“Boss we are here. “ Hardwire said after bringing in the air car inland and to the major road of the town, half a mile away from the entrance to the senator’s secret hide out.
“Alright this is what I want you to do, “ Marvel addressed Hardwire as he got ready to move out. “I’m sure you still have the full access security link over the house supplied to you by Earthwatch? “


“Sure thing boss. “Hardwire’s eyes gleamed at the possibility of playing around with a high level combat /military grade security access at his disposal. A shame that Earthwatch will take it all back after this job. “Anything you want, you name it and it’s yours. “
“I want you to put a communication blackout blanket over that house, no call, whatsoever, secured, encrypted or not, goes out or in of that place. “
“Alright. “ tapping on the controls of a portable data console connected to a high link security access portal, he watched as encrypted figures scowled through the holo screen beforehim. With a final tap at a button he said. “Done. “


“Secondly slave all the security and defense set up to your control now, you will be disabling them as I instruct you. Start with all alarms, fire, proximity and break in alarms . Shut down all proximity sensors, leave the micro cams for now till I get within the compound. Time to go. “ Marvel opened the back door and stepped out of the car.
“Will you be needing help this time around? “ The Mole asked from the shotgun side of the front seat, slowing waving his plasma rifle.
“No, I got this. It will be a milk run. “ Looking beyond him to Hardwire that was going through the images on the holo screen, he ordered. “Test comm and be sure your communication blanket on that compound doesn’t affect my dedicated line to you. “

His combat bag was with him by the seat having pulled it from the booth of the car when they landed to drop off Jade for her appointment. Drawing back the zipper, he reached in and pulled out the biggest item in it, the TEC 5 RPG gun. Setting it aside, he pulled out the second item, the FTL MAC penetrator. His M2000 hand gun was already locked on his chest holster. He lost the NAX Gauge 4 during the fight with Cedric and hasn’t been able to get a replacement. His vibroblade was recovered for him fortunately by the Mole.


Deeper in the bag were the disassembled parts of a NOVA PAR S51 sniper rifle (Particle Assisted Rifle). He ignored it, because he wasn’t going for stealth this time around, so it won't be needed, though it’s a real good weapon. Marvel pulled out several frag, thermite and phosphorus grenades. Clipped them on the hooks of his combat webbing and in pouches attached to it. A bandoleer was next, having ammo for the TEC 5 clipped on the loops. He was going in to take down that traitor and taking a prisoner is not in his agenda. Marvel though never accept jobs that has to do with pure assassination but for Senator Nathan Goodwill, he will make an exception.


“Alright Hardwire take us inland, go beyond the compound’s border land ahead of the road I want to go in through the road. “ Marvel said as he checked the MAC penetrator, he loaded an armor piercing round clip and snapped in a round into the chamber. A round drum clip containing twelve rocket load he fixed on the TEC 5. He wouldn’t need to put on his customary gray long coat as he has no need to cover up his hardware. He is just going in with his full body armor alone. And this time he is carrying a small light back that contains some extras. High Explosive plastiNitrate CpH12, a higher explosive yield than the various types of portable plastic explosive. Then recalling that he saw some vehicles and a flyer in there, he brought along magnetic clamp mini Ex for them.

The house was three floors high, in a bowl shape made of duracrete, steel and glass. The top by the northern part has a side platform for the landing of a flyer but is presently empty. By the southern part is a garage, not attached to the house itself but made of a transparent plastiglass canopy under which are packed about half a dozen expensive air cars, two luxurious executive class limos and a pleasure yacht too big to be in the garage, was left out side in the open lawn area. The house was ablaze with lights flooding every where around it, leaving almost no place for darkness or shadow.


Looking at it directly from the distance Marvel is, it shone like a light house on that cliff top in the midst of the night that had descended on that area. Security wise, the compound is barricaded all round by an energy lazer grid fence twelve feet high patrolled at the inner perimeter by armed men. None of whom were the senators official security details, which would have posed a huge challenge to Marvel as he wouldn’t want to hurt men performing their legal duties, but they are privately employed mercenaries by the senator which suited Marvel just fine.


Then the floors of the compound covers several acres which have smart mines buried underneath its well maintained lawns, from the security schematics being studied by Marvel shows three surface-to-air lazer cannons hiding at three underground points around the house proper. There were micro cams on each pole of the energy fence and search-and-attack surveillance drones hovering round the compound with a visual grid covering the whole floor space. No one can get into that place undetected.


Then at the main entrance to the house is an awning before the door hanging over a short colonnades of four wide marble pillars made of semi transparent duraplast. The four pillars hide four mini guns in them that when deployed, the pillar will pull apart and the guns will come into firing positions. Then there are the more than a score armed merc securities around the compound on routine patrol format. These are the primary defense around that house.


Something caught Marvel’s attention and felt odd about the empty platform for landing a flyer. “Hardwire check that platform. Do an x-ray and deep scan of it. “
“Yes boss. “ Hardwire was still on the pilot seat of the air car, with the Mole at the front. Marvel alone had the back all to himself as they had dropped Jade off for her debrief.
The particular part indicated by Marvel replaced the aerial images of the house on the holo display before him in the car. A digital image came up, showing the internal parts of that house. Under the empty platform is a hollow space. And the walls around it hand metal and hydraulic struts built into them which shows that the platform can be pulled aside when there’s need. Using deep scan, a shape similar to the form of a fast hyper-orbital flyer was seen.
“Sneaky bastard, “ Hardwire chuckled. “Boss you are right. “
“I suspect that he will always have a sudden and emergency get away plan which I didn’t see going through all the setup. “ colored lights of the holo displays played over the face of Marvel lighting it up in the dark interior of the car. “That was why that empty landing platform felt odd. “

Still studying the aerial image, with other sides ones attached to it and the interior architecture of the house, the bounty hunter paid some attention to the security set up of the house. When Senator Goodwill sabotage had been discovered, Earthwatch, discreetly with the support of the president had cut off his security access and clearance to top government secret data base. When the senator had asked about that, Earthwatch had come up with an excuse that there was a momentary breakdown of some of their cyber mainframe housing a lot of the security access codes and protocols.


They were shut down temporarily for repairs and will be up soon. To make that excuse stick, the agents of Earthwatch had randomly cut off the security access of some other senators who are also members of the Senate Arms Committee, giving them the same excuse. But senator Goodwill had been under tight surveillance since then though very discreet one. Either the explanations to the senator might have looked too suspicious to him, considering all that had recently happened or some sixth sense survival instinct warning him, he had dropped out of sight and out of the grid.


The Agency has had the mind of blocking all access of communication from him to any other source. They don’t have to block the connection to his communicating devices but just create identity recognition security program making use of his voice pattern, facial recognition, DNA and cell forms to block any kind of communication from him. Nathan could not be found neither in his office or home or the several places he had been known to frequent. The surveillance team had been previously instructed not to get too close to him which had given him the room to escape their sight.


But there was no way he could really escape from the ever vigilant eyes of the Earthwatch Agency. All his attempts at making calls to his fellow colleagues or to the president, lawyers or any other person, were frustrated by the security identity program made to recognize him and block all his attempt to communicate. It doesn’t matter what type of comm device he tried using or how encrypted or secured it is. The moment he links up to the webnet lines, the recognition program comes up and block his attempts.
When he went off grid, a spy satellite linked to his unique heat signature had picked him up and traced him running to this place probably to hide until he will be able to reached any of his colleagues and prevent any attempts made to arrest him. Marvel smiled recalling that, he is not here to arrest the traitorous senator.

✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴
Between Normandy and Brittany in the Northwestern Coastlines of what was in the past called The Republic of France, lies the Cotentin . The relief of these coastlines alternates between high cliffs and sandy beaches, the highest cliff being the famous Etretat, North of Normandy. These mixed shorelines carries round and end at the Cotentin Peninsula. All these are bordered on the west by the North sea. Inland through the high cliffs above the Cotentin is the town of Côte Rocheuse.


A very average small French town with those of the more affluent, having wide roads, avenues, beautiful neighborhoods with houses possessing broad spaces between them. It is a town that have managed to forget that time has moved on beyond its small enclave. Most of the architecture of the houses here spoke of the mid to late 21st century designs. But the occasional flying in and out of air cars and flyers shows the effects the modern technologies has had on it, howbeit very little.


A major road passes through the middle of this town, dividing it into two with other connecting smaller ones linking all the neighborhoods, always kept clean with well maintained flowers and trees on both sides. This road goes from the eastern part of the town to the west which ends at the entrance to a wide compound. The biggest in all of Côte Rocheuse, easily three times larger than the compound next to it in size. The house within the broad space of it has a much more modern look to it than the archaic looks of the rest of the place, it stands like an anachronic disruption to the tranquil enduring look of the town. It spoke of a design language that was just five decades old. This was the focus of the interest of some onlookers hidden away in a black colored executive air car hovering about two miles off the coast at several hundred meters above the churning waves below it.


Marvel studied the holo 3D image of the house with keen interest. This house built stack in the middle of a land big enough to encase half an estate is an unofficial property and retreat place of Senator Nathan Goodwill. This has been the site of an ancient castle dating back to the era of emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's conquests between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. An old stone edifice that spoke of the glories of a long age gone to dust. This castle was given a name, Château de Sable and his stood here as long reminder of the long history of this small town.


The modern centuries had pass it by untouched same as the town, Côte Rocheuse, it existed in. But Nathan Goodwill had procured the castle by another name, pulled down the ancient heritage of this place and set up a private and secluded residence in its stead . Several things were obvious about the house to Marvel as he studied the image supplied by a Linkage accessed by Hardwire through a tight beamed security clearance given to him by Earthwatch Agency. The house was built at the western most part of the high land on which the town was located, close to the edge of a precipice on a steep sloped rugged face cliff dropping down to the rough shore of the North sea. The rugged slop surface is lined up with protruding granite rock whose surface have been smoothen and sharpened by thousands of years salt water hammering on them. The bounty hunter noticed there was no way to approach the building from that side.

Taking a while to tap more some buttons to make the call encrypted, he continued. “Are the laws we live by perfect? No. But it’s the next best thing we have. The criminals we fight against are smart and they will explore and take advantage of every single loop hole in those laws. The only good thing about criminals is that they are survivors, they will do anything to avoid being caught. “
“Innocent lives were been threatened. Hundreds of thousands, millions would have died today if they had succeeded. “ Marvel said his words bitter and biting. “ While you act philosophical and play hide and seek games with these blood suckers. “


“Yes Marvel, that’s why we have you. You did a good job stopping them. “ With a broad smile Leyland quoted. “ ‘ instead of an innocent to surfer, it’s better to let the guilty go free’ or something along that line. I left school several years ago. “
“Yeah right. I need to get off this stink of a mother planet. Is my transportation ready? “
“No Marvel. You just can’t leave just yet. “
“And why not general? “ He was starting to get irritated.
“Because I have another job for you. “
“Not interested. All I want is to leave this heap of garbage of a planet before it drown me in its filth.”


“Oh I’m sure you will love this one. “ the general winked at him.
“What’s it about?” Marvel asked despite himself.
“We want you to sanction Senator Nathan Goodwill with extreme prejudice. Off the books and using unofficial means. “
“Oh, “ was all Marvel could say after the import of the words sank into him. “How did you manage that? “


“It took me hours to convince the president concerning this. I had to let him know the risks involved if such a highly placed spy in the earth government top security decision making body is allowed to go free.” The general twisted his lips before continuing.” We have been lucky so far, but might not be next time. The president’s fear was that if the senate discovers, his political career is over. I told him to let me take the fall if this mission blows. He can hand me over to the Senate Arms Committee, that I went rogue and acted on my own. “
“So you are willing to make yourself a scapegoat for this mission. “
“Yes son. “ the general replied. “But it won’t get to that. I or rather you will have all the available security protection and cover required to finish this. “
“Ok sir, I will take it. Because of the risk involved I’ve bumped up my fee to a five times increase. “
“Accepted. “
“General seems you are on high expense account these days. “ Marvel chuckled.
“The beauty of heading a black ops agency and getting off the book funding. “ the general added a grin of his own. “Coordinate with Hardwire, he already have the necessary preliminary data. Jade you are expected back at hq for immediate debrief, so you won’t be part of this. “ The call ended after that.

“What’s that supposed to mean ? “ Marvel asked almost screaming.
“He is too highly placed, we can’t touch him. The evidence we were able to uncover about him are circumstantial at best, and are not enough to convict someone of his caliber. “ Jade seem to chew hardly on her lower lip as she forcefully spill the words. “The evidence are not full proof, he can deny them. If we present this findings to the Senate Arms Committee, the best result we can get is just a bad PR campaign against him. We don’t even have enough to convincingly prosecute H.E.L.P pharmaceutical, despite that some secondary security footage we got, as the primary ones were all destroyed during the break in which should not be possible considering the level of security they have in place, showed that H.E.L.P was complacent. The person that broke in knew every weakness of the compound’s security and the night of the break in, about seventy percent of their security personnel were not on site. “


“What an effective government you run here on earth . “ Marvel growled bitterly as he turned his face away.
“Marvel we have laws that must be obeyed. Senator Goodwill was smart, he really covered his tracks well. “ Jade said almost pleadingly. “He made sure that even when exposed there won’t be enough evidence to arrest and prosecute him with. “
“So the bastard who was involved in a grand conspiracy to cause serious disaster on earth twice now will go free?” Marvel yelled at her.
“No that’s not it Marvel. General Leyland is with the president trying to see if he can get a way to by pass some of the stringent rules to at least pin something on the senator. But I’m not really hopeful. “


“Hey boss we got an incoming call, it’s Leyland. “ Hardwire said and without waiting for his boss’ permission, he let the call through.
A half meter high 3D green colored holo image of general Leyland appeared in the car between the divide of the driver’s and the back seat.
“Oh Marvel good to see you pulled through. “ After a while when Marvel refused to say anything, the hologram of the general continued. “From your looks I believe you have heard. “
“How very ineffective your earth government is? “ Marvel hissed. “That’s not new. It’s why I pulled out of my military service in the first place. “
“Don’t sell us short son, we have laws that guides us as a society. If government agencies and the executive can flout those laws anytime they feel like, we won’t have an ordered society but anarchy. That is why the rule of law has to be obeyed even when it hurts. “

“Well besides the rushed cover-up stories the earth government has to concoct for the failed attack at the power junction, the boring political hypothetical rhetoric on 3D news? “ Hardwire spoke turning a little to watch Marvel with his side eyes while still plying through the air ways zigzagging daftly through the various flying vehicles. “ Nothing much but a good news. “
“Good news? What good news? “ Marvel turned to look at Jade with surprise.
“We have been able to discover the identity of one of the mega corporations’ spy within the earth government. “ Jade reprised curtly.


“How highly placed? “
“Oh pretty high up. “ Jade shook her head sadly with barely concealed rage spilling out. “Just one of the top senator among the Senate Arms Committee , Senator Nathan Goodwill. “
“Damn, “
“Yes boss, that really sucks. No wonder the mega corporations had the high level security clearance they had been using to circumvent top security set ups and always one step ahead of government agencies. “
“ So Hardwire, how was he tagged? “ Marvel asked him as he stopped his narration.


“If not for the extra heightened security measures in place, we wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint this. “ Hardwire responded. “It was his hidden connection to H.E.L.P Pharmaceutical that exposed him. He has some stocks in that company under a false name. When a report was made that the pharmaceutical company’s compound was broken into, Earthwatch agents were the first people on site to start the investigation. When the report that the item stolen was similar to what they had been told we were all looking for, further investigation was carried out under the radar.


“The Earthwatch Agency has one of the best investigating network I have ever seen. They uncovered his link to H.E.L.P through an anonymous payment deposited to this company through an emergency account, that only came up and vanished from the grid after the payment was made . But traces were left which indicted him. But besides that, payments have been received and made by the senators over some years to accounts and people that don’t exist. Then it was uncovered that high security and encrypted personal calls has been made several times by the senator to places on Nuterra, Iron Belt Cluster and Tau Ceti, all areas that have been flagged as been connected to all that is happening. “
“Good. So has he been taken into custody yet? “ When after some seconds no reply came to him, he turned looking at Jade sitting beside him, inquiring.
“I’m sorry to say, but no. “

“This is courtesy of the president, “ Hardwire intoned as he slapped the body of the air car affectionately while he opened the pilot’s door. “We get to travel executive class style. “


The interior of the air car is spacious and built with comfort in mind. It can take six people easily, deigned to mimic the inner looks of a limo. The chairs were made of plush real leather. The Mole took the shotgun side while Marvel was joined at the back by Jade. The car took off with a smooth lift, hovering over the air, as the road, trees and buildings fell below it. An overhead sunlight glints on the transparent bubble. Marvel saw his backpack by the side of the seat, he saw his full body armor neatly folded and already washed. He tore off the pajamas he was on and pulled the full black body armor on. Saw a light blue denim pants, a polycotton gray t-shirt and a shinny neo-leather coat. He pulled them on over his body armor. His special boots and gloves were put alongside the clothes. Rummaging further in the bag, he came up with his M2000 hand gun and the shoulder rig holster. He pulled off the coat, he wore the holster with the gun and put on the coat again.


“Where are the rest of my hardware? “ he asked.
“All stashed in the car’s booth. “ Hardwire replied as he drove the car through the busy air traffic.
“We are back in New London. “ Marvel said after taking a while stare through the canopy bubble looking at the surrounding areas they were flying over.
“Yes. The closest hospital to give you the emergency attention needed at the time we got to you was Ivory hospital here. “ Jade replied as her facial appearance of concern was still on her with each look she throws Marvel’s way.
“So what have I missed in the past two days? “

“Thank you er…. “
“Madison. Dr. Brad Madison at your service. “ the blond haired man shock Marvel’s hand and turned to leave. “I have already authorized your discharge, so you are free to leave anytime. “ He got to the door, scowled at the seated Mole, then at the two nurses standing before the door in a kind of silent reprimand and walked passed them. The nurses quickly hobbled after him.
Marvel got up from the bed , shook his head in distaste as he looked over the shapeless mass of the pajamas on him. “Anything better available for me to wear?”


“Yes boss, we brought fresh clothes for you. It’s in the car. “ Hardwire replied.
“And my body armor? “
“In the car also. “
“Alright let’s get out of here. “ Marvel headed for the door, feeling the cold white laminated tiled floor of the room under his feet. “Good to be alive right? “ He asked with a short smile as he got to the sitting Mole.
The Mole got up from the chair, raising his plasma rifle and tapping the butt gently. “Na, it’s bad to be alive. “


A fast lift took them down to the ground floor of the hospital. The control showed him that he was on the eighty-seventh floor of the hospital. They were led to a wide foyer as soon as the lift’s door slid apart. The foyer had very few people sitting on comfortable backed benches. There were several booths manned by white uniformed nurses on chairs and tables with data consoles showing holo screens. Transparent plastiglass partitions separating them from the clients they were attending to. Going outside, they came through the exit into a wide entrance spreading both ways and the hospital was a long white building with a red cross image just above of the entrance. A double trees lined road was before them flanked on both sides with wide parking lots for air cars. Hardwire led them to a sleek looking executive black chromed air car.

“What happened? “ Marvel asked finally, his throat dry and the words coming out slow and almost choking him.
“We found you unconscious on the floating cylinder holding the bomb. Your hand was about to press down the deactivate button. “ Jade replied folding her arms over her chest and smiling but her eyes were sad. “We heard the alarms while still engaging the traitorous Earth Security Service personnel. Fearing the worst, both me and the Mole came down the lift, after a desperate search, we found you. I deactivated the bomb, hitting the button you were about to press when you passed out. The Mole carried your unconscious self, while I wheeled the deactivated bomb out. With an early call and the alarms drawing attention, emergency tech staff came into the power junction. Isolated the ruptured pipe and shut off its plasma steam supply. That eventually saved the day. You are practically a hero. The president wishes to see you as soon as possible to personally express his gratitude. “


“I will pass. “ Marvel said as he stretched his arms and found them responding without inducing pains. “How long was I out? “
“Almost forty eight hours. “ the blond haired man on the white coat answered. “When you were brought in here, your medical status was critical. Both of your lungs were near collapsing due to them being punctured. Your ribs were broken and the bones splitters were what damaged your lungs. A lucky miss was a cut close to your heart. You were also suffering serious internal bleeding, your left arm was broken in two places. Your hands all had bruises and dislocated joints. Your legs had cracks in the bones and your muscles showed extensive tears. As a matter of fact, you were almost dead. I was less than optimistic about your survival. Well we had to conduct eight hours stretch of intensive surgery to cut you open, close up your bleeding lungs, cover the wounds with lab formed bio-tissues. Then reset your broken rib bones, using synthesized calcium and other mineral forms to molecularly bind the broken parts. Then we spent another eight hours surgery on your head. You suffered a heavy concussion, besides that, your skull cracked and splinters of bones were lodged in your brain. We had to get them out and fill up the broken pieces of your skull. The broken bones on your limbs took less than four hours to fix. Your flesh was micro-surgically covered and the scars healed with lazer. We decided to keep you for the next twenty eight hours in a rejuvenation chamber, sedated so your body can heal properly and you will come out brand as new. “

✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴
The darkness of oblivion shattered slowly as drone out words slurred and stretched in long syllables pushed through the blackness. Just then a thin vertical line of light appeared on a horizon that appears both far away and near, cutting through the gloom. As the line of light widen, a blond bearded face stared down into it with a smile that turned the cheeks into two round balls of blushed skin and two round green eyes.


“Welcome back to life. “ the bearded face said. His words at first sounding prolonged but getting more articulate at the ending. The face turned to look at something beyond the light. “He’s awake. “
Just then another face seem to float into the view of the light. It was a female face, with the oriental features reminisce of the Japanese. Black silky hair framing it and wide round eyes looking down.


“Hi Marvel, glad you survived, we had almost lost all hope that you will survive. “
Marvel tried to sit up and wince instinctively expecting some blow back of pains but nothing happened. His body though felt stiff and roped with kinks, was well. Looking around, he saw he was in a room all colored white, with medical equipment scattered around some having holo screens showing his bodily form in a 2D graphics displaying his vitals. He was on a bed and a hospital pajamas covering him.


Jade was standing by his left, the blond bearded and haired man he first saw was standing by his right, putting on a long white coat that seem to suggest he is a doctor. Looking up at the ceiling directly above him in the hospital like room, he saw a kind of machine that looks like an advanced multi surgical medical drone, with several tools and parts Marvel couldn’t really tell their uses were sticking out of it. Just behind Jade, Hardwire was standing, fidgeting somehow and looking uncomfortable. His eyes were puffy and cheeks stained with dried lines that suggested he might have been crying for a long time.


A long chair was by the door, sitting on it was the Mole, his dark skinned face impassive as always. His single biological eyes shone and his unblinking mechanical/electronic eyes looked on with a ruby glow. Two nurses were standing by the door, shifted from foot to foot, seemingly confused if to come in or go out as it appears that the Mole had prevented them from getting in beyond the door. And cuddling his massive looking plasma rifle on his laps made him more convincing.

Marvel almost collapsed on the floor from sheer exhaustion, with pain inducing nausea threatening to knock him out. His body was heaving heavily as each act of breathing was like fire on his chest and sharp blades slashing his sides. Still dimly he noticed an immediate danger, actually they were two dangers. One, the floor of the walkway was starting to melt too as the plasma steam continued to explode out unabated. The point at which Cedric was turned into a melted goop has a wide hole on it now steaming as the iron rung floor of the walkway was becoming a widening circle being chewed away by the boiling steam.


Then immediately, Marvel realized that the remote control /detonator was with Cedric when he melted, no way to stop the bomb from going off. And the hydrogen fuel within the electromagnetic container was already active ready to go critical. And if that explosion hits the fusion core of the power junction, it is bye bye to Geneva, as it will be vaporized instantly and replaced by a radio active crater.


Though riddled with pains, Marvel hobbled away from the widening hole, got to one of the turbo lift access that connects all the walkways around the power junction. Getting into it he punched the control to take him up to the next walkway. Just then loud alarms began to squeal within the whole area with blinking lights. The white light in the lift turned red and started blinking with alternating white and red colors . A monitor behind the control of the lift was showing words in red blinking for attention. It says “EXTREME HEAT ABOVE ACCEPTABLE SAFETY MEASURE DETECTED AT SUB-B15C”.


Marvel suspected that was the early warning system coming online as it detected the temperature rising above the norm allowed. Well there is nothing he can do about it. He is not a techie and wouldn’t even know what emergency steps to take in a situation like this. But deactivating that bomb is the most important thing to do now. When the lift stopped Marvel pushed himself out, walked to the point he had confronted Cedric at first looked up and saw the cylinder attached to the body of the power junction. Getting to it, Marvel pulled on the clips used to hold the cylinder in place, when they didn’t budge, he smashed them with his fist, which was still on the titanium steel setting.


The clips broke apart. Marvel jumped back instinctively expecting the cylinder to fall, but it didn’t, it just float there, as it had antigravity rigs under it. The cylinder was still connected with heat absorbing cables, which Marvel, staggering, as his wounds and injury started getting worse, held on to and pulled them off the tiny heat vents they were linked to. Marvel jerked allover, he coughed and thick globs of blood dropped from his mouth. Damn he must be bleeding internally and with the mushy way he is feeling inside, some of his internal organs must have collapsed or badly damaged. He could feel his head wobbling, his sights swimming as his mind slowly darkened .


He staggered to the floating cylinder, steadied himself on it, seeing some control knobs blinking tiny red lights. He saw an LED word under it with yellow light which says ACTIVE. Still further he saw a green colored control knob which has another yellow LED word saying DEACTIVATE. He reached for it quickly with his finger and suddenly the darkness took over him and he collapsed.

Dagger79:

What do you mean by Marvel got lucky this time

Oh well... A lot of things can still happen. The future is...em...unknown. He may not be so lucky next time. Ah let me not expose too much. Alpha project is enough clue.

rockhillz:
Ah talk am.....how a whole Marvel Alister go die for common cedric hand.....

Lol, you think Cedric is common? He has been there since part one. He has been telling his boss, Dalmar that he alone knows how (and has what it takes) to kill Marvel. And he was proved right.... Just that Marvel was very lucky this time

“This is your damn fault. Do you know how much it costs to make me this way? Money big enough to buy half a planet. “ Gnashing his teeth in rage he continued. “It doesn’t matter, I still get the satisfaction of seeing you die. “
“No you won’t, not today. “
Marvel brought all his concentration to steady his right arm and his aim, despite the pounding headache, his unsteady sight and pains riddling his body. Well chances of a miss are a bit slim as the quad muzzles of the M2000 is made both for accuracy and wide angle target. Marvel made sure he was staying relatively far away enough from contact with the punctured pipe as he pointed the gun.


Looking up with a sneer as Marvel aimed the gun at him, Cedric paused a bit in his intended move. “You’re a fool Marvel. Desperation must have clouded your mind. You have tried that before and it didn’t work. “
“I know. “ Marvel wasn’t aiming for Cedric but at the puncture that was leaking the plasma steam.


Squeezing the trigger, explosive armor piercing bullets hit the hole, tearing it the more then exploding. The continuous hit and explosions around the puncture weaken the durasteel pipe then a huge explosion followed that blew out a man sized hole. The explosion spew out more pressurized plasma gas and semi liquid fuel which immediately engulfed Cedric bathing his full body in orange steam as he stood . He howled with blood curdling scream that was chilling and it reverberated in the wide underground structure mingled with the hissing of the exploding plasma gas as it continued to spray on him and dissolving any part it touched.


First was the soft tissue part of him, the head, neck and the other soft organs of his torso encased in the external metallic cover. Flesh, skin and bones in the skull melted in a flash leaving the metallic endo-skeleton that served as his neck bone exposed which also melted two seconds later. The metallic headless body frame of torso and limbs stood for a while longer as parts of its joints started to drop one after the other as the hot hissing plasma steam chewed through their delicate hinges and sockets holding them together .


The dropping parts hit the floor and started to melt. Soon the whole body crashed on the ground still been blown over by the steam. They started to break into pieces with each part melting. In less then fifteen seconds, shortly after Cedric’s scream was cut off replaced by the whistling of the steam, all that was left of him was a shapeless mess of melted metal and flesh in a silver shinny goo.

Marvel collapsed, his body on the pipe, the headache on his head increased a thousand fold. His eyes watering, sights doubling and tripping at times. Pains and nausea threatening to steal his consciousness away. Does it matter anymore, seeing he is about to die anyway. Just then he noticed that his back press on the lead pipe was getting increasingly hot. That shouldn’t be possible. The lead pipe have highly dense thermal insulator built into them. Besides that, Marvel’s body armor has a heat sink tech that absorbs heat. So if the heat from this lead pipe can over come the thermal regulator on it and still penetrate the heat sink tech on Marvel’s armor, what ever it contains must be extremely hot.


Marvel didn’t have the time to figure that out as the blurry image of Cedric was before him and with survival instinct taking over, he rolled away from the advancing form. Cedric arm was punching for Marvel’s head one final time to smash it to bits once and for all, when the weakened form of the bounty hunter suddenly moved away. Cedric’s attack was already too far gone so he couldn’t pull back. His metallic arm hit the lead pipe Marvel was propped on with such force that it blow through the reinforced durasteel material it was made of.


Immediately a hot steam exploded out of the hole Cedric just punctured. The steam was colored orange and was the highly pressurized thermal plasma gas generated from the nuclear core of the power junction channeled through the pipes to power the giant turbines. Blowing out with the steam was semi liquid plasma fuel hissing with intense hit and liquefying everything it touches. The arm that punctured the hole melted seconds after it made contact with the pressurized plasma steam and fuel.


Cedric’s face didn’t show any kind of pain but a surprise as he pulled his arm out only to see a melted slap starring at him with metallic goo dripping from it. He couldn’t feel the pains yet as the arm is part of his silicon-fiber with titanium wire mesh web prosthetic limbs . Marvel saw what was happening and staggered to his feet with a renewed vigor. He looked around quickly for something to use. He saw the vibroblade but to get to it he has to go by the perplexed Cedric.


Turning back, he saw that one of his hand gun was on the floor about three meters away on the walkway. It was the M2000. It must have dropped over the edge of the upper walkway during the fight. Marvel ran quickly to it, picked it up and checked the magazine. It was just armor piercing rounds that was in it. He ejected that clip and pulled out another onewith both armor piercing and explosive rounds . Slapping the new clip in he looked up to see Cedric looking at him with darkened face clouded with anger, shaking the stump of his melted arm and parts of his body still melting slowly as the plasma gas blew from the punctured hole.

“Before you die, I want my face to be the last one you will see, I want you to go with this knowledge that you failed. Despite all your effort. That I, your most hated enemy killed you, rendered you powerless and weak before finally taking away your life. “ His eyes were clouding over as if in a kind of drug induced euphoria. “Know this that earth government has failed, soon not even humans will have the ultimate say in this galaxy. The mega corporations are making sure of that. Humans power will be secondary. Have you heard of Alpha project? No? Well it won’t matter much to you anyway. “ A loud electronic beeb sounded by his side which interrupted his monologue. The remote control /detonator by his side started blinking with tiny colored lights of green, orange and red.


“Ah my bomb is already active. Well time for me to take my leave to a safe distance before I trigger the explosion or its preset time clicks and it blows up all the same. “
In a final act of defiance, Marvel moved his head backwards, with a pounding mother of all headaches he smashed it into the nose of Cedric. The soft cartilage on them collapsed and blood spurted all over his face.


“You sick bastard . “ Cedric growled as he flung Marvel away from him.
The throw took Marvel off his legs and made him crashed into one of the massive lead pipes connected to the power junction.
“You just made your death all the more quicker and violent. “ Cedric said coming at Marvel wiping away the steady flow of blood dripping from his smashed nose.

Cedric was on him immediately. A blow to the side caused him to feel sharp pains, as breathing in was like diggers piercing his sides, he knew that blow must have cracked some ribs. More blows came with greater frequency and with each one, a part of Marvel’s body got crushed. Marvel could no longer stand erect, he was breathing fitfully. His sides were like fire burning constantly. His left arm is numb and useless. His legs were feeling like death weight.


He looked up at Cedric’s face and saw the look of triumph on his enemy’s eyes. Marvel felt bitter and sad, knowing there was no way to stop him. He was going to die, Cedric will kill him and gloat over his corpse. He has failed, the bomb will go off and Geneva will be vaporized. All senators will be consumed. Hundreds of thousands will die instantly from the explosion. Millions are going to get terminally affected from the secondary explosions and fallout. Earth government’s headquarters will cease to exist.


“I’m curious Marvel, how does it feel like knowing you are just seconds away from dying? “ Cedric asked as he walked slowly to the kneeling Marvel, grabbed him at his neck, lifted him up with one arm to look as his face. Marvel’s feet dangling some centimeters off the floor. “I mean I really want to know. When I almost died by your hand, it happened so fast that I didn’t have the time to think. “


Chuckling with uncontrollable glee he continued. “Ironic isn’t it? You were the one who promised to kill me slowly but that seem to be the reverse now. I get to be the one that slowly kill you. “
Cedric saw something about Marvel’s clothing which caught his interest, pulling him closer, he prodded at it with the index finger of his free hand. “Oh you were putting on some kind of body armor, small wonder you had survived this fight for this long. That’s cheating you know. “ He may have found that funny as he howled back in full laughter.

Staggering, Marvel stood up on unsteady legs. Every part of his body was in pain. His strength was failing and he was getting weaker and slower in response. Something glint at his eyes from the floor, it was the vibroblade. Before wondering how it got there, he dove at it, picked it up and threw it at Cedric’s head. A fast jerk of his head moved Cedric’s head away from the spinning blade but it niched a slight cut on his cheek.


Marvel followed up aiming again for the vulnerable head. Cedric’s arms came up again with speedy blurs, knocking off his attacks but a tiny opening came up and Marvel’s fist brushed slightly at his jaw. Cedric shook his head back in response and brought the fore head down in a vicious arc which he hammered on Marvel’s fore head. The impact was both painful and a shock to Marvel. It jarred Marvel’s neck almost making him pass out. Cedric followed it with a blow to the chest which made the bounty hunter tumble backwards.


Another flurry of attacks came on Marvel, most of which found their targets with Marvel’s defenses failing more and more to stop them. Marvel saw an opening which he took, punching for the general area if the head, which he later regretted as it became obvious that it was a feint as Cedric caught his hand on his metal fist. He hit down on Marvel’s grabbed arm with his second fist. A loud crack was heard, which signify Marvel’s bone shattering.


If there was any doubt to that, the sudden sharp pain Marvel felt definitely discounted all doubt. His body armor might protected him from most things, but the impact of the attack was too close and his hand was in a lock which centered the impact on that place without dispersing it. Marvel staggered a bit backwards, holding his almost useless arm by his side.

After that Cedric came at him again with another flurry of attacks, blows aiming for his head and sides, which Marvel deflected as best as he could. A blow to the side took the bounty hunter by surprise, knocking him off his feet. Followed by a sudden move by Cedric as he kicked at him which he dodge by rolling quickly out of the way. The feet hitting the metal floor created a huge dent. Marvel’s booted foot went up, hitting Cedric at the solar plexus aiming for the nerve cluster there just between the abdomen and the back bone.


With enough force, that kick can induced instant paralysis. He was rewarded with the loud sound of metal ringing, as the titanium steel setting of the boot’s sole came in contact with the metal prosthetic between Cedric’s legs and stomach.
“Sorry to disappoint you Marvel, my body is no longer wired the way a human body is . “ Standing erect he acted as if the vicious kick is just an inconvenient passing. “My body has been rewired, no more nerve clusters, just nanobots and cybernetic-neuro implants giving all my enhancements their life. “


Marvel said nothing as he feint with another kick to the torso, though hitting it with less power, getting the same result as before, he punch quickly, aiming for the smiling face of Cedric. The attack was fast, taking him by surprise. An attack Marvel put a lot of power into that if it hits the face, it should tear through it. As fast as it was, Cedric reaction was faster still. His two hands came up in a cross block form stopping the blow mere inches from the face and also grabbing Marvel’s arm in a vice.


A kick lashed out at Marvel’s stomach, which knocked him backwards but he was held back by his arm held in lock by Cedric. The force of it hitting his shoulder joints and arm brutally causing them to loose sensation for some seconds. Marvel clamped his mouth tight on the loud scream threatening to burst out of his lips. Three more repeated kicks like that dropped Marvel to the ground, groaning quietly. Marvel quickly rolled off as another kick descended which almost missed him but clipped his other shoulder.

Dagger79:
Marvel just met his match, he will be lucking to come out of this one alive without anyone's help. But how come no one is talkng about the ADA

Looool ADA is sulking, she refused to come down to the planet with them.

Cylovee:
I think I now understand the concept behind the title: Executive Sanction

Lol
I think it has to do more with the mega corporations fighting back after the bitter defeat they suffered at Marvel’s hands in part one. Hence the word "EXECUTIVE" for the mega corporations and "SANCTION" for their actions. silly me

“Don’t be surprised Marvel, that your attack on me with the vibroblade has no effect. You have my synthetic skin to blame. “


As Cedric spoke, Marvel looked closely and noticed that the areas he was sure he had cut Cedric with the vibroblade with, were flowing and crashing on themselves with multicolors. They flowed over the metallic parts then slowly covered the holes of the cuts.


“You see, the molecules of my synthetic flesh is in an usable state which are controlled by the program on the nanobots. “ Cedric spoke calmly as if addressing a group of sightseeing students. “ It works on similar principles as the vibroblade. That blade cuts through things at the molecular level, severing the bounding of each molecules. But my synthetic flesh with its nanobots don’t have any fixed molecular structures or shapes, so your vibroblade have no bounding to sever. Instead as it cuts through them, their molecular structures are being reformed. But instead of breaking apart, the programming on the nanobots keeps the shape going even after molecular reformation. “

Marvel’s body protested against the severe punishment it was subjected to by the million points of pains scattered over him. This was worse than when he fought against the cyborg. Then he had high grade weapons to help him but now all he has are just two handguns that have proved useless against his adversary. Though cyborg is obviously more powerful than Cedric, then Marvel had help but now his is just on his own. He knows that the Mole and Jade already have their hands full dealing with their own problems above. So he is all that is left to handle Cedric and prevent a disaster else Geneva is gone.


Marvel’s moves slowed down now because of his pains while Cedric came at him as if he hadn’t broken a sweat. He attacked Marvel, but instead of deflecting the blows Marvel opted to just avoid them, rolling out of the way of them. A forward roll took Marvel to move behind Cedric and then hit the back of his legs which knocked them both off the floor of the new walkway and he crashed heavily on it.


Marvel took the little respite to give himself some space as the new walkway was by far wider, at least three times as wide as the former one. This seem to be the walkway used to directly maintain the pipes and conduits to the power junction. As there are thick pipes and smaller ones all lined up by one side of the walkway and the other side is an open drop of several meters to the floor.


Marvel's hand went to the boot and pulled out his vibroblade. He activated it and was reassured by the low hum sounding from the blade to show it was active. Well the fast moving edges of the vibroblade is so sharp it is guaranteed to cut through anything, wood, stone and metal because its edge is sharpen to a molecular thinness. If Cedric recognized the new threat or was even worried about it, didn’t show on his face.


He came at Marvel again, fast as before. This time however, as Marvel dodged his attack, he lashed back against him, slashing with the fast moving edge of the vibroblade. It was after several cuts that Marvel realized that something was wrong, none of the slash or cut he had given to Cedric appeared to have any effect. Now that was strange.

Marvel changed tactics, adding as much feints as direct attacks too. Lots of the feints worked which left Cedric temporally opened at times which Marvel took advantage of to strike, but his attacks were all deflected. At least until a chanced unpredictable blow slipped past Cedric defenses and landed at his jaw. There wasn’t much force behind the blow but it was enough. Staggering back involuntary, Cedric turned his head both ways to clear the vertigo that threatened to overwhelm his senses.


“That’s really good Marvel, a lucky shot though but still good. “ Cedric spat out blood from his mouth the condescending smile vanishing. “Well I think it’s time I show you what you are really in for. “
Marvel braced himself and prepared to both attack and defend himself. Cedric seem to have changed his demeanor and is now going to take things seriously. Cedric attacked and it was like the fury of a windstorm. His blows were so fast that all Marvel could see of his hands were just streaks of shadows. As prepared as Marvel was, the attacks still surprised him. A thought continued to ring in his skull Cedric has been toying with him all this time.


In seconds Marvel felt arms of steel smashing into his body more than he could count. His body armor blunted the attacks but his body felt the impacts still. An unprotected body would have been broken to pieces by these attacks but Marvel was still standing, though every joints and bones in his body were jolted continuously.


A savage punch to the chest knocked Marvel off his feet to hit him on the ground about several feet behind. Before he could recover from the shock of that, he saw a blur of Cedric moving at him instinct moved him to shift his head. Which was not a second too soon as a metal fist aiming to squash his head hammered down at the place it was a second before. The fist impact dented the metal floor of the walkways.


Marvel raised both hands quickly to cover his face, he is just moving on instinct now. Another blow aimed for his head clashed against his raised arms and his whole body shook with the contact. Marvel kept moving his head side by side as he ducked the blows aimed at them but Cedric kept punching unabated, his fists creating mini craters on the walkway. Marvel grabbed the neck of Cedric suddenly, taking leverage of his unbalanced stand over him, with a quick jerk backwards, pushing up with his knees like a pivot, he threw his attacker over him.


He felt the walkway tremble under him as Cedric crashed behind him. He did a quick forward roll to give him space and distance to clear the proximity of his attacker. He was almost shocked to notice that as he was about getting up, Cedric was already up and racing at him. All his could do was swing his arms to deflect the coming man but his was too late. Cedric slammed into him but Marvel’s arm wrapped around him in a deadly embrace. The force of the hit pushed Marvel to smash into the thin metal girders which were raised on both sides of the walkways. But the weight of both fighters and the force with which they rammed it made it cave and they both fell over. As they fell, Marvel pushed himself away from Cedric, taking a quick look at where they are going to land. It was a drop of about fifteen feet. He braced him self for the impact before his body fell to another walkway below the one they were on. Cedric landed almost the same time with him but he was up before him.

Marvel dove at him his legs leaving the floor totally, forming his body into a ball midway as he crashed into the standing form of Cedric. The impact jolted him painfully as they both crashed on the ground . But Marvel ignored the pain, rolled away from the fallen adversary. Cedric was getting up from the floor when Marvel threw a fast punch at his head which Cedric blocked with a raised arm. Marvel anticipated that and gave his real punch into the exposed stomach. Cedric had he second arm on the ground to support his weight getting up so his stomach was unprotected, a tempting target Marvel couldn’t ignore. As Marvel’s gloved fist hammered at the stomach there was a loud ring as if metal hit on metal.


That blow was very strong, which if he had hit an ordinary man with the titanium setting on his gloves, on the least effect, the blow would have collapsed the lungs and mashed the heart. The intestine shifted out of alignment. At the worst, his fist would have tore through the soft flesh of the stomach to burst through the back snapping the spine into two. But on Cedric, the blow seems to have no noticeable effect. Apart from the body slightly moving with the impact nothing seem to happen. As Marvel watched a little taken aback, Cedric stood up, that annoying smile still plastered on his lips.


The bounty hunter attacked again. He rained down blows at Cedric, punching for the sides, some were deflected, others hit their targets but with no noticeable changes. While still continuing Marvel wanted to create another opening for a hit, which he got as Cedric stepped back to avoid a feint blow. The space gave him the distance he needed for a powerful drop kick. Marvel put his full strength behind the kick and aimed for his right knee. His boot sole already turned to titanium hit the knee and bounced off which threw Marvel awkwardly off balance and would have caused a sprain.


That strike was aimed to break the leg apart at that vulnerable joint. Even metallic parts are vulnerable at their joints but that doesn’t look like the case here. This was beginning to look like a fight Marvel can’t win with brute force. Taking his time to look over Cedric again, ignoring the annoying look on his face, searching for likely weaknesses.


All he could notice was that the only place that appears organic were his head, neck and part of his upper torso. But from the shock Marvel attack has given to his body, if his neck was completely organic, there would have been some noticeable effects, which means that there might be strong endo-metallic skeleton which would have replaced his back and neck bones, ditto to the upper torso as well. So the only viable target was the exposed head. And Marvel went for that. His fists blurred as they attack with a new vehemence. Cedric stood casually as he deflected the attacks with an ease which bothered Marvel slightly. He had fought Cedric before but he was never anywhere this good in hand to hand combat. So it would seem that besides his physical enhancements, Cedric seems to have improved greatly in his combat skills as well.

Inwardly, Marvel was worried. He never really prepared for any of this. Wiping out his second handgun, he brought both guns to bear on Cedric. Knowing him very well in the past he didn’t want to take just his words at face value but has to test the validity of his claims. Hands steady, he slowly squeezed both triggers. Bullets from the M 2000 and lazer bolts from the NAX Gauge went at the coming figure of Cedric whose only movement was to lift both his arm across his face in a cross arm fashion. The bullets and lazer bolts hit them then bounced off. Same with those that struck his legs and torso.


After halfway through full clips , Marvel reluctantly pulled his fingers away from the triggers and dropped both guns. He knew he was way over his head in this. The setting on his boot and gloves were still on the default rubber sole and leather but slowly he activated the control that turned them to titanium steel. His full body armor can give him some measure of protection but against the new improved Cedric, he wasn’t sure if there’s any guarantees.


“Good we took that out of the way, “ said Cedric slowly as he brushed his hand over his body as if wiping out dust. “I intend to fully repay you back for what you did to me years ago by tearing my face apart with your fists. Glad the micro surgery reconstructed my face. My arms have been aching to pay you back in kind. “
“It was unfortunate you survived and escaped the slow death I had planned for you then. Good news is I get another opportunity to do it now. “Marvel spoke as his body tensed ready to spring.


Cedric had stopped his slow forward move at this time holding something up in his hand. “I know your real reason of been here is not for me but to stop that. “ He pointed at the cylinder he had attached to a part of the power junction. “Well at the moment, my make shift bomb is active, heat is being absorbed into it and in a few minutes it will be ready to explode unless you can stop it. Let me make it simple for you. This is the remote control and also detonator for it. You can have it and stop the bomb threat. All you have to do is take it from me. “
Waving the remote control/detonator slowly in the air before him, Cedric slowly clipped it to the side of the belt on his waist. “You are free to come take it from me any time you are ready. Tick tok says the clock. “

“I’m sure you have met Jeffrey, head of Syntech. “ As he walked while speaking, the color on his skin started to change as if multicolored hue twirling together and starting to take on a stainless metal appearance. “I was the prototype of the tech that he used on himself to cure his illness. “
As Marvel watched, Cedric’s skin on his arms and legs with most of his torso took the appearance of mechanical appendage as the skin on it moved away from them.


“Dr. Guthrie was foolish to think he was among the foremost on neuro-cybernetic advancement. “ Cedric chuckled. “He didn’t know that Syntech already has a department solely dedicated to it. My almost dead body was discovered by a special search party of the mega corporation I was working for back then . They took my battered body to Syntech and they experimented on me. They were successful and replaced all my damaged body with mechanical parts. My bones were replaced with the mechanical parts made of silicon-fibre intertwined with titanium web for strength and durability. It can take hits from even a .50 caliber projectile and survive . It might be almost be indestructible. Then it was over laid with synthetic flesh and programned nanobots having the ability to take on the appearance of normal flesh. Even under metal detection, the mechanical parts appear as bones. “


With the flesh on his exposed limbs and most of his torso appearing with the shin of stainless steel, Cedric walked still closer to Marvel, each of his bare feet hitting the steel floor of the walkway with metallic thuds.
“While Mr. Jeffrey used the technology to save his life, I was built for fight and assassination. I have waited for years just to show you how improved I have become and kill you with it. “

Marvel turned to see that Cedric had raised the gun to point at the air tank. Marvel’s scream of no was swallowed up by the sounds of heavy gun fire from the air tank that hit Cedric several times as he jerked spasmodically being hit by the bullet. Before Cedric could fall, a rocket was fired from the tank which exploded on where he was standing, blowing him up. At least Marvel could see parts of his legs and arms torn off and his remains thrown over the bridge into the fast running river below. All Marvel could do was just watch and scream helplessly.


This wasn’t how he wanted Cedric to die. He wanted him to die a slow painful and agonizing death. He wanted him to feel everything Lina must have felt when he killed her. Cedric must have known this and preferred to die quickly, that was why he threatened an armored air thank with a gun without ammo. And the fools in the tank panicked and fired without thinking first. No way can a rifle bring down an air tank. Now Cedric had gotten what he wanted, a quick death. In a way Marvel felt cheated and bitter, that Cedric has won.


Days later the search for Cedric’s body produced nothing. Well there wasn’t much optimism that the body would be found anyway as it fell in a fast moving water. The body might have been buried under layers of sand, silt and mud deposits. Or the aquatic life forms might have snacked on it. Marvel wasn’t worried though as he saw Cedric taking several hits from the gun fire and got ripped apart by the explosion. Cedric was definitely dead.


“You are dead. “ Marvel said as his mind drifted back to reality after being pulled away from the past. “You died, I saw it. You were chewed to pieces by heavy caliber bullets and your body torn apart from the explosion. “
As a response Cedric slowly pulled down the front zipper of the coverall jumpsuit he wearing, pulled it down slowly and stepped out of it. Underneath he had just a tight fitting black singlet and shorts. His body bulged with well tuned muscles, corded sinews and rippling flesh. Lifting his head and facing Marvel, that same condescending smile on his face as if on a private joke still came up.