30 Worlds: Megaforce, Episode XIX: "The Ashes of Destiny"

BOOK ONE*CHAPTER TWO

Unaligned World of NCIS

Headquarters of the Phoenix Foundation

Somewhere in Los Angeles, California

Angus MacGyver, known to friends and co-workers as "Mac," smiled as Jack Dawson Jr. walked up to him. "Jack, I wanted to say that despite what I told you in Hawaii, I enjoyed my party last night. Thank you," Mac said.

"No problem, Mac," Jack said. "I realize why you don't like to celebrate birthdays, but I'm glad you finally agreed to have a party." "I didn't have a choice," Mac said as they approached their destination. "You kept needling me about it until I could no longer take it and agreed—simply to make you shut up."

Mac and Jack shared a laugh as they entered the central meeting room where the rest of their team waited. "Now that you're all here, we can begin," a voice said.

Mac and Jack leaned down to see their boss, Matilda Webber. "As you all know, a secret DARPA research lab in Hawaii was robbed during the recent Hilo earthquake," she said. "The only thing that was taken was a box of twenty 'smart bullets.'"

"These bullets use advanced laser sighting and other methods to allow them to track their targets with deadly accuracy," Webber continued.

Mac particularly knew of the bullets' capabilities due to his nearly being shot by them twice: one bullet impacted the armored vest of a Five-0 member that pushed him out of harm's way and a second when he used the more-powerful laser sight of a second Five-0 member's gun to send the bullet into the gas tank of a boat which a group of Chinese mercenaries were intending to escape the island with.

"However, we have learned of a threat on the remaining eighteen bullets," Webber said. "A group calling themselves the 'Army of Inter-Universal Chaos' has threatened to steal the remaining bullets from one of our satellite facilities. While the group's name does seem too silly to take their threat seriously, the dangerous nature of the smart bullets forces us to."

"Where is the satellite facility that we sent the remaining bullets to?" Jack asked. "Saddle up, boys," Webber said as she handed Mac and Jack a file folder. "You're heading back to Paradise."

Governor's Criminal Task Force ("Five-0") Headquarters

Honolulu, Oahu Island, Hawaii

Two Hours Later

Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, leader of the Five-0 team, smiled as Officer Kono Kalakaua walked into the operations room. "How's Moani, Kono?" McGarrett said.

"Adjusting to the home well," Kono said. "She'll be back on her feet soon." "That's good to hear," McGarrett said. "I heard about the incident with those smart bullets. Still sore?"

Kono smiled. "The bruise is almost gone, so I won't have to think about those things again soon," she said. "That's a premature assumption," a voice from the hallway outside the operations room said.

McGarrett and Kono saw the source of the voice—Kono's cousin, Detective Lieutenant Chin-Ho Kelly—walk into the operations room. "I just got a call from our friends at the Phoenix Foundation," he said, placing the contents of the file folder he held onto the central table.

"The satellite facility where we placed the remaining eighteen bullets has been threatened, by our old enemies from New Orleans," Chin-Ho said. "The A.I.C.?" McGarrett said, a shocked expression on his face.

"The same," Chin-Ho said as a loud buzzing sound filled the room. "The Phoenix Foundation ops team is en route to Pearl Harbor right now. And you can also assume that with the A.I.C. now involved, our allies from the Ambassador will be arriving any moment now."

"The Enterprise," a voice corrected. McGarrett, Kono and Chin-Ho turned and saw William, Sofia, Mal, Chad, Lennier—bony crown cosmetically altered to appear more human—and Sito—her Bajoran nose ridges similarly concealed.

McGarrett smiled when he recognized William and Sofia. "Your Highnesses," he said before bowing to William and kissing Sofia's hand.

"Good to see you all again," William said before shaking McGarrett's, Chin-Ho's and Kono's hands in succession.

Chin-Ho gestured to Sito. "Who's this? Where's Clara?" he asked. "Ms. Oswald has taken an extended leave of absence from the Enterprise," Sito said. "My name is Sito Jaxa. I am a Lieutenant in the Scarlett Army's space defense corps."

"Aloha, Lieutenant Jaxa," Chin-Ho said. Sito shook her head. "My family name is Sito, Lieutenant Kelly," Sito said. "My people, the Bajora, list their family names first when introducing ourselves."

"I see," Chin-Ho said. "My apologies. And please, call us by our first names." "No apologies are necessary, Chin-Ho," Sito said.

Kono looked at William. "I presume you're here about the A.I.C. threat on the smart bullets," she said. "Yes, Kono," William said. "If the A.I.C. gets a hold of the bullets, they can do what those Chinese mercs tried to do: manufacture an infinite supply and threaten all they come across."

"That is why we're back here, Steve," Sofia said. "Well, like I said back in New Orleans, Five-0 has your back," Steve said. "And I am sure that when they get here, the team from the Phoenix Foundation will say the same."

::TBC::