Eleven: Fortress of Deception
Titan had defeated yet another monster only a few days ago. This one resembled a manta ray and had the ability to cut off electricity. It had been an easy victory for the robot.
So now was the time to move; Solomon didn't want to have to release Lance and Ilana because of a monster attack. The creatures arrived every few weeks; so he had time before the next one. That was good; he didn't know how long he'd need to keep the aliens prisoner. However long it took to get answers, which could take hours, days, or maybe even weeks.
His spies were closer than ever. Most of the time the G3 spies got their information by hacking and viewing public information about the Lunises—not anymore. There were agents directly outside the school, waiting for when Lance and Ilana went home.
Solomon watched everything through cameras; Ilana carried ten or so books home with her. Lance carried nothing and offered her no help. They got into a car and began the drive home.
An agent filmed them from two cars behind. It began to rain. Once Lance and Ilana were home, cameras were already set up across the street to watch them.
Time passed; G3 would strike at night once Lance and Ilana were asleep. For now, though, G3 merely watched until that point. Nothing important happened. Ilana was so wet she slipped and dropped all her books.
Ilana and Lance went to different rooms of the house and were no longer visible from the front cameras. An agent snuck to the backyard to get a look.
…And saw someone else within the home.
The agent called Solomon up immediately. "Sir, there appears to be a third target."
A third? Why hadn't Solomon known this until now? He clenched a fist in frustration; his spies had been too far away to realize it. He could have known about this third alien months ago if his superior had allowed him to move.
Solomon was moving now. This was it. This was the day Solomon finally caught them. …Finally disobeyed his superior's orders.
He wasn't letting any alien, any information, slip through his fingers. "Take them all."
"Yes, sir."
Many hours passed. It was a stakeout. Solomon's com device alerted him to a top-priority message; he ignored it. His superior knew everything G3 did, and had seen by now Solomon's actions. The messages were probably orders to stop. But Solomon didn't even look at them; he didn't want to face his superior yet.
It happened a few more times, but Solomon continued to refuse to even look at them. Eventually they stopped.
Solomon watched everything, every minute, from a hover-limousine parked a block away from the home. The rain stopped by nightfall, and the last light on the upper floor, Ilana's bedroom, turned off at 11:26 PM. Solomon waited, counting the seconds.
At 12:16 AM, he gave the order to move. Over coms, his agents instructed each other; "We're neutralized the monitoring system coming from Bedroom: B. You're clear to go at Entry Point: 1."
Solomon watched his agents approach the home. They moved in sync, and their dark red clothes blended well into the night. They looked like shadows, closing in on the house.
They did not bother breaking through the door. A laser slightly cut through the lock, without even a click. The door creaked slightly on opening, but there was no other sound.
His agents entered from both the back and front of the house. Their feet made no noise as dozens of them climbed up the stairs. They were indistinguishable from their own shadows. Slowly they took positions outside each bedroom door. Their guns were up and ready.
The blasters of G3 were not filled with bullets—the metallic rays that they shot were an invention of Solomon's superior, and one of the most useful weapons G3 had. The rays would bind the person who was shot. Metal bands would adapt to weave around whoever they landed on, and could be set for multiple purposes. One purpose would magnetically attract the bonds to each other. If shot at either wrists, they would work as handcuffs. Another setting drugged the victim—anyone shot would be almost instantly knocked out.
That was the setting the blasters were on now—drug. The targets would be knocked out and immediately transported. Solomon's hover-limousine began to move, preparing to pick the agents up the moment they had the targets.
Once each door was surrounded, there was a pause among the agents. Right now, their presence in the home was unknown to the aliens. But in the next moment, it would not be.
The agents kicked down Ilana's bedroom door. Two of them burst in and took aim.
"Lance!" Ilana cried out. The agents shot, the blasters beaming out green rays. Ilana lifted her hand to shield herself and a blaster caught her wrist, wrapping around her slim hand. But she moved quickly, dodging the second blast which broke a vase.
Ilana leapt out of bed and the agents turned their guns, shooting three blasts after her. All three hit her this time, binding her arms and mouth.
The agents attacking Lance's room were only seconds behind, but it was enough for Ilana to call out. They broke down the door, only to find that his room was empty.
Solomon, still watching through his agents' cameras, was just as confused as his agents probably were. Then Lance dropped down from above the door and struck out.
Lance grabbed two agent's blasters and wrenched them out of their hands. A blast uselessly hit the ground as the guns clattered to the floor. Lance shoved the two agents back into the hall and onto the others. Then he jumped forward and kicked them down, entering the crowd of agents. The agents struggled to get aim in the cramped hallway as Lance began taking them out. A few of them made punches, but Lance blocked and shoved their hands aside.
Solomon noted Lance's fighting style, sizing up this enemy. The style wasn't any martial arts Solomon knew on earth…except one. One the alien shouldn't know.
An agent that had been taken down reached for his blaster and took aim. Lance had forgotten about him and was caught off guard when he was finally shot. He flinched back, hand binded, and the G3 agents took advantage of the pause to shoot two more.
Solomon had been watching Lance and Ilana's capture; not paying attention to the attack on the third target that was going on simultaneously.
He turned to it now, only to see six agents struggling to hold down a large man. The man jumped into the hallway and threw them all off. The other agents turned and lifted their blasters, but the cameras suddenly blurred. All agent-cams in the hallways had been blurred. The third target had taken all those agents out.
Solomon shifted his gaze to the other agent cameras, the ones of the agents on the first floor of the house. The large man was now at the opposite end of the hall, agents thrown to the ground behind him.
This third alien was proving a problem, but Lance and Ilana were just being carried outside. Soon, G3 would have them in custody.
The third target was suddenly on the doorstep—he was fast. He plowed through Solomon's agents before they had a chance to attack.
His agents were no match for him, Solomon realized. He had to do something; now. Solomon turned away from the screens and opened the door of the hover-car. Now he was here, on the scene, in the action.
"I'll take him." He agents immediately stepped aside, out of his way.
Solomon leapt into the air, several feet higher than what was humanly possible. He came down on the third target from above as the man tossed aside two agents. Solomon spun for a powerful kick but the man dodged easily. Solomon landed firmly and spun to kick again, aiming for the man's face. But the man dodged again.
Solomon struck faster, managing to get a series of three punches on his face and his chest.
…It was like hitting a wall. The man didn't even blink, didn't flinch back an inch.
Solomon took a step back, sizing up and calculating this strange enemy. But the man didn't wait. He stepped forward and lifted a huge arm to smash Solomon.
Solomon moved out of the way in the last second as the fist that had almost hit him smashed into the ground.
This was going nowhere—G3 wasn't prepared for this third target. Cursing his superior for leaving them weak, Solomon made a decision; leave this one behind and take what he could.
"Get them out of here!" Solomon ordered, reaching into his coat for his own ray-gun. As his agents carrying Lance and Ilana boarded the hover-car, the third target advanced after them.
Solomon shot his blaster at the man. It was an electric ray, similar to a Taser. This would injure a normal person; he wasn't sure what it would do to this strange alien.
The third target took the full brunt of the beam and froze, facing scrounging up in pain. And then he…flickered.
Solomon got a glimpse of something blue and purple. It had no face, not even a head besides a shape sticking out where one might be. A single yellow orb, possibly an eye, was in the center of its chest.
Solomon lowered the blaster, shocked for a moment and raising an eyebrow in curiosity. The thing was transparently blue and wires were visibly inside it. Its body was made up of that strange material G3 had found in Lance's car. The thing didn't seem organic—a robot?
No time—the ray beam wouldn't stun it forever. Solomon turned and darted to the car with Lance and Ilana inside. Taking one last look at the robot before the door closed, the four limousines in the front of the house charged off in separate directions.
There were more in the back—those ones would retrieve whoever had been injured inside the house. G3 left nothing behind to show they had ever been there. But would the robot attack those agents who were still down? Solomon glanced at a nearby status screen and his mind eased. That team had already gotten everyone during the fight going on in the front yard. They had already left, and were heading back to rendezvous at the base.
Solomon watched as his agents slowly lowered Lance and Ilana to the medical beds in the limousine. Here they were—finally. The first two aliens that had appeared on earth, that had been hiding out here for so long were now in G3 custody. Solomon forgot about the robot for a moment as he leaned forward to watch them. The agents were unwrapping the binders, but Lance and Ilana were still thoroughly drugged.
They were the first two living aliens G3 had ever caught. Not another mindless monster corpse…living, breathing, intelligent, speaking aliens. What secrets would they tell?
…Solomon's superior would be furious at him for this. There had been no alerts from his com for some time; Solomon still hadn't looked at the first ones, and he didn't plan to until he had at least some answers. When he got them, his superior would be pleased enough to let this slide. At least, Solomon hoped so.
Lances eyes creaked open. Solomon froze; the male alien didn't seem to be fully aware. The G3 agents hadn't noticed; they were monitoring Lance and Ilana's vitals.
Lance turned his head to the side to look across to Ilana. She was completely asleep; she looked peaceful. Lance turned his head back, blinking hazily. His gaze was in Solomon's direction but didn't seem to be able to focus. Solomon watched as Lance blinked slowly and then slowly again, and then finally the drugs dragged him back under.
The hover-car was speeding down the road, puddles of water sprayed and splashed as the limo shot through them. One agent who watched a monitor turned to Solomon.
"Sir, it's on our tail."
Solomon looked out the back window and saw the robot, back in its hologram disguise of a man. The robot could not see Solomon through the one-way glass, but Solomon saw its hologram-eyes were narrowed in furious determination. It was getting closer, gaining on them.
"Counter measures!" Solomon ordered.
An agent pressed the controls and the back of the limousine began flashing bright lights. The robot flinches back, shielding itself with its arm.
The limousine hummed, its hover-engines warming up. It made a sharp turn and then blasted off. Solomon saw the robot run straight forward, into a building and out of sight. As they gained altitude, soon they were gone.
G3 had escaped, with two prisoners in tow.
Now it was time to learn everything Lance and Ilana knew.
OOO
Solomon was with Lance and Ilana the whole way to their cells. His scientists examined them briefly, and reported nothing was wrong. Both of them were normal humans—except for one thing.
Their watches. The watches matched no watch model on earth. And the scientists couldn't recognize the material they were made of.
This was alien technology, then. Solomon had the watches carefully removed, and stowed away in a lab for study. He would get a report on it later. For now, his focus was on the first two living aliens G3 had ever caught.
Solomon had sculpted an elaborate plan to get information. Lance was a stubborn, strong, fighter that would kick and punch and bite no matter what they did to him. Solomon knew this from his spies' reports on his behavior, and how he had fought them during the capture. Ilana, however, was gentle and kind. She was far more reasonable…and easier to be manipulated.
Obviously neither of them would trust any G3 member. All they knew of G3 was that the agents had captured them, so anyone they saw as part of it would be seen as an enemy.
But in an unfamiliar and desperate situation, they would reach out for allies who knew what was going on. And any enemy of G3 would be seen as a potential ally.
Of course, Lance and Ilana would receive no real help here. They were deep within the base, and the base was secure from any outsiders. There was nobody here, besides Lance and Ilana, who wasn't a part of G3.
But they would think they had help. An agent would be in disguise and pretend to be a failed member, thus an enemy of G3 and an ally to the aliens. Solomon was handling this mission personally. He wanted to be there, to ask the questions and hear the answers firsthand.
Of course, that meant he had to prepare orders for his agents now, since he wouldn't be able to give orders from within the prison. He was very specific and his agents followed him without question—he appreciated their loyalty. They understood what he wanted and followed him precisely.
…He felt a twinge of guilt at that thought and glanced down at his communicator. Still no new high-priority messages, besides the ones he refused to look at. He had thought once he returned to base his superior would start pushing again, but the man was silent as ever. Solomon was unnerved by it, and tempted to go see him. But no. Not yet.
Solomon dressed himself into a prisoner uniform and waited outside the cells, four agents at his sides. Lance and Ilana were being watched, of course, and Solomon saw immediately when the drugs wore off and they awoke.
Ilana woke first, groaning and rubbing her head. She sat up and looked around at the G3 cells; metallic glass walls separated each cell, and rather than bars, the cells were locked with electronic walls.
Ilana turned her head side to side before reaching for her own wrist, where her watch had been. She gasped when she found it not there, and Solomon was glad he had removed the watches. Why were they so important, he wondered?
Lance moaned next and sat up too, also rubbing his head. Ilana called to him worriedly. "I'm okay," he said. "Are you?"
"Yes," Ilana whispered, getting up and heading towards him. She placed a hand on the green glass wall separating them, her face reflected on the stainless surface. "Lance, what's going on? Who are they? What do they want with us?" She glanced towards the door, her eyes looking for anyone who might give her answers.
"And where's Octus?" Lance added.
Octus? Solomon thought. Was that the robot? It made sense for Lance and Ilana to wonder if G3 had captured their robot as well. Unfortunately the thing was still free, and, according to spies, it hadn't returned to the house.
G3 scientists had detected some kind of signals, perhaps homing devices, radiating from the watches. But they had neutralized it immediately. The robot wouldn't be finding them.
Lance looked down at his wrist. "They took our communicators, too."
Was that all the watches were? Basically cell phones? Either way, it was good for the watches to be separate from the aliens now.
Lance approached the electronic wall. He looked it up and down, then reached out and tapped it. The wall hummed softly at his contact. Lance pounded a fist against it, and the wall hissed, but didn't budge.
"Go now," Solomon ordered two of his agents. He had wanted to give Lance and Ilana some time to gather themselves—that time was up.
The two agents opened the door and entered the room. Ilana watched them warily and Lance narrowed his eyes. He stepped back as they stopped by his cell and watched as one agent put a hand on the electronic wall. The wall scanned the agent's glove, humming as it loaded. Lance lifted his fists, but the moment the wall opened, the second agent shot twice.
The blasters were now in handcuff mode. Two bands were shot onto Lance's wrists, and after beeping confirmation, they locked together.
An agent gestured his blaster for Lance to follow. Lance narrowed his eyes, but obediently stepped forward without saying anything. That was somewhat of a surprise to Solomon.
"Lance!" Ilana called as the agents began to lead him out of the room.
Lance stopped just before the door and glanced back at her. "Don't worry; I won't be long." Ah, so the alien thought he could use this opportunity to escape. But Solomon's men were well-trained, this base was secure, and there was no escape from this place.
An agent jabbed Lance gently in the back with a blaster and Lance moved forward.
Solomon and his two other agents hid in the shadows, watching Lance and his escorts pass them. Once they were gone, Solomon glanced back down at the security screen.
Ilana was alone now. She lifted her arms, holding herself, tension and unease written all over her body.
"It's time," Solomon said. He stepped in front of the door; the cells were on the other side. His agents grabbed his arms and he went limp. The door opened, and the agents dragged him into the cells.
He didn't look up, but he heard Ilana gasp when the door opened. His agents pulled him to a cell and roughly shoved him in—that was a minor touch. The shove was supposed to show, with certainty, that Solomon, or 'Kane,' wasn't a friend of G3.
Solomon stayed limp as his agents locked him in the cell, and didn't move until he heard them leave. He felt Ilana watching him, but he didn't look at her. He coughed as if he was injured—meant to be a slight suggestion to Ilana of what would be done to Lance.
Solomon didn't want to harm the aliens, but he was willing to in order to get answers. If Lance complied, he wouldn't be hurt. If he refused…he would be.
Lance would be tortured if he refused to talk. It was dark, not pretty, not moral, not fair, but G3 needed answers. This was for the safety of the earth. There was no guarantee that Lance and Ilana's planet would show care for other living creatures either. If they were a threat, G3 would torture the information out of them. It was to protect humanity.
Solomon did nothing for a few moments before he coughed again, and began to get up on the bench. He didn't address Ilana—he wanted her to be the one to reach out. She needed to have some semblance of control to gain confidence in this dangerous and likely terrifying situation. If Solomon spoke first, she might draw back into herself and become defensive. Of course, if she didn't speak, he'd say something eventually.
She did speak to him, however. "Are…" she paused, as if considering whether or not she should be talking to him. "Are you okay?"
Solomon leaned back against the wall and finally looked at her. She was still tense and afraid, but she watched him with concern. "...Yeah."
She held his gaze for a moment before looking away. He closed his eyes, as if slightly in pain still. He sensed her gaze come back to him.
He waited a few more moments. She said nothing, so he did. "Worried about your friend?" he asked without opening his eyes.
This was to show he had been here longer than they had. He had come in after Lance had been taken out, so by saying this, Ilana knew he had been here at least before they had woken up.
She said nothing still, so Solomon continued. "He might get roughed up little, but…he'll be okay." Offering reassurance. It was more attempts for trust.
Ilana blinked at him, and he could see her pondering yet again whether or not she should speak to him. He waited, not wanting to press her and cause her to retreat.
She decided to speak. "What is this place?"
Excellent. This was an opener to a conversation, and she was trusting him to have this information and to give it to her. Which he would. The more information he gave her, the more he helped her, the more confidence she had in him. "G3."
"G-three?" she repeated skeptically. "What's that?"
Solomon stood and began stretching, swiftly considering how much to tell her. "Galactic Guardian Group," he answered casually. "Not surprised you haven't heard of them. They keep under the radar."
He stopped stretching and turned to her, holding out a hand as he explained. "They're a non-governmental security agency whose goal is to protect earth from intergalactic enemies."
They were a lot more than that, but that's all Ilana needed to know.
She looked away, slight guilt crossing her face before she asked softly "What would they want with us?" Of course she would continue to try to deny it.
Solomon thumped back down on his bench, leaning back against the wall. "Well I know why I'm here," he said, filling his tone with a mix of exasperation and tiredness. "So you must be an alien, or…someone made a huge mistake."
Solomon knew she was an alien—G3 had footage of her turning into her golden robotic form (which, if she did so now, Solomon also had his agents fully prepared to subdue her. The same was the case for Lance). The point was for her to think Kane didn't know she was an alien, and was open to the idea that she was not. She would feel safer if she thought her secret identity was hidden.
Time for introductions. "Name's Kane." He coughed a little.
"Ilana," she said immediately. He was glad she was willing to give her real name—or, earth name, if she had taken on a different one when she first came to this planet.
Just then, the door exploded. There was a racket outside, and Solomon leapt to his feet. What on earth?!
Had the robot somehow managed to find Lance and Ilana? Was there some kind of malfunction? Had Lance taken his robotic form?
"Oh," he heard Ilana say from across the room. "And here's Lance."
An agent was sent flying down the prison hall, landed on the other side of the room, and fell to the ground, knocked out. Shots of green light came through the prison, taking out any agents that might have been in here. They stopped, and then Lance charged into the room.
He had stolen a G3 uniform, Solomon saw. And a G3 blaster which he held comfortably in his hands. But he cheek was swollen and he had a black eye—so he had been interrogated before he had—apparently—escaped.
Ilana gasped when she saw his injuries.
Lance was quick to reassure her. "I'm all right." He turned his gaze to the electro wall and his grip tightened on the blaster. "Stand back;" he instructed, and then he shot the control panel. The wall broke and faded away, and Ilana stepped out, released.
She lifted a hand to Lance's bruise. "Are you sure you're okay?" He did look rough, but he was healing remarkably fast. Perhaps it was an alien ability.
He turned away from her hand. "Let's go," he said, ignoring her question. "We gotta move."
Solomon coughed loudly, discreetly trying to bring Ilana's attention back to him.
It worked. "Wait!" she called after Lance. "What about him?"
Lance stomped back, clearly annoyed. "Who?"
"Kane," Ilana said, not taking her eyes off Solomon.
Solomon stood at the edge of the cell, right at the wall. Lance hadn't transformed, so his agents hadn't used the superweapons prepared to fight that form. The normal agents that had tried to subdue him apparently hadn't been enough.
Solomon wondered why Lance and Ilana hadn't taken their more powerful, weaponized, robot forms? Perhaps they were more determined to keep their alien identities secret than Solomon had anticipated.
But there was an opportunity here. When they knew they were being watched, Lance and Ilana would be more careful with information. If they thought they were free, there was more of a chance of answers. And why wouldn't they trust the person who seemed to be helping them escape? Solomon, as Kane, could easily play that role.
There was no way Lance and Ilana could get out on their own—they were thousands of feet up in the air, and all G3 ships required authorized access. Solomon could lead them in circles around the base all he wanted, and quiz them on their story.
It was a risk to let them leave this prison block. Even though Solomon was confident they couldn't escape this base, he didn't want to underestimate them. He hadn't thought Lance could escape his agents, but the male alien was here now, free, with a stolen G3 blaster.
Solomon hadn't planned for this situation. But where there is failure, there is also opportunity. Lance and Ilana were tight-lipped about their true identities as aliens. But if they thought they were free, they might let something slip.
"He knows about this place," Ilana continued. Solomon was pleased he was making such progress with Ilana's trust—she was too innocent. She trusted too easily.
Lance still needed more incentive to let Kane come along. Solomon could see it in the alien's spitefully suspicious gaze. If Lance and Ilana wanted these 'com devices'… "I know where your stuff is."
That did the trick. Lance still looked reluctant, but he consented. "Fine. One false move; and you're done."
"Lance," Ilana said softly, tone colored with disappointment.
Solomon filed that threat away in his mind. If these two were somehow in control of Titan or otherwise involved with it, he wanted them as allies. But with that threat, perhaps they wouldn't be the kind of allies earth wanted around.
Lance didn't respond to Ilana as he shot the electro wall down. Solomon didn't flinch and kept his face indifferent as he stepped out and walked towards the door.
"This way," he instructed, and began to jog down the halls.
He paused a millisecond when he found bodies directly outside. His eyes swiftly scanned them over and saw they were all breathing. Also notable; Lance did not kill any of them, but he had brutally beaten them up.
It showed Lance was capable of defeating Solomon's well-trained agents. The male alien was not to be underestimated.
He didn't want Lance and Ilana to see his hesitation. He jumped over the bodies and continued down the hall. He thought he might have heard Ilana gasp, but when he glanced back she was behind him, trying to catch up. Her face was conflicted—grim. Lance was stoic.
Alarms started going off through G3. Solomon was glad his agents were smart enough not to come, attack, and try to recapture Lance and Ilana. The agents had to have noticed Solomon was up to something, even if they didn't know what. In which case, they weren't going to ruin it. If Solomon really needed them, they would come immediately at his call.
Now, where to lead Lance and Ilana…the display room. It would be the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject of Titan and the alien monsters. And a reasonable place to question them on such matters without seeming suspicious.
Solomon couldn't just keep running through the open halls, though. Lance and Ilana would wonder why no one was in their way. They had passed a few agents but it was obvious to Solomon that his agents were avoiding getting in his path. He had to appear as if they were sneaking around.
He turned a corner, heading for an air vent. Lance and Ilana slowed down a little, purposely allowing him to get ahead. He thought he heard them whisper to each other but he couldn't hear over their footsteps. It was a short exchange, but Solomon would have given much to have been able to eavesdrop. Once he was back in control of G3, he would check the security records and see.
He jogged ahead through the grey corridors, green windows providing dim light. The windows didn't show the outside world, however; Lance and Ilana still had yet to find out where this base was. That it was an airship, hidden in the upper atmosphere of earth.
Solomon reached the vent he wanted and jumped up high to open it. He climbed inside and turned around; Lance and Ilana had fallen further behind and lost sight of him. Not wanting to shout out suspiciously to them, he wanted until they were underneath.
"Hey!" he called, and they looked up. "Up here!"
Ilana smiled. Lance frowned…more.
Lance provided a boast to Ilana, using his hands as a step up. Solomon offered his hand and helped her up into the vent. She climbed past him as Lance jumped up to reach them. Solomon again offered his hand, but Lance ignored it.
Well. He still had yet to earn Lance's trust.
Solomon led the way, all of them crawling on their hands and knees through the air vents. He went straight at one intersection, and turned left at another.
"How do you know so much about this place?" Ilana piped up. Her tone was suspicious.
Solomon didn't want to lose her trust when Lance so obviously didn't like him. He already had a cover story prepared when he first took the alias Kane.
"I guess I should have told you," he said over his shoulder. "I used to work here."
"What?!" Lance's voice was outraged.
Solomon hoped his cover story wouldn't lose him too much progress. There wasn't a better lie that made sense. How else would someone know so much without being at some point part of G3? He was hoping they would focus on the lie that he wasn't part of it now.
Solomon reached the end of the vent; perfect. He'd rather not talk about the fake backstory of Kane. It would be better for the conversation topics to be about aliens, Lance and Ilana, or Titan. And this was the place to bring up such subjects.
Stalling for time as he pushed the vent open, he said "I used to be part of G3, but things…didn't work out."
He stood up, out of the cramped vents, and Lance and Ilana straightened also.
"What do you mean it didn't 'work out'?" Lance demanded.
Solomon casually and discreetly twitched his finger. Neither Lance nor Ilana noticed. The motion sensors picked it up, however, and switched on the lights of the display room.
The robotic dog's head was instantly illuminated.
Lance and Ilana froze, eyes going wide.
"What the…" Lance began, but trailed off.
The two of them slowly turned in a circle, looking at all the material on display; the ship they had arrived in, the hand of the long-limbed monster, a rock from the fire monster, the hologram-screens displaying video footage of Titan and Lance and Ilana's robotic forms.
They slowly approached the screens, seeming to forget Solomon. He watched them vividly, observing each of their reactions. Their shock was too obvious. They knew what all this was. Solomon narrowed his eyes.
"They're following our every move," Ilana said fearfully. "What do they want with us!?"
"They think you're Titan," Solomon stepped up. I think you're Titan, his mind whispered.
Lance and Ilana exchanged glances. Ilana was worried, fearful, and perhaps a little guilty? Lance was firm and angry.
"Are you?" Solomon pressed. In their shock they might slip, they might reveal something.
Lance put a hand on Ilana's shoulder. "Come on, Ilana." They began to back up.
Solomon grit his teeth, they were too smart, too afraid to give away even the smallest detail. Their reactions said a lot, but Solomon wanted confirmation.
The doors to the display room suddenly opened, and a dozen G3 agents stood on the other side.
Solomon tensed; his men had probably lost track of them in the vents. This made them accidentally stumble into here, not realizing Solomon and the aliens were here.
"It's a trap!" Ilana shouted. Lance lifted his G3 blaster but one agent reacted quickly and shot it with precision aim, destroying it. Ilana flinched as the gun in Lance's hands burst apart so close to her.
But Solomon could tell his agents didn't know what to do; they didn't fire any more or attack. They looked at him, waiting to follow his lead.
Perhaps this was an opportunity. Lance and Ilana would believe their escape better if there were actually attempts to recapture them. Defeating G3 agents, with Solomon's/Kane's help, would build trust.
…And Solomon wanted to take a firsthand look at Lance's fighting style. He'd seen some of it when his agents had first captured the alien…but he wanted a better look.
Solomon leapt into action, over Lance's and Ilana's heads. He punched an agent and another one instinctively shot at him. Solomon jumped to dodge the blast and kicked the agent down. The agents caught on to what Solomon wanted, and began to attack.
Ilana ran to help Solomon fight, and Lance, when he saw Ilana go into battle, instantly followed.
Lance kicked down one agent, whirled and kicked another and another, threw punches on all sides. His moves were fluid and firm. He easily took down every agent that approached him.
Solomon had to turn away his focus from Lance to strike down another agent; careful to attack with just enough force to knock them out. Perhaps a few he punched too lightly, but they pretended, and laid limp. The ones up still attacked him. He blocked a punch and hit back, grabbed an agent's arm and threw him into another.
All the agents charged at them, dropping their blasters in favor of hand-to-hand combat. Solomon was glad for it; it would be a more realistic victory if both sides were unarmed.
Lance continued to attack viciously. His strikes were powerful and his movements quick. Solomon noticed Lance placed himself between the agents and Ilana, but a few of them reached her to attack. Her strikes were less strong, and it took her more time to defeat the agents. But her fighting style was the same.
They both fought this way.
Solomon leapt out of the way of a strike and stood back-to-back with Lance. They both tripped an agent charging at them and threw a punch; they went through the basic forms of this particular style; kicking their opponents in the chest, striking with their fists, turning around to check behind them and then leaping into the air to come down on a new enemy.
They both landed in the exact same stance as the last of the agents were defeated. Lance turned to face him, briefly glancing down at Solomon's stance.
"How did you learn to fight like that?!" Lance demanded.
"How did you?" Solomon shot back. It unnerved him that these two aliens knew his fighting style. He wanted answers before he provided them with one—this was personal, not about the fate of earth.
Ilana and Lance's eyes narrowed and Solomon realized he'd just been very suspicious. He didn't know how to recover from that without being more suspicious, so he changed the subject.
"They know we're here now, and they'll send reinforcements—we have to move."
He turned through the door and began to jog down the halls again. He realized a few steps away that Lance and Ilana weren't following him. He paused, but then they came through the door after him. Without a word, he continued down the halls.
Solomon twisted and turned through the hallways, forming a new plan in his mind. Perhaps he should give them back their com devices. What would they do, call the robot? If it came to help them, Solomon already knew that at least one of his blasters worked on it.
The aliens obviously wanted the com devices badly. If Solomon gave it to them, he felt that would be the greatest thing he could do to earn their trust. Right now, he wasn't making much progress. He needed to do something greater to get Lance and Ilana to confide in him. Giving them their watches seemed like the best option.
It was a risk. But a risk he was willing to take.
He entered a new room and ran down one of G3's runways. G3 HQ was equipped with many jets and weapons; this dock was one of many.
Once he reached the edge, slid down onto the floor and grabbed onto a ladder. He dropped down and turned right the hall, towards one of the labs. He wondered if his agents had removed the scientists from the lab when they realized where he was headed, or whether he would have to fight his own unarmed scientists to keep up this ruse.
Lance jumped down the ladder, and Ilana climbed step by step.
Once she was down, Solomon pointed down the hall. "Come on. Your gear is through here."
"Ilana; we're going this way," Lance said, and turned in the opposite direction.
Solomon cursed on the inside. He'd underestimated how mistrustful Lance was on the martial arts subject.
Perhaps he didn't need Lance; the boy didn't reveal anything. Ilana seemed more lenient to part with information.
He tried to convince her. "He's gonna get you killed." Ilana met his eyes. She was forced to choose between the two of them. She looked unsure.
Lance held her arm and spoke insistently to her. "He's one of them." Lance threw a glare in Solomon's direction. "We have to get rid of this guy and find our com devices now."
Solomon clenched his fists. He'd done all this to earn their trust. He'd gone undercover, allowed them to escape, led them about this base, fought his own men…and it seemed it had all been for nothing. "You're making a mistake."
Lance turned away firmly. "Let's go."
Ilana shot a last glance at Solomon, but he knew her choice was made. Her trust was in Lance.
"I'm telling you! You're going the wrong way!" Solomon called after them. He doubted they would actually return, but it was worth a try and would seem strange otherwise.
They reached the end of the runway and went through a door, not looking back. They were gone.
Solomon remained where he stood, seemingly completely alone. But he knew he wasn't. "Come out."
A few doors opened—lab doors, runway trapdoors, a few agents poked their heads through the ladder above. They had always been in reach, always ready to follow his command.
One stepped up to Solomon and stood at attention. "Should we go after them now, sir?"
Solomon lifted a hand to his chin. Perhaps this was still salvageable. Lance and Ilana didn't trust him, but didn't have a good reason not to trust him, besides the fact that they thought he had once worked for G3. He could still make them believe he was on their side.
"No," he said, folding his hands behind his back. "Cut off their path so they're forced to head for the Titan prison. Bring me their watches. Gather all agents to the area, and prepare for a fight."
OOO
Solomon stood on one of the balconies of the Titan prison, unseen. The room was huge; Titan could easily fit in it. This space was built recently, in case G3 ever needed to contain the giant robot; the floor could open up to get Titan in and out.
Balconies on every level circled the open space completely. A massive fight was about to break out in this room; if Titan showed up, Solomon would rather the giant robot didn't tear apart his base simply by appearing. If Lance and Ilana were baited to take their robotic forms, this would also be the best place for conflict.
The prison was unlit at the moment. From the balcony he was on, Solomon could see the outlines of Lance and Ilana running across the empty floor. He watched them cross it, their watches clenched in his hands. Ilana's was gold; Lance's was purple. The scientists had stopped blocking their signal; if the robot could track the watches, it was on its way. He was about to return this technology they so desperately wanted back to them when he still knew nothing about it. But it was best to wait until the last moment—when they needed it.
Lance opened a door that led to the outside sky. He shouted in alarm as the wind nearly dragged him out—that would have been terrible—but Ilana grabbed him and wrenched him away from the edge. They both overbalanced and landed hard on the ground.
The outside door closed. Solomon decided it was time. He gestured an order, and the room lit up. Doors opened, and his agents poured in. They moved through the balconies together, as one entity, and pointed their guns at Lance and Ilana. The two aliens scrambled up and looked around as they were surrounded. They stood back to back, but in seconds the G3 agents were in position and had their blasters trained on the two aliens from all directions.
"What do we do now?" Lance said to Ilana.
"Hey!" Solomon called to them.
Solomon grabbed a rope and jumped off the balcony. He fell towards the two of them, joining them in the open. His agents remained still as he swung through the prison.
"Kane!" Ilana cried when she saw him. Her face lit up with a smile.
"I think you forgot these," Solomon tossed them their watches. They both caught their own. He landed as the two of them strapped the watches back to their wrists.
Lance looked uneasily at Solomon. "…Sorry. I should have trusted you."
Excellent. They trusted him now. He hoped this was all worth it.
Solomon tried to shrug the incident off, show there was no anger. "Don't worry, kid. I'm used to it."
Now time to ask some questions. He went for the most relevant, and perhaps the most important at the moment. "So what's so special about those watches?" he asked, turning to them. Why did the aliens want them back so desperately?
Lance and Ilana exchanged smug knowing looks, and lifted their hands to their watches. They pressed some sort of button on them, and then there was a flash of light.
Solomon had been unprepared—he took a step back in shock. The gold and purple robots stood in front of him, in the places where Lance and Ilana had been.
He had never been this close to them before. He'd seen footage, but it was nothing compared to this. They were bigger than he thought, especially now that they were looming over him. They shined in a flawless glow; there was not a single scratch or blemish in the armor. Both had a sense of majesty and regal power.
The watches were what made them transform. The watches held the armor—Solomon had held them in his hands.
His agents began firing—it would be foolish otherwise, these robots had proven that they could be dangerous. G3 had to strike first, at least for appearances.
Solomon knew none of his agents would shoot him—even if they did so to avoid suspicion, they were sharp enough to purposely miss. But the gold robot—Ilana, flew in front of him defensively. She lifted her hands and an energy shield appeared, guarding him against the shots.
He stared in awed at the technology. He couldn't begin to imagine all the detail, all the advanced knowledge that had made this. He was inside her shield that was like a dome over them—an energy power that she generated merely with a lifting of her hands. The shots had no effect on it, showing it was much stronger than G3's electro prison wall.
The purple robot—Lance—was not within the shield. But the shots of G3 agents did nothing against his armor. He took off, flying up through the huge space, G3 agents trying to shoot after him. He spun around, lifting his arms too and bullets shot out of his wrists at the G3 agents in the balconies. He tore through a walkway, breaking the solid metal like it was paper.
Two agents with missile launchers took aim at him. They fired as he flew past and the missiles pursued him up the room.
Rather than dodge, Lance took out some kind of probe or pod within the leg of his armor. In a flash, the prod turned into sword, and he swiped at the missiles, detonating their explosion. Solomon lost sight of him in the smoke of the missiles for a moment, but it cleared quickly—Lance's armor was completely unharmed. It hadn't even disrupted his flight.
Lance fired his own missiles from the shoulder of his armor at the agents, blowing up part of a balcony.
G3 agents on jet packs suddenly flew down to attack Ilana and Solomon. Ilana lowered her arms and the shield disappeared. She turned after the flying agents and fired a laser from her forehead. It hit an agent's jet pack and he fell to the ground.
A few agents landed before Solomon. Needing to keep up appearances, he attacked them, taking them out.
G3 agents brought in laser-tanks and more missile launchers. For a moment Lance seemed surrounded—jet-packed agents, missiles, and lasers were coming at him from all angles. But Lance's armor opened up around the shoulders and his metal chest, and released a swarm of missiles at everything around him. The missiles decimated everything that was trying to attack him.
Laser cannons from above took aim at Lance and fired at all once—and hit. He crashed to the ground, but his armor still looked undamaged.
The cannons turned on Ilana. Solomon jumped out of their way as the lasers chased after the female alien. She delicately landed on the ground, but the lasers surrounded her and were closing in. She lifted her hands to her heart-shaped chest and a glowing ball of energy that looked like a miniature sun appeared directly before her, contained between her hands. She released it, and a powerful laser beam swept across the balconies, destroying all the cannons in one attack.
There was a pause in the battle after that huge destruction. Lance stood and Ilana looked around. They exchanged a few words but Solomon couldn't hear them. And he doubted, with all the explosions, it had been picked up by security recordings. He hoped they hadn't said something important, something he would have needed to hear.
The shots returned and Ilana brought up the shield again. More tanks were approaching them—but just then, something burst through the floor and into the base, speedily crashing through the G3 agents.
"What is that?" Solomon asked in genuine confusion and surprise.
"Octus!" Ilana cried. She lowered her hands. "He's with us."
'Octus.' Yes, the robot. So it had found Lance and Ilana after all.
"I apologize for not getting here sooner," it said as it charged through G3 agents. The robot turned around and stopped by Lance and Ilana's side.
Three of them; three aliens with advanced technology beyond imagination. Solomon could help but ask aloud; "Who are you?"
G3 alarms went off. Massive doors opened, and G3 war vehicles stepped through. The grey and red two-legged machines were easily the size of Lance's armor. Solomon glanced at the three aliens besides him, wondering if they were at all worried about these new opponents. But no expression was visible besides the metal masks on Lance and Ilana's faces.
The tank-walkers approached and began to take aim.
Lance's metal fingers clenched and Solomon sensed the male alien was tired of this fighting. "Octus; Initiate Titan!"
Solomon's eared perked; Titan?
The robot hummed and glowed. "Initiate: Sym-Bionic Titan, Octus Unit: MAGNIFY!"
The robot's outer energy-body blew up like a balloon and it turned from blue to green. Solomon could still see its core and wires within in, rapidly speeding upwards as the robot's body expanded everywhere, through the whole room. The core of the robot turned its yellow eye down at Lance and Ilana, and they were pulled forward towards it.
Lance was dragged ahead and centered in the robot's now-massive body. His purple armor stretched out. It opened up and Solomon could barely see Lance's silhouette being taken out of the armor.
As Lance's armor opened, Ilana's was drawn into the gap. Her armor snapped into place and then opened, too, her human form briefly visible as it too as it was lifted out of the armor.
Both armors and the core of the robot intertwined, merging and growing to fit the massive space. It extended itself and Solomon's eyes were glued to the transformation. The metal that had been the armors became the inners, the skeleton of the new form. The robot's blue-green energy closed in and became the outer skin.
"Incredible," Solomon breathed.
It all fit so perfectly together. It extended and grew, building and building into…Titan.
The head was the last to form, its helmet unfolding from the body and golden eyes beaming through.
The tank-walkers looked up and up as Titan was completed, standing in the midst of G3. Its technology was so close, the dazzling display of how it was formed just shown right before them. It had been unexpected—but presented a brilliant opportunity.
Solomon's agents did not see it that way. They slowly backed up, perhaps hoping not to be noticed, but Titan turned its head down on them.
Titan kicked a massive foot at the tank-walker, instantly destroying it. The other tanks tried to shoot, but Titan smashed them to bits by merely stomping.
The explosions of the tanks snapped Solomon out of his awe. He shielded himself briefly before whirling around back to his men. "Now!"
His orders were instant. One of the balconies opened a hatch, and a sheet of metal snapped towards Titan's body. Titan lifted an arm to guard itself—a mistake. The metal wrapped around Titan's huge arm.
The same thing happened on the other side of the huge prison, a band of metal lurching out and binding Titan's other arm.
Titan's head looked rapidly back and forth between its two arms, and though it had no expression, Solomon guessed it recognized the larger version of G3's handcuffs.
More hatches opened up all around the room, about waste-level to Titan. Bright green engines glowed, now revealed. The cuffs responded to the engines and hummed, lighting up. For a moment Titan shook as it tried to fight the cuffs, but then the giant robot's hands snapped together. These cuffs were designed especially for Titan, by Solomon's superior. They sent a paralyzing wave of electricity through Titan, making it entirely impossible for Titan to move. It couldn't even kick anymore.
Solomon waited on the ground, looking up at the colossal Titan to make sure the cuffs truly worked. When Titan did nothing, he turned and ran to the edge of the prison.
He leaped to the next balcony, and the one after that. With single bounds, he jumped up through each of them, rising to match the level with Titan's head. It was only moments before he climbed all the way, and he wasn't even out of breath. Adrenaline rushed through him. This was the perfect moment—Titan completely at G3's mercy. It was time for answers.
An agent on the top floor waited with his uniform. Solomon snapped his red googles around his eyes and slid his fedora onto his head. He was eager to get started, though, and was already speaking to Titan before he had even finished pulling his coat around him.
"I knew you and your armored suits were linked to the giant robot Titan," he said triumphantly—he had been right about that, "but I didn't know how. I didn't factor in the third member of your party."
He hadn't even known about the robot—that was his superior's fault. It burned him that he hadn't even seen the alien robot for months. It was G3's responsibility to know these things.
But his irritation was blown away by all he had learned. He knew where Titan came from. He knew how it always appeared and disappeared, how it was summoned. The technology was incredible and mind-blowing. He had been right; Lance and Ilana were behind Titan. Their armored suits became Titan.
The extraordinary machine turned its head to look at him. Titan's very face was right before him, looking at him, focused on him. He felt, quite literally, that he was in the presence of a giant.
It shouldn't be able to move its head—his superior's invention was to immobilize it. But its movement was limited, Solomon concluded firmly. If Titan had total free movement, it would have escaped by now.
"WHO ARE YOU?"
Titan's voice—Solomon hadn't been sure it could talk, but was glad to find it could. Its voice was distorted, familiar, and it sounded like multiple people talking at once. Solomon recognized one of the voices as the robot's. He couldn't make out if Lance and Ilana were speaking as well.
Titan's question brought Solomon back to the here and now. The awe needed to be pushed aside; it was time to get down to business. Here came the difficult part.
"I'm Solomon," he introduced, truthfully this time. He knew he was admitting his lies and deceit, but trust was over. He'd tried to earn their trust and had gotten next to nothing. He needed answers, and he wanted them to understand exactly who he really was. "I run G3."
Titan was silent for a moment, perhaps processing the betrayal. Solomon leaned his weight to one side, slightly enjoying having such a powerful force at his mercy. He couldn't help his returning reverence as he looked Titan over yet again. In person, and this close, it was a massive and dominating presence. He was memorized by it.
"But look at you," he gestured a hand to the formidable robot. Were the aliens inside, Lance and Ilana, also breathe-taken by their own marvel? Or were they used to it by now?
"Who's talking?" Solomon allowed his own curiosity to show. He started lightly, trying to seem unaggressive, for now. "Lance?" he pressed, "Ilana?" He folded his hands behind his back. "Or is it the robot?"
It sounded like the robot, but Solomon couldn't see why Lance and Ilana would allow it to speak for them.
Titan turned its head away; perhaps in disinterest or stubbornness. Or maybe to angle its ear to better hear what Solomon said. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
They weren't in an obliging mood. "Answers."
And Solomon would have them. After all these months, it was time. He would ask everything and do whatever it took to finally get the knowledge he needed.
"WE'RE NOT TELLING YOU ANYTHING," Titan said defiantly.
Unfortunate. Solomon didn't want to harm or force them, but he needed to know what was going on, why all of this was happening to earth. Lives hung in the balance; the monsters Titan attracted had killed people. G3 had to know why.
Solomon steeled himself, knowing this was wrong. Lance and Ilana were young. And though Lance was aggressive, neither of them deserved this.
Answers, Solomon thought firmly. We need answers; no matter what it takes.
Outwardly, he showed none of this inner conflict. "You don't have that option."
Lightning sparked out from the engines at the sides. Titan cowered instinctively as the bolts shocked it, certainly painful.
The lightning stopped quickly. Solomon wanted to hurt them as little as possible. He remained still until the lightning stopped. Titan's head was lowered and puffs of smoke and steam drifted off its body.
"Let's try this again," Solomon said. He hoped they would crack soon, but after Lance's interrogation, he knew it would take some time. "Where are you from?" He pointed a finger at them.
There was no response. Before shocking them again, Solomon tried another. Perhaps they would be reasonable with this one, as it did fully concern earth rather than anything about their home planet. "Why have you brought all these monsters here?"
Titan still did not respond. Lightning poured out again and Titan reared back in pain.
Solomon clenched his hands by his sides, ridding himself of sympathy. It angered him that they were being so resilient. What were they hiding? Why were they here?
"What is your mission?" he demanded.
While waiting for an answer, Solomon noticed Titan's golden eyes dim. He reached forward and gripped the railing with his gloved hands. "What is it doing?"
Agents were monitoring Titan this whole time. He knew they were trying to find out what was happening, but something else caught Solomon's attention.
There was a creaking noise from below. Solomon looked down as nails and bolts were flung out of their places. Metal under Titan's feet started to crack and pop out of place. Pieces of it gave way, and Titan lowered into the floor a few feet.
Solomon stared in alarm. His agents were still down there! "Clear the area!" he shouted, "The floor's not going to hold!"
His agents on the ground ran as Titan fell deeper. With a loud crash, the metal gave way under Titan, opening up to the outside below.
Solomon leaned over the railing, watching Titan fall a short distance to the earth below. But as it got out of range, the cuffs binding it lost their signal and power. They were useless—and Titan tore them apart with a firm snap.
Now free, Titan rolled over in the air and blasted off.
The opening made the base unstable, but the Titan Prison floor had multiple layers that could cover it. The agents immediately activated one, closing the gap.
Solomon glared down at the hole before it was closed off. Titan had escaped. He'd had it right here, caught and vulnerable. He knew it had used some unknown technology to get out—G3 scientists had estimated Titan's mass and prepared this room to hold Titan. The floor had held for some time; Titan had somehow increased its weight to break through. It had gotten away.
Solomon had learned so much, but was boiling with more questions. Questions that, one way or another, he would get answers to.
"We're not done yet," he growled after it, though he knew it—they—couldn't hear him.
The bottom doors snapped closed.
Ping. Solomon's com device distracted him. He lifted it and saw a new top-priority message. His superior had just summoned him.
He slowly exhaled. He'd planned not to confront his superior until after he had gotten answers. But Titan was long gone now. It had slipped through his fingers. Solomon had wasted many resources and revealed G3 to the aliens. And he had very little to show for it.
He was going to be in a lot of trouble.
His agents were watching him, waiting for orders. Solomon turned and put his hands in his pockets, lowering his head so his fedora would cover his face from their view.
"Clean up," he ordered as he walked past them. "And find out how it escaped."
He left. It would take some time to recover from the damage. Many agents had been wounded, whether from being merely knocked out by Lance's punches, or blown up by the alien's armor. Ilana's powerful laser had destroyed a dozen cannons, and Titan had smashed at least three tank-walkers. Not to mention their means of containing the aliens was also damaged; Lance had shot the electro-walls of the minor prison, and also Titan had taken G3's only pair of the massive cuffs.
There were other places to contain Lance and Ilana (that would only work if G3 managed to take away the watches again), but Solomon doubted G3 could catch the aliens again so easily. Before, Lance and Ilana hadn't even known G3 existed. Now…they would be watching out for it.
Solomon clenched his fists in his pockets, regret gnawing in his chest. He wished he could have found a way to keep Titan. He'd finally had it in his grasp, but it had slipped away.
He took small steps, not wanting to go where he was headed. He knew he had to confront his superior sooner or later, but he couldn't help but try to delay the inevitable.
He climbed down the ladder step by step, keeping his head low. He immediately felt his superior's attention on him, pinning him here, judging his failures, anger sizzling in the air.
He reached the floor and turned to his superior. He did not look up. "Sir." He paused a small second, throat catching but he covered it up and pressed on. "I know I was only supposed to watch them. But the information we attained is invaluable," Solomon said hurriedly. He went on, insistent. "All three are needed to form Titan. They are not from this world."
"Solomon."
The word, said with such anger, silenced Solomon instantly. He wasn't able to tell any more of the information he'd gotten.
"Don't disobey me ever again."
Solomon gritted his teeth in a grimace. His superior had been right—they hadn't known enough, and that ignorance had allowed Titan to escape. Perhaps if he'd waited, until his superior agreed and assisted him in keeping the aliens captive, he might have learned more.
Solomon felt shamed. He murmured, subdued; "Yes, sir."