Infestation In Limbo

(Silverhawks is property of Lorimar Telepictures, or whomever owns the rights now. No money was made off this story.)

Chapter 5: Suspicions Grows

The trio of Condor, Steelwill and Warden Lock-Up arrived at the cell just in time to see the horrible sight. Rattler was slumped on the floor with evident signs of the blast that killed him on his chest. The guard was at the window, shooting at someone fleeing. Condor already had a feeling who it was, and said to Steelwill, "Will, get him away from window. I want to see who he was shooting at."

As Steelwill pulled the guard away from the window, Condor heard the guard stop blast as he responded, "It was the Mob. We were just coming to get Rattler, and they shot both Rattler and my partner." It was then that Condor noticed the other body that was now under Rattler's body.

As he approached the window, he heard Warden Lock-Up say, "Good grief. He'd been working here for a while. He was one of the few I could trust to run the place if I were incapacitated." No doubt, the Warden would be talking with the guard now as Will went to check the dead guard out. Still, Condor caught a glimpse of the vehicle fleeing the scene.

The vehicle that was fleeing was definitely one of the Mob's vehicles. Driving the vehicle had been Hardware. This was obvious by the pack that was on back, making one wonder how he could drive the vehicle with that behind him. In the back of the vehicle, however, was Yes-Man. That last detail told Condor that the guard's story didn't make sense at all. Condor even remembered when he captured the gangster, and that Mon*Star didn't even stand in his way when he went to capture him.

Warden Lock-Up continued to put the guard at ease. This particular guard wasn't one of the new guards but had been at the Penal Planet for one Limbo Year. True, he had to deal with the occasional brawl in rec area, but something like this hadn't happened in a while. As Condor got away from the window, he said, "Was the Mob out there like he said?" When he saw Condor nod, he responded, "Then the guard must be telling the truth. The Mob finally took this opportunity, knowing they wouldn't be blamed for this."

To the warden's surprise, he saw Condor shaking his head, but before he would question that, he heard Steelwill say, "I don't think so either. While Rattler was shot in the chest, the guard was shot in the back. It doesn't make sense if the Mob did a hit from the window." That bit of information had him trying to figure out how it would have played out that way.

It was then that Condor mentioned something that could explain the blast to the front. "Also, Yes-Man was in that Mob vehicle. He's Rattler's nephew." Warden Lock-Up wanted to say something, but Condor continued speaking. "I remember Yes-Man pleading with Mon*Star to not let me take Rattler in. Mon*Star didn't stand in my way. Given that, the threat The Infestation poses, and that Rattler had key information, I doubt the Mob was here to kill him."

It was at this moment that Warden Lock-Up had noticed a slight change in the guard. Over the years, he could tell when someone was nervous about something. He'd seen it on a few prisoners, and he could see it on the people as well. He scowled as he looked at the guard. "Tell me. How exactly could The Mob have done this?"

The guard, knowing his story wasn't panning out, did the only thing he could at this point. His cover was most likely blown, but he had to report that the Silverhawks were already suspecting things. The Mobs arrival also complicated things since The Infestation was unaware of this Yes-Man's relation to Rattler. He started to raise his weapon in an attempt to at least wipe out three more problems.

Unfortunately for him, Steelwill noticed the movement, and tackled him into the wall, knocking the guard out before he could even fire the gun. As he connected with the guard, Steelwill even said, "That was the wrong move. You should have just given up." When Steelwill backed off, the guard slumped to the ground unconscious. He then took a moment to handcuff the guard as he said, "I didn't think he'd try something so foolish."

Condor nodded at the statement, thinking the same thing, but also put some thought into it. In all honesty, with everyone rushing to the area of the supposed prison break attempt, the attempted murders might not have been noticed until it was too late. He then commented on it. "It might not have been foolish, but more a last resort plan. If it had been just the Warden and I, he might have been able to take out one of us easily. Even with three, he might have at least caused enough chaos to allow him to escape, especially if he had killed Warden Lock-Up."

Warden Lock-Up nodded at that, and added, "Very true. If he was aware of the special key I hold." Warden Lock-Up then shook his head and looked at the fallen guard. "What's odd is that he wasn't the guard I sent the orders to move Rattler to. He was actually supposed to be in another sector."

That statement made Condor give the Warden the side eye. "I take it this guard was only here within the past six months?" He did remember that the Warden was told about that precaution. They figured any guards brought in in the past six Limbo months would be a possible Infestation member.

Both Silverhawks were surprised when the warden responded. "Actually, he's been with us for at least a year. I remember recognizing him for that. The only one of those guards that lasted the year without serious injury." If that was the case, it meant they would need to increase all the measures they were taking to stop the Infestation. They were figuring they only started their plans six Limbo months ago. Having their people already in Limbo for one Limbo year meant things were being put in place long ago.

Condor looked at Steelwill and said, "Will, can you get him back to Hawkhaven in the Sprinthawk." When he saw Steelwill nod, he turned to the Warden and said, "Can you give me all the details on that guard? We want to be sure we can pinpoint how long The Infestation has been setting up their move into Limbo."

Warden Lock-Up nodded, and said, "Of course. If you come with me, Condor, I'll get it right away for you." Condor then nodded to Steelwill, knowing full well that he could handle the prisoner. He then followed the warden to get that information. He had a feeling the warden would also keep hard copies of all those records.


Back on Brim*Star, Mon*Star was at the communications console answering a call he hoped would provide him with information. He just wasn't expecting the call so soon. He answered the incoming message with all his authority. "What have you found out, Yes-Man?"

To his dismay, he heard Yes-Man in the background, but it was Hardware answering his question. "Bad news, Planet Master. It seems one of the guards shot Rattler, and that guard was with the Infestation." That bit of news hit Mon*Star like a brick wall. While The Rattler did try to muscle in on his territory, he did have some respect for the mobster. It also explained the state Yes-Man was in.

Mon*Star paced for a moment, and then asked a serious question. "Are the Silverhawks aware of this?" Deep down, he hoped his foes were aware of this. The Infestation was a problem for both of them.

It didn't surprise him when he heard Yes-Man brake out of his lament for a moment and answer his question. "They do, Planet Master. I saw Condor's face at the cell window." That answer told him two things. For one, he was glad that broke Yes-Man out of his lamenting. He had seen a few deaths that were close to him, so he knew it wouldn't be easy for Yes-Man. His toady was a bit too emotional. The second thing it told him was that the Silverhawks had been aware that Rattler had information they could have all used.

For a moment, he thought about seeing if Zero could somehow get the information, but he figure it would be too late for that. He disregarded the idea, and then said to the duo, "Get back here quickly. We will need to come up with a new plan of attack. If the Infestation had gotten into the Penal Planet's guards, they could have gotten into other places. We'll have to check all operations The Mob is running." He then turned off the communicator and turned to all his underlings who had arrived in the central chamber.

It bothered him that not all of the Mob was there. Poker-Face was taking care of things at the Starship Casino, but Mon*Star was certain he would eventually come to Brim*Star. Melodia wasn't there, and that had him worried. He didn't see Timestopper there, but he did see Zero there. While Timestopper could be problematic, and a bit of a wild card, he didn't think the kid would join The Infestation. Mo-Lec-U-Lar was not there, but he knew where their master of disguise was at the moment.

He was about to address the group when a call came in. He went over to the communications unit and answered it. He was stunned to see Harry, the owner of the Sin-I-Star Diner on Fence on the screen. Before he could say anything, the robot delivered some seriously bad news. "Mon*Star, I've got bad news. The Infestation has captured Melodia."

This bit of news shocked Mon*Star, and he was hoping he wouldn't hear it. He looked at Harry and said, "What exactly happened, Harry? I want to know how it played out." He, as well as the others, listened as Harry relayed what had happened. Hearing how the fight played out, he was shocked that the attacker, who was Melodia's sister, had used Crystal Twist on her. He hated to think what The Infestation was doing to her.

Once Harry was done speaking, Mon*Star did his best to contain his anger. He lowered his head, and finally said, "Thank you, Harry. Keep an ear out. The Mob is still here, and we aren't going anywhere." He then turned off the communications unit. He started to consider the possibilities. This could very possibly turn into a gang war, one worse than the one when he came to power.

He looked around at all those present and said, "I want you all to start searching for Melodia. That is a top priority right now. One of you remain here and let Hardware and Yes-Man know. I also want to make sure Sky-Shadow changes his surveillance to finding The Infestation. I want to know where this group is." He turned to leave his command room and paused long enough to issue one more command. "And make sure you are ready for a fire fight. Since the Silverhawks know of this threat, they might not be in the hurry to attack us, but the Infestation will most likely attack if they can."

He heard them all acknowledge his commands, and he left the command room. This situation was already starting to appear as a drastic one. He knew what he might have to do, and part of him didn't want to do it. Still, this situation was calling for more desperate measures. If everything he's heard about how The Infestation works was true, things could be worse than the last Mob War could have been if Stargazer wasn't in Limbo. While he hated to admit it, this was one of those times he was glad the Silverhawks were around, and he was going to need their help. He just needed to pull out the old communicator he used.


Back at Hawk Haven, everyone in the command center was listening to the report that was coming in. Each of them had a look of horror on their faces as Steelwill reported about what had happened. "Just as we arrived at the cell, we found Rattler was dead, and the guard was claiming the Mob had done it. Of course, when Condor noticed Yes-Man was in the vehicle, he realized that the guard was the one who did it. Seems the guard is part of The Infestation."

Stargazer shook his head as he heard that, but then asked, "Sergeant, how long was that guard working there?" Deep down, he was hoping to hear that the guard was a rather new addition to the staff there.

Everyone was surprised when Steelwill relayed the answer. "He's been here a while, Commander. I think even before that brothel on Bedlama was set up." There was a bunch of shocked and worried reactions when that was said. Stargazer massaged his temples, while Copperkidd let out a low whistle. Others just shook their heads as things were getting more complicated.

It was Quicksilver who stated the obvious problem. "This could show that the Infestation has been in Limbo for longer than we initially thought." Quicksilver also saw the trouble that would mean. It meant that the Infestation had set its sights on Limbo longer than they first thought.

Stargazer responded as his mind was racing along the same path. "Steelwill, I want you and Condor to get back here as soon as possible with that guard. We need to find out what they know. Any information could be helpful."

He then shut the comms unit off and turned to the assembled people there. "This is serious. If the Infestation has been in Limbo longer than we thought, we are going to have to double check our own security." He looked over at Steelheart and said, "Steelheart, once Steelwill is back, I want you two to start double checking the computer. I also want to know how long a complete reboot will take if we need to take that alternative. You two may also end up being our best asset, and since you've managed to do it with your birds, I want to see if you can set up some way for us all to communicate telepathically."

He saw all the surprised looks on their faces, but he had to respect how it passed quickly on Steelheart face as she saluted. "On it, Commander. The telepathy might be a tall order, but we can see what we can do." She then exited the command center, most likely already thinking about the order.

Once she was gone, Stargazer then looked at Bluegrass. "Bluegrass, I want you to double check the vehicles with Flashback. Once that is done, Flashback, I want you to see if there is any way to jump back in time to give us some ideas of where to check now in the present. I don't want any actions taken back then, just so we can get ideas." He saw Flashback nod at that and watched as the two headed down to the hanger.

Before anything else could be said, Quicksilver already had an idea on what he should do. "I'll be with Condor once they get back. I want to be there getting information as soon as possible." It was the truth, and he wanted to get more information about this group. Maybe he could figure out others who could be agents of this group.

To Quicksilver's surprise, he heard Stargazer say, "No. I want you to interrogate the guard, but I want Moonstryker with you. I don't want any of their agents to be able to anticipate our actions. I want to keep them off balance for now. I want Condor to get back in touch with his friend."

Quicksilver had to admit that what the Commander wanted to do made sense, and just nodded that he understood. "I'll tell Condor once he and Steelwill get here." He then moved to the elevator to take it down to the hanger, but he also had to wonder what task he had for Copperkidd, as Stargazer hadn't given their wildcard an assignment yet related to the current situation.

Quicksilver wasn't the only one wondering what task Copperkidd was going to get. He was wondering about it too. Copperkidd had heard all the tasks, and was even mentally figuring out how to program a firewall for Hawkhaven's systems since a reboot would be a temporary fix at best. He was already thinking of adding it to his own vehicle, The Space Racer.

Before Copperkidd could raise his concerns, he was surprised when Stargazer just held up his hand and said, "Kidd, I have a very special task for you. I can't tell you what it is right now, but I will meet with you in your quarters in a bit. That should give you some time to develop some sort of firewall, as I'm sure you are already thinking about it. Discretely enter it into the system if you can get it done quickly." This made Copperkidd smile, for two reasons. One was that he was already thinking about the firewall, but the other was that he was getting a very special task. He just knew it, and it had to be something he could succeed on.

As Copperkidd then left the command center, Stargazer headed back to his office. This whole situation was a mess, but he didn't last in Limbo without constantly thinking things out. Yes, he'd jump into a situation a little too sure of himself, but he was always thinking things out. It's what made him a good leader, and something he was hoping Quicksilver was picking up on. Combatting a threat like The Mob, and even The Infestation meant thinking along various trains of thoughts and getting ahead of the criminals.

Those thoughts were running through his mind as he first walked over to this desk and pulled out a hidden key. As he did that, he momentarily let his gaze land on the pencil on his desk. He had been long aware that the pencil was more than it seemed since he never needed to sharpen it. He just acted like he wasn't aware of it. That would turn in handy, as well as tip his hand on what he was long aware of, but it was something he had to do.

He then used the key to unlock a hidden alcove and pulled out a small communications device he had been given after his first arrival in Limbo. While it played a part in his efforts to clean up Limbo, he wondered if the person who had given it to him still had theirs. While they were on opposite sides, he had a feeling they still had it. He then picked up the pencil, closed the alcove, and then sat down at his desk. He had to make at least one call, even though he wasn't sure if a reboot had happened or not. The way things were going, he'd have to at least warn other locations in Limbo about the threat. He just had to decide on which one was most important.


Outside the Lightyear Limit, but slowly making its way closer to it, the casino that was the front for The Infestation's operations was abuzz. In what was the command center of the operations, the leader listened carefully to the report of what happened at the Penal Planet. He had been wise to have a few agents placed into the guards there. It wasn't enough for a full takeover, but it was enough so he could hear about events.

At this point, he was hearing from one of those agents who was tasked to gather information. "The task was done, sir, but there was a complication. The Silverhawks arrived just as the hit went down." That was something he had expected, however he was sure his agent had a back-up plan for when they arrived.

He then responded to the agent, remaining as calm as he could be at that moment. "Did they see it happen?" He hadn't expected them to arrive there as quickly as they had. He had expected them to contact the Penal Planet before heading off. Plus, with the planned chaos to smokescreen the hit, he expected them to head there last. The Silverhawks were more of a threat than he initially figured.

He started to relax when the agent responded. "Well, it seems the Mob had chosen the same time to come to the Penal Planet. The guard blamed the hit on The Mob." Those words made the leader smile, as it proved fortune was smiling on the Infestation. Then the agent continued, "but the older one, Condor, said that in the vehicle was The Rattler's nephew. It was enough to clue the Silverhawks in that the guard must have done it."

The Leader was thrown by that detail. How did Mon*Star have the nephew of The Rattler in his group? It was not in his research into the Mob, but then again, those who were lackies tended to be least likely to be brought out of their gang, unless they had enough willpower.

Eventually, The Leader responded to the responded to the report with calmness on the outside. "Keep a watch on the place, but if they start probing, you will need to make your way out of there. Pass the word if you encounter some of the other agents there. We hadn't gotten enough there yet to take over, so be as discrete as possible." He then ended the communication, and slammed his metallic fist on the console, causing a dent.

He took a calming breath as he mentally processed the report. On the plus, The Rattler was dead, so Hawk Haven would be calling on him again, not that they knew the old detective was the head of The Infestation. On the minus, the Silverhawks, or at least the older ones, were thinking ahead enough to be a problem. He was going to have to plan an ambush of some sort for them.

The Leader then looked over to the others in the place and asked an important question. "How are our plans for getting control of Automata, Dolar, and the Artificial Sun? We may need to speed up some of our timetables if we want to take over." It wouldn't be the first time he would have had to speed up some timetables, but this was the earliest, and it troubled him.

The first to speak up had been Bandit. His near harsh voice almost matched the frustration The Leader was having. "Still working on the plans for Automata. Mainframe keeps a tight grip on security, so we will have to find the right way to approach her. We are considering Zero, since he's a bit freelance, but since The Mob had him steal her memory once, she's beefed-up security a bit." He nodded, noting that they would have to get a crew onto Automata for their best results.

He then heard Rhino speak. "The same goes for the Artificial Sun, especially as the Silverhawks keep tabs on the place. We also can't take Professor Power out of the equation as he's taken a few steps by making some operations secret. He even keeps a secret about the item behind the Artificial Sun's power. He also made sure the Sun is a one-man operation." He nodded to that as well and knew any plan for the Artificial Sun of Limbo would be a, if not the, big win. That was one he wanted no flaws with.

Finally, Hotwire spoke from his console. "It won't be long until I'm through to Dolar. Ever since we found out about Gotbucks, it will be easy to start to transfer of funds. In fact, I'll be doing so tonight." That was good news. While it was usually a slow task to transfer the funds, it would be enough to increase their power. Dolar was the central bank of Limbo Galaxy, and it would be easy to drain the funds digitally. They could also arrange transfers of the physical funds.

He walked over to the console, and said, "You know the plan. First day, just target the hidden bank accounts. The ones people have started to hide funds. But start it with double the usual starting point. And after a few days, start targeting the other bank accounts." He noticed the surprised look on Hotwire's face, and he just said, "We have to speed some things up. I also anticipate someone might try a reboot of the system."

He saw Hotwire nod before continuing his work, asking only one question. "Are we keeping Gotbucks in the dark?" He nodded, and his expert hacker smiled. "I was hoping that would be the case. I can definitely make him unaware of the changes in his system." The Leader was pleased by this, and also took note of one thing.

The Leader saw on one of Hotwire's consoles a search for Zero The Memory Thief. After all his time working with Hotwire, he knew that if Hotwire was looking into someone like Zero, it meant he was preparing for a change. The physical body Hotwire had now wasn't his original body. It was part of what made Hotwire such an effective member. To date, Hotwire had switched bodies at least five times, and only one of those was due to an emergency. He just hoped it would wait until after Zero was deemed useless to them.

Now assured that some things were progressing, as well as the evening in Limbo Galaxy was approaching, he decided to take some time to relax before the call he was expecting to come in did so. He left the command center of his operations and moved his way towards the Twisting chamber. He wanted to be sure that his newest showgirl was being convinced to work. He already could tell she was fighting it as he neared the chamber. He heard her screams of pain, but mixed with it was the laughter of her sister.

When the door to the room opened, Harmony had noticed it. She stopped her laughter but continued distributing Crystal Twist to break her sister. Given their own natural defenses to the drug, she knew it would take a lot of it to completely break her sister. Even now, she felt her sister wasn't fully broken, and she also wanted to make her sister do a lot worse. Still, she smiled at The Leader and said, "Good news. Melody is almost ready to be your new songbird, and with enough time, she'll even be willing to turn some tricks for you."

To her own disappointment, The Leader just said, "No. We won't go that far with her yet." She was about to protest, especially since she'd love to see her sister dropped down to that low, when The Leader just said, "I want her to have some hope to crush before we have her doing that. Besides, I bet you'll enjoy watching the hope drain out of her."

She did smile at that thought. She did love destroying anything her sister had. Hell, she was glad she had destroyed her dreams of stardom so long ago. Turning Melody into a singing slave who had to rely on her, and The Infestation was a thrill, and the longer it lasted, the more hope would die in her sister. She loved that. Maybe she'd take some time to show her thanks for that with The Leader later.

She pushed a button as she put the Twisting Chamber into shutdown and pushed another button to summon one of the broken song girls that worked at the casino. When the girl arrived, she pointed at her sister as she collapsed out of the Twisting Chamber. "Get her set up in a room, and dress her for her debut performance. And make sure her eyes are covered in the typical goggles. Also, make sure her hair is different. I don't want a chance of her being recognized by anyone. You know the price for failure."

She smirked as the girl rushed forward, saying "Yes Mistress" as she did so. She watched with pure delight at the fear she induced as well as seeing her sister partially dragged out of the Twisting room near naked. No doubt if people were able to see that, it would piss off her sister, but Melody was in no state to protest.

She then turned to The Leader, and coyly said "Since I now have some free time, is there anything I can do for you?" It wasn't like they hadn't been together, nor that they were in something more than a working relationship. She just knew he appreciated some of her other skills.

She was a little disappointed when he said, "Not right now. While I missed part of the show of the Twisting of your sister, I will need some time until I can indulge. I think the Silverhawks will be contacting my cover again, which means I need to be ready for it. Once that call is done, I'll stop by later." That last part improved her mood. Still, she could sense something more was at play. No doubt it was linked to the hit on The Rattler. Even when she heard the mobster was in Limbo, she knew it could be a problem if they didn't take care of it quickly. Had something gone wrong with the hit? She would have to ask him later, after this call came in.


As the Limbo day came closer to its end, Lord Cash, the man in charge of the bank planet of Dolar, was starting to get things in order. He had a simple ritual he followed before retiring for the evening. He would close out all pending bank issues for the day, and then set up the initial lock down before putting Gotbucks in charge. He was efficient when doing it, and even had some time for any last-minute issues.

He was just about to call it a day when a call started coming in. It was accompanied by the Silverhawks logo, so he knew this was something he had to handle. He quickly answered the call, "Lord Cash here. How can I help you, Silverhawks?"

He maintained his composure as Commander Stargazer's image appeared on the screen. "Lord Cash. I'm glad I got a hold of you before you closed the bank world for the day. Things have been going crazy today, and I need to brief you on something." Lord Cash could hear the urgency in the Commander's voice, so he wasn't going to argue about anything. He just nodded and motioned for the Commander to continue.

He was worried, however, when he heard what the Commander had said. "Earlier today, one of the armored vehicles heading to Dolar got ambushed by a dangerous group working their way into Limbo. They call themselves the Infestation." He remembered hearing that the vehicle had been attacked. He had assumed it was the mob, but it also reminded him that he would have to have an emergency shipment brought in. The company was good about that.

He nodded and responded to the news. "I do remember hearing that. It also reminds me to get an emergency shipment. I have not, however, heard of this Infestation. Who is this group?" He actually didn't recall hearing about the group from any of the other financial institutions he dealt with.

He heard a short laugh come from Stargazer as he responded to the question. "Huh. Consider yourself lucky. The Infestation is worse than the Mob. No one has successfully brought them down. They move from system to system, covertly take over and ruin them. They also do things Mon*Star wouldn't dare touch." That did worry him. Mon*Star and his Mob weren't ones to eliminate witnesses to their crimes. The Mob boss was aware of what that could do. He was also sure Mon*Star had some proxy accounts in the bank.

Lord Cash dabbed his brow, a bit worried that something bad was coming. "I take it you have a possible Mob war on your hands. Should I make sure Dolar is on lockdown? And is this just a recent thing?"

The next words Stargaze said caused him to worry some more. "I wish it was. Seems they already started to set things up here. They just had an agent strike at the Penal Planet, wiping out a prisoner who could have exposed the leader of the group. A brothel was also found on Bedlama, so they have been in the area for a while. So you need to check things for as far back as a year. I can't say how they will try to get into the bank planet, but I won't be surprised if they try."

Lord Cash wiped his brow again, since he hadn't felt it was needed to check things like that. As Gotbucks started to roll into position to handle issues and security for the closed hours, he felt a little at ease. "I do thank you for the warning, Commander. I'll have Gotbucks set up a sweep for anything unusual. I hadn't anticipated that something like that would happen, given all the trouble the Mob caused."

He saw Stargazer grimly nod to that. "I know. No one here anticipated this, but we need to be aware of things. I know you have Gotbucks there, so you don't usually hire extra help, but you need to be aware, and make sure the computers are secure."

Lord Cash smiled at that since he knew how secure Gotbucks kept things. "That shouldn't be a problem, Commander. Gotbucks is keeping the computers in tip top shape. Now, I need to schedule a replacement delivery. I do thank you for the heads up." With that, he ended the communication, and made the call for the emergency shipment.

While Lord Cash did that, and Gotbucks got into position and linked up with the computer, neither were aware of the hacking going on at that moment. Hotwire, the master hacker of The Infestation was adding code to Gotbucks to begin the process of transferring funds to The Infestation's coffers. It was so sophisticated, Gotbucks was unaware of the changes in his programming. He was becoming an agent of The Infestation that was completely unaware of the things he was doing. It was the perfect way to get access to Dolar, and lock in their control of the Bank Planet, and the finances of Limbo Galaxy.