Not-So-Peaceful Transfer of Power (Ch.3)

Lilly Alden was led into the military installation by the general. It had been over four weeks since the now tyrannical president Elena Machtig had empowered herself and taken charge of the 13. Despite her numerous crimes there was apparently no way to remove her from power, and no one strong enough to even mount a challenge.

Machtig had, of course, stripped the superhero Uncle Sam of his abilities and run amok. Her drive in life was always to be the best, and to overcome those whom she felt were a little bit ahead of her. This obsession had resulted in her becoming (supposedly) the most powerful person on the planet; a fact she frequently reminded citizens of when she made her daily televised address to the nation.

Lilly, her ex-VP, who had tried to remove Machtig before it was too late, watched on as the president delivered one of these speeches. She had a new tailored white costume now which was a combination of a supersuit and business suit combined. Her muscular chest was on display, her arms bulged against the sleeves. Her long hair flowed down either side of her face, and, from her shoulders and down her back, an American flag flowed. She only wanted to be called "Machtig" now. No more "Elena". Machtig meant one with power in english, and that's what she wanted to be known for.

"She's lost her mind in reality," remarked Lilly while still following the general.

"Indeed," he replied. "But I've always been suspect of these superhero types, or these super-charged freaks. It doesn't matter how virtuous they start out as, there's always a good chance that they go rotten in the end. All that power just goes to their heads."

As he finished, he placed his fingers on a large handle and turned to face Lilly again. She paused and tried to figure out what was actually happening before eventually realising that it was a switch, and when he pulled it down, lights started to turn on in rows over a nearby adjacent room. Each spark was followed by a jutting sound, and, slowly but surely, the hanger became fully illuminated. Being an ex-fighter pilot before ever getting into politics, Lilly wasn't unfamiliar with this type of environment.

"Why have you brought us here, though?" she asked, still somewhat in awe of the sight before her.

"Because we need to bring down the president, and the project here might just do the trick," explained the general while leading them further inside.

Lilly wasn't the only one there as more of the former cabinet had made the long trip to this secret site whose location apparently very few were privy to.

"How did you even fund the project?" she asked. "I don't remember anyone ever even mentioning its existence."

"You can thank the previous administration for that," the general revealed. "You see, when supers like Sam first started turning up, the former president decided to greenlight a project so that if any of them snapped and went on a rampage, we could take them down ourselves."

"So, hence, the Fifty Stars?"

"Yes, that's what we call it. However, they had a change of heart and decided to close it down just when we're about to make a breakthrough. I was the one originally put in charge of the project and when they asked me to shut it all down, I decided to, shall we say, drag my heels a little. That's why it still remains mostly in tact."

"How does it all work?" asked Lilly, staring at the fifty individual capsules that lined both sides of the massive room laid out in dual rows of twenty-five. She walked up to one then and rubbed the condensation off the window. Inside there was what looked like a military robot of sorts.

"They're drones, but unlike any you've likely seen before," explained the general again. "Forty-nine incredibly powerful and mobile weapons that together would definitely give Sam a run for his money, if not Machtig herself."

"What? Forty-nine?" asked a confused Lilly. "Shouldn't there be, you know, fifty?"

"There are," he replied. "But one of the drones is actually a suit worn by the main operator. Basically, whoever wears that armour controls all of the others. They effectively become an army of one."

"But what if, say, Machtig targets that one?"

"It looks like the others, so it camouflages the wearer and operator. The suits themselves are incredibly durable, too. As strong as Machtig is, she'll struggle to breach the armour. The metal we used is insanely rare, you see, and we only had enough to coat these fifty. If we had more, obviously we'd have built platoon after platoon of them. But we believe that even with these fifty, Machtig might fall."

"Great," said Lilly, looking them over again. "So who's going to fly them? Who is the operator?"

The general rubbed the back of his neck then. "That's the problem. We never got to really fully test them. We need a volunteer."

"I would put myself forward," laughed Lilly, but I'm a little out of shape and while I've obviously flown a lot of different planes in my time, I wouldn't know the first thing about flying these."

"Well, here's where it gets interesting. You don't have to fly it, not physically anyway. An implant connects you to the machine itself and you think your way through it. The suit becomes an extension of your body. If you want to fly, you think about it. If you want it to fight, you think about it. That's how you even control the other forty-nine."

"Is it safe, though?" she asked.

"We think so. We hope so. Again, it's our last throw of the dice. Really, we just need it to work long enough that Machtig is defeated. Someone needs to take the risk," explained the general while side-eyeing Lilly.

"OK," she said with a sigh. "I'll do it. I was her VP after all. I'm the one that supported the maniac becoming president. I should have removed her faster, so it's my responsibility to take action now."

"Are you sur? Because we have numerous pilots here who could-"

"No," interrupted Lilly. "It has to be me. I won't let anyone else risk their life."

As she spoke she began removing her jacket and demanded a set of military fatigues instead. When she was ready, the general ordered for the main suit to be fired up and prepared. None of them were willing to waste any more time. As far as they were concerned, the president would be deposed before the night was out.

When Lilly reappeared she was dressed in khaki pants and t-shirt, with the accompanying black boots. She had pulled her hair back into a bun, and took a deep breath as they cracked open the suit for her. But when they finally had breached it, she was shocked.

"I'll never be able to operate this thing," she declared. "The inside is too big. I'm only like 5'5" while the suit was clearly made for someone much taller, and wider."

Indeed, the thin but incredibly tough chassis would only properly fit around someone over over six foot tall, meaning Lilly wouldn't be able to properly control the arms or see out through the eye portal of the helmet.

"This is the reason we never did a full test," said the general. "And this is something I held off telling you about until the very last moment before you entered. To operate it correctly you need to be moulded into the suit. It won't just be a neural connection, but it'll temporarily connect to your muscles and skeleton. It will change you until you fill the suit like a hand fitting into a glove."

"Now I know why you didn't tell me this until after I had agreed to participate."

"The pain may be excruciating, but it also needs to be done for you to fully utilize the potential of this endeavour. It'll also make you more capable of taking a punch from Machtig if she does, in fact, locate you during the fight. You won't be as strong as her, but at least you won't be as feeble as before."

Lilly just shook her head.

"Stop trying to talk me out of it," she joked then, before stepping into the open suit and turning around. It automatically closed upon her like an iron maiden and wrapped itself around her body. She felt a sudden prick at the bottom of her neck, but the pain quickly subsided. Her eyes lit up then, and she could see readouts on both sides, yet neither hampered her regular vision. It was the strangest sensation, though; as if she could feel the suit itself and the forty-nine other drones at the exact same time, yet still retained her sense of self, of her individuality. She thought it would be scary at first, yet thankfully felt fully in control and safe. But this would suddenly change.

She felt jabs on different parts of her body, with needles forcing themselves right down into her bones. Understandably, she let out a cry, and then they retracted. The whole experience didn't last long but was disturbing. Subsequently, she could feel a change coming upon her. There was a surge of energy throughout her limbs, abdomen, and head. It was like a solution was washing through her. The suit had clearly infused her with a serum that would transform her into something else, something much more lethal.

It wasn't long before it worked its magic and Lilly began growing into the suit. Her legs went from being stick-thin to massive trucks and now pressed comfortably against the chassis. Then, it was her arms that reached out and slotted perfectly into the sleeves and gauntlets. Her height increased also, and she felt herself moving upwards until she could see out through the portal. Her chest and back became engorged with muscle, too, and suddenly the suit fit like a second skin. More than that, she felt absolutely mighty. She was a six foot tall superhuman wrapped inside a state of the art modern suit of armour, complete with weaponry of its own.

When the process was over, she wasted little time walking down from the platform and towards the general. She couldn't believe how easy it all was. He had told her the truth. It was just as simple as thinking about it. She was woman and machine now. At least she would be until she took down her former running mate.

"How do you feel?" asked the general, tilting his head back.

"Amazing. Simply amazing. I understand now why Machtig went a little insane, but, unlike her, I won't be so overwhelmed by it. I understand how dangerous this type of power can be."

"That's good to hear," he replied. "It means that, luckily, we actually got the right person for the job."

"So what now?" she asked.

"I think Machtig will be making another one of her dreary live speeches in a few hours around the National Mall in DC. I want you to take the time to get used to the controls, learn how to operate the other forty-nine, and then confront her. Don't worry, we'll have your back if something goes wrong. We just need you to at least soften her up. If you do that, I promise she won't know what hit her."

As he finished, he lowered his hand and clutched his trusty side piece.

The general was correct. Machtig was clueless as to his project as he had kept it off the books, and she had indeed prepared a live speech which actually very few turned up to witness. As she took to the stage, her assistant Rachel was there to advise her.

"They're afraid to come," she explained. "That's why the turnout is so poor."

"Next time," declared Machtig, "I'll make them come out and listen to me."

As she said this, she cracked a fake smile and walked to the lectern. Her American flag cape flowed behind her and her brilliant suit shone in the sunlight. But as she was about to begin her speech, there was a loud hum that emanated from above. She didn't look up at first and merely listened on as the sound grew louder and louder. It was approaching her specifically now, she realized that much. When Machtig did finally dare to stare skywards, she noticed a locust-like hoard descending towards the stage.

"What is it, Rachel?" she quietly asked.

Rachel herself skulked off the podium then while whispering, "I think, for you, it's the finding out phase."

As the attack was about to commence, the few attendees that had ventured to the spot also made a hasty retreat, leaving the president having to deal with what appeared to be fifty extremely powerful humanoid stealth drones.

Three flew straight at her to begin with, each punching her full force in the face and body. The impact was so brutal that the fancy stage was immediately wiped out and the lectern was sent through the air. When she had gotten back to her feet, another five attacked from behind and took turns kicking and punching Machtig, before grabbing her arm and flinging her across one of the streaks of grass beside the Mall.

As she tried to get up again, yet another two stomped down on her, pushing the president's body clear under the surface. Another grabbed her shoulder then, pulled her out of the hole that their body had forcibly made, and held her up high. They raised a hand and blasted her at point blank range with an energy device, sending her right across to the other side of the Mall, with a cloud of dust gathering around and obscuring her from their view.  The drones waited for a moment then until she re-appeared. Lilly herself was very much amongst the fifty, but was careful to hide her movements as she prepared to unleash more of the platoon upon Machtig.

Machtig herself, however, rose from the dust, relatively unharmed. Even her suit and cape were left mostly unmarked. Lilly was taken aback by this. She hoped the initial volley would at least do some significant damage but her rival only appeared to be getting madder.

Once more, the Fifty Stars attacked. This time Lilly sent ten to fifteen per wave, and, again, Machtig was thrown around like a ragdoll. It was relentless. She was blasted, punched, and stomped. But, again, it made little difference. Perhaps, thought Lilly, the general was wrong? Perhaps Sam's power was greater than they'd even calculated? Perhaps she could only distract her but couldn't actually defeat her? Lilly perished the thought quickly, though, and let loose with the drones again.

It was only when she decided to send half her forces per wave to subdue the dark president that she finally began to make some progress. The fancy suit of Machtig started to rip apart, and the cape became raggedy. Her skin was also noticeably marked up and dirty; and she was visibly gasping from the effort.

Lilly sent thirty down then, each taking their turn in punching Machtig and grinding her down. As promising as all this seemed, though, things were about to take a turn, as Machtig's minions the 13 suddenly turned up.

While few of them were capable of physically matching up to the drones, they could certainly draw some away from Machtig, which is exactly what happened. While Lilly tried to keep them at bay she decided then to get closer to the president and maybe finish her off before things got further out of hand.

It was in this moment of confusion that Machtig started to get her second wind and actually fought back. Enraged, she threw herself forth and flew into the path of the oncoming drones and started to dish out some punishment of her own. While Lilly felt no pain, the blows on the armour of the other drones certainly registered, and she was shocked at the level of force Machtig was applying. She realized that if sustained, she could, in fact, pierce the surface of them.

Even so, she wouldn't retreat. Not this time. She had hidden long enough during the battle and decided she needed to get more involved herself, and as Machtig targetted a number of the drones nearby, Lilly flew down and delivered a savage punch to her jaw, driving the president right across the waters of the Mall. Indeed, she skipped like a stone along the surface for a second before coming fully to a stop.

As she drew herself up again, Lilly surrounded her with yet more drones and then readied to fire everything they had.

"Do you surrender?" she asked.

"Who is that?" asked a furious but increasingly weary Machtig, not recognising the heavily synthesised voice of her former VP.

"I'll only ask one last time," Lilly replied. "If you don't surrender, I will unleash the full power of these drones upon you."

"I?" wondered Machtig aloud. "Do you mean to say there's only one of you controlling these things? Hmm, the real question now is, are you in some facility far away, or are you actually here?"

Realizing she may have made a tactical mistake, Lilly decided to onload on Machtig then, blasting her from every side. After a minute of this pure violence, she ordered them to stop so she could survey the damage. However, Machtig was nowhere to be seen. There was, instead, a hole in the earth that the water from the pond was now flowing into. Machtig had apparently punched her way underground to safety.

When Lilly realized this, she became slightly disoriented. Where was she? It didn't take long for her enemy to re-appear, though, smashing her way upwards through the earth and floating before the platoon of drones. Machtig then cried out to the 13:

"As I fight, I want you to study and watch them, and if there's one that shows any unusual movements, let me know, as they're likely to be the shell I have to crack before I can crush the nut inside."

Machtig smiled as she engaged the Fifty Stars. She knew this attempt was going to hurt on some level but wanted to draw them in even so, and certainly Lilly wasn't going to give up this chance to take her down either.

For a time, they engaged in this dance of death in the sky above, while, at the same time, Lilly remembered to send a few drones down to disrupt the study of the thirteen watching below. However, despite her best efforts, one of them, Oldrien, had noticed something. Being the smartest and most observant of the bunch he noticed there was one "drone" that hung back and prepared its attacks in a more methodical way. It was protecting itself in a manner that the others were not.

"There!" he screamed up to Machtig. "Try that one!"

Machtig didn't have to be told twice and charged at them. Panicked, Lilly tried to move out of the way but was tackled and driven to the ground. Before she could get up, Machtig started using the last of her strength to punch the armour. Amidst the chaos, Lilly struggled to call the other drones to her rescue, and feared the worst. Indeed, just as Machtig herself was almost out of gas, she managed to puncture the surface of Lilly's suit and ripped her helmet clear off.

"You?!" she cried. "I should've known. But where did you get such incredible tech?"

While she was distracted, Lilly tried calling all forty-nine of the drones to her. As they approached, though, Machtig reacted quickly.

"Oh no you don't!" she said, grabbing Lilly by the throat and yanking her out of the suit. In fact, she was pulled so violently that she became detached from the device, and thus, all of the drones suddenly stopped mid-air.

Machtig, though, was fatigued from their fight and let Lilly fall to the ground.

"Wow, you're heavy, and I'm not surprised. You've gotten huge! Seems the tech isn't your only upgrade."

Inspired by this comment, Lilly worked up enough courage to throw a punch at the president, visibly hurting her. She threw another then, and Machtig actually began to wobble. As she threw a last one, however, Machtig caught her fist and smiled. She began crushing it then.

"On your knees, ingrate. I chose you as my running mate, and all you've done since is consistently try to undermine me. And who gave you these massive upgrades, the general? Where is that trai-"

As Machtig spoke, she heard another sound: Helicopters were approaching. There were also a number of jets streaking across the sky above.

"Ah, I get it. If you didn't beat me with these drones, you'd at least soften me up enough that the general would ride to the rescue and cut me down?"

"Something like that," said Lilly, suddenly finding the will and strength to match Machtig. More than match her, in fact, as Lilly started bettering her. Standing back up, she threw another punch at Machtig, knocking the president on her backside. As she did so, the general landed nearby on a helicopter with his pistol in hand, one containing a bullet made from the same metal as the armour. As he approached, he took aim at a recovering Machtig and fired. The bullet passed through her neck and finally felled her.

Relieved, the general walked over to the side of the still muscular Lilly, with both staring down at the president's body.

"It's a nasty business," he said. "In fact, some of the nastiest I've ever seen."

"And our great grandkids won't believe any of it," joked Lilly. "The whole thing is just absurd."

They both turned and noticed the 13 were being arrested, too, and it looked like the nightmare was finally over. However, things are rarely that simple in politics. While they were distracted by the scenes unfolding, they didn't notice Machtig moving from her spot. She was not even remotely dead, only play-acting.

As she crawled away, she spoke aloud, but the rotary blades of the choppers nearby mostly drowned out what she was saying:

"Oh, you think you've beaten me, eh? You think you're superior? Fools. There is no one better than me."

Lilly could just about hear something now being muttered and finally turned around to see what it was, and was left horrified when she noticed Machtig climbing into the remains of her suit. As the crazed woman lay down in it, the same process that Lilly had gone through previously was now being participated upon Machtig. It closed around her body, it connected to her brain, and the needles just managed to pierce her already super skin and bones, injecting her with the same serum.

The general noticed what was happening, too.

"My god, she's going to become even more powerful," he said. "You were enhanced from being a regular human, but she is starting out like Sam, a superhuman."

As the power flowed through her veins, Machtig could barely contain it. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, her body started to twitch and vibrate. She wondered if she'd taken it too far this time, but then realized that there was no such thing as too far. She had been challenged by someone great, and now she would be greater again.

Her muscles grew so much, in fact, they ripped through the suit, leaving her arms and legs exposed. She grew taller to over seven foot, and, as she drew herself up before them, her body was left wrapped in an ensemble which was a mix of ripped white pants suit, American flag cape, and mecha armour, with her lush hair flowing down around it. When she realised just how almighty she had become she could only laugh wickedly. She placed her hands on her hips then and started to float off the ground. As she did, she called out to the forty-nine drones who were now under her control.

"I'll give you traitors a head start," she said in a meancing voice. "Go on then, make for the copper."

The general reluctantly complied and raced with the other soldiers back to the helicopters, leaving the 13 behind, as well as a defiant Lilly who refused to flee. As they took off and tried to make their escape, the president unleashed her newest arsenal. As the humanoid drones attacked, it didn't take long before the general and company were gone.

There was nothing Lilly could do but watch, and as she did so, Machtig floated down beside her and whispered in her ear:

"I have to thank you. Not only do I have the power of Uncle Sam, but now it has been enhanced manyfold. And not only do I have the 13 but you've given me the 50 stars as well."

They both stared then at the fiery wrecks of the helicopters just beyond the Mall.

"See, if he'd just fallen in line, just followed my orders, this wouldn't have happened. If he'd just accepted the truth that I am the best, that no one is better than me, everything would be fine."

Due to multiple cameras being present at the scene for her planned speech, every punch Machtig had thrown and every word she'd spoken was pretty much captured live on air. People across the nation and world had witnessed the horrible spectacle. Including Sam. He had watched on TV, and, disgusted, had made up his mind. When his powers had been taken from him by Machtig he had spoken of another. A person he believed stronger than even him. A brief but old enemy that now lived the life of a hermit, yet Sam knew still where to find him. However, when he finally knocked on the door, he discovered an ageing man in the hallway, one reluctant to help.

"I know why you're here," he revealed. "You want me to humble her and save the world. But I won't. I can't. Can I?"

To be continued...