Chapter 2

"After I fought with the creature and killed it I returned to the rest of the Justicars to warn them of what I found. After Sarah healed Susan, we got her name off of her before she passed out from shock. Then we came straight back to Zion." Steve Rodgers listened to the last of Maverick's report thinking about what they had found. He wished he had gone with them, but he had other duties and couldn't go out into the field as much as he used to. As Maverick sat down, Steve crossed over to the other side of the room and poured himself some tea. Unfortunately, the city has a hard time getting coffee because most of the coffee plants where controlled by the Coalition States and they were not on friendly terms with Zion, or anyone for that matter. Ever sense he and some other friends of his were rifted to this strange future, he still had trouble with how much his beloved nation had fallen. The Coalition reminded him of the Nazis he used to fight back in world war 2. Even after being in this world 6 years now, it still felt like all that fighting was for nothing, in a way the Nazis still conquered the allies. Now, though, he had renewed hope. Places like Zion and Lazlo were like the America he knew and loved reborn, and he will fight to his last breath to see them stay free and the Coalition made to see freedom as well. That's why he accepted the position as Zion's security chief. It allowed him to protect this new city, as well as making him busy enough to not think about the friends he left behind in his former world. He and the others tried for 2 years to find a way home, but the experts on dimensional travel in this world, called shifters, had repeatedly told them that it could take decades or centuries to locate it. So they were here for the long haul. Some of the others had even taken a liking to the city and new future world. Here, the people accepted them. No more hiding or secret identities. The people saw them as heroes and treated them as such.

"So Steve, what are your orders?", Beowulf asked breaking him out of his thoughts. He turned to Beowulf, a man he was beginning to be rather fond of, and said "I want the Justicars to keep exploring the outer rim of our territory. It might have been a regular attack by monsters (that seems to happen too often around here) but I like to be sure about it before we write it off. What happened was a tragedy I would like to see avenged and prevented. I'll send Logan with you to help in tracking. The others are currently hunting down a nest of vampires 30 miles west of here and Scott said they would be out of communication range for a couple days." Scott Summers was Steve's deputy chief and another good man he liked. He wished he were here now. "Well, that's it for the briefing, lets get moving soldiers, we have work to do."

As Beowulf was about to exit the room he heard Steve call out for him to wait a moment. Beowulf walked over to the other man. Steve was a little taller than Beowulf, with blue, cropped blond hair (military regulation length) and was built like a star athlete. Beowulf himself was built, but quite that much. Steve walked over to his stack of papers and handed a folder to him. As he read it, a well of concern and fear started to form. He glanced up from reading saying "Sir, according to this report their have been villages and towns attacked like the one earlier all over the continent!"

"Yes, our scouts have reported similar attacks all the way to the east coast. There are also signs of the Coalition increasing its border patrols substantial. They haven't done that since their war on Tolkien. I feel my instincts are right in telling me something is going on. Lord Coake, the leader of the Cyber-Knights has issued a call to arms. Cyber knights and others are meeting at his main base camp in South Dakota. They claim the Calgary rift area has been taken over my an army of demons and are forming an army to fight them. I would like you and Maverick to take some of the Justicars, mobile suits, power armor, and whatever we can spare and meet with him. Offer our assistance in this matter. If it looks real bad, send a messenger back and I will come myself with the X-knights. It's only a matter of time before larger towns and cities, ours included, start being attacked as well. This needs to end before more innocent people get killed."

"I agree sir, I'll leave immediately. What about Logan, should I take him as well?"

"No, I'll let him know whats going on. All in all, he'll do what he wants anyway despite my orders, so I'll let him decide what action he will take."

Beowulf looked at Steve and nodded his head in agreement. He was hoping it would be a slow day, but once again it looked like the world needed saving. He sometimes felt like a janitor trying to keep a place clean, but after he cleans it, it's dirty again the moment he turns around. That was typical of this world though, their was always something threating the world here, it's amazing that it is still standing. Well, he better go see which of the Justicars he was going to take with him. It was going to be a long day.