A UPS Truck arrived outside Camp Hammond as the driver dressed in a standard pair of uniforms got out and walked up to the checkpoint to get inside. Inside the security office a trio of HAMMER agents rapidly deployed training their weapons on the driver scanned her with a hand held sensor.
"I've got a delivery for the Drill Master." the woman said flicking her hair out of her eyes. "Something from Oklahoma." she added.
"Well if you didn't no Miss." the scanner guard said in a mocking voice, "The Initiative is at war so he's not here at the momment."
"Well can I leave it here, it only requires a signature from a single member and what I'm carrying has a limited shelf life." the driver asked sweetly staring into the head guards eyes.
"Who do we have on the skeleton guard?" he asked his subordinate happily.
"We have Cardiac, Unicorn and Badd Axe in the Type 1 category and Dark Hawk and Iron Fist as Type 2s" his second in command answered as he spoke into the radio. "Can I have somebody at the front gate we have a package to move inside."
"So what are you transporting?" the third guard asked.
"Oh you'll love this." the driver announced as she walked to the back of the truck and knocked on the door. Rolling up the back of the truck another female UPS worker appeared and smiled. "Show them the parcel." the driver announced as the HAMMER guards peered into the back of the truck as the second UPS worker opened a black container. Inside frozen in a block of ice with a pair of swords sticking out of the cold prison was the body of the Taskmaster.
"Well that will keep old Scourge happy for a while." one said as the armoured figure of Cardiac glided down to the back of the truck before disconnecting his glider from his staff and pushing through the group gawking at the back of the truck.
"They need you to sign this." the driver said handing Cardiac the clip-board. Cardiac nodded and quickly signed the document before handing the clip-board back to the driver as the second UPS agent pulled on one of the swords. With a quick slash all four of the HAMMER agents were quickly frozen as Cardiac climbed into the truck and closed the freezer door before shouldering it.
"Your late." he told the Sword Wielder as the driver took off her uniform to reveal dark leather clothing underneath.
"Don't blame us, blame the US Army putting cordons around the entire state of Oklahoma." Cold Heart spat as she froze her uniform to reveal silver and blue scale mail under her disguise.
"Thanks for meeting us." Mamba told Cardiac as she dropped out of the truck, "And thanks for carrying the boss." she added, "Is Physique still in the Infirmary?" she asked.
"She is but we have to hurry, the second siege is taking far longer then Osborne anticipated. Troops are being rotated from the front line back here and vice versa. If that happens we may end up with more trouble then we expected. Scourge started classifying members with the help of the Wizard. Anyone willing to revolt against the Taskmaster are Type 1 and any captured members under the influence of controller discs are Type 2. What Scourge didn't no is that Crossbow, Solo, Mankiller and myself were instructed to infiltrate any rebel group by the Taskmaster and discover who the leaders are." Cardiac explained as they passed through the doors into Camp Hammond where another unit of HAMMER agents waited.
"What was so important that…" the Commander asked until he saw Cold Heart and Black Mamba, "Those two are Type 2s, arrest them immediately." he ordered his troops.
"These two," Cardiac explained, "captured the Task Master, I'm sure that makes them Type 1s." he announced.
"I'm going to have to check with Scourge." the Commander replied, "Stay here while I call it in." he ordered.
"We don't have time." Cold Heart said her voice fearful, "The ice is melting and as soon as it does he's free. Do you want the Taskmaster to be free?" she asked, "Because the Freon Battery in my swords is out of juice, that ice cube is only staying frozen due to cold ambient temperatures."
"Okay take it down to the morgue. As soon as your done come back up and we'll sort out you classification." the Commander motioned, "You two go with them and make sure nothing fishy happens." he added as Cardiac carried the frozen Taskmaster to the Cargo Lift followed by Cold Heart, Black Mamba and the two HAMMER agents. As the door's closed an uncomfortable silence fell over the lift, the dripping ice the only sound other then the churning of the electric motor as the cart descended. After an agonizing wait the lift door's pinged and the Initiative Team exited and headed for the infirmary the HAMMER agents becoming increasingly nervous as they moved away from the safety of the upper levels. Arriving at the Infirmary Cardiac squeezed through the door and placed the slab of ice on an operating table. Curious Physique emerged from her office and quickly rushed over to the frozen coffin before glaring at Cold Heart and Black Mamba.
"You may leave." she told the HAMMER agents.
"Sorry we are under orders not to leave these two alone." one of the agents told the medic.
"Are you two injured?" Physique asked Mamba and Cold Heart.
"Just a few burns and cuts." Mamba replied, "Souvenirs from our trip to California." she added, "Vector decided to leave us despite his orders from Scourge."
"I'll check you out once this is stored." she told them, "If you're worried Cardiac can stay and keep an eye on them."
"But there meant to go back upstairs for classification." the HAMMER agent complained.
"I'm classifying them as wounded and that soldier is something you can't argue against. As chief medical officer when I say a member of the Initiative is injured you can bet there injured not wait outside." she ordered angrily pointing at the door-way a scalpel in hand. The agents shrugged and left the infirmary flanking the door as Cardiac closed it behind them before walking over to the frozen Taskmaster.
"Okay let's get ready." Physique ordered, "Tanya watch the door while we free Mr. Masters." Black Mamba quickly slid off to flank the door as the HAMMER agents chanced glances inside. Cold-Heart grabbed her swords and plunged them either side of the Taskmasters body cracking the excess ice to leave Tony's body mummified in slush. "Cardiac wake him slowly, a sudden thermal spike could kill him." Physique instructed as Cold Heart backed off and Cardiac stepped forward plunging his staff into the ice until it made contact with the Taskmasters frozen form, yellow light sparking and hissing as energy coursed down the shaft.
"What the hell do you think your doing?" One of the HAMMER Agents asked as he pushed the door open. "Control we have…" he began to say before Mamba choked him with her powers before he and the other guard fell to the floor. Seconds later the alarm sounded and Scourge's face appeared on all the screens around the Infirmary.
"Perimeter Breach all fire-teams head for the Infirmary. Valid Targets cleared for shoot to kill protocol are Cardiac, Black Mamba, Cold Heart and Physique, we request that the Taskmaster is brought alive if at all possible." Scourge barked over the screen, "Reinforcements are incoming ETA seven minutes." he added before the screen was replaced with static.
"So much for stealth." Cold Heart mused, "What's the plan, is he good to go?" she asked.
"Tony will be unthawed in two minutes, but he won't be combat ready for at least an hour." Physique explained, "Luckily for us Scourge had me implant GPS Trackers in all Initiative Type 2 Members. The handlers have instructions not to leave them unattended so we can at least track them."
"It's only a five minute run to the reactor chamber as long as you don't run into any trouble." Cardiac mused, "Hazmat and I both used to run off the reactors powers and share its dreams as a consequence. If we can get the source out of the core then we can shut down the teleporters and take out Scourge's reinforcements."
"You mentioned dreams?" Mamba asked suspiciously.
"There's no time." Cardiac told her, "Go I'll brief you on the way on that and the shut down process."
"Okay." Mamba replied blankly taking a radio from the unconscious HAMMER agent before cloaking herself in a cape of dark energy, "I'll be back." she added before heading out the door.
Sprinting down the corridors she quickly arrived at the reactor room, it's large concrete blast doors locked down as a key pad winked at her, the buttons flashing orange.
"Okay I'm at the main entrance, what's the code." she asked.
"The code is a twelve digit number with a random character in the last space. That character changes every day and will lock down when entered incorrectly. The numbers are added in four and will take twenty seconds to confirm. The first four digits are 2-8-1-1." Cardiac explained.
"Okay 2-8-1-1." Black Mamba repeated the pad beeping as the buttons were pressed in.
"Tanya hurry." Cold-Heart announced, "We iced up the doors to keep the HAMMER guys out but from the look of it Badd Axe has lumbered his ass down here and I don't know how long we can freeze him out."
"Okay code accepted." Mamba said, "Insert next four digits."
"6-0-2-5" Cardiac explained as the clattering of something moving on a table could be heard. "It's okay sir you're safe."
"6-0-2-5." Mamba mumbled, "Is Tony and Tempest okay?" she asked.
"There fine," Physique announced, "Tempest was able to keep air flowing around Mr. Masters body so he hasn't got any brain damage or physical system arrest."
"Okay the pad's asking for random digit insertion." Mamba told them, "Is that meant to happen?"
"It is," Cardiac replied, "Okay the random digit for yesterday was 3, fortunately nobody has changed the automatic locking code protocol so the computer should have assigned the next number as the random number."
"Okay." Mamba said breathing heavily, "Number accepted. It wants the last four numbers."
"They are 3-9-3-9 but you have to put it in backwards because your working from the other end now." Cardiac explained as the clash of blades and what sounded like a plasma burst sounded in the background. "Listen Badd Axe and some HAMMER goons got into the Infirmary, when you get into the reactor core activate the reactor reset function, normally I would go through a more secure channel but I may not be conscious for that."
"Got it." Mamba answered as the doors crept open, quickly she darted inside and headed for the core, a glowing tube surrounded by a set of computers all of which seemed to measuring radiation levels. "Cardiac you could have told me where the reset button was." she asked angrily as the sounds of gun-fire joined the cacophony of sound. Randomly she chose a button that showed a button with a lightning bolt in a cage and pressed it before crossing her fingers. For a second the lights dimmed before coming back to full illumination as the tube rose revealing a glowing green man restrained by cables with a big disc on his forehead.
"Cardiac the source is Radioactive Man." Mamba said in surprise.
"Yes it is." Tony answered as more shots and a yell of anger sounded in the background, "I'm guessing you released the source?" he asked.
"Yes and judging from his lumbering nature he's not himself." Mamba replied smartly.
"Right again, there's a controller disc on his forehead. If you press the feed button, which looks like a radiation symbol in an orange orb he should be able to freed himself." Tony explained as something heavy fell to the floor, "One hour my ass Physique." he added, "Maybe some punk like Badd Axe but not me, Mamba are you there?" he asked as the clicking sound of a Geiger counter sounded in the background before falling silent as one by one all the lights and computers in the room blacked out.