All five kids gathered around the screen, unable to tear their eyes away from the sixth blinking dot. Meanwhile, Asante was darting between devices with his tablet in one hand and his other furiously typing away at the keyboard. Various files and programs popped up over the projected map as though he were looking to cross-reference something. All the while, he was muttering something incoherent under his breath.
“Okay…any of you have any idea what he’s up to?” David asked.
“He’s lost in his own world again,” Zuriya said, scrolling through her phone.
“I’m guessing it has to be important…right?” LaNiye said.
“Uh…care to explain what’s going on here, Asante?” David called.
Asante didn’t respond, he just continued working in silence. Michael cupped his hands over his mouth as though to mimic a megaphone.
“Hey, genius, are you going to clue us in, or are we just moral support?” he shouted.
“Shh,” Asante hushed, his gaze never leaving the screen. “I’m trying to triangulate the frame’s location–it’s barely holding a connection. It’s so faint.”
“But why? We have enough frames for us here. What do we need an extra one for?” Michael continued.
No response. Michael watched as Asante’s head jerked between his tablet and the monitor. He had no idea what Asante was doing, but he thought he should just trust his expertise. It had gotten them this far. With a shrug of his shoulders, he turned back to the group. His eyes landed on the unsettling look on Zuriya’s face. She pointed towards the map, almost horrified. But LaNiye beat her to it.
“Wait…is that him? Is that where Dr. Reed is?!” LaNiye asked.
“Whoa, slow down,” Michael questioned, “What are you talking about?”
“The sixth dot! The one way out there, outside of town. I mean, what else could it be?”
“Another trap?” Zuriya offered.
“Another?” Michael asked.
“Yeah, like the message that popped up when those two imposters came looking for us. What if there’s just another group of bad guys waiting to kidnap us the moment we get there?”
“There’s only six skeletons, and we’ve got the other five. I’d say they likely don’t have a clue about this place. Maybe it’s a hideout. And maybe that last time was just him giving us a warning,” Michael countered.
“Using the communication program in the suit!” LaNiye excitedly added.
“My thoughts exactly,” Asante finally spoke.
“So you did find him?” Michael asked, his excitement building.
The map magnified the location of the sixth dot. Asante stepped away from the desk, clearly pleased with his work. On the screen, he dropped the Pegman avatar down and opened Street Mode. The visual showed what looked like an abandoned firehouse surrounded by trees and untamed grass.
“Maybe,” Asante answered.
Michael stepped closer to the screen, rage boiling inside him. It just had to be a firehouse. Those good-for-nothing dopes had better not be a part of this. With determination written across his face, he turned to Asante.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“Now?” Zuriya cried.
“If there’s even a chance we can find him, I’m going. Everyone, suit up.”
But the other three just exchanged looks. Michael was pumped and ready for action, but Zuriya looked anxious while LaNiye and David were somewhere in the middle.
“What are you waiting for?” he shouted accusatively.
“For you to realize that this could get us all killed!” Zuriya shouted back.
“Asante, how sure are you about all this?” LaNiye asked.
“Honestly? I’m not sure. This is just a hunch.”
Zuriya looked at Michael as though that one statement proved everything she’d been saying these last few days. But Michael wasn’t going to change his mind.
“I’m going. If you all want to stay behind, fine by me,” he spat.
“Wait, I’m coming with you,” Asante piped.
He reached for a skeleton frame and strapped himself in. Just as he fastened the final strap, another message pinged on his tablet. Michael read the alert aloud: System Calibration Incomplete. Risk of Malfunction is Currently Medium.
“Is that a problem?” Michael asked.
“Probably not. It should be okay for short-term usage,” Asante reassured him.
“What if he’s not there?” Zuriya asked, still trying to discourage them.
“Then we’ll have wasted a trip. But we won’t know anything just standing here.”
“Then let’s get going,” David said, grabbing a frame and strapping it on.
“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” LaNiye said, placing a hand on Zuriya’s shoulder. “Just stay here until we come back, okay?”
LaNiye grabbed a frame and strapped it on. Michael looked back at Zuriya, who avoided his gaze. I don’t want to pressure her into coming. But I also don’t like the idea of her staying here all by herself.
“How about this? We go check out the area and see if we find Dr. Reed or any clues to his whereabouts. You don’t have to engage with any guards, okay?” he offered.
“Fine. Hopefully, this doesn’t end with us running from another group of kidnappers.”
After Zuriya was strapped into her frame and Asante checked his tablet, they set out for the location.
After walking for over an hour, Michael felt like his legs were going to give out any moment. He would have ridden his bike, but it felt like a bad idea since David and Zuriya had been dropped off by their parents and wouldn’t have their own. The good news was that he could see the firehouse just up ahead.
As they approached the abandoned building, he got a good look at how weathered it was. The paint had faded, the old “FIREHOUSE” lettering had fallen, and an old, musty smell emanated from its wood. As David pushed open the heavy doors, the rusted hinges groaned loudly.
“This place gives me the creeps,” Zuriya whispered.
“Creepy or not, we came all the way out here. Let’s go inside,” Michael said, walking past her and into the building.
Instantly, he had to cover his nose. In addition to the smell, the air was thick with dust and debris. Piles of old equipment were stacked in the corners. Michael also noticed various scorch marks and broken windows. Was this from when the building was abandoned? Or after? He was about to take another step inside when LaNiye pulled him by the hood of his jacket. Apart from the sudden gagging, he was fine. But he still gave her a questioning look.
LaNiye held up a finger to her lips and pointed towards the floor. There is a set of footprints in the dust.
“Someone has been here…recently,” she said.
Asante stepped up and held out his hand.
“Light,” he called out.
A beam of light suddenly emitted from Michael’s wrist. The same happened with the others. Michael swept the light over the footprints, noticing them trailing further inside.
“Think it was him?” David asked.
“Or them?” Zuriya added.
The group slowly made its way further into the building, cautiously weaving between the scattered debris and machinery. Michael tried to remain as quiet as possible, hoping not to alert anyone who might be hiding inside. But he jerked around when he heard Asante scream, followed by a hard thud.
“Ouch…sorry, guys.”
He scanned the floor, finally landing on Asante, who seemed to have tripped over a rug.
Wait, why would there be a rug in the middle of the Control Room? Isn’t that a safety hazard for when they need to rush out of here? While David and LaNiye helped Asante back up to his feet, Michael removed the rug and revealed the trap door hidden beneath.
“Looks like someone didn’t want just anyone getting in here,” he said.
As he tried to open the trap door, he realized there was a number pad on it. He flashed his light over on Asante.
“Hey, think you can open this?” he asked.
“I can try. Let’s see if the same old code works.”
“Hang on. Are you sure you’re not going to trip anything?” LaNiye asked.
After a few beeps, the door makes a loud metallic clicking noise. Michael and Asante lift the trap door, revealing a staircase and a dark hole. Michael flashed his flashlight down, but couldn’t see the bottom.
“Great, more stairs,” Zuriya whined.
“We came this far,” he said before descending into the hole.
“We don’t know what’s down there. Couldn’t we at least toss a rock inside to make sure it’s not some secret?” Zuriya complained.
“It’d make too much noise,” Michael argued.
“You can stay up here if you want, Zuriya,” David offered, following Michael into the hole.
“There’s no way I’m staying up here alone,” she quipped, pushing past Asante and LaNiye and descending into the hole.
When he reached the bottom of the ladder, Michael felt the air chill. He shined his light along the walls and found a switch. These must be the lights, right? He flipped the switch, turning on the various overhead lighting of the room. He saw that beneath the firehouse was another lab. Although it was much smaller than the one at the school, it had much of the same equipment.
“Another lab?” Zuriya asked, disappointed.
“Awesome,” Asante said, “I wonder what’s been left here.
Before Michael could take a step, Asante was gone. He rushed to the nearest computer desk and began sifting through files.
“Well, looks like he’s not here. Let’s go back,” Zuriya said.
“We haven’t even looked around,” Asante whined from the computer. “There could be important stuff around here. Look around while I try to get this monitor up and running, okay?”
“Is he serious?” Zuriya asked.
“Let’s just make sure there’s not another secret room hidden somewhere in here,” David said, leading her away.
LaNiye and Michael chose different directions. Michael approached a whiteboard covered in sticky notes and illegible handwriting. The words were so clustered that it looked like some kind of ancient language. From what he could make out, he read the text: Essence Catalyst Integration.
Essence? The part that helped the suits synchronize with the wearer? Guess Dr. Reed was working on the suits down here as well. But…oh, yeah. Where was the sixth frame?
He scanned around and noticed a strange black case resting on a metal table. It was just out in the open. And unlike everything else in the lab, it looked caked in dust.
“What’s that?” Michael said, walking towards the case.
He slowly unlatched it, having the lid creak as it flopped open. Inside, were six slender glass vials nestled in velvet-line compartments. Each glowing faintly with a strange blue light, similar to the ones emitted from their frames. On the inner lid the label read: Vanguard Catalyst Series Michael picked up one and swirled the liquid inside. It glowed brighter in his grasp.
“Don’t play with those, ” Asante shouted.
“Sorry, just curious,” he said, setting the vial back in the case.
“Pretty sure that’s what we need to finish the suit,” Asante said, taking the case and walking back over towards the computer desk. “These files mention a blue liquid fuel source for the frames. We’ll take them to the school lab and we can thoroughly examine them. Anyone found anything else?”
Michael looked around the room, scanning the desks, tables, and boxes for any sign of the sixth skeleton frame. He rummaged through drawers and cabinets. Scanning the floor, desks, and bookshelves for any sign of it.
“What are you doing?” David asked.
“Looking for the last frame. If it showed up on the map, then it was built and activated like ours. But what if it was the more complete version?”
“You mean…the essence thing?” LaNiye asked.
“Exactly. Maybe it’ll show us how it works.”
After a long search, they came across a large metallic cabinet partially hidden by two overturned shelves. Pulling open the door, Michael found a pristine, fully assembled skeleton frame. But unlike the others, this one was engraved with intricate symbols and emanated a strange blue glow from the spine.
“Found it,” Michael shouted.
“Hey, we saw those symbols before,” Zuriya said. “In Dr. Reed’s text. It’s on the Aegis spine. Back when we were going through the spare parts. Asante said it looked like it was part of a set, so we didn’t use them. I thought it was some kind of signature.”
“But what’s with the eerie glow?” David asked.
“It’s the essence core,” Asante said. “Where they’d insert the essence tube into the spine.”
The rest of the team turned to the computer where Asante was. He waved them over to see the screen.
“See this? It talks about needing “essence” to stabilize the frame. It also mentioned a glowing blue core that is to be implanted into the spine.”
“Like an energy source?” Zuriya asked.
“Maybe, but this is all starting to sound more…alchemical,” David said.
Asante pulled up another file labeled “Essence Catalyst Research” for them to look at.
“This explained most of it,” Asante continued, “The essence isn’t just a power source–it’s what allows the suit to sync to the wearer’s body. Without it, the suit risks malfunctioning. Or worse–”
“Reject the user entirely,” a cold yet familiar voice echoed through the lab.
The group turned their heads towards the entrance and froze, only to find they were no longer alone. Descending the stairs was Superintendent Gerald. A man descended into the secret lab.
“Superintendent Gerald? What are you doing here?” David asked.
“Checking in on my students,” he responded. “Old Wraith, stuck babysitting again.”
His eyes lingered on the vials of essence before snapping to the frame behind the kids. His expression changed, smirking and walking towards their group. Each step he took made a heavy thud from his boots. Michael and David moved in front of the girls and Asante.
“Well, well, well. You five have been busy, haven’t you?” the man said as he descended the stairs towards the group. “Digging around things far beyond your scope.”
“Wait, Wraith? The person that the Boss talked about? Y-you’re working for those guys? Have you been following us and watching us?” Zuriya asked.
“Correct,” he said as he reached the bottom of the stairs. “I had hoped to remain a more quiet observer, but you children have made that quite difficult for me. Still, you were useful in helping me find Reed’s old lab.”
“Where is he?” Michael demanded. “You are not here to just observe, are you?”
“Not today. My superiors sent me to retrieve the essence vials Reed locked away here.” He nods to the case on the table. But his eyes glanced back up to the prototype frame. “But this… this changes everything.” He stopped in front of the kids, looking over at the prototype.
His eyes sharpened. “Do you have any idea how much people would pay for something like this? A fully adaptive combat frame from the Vanguard project. Nations, private militaries, tech conglomerates. Billions.”
“So that’s it?” Michael asked, “You’re just another greedy bastard trying to sell power to the next rich guy?”
“Not quite. My Boss wants the essence to be bought by the highest bidder. I’ve already got money. What I truly want…is power.”
He attempted to move past the kids, but Michael stood his ground, blocking his way.
Gerald’s expression went flat.
SMACK!
The blow came fast. Michael was knocked clean off his feet, collapsing to the floor as he held his stinging cheek.
“Been waiting to do that for days,” Gerald ignored the others and continued towards the frame. “Control and order,” he continued, stepping over Michael. “Something none of you children could understand. But I do.”
Asante shouted, “Stop! You can’t do that! It’s already been calibrated. It’ll be unstable.”
But Gerald didn’t listen; he simply pushed Asante aside. He reached for the frame and locked it in place as it started to glow along the spine, the metal clicking into place.
“Then I’ll claim it by force.”
The frame continued shifting and sliding. Like with Michael’s suit, Gerald’s frame expanded out, coating his arms and legs. But even after his body was completely coated, the frame continued shifting. Smoke leaked from the frame, nearly engulfing him.
“What’s with the smoke?” Zuriya asked, covering her nose. “Is something wrong with the frame?”
“No,” Asante said, coughing. “That frame is over a decade old, and was already calibrated with an essence and a user. But it was kept here after they died. This prototype was calibrated with the essence of an armadillo. It’s called–”
Gerald‘s suit finished calibrating. And from the haze stepped something none of them expected. Gerald walked towards them. His frame had transformed.
The panels of the frame’s spine fanned outwards, then split open like a flower in bloom, releasing multiple expanding layers of armor that unfolded. Rows upon rows of armor curled around Gerald. The once frail-looking frame was now a mass of overlapping plates mimicking the thick carapace of an armadillo. The shoulders of the exo-suit bulked out at the top of his shoulders, giving him a looming tank-like look.
As his arms snapped down, two massive retractable gauntlets extended from his hands–three claws per hand and each claw about three feet long, curved and razor-edged. Thin veins of blue glowed from the inner joints.
His helmet morphed into a snout-like covering, sealing around his face completely. And every time he took a breath, the sound echoed like a beast ready to charge.
[Calibration initiated]
[Essence recognized]
[Code Name: FORTRESS – DILO]