There were also blue matter cannons along the walls, similar to the ones Dr. Destructo used on Icarus. He explained, instead of them being set to simply counter blue-matter-beings, they were programmed to re-calibrate in a way that allowed them to adapt to the meta-physics of an intruder, and shoot beams that would directly counteract his or her powers. If the cannons, for instance, sensed a fire-being was present, they would shoot blue matter pulses simulating liquid nitrogen, water, ice, and freezing winds all at once.

I asked where the AI to perform such functionality came from. Dr. Destructo answered it was developed in-house. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. The last thing I needed was for them to be manufactured by Universal Intelligence and posing a potential threat.

After quite a walk, we arrived outside a heavily secured room. Dr. Destructo entered a code, had his retina scanned, his hand scanned, and then used a voice recognition device to unlock the door. Shuttershock joked and asked Dr. Destructo if he was hiding Tupac in there. I suggested Elvis. We both laughed but the humor seemed to escape the good doctor, for he looked at us with a blank expression. We quickly regained our composure, and when we did, Dr. Destructo revealed the patient in the room.

Her name is Ramona and seated by her bedside was a man named Victor Carnel. When we walked in, Vic stood up and shook our hands. He quickly proceeded to ask Dr. Destructo if some test results were in. The two talked shop for about a minute, using super genius terminology that you would have to have an IQ of 200+ to remotely understand. Then the good doctor informed Shuttershock and I that Ramona is one of the world’s most powerful telepaths.

Vic next detailed a recent journey he’d had. He said Ramona was the core to the AI security system in the Carnival de Carnel Casino in Vegas, where she had initially been hired as a dancer and hostess. His brother, Ray Carnel, the owner and operator of the casino, had discovered her abilities, and subsequently partnered with Universal Intelligence to kidnap Ramona, manipulate her consciousness and force her to power the casino’s security and surveillance systems against her will. Having her mind mangled and twisted had left the former dancer in a vegetative state. Hers was a terribly tragic story. The intel, however, was incredible, as my investigation into Edgar Lockhart’s tech company was still ongoing. I had been suspecting illegal experimentation, but had not found any solid leads. I made a mental note to follow this new lead, as soon as hyper-humanly possible. We continued to listen to Vic’s story.

He told us how his brother Ray had been responsible for him going to prison many years ago, so after he was released, he went to Vegas to seek revenge. Ray, however, learned that Vic was carrying a powerful hyper-serum. But when the former attempted to steal it, the latter hid it in a bottle of champagne. The substance was accidentally ingested by six women who were in Vegas for a bachelorette party. They all gained powers and eventually formed a team of superheroines called The Sista Clique.

Vic was captured by Ray and held in an underground bunker, beneath the casino. That is where he first encountered Ramona. Before long, The Sista Clique was able to thwart Ray, and in the chaos Vic was able to free Ramona. After escaping, he immediately brought her to NHH for treatment. Dr. Destructo and the top doctors all kept her presence secret, for fear Ray or UI may come looking for her. They worked diligently with Vic to try and restore her consciousness. But alas, she had remained in a complete vegetative state since her arrival. That was, until just before Icarus attacked.

Dr. Destructo said, Ramona first began mumbling the name “Byron”. That was followed by the repetition of the question “Where are you?” Ramona kept saying other words as well. “Light” was one. “Igetis” was another. The word “king” was mentioned a few times, too. She also repeated the three letters G, K, and F over and over. Dr. Destructo naturally recognized Byron’s name, so as soon as he heard it, he moved to inform Shuttershock as the mention of light, along with the question “Where are you?”, was undoubtedly about Byron’s fiancée.

My partner was smiling from ear to ear. Hope was alive and beaming in him. He inquired what the rest might mean. Dr. Destructo and Vic were at a loss. I told Shuttershock I would have the agencies I work with look into things once we solidified him working with me. I could tell he did not want to leave NHH yet, though.He wanted to stay, and see if Ramona  may reconnect with her. So, I bid Shuttershock farewell and told him I would contact him when it was time for us to regroup.

‍