Excalibur #15 - Breaking the Code

"Okay," said Bridge as he looked at his people. "This is the game plan. We get in, we investigate, we get out. No heroics, this is a covert operation."

Forge had called him in to the office earlier and explained that he was against this operation but he had been over-ruled and that Excalibur were an United Nations outfit and the Security Council had authorised this as a go. Forge had objected strenuously to this notion that they could just go in to a sovereign country, but after the stunt at the UN Building an emergency session had been called and it had been authorised. They were going to break in to the Latverian Embassy.

"Are we it?" asked Savitar as he looked about. There was only himself, Darkstar, Hauptmann and Union Jack on the team and as there were usually more than that he was concerned.

"We've no replacements for Tsunami or Hellios as yet," said Bridge, shaking his head. "Sabra is still out of commission and you saw what happened to USAgent on the news. He did what he could to stop Von Doom from taking Richards but Doom kicked the crap out of him and the others who tried to stop him. Typical, really. There's never any heroes about when you need them."

"What about Reed?" asked Rock. "His help was invaluable in helping find Darkstar. We owe him."

"Steps are in place," said Bridge. Forge had taken him to one side and told him that there were steps being taken to find and rescue Reed from his nemesis. 

After the meeting at the United Nations, Forge had stepped up and told them that the extradition of someone to a place where they would be harmed or killed was illegal, and Doom's actions by dumping Richards to what could be a watery grave was in direct violation of everything they stood for. A taskforce was on its way to recover the body of Richards, but Forge had ensured that Benjamin Grimm was included on the mission. There was a chance that the elasticity of Richard's body combined with the suit of unstable molecules would allow him to survive, in which case whatever happened, they would need to pick Richards up.

"So what are we looking for?"

"Evidence. The Secretary General thinks this whole thing is a distraction. He thinks this is too public."

"Isn't this an act of war?" asked Hauptmann

"It depends. Doom's legal status is sketchy at best, so we could bluff our way out, if we get caught. But..."

"We're not going to get caught," the others said and Bridge nodded. He looked at the new Armory system and shook his head. They'd test the thing later, this was not the time.

"Let's ride," he said and Excalibur went to work.


Forge looked at the footage from the United Nations sessions a few hours ago. He was in the designated SHIELD office within the UN building, because he was needed on site, due to the state of emergency. They'd taken all the required precautions but still it had not been enough.

For something like this, a member of Project: Excalibur was on duty because of the sensitivity of the position and John Walker had drawn the short straw. He'd seen the look on Walker's face when Bridge had told him and he knew that Walker considered this to be a babysitting exercise. He sighed, as he watched the footage again and wished that it had just been a babysitting exercise. 

Doom had just walked in, made his case and then simply taken Reed Richards...


"You have got to be kidding me," muttered USAgent as he watched. Doom was making his case, impassive and regal and Walker was buying none of it. He'd not been with the Avengers West Coast when they'd teamed with the first Excalibur team to stop him taking over the dimension called Limbo, but he'd heard of it from the others. The case against Reed Richards was tenuous, but Richards had attended this session of the United Nations to hear Doom's accusations.

"This is crap, isn't it?" said Private MacIntyre, as he turned to the hero. The military were not fond of Doom being here, seeing as how every other time he came to the states it turned in to a war zone. "Richards is one of the greatest heroes on the planet."

"Yeah, it's crap," said USAgent. "Yet, they have to listen to it." Doom was now saying how Richards must be extradited to Latveria, or a place of Doom's choosing and suddenly there was uproar. It would not be impartial and other counter-arguments flew up from the floor as the Secretary General tried to maintain order. "This is going to go bad," said Agent and flared his energy shield to life, and no sooner had he done it than Doom fired an energy bolt from his left gauntlet and Richards was ensnared in some kind of force field. 

"Release him!" demanded the Secretary General, but Doom would not be denied and he turned and started dragging the helpless Richards away from the floor and the Secretary general pressed the panic button and the military went to work.

"Forge, I know you're watching!" said Agent, in to his comm-link to the Helicarrier, as the military started to take their positions. "I need the team stat!" This was going very bad, very quickly. The military wasn't the same as when he'd been a part of them. They were more gung-ho, they wanted to hit something and teach any would be terrorist that nobody attacked the US on their home soil. "Oh shit," he said as they stood in Doom's path. "Stand down you stupid bastards!"

"They don't take orders from you," said a General standing there. "We'll show you heroes a thing or two..."

"You'll get them killed!" said Walker, grabbing the General by the jacket, his shield automatically powering down but it was too late and the military started to try and stop Doom, who unleashed the full power of his armour on them without mercy or stopping. Agent started running towards the fight, but by the time he got there, there had been much damage and there were several corpses where soldiers had been.

"Stand down, von Doom!" said USAgent, hoping that his back up would get here soon.

"Another costumed hero, ready to martyr himself in the name of progress," sneered Doom. "Stand aside, before you are hurt."

"I can't do that," said Walker. Doom said nothing but fired an energy burst at him and he flared the shield to life again, deflecting the blast and pushing forwards. It taxed even his strength reserves and he wondered if he would be able to take Doom hand to hand. Either way he'd try and he swung his fist at the Latverian monarch, but Doom was ready and caught Agent's fist.

"Pathetic," said Doom, and squeezed, the metal gauntlet crushing down on Agent, who in desperation swung at him with the shield, but as soon as it touched Doom's armour it fizzled out. "I have been preparing for this," said Doom. He lifted Walker in to the air and threw him backwards and USAgent hit the ground with a thud. His hand was injured, and he hoped there was nothing broken.

"I'm not done with you, Doom!" called Agent, and Doom didn't even look back as something fired from his armour and a sonic boom echoed around Agent, causing him to fall to his floor, his ears bleeding and there was nothing he could do to stop Richards from being abducted, and as he fought to stay awake, he could swear the monarch was laughing at him, but maybe he was imagining it. He couldn't hear anything else and then he let go and slipped in to unconsciousness.


Bridge had been first on the scene, and he had looked at Walker, who had done his best but he had been no match for Doom and Excalibur had taken too long in getting here. Yet another member had been taken out and Bridge was getting sick of this. As was Forge.

He turned the video off and contemplated what was going on here, but before he could do much else his telephone rang.

"Forge."

"Director Forge, this is Safia Way at the Secretary General's office. The meeting with the Latverian nations is starting in five minutes."

"I'm on my way," said Forge. There was a meeting with the heads of state for Symkaria, Transia, Wundergore and with the Latverian Democratic Nationalist Party, who were claiming that Doom' status as ruler was a false claim. Because of who Doom was, Forge was involved in this as well, and perhaps it would be time for a new way in Latveria, a time where they were no longer governed by a dictatorial monarchy, but a democratically elected government, but the other heads of state would have to support such a bold move. There were times this job seemed to be so much more hassle than was necessary...


The team arrived in the Latverian embassy, courtesy of the HERMES teleport system aboard the Helicarrier. It had taken the techs a few moments to get them there because Doom had installed some devilish security systems, but the full capabilities of HERMES had yet to be tested and they had been able to circumvent some of the protocols and get them in there.

"We all in one piece?" asked Bridge and Savitar, Hauptmann, Darkstar and Union Jack nodded their confirmation. "Good," said Bridge. "Spread out, be cautious, be careful, and for God's sake don't start World War Three..." The team went on their way, Savitar and Hauptmann going one way, Darkstar going a second and Bridge teaming with Rock to go a third. Anything that was out of the ordinary was what they were looking for. Whatever Doom was up to they'd figure it out here.

"This feels wrong," said Neal to Hauptmann as they worked their way around the building. Their job was to secure the top half of the place, and make sure that if anyone tried to escape that they didn't get far. Both of them knew they weren't exactly the most scientific of the team but they did have a brute strength and destructive capability that helped them run interference.

"I know," said Hauptmann. "Doom may be scum, but he has rights. The UN seems to have taken a more... provocative role."

"I know," said Neal. "We've no real evidence against Doom, so now we're just going to see if we can find stuff to incriminate him? It's not right."

"His technological reserves are impressive though," said Hauptmann. "On the other side of the coin, you can see why they're worried. There's Magneto in Genosha, do we really need Doom to inspire him to greater things?"

"Good point," admitted Neal. "But this just seems to be a case of pride more than anything else."

"Then let's not hurt anyone," said Hauptmann.


Darkstar drifted through the corridors of the embassy, using her darkforce abilities to mask herself as well as incapacitate any resistance she came across. Her task was to keep the heat from Bridge and Union Jack, while they went down to the basement and found out what was going on. She was still adjusting to the changes in her powers from the rebirth of the Darkness Dimension. 

Her darkforce channelling was more of a fluidic thing now, and not a straight energy generation. It seemed to spout from her rather than form and she was still learning the limits of her powers. It was Leyu's influence, she was sure of it, but then again it was strange. She should have been dead and yet she had somehow survived in some state. She had swapped places with Laynia and she would always owe her that.

Strange had been adamant that there was no way that Leyu could have survived the birthing process of the new Darkness Dimension, but if there were somehow, some way that she could have done so, then she would have done it. Darkstar would have done no less herself. 

Yet, she felt more control of herself, even for her inexperience with her powers. Her doubts over the last few months had faded and she knew that the power she had was not something to be feared, or blocked. It was to be embraced and accepted because it was a part of her. The Living Darkness had terrified her, but it had also shown her that the Darkness was not something all powerful and that it could be controlled.

She would use her powers to the best of her ability and that would be enough.


"My God, it's full of stars," said Rock as he and Bridge entered the projects room of Victor von Doom. It was a marvel of technological wonders, and such. Projects and such lay around the place.

"I never figured Doom would be this tardy," said Bridge. 

"I never figured we'd get this far in to the embassy without trouble," said Rock. "Live and learn." He looked at the workbench. "This is interesting."

"What?" asked Bridge.

"Thermal technology. He's been working on something for his armour. This is incredible work. Beyond anything I've ever seen before. And look at that!" He looked across the room to a half built Doombot. "That's amazing..."

"There's something familiar here," said Bridge, looking at the workings of the Doombot. He'd been part of the taskforce that had been to Latveria when Doom and the other heroes had gone missing after Onslaught, but it wasn't that. It was something else... "Zero Tolerance..." he said, the memory coming back to him. "These schematics... This is sentinel technology."

"What?" said Union Jack.

"I recognise the basics from the briefings at SHIELD," said Bridge. "But it's way in advance of anything else out there."

"He's using sentinel tech to create Doombots?" said Rock. "It makes no sense..."

"Unless he's not making Doombot's but a new breed of sentinel," said Bridge. "After what went down the other month with Apocalypse and the X-Men, with Forge in charge of SHIELD, the Shadow King in charge of Hydra... what if von Doom has decided that the mutant problem needs dealing with..."

"That is a very scary thought," said Rock. "With his skill with robotics and artifical intelligence..."

"Could this be the start of the future Cable warned me of?" muttered Bridge. Cable's stories of a future where sentinels ruled mankind had been something he had told about after Zero Tolerance had gone down. "I think we've got we need, Jack," said the commander of Excalibur. "You got any of this?"

"As much as I could record in the suit," said Rock. "Good job I modified it at Forge's request..."

"He's a better man than I thought," admitted Bridge. "Not that I'll tell him that..."

"Or that you'll get the chance!" said a voice and the two heroes turned to see the Queen Invisible and a Doombot standing there. "I don't know how you got in here, or this far, but I promise you will go no further..."

"This isn't good," said Rock, pulling an energy sword from his belt. "I'll take the Doombot..."

"Leaving me with you," said the Queen. "You will die slowly." A force field covered his head but Bridge just smiled, as he lifted his finger from his signal device. 

"You might want to deal with her first," said GW as Darkstar ploughed through the floor and the two women stood face to face. Bridge felt the air rush back to him and he figured that this wasn't going to be pretty...


Sabra watched the newsfeed with interest. She was still getting used to the new way of moving and until she was fully ready to go, she knew there was very little she could do, and she also knew if she went too fast too quickly, then she would never regain the ability to use her legs. Her spine was still healing and the device provided by Dr Day Vangela was just to give her extra support. She had mastered walking, and running but her flying still gave her trouble. However she was making progress.

Dr Vangela watched and smiled. Soon, very soon... Then the sirens flared, indicating there was an intruder.

"Stay there, Ruth," she said as she saw the patient try and get up. "You're in no shape to take on Humbug, let alone someone like Doom!"

"You think he's come back?"

"I don't know," said Vangela, wondering where the hell everyone was, and then she saw who it was who was here. "It can't be," she whispered. "You're dead..."


"I'm guessing the mission's gone sour," said Savitar as the signal came from Bridge that they needed back up."

"Figures," said Hauptmann and they started running and then they felt the place shake. "That sound like building damage?"

"Yup," said Savitar. "Darkstar's showing off again. Glad she's back..."

"And on our side," said the German hero. "How about you show her what you can do?"

"Good plan," said Neal and fired a burst of plasma down through the floor, burning a hole for them to get to their friends and Hauptmann jumped, dropping to the basement and landing with a roll, absorbing the energy of the impact, swiftly followed by Neal Sharra as he flew down.

Union Jack was fighting with a Doombot, but he was being beaten back, and his suit was torn and they could see he was bleeding and Darkstar was using her darkforce against the Queen Invisible's force-fields. It was a very close match and both women were giving as good as they got. The Queen was unprepared for the power of the Darkforce and she was being held at bay by a determined Darkstar.

"Very glad she's on our side," said Hauptmann and suddenly the Doombot turned to look at both him and Savitar.

"Sentinel tech!" called Union Jack and the two mutants went to work on the Doombot as Rock did what he could as well. Three of them fighting the Doombot and they were only just keeping it from killing them. Bridge was trying to get the Helicarrier to get them out of there and aboard the Helicarrier because it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed by whatever reinforcements were in this place.

Then there was a sonic boom and a crash as someone ploughed in to the room and it was as if everything paused a moment, because in an instant the Doombot was nothing more than scrap metal, and the Queen Invisible was lying on the floor barely conscious.

"What the hell just happened?" asked a bemused Rock.

"I did," said a voice and they looked to see a familiar figure standing there. "Sabra said you might need a hand." Bridge stared at the man. The standing, the face, the presence.

"Hellios?" he said.

"You were expecting Wonder Man?" said the Greek hero. "I'm back."

"And not a moment too soon," said Neal. "Boss?"

"On it," said Bridge and tried the system again. Whatever damage Hellios had done as he entered the room he'd allowed them to contact the Helicarrier and the HERMES system flared to life, and Darkstar bound the Queen Invisible in darkforce bonds as soon as they appeared aboard the SHIELD mobile headquarters.

"We've got her now," said Forge who was waiting for them as they injected something in to her, to ensure her powers were dampened down. "What did you find?"

"Sentinels," said Bridge. "Doom's gone in to the business for himself..."

"Damn him," said Forge, closing his eyes. There were reports coming in about a possible sentinel event in Colorado, where Project: Wideawake had been housed and he'd sent some of his people to investigate. "His sentinels, and those at Wideawake... I don't like this, Bridge. I don't like this at all. Something needs to be done..." The Queen Invisible laughed.

"Even with your tin men, you are no longer safe."

"None of us are," said Forge, softly. Her taunt meant something to her, but she would never find out what was going on. Doom was dead, and there were changes in place in Latveria that meant she would be going to prison for a very long time. There was a special place waiting for her at the Vault...


Georgetown, Massachusettes was a quiet town. Located in the northern Essex County, between the Merrimack River Valley and the communities bordering Plum Island Sound, the place was widely forested, with many acres of state forest land. It was a rural town, with limited facilities and nothing much ever happened in Georgetown. 

However in a remote part of the town was a concealed part of the forest, hidden with technology far beyond what any of the locals had ever seen. Cloaking devices, laser sights, shielding and other measures were in place and anyone who got too close would simply disappear and never be heard of again. 

In the dead of the night nobody saw the Doombot enter the area, passing through the defences as if they weren't there, to where a cave had been created, in which was housed a mine to store the sentinel army that it's creator had built. There was still work to be done...