Brass Ring Chapter 4: Time to Get Going

Don Pelegrine looked over the resumes of those he had chosen to participate in the heist. Tran “Pinball Wizard” Kung would be providing all of the technical expertise; he and the tools inside his spheroid battle-suit should be able to handle the security software and associated technology. He should enable the team to get into the vault and then exit it under full cover. He had also been the first to arrive; he had fortunately been leading a symposium just a few cities away.

The Brothers of Boom would provide the actual labor, with Liam “Twid” Shaughnessy able to con just about anyone and beat up anyone who ignored his considerable ability to bamboozle anyone , while his brother Sean “Yelling Yeth” Shaughnessy provided backup for both his schemes and his fists. Liam was a fighter with an impressive martial arts background while his brother could provide cover and air support with his sonic abilities. They would be here in a few hours, as soon as they wrapped up a situation in Paris.

Amelia “Valkyr” Sigmundson provided the muscle. She was infused with the power of a Scandanavian demi-goddes, able to lift a dozen tons and shrug off most bullets; she would provide all of the muscle they could need, both for the fight and carrying out the loot afterward. She had been the second to arrive thanks to her ability to summon portals.

Jun “Sentai” Boah was the last recruited, but hardly the least; with her ability to split into five different beings she provided not only as technical backup for Kung, but also a combat team to help Liam. She had appeared just thirty minutes ago due to a teleportation belt of her own design.

With Psyborg leading them, Don Pelegrine was confident that they would be able to infiltrate the vault. Already, Kung and Boah were putting the finishing touches on the laser that would enable them to burrow into the vault of the local headquarters of the Giffen Bank and Trust, with its thick walls and supposedly impenetrable defenses. He smiled as he saw Psyborg and The Brothers of Boom discussing tactics via internet link even as Amelia listened in with barely disguised contempt.

He smiled as he thought about the secrets released by the death of Telemachus. They were flying to their destinations, each one a potential career-destroyer. Some of the secrets would result in imprisonment, some in death, and quite a few destroying the relationships some had put so much work into building. Sure, some of his allies would be affected, but that would create a power vacuum that he could step into, increasing his temporal power.

And power was what this was all about.

* * * * *

Oliver arrived at CAPES HQ just before nine o'clock. It was surprisingly quiet, with the building shut down for the first time since the deaths of the Six Supreme at the hands of the Necrophants. He walked to the rear entrance and pulled out his lanyard, sliding the card and opening the door. He had been hoping to see a crew working to support the heroes; CAPES relied on its support crews just as much as it did its heroes to help turn the tide of crime.

But no one was here.

He made his way to meeting room. As he walked down the hallway, he felt the movement of the free electrons around change, become directed, even start to congeal. He instinctively raised his shields even as he looked around for objects to throw around. When Imago formed in front of him, he allowed his shields to drop. Imago approached him. “Please follow me to Meeting Room #2.”

Oliver shrugged. “Sure.”

When they arrived there, Oliver saw that Imago had a carafe of coffee ready as well as a yoghurt cups. “My apologies for the meager fare, but we currently facing a situation.”

Oliver smiled. “Good thing I had a sandwich this morning.” Oliver grabbed a cup of coffee and added some sugar and cream. Imago directed him to a chair and Oliver sat in it.

The death of Telemachus was on the screen behind. “I rather dislike what I shall be telling you, but the screen shows the final interaction of Telemachus and Don Pelegrine. The self-styled don is the one utilizing the firearm while Telemachus is the one being targeted.” The image froze. “Telemachus was a private investigator. He was not only a master detective but also a mid-level clairvoyant, specializing in the ability to look at possible timelines and determine the most likely to actually occur. In 1984, he compiled the first secrets and then offered the enhanced beings of Overton an ultimatum.”

Oliver put down his coffee. “Yeah, play nice or their secrets would be revealed. The criminal mastermind Queen Prime killed three cops and found out that Telemachus wasn't kidding.”

“Good that you know the basics.” Imago moved a step closer to Oliver. “However, that is just the basics. Telemachus also had a failsafe: If he died the secrets that he kept would be disbursed. As you can tell, he expired.”

Oliver looked up at it. “Fun. So I'm guessing the CAPES are dealing with that crisis and gave everyone the day off while they did so.”

Imago presented him with a lanyard. Unlike his it had a gilded edge. “They have disbanded while enacting the Valhalla Protocols. In the event that there are members, I am to seek new recruits to replace them. As the first to be recruited, you would be their leader until your team decided otherwise.”

Oliver leaned back into his chair. “I was only supposed to be training for an auxiliary position.”

Imago retracted his arm. “I admit the situation is less than ideal, but it is nonetheless the situation that we find ourselves in.”

Oliver put his arms behind his head and allowed himself a few breaths. “So we need to recruit a new team?”

“Correct. You would also be doing so with no support personnel due to the risks of being here, but you would have my full support.” Imago held out the lanyard to him again. “There is one further limitation: Due to the Ultimatum being in effect, you would need to recruit only those that had no previous experience as a CAPES member. We would be unable to predict what their secret is and thus the person could be acting under duress.”

Oliver smirked. “That's fine. I may already have an idea of who to recruit.” He grabbed the lanyard. “In fact, my first recruit will be wasy to find, assuming she went to work today.” He smiled at Imago. “Can I get directions on the fastest way to get to Osa Electronics?”

[The last chapter can be found here. The next chapter can be found here.]