THE MOMENT
"Doctor, you're a real pro" Disaster smiled at one of her new friends as the group walked into Area 51 through the now-open doorway. The heist group consisted of three members; but, Disaster was the new one. Dr. C-4 and Kwame seemed to already be acquainted. "No alarms either, you're smooth," she said with awe. Dr. C-4 had carefully and quietly exploded the door open. She had no idea silent explosives were possible until she saw them in action.
"Our mission required a third member," Kwame spoke up as they began navigating the narrow maze of white halls. "Is there anything you would like to accomplish while we have the opportunity?" he asked. Disaster noted Kwame and Dr. C-4 exchange a glance with his question. They were likely already suspicious about her; but, she was confident she still had time to play the role more convincingly. They still needed her to get the job done at least. And, regardless of the situation, she was thrilled to be raiding Area 51. As a hero, she could probably have visited it any time; but, somehow it was more exciting to "get away with something". Even if she was just pretending.
"Nope," Disaster shook her head. "I only just discovered the multiverse recently and I'm trying to make new friends," she said. "Villianmatch made it kind of easy; though, not many groups are taking members that don't have an AlterNet character yet."
"Oh," Dr. C-4 giggled; but, she also seemed to relax. Not that she had been particularly cold, Claudia introduced herself by name and everything. But, until then Disaster had the impression that Claudia was keeping her guard up. "Well, that explains it," she said. "Kwame and I were wondering why you'd join us. We're not even Unique Souls," she shrugged. "We don't have AlterNet characters yet either. But, now it makes sense; we're the only ones who accepted you," she giggled and Disaster smiled.
"With that revealed, I should be honest too," Kwame said. He was currently the one leading the group through the halls. "Our mission required a third member... but more specifically, we required a Calavera," he said. "I will admit, I was suspicious when you asked to join us. However, now I understand fate has truly brought us together," he said.
"Required?" Disaster asked. "What for? What are we stealing exactly? A UFO?"
"No," Kwame answered with a shake of his head and warmth in his voice. "You are new to the multiverse, Claudia and I are as well; but, I've had some time to study. There are no 'Aliens'," Kwame used air quotes as he turned a corner to another white hallway. "There are no other planets; Earth is all there is in any universe." Disaster nodded silently. Mundo had said something similar; but, he gave her a lot of information that day. And at the moment, as long as they weren't questioning her motives, she was happy.
"Area 51 does not exist on every Earth, but it does exist on several. Each version of Area 51 is interconnected between universes, and owned by the same corporation. Until recently that corporation was Sharp Development; now it's not," he said.
"Are you sure!?" Disaster was suddenly concerned. The one piece of advice that did stick with her was that Sharp Development was the premiere multiversal corporation. She may have been undercover; but, would they care about the details?
"Oh yes," Kwame nodded. "We would not attempt this if they were still in charge. The new owner, Rad Industries, isn't the established company Sharp Development is. They're still trying to get off the ground and as a result, they presented us with an opportunity. This opportunity," he stopped suddenly in the middle of the hallway and turned to face the white wall, then he walked forward through it. Claudia followed with Disaster close behind. They stopped just on the other side. The trio now stood in a much wider spade with a black vault door embedded in the wall ahead of them.
"Good luck," Disaster encouraged Dr. C-4 with a smile. She'd seen enough movies to know the explosives expert was going to dismantle the vault.
"This is a protective measure only a Calavera can handle," Kwame said. "That black metal is known as Voidsteel; the cores of alternate Earths forged into one Unique material. A Calavera has the strength to move it, no one else."
"Oh, okay. No sweat," Disaster nodded and approached the heavy black door. As soon as she gripped the handles she felt an incredibly sturdy weight. She wanted to impress her new friends and sell her undercover persona, so she did not hesitate to yank with all her might. The frame bent as the door bulged forward slightly; but, she did not tear it open like she was trying to. Then, the alarms sounded; the white room flashed red and Disaster blinked.
She opened her eyes in a new room. The vault, Claudia and Kwame were nowhere to be seen; but, she wasn't alone. A teenage kid with red-rimmed glasses sat behind a desk in front of her.
"Hi, I'm Turbo," he smiled at her. "I own Rad Industries and Area 51," he said.
"Where are the others?" she asked. She didn't know the situation yet and she did not use the word 'friends'.
"Chronos put them outside and sent them on their way; but, I wanted to talk to you, Calavera to Calavera," he said.
"About what?" It was a genuine question. If he let Claudia and Kwame go, he probably wasn't too concerned with the attempted heist.
"The future of Rad Industries," he said. "Chronos was able to establish your background and I know you're new to the multiverse. There's a decent chance that you're not aware of how important Calaveras are to the order of things. There are stronger Unique Souls of course, but Calaveras are like the ultimate generals. At the moment, I am the only Calavera in Rad Industries, and I'd like to hire you to join us," he said.
"YES!" Disaster answered instantly before she could think about it. "Wait.. sorry. Yes, with some concessions," she added. "I want to work at Area 51, and I still want to be a Superhero." It was like having all her childhood dreams come true at once. Turbo nodded and chuckled.
"You don't need to decide right this minute, we have plenty more to discuss," he said. "But, I will say that both of those requests can be accommodated."
"Wonderful!" Disaster smiled as she began to imagine giving her boyfriend a tour of the complex. Those fantasies along with a discussion with Turbo kept her occupied and she quickly forgot about the heist and undercover operation. It was a game mode she wanted to try for fun, and she could try again later. Right now, she had her future to think of. Disaster and her boyfriend were discussing relocating to a new Earth and now she was wondering if they could move into Area 51. She would reach out to her new friends later and see if they ever caught on, and maybe arrange another game. In the meantime, she listened, smiled, and chatted with her new boss.
Both of them were unaware that at that moment, a black swarm of nanos flew into the vault through the cracks in the bulging metal.