Legends Part 3 COH story 31
One part of the central racks held projectile weapons. Needless to say that drew the two vulpine. Self-bows, composite long bows, short bows and even a pair of crossbows were neatly arraigned there. Large chests placed neatly on the floor held THOUSANDS of arrows. A small room held ammunition. Boxes and boxes of rifle, pistol and machine gun ammo. All neatly, securely and safely stored. There was a 1960’s style wall phone on the wall. But rather than being at 5’ height for easy use it was a full 6’ off the floor. The man laughed. “Hero Horn installed those. But he made them right for his size. Great electrician; but a lousy sense of heights.” A door in one wall led to a small but fully equipped workshop. Not only could any weapon be repaired there. But also bows and arrows could be repaired or even fully manufactured. There was even the equipment needed for reloading ammo. “We don’t have this,” Stealth commented. “We have a workshop,” Misha added. “But nothing specifically for archery.” “Or swords,” Stealth added. A few steps down the hallway took them to the targeting range. The was over 300 feet long and the ceiling was 30 feet high. “A state-of-the-art target range,” Misha said in awe. “Complete with advanced holographic targets! Even WE don’t have one of these!” “It’s on order,” the nanites explained. “We’re 223rd in line behind GSG9. The German Army.” “It was a little gift from the CIA for helping them a while back,” the man explained.********************** At the end of the hallway the doorway led to a large room. The room was mostly empty but had room for a dozen vehicles. A doorway on the opposite side led to a pair of garage doors. A pair of WW2 era jeeps were parked near the garage doors along with a motorcycle and three bicycles. In addition, there was an M8 Greyhound armored car. Also, WW2 vintage. "Speak of the angel. There's my granddaughter now." A single-seated retro future VTOL flyer lumbered into the hangar, several holes in the left wing visible. It settled down with a loud huff and crunch. The engines spun down and then fell silent. The canopy popped open revealing a young woman at the controls. "Child! What did I tell you about being careful with the flyer? Did you fly straight into machinegun, again?" "Grandpapa, it was nothing like that. There were 2 machineguns and a rocket launcher." The woman took off her helmet and climbed down. Her blonde hair was cut short but not overly short. She was just a few inches shy of 6 feet tall. Her body was slim and had the athletic tone that spoke of professional training. Probably gymnastics. Code Name: Liberty Leopard Scrapper: Dual swords / Super Reflexes Real Name Amada Jacobson “Oh this is interesting. Stealth, Her powers are the same as yours. And both are the same as Liberty Lion.” Her brother is Alexander Jacobson. The air force pilot. Flew 215 combat missions during the Rikti war. “Her mother was the heroine Heavy Heart. She didn’t survive the Rikti war.” Lion pointed to the three supers. “We have three guests. They are Stealth, Misha and Strela.” The young woman smiled. “I’m glad you came. Welcome to the Liberty Lair." She walked over to Stealth. "You have Grandpa’s blades!” The cheetah hero nodded. “And I’ve been putting them to good use.”******************** Dinner was in the formal dining room. A long, table of a fine-grained dark wood with seats to match. They got to meet an astonishingly large number of children and grandchildren. Strela seemed to have no problem keeping them all straight. But Misha only kept track of who was who with the help of the nanites. Roast beef with mashed potatoes, carrots, string beans and creamed spinach. Freshly made biscuits were there too. Wine was there and also soda and iced tea. Philip avoided both and had iced coffee. Philip waxed nostalgic and told tales from the past. He had them spellbound. Soon he had them all back during the war. Fighting the Nazi’s and the fifth column. His tale of the treacherous attack on December 7th was exciting. The nanites were silent. For the first time ever. As caught up in the tales as everyone else. “Please tell me you are recording this,” Stealth said. “Of course!”****************** Misha and Strela were given a nice room together. It had a large king-sized bed with thing plush pillows and warm blankets. It was a nice room and the two were enjoying some much-needed rest and relaxation. She stood on the balcony looking out at the town and the valley spread out below them. It was a carpet of lights twinkling in the evening darkness. “Have you considered our future?” Strela asked. “Our future together?” He asked. She nodded her head. “Every day,” Misha responded simply and hugged her tenderly. “I don’t know what the future will bring but I want to share it with you.”****************** The training room was of modest size; only 40 feet by 40 feet but that was more than enough space for the small group there. Amanda was wearing a loose-fitting tee shirt and sweatpants. Stealth was wearing even less. Just a pair of comfortable jeans. Hanging from a strap across his shoulders was a gym bag. “You fight in real combat like that?” She asked. “No,” Stealth answered as he put his bag down on one of the benches that lined the walls of the room. “I usually put on a clean shirt.” She scowled at him. “I usually rely on my speed and agility,” Stealth explained. “Armor too heavy slows me down. But I do wear light armor when I’m in a fight now.” He touched a scar on his right arm. “I’ve learned that lesson.” “It’s a delicate balancing act,” Liberty Lion commented. “Too little protection leaves you vulnerable but too much slows you down. You need to find a middle ground that works for you.” “Grab a pair of training weapons,” Philip says. “We’ll start with a little sparring.” Attached to the wall near the door was a rack filled with training weapons. All were duplicates of real, combat weapons but were made of wood. Stealth found two of the training weapons that duplicated his falcata perfectly. Even down to the decorations. He gave a few test swings and slashes to get a feel for their weight. “Nice.” The two squared off in the center of the room standing just out of arm’s reach. She was carrying a sword in each hand. They were twins of each other and had blades two feet long. Even of wood they looked dangerous. She crossed her arms and bowed to Stealth. The feline returned the gesture. Stealth stepped forward putting himself just within reach of his opponent. He lunged forward with one blade while keeping the second back. Clack! Clack! The two wooden blades hit each other. She parried his attack with one blade while attacking with her other one. He parried that with his own blade. The feline stepped back and the woman stepped forward pressing her advantage. Clack! Clack! The two traded blows as they slowly circled around. Each looking for an opening. There was the loud clack of blades being blocked. Or the woosh or swish as the blades slashed nothing but open air. The target having twisted and dodged out of the way. Lunge, dodge, slash, parry, twist, jump back, leap forward. Neither spoke, more intent on the fighting than on bantering. After a few minutes they stepped apart. Both needing a break to rest a little and gauge how their opponent was doing. "What's with the spinning? You're not dancing!" Philip scolded. “A spin in a fight is an excellent way to expose your back to an enemy.” “I’ve done well in fights so far,” Stealth countered. Philip nodded his head. “All right. Try it your way and we’ll see how you fair against Amanda.” Stealth nodded. “Fair enough. I am here to learn!” “We can improve things,” the nanites commented. “We could enhance your skin by converting it metal.” “It would enhance protection by 573%.” “Your weight would be increased 247%. That would decrease your mobility a little.” “You’d be reduced to a walk. And no more dancing.” “Would that last part be a bad thing?” Her eyes narrowed and she tensed up. In the split second that followed he realized she was going to jump. Stealth brought up both weapons as the woman leapt thru right at him. Closing the distance between them in moments. The feline leapt backward doing a complete back flip. The woman’s weapons barely missing him. “Impressive!” She commented. “You’ve done gymnastics?” “Yes,” Stealth said. “Even won some competitions. But never made the Olympic team.” He laughed. “I missed by only a few points.” “Their loss is our gain.” She raced forward with both blades held at the ready. Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack! The two traded blows at a rapid-fire pace. Dancing back and forth and moving about, trying to gain an advantage. “ENOUGH!” Philip ordered in commanding tones. The two fighters parted, stepping backward and creating a large space between them. “You already have some skill,” Philip said calmly. “Thank you,” Stealth answered. “Let’s go back to the basics,” Philip said. “Put down the weapons and do this unarmed.” Stealth opened his mouth to reveal a set of large, sharp teeth. He held up both hands revealing the sharp claws on each fingertip. “That is not possible.” Philip pondered for a moment. “Keep your mouth closed and your claws sheathed.” “It does mean you are never really unarmed,” she said. “Claws and teeth are only so good in a fight,” Stealth commented. “Nothing beats a good, sharp blade.” “Except two blades!” She joked. "Alright kids,” Philip ordered. “Let's take the gloves off. Full power and abilities. 1 round. And dear, don't break him too badly." "Ok Grandpapa." Stealth nodded his head and laughed. “Don’t worry about me.” “Go!” Philip ordered. There was no hesitating or sparring here. The two went at each other. Blows were traded, blocked and dodged with rapid speed. The fight turned into a swirl of slashes, kicks, spins and jabs. Despite their best efforts some of the blows got thru. A hit to his side, a slash to her hip, a hard knock to his left leg was countered by a harder knock to her right shoulder. The longer they fought the faster they went. Trying to ignore the pain he moved faster. Seeing how fast she could go. She kicked him hard in the knee and the feline was sent stumbling backward. He didn’t fall but recovered fast enough to black her next attacks. “Enough!” The elder ordered. The two slowly backed away from each other. Stealth sat down on one of the benches “You hit hard.” She sat down next to him and rubbed her right shoulder. “So do you.” “I’m glad I didn’t let you use any real weapons,” Philip said. “Are you both all right?” The two nodded in reply. “No, you aren’t all right,” the nanites commented. “But no major injuries. And you did not use your full speed or strength.” “This was only a training match,” Stealth responded. “Not a death match.” He looked at the feline. “Your speed is astonishing Stealth. But you need to hone your skills. Control your moves and attacks.” “I’d like your help in my training,” Stealth said softly. Philip smiled. “I’d be honored to train you.” Stealth bowed. “Thank you.” “You mentioned that you wear armor,” she asked. “What type?” Stealth leaned and picked up his bag. From it pulled out what looked to be a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of pants. “I didn’t at first but I’ve taken to lately. Usually I wear this.” She took hold of the shirt and found it was armor. On the exterior was made of hexagonal plates, each the size of an American quarter. Underneath that was a layer of chainmail. All of it was made of a plastic material. “Nice, light and yet flexible.” Amanda passed it to her Great Grandfather. “What’s this made from? Some sort of plastic?” “A form of exotic polymer,” Stealth explained. “I’ve only had it a few weeks, but it’s already saved me from harm. Especially when we were bouncing around in that Raider Ship while it was crashing. If you want one I can have the maker contact you. He’s a friend.”****************** Breakfast was on the back patio and it included a spectacular view. The whole valley was laid out below them. “No wonder you built up here,” Misha said. “The view is spectacular.” “Beautiful,” Stealth added. “About your friend Democracy Dog,” Misha commented. “He was colorful.” “And an egotist,” The elderly gentleman added with a smile. “But an honorable man and a good friend.” The man paused for a moment. “And a terrible actor.” “Not that bad,” Stealth countered. “But why all the westerns?” The man shrugged. “It was what he was good at.” “I have heard,” Strela said in strained tones. “That he had issues. What is now called PTSD.” Philip’s face grew sad for a moment. “He served a lot more overseas than the rest of us. In the full war. And he brought some of it home with him. He was heavily involved with the Veterans Administration for helping soldiers coming home from Vietnam.” Strela nodded. “A good man.” Philip was silent a moment. “We all brought home some of our own personal demons.” “Are you still troubled?” Stealth asked. “No,” the man answered. “I sought help and laid them to rest long ago. Mostly. He helped me a lot.” Charlotte slowly nodded her head. “Unfortunately such things come with being a hero.” Amanda smiled. “It’s good having new faces here.” “You are all welcome to come here anytime to use the facilities,” the elder hero said. “It’s been underutilized for a long time.” “Agreed,” Charlotte said. “We need new blood around here.” “Thank you!” Misha responded. “You do have some cool toys to play with here.” “Some of your electronics and communications are a bit dated,” Stealth said. “We can upgrade them.”********************* The weekend went fast and soon it came time to leave. They gathered in the hallway to make their goodbyes. “Remember Stealth your first lessons are the day after tomorrow. 9am,” the elder said. “We have a lot to cover.” “Thank you! We’ve added the teleport code for our base into your system,” Strela said. “So, you can drop by anytime. Our defense systems will recognize you.” “Also,” Misha added. “I’ve talked to the Colonel and were adding you into the Miltelnet. So you can basically teleport to anywhere in the US military teleport network. I wanted to add you to the military intelligence net. But I was informed you are already on that.” “Our friends have upgraded your electronics,” Stealth commented. “And let you access THEIR network.” “I’ve heard rumors of your little friends.” “Oh?” Misha asked. “What HAVE you heard?” “Many things,” Philip responded. “But nothing for certain. Hackers, tech’s and geeks extraordinaire.” All three supers nodded. “That and much more,” Stealth commented. “But they will introduce themselves at their own pace.” “They are friendly, chatty, and very gregarious,” Strela said. “By the way. Do you like the Three Stooges?” “Not really,” the elder responded. “I prefer the Marx Brothers.” “The Marx Brothers?” “OH!” “Oh crap,” Misha muttered....
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