Delsin and Fetch followed Zeke to the bunks where Cole rested. They knocked on his door and a few seconds later, the rustled conduit answered.
"Delsin, Fetch, it's good to see you two back. Come on in"
"Nice to see you're doing better," Fetch returned.
"Yeah well… I need a helping hand every now and then," he said while waving what remained of his right arm, "but other than that, I'm fine."
The two younger conduits couldn't help but smirk at his comment.
"How are you adjusting?" Delsin asked.
"To the new place? I've dealt with worse. What about you? You're always busy it seems."
"Still haven't found our friends," Delsin replied.
"You will… just make sure not to die while doing it. Being a hero has its price after all."
"I know."
Suddenly, an alarm went off from his clock, eliciting a sigh from Cole.
"That's the alarm for my checkup. I'm supposed to head over to the medical ward," he explained.
"We won't keep you then," Fetch replied while walking back out of the room with the others following.
"I'll head over with you," Zeke told Cole, "I'll catch ya' guys later."
As the two veterans went to the medical center, Delsin and Fetch decided to head back to the rec room and wait for Sam to arrive. Ryan had disappeared when they got there, meaning they had the room to themselves. They sat on the couch and Fetch sighed.
"You never answered my question."
"What question?" Delsin asked.
"When are we gonna' stop?" she repeated while looking directly at him.
"When we're done," he answered nonchalantly.
"No, I'm serious."
"So am I. Lives are at stake here: mine, yours, Eugene's, Ash's and Sebastian's. We have to do this."
"What if we didn't? Look at all the other conduits who left and are in hiding."
"All the more reason to help."
"You've done more than your fair share, D. I know it, you know it, even Cole knows it. You keep taking on these missions. It's time for a break."
"A break?"
"Yeah, just to give us a chance to unwind."
"We need to find Ash and Sebastian."
"Then we stop, at least for a little bit."
Delsin took a second to look into Fetch's pleading eyes.
"Guys!" Eugene shouted from around a corner as he came into view of the two conduits,
"Sam's here."
All three of them hurried to the hanger. Just as they got there, they met Sam, Sarah, and a few other conduits all with defeated expressions.
"Any luck?" Delsin asked.
"None," Sam answered.
"Girl's a ghost," Sarah added.
"How about you?"
"We walked right into a trap," Fetch explained.
"Damn it," Sam muttered, "We're just going around in circles."
"Sam!" Bentley called out as he ran towards the group.
"Bentley!"
"How's the new suit working?"
Delsin and the others were so preoccupied with wondering how his mission went, that they didn't bother to notice Sam's attire. He had ditched his traditional DUP riot armor for a sleeker suit. The armor was primarily metallic and was designed by the DUP to serve as combat armor for special agents. However, each wrist was fitted with a submachine gun built into the armor as well as miniature jets that Sam could use for pseudo-flight. A small metal riot shield rested comfortably on his back and a steel chain, Delsin's preference, was wrapped around his torso.
"I'm sure it would work just fine if it saw some action."
"I see, so you weren't ambushed like we were?" Bentley clarified.
"No… why, what happened?"
"I need to show you something."
"Alright," Sam said before looking towards his team, "Submit your reports and await my instructions."
They all nodded in understanding before breaking of from Sam who followed Bentley into a large room that had been turned into a lab. Delsin, Fetch, and Eugene followed close behind. Alex stood waiting and sighed when she saw Sam.
"Alright Bentley, we're all here. What is it you wanted to show us?" she asked.
"This," Bentley answered while putting the bead under a telescope. A nearby projector lit up with a blown-up image of the small sphere. Looking at it, Sam noticed the texture and immediately recognized the material.
"Carbon fiber."
"Correct. When we were ambushed, our attackers were using this to create different shapes and weapons."
"So, it's some sort of carbon fiber conduit?" Eugene asked.
"That's what I thought at first too. However, when opening one of them up," he started while removing the bead from the microscope and replacing it with a small microchip, held with tweezers, "I found this."
"What is it?" Fetch asked.
"This model of integrated circuit is fitted with a directional electro-magnet. This is the nature of Project Firestorm."
Sam and Alex immediately traded glances with each other.
"The NSA attacked you?" Sam asked out of disbelief.
"No… the name on the suit was Bertrand."
"But… that's impossible."
"I know what I saw," Fetch snapped.
"But, Bertrand's dead. Cole killed him."
"Joseph Bertrand is dead," Bentley corrected, "However… he has a daughter. When he passed away, Penelope Bertrand took ownership of his company, inheriting all of his assets."
"How do you know this?" Delsin asked.
"I worked with both of them on the Ray Sphere project. Bertrand was trying to gain complete control over the First Sons."
"He was trying to kiss up to Kessler during the revolt, promising that he wouldn't leave his side," Alex added.
"And he never did. He stayed with Kessler and funded his projects, even after the Blast. And when Kessler died, the company was split into two. One section under Bertrand's leadership, and the other under Davis'."
"Bertrand focused on the military side of conduits. He learned how to train and weaponized them, while we spent our time researching and protecting them," Alex continued.
"So there's a… good and a bad version of the First Sons?" Eugene asked.
"You can think of it like that, sure. Just remember which is which," Alex commented.
"You think Penelope was the one Callot mentioned?" Sam asked.
"Quite possibly… which would mean that The First Sons was heavily involved with the DUP," Bentley inferred.
"That's all well and good but how does that explain the guys that ambushed us?" Fetch asked.
"Penelope either bought or stole the plans to Project Firestorm from someone inside the NSA," Alex interjected.
"What's more important is that they were successful in creating artificial conduits. These beads are magnets. More than likely, their suits were fitted with some interface that allowed them to create different shapes and projectiles," Bentley explained.
"Like a heads-up-display?" Delsin asked.
"More like buttons or accelerometers," Bentley clarified.
"What's our next move then?" Sam asked.
"I'm still trying to track down Ashton and Sebastian's whereabouts, and we'll need to run the tracker after that to find Celia," Bentley listed.
"In the meantime," Alex butted in, "Sam, I still need your report."
"I'll get right on that."
"Everyone else, dismissed."
Delsin and Fetch headed back to their room while Bentley headed to the medical ward. Before they attach Cole's prosthetic, Bentley wanted to run some diagnostics to ensure that it was working properly. When he arrived, he was greeted by Cole on a stretcher, where a nurse was just finishing attaching a metal cap to his amputated arm.
"Is that too tight?" he asked.
"A little cold, but not bad," he answered.
"How long is this supposed to take?" Zeke asked, standing by his best friend.
"Not long at all," Bentley replied while opening a crate and pulling out a metal prosthetic. He then plugged in various wires and cords into the base of the arm and attached those to a nearby computer. He opened up a computer program and began his testing. He started by applying an electrical current to each individual finger. He then applied current to a multitude at once to create different hand gestures. It was created to utilize Cole's powers to manipulate the hand as if it were his own: a project drawing inspiration from Kessler's arm. When Bentley's tests were complete, he unplugged the arm from the computer and brought it over to Cole who outstretched his arm.
Upon further inspection of the metal cap, many small holes could be found, each about a tenth of a millimeter apart. Along the outside of the cap, was a mechanism that allowed the unit to lock into place. Bentley slid the arm onto the cap and twisted it into place. He then fiddled with some small knobs and locks on the arm itself to ensure it didn't move. Once secure, Bentley held is finger just above the final switch and looked at Cole.
"Not gonna' lie, this'll sting a little," he warned before pressing the switch. Cole winced and grunted as needles ejected from the prosthetic into the metal plate and into his real arm. As it did, the prosthetic sparked and the fingers shook violently. When the pain subsided, Cole moved his hand and examined it. He was awe-struck as he felt each individual joint, from the wrist to knuckles. He clenched it into a fist and then relaxed his hand.
"Well… I'll be damned," Zeke awed.
"Try using your powers," Bentley instructed.
Cole closed his fist and slowly opened it again, creating sparks that snaked along and in between his fingers.
"You're a goddamned miracle worker Bentley," Zeke praised.
"Thank Kessler, it's based off some plans we pulled out of the archives for his prosthetic."
Moments later, Ryan joined the group, his jaw dropping when he saw Cole generating electricity from his prosthetic arm.
"Well if it ain't the time lord himself," Zeke called out.
"What?" Bentley asked.
"My power, turns out it's time manipulation," Ryan explained.
"Really?"
He created a time bomb and threw it into the hallway just outside the room they were in. He then picked up a pencil and tossed it into the glowing sphere it created. Bentley was shocked as the pencil fell to the ground much more slowly than it should have.
Bentley suddenly had an anxiety he couldn't explain. He looked at Ryan and then at Cole who, at first glance, could have been confused with Kessler. Slowly a thought formed inside his head, and then it hit him.
"I need you two in the field."