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Merc's Metamorphs

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Chapter 28: Intermezzo

The cartel's headquarters was an enormous, four story mansion perched atop a hill on a palatial estate. The mansion was built into the hillside and the front door was technically on the third floor with a single floor above it; the other two floors were built down into the hill with the bottom floor exiting out onto a large deck with a built in infinity pool. Further down the hill there were stables, a tennis court, and several other amenities that made Merc both jealous and sick at the same time-- everything was paid for with drug money and, even though his group was being compelled to act on behalf of the federal government, he found himself minding it just a little less.

The attack started on the top floor when Merc teleported Bruiser and Demon onto the roof and the Pit Bull phased them both down into the room beneath. At that point Merc grabbed a satellite dish off of its rooftop mount and tossed the thing into the pool, using the splash as a distraction for the two men standing on the deck so he could then teleport behind them. He grabbed one by the head and brought his tail around in a wide arc to smack the other even as he pushed the two together, causing their skulls to collide; they dropped like a rock.

Smiling, he made his way toward the french doors leading into the lowest floor. "Damn, it's good to take an active part in things again!"

Heading into the sitting room through the doors, it wasn't long until Merc encountered more resistance in the form of a shout from one of the guards. "Oye! El esta aqui! Es el Metamorfo Merc!"

The Kangacobra kept his response simple: grabbing a book, he threw it right into the guy's head, knocking him out even as the Metamorph responded with a very emphatic "Hola!"

Five minutes later, Merc was in the thick of things, throwing two more of the cartel soldiers across a table as he heard small arms fire going off upstairs. Knowing his team well enough, the Kangacobra trusted in Demon and Bruiser to be able to handle things as he slowly worked his way up the mansion; they'd meet in the middle to ensure nobody escaped. Considering the placement of the front door, the three of them would have had some difficulty if anyone chose to flee but, fortunately, they had Rook watching everything through the cartel's own security system.

The Raven piped in periodically utilizing the mind speech facilitated by Bruiser. "The front door is still clear. Two more down the hall from Demon and Bruiser. Merc, you have three coming from the right."

The Kangacobra appreciated the awareness provided by their new member, turning to regard them men as they rushed into the room, their sub machine guns roaring out as they started unloading their magazines. It was unfortunate for them that Merc had selected physical invulnerability as his second power; the bullets did nothing to him. Doubly unfortunate for the cartel soldiers was that they were nowhere near as resistant to the Kangacobra's powerful kicks. One of the men ended up shattering a book case; the second ended up with his head smashed through a wall.

The third man, at that point, must have decided that discretion was the better part of valor. With a simple exclamation of "Follame!" he dropped his gun, about-faced, and made a run for it. He didn't get far.

Shrugging, Merc pulled the gun over to himself with the reach of his tail and, hooking one of his long foot claws around the shoulder strap, launched it out in rapid kick, sending the weapon hurtling through the air and catching the fleeing in the back of the head. "Yeah... 'fuck me' indeed." Stretching and letting out a yawn, the Kangacobra sauntered down the hall even while the stunned guy was trying to scramble back to his feet. Wasting no time, Merc brought his fist right down onto the top of the man's head, knocking him out cold.

Dragging the limp gunman back into the other room, Merc pulled out some zip ties and began securing his latest victories. The plan was to do a repeat of the safe house and burn the place down, but making sure that all of the cartel members were secured and deposited on the road in front of the manor before they went that route. Assessing his handiwork, Merc let out a pleased sigh before sending his mental message. "How's everyone doing? Still going at it or are we mopping up?"

Bruiser was the first to respond. "I'm watching the front door in the main hall-- only one got this far."

Demon's own mental words were full of levity. "Man... you'd think they'd never seen a Metamorph before or something... They keep on shouting like scared little kids!"

Rook's comment lacked the emotional strength of the Pit Bull's. "Almost done. Three more moving around one floor above Merc."

Merc grinned, heading toward the stairs. "Anyone find the cartel leader?"

The Raven had that answer right away. "Demon and Bruiser incapacitated him first."

Although laughter didn't transfer entirely in the mental communication Merc knew that the Dog was definitely laughing. "Yeah... he was on the chick on his bed... poor guy didn't get a chance to finish."

Rook didn't seem to share in the laugh. "Focus, please. There are still guns, and you are still in danger."

The Raven's concern lasted for less than two minutes as Merc made quick work of the last of the men waiting for him at the top of the stairs. The Kangacobra weathered the hail of bullets from the attempt at an ambush. He marginally regretted the ricocheted that caught one of the gunmen in the shoulder, but he quickly disabled the remaining two by throwing one face-first into the other.

To finish the job he brought his heavy tail down on one's head, and used his semi-prehensile foot talons to grab the other by the back of the head and slam his face into the floor twice. It was a savage move, but he'd learned through experience to keep it from killing someone; no guarantees that they wouldn't need some corrective surgery though. The thought made him grin. Yes, he decided, taking part in Metamorph activities was far better than sitting on the sidelines.

Smile still in place, Merc began gathering up all of the cartel members he'd incapacitated even as he sent his thoughts out to the rest of his team. "Alright... pretty sure I got everyone down here. Anybody left?"

Bruiser was the first to response. "Got mine. I'm bringing them down to the driveway."

Demon also piped in, sounding rather pleased with himself.. "Ditto. It'll probably take two trips."

Rook followed up once everyone had their say. "No movement on the cameras. I did a full sweep of the house and it looks like you got everyone. Do not forget about the two on the back patio, Merc."

The Kangacobra threw two men over either shoulder and dragged the fifth behind him. "Yeah, yeah... I'll clear the house first and go back for them... not sure I could get all seven in one trip."

Demon shot back right away. "I'm taking six on my first trip."

Merc shot back immediately. "Yeah? Well you get to go DOWNstairs... I have to go UP em, big boy."

Rook interjected. "Radio chatter coming in. They still have three men out on the property who heard the gunfire. It sounds like they are on their way back to the house right now. Do we want to intercept?"

Merc grunted unhappily, chewing on his tongue as he arrived at the second floor and headed for the front door. Bruiser was already there. Glancing to him, the Orca asked "You want to go after them or should I?"

The Kangacobra deposited the men near the front door. "You and Demon finish getting everyone out of the house. I'm still bulletproof and Demon's phasing won't help you guys much out in the open. I'll handle them and get the other two guys off the patio on my way back then meet you around front."

Bruiser nodded, leaning forward to give Merc a peck on his cheek. "Have fun."

Winking back, Merc grinned. "Fuck yeah. Time to go hunting."

The hunt turned out to be surprisingly short. Considering the three men out on the estate didn't realize they were up against Metamorphs they made the mistake of rushing the manor as a group, making them a lot easier for Merc to pick off. The moment they stepped into the open to approach the deck the Kangacobra sprang over a retaining wall, using his strong legs to launch himself high into the air, descending upon them like a furry scaled bomb as he shouted out "Buenos dias, pendejos!"

They had scarcely more than a second to shout out their surprise. Two of them managed to fire their weapons, but one was aimed into the air and the second did little more than bounce a half dozen rounds off of Merc's impermeable hide. He landed in their midst, headbutting the guy in the center before spinning around and sweeping the legs out from the other two with a single lash of his tail. He sprang into the air again, coming down with all of his weight on each foot-- one on either man's head. If he were doing such a thing on concrete or asphalt he would risk cracking skulls, but on the soft sod of the carefully manicured lawn, it would work perfectly well as a way to incapacitate them without killing.

From there he made quick work binding the three of them, hefting two over one shoulder and the third over his second. Although it was a frivolous skill, Merc had spent a lot of time learning how to whistle in his Metamorph form and he used that learned talent as he happily strode back to the patio to gather up the other two men he'd knocked out by the pool. Hefting up the first onto his shoulder with one of the unconscious cartel members whose head was covered in dirt, he grabbed the other by the back of his shirt and dragged him around the side of the building and up the embankment so he could join the rest of his team around the front of the manor. In the matter of less than 10 minutes they'd cleared out the mansion.

By the time he arrived, Merc noticed that Rook had come out of hiding and was talking aloud with Demon and Bruiser. The Kangacobra unloaded the five men onto the driveway next to the others. "So... what's the good word? We ready to burn this place down?"

The Raven looked over to him and nodded. "Yes. I already caused a short in three different bedrooms... we should be able to see smoke at any moment."

The four of them looked toward the house and, as if on cue, thick black smoke began to pour out of several windows, almost in tandem. Merc was happy to watch as the flames began to lick at the windowsills and he probably would have kept watching if not for Bruiser's condemning statement. "Merc... you forgot to tie up the men from the pati-- GUN!"

Spinning at the sudden shout, Merc saw that one of the men he'd knocked out in his initial attack had come to and had pulled a handgun from an armpit holster. Everything moved in slow motion as the man spun, taking aim at the Metamorph within closest aim: it was Rook. Vision going red, Merc acted without even thinking, activating a third power for the day: telekinesis. Focusing all of his anger and fear into a single action, the Kangacobra reached out and crushed the gun in the man's grasp... and the hand around it.

Screaming, the cartel member cradled the combination of his shattered digits and the crumpled gun fused to them. Although he was essentially disarmed, Merc was not willing to stop. Grabbing hold of the man by his collar, Merc drew his fist back then brought it forward to collide with the gunman's face once... twice... a third time. Being invulnerable meant that the Kangacobra's flesh was also exceedingly hard; he could easily have been beating the man with an iron bar. All of Merc's fur was on end, and his teeth bared as he continued beating his target mercilessly-- it was several seconds before Demon and Bruiser could intercede, pulling the Kangacobra against the cowering, bleeding gunman.

Merc continued to bear his fangs at the man, whipping his tail around since both his arms were restrained. Fury undeterred, he clenched rarely used muscles at the tip of his tail to reveal a scorpion-like stinger. Although it only injected saline unless he'd selected to make it poisonous with one of his powers, it was an effective weapon, and, as he'd been told before, 'hurt like a motherfucker'. He was ready to bring it to bear, right until Rook interposed himself between Merc and the target of his rage.

The Raven spoke calmly. "Merc. It is alright. He is not going to hurt anyone."

Growling, the Kangacobra sheathed his stinger and shrugged off Demon and Bruiser. "He deserves worse. I said I'd protect you, and I MEAN it."

Nodding, Rook stepped up and rested a talon on the side of Merc's muzzle. "You did... and I trust you. I know you will... but your eyes are red again, Merc. I want you to protect me, but I don't want you killing people in order to do it."

The soft, calm, direct statement hit Merc harder than if he'd been chastised and things came into focus; the redness in his vision was dispelled right away. Lowering his voice, the Kangacobra murmured as he reached his paws up to touch his face. "They were red again?"

Rook slid an arm around him. "It's alright. I'm okay. You're okay. We're all okay... you just need to relax a little... it's been a long day and you're stressed."

Bruiser grunted, resting a hand on Merc's shoulder "We could all use some rest... are you alright, Amor?"

Rubbing his thumb against his itchy palm through his glove, Merc took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "Yeah... gather up and I'll get us back to our room. I think I just really want to be done with this fucking day."

* * * * *

Christopher had suggested that the government wouldn't contact them for a few days-- it would take awhile for them to realize that Merc's Metamorphs had gone rogue and completed their tasks early, at which point they'd be tied up with bureaucratic discussions with Legendary HQ. By his estimate he figured it would take at least four days before the team heard anything but, surprisingly, the team's bank account received the agreed-upon payment for their contract work and, doubly-unexpectedly, the payment was devoid of any comment, remark, rebuke, or even a memo. All-in-all, Frank considered it a win.

It was an eerie transition back into classwork but, then again, Frank realized that was pretty much the norm for anyone moonlighting as a powered hero. Life continued with a strange, surreal sense of normalcy; he and his boyfriends attended classes, completed homework, and spent their spare time doing all the normal things that college students did. Christopher started spending more time with them-- sometimes going out to eat, or sometimes just spending a nice quiet night in. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Frank still wondered if or, more likely WHEN the other shoe would drop.

It happened Friday afternoon when he received a text on Merc's phone. The message was rather straight forward: SATURDAY. NOON. LEGENDARY UNLIMITED REGIONAL OFFICE, CHICAGO ILLINOIS.

All four of them were together in the dorm when he saw it and immediately brought it to everyone's attention. "Looks like we're being summoned to Legendary HQ in Chicago tomorrow... they have Merc's Metamorphs down for a noon time slot."

Chance fidgeted. "Noon tomorrow,huh? Must be a big deal to be meeting with a group of Metamorphs on Saturday."

Christopher leaned back deeper into the sofa as he crossed one leg over the other. "This is perfect. The entire purpose of 'acting out' was to get their attention and let them know that Merc's Metamorphs won't be puppets."

Juan wasn't quite so pragmatic. "Except the meeting is set for Legendary HQ. Shouldn't that be-- I don't know... a little worrisome?"

Chance shrugged. "Well... I mean... Merc's Metamorphs DID kinda mess up with their complex plans, so... yeah... they're probably a little pissed."

Christoper stood at that, looking around to everyone. "All anyone has to realize is that Merc's Metamorphs was in the right. The contract was followed to the letter-- perhaps not to the SPIRIT, but the point of a contract is to understand what is required... it's Legendary's fault if they did not provide enough clarity."

Frank smirked. "Well, seeing as it wasn't really a FORMAL contract so they could have plausible deniability..." He let the rest of the statement trail off since nothing else really needed to be said.

Cy shrugged, glancing first to Frank then to Chance. "And that is on them. Besides, this was just a matter of Intermezzo."

Chance's face scrunched up. "That sounds like a brand of coffee or something."

The asian student chuckled. "A chess move, actually."

Shrugging, Chance sat down in the living room's armchair. "Talk about 'on brand'... EVERYTHING'S a chess move with you."

Cy tapped his own forehead. "It's about tactics. Intermezzo is an important mid-game tactic where you mess up an opponent's plan by making a move that forces them to give up initiative and be proactive instead of active. All the better if it ends up forcing them to make a BAD move because you leave them no good options."

It was Frank's turn to smirk, causally clenching and unclenching his gloved hand. "It was Legendary's fault for thinking that Merc's Metamorphs would be good little minions instead of thinking for ourselves. Nothing like cutting the strings and whipping the puppet master with em, eh?"

Juan still wasn't convinced. "I hope you're still smiling after our meeting tomorrow... either way, to be on the safe side, we should probably head over there tonight so Merc can change fresh into his Metamorph form with a full selection of powers... just in case."

Cy smiled appreciatively. "Right. Maximize flexibility. Always maximize flexibility."

* * * * * *

The jump to Chicago was an easy one for Merc since the group had done their fair share of work in the Windy City, but that was for the sole purpose of securing a hotel for the night. The following morning they went to one of Frank's favorite shifting spots: an abandoned plot where a building had been demolished by a developer right before the market downturn so the build that was supposed to happen never got past half of a bottom floor. It was a rather unspectacular location that nobody ever visited, which made it perfect for a place to sneak into and change into their Metamorph forms. As an added bonus it was only a few blocks from the Legendary Unlimited HQ.

The four of them made their way down the street in broad daylight getting lots of looks and, for those familiar with them, some shouts of admiration (and two requests for selfies). Despite almost never taking advantage of the opportunities, there was something liberating about wandering streets in Metamorph form. It was something that his team almost never did because they preferred flying under the radar but, as Rook had suggested, being obvious about being seen going into Legendary HQ was an added protective measure just in case Legendary tried anything.

The receptionist, who was probably used to seeing Legendary Heroes and not just Metamorphs was not the least bit impressed when they arrived. Clicking a few buttons on her keyboard, she looked up as they approached her station in the lobby. "Merc's Metamorphs. You're here for the noon meeting with Mr Giddings. Floor 99."

Rook's feathers puffed up. "Mr Giddings? As in, T.R. Giddings? The CEO?"

The receptionist nodded blandly and pointed toward the elevator. "Floor 99."

Merc had heard of Thaddius Reed Giddings-- almost anyone who was anyone in the industry surely had. Unlike most of the high level players at Legendary, the CEO was not a Legendary Hero, rather, he was appointed ot the role by a vote of the shareholders and the administrative body formed of their top Legendary Hero performers. Despite how many times Merc's Metamorphs worked with, near, around, or against Legendary Unlimited, they'd never met the CEO-- Merc had to admit that it was a little intimidating... but only a little.

The four of them squeezed into the elevator. Demon had to fight back a warning growl as the doors closed. "Ugh... I hate elevators in Metamorph form."

Bruiser was the first to respond, and he did so telepathically. "There are most likely recording devices all over this place... best to keep private discussions private."

The Pit Bull clapped back with humor. "Sure... but me hating elevators isn't exactly a secret, y'know?"

Merc laid a hand on the Dog's shoulder. "Relax. I'm sure they're used to transporting all sorts of powered heroes in these... my guess is it's probably rated for a few thousand pounds at least."

Rook followed up the casual discussion with a mental message. "Video and audio in the elevator. I count at least two dozen security systems on floor 99, and they have a techno-linked Legendary Hero patrolling it as well."

Bruiser was immediately alarmed by the statement, but he did an excellent job of hiding his physical reaction-- it was all an emotional impression sent through telepathy. "If they have someone like that you should pull back, Rook."

The Raven's feathers fluffed up and he shook out his wings before responding in their mind-space. "My ability doesn't work that way... I can sense her because she isn't technological, but she can only sense what's part of the network... which I am not. If I were to take control of something I believe she would only sense that as a malfunction but, to be on the safe side, I will not."

Demon let out a belch to break the silence, laughing to follow it up and verbally apologizing as he sent his own mental message. "Good to know we can sense them and they can't sense us. That gives us an advantage."

Merc was willing to agree. "Every little bit helps."

Arriving at the 99th floor, the four of them exited the elevator into a waiting room. In many ways it reminded Merc of a very high end doctor's office... only about five times larger. The desk on the far side of the room was attended by a man who looked like he was probably a few years out of college; he was dressed in a suit that made it look like he probably made enough to pay off his student loans in a few months. When he spoke up his voice had a hint of a lilt in it but was, nevertheless, firm. "Hello, Gentlemen. Mr Giddings is finishing up with a prior appointment but he said you are welcome to wait in his office."

Without waiting for a response from them, the man reached under the desk and Merc herd a buzzing sound; the heavy-looking oak door beside the desk popped open. Glancing to the rest of his party, the Kangacobra shrugged and made his way toward it. "Thanks."

The man responded with a plastic smile. "My pleasure."

Heading through into the next room with his companions behind him, Merc was impressed to see that the entire floor looked like it was dedicated to the CEO; the hallway they walked down included signs identifying the CEO's restroom, a sitting room, a meeting room, and resource center on either side of the hallway and, at the end, a set of double doors with a golden plaque on it which read "Thaddius Reed Giddings, Chief Executive Officer".

Merc could hear Demon's smirk in his voice without actually having to look back and see the Dog. "Wow... someone's overcompensating for something."

As they approached the double doors at the end of the hall, they creaked open, revealing a finely appointed and very large office beyond. Shrugging, Merc continued leading the way, walking into the richly decorated room which looked far more like a study than an office, complete with book shelves, a fireplace, a wet bar, and numerous armchairs. A huge desk with a large leather armchair was on the far side, framed with a wall full of floor-to-ceiling windows. Merc would have spent more time looking around, but his eyes were drawn to the chair, which was occupied.

Smirking, General Glory leaned back in the chair, kicking his boots up on the desk. "Well well well... looks like for all the trouble Merc's Metamorphs cause, they still come running whenever they get a text."

Merc fought to keep the hiss out of his voice, but he reflexively clenched and unclenched his gloved talon, finding comfort in the creak of the leather. "What the fuck are YOU doing here, Glory?"

The Legendary Hero grunted, sitting up and returning his feet to the floor. "Same thing you're doing here, my good snake-kangaroo-thing... your group disrupted a very important operation, and now we're both here to account for it."

Pulling up his carefully rehearsed rebuttal, Merc immediately fired back. "Screw you. If anything we OVERperformed. We followed the contract and we crushed it. If anything went wrong, that's on Legendary, not us."

Standing up, General Glory strode toward the group, stopping just within arm's reach of Merc, and stared him down. The Legendary Hero was obviously frustrated but, for whatever reason, seemed to be muting his response. "I would disagree."

A rich, smooth, mellow voice spoke up from behind Merc's group. "Well, Joseph... unfortunately you would be the only one in this room who would."

It wasn't precisely a secret that General Glory's given name was Joseph, but nobody ever referred to him as anything other than his Hero name... except, apparently, for the CEO of Legendary Unlimited.