The bustling Friday night traffic in Hudson City did nothing to slow Nemesis and Soldier Boy as they raced towards Lafayette.  The updates were few and far between over the communicators, but it was clear that whatever was happening in Fayettenam, was more than Paladin, Avatar and Heatwave could handle on their own.  The hypercycles slid in and out of traffic, onto and off of the sidewalks and even skimmed over the Stewart River to land on the banks of Crown Point.

Violet eyes set in a petite porcelain face glared down at two of her minions.  She'd allowed them to survive to answer her questions, the other three had been terminated with an instantaneous thought.  That was all it took.  One snarl of disdain from her perfect nose and the mental flip of a switch, and any one of her underlings would short circuit and fall dead at her feet.  Those were the lucky ones. 

The unlucky ones returned.  Scrambled remnants of a toy graveyard, life fluids fed to them through wires and tubes, sparked to life without mercy for Lady Cybra to control.  Only their brains were intact, feeding them memories of their past lives and allowing them some capacity to pray for death.

"How."  She commanded.  Her lips were pursed in a grimace of irritation, but the tone of her voice was as smooth as silk.  It emanated from within her and slid from her tongues, one in her mouth where it should have been, and the other tucked unseen behind her chin.  The quality of it resonated richly and was unreal, almost hypnotizing.

"Xavier Relaford..."  Phi repeated the name back to the person on the other end of the phone, squinting hard as she tried to place the name.  "No. No, I don't have any recollection of that name."

Several moments passed as the small DiSantiago paced around the deluxe suite at her cousin's wedding, the ever present cell phone perched against her ear.  With each lap she got more and more agitated, glaring at her brother as if it was somehow his fault.

Raven had watched with unseemly amusement as JACE succumbed to Jenny's control, bellowing out the words of a child's nursery rhyme while he piloted his armor like a drunken monkey. When he lost control--or Jenny abandoned control--and he plunged toward the ground amusement turned to concern. Raven was distantly aware of Phase taking up Jenny's rhyme but most of her attention was focused on Heatwave's desperate and mostly successful attempt to save JACE from a dangerous fall.

Back in the surveillance room, Soldier Boy received a welcome call from Phase on his communicator.

Phase's voice was as carefree as usual.  "I've found our academic friend. Want me to bring him back to the car park? Oh and he says the little girl's on the island with the Ferris Wheel."

Soldier Boy made a frightened sound and was glad he was alone. The passing years had brought him many nightmares about facing Jenny Pate again, and he was not anxious to play them out in real life. There was nothing in the universe he dreaded more, but he was a professional. His feelings didn't matter. There was only the job.

Carnival World

Soldier Boy clapped his hands. "Okay, here's what we need. Heatwave, do a lap of the park and see if anything jumps out at you. Phase, take that Relaford there around the park. Whichever direction he tells you. We should be able to cover the most ground that way. Give a holler when you find something and the rest of us will come running. Any damned question?"

Raven didn't reply. She just leaped up to the top of one of the tall light poles which illuminated the park at night and crouched like a gargoyle, scanning the crowd.

While JACE remained at his estate in Irish Town, the rest of the Conquistadors, aided by the mysterious Xavier Releford and Raven, set to work tracking Miss Emily Eisele.  Without the necessary tools to follow Phase's plan, and an increasing sense of urgency, the heroes put their faith into the odd professor and the stone necklace that hung loosley about his neck.

Soldier Boy and Raven accompanied Releford in his large car, while Orion, Heatwave and Phase trailed on their hypercycles.  The necklace pulled the professor steadily south and then west, as they passed through the scenic Blackbridge Park area, then through Mint Ridge and finally Moscow West.  The scenery getting more dismal as they pursued a trail, that no one could guess the end.

As Relaford went about his business, JACE carefully replayed the conversation and the note that Mrs. Eisele had written through his mind.  One of her comments caught his attention.  "Mary, you said Emily, or Jenny, stated I would be forced to choose between her or a virus.  Did she provide any further information about this virus?  Where it might be located or what virus it might be?" 

Mary's face fell and JACE knew from her response that she didn't have an answer for him.  He had already deduced the probable answer, but it was always better to have some kind of confirmation.  At his mental command his armor began plotting the quickest route to his house from here.

The Conquistadors rumbled down the quiet suburban street on their beyond-the-state-of-the-art motorcycles. They were not subtle. Bleary eyed neighbors peaked out from behind curtains and a few brave souls even ventured out onto their front porches. Soldier Boy dismounted in front of the Eisele's home and looked around to make eye contact with neighbors. His mouth was bent into the shape of a friendly smile, but his furrowed brow and icy stare said don’t fuck with me.

“What’s going on?” one of the neighbors asked. “Are we safe?”

“It’s nothing,” Soldier Boy hollered back, “but stay back just in case.”