Chapter Three
The Black Cross Fuhrer
Several hours following the attack, James came to. He could see anything. He had a throbbing pain on the back of his head and his leg screamed with pain every time he moved it. He shook his head, trying to clear it, but everything felt fuzzy, distorted. Where was he? How did he get here? What was he doing before he got knocked out? Something to do with EAGLE.
He grit his teeth and shook his head, willing himself to wake up. His head cleared, and he felt a bit more awake. His head still throbbed but he tried not to think about it. He looked around, squinting, trying to make out anything around him. Everything was pitch black. Careful of his injured leg, he felt around with his feet. There were no walls around as far as he could tell, except for a solid object to his right.
He wiggled his fingers, feeling at the ropes that were keeping him pinned tightly to his chair. He strained at them, but there was no give. He squinted, hoping his eyes would adjust. Nothing. He switched to his ears, listening for any subtle noises. He heard a faint breathing nearby. He carefully reached out his foot and kicked gently at the object beside him. The soft breathing stopped with a snort. James pulled his foot back quickly.
"What's going on?" a groggy voice said.
A rush of relief ran through James. "Josh!" he said.
He heard Joshua groan. "James?"
"Yeah. I'm here."
Joshua was silent for a minute, probably trying to figure out what was going on. "Where are we?"
"I don't know," James said. "I think we've been taken hostage."
Memories started rising to the surface. Bombs rocking the building. Running from the Black Cross. The lab destroyed, and his friends lying dead all over the floor.
"Right," he said. "The Black Cross."
"Oh, yeah," Joshua said. "Man, they hit us hard. It feels like they left a lump the size of my fist back there."
James heard Joshua's feet sweeping around the floor, likely trying to feel around for anything nearby. He felt a soft kick as Joshua's feet found his legs.
"We're probably inside a Black Cross hideout then," he said.
James heard him start trying to rock around in his chair. "We need to find a way to get out of here."
Before he could make any headway, a door somewhere behind them opened, flooding the room with bright white light. James blinked, blinded by the sudden light. The room around them seemed massive, like a chapel with some kind of altar set up at the far end.
Hundreds of black-clad individuals swarmed into the room, filling up every square inch of the room. In the confusion, James had to really focus to pick out any distinct features. Black leather vests, metal frames around their eyes. Standard Black Cross soldiers. They filed into the room, at least three hundred or more, surrounding the brothers.
Mixed in among the regular soldiers were a number of individuals wearing specialized masks. They seemed to be the generals. To their right, a man was entirely clothed in classical samurai armor, wearing a Kabuki-style mask. Another was wearing a World War II-era gas mask, while still another was dressed up like a terracotta warrior. The brothers recognized most of them from news reports of Black Cross attacks around the world.
"What do you want with us?" James demanded as the crowd of soldiers stood silently, staring at them.
No answer.
"Nothing to say?" Joshua said. "My brother asked you a question. Why don't you take those stupid masks off and stop hiding, cowards?"
Still no answer. The Black Cross seemed to be waiting for something. Or someone.
"Hey, answer us," Joshua said, kicking out at the nearest soldier.
A cold, sinister laugh sounded from somewhere in the back corner of the room. A laugh the brothers recognized. "Defiant to the end as always, eh, Cage Brothers?"
"Who's there?" James said. "Show yourself."
"As you wish."
The crowd shuffled a bit, parting to clear a path. Standing against the back wall stood the man in the golden mask, smiling at them with his wide permanent smile. His mask gleamed as if it were new, not a single tarnish from his attack on their base. He swept his robes aside with a flourish and bowed dramatically. "Welcome," he said, "to the Black Cross."
He stepped forward, the crowd closing behind him. His smiling face stared blankly as he stood over them, gripping his scythe tightly. The brothers glared up at him.
"What an honor it is to finally welcome the pair of you to our humble headquarters." He reached out the tip of his scythe, brushing James's cheek with it. "The brilliant scientist, Doctor James Cage. And his brother, the daring, heroic soldier. The twin suns of EAGLE's forces. We've been watching you, both of you, for a while now."
James pulled his cheek away from the weapon. His comrades' bodies littering the floor filled his mind as he stared at that smiling face. "What do you want?" he asked with gritted teeth.
The Golden Mask cocked his head. "Oh, you'll see. Our fuhrer would like a word with you."
"Fuhrer?" Joshua cracked. "You guys are Nazis now?"
A murmur of anger rippled through the crowd. The Golden Mask turned to Joshua and smacked him across the face with the back of his hand. "I expect you both to show him proper respect when he arrives. Or else." He held his scythe up to Joshua's throat.
A door opened somewhere on the far side of the room. A few seconds later, a murmur of excitement passed through the crowd.
"The fuhrer," one said. "He's here."
"The fuhrer," another said excitedly.
"Silence," a soft, deep voice said, carrying over the whole crowd. The room fell silent. Every soldier and mask got down on one knee.
"Make way, my children," the soft voice said.
A wide aisle being formed in the crowd, creating an aisle leading from the brothers to the altar at the end of the room. A massive cross painted black stood on a pedestal. A man stepped out from the crowd and stood before the altar. He wore a pure white cloak that covered his entire body, with a hood pulled so low that it covered his entire face. A pair of bright lights shone through the cloth, about where his eyes would be.
The man spread his arms wide, his long sleeves covering his hands. "Brother James," he said in a gentle, soothing voice. "Brother Joshua. Welcome to the Black Cross. I am your fuhrer. I am pleased to have met both of you." He stepped forward, down the aisle. The Black Cross soldiers bowed to him as he passed, grasping at and kissing the hems of his sleeves.
He stepped up to the brothers, and the crowd once again closed behind him. The brothers stared up at him. Even up close, they couldn't see his face.
"I do hope my children weren't too rough with you," he said warmly. "You are my guests, after all."
Joshua snorted. "I'm sure," he said. "Nice getup by the way. Didn't know you guys were both Nazis and the KKK. Are you the KGB and Isis, too?"
Another wave of angry murmuring ran through the crowd. James clenched his teeth, waiting for the strike, but the fuhrer simply held up his hand, silencing the angry crowd.
"You are the one they call Doctor James Cage, correct?" he asked, ignoring Joshua.
James looked up at him, nodding cautiously. "That's correct," he said.
The fuhrer gestured with his long sleeve, and a soldier rushed forward with a file. The fuhrer opened it and skimmed through it. "I see you graduated with high marks from Harvard, after which you joined EAGLE, where you have served faithfully for five years."
He flipped the page over. "And this is your brother, Captain Joshua Cage, who joined EAGLE the same time that you did."
The fuhrer flipped over another page. "Oh," he said. "That's interesting. I see your parents passed just before you joined." He looked closer at the details on the page. "In one of our attacks. Really?" He looked over at them, seeming almost sympathetic. He brushed the file away.
He turned to face the brothers, bending down to look them in the eyes despite the hood. "I understand why you both hate us," he said. "Really I do. If I could have spared your parents from harm, I would have. But our goals are much greater than the lives of two civilians. I hope someday you can understand that and find it in you to forgive us."
James almost scoffed at the idea, but he held his tongue.
The fuhrer held his arm out and was presented with another file. He opened it and pulled out a small image of a set of blueprints. "Recognize this?" he asked, holding it up.
James's eyes widened. He was staring at some of the plans for the ranger project.
"Ah, yes," the fuhrer said, flipping over the image and looking it over. "Your super-secret project to bring us down. Imagine my delight when my spies first informed me of it. These elegant, breathtaking super suits you were planning to build." The fuhrer sounded almost hungry, desperate even, talking about them. "Can you imagine what I could do with suits like that? Can you imagine what I could do with a hundred?"
"What do you want?" James said, keeping his tone firm.
"Isn't it obvious?" the fuhrer said. He leaned in close to James. Too close."I want a super suit, Dr. Cage. I want a hundred super suits. I want an army of godlike soldiers to do my bidding." He gripped James's shoulder with his long sleeve. "My sources tell me that you were among the brightest minds working on the project. I want you to be the one who makes them for me."
He stood and held out his arm to James. "Together, we could do great things, Dr. Cage. We could change the world. What do you say?"
James stared at the fuhrer in disgust. The sheer gall, the audacity, this man had to think that he could ever convince him to create a super suit for them. He built up a wad of saliva in his mouth and spit on the fuhrer's cloak, right where his face should be.
A collective gasp ran through the room.
"If you think I would ever construct anything for someone like you, much less a super suit, you can take your little offer and shove it."
The crowd of Black Cross muttered angrily. James heard several demands to have him executed immediately.
The fuhrer simply stared at him, silent and collected. He reached up with his sleeve and wiped off the spittle. He held a hand up to silence the crowd. "If that is your choice, Dr. Cage," he said, wiping his sleeve on his robe. He turned to the Golden Mask standing nearby. "Kill the brother," he said.
"What?" James shouted.
The fuhrer turned back to face James, the lights behind his hood fixing him with a cold stare. "Take your time."
The Golden Mask gripped his scythe. He raised it and pointed at Joshua. A horde of Black Cross soldiers rushed forward, swarming him. Joshua tried to fight back, but he soon found himself knocked to the floor, his face smashed hard against the cement. The Black Cross punched and kicked and beat him with their weapons. James pushed against his bindings, straining to do anything. He heard Joshua crying out in pain.
"Enough," the Golden Mask shouted.
As one, the horde backed off, leaving Joshua beaten and bloody on the floor. The Golden Mask kneeled beside him, grabbing him by the back of his hair and pulling his head up to look at James. He slipped his scythe under Joshua's throat.
Joshua's swollen eyes opened slightly, meeting James's. James pushed against his ropes desperately.
"Make your choice, Dr. Cage," the Golden Mask said, his smiling face seeming one of pure glee. "You can make the suit or he dies. Is your hatred of us really worth the life of your precious baby brother?" He tightened the scythe against Joshua's throat.
James didn't know what to do. He couldn't give the Black Cross what they wanted, but he couldn't let Joshua die either. He looked at Joshua, searching for any kind of answer. Joshua shook his head, his eyes filled with resolve. He was willing to die.
James wasn't willing to let him.
"Time's up, Doctor Cage," the Golden Mask said.
He tightened the blade, digging it into Joshua's skin until he drew blood. Joshua closed his eyes.
"Do it," the fuhrer said.
"Stop!" James shouted.
The fuhrer raised his arm. The Golden Mask paused. "I'll do it," James said, hanging his head. "I'll do it."
The fuhrer chuckled. James felt his robed hand grasping his shoulder. "Good," he said. "Very good. I'm so glad we could come to an agreement." He held up his other hand to the Golden Mask. "Release him," he said. "He's no good to us dead."
The Golden Mask sounded disappointed. "As you wish, my master." He removed his scythe and pushed Joshua's head against the ground.
"Untie them both," the fuhrer ordered.
The man in the samurai armor and a few grunts encircled James, shoving him around roughly as they untied his bonds. The Golden Mask untied Joshua's. James felt the bands loosen. He felt his chair tip over, and he slammed facefirst into the cement floor.
"That's what disrespect gets you," the Samurai Mask said.
James groaned in pain. He turned his head to the side to look at his brother. Joshua's face was covered in blood and bruises, but he was alive.
Rough hands grabbed James and pulled him up off the floor, forcing him to his feet. His bad ankle twinged as he put weight on it. Several Black Cross members spit on him. James closed his eyes and endured it. Joshua was pulled to his feet beside him, and the brothers were pushed up against each other as they were jostled around by their captors.
"Now that we're all of one accord," the fuhrer said. "Please show our guests where they'll be working."
"Hail, Fuhrer!" the crowd shouted as one, beating their fists against their left shoulders. James and Joshua were pushed and shoved through the crowd, out of the room, through a heavy door, and into a hallway. The Black Cross at their backs pushed them forward, ordering them to move. The brothers walked as best they could, jostled left and right by their captors.
"I'm sorry," James mouthed quietly to his brother.
Joshua shook his head, the same look of resolve on his face. "Don't be."
As they were led through the compound, something was nagging at the back of his brain. The information the fuhrer had was far too in depth about the Ranger Project. All Project-related information had been safeguarded closely with intense security measures. That meant there had to be a spy within the Ranger Project itself. But who?
He thought about all his friends killed in the attack. They'd been betrayed, murdered even, by someone they thought of as a friend. Anger rose within him. He had to figure out who, if only for their sakes.
The brothers were dragged around several corners until finally they came to a pair of heavily reinforced steel doors. "Welcome, Gentlemen," the Golden Mask said, stepping up and inserting a key into the doors' lock, "to your new home."
He opened the door, and the brothers were shoved inside.
James looked around, his mouth open. They were standing in a rough laboratory nowhere near as nice as the Ranger Project lab back at the base, but still fairly advanced. In the center, a large table was covered in all kinds of scrap metal and fabric, mostly of the type that he had been using to build the suits. Along one wall, a supercomputer was booted up, displaying an incomplete, outdated copy of the ranger suit blueprints, probably pulled from a few weeks before. All more evidence of a spy.
The Golden Mask strutted into the lab, spreading his arms so they could take it all in. "What do you think, Cage brothers?" He asked. He gestured to one seat. "Baby Joshua will be working here." He strode around to the other. "And Doctor James, you will be working here. That way you can have access to the computer."
He stepped around the table and got up close and personal with James, close enough he could almost make out the real person's eyes beneath the mask. "You know how to build the suit, don't you, Dr. Cage?" he said.
James nodded.
"I know you do." the Golden Mask tilted his head. "I suggest you get started immediately."
He gestured to his soldiers, who grabbed the Cage brothers and forced them violently into their seats.
"Oh, and I would suggest not trying anything," the Golden Mask said, gesturing to a series of cameras located around the room. "I'll be watching."
With a flourish of his robes, he swept from the room. "I want two guards on them at all times. No exceptions."
The doors slammed shut behind him.