two ex-roommates stood up and shook hands. While Capt. Kelly and Col. Strock saluted each other. On their departure from the fort's main administration building, however, Captain Kelly promptly activated the sound-proof panel of Plexiglas between the back seat of the general's limousine and their MP chauffeur.

"With all due respect, sir? This is going to complicate matters. Immensely... and needlessly!"

"Heh!" snorted his commanding officer. "Tell me something I don't know!"

* * * * *

At that same moment, in a Victorian mansion (hovering somewhat incongruously-yet-invisibly over the Florida Everglades), sat the aforementioned Nightveil. Nee Laura Wright; and formerly known as "The Blue Bulleteer" (gun-slinging vigilante of the World War II era)! But, better known nowadays as... the Sorceress Supreme.

tbc