AGONY'S GAMBIT: Issue 1, Chapter 10

AEGIS Headquarters
Midtown, Freedom City

"She said that thousands of people were going to die. Where could she do that?"

"The possibilities are endless. Malls, apartment blocks, the transit system. There's no hockey game tonight due to the strike, but the Rayguns are playing the Chicago Bulls over at the Shuster Arena tonight, and U-2 has sold out the Liberty Bowl."

The Omnibot swiveled his sensor. "Who is U2?" He looked at the Eternal Sentinel, who shrugged.

"Hang on," the Sentinel said, frowning. "I'm sure I heard Agony humming something when the broadcast first began. Agent Morrison, could you please have the technicians play that back amplified?"

"Sure," Morrison said. "They'll need to digitally enhance it as well. . ." He spoke into his earpiece and paused. "Check! She was humming the tune to 'Pride (in the name of love)'. Definitely a U2 song."

"The woman has no taste in music," said Wave. Nine Lives laughed.

"How many people can the Liberty Dome hold?"

The Reformer's voice was hoarse. "It's an arena. Eighty thousand normally, but they'll have some sections restricted. The concert is sold out. Call it about sixty to seventy thousand, from all over the northeast."

"That's the target, all right." Nine Lives shook his head. "Do we call off the concert?"

"We can't," said the Reformer, "at least not in advance. If we do, she just sets off her poison somewhere else. We're better off increasing security there and finding her before the deadline rolls around. With luck we can have her behind bars before the concert even begins." Everyone else nods. "We can always cancel it at the last minute if we have to."

"All right, Code-4," Agent Morrison said. "Department databases are at your disposal. We have less than 24 hours. Let's find her and shut her down."

Next Day, Mid-morning

"Ten hours left." Reformer passed a weary hand over his eyes. "All night, and nothing solid. We know the head of the fan club was a good chemist, but not that good. We've been to her house and the school lab and interviewed everyone she knows. Everyone liked her, said she was obsessed with 9-L, and didn't know where she was. That adds up to a big fat useless zero."

"Heck," said Nine Lives, "her best friend even told us that she seemed less fixated on me during the last year." He seemed to have responded to fatigue by just seeming more awake. "Agent Morrison, any updates on the different lines of investigation we requested?"

"Hang on, there should be one by now." He murmured into his ear piece, listened for a few minutes, and looked up.

"Okay, we may have a break. We have a couple of leads based on the information you requested. There were two freak deaths at Jordan International Airport five weeks ago. A private jet came in from Seattle; two known pilots, no passengers listed. They set down at the airport, taxied, and then never left the plane. When people checked, both pilots were dead. It's still unsolved. Poison is suspected." Code-4 looked at one another.

"No known passengers?"

"No. The plane is still locked up as evidence at the airport. The FCPD is investigating it, and I think one of the kids from NextGen went out to take a look. No leads."

"Anything else?"

"Boulder asked for a computer search on any industrial chemical companies in the city. We have one anomaly. Kason Chemical over in Hanover is currently shut down while health investigators find out what sort of odor is making people sick. There's worry that it's a process leak, but no one has been able to find it yet."

"Chemical factories closed thanks to some sort of odor making people sick?" Boulder's inflexible face looked disdainful. "You did check this out, right?"

"We did indeed." Agent Morrison looked vaguely hurt. "A sweep team went through it. Clean."

"Well, we'll check it out anyways," crackled the Omnibot. "I don't like the sound of that. How long has it been shut down?"

There was a pause while Morrison checked his notes. "Three weeks."

The Eternal Sentinel glanced at the robot. "We don't have much time left, so we should split our forces. Wave, Boulder and I will investigate the airport. You can check the chemical plant with 9-L and Reformer."

"Does everyone have cell phones?" asked Nine Lives.

"My service got cut off," said the Reformer. Everyone else shook their heads as well, and Nine Lives rolled his eyes skyward.

"I got a radio," said Boulder. "Stay in contact."

"Absolutely," said the Omnibot. "Let's roll."