Chapter 2, Turning Up


    “This resolution, which I put before the United Nations General Assembly is in response to three months of fear inflicted upon the world by the organization called The Black Hand! Never has a group of individuals been a threat to nation states, but now this criminal cabal seek to create horrors to inflict on the world.


    Villains seeking power, beasts turned into living weapons, and constructs like something from the mind of Mary Shelley have begun to swarm the world and despite the threat our member nations content themselves with battling in their so called “Cold War”.


    And now those foes, the United States, the Soviet Union, and Mao’s China sit currently crippled as they struggle to repair damage from a dozen or more man-made disasters held at bay only by those men and woman gifted with powers who acted in good faith and with no guidance or support.


    Thus, I put forward this resolution, that the United Nations found an expansion upon the United Nations Police services to be named the United Nations Logistical and Organizational Command, to coordinate with national and regional super-teams, both in alliance with our nation state members, and perhaps in spite of them! And that is why I call for a vote before this council, even as those worthies cannot attend, because we cannot wait!!”


    -Excerpt of Hiro Sakomoto’s speech before the UN, August 5^th, 1974


    Elizabeth Summers, formerly known as Solaris, was still confused by all the people pointing their little devices at her, or the smoking wreck of a robot in the water. She took a deep breath, then made her way to a cop who had tried to approach her twice already and was a little wide eyed.


    “Pardon me, officer. I apologize for the inconvenience, but could you take this young man into your custody? And, perhaps, give me directions to the UN building? I thought I was in Hell’s Kitchen, but I seem to have gotten somewhere… else.”


    “No, you’re right…” He said, another officer came over to help cuff the boy and drag him off.


    “You broke my mech you bitch! I can’t believe you did that! it is going to take forever to rebuild him!”


    “My, your parents should wash your mouth out with soap, being able to build a giant robot, does not give you the right to use it to damage other people’s property.” Solaris gave a long sigh. she’d had to give that speech to so many people.


    The policeman coughed. “Can I get your name, Ma’am?”


    “Of course, Officer, “I am Elizabeth Summers, I work with the United Nations Trusteeship Council, a bit of a trouble shooter as I’m sure you can imagine.” She reached into her bag and pulled out her ID, giving a little gasp as the ancient bit of plastic disintegrated in her hand, leaving a pile of yellowed fragments. “Oh…um. well. That is inconvenient. I apologize sir. I will have to get a new ID made. I…may be later than I thought I was.”


    “Yeah… Um, I imagine so.” He said wryly. “It’s Okay Ma’am. Let me get your statement. What were you doing in Hell''s Kitchen when the incident started?”


    “I am sorry I cannot say. That information is, unfortunately classified.” She said her tone was apologetic. “I was over in that direction when I heard the roar. I flew up to see what was going on. After I saw the machine commit violence, I moved to neutralize it. It used a water cannon on me.” She fought sighing, hating to think what that had to do to her hair even with the pins, and what it had done to her already abused clothing. “After which I removed the robot''s head and collected the pilot.”


    “Yeah, I saw most of that. Why did you come out of that sewer cover though?”


    She opened her mouth to answer but a high-pitched whine caused both to look up, seeing a strange rotary vehicle coming in for a landing amongst the emergency vehicles. “Oh joy. UNLOC decided to visit.” The officer she had been speaking to muttered, then looked at her “Guess I know why though. “


    The odd vehicle landed on four wheels, the arms mounting quadcopter style blades folding up and stowing along the main body. It was as if a wheeled tank had been built with an oversized cockpit on top, when that cockpit swung up allowing a nine-foot tall black and pale blue mech suit to climb out, UN markings identifying who it belonged to. It seemed to look around before walking with surprising grace towards the pair.


    “Unlock?” she asked, thinking the suit looked very sleek, nothing like the large, smelly, oil fuming, aeronautical kit bash that Tankman wore. Whoever this was, they were some sort of official.


    “United Nations Loose Overpowered Cannons.” The cop replied. “Guaranteed to turn any situation into international news.”


    “We prefer Logistical and Organizational command, and technically we tend to be international news “the suit commented, the helmet and top of the chest swinging open to reveal a surprisingly petite woman with brown hair in a pixie cut.


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    When she’d stepped out of the Chariot, she’d scanned the crowd, both for threats and for the woman she was looking for. It didn’t take long for the suits AI to spot the largest threat in the area, nor did it take the database image search any time to confirm the woman’s appearance as matching Major Elizabeth Summers, Royal Nursing Corps and one of the Original Guardians known as Solaris.


    She had swallowed as she started to approach, the scanning systems continuing to confirm that the energy field coming off her body was ‘consistent’ with previous analysis, though it did also note the previous records were lacking details. Still, a shapeshifter would have to work pretty hard to duplicate not only the woman’s known powers, but also her general energy readings.


    “United Nations Loose Overpowered Cannons.” She heard the cop gripe, despite speaking under his breath to Solaris. “Guaranteed to turn any situation into international news.”


    “We prefer Logistical and Organizational command,” She commented, rolling her eyes at the local police griping. “And technically we tend to be international news regardless of whatever else we’re doing.” She keyed the faceplate release, the air cooler than what was in the suit. She considered the woman she had come to find with her own eyes.


    For one of the legends of World War II she was kind of tiny.


    “Major Summers, I am Lieutenant Penelope Ward. I was dispatched to investigate when we received reports of your appearance.”


    Solaris smiled seeing the neatly put together woman, surprised to see a female in a battle suit, “Pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Ward. I found a spot of bother, but I was going to head to the office as soon as this was managed.”


    “Um. Yes. That is good.” A giant dinosaur-Cthulhu cross was a ‘spot of bother’. Granted, Lasersaurus was a dweeb at best but still, how very British. “I was sent to bring you in. I mean into the office of course.”


    Solaris frowned, “Is there a problem Lieutenant.” Her back tightened, she wasn’t a fool, she could see time had passed, she just had no idea how much time, only that it was significant.


    “Well. There are a few questions ma’am. About where you have been for the last seventy years. “


    Elizabeths heart dropped into her stomach. “Seventy years.” She looked at the water, letting that number settle in her mind. “Well let’s head to the office, I don’t think I should give my report in the street.”


    “Of course, ma’am.” There wasn’t really much Penny could say to make things better, so she led the tiny but powerful woman to the Chariot, the armored door to the rear section opening to reveal a bench seat. “My apologies for it being a tactical vehicle. Considering the traffic between here and the UN though, we thought something that could hop snarls to be a good idea.”


    “Yes, there are a lot of cars, more than I remember. She took a seat, folding her hands in her lap, years of British boarding school kept her face properly stoic. “So, who are we reporting too?”


    A monitor flickered on as the vehicle rocked, assumedly as the other woman settled her mech in its own seat. It showed her face in the mecha, as well as another showing outside the vehicle. Other data flowed over the screens, but the time-displaced woman had no idea what it all meant. “My boss, at the very least. That’s Deputy Director Helen Kincaid, director of UNLOC’s special response teams and second in command of UNLOC overall.”


    “And pray tell, what is UNLOC?”


    “Oh, right. We weren’t around back then.” The Lieutenant mused. “UNLOC is an expansion out of the United Nations Police Service, or UNPOL which was around back in your time. We are the international organization who coordinates superhuman contact and civil rights concerns, villain containment, and super-hero management. Most countries manage the day to day, but we oversee the big lifts.”


    “I’m shocked the major powers let you develop what is obviously a tactical wing.” Solaris nodded, looking out the window as the four blades swung back out and extended, their spinning lifting the vehicle into the air. “Seventy years did pass, I suppose… Well at least the park is still here.”


    “Oh, lots of things are. No one’s torn down the Chrysler building or Empire State. Oh, The Whisper is a museum ship now. It’s at the USCG academy. I got a chance to serve a bridge watch on her during training. “


    “She is a good ship, we put her through a lot. So, what is your duty? Are you something like a cop? Your armor is quite refined.”


    “I. Was. Am. “Penny sighed. “I am detached Coast Guard working for the UN Headquarter offices of UNLOC, Second Lieutenant USCG serving as part of UNLOC’s fast response team. Callsign Dreadful… This armor is a pretty standard Resolute frame, but my last suit was destroyed a few months back… I haven’t been back on duty long enough to start tuning.”


    “It’s hard coming back after a bad turn, it shows character that you are back in the saddle. That name, Dreadful, that is an interesting call sign.”


    “Call sign tends to be attached to pilot and armor both in the case of suit troops. With a first name like Penny in the academy it was likely best I could hope for.”


    “Penny dreadful, well it could be worse.” The chariot began to descend. “Could be Penny


    Pincher, or Two cents.”


    “Bad Penny got debated.”


    The chariot landed in a marked spot outside the United Nations building, then pulled into an underground garage, going deep until reaching a subterranean level with nearly a dozen of the mech transport vehicles siblings as well as four similar vehicles that looked to be purely for non-armored troops.


    The armor rose, opening and allowing Penny to step down, a tech taking over the mech. Elizabeth noticed and turned to face an older red headed woman as she approach. “Good afternoon, Major. I’m sorry, but authentication code: Evergreen.”


    “Greenland’s hot springs.” Solaris answered, as she gave a sharp little salute.


    “And safe code was verified. We thought we knew it was you, but that confirms it.” She turned to look at Penny, eye going down to her leg, then back to the Lieutenants eyes. “Take her up to the RRT lockers. I had some clothes sent over for the Major. Then bring her to my office.” She turned, pausing. “Major Summers, Dreadful is going to pretend she isn’t favoring her leg. Please do not feel the need to hurry. I need to brief some people on events. “


    “Of course,” Solaris looked down at her pack and pulled out her camera and sealed files.


    “I doubt these are of much use anymore, but here are the documents from my last mission.


    “Yes well. If it helps, McCarthy destroyed himself not long after you vanished. Drank himself to death.” With that she walked away.