The van suddenly made a sharp turn into an old warehouse. The huge door then shut behind it. The police cars stopped outside the warehouse. Solo got out of the car and walked over to the door. He looked up at the building. As he did this two of the other officers checked the rest of the outside of the building. A few minutes later they returned.
“This is the only entrance.” said one. “The only way they could have got out is by the windows.”
Suddenly the huge door began to open again. As the seconds passed Solo could tell that something large was behind it. He couldn’t see what it was until the door was fully open. What he saw horrified him. Standing in the doorway were ten men, each garbed in body armour, and each holding high calibre machine guns. A second passed before they all opened fire. The police officers barely had time to hit the deck before the bullets showered over them.
“Return their fire!” ordered Solo.
Each officer drew their firearm, aimed at the warehouse, and fired. To their surprise the bullets just bounced off the gunmen because of their body armour. Even because of this the police continued to fire.
“Call the Yard!” shouted Solo. “Call for back-up!”
One of the officers crawled to the car, opened the door, and was about to radio for help when a barrage of bullets ripped into the car and his body. On seeing this Solo returned fire from his pistol, but again the bullets had no effect. Solo knew that they were on a losing battle, so he got to his feet. Somehow the bullets seemed to avoid him. Placing his fingers on his temple Solo closed his eyes and concentrated. A few seconds passed, and then the machine guns floated out of the arms of the gunmen. They had no idea what was going on. Solo continued to concentrate as slowly the body armour the gunmen were wearing began to remove itself. The gunmen were now dressed in ordinary street clothes.
“Forward!” Solo shouted.
It was then that it happened. From inside the warehouse the noise of a small jet engine could be heard. There was a bright flash of light behind the gunmen, and then their ringleader could be seen behind them. Gunner was making his appearance.
Gunner was clad in his usual white costume and white helmet. He flew above his cohorts and towards the police. It was then that Solo noticed that Gunner was carrying in his arms a high energy laser cannon. Hovering in mid-air Gunner aimed the cannon at one of the cars and fired. There was a huge explosion, and the explosion caught three of the policemen. Before anything could be done Gunner fired again, and two of the other cars exploded. Again there was no time to escape. Dead and injured policemen lay on the ground. Only Solo was now standing. Gunner began to aim the cannon at Solo. Gunner was confused when Solo closed his eyes and once again concentrated. Slowly, the cannon in Gunner’s hands began to vibrate, and a few seconds later it caught alight. It began to get red hot, and Gunner had no choice but to drop it into the Thames. Gunner’s cohorts then began to run towards Solo, but suddenly they were all sent flying back into the warehouse and crashing against the wall. Gunner looked down at Solo. He had no idea what was going on. There was then a rattling noise from Gunner’s jet-pac. The noise gradually got louder and louder. There was then a smell of smoke. Gunner realised something was wrong with his jet-pac. He flew towards the warehouse, and quickly took off the jet-pac. A few seconds later it also caught alight. Solo then opened his eyes. The next thing he saw was Gunner running towards him. After building up speed Gunner charged into Solo and sent him flying. Solo was very winded and very dazed. He was now in no condition to follow Gunner, and had to escape on foot.
Within the next half hour more police units arrived on the scene, and all of Gunner’s cohorts were arrested. Many of them were injured and had to be taken to hospital. The sad news was that all of the police officers under Solo’s command had been killed by the laser cannon.
It was the next day that Solo was called into the office of his immediate superior, Chief Inspector Thaw. Thaw was not a happy man.
“What the bloody hell do you think you were doing yesterday?” Thaw shouted. “This isn’t Anglo-Force we’re running here. You can’t just use your telepathic powers while apprehending criminals!”
“With all due respect sir, you thought it was alright I use them to solve the Epson murders.” said Solo. “After that accident at Dentonville Prison I’ve found that my new powers have come in very handing tracking down criminals we haven’t got close to in the past year or so.”
“But there are rules, Solo, that we must operate in.” said Thaw. Have you heard about the injuries you caused yesterday? Three broken legs, five broken arms, and one man with a stress fracture of his spine! If the papers get wind of this they’ll have a field day! You can’t go around acting like James Watt or Doctor Magus just because you have super-powers!”
“So I’m just meant to stand by while the rest of my unit is attacked, am I?”
“Well of course not. What I am saying is that you should abide by the rules.”
“The rules are out of date, sir. Today’s criminal will go to any length to achieve his means, especially as far as Peter Oswald is concerned. Although Anglo-Force were formed to combat such threats as those put forward by Oswald they can’t be in every place at once. That is why the police must take a stronger line in these matters.”
“I totally disagree with you. We must act within the rules.”
Thaw sat down at his desk.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to put you on leave, Inspector. Maybe during your time away you’ll come to see that you must act within the rules and not like your super-hero friends.”
“I’m afraid I can no longer act within those rules sir. There is now only one thing I can do. Resign.”
Solo reached into his pocket and threw his identification onto the desk.
“Maybe I should go into business for myself.” he said. “As I said, Anglo-Force could use a little help now and then.”
Doctor Daniel Reid was well respected among the science community of the world. His main field was quantum nuclear physics. He had worked on the preliminary stages of the Quantum Leap project with Dr. Samuel Beckett, but later decided to return to England and take up a lecturing post at Nottingham University. Even though this post took up most of his time he was still able to find the time to carry out scientific work or his own in the laboratory he had been given on the university campus. Indeed, he was close to a breakthrough in his current experiment, the process which would enable a safer use of nuclear energy, and at the same time gain more power. The process would revolutionise the energy industry, but the process could also be used for other means, such as the creation of more powerful nuclear weapons. It was because of this that Dr. Reid received a visit on the campus from none other than Peter Oswald.
Oswald was able to walk freely throughout the campus. To everyone he seemed like a normal man. While on the campus he had to ask the way to Dr. Reid’s laboratory, but this did not seem suspicious.
He soon found the laboratory, and found that Dr. Reid was in residence. He didn’t bother knocking on the door, he just entered. Reid was annoyed when he did this.
“Who are you?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”
“My name is Oswald, Peter Oswald. I’m here on a matter of business, with regards to your current experiment.”
“Ah, you must be the man from the World Science Organisation.”
“I believe you have me mistaken for someone else, Dr. Reid. The man I represent is very powerful and is also very interested in your work, as am I.”
“And you do you represent?”
“My client does not wish to divulge his name at the moment. All I can say is that he is soon to set himself up in this country, and would like to purchase your plans off you.”
“Is he setting up a power company? My plans would be of great use to him if he were.”
“He is not. My client wish to use your plans for other means.”
A shocked look appeared on Reid’s face.
“Your client, he’s an arms merchant, isn’t he?”
“Arms merchant is such a crude word, don’t you think? My client is very willing to pay a high price for your work, and he is also willing to pay you a large salary to continue your work for him.”
“Never. I will never sell out to gun runners.”
Oswald reached into his coat and pulled out a gun.
“This is one of the new T-73 laser blasters. They are a very deadly weapon, Dr. Reid. If I were to shoot you in your stomach not only would your stomach be destroyed but both of your lungs and a sizeable portion of your chest cavity as well.”
Oswald aimed the blaster at Reid.
“Now I will ask you for the last time. Give me your plans Dr. Reid.”
“Not in a million years!”
Oswald then aimed the blaster at a piece of equipment and fired. The explosion sent Reid diving for cover. Oswald saw where Reid where Reid had dived to and fired the blaster at the shelving above him. The heavy equipment came crashing down on Reid. Oswald saw that there was no movement from underneath the equipment, so he walked over to the filing cabinet where Reid kept his plans. He tried to open it but it was locked. Standing back, he fired the blaster at the lock, and the draw slid open. He began searching through the files until he saw the file on Reid’s current experiment. Oswald then looked towards the door as he thought he heard a noise outside. A few seconds later the door opened and one of Dr. Reid’s students, a young man by the name of Charles Borne, entered. Oswald raised his blaster and fired at Borne. Borne was just able to dive for cover. Oswald then began to walk towards the bench Borne had dived behind. Behind the bench Borne pulled up his sleeves, revealing two hold bracelets on his wrist. A second later he brought the bracelets together with a mighty clang, and there was a huge flash of light. Oswald had to shield his eyes from the light, but when the light died down Oswald was surprised to see a man clad in a red and black costume with a black mask standing in front of him. Oswald recognised him: Marvel Boy.
Oswald raised his blaster at Marvel Boy, but Marvel Boy charged him, and the two of them went flying into a large metal instrument. The instrument shook violently with the impact, and then a burst of steam began to come from the top of it, and a red warning light began to flash throughout the lab. The instrument was in fact a small nuclear reactor which Reid had been testing. Radioactive gas began to fill the room. As soon as the internal instruments detected the radiation lead shielding began to come down all around the room. Oswald then realised he had to get out fast. Knocking Marvel Boy off him Oswald got to his feet, raised his blaster, and fired a laser blast at one of the shields, making a hole big enough so he could escape. Marvel Boy could not stop him, and Oswald, as well as Reid’s plans, were well on their way.
Marvel Boy also got to his feet. He coughed as the steam began to fill the room.
“Dr. Reid! Dr. Reid!” he shouted.
He then heard a noise underneath the fallen shelving and walked over to it. He then began throwing the pieces of equipment off as he soon found Reid, who was unconscious. Picking Reid up Marvel Boy then walked over to the hole that Oswald had just blasted moments earlier. Then, after laying Reid to the ground he began using his great strength to repair the hole in an attempt to keep the radiation in the room. Then he brought he bracelets together again, and the persona of Charles Borne appeared again. It was then that the effects of the radioactive steam began to take effect and he slumped to the floor. It was a few seconds later that the campus emergency services arrived.
“This is the only entrance.” said one. “The only way they could have got out is by the windows.”
Suddenly the huge door began to open again. As the seconds passed Solo could tell that something large was behind it. He couldn’t see what it was until the door was fully open. What he saw horrified him. Standing in the doorway were ten men, each garbed in body armour, and each holding high calibre machine guns. A second passed before they all opened fire. The police officers barely had time to hit the deck before the bullets showered over them.
“Return their fire!” ordered Solo.
Each officer drew their firearm, aimed at the warehouse, and fired. To their surprise the bullets just bounced off the gunmen because of their body armour. Even because of this the police continued to fire.
“Call the Yard!” shouted Solo. “Call for back-up!”
One of the officers crawled to the car, opened the door, and was about to radio for help when a barrage of bullets ripped into the car and his body. On seeing this Solo returned fire from his pistol, but again the bullets had no effect. Solo knew that they were on a losing battle, so he got to his feet. Somehow the bullets seemed to avoid him. Placing his fingers on his temple Solo closed his eyes and concentrated. A few seconds passed, and then the machine guns floated out of the arms of the gunmen. They had no idea what was going on. Solo continued to concentrate as slowly the body armour the gunmen were wearing began to remove itself. The gunmen were now dressed in ordinary street clothes.
“Forward!” Solo shouted.
It was then that it happened. From inside the warehouse the noise of a small jet engine could be heard. There was a bright flash of light behind the gunmen, and then their ringleader could be seen behind them. Gunner was making his appearance.
Gunner was clad in his usual white costume and white helmet. He flew above his cohorts and towards the police. It was then that Solo noticed that Gunner was carrying in his arms a high energy laser cannon. Hovering in mid-air Gunner aimed the cannon at one of the cars and fired. There was a huge explosion, and the explosion caught three of the policemen. Before anything could be done Gunner fired again, and two of the other cars exploded. Again there was no time to escape. Dead and injured policemen lay on the ground. Only Solo was now standing. Gunner began to aim the cannon at Solo. Gunner was confused when Solo closed his eyes and once again concentrated. Slowly, the cannon in Gunner’s hands began to vibrate, and a few seconds later it caught alight. It began to get red hot, and Gunner had no choice but to drop it into the Thames. Gunner’s cohorts then began to run towards Solo, but suddenly they were all sent flying back into the warehouse and crashing against the wall. Gunner looked down at Solo. He had no idea what was going on. There was then a rattling noise from Gunner’s jet-pac. The noise gradually got louder and louder. There was then a smell of smoke. Gunner realised something was wrong with his jet-pac. He flew towards the warehouse, and quickly took off the jet-pac. A few seconds later it also caught alight. Solo then opened his eyes. The next thing he saw was Gunner running towards him. After building up speed Gunner charged into Solo and sent him flying. Solo was very winded and very dazed. He was now in no condition to follow Gunner, and had to escape on foot.
Within the next half hour more police units arrived on the scene, and all of Gunner’s cohorts were arrested. Many of them were injured and had to be taken to hospital. The sad news was that all of the police officers under Solo’s command had been killed by the laser cannon.
It was the next day that Solo was called into the office of his immediate superior, Chief Inspector Thaw. Thaw was not a happy man.
“What the bloody hell do you think you were doing yesterday?” Thaw shouted. “This isn’t Anglo-Force we’re running here. You can’t just use your telepathic powers while apprehending criminals!”
“With all due respect sir, you thought it was alright I use them to solve the Epson murders.” said Solo. “After that accident at Dentonville Prison I’ve found that my new powers have come in very handing tracking down criminals we haven’t got close to in the past year or so.”
“But there are rules, Solo, that we must operate in.” said Thaw. Have you heard about the injuries you caused yesterday? Three broken legs, five broken arms, and one man with a stress fracture of his spine! If the papers get wind of this they’ll have a field day! You can’t go around acting like James Watt or Doctor Magus just because you have super-powers!”
“So I’m just meant to stand by while the rest of my unit is attacked, am I?”
“Well of course not. What I am saying is that you should abide by the rules.”
“The rules are out of date, sir. Today’s criminal will go to any length to achieve his means, especially as far as Peter Oswald is concerned. Although Anglo-Force were formed to combat such threats as those put forward by Oswald they can’t be in every place at once. That is why the police must take a stronger line in these matters.”
“I totally disagree with you. We must act within the rules.”
Thaw sat down at his desk.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to put you on leave, Inspector. Maybe during your time away you’ll come to see that you must act within the rules and not like your super-hero friends.”
“I’m afraid I can no longer act within those rules sir. There is now only one thing I can do. Resign.”
Solo reached into his pocket and threw his identification onto the desk.
“Maybe I should go into business for myself.” he said. “As I said, Anglo-Force could use a little help now and then.”
Doctor Daniel Reid was well respected among the science community of the world. His main field was quantum nuclear physics. He had worked on the preliminary stages of the Quantum Leap project with Dr. Samuel Beckett, but later decided to return to England and take up a lecturing post at Nottingham University. Even though this post took up most of his time he was still able to find the time to carry out scientific work or his own in the laboratory he had been given on the university campus. Indeed, he was close to a breakthrough in his current experiment, the process which would enable a safer use of nuclear energy, and at the same time gain more power. The process would revolutionise the energy industry, but the process could also be used for other means, such as the creation of more powerful nuclear weapons. It was because of this that Dr. Reid received a visit on the campus from none other than Peter Oswald.
Oswald was able to walk freely throughout the campus. To everyone he seemed like a normal man. While on the campus he had to ask the way to Dr. Reid’s laboratory, but this did not seem suspicious.
He soon found the laboratory, and found that Dr. Reid was in residence. He didn’t bother knocking on the door, he just entered. Reid was annoyed when he did this.
“Who are you?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”
“My name is Oswald, Peter Oswald. I’m here on a matter of business, with regards to your current experiment.”
“Ah, you must be the man from the World Science Organisation.”
“I believe you have me mistaken for someone else, Dr. Reid. The man I represent is very powerful and is also very interested in your work, as am I.”
“And you do you represent?”
“My client does not wish to divulge his name at the moment. All I can say is that he is soon to set himself up in this country, and would like to purchase your plans off you.”
“Is he setting up a power company? My plans would be of great use to him if he were.”
“He is not. My client wish to use your plans for other means.”
A shocked look appeared on Reid’s face.
“Your client, he’s an arms merchant, isn’t he?”
“Arms merchant is such a crude word, don’t you think? My client is very willing to pay a high price for your work, and he is also willing to pay you a large salary to continue your work for him.”
“Never. I will never sell out to gun runners.”
Oswald reached into his coat and pulled out a gun.
“This is one of the new T-73 laser blasters. They are a very deadly weapon, Dr. Reid. If I were to shoot you in your stomach not only would your stomach be destroyed but both of your lungs and a sizeable portion of your chest cavity as well.”
Oswald aimed the blaster at Reid.
“Now I will ask you for the last time. Give me your plans Dr. Reid.”
“Not in a million years!”
Oswald then aimed the blaster at a piece of equipment and fired. The explosion sent Reid diving for cover. Oswald saw where Reid where Reid had dived to and fired the blaster at the shelving above him. The heavy equipment came crashing down on Reid. Oswald saw that there was no movement from underneath the equipment, so he walked over to the filing cabinet where Reid kept his plans. He tried to open it but it was locked. Standing back, he fired the blaster at the lock, and the draw slid open. He began searching through the files until he saw the file on Reid’s current experiment. Oswald then looked towards the door as he thought he heard a noise outside. A few seconds later the door opened and one of Dr. Reid’s students, a young man by the name of Charles Borne, entered. Oswald raised his blaster and fired at Borne. Borne was just able to dive for cover. Oswald then began to walk towards the bench Borne had dived behind. Behind the bench Borne pulled up his sleeves, revealing two hold bracelets on his wrist. A second later he brought the bracelets together with a mighty clang, and there was a huge flash of light. Oswald had to shield his eyes from the light, but when the light died down Oswald was surprised to see a man clad in a red and black costume with a black mask standing in front of him. Oswald recognised him: Marvel Boy.
Oswald raised his blaster at Marvel Boy, but Marvel Boy charged him, and the two of them went flying into a large metal instrument. The instrument shook violently with the impact, and then a burst of steam began to come from the top of it, and a red warning light began to flash throughout the lab. The instrument was in fact a small nuclear reactor which Reid had been testing. Radioactive gas began to fill the room. As soon as the internal instruments detected the radiation lead shielding began to come down all around the room. Oswald then realised he had to get out fast. Knocking Marvel Boy off him Oswald got to his feet, raised his blaster, and fired a laser blast at one of the shields, making a hole big enough so he could escape. Marvel Boy could not stop him, and Oswald, as well as Reid’s plans, were well on their way.
Marvel Boy also got to his feet. He coughed as the steam began to fill the room.
“Dr. Reid! Dr. Reid!” he shouted.
He then heard a noise underneath the fallen shelving and walked over to it. He then began throwing the pieces of equipment off as he soon found Reid, who was unconscious. Picking Reid up Marvel Boy then walked over to the hole that Oswald had just blasted moments earlier. Then, after laying Reid to the ground he began using his great strength to repair the hole in an attempt to keep the radiation in the room. Then he brought he bracelets together again, and the persona of Charles Borne appeared again. It was then that the effects of the radioactive steam began to take effect and he slumped to the floor. It was a few seconds later that the campus emergency services arrived.
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