Chapter Two

The Cage Brothers

Several months earlier, on the outskirts of Silver City, a small, unmarked bus with tinted windows drove along an out-of-the-way dirt road toward a secret military base. Inside, the bus carried soldiers, scientists, and government officials from all different backgrounds and nationalities, each wearing the insignia of EAGLE. Among them were the Cage brothers, sitting together in the back.

"Wish we could get there already," Joshua said, trying to peer out the bus's tinted windows to no avail. He adjusted his dress uniform, trying his best to not scratch at the million itches it was causing.

James smiled at his brother, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "Ready for your new assignment?" he asked.

Joshua flashed his brother a cocky grin. "I'm always ready. Personally, I'm more worried about you."

A loud buzz filled the bus as the intercom kicked on. "Attention! We'll be arriving at Silver City base momentarily. Please prepare to disembark."

The passengers on the bus let out a collective sigh of relief and started moving about, pulling down their bags and getting ready. "About time," Joshua said, as he and James did the same. A few moments later, the bus pulled to a stop, and an official pulled the door open.

"Everyone out. Make sure you have everything that belongs to you."

James and Joshua followed the crowd down the aisle and out. Instead of the sunshine they had been hoping for, they found themselves in a closed-off parking garage, not a single view to the outside to be found.

"Secret bases," Joshua said, trying his best to smooth out his wrinkled uniform. "Gotta love them."

"You'll be outside soon enough," James said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

Joshua did the same as they followed the crowd in through the nearby door, where a queue had already formed to get through the base's tight security check in.

"Ready for your assignment?" Joshua asked.

"Just like you. Always ready," James said.

Joshua let his bag drop to the ground, as it looked like the line wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He elbowed his brother. "Hey, it's our first time working together at the same base."

"I know, right?" James said. "I just got used to the peace and quiet. I don't know how I'm going to get any work done now."

"Shut up," Joshua said, giving his brother a gentle slug on the arm. James stuck out his tongue. Joshua returned the gesture.

The line started moving. The brothers hefted their bags and moved forward. "So, what's this new assignment of yours, by the way?" Joshua asked.

James hesitated for a second, scratching the back of his head. "A scientific assignment. Some new technology or something. It's supposed to be top secret, I think."

"Ah. One of those 'fancy' assignments."

"Yeah, something like that." James chewed his lip and changed the subject. "What about you?"

"I'm supposed to take command of a new squad here."

"Nice."

The line finally made it to the door, and the brothers let themselves be checked over by security. They stepped through into a small, air-conditioned lobby and handed over their papers at the reception desk. The receptionist looked them over, stamped them, and then pulled out two files with their names on them.

"You'll be over in C Building, Dr. Cage," he told James. "And you'll be in D Building, Commander," he said, handing Joshua his own.

The brothers took their files and flipped them open, confirming what they already knew. Joshua looked up at James, who was studying his assignment details with a tight expression.

"What is it?" Joshua asked.

James looked up, closing the file and tucking it under his arm. "Just science stuff. Nothing big. I guess I'm off to C Building. You?"

"D Building," Joshua said.

"Guess I'll be seeing you around then."

"Guess so."

James held out his hand. Joshua took it and pulled him into a hug.

Five minutes later, Joshua had found his way out of the main building and was making his way across the compound, searching for D Building. The base seemed to be surrounded by a large fence and a circle of hills, meaning he couldn't see any outside landmarks anywhere. Enjoying being outside finally, he rounded a corner to see D Building just ahead. "There we are," he said. He headed inside and found his way to the meeting room his file had indicated. Two generals waited inside.

"Ah, you must be Captain Cage," pne said, stepping around the table to shake his hand. "I'm General Hunter. This is General Blake."

Joshua shook their hands. "It's nice to meet you both."

"We'll be your direct supervisors while you're here. Shall we get down to business?"

"Of course," Joshua said, taking the offered seat.

General Blake sorted through his papers. "Now, Commander Cage, you know why you're here?"

"Yes, sir. I'm supposed to take over leadership of a squad today."

"That's right. We'll be assigning you to B-Squad," he said, handing him a file. Joshua flipped it open, looking over the squad members' files. "They're a good group, if a little rowdy."

"Looks good," Joshua said, closing the file.

"Your record looks good," General Hunter said, flipping through another file. "You received quite the letter of recommendation from your last supervisor. I think you'll fit in quite well here. Do you think you can handle the position?"

"Yes, sir," he said. "It shouldn't be a problem."

"Very good. Let's go meet your squad then, shall we?"

They led Joshua out of the room and down a long hall to the other side of the building. "Your squad is on their p-day today," General Blake explained. "They might not be the most presentable when you meet them."

They reached the end of the hall and opened a door to the outside. The sounds of troops running back and forth and shouting met his ears, accompanied by a familiar sound. The sound of his favorite sport: soccer.

They stepped out onto a rough field where about fifteen soldiers were kicking around a soccer ball. General Hunter blew a whistle.

"Line up!" he shouted. "B-Squad, line up!"

The troops stopped their game mid match. One by one, they ran across the field, lining up and making themselves look as presentable as they could. Most were panting and covered in sweat. The last to arrive, the team's broad-chested goalie, stumbled on his way over, but rolled right back up and took his place at the front of the line, bumping into his comrades as he did so.

Joshua raised an eyebrow, looking over at General Hunter. "Owens," the general said. "He's new." The general cleared his throat and stepped forward. "B-Squad, this is your new squad leader, Captain Joshua Cage. Please give him the respect and dignity he deserves."

B-Squad saluted. "Sir, yes, sir!"

"We'll leave them to you."

"Thank you, General," Joshua said. He stepped up to Corporal Owens and looked him over, trying to ignore the grass stains all over his civvies.

"Corporal Dayton Owens, Sir!" the officer said, throwing up a hasty salute.

"Corporal Owens," he said before moving on. Standing beside Owens was a taller soldier with long black hair, who was doing a much better job of maintaining her professionalism.

"Lieutenant Katie Young, Sir," she said.

"Nice to meet you, Lieutenant Young," Joshua said.

After her was a bright-eyed, round-faced cadet named Doug Cummins. He stood beside a frizzy-haired, energetic fellow cadet named Harriet Nixon. Joshua walked slowly down the line, looking over each member of the squad. They seemed a good group, despite their current disheveled state. He walked back up to the front.

"It's nice to meet all of you," he said. "I hope we can learn to work well together in the coming months."

He eyed the lonely soccer ball still lying in the grass. "I see by your attire that you were enjoying your p-day. I suppose I should let you get back to it."

While this was happening, Joshua's brother crossed the base toward an entirely different building. In his arms, he clutched the file he had just been given and was trying not to think about the assignment detailed within. He hadn't been lying when he told his brother it was top secret. It was probably the biggest secret EAGLE had.

He turned a corner to find a bland, nondescript-looking building. From the outside, anyone who didn't know would never guess it housed one of the most advanced scientific laboratories in the world. James, on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on inside it.

He stepped inside the building, walking right past the reception desk and up to the building's map. One corner of the building was labeled simply as storage. He checked his notes to confirm and followed the map's directions until they led him to a heavy locked door. He checked around to make sure no one was watching, then tapped his badge to it.

Once inside, he found a complicated maze of hallways. He reached into his file, pulled out a map, and followed its instructions through several complicated twists and turns until he finally came to a small conference room. Opening the door, he found it empty, just as he'd expected. He stepped in and took a seat at the table.

A few minutes later, the door opened again. An older general with a bit of a bald spot stepped inside, closing the door behind him. His uniform was covered in more medals than James could count.

"Ah," he said, crossing the room to shake James's hand. "You must be Doctor Cage."

"I am, sir," James said.

"I've heard good things," the general said. "I'm General Kenpachi, chief supervising officer of the Ranger Project. Please, have a seat."

That was the first time James had heard the words 'Ranger Project' spoken aloud. He sat down across from the general. "Now," Kenpachi said, opening his files, "why don't we start by telling me how much you know about the Ranger Project."

"Not a lot, sir," James explained. "Mostly just rumors. Whispers. I had suspicions, but none were confirmed until I arrived here today."

"And what were those suspicions?"

"A secret EAGLE project, supposedly trying to develop a series of 'super suits.' Occasionally a scientist will be pulled from what project they were working on. It's become a sort of running joke that they got reassigned to said project."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, sir."

"And what do you think of the plan?"

James hesitated, looking over his file. "I doubt the feasibility of such an endeavor. But it would probably have a lot of potential if you could make the science work."

General Kenpachi chuckled, closing up his notes and getting to his feet. "In that case, why don't we go for a walk," he said. He gestured to the door. "After you."

The general lead James through the maze, leading him to a massive heavy door, sealed tightly with an intricate locking mechanism.

"Here we are," the general said. "I thought you might like to look at what we've done so far."

He tapped a keycard to the door, and the locking mechanism shifted and turned, a million tiny pieces moving into place. The door popped open, and General Kenpachi gestured for James to enter. James stepped inside, his eyes widening. The laboratory he had just entered was easily the most advanced lab he had ever seen, more advanced than he thought possible. Incredibly powerful supercomputers James had only ever heard of lines the walls, and a table in the center displayed detailed blueprints of possible designs.

"Welcome to Ranger Project Headquarters," the general said. "Starr, come over here."

A nearby scientist looked up from his work and flashed a lopsided smile. He headed over, adjusting his wavy, dark hair.

"My replacement's arrived, huh?" he said. He shook James's hand. "Welcome to Ranger Central. Anthony Starr."

"James Cage."

"Oh, I know," Starr said. "Kenpachi's brought you in to fix me."

"He's here to work alongside you," Kenpachi said. "Starr here's been our main engineering expert. He came up with the initial designs for the suit, but we haven't exactly been able to make them work."

"That's where you come in," Starr said. "Top brass decided a new set of eyes were just the ticket to figure out what was wrong. Hence, you're here to fix me."

He walked over to the table in the center, tapping it so that it brought up the blueprints for the suit the team had developed. "What do you think, Einstein?"

James stepped up to the table and looked over the blueprints. He tapped the diagrams, finding he was able to shift them around as he pleased. The diagrams showed off designs for an internal harness, designed to keep the wearer's muscles protected, despite the extra strain put on them. Preliminary designs for wiring threaded through special lightweight armor sat alongside concept designs for a helmet with a heads-up display and a permanent connection back to headquarters.

The designs still had a long way to go, but they already had James's mind racing. Just from a preliminary glance, he could see a few faulty elements that he was already developing an idea for how to resolve. This project was far more than the long shot he thought it was. This had the potential to be the deciding factor that EAGLE needed in their war with the Black Cross. "How far along are these designs?" he asked.

"Not far," General Kenpachi said. "We were hoping you would be able to help us smooth out the rough edges."

"What are your plans for these suits once they're completed?" he asked.

"We plan on producing no more than five at a time," General Kenpachi said. "Once the first prototypes are ready, we'll start evaluating potential candidates. Preferably soldiers with immaculate records and backgrounds."

James's ears perked up. A soldier with an immaculate record and background? James looked over the designs for the suit, imagining his brother inside them. They fit perfectly.

"So?" Anthony Starr asked, leaning against the table and looking over the blueprints proudly. "Are you in?"

James grinned. "I'm in."

A few hours later, Joshua stepped into the base's mess hall, hot and covered in sweat just like his squad. He had changed into his own civvies and played soccer with them most of the morning, using the opportunity to get a sense for their skills and personalities. Now, he was ready for lunch. The smell of warm food met his nose, and he crossed the room to pick up a tray. He licked his lips and looked over the base's offered choices.

Picking out a bowl of mac and cheese and a piece of cake for dessert, Joshua turned with his full tray and scanned the room for a place to sit. On the opposite end, he spotted James walking in with a few others in lab coats.

"James!" Joshua called.

James looked up and grinned. He navigated his way to the crowd to get to his brother. "Hey, bro," he said. "How'd your first day go?"

"Good. Soldiery stuff, you know. Yours?"

"No complaints." He eyed Joshua's tray. "Food any good?"

Joshua shrugged. "See and find out."

James smirked, patting his brother's shoulder. "Guess I better get some then."

He passed around Joshua and picked up his own tray. Joshua looked around and saw Katie Young and a few other members of his squad sitting together. He approached them.

"May I sit here?"

Katie looked up at him and grinned. She had been easily one of his toughest opponents out on the field. "Of course, Captain," she said.

Joshua took a seat across from her.

"Welcome to the base."

"Happy to be here," Joshua said. "Have you been serving here long?"

"About a year," she said. "Transferred over from the base out in Turtle Cove. Was hoping for your job, but you know." She gave him a sarcastic shrug. She was about to say more, but instead looked up and groaned. "Oh, geez. Dayton, again?"

Joshua turned around to see Dayton Owens approaching, three heaping bowls of rice and curry piled on his tray.

"Um, Corporal Owens," Joshua stuttered, his eyes wide. "Did you overload yourself there?"

"Nope," Dayton said, setting down and rubbing his hands together. He unwrapped a pair of chopsticks and dug in, wolfing down the curry like it was soup.

Joshua threw a concerned look at Katie, who was watching Owens with morbid fascination.

"That normal?"

Katie nodded, unable to pull her eyes away. "In a manner of speaking."

"Hey, bro," James said, approaching with a tray of food. "Thought I'd come sit." His eyes trailed to Dayton, who was about halfway through his first bowl. "Um, he okay?"

"Apparently," Joshua said. He gestured to an open seat.

James sat, accompanied by another scientist in a lab coat. "That's quite the meal you've got there," the second scientist said, staring at Dayton.

"Thank you," Owens said through a full mouth.

"Josh, this is Anthony Starr," James said, changing the subject. "He and I will be working together on the same project. Starr, this is my brother Josh. He's a soldier here."

"Brothers, huh?" Starr said. "Well that should make things interesting."

"These are some of my squad," Joshua said. "This is Katie Young, and the curry depository is Dayton Owens."

"How do you do?" Katie said, shaking James's hand.

Starr reached out to shake her hand as well when his wristwatch beeped. He looked at it in surprise. "Oh, right," he said. He collected up his tray. "Forgot I was supposed to call my mom when I got on lunch. Phone stays in the locker, you know the drill."

He held his tray up and hurried off through the crowd. Joshua looked back at James. "You and him are working on that top secret project you were talking about?"

James's eyes widened for a second. "Um, yeah," he said, scratching the back of his neck again. "Something like that. Good potatoes, aren't they?"

He took a quick bite. Joshua raised an eyebrow. His brother was clearly hiding something but he decided not to worry about it. Instead he turned to Katie, who was finishing up her sushi. "You said you came from Turtle Cove?" he asked.

Katie swallowed. "Yeah," she said. "Nice and tropical, but a little polluted for my taste."

Their conversation was cut off when Dayton set down his last bowl of curry. "Done!" he said proudly.

Both brothers stared in awe, while Katie just rolled her eyes.

"You ate all of that?" Joshua asked.

"Yep," Dayton said, patting his stomach. "Time for more."

He picked up his tray and headed back over to the lunch line. The brothers stared at each other for a moment before breaking into laughter.

"And I thought you could eat, Josh," James said.

"Not like that, for sure. I think I and the rest of my squad are going to have to ration the rest of our food when he's around."

"Already way ahead of you there, Captain," Katie said. "Owens has been here six months. We've already learned to eat around him."

"If you say so."

Joshua took a bite of his mac and cheese. He smiled at his brother. "I'm glad we'll be working together, bro," he said.

James smiled. "I'm glad we'll be working together too."