ADVENTURE 024 SEQUEL When Professor Frink returned from the bathroom, the other agents were scrambling for weapons and electronic surveillance equipment.
“Professor,” Andy ordered loudly as he cocked his gun, “Find the front door camera screen. See who’s there.”
Frink didn’t know what was happening, but he didn’t want to risk it. He raced into his apartment’s “livingroom” and climbed over a few piles of metal components and electronics to reach the camera station. He had the apartment wired, exterior and interior.
He looked at the front door monitor and saw three shadowy figures .He relayed this information.
“Three Caucasian males, mid-to-late thirties, all unarmed,” the researcher shouted.
Then he saw the door open on the screen. Johnson was ready to talk.
***
Johnson opened the door and stared at the three men in black in front of him. The Bureau 13 agent could have spun around and been one of them if he chose to.
“Agent Johnson,” the lead man began, “you have something we want.”
***
Andy crept silently in the hallway behind Johnson, gun at the ready. He had Bionic dim the lights so the his night-vision goggles would become useful. So far, the men were just talking with Mark.
***
Agent Bionic was pointing his shotgun at the exit door of his apartment flat. Inside his bedroom, Ted Roget was cuffed and gagged on the bed.
Bionic might have thought the BDSM thing a little queer if not for the circumstances. Now, he had to protect Roget until Agent Johnson brought everything to a conclusion.
***
“Agent Johnson, come in,” Professor Frink said over the earpiece transmitter. “I have positively identified the three men at the door to be men in black.”
Then, two replies came almost simultaneously. “I know, Agent Frink. Agent Johnson out,” was one. The other was “The men in black do not exist,” coming from three electronic voices in unison.
Amazingly, the Professor couldn’t track down the source of the other three voices until he looked at the camera. There, he saw the men in black on the porch lower their hands from their ears.
***
“We need Mr. Roget, Agent Johnson,” the man on the left said.
“And you’re going to give him to us whether you want to or not,” said the lead.
“Although we already know that you will surrender him willingly,” said the one on the right emotionlessly.
“It is in your programming,” the lead explained.
“Why do you need him?” Mark asked cooly, returning the expressionlessness the men displayed.
“He is a wanted felon, Agent Johnson,” the front man explained, “And we know you want to do the right thing for the system.”
Johnson asked another question. “What makes you so sure you can extract him, even with my help? The other members of my team might not want to surrender him.”
“Agent Gardner in your hallway with a sidearm, Agent Frink upstairs unarmed, Agent Pemental in his apartment with a shotgun guarding Mr. Roget,” the lead said knowingly. “We have superior firepower and numbers.” The man in black slowly turned his head to his side. Behind him, dark figures moved.
Then Frink voice crackled over the earpiece, “I’m detecting loads of forms, all human, all armed, surrounding the entire apartment, Agent Johnson.” If the lead man in black could have smiled, he probably would have.
“Don’t you fear an Illuminati retaliation?” Johnson asked, keeping his hands confrontational.
“Agent Johnson, we’d have no qualms about leveling your apartment and half of this neighborhood. We do not fear the Illuminati or any other group,” the lead said. “Now give us Mr. Roget.”
***
Bionic heard a crash from his bedroom that caused him to lose focus for a moment. Then the annoying intruder alarm went off, followed by the very annoying proximity alarm. That was followed by Frink’s ultra-annoying voice on his earpiece telling him that Roget had decided to escape.
Bionic left his position and climbed over his workout station to get to his bedroom. Inside, he saw shattered glass on his bed and an empty window frame.
“That’s it,” he yelled as he leaped onto his bed and out the window. He’d had enough of this hacking nerd disrupting his life.
On the ground, he saw a bloody Ted Roget, apparently unconscious. Damn, he thought, I can’t torture him. Then Bionic looked up.
When he saw the dozens of figures moving toward him, he realized that it wasn’t Mr. Roget who sprung the proximity alarm.
***
The man in black to his left moved his head slightly toward his earpiece, as if listening in to something. The man then said electronically, “Apparently, your team has already tried to evacuate Mr. Roget.”
The one on the right then said, “It seems they are trying to undermine your authority.”
Johnson, under his calm composure, was shocked. His own team?
The lead one turned his head slightly toward his earpiece and said, “A member of your team is providing difficulty in our apprehension of Mr. Roget, Agent Johnson. Order him down before we allow our men to open fire.”
Johnson walked out of the entryway and turned for the back. He gestured for the men in black to follow. He noticed the lead one show something distantly related to a grin.
***
The dark-armored man jabbed Bionic in the stomach a few times. The blows were powerful enough to send him staggering back into another dark-armored man. Bionic felt a few more blows to his lower back. Some bones snapped.
Bionic gasped in pain, though he knew he’d be fine again soon. He managed to duck from a third man swinging a heavy truncheon at his head. Unfortunately, a fourth trooper had launched himself at Bionic. The heavily-armored man landed on top of Bionic, knocking him to the ground. Several other troops threw themselves on Bionic.
Bionic had to focus. If he did, he’d be out of this in a second. He pushed the taste of the combat boot out of his mouth and the smell of sweat and metal out of his nose. He ignored the kicks and blows coming from either side to the best of his ability. Then he felt it happening.
Yes, he felt the power growing. His muscles bulged as he lifted. He pushed out all of his limbs with all of his strength and then the bodies on top of him shifted. Bionic pushed more and soon, the bodies were flying off of him.
***
Johnson observed the scene. The strike troopers flew off of Bionic in an arc as the agent pushed them off. Other strike troopers raced into the area armed with heavy night sticks.
Before any more combat could occur, Johnson barked, “Agent Bionic, stand down! That’s an order.”
The beleaguered Bionic shifted his head toward the team leader. His bruised and bloodied face displayed surprise at seeing Johnson standing next to three other men in black suits and ties.
Johnson explained, “We are turning Mr. Roget in to the authorities. You do not need to fight these men.” Johnson’s voice nearly cracked at this. His fellow team member would go un-avenged for his beating.
By now, Agent Andy was next to Johnson. His expression was blank.
Then the lead man in black said, “You made the right choice, Agent Johnson.”
Johnson and Andy watched as a few strike troopers lifted Roget’s unconscious body and carried him to a black van on the street.
The men in black returned to their sedan and the other troops disappeared before the police could arrive to investigate.
***
“Do you think we’ll see them again?” Andy asked Johnson as Bionic was lifted onto a medical stretcher.
Both agents were still expressionless. Johnson didn’t answer. “Tell Agent Frink not to show any footage to the police. We’ll alter our accounts to match a gang attack.” Before Andy walked away, Johnson added, “Your support in my decision is appreciated.”
“Don’t mention it,” Andy said electronically, mimicking the men in black.
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