Issue #16: "Genesis, Part Two"

The death of Damon Hardy, UN Ambassador for the United States, shocked the diplomatic corp as well as his private interests. There were nearly four hundred grand to lose each time a genetically engineered human was killed. Research didn’t come cheap especially when the government was involved. Hardy’s ‘soldier’, Pricilla, had died by the hands of another experiment, Bryce Holloway. One of the interested parties that Ambassador Hardy had conscripted for his plans was Brian Rockwell. Brian Rockwell was the administrator for the Laboratory of Genetic Enhancement. Rockwell had one of the many contracts with the U.S. government to create the perfect soldier that would allow the United States to have elite armed forces and bring an end to tyranny.

Being so involved had carried such a negative stigma that Rockwell’s organization had basically operated in the shadows, because the general mood of the country was that if one of the genetic offerings became a contagion; humanity would suffer or die. It was debated in the corners of the Armed Services Committee in Congress, but that didn’t concern Rockwell because he knew that he could manipulate the facts well enough to the point that he could get the funding. It was a win-win scenario they would get the soldiers and he would get the funding. Major concerns lied in that since this Black Panther had emerged from the control of L.G.E, which meant that, there was a rouge element. Very few people knew what was happening behind the scenes because it was so controversial, even to the people that were paying the bills.

Rockwell smoothed back his blonde hair that had strayed to his forehead as he dialed out. “Yes, get me the Under Secretary please.” He paused as he waited. “Yes, I’ll hold.” His own personal secretary walked in as she had a file that she placed on his desk. It was labeled. ‘B. Holloway.’

He mouthed the words. “Thank you.”

There was a voice on the other side as Rockwell flipped through the file. “I have read your report, and I can confirm that the Secretary Mendoza is extremely concerned.” Her voice was cool and even.

“The Ambassador didn’t leave us much room to negotiate, Susan..” He carried on the conversation as he sat down and read some of the summaries that had been done on Holloway’s mental capabilities.

SUBJECT: B. HOLLOWAY:

ATTRIBUTES: Superhuman speed, hearing, agility and deductive reasoning.

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES: Trained in psionics.

NOTES TO FOLLOW: TOP SECRET.

He closed the file as he put his focus back on the conversation. “Yes President Lord is looking into the theft of the Metronium now, Brian.” She finally had relented and opened up a bit.

“Yes I know about that, Susan.” He followed her logic. “But I don’t know where Holloway is at.”

Her voice curled a bit of held anger. “Wonder Woman and whoever else she brings into this are going to be a thorn in our side.” She sighed, as she knew he was doing the best he could, “This has the potential of blowing up in our faces pretty damn fast.”

“I know, but finding him is going to be something I am going to need help with.”

“The government is already looking for him, but if you are able to find him… maybe you can bring him back into the fray.”

“Doubtful.”

“You better do something, Brian or I will.” Her tone was much more direct than it started off.

“I am trying but your people aren’t giving me much.”

“We can’t, Dr. Rockwell. Goodbye.” She slammed the phone down.

“Goodbye.” He whispered to himself. After hanging up he flipped the file open again. Of course that was going to be a response that she was never going to hear because she was intent to prove to him that their program was dangerous and couldn’t be controlled. Her criticisms were still fresh in his mind and he believed she was wrong.

“Miss Wiggins, please the plane prepared. I am going to New York… I have some people I need talk to.”

“Yes sir.” She called back to him.

He sat back in his chair as he did some thinking; things were forging ahead. He needed to be sure that he could cover his own tracks once the media became aware of the governments involvement to usurp the meta-human community. His recent experience with the program was still new, but in that time had found that were elements in the country and the world that wanted protection. He swore to himself that he wasn’t going to let this get personal, but when he had been threatened over and over by Mendoza and now by Susan it just boiled his blood. He was promised to be a partner in this whole ordeal, but he was nothing but a lackey… or in his mind, a patsy. The warning signs had been there all along. He just hadn’t been prepared to look for them and now he was in too deep.

He grabbed the ‘Black Panther’ file and headed out to the private airport where his Cessna was.

Bryce Holloway was a man of contradictions; he was supposed to be the man to help put an end to tyranny, but instead he was the man that had killed in the name of tyranny. So much evil that one person could commit was difficult to contend with because so much depended on how you were able to control your emotions from being primordial. He found it increasingly difficult that on one hand he was supposed to protect humanity by genetic design, but on the other he was forced to make the hard choice and kill those that had served or could serve in the name of justice.

He looked over his files as he typed into his laptop. The good thing about being mobile was that he could go anywhere. But, not having roots or a family was always a drawback to him. He was born in a test tube and bred to kill… someone.

He was trying to like who he was because he felt he had some humanity left in him, but that was few and far between in most stretches. Killing to him was more about trying to protect who you once were then who you were now.

His current lair was an abandoned warehouse in the docks region of New York. He was located on the rafters as he watched them take out their guns and flashlights. He just shook his head… Men are such worrisome creatures, he pondered, as he flipped down from the rafters twenty feet above, and landed on his feet as he saw them.

He looked through his black hood as they raised their guns. “I do have other things I could be doing, gentlemen. But, I am here because there are things that need to be done.”

“We were told to expect you.” The elder hood spoke up as he lit a cigarette.

He just waved his hand at the smoke. “Good, at least we’re on the same page then.”

“You’re bad news, Panther.” The youngest one was shaking a bit, as he had heard about the bombing at the DEO building.

“Yes, I have been told that as well.” He simply retorted.

“Are we doing this or what?” The older guy pointed a table that was mainly used for card games and they all went to sit down. “The shipment was exactly as you said it would be.”

Holloway raised an eyebrow. “I told you as such, but I was told I would receive payment in full.”

“We’ve run into some problems with that. Seems to be some people aware of our business here…” He shrugged.

“I have my orders, Francioni.” He looked at him quite annoyed now.

“You put freakin’ Wonder Woman on our tails!”

“She is of little concern.” Holloway had disinterest in his voice. “I delivered the metronium to you and I expect to be compensated for that.”

“I know you ain’t completely ‘super,’ Kitty-boy.” He took out a gun and aimed at him.

Holloway quickly jumped up and leaned out of the way as the bullet nearly hit him. His autonomic reflexes were extremely in tuned to his concentration. He could kill at anytime he chose. He jumped up and kicked one of the gunmen in the face as he sent him over into a pile of boxes. Holloway looked at the other gunmen. “I have killed over forty people so far, Franky… Rest assured I will kill you as well if you do not give me what I came for.”

“Listen… Panther, I mean.” He was shaking in fear.

He approached as he put his hands on his head. “Give me what I want.”

She jumped up and took out her lasso and twirled in the air as it gained enough speed for her to snag Holloway around the waist. She was tired of getting pushed around as she spun around extremely quickly, so fast that The Flash would be a little dizzy. His momentum caused him to crash through the glass window in the upper-level of the warehouse building. She saw him pass out from the concussive blast. She flew down in front of Rockwell as he pulled out a gun and fired it at her. She rapidly blocked the bullets with her bracelets and she looked at him with a smirk. “I thought you knew better than that.”

“Apparently, not.” He mimicked her as she grabbed her lasso again and lassoed him. The moment of truth had come as she pulled the golden rope tightly around him. “The lasso compels you to tell the truth, Dr. Rockwell.”

“I will obey.” He simply said as he was under the direct power of the lasso.

“Why are you killing metahumans?” She looked him with her voice even and still.

“We’re trying to create a race that will allow us to survive attacks…”

“Attacks from whom?” She responded.

“From the Justice League; from people like you, Wonder Woman.”

“We’ve never attacked you or the government, Rockwell. Who is behind this?”

“It goes all the way up… to the President of the United States.”

She raised her eyebrows as she landed finally on her feet. “I… I can’t believe that.”

“That’s what I was told.”

She raised her fist and knocked him out completely.

The police came in as they shined light in the warehouse. A NYPD detective got out of his car as he walked over to the pair that had been tied up by Wonder Woman. He read a note that had been left by her. “These two are partially responsible for murders at the Federal building. She had left a file so that the police could use it in their investigation.

“Looks like we’ve got a guardian angel.” A beat cop announced as the Detective thumbed through the file. “Metahumans that are put together to destroy us… in favor of a new master race?” He looked up at the cop. “Sounds like Adolph Hitler to me.”

“If you say so.” He said. “I just wished I could have seen Wonder Woman.”

He nodded quietly. “You and me both… she might be able to answer some questions I have.”

As the cops searched the rest of the warehouse one of them came across something “Hey Lieutenant get a load of this.” He handed him a flash-drive necklace. “What do you think it is?”

He looked at him. “I don’t know, but I am getting the feeling that this goes way deeper than just a simple arrest.” He paused and sighed. “That’s for sure…”