The sound of the doorbell echoed to the second floor where Marty was.  After he set down the book he was reading on human anatomy, he made his way downstairs where he found Caelia, who had answered the door, and Thomas at the entrance.

“You’re looking lovely as ever,” He said to her with his typical businessman smile.

“Thank you,” She replied with a slight bow and an embarrassed expression. “And thank you for taking such good care of us.”

“It’s been a pleasure.”

“Right on time I see,” Marty said as he walked up next Caelia.  As he did so, he took her hand gently. She tensed up, momentarily out of surprise before she returned it.  She looked down in embarrassment as her cheeks took on a slight pink hue.

“Of course.  I get to see such lovely and beautiful faces every time I visit.  You are such a lucky young man.”

“Yes, I am blessed with a wonderful family,” Marty flatly replied as he tightened his hold of Caelia’s hand.

“Before we go, I have what you ordered,” Thomas said as he handed Marty a case.  

Marty opened it, after he released Caelia’s hand, to reveal the top rim mirrored sunglasses within. Marty turned so only Caelia could see him and put them on. “How do they look?” He asked her as he alternated them to reveal his eyes.  When she noticed that he had draconified his eyes, she realized what he meant.  

“They look good.  Nothing out of the ordinary,” Caelia replied to subtly indicate that the soft red glow of his eyes couldn’t be seen through the sunglasses.

“Next are these,” Thomas said as he handed two more objects, which Marty took.  The first was an item that was an engraved knife handle. Marty pressed a button near the end, and a 4 inch long, durable, and sharp knife blade came.  However, he also pushed the subtitle button on the back of the dragon head hilt. From the dragon figure’s mouth came a robust blue flame shot out to show it was also a mini-torch.  The other object was a small case with a cigar in it. “Do you have everything you need?” Thomas asked as Marty put them away on his person.

“Yes, I’m ready to go whenever,” Marty replied.

“Very well, let’s go.”

“If the girls ask where I am, tell them I’ll be back before dinner,” Marty said to Caelia as he retook her hand.

“I understand,” She said, still embarrassed.

“One more thing,” Marty began with a soft smile as he approached her.  She froze in surprise at the warmth of his lips on her forehead. It took a couple of seconds for it to fully sink in as her expression became cuter and her face grew redder. “I’ll be back soon,” He whispered to which she looked down and nodded.

He let go of her hand and turned to see Thomas with a smile. “Are you finding something amusing?”

“Just enjoying the splendor of youth,” Thomas replied with a chuckle as they exited the mansion.

“So what can you tell me about SUEMA?”  

“They are a creation of the UN passed by a vast majority of the UN members in response to the potential threat that SUPERs bring. It’s an attempt to bring useful and honorable Supers together in case otherworldly threats and emergencies.”

“Like space aliens?” Marty sarcastically asked as they entered the car.

“Probably, but most other SUPERs or invaders from other worlds.”

“Seeing as they are a UN organization, I assume they have authority on an international level?”

“For nations in the UN, yes.  However, the exact level of cooperation will vary by country.”

“It can’t be helped, and perhaps it shouldn’t be.  What type of authority do they have?”

“So long as a SUPER is involved, they can mobilize the local punitive force.  Depending on the seriousness and rank of the agent, they can even petition for military action.”

“What is the definition of being involved?”

“That is something you should ask the director.”

“Then, I shall hold the questions for the director.”

“…”

“…”

“So, who is your favorite in bed?” Thomas asked with a straight face.  

No sooner had he said that then the car suddenly swerved as both he and the driver felt a cold blast.  Neither of them knew for sure that it came from Marty though they could’ve guessed from the veins that appeared on his forehead.  They sat in silence for the remainder of the drive.

...

“Dally and Cross to see Director Turner,” Thomas said as he and Marty approached the receptionist’s desk.

“Identification please.”

“You brought your badge I hope,” Thomas said as he pulled out his identification.

“I did,” Marty replied as he showed it to the receptionist as a look of surprise appeared on her face.

“Is this your first time to the agency, Mr. Cross?” She asked.

“It is.”

“Wait a second.  Here you go.” She said as she handed Thomas a visitor pass and an identification badge to Marty.

“Mr. Dally, please return this before you leave.  Mr. Cross, you may keep and show your identification whenever you come to a SUEMA building.  Just let them scan it for authentication, and you should be good to go. Please go over to that elevator.”

“I understand, thank you,” Marty said as he and Thomas their way to it. “Unless this is a temporary building, the security seems very lax seeing as you can see through everything,” Marty said as he observed on the transparent plastic walls.

“I wonder about that,” He said with a smile before he nodded to the elevator operator as they entered.

After they had entered and the elevator doors closed, the elevator operator took out a key and opened the emergency panel, which had an additional button.  After he pressed it, the elevator began to move down even though there was no indication of a lower level.

“This is a little better.  I hope it isn’t on any blueprints.” Marty said as they went down.

“It isn’t. I know since Mr. Smith helped fund its construction.”

“He has his hand in everything, doesn’t he.”

“Of course,” Thomas replied with his businessman smile.

After they had down several seconds longer than what would’ve seemed reasonable, the elevator doors finally opened.

“The director’s room is to the left.  Just look for the nameplate.” The elevator operator said as they exited and followed his directions.  

“Come in.” A voice called out after Thomas knocked on the door.  They entered to see a man who appeared to be in his 40s who wore reading glasses as he looked over papers.  He had short black hair, and his face seemed to have a permanent serious look. “Dally and Cross, I presume?” He said as he put away his glasses, stood up, and reached out to shake their hands. “Welcome to SUEMA, Mr. Cross,” He said as he shook Marty’s hand.

“Thank you, but I should tell you I received no notification and did not apply for this.”

“As I have been informed.  You may refuse if you wish.  However, given your performance in the incident two years ago, I would appreciate your assistance.”

“Please, I didn’t do anything so significant.”

“Really?  I heard you narrowed down the potential locations significantly to find the nuclear bomb with the limited manpower and time available.  Without you, it was quite probable that millions would’ve died.”

“I just heard something extraordinary,” Thomas said with surprise.

“Does he have the proper security clearance,” Marty asked Turner slightly angry that something he wanted to keep secret was so easily said.

“Of course he does.  He wouldn’t be allowed down here if he didn’t.”

“I want to hear about this,” Thomas said with a smile. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll just look at the necessary documents.”

“Fine,” Marty replied with a sigh. “To cut it short, a terrorist organization got hold of a nuclear bomb and was threatening to detonate it in the area.  One of my previous professors was an advisor helping to locate them, and he recommended me. I just used the probability formulae along with a couple of others and used them to narrow down the most probable locations optimizing our manpower.  I would not have been able to do anything without the vast amount of gathered data, so there’s no way I can take significant credit.”

“Still, for a 16-year-old to contribute so much.  We hope to see much more from you in the future.” Turner said just before someone knocked the open door.  

“Pardon me, Mr. Turner, but I have an update if you’re not too busy.” An employee asked.

“Go ahead.”

“This is information regarding the report of potential threats or blackmail attempts made to certain politicians in an attempt to promote the new legislation to recognize Offworlder marriages, particularly polygamist marriages.  We do have confirmation that these threats have occurred but do not have confirmation about how many politicians have received such threats.”

“Have you been able to confirm anything else?”

“One of the politicians mentioned one of his blackmailers was of the female form and had features that were like an animal with multiple tails. This most likely makes that individual an Offworlder.”

“It makes the possibility that the offender is most likely an Abductee who came back with a harem.  That should narrow down the potential suspects to about a thousand.”

“Seriously?” Marty asked in shock. “That many people have come back with harems?”

“Yes, it’s becoming more common,” Turner replied as Thomas covered his mouth to hide his smile and hold back his laugh. Turner turned back to the employee, “Any other significant information?”

 “We also came to the same conclusion that someone who came back with a harem was involved.  As such, we’ve already begun attempting to narrow down the list of suspects prioritizing important individuals first.”

“Anyone I should be aware of?”

“Well… That is…” The employee stammered as he looked at Marty.

“Go ahead,” Marty said with a sigh.

“Mr. Cross, who came back with four women who he claimed to be his wives, is most likely not involved.  In all cases, the threats occurred while he was still offworld, and the features of the individuals do not match.”

“Well, that’s good then.  If there’s nothing else, you may go.” Turner said to the employee, who nodded and left.

“I’d like that information kept out of the public eye if you would,” Marty said with a sigh.

“While I can’t make it confidential, I can take measures to prevent it from being spread unnecessarily.”

“That’s all I desire.  Now going back to what we were talking about.”

“Yes, SUEMA stands for Supers Universal Emergency Management Agency. It’s a UN agency which is made in response to the potential threat of The Convergence. It’s made up of a combination of normal people and Supers.”

“I understand the gist of the organization.  Could you explain what my position and duties would be?”

“Of course.  Firstly, let me explain that there are two types of agents, active and reserve.  Active agents are those which are required to work and receive a salary. Reserve agents, like you, are considered civilians.  Technically, you are not required to respond to an emergency even if you are requested. This is because you have an active counterpart which should be doing your job already.  However, due to the nature of the work, we want to ensure that we have the backup personnel. I should tell you; you do receive small pay and other benefits. Even though you are a reserve member, if a super is involved, and you show your badge, you will have control over at least the police force.  Given your position, you could even call in SWAT or the Military as you deem necessary.”

“Wait, how highly I’m I ranked?”

“The basic power structure of this agency from weakest the strongest is Assistant Secretary, Secretary, Agent, Supervisory Agent, Deputy Chief, Vice Chief, Joint Chief, and Director.”

“So, seeing as my badge says I am the ‘Reserve Joint Chief Analyst and Advisor,’ only you would be my boss?”

“Yes, even though you are in a reserve position you would still technically be one of the agents who would have authority below only me, though I still answer to a UN council.”

“I see.  Seeing as I would most likely be called in any way, I suppose having the authority should something happen near me would be useful.  Is there anything else I should know? I don’t like surprises.”

“No. I understand that you have good security so we may ask for your advice by sending you information online.  You wouldn’t even have to leave your home.”

“I can probably do that.  What if I want to resign?”

“We ask for a week’s notice, that’s all.”

“… Fine. I accept.”

“Very good. If you gentlemen would follow me to the control room?” Turner asked. After they had followed him a short way, they entered a large room.  There were many computer terminals throughout the middle of the room with large displays on the opposite wall. It was almost as if it was mission control for space launch.  

“This is the control room where we monitor reports from all over the world,” Turner said after entered. “So long as it is reported, we get and sort through the information to assess and figure out the best way to proceed.”

“You aren’t breaking privacy laws I hope.”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Playing dumb doesn’t work in the legal system.”

“There isn’t much else to tell or show you so you may do as you-” *Beep Beep*.  An alarm rang as the computer flashed a warning sign that interrupted Turner. “What’s going on?”

“We are being hacked, Sir.” One of the employees said as he frantically typed, and many others did the same.

“Hacked?” Turner asked with a look of disbelief. “We have one of the best security systems on the planet.  We shouldn’t be easily hacked. Have you begun a backtrace?”

“Yes sir, but that’s just it. It’s jumping all over the world and even creating fake trails.  We can’t keep up, and it’s breaking our defenses at a pace that shouldn’t be possible.” He said as his face paled.

“Move aside,” Marty said to one of the employees at the terminal, who looked over to Turner for confirmation before he got up.  Marty frantically began to type as different windows appeared and disappeared quickly. “This is bad. Whoever or whatever it is has more processing power than I would’ve thought possible.  No, it’s toying with us. It’s almost like it knows the weak points and any relevant information like passwords already. It’s blasting through firewalls like they’re nothing. I think it intentionally let us know that it was hacking us.”

“Why would it do that?”

“A superiority complex?  Letting us know that there’s nothing we can do? I’m slowing it down a little, but it will make no difference.” Marty replied as he continued to type frantically.

“I see,” Turner said as he rubbed his brow disbelief.

“It should have complete control in five seconds,” Marty replied as he gave up.

Almost on cue, all the screens in the control room went white.  Then, a single letter M appeared in a fancy character type.

“Greetings agents of SUEMA, I am M.” A greatly distorted voice said through the equipment. “This has been a demonstration to ensure that all of you know what you are dealing with.  There exist things which far exceed that which you refer to as reality. You are going to be facing powers greater than you know. Do not be mistaken; this is not a threat but a friendly warning.  I have contacted you today in the hopes that we can come to a working arrangement. Would this interest you, Director Turner?”

“That depends on what you have to say,” Turner said, clearly not thrilled.

“Recently, a criminal organization has caught my attention.” The voice said as the image changed to a symbol. “They call themselves Hydra and deal in technology that is not of this world.  If money isn’t their objective, it can only be surmised that world domination is.”

“We have received reports of them.  What are you proposing?”

“As you can see, I have access to technology superior to your own.  I also do not have the same… constraints as you. However, I lack significant manpower.  As such, I can provide information to you which you can react to. All you have to do is not complain about where the information comes from.”

“Are you suggesting we break the law?”

“Not at all. I’m simply giving you plausible deniability.  Plus, let’s be honest. Those who enforce the law, by definition, do not have to follow it.”

“That is a dark line of thinking.”

“You call it dark, but not wrong.  After all, those who make laws need to have the power to enforce them.  If they have the power to enforce them, then they have the power not to. I’m merely offering you another source of information and power.”

“What’s your angle?” Marty asked as he stood up.

“One second, please. Let’s see.  Dr. of Humanities, Marty Truth Cross, age 18.  Considered a genius by many, probably due to their lack of vocabulary.  Currently a Rank F Super, you came back and are currently living with-”

“Stop right there,” Marty said with an angry tone.

“Did I say too much?  Forgive me; I just felt I should know who you are if I’m to answer such a personal question.  The answer is secrecy and security. I would rather not risk my neck dealing with them, nor make an enemy of SUEMA.  Besides, I think you already know why I am doing this.”

“You believe Hydra has already infiltrated the UN, its countries, and this very agency.  By giving select information to certain individuals, you can hinder Hydra operations while weeding out their agents through information leaks.  A dangerous game.”

“Is it that obvious?  It seems there is one more person I truly have to be wary about, although I do not wish to make an enemy of one possessing hyperintelligence.  At any rate, I shall leave for now and will contact you again at a later date when you have made your decision.”

The letter disappeared, and the typical display returned.  The computers were no longer locked, and standard functionality was resumed.  Marty looked over to Director Turner whose expression was just as serious as ever.  He motioned for Marty to follow as he made his way back to his room.

“What do you think?” He asked Marty as he and Thomas entered with him.

“About how a single entity just hacked the main headquarters of an organization meant to deal with said individuals?  I feel so much more secure.” Marty sarcastically replied.

“I’m not in the mood for that type of humor.”

“I wouldn’t trust him completely, but he isn’t wrong either.  If Hydra does have Offworlder technology, it means they most likely have a way to travel between worlds.  Given this information, they could quite possibly become a threat beyond what this agency can handle. At the very least, it would be better to keep him close.  Seeing as he can hack into your system without you even noticing if he wanted, you don’t have much choice. Go ahead and send me any relevant information he wants.  If I didn’t already, I’ve most likely gained his attention, so I’m involved whether I like it or not.”

“I suppose I should be honored for you to take measures against me,” M says as his masked voice came through Turner’s computer.

“It seems technology is no longer allowing us privacy,” Marty replied with a sigh.

“Is it my fault that this planet’s technology is so pathetic that I can hack it without much effort?  At any rate, Marty, I will relieve one of your future actions. After a day of analysis, I have determined that director Turner is completely clean of Hydra influence.”

“You investigated me?” Turner asked.

“Of course.  There is no point in saving a wounded beast if its mind was corrupted.  I shall be frank with you, should you not accept my help it will only be your loss.  I shall continue gleaning information from your network regardless of your will, and you shall gain nothing from my own.  I should also mention that I do have a powerful agent who will be working for me, but this person cannot be in more than one place at a time, and it is limited in availability. I’m going to start an analysis of the rest of SUEMA’s operatives, but they may have hidden or omitted relevant information so even I may not detect anything amiss.  Hopefully, we will not only cut off Hydra’s heads but burn their stumps.”

“I suppose it would not be a good idea to make an enemy of you,” Marty said as he scratched his head.

“Nor I of you.  Director Turner, I hope you will take my offer seriously.  Until we next speak.” M finished before an audible click was heard.

“What are the chances he still listening?” Turner asked me.

“Probably little.  However, I imagine he’s using the internal microphones found throughout this facility to record all conversations within it and have a program sift through them sending the important matters to him and is storing the rest.”

“... You are right.  I would not wish him to be an enemy.”

“Of course, this also means that our enemies may have similar abilities, so we simply do not know who our enemies are.”

“… I’m going to have to reevaluate this job, aren’t I?”

“At the very least, I hope you take seriously how dangerous SUPERs can be.”

“I shall. I’m glad you’re with us.”

“Just do your best not to harm the innocent, SUPER or otherwise, and I do not see any problems with our working relationship.”

“I will take note of that.  Thank you.” He finished before Thomas and Marty exited the room.

“Quite a day,” Thomas said as they exited.

“It’s not over yet.  I want to pick up a certain Dr. at the University before returning.”

“I understand,” Thomas replied as they entered the elevator to exit the building.

...

Roughly an hour later, Marty joined Dr. Barton in his mansion.

“So what’s all the secrecy about?” She asked.

“There are some things I’d rather not speak about here,” Marty replied. “Can I have your word you will not discuss which you see here?” 

“So long as I am out of here unharmed, sain, and possibly… Satisfied… I see no problem with it... What’s with the stink eye?” She asked to feign ignorance.

“It sounds like you’re making me out to be a sex fiend.”

“Master, who is this?” Anna asked at an unfortunate time.

“Well, you aren’t making a good case for yourself,” Barton replied with a smirk.

“This is Dr. Barton,” Marty said to Anna as he pretended to ignore the doctor’s previous statement. “She is a guest who I will be giving access to the laboratory.”

“Understood, master.”

“And who is this?” Dr. Barton asked as she maintained her sly smile.

“This is Anna, an Android housekeeper I got from Mr. Smith,” Marty replied.

“I see,” Dr. Barton replied as she lost her enthusiasm.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m into organic lifeforms, not synthetic ones,” She replied with a sigh just before Anna began to scan Burton with beams of light from her eyes.

“What is she doing?”

“She’s scanning your body. It’s basically the same as the field at the University, except it’s a one-time scan. She’s doing it so that she can revert small parts of your body back to a previous state using Computational Magic for first-aid.  It uses up quite a bit of her energy and requires her to scan you every once in a while, so it isn’t a cure-all.”

“How convenient.”

“If you would, pay attention, so I don’t have to repeat it, and so you can do it on your own,” Marty said as he reached toward the bookcase and pressed part of its design, which revealed it to be a button.  With the *click* of the button press, the bookcase swung out and showed a passage. He reached his hand around and pressed a second hidden switch on the back of the bookcase which caused part of the hidden hallway to slide open to reveal a much smaller walkway.

“A hidden entrance in a hidden entrance?  This seems like a little overkill.”

“It’s needed security for what we have here.  Please follow me and remember this as the other passageway leads to a trap.” Marty replied as he walked in with the two of them behind him.  They entered a round elevator surrounded by stairs that led down the tunnel. With the press of a button, they began to descend at a reasonably rapid pace. “This lift relies on the internal power source.  In the event the power source fails, you can use the stairs. If the lift is unavailable and a quick descent is required, you can press this button to cause the stairs to turn into a slide as a mechanical function, so no power is required.”

“Why do I feel like I just jumped into a spy movie?”

“You haven’t seen much yet,” Marty replied as they came to a stop well beneath the surface.  There was only a single path that led to a small area which appeared to be a checkpoint followed by a vault door.  Beams of light flickered over their bodies.

“Scanning complete,” A voice reminiscent of Anna’s said over the speakers. “One unknown entity.  Before proceeding, someone with the proper security clearance must allow entry and state access permissions.”

“This is Marty.  Recognize the entity as a Dr. Barton.  Clearance permissions being general facilities and the laboratory, and assistance from the supercomputer’s AI.”

“Processing... complete.  Welcome, Marty, Anna, and Dr. Barton.” The voice said as the vault door clicked and opened to reveal it was extremely thick.  They entered and made their way through the various facilities as Dr. Barton looked around with an expression of curiosity on her face.  After a short time, they came to a room adjacent laboratory which required an additional scan to ensure no unauthorized personnel entered.

“This is what I wanted to show you,” Marty said as they entered the room.  When she saw the contents of the room, her mouth dropped open.

“How did you get your hands on this?” She asked out of shock. “We don’t even have this level of technology at the University.”

“Far better security and a high-security clearance help.”

“This stuff all looks like off-world science equipment,” She said with an expression like a kid in a candy shop.

“That’s because it is. It’s the reason why I brought you here, doctor. I will give you full access to these facilities as well as Anna’s assistance in your research so long as you do a few favors for me.”

“I understand,” She said with a nod as she began to unbutton her shirt.

“Not that kind of favor,” Marty replied with a hint of annoyance.

“Darn, don’t get my hopes up,” She said with a sly smile as she fixed her clothing.

“For starters, this must all be kept secret.  On top of this, if I require research or assistance in your field of study that you help. Additionally, you have to get my clearance before sharing any of your findings, personally instruct myself and Cali on medicine, and be the personal doctor for all the members of my mansion.  Do we have a deal?” Marty asked as he extended his hand.

“Deal,” She said as she shook his hand before she came quite close to him with a sly smile. “And you certainly left me quite satisfied.”

End of Day -134