[Mkguild] Return to the Islands Part 4

[cokane8116 at aol.com]

 Reinforcements are call!
********************

   “We have a situation,” The message came overthe radio. Misha, Strela and Stealth were at their base and relaxing whenSOCCOM (Special Operations Command) contacted them.    “A ship in Penobscot Bay has been attacked,”the lieutenant explained. “Unfortunately, it was the one carrying supplies tothe ABERA facility.”    “The place up in Maine?” Misha asked.    “Correct.”    “Oh wonderful,” Stealth commented.    “What are you talking about?” Strela asked.    “It’s hard to explain,” Misha answered. “Butlast year an Ice Age spirit woke up and took over some islands up in Maine.”    “You were involved in that?” Strela asked.“I’d heard of it but the best info I got was the National Geographic special onTV.”    “We were both there,” Stealth commented.“And he smacked us both about. Really good.”    Misha nodded his head. “The air to surfacemissiles slowed him down a little.”    “But not for long,” Stealth countered.    “The spirit there is not the problem,” theofficer explained over the radio. “The attackers are. The ship is transportinga special cargo. A High-powered, hyper wave, nanopulse array. Under nocircumstances can the hostiles get a hold of that. And do not let them into thespecial exclusion zone.”    “Understood,” Misha responded.    “High-powered hyper wave nanopulse array,”Strela commented as she got into her armor. “What does it do?”    “Don’t know but it sounds neat. And expensive.”    “There is a Super Group on site already.Called The Sea Watch but they aren’t doing too well.”    “Who are we fighting? Stealth asked.    “Pirates,” Came the reply over the radio.    Stealth came to a halt. “Pirates? Pirateslike in Shiver me timbers? Argh Matey?”    There was a burst of laughter. “No butpeople worse than pirates. A Super Villain group called The Sea Wolves.”    “Be advised their leader Maelstrom is on theTerrorist list and there is a Kill on Sight order out on her.”    “Understood Ma’am,” Misha responded.    “We’ve just got a message from the Super Group.Seems they’ve had to retreat,” the officer explained. “I’ve sent you thecoordinates of their rally point. They’re reporting at least a half dozenSupers involved.”    “Contact William,” Misha ordered the nanites.“See if he can get there asap. If she is involved we’ll need some support.”    “Good luck!” The officer responded andclosed the connection.  *********     “Are you busy?” The nanitesasked. “There is a situation.”    “Where?” Silvermane asked. He was at thelarge desk in his mansion which he used to run all his business. William hadturned over the day to day operation of his legitimate business High CastleArchery over to his daughter Helen and her husband Jake. But he refused to letgo of everything.    “Bangor Maine,” the nanitesresponded. “A ship is being attacked by a villain group.”    “Call them what they are; pirates.”    “Calling them pirates is an insult to realpirates.”    “Bangor? Maine?” William asked. “That’s abit far from my usual area. Isn’t there a local Super group that can get therefaster?”    “They are the people calling for help,” the nanitesresponded. “They’ve run into some problems.”    “To be blunt they are getting creamed. TheSea Wolves outnumber them almost two to one.”    “I’ll get there ASAP,” William got up out ofhis chair and headed down to his base.    “Sending the coordinates for their base. Youare cleared to arrive at the teleport in the Bangor Police Station.”    “Best hurry. It seems they’ve had toretreat off the ship.”    “Bring a first aid kit or three.”    “And a boat repair kit.”    “Do you know how to swim?”  **********     Their gone!” Stonefish exclaimed as helooked around. “Where did they go?”    “Who cares?” Killer Storm added. “Gone isgone.”    She pointed to the captain who was standingthere. “Who are you?”    “I’m the captain,” he responded.    “Behave yourself and you’ll live,” shesnarled. “Once we get what we came for we’ll be gone.”    The captain nodded. “I know what you camefor. It’s in hold #1.”    “Just like that?” She asked suspiciously.“Going to tell me so easily?”    “It’s hard to hide something like that,” theofficer answered. “Besides you don’t seem to be the type that’s after 4 tons offrozen meat.”    “Get our boat alongside and get the cargooff the ship,” Maelstrom asked. “We can’t delay. Those fools will be back.”    Suddenly the sky grew dark and heavilyovercast as the fall of Maine vanished.    One of the sailors cursed loudly. “We’re inthe zone.”    “The zone?” Maelstrom asked. “What’sthat?”    “The exclusion zone around the island,” onesailor explained nervously.    “We are ready for that,” the villainsnapped.    A heavy snow started falling withastonishing speed and power. The wind whipped up hard and fast bringing with itpellets of ice that stung and left welts where it smashed into exposed skin.Pretty soon it was hard to see the bow of the ship, never mind the sea aroundit.    “No you’re not,” the captain responded. “Noone ever is.”  **********************     For Geimhreadh this new world was trulyconfusing. When he had gone into his deep slumber he had not expected to wakeup. But he did. In a world far warmer and stranger than anything he hadexpected. Very little of it made sense and the humans looked the same but were fardifferent culturally and socially. Still in spite of the differences theyseemed to be friendly. At least this group was.    He sensed the ship as it entered his realm.He recognized as the regular supply ship that carried the needed food. Butsomething was wrong. It was not following it’s normal path. Instead it seemedto be drifting. Going where the currents would take it.    Suddenly there were flashes of explosionsnear the ship and he sensed people of power as the cause.    Geimhreadh reached out for a human he knewwould help him. A person he had changed and improved. It took a while tocontact him. This Sergeant Hernandez was a surprisingly long distance away. “I need yourhelp,” Geimhreadh said. Speaking directly to the person’s mind.    “I’m a bit busy,” the sergeant responded ina distracted tone.    The spirit started to speak but a long burstof machine gun fire interrupted him.    “No!” The Sergeant’s voice came over clearly.“Get that bunker off to the right.”    “Where are you?” the spirit asked. Beginningto understand.    “A long way away,” came the response.“Pinned down behind an overturned car.”    Geimhreadh reached out for more information.The sergeant was on the opposite side of the planet. In a place that wasblazingly hot and it had not snowed there in millennia! “What are you doing sofar from home?”    “I ask myself that on occasion,” thesergeant joked. His voice grew serious. “I’m dealing with people who will notleave my people alone. I have to deal with them here before they attack my homeagain.”    “Again?”    “Long story. Some people you can negotiatewith and others the only option is to kill them before they kill you.”    “Ican’t come right now but rest assured I’ve sent some good people. You knowthem. The Fox and the Cheetah who were there a while back.”    “Tough people. They know already?”    “We’ve been keeping an eye on yourwonderfully cold world,” he laughed. “We’ve got people there already.”

   “Keep down,” a voice said in the background.“Air support is two minutes out.”    “Good luck!” Geimhreadh said sincerely.    “Thank you!” The sergeant responded.  ************
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